GOALTENDERS Jason Bacashihua 6-1 165 9/20/82 Dearborn Hts., Mich. Plymouth (OHL) Dwight LaBrosse 6-1 170 10/6/83 McMurray, Pa. Guelph (OHL) DEFENSEMEN Keith Ballard 5-11 200 11/26/82 Baudette, Minn. Minnesota (WCHA) Joey Hope 6-0 174 1/1/82 Anchorage, Alaska Portland (WHL) Michael Komisarek 6-4 230 1/19/82 Islip Terrace, N.Y. Michigan (CCHA) Bryce Lampman 6-1 193 8/31/82 Rochester, Minn. Neb.-Omaha (CCHA) Brett Lebda 5-10 186 1/15/82 Buffalo Grove, Ill. Notre Dame (CCHA) Erik Reitz 6-0 192 7/29/82 Plymouth, Mich. Barrie (OHL) Noah Welch 6-3 212 8/26/82 Brighton, Mass. Harvard (ECAC) Ryan Whitney 6-4 192 2/19/83 Scituate, Mass. Boston U. (HE) FORWARDS Dustin Brown 6-1 203 11/4/84 Ithaca, N.Y. Guelph (OHL) Ben Eaves 5-8 176 3/7/82 Faribault, Minn. Boston College (HE) Rob Globke 6-3 205 10/24/82 W. Bloomfield, Mich. Notre Dame (CCHA) Dwight Helminen 5-10 184 6/22/83 Brighton, Mich. Michigan (CCHA) Christopher Higgins 5-9 160 6/2/83 Smithtown, N.Y. Yale (ECAC) Ryan Hollweg 5-11 185 4/23/83 Downey, Calif. Medicine Hat (WHL) Gregg Johnson 5-11 183 6/18/82 Windsor, Conn. Boston Univ. (HE) Chad LaRose 5-10 183 2/27/82 Fraser, Mich. Plymouth (OHL) Jim Slater 5-11 165 12/9/82 Detroit, Mich. Michigan St. (CCHA) David Steckel 6-4 200 3/15/82 West Bend, Wis. Ohio State (CCHA) R.J. Umberger 6-2 200 5/3/82 Pittsburgh, Pa. Ohio State (CCHA) Kris Vernarsky 6-2 195 4/5/82 Warren, Mich. Plymouth (OHL)
USA Hockey Announces Final Roster for World Juniors
USA Hockey today announced the 22-player roster for the 2002 United States National Junior Team, which will compete in the 2002 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship. The tournament, featuring the world’s top players under 20 years old, will be held Dec. 25, 2001-Jan. 4, 2002 in Pardubice and Hradec Kravlove, Czech Republic.
“This team will possess skill intelligence and grit,” said Team USA head coach Keith Allain. “Our success will be determined on how quickly we can bring all of these qualities together to become a team. I am very excited about this team and have high expectations.”
![[nl]Notre Dame's Rob Globke is back for another World Junior Championship](https://www.uscho.com/images/colorscans/20012002/nd_r_globke.jpg)
[nl]Notre Dame’s Rob Globke is back for another World Junior Championship
The roster features 11 National Hockey League draftees, including five returning players from the 2001 U.S. National Junior Team. Eight of the 22 players are in Major Junior leagues, while the other 14 are playing in U.S. Division I colleges.
This year’s team features four players who were selected in the first round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, including the top American selection, Mike Komisarek (Michigan), who was taken seventh overall by Montreal.
Other first round selections include: R.J. Umberger (Ohio State), who was the 16th overall pick by Vancouver; Jason Bacashihua (Plymouth, OHL), who went 26th to Dallas; and David Steckel (Ohio State), who was taken 30th by Los Angeles. Umberger, Komisarek and Steckel all played on the 2001 U.S. National Junior Team.
Last year the United States finished in fifth place out of 10 teams, posting a 5-2-0 record in Moscow.
Other returnees include: Plymouth Whaler forward Kris Vernarsky, and Notre Dame forward Rob Globke.
The team will assemble in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Dec. 16 in preparation for the 2002 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. On Dec.19, the squad travels to Switzerland for exhibition games on Dec. 21 versus Switzerland, and Dec. 22 against Sweden, before beginning competition at the World Junior Championship on Dec. 25 against host country and defending champion, the Czech Republic.
Quinnipiac Drops ‘Braves’ as School’s Athletic Nickname
The Quinnipiac University Board of Trustees has voted to discontinue using “The Braves” as its athletic identity for all of its Division I men’s and women’s athletic teams.
The trustees’ decision was based on a recommendation by President John Lahey, and followed a semester of discussions by the Faculty Senate, Student Government Association, President’s Cabinet and the Alumni Board of Governors.
Lynn Bushnell, vice president for public affairs, said, “Although fond of the tradition we’ve had for 50 years, the university community clearly recognized the difficulties of using a name that has the potential to misrepresent and denigrate an entire group of people. And, despite our clear intention to honor and remember the Native Americans once known as the Quinnipiaks, to do so only through athletics was found to be no longer appropriate.”
Earlier this year, Colgate changed its nickname from “Red Raiders” to just “Raiders.” An ongoing controversy surrounds use of the name “Fighting Sioux” at the University of North Dakota, though the nickname has withstood numerous challenges.
According to a university news release, there were other dilemmas with using the Braves name.
“Quinnipiac’s women’s teams were offended by the use of the Lady Braves moniker, and graphic representations-logos and mascots-were similarly burdened,” the release said. “The institution, out of concern for these sensitivities, had stopped using human representations of Native Americans years ago.”
The Quinnipiac community, including students, alumni, faculty and staff, now will be asked to recommend alternate suggestions for an athletic identity program for the university. A final recommendation is expected to be made to the Board of Trustees before the end of the 2001-2002 academic year.
Ultimately, Bushnell said, the intent is to create an athletic identity consistent with the quality and level of competition in which the university now participates.
“We want to build an image that will help strengthen QU athletics, and in so doing, create an emblem our athletes and fans will wear with honor and pride,” she said.
Director of Athletics Jack McDonald agreed, saying, “QU has incredible campus spirit, but the limitations provided by ‘The Braves’ nickname has made us unable to capture and promote that spirit with mascot, logos and nicknames.”
Serino Shows Improvement; Looks For January Return
Merrimack head coach Chris Serino, diagnosed with throat cancer which forced him to step down in late October, said he is making terrific progress and plans a return to the bench following the Christmas break.
“I just finished my last major chemo[-therapy] session, and the tumor I have has shrunk 85 percent,” said Serino. “Things are looking good. I have to start radiation on the 17th of December, and go for seven weeks of that.”
The affable fourth year head coach of the Warriors learned in late August that he had cancer, shocking his team and the college hockey community. After attempting to juggle difficult chemotherapy treatments and coaching duties, he announced on Oct. 30 that he would turn over the reins to associate head coach Mike Doneghey for at least the remainder of the fall semester, taking on what he termed at the time a “GM” type of role.
“I’ve been doing some administrative stuff, scheduling, fundraising for the arena, things like that,” said Serino. “I’d love to be down there on the ice, but going down there, coming off the ice, and trying to interfere, doesn’t give the true authority to Mike, Stuie [Irving] and Lou [Finocchiaro] that they need, so I’ve been trying to stay away from them.
“We’ll sit and talk once or twice a week about what’s going on, but they’re making the decisions, good ones. I’m just trying to pick up the slack of all the other things to alleviate them of those duties.”
According to Serino, even with the shift in roles requiring assistants Doneghey and Irving to stay closer to home, recruiting for Merrimack has not missed a beat.
“I’ve been trying to be on the road myself,” noted Serino. “One of the things I can do is watch games. So, in the past few weeks I’ve been out on the road, watching and trying to help in those situations. We were lucky to sign some guys early (forwards Brent Gough and Nick Pomponio) and get some other commitments early, so we’ve got a pretty good recruiting class in hand already.”
With the Christmas break just around the corner and his condition improving, Serino is already looking forward to his return to the bench.
“If we keep winning, I’ll stay home,” Serino quipped. “I plan to be back after Christmas, while I start my radiation, and just play it by ear. If I can handle the radiation and coaching I’ll do it, if I can’t, I’ll step down again. I’m just itching to get going again and hopefully I’ll be back for the Vermont tournament. That’s my plan right now.”
Merrimack faces Dartmouth and Vermont in the Sheraton/Howard Bank Classic in Burlington on Dec. 28-29.
Serino, 52, is married with five sons. He spoke of the support he has received from the Merrimack and college hockey communities during the toughest battle of his life.
“It’s been humbling and overwhelming. I can’t possibly get back to all the people who sent things in, but I do want to thank them all. They’ve been fabulous to me and my family. It’s an experience I’ll never forget.”
This Week In The WCHA: Nov. 29, 2001
Watch The Nets
So which goaltender is going to crack first?
You can’t put the nation’s top two teams, those with the country’s two most prolific offenses, into one building on two nights this weekend and expect a defensive standoff.
So maybe the question should be: Which goaltender is going to play the biggest?
Considering this weekend’s top series matches Minnesota and St. Cloud State, there’s a chance of having four or maybe even five goaltenders to choose from. The Huskies have rotated Dean Weasler and Jake Moreland all season; the Gophers use Adam Hauser as their No. 1 goaltender, but he’s been tempered often with Travis Weber and Justin Johnson.
There’s your lineup. Throw them into a hat, mix them up and find a combination. Minnesota coach Don Lucia knows who he’s starting on Friday — Hauser — but will take it from there, he said. St. Cloud State coach Craig Dahl will counter with his usual rotation — Weasler on Friday, Moreland on Saturday.
“When the good teams play, goaltending is always huge,” Lucia said. “It’s not how many you score, it’s how well you defend. We want to make sure we play well defensively because we’re not looking to go into a weekend trying to outscore anybody.”
While the Gophers probably will be trying to outscore St. Cloud, his point is safe. Minnesota is going to have a tougher time with the Huskies if the games turn into run-and-gun showdowns.
Not to say that the Gophers don’t have the firepower to match up, just that they would probably get the nod in a close-checking, low-scoring game.
Lucia doesn’t even want to run the risk of seeing what SCSU could do in a fast-paced offensive game.
“They probably have more depth at the forward position than anyone in the country,” Lucia said, speaking directly to the return of St. Cloud captain Jon Cullen after an injury held him out since the first weekend.
“If we turn the puck over, we’ll be in deep trouble. We have to make sure they come 200 feet at us and not turn the puck over. That’s where they’re so deadly, in transition. They have those skilled guys that when they get the chance, they’re going to score.”
Mark Hartigan and Nate DiCasmirro stand out as those Huskies players especially adept at making things happen at forward. They’re second and third, respectively, in the WCHA in points.
But the Gophers have power up front to at least match the Huskies. Johnny Pohl continues to light up opposing teams, especially on the power play. Jeff Taffe netted a hat trick last weekend, and is coming on strong as a Gophers scorer.
There are strong similarities between the two offenses, but Dahl said he thinks the Gophers rely on their power play more than his team does. Keeping the Minnesota power play off the ice as much as possible is a key for the Huskies, but then again, Dahl said that’s going to be in the hands of the referees.
“Our guys aren’t going to go around acting goofy, I can tell you that,” Dahl said. “And I don’t think their guys will, either. These are two quality teams.”
Lucia is downplaying the significance of this weekend’s series. It may be Gophers-Huskies, it may be No. 1 vs. No. 2, but it’s still early in the season.
“We’ve got four big games coming up. We’ve got St. Cloud then we’ve got Denver the next weekend,” Lucia said. “It doesn’t do us any good to have a great weekend this weekend and a bad weekend next. We’re just trying to stay on that even keel. Each game is worth two points, just like they are in February.
“It’ll be a fun weekend, but the fans will probably be more cranked up than anybody else because it’s a 1-vs.-2 deal. I think if you asked Craig, he’d say the same thing: It’s only December. There are no big games in December or November.”
Said Dahl: “Our guys are keeping it pretty low-key. It’s so early. People say that it’s the 13th, 14th game. Yeah, but we play 39 this year. Last year they swept us early, we got them late. You don’t know how big it is or how big it isn’t, but it’s certainly going to be fun for the fans.”
A Little Off
Sometimes a team can escape with a victory when it knows it has been outplayed. Denver was not so fortunate.
The Pioneers took their first loss last Saturday, 5-2 to New Hampshire. Denver didn’t show the control that it had in building a 8-0 record in the first four weeks of the season, and it paid.
“We didn’t play that well this weekend, period,” Pioneers coach George Gwozdecky said. “Part of it was the rhythm or the timing was off. I don’t think we worked as hard and I don’t think we had the intensity we needed to play with in both games. … I don’t think I prepared the team properly, but I think that’s something we all have to get better at.”
Gwozdecky takes absolutely nothing away from New Hampshire; he was tremendously impressed with the Wildcats’ performance. But while saying that, Gwozdecky also admitted it maybe wasn’t the worst time for the Pioneers to take a loss.
Sure, that’s an easy thing to say once you’ve lost, but it holds some validity with Denver. Everyone needs a check once in a while — on the ice and off. Sometimes it comes in a loss, sometimes not. Denver’s wake-up call came at the hands of New Hampshire.
“This gives us an opportunity to say we know there are certain areas of our game that we need to improve on,” Gwozdecky said. “I thought New Hampshire gave us a great lesson in some of the things that we want to be able to do better. They were so fast to the puck and so quick in taking away our time and space. That’s an area we’ve been pretty good at, off and on throughout the early part of the season.”
That’s Gonna Leave a Mark
Skipping out on the post-series handshake is a faux pas along the lines of shooting the puck after the buzzer. The latter will get you a pummeling from the opposition; the former gets unkind looks from the opposition.
Steve Cygan, though, gets a pass.
The Alaska-Anchorage senior headed right for the Seawolves’ locker room at the end of last Saturday night’s game at Colorado College because he had a chunk of a stick lodged in his leg.
Late in the game, a CC defender’s stick broke, sending a three-inch sliver into Cygan’s upper left leg. When he got to the bench, he tried to remove it, only to have it break off, leaving about two inches left in his leg.
A Colorado College doctor removed the rest of the stick after the game.
“It was awful,” Cygan told the Anchorage Daily News. “I could feel the wood in there under the skin. It was wierd.”
Cygan, though, wasn’t expected to miss any practice time.
A Long Time Coming
Gian Baldrica finally got his chance last Friday night. He may still be trembling.
The Colorado College third-string goaltender replaced starter Jeff Sanger for the final 8:11 of the Tigers’ 7-1 victory over Alaska-Anchorage. It was the first playing time in a NCAA game for Baldrica, a junior.
“I was definitely nervous,” Baldrica told The Gazette of Colorado Springs after Friday’s game. “I’m still shaking. It’s been a while.”
Baldrica made three saves on three shots.
Ironmen Sidetracked
This weekend’s Badgers-Seawolves series in Anchorage could be without two of the most durable — or at least valuable — players in the teams’ lineups.
Anchorage defenseman Lee Green, who was the only UAA player to start in each of the first 11 games of the season, missed last Saturday’s game with a deep thigh bruise on his left leg. He’s questionable for this weekend’s series.
Wisconsin captain Andy Wheeler suffered a high ankle sprain in last Saturday’s loss to Michigan, an injury that could keep him from even making the trip to Anchorage.
It All Goes South
Not only has Minnesota-Duluth lost seven of its last eight — with a tie being its only saving grace in that period — it has seen its power play, at one time a promising sign of good things to come, collapse.
In those last eight games, Duluth has converted on just five of 35 chances with the man advantage. That’s upsetting to the Bulldogs, considering they started the season 12-for-35.
Their power play is still fourth in the WCHA at 23.3 percent, but who knows if another PPG here or there could have made the difference in any of five one-goal losses this season.
Buried in the Stats
If you’re an Anchorage fan and put a lot of faith in statistics, things are looking better. Things aren’t great, mind you, but better. Those are the small steps needed in rebuilding.
The Seawolves are scoring an average of 2.67 goals per game this year, up from 2.28 last year. They’re putting 29.3 shots on goal per game, up from 25.7 last year.
Their lowest shots total of this season is 21, recorded last Saturday.
Making the Best of a Bad Situation
No team’s going to start a celebration because it held Alaska-Anchorage without a power-play goal on a weekend. For Colorado College, though, it was another sign of the ever-improving times.
The Tigers have killed 35 straight man-down situations and is 56-of-58 for the season.
Tigers coach Scott Owens said in this space a few weeks back that he didn’t think it was possible to build around a penalty-killing unit.
He may be right, but it’s also nice to know that a bad situation isn’t all that bad after all.
More Home-And-Home?
St. Cloud coach Dahl said he’s all in favor of the home-and-home series format he’ll see this weekend against Minnesota, and he’d like to see it against more teams.
“It gives our fans the chance to see Minnesota early and late, and it gives their fans the chance to see us early and late,” Dahl said. “Late in the year last year, that had implications as to who was going to get seeded higher in the NCAA, who was going to take second in the league.”
Because of the home-and-home format, the fans in both cities got to see that crucial late-season series. In a normal, two-games-at-home series, one team and its fans would have been forced to travel and stay overnight.
That’s another reason Dahl’s in favor of the home-and-home series: No overnight stays, no checking on players in hotel rooms and no need to get there a day early.
Dahl said the home-and-home system will be in place for the Huskies’ series with Minnesota State-Mankato next year. He’s also had discussions with North Dakota about switching formats.
“You’re spending less time out of school, No. 1,” Dahl said. “No. 2, you don’t have to sleep in a hotel and try to find something to do all day long on Friday. No. 3, it saves money; you’re not paying for the hotel and the food.”
That’s Gonna Leave a Mark, Part II
If Cam Ellsworth hadn’t already learned one of the biggest lessons for a goaltender, he knows it by heart now.
Don’t turn your head.
Ellsworth, in the middle of picking up his first collegiate victory last Saturday night, took a Wayne State shot to the neck, leaving a softball-sized bruise.
“I turned my neck for some reason,” Ellsworth told USCHO’s Matt Mackinder on Saturday. “But, hey, I stopped the puck and we went on to get the late goal and win this one.
Ellsworth hit on a significant point in his postgame statement: The Huskies got the goal to win. That’s something they’ll need to do more of to remain competitive in the WCHA.
After losing Friday’s game, Tech was down by one going into the third period on Saturday. Ryan Markham scored to equalize, and Brett Engelhardt got the winner late in the third.
Tech trailed 3-1 in the second period, making it the first time the Huskies ralled for victory after being down by two goals since December, 1997.
More on the Top Two
Oh yeah, one more thing about that Minnesota-St. Cloud State grudge match this weekend: It’s six goals a game against 5.67.
The Gophers lead the nation with a half-dozen goals scored per game; the Huskies aren’t that far behind. The rest of the nation is.
After St. Cloud, there’s a 1.25-goal-per-game dropoff to the next scoring leader, Canisius at 4.42 per game.
The Gophers have scored four or more goals in each of their 13 games this season.
That’s Progress
All last year, Minnesota’s Taffe scored 12 goals.
Last Friday night, he did one quarter of that in 34 minutes, 36 seconds. His hat trick against Michigan gave him 13 goals in 13 games this year. That’s one better than all of last season, and he still has a long way to go.
Catching Up
St. Cloud State’s sizable lead in the WCHA standings isn’t so sizable when considering the Huskies have played two league games more than most teams and four more than some others.
The Huskies have a six-point lead over Denver for first place, but the Pioneers have four games in hand. Denver hasn’t lost or tied a game in the league this season, but is in second place.
Points earned, therefore, aren’t completely honest when telling who’s leading the league.
For the WCHA contenders, then, points won’t really matter until Feb. 2. At the end of play on that Saturday, the major contenders for top spots (St. Cloud State, Denver, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Colorado College) will have all played the same number of league games.
None of those teams has a non-conference game or a week off scheduled for the remainder of the season after that point.
Even More on the Top Two
WCHA teams have been involved in five of the six meetings between No. 1 and No. 2 in the USCHO.com poll since it was so named in 1997-98.
Friday’s game in Minneapolis will be the first time a No. 1 team has hosted a No. 2 team by the USCHO rankings.
And the statistic Huskies fans don’t want to hear: No. 1 is 4-0-2 in those six games against No. 2.
Oh, the Refs!
Still don’t think there’s a disparity between the way things are officiated in the West and the way things are done out East?
Check out last Saturday’s Boston University-Cornell game.
It was the second half of a WCHA-Hockey East referee swap, with Mike Schmitt, arguably the WCHA’s top referee, working with two Hockey East assistants.
One of those assistants, called a penalty late in the game on a play that some say Schmitt saw and on which didn’t choose to call a penalty.
A reminder of what WCHA Supervisor of Officials Greg Shepherd said last season: “The [assistant referees] are supposed to call minor penalties not observed by the referee. … The only ones they can call in front of the referee are majors.”
No New News
The Clay “Woodrow” Wilson update this week has nothing to offer. The Michigan Tech freshman defenseman did not get on the scoresheet in two games last weekend at Wayne State.
For the season, “Woody” has two goals and two assists for four points.
He Said It
“It’s just another rival for us. If you asked St. Cloud who their biggest rival was, without question it’s Minnesota. If you asked our guys, it’s take your pick — North Dakota or St. Cloud or Wisconsin, Michigan or Michigan State.”
— Minnesota coach Don Lucia
One Last Note
On the day I was born, Dec. 2, 1977, Jeff Sauer was coaching in a game with his Colorado College team.
It was his seventh season as CC’s head coach. Yikes.
This Week in the ECAC: Nov. 29, 2001
Rumblings and Grumblings
It’s been getting louder and louder. And right now, people are screaming. Especially after this past weekend. From the span of Tuesday, Nov. 20 until Wednesday, Nov. 28, the ECAC went 4-15-1 against non-conference opponents.
The ECAC went 2-1-0 against the MAAC, 0-1-0 against the WCHA, 0-1-0 against the CCHA and 2-12-1 against the Hockey East. Ouch.
“There are certainly a lot of close games looking at the scores,” said ECAC assistant commissioner for ice hockey, Steve Hagwell. “Would we much rather be 15-4 than 4-15, of course, but I won’t say it across the board. But there were games that could have gone either way, but unfortunately it didn’t.
“They’re going to look at the 4-15 and I can’t do anything to change that. It’s not like the teams aren’t out there competing. I’ll lay it on the line, I’m going to take solace in some of those games. … there were a lot of close games.”
The big question is one that has loomed for the last few seasons, and is growing larger: Is this a permanent decline? And, even scarier, is this the bottom or not?
“People are going to have their opinion anyway. I don’t think our coaches are going to coach any differently and I’m not going to do anything differently because of how people perceive us,” said Hagwell. “You just go out there and I know they’re going out there every weekend to try and win, and this week is not something that we’re striving for.”
Overall this season, the ECAC is 14-36-3 out of conference, 3-18-1 against Hockey East, 0-10-0 against the WCHA, 4-5-1 against the CCHA, 4-1-0 against the MAAC and 3-2-1 against the CHA.
“I have a concern about it, there’s no question about it,” said Union head coach Kevin Sneddon, one of only two coaches this season who have over .500 records out of conference (Mike Schafer at Cornell is the other). “It’s all about league perception and bottom line is that it affects so many things, from a recruiting standpoint to coming down to the tournament. We’ve got to a better job as a league to win some non-conference games.”
So, the grumblings have gotten louder and louder. Just what is happening to the ECAC?
Many fans have stopped us at games in the last few weeks, and we wanted to address some of their questions, comments and words with some of ours. Explanations, or answers, perhaps, of their questions and comments.
The ECAC just doesn’t have players that are as good.
This is a very tricky question that has been made even more difficult to assess over the past few years due in part to the introduction of the MAAC (we’ll get to that one later).
It’s easy to look at the plight of the ECAC against other leagues and come to the conclusion that they are losing because they don’t have good enough players. If the shoe fits, right? It’s also easy to look at national awards and make generalizations across the board.
Take the Hobey Baker Award, for instance. The ECAC hasn’t had a player capture that honor since 1989 when Harvard’s Lane McDonald capped off a streak of three Hobey Baker winners in seven years for the Crimson. What has happened since that time? Does that mean that the ECAC hasn’t had any players good enough to challenge for the award?
If you answer that question in the affirmative, think about players such as Andy McDonald, Eric Healey, Kent Huskins, Joel Laing, Erik Anderson, Eric Heffler, Eric Perrin, Martin St. Louis and Ray Giroux — all finalists over the past few years. And wasn’t it just a few years ago that ECAC teams boasted some of the best first lines in the country (RPI’s Healey-St. Hilaire-Garver line; Vermont’s St. Louis-Perrin-Ruid trio)?
“I think our league has a lot of personality,” said Schafer. “We don’t have any major media markets that promote our league. Our league has a lot of personality in that we’re not driven by one or two teams. You don’t know which team is going to step up and that kind of uncertainty will hurt you in national media attention, but there’s a lot of good coaches and there’s not a kid that comes in that isn’t ready and then they blossom into good players.”
The truth of the matter is that the ECAC has been able to recruit and develop quality players, many of whom have been able to successfully advance to the next level. The problem has been the lack of overall depth throughout the 12 teams in the league. Although some may argue this point, the introduction of the MAAC has hurt the ECAC more than any other league in the country for two main reasons. One has to do with geography, in that coaches from the two leagues are going after kids in the same region. Add another competitor to the mix and your market share invariably goes down.
Another factor has to do with scholarship money and the decisions being made by the young players. Instead of filling out a third or fourth line and getting less scholarship money from an ECAC school, many kids are choosing a MAAC school where they know they can step right in on the first line and — in most cases — collect more scholarship money along the way. And the fact that more and more high-caliber schools are scheduling MAAC teams on their schedules each season, the national visibility is no longer a differentiation point for the ECAC.
Recruiting is getting harder and harder for all schools and the ECAC is no exception. The one area in which the league has been able to protect itself over the last few years has been in player defections to the professional ranks. Compared to the other leagues, the ECAC has had fewer players leave earlier to try their hand in the NHL or affiliate programs.
This means that the ECAC should continue to have their top lines challenge the best in the country and come up with a few Hobey Baker finalists along the way. The big challenge is finding a way to either recruit or better develop the third and fourth line players who can help alleviate the pressure of the top players. You don’t win national titles by virtue of a good first line and a strong power play.
The ECAC is crazy in not having a television package.
There was nothing more disappointing than hearing that the ECAC had decided to forgo its regular-season television package this season. It was disappointing for the fans who would not be able to watch their favorite teams compete during the season from the comforts of their home. It was disappointing for the players and coaches who will not have the luxury of smiling for the camera. It was disappointing for the league proponents who have to the argument that the ECAC is on par with the other leagues. In the age of self-promotion, the lack of a television package was a harsh blow to the league.
As we reported when the announcement was made, many of the ECAC coaches were not pleased with the decision either. Clarkson coach Mark Morris perhaps summed it up best when he said:
“It affects recruiting, and it affects the perception of your league. People who watch our league on a regular basis know the quality of hockey that we play in our league. Sometimes, we don’t get our just due when it comes down to people realizing what our league is all about.”
The official word from the league office was that it cost the conference $20,000 per game to produce a telecast. Therefore, an 11-game package that was not generating much revenue cost the league a total of $220,000.
The fact remains, however, that you will always be compared to your peers. Instead of being placed alongside trendsetters like the Hockey East and CCHA — both of which have long-term regular-season television packages — the ECAC falls back into the pack of ‘others.’
Some say that naysayers should be satisfied with the fact that the ECAC semifinals and championship games are televised each year. The response to that claim is twofold: 1) three games broadcast a year does not equal the visibility and promotion of a regular-season package; and 2) the semifinals and championship games (shot from far-away Lake Placid, N.Y.) run into direct competition with the Hockey East semifinals and championship game played in Boston.
Once the economy settles down (another reason for the scrapping of the package), the ECAC will need to make a concerted effort to return its games to the television audience. Whether than means finding a corporate sponsor or absorbing the costs under the umbrella of marketing and promotion, it needs to happen. If not, the long-term effects will begin to pervade the very fabric of the individual programs.
The schedules of the ECAC teams are awful.
This is an issue that concerns a lot of people because, these days, you are who you play. Taking on national powerhouses not only makes you better, but it makes you more marketable and gives you more credibility on a national level. The ECAC has been criticized in the past for staying within its small Northeast circle when scheduling non-conference games. That perception may have been true a few years ago and some remnants of that narrow-minded mentality still exists today, but it is certainly changing.
Here’s what a few programs are doing this season:
There is still a lot of work to do in terms of getting the better teams on the ECAC schedules, but you can certainly tell that the league and coaches are committed to taking that critical next step.
“The national scope right now, you had one or two teams that ran with it last year, but other than that, there’s not a great deal of difference between teams right now,” said Brown coach Roger Grillo about the state of the ECAC. “There are a lot of things that skew the picture a lot, and we, as a league, are trying to change that. Teams coming into our buildings make a huge difference. If a Minnesota comes here, it’s
going to be different.”
As you can see from above, a lot of ECAC teams are taking it upon themselves to rack up the frequent flier miles now in order to get those big games on the schedule. That willingness on the part of the ECAC coaches will make it easier for them to put the onus on the western teams to travel east in the near future. And less traveling and more home games could lead to something else … more non-conference ‘W’s.
“If you look at the home-away stats, I think a lot of teams are going into other buildings in non-conference games and we have to get more teams into our rinks,” said Sneddon. “But the bottom line is, we have to win some games. It’s no secret.”
The finances to support hockey at the schools aren’t there
Funding is always a critical issue when it comes to anything, and the ECAC and hockey certainly isn’t any different.
Does the hockey budget at an ECAC school differ than those of schools in the CCHA, WCHA or Hockey East? You have to respond with a resounding “yes,” or do you?
North Dakota just built the magnificent arena, complete with all the facilities imaginable that could even support the best of NHL teams. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Michigan State, all of those schools also pump money into the program with facilities and other things. So, the answer there is “yes.”
But is it?
What about the other schools in these leagues? Not to put down any other schools, but would a Ferris State or a Merrimack or a MSU-Mankato have the same facilities as the other teams that we have mentioned? Without looking at raw numbers, one would have to assume that this is not the case. So, in reality, are the finances that ECAC schools are providing towards its hockey programs lacking?
Does the financial situation have to do with the hockey culture at the school? Are the schools in the ECAC not geared towards a hockey culture? You can’t say that when you have schools such as Clarkson, Rensselaer, St. Lawrence and Union as Division III schools and the only sport which is Division I at these schools is hockey. There is a framework for hockey as one of the main cultural activities at those institutions. Hockey is as much a part of the culture at these schools as it is at North Dakota or St. Cloud State.
How about the issue of dues from the schools themselves to the ECAC? How do those compare to the other hockey leagues? At the same time, you also have to remember that the ECAC sets the dues fees, not the schools, so you can’t say that the schools are the ones who are not fronting the finances for the league, because the schools themselves are only doing what is asked of them.
The ECAC is too old-fashioned and the ECAC in itself is not an administration that can handle a sport.
The ECAC has been called a dinosaur by some, a league that still works in the old ways. And because of that the ECAC is not able to handle the demands of this sport in this day and age.
The ECAC has been operating as a conference for a long time, there is no doubt about that, and while this statement might have been true a few years ago, the ECAC is moving in a direction to get rid of this idea.
A new Commissioner of the ECAC has been in place. Phil Buttafuoco has come into the ECAC and instilled a system that he wants to work. It’s an admitted work in progress, but signs of a new age in the ECAC are there.
Steve Hagwell has been installed as the Ice Hockey Guru in the ECAC and people have been asking for it for a long time, that one person be in charge of the sport. One contact person, one visible person for all to speak to and through to the upper echelons of the ECAC.
Change is happening in the ECAC and to say the above comment is not noticing what is going on.
The ECAC is used as a stepping stone by head coaches.
There is no evidence to back this grumbling up at all. If one takes a look at the last 10 years in the ECAC, there have only been two coaches that have left the ECAC to become head coaches in other leagues; Buddy Powers in 1994 and Don Cahoon in 2000.
In fact, the ECAC has a plethora of coaches who are approaching 10 years in tenure and some that have passed that mark already. Mark Morris, Joe Marsh, Mike Gilligan and Tim Taylor are right up there, and you can count Bob Gaudet in with that mix as well. Dan Fridgen and Don Vaughan are approaching 10 years at the helm and Mike Schafer is halfway to that mark.
This grumbling has no evidence to back it up.
The ECAC schools just fight too much amongst themselves.
There certainly has been some dissent in the ranks of the ECAC in years past and we are sure there is now. But, the league, as evidenced by the actions of the coaches and the athletic directors coming to almost unanimous voting in recent league decisions, have shown that they are banded together to do what is best for the sport.
The Ivies, who only play 29 regular season games as opposed to the 32 allowed to non-Ivies, went with the vote to give the non-Ivies 34 regular season games.
There may have been fighting in the past, but is there right now? It certainly doesn’t look like it.
The ECAC should split and the Ivies and non-Ivies should go their separate ways.
When in doubt, blame it on the Ivy League. After all, the ECAC is the only league that has the two-for-one deal as part of its structure. With no athletic scholarships to offer, the Ivy League can’t possibly bring good players and successful programs to the table, can they? And it is the Ivy League that has held back the number of regular-season games allowed each year and messes up the schedule each year because of prolonged and ill-timed exam breaks. This is what we hear from the stands at least. Are they correct?
Not quite. When people start blasting the Ivy League as dead weight that is bringing down the entire ECAC, they are showing ignorance and not insight. The Ivy League has not held the ECAC back in any way. In fact, it is the Ivy League that has helped the league earn a reputation for overall respect and appreciation for the student-athlete. Although it’s never been talked about much, some of the non-Ivy schools actually like the academic association they get by being in the same league as the Harvards and Princetons of the world.
People also talk as if the Ivies dominate the 7 through 12 spots in the league standings. If the Ivies are at such a disadvantage and can’t compete with the scholarship schools, why is Cornell the only ranked team in the league right now? And why did the Ivies represent three of the five schools at Lake Placid last year? And of the four ECAC teams that have shown up in the national poll this year, why are three of them Ivy institutions?
Scheduling has also never been a problem for the ECAC as all teams are able to find time to take on top-notch teams across the country. These days it is more about the quality and not the quantity of games on your schedule. The late start by the Ivies actually gives the other ECAC teams a jump start and a chance to schedule non-conference games early in the year as a tune-up for the long haul.
In addition, the Ivy League didn’t stand in the way of the increase in the regular-season game limit. In fact, due to existing guidelines, the Ivy League has been forced to suffer when it comes to scheduling as compared to its peers. Despite the increase to 34 games, the Ivy League teams — pending future voting by Ivy League directors — will still only be allowed 29 regular-season games with a season-start date of Oct. 15.
There is a reason why there have been no substantial talks about a change in league structure. Someone — whether that is the coaches, athletic directors or league directors — wants the Ivy League around. And if you really think hard, there are more reasons to support that stance than not.
But one reason that is often overlooked deals with the Ivies leaving the ECAC fold. The Ivies can certainly leave the ECAC and form their own league. The Ivies have been playing hockey for a long time within the Ivy League structure.
The present NCAA rules governing automatic bids to national tournaments are in favor of the Ivy League should it break away. The Ivy League, being an established hockey league as of 1999 and having six members, qualifies as a hockey conference that could potentially get an automatic bid to the NCAA hockey tournament. So there is a prime reason for the Ivy League to break away and become its own conference.
So What Have We Learned?
It’s up to you, the reader, to decide that.
Seeing Stripes
Another issue that always faces everyone is that of the officiating. People always say that if you have nothing nice to say, you shouldn’t say it at all.
Two weeks ago, that cost Mark Morris, as he was suspended for one game, the first game against Colorado College, by the ECAC for comments about the officiating after the Golden Knights’ game against Princeton the weekend before.
In that game, Kevin O’Flaherty and Kerry Ellis-Toddington of Clarkson, along with Neil Stevenson-Moore of Princeton, were given game disqualifications for fighting towards the end of the game. That didn’t sit well with Morris.
“The win is tarnished,” he said regarding the disqualifications. “We’re shorthanded as it is, and this is a tough pill to swallow. There wasn’t that much that happened that merited that type of infraction. We’ll review it with the powers-that-be, and make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”
This could have been the comment that resulted in the suspension, but no one who knows for sure is talking. Steve Hagwell had no comment regarding the situation.
This past weekend, Mike Schafer had a beef with the officiating. On Saturday afternoon, the Big Red were put down a man with a penalty late in the third period. Boston University scored the winning goal on the power play in the last minute of regulation.
“[It] killed us,” said Schafer of the call. “There’s a neutral official from the WCHA waves it off and the Hockey East linesman calls it a penalty. So, is it a penalty? I don’t know, but the head official’s looking right at it and the Hockey East linesman’s looking right across at it, and he ends up calling it from standing directly in front of their bench, and it’s a pretty frustrating call for a linesman to make with a minute and ten seconds to go in the hockey game.”
The game was one where the Hockey East and the WCHA exchanged referees and Mike Schmitt of the WCHA was the referee for the game.
“To me I think it’s an awful call by the linesman, but at the same time we’re the ones–we didn’t end up killing the penalty off,” Schafer continued. “They did a good job, they scored the goals, and I’ll take care of the bitching about the officials — just one official. I think Schmitt did a great job.”
On Sunday, there wasn’t a lot more happiness with the officiating either.
“Pretty similar situation to where we were last night,” said Schafer after Sunday’s game. “I thought we overcame a lot of adversity. We had again two [assistant referee] calls tonight: I thought the difference was this time our guys rose to the challenge and killed them off.
“We’ve just got to get some consistency across the country in officiating in the sense of who’s calling the game. Is the referee calling the game, or is the A.R. calling the game? We used that last night not as an excuse. We made our own mistakes last night.”
It’s not just happening in the ECAC either.
This past weekend, Cansius visited Western Michigan. Canisius head coach Brian Cavanaugh certainly had something to say about the officiating.
“I thought we played pretty hard, especially considering the fact that we were down most of the game,” he said referring to penalties called. “I wasn’t real pleased with the officiating. I watched the videotape of last night’s game, and I didn’t think some of the calls that were made, the tripping call in the first period [of Saturday’s game] to put us down two men, wasn’t a strong call. And tonight we get three things in the third period when we killed two penalties when it was four-on-four.
“I’m not trying to blast the officials, but I feel when you come in here and you get CCHA officials with a CCHA team, you have to overcome that adversity.”
And then over in the WCHA, there was the suspension last season of assistant referee, Jay Kleven. Kleven was suspended after a weekend series between Minnesota and North Dakota in which he made two penalty calls.
The WCHA Supervisor of Officials, Greg Shepherd, decided that Kleven should not have made those calls because the referee had seen the plays and decided not to call a penalty.
This caused some controversy, especially with North Dakota head coach Dean Blais.
“The referee is supposed to watch the puck and the A.R.s watch everything behind,” Blais told USCHO’s Todd Milewski last year. “Now, when an A.R. is suspended because he made a call, if I was an A.R, I wouldn’t call anything.
“[That could be bad for] the integrity of the league.”
It brings up an interesting scenario that one has to think about. If it is a league game, the leagues can suspend or fine coaches that comment about the officiating in a negative manner.
But what happens in terms of governance when it comes to non-conference games?
We guess that is the $64,000 question.
If It’s So Easy, You Try It
Chairman Brule is not happy. Thus far in three weeks of competition, his Iron Columnists have gone 1-1-1. This last week, Ben Flickinger has defeated the Iron Columnists by one measly game.
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 Colunists – 11-4-2 to 10-5-2
So, Ben Flickinger, bring your skills into USCHO Stadium again and see if you can take down the Iron Columnists for the second week in a row. Whose picks will reign supreme?
The Picks
Friday, Nov. 30
Cornell at Yale
Ben’s Pick – The Big Red wins this one going away. Cornell 4, Yale 1
Becky and Jayson – Cornell 4, Yale 3
Colgate at Princeton
Ben’s Pick – Two struggling teams, but Colgate is better in-conference. Colgate 3, Princeton 2
Becky and Jayson – Princeton 3, Colgate 2
Clarkson at Brown
Ben’s Pick – Clarkson comes out of Providence with a ‘W.’ Clarkson 4, Brown 3
Becky and Jayson – Clarkson 5, Brown 2
St. Lawrence at Harvard
Ben’s Pick – SLU continues to struggle. Harvard 4, St. Lawrence 2
Becky and Jayson – Harvard 5, St. Lawrence 3
Saturday, Dec. 1
Cornell at Princeton
Ben’s Pick – Cornell shows why it is contending for a conference title. Cornell 5, Princeton 2
Becky and Jayson – Cornell 5, Princeton 1
Colgate at Yale
Ben’s Pick – Yale garners a weekend split. Yale 3, Colgate 2
Becky and Jayson – Yale 5, Colgate 2
Clarkson at Harvard
Ben’s Pick – Which Clarkson team will show, the one that’s 3-0-0 in conference or 1-6-1 out-of-conference? My guess is the latter.Harvard 4, Clarkson 2
Becky and Jayson – Clarkson 4, Harvard 3
St. Lawrence at Brown
Ben’s Pick – Close one, but Brown rights the ship for now. Brown 5, St. Lawrence 3
Becky and Jayson – St. Lawrence 3, Brown 2
Union at Rensselaer
Ben’s Pick – Union gets on the board in the conference standings. Union 2, Rensselaer 1
Becky and Jayson – Rensselaer 5, Union 2
Dartmouth at Vermont
Ben’s Pick – Battle of the Northerners, round one. Will being in the Gut help UVM? Yes, but not enough. Dartmouth 4, Vermont 3
Becky and Jayson – Vermont 4, Dartmouth 2
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 when Ben bites the dust.
Scott Weighart, Pat Host and Dan Fisher contributed to this column this week.
This Week in Division III: Nov. 29, 2001
Upset Stomach?
You’d expect an upset stomach the weekend after Thanksgiving, but there was plenty of Division III hockey upsets to go around as well. And those were probably enough to give guys like Plattsburgh’s Bob Emery and St. Norbert’s Tim Coghlin some indigestion.
I was incommunicado for the three days after Thanksgiving, off with my family to watch my oldest son’s PeeWee team participate in a tournament in Auburn, N.Y. Nice little town, but cut off from the virtual world — the closest ISP access number was in Syracuse, a long-distance call. And since my hotel was charging $1 a minute for local calls, I didn’t even bother to do any web surfing or check my email.
Imagine my surprise when I logged on to USCHO when I returned on Sunday night just in time to catch the St. John’s-Elmira score, as well as all the other shockers that had occurred.
So pass the Pepto and look at what transpired around the nation:
ECAC Northeast
It was a good weekend for NE teams as Mass.-Dartmouth and Wentworth recorded big non-conference wins.
The Corsairs of UMD beat Utica and the host Babson Beavers en route to the Babson Invitational title. Goaltender Kevin McGowan made 26 saves for the shutout in the championship game.
Wentworth is off to its best start in school history at 6-0, including a 4-1 victory over defending ECAC East champions New England College. The Leopards travel to Utica on Friday and top-ranked RIT on Saturday, in what could be a battle of 7-0 and 8-0 teams.
ECAC West
Elmira has had a frustrating couple of weeks, which has included victories over what were then the number one and number two teams in the nation, Plattsburgh and St. Norberts.
Unfortunately, the big wins were alternated by losses to unranked St. John’s and Oswego in which Elmira gave up a total of 17 goals.
The Oswego loss could loom large down the road depending on how rival RIT does in its two games against the Lakers in January. RIT and Elmira are once again expected to be the favorites for the single NCAA Pool “B” slot, and besides winning percentage and head-to-head play, common opponents is a key element in the selection process. The teams have only four non-conference common opponents this season: Oswego, Geneseo, Amherst and Williams.
Speaking of RIT, the top-ranked Tigers are once again off to an amazing start with the man advantage. RIT is clicking at a 51.4 percent rate (18 of 35) while holding its opposition to a measly 7.7 percent (3 of 29).
NESCAC
Bowdoin head coach Terry Meagher will go for his 300th win this weekend against Skidmore and MCLA. The Polar Bears will be favored in both games. Meagher is 299-144-23 in his 18 seasons at Bowdoin. He needs 27 more wins to become the all-time wins leader a the school. Meagher’s predecessor, Sid Watson, was 326-21-11. Bowdoin will soon be the first Division III school with two 300-win coaches.
The Camels of Connecticut College looks like they have put their lackluster 2000-2001 season behind them. CC is off to a 3-1 start, including taking the Spurrier Tournament with wins over Trinity and Wesleyan. The Camels boast both the top scorer (Pete Hanlon with 11 points) and the top goaltender (Steve Oven with a GAA of 1.50) in the NESCAC.
ECAC East
The Norwich Cadets jumped into the No. 2 position in the USCHO.com poll on the basis of their Primelink Great Northern Shootout title. Norwich defeated Plattsburgh, 3-2, in double overtime, and then defeated state rival Middlebury 5-1 in the championship game. Both wins had to be considered upsets, but the Cadets got the credit they deserved in the poll, vaulting over both teams into the number two position.
If you’re in Beantown next Wednesday, Dec. 5, drop by Mass.-Boston’s Clark Athletic Center. You’ll see something very special, a father and son squaring off against each other in a college hockey game.
As players.
Dana Merak, 48, is in the second year of his comeback with the Beacons, while his son Steve, 20, is a sophomore at Babson. Steve took a year off from hockey last season (his Dad took about 27 years off, so it’s no big deal), so this will be their first opportunity to meet. Should be fun.
SUNYAC
Plattsburgh is in free-fall, dropping three in a row, all upset losses. The Cardinals stumbled against Elmira on Nov. 17, losing 2-1 despite outshooting Elmira by a wide margin. Just a blip, beaten by a hot goaltender, right?
But last weekend at the Primelink, the defending national and Great Northern shootout championships lost a heartbreaking 3-2 double overtime game to Norwich, and then were beaten for just the third time ever at Potsdam, losing to the rival Bears 3-2.
All one-goal games, so don’t panic yet, Cardinal fans. Look for them to rebound this weekend with home games against current SUNYAC cellar dwellers Brockport and Geneseo.
How much difference can one game make early in the season? Oswego didn’t get a single vote in the most recent USCHO.com poll despite quality wins over Potsdam and Elmira. What hurt was the 8-4 loss to Manhattanville on Nov. 24. Win that game and the Lakers are 5-1 and possibly ranked in the top 10.
NCHA
St. Norbert had the weekend from hell, coming into the Elmira East-West Faceoff tied for their best start ever at 7-0, and ranked second in the nation, but leaving with two losses and ranked sixth. The Green Knights were upended by the host Soaring Eagles, 5-4 in overtime, and then pummeled by Williams, 6-1.
St. Norbert doesn’t have much time to recover. The Green Knights need to be careful not to overlook visiting Wisconsin-Stout on Friday before hosting Wisconsin-River Falls on Saturday in a game that could determine first place in the NCHA.
Wisconsin-Eau Claire, currently just a point behind St. Norbert and UWRF, will try to regroup after being outscored by visiting RIT 14-2 last weekend. The Blugolds were just 1-13 on the power play in those games, something that they’ll have to improve this weekend at Wisconsin-Superior and St. Scholastica.
MIAC
Teams from the MIAC enjoyed a good measure of success last weekend in non-conference play, going 5-0.
The highlight was St. John’s’ 2-0 record at the Elmira East-West Faceoff. Wins over Williams and Elmira got the Johnnies, currently tied for last place in the MIAC with a 1-3 conference record, some votes in the USCHO.com poll.
St. John’s takes this coming weekend off, while the rest of the league returns to conference play. The big matchup is a pair of games between first-place St. Thomas and second-place Concordia. The Tommies have opened an early three point lead in the standings and can really open things up with a sweep of the Cobbers.
MCHA
MCHA teams continue to struggle in non-conference games, going 0-4-1 last weekend in games against the MIAC to bring the conference’s total non-league record to 1-16-2.
But the real action this season looks to be inside the league, which is shaping up to be the most balanced ever. There’s currently a three-way tie for first with Marian, MSOE and Northland all with three league wins. Marian has one game in hand over the Lumberjacks and two games in hand on the Raiders.
Unlike previous seasons where the regular season title has been decided by January, this one could come down to the final games.
More indigestion for the coaches, I guess.
This Week in the ECAC West: Nov. 29, 2001
The Thanksgiving holiday was a joyous one for the ECAC West as far as rankings go. RIT moved up to the No. 1 spot in the USCHO.com poll for the week of Nov. 19, and settled firmly in place this week garnering 14 of the 15 first-place votes.
Elmira continued its climb up the rankings, reaching the No. 5 position in the most recent poll. And Manhattanville nudged back in to the honorable mention category with a single vote.
A Toughie of a Schedule
Elmira gets the prize for toughest schedule over the last two weeks in the ECAC West, and maybe in the nation. The Soaring Eagles faced off against then-No. 1 Plattsburgh and No. 2 St. Norbert, as well as tenacious St. John’s and Oswego teams. Elmira came away with a 2-2 record from those four games, but probably not with wins and losses against the teams you would have expected.
Elmira opened the stretch with an away game at Plattsburgh in the unfriendly confines of Stafford Arena. The Soaring Eagles finally figured out how to use their increased team speed to their advantage, and it paid immediate dividends. Combine that with a stellar game out of netminder Rob Ligas and the entire defense, and Elmira dealt Plattsburgh its first defeat of the season, 2-1. Dean Jackson notched both of the goals.
“We didn’t allow any odd man rushes for Plattsburgh, and that was the key,” said Elmira coach Tim Ceglarski. It looks like Elmira did more damage to Plattsburgh than just marring its record. The Cardinals have now lost three games in a row, thanks to the avalanche started by Elmira.
Exactly one week later, Elmira faced then-No. 2 ranked St. Norbert in the opening round of the East/West Face-off. The refs were calling all the little stuff in this game, and sent Elmira players to the box on 10 separate occasions.
“This was a hard game to get a flow going, with all the penalties,” said Ceglarski.
But the Soaring Eagles persevered and junior Jason Silverthorn scored the game-winning goal 57 seconds into overtime to lift Elmira to a 5-4 victory.
Elmira had completed a feat that few others in Division III hockey have ever done: defeating the No. 1- and No. 2-ranked teams in consecutive games.
“This gives our players a good feeling about themselves,” said Ceglarski. “Both how they have been training and playing.”
Elmira then lost a tough game against St. John’s in the second round of the East/West Face-off. The Soaring Eagles came out completely flat in the first period, and were just awful all over the ice. The Johnnies built up a 5-1 lead, before Elmira started the long comeback early in the second period. Amazingly enough, Elmira did come all the way back, tying the contest 7-7 in the closing seconds of the third period to force overtime. But St. John’s scored midway through the overtime period to squash the comeback story.
Hosting Oswego this past Tuesday finished off this grueling stretch of the schedule for Elmira. It seemed like the Soaring Eagles had finally run out of gas, and dropped the game, 9-6.
Upset with a Tie
Utica coach Gary Heenan needed his players to mature quickly this season if they were going to be as competitive as he thinks they can be. In his words, he wanted his freshman to turn in to juniors and seniors by January. It looks like the Pioneers are well on their way.
Utica got out to a quick 3-0 lead against Cortland, and things were looking great, until a dumb penalty changed everything.
“Jeff Tittensor snowed their goalie [at 18:50 of the first period] and that changed the whole outcome of the game,” said Heenan.
Tittensor got the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and Cortland scored on the ensuing power play to get back in to the game. “Our PK has no confidence and that is killing us,” said Heenan. Utica has only killed off 72.7 percent of the man-down situations that they have faced.
Cortland ended up scoring four straight goals to take a lead in to the third period. But Tittensor made up for his earlier gaff, and scored midway through the third period to give Utica the tie.
“We came off the ice with a tie and our guys were upset in the locker room,” said Heenan. “As a coach, that shows how far our freshman have matured already this season.”
The Utica players may not mentally be juniors or seniors yet, but maybe they are at least starting to play like sophomores at times.
The other good news for Utica is goaltender Jake Miskovic. The freshman has played in five of Utica’s eight games, and is sporting a stellar .927 save percentage and 2.13 goals against.
“The guys have confidence playing in front of Miskovic,” said Heenan. “He makes all the routine saves you expect a goalie to make. And he makes at least one spectacular save every game that gives the guys confidence.”
Failing to Finish
Manhattanville has been having trouble finishing this season. They played a spectacular game against RIT, but failed to finish them off in the end. Just when the USCHO.com poll voters seem ready to move the Valiants in to the top ten, Manhattanville tanks a game. And lately, Manhattanville has had a hard time putting the puck in the net.
During the past week, the Valiants managed 31 shots against Potsdam, only scored two goals and lost the game. Then they poured 46 shots on to the Wesleyan net, tallied three goals, and had to settle for a tie. Scoring only five goals on seventy-seven shots will not help to improve your win-loss record very much.
“We just couldn’t put the puck in the net,” said Manhattanville coach Keith Levinthal. “We weren’t able to get much traffic in front of the net, and got no rebounds. We played well in those games, but just couldn’t finish. This happens sometimes, especially with a young team.”
Things got better when Manhattanville beat Oswego last Saturday. The Valiants outshot Oswego 39-27, but this time the puck was finding the back of the net as Manhattanville scored eight goals. Seven different players notched goals, with Dave Schmalenberg tallying two.
So maybe Manhattanville has figured out how to finish after all.
Game of the Week
Manhattanville heads off to Colorado for the Air Force Tournament this weekend, the team’s first plane trip ever. The Valiants have a tough row to hoe, as the saying goes, meeting up with Air Force in the opening round. The fly boys will be a tough match up for Manhattanville, but if the Valiants can continue to finish their chances they have a good chance to win the tournament trophy.
This Week in the SUNYAC: Nov. 29, 2001
Back From The Sabbatical
The break in the SUNYAC schedule gave the conference a chance to matchup against non-league competition. Catching up on what went down:
OUCH!
Plattsburgh had a rough two weeks, dropping three straight games. It was the first time the defending national champs had put together a losing streak of more than one game since losing consecutive games to Middlebury and Williams in January, 2000.
The losses also snapped a nine-game winning streak for Plattsburgh, which last lost to Potsdam in the second game of the 2001 SUNYAC finals.
The first defeat came at the hands of visiting Elmira, 2-1. Despite putting 51 shots on goalie Rob Ligas, including 22 in the third period, the Cardinals could only muster one first-period goal against the hot netminder.
Plattsburgh was just seven seconds away from a win over Norwich in the first round of the Primelink Great Northern Shootout at Potsdam last Friday afternoon, when Kurtis Mclean knotted the game at two apiece. The Cadets got the game winner after just over 16 minutes of the second overtime had passed.
Host Potsdam put another dent in the Cardinals’ record with a 3-2 upset in the tournament’s consolation round on Saturday. Potsdam’s Mark Hathaway notched the game-winning goal with just over six minutes left in the second period.
At first glance, three straight losses by the defending national champs seemingly would indicate big trouble in Plattsburgh.
But upon further review …
In the three losses Plattsburgh put up plenty of shots but got stoned against three tough goalies.
A team that last year averaged scoring five goals a game, Plattsburgh gave up no more than three in the three games, usually few enough goals against to win. Opponents were just 1-for-17 on the power play in the losses, and goalies Niklas Sundberg and rookie Tony Seariac combined for a .921 save percentage and a 2.22 GAA through three games.
As coach Bob Emery said on his weekly radio show Behind The Bench on Monday, “If I knew what the problem was, I’d be worried. Because that would mean we couldn’t fix it.”
It could be that Plattsburgh is just having a run of bad puck luck.
The losses do make it more likely that only the SUNYAC championship winner will make the NCAA tournament. If that team is Plattsburgh, the defeats could affect whether the Cardinals play host or go on the road during the quarterfinals.
One plus for the Cardinals: they play each team they lost to once more this season, and could play Potsdam four or even five times more if the league playoffs are included.
Plattsburgh has three home games in a row before a visit to Middlebury, and the annual Cardinal Classic tournament. Brockport and Geneseo visit this weekend, and Plattsburgh gets a chance to avenge the Potsdam loss on Tuesday.
Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad
Besides the Primelink consolation win over Plattsburgh and a first-round 5-0 loss in that tourney to Middlebury, Ed Seney’s Bears also notched a convincing 6-2 home win over a strong Manhattanvile team. Special teams were key in the victory over the Valiants as Potsdam scored two powerplay goals, two shorthanded, and one 4-on-4. Venturelli, who has played all 540 minutes but for 3:22 of open net for Potsdam, made 29 saves in the win.
For a young Bears squad, a weekend sweep would get them back to .500 in conference.
Brockport and Geneseo Head North
Brockport, still looking for its first conference win, takes on two of its toughest conference foes in Plattsburgh and Potsdam.
The Golden Eagles had only one game during the league hiatus, dropping a 5-3 game to ECAC Northeast Curry on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
Travel partner Geneseo heads north after a convincing 5-2 win at Hobart on Wednesday night, avenging a 7-4 loss in the first round of the Rochester Cup in October, and putting together the first winning streak of the season for rookie coach Brian Hills.
The Knights split two home games during the league intermission, downing Neumann 6-2 on Nov. 17, after dropping a game to Lebanon Valley 5-3 the night before.
Senior captain Tony Scorsone leads Geneseo with five goals and 11 assists.
Brockport visits Geneseo in that travel partner matchup next Tuesday. The Soaring Eagles beat the Knights 2-1 earlier this season in the Rochester Cup consolation round.
Lakers Split With ECAC West
Oswego had a tough one last Saturday at Manhattanville’s New Roc City home arena — a tough place to take on the Valiants — dropping an 8-4 decision. The Lakers gave up a shorthanded goal and three second-period power-play tallies to the homestanders.
Tuesday night, the Lakers pounded in four straight goals in the third period to come from behind in a 9-6 win over an Elmira squad playing its third game in four nights.
The Lakers host Buffalo State and Fredonia this weekend before travel partner Cortland visits next Tuesday.
Red Dragons Get One of Each
Cortland improved to 7-1 with a 6-2 win over visiting Johnson & Wales on Nov. 17 to start the Thanksgiving break.
The following Tuesday, the Red Dragons visited Utica for the first time. The Pioneers went up 3-0, before Cortland reeled off four in the second period. Utica tied the game for good at four on a 5-on-3 midway through the third.
Tuesday night, Hamilton nipped Cortland 6-5 in overtime, after the Red Dragons fought back from a 5-3 deficit.
A sweep, or even a split of the weekend would almost assure a playoff spot for Cortland.
Time To Score Some Goals
Prior to league play, Fredonia coach Jeff Meredith identified goal scoring as an area his team could be better at than last season.
Goaltender Will Hamele has a 2.42 GAA for the Blue Devils, but the team has averaged just two goals a game.
With just one win so far in conference, the weekend’s games, plus a visit from travel partner Buffalo State, loom large for the Blue Devils.
Bengals Can Make A Statement
Buffalo State, at 6-3-0 and 3-1-0 in conference, is off to the best start in school history. The lone intermission game for the Bengals was a 7-6 home win over a strong, young Hobart squad on Nov. 20.
Forwards Joe Urbanik and Todd Nowicki each have 17 points for the Bengals, who will look to both move up in the standings and show their mettle with a trip to Cortland and Oswego.
About This Behind the Bench Show
Hockey fans around the country might want to check out Bob Emery’s Behind the Bench Monday nights at 6:30 ET on WIRY, Plattsburgh. You can pick up a Windows Media Player feed from the WIRY website.
The program is hosted by WIRY’s Ducky Drake, a gracious man who is a legend in Cardinal country, and who has been the voice Plattsburgh hockey for more than a quarter century. Ducky is not afraid to ask tough questions of Emery.
The program takes phone calls, e-mails and faxes from listeners.
Be sure to catch Ducky calling a Plattsburgh game, if you can. There’s no doubt he’s a Cardinal fan through-and-through, but he doesn’t approach it with the overwhelming and sometimes whining bias that “homer” broadcasters do. He always gives the straight skinny on what’s happening on the ice, and despite his small-town zip code, he is one of the best hockey broadcasters in the country.
Hometown Radio
If you’ll indulge me for a second, I just have to say that listening to WIRY brings a smile to my face.
As someone who has been interested in radio since I was kneehigh to a grasshopper, and as someone who has been active in radio for over 20 years, it is refreshing to hear a station that is not a homogenized, computerized product of a conglomerate.
WIRY calls itself “Hometown Radio,” and it is indeed that: a full-service radio station serving the needs of its listeners.
Big city residents, or those too young to remember before big radio chains ruined radio, might find the mix of ’60s rock and ’90s country, regional news and information, singing station IDs, and local commercials quaint or corny.
And you may laugh at a station that reads Letters to Santa every night, or who lets people advertise their stuff for sale by calling “Swap Shop.”
But if you grew up in a small town, or if you remember listening to the radio when stations actually tried to serve their communities, WIRY will sound like home.
And I bet it will put a smile on your face, too.
Shake Shake Shake
A few posters in the USCHO.com Fan Forum took Emery to task for not shaking hands with Potsdam players at the end of the game Saturday.
He addressed this issue when it was brought up by Ducky Drake during Monday’s Behind the Bench.
“I think I’ve been here for 400 hundred games and I’ve always shaken the hand of the opponents’ coach,” said Emery. “I don’t shake hands with the other team’s players, but I shake hands with the coach — always and ever.”
In fact, Emery — and many other coaches — are following the rules to the letter by not participating in the handshaking lineup at the end of the game.
NCAA Ice Hockey game protocol rule 7-2, paragraph (h) says, “At the conclusion of each game, players shall assemble at center ice for the traditional handshake. Coaches should exchange handshakes and remain at their respective bench areas until the conclusion of the player handshake.” (Emphasis mine.)
It’s fine if coaches wish to join the handshake lineup, and many head coaches and their assistants do.
However, it’s certainly not bad sportsmanship if a coach chooses not to, and those criticizing Emery for not doing so are wrong.
Four More Years
Despite some speculation to the contrary, the best in-season tournament in Division III is back for another tour through the barns of the four participants. Plattsburgh, Potsdam, Middlebury, and Norwich have signed contracts for another four years of the Primelink Great Northern Shootout.
Each team has hosted once.
The last three winners — Middlebury, Norwich, and Plattsburgh — have been the last three national champions.
Brain Teaser
Can a team score a goal when a delayed penalty is called on them?
Before you answer “no” … Plattsburgh did exactly that against Potsdam last Saturday.
It does take a freaky set of circumstances to make it happen, though.
As most hockey fans know, when a player makes an infraction when the other team controls the puck, play continues until a player from the team making the infraction gains control.
With a delayed penalty coming against Plattsburgh’s Mark Cole, Bears goalie Ryan Venturelli made his way toward the bench for an extra attacker. Freshman center Conor McDonough dove to block a slapshot from the point and the puck deflected the length of the ice into the empty Potsdam goal.
Since the Cardinals did not gain control of the puck, the goal counted. McDonough was credited with an unassisted goal.
Already?
Believe it or not, after next Tuesday’s games between the SUNYAC travel partners, the league schedule will be halfway over.
In the next two weeks, we’ll take a look at where everyone stands as the conference schedule reaches its midpoint. We’ll touch base with the coaches around the SUNYAC and take a look at which players have made the biggest impact so far this season.
Trivia
Last Week’s Questions
Which goaltender from the 1987 championship game between Plattsburgh and Oswego is now a head coach in the CHA?
Craig Barnett, goalie for Plattsburgh in that game, is the head coach of the Findlay Oilers.
And, what current ESPN broadcaster covered that game on the radio?
Steve Levy, a 1987 graduate of Oswego, was the Lakers’ radio play-by-play announcer for carrier current WOCR radio, the predecessor to today’s WNYO-FM.
This Week’s Question
How many current SUNYAC coaches have been named SUNYAC coach of the year at least once?
Game of the Week
The game of the week is the rematch of Potsdam at Plattsburgh on Tuesday. Unlike the Primelink consolation game last weekend at Maxcy Hall, this one counts in the standings.
The youthful Bears will be looking to prove that the win over the Cardinals was no fluke, while Plattsburgh will be looking to exact revenge for the defeat in the much friendlier confines of the Stafford Arena.
This Week in Hockey East: Nov. 29, 2001
The Best Team in Hockey East?
They’ve got plenty of competition, but the New Hampshire Wildcats are making a pretty strong case as the league’s top team right now. Their total domination during major stretches of last weekend’s games with No. 14 Ohio State and previously undefeated No. 4 Denver were eye-catching to say the least.
They outshot OSU 24-7 in the first period on Saturday and then essentially matched that one night later, outshooting the Pioneers 24-8 over the first two periods. In the opening 20 minutes, Denver had only one shot from within the blue line. This wasn’t going against Mother Theresa and the Sisters of the Poor; this domination was inflicted on one of the few teams in the country with an unblemished record, 9-0-0, one that was ranked second in the country at the time.
And while Ohio State could claim, with some justification, that it adjusted poorly to UNH’s Olympic ice sheet, Denver had no such gripe. The majority of WCHA ice surfaces are Olympic-sized.
“I was very impressed with New Hampshire tonight,” said DU coach George Gwozdecky after the 5-2 loss. “They completely outplayed us in the first period. We had some small spurts in the second and third, but they controlled the game, they controlled the territory.
“If it hadn’t been for [goaltender] Adam Berkhoel, things would have been well out of hand early in the game. … Adam gave us a chance to get back into the game, gave us a chance to make it a game.
“Their transition game was very good. They use the width of the ice extremely well. They moved the puck and caught us flat-footed an awful lot.
“When we were able to wrestle the puck away from them, their coverages were outstanding, especially early in the game. We just did not have a lot of room to move. They cut off a lot of the passing lanes until we made a little bit of an adjustment. … UNH is the best team we have played so far.”
What’s notable is that New Hampshire’s quick starts in the two games were not the exception but rather the rule this year. As noted by UNH radio broadcaster Dick Osborne, the Wildcats have outshot every single team in the opening frame, most by large margins:
Oct. 13 Vermont, 11-3
Oct. 18 Merrimack, 15-4
Oct. 20 Rensselaer, 16-6
Oct. 26 Northeastern, 15-7
Nov. 2 Merrimack, 14-10
Nov. 4 BU, 13-5
Nov. 9 Lowell, 18-8
Nov. 10 Lowell, 11-10
Nov. 17 Providence, 21-8
Nov. 24 Ohio State, 24-7
Nov. 25 Denver, 13-3
That adds up to a total of 171-71 or an average shot advantage of 15.5 to 6.5.
Folks, those kind of numbers will win you some hockey games.
“It was a great win,” said UNH coach Dick Umile after topping Denver. “I thought the team played well. We beat a very, very good team…. I told the guys they got an ‘A’ for it.
“I thought we matched up well going into the game and obviously I was very pleased again with the first period. As of late, we’ve been coming out in the first period and setting the tone. If we could just finish off a couple of those, it might make it a little bit easier, but it’s never going to be easy with the teams that we play.”
Arguably, this is the only possible note of concern for worrywart Wildcat fans. Against both Ohio State and Denver, the early dominance translated into only a one-goal lead. You’d like to see a bigger margin for such impressive territorial play. Instead of leading the league in offense, the Cats are third at 3.82 goals per game (behind Maine’s 4.58 and BU’s 4.00). However, UNH does stand atop the defensive rankings, allowing only 2.09 goals per game.
Much of that comes from winning the specialty team battles night in and night out. The Wildcats have not only the top power-play ranking in Hockey East (26.5 percent), but also the top penalty kill (89.1 percent). This amounts partly to a continuation from last year and partly a role reversal. Last season, they posted a record-setting 93.5 penalty kill percentage in league games, but were next-to-last on the power play (11.8 percent).
“We’ve always been pretty good at the special teams here,” said Umile. “I know that last year there was a lot of talk about our power play, [but] we’re a year older. We’re using the majority of the same people, but they’re just moving the puck better and making better decisions. Obviously, the puck is going in for us, but we’re doing basically the same thing we did last year with basically the same personnel.”
Despite all the success so far, Umile isn’t looking for his team to go about beating its chest and trashtalking about its strength.
“We’re still in November, so we have a way to go,” he said. “But the guys are improving…. If we’re somewhere in there nationally, that’s great for the program and for the university.
“We’ll just hang out there someplace. It’ll be nice. We’ll just lay low and be there at the end.”
Press Room Humor
After UNH’s win over Ohio State, Sports Information Director Pete Souris opened the Wildcat portion of the postgame press conference by asking Umile for his general comments, which is standard operation procedure. With a mischievous glint in his eye, Umile tossed a curveball back to Souris.
“Why do I have to start off all the time?” asked Umile. “You know what my general comments are. I’m happy we won the game.”
After the laughter died down, he added, “Let’s change it up.”
Souris quickly improvised and looked to Darren Haydar, sitting next to Umile.
“Okay, Darren,” said Souris, “your general thoughts on the game?”
The laughter erupted again one night later when, having learned his lesson, Souris opened with, “Darren you want to start with some general comments?”
Just Looking to Get Some Ice Time
When freshman Sean Collins arrived at UNH this year, he had modest expectations. Instead, the 5-9 roadrunner has scored nine goals and added eight assists in just 11 games. His 17 points put him atop the rookie scoring race and place him tied for fifth overall in the league .
“It’s gone a lot easier than I expected,” he says. “Coming from a public high school [Reading] to a Division I program, I was just looking to get some ice time this year and then go at it my sophomore year. But [Umile] threw me up on the first line with Haydar and [David] Busch. It’s been [downhill] all the way.”
The opportunity to play with Haydar, one of the most dynamic performers in Hockey East, if not the country, was a surprising development.
“Like anybody else, I was pumped for it,” says Collins. “Playing with Haydar, the game is so much easier. He breaks it down for you. All my goals are because of him and Buschie giving me the puck.”
Not only has Collins found it easier because of his linemates, but also knowing that he’s got plenty of ice time ahead of him each game.
“Playing on the first line is so much easier than playing on the fourth line and just getting a few shifts and not really getting into the game as much,” he said. “Playing on the first line and power play, you’re into the game so you get to get all the experience and it makes you a better player.”
Which is not to say that it was a cakewalk at the beginning. It can be intimidating for a freshman to be placed on the top line.
“The first few games, I was so scared with the puck,” he said. “[But] I got so calm with the puck after the first few games and after the first goal went in. After that, it’s been all calm. It’s been great.”
It’s helped that Haydar and Busch, as well as the rest of his teammates, have been supportive.
“Obviously, it’s hard for a freshman to be put on the spot like that and expected to score goals,” says Collins. “But everybody has been nice and said, ‘Just play your game and the offense will come.’ It’s been real nice.”
Despite his success, Collins isn’t resting on his laurels. He feels that he has to stay on his toes at all times.
“The game is a lot faster up here [in college],” he said. “You have to be on your feet. The physical and mental aspects are so much higher so you have to come prepared every practice and game.”
Like any smaller player, Collins has had to learn how to adapt from facing a lot of opponents his own size in high school to taking on mostly six-footers now.
“You’ve got to use your speed,” he said. “On an ice surface as big as [UNH’s], you’ve got to use your speed and get around those big guys and goalies and get around the grabbing and holding and play your game.”
Surprisingly, he’s actually been most prolific on NHL-size ice surfaces. In five home games on the Whittemore Center’s Olympic sheet, he’s totaled two goals and one assist. At standard-sheet road venues, however, he’s exploded for seven goals and seven assists in just six contests.
However, he’s not letting those exploits or the league top rookie honors fill his head with lofty personal goals.
“I don’t try to think about those things,” he says. “You just want to go out there and win each night. The personal goals will take care of themselves.”
Reading Rockets Reunion
With UNH forward David Busch out of the lineup, Steve Saviano joined Collins on Haydar’s line, reuniting the Reading Rockets duo that terrorized schoolboy opponents a couple years ago.
“All three of us fly,” says Collins. “We sure a’int the biggest, but we [get] the job done.”
A’int the biggest is right. The trio averages under 170 pounds with Haydar and Collins the enforcers at 5-9 to Saviano’s 5-7.
“It could be the smallest line in college hockey you’ll ever see,” says Haydar with a laugh.
The promotion for Saviano was a welcome one for the sophomore, which also allowed the second line of Josh Prudden, Lanny Gare and Colin Hemingway to stay intact.
“Playing with him for three years at Reading was a great experience,” says Saviano. “Playing tonight was even better, obviously at a better level. It made it a lot easier than if it were two guys that I’d never played with before.”
The Train Keeps A Rollin’
UMass-Lowell’s Cam McCormick has gone from outstanding to out-of-this-world. He has won all six starts with a save percentage of .983 and a goals against average of 0.35!
No, those are not typos.
Had he not been pulled prior to the third period of a 4-0 shellacking of Army — the final shots were 55-7 — McCormick would have recorded five shutouts in the six games.
“Goalies are the defining position,” says UML coach Blaise MacDonald. “He’s played with an incredible amount of focus, and with that comes confidence and with that comes performance. And it perpetuates and you can see it in how he’s playing.”
His latest shutout came in a midweek 3-0 win at Union.
“Union had four or five great chances and he was the difference,” says MacDonald. “It’s not so much the saves, it’s how he makes them. He just looks poised, calm and really on top of it.”
Ripping the Refs
Last Saturday afternoon, Cornell coach Mike Schafer didn’t pull any punches about assistant referee Tom Quinn’s penalty call with 1:11 left in regulation that led to BU scoring the game-winner on the resulting power play.
“[It] killed us,” said Schafer. “There’s a neutral official from the WCHA who waves it off, and the Hockey East linesman calls it a penalty. So, is it a penalty? I don’t know, but the head official’s looking right at it and the Hockey East linesman’s looking right across at it, and he ends up calling it from standing directly in front of their bench.
“It’s a pretty frustrating call for a linesman to make with a minute and ten seconds to go in the hockey game.”
Those are some pretty harsh words, so for starters let’s examine under what circumstances an assistant referee is allowed to make calls.
“He’s supposed to call anything that in his opinion the head referee does not see,” says Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna, who also serves as the chairman of the NCAA Rules Committee and Executive Director of the American Hockey Coaches Association. “The one area where there are restrictions are that he’s not supposed to overrule an official. In other words, if he sees something and at the same time can look to see where the ref is and in his opinion the ref saw the same thing, but chose not to call it, then he’s not supposed to basically overrule the ref. In this situation, [referee] Mike Schmitt did not see it.”
So what exactly did happen?
“I met with the official after the game, so I’ve got a pretty good handle on what happened,” says Bertagna. “He saw the Cornell player hit the BU player. A clean hit. The guy kind of went half over the boards, kind of on his midsection, and was hanging over. [The Cornell player] gave him another shove, which was fine. That happens. But then at that point, the guy picked him up almost as a wrestler’s move, put his hand under his crotch and lifted him and threw him over the boards.
“At that point, [Tom Quinn] really had no choice. It was one of those damned if you do, damned if you don’t situations. If he doesn’t call that — which is a penalty, it could be interference, or as he called it, unsportsmanlike conduct — and Cornell scores, then BU has been deprived of a player who has basically been thrown over the boards. Then you’ve got a gripe from one team. And if he does call it, then …”
But didn’t Schafer state that the head referee was looking right at the play?
“First of all, anything a coach says within the closing minutes of a game, you have to understand that there is a lot of emotion involved,” says Bertagna. “In my experience, the coach is in the worst position to see things clearly, both physically from where they are on the bench and everything that’s happening, and emotionally.
“But I was with all the officials after the game and Mike Schmitt did not see the play. He may have seen part of the play, but he did not see the guy get lifted and thrown over. So Tom Quinn was clearly in line in making that call. In fact, if he doesn’t make the call, he’s at fault.”
All of which leads to the issue of coaches ripping officials in postgame comments. How do the leagues keep that in check and why?
“If we get something brought to our attention — and it has happened actually in both leagues that I’ve worked in — [upon] the first offense we would either call the coach and/or write him up and copy his athletic director,” says Bertagna. “That’s because not only is it league policy, but also most of these coaches voluntarily sign a code of conduct that the American Hockey Coaches Association puts out.
“Pretty much every coaches’ association in all the sports have a code of conduct and it’s very specific that you do not criticize officials. Not only is it a respect issue, but the officials do not as a general rule have the opportunity, or take any opportunity, to voice their opinion. By design, they like to be invisible and get out of the building as quickly as they can.
“So it’s kind of a one-way street where the coach has all these opportunities to address things [and the officials do not.] What we also find is that a lot of times, the coaches are wrong. They think they saw something and then they look at the video the next day and realize they got it wrong.
“At that point, there’s no retraction. I’ve had many cases where [it’s said], ‘He’s out of position! He blew the call! Geez, they’ve got to bring their ‘A’ game to rink just like the players!’ Then you look at the tape and it’s like, ‘Oh, nevermind!’ like Emily Litella of Saturday Night Live.
“But at that time, you don’t see a quote in the paper, ‘Oh, by the way, those outrageous things I said two nights ago, I was wrong.’ The fans read the paper the next day and they’re rooting for that same team so they buy into [their team being wronged] and it just makes the referee’s job that much harder the next time they see the guy.”
Does Schafer receive a Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card because he’s an ECAC coach ripping a Hockey East official? That is, does Schafer get treated differently than a Hockey East coach making the same comments?
“I talk to [ECAC Commissioner] Steve Hagwell,” says Bertagna. “Steve and I are very close. If anything happened either way — if it was our coach in one of their games or one of their coaches in one of our games — the two of us communicate on a regular basis and we both have the same authority with supplemental discipline to do what we’re supposed to do.
“I have no doubts that Steve and I are pretty much on the same wavelength on some of these issues, so [the ECAC] would take action if they thought it was appropriate.”
Talk About A Breakout Weekend!
Merrimack’s Alex Sikatchev posted five goals and two assists on the weekend, almost tripling his previous point total. The Russian Rocket moved onto a line with Anthony Aquino and Nick Parillo four games ago, but took two of them before he exploded.
“We knew it was just a matter of time before it came out,” says interim head coach Mike Doneghey. “We see it every day in practice. It was just a matter of time before it came out. He was shooting the puck, he was playing hard, he was doing everything he did in practice in the game.”
No Terry Glenn, Here
Parillo will be sidelined as a result of a bad skate gash to his knee. The tough senior suffered the cut that went all the way to the bone just two minutes into the third period, but played the rest of the game. He required 20 stitches.
“He played the rest of the third period and didn’t even know,” says Doneghey. “He took his equipment off and said, ‘Now I know why my leg was stinging.'”
Playing through now it is out of the question.
“It’s right on his knee so every time he bends it, it’s going to reopen,” says Doneghey. “So he’s got to rest it. He can’t skate for 10 days and then he’ll go from there. Unfortunately, in those 10 days we’ve got three [league] games.”
Congrats, Part I
Congratulations to UML coach Blaise MacDonald for winning his 100th game at Union on Wednesday.
“The wins, they’re just because you coach for awhile,” he said afterward. “I could tell you my best wins and stuff like that, but your best wins are defined by the looks on your team’s face. The emotion in the locker room, the fulfillment. The players win the games, the coaches don’t. That’s a special thing that you just can’t really describe. Good players make good coaches.”
Congrats, Part II
Congratulations are also due to Bertagna, whose contract was extended for an additional two seasons. The agreement, which extends through the 2003-2004 season, makes him the longest serving commissioner in the history of the conference.
Well deserved!
Skate With The Warriors
This Sunday, Dec. 2, is Merrimack’s annual “Skate with the Warriors” at the Volpe Center from 1:00-2:30 p.m. Players will be in uniform and all are welcome to attend and skate alongside them. Admission is free but each person attending is asked to bring a toy to donate to “Toys for Tots.” Santa is even scheduled to make a special appearance.
(Rumors that yours truly was recommended as a suitably rotund St. Nick are patently false.)
A Classy Coach
Denver coach George Gwozdecky earned high marks after some chippy play marred the last few minutes of his team’s loss to New Hampshire. In particular, Greg Keith earned an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for deliberately firing a puck at the UNH bench.
“I wasn’t real proud of what happened over the last two minutes of the game,” said Gwozdecky. “We just had a little meeting with our young men to make them understand what is expected of them as far as respecting your opponent whether you win or lose. I will tell you that we’re a program that relies on and believes in playing with class, playing with dignity, playing with honor and playing hard. Unfortunately, that last little incident is not what is expected of our team.”
Kudos to Gwozdecky.
Honey, Where Are The Keys?
The Pruddens, Peter and Deb, had an interesting weekend with one of them locking the keys in the car on the first night of the UNH tournament. Their son, Josh, however, scored a big goal both evenings, in front of visiting family members from Russia, no less.
We’ll see how much Peter and Deb love their son this week. If they’re at all superstitious, look for Peter in the parking lot, trying to break into the car again.
Trivia Contest
Last week’s question made reference to Providence’s Jon DiSalvatore and his Texas hat trick (four goals in a game). It asked: who was the last Hockey East player to also score at least four goals in one game? Give both his name and the date of the game.
The answer was BC’s Brian Gionta, who scored five goals in the first period against Maine on Jan. 27. The first to answer correctly was Allan Belanger, whose cheer is:
“Go Hawks! McGrane for Hobey!”
This week’s question asks what Hockey East line that played together earlier this year was named after a wolf-like animal. Explain why and give the names of the players. Mail your responses to Dave Hendrickson.
And Finally, Not That It Has Anything To Do With Anything, But …
Thanks to Scott Weighart and Jayson Moy.
This Week in the MAAC: Nov. 29, 2001
At Long Last, Non-League Bliss
It’s taken nearly half a season, but the MAAC finally has a win over a “big four” opponent. After what seemed like an eternity of losses for the new guys to the old fogies, Mercyhurst broke through last Saturday night at the Syracuse Invitational, knocking off Colgate, 5-2, in the consolation game of the annual tournament.
Excluding the Mercyhurst win, the MAAC’s record against the “big four” is 0-11-1, Sacred Heart salvaging the only tie. The league’s top three teams played the only other close games, with Iona and Mercyhurst losing to RPI, 3-1 and 4-3 respectively, and Canisius losing two heart-breakers last weekend with Western Michigan, 4-2 and 4-3.
The question that begs is, when is the league going to become competitive with these schools? Even as one of the biggest MAAC supporters, I myself have to question how long it may take to achieve any level of competitiveness against established programs.
But that said, I will defend.
One of the biggest challenges facing the MAAC clubs is venue. More than 90 percent of the games played against the “big four” in the last three seasons have been on the road. Though it sounds simple, the factors going against these teams in road games are indeed that — factors.
Sleeping in hotels, playing in front of raucous opposing fans, traveling four, five or eight hours on a bus all wear on teams.
To note this as the “cause” would be an overstatement. But they remain factors, nonetheless.
Looking for a deeper cause would point to the lack of scholarships and funding for many MAAC programs.
“As you get more team playing out of conference, to be up against teams with 18 scholarships, you’re going in with one arm tied behind your back,” said Mercyhurst coach Rick Gotkin.
The topic of scholarships has always been hot in the MAAC, but particularly recently. According to multiple sources, extra attention was given to raising the scholarship limit from the current level of 11 to 15.
This was spurred by the thought that Niagara, a member of the CHA, would pack its bags and head to the MAAC. At that time, the status of the CHA’s auto-bid to the NCAA tournament was up in the air. That, though, has since been clarified and the bid will likely come for the 2003 tournament.
Niagara’s scholarship level is currently 15. In an attempt to lure Niagara over, reports were that the league would jump immediately to 15 scholarships.
But when the Purple Eagles made clear that they’re staying in the CHA for the long haul, talks of 15 deadened.
Commissioner Rich Ensor declined comment on the issue, but Ken Taylor, director of ice hockey for the league, confirmed that raising the scholarships “was part of the set up that would have enabled Niagara to come into the league. But when they chose not to, in the end, it never made it to vote.”
That, though, makes coaches like Mercyhurst’s Gotkin scratch his head.
Gotkin
“If we’re able to look at raising the limit when Niagara is coming in, why can’t we still look at that now?” asked Gotkin. “If it was a good idea in August, why isn’t is a good idea in November and December?”
Iona College coach Frank Bretti agrees.
“With [the thought of] Niagara coming in, it was an easier sell because they are a MAAC school,” said Bretti. “Speaking for myself, I’m going to be trying to convince my athletic director that it’s a good move. It may take Iona a couple of years to get to that point, but you have to go ahead and try to work through it.”
One person who you might expect adamant support of raising scholarships is Quinnipiac AD Jack McDonald. McDonald was instrumental as a founding father of the league and now serves as the chair of the Men’s NCAA Division I Ice Hockey Committee. He, though, doesn’t believe that scholarships can be the only measuring stick to the league’s success.
“Scholarships should not be the only indicator of our commitment to the sport,” said McDonald. “The key ingredient is the access to the national tournament. The MAAC has done better than many other sports have done on the national scope without the compliment of scholarships.”
That said, MacDonald also noted that 15 scholarships would keep consistent with the league’s policy on these awards.
"If we’re able to look at raising the [scholarship] limit when Niagara is coming in, why can’t we still look at that now? If it was a good idea in August, why isn’t is a good idea in November and December?"
— Mercyhurst coach Rick Gotkin
According to McDonald, when the league was first formed, the seemingly arbitrary number of 11 scholarships was derived by calculating the total amount of financial aid provided to hockey players at the original eight MAAC schools and dividing by the average tuition. The resulting number five years ago was 10.7.
Calculating the same number today, though, would lead to an average of slightly more than 15 players per school receiving full compensation through either scholarship or financial aid.
“The reality is that we are giving more aid so why not formalize it,” said McDonald. “It will only make us more competitive level.”
Addressing the scholarship limit, though, isn’t the only issue. Another is power.
Only three of the 11 members of the MAAC are full-fledged members — in other words, all of the school’s varsity sports are MAAC members. Those schools — Fairfield, Iona and Canisius — have a power advantage, as their Presidents sit on the Council of Presidents. Any matter pertaining to governance of the organization, particularly finance and membership, must first go through the Council.
Thus, if all of the three schools agree raising scholarships to 15, the chance that the rest of the Council would vote unanimously is strong. But variance from just one of these three parties could be what stirs the pot.
From this standpoint, the process seems to lack logic. Only 27 percent of the membership can vote on an issue that impacts the hockey program at all 11 schools. In essence, it makes the eight non-voting programs seem like constituents of the three members.
“I don’t think it’s healthy for three schools to control the fate of 11,” said Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold. “There’s been a lot of speculation as to who has the power and how things work within our league. It’s a serious flaw in the infrastructure of the league.”
When asked if this would become a constituent-lobbying situation, Taylor affirmed, saying, “When you come down to it, [schools lobbying for scholarships] would have to happen.”
And that’s simply something that most coaches, including Gotkin, are hesitant to believe in.
“Only three MAAC schools decide [how many scholarships are awarded],” said Gotkin. “It’s up to those three schools to guide the course of the MAAC hockey league. I don’t have a problem with that, but I hope those presidents see how far the MAAC has come and what those teams have done. Ultimately it’s in their hands.”
Furthermore, though, the issue at hand really isn’t, will these three presidents vote for raising scholarships. The issue truly is, why would they not?
The MAAC was established as a cost-containment league. All of the member schools, with the exception of Army, were either adding a new hockey program or elevating themselves to Division I, from Division II or III. With that in mind, the object was to expedite this process in a relatively inexpensive way.
And certainly that works, if you plan on approaching the sport and the conference similarly to the way many college football programs do. You don’t pump a lot of money into the program. The programs exist basically as a way for the school to offer the sport. And you never set a goal of being competitive on the national landscape.
But somewhere along the road, someone forgot to tell that to the MAAC. Since its first season, the MAAC has begged the college hockey world to accept it as a brother. The NCAA granted some of that ratification last year when it awarded the league a bid to the national tournament. So the mentality of not competing on the national landscape has long flown out the window.
Now, though, particularly in a tight economy, it’s easy to think if something isn’t broken, there’s no need to fix it. That was even the sentiment of Taylor.
“We’re happy with where we’re at,” said Taylor. “The benefits reaped have been more than we ever expected.”
But how far can a league such as the MAAC go with a penny-pinching mentality. According to Gotkin, not very far.
“Now that we’ve got a team in the NCAA Tournament and we’re playing a more aggressive schedule, we need more resources to support that,” said Gotkin, whose Lakers received the conferences first berth to the NCAA tournament last season. “All the teams can do now is compete now and hope to steal a game. You’re not going to win these games on a regular basis the way that the scholarship structure is set up right now.
“Having 11 scholarships doesn’t mean you can’t work hard. Maybe it means you work harder. But you can’t ask kids to go out and compete against [schools with 18 scholarships] and win every night.”
According to Taylor, the MAAC Council of Presidents will revisit this issue in mid-December at their next meeting. Sentiments, though, around the league are not very positive that raising the scholarships will be allowed.
Bretti believes that the four years of growth that the league has felt could continue. But he also is clear scholarships are the key to that.
“If we don’t raise [the scholarship limit], there will be a bit of a leveling off point,” said Bretti. “You may see us at our best a year from now, but going to 15 is going to put us in a situation where we can’t not only get to the [NCAA] tournament, but we can also win those games.”
In the end, Gotkin sums up the argument well.
“If other schools don’t want to give 15 or 18 scholarships, that’s fine. Don’t give them. But don’t hold back other schools.”
More importantly, don’t stop the progress that the conference has made in three years.
Weekly Awards
ITECH MAAC Hockey League Player of the Week:
Anders Johnson, Connecticut
Sr., Forward, North Kingston, R.I.
Johnson had a goal and two assists on the week for UConn. He factored in both goals in the Huskies 2-2 with Army on Friday night, notching a goal and assist. And on Sunday, Johnson assisted on Connecticut’s game-winner late in the second period. Johnson leads the team in points with four goals and nine assists for 13 points.
ITECH MAAC Hockey League Goalie of the Week:
Derek Cunha, Holy Cross
Sr., Goalie, New Bedford, Mass.
Cunha recorded his first career shutout, a 2-0, Holy Cross victory over Findlay Friday evening. He made 24 saves to collect his fifth win of the season. Cunha holds an impressive .909 save percentage and 2.82 GAA in 2001.
ITECH MAAC Hockey League Rookie of the Week:
Ron Miller, American International
Fr., Forward, Freeland, Mich.
Tallied two goals (one power play) and added an assist in the Yellow Jackets’ win over Sacred Heart. He scored the first goal of the night to put AIC on the board at 4:06 and added his second with three minutes left the second period. His assist on AIC’s third goal gave the Yellow Jackets a two-goal advantage.
Quinnipiac, UConn Make MAAC TV History
As UConn and Quinnipiac battled last Sunday afternoon, both schools were a part of league history. For the first time in the four-year history of the league, a regular season MAAC game was televised. WCTX, the UPN affiliate in Connecticut, broadcast the game that saw UConn rally from a 2-0 first period deficit en route to a 3-2 victory.
“To televise a regular season game on a Sunday afternoon is fantastic,” said Quinnipiac’s Jack McDonald, whose school funded the telecast. “To know that our school is supporting our team, it is very, very pleasing.”
McDonald also noted that each news outlet in Connecticut had major clips of the game.
Sword Fighting, of Sorts
In two separate games last weekend MAAC players got into hot water when they were assessed the rare penalty for spearing.
Sacred Heart’s Peter McRae played the role of sword fighter with 10:52 remaining in the Pioneer’s 6-3 loss at Alabama-Huntsville. And UConn’s Mike Boylan received the same punishment for his Zorro imitation on Sunday afternoon in a 3-2 win against Quinnipiac.
The difference between the two incidents was the result of the power play. UConn was lucky to hold Quinnipiac off the board, though were aided by a penalty by Quinnipiac’s Wade Winkler 1:31 into the power play.
Sacred Heart, though, was not as lucky. Alabama-Huntsville struck for a power-play tally just 32 seconds after McRae was sent off, extending Huntsville’s lead to 4-2. And only 10 seconds after the penalty expired, the Chargers struck again to all but put the game out of reach.
It was the second time in a month that the Pioneers were victimized by penalties late in a game. Against Mercyhurst on Oct. 27, the Pioneers surrendered five power-play goals in a 5-2 loss that featured 15 Mercyhurst power plays.
Both players will be suspended for the first game this weekend. McRae will miss the first of a two-game series at Western Michigan. Boylan will be absent for Friday’s game versus Canisius.
Pecknold Looking to Challenge His Tender
When Quinnipiac hosts Mercyhurst on Friday night, sophomore goaltender Justin Eddy will get the nod in net. Eddy led the Braves in net for much of last season as a rookie, and was even pursued by NHL scouts with the hopes of pulling the young netminder out of college hockey.
But this season, Eddy has struggled, posting a 1-3-0 record to date, with a 3.72 goals against average and .863 save percentage. Eddy surrendered six goals in a relief effort at Maine two weeks ago and was pulled in a 5-3 loss to Fairfield in early November.
Still, coach Rand Pecknold won’t write off Eddy.
“I’m going to play [Justin] Eddy on Friday night and challenge him a little bit,” said Pecknold. “He had such a great year last year but he’s struggling a bit this year. I’d like to see him get over the hurdle and play well.”
Standing in the top role for the Braves to date has been rookie Jamie Holden. But even he has had his tough times lately. Pecknold pulled Holden in the first period of the 9-0 loss to Maine. Last Sunday, Holden made only 10 saves in a 3-2 loss to UConn, though Pecknold noted he couldn’t be faulted for that game.
Gales Continue to Fly the Friendly Skies
The tragic events of Sept. 11 have certainly made many Americans feel a bit uneasy about traveling by plane. Many college athletic teams have been effected with policy changes to team travel and other measures aimed at guaranteeing safety of the student-athletes.
But the MAAC school closest to the center of the tragedy, Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y., is keeping air travel status quo. In the MAAC, most teams can bus to all their games, but Bretti said that his team will continue to fly. Bretti’s club boarded a plane Thursday morning at Newark airport to travel to Findlay in Ohio. He also noted that the team will fly to Canisius and Mercyhurst later this season.
“We’ll all be thinking about [airport security] a little bit when we fly,” said Bretti, “but our school hasn’t change any of its policies on air travel.”
This weekend’s trip will be the second of four consecutive weekend that the Gaels will travel a long distance to play. Two of those four trips require air travel.
This Week in the ECAC Northeast: Nov. 29, 2001
Thanksgiving Success
I know I know, I’ve beaten this subject to death this season. But it is worth mentioning that some Northeast teams fared very well against non-conference competition this past week.
UMass-Dartmouth took home the Babson Invitational title with big non-conference wins over Utica and tournament hosts Babson. Those are huge wins for the Corsairs and for the Northeast as a whole.
Wentworth hosted last year’s ECAC East champion New England College and beat them 4-1. More on them in a minute.
And finally, Stonehill beat a struggling UMass-Boston team on Saturday, and followed that up on Sunday with a solid 7-4 win over Tufts.
Even Johnson and Wales, which undoubtedly had the toughest non-conference slate this past weekend in Bowdoin and Colby, fared pretty well. It lost 5-3 to Bowdoin and 3-2 to Colby. Both games, according to coach Lou Izzi, were nailbiters and could have gone either way.
It is great to see people’s assertions that the league is improving as a whole, is bearing itself out on the scoreboard.
And Then There Was One
In recent weeks, more and more teams have had the first blemishes of the season put on their record. Only a handful of undefeated teams remain nationally and only one ECAC Northeast team, the Leopards of Wentworth Institute of Technology, remains undefeated. Wentworth is 6-0.
Head Coach Bill Bowes has had a lot of success in his career. That includes this season in which his Wentworth team is off to the best start in school history.
Wentworth is a team that has doubled its previous best start, 3-0, with its 6-0 mark, and it has done so in very impressive fashion. The Leopards are outscoring opponents, 25-9, holding opponents to 1.5 goals per game while scoring a solid 4.17, and their goaltending has been nothing short of sensational (6-0, 1.50 GAA, .949 combined totals).
But, just like his career 200th victory — about which he said, “What that means to me is I’ve really had the good fortune of coaching college hockey for many years,” — coach Bowes is hesitant to get too excited, downplaying any sensationalism that may follow a 6-0 team around. It’s a long season and what you do in October and November becomes almost irrelevant come playoff time.
“This is definitely our best start, but I guess we’re hoping for the best finish ever,” said Bowes. He continued, “Whether you win or lose in March, that’s what college hockey is all about.”
In that light, he is looking at the next few games as contests that will hopefully improve the team overall and make them better for a late season run.
With their latest 4-1 win over last year’s ECAC East champions New England College, the Leopards successfully began what will be, in a candidate for dramatic understatement of the year, a tough stretch. They travel to Utica, RIT, Salem State, and then host Skidmore, who, as Bowes pointed out, recently upended a very strong Williams team. These games will take them into the winter break.
It will be a difficult run, but it will not be one that makes or breaks Wentworth.
“Whether we win or lose, if the guys give 100 percent, that’s all you can ask for as a coach. The wins and losses will take care of themselves,” said Bowes.
There is no doubt that the coming weeks are important, but without the excellent start, these games wouldn’t be so important.
“I can’t tell you I expected it,” said Bowes of the unprecedented 6-0 start.
“We don’t really have any superstars on our teams. We do it with four lines. It has to be an entire team effort for us to have success. We’ve had eleven freshmen in the lineup every night. It’s been a pleasant surprise how well the freshmen have done. And the veterans have stepped up to fill the roles of the six veterans we lost last year [to graduation].”
Two veterans stand out from that group. Senior Captain Tim Yakimowsky is 8-3–11 and has two power-play, two shorthanded, and two game-winning goals in the first six games. That is the kind of performance that just makes you say, “Wow.” He earned USCHO Offensive Player of the Week Honors last week.
Sophomore Raj Banghoo is 4-0, with a 1.25 GAA, and a .960 save percentage. Those numbers are downright frightening for opponents.
Both players had very good years last year, but both seem to have stepped up their game and taken it to the next level thus far this season.
“Timmy is just an outstanding hockey player,” said Bowes of his senior captain. “He’s been a little overlooked throughout college hockey I think. But he’s our captain and he is definitely our leader. He can get it done.”
Bowes cited Yakimowsky’s quick release and offensive awareness as his best assets.
Regarding Raj Banghoo, Bowes said, “Banghoo has been phenomenal in the net.”
He made sure not to discount his other goaltender, junior Jamie Vanek (2-0, 2.00 GAA, .923%), but he also made sure to point out that Banghoo has stepped up his game to the point where, along with Yakimowsky, he could be in the running for some serious post-season recognition.
“There’s no reason [Yakimowsky and Banghoo] can’t be in the running for All-American awards towards the end of the year,” said Bowes.
All-Americans or no All-Americans, championships in March or no championships in March, this has been a start that is second to none in Wentworth history. Good luck to the Leopards the rest of the way. Although something tells me that they won’t be needing it.
Curry College
Two years ago, if you would have told an ECAC Northeast observer that Curry would have a 5-1 record with wins over Fitchburg and SNHU, and that one of their players would be the USCHO D-III Offensive Player of the Week in the early season, it would have been likely that the observer would give you a little chuckle and a “yeah, right.” That scenario alone speaks to the job that Curry coach Bob Davies and his crew of assistants have done in turning this program around. They have done it with youth, and it is with that youth that they hope to succeed in the near and distant future.
Curry is 5-1, with its only loss coming to a strong ECAC West team, Hobart. With two freshman, Sean Pero (2-7–9) and Brian Doherty (7-1–8), leading the team in scoring, and with 14 of the 17 goal scorers this year being underclassmen, the future is clearly bright in Milton.
The goaltending numbers are not flashy, as sophomore Phil Belmont and senior Ryan Wood are a combined 5-1 (3.67 GAA, .881 save percentage), but they are certainly getting the job done. And that is all that matters.
If the Colonels can continue to play the way they have thus far look out, Curry is for real.
Friday night, Curry will be tested when it travels to LVC for a battle between conference unbeatens. It should be a great game as Curry tries to up its record to 6-1. Saturday, the Colonels will be at Neumann for a non-conference game. After LVC on Friday, Curry’s next conference action will be Tuesday when it travels to Framingham State for an 8:15 contest with the Rams.
UMass-Dartmouth
Last week I wondered if the sleeping giant that had been UMass-Dartmouth hockey in the early season had woken up from its slumber. Last weekend’s performance answered that question. The Corsairs proved that they are alive and kicking right now, taking home the Babson Invitational title with wins over two excellent non-conference opponents, Utica and Babson.
The Corsairs spanked Utica 6-2 despite being outshot 35-18 in the game on Saturday. They followed that up on Sunday with a 2-0 blanking of tournament host Babson.
While the incumbent goaltender for the Corsairs has been out, freshman goaltender Kevin McGowan (Hingham, Mass., Trinity-Pawling) seems to have emerged as the number one guy, at least until Ryan Grant is back. McGowan has played the bulk of the minutes and has posted an impressive 5-1 record in seven games played. His 1.75 GAA and .928 save percentage are not too shabby either, as those numbers rank McGowan in the top three in every goaltending statistical category in the conference.
“McGowan has taken the job and run with it,” said coach John Rolli. He certainly has. Continued solid goaltending will be a key the rest of the way.
As mentioned, UMD won the Babson Invitational, which is huge for the team and, I might add, a couple of great wins for the conference as a whole.
“This past weekend was a big confidence builder for us. Winning the Babson tournament was a big lift,” said Rolli. “In the first few [regular-season] games, we just couldn’t put the puck in the net. In the last four games we’ve scored 17 and only given up four. With the wins, we’ve established ourselves to ourselves.”
So what is different now? Why has UMD so much better as of late? For starters, Rolli pointed out, six of the top forwards were out of the lineup for a few games. Sean Young has only played in four of eight games, Shawn Alles has only played in five of eight, and Walter Siggins has played in only six of eight. With all of those guys back, healthy and in the lineup, we are seeing the real Corsair squad from night to night. Obviously, that makes a big difference.
So where does UMass Dartmouth go from here? The 4-2 loss to Fitchburg on Wednesday night is a bit of a setback, but the team’s goals can still be attained.
“Our major goal is to try to secure a home playoff game,” said the coach.
If the Corsairs keep playing like they have of late, that is certainly a realistic goal.
Fitchburg State
While one team I characterized as a sleeping giant seemingly has awaken from their slumber, another team, Fitchburg State, hasn’t quite come out of hibernation yet. It is getting there, but it seems like it will need a few more wins to completely come out of their slump.
Fitchburg peppered Suffolk goalie Matt Consentino with 46 shots and only gave up 24 on Monday, but the Falcons only came out Walter Brown Arena with a 1-1 tie. They followed that up with a great 4-2 win over UMass-Dartmouth.
A 3-3-2 overall record (0-3 in the conference) has to be very frustrating for the Falcons, who have long been a league power. They simply have to start scoring goals. Fitchburg’s offense is functioning at a three goals per game clip. Not bad, but not great either. It will need to start improving upon that number should it hope to contend for a home playoff berth.
One encouraging sign for Fitchburg is the fact that senior forward Jeff Brodeur (4-5–9) has three goals in his last two games, including two against a tough UMD squad. A few of his teammates appear to be heating up as well. Sebastien Corbeil (4-4–8), Greg Horan (3-5–8) and Shane Coleman (2-5–7) have all been producing as of late. The Falcons will need those guys to continue their offensive production.
Fitchburg travels to Framingham State on Saturday for a 7 p.m. tilt.
Framingham State
The Rams woes continued this past week, although they did muster up their first non-loss of the season in Sunday’s 5-5 tie with UMass-Boston. That may be something for Framingham to build on.
Junior forward Matt Anderson’s play has been encouraging. He is 7-4–11 in the first eight games of the season, and he has a power-play goal and a shorthanded goal to his credit.
However, Framingham has had trouble in the defensive end. It is being outshot by an average of 53-21 and, as a result, is being outscored, 6.62 to 2.62 per game. You cannot win games giving up over fifty shots. There is simply no way. The Rams must solve this problem to turn their season around.
They will try and turn things around when they host Fitchburg on Saturday.
Johnson and Wales
You never schedule games to lose them, obviously. But sometimes you know you might take your lumps when you schedule the likes of Bowdoin, Colby and RIT, three of the traditionally strongest teams in all of division III hockey. And sometimes, you can schedule games in order to make your team better for the long haul and to harden them up for conference play.
That seems to be the thinking Coach Lou Izzi had when he scheduled three of the very best teams in division III in consecutive games. Thus far, the results have not been that bad, considering you’re playing the absolute cream of the crop.
Saturday’s 5-3 loss to Bowdoin was closer then it looks on paper, as Bowdoin added an empty netter with only five seconds left in the game to ice the victory.
And Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Colby, “went right down to the wire,” as Coach Lou Izzi put it. A crossbar was hit and, with a bounce of the puck here and a bounce of the puck there, things might have been different.
Izzi really felt like the Wildcats were in both games.
“Once we adjusted to the speed we really started to take the play to them. It went back and forth. It could have gone either way,” Izzi said.
The Wildcats, while disappointed in the losses, are not discouraged at all. They used the games as momentum builders for the rest of the way.
“I think we grew up as a team this weekend. We schedule these games to get us prepared for winning the conference,” said Izzi. “There’s no such thing as a moral victory, but we told our guys that’s why we schedule these games.”
It only gets tougher for the Wildcats as they travel to RIT to take on the number one ranked team in the country.
Nichols
Nichols is one of the teams that did not see a lot of action in the last week, so not much has changed from what was written about them in last week’s column. There is not much you can say about their 8-1 loss to Stonehill except that they had a bad night and caught Stonehill on a good night I guess.
Nichols will play at Neumann on Friday and at LVC on Saturday. For the sake of the Bison, they had better come to play on Saturday after a long road trip and a game the night before or else it could get ugly. Next Tuesday, Nichols hosts Assumption and then travels to Hooksett, N.H. for a game with SNHU on Thursday.
Plymouth State
Last week was not so kind to the Panthers of Plymouth State. They went 0-3, losing games to St. Scholastica, SNHU and New England College.
For Plymouth, it just is not happening on all fronts. Offensively, it is not clicking. It is not generating shots and its leading scorer, freshman Kyle Poirier, has only three points. Defensively, the Panthers have not been that bad, but their goaltending and penalty killing (68.0%) have not been up to par to this point.
Plymouth has not been able to put a string of good games together. Should it grind out some wins pretty soon, look for it to pull out of this funk. It is off until Friday, Dec. 7, when it hosts Lebanon Valley.
Southern New Hampshire
SNHU had mixed results at the PAL Cup, one of the many Thanksgiving tournaments that ECACNE teams participated in. It went 1-1 on the weekend.
The Penman were downed by a stifling St. Anselm team, 3-1, on Saturday.
They followed that up with a 7-1 thrashing of Plymouth State. The Penman wasted no time, throwing up six goals before Plymouth could answer with their lone goal of the contest. The Penman potted one with 23 ticks on the clock for good measure.
The game with Curry was an interesting one. Dare I, in late November, say that the game was a possible playoff preview? No, I won’t say it. I’ll just ask the question and leave it at that. Nonetheless, prognostications aside, the game was a good one.
Curry had a 4-1 lead heading into the latter stages of the game before SNHU made things interesting and more than a little uncomfortable for Curry fans around the five-minute mark. That is when they scored two power-play goals in the span of 14 seconds to pull the score within one. SNHU pulled the goalie with 28 seconds left and peppered the Ryan Wood with 14 shots in the third but it was to no avail. Curry pulled out the hard earned win, 4-3.
Offensively, the Penman have been paced by Michael Flynn and Nick Nugent who each have four points. Scoring has not been as much of a problem as Leclerc and SNHU fans had feared before the season. Twelve different players have at least one tally thus far, and even senior defenseman Steve Acropolis is getting in on the act with his two goals on the young season. That doubles his total season output from a year ago.
Defense, as anticipated by Leclerc in the preseason, has been a strength thus far for the Penman. They are holding opponents to a miserly 2.25 goals per contest. The goaltending has been handled largely by sophomore Brian Holland (1-2-0, 2.67GAA, .925%) and he has held up pretty well. Senior Chris Vokes also played well in his lone appearance of the season, posting 17 saves on 18 shots. The Penman will continue to be solid defensively.
SNHU will take their show on the road, traveling to the beautiful state of Rhode Island on Saturday for what should be a very exciting matchup with Salve Regina. On Thursday the Penman will host Nichols.
Stonehill
One team that used this past week to right the proverbial ship was Stonehill, which went 3-0 since last week’s column. As of press time Thursday night, the score of the WNEC game is unknown but the result should not alter the momentum the Chieftains have built up recently unless they, in what would be a bizarre turn of events, get blown out. But hey, stranger things have happened.
Anyway, back to last week’s action. Stonehill squeaked out a 4-3 victory over a struggling UMass-Boston team on Saturday. Sunday afternoon it defeated Tufts to the tune of 7-4. An impressive win. But the score that really has to stick out to a lot of people is the 8-1 drubbing of Nichols. In years past, this might have been expected, but Nichols is much improved and the win is really one to build on for the Chieftains. The snipers must have come to play in this one, as Stonehill scored eight goals on only 34 shots.
One sniper worth mentioning is Brendan Flemming, whose four-goal second period against Tufts is the kind of night he’ll be bragging to his grandkids about. The game earned him ECAC Northeast Player of the Week honors, and he earned honorable mention as the runner up in the USCHO Offensive Player of the Week race. Flemming leads the team with a 6-5–11 line.
Not to be overlooked are the offensive contributions as of Thursday night of Jeff Rowe 4-5–9 and Rob Pascale 3-6–9. They will undoubtedly reach double figures soon.
Stonehill, at 4-3-0, is starting to look like the team many thought it could be before the season started. Look for it to only get better. It will travel to Tufts for a rematch with the Jumbos on Tuesday.
Suffolk
Heading into Monday’s tilt against Fitchburg, Suffolk was 0-4. A tie with a traditionally strong team like Fitchburg is therefore an encouraging sign. Sure, you’d like to win but sometimes a tie can be all you need to break out of a slump, especially if your goalie heats up. Matt Consentino’s 45 save performance has to be a big boost for the Rams and they are hoping is indeed on the verge of a hot streak.
Thus far, the Ram offense has been paced by junior forward Scott Goodman (3-4–7), sophomore forward Ryan Cikacs (3-2–5), and freshman defenseman Ricky Gigante, whose 2-3–5 line and one powerplay goal has him at third in scoring amongst defensemen in the conference.
Suffolk will try to right the ship when it travels to Worcester State on Saturday.
Western New England College
Western New England College is an enigmatic 2-4-0 in the young season. It is tough to figure out. The Golden Bears have posted very nice wins against Nichols, 5-2 and Framingham State, 6-4, and they stayed close with good teams, as in the 3-1 loss to Wentworth and the 2-1 loss to Assumption. But then there are the beatings they have taken from teams like Fitchburg and Curry. Chalk it up to youth and inexperience maybe.
Thursday night’s score with Stonehill is not known as of press time but that will be an important game for WNEC. If it can pull out an upset, it will certainly be a huge victory. If the Golden Bears get blown out it will be another example of their inconsistent play. If it is a close game and a loss, well, again this is a tough team to gauge. Either way, UMass-Dartmouth is coming to town on Saturday so WNEC better be ready to play.
Their last game before the break will be home against Suffolk. That game will be played next Tuesday.
Worcester State
The Lancers hosted Salem State last Sunday and took it on the chin, 7-2. There is no shame in that though, Salem State should be one of the stronger teams out of the East. However, 1-4-2 overall is a very poor record. At the same time, it may not be a good indicator of how good of a team. In other words, it is a deceiving 1-4-2.
Worcester is a better team than that. Three of their four losses were only lost by one goal and the ties obviously could have gone either way. The point is, according to a few coaches around the league, don’t count Worcester State out yet. It is sure to reverse their fortunes soon. It is another one of those teams who just needs more offensive output. Its power play is an abysmal 9.7 percent and it is scoring under two goals a game.
John Coderre has been solid in net. He has seen over 40 shots three times this season and his save percentage, .907 is holding up. That statistic places him seventh in the conference amongst goaltenders.
If WSC can find a way to muster up some offensive production and it continues to get respectable goaltending, it will undoubtedly be a team in contention come March.
The Lancers will host Suffolk on Saturday, and travel to Fitchburg for a big game against the Falcons on Tuesday. Worcester will cap off the first semester with a game against familiar ECAC Northeast foe Utica next Friday. (Here’s a rhetorical, tongue in cheek question — is there anyone Utica is not playing this year? Just curious.)
Off Weeks
A few teams had last week off so there is not much to talk about as far as they are concerned.
Assumption was off. It travels to St. Anselm on Saturday for a 5 p.m. tilt. It will take the 10-minute drive to Auburn, Mass. to take on the Bison of Nichols.
Lebanon Valley was also off. It will be busy this weekend facing Curry on Friday and Nichols on Saturday. Both games are home games for the Dutchmen, who look to remain perfect in their conference record.
And Finally …
On the other side of the coin, if you are in your mid-forties and you instinctively bob your head to the music the instant House of Pain’s “Jump Around” comes over the PA system at a hockey game, you’re clearly the man.
Bonus points go to the guy who bobs his head and wears a random hockey jersey that is a replica of neither team participating in the contest. You know what I mean here. This is the same guy who just won’t let go of that Jay Miller jersey from the mid-eighties. In fact, the Jay Miller jersey would be the wardrobe of choice should he decide to attend say, a BU vs. Northeastern game at Walter Brown some night. Again, this guy is “The Man,” and that is an undeniable fact.
The one that puzzles me is the guy who gets to the front of the urinal line and, despite the gigantic lines streaming out of the bathroom, refuses to use the smaller kiddie sized one. What’s that all about? Just use it. I don’t think anyone is going to point at you, a la Nelson from the Simpsons, and go “Haa haa.” What is the holdup though? This is an especially strange dilemma for a lot of short men I’ve noticed.
This Week in the CCHA: Nov. 29, 2001
Who Let the Dogs Out?
Once again, the CCHA is shaping up to be a two-tier kind of place — in spite protestations of parity — and once again, Michigan State tops the conference followed by yet another team from Michigan.
But the second-place team isn’t the Michigan, not the Maize-and-Blue, not the Wolverines. In second place is Northern Michigan, with three teams tied for third.
Sure, you expect to see Nebraska-Omaha near the top of the heap, and maybe you expect to see Ohio State there as well. But in the mix is a team from Michigan that many people often overlook.
Tied for third with UNO and OSU and with 11 points of their own in the early going, the Ferris State Bulldogs are impossible to ignore. Head coach Bob Daniels says that the secret to FSU’s success is simple: “We’ve had outstanding goaltending, and we got the bounces.”
After the late-summer departure of Phil Osaer, the Bulldogs were entering the 2001-02 season with little idea of would happen between the pipes. Enter John DeCaro and Mike Brown, the hottest goaltending tandem in the CCHA.
Rookies DeCaro (2.19 GAA, .923 SV%) and Brown (2.57 GAA, .915 SV%) have been a delightful surprise in Big Rapids, providing the Bulldogs with that
proverbial opportunity to compete in every game. “They’re both playing
very well,” says Daniels. “We went into the season and goaltending was a real concern at the start — not that we didn’t have confidence in the position, but it was a real question mark.”
Daniels says he hates to admit it, but Osaer’s early departure “did impact the morale of our team” at first, but any concerns “have been put to rest.”
“I’m cautious,” says Daniels, “but I’m really happy.”
Daniels says that the guy who deserves credit for the successful goaltending transition is FSU assistant coach and former Bulldog goaltender Jeff Blashill. “He recruited them, and he works with them.”
Solid netminding is just one part of Ferris State’s success this season. Daniels alluded to those mysterious “bounces,” but every coach knows that a team that works hard can force its own luck, especially around opponents’ nets. Topping the CCHA in scoring so far this season is Rob Collins (9-16–25), who also leads the league in plus-minus (+17) and shorthanded goals (3) — and he does it all by staying out of the penalty box (six minutes, total).
“He’s playing well, and he’s got the complete game going for him,” says Daniels, who adds that Collins leads the team in “the things that don’t show up” in stat charts going for him as well, things like taking “key defensive faceoffs” in the Bulldog end, and his play on FSU’s top penalty-killing unit.
Daniels says that he was reluctant to put his best offensive player on the PK during the second half of last season, but the role has helped Collins become the player he is this year. “With him getting more ice time, he has a better feel for the overall game,” says Daniels.
Not far behind Collins is Chris Kunitz (13-5–18, +14), another player who is benefiting from penalty-killing experience. “They’re our two best offensive players, and now all of a sudden we’ve got our top two forwards on the bench not sitting for six or eight minutes a game while we kill off penalties.”
Given that Ferris State spends a lot of time in the box — averaging 22.23 minutes this season, and always among the league’s leaders in penalty minutes — the Bulldog PK gives Collins and Kunitz a chance to stay warm during long games.
Things are looking up for the Bulldogs, but Daniels says that there’s room for improvement, especially in “greater depth in offensive talent.” FSU has already begun to address that with a talented rookie class that helps provide support for DeCaro, Brown, Collins, and Kunitz.
“In the long run,” says Daniels, “I think you’re going to see contributions from other players.”
Those players include Mike Kinney (4-1–5), Jeff Legue (1-6–7), Derek Nesbitt (1-4–5), and Carter Thompson (0-1–1). “It’s a year when we have four freshmen players that are all in the lineup, and three of the four are on the power play, and all contribute,” says Daniels.
Having such a young team is a bonus, says Daniels because “we don’t have too much time to emphasize” opponents. “We aren’t as caught up in facing the other team so much as we are improving our own.”
Focusing solely on the Bulldogs may lead Ferris State right back home in March, something that would undoubtedly be good for the league and bolster the CCHA’s parity argument.
It would also be a fitting reward for Daniels, Blashill, and assistant Drew Famulak, the nicest guys in college hockey.
Games of the Week
Who would have thought that at this point in the season, it would be Michigan trailing Ferris State in the standings?
No. 13 Michigan (6-5-2, 4-3-2 CCHA) vs. Ferris State (7-5-1, 5-5-1 CCHA) Friday, 7:35 p.m., Ewigleben Arena, Big Rapids, Mich. Saturday, 7:35 p.m., Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, Mich.
“We could be in second place on Monday,” says Michigan head coach Red Berenson, or we could be in seventh.”
Such is the current state of the CCHA. The Wolverines, tied for fourth in points (10) with Western Michigan, have two games in hand on Ferris State, and by the looks of things, Michigan won’t have an easy time gaining ground.
“We’re in the pack,” says Berenson. “We’re like everybody else. We’re beatable.”
Ninth in goals per game (3.08), fifth in goals allowed (2.77), with the league’s seventh-best power play (.143) and third-best penalty kill (.867), the Wolverines are indeed part of “the pack,” and victims of their own success; were it not for early departures, this Michigan squad would also include Mike Comrie, Andy Hilbert, and Jeff Jillson.
Michigan still retains the fabulous Mike Cammalleri (8-7–15) and has recruited a slew of talented freshmen — Jason Ryznar (5-4–9), Eric Nystrom (5-3–8), Dwight Helminen (4-2–6) — but Berenson says he’s doubtful that the newcomers “are going to score a lot of goals” this season and adds, “I don’t know if any of them [the rookies] are going to replace Andy Hilbert.”
But it’s not the offensive side of things that troubles Berenson. “We need to play better defensively,” he says. “If you look at our recent weekends, we’ve given up too many goals against. That’s been one of the negatives of our team.”
Two weeks ago, the Wolverines gave up six goals in Omaha and came away with a win and a tie, “something you don’t see too often,” says Berenson. Early in November, however, Michigan gave up six goals in Northern and paid for it with two losses.
It would be easy to point the finger at senior goaltender Josh Blackburn (2.81 GAA, .888 SV%), but “he’s doing pretty well,” says Berenson. “It’s not just him. It’s our penalty killing, our defense, everything.”
Still, Berenson says, “I can’t tell you he makes the difference. He’s going like our team’s going. Only after Fairbanks could we say that our goaltender won the games for us.” When Michigan traveled to UAF, Blackburn allowed just one goal on the weekend against a very tenacious Nanook team.
Berenson knows what Michigan faces this weekened. Ferris State is a “good-skating team,” says Berenson. “They’re skilled, they’ve got two good goalies their excited about. They’ve got two of the top scorers in the league.”
Michigan leads this series 46-22-2, with a 19-13-1 advantage in Big Rapids, but the Wolverines have dropped two of their last three games in Ewigleben.
Ferris State is second in CCHA overall scoring per game (3.54), fourth in goals allowed (2.38), and fourth on the penalty kill (.862). The weakest link for the Bulldogs is their power play (.125, 11th), which has, thankfully, improved.
(At one point, FSU coach Bob Daniels jokingly asked a CCHA official if his team could “decline” opponent penalties, since the Bulldogs were scoring more shorthanded than with the man-advantage.)
Given that each of these squads is known for its, um, physical play, special teams could certainly be a factor in the games.
Picks: FSU 4-2, Michigan 4-3
Grudge of the Week
You knew this was coming.
No. 11 Nebraska-Omaha (8-5-1, 5-4-1 CCHA) at Bowling Green (4-7-3, 3-6-1
CCHA)
Friday and Saturday, 7:05 p.m., BGSU Ice Arena, Bowling Green, Ohio
In this great big world, mysteries abound. Why do fools fall in love? How do you mend a broken heart? Who’s your daddy? Did you hear the guns, Fernando?
And perhaps the most puzzling of them all: how can two teams who have played just nine games claim to be such rivals?
Apparently, it all goes back to the first-ever meeting between the clubs, when Dan Price’s empty-netter insured victory for the Falcons in their first trip to Omaha, Jan. 2, 1999.
(Jan. 2, 1999? That’s how old this rivalry is? I’ve got lint older than that!)
In Omaha Jan. 13, 2001, David Brisson notched two third-period goals — the second one with 1:26 to go — to give the Mavericks a 3-2 victory and cementing UNO’s first-ever sweep of BGSU (Jan. 12-13, 3-2 each game).
Then there’s that note about the CCHA’s first-ever play-in playoff game.
Mavericks to watch include Andrew Wong (6-15–21), Jeff Hoggan (9-10–19), Aaron Smith (7-10–17), David Brisson (6-7–13), Greg Zanon (2-5–7), and Dan Ellis (.903 SV%, 2.83 GAA).
Falcons to watch include Greg Day (6-6–12), Grady Moore (4-8–12), Scott Hewson (3-6–9), Ryan Minnabarriet (6-2–8), Brian Escobedo (2-6–8), and Tyler Masters (.895 SV%, 3.65 GAA). Perhaps Jordan Sigalet (.901 SV%, 3.14 GAA) will also see time in the BG net.
UNO leads this all-time series 6-3-0.
Picks: UNO 3-2, 3-2
Homerism, Redefined
After the Buckeyes swept then-No. 6 Northern Michigan at home Nov. 16-17, sophomore center Scott May said that he hoped folks around the league and the nation would give OSU a little respect.
Said May, “Personally, I think this weekend goes to all the people who gave us even the split. Thanks, Paula. That includes you, too.”
Homerism and Loose Lips
May is becoming the most quotable Buckeyes since Eric Meloche. Before heading to New Hampshire for the Conference Classic, and upon hearing that Dick Umile was going to start his “back-up” goaltender Michael Ayers, Mays said, “Too bad for them. If we are going to put six goals by them, so be it. Hopefully after the first period they’ll have to put their number-one goalie in.”
Since UNH beat OSU 3-1, you can do the math. After the game, Ayers told USCHO Hockey East Correspondent Dave Hendrickson, “I got hold of an article from a newspaper out in Ohio this past week. One kid had said that they were going to pump six goals by me and then [force us to] put [our] number-one guy in. That kind of kept me motivated to keep my head in the game.”
Of course, all sources should be considered here. Mays let slip his comments to a reporter for the O-Zone, a site devoted to the Buckeyes. That reporter linked his story to the USCHO Message Board, which has become — as everyone knows and few admit — popular reading material among players, coaches, recruiters, and anyone associated with hockey.
There’s no question that May was baited. A quick look at New Hampshire’s stats shows that not only had Ayers seen game action before playing the Buckeyes, but that he’s a very good goaltender. May, however, took the bait.
It remains to be seen whether May has learned a lesson — and whether the Buckeyes will again score six in a game this season, let alone a single period.
As Barbie Once Said, Math Is Hard
This year, Thanksgiving marked Vicki Weston’s 29th birthday.
Vicki is my baby sister.
Happy Birthday, Vic, and I promise to never begrudge your youth if you continue to revere my panache.
This Week in the CHA: Nov. 29, 2001
After last week’s turkey-induced vacation, the CHA Beat is back for its second week. No, CHA fans, we haven’t left you in the lurch; you’ll keep seeing interesting tidbits as the season wears on about your favorite teams and their conference opponents.
Air Force
Air Force is just off of a four-game tour in Britain, playing teams from the second division of the British Findus National Ice Hockey League, where some players have college and minor league experience. The Falcons went 3-1, and their offense seemed to solidify while abroad.
The Falcons have to decide whether to go with sophomore netminder Mike Polidor or hand the controls to freshman Zachary Sikich. We at CHA Beat have seen both netminders in action, and think playing time should be split fairly evenly for the rest of the year, as Sikich seems to be an up-and-comer. We do want to see Polidor return to 2000-2001 form, though, and we think it can still happen.
Alabama-Huntsville
Section 25 [or is that Section 27?] was happy to see a road split against Bemidji State two weekends ago, and they were treated to more fun as the turkey settled, as MAAC foe Sacred Heart was swept by the homestanding Chargers.
UAH fans have welcomed Mark Byrne back with open arms. With Byrne still getting into gear after breaking both wrists in a summer accident, the UAH goalie situation has been up in the air. Last weekend, Byrne played both games at home against Sacred Heart, with 5-3 and 6-3 wins to show for it.
Congratulations are in order to UAH’s Karlis Zirnis for his five-point night against SHU Saturday, which garnered him CHA Offensive Player of the Week honors. Not to be outdone, freshman center Jared Ross racked up his third Rookie of the Week title on the young season with solid play against the Pioneers.
Bemidji State
Marty Goulet’s outstanding season continues for the Beavers; he’s already racked up 20 points in just 12 contests. Not to be left behind, freshman forwards Andrew Murray and Jeff McGill both have 16 points so far, as Bemidji’s 52 goals has it tied for second in the conference.
Can the Beavers beat the Saturday night blues? The Beavers are 4-3-0 on Friday, but 1-4-1 on Saturday this season. They’ve had a week to heal their wounds and get rested to trek down to Detroit for this weekend’s matchup against Wayne State. There, the question will be the goalie play of Dannie Morgan and Grady Hunt. Morgan’s stats are better overall, but Hunt has the decided edge in CHA play. Look for each to get a start in Michigan.
Findlay
Findlay faces Iona this weekend. The Oilers’ 24-43 goals/goals allowed ratio doesn’t bode well for them. However, the Oilers did split with Bemidji, so all hope isn’t lost. The non-conference blowouts should make this young Findlay group stronger, if Nietzsche is to be believed.
The big problem for Findlay is between the pipes. Sophomore Kevin Fines, junior Jamie Van de Spyker, and senior Josh Baier have been unimpressive. Look for Van de Spyker to get the bulk of the playing time from here out, as he’s the best of a set of seemingly poor alternatives.
Niagara
Whither Rob Bonk? Is he the same goalie we at CHA Beat saw last season, when he was a freshman force with which to be reckoned? Is he the goalie that stopped UAH 5-2 on 23 shots in their first meeting, or the goalie who was pulled after giving up four goals on 18 shots the next night?
Last week, he was the CHA Defensive Player of the Week. As Bonk continues to grow physically and technically, look for the occasional struggle, but mind you, folks, this is the one CHA goalie you really want to watch when he comes to your neck of the woods.
Wayne State
A tough non-conference stretch against local teams might have the Warriors a bit winded. The statistics don’t tell the whole story for the 2001 CHA Final Five champions; they’ve played some very tough foes, and have only been blown out three times this season.
We at CHA Beat regret not having registered the loss of goalie Marc Carlson for the season due to cancer treatment. David Guerrera is getting all the ice time he wants, and considering the pressure he’s faced, he’s done pretty well. Remember, without pressure, diamonds wouldn’t exist.
The Week Ahead
The Slate returns for its second week. We went 0-for-3 in picking the series results two weeks ago; predictions of Bemidji State and Niagara sweeps [of Alabama-Huntsville and Merrimack, respectively] turned out to be splits, and our pick of a Wayne State-Bowling Green split turned out to be a loss and a tie to the Warriors.
We’ll try better this week, where we have two conference series, a non-conference series, and a non-conference tournament on the board.
Alabama-Huntsville at Niagara, Friday, Nov. 30 and Saturday, Dec. 1, 7:05
The Chargers and Purple Eagles have already traded checks this season, with Niagara coming to Huntsville and leaving with a split. UAH used its two top netminders in the series, starting Mark Byrne in the win and Adam MacLean in the loss.
With Niagara, Rob Bonk has played well, but had problems in the loss to UAH and the subsequent game. Freshman backup Mike Pataran looked solid to the CHA Beat’s eyes in relief, but at that point, the game was out of hand for the Purps. How Bonk will fare this time against UAH is anyone’s guess.
We at CHA Beat originally went with a home sweep, but after studying Bonk’s troubles and seeing Byrne continue to improve on a weekly basis, we’re going to go with a SPLIT. It’s too tough to call at this point, as these teams seem evenly-matched.
Bemidji State at Wayne State, Friday, Nov. 30 and Saturday, Dec. 1, 7:05
We at CHA Beat have heard the hue and cry from Michigan, where fans of the Wayne State Warriors though they got short shrift. They may feel that way this week, but rest assured that the CHA Beat looks forward with a bit of trepidation to the Warriors’ invasion of Huntsville the last weekend of the year.
At first glance, this series looks like a Wayne State sweep. After all, BSU is coming off of a rough series of games, with last weekend being their first breather. However, Wayne State has played a tough non-conference schedule of late, going 1-4-1 against Michigan Tech, Ohio State, and Bowling Green.
The story of the weekend promises to be the Bemidji offense firing pucks at Warrior netminder David Guerrera. With Marc Carlson out for cancer treatment, Guerrera has played almost all of the Warriors’ minutes this year. Yes, his stats are a bit high, but WSU’s tough non-conference schedule has a fair amount to do with that.
All in all, we’re going to call this a SPLIT for the weekend. Bemidji has had problems on Saturday night, so look for a win Friday night for the Beavers but a Saturday night loss.
Iona Gaels at Findlay Oilers, Friday, Nov. 30 and Saturday, Dec. 1, 7:05
Iona is at the top of the MAAC standings, but CHA teams tend to fare well against the MAAC, so we have to look deeper. Both teams have a common opponent in Holy Cross. Iona split a home-and-home, each team winning in their barn. Findlay lost two on the road this past weekend. Findlay’s games were closer than the Iona-HC matches, so we’re going to bet that Findlay’s defensive play helps them pull out a split.
Air Force vs. Manhattanville and Minn.-Crookston/NEC, Friday, Nov. 30, 7:30 (MT); and Saturday, Dec. 1, 3:05/7:05 (MT)
Air Force is hosting three Division III teams in a tournament. We at CHA Beat feel confident that our Boys in Blue will pull off the sweep and win their tournament.
The Second Time Around
Although the terms “sophomore jinx” and “sophomore slump” are familiar to most sports fans, no one has coined a term to describe the opposite phenomenon.
Maybe the linguists better get cracking.
After showing only sporadic flashes of brilliance during their freshman seasons, five Boston University sophomores have been the key to the team’s dramatic turnaround this year.
Gregg Johnson, Frantisek Skladany, Kenny Magowan, and Mark Mullen combined for 16 goals and 19 assists in the Terriers’ 37 games last season. On their second time around in college hockey, those four players surpassed that point total before Thanksgiving and now have amassed 14 goals and 27 assists in just 11 games to date.
In addition to the sophomore line of Skladany, Johnson, and Magowan ranking one, two, and three, respectively, in points for the team, second-year goaltender Sean Fields has given the team stellar performances.
After compiling a 6-8-1 record last season, Fields has already tied that win total this year, a 6-2-1 record to go along with a .902 save percentage. Hockey East opponents have been shaking their heads frequently when facing Fields, whose save percentage is a Hasek-like .938 in league play.
"I was pretty sure what we had with the senior class, the juniors, and the freshmen. I thought the sophomores had to make a big jump from last year, and they’ve made an unbelievable jump."
— BU coach Jack Parker
As freshmen, these players suffered through a Murphy’s Law season for the scarlet and white in 2000-2001. When the Terriers got strong goaltending, they couldn’t seem to put the puck in the net. On nights when the offense gelled, the netminders let in a few soft goals. BU fans kept waiting for the team to have all cylinders firing simultaneously, and it never quite happened.
Now those dog days appear to be dog-gone. There is certainly plenty of credit to be shared: Senior co-captains Mike Pandolfo and Chris Dyment have given the team the leadership that some questioned last season, and many touted this year’s freshman class as the best in college hockey well before the puck dropped this season.
Yet the biggest X-factor had to be whether the sophomores would be able to make a leap along the lines of past BU stars such as Chris Drury and Mike Grier. So far, they have answered the call.
“I think there’s been a bunch of major differences between last year and this year,” Terrier coach Jack Parker said after Saturday’s 5-3 victory over Cornell. “It all intertwines into a better attitude, more feel for ‘We can do this and get it done.'”
“I think the people who have made the biggest difference have been our sophomore class,” Parker added. “I’ve said this all along, but they’re making huge jumps for us from last year to this year.
“Fields has played great — he’s been our number-one goalie; he’s played real well,” Parker said. “I was pretty sure what we had with the senior class, the juniors, and the freshmen. I thought the sophomores had to make a big jump from last year, and they’ve made an unbelievable jump.”
On Saturday, Kenny Magowan was one of the heroes, getting BU’s first goal just one minute, 21 seconds after the Big Red took a 2-0 lead.
“The sophomore line got another huge goal: It’s two-nothing; the biggest goal of the game was the 2-1 goal, and they’ve done that unbelievably this year,” Parker said at the time. “We’ve answered quite a bit, and it seems that every time we’ve answered it was always their line. They just seem to be able to jump on the puck and go.”
A closer look at the scoresheets proves Parker right: the sophomores have not only scored frequently, they have produced in a big way in the clutch. Consider the following:
Fields also has come up huge more often than not, flashing his glove dramatically in a 37-save effort in the 1-1 tie with UNH, and generally keeping the Terriers close in several dogfights this season.
“Sean had a great playoff [last season versus Providence], and I think that gave him a lot of confidence,” Magowan said. “He’s doing really well. And Mark Mullen’s playing a lot, killing a lot of penalties. He’s got a lot of speed, and he gets a lot happening. As a class, we’re doing really well this year.”
Mullen has certainly been a sparkplug and an underrated workhorse on power plays and in some otherwise dismal efforts last season. But it’s the third line that has been the most pleasant surprise for Terrier fans this year.
“I think a key to our success is that we all have different aspects that we bring along,” Magowan said. “For instance, Gregg Johnson is a great centerman, really fast. He creates a lot of open space for me and Frantisek.
And Faro [Skladany], he’s really crafty — a lot of European players are — and he creates a lot of room as well,” Magowan added. “I’m more of a grinder. I try and get in the corners a lot more. I think we just all complement each other, and we’ve all got a decent amount of speed: I think that’s what brought our success.”
Slovakian native Skladany also had plentiful praise for his linemates.
“Gregg Johnson is probably one of the best centers I’ve played with,” Skladany said. “His vision is very good on the ice; he can see us. Kenny Magowan, he’s a tough player: pretty good size, and he can hold the puck in the zone down low.”
“He’s a great linemate,” Johnson said of Skladany, shortly after the line combined for a whopping four goals and six assists in a 8-4 win over Harvard. “He sees the ice real well; he’s a great goalscorer. I love playing with him.”
So why have the sophomores managed to do so much this season after only the occasional flicker of excellence last year?
“I basically realized I’m coming to my sophomore year, and I realized I’ve got to make things happen,” Skladany said. “I knew I had to step up for the team and do my job.”
“We’ve all come a long way in the last year,” Magowan said. “As freshmen, we couldn’t get much going, and I don’t think we had much confidence.
“Coming into this year, we knew we had a lot to prove coming off a really bad year,” Magowan added. “We just wanted to prove to everybody that that wasn’t the kind of team we were — we just kind of underachieved is the best word for it.”
Perhaps senior leadership has helped this group live up to their potential this season.
“We’ve just tried to get everybody involved,” senior co-captain Mike Pandolfo said. “We’ve tried to make the freshmen and sophomores feel comfortable and know their roles, know that we care about them and that they’re a huge part of our team.
“We’re going to go out there and give 110 percent. We’re not going to try and win on skill — we’ll win on grit,” Pandolfo added. “Coach demands a lot of hard work — That’s always a mantra: hard work and discipline. That’s what we tell the guys: If we go out and work hard, we’re going to get some bounces.”
Perhaps last year helped the sophomores buy into this sort of work ethic. As Magowan pointed out, it’s hard to have a sophomore slump when your first year failed to make the headlines very often.
“Freshmen sometimes come in and put big points on the board, whereas we didn’t,” Magowan added. “If you look at our numbers combined, I don’t know if we had more than 40 points. So it’s not like we could get any worse, as far as a jinx goes. Now we’ve got confidence; we’re getting ice time, and it’s fun.”
That’s where Magowan might be mistaken. At least, the opposition is certainly having less fun with these guys this year.
As for the Terrier sophomores, they say it’s always better the second time around.
What?
Welcome, everyone, to a column that will appear whenever the whim of writing it comes along. It’s a simple column about history, one in which we give the answers to common and not-so-common questions about college hockey.
You have the questions, and I probably have the answers. But you may stump me every once in a while.
The purpose here is straightforward. I’ll answer factual questions about college hockey history. Occasionally — very occasionally — I’ll ask for your help if I don’t know the answer.
So, let’s get to it.
Q: Recently someone told me that Clarkson had an undefeated season. If so, then how come the Golden Knights didn’t win the NCAA title?
Clarkson did have an undefeated season, in 1955-56, when the Knights went 23-0.
The head coach of that team was Bill Harrison, who went on to become Clarkson’s first recipient of the Spencer Penrose Award as national coach of the year. The team itself was loaded with talent, led by All-Americans Eddie Rowe and Art Smith, and captured the Tri-State League title.
[T]he Golden Knights took a team vote and decided to decline the bid. And arguably the best Golden Knight team in history never went to the NCAA tournament at all.
So, if they went 23-0, how did they not win the NCAA title? Well, in those days, the NCAA only allowed varsity athletes three years of eligibility, therefore rendering ineligible all players in their fourth years of competition.
Because of that rule, Clarkson had eight players ineligible for NCAA tournament purposes, all seniors on the squad. Now, Clarkson was invited to the four-team national tournament, but would not have been allowed to dress any of those eight. So the Golden Knights took a team vote and decided to decline the bid.
And arguably the best Golden Knight team in history never went to the NCAA tournament at all.
In the semifinals that year, Michigan defeated St. Lawrence, 2-1 in overtime, and Michigan Tech beat Boston College, 10-4. Michigan then won its sixth title over Tech, 7-5, in the championship game.
Q: Alaska-Anchorage is now in the WCHA, Alaska-Fairbanks the CCHA. But weren’t they both in another conference before?
Yes. These two teams were in the Great West Conference, so named for geographic reasons which will become obvious in a moment.
In 1985, the Great West was formed by four Division I schools that were, at the time, independents: the two Alaska schools, Northern Arizona and U.S. International, based in San Diego.
This, needless to say, was an enormous undertaking from a travel standpoint. The distance from Anchorage to Fairbanks was the shortest among the four schools, and that’s still a seven-hour bus ride. And to support all the flying for a schedule of 12 conference games between the four programs would turn out to be an unsupportable monetary burden.
U.S. International won the first Great West title in 1986 with a 9-3-0 conference record, after which the conference was cut to three members as Northern Arizona dropped hockey from its varsity programs.
The following year, the teams went to 16 conference games, or eight against each opponent, and Alaska-Anchorage won the title with a 9-6-1 record.
In 1987-88, the conference dropped back to eight league games and Alaska-Fairbanks won the title with a 5-3-0 record.
From there, the Great West conference disbanded. Why not, right? Each of its teams had won a conference title? In all seriousness, the travel demands and monetary outlays were too much. U.S. International dropped ice hockey at the end of 1988, dictating the end of the Great West.
Now if the PAC-10 went after hockey…
Q: The WCHA is celebrating 50 years of operation. But I thought the WCHA started in 1959, which would make it 42 years old?
The WCHA did officially begin in 1959, but the league traces its roots to 1951.
In 1951, Colorado College, Denver, Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota and North Dakota banded together to form the Midwest Collegiate Hockey League, the second official league to be formed in college hockey after the Tri-State Hockey League (more on that in another column).
The MCHL was a force in the NCAAs, with Michigan winning six titles. In the 1950s, the league claimed all but the 1954 NCAA tournament, which was won by Rensselaer over Minnesota.
But the MCHL suffered from infighting, and in 1958 the conference disbanded after Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech and Minnesota withdrew on the grounds that the other three members were recruiting overage Canadians (a legal practice, but one of those unwritten rule things you hear so much about). So, in 1958-59, the MCHL did not have league play.
But cooler heads prevailed; the WCHA was born with more relaxed rules, including an informal conference schedule, and came to be as it is today — with a few hiccups, which are also interesting stories.
Short Answers To Short Questions
Q: Which team has made the most appearances in the NCAA tournament? Minnesota and Boston University with 25 each.
Q: What two schools’ hockey teams were featured in “Love Story”? Cornell and Harvard.
Q: Who does Sam want to be when he grows up? Vince McMahon, Jr.
Thanks
Well, not bad. Three very good questions, which I hope I’ve answered well enough for you. For comments, or if you have a question for me, just drop me an email.
I’ll be back soon enough with more answers. Until then, keep saying, “What?”
Picking Up The Pieces
When Maine legend Shawn Walsh died on Sept. 24, everything changed for the Black Bears. The program’s heart and soul was gone. The players, stunned at their sudden loss, might have been excused if they’d skated zombie-like through the first semester.
Wins and losses, after all, had been rendered meaningless by comparison to matters of life and death. Did it really matter anymore who won insignificant battles in the corner or who picked up the loose man on the backcheck?
Eventually, the team’s competitive instincts would kick in, but how much of the season would be lost while the Black Bears climbed out of the emotional abyss?
walsh
It was not a trivial question. Last year, Maine had taken eventual national champion Boston College late into the third period before falling one game short of the Frozen Four. This season, there were holes to fill on defense, but both goaltenders and most of the offense returned.
Would this be a year of considerable promise lost to mourning?
“[Being] without Shawn, that’s our biggest challenge,” says interim head coach Tim Whitehead, who was hired as associate head coach in August. “It’s been tough for them coming to the rink every day and not seeing Shawn. I’ve been very impressed with how they’ve handled it, but at the same time I know that’s going to be a challenge all year.”
Undoubtedly, the suddenness of Walsh’s death exacerbated what would have been an extraordinarily difficult time under any circumstances.
“Everybody came in here just so ready to go and excited. We wanted to have a positive attitude around Coach Walsh so he could overcome this,” says senior Mike Morrison. “So we were all ready to go at the start of the year. We were on a high and excited and then it happened, and it happened so suddenly.
“It was just out of the blue. One of my teammates called me and told me to come down to the rink and it was just like, ‘Wow.’ Everyone was just stunned. They didn’t know whether to believe it.
“It just sounded so unfathomable. This couldn’t have happened. This guy had had us all fooled, that he was going to beat it. There was no question about it. That’s what he told us, so that’s what was going to happen.
“But here it was, he’d died and we didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to him or anything like that. It was kind of like, ‘What just happened?'”
Anyone who saw the players on the day of the funeral could see the pain on their faces. A practice had originally been scheduled for that day, but it, of course, never happened.
“Right after his death, it was a real sad time,” says senior captain Peter Metcalf. “We cancelled a lot of practices so guys could handle it emotionally the way that they wanted to handle it. You had to cater to each person’s needs.
“But eventually you have to get back at it. Eventually the goal that Coach Walsh had wanted was to win the whole thing. So we knew we had to get back at it, but those first practices guys were a little spacey.
“A lot of guys kept thinking about it. There were a lot of memories. He coached me for three years and I got really close to him and a lot of other guys did, too. It took me a couple practices to come to the realization that he wasn’t going to be there.”
Not only was Walsh’s absence felt, but also the inevitable changes that come from going from one coach’s approach to another’s. Walsh was known for his meticulous attention to detail. Those details were now being decided in different ways by Whitehead, in many cases without the new coach even being aware he was changing things.
“The first couple practices were brutal,” says Morrison. “It was just so different, especially for the veterans: the juniors and the seniors. Just the littlest things that Coach Whitehead would do that would be different from Coach Walsh.
“[You thought,] ‘No, wait a minute. That’s not the way you’re supposed to do it. You’re supposed to do it this way. You’re not supposed to skate a lap before practice. We never used to do that.’
“It was just little things like that that slapped us in the face, that hey, Coach Walsh was gone now. That guy that you just hated on the ice because he was such a tyrant in a sense, but you loved him so much because you knew he was taking care of all of us.
“He was making us better people, better hockey players and stronger mentally and physically. He just knew his players so well. He knew just looking at you whether you were having a good day or a bad day. It was that closeness that he provided to us that made him such a great coach.
“Not having him there those first couple practices had us wondering what we were doing and how we were going to go about this. Just getting used to the drills [was a struggle]. People were all over the place.”
Gradually, players began to adjust, but an exceptionally difficult opening schedule loomed for a team that still was partly in recovery mode both emotionally and mentally. A watershed moment occurred during the road trip to North Dakota on the second weekend of the season.
“The Thursday night before our game we just all kind of looked at each other,” says Morrison. “Peter Metcalf and I spoke up and just said, ‘Hey, we’re doing something wrong here. We’re going to get smoked tomorrow night.’ And everyone kind of admitted to it.
“Coach Whitehead had given us a brief speech before that and that started the whole thing. He had noticed it for us and really gave us a positive speech that was spoken so well to pump us up. After that we as captains and seniors got together and pulled everyone aside and we all had a nice meeting, just the players.
“[We] said, ‘Hey, we’ve got to start working hard here. We’re kidding ourselves if we think we’re going to win this weekend or even come close to competing against these guys or any other team.'”
The wakeup call was thus delivered. The Black Bears lost the opener to North Dakota, 3-2, but rallied the next night for a 5-1 win.
“Ever since then,” says Morrison, “I think we’ve been tighter as a team.”
Many of those struggles were predictable and no surprise to Whitehead, though that didn’t necessarily make them any easier to handle.
“There’s a process that you go through, as anybody who’s lost somebody very close to them — somebody that has a daily impact on their lives — knows,” says Whitehead. “It’s not an overnight process.
“As the weeks go on, you get adjusted to living without that person in your life every day. That’s just something that takes time. How quickly that happens is different for each guy because everyone is different. Shawn’s impact on each player was different. We just have to focus on working hard and sticking together as a team.”
Over time, the players have adjusted and stopped reflexively viewing Whitehead through the filter of what Walsh would have done.
Nobody is going to measure up to the standard of being the next Shawn Walsh. I’m not going to pretend to."
— Maine interim coach Tim Whitehead
“It’s worn off a lot,” says Morrison. “It’s weird. I never thought it would wear off this quick. You still have that memory of how Coach would have done this or when he would have held that meeting or what time this would be at.
“So you still kind of notice it, but all of us realize that this is a new coach. This is Coach Whitehead and I don’t care who you got to replace Coach Walsh, they were going to be so much different than Coach Walsh was.
“A totally different person who would run things differently. We’ve just come to respect that.
“Coach Whitehead has a lot of pressure on him. He’s done an unbelievable job. He’s handled it so well. This is a national powerhouse [that was] led by a legendary coach and now that legendary coach is gone and the new coach has taken over the helm. He’s got a lot of expectations and he’s handled it very coolly and calmly.”
Which is not to say that Whitehead’s position is a comfortable one. If Maine has a great year, he will have only achieved what had been expected. And if the Black Bears disappoint…
“I know there aren’t a lot of people who envy my position right now,” says Whitehead with a rueful laugh. “I understand that. At the same time, I have a responsibility. Shawn called me in the summer to see if I could help him, not just as an assistant but also as an interim head coach in the event that he was out for long periods of time.
“I accepted that responsibility, so I’m going to follow through on it. Nobody is going to measure up to the standard of being the next Shawn Walsh. I’m not going to pretend to.
“It’s going to take a team effort to be [successful]. I’m committed to following through with my responsibility. I just want to help the team in any way that I can. Obviously, that’s something that I know is going to be quite a challenge, but it’s a challenge I’m prepared to face. I’ve been through some tough situations before.”
All of which does not mean that Shawn Walsh is fading into the background with little remaining impact on the team. His presence goes beyond the shamrock with the initials SW on each player’s jersey or the Walsh jersey that a different player brings to the bench for each game.
“Guys haven’t forgotten,” says Metcalf. “They’ve put [their memories of him] aside and bring them out when they need to.”
Such as when the going gets tough in the third period or disappointment strikes, or simply during the pregame pep talks.
“I think someone has said his last name before every one of our games in the locker room before we’ve gone out,” says Morrison. “Sometimes it’s been just in a quick sentence or sometimes just to throw a little reminder that if you’re scared or can’t take a hit or don’t think you can skate the extra 10 feet, just remember that Coach Walsh would have done it so let’s do it.
“There’s always that extra drive and motivation that we want to win it for him and give it our all like he always gave to us.”
This Week in Women’s Hockey: Nov. 22, 2001
‘Cats, Huskies, and ‘Eagles on the Rise
In both 1999 and 2000, none of the six members of the ECAC East who were in Division I at the time made the four-team national tournament. However, with No. 3 New Hampshire, No. 5 Northeastern and No. 8 Niagara each off to fast starts, that trend appears to be dead.
No one seriously thought it would last long anyway, given the history of the ECAC East’s programs and the plethora of young talent they each returned this season.
It’s worth noting that both New Hampshire and Northeastern each started off strong last year — 9-2 and 11-2 respectively — then went on to finish the season at or just above the .500 mark. Two years ago, Niagara started the season 9-1-1, then went 8-12-2 the rest of the way.
But this year should be different.
Between those 20 early-season wins last season for the Wildcats and the Huskies, only Northeastern’s victory over Dartmouth was against a team that finished more than three games above .500. Each of those nine wins for Niagara two years ago was against a sub-.500 or an Independent team.
This year, however, each team has at least a few quality wins to its credit. New Hampshire swept Wisconsin last weekend, Northeastern swept St. Lawrence last month, and Niagara is the only team other than Minnesota-Duluth to have beaten Minnesota.
The way New Hampshire has been winning its games defensively has been eye-opening. After giving up seven goals in their first two games against Ohio State, the Wildcats have allowed just two goals in their last seven games.
New Hampshire’s dramatic reversal can be attributed largely to the fact that the Wildcats were still adjusting to a new defensive system in their opening weekend against the Buckeyes.
“We played more of a zone defense last year, and we thought with a little more experience this year, we’d go man-to-man, because if we can get good at it, it’s real hard for the other teams to play against it,” said New Hampshire coach Karen Kay after her team’s first two games. “We’re asking a pretty young team to play man-to-man. That’s not an easy thing and it’ll take a lot of work, but we feel we can do that, so we’re making a commitment to it.”
Kay said that most of the younger players on the team weren’t used to playing man-to-man and estimated that only 80 percent of her players were comfortable with her defense at the outset of the season. With the Wildcats now boasting a 305:50 shutout streak going into this weekend’s games, that number is looking ever closer to 100 percent.
Northeastern, meanwhile, wasn’t given as much preseason billing as New Hampshire or Providence, largely due to the graduation of First Team All-American goaltender Erika Silva. But the return of Brooke White from a year off with the U.S. National Team has given the Huskies a boost, as she is among the national leaders in assists.
As for the goaltending situation, Northeastern coach Joy Woog had confidence in Wisconsin transfer Chanda Gunn as her No. 1 goaltender from day one, and she has delivered.
“Gunn was here last year but she didn’t get a lot of playing time because she was behind Erika Silva,” Woog said. “[Gunn] has set the tone for the team and she’s a real team player.”
Gunn is second in the nation in save percentage among goaltenders with at least 100 saves. Oddly enough, New Hampshire’s Jen Huggon is first in that category and Niagara’s Tania Pinelli is third.
Niagara has opened the season with nine wins in ten games despite missing all-time leading scorer Brooke Bradburn for its first six games.
Bradburn sustained a high ankle sprain in the Oct. 14 ECAC East All-Stars vs. U.S. National Team game and was expected to be out for at least six weeks, but was back in time for the Purple Eagles’ 3-0, 5-0 sweep of Providence on Nov. 9-10. She has produced a goal and five assists to make an immediate impact in the four games since her comeback.
Northeastern hosts Niagara on Saturday in the premier eastern intraleague series of the weekend. As both teams enter the weekend on a roll, with great goaltending and no shortage of goal-scorers, the matchup is tough to call either way. The closest thing to a certainty, however, is that at least one player named Brooke will get her name on the scoreboard.
Withering Ivy?
Dartmouth’s current 5-0 record may be on pace to match last year’s 11-0-1 start, but the way the Big Green has been winning in its three games since blowing out Vermont has been less than encouraging.
Dartmouth coach Judy Oberting considered her team fortunate to win its Ivy openers against Brown and Harvard. A week later, the Big Green found itself trailing 2-1 after two periods against perennial cellar team Boston College — at Hanover no less — before coming back to win in overtime.
Now No. 2 Dartmouth must travel to No. 6 Minnesota to face a Gopher team on Saturday that has allowed more than two goals in a game only once all season. Minnesota will hope to exploit a young Big Green defense, which consists of two freshmen, two sophomores and two seniors,
“We have a very young defensive crew, and we ran around a lot in our own end,” said Oberting following her team’s come-from-behind victory against Brown. “But the learning curve is steep, and I think once we get a little more settled down in our end, we’re going to make huge strides.”
It wasn’t a great week for Dartmouth women’s hockey in general, as Big Green senior Correne Bredin became one of the final cuts off the Canadian Olympic roster.
Since St. Lawrence’s Gina Kingsbury was among the first cuts, St. Lawrence’s Isabelle Chartrand and Harvard’s Jennifer Botterill are the only players with collegiate hockey experience and future eligibility left on the Canadian Olympic roster.
One of bright spots for Dartmouth has been the play of junior Lydia Wheatley, who scored a critical insurance goal in the Big Green victory over Brown-just seconds after Dartmouth took its first lead of the night-and then netted the overtime winner against Boston College last Saturday.
“Lydia Wheatley has quietly been one of our best players since she got here,” Oberting said. “She’s so smart and she makes great decisions.”
Dartmouth’s forward lines will also be bolstered by the return of Carolyn Steele, who just finished up an ECAC Championship field hockey season.
Cheryl Muranko, one of the Big Green’s Canadian U-22 freshmen, still has yet to make an impact due to a knee injury.
Although Dartmouth may not be playing well, the team is still finding a way to win its games. The same can’t be said for Brown and Harvard. The Crimson hosts the Bears on Saturday in a matchup a critical importance, given that each team has been winless in three games against ranked opponents so far this season.
While Harvard has been getting goal scoring from Nicole Corriero, who is second only to Dartmouth’s Carly Haggard in national goals per game, the Crimson has struggled to play a full 60 minutes with its short roster. Against Dartmouth and Minnesota, Harvard dominated early, but could not hold on in the third period.
If the Bears were hoping to turn around its season against Harvard, the Crimson is hardly the opponent of choice. Brown is 0-5-1 in six games versus Harvard since dealing the Crimson its only loss during the 1999 championship season.
The Bears’ 4-1 and 5-0 losses in their two most recent meetings with Harvard were their only two defeats by more than a goal last season. And while it may be easy to discount that result because of the absence of Olympians on the Crimson roster this year, those two games against Brown were actually two of the most productive games for Harvard’s second line last season.
The Bears beat themselves against Dartmouth two weeks ago by committing several penalties down the stretch, and they followed that up with a disappointing effort against Minnesota last Saturday. Brown may have come back to tie No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth on Sunday, but the Bears will have to play with more consistency in the coming weekend in order to back up their No. 3 national ranking with results on the ice.
