Home Blog Page 1466

This Week In The ECAC: Feb. 1, 2001

By Becky Blaeser & Jayson Moy
-

Five.

Count them. Just five weeks left in the season. With only Harvard and Vermont a game up on everyone else, there’s a tie atop the ECAC standings and — as usual — a logjam right behind. Five weeks from now, who knows what things will look like. A full weekend of ECAC action coming right at ya!

The North Country: or, Yale and Princeton Go North

Don’t look now, but preseason favorite St. Lawrence is tied for first place in the ECAC in points, and leads percentage-wise. A 4-2 victory over Clarkson on Tuesday boosted the Saints into the lead and with the victory, the Saints are now 7-1-1 since the holiday break.

logos/slu.gif

“We have played pretty well since Christmas,” said Saint coach Joe Marsh. “But, we can’t afford to relent. We’ve got a big four-game homestand coming up and we want to just keep moving forward.”

The Saints have gotten it from a variety of different areas. From scoring to defense to goaltending, there seems to be a different hero each night. Sean Coakley has picked up three straight wins and others such as Blair Clarance, Robin Carruthers and Russ Bartlett have started to put points on the board.

The Saints could be hitting on all cylinders at just the right time.

Clarkson was hitting its stride, but last week saw the Knights lose two of three to stem the momentum a bit. The Knights host Yale and Princeton and are hoping to get back into the swing of things with two weeks at home coming up.

“This is a very important stretch to gain as much ground as we can, as we get closer to the end of the road,” said head coach Mark Morris. “Every game we can distance ourselves from other teams in the league will work to our advantage. We still have our eyes set on giving ourselves the best opportunity to be a championship team. At this stage of the year any slipup could cost you the positioning you need to be there when it really counts.”

While the two North Country teams are playing their best hockey of the season, so is the little team from New Haven. After losing six out of seven games during the holiday season, the Yale Bulldogs have since put together a positive streak of their own, winning four of the last five games.

The mini-turnaround came three weeks ago, after Yale returned from an embarrassing two-game series with Michigan State to post a 6-1 win over Brown. The Bulldogs then knocked off league-leading Harvard before collecting two non-league wins against Holy Cross and Notre Dame. Granted, there were no national powerhouses among the fallen group, but Yale did gain something from those three wins which had been sorely lacking since mid November — confidence.

“It’s a relentless pressure we’ve got going now,” said Yale head coach Tim Taylor, who collected his 278th victory on Saturday night to tie Murray Murdoch for the most wins in school history. “If we can sustain our pressure, then eventually [opponents] crack.”

Yale isn’t a team of surprises. The offense is anchored by the first line of Jeff Hamilton, Ben Stafford and Nick Deschenes. The defense can be solid, but lacks consistency, and goaltender Dan Lombard is typically at the mercy of the players in front of him. During the Bulldogs’ losing streak, Lombard had little support and was paying the price. Since that time, Taylor has focused his coaching efforts on developing a confidence between the defensive corps and Lombard. The result has been tighter checking and tracking, and fewer loose rebounds in front of the net.

Regardless of those who will compare the player of two years ago to the one who takes the ice this weekend, Hamilton has been one of the best offensive players in the league this season. No other player means more to his team than Hamilton. If he struggles, there are very few other offensive weapons to shoulder the burden. After a six-point weekend against Holy Cross and Notre Dame, Hamilton is now eight points away from becoming Yale’s all-time career scoring leader.

“Hamilton had one of his most dynamic games [against Notre Dame], though he wasn’t alone,” Taylor said. “That whole line is such a solid line for us, and I really trust them defensively now.”

The team currently in the midst of the league’s longest losing streak is hapless Princeton. After gutting out some solid wins early in the season, the team has lost its last eight games — four being critical ECAC contests. Following the Tigers’ most recent loss — a 5-3 loss to Brown on January 13 — head coach Lenny Quesnelle spoke candidly about his team.

“When you’re in this kind of slide, nothing seems to go right. [Against Brown,] we weren’t burying the goals early. It seemed like they were sprinting and we were skating at times.”

Offensively, the team is averaging just over 2.5 goals per game, compared to the 4.0 the team averaged over its first nine games. With that said, however, the Princeton offense is not the determining variable. When the team feels confident on the ice, the points follow. The real problem has been the team’s susceptibility to defensive lapses, which have in turn caused a gradual eroding of confidence. During the early days of the eight-game losing streak, the Tigers were suffering heartbreaking losses. RPI, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Wisconsin: right down the line, the team was constantly fighting back from deficits to lose by the slimmest of margins. Eventually the team began to show signs of defeat. The fight wasn’t there any more.

After a three-week break for exams, Quesnelle is hoping that his team can return to the ice with a renewed spirit, both physically and emotionally. Thanks to its early-season play, the Tigers are in decent shape with 10 points heading into the final five weekends of league play.

“We need a ‘W’ in the biggest way,” Quesnelle said. “We [had] three weeks off for exams. It’ll be a good time to get things together and get back on the right track.”

Getting Together In New England

It’s been a while since Harvard has been in this position. With five weekends left in the season, the team is tied for first place with 17 points and considered one of the teams to beat.

Are you sure this is 2001 and not 1993?

All joking aside, this current Crimson team is nothing like the Harvard teams of the past. Second-year head coach Mark Mazzoleni has successfully guided this team towards a more disciplined, consistent style of play. The offensive corps is relatively balanced, team speed is at an all-time high and the freshmen class is one of the best in the league. The one element that Mazzoleni lacks, however, is depth.

Heading into the team’s last ECAC contest — a 3-1 loss to Yale in New Haven — the Crimson was without the services of three key players: Graham Morrell, Tim Pettit and Tyler Kolarik. And players on the ice such as the Moore brothers and Peter Capouch were playing with sore bodies.

Now, with the team’s three-week exam break out of the way, it’s a fight to the finish for the Crimson. The gas tank has been refueled and the players, for the most part, have recovered physically from the first half of the season. A fully-loaded Harvard team is dangerous to any team in the league — that much has been proven. Now it’s just a matter of how long the Crimson can stay healthy. The sand in the hourglass is starting to fall.

That makes the Cornell-Harvard game on Saturday night one of the most anticipated matchups of the season. Big Red fans will be entering Bright Hockey Center in huge waves — the game has been sold out for weeks. Cornell is surging right now, enjoying its status as the No. 14 team in the nation. And considering that the two teams skated to a 1-1 tie earlier this season at Lynah Rink, and that Cornell is a mere one point behind Harvard in the ECAC standings, this game is surely the ultimate rubber match.

logos/cor.gif

Cornell has experienced difficulties scoring this season, but its defense has been outstanding. The Big Red is allowing only 2.29 goals per game — tops in the league — while its penalty kill unit has been dominating with a .873 success rate. In the team’s last 12 ECAC games, the Big Red has allowed just four power-play goals (53-for-57 in kills). Ian Burt has done his job as well with a 1.80 goals-against-average; the senior netminder currently ranks fourth in the country in that category.

The one area in which Cornell has not proven itself, however, is road toughness. The Big Red enter this weekend with a 5-4 record away from Lynah Rink. Three of the team’s next four weekends will be road series.

For Bear fans, the good news is that Brown won its last ECAC game and is only one point out of a three-way tie for 10th place in the league. The bad news is that the Bears start off the final stretch against Cornell and Colgate — two teams who seem to have the Bears’ number. Both teams own the all-time series record and currently boast five-game unbeaten streaks against Brown.

Head coach Roger Grillo can only hope that his team shrugs off its last three nonconference losses, against St. Cloud and Minnesota, and plays more like it did against Princeton and UMass-Lowell two weeks ago.

“We worked hard all night,” said Grillo following his team’s 5-4 win over the River Hawks. “My hope for the future is we can start putting together efforts like that every night. It’ll take a lot more consistency to improve our results.”

Seniors Matt Kohansky and Jon Zielinski have led the way for Brown offensively this season, combining for 33 points. Overall, the Bears have relied on two classes to pull the weight, as the seniors and sophomores have posted 85 of the team’s 123 total points. One sophomore — Keith Kurley — will make his return to the lineup this weekend against Cornell and Colgate, which Grillo hopes will provide his team with a much-needed offensive boost. Kurley is third on the Bears’ scoring list, posting four goals and five assists in 14 games.

Despite the unforgiving series history, the Bears can take solace in the fact that they pulled out a tough 2-2 tie against the Big Red last season in Providence.

“We need to get our goals against down,” said junior defenseman Josh Barker. “We are starting to score a good amount more, which helps. Once we can get in [the playoffs], anything can happen. It’s a tight league, and we can play with anybody.”

There is probably only one other team in the league that needs a win worse than Brown — and that would be Colgate. It hasn’t been a stellar first half for the Red Raiders, especially for a team that typically peaks during the early stages of the season. The team is on a four-game winless streak and is tied for 10th place in the league with Union.

Over the past two weeks, Colgate has been swept in two ECAC series — first in a home-and-away set against travel partner Cornell and then at home against Clarkson and St. Lawrence. In that four-game span, the Red Raiders were outscored by a 14-7 margin.

“We’re at a point now where we can’t over-think things,” said head coach Don Vaughan. “We just have to start playing loose and try to keep it fun somehow. We need to play desperate. We’re in a situation where we have to string some wins together. We want to claw our way back into it.”

The Rematches

Due to an odd quirk in the schedule, these four teams are facing each other for the second week in a row. Last weekend it was in the Green and White Mountains; this time around, it’s in the Capital District.

And, oh boy, is there something to talk about.

Last Saturday in the ECAC Game of the Week, the Vermont Catamounts defeated Union, 6-3, but the story that lingers is that of Bryant Westerman going after Chris Hills of Vermont during the game. Westerman was given two game disqualifications for his actions, and the story continues this week.

Sneddon

Sneddon

The ECAC is looking into the events, and they have rendered a decision as to whether head coach Kevin Sneddon’s postgame remarks warrant any additional actions. The ECAC ruled that the matter will be handled internally at Union by athletic director Val Belmonte.

Belmonte did not say what actions would be taken and also told Ken Schott of the Schenectady (N.Y.) Gazette that Sneddon was not in danger of losing his job.

On the ice, the Cats finally broke through in calendar year 2001 with a victory after going 0-6-1 to start the year. Meanwhile, the Dutchmen continued their ECAC slide after getting swept by Dartmouth and Vermont. The Dutchmen are now 0-8-1 in their last nine ECAC games, including an eight-game losing streak. Also, be reminded that a win by Vermont would give head coach Mike Gilligan 400 in his career.

Friday should be interesting at Achilles Rink.

In Troy on Friday night, Dartmouth and Rensselaer butt heads once again. Dartmouth won on Saturday night, 2-1, on an early third-period goal by Trevor Byrne.

“That was a well played hockey game,” said Engineer coach Dan Fridgen. “It was back and forth. It was real good college hockey game.”

“Late last year these guys played in the playoffs and they nosed us out,” said Big Green coach Bob Gaudet. “Quite frankly, they were a better team than us last year. But we really gave them everything we could that second game. That’s the only real history for these guys, and the rest of it is the past.

“I liked the way our team played this weekend. I like the way we found a way to win both games. Different games against different teams, and we found a way to win.”

One oddity in that game was the fact that Rensselaer didn’t take a single penalty. Odd, because the Engineers are the most-penalized team in the ECAC, and because limited sources of research suggest that this may have been the first time in the modern era (1949-present) that the Engineers have not taken a penalty in a game.

So, the quirk in the schedule finds these teams playing for a second game in a row.

“I want the guys to remember this, and we’ll see them again on Friday,” said Fridgen.

“It’s basically a two-game series with the first one being at home; that’s how we thought about it,” said Gaudet. “We did the same thing against Vermont, and we won the first game and then we went into their building. Well, we’ve got a week to prepare, and they have a week to prepare and then we play. So it will be a good test for us.”

If It’s So Easy, You Try It

Amazingly enough, the Iron Columnists are still undefeated. After we suffered our first non-win as Julian Saltman tied us, we came back in overtime to pick up another victory. Chairman Kaga is very pleased with us.

The contest thus far:

Becky and Jayson d. Vic Brzozowski – (10-2-2) – (8-5-1)
Becky and Jayson d. Tayt Brooks – (7-7-1) – (5-9-1)
Becky and Jayson d. Michele Kelley – (5-4-3) – (2-7-3)
Becky and Jayson d. C.J. Poux – (9-4-2) – (6-7-2)
Becky and Jayson d. Shawn Natole – (5-8-0) – (3-10-0)
Becky and Jayson t. Julian Saltman – (7-4-2) – (7-4-2)
Becky and Jayson d. Julian Saltman – (9-2-0) – (6-5-0)

If memory serves us right, even though you may reside in one place, your heart may still belong somewhere else. Such is the case with this week’s challenger. He no longer lives in the state of his team, but the torch burns bright. From afar, Steve Lombardo roots hard for his Engineers. But this week, he walks into another challenge. What will he bring into USCHO Stadium to try and defeat the Iron Columnists? Can he go where none has gone before? Whose picks will reign supreme?

The Picks

Friday, February 2
Cornell at Brown
Steve’s Pick – Brown continues to struggle but gives Cornell a tough game. Cornell 4, Brown 3, ot
Becky and Jayson – Cornell 3, Brown 1

Colgate at Harvard
Steve’s Pick – Harvard is tough, but Colgate is looking to end a three-game slide. Colgate 3, Harvard 1
Becky and Jayson – Harvard 4, Colgate 3

Princeton at St. Lawrence
Steve’s Pick – Long trip to Canton after a long break from league games will hurt Princeton. St. Lawrence 5, Princeton 1
Becky and Jayson – St. Lawrence 6, Princeton 2

Yale at Clarkson
Steve’s Pick – Clarkson, as always, coming on strong at the end of the season, plus Yale is struggling. Clarkson 5, Yale 1
Becky and Jayson – Clarkson 6, Yale 3

Vermont at Union
Steve’s Pick – Look for the Catamounts to repeat last weekend’s result. Vermont 4, Union 1
Becky and Jayson – Union 3, Vermont 2

Dartmouth at Rensselaer
Steve’s Pick – Engineer fan until the end… The Houston Fieldhouse advantage helps. Rensselaer 3, Dartmouth 2
Becky and Jayson – Rensselaer 4, Dartmouth 1

Saturday, February 3
Cornell at Harvard
Steve’s Pick – Harvard looks to roll into the Beanpot tourney on a high note. Harvard 5, Cornell 3
Becky and Jayson – Cornell 2, Harvard 1

Colgate at Brown
Steve’s Pick – Brown looks to keep its playoff hopes alive. Brown 3, Colgate 1
Becky and Jayson – Colgate 4, Brown 2

Princeton at Clarkson
Steve’s Pick – Short trip from Canton after a tough loss, expect to see Princeton bounce back. Princeton 4, Clarkson 3
Becky and Jayson – Princeton 5, Clarkson 3

Yale at St. Lawrence
Steve’s Pick – Appleton Arena… from experience, just a tough place to play in. St. Lawrence 5, Yale 2
Becky and Jayson – St. Lawrence 7, Yale 4

Vermont at Rensselaer
Steve’s Pick – Vermont seeks revenge after last weekend and completes weekend sweep. Vermont 5, Rensselaer 3
Becky and Jayson – Rensselaer 5, Vermont 3

Dartmouth at Union
Steve’s Pick – Union breaks conference losing skid and upends Dartmouth. Union 3, Dartmouth 1
Becky and Jayson – Dartmouth 5, Union 4

Monday, February 5
Harvard vs. Boston College
Steve’s Pick – Harvard is strong this year … but the bottom line is number 12, Brian Gionta … Boston College 4, Harvard 2
Becky and Jayson – Harvard 4, Boston College 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 Steve bites the dust.

Thanks to Dan Fleschner and Sean Peden for their contributions this week.

This Week In The MAAC: Feb. 1, 2001

By
-

How ‘Bout Them Huskies?

Dog owners out there will hopefully agree with me that the average Husky is no quiet animal. Maybe it’s not a bull in a china shop, but certainly, a Husky dog could do some damage if surrounded by $1M of crystal.

That is, unless the Huskies in question are the UConn Huskies.

Quieter than a church mouse, UConn has slowly glided into the upper tier of the MAAC. And, thanks to a 4-2 win over Quinnipiac last Saturday night, UConn has moved all the way up to third place, poised to make a run at the top.

If you ask UConn coach Bruce Marshall about his climb to the top, he’s excited, but cautious.

“It’s like we keep sending flowers, like we’re telling ourselves, ‘Everything is going to be okay,'” said Marshall, referring to what he believes has been an inconsistent effort from his club. “We have a good game and perform well against Quinnipiac, but then be a no-show against Bentley. We need to figure out if we’re going to come to play every night.”

Now if anyone out there thinks UConn’s rise from the MAAC ashes is strange, let’s not forget history. Last season, the Huskies, who struggled at times, came from the number-four seed in the playoffs to win the second edition of the MAAC championships. And they did this after being on life-support during the quarterfinals, trailing Sacred Heart, 4-1, in that game before finally winning, 5-4.

Some, too, may remember a season ago that the Huskies peaked come playoff time, as the month of January was actually uglier than Cinderella’s wicked step-sisters. A skid that began just about a year ago, with a 5-3 loss to Holy Cross, sent UConn into a tailspin, pitching six losses in eight games. But in mid-February, the Huskies pulled things together, starting with a sweep of Mercyhurst and ending with the Huskies carrying around the championship trophy late in March.

Maybe this year, that streak is beginning a little bit earlier.

“We have two goals. The first is to make the playoffs,” said Marshall. “Once we’ve achieved that, we want to get home ice.”

Marshall realizes that his team currently sits only a point ahead of Quinnipiac and Canisius. Though Quinnipiac has struggled at home lately, over the years they’ve been thought of as a very tough opponent at home. Canisius, though, is even a more dreaded road opponent for the playoffs.

“The way you look at it is, either you go to Buffalo or Buffalo comes here,” said Marshall referring to Canisius’ northern New York location.

One key to UConn’s success thus far has been goaltending. After losing all-star goaltender Marc Senerchia to graduation last season, most thought that between the pips would be an area of concern for the Huskies. Enter rookie goaltenders Artie Imbriano and Jason Carey. Though young and inexperienced, both players have been asked to rise to the occasion at different points this season, and both have done so very well.

Imbriano strung together some impressive performances earlier in the year, but as Marshall tells, has been hampered by injury of late.

“Artie has played well for us, but he’s gotten a bit of a groin injury,” Marshall said. “He played with it and hid the injury as the typical rookie goaltender would, afraid of losing his spot [in the lineup]. But now we know about it and we’re treating it.”

The injury, though, has led to an opportunity for Carey, who was named Rookie of the Week for his performance against Quinnipiac last weekend. Carey was used sporadically in the early parts of the season, but has started three of the last four MAAC games for UConn, posting a 3-0-1 record.

“I think we’re deeper in [goaltending] than we were last year,” Marshall said. “[Imbriano and Carey] are constantly competitive with each other in a positive way.”

The road to the end of the season, though, surely is no cakewalk for UConn. The Huskies face first-place Mercyhurst three times in 14 days, starting with this Friday night in Storrs. Road games against red-hot Canisius and AIC along with one more home game with Quinnipiac will make the month of February a challenge for UConn. Marshall is cautiously optimistic, though, about his team’s chances.

“I look at [each week] as [a chance] to go anywhere from third to seventh if you don’t get any points,” Marshall said. “But [our current position in third place] is a good position to be in because if you split, everyone has to sweep to gain ground.”

For now, though, Marshall and UConn are content to concentrate on the next challenge, that being Mercyhurst on Friday.

Weekly Awards

ITECH MAAC Hockey League Co-Players of the Week:

MARTIN PAQUET, SACRED HEART / K.C. FINNEGAN, ARMY So., F, St. Catherine, PQ / Sr., F, West St. Paul, MN

Paquet recorded five points on three goals and two assists in victories over Bentley and Army. He scored two goals and added an assist in the 7-3 win over Bentley. In the 5-2 win over Army, he tallied a goal and an assist. Finnegan scored the game-winning goal with 8.6 seconds left in overtime in the 2-1 win over Quinnipiac. He scored two goals, including one shorthanded, in the 4-3 win over Canisius.

ITECH MAAC Hockey League Goalie of the Week:

BEN BRADY, IONA Sr., G, Anchorage, AK

Brady played his best hockey of the season in a 4-2 win over Mercyhurst and a 3-3 tie with Canisius. Against Mercyhurst, he made 38 saves, including all 17 shots he faced in the third period. He stopped 28 of 31 shots in the tie with Canisius. He is now 6-1-1 in the MAAC with a .911 save percentage and a 2.94 goals against average.

ITECH MAAC Hockey League Rookie of the Week:

JASON CAREY, UCONN Fr., G, Oakdale, MN

Carey had two strong performances in a 3-3 tie against Bentley and a 4-2 win over Quinnipiac. He played all 65 minutes and stopped 33 shots against Canisius. In the victory over Quinnipiac, he warded off 27 of 29 shots.

Fairfield, Army Put on Thin Ice

For the third time this season, the MAAC was forced to postpone a league game when Tuesday’s contest at Fairfield between the Stags and Army could not be played. The previous two cancellations this season happened when Mercyhurst’s flights out of Erie, Pa., were cancelled due to inclement weather. But Tuesday night’s problems were a little bit different.

The ice at the Wonderland of Ice rink, a public skating rink in Bridgeport and the home rink of the Stags, was deemed unplayable. The reason: a faulty Zamboni. According to league officials, postponing the game was the best alternative because of the close geographic proximity.

The problem, though, begs the question that many around college hockey already ask. Will the facilities in the MAAC ever improve?

According to the league, the answer is yes. Though no sanctions have been put in place to force schools to play in Division I quality buildings, most schools in the MAAC are trying to either obtain new facilities or make renovations to existing ones.

The problem, of course, is cost. The MAAC is considered a “cost-containment” league. In other words, all aspects of the league, from travel to scholarships to facilities, are designed for schools that currently do not have the budget to operate similar to an established Division I school like Boston College or Michigan State.

But as the league attempts to become one of the big dogs, including receiving this season an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, one has to hope that the bid won’t be taken for granted. The MAAC and college hockey, in general, has to hope that teams in the league don’t simply rest on the fact that an automatic bid is awarded — rather, that the MAAC representative can be competitive in the tournament.

A lot of that competitiveness will rest of the success of recruiting throughout the league. And, as most know, a major factor in recruiting is facilities.

One league representative, though, says it’s a lot more.

“It’s more than just the building. [Students] want good campus life, good education, an overall better situation.”

Maybe so, and maybe facility improvements are expensive, but schools around the country are improving in this department. Hopefully the MAAC won’t get caught watching.

Breaking the Ties

With the middle of the pack in the MAAC standings looking tighter than a New York subway at rush hour, it’s time to visit how the MAAC tiebreaker will decide who finishes where.

Specifically, the MAAC has put into place a new tiebreaker. Unlike past years, when the top criterion in breaking a tie was league wins, this year, the (more sensible) top criterion will be head-to-head record.

This year’s criteria will be:

1. Head-to-head record
2. Most league wins
3. Record against top seed (if a tie for first, top remaining seed)
4. Coin toss

One note: if the playoffs began today, Quinnipiac, which is currently in a tie for fourth place with Canisius, would travel to Buffalo. Canisius holds the head-to-head lead, 1-0, with two games left. The first of those two games is this Friday at Quinnipiac.

Around the League

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL

The Yellow Jackets defeated Quinnipiac, 4-3, on Friday night… American International hosts Holy Cross at 7:00 Friday night and plays at Bentley at 7:30 Saturday night… The Yellow Jackets netted three goals in the third period to complete the comeback win… Sophomore Andy Luhovy netted the game-winner with only 1:27 remaining in regulation. Luhovy also assisted on the game-tying goal earlier in the period. The forward now has 15 points on the season… Sophomore Alex Walsh netted two goals in the Yellow Jackets victory. Walsh has been an offensive terror with eight goals, including one assist, in only six games played. With his second goal of the night on Friday, he became the team leading goal scorer… Senior goalie Chance Thede played tough all night between the pipes for the Yellow Jackets. The captain stopped 40 shots in the win over the Braves.

ARMY

The Black Knights upset Quinnipiac, 2-1 in overtime, on Tuesday night, defeated Canisius, 4-3, on Friday night and lost to Sacred Heart, 5-2, on Saturday night… Army’s Tuesday night against Fairfield was postponed until February 20 because of poor ice conditions. They will travel to Bentley on Friday and entertain Iona at 7:00 Saturday night… Senior forward K.C. Finnegan, the ITECH/MAAC Co-Player of the Week, scored the game-winner with 8.6 seconds left in overtime in the win over Quinnipiac. He scored two goals, including one shorthanded, in the win over Canisius… Junior Tim Fisher scored goals against Quinnipiac and Canisius and had an assist against Sacred Heart, extending his point-scoring streak to six games, the longest of his career and the longest by an Army player this season. He has eight points during the streak… Army’s 2-1 overtime win over Quinnipiac was its first OT victory in more than two years. The last was a 5-4 sudden-death win over SUNY Brockport on Jan. 15, 1999. No current Army player had ever scored in OT until K.C. Finnegan’s goal… A sellout crowd of 2,809 watched the Army-Sacred Heart game Saturday night at Tate Rink. The attendance was a MAAC on-campus record for a regular season game.

BENTLEY

The Falcons tied Connecticut, 3-3, on Tuesday night and lost to Sacred Heart, 7-3, on Friday night and 4-2 to Fairfield on Saturday night… Bentley battles Army at 7:30 Friday night and American International at 7:30 Saturday night. Both games are at home for the Falcons… Freshman Joe Lovell chalked up four assists in three games last week. Lovell had two assists against Connecticut and two helpers in the loss to Fairfield. Lovell now has 11 points on the season for the Falcons, ranking him fourth on the team and tops among Bentley rookies… Bentley earned its first point at home this season with last Tuesday’s 3-3 tie against Connecticut. Freshman Mike Mulligan had two goals for the Falcons… Senior Ray DeVincent continues to play well in goal. In his last five games, DeVincent is 2-2-1 and has allowed 15 goals, lowering his goals against average to 4.85 this season. DeVincent made 27 stops on Saturday against Fairfield, four days after making 35 saves in a 3-3 tie with Connecticut.

CANISIUS

The Ice Griffs lost a road game at Army, 4-3, on Friday night and tied Iona, 3-3, on Saturday… Canisius has road games at Quinnipiac Friday night at 7:00 and at Connecticut 7:30 Saturday night… Canisius had their five-game winning streak snapped by Army in a 4-3 loss at Tate Rink at West Point… Junior forward Brad Kenny scored the game-tying goal with 1:10 remaining in the third period as the Ice Griffs tied Iona 3-3 in New Rochelle. Senior goalie Stephen Fabiilli stopped 40 shots for the Ice Griffs… The Ice Griffs defeated Quinnipiac, 4-2, on January 16 in Buffalo and dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to Connecticut on November 4 in Storrs, CT… Senior forward Todd Bisson notched a goal and an assist on the weekend to move to a tie for 4th place in the MAAC with 25 points … Junior forward Chris Duggan is tied for 4th in assists with 16.

CONNECTICUT

The Huskies tied Bentley, 3-3, on Tuesday night and defeated Quinnipiac, 4-2, on Saturday night… Connecticut entertains Mercyhurst at 7:30 Friday night and Canisius at 7:30 Saturday night… Senior forward Michael Goldkind tallied three points in UConn’s 1-0-1 week. Goldkind’s game-tying tally came with 9:00 remaining in regulation in UConn’s come-from-behind rally against Bentley on Tuesday. He also was credited with an assist on the game’s second goal, also scored in the third period. With the two-points, Goldkind hit the 100-point mark in his career in points scored. In UConn’s defeat of Quinnpiac, Goldkind assisted on a power play tally late in the second period to give UConn the 2-1 lead… Freshman goalie Jason Carey, the ITECH/MAAC Rookie of the Week, had two strong outings in net for UConn this week. Carey’s performance in UConn’s come-from-behind tie against Bentley was solid. He recorded 65:00 in net, stopping 33 shots on goal. Against Quinnipiac, Carey warded off 27 shots. His record is 4-3-1 overall and has made 10 appearances in goal so far this season.

FAIRFIELD

The Stags lost to Holy Cross, 6-5, on Friday night and beat Bentley, 4-2, on Saturday night… Fairfield’s Tuesday night contest vs. Army was postponed due to poor ice conditions at Fairfield’s rink. They play at Sacred Heart at 7:00 Friday night… Freshman Hunter Greeley recorded a goal and an assist in the loss to Holy Cross, and on Saturday netted pair of goals, including the game-tying tally in the win over Bentley. He currently ranks eighth in team scoring with seven points . All but one of Greeley’s seven points have come after the Christmas break… Dan Cotter, Bernie Gately, Tim Desmarais, and Jim Lubinski all recorded goals in the 6-5 loss to Holy Cross. Freshman goalie Bill Whitfield made 32 saves in just his fourth start of the season… Aaron Cardinal and Jim Lubinski each added tallies in the 4-2 win over Bentley. Freshman Craig Schnappinger was back in net for Fairfield and made 15 saves in the effort. His record now stands at 6-7-1 overall and 6-5-1 in the MAAC.

HOLY CROSS

The Crusaders beat Fairfield, 6-5, on Friday and lost, 4-3, to Mercyhurst on Saturday… Holy Cross goes on the road to battle American International at 7:00 Friday night and Sacred Heart at 5:00 on Saturday… Junior forward Pat Rissmiller had five points in the two games. He scored the game-winner and added two assists in the win over Fairfield and tallied a goal and an assist against Mercyhurst. The junior leads the team with 10 goals and is third in the MAAC in overall power play points … The Crusaders scored four third period goals, including three in a 42-second span, to defeat Fairfield… The loss to Mercyhurst on Saturday night snapped a five-game home winning streak for the Crusaders… Freshman goaltender Rick Massey made a career-high 42 saves in net for the Crusaders against Mercyhurst, including 18 in the second period… Friday night’s 6-5 win over Fairfield gave Holy Cross their season high in goals, assists, and points, and tied their season high in power-play goals … The Crusaders had a season-high five players tally multiple point nights against Fairfield.

IONA

The Gaels won a home game against Mercyhurst, 4-2, on Friday night and tied Canisius, 3-3, on Saturday… Iona plays at Army at 7:00 Saturday night in their only game next week… Senior goalie Ben Brady, the ITECH/MAAC Goalie of the Week, made 38 saves, including all 17 shots in the third period, in the win over Mercyhurst and stopped 27 shots in the 3-3 tie with Canisius… The Gaels 4-2 win over the Lakers was their first in six tries… Iona defeated Army, 6-3, on October 20 and the series is deadlocked at 2-2-1. Iona’s four goals against Mercyhurst were the most the Lakers have allowed against a MAAC opponent this year… Iona is 6-0-1 in their last seven conference games… Sophomore Mark Hallam scored the Gaels eighth shorthanded goal of the season versus Canisius… The 71 penalty minutes versus the Ice Griffs was a season high for the Gaels… Iona is 8-8-2 when the score first and 9-1-1 when leading after two periods.

MERCYHURST

The Lakers lost at Iona, 4-2, on Friday night and beat Holy Cross, 4-3, on Saturday night… Mercyhurst has road games at Connecticut at 7:30 Friday night and at Quinnipiac at 7:00 Saturday night… Freshman Adam Tackaberry leads the team in scoring with 26 points . The 11 goals tie him for first on the team… Mercyhurst’s 4-2 loss to Iona was the first ever against the Gaels . Iona was 0-for-2 on the power play against Mercyhurst and now have not scored a power-play goal against the Lakers in 16 opportunities lifetime. It marked the first loss for Mercyhurst in conference when tied after two periods… The Lakers are now 6-1 lifetime against Holy Cross. Senior Jeff Gould’s two assists in the game give him 12 against the Crusaders in six career games. Junior Tom McMonagle’s two goals give him seven in six career games against Holy Cross… Mercyhurst has now allowed more than two goals in just three conference games this season. They are 1-2 in those games.

QUINNIPIAC

The Braves lost to Army, 2-1 in overtime, on Tuesday night, 4-3 to American International on Friday night, and 4-2 to Connecticut on Saturday night… Quinnipiac entertains Canisius at 7:00 Friday night and Mercyhurst at 7:00 Saturday night… Freshman goalie Justin Eddy was consistent in goal for the Braves. In two losses, Eddy make 78 saves for a .928 save percentage while allowing just six goals. For the season, Eddy is 6-7-2 but has a 2.96 goals against average and .914 save percentage. He has recorded 30 or more saves eight times this season… The Braves have lost three straight games for the first time since the 1995-96 season. It is the Braves’ longest losing streak since they dropped five straight in the 1995-96 season. Quinnipiac recorded just five regular-season losses in its first two years in the MAAC Hockey League but already has six losses in 2000-2001… Quinnipiac is 8-3 at home so far this season but have lost three straight games at home for the first time… Quinnipiac had a season-low two penalty minutes in Friday’s loss to AIC… The Braves have just seven games with 12 or less minutes in penalties this season. They are 4-3 in those games.

SACRED HEART

The Pioneers defeated Bentley, 7-3, Friday night and Army, 5-2, Saturday night… Sacred Heart hosts Fairfield at 7:00 Friday night and Holy Cross at 5:00 on Saturday… Sophomore Martin Paquet, the ITECH/MAAC Co-Player of the Week, recorded five points on three goals and two assists. He scored two goals and tallied an assist in the win over Bentley. In the victory over Army, he scored a goal and added an assist… The Army game was the 200th game in the seven-year history of the program. The Pioneers are 85-109-9 in that time. It was also Head Coach Shaun Hannah’s 60th win with the Pioneers. He has a 60-69-7 record in five seasons at Sacred Heart… The Sacred Heart special teams have been active this season. The Pioneers have scored 18 power-play goals in 93 chances and have killed off 112-of-131 power plays… Senior Eric Drake passed Jim Heffernan for third place on the all-time career list for assists. Drake has 38 assists in his four-year career. He is also six games away from breaking Paul Adimando’s 108 career games played record.

ECAC Looking Into Union-UVM Incident

By Adam Wodon
-

The ECAC is investigating Saturday night’s fighting incident between Union’s Bryant Westerman and Vermont’s Chris Hills. League officials have spoken with the athletic directors of the two schools over the past two days.

Westerman was given two game disqualifications for attacking Hills during Vermont’s win Saturday. Both players were given fighting majors as a result of the melee, during which Westerman pummelled Hills even well after the referees tried to break things up.

logos/conf-ec.gif

ECAC hockey commissioner Steve Hagwell said he had a discussion today with Union AD Val Belmonte, and is waiting to hear back from him regarding what actions Belmonte may take internally.

“We’re not going to step on their toes,” said Hagwell. “Will [what Union does] play a role in what we do? Certainly. In my conversations, we left it that we would get back to each other. [Belmonte] needs to have a chat with his coach and player.”

Also at issue are post-game comments made by Union coach Kevin Sneddon, who defended Westerman and said that his actions were in retaliation for a number of flagrant hits by Hills on Union players.

Sneddon

Sneddon

“He did the right thing,” Sneddon said after the game, which was televised as part of the ECAC Game of the Week package. “I’m not going to get mad at him for it. He’s a tough kid. When our guys are taken advantage of, guys should stick up for each other. We all felt that [Hills] was taking advantage of our guys. He had three pretty dangerous hits. To Westy’s credit, he’d seen enough.”

Hagwell said those comments were brought to his attention, and he spoke to Sneddon about them.

“He did not refute that he made those comments,” Hagwell said. “He explained to me the context that it was in, and the mindset he had at the time.”

Sneddon, who is known to be quite open with the media, defended his comments in Ken Schott’s article Wednesday in the Schenectady (N.Y.) Gazette.

“I’m not going to fault our kids for sticking up for each other,” he said to the Gazette. “At the same time, I’m not condoning that there’s a place in college hockey for fighting. I’m not extremely happy that on the ECAC game of the week that [the fight] is a reflection of our program. But, at the same time, our guys stuck up for each other. It’s one of the first times we stuck up for each other all season.

“I called Steve earlier in the week to say I should have said, ‘No comment’. But in the heat of the battle right after the game, when you ask those kind of questions, I’m going to try to be truthful.”

Having the game televised may not be a good reflection on Union, but it makes the facts easier to evaluate.

“[Vermont AD] Rick Farnham [called] to touch base,” Hagwell said. “They had a tape, they saw that Union’s player was the aggressor. I think that’s clear to anyone watching the tape.”

Said Sneddon, “Hills’ hits are also being reviewed by Hagwell to see if any of them are illegal.”

Hagwell said the ECAC could decide to impose further discipline on Westerman, who already received a three-game suspension as a result of the penalties incurred during the game. Sneddon, too, could be disciplined for his comments. For now, however, the league will await Union’s internal reaction.

MIAC Newsletter: Jan. 31, 2001

By Jim Cella
-

With three weeks left in the MIAC schedule the title race has three teams battling for the driver’s seat, and five teams within five points of the final playoff spot. Concordia and Bethel are in the front seat and control their own destiny. St. Thomas is trying to sneak over from the back, and St. John’s and Augsburg are hanging on by the back bumper.

Last weekend brought the pack closer together as Concordia split with St. John’s, while Bethel, St. Thomas and Augsburg swept their series. The biggest impact was made on the Minnesota-North Dakota border, where St. John’s went into Concordia’s home rink and almost swept itself back into the race for first place.

The Cobbers, after threatening to run away and hide in the early weeks, have split their last three series and find themselves tied with Bethel as St. Thomas nips their heels. Three of the bottom four teams were swept, yet still cling to the chance of making the playoffs.

As the race enters another pivotal weekend, several teams have make-or-break series. St. Mary’s hangs on to slim playoff hopes, and has a huge series with Augsburg. St. Olaf, like St. Mary’s, is dangling by a thread and has to play third place St. Thomas in a series that will decide if the Oles will break out the bats or settle in for a run at the playoffs.

Team-By-Team Report

Augsburg

Augsburg stuck to the same script in its weekend sweep of Hamline; score in bunches early and then hang on for dear life. On Friday night the Auggies jumped to a 7-2 lead and then settled for a 7-5 victory. On Saturday the Auggies scored five straight goals to open the game, then battened down the hatches to stave of the Piper storm and win 6-4. Tim Olsen scored two goals and added an assist in the first game, while five different Augsburg players scored to start the second game. Brad Holzinger added a second to provide all the insurance the Auggies would need. The Auggies play an important series this weekend with St. Mary’s before finishing with St. Olaf and Bethel.

Bethel

Like a piece of gum you can’t shake off your shoe, Bethel refuses to let go of its hold at the top of the MIAC. After starting the MIAC season 3-3, including being swept at conference co-leader Concordia, the Royals have responded with a six-game unbeaten string. This stretch leaves them in a first-place tie, and puts them in a position to win the MIAC championship, or at least make the playoffs for the first time ever. Last weekend Bethel swept St. Olaf 6-2 and 5-4. In the first game Bethel was down 2-1 late in the second period before rattling off five straight goals. Chad Anderson and Chris Carroll had two goals apiece. In the series finale the two teams were deadlocked at 4-4 after two periods before Mike Marshall scored the game-winner at 15:24 of the decisive third period. The Royals have been sparked by the play of goaltender Steve Witkowski, who has won five out of the last six games since taking over the starting spot on a full-time basis. The Royals take a break from MIAC play and host Lawrence on Saturday. Their final two MIAC series are against St. Thomas and Augsburg.

Concordia

A funny thing happened on Concordia’s way to a wire-to-wire championship — the rest of the league found a higher gear. The Cobbers, who have been three games in front of the pack since early December, suddenly find themselves tied in the standings and in the middle of a title race. This storyline is playing out due to three consecutive split series. The latest stumble was against St. John’s, where Concordia lost the first game 3-2 and needed third period heroics in the second game to win 4-2. Concordia has been led all season by All-American goalie Bryan Howard, and the series against the Johnnies played out the same. Concordia struggled on Friday night, but was kept close by Howard’s steady influence and almost scored the tying goal late in the game. On Saturday, Concordia scored two goals in the third period to pull away from St. John’s. The two teams were tied after two periods before the Cobbers were able to pull away, and remain atop the MIAC. Jon Tranby scored the ga me-winner at 2:53 of the third period, and St. John’s would have no answer. Howard had 25 saves on the afternoon and upped his league leading win total to eight. The two teams combined for 29 penalties and 82 penalty minutes. Concordia has the easiest schedule left among the top teams, as they have two series left, both at home and against the bottom two teams in the conference; Gustavus and Hamline.

Gustavus

Gustavus was the only team idle in MIAC play last weekend. They used the gap to play a tough home series against MCHA leader UM-Crookston. After opening the 2001 calendar year by taking three out of four points from Augsburg and being swept St. John’s, the Gusties were looking for consistency, but failed to find the answer. On Friday Gustavus scored first, but then collapsed on defense, and gave up four straight goals to lose 4-1. On Saturday Gustavus took control early, and put the game out of reach by scoring five straight goals. Senior defensemen Ben Puder was the unlikely offensive hero as he scored two of the first three goals. The Gusties played all four goaltenders in the series. First-year goalie Dan Melde held the statistical edge among the four, as he earned the win on Saturday and stopped all seven shots he faced. Gustavus travels to Concordia for a spoiler series this weekend before finishing the season with Hamline and St. Mary’s.

Hamline

Two five-goal periods spelled doom for Hamline in its series against Augsburg. In two of the six periods over the weekend the Pipers allowed 10 goals, while in the other four periods they allowed just three. On Friday, a 7-5 loss, the second period was the culprit and in Saturday’s 6-4 loss the first period sealed the Pipers fate. The shot count told a similar story as the Pipers were outshot 34-16 in the two decisive periods, and held the advantage in the other four 57-40. Troy Urdahl scored three goals on the weekend. Despite their 2-8 mark in conference, Hamline has the third best overall record at 9-10. Hamline plays a home-and-home series with St. John’s before finishing with Gustavus and Concordia.

St. John’s

So close and yet so far. St. John’s was 20 minutes away from sweeping league-leading Concordia and busting the league wide open, but had to settle for a split and remain battling for the fourth playoff spot. In the first game the Johnnies, behind back-up goalie Adam Laaksonen stifled Concordia’s attack, and scored twice in 1:27 in the third period to take a decisive 3-2 victory. John Konrad and Shane Taylor made the most of a defensive lapse, and gave the Johnnies the lead they would not relinquish. On Saturday the teams were tied at two after two periods. St. John’s came out flying in the third period only to be derailed by two penalties right before each of Concordia’s goals. The Cobbers first goal of the period came 13 seconds after St. John’s had killed off a power play. The second goal came six seconds after the St. John’s penalty kill unit had done their job. St. John’s had several chances to score after the final goal at 8:32, but each time they were denied by Concordia goaltender Bryan Howard. St. John’s has a must-win series against Hamline.

St. Mary’s

After free-falling down the MIAC standings, St. Mary’s still clings to playoff hopes. The Cardinals have not won a league game since they beat Hamline November 11, but have three series remaining, two against other playoff contenders, and could still steal the fourth playoff spot. St. Mary’s was swept by third-place St. Thomas last weekend. On Friday they allowed the Tommies to score four goals before they found their legs and played even the rest of the game. The four first period goals proved to be the difference in the 8-4 loss. Ryan Stinson had two goals in the losing effort. The two teams combined for 85 shots in an offensive explosion. The second game found St. Mary’s tied after one period, but then the Tommies scored three unanswered goals, two in the second period and the third nine minutes into the third, to take a commanding 4-1 advantage. Matt Hangge got St. Mary’s within two, but St. Thomas shut the door and scored one final goal to push the final margin to 5-2. Dan Byr on took the loss in goal for the Cardinals, despite stopping 29 of the Tommies’ 34 shots on goal. St. Mary’s plays Augsburg this weekend and then St. John’s, before finishing with Gustavus.

St. Olaf

Close only counts in horseshoes, etc. Don’t tell that to St. Olaf, which took MIAC co-leaders Bethel to the wire in both their weekend losses. In both games St. Olaf was tied, or in the lead, late in the second period, and both times they came away with a case of the what-ifs. In the Friday game, St. Olaf and Bethel were battling to a 2-2 tie with 20 seconds left in the second period when Bethel scored the decisive goal. The Oles couldn’t recover and fell off 5-2. ‘What if’ — what if Bethel didn’t score just before the end of the period and the game was tied in the third. On Saturday St. Olaf stood on familiar ground, tied late in the second period. This time they stayed even until late in the third period when Bethel broke through on the power play. ‘What if’ number two — what if St. Olaf didn’t take three consecutive penalties in the third period and have their penalty kill unit allow a goal on the final power play. Six different players scored in the series with Justin Simison tallying three points to lead the Oles. St. Olaf takes on the hottest team in the MIAC, St. Thomas for a home-and-home series.

St. Thomas

Don’t look now, but they’re back. Like Jason rising from the dead, St. Thomas has dusted itself off and is steamrolling towards the top of the MIAC. The Tommies have won five straight, and are tucked right behind co-leaders Concordia and Bethel. The difference has been a Steve Aronson-like performance from Tommie junior forward Tony Lawrence. Lawrence has a torrid 10 goals in the last five games. In the series against St. Mary’s, Lawrence had four goals and an assist on Friday and two goals on Saturday. He is turning St. Thomas into title contenders for the fourth straight season. In the first game he pulled the trifecta by scoring on the power play, at even strength and shorthanded. This offensive output helped the Tommies to take a 4-0 lead after the first period and coast to a 8-4 victory. On Saturday, with the game in the balance and St. Mary’s starting to press the attack, Lawrence reeled off two straight goals and put the game out of reach at! 5-2. Two games, six goals, one assist and an awfully sore back. Another reason for the success is the improving play of goaltender Brad Moore. In the past five games he has a goals against of 2.40. St. Thomas has two series left, this weekend against St. Olaf and a February 9 and 10 showdown with Bethel.

Series of the Week: Augsburg vs. St. Mary’s

Augsburg is tied with St. John’s for the fourth and final playoff spot. St. Mary’s is four points behind, and desperately clinging to playoff aspirations. The Auggies have won three of four league games, while the Cardinals haven’t won in the league since November 11. Last year the teams were in a similar spot and Augsburg swept St. Mary’s, 10-1 and 4-2. The sweep catapulted Augsburg towards a second-place finish, while St. Mary’s slid all the way down to seventh place.

ECAC West Newsletter: Jan. 31, 2001

By
-

RIT Squeaks By Elmira To Stay In First Place

It took overtime to decide a barnburner at the Domes, but RIT scored in the extra stanza to remain in first place in the league with a 4-3 win over Elmira. Manhattanville moved up into a tie for second place by defeating Hobart 5-1.

A little change in format for this week’s column. Overviews of league games will be covered in a head-to-head format. An overview of non-league action as well as news about the teams can be found in the regular Team-by-Team Report after the league contest review. Let me know what you think about this new format, likes or dislikes, at [email protected].

League Game Overview

RIT at ELMIRA (1/27): RIT visited Elmira on Saturday to renew the longstanding rivalry between these two teams. The Tigers got on the board first at 3:29 of the opening period when Ryan Fairbarn scored from the top of the slot. The early goal by RIT seemed to take some of the wind from Elmira’s wings for a few minutes, but by the middle of the first period, Elmira was taking the play to RIT with a vengeance. The Soaring Eagles dominated play at times, particularly in the second half of the second period, with a forecheck that just gave RIT fits. The work finally paid off when Eddie Cassie scored to tie the game at 18:32 as he swatted in a bouncing puck from the slot. Dean Jackson notched a tally just 20 seconds later to give Elmira the 2-1 lead.

RIT came out with renewed fire early in the third period. Peter Bournazakis scored a power-play goal at 6:20 to tie the game. And then Brian Armes scored at 9:16 to give RIT back the one goal lead. A late Tiger penalty proved the right time for Elmira coach Glenn Thomaris to pull his netminder with 1:02 remaining and Elmira down 3-2. The strategy ploy worked to perfection. A scramble in front of the Tiger net led to Mike Hulbig collecting the puck and scoring to send the Thunderdome crowd in to hysterics and the game into overtime. Elmira started out strong in overtime, but the Soaring Eagle shots went wide of the net. Mike Bournazakis was the hero for RIT, scoring 2:58 into overtime to give RIT the 4-3 victory and keep the Tigers in the top spot in the league. Tiger netminder Tyler Euverman, returning from a shoulder injury, made 33 of 36 saves on the night, while Rob Ligas stopped 47 of 51 shots for Elmira.

HOBART at MANHATTANVILLE (1/27): Hobart and Manhattanville battled to move up in the standings on Saturday. The Valiants got two quick goals early in the first period on unassisted efforts by Sean Keane and Chris Seifert.

“We got off to a great start. We played very well for the first two periods and had a pretty good workmanlike effort from everyone,” said head coach Keith Levinthal.

The second period was the Tommy Prate show, as he notched two goals to give the Valiants a commanding 4-0 lead. Prate currently leads Manhattanville in scoring with 16 goals and 12 assists.

“Prate has been quietly picking up goals of late,” said Levinthal. Manhattanville got into some penalty trouble in the third period, and Hobart enjoyed the power play for most of the play. The Statesmen took advantage with a power-play goal at the 5:14 mark when Brad Kelly scored. But that was the only shot, of 29 total, that Hobart could get by Valiant netminder Jon Peczka in the game. Manhattanville won 5-1 to move into a tie for second place with Elmira.

Team-By-Team Report

RIT (ranked No. 1): With two wins last week, RIT is off to its best start in school history with an 18-0-1 record. The Tigers surpassed the old record of 17-0-1, set back in the ’63-’64 season.

RIT opened the week at Brockport, and crushed that faltering program 14-2. The Tigers double up on shots against Brockport 74-37, with Tiger backup netminder Rob Boope making 30 saves on the 32 shots that he faced before being relieved in net by Matt Hrivnak who went 5-for-5. The Bournazakis brothers led the way offensively for RIT, each notching a hat trick and an assist for four point nights. Freshman Mike Tarantino also chipped in four points, with two goals and two assists.

Two more league contests are on tap this week for RIT. The Tigers play at Hobart on Friday, and then continue on to downstate NY to take on Manhattanville on Saturday.

ELMIRA (ranked No. 5): One win and one loss this week left Elmira on the verge of its 500th all-time win. The Soaring Eagle record currently stands at 499-231-18.

The Soaring Eagles started the week out against Cortland. The Red Dragons came out well rested and outshot Elmira 14-4 in the first period.

“We weren’t as sharp as we have been,” said coach Glenn Thomaris. “They were well rested, and we were a little tired.”

Goaltender Rob Ligas kept the Cortland onslaught off the board, and his offense took over in the second period. Dean Jackson got a pair of goals less than one minute apart early in the second period to get Elmira rolling. Steve Kaye chipped in another goal at 9:03, and Jay Zanleoni notched a tally at 16:37 to stake Elmira to a 4-0 lead.

But penalty trouble, including a major, by Elmira gave Cortland the opportunity to climb back into it. Cortland ripped off three straight goals to make the score 4-3 by early in the third period. Elmira clung to the slim lead for the remainder of the game for the victory.

With this win, Elmira extended its winning streak to eleven games, going all the way back to late November. Since the winning streak started, “we have gotten a lot better. Robbie (Ligas) is playing better in net, and the freshman have become more confident,” said Thomaris. Unfortunately, the streak came to an end against RIT on Saturday.

Elmira takes a break from play this week. The Soaring Eagles will next take the ice on February 9 against Manhattanville.

MANHANTTANVILLE: After a rocky 0-3-1 start to the new year, the Valiants have now strung together three good wins and look to be back in form. “I think we learned some things up in Oswego a couple of weeks ago,” said coach Keith Levinthal. “They are very team focused, and we needed to see that to remind us where we wanted to be.”

Manhattanville defeated Williams 4-1 in non-league play this week . Jon Peczka was a standout in net, stopping 26 of the 27 shots that he faced, including helping to keep Williams 0-for-6 on the power play.

“Jon’s a big kid who fills the net up a lot. But we have been playing well defensively, and Jon made the saves that he needed to,” said Levinthal.

After a scoreless first period, Kenny Hood got the Valiants on the board early in the second period. Tommy Prate notched a power-play goal midway through the period, before Williams put in a goal, to end the period with Manhattanville enjoying a slim 2-1 lead. Dave Schmalenberg stepped up in the third period to seal the Valiant victory.

“He’s been playing extremely well of late, and probably is one of the best freshmen not only in the ECAC West, but in the nation as a whole,” said Levinthal. Schmalenberg stuffed in an even-strength goal midway through the period, and then added an empty netter with 29 seconds remaining to cap the win.

The Valiants have the busiest week of all the ECAC West teams. They start at Skidmore on Tuesday, return home for a quick one-game homestand against RIT on Saturday, and are then off to Curry on Monday.

HOBART: Hobart began the week in a wild back and forth affair against Buffalo State. This contest was extremely even, both teams had 42 shots, both teams had five power plays, neither team led by more than a goal, and the game ended in a 5-5 tie. Can’t get more even than that.

Sean Elliott notched the only goal in the first period, to give Hobart the 1-0 lead, as the teams felt each other out. They exchanged a goal each in the second period, with Greg Reynholds scoring for Hobart, and the Statesmen held on to a 2-1 lead after two periods. But the offensive fireworks started early in the third. Buffalo State notched two early goals to take its first lead of the contest 6:02 into the third period. Hobart answered back with goals by Greg Reynholds and Tim McCarthy, and it was Hobart up 4-3 at the 12:46 mark. Buffalo State ripped off two more quick goals to regain its lead. But once again the Statesmen answered right back with another goal by Tim McCarthy just 23 seconds after the last Bengal goal. The game was now knotted 5-5, and that was how it ended after overtime.

Hobart opens this week’s contests at Hamilton on Tuesday. Then the Statesmen return home to host RIT on Friday.

Game Of The Week

There aren’t really any standout games on tap this week. Probably the most interesting will be RIT as it continues its road trip through the ECAC West. Can RIT sweep Hobart and Manhattanville to remain undefeated? Or will either the Statesmen or Valiants (or both) play the spoiler, knocking the Tigers off their pedestal?

SUNYAC Newsletter: Jan. 31, 2001

By
-

It Was Good To Be Home: Conference Play Heats Up Action

Conference play resumed last week in the SUNYAC, and out of all the games only one was won by a visiting team. That one was Geneseo upsetting Oswego, dropping the Lakers into third place.

Potsdam remained in second thanks to a pair of victories, neither of which came easy. Plattsburgh also swept, and thus also remained in its first place position. Meanwhile, Fredonia dropped both games, losing ground to the leaders, but remained in fourth place — albeit tied with Geneseo, which grabbed three points out of the weekend. Buffalo State was brought back down to Earth with a pair of losses, Cortland gained some distance for the last playoff spot, and Brockport remains in the cellar.

Team By Team Report

PLATTSBURGH (Ranked No. 4) — The Cardinals took a 3-0 lead over Fredonia State on goals by Paul Dowe, Mark Coletta on the power play, and Bryan Murray. Then, Plattsburgh State had to hang on for the win as Fredonia came back to score twice. Plattsburgh’s defense is what won the third period as the Cardinats allowed just three shots on goal. Niklas Sundberg made 14 saves. The next night, it took Plattsburgh till the third period to shake a pesky Buffalo State squad for an eventual 7-1 victory. After Rob Retter gave the Cardinals a first period lead, Buffalo State tied it in the second on a shorthanded goal. Plattsburgh retook the lead 31 seconds later on a power-play goal by Eric Weidenbach. Weidenbach scored again before the second period was out. The third period was all Plattsburgh’s, with four more goals thanks to Derrick Shaw, Brendon Hodge, Jeff Hopkins, and Coletta. Plattsburgh hosts Geneseo and Brockport looking to hold first place.

POTSDAM — The Bears did what they needed to do by sweeping the weekend, and got a little help to claim sole possession of second place. However, it wasn’t easy. Against the upstart Buffalo State Bengals, Potsdam State found themselves in a 4-1 hole entering the third period. Then, Potsdam exploded for five goals for the 6-4 comeback victory. Mike McCabe got a hat trick which included the last two goals. David Weagle got a pair of goals and Kevin Shaver got one. Ryan Venturelli was replaced by Todd Manley after letting in the first three goals. The next night, Venturelli was back on top of his game earning a shutout over Fredonia State, 2-0. Despite 60 minutes of hockey and Potsdam getting off 42 shots on goal, all the scoring occurred in an 8 second span in the second period. Brian Rice scored with the Bears up by two men, and before anyone could settle back into their seats Brett Joly scored with Potsdam skating with one extra man. The Bears remain home taking on Brockport and Geneseo in a weekend they cannot afford to become lackadaisical, before heading to Hobart for a non-conference game.

OSWEGO — The Lakers breezed through their first game only to stumble in their second. Oswego State shutout Brockport State, 7-0, outshooting the opposition, 60-20. Only Mike Lukajic had a multi-goal game as he scored twice.  Joe Pecoraro, Nate Elliott, Chris DiCarlo, Rob Smith, and Kevin Klesspies also scored. Joe Lofberg and Nate Spadafore shared the duties in net for the goose egg. The next night, Oswego came out flat and didn’t wake up till the final nine minutes, but it was too little too late as they were upset by Geneseo State, 4-3. DiCarlo did give Oswego a 1-0 lead, and Joe Carrabs tied it up while shorthanded late in the second. However, Geneseo scored two quick goals early in the third, and despite outshooting Geneseo in that period, 16-8, Oswego could only muster one more goal by Pecoraro. Oswego then had a non-conference game against Williams College, and after falling behind 3-0, scored six goals in the final 23:12. Cavallaro got a pair. Carrabs, Matt Vashaw, DiCarlo, and Kris Harris scored. Lofberg got the win with 28 saves. Oswego travels to Fredonia and Buffalo State as they attempt to at least stay in third place.

FREDONIA — It was a devastating weekend for the Blue Devils. Fredonia State came into this weekend playing their best hockey of the year. They were also just one point out of second and three behind first. When it was all over, they fell five points out of second and seven out of first. And both games were tight contests. Against Plattsburgh, they fell behind 3-0, but fought back only to fall short, 3-2. Dan Showalter scored late in the second and Dave Mugavero scored 24 seconds into the third. However, Fredonia only got three shots off in that final period, and thus could not tie the game. Will Hamele made 28 saves. Against Potsdam, they played another low scoring defensive battle. Unfortunately, the Blue Devils got themselves into penalty problems late in the second, and let up two power-play goals within 8 seconds of each other, losing the game, 2-0. Hamele made 40 saves. Fredonia returns home to face Oswego and Cortland in must win games if they want to hang on to home ice advantage for the first round.

GENESEO — The Ice Knights were the only team to put a little bit of a monkey wrench in the standings this week by upsetting Oswego, 4-3. First they tied Cortland State, 2-2. Geneseo State took a 2-0 lead on goals by Scott Lephart and Tony Scorsone. They couldn’t hang onto the lead in the final 10 minutes of the game, and had to settle for the tie. Kevin Koury made 33 saves. In the Oswego game, they were able to hang onto a two goal lead for a win. Bryan Bowser and Jack Staley scored in the first to give Geneseo a 2-1 lead. After Oswego tied it in the second, Aaron Coleman and Peter Boudette opened the third with goals for a 4-2 lead that held up. Koury made 25 saves including 15 in the third period. The Ice Knights visit Plattsburgh and Potsdam. They need to steal some points if they wish to alleviate any pressure on them for the final three games of the season.

CORTLAND — The Red Dragons came away with three very important points after tying Geneseo State, 2-2, and defeating Brockport State, 5-2. Against Geneseo, Cortland State needed to score twice in the final 10 minutes to erase a 2-0 deficit and earn the tie. Scott Louis and Mike Pelletier did the honors. John Larnerd made 27 saves. Cortland then defeated Brockport, 5-2, with all the scoring completed in the first two periods. Cortland held 1-0, 3-1, and finally 5-2 leads. Greg Menchen scored a pair. Single tallies went to Dave Ambuhl, Ryan Schmidt, and Louis. Larnerd made 26 saves. Cortland travels to Buffalo State and Fredonia, with the first game going a long ways to deciding who gets the final playoff spot.

BUFFALO STATE — For the first two periods of each game this past weekend, it was starting to appear that Buffalo State was indeed going to make their mark in the second half of the season. However, the final period proved to be their downfall. The Bengals took a 3-0 then 4-1 lead against Potsdam State heading into the third. Goals were scored by Jad Ramsay, Joe Urbanik, Todd Nowicki, and Mark Yoder. Then the roof caved in, and Buffalo State surrendered five goals in the third to loss 6-4. Against Plattsburgh State, the Bengals once again hung in tough for the first two periods. After Plattsburgh scored in the first, Todd Nowicki tied it on a shorthanded goal. However, Plattsburgh retook the lead on the same power play and then scored again late in the second to take a 3-1 lead into the third. Once again, Buffalo State was overwhelmed in the final period, letting up four goals to eventually lose, 7-1. The Bengals return home to take on Cortland in a must win game for the last playoff spot and then face off against Oswego.

BROCKPORT — The Golden Eagles dropped both their contests, remaining winless in league play. Although down only 1-0 after the first period, their game against Oswego State was never really in doubt. Brockport State was pelted with 60 shots on net eventually dropping a 7-0 decision. The next night was a bit more competitive as Brockport lost to Cortland State, 5-2. Darren Kennedy tied the game up in the first period. After falling behind 3-1,  Casey Firko cut the lead to one. However, Cortland scored twice in a row again to put the game out of reach. Brockport faces the rough task of traveling to Potsdam and Plattsburgh this weekend.

Upcoming Game Of The Week

This week’s pick goes to the Oswego at Fredonia game. With three points separating these two teams for third place, it becomes a must-win game for Fredonia, and a chance for Oswego to virtually lock up at least third. Both teams were playing very well heading into the second half of conference play, but both stumbled badly this past weekend. Runner-up pick goes to Cortland at Buffalo State. Those teams are in the same situation as Oswego and Fredonia — three points separates them — but this fight is for the last playoff spot.

Walsh Tumors Remain

By
-

Tests on Maine coach Shawn Walsh indicate that the tumors under his breastplate remain despite two rounds of immunotherapy treatments. The tests include a Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT) scan and a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan.

“We want to be as aggressive as possible in treating these tumors,” said Walsh. “We are exploring different treatment options to eliminate these tumors. No definitive path has been set yet. As soon as we have chosen a treatment option, I will make that information public.

“I feel strong and have been able to maintain my normal work schedule. My doctors and I are optimistic about the treatment options now available.”

In a Maine athletic department press release Walsh added a request that members of the media refrain from questions regarding his health to himself, his family or Maine players.

“[I] would like to keep the focus at this time on our team and our program,” he said.

2001 Kazmaier Candidates Named

USCHO Staff Report
-

The 10 candidates for the 2001 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, given annually to the top player in women’s hockey, were named today by USA Hockey.

This year’s award will be presented during the first ever NCAA Women’s tournament, Saturday, March 24 at the Minneapolis Radisson Hotel Metrodome.

Harvard and Minnesota each have two candidates. Six of the candidates are seniors, two are juniors, one is a sophomore and one is a freshman. Two of the them, Jennifer Botterill and Maria Rooth, were also finalists last year.

Botterill

Botterill

Earlier this year, The USA Hockey Foundation asked women’s Division I coaches to nominate up to two players from their team for the award. Those players were placed on an official ballot and sent to the coaches, who then voted for the top 10 finalists.

The finalists, as well as the recipient of The 2001 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, will be chosen by an 11-member selection committee comprised of women’s coaches, representatives of the print and broadcast media, and a representative of USA Hockey, the National Governing Body for the sport of hockey in the United States.

The three finalists for the award will be announced March 12.

The 2001 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top 10 Candidates

 Name                Yr. Pos. School         Hometown
 Jennifer Botterill  Jr.  F   Harvard        Winnipeg, Man.
 Meghan Hunter       Fr.  F   Wisconsin      Oil Springs, Ont.
 Courtney Kennedy    Sr.  D   Minnesota      Woburn, Mass.
 Andrea Kilbourne    Jr.  F   Princeton      Saranac Lake, N.Y.
 Nadine Muzerall     Sr.  F   Minnesota      Mississauga, Ont.
 Maria Rooth         So.  F   Minn.-Duluth   Angelholm, Swe.
 Tammy Shewchuk      Sr.  F   Harvard        St. Laurent, Que.
 Erika Silva         Sr.  G   Northeastern   Middletown, R.I.
 Jessica Tabb        Sr.  F   Providence     Holland, Mass.
 Michelle Thornton   Sr.  F   New Hampshire  Gloucester, Ont.

Now in its fourth year of existence, the award is named in honor of the late Patty Kazmaier, who was a four-year varsity letter-winner and All-Ivy League defenseman at Princeton from 1981-86. An accomplished athlete who helped lead the Tigers to the Ivy League Championship in three consecutive seasons (1981-82 through 1983-84), Patty Kazmaier-Sandt died on Feb. 15, 1990 at the age of 28 following a long struggle with a rare blood disease.

Individual dinner tickets are priced at $100.00 for adults and $50.00 for children 12 and under. Tickets, in addition to incremental levels of dinner sponsorship, may be purchased by calling The USA Hockey Foundation at (800) 566-3288, ext. 165; or The Missabe Group at (651) 455-9446. Individual tickets and sponsorship packages are tax-deductible.

Breaking The Mold

By Michael Kobylanski
-

At first glance, it’s easy to mistake UMass-Amherst sophomore defenseman Samuli Jalkanen for something that he’s not — a forward. Standing only 5-foot-10 and weighing 187 pounds, the Helsinki, Finland, native does not exactly fit the prototypical mold of a blueliner.

JALKANEN

JALKANEN

Yet despite his diminutive stature as far as defensemen are concerned, the Minutemen coaching staff probably wouldn’t mind a few more Jalkanen clones on their roster. After all, what Jalkanen lacks in size he makes up in hard work, dedication and consistency out on the ice.

Sophomores aren’t usually looked upon to fill a leadership role, especially on a team such as UMass, which has seven seniors on its roster. But that’s not the case with Jalkanen, who has ascended into the role of an assistant captain in such a short time because of his outlook and approach to the game of hockey.

“He’s definitely the hardest-working player on our team,” UMass-Amherst head coach Don Cahoon said. “We could measure our work ethic by his any day of the week.”

As the Minutemen enter the stretch run, Jalkanen is one of the main reasons why they are in the middle of the pack in the Hockey East standings. His marked improvement from last season to the present one has earned him the admiration of his fellow players and coaches, as well as opponents throughout the league. Needless to say, the leading scorer among UMA blueliners should also have a say in where the Minutemen finish before the regular season closes in the first weekend of March.

Picking up the slack

If hockey players were paid by the minute, Jalkanen would have already tucked away a hefty sum this season. Night after night, the former Jokerit standout logs in excess of 25 minutes and yet is still as fresh in the game’s final moments as he was at the outset.

When fellow Finn Toni Soderholm went down in early November with a knee injury, Jalkanen was forced into even more ice time. Whether it was even strength, power play or shorthanded situations, there was the sophomore making sure that someone picked up the slack.

“I knew that it was going to hurt us because Toni played a lot and because he is a good defenseman,” Jalkanen said. “As a team, it was like, ‘Now we have to go without Toni,’ and I knew that I had to step it up a little. Everyone had to realize that we couldn’t just wait until Toni got back.”

Added Soderholm: “I really did believe he would step up. He’s one of those players who has the ability to step up into a leadership role by taking a lot of ice time and playing at such a high level. And because he never goes through slumps, you can always count on him being there.”

“The thing with Sami is that he’s so extremely consistent and he works harder than anyone else on the team,” continued Soderholm. “He’s been top-notch all season long. He’s settled in nicely and done a terrific job, and it’s all because of his hard work.”

In Soderholm’s absence, Jalkanen’s ice time sometimes jumped to over 30 minutes per contest, and his offensive production increased dramatically. After scoring only six points in his freshman campaign, the second-year defenseman tallied eight points in the 10 games that Soderholm missed.

Ironically, a season ago, it was the rest of the Minutemen who had to find someone to take his place in the lineup. After playing in the first 30 games of the year, Jalkanen broke a bone in his left arm during a February practice. He missed the final six games of the season, yet was determined to build off a promising rookie season.

“Last year, it was kind of exciting to go to all of the new places and play the new teams,” Jalkanen said. “But after a couple of games I got used to the fast tempo. This year, even though you know where you’re going – whether it’s a big rink or a small rink — you’ve still got to be mentally ready to play from the first whistle.”

Sami [Jalkanen] has grown so much as a player … He plays with a great passion, and his teammates feel that.

— UMass head coach Don Cahoon

And sure enough, Jalkanen has responded on both ends of the ice for the Minutemen. He has excelled in all facets of the game. His 13 points [one goal, 12 assists] leads all defensemen and places him fourth overall on the team in that department.

“I’ve gotten a lot of ice time from the coaches,” Jalkanen said. “I’ve been pretty confident the whole time, but that has given me extra confidence. Because of all of that ice time, it’s easier for me to get into the game.”

Said UMass assistant coach Bill Gilligan, who originally recruited Jalkanen: “He was good last year too, as good as anyone on our team at times. But it wasn’t throughout every game and every shift like it has been this season. He’s making fewer mistakes — by trying to do less, [rather] than more — but he’s been very consistent and has also produced more.”

Bigger isn’t necessarily better

Defensemen tend to embrace the physical part of the game, and Jalkanen is no different. He’s just as likely to battle in the corner as a 6-foot-2 blueliner.

However, the fact that Jalkanen is often giving up a few inches and some extra weight to the opposition puts the target on his back at times.

“For me, being smaller than the other defensemen, I’ve got to do what I do best,” Jalkanen said. “I never thought that size could be a thing that you needed to use to prove how you play. But for a defenseman, it never hurts to have a little size.”

One teammate who has formed his own analysis of Jalkanen’s physical element over the past few years is the 6-foot-2 Soderholm.

“From my experience going against teams with smaller players, you don’t realize that even though they are smaller than you, they are usually tougher than you are,” Soderholm said. “They expect to get hit. A 6-foot-3, 240-pound defenseman expects to give it out, and not get hit.”

“Sami doesn’t get rattled when he gets hit, and he also avoids a lot of checks because he expects to get hit. His development from a young age is why he is smaller, but that’s why he always works harder than the bigger guys.”

That relentless work ethic has helped Jalkanen distinguish himself as one of the top defensemen in the league. And, with two more years of eligibility left following this season, there is no reason why he shouldn’t continue to improve.

“Sami has grown so much as a player,” Cahoon said. “Even though I wasn’t here last year, from what I hear, he’s made great progress. He seems to be a little more comfortable with the puck and is still solid defensively. He plays with a great passion, and his teammates feel that.”

“He’s a very good college hockey player and he keeps getting better and better.”

Finalists Named for Humanitarian Award

USCHO Staff Report
-

The field for the 2001 Hockey Humanitarian Award has been whittled to a diverse list of five finalists.

The award has been handed out annually since 1996 by the Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation. It goes to the college hockey player — men’s or women’s, Division I or III — who has “exhibited a strong commitment to their communities, their teams, and their studies.”

Of the five finalists, there are three men and two women; three Canadians and two Americans; three from the East and two from the West.

The announcement of this year’s winner will be made on Friday, April 6th in Albany, N.Y. as part of the festivities surrounding the Division I Frozen Four.

This year’s finalists are:

Jason Cupp, Nebraska-Omaha captain

Much of Cupp’s efforts have been devoted to the “Scoring for Kids” program. The program, which was his brainchild, is designed to promote cultural diversity in Omaha youth hockey and to give disadvantaged children exposure to ice sports. Through his efforts, he has solicited more than $10,000 from individual foundations and corporations for “Scoring for Kids” program.

Christina Sorbara, Brown

A native of Toronto, Sorbara began her involvement in community activities in 1994 when she distributed food products for the Daily Bread Food Bank and distributed meals for the Meals on Wheels program in her hometown. Her efforts for both groups continued through 1997 when she enrolled at Brown. In addition, she has also worked in Toronto as a summer intern at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto (1995-96) and was the Director of the Wheel Smart Spotter Program (1997-98).

Ryan Reinheller, Alaska-Fairbanks

This is the third year he has been one of the five finalists, the only player to be a finalist more than once. For the past seven years, he has traveled to Mexico to help build homes for the homeless. When not on a construction site, he has spent time caring for and playing with the Mexican children. Also, for the past eight years, he has volunteered his time at the Eagles’ Nest Ranch summer camp for kids.

“He touches individuals in positive ways every day,” UAF head coach Guy Gadowsky said of Reinheller. “He is an inspiration to the individuals around him, the coach included, to take an active part in making the Fairbanks community a better place to live.”

Rocky Reeves, Buffalo State

As a redshirt freshman last year, Reeves was the third-leading rookie scorer in the ECAC. A native of Anchorage, Alaska, Reeves has volunteered his time for numerous causes including the Carl Carlys Club Cancer fund raiser, the holiday rummage sale for the homeless and Take Back the Night.

Gloria Sonnen, Bowdoin captain

Born in St. Paul, Minn., Sonnen has served as a member of the “Bears and Cubs,” which is Bowdoin’s Big Brother/Big Sister organization. She has also extended her one semester as being a teacher’s aide in order to continue mentoring a classroom of middle school children until she graduates this May. Gloria has taken her volunteerism to her hometown. This past summer she volunteered at a foster home for abused and neglected children in Minnesota while also working as a counselor at a local YMCA.

Gionta’s Record-Breaking Night

By
-

Brian Gionta set what’s believed to be a modern Division I record with five goals in the first period against Maine on Saturday night.

Gionta’s opening frame performance embedded his name in both league and team record books. The five goals in a single period not only set the Hockey East record for goals in a period, but also tied the league record for goals in a game.

Having entered the night with 107 goals, Gionta surpassed Eagle great Joe Cullen’s 111 goals and then tied the all-time team record of 112 goals held by David Emma.

Five goals, though, falls one shy of the all-time Boston College record of six goals in a game held by John Pryor. You actually have to go all the way back to 1939 to find that record, as Pryor accomplished it in a 24-1 win over Cornell.

The classic period began, if you’ll believe it, with the Black Bears putting all of the pressure on the Eagles. In fact, Maine held a 13-11 lead in shots despite trailing, 5-0 at the end of the first.

But the inability to control Gionta, allowing him to be a perfect 5-for-5 in shooting on the period, killed the Black Bears.

Gionta’s first tally came at 7:57 when Bobby Allen’s shot from the point trickled to Ben Eaves. With Eaves and Gionta in back of the Maine defense, Eaves quickly fed the BC captain to bury the 1-0 lead.

At 10:21, Gionta used his speed and the aggressiveness of the Maine power play to his advantage, scoring shorthanded on a breakaway. With the Maine defender closing, Gionta unleashed a perfectly-placed wrist shot that beat Yates over the left shoulder, banked off the post and crossbar and into the net for a 2-0 lead.

The goal led Walsh to replace Yates with Mike Morrison, only to put Yates back in exactly one minute later after the goalie re-grouped a bit. But that didn’t help.

The Conte Forum crowd of 7,770 was electrified when Gionta banged home the rebound of a Brooks Orpik shot from the point at 14:37. The power play tally gave Gionta one goal of each variety — even strength, power play and shorthanded, for the natural hat trick. Still, the fun was just beginning.

A second power-play tally gave Gionta the Hockey East record for goals in a period, surpassing a large group of players all with three. Again Gionta found his was in back of the defense, allowing Ales Dolinar to feed him for his fourth goal in 9:26.

With Maine controlling the play late in the period, there didn’t look to be much chance of a fifth, but when Gionta got the puck with six seconds left, the Conte faithful held it’s breath. Gionta speeded down the left wing and unleash a rocket of a shot that beat Yates over the shoulder with 1.1 seconds remaining to close out the historic period.

Though most paying fans probably felt they got their money worth in the first twenty minutes, the Eagles offense was no where near finished.

On its third power play of the game, Boston College stayed perfect, thanks to some help from Morrison, who once again replaced Yates as the second period began. Yates, having trouble controlling a rebound of a Chuck Kobesew shot, pushed the puck into the corner of the net for a 6-0 Eagles lead.

Krys Kolonos extended the lead to 7-0 at 10:27 of the second before Maine finally struck. Rookie Francis Nault blasted home a feed from Chris Heisten to give the contingent of Maine fans making the trip from Orono some reason to cheer.

AHCA Names Its Major Coaching Award Winners

USCHO Staff Report
-

The American Hockey Coaches Association has announced the winners of five major awards, which will be presented at the 2001 Coach of the Year Banquet on April 28, 2001. The banquet, part of the AHCA convention, will take place in Naples, Fla., and will also include men’s and women’s Division I and Division III Coach of the Year awards. The five winners are:

John “Snooks” Kelley Founders Award

2001 Recipient: Kelvin “Brush” Christiansen, Alaska-Anchorage
Named in honor of the former Boston College coach, this award recognizes those people in the coaching profession who have contributed to the overall growth and development of the sport of ice hockey in the United States.

Christiansen founded the program at Alaska-Anchorage and coached the Seawolves for 17 varsity years, compiling a career mark of 287-229-30 before retiring following the 1995-96 season.

John MacInnes Award

2001 Recipient: Jim Cross, Vermont
Named for the successful coach at Michigan Tech, this award recognizes those people who have shown a great concern for amateur hockey and youth programs. The recipients have had high winning percentages as well as outstanding graduation percentages among their former players.

Cross started the Vermont hockey program and built it into a national power at both the Division II and Division I levels. His career record with the Catamounts was 280-251-9 in 21 seasons, including a Division II mark of 113-42-1. He also coached golf (head coach, 10 years) and baseball (interim head coach, one year) at UVM.

Terry Flanagan Award

2001 Recipient: Brian Durocher, Boston University
This award, named in memory of the former New Hampshire player and Bowling Green assistant, recognizes a career body of work by an assistant collegiate coach.

Durocher has served as an assistant or associate coach at four institutions (AIC, BU, Colgate and Brown) covering 23 years. His tenure at his alma mater, BU, includes work with Jack Parker from 1980-85 and then from 1996 until the present.

Jim Fullerton Award

2001 Recipient: Bill Kipouras, Salem (Mass.) Evening News
Named in honor of the former Brown University coach and “AHCA spiritual leader,” this award recognizes an individual who loves the purity of the sport, whether a coach, administrator, trainer, official, journalist, or simply a fan.

Kipouras, a 44-year veteran of newspaper work, began with the Boston Herald Traveler when he was just 17 years old. For the past 27 years, he has covered sports, particularly hockey, for the Salem Evening News on Boston’s North Shore.

John Mariucci Award

2001 Recipient: Peter Melchiono, Barnstable (Mass.) High School
This award honors a secondary school coach who best exemplifies the spirit, dedication, and enthusiasm of the Minnesota player and coach John Mariucci, who became known as the “Godfather of U.S. Hockey.”

Melchiono began his high school coaching career at Chelmsford (Mass.) High School in 1964, serving as head coach for four seasons before moving on to Merrimack as an assistant from 1968-1973. He then began a 21-year career at Barnstable High School, where he compiled a 303-146-36 record, winning the State Championship in 1980 and 1991 and finishing as runner-up in 1978 and 1994.

* * *

The AHCA also sponsors the annual All-American teams, the College Division Player of the Year Award, the Spencer Penrose Award to the University Division Coach of the Year, and the Edward Jeremiah Award to the College Division Coach of the Year. Those will be announced in April.

Local Hero

By
-

Here’s a riddle for you, a variation on a popular theme:

How many opposing players does it take to score on Ryan Miller?

None, but having a Spartan defender’s skate somewhere in the vicinity of the net doesn’t hurt.

By now, the college hockey world — the world of sport, for that matter — should know that Michigan State’s Ryan Miller is in a groove. For the past 207:12 that Miller has paced the pipes, no one has been able to get anything past him. The last goal he surrendered was against Lake Superior State on Jan. 14, and that went in off of teammate Brad Fast’s skate.

Miller has eight shutouts this season, and 16 in his 51-game career, matching the NCAA record held by Wally Easton (Clarkson, 1927-31), two more shutouts than modern record holder Marty Turco. It took Turco, the former Wolverine and current Dallas Star, 109 games and four seasons to earn 14 shutouts.

Miller is a sophomore.

You could fill a room with his awards. Five-time CCHA Defensive Player of the Week. Three-time CCHA Rookie of the Week. Twice named the USCHO.com Defensive Player of the Week. CCHA Best Goaltender, 1999-2000. CCHA Championship Tournament MVP, 2000. Great Lakes Invitational Tournament MVP, 2000.

Miller holds four CCHA records, seven Michigan State records, and looks to be breaking a few more this season, with his goals-against average of 1.12 and .956 save percentage.

And he plays a mean Dave Matthews.

“I try to step away from the rink a little bit. During the week, I try to step away from the books sometimes, too,” says Miller. “I play guitar. It’s something I picked up in juniors. I had a lot of time on my hands in Sault Ste. Marie.”

Miller

Miller

Given his phenomenal play, it’s easy to forget that Miller is also a 20-year-old kid in college. One look at his picture reminds you; he could pass for 14, a family “curse” he says he’s learning to live with.

“The other night someone thought my mother was my sister. She got a kick out of that when I told her. People tell me I’ll appreciate this some day.”

Miller is a native of East Lansing, Mich., and the latest Spartan to emerge from a gene pool that includes cousins Kip, Kelly, and Kevin Miller. Kip and Kelly were All-Americans, and Kip won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award in 1990.

Miller’s father, Dean, his grandfather, Butch, and his uncle, Lyle, all played hockey for Michigan State, as did cousins Curtis and Taylor Gemmel. Miller spent a good portion of his childhood in the Spartan locker room.

“It was definitely something different,” says Miller. “Not every kid gets that advantage. I was bouncing around the locker room a lot.

“It’s pretty funny looking back. The kids who are hanging out now are like I was then. All I remember is that the Spartans took time to talk to you, to ask you how your hockey was doing. They didn’t have to do that. I think that’s something special you see with hockey players. Throughout the rinks, hockey players tend to take the time. I know I make time for kids because of what the Spartans did for me when I was young.”

Miller’s coach, the legendary Ron Mason, says that the time Miller spent around athletes as a child gives him perspective that many other players may lack.

“I like to look at him as the kind of player who has a good family background in terms of sports and hockey, and has seen the ups and downs, and knows that it’s not just a rosy state you’re in,” says Mason. “This is given him a healthy approach to the game. He respects the sport.”

Miller’s firm grasp on reality is evident when he talks about his decision to attend Michigan State — not that there was much doubt. “I always wanted to go to Michigan State. If it wasn’t going to work out, though, I was being realistic about it. Michigan State was one goal, but playing pro hockey was another. If Michigan State wasn’t available to me, I had to seriously consider somewhere else.”

Miller considered Clarkson, but the Spartans “played their hand,” he says, and he returned home to East Lansing.

Because of his exposure to professional athletics, when Miller discusses his future pro options, he sounds much older than his 20 years. Drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in 1999 (fifth round, 138 overall), Miller says, “There’s no guarantees with professional sports.”

Miller, who plans on playing through his senior season at Michigan State, thinks the timing of his graduation may work to his advantage. “Right now it looks like it will be a good situation.”

He also looks to the Sabres with the eye of a businessman. “What’s nice is that I see them [the Sabres organization] developing players. In professional sports, it’s usually, ‘Do it for me now or move on.’ Players stay with them a while.”

In the more immediate future, Miller is focusing on Michigan State’s season, not the records he seems to be breaking by the game. Although satisfied with his own contribution to the Spartans’ success this season, Miller doesn’t boast, and he credits his teammates for the scoreless games.

“Some people say [our success comes from] goaltending, some say team defense, some say other stuff. Right now I’m saying as a team, as a whole, we’re playing with great character. There are guys stepping up. Every night it’s somebody different. That’s amazing. This year was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Michigan State. I don’t think people knew about our character kids.

“I think that’s why we’ve seen a couple of shutouts in a row. I think early in the season there were a couple of times when maybe I kept the team in, but they always scored. It was always someone else putting the puck in the net.”

Mason acknowledges that in the post-Shawn Horcoff, post-Mike York Spartan era there was some question about how Michigan State would fare. “I felt that early in the year, Ryan gave us a chance to win in a number of games. He helped us develop our personality, and the rest of the team just got going.”

But Miller isn’t one to reminisce, even in a month where he’s allowed just one goal. “The month’s not over, the season’s not over.” He adds, like a true Spartan, “We have to play Michigan still.”

Miller, a self-described “fan of East Lansing,” is focused on the remainder of the season, and happy to be playing in his hometown. “Even though I’m playing good hockey right now, hockey’s up and down. If you’re not staying on top of it, you’ll lose it.”

Having graduated from the Sault Area High School while playing junior hockey, Miller says he’s enjoying spending time in East Lansing. “I never got the chance to when I was in high school, and it’s nice to be near my family.”

And where better to earn shutout No. 17 than in front of Mom, Dad, the coach who’s known you since birth and the fans who watched your father play, steps away from the locker room you haunted as a child, the very place that, for Miller, dreams have come true? There really is no place like home.

Michigan Loses Ortmeyer for Season

USCHO Staff Report
-

Michigan, ranked No. 7 in the latest USCHO.com poll, has lost forward Jed Ortmeyer for the remainder of the season after he was diagnosed with a torn ligament in his right knee.

The sophomore, who is tied for fifth on the team in scoring with 10 goals and 21 points in 27 games, suffered the injury in Tuesday’s game against Notre Dame, which the Wolverines won, 9-0.

“It was an innocent collision on the ice, it wasn’t a big hit or anything,” Michigan coach Red Berenson said to the Michigan Daily. “He just got locked in and got all his weight on his right foot — he got hit in the side, and somehow, it tore itself.”

At the time, it didn’t appear to be a serious injury, but an MRI taken Thursday found out otherwise.

“The things Jed brought to the team were a lot of hustle and hard work — a physical presence and defensive responsibilities,” Berenson said, in noting how much his team will miss Ortmeyer. “Those were the bread and butter of his game and he could also kick in some goals and good plays.”

Ortmeyer is expected to have reconstructive surgery some time next week, with an eye towards returning during next season.

Ex-Wisconsin Coach Riley Dies at 82

USCHO Staff Report
-

John Riley, a former Wisconsin coach who was instrumental in bringing varsity hockey back to the school, died Wednesday, The Capital Times of Madison, Wis., reported. He was 82.

Riley served as co-coach of the team, with Art Thomsen, on its return to varsity status in the 1963-64 season. He then coached the 1964-65 and ’65-66 seasons before turning coaching duties over the legendary Bob Johnson.

In his three seasons, he had a 34-19-3 record. The most important win of his tenure was probably the Badgers’ first modern-era victory over rival Minnesota, 5-4 in overtime on Feb. 22, 1966 at Madison’s Hartmeyer Arena.

“I predicted we’d win at the Blue Line Club meeting that day,” Riley told The Capital Times recently. “It was the beginning of the greatest rivalry in college hockey.”

A memorial mass is scheduled for Monday in Madison.

Walsh Jersey Auction Raises $11G

By
-

The on-line auction of special North Dakota jerseys bearing the name “Walsh,” in honor of Maine coach Shawn Walsh, has raised $11,055.

The Fighting Sioux wore the jerseys for their Oct. 13 game with the Black Bears and donated them to raise money for the Coaches Foundation. The charitable organization, set up to serve as a resource for coaches who might need financial help in the face of devastating illness, will receive all proceeds of the auction once collected.

Walsh’s fight with kidney cancer inspired the formation of the Coaches Foundation, but it is designed to assist any coaches in need. Walsh, who was diagnosed with cancer last summer, has since received two rounds of aggressive treatment, but has remained behind the bench for the Black Bears this season.

The jersey auction ran from Jan. 19 through Jan. 25 and resulted in winning bids ranging from $275 to $1250.

This Week In The MAAC: Jan. 25, 2001

By
-

Remember that old expression, “Live by the sword, die by the sword?” Well, that came true for me last week, and thus, you, my loyal readers, were left without a MAAC column to read.

Technology itself is the reason I have a job, seeing as I write for an online-only publication. But technology, or at least the problems associated with technology, kept my weekly column from ever hitting the editor’s desk last week.

The dreaded email server problems made things look all peachy, until Friday morning, when I woke up and realized our fearless editor never got my column.

So please, accept my apology on behalf of USCHO for keeping you, my faithful readers, waiting for an extra week to hear all the dirt on the MAAC. And thank you to everyone who wrote in wondering where the heck the column was. Makes you realize that someone actually does read this brutal rag.

And now, on to the show!

Moving On Up, Like George and Weesey!

A lot has changed in the MAAC standings in the past two weeks. We now have one team that looks to be staking claim on the top spot, a couple of others slowly moving South, and most importantly, we’re getting a clearer picture on what we can expect in the MAAC playoffs.

Mercyhurst has decided to take on the role of the Jeffersons. Two years removed from Division II status, the Lakers have not only taken an “I” away, making them Division I, but they’ve also now found the top spot in the MAAC. And you can add to that some space in that New York penthouse, as the Lakers have opened up a three-point lead on second-place Iona College, also enjoying recent success.

“Our focus is one game at a time still, and we just want to get better moving towards the playoffs,” said Mercyhurst coach Rich Gotkin. “There’s so much to be decided. Everything is going to be decided, honestly, from first through eighth.”

And while Mercyhurst has made its way into the top seat in the MAAC, it moved past penthouse cohabitant Iona. The Gaels have held the top spot pretty much all of the season, but not without giving up games-in-hand to the Lakers. While Iona was off enjoying two weekends of nonconference play in the CCHA and Hockey East, Mercyhurst moved past.

That though, sets up a small-scale war this Friday night for squatter’s rights on the MAAC penthouse. Iona will host Mercyhurst on Friday night in a matchup that Iona coach Frank Bretti has a hard time not building up.

“I think our team and a lot of people in the area are looking forward to [Friday’s game],” Bretti said. “This home game for us seems to have a little more attention than our usual games. We expect a pretty good environment here. It’s our first game back with our students in town.”

Certainly, New Roc City will be jumping when the top two teams in the league hit the ice on Friday, but that’s only half of the weekend bonanza for both clubs. Saturday, Iona will host Canisius, possibly the hottest team in the league and riding a five-game winning streak into the weekend. Mercyhurst will travel up to Holy Cross, a team that’s playing well since the break and has scared quite a few teams, including Iona (in a game Iona won in overtime) last weekend.

“We’ve had some interesting matchups with [Canisius],” Bretti said. “We beat them in the playoffs and beat them three straight last season. I don’t know how much longer we can continue to find a way to prevail against a solid team like them.

“That’s what scares me about Saturday’s game. Their emotional level, considering the past games we’ve been in, will be a factor.

“After we beat [Canisius] 7-2 [in December], I went in and told my coaching staff, ‘This is a good hockey team.’ I knew that they competed hard and that they could turn things around.”

“We’re going on the road to face two very good hockey teams,” Gotkin said. “I don’t care what the records say, Holy Cross is going to give us everything we can handle. If we don’t play well both nights, we’re not going to be successful. This is a very good league with very good teams.”

Now outside of Mercyhurst and Iona, there are plenty of other developments in the last two weeks. A couple of clubs have started heading in that southerly direction, much to the dismay of the respective coaching staffs.

Perennial powerhouse Quinnipiac finds itself smack-dab in the middle of a 3-5-1 stretch, which might be satisfactory for some programs, but certainly not for Rand Pecknold’s Braves.

“We’re not playing well, simply put,” said Pecknold. “Our power play is struggling, our penalty kill is struggling. The only area that isn’t struggling is goaltending.”

Joining Quinnipiac in the mid-winter doldrums is Connecticut counterpart Sacred Heart. The Pioneers, who have struggled through parts of the early season, have hit the skids with a four-game losing streak.

Last Friday night, an ugly ending to a 5-3 loss to Canisius resulted in five players being suspended for Sacred Heart’s Saturday road tilt with Mercyhurst. And of course, because the Pioneers were hundreds of miles away from home in Buffalo, N.Y., the five missing players were exactly that — missing. There were no replacements, leaving the Pionners short one full line and one defensive pair.

As referenced earlier, the Canisius Ice Griffs are doing everything they can to claw their way to the top. After a difficult start to the season that coach Brian Cavanaugh attributes mostly to guys learning the system, the Griffs have turned on the jet. Canisius is currently riding a five-game winning streak and are winners in eight of the last ten games.

Besides just defense, Cavanuagh feels there has been an overall improvement.

“In the beginning of the year we had some young defensemen and they were playing their first minutes of college hockey,” Cavanaugh said. “[Goaltenders] Sean Weaver and Stephen Fabilli were seeing some quality shots. “We were giving up odd-man rushes and not playing well on special teams.

“As the year has gone on, our defense is maturing and our team defense is getting better. Special teams is getting better because the team is starting to learn the system. And our goaltenders are getting better. They’re seeing more perimeter shots.”

And speaking of goaltending, one of the most pleasing aspects of Cavanaugh’s season has been the recent play of Fabiilli. Forced into the go-to role because of a strained knee ligament suffered by sophomore Sean Weaver, Fabiilli has performed well. He’s been in net in all of Canisius’ last five wins.

“It was a heck of a stretch for the kid,” Cavanaugh said. “His play has improved, but our team defense has improved as well.”

All of this success has translated into Canisius’ move from near the bottom of the league all the way to fourth. If the season ended today, Canisius would be staring down the final home-ice spot.

As the season remains, though, challenges lie ahead for the Griffs. Beginning this weekend, Canisius plays its next four games on the road, with four of the toughest opponents possible — Army, Iona, Quinnipiac and UConn. Though Army is the only opponent outside of the top five, the Cadets are coming off Tuesday’s Quinnipiac upset, played, of course, on home ice.

“This is a real difficult stretch coming up for us,” Cavanaugh said. “You’re playing some pretty tough teams to play in their rinks.

“We do well on the road, and we try to do well on the road. You hope that it doesn’t wear on a team, but it’s travel. You’ve got to go seven hours on a bus.”

Cavanaugh, though, was able to sum up the remainder of the schedule while sounding only a little bit cliche.

“You’re dealing with college-aged kids. Their mentality is something that can be real high at one point, and when you’re on a losing streak it can be real low. You try to teach to not have your highs too high and your lows too low. It’s a long season. You try to keep an even keel on things.”

Words to live by.

Weekly Awards

ITECH MAAC Hockey League Player of the Week:

TODD BISSON, CANISIUS Sr., F, Welland, ON

Bisson wins the award for his outstanding play in leading Canisius to wins over MAAC foes Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart, and Fairfield. He recorded six points on three goals and three assists in the three wins. In the 5-3 win over Sacred Heart, he scored the first two goals of the game, including one on the power play, and added an assist. In the 6-5 win over Fairfield, he scored a goal and tallied two assists, including a helper on the game-winning goal. Bisson leads the team with 12 goals and 23 points.

ITECH MAAC Hockey League Goalie of the Week:

PETER AUBRY, MERCYHURST Jr., G, Windsor, ON

Aubry wins the award for the third time this season. He stopped 27 of 29 shots in the 5-2 win over Fairfield to help the Lakers move ahead of Iona and into first place. It was his 13th consecutive conference start as he improved his MAAC record to 11-1-1. The game also marked the 12th time in 13 conference games that Aubry and the Lakers held the opponent to two goals or less.

ITECH MAAC Hockey League Rookie of the Week:

CHRIS MACLEOD, ARMY Fr., F, Wolfeboro, NH

MacLeod was brilliant in a weekend split with American International. He recorded five points on two goals and three assists. He scored two goals, including the game-winner, and tallied an assist in the 6-5 victory on Friday night. He had two assists in the 5-4 loss to the Yellow Jackets on Saturday.

Gaels Looking for Identity as Playoffs Approach

It hasn’t taken Iona head coach Frank Bretti too long to realize that there are two aspects to the game of hockey — offense and defense.

Offense the Gaels mastered a while ago. Two seasons ago, despite a mediocre record, the Gaels possessed the MAAC’s top scorer, Ryan Carter, and had no problem scoring goals. That year, though Iona did struggle defensively, something that has shown improvement.

Last season, Iona’s semi-improved defense, combined with a bit of added depth offensively, led to a berth in the MAAC championship game. This year, though, with the stakes rising, Iona has set firm defensive goals.

“We hoped to finish top in the league offensively, and at least third in the league defensively,” said Bretti, the coach in charge of turning around this defense. Currently, the Gaels are the top offensive team in MAAC play, averaging 4.87 goals per game. And yes, Iona stands third in team defense at 3.20 goals against per game, tied with Sacred Heart and behind only Quinnipiac (2.50) and Mercyhurst (1.07).

“Two years ago this was a program that needed a whole new identity. We were struggling and not given a lot of hope to survive.

“We play a puck control game. We don’t come out and try to survive. We need to go out and score a lot of goals to win games.”

Lots of goals, though, don’t always translate to wins.

“[This year] we’ve put more of a focus on our defensive responsibilities,” Bretti continued. “We sense that any opponent we play will [challenge us with] a close-to-body matchup. Teams that play us want to take away the time of the forwards and stay on the man. So we want to be a little more of a physical team. We know that [in the second half] we won’t get the amount of opportunities we get in the first half of the year.”

Thinking this way, Bretti isn’t concerned much about who his next opponent is, but rather that his team is ready for the challenge.

“You’re at a point right now that teams are coming in with a playoff mentality,” Bretti said. “Any opponent we play right now is a battle; it doesn’t matter who it is.

Bretti admits that though defense is a priority, it’s nice to be deep in scoring. That’s something that has continued to improve.

“Last year, we didn’t really even have three lines. We converted two defensemen to forward so that we could have three lines,” Bretti said. “Now we’ve got three scoring lines. Our focus against Holy Cross (a 4-3 overtime victory) was to have all three lines contributing. I believe that a lot of people’s game plan is to stop one or two of our lines. So we want to come out with three solid lines.”

Regardless, standing at 10-3-2 in MAAC games, the Gaels have put themselves in position to claim one of the top seeds for the tournament, and depending on Friday’s outcome against top dog Mercyhurst, possibly the league title.

Wounded Indians Hurt Braves’ Chances

“On paper, we’re a better hockey team than we were last year.”

If that’s the case, I’d wish the games were played on paper. And so would Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold, maker of that statement, and one who has seen his once-potent Braves fall from the top of the MAAC heap into third place, causing some concern around the Hamden, Conn., campus.

“We’ve lost a few games and people around the campus are saying ‘What the heck is going on around here?'” said Pecknold. “I think we took for granted the success we’ve had in the past.”

Maybe so, but right now it certainly doesn’t help that many of Pecknold’s key producers are nursing injuries, making the Braves’ lineup depleted.

At last count, no fewer than six members of the Quinnipiac lineup were banged up, starting with Neil Breen and Chad Poliquin, two players critical to the offense and team defense. Both are listed as day-to-day — Poliquin even dressed for Quinnipiac’s 2-1 overtime loss to Army on Tuesday, though Pecknold admitted he only dressed him to have enough bodies.

Adding to the list of injuries defensemen Ben Blais, a transfer from St. Lawrence finally eligible to play this season, rookie forward Ryan Morton, junior forward Todd Bennett, and junior blueliner Dan Ennis, who will be out for the rest of the season.

But Pecknold won’t blame injuries for his team’s lackluster play.

“We’re trying everything,” Pecknold said. “We need guys to break out of their slumps and I need the senior class to step up and play to their abilities. They say you win with juniors and seniors, and that’s what we need to happen.

“There’s no question I’m confident that we’re still one of the top teams in the league. Now we just have to play like it.”

TV Contract, Tourney Times Finalized

The MAAC announced on Tuesday that, once again, the championship game of the MAAC tournament will be televised live. According to league officials, Empire Sports Network and MSG Network will both televise the game live at noon on Saturday, March 17. New England Sports Network, which last year televised the game on tape delay, is evaluating the possibility of a live broadcast as well.

At more than 10 million homes, the MAAC championship will be the widest reaching of the six conference tournaments for the second year in a row. League officials said that they considered televising the semifinal games, which will be held on Thursday, March 15 at 4:00 and 7:30 P.M., but broadcast costs kept the league from pursuing that option this season.

This year’s tournament will be again held at the UConn Ice Arena in Storrs, Conn. Additional attention will be paid, of course, with the winner of the tournament receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. Last week, the league announced that Holy Cross, the host of the inaugural tournament in 1999, will play host to the 2002 MAAC Championship.

Around the League

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL

The Yellow Jackets lost to Army, 6-5, on Friday night but came back to beat the Black Knights, 5-4, on Saturday night… American International plays at Quinnipiac on Friday night at 7:00 in their only game this week… Sophomore forward Andy Luhovy and senior captain Aaron Arnett netted two goals apiece in the Friday loss… Sophomore Alex Walsh continues to play well as he netted the first goal and game-winning goal in the come-from-behind win Satruday night. Walsh now has seven points (6-1-7) in five games this season… Luhovy provided the offense once again Saturday in the win against Army, scoring a goal and adding three assists… Senior forward Tom Cogan netted a shorthanded goal to tie the game 4-4 in the third period Saturday. The goal ended a 51-game shorthanded scoring drought for the Yellow Jackets… Senior goaltender Chance Thede played strong in net all weekend, stopping 30 shots Friday and 29 in Saturday’s win.

ARMY

The Black Knights defeated American International, 6-5, on Friday night but lost to the Yellow Jackets, 5-4, on Saturday night. Army then went on to upset Quinnipiac Tuesday night, 2-1, in overtime. Army will host Canisius at 7:00 Friday night, and Sacred Heart at 7:00 Saturday night… Freshman Chris MacLeod , the ITECH/MAAC Rookie of the Week, recorded five points (2-3-5) over the weekend. He now has seven multi-point games this season, including three in a row… Senior goalie Ford Lannan stopped 23 of 24 shots on Friday after entering the game late in the first period with the score tied 4-4. He made his first start of the year on Saturday and made 18 saves in the 5-4 loss… Senior Mike Fairman collected his second straight three-point night on Friday, notching two goals and an assist. With 88 career points, he is now just 12 shy of becoming Army’s 51st 100-point scorer… Sophomore defenseman Kevin Emore notched his first collegiate goal on Friday… On Saturday, defenseman Josh Morino netted his third goal of the season and first since Oct. 21 at Union… In three games since being moved to defense, sophomore Joe Dudek has three assists and is +5.

BENTLEY

The Falcons lost to Quinnipiac, 7-3, on Friday night and tied Connecticut, 3-3, on Tuesday night. The Falcons go on the road to play Sacred Heart at 7:00 Friday night and Fairfield at 8:00 Saturday night… After winning two straight games, Bentley had lost three in a row before Tuesday’s tie… Junior Paul Monzione scored two goals in Friday’s 7-3 loss to Quinnipiac. Monzione’s goals were his third and fourth of the season… Freshman goalie Bill Bridge earned his second straight start against Quinnipiac and the third of his career. He made 39 saves despite the loss… Bentley is 0-3 this season against its upcoming opponents. Bentley lost 10-3 to UConn, dropped a 5-3 decision to Sacred Heart and fell 5-2 to Fairfield in a wild game that featured more than 100 minutes in penalties… The Falcons will be looking for their first points of the season at home on Tuesday. Heading into the game with the Huskies, Bentley is 0-8-0 at home and 2-6-1 on the road.

CANISIUS

The Ice Griffs extended their winning streak to five games with a 4-2 win over Quinnipiac on Tuesday night, a 5-3 win over Sacred Heart on Saturday, and a 6-5 win over Fairfield on Sunday… Canisius plays at Army at 7:00 Friday night and at Iona at 4:00 Saturday afternoon… Senior forward Todd Bisson , the ITECH/MAAC Player of the Week, recorded six points (3-3-6) in the three wins. He tallied three points (2-1-3) in the win over Sacred Heart and three points (1-2-3) in the win over Fairfield. He assisted on the game-winning goal in the victory against the Stags. He leads the team with 12 goals and 23 points (12-11-23)… Senior goalie Stephen Fabiilli won all three games, posting a 3.33 goals against average with 101 saves and a .910 save percentage… Canisius now has an all-time record of 11-0-0 against Fairfield… Six different players scored in the win over the Stags and 19 of 24 players have scored for Canisius this season.

CONNECTICUT

The Huskies lost to ECAC member Union, 5-1, on Saturday night. Connecticut tied Bentley on Tuesday night, 3-3. Connecticut faces Quinnipiac at 7:00 Saturday night…The Huskies only goal against Union came eight seconds into the third period on a shot by sophomore forward Kurt Kamienski. He was assisted by senior forward Eric Goclowski… Junior goalie John Chain suffered the loss in net stopping 25 Union shots… The game against Union ended Connecticut’s nonconference schedule. The Huskies finished with a 0-7-1 record against nonconference opponents. They tied Hockey East member UMass-Amherst, 2-2, on November 16… The Huskies defeated Bentley, 10-3, on November 3. The game against Quinnipiac will be the first matchup with the Braves this season.

FAIRFIELD

The Stags lost road games at Mercyhurst, 5-2, on Saturday night and at Canisius, 6-5, on Sunday afternoon… Fairfield plays at Holy Cross at 7:00 Friday night and hosts Bentley at 8:00 Saturday night… Sophomore Rae Metz (Kent, OH) had a pair of goals and a pair of assists in the two games, while freshman Hunter Greeley registered his first and second collegiate goals, one in each game… The Stags outshot their opponents 73-52 this weekend (Mercyhurst, 29-27, and Canisius, 44-25)… Freshman goaltender Craig Schnappinger recorded each of the losses, making 22 stops on Saturday and 19 on Sunday… Metz’s four point weekend brought his season total to 21 points (10-11-21) and vaulted him back into the MAAC overall scoring chase. He now sits in a tie for seventh place, eight points behind the leader… Sophomore defenseman Steve Calderara’s two points this weekend brings his season total to 12 points (4-8-12) and ranks him third among overall MAAC defenseman scoring.

HOLY CROSS

The Crusaders lost another tough game, a 4-3 overtime loss to Iona, on Thursday night and lost to ECAC opponent Yale, 6-1, on Saturday night… Holy Cross entertains Fairfield at 7:00 Friday night and Mercyhurst at 7:00 Saturday night… Freshman goaltender Rick Massey made 33 saves in net for the Crusaders against Yale, including 17 in the first period… Sophomore forward Brandon Doria tallied a goal and an assist this week, both on the power play. He assisted on freshman forward Greg Kealey’s goal vs. Iona, and he scored the Crusaders only goal against Yale… Holy Cross defeated Fairfield, 3-1, in their last meeting, January 6th at the Hart Center… Mercyhurst defeated the Crusaders, 6-2, in the last meeting between these two teams, October 27 at Mercyhurst. That game was the conference opener for Holy Cross… Holy Cross is 2-2-0 in its last four MAAC contests… The Crusaders play five of their next seven games at home.

IONA

The Gaels defeated Holy Cross, 4-3 in overtime, on Thursday night in their only action of the week… Iona plays two home games this week. They battle Mercyhurst at 7:30 Friday night and Canisius at 4:00 Saturday afternoon… Sophomore forward Ryan Manitowich scored the game-winner with just over a minute left in overtime to complete the comeback for the Gaels… Iona lost at Mercyhurst, 6-1, and won at Canisius, 7-2, in earlier meetings this season… The victory over Holy Cross extended their conference win streak to five games… In their new home, Sports Plus Rink at New Roc City, the Gaels hold a 6-1-2 record versus league opponents… Manitowich’s game-winner against Holy Cross was his league-leading fourth of the season… MAAC assist leader Nathan Lutz snapped a five-game scoring drought with an assist in the win over Holy Cross.

MERCYHURST

The Lakers defeated Fairfield, 5-2, Saturday night and Sacred Heart, 4-0, on Sunday afternoon to remain in first place… Mercyhurst goes on the road to faceoff against Iona at 7:30 Friday night and Holy Cross at 7:00 Saturday night… Junior forward Tom McMonagle stretched his scoring streak to four games with two goals and three assists in the two wins… Freshman goalie Matt Cifelli made his second career and first MAAC start a memorable one by stopping all 18 Sacred Heart shots in the 4-0 win… Junior goalie Peter Aubry, the ITECH/MAAC Goalie of the Week, stopped 27 of 29 Fairfield shots in the 5-2 win. It was Aubry’s 13th straight conference start as he improved his MAAC record to 11-1-1. The game also marked the 12th time in 13 MAAC games that Aubry and the Lakers held the opponent to two goals or less… McMonagle’s linemates Eric Ellis (4 assists) and Louis Goulet (1 goal, 2 assists) also had productive weekends as the line totaled 12 points in the two games.

QUINNIPIAC

The Braves were defeated by Canisius, 4-2, on Tuesday night and beat Bentley, 7-3, on Friday night to end a two game losing streak. But those winning ways ended quickly as Quinnipiac fell to Army, 2-1 in overtime, on Tuesday night. Quinnipiac hosts American International at 7:00 Friday night and Connecticut at 7:00 Saturday night… Senior forward Jed Holtzman totaled five points (2-2-5) in the two games. The two-point effort (1-1-2) against Canisius snapped Holtzman’s six-game point-scoring drought. Holtzman now has 121 career points, good for eighth on the Quinnipiac career scoring list… Junior forward Todd Bennett tallied a career high three assists in the win over Bentley… When the Braves score first in a game, they are 10-1-1. In addition, Quinnipiac has scored five or more goals in a game seven times this season, recording a 6-0-1 mark in those games… Senior forward Chris Cerrella is the top scorer in the MAAC with 29 points (13-16-29). He has recorded a team-best four multiple-goal and 10 multiple-point efforts on the season. He has scored at least one point in 16 of the Braves’ 21 games this season.

SACRED HEART

The Pioneers lost road games at Canisius, 5-3, on Saturday night and at Mercyhurst, 4-0, on Sunday… Sacred Heart has a tilt at home against Bentley on Friday night at 7:00 and goes on the road to play Army at 7:00 Saturday night… Senior Eddy Bourget notched two goals and an assist in Saturday’s 5-3 loss at Canisius. The senior has two goals and five assists on the year for seven points… Senior Eric Drake played in his 100th game as a Pioneer against Mercyhurst. He trails Paul Adimando (1996-2000) by eight in career games played with 108… Sophomore Eddy Ferhi had 25 saves against Mercyhurst on Sunday. For the year, he has a 4-4-2 mark with 324 saves and a 2.58 goals against average… Sacred Heart will play all but two of their remaining games at the Milford Ice Pavilion. Their two road games are at Army this Saturday and on February 16.

This Week In The ECAC: Jan. 25, 2001

By Becky Blaeser & Jayson Moy
-

We continue with the light schedule around the ECAC. There are two big sets of games this weekend, though, featuring all six New York teams and the two Mountain teams. All eyes will be peeled on Central New York and the Green and White Mountains.

Starting To Fly

Cornell took three points from Colgate last weekend to vault into first place in the ECAC standings (we’re looking at winning percentage here). Though the Big Red trail Harvard by three points, the Red have three games in hand on the Crimson.

“We’ve put ourselves in a position, with 12 games to go, to get the job done,” coach Mike Schafer said.

With those games in hand and dates at home against surging Clarkson and St. Lawrence this weekend, the potential is huge, as is this weekend.

“We’re happy with the way we’re playing right now,” Schafer said. “But there’s a lot of hockey left to play. We’ve got to continue to push that, and play well from here on in.”

Colgate doesn’t seem to be able to get itself going. The Red Raiders tried to follow up a good effort in a 2-2 tie against Cornell on Thursday with a home date against the Red, but fell. The Red Raiders are tied for tenth place in the standings (both ways — points and win percentage) with Union, and are trying to dig out.

“It’s still there for us, but we have to start thinking about making a move at this point,” said coach Don Vaughan. “We still have to go out playing loose with no fear. It’s been our focus to secure a home-ice spot, and we are still within sight of that goal.”

It doesn’t get easier as St. Lawrence and Clarkson come to town.

“We are playing two teams that are perennially at the top of the league,” said Vaughan. “But, we still need to focus on getting our house in order, and despite a tough loss to Cornell, we are playing better.”

Clarkson is also flying. The Golden Knights are on a five-game winning streak and have entered the USCHO.com poll at number 15 this week. Things are certainly firing for the Knights.

“Our upperclassmen have really stepped up and we have scattered our scoring around,” said coach Mark Morris on the streak. “Kent [Huskins] and Donnie [Smith] have been stellar. Both guys have been involved in quite a bit of our scoring and they have been solid defensively … We have settled on some line combinations that really seem to be working well, and steady goaltending from Mike Walsh has been a big factor for us.”

The Knights face three games in the next five days, which could determine a lot as the season progresses.

“We face some real difficult competition in Cornell, Colgate and St. Lawrence over the next three games,” said Morris. “This will be great test for our kids to see where we are at. We want to make the most of our remaining games and continue to be successful. I think our early-season woes served as a proving ground for us. I think our guys have gained a considerable amount of confidence with our recent success.”

St. Lawrence is also starting to rise. The Saints were at home (a home game for the Saints?!?) last weekend and picked up three points from Vermont and Dartmouth, meaning that they are sitting in the middle of the pack, fourth in win percentage.

“We have a chance to make a move in the standings, but it won’t be easy,” said coach Joe Marsh. “We had a good weekend at home. The Vermont game was an outstanding one, and we played a solid defensive game against Dartmouth to earn a big point with a couple of key contributors out of the lineup.

“Starr Rink at Colgate and Lynah Rink at Cornell are two of the toughest places in the league to play, but we are just going to try to take it one thing at a time and keep moving forward.”

And don’t forget that on Tuesday, the North Country rivalry heads to Potsdam for Round 2. Clarkson dominated St. Lawrence in Canton, 7-2, back in November.

Hoping To Stop Being Grounded

It wasn’t talked about a lot — in fact, people were getting sick of the talk — but the truth is that the Union Skating Dutchmen had not won a game since November. The Dutchmen were 0-9-2 dating back to a win at UMass-Lowell in November; two ties in December were all the Dutchmen could muster.

Until Saturday night, when Connecticut was the cure. The Dutchmen won 5-1 to snap that streak, and are hoping that starts them flying again.

“I thought the boys played hard,” said coach Kevin Sneddon. “At some points, I thought we were a little selfish in the second period. But overall, I thought we did a good job.

“I was happy for them. They had a smile on their face again. It looked like they were having fun out there, which is nice for our guys, considering how things have gone.”

The Dutchmen head to Dartmouth and Vermont to try to fly again in the ECAC, where they were once in first place.

“We’re starting a new season,” Sneddon said. “We’re 1-0. We’ll carry that into next weekend.”

Rensselaer was grounded in Bowling Green, Ohio, last weekend, suffering 4-0 and 4-3 defeats — something coach Dan Fridgen was not pleased with.

“The one period we play out of six, we win 2-1, and you’re not going to win hockey games by playing one period,” he said. “We played smart and disciplined [that period], and I thought we played five periods where we didn’t play smart and disciplined. Bottom line — we caused a lot of the problems ourselves.”

Another weekend on the road to play what are very important games in the ECAC against Vermont and Dartmouth, will require more, according to Fridgen.

“That depends on how mentally soft we are — if we are then it will be difficult,” he said. “It’s all about confidence and taking care of business and focusing. Being able to feed off of something that’s negative in another building and turn that around.”

Being grounded is exactly what Vermont is experiencing. After starting the ECAC season at 5-0-0, the Cats have stumbled in 2001, going 0-5-1 in the new year, all within the ECAC. A third straight overtime loss on Friday, 5-4 to St. Lawrence, was followed by a 5-2 loss to Clarkson the next night.

“This is like the third or fourth game in a row where we didn’t score timely goals when we had the opportunity,” Vermont coach Mike Gilligan told the Burlington Free Press.

“We’re a better team than what we’ve been playing like,” captain Jerry Gernander said. “It’s time that we turn it around, and we came in thinking tonight was going to be the night and it didn’t turn out that way.

“I think we’re upset, or we better be upset. This is just not acceptable.”

Dartmouth is 3-1-2 in the new year, and on the rise, but gaining only one point this weekend put the Big Green at .500 in the league, slowing the move. The Big Green are hoping to get back off the ground at home this weekend.

Despite only one point, head coach Bob Gaudet was happy with the weekend.

“This is a big point for us,” he said after Saturday’s game. “St. Lawrence is a good team and they had a lot of emotion tonight with the 50th anniversary [of Appleton Arena].

“This is a difficult road trip because Clarkson and St. Lawrence play a similar type of game. There are a lot of teams who are going to come up here and come away with nothing.”

Flying As Well

In the only non-league action of the weekend, Yale hosts Notre Dame for two games in two different arenas.

For the first time in 17 years, the Bulldogs will play at the New Haven Coliseum, as they host the Irish at 4 p.m. The next afternoon, the Elis return to Ingalls for the back end of the set.

If Yale takes two wins this weekend, that would move Tim Taylor into first place all-time as the winningest coach in Yale history. His 277 wins in 22 years are one behind Murray Murdoch (1938-65).

Last weekend, the Bulldogs ran their streak to three wins with a 6-1 win over Holy Cross and Jeff Hamilton speared the victory with a hat trick and one assist.

“Most of his goals have been coming from in close, so it was nice to see him get some rocket shots off,” Taylor said. “It was vintage Hamilton tonight. He hasn’t been having the multi-point games so much lately, so it was good to loosen him up a bit in the offensive zone.”

And an in-tune Hamilton is a dangerous thing for the Irish and everyone else in the ECAC.

If It’s So Easy, You Try It

Amazingly enough, the Iron Columnists are still undefeated. But we did suffer our first non-win as Julian Saltman tied us last week.

The contest thus far:

Becky and Jayson d. Vic Brzozowski – (10-2-2) – (8-5-1)
Becky and Jayson d. Tayt Brooks – (7-7-1) – (5-9-1)
Becky and Jayson d. Michele Kelley – (5-4-3) – (2-7-3)
Becky and Jayson d. C.J. Poux – (9-4-2) – (6-7-2)
Becky and Jayson d. Shawn Natole – (5-8-0) – (3-10-0)
Becky and Jayson t. Julian Saltman – (7-4-2) – (7-4-2)

If memory serves us right, last week was a tight battle. It ended deadlocked and this week Julian Saltman returns to show us what the Dartmouth fans will bring into USCHO Stadium to try and defeat the Iron Columnists. Can he get over the hump to win? Whose picks will reign supreme?

The Picks

Friday, January 26
Clarkson at Cornell
Julian’s Pick – The Golden Knights are just too good. Clarkson 3, Cornell 1
Becky and Jayson – Cornell 3, Clarkson 2

St. Lawrence at Colgate
Julian’s Pick – St. Lawrence should be able to pull off the upset. St. Lawrence 4, Colgate 3
Becky and Jayson – St. Lawrence 5, Colgate 2

Union at Dartmouth
Julian’s Pick – Dutchmen have nothing on the Green. Dartmouth 4, Union 2
Becky and Jayson – Dartmouth 5, Union 2

Rensselaer at Vermont
Julian’s Pick – I like the Cats to turn it around here. Vermont 2, Rensselaer 1
Becky and Jayson – Rensselaer 3, Vermont 1

Saturday, January 27
Clarkson at Colgate
Julian’s Pick – No upset here. Clarkson 4, Colgate 2
Becky and Jayson – Clarkson 4, Colgate 3

St. Lawrence at Cornell
Julian’s Pick – Big Red goes 1 for 2 on the weekend. Cornell 5, St. Lawrence 3
Becky and Jayson – Cornell 4, St. Lawrence 2

Union at Vermont
Julian’s Pick – Cats roll. Vermont 5, Union 2
Becky and Jayson – Vermont 4, Union 2

Rensselaer at Dartmouth
Julian’s Pick – Thompson Arena gives the Green the lift they need. Dartmouth 3, Rensselaer 2, ot
Becky and Jayson – Dartmouth 4, Rensselaer 2

Notre Dame at Yale
Julian’s Pick – Elis overpower the Irish. Yale 5, Notre Dame 1
Becky and Jayson – Yale 4, Notre Dame 2

Sunday, January 28
Notre Dame at Yale
Julian’s Pick – Fighting Irish are no match. Yale 4, Notre Dame 2
Becky and Jayson – Yale 5, Notre Dame 1

Tuesday, January 31
St. Lawrence at Clarkson
Julian’s Pick – Golden Knights continue to dominate. Clarkson 6, St. Lawrence 4
Becky and Jayson – St. Lawrence 4, Clarkson 3

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 Julian bites the dust.

Thanks to Shiva Nagaraj, Ken Schott, Dan Fleschner and David Sherzer for their contributions this week

This Week In The CCHA: Jan. 25, 2001

By
-

Not Down, Not Out

“It’s hard to practice when you don’t have enough players.”

Those are the words of Lake Superior State head coach Scott Borek, who speaks from unfortunate experience. This season, the Lakers (9-13-4, 5-10-3 CCHA) are currently without six players — including all three captains — because of injury or illness. Another player, Adam Nightingale, just returned to action after breaking his hand Oct. 13.

“It’s been a rough year, but we have an unbelievable group of guys,” says Borek. “I mean no disrespect to any other team when I say this, but I think a lot of teams would go through what we’ve gone through and they’d pack it in.”

What the Lakers have gone through resembles the triage sheet at your local ER. Junior Jeremy Bachusz is out for the year with Epstein-Barr. Senior Klemen Kelgar will sit this season out with ruptured discs in his back. Senior Ryan Knox is out indefinitely with a pulled hamstring. Sophomore Trevor Weisgerber is still feeling the concussion he sustained in early December. Freshman Chad Dahlen is still out with a leg injury suffered in October.

And the latest bad news is that Jason Nightingale, Adam’s older brother, is sidelined indefinitely — maybe permanently — with a congenital heart condition.

As a result, the Lakers are so short that they barely have enough bodies to dress for any given game. In January, Lake State went 0-5-0, dropping two games against Michigan, then three consecutive against Michigan State. For the month, the Lakers were completely shut out, except for one goal against the Spartans on Jan. 14 — and they didn’t really score that one. The puck went in off MSU defender Brad Fast’s skate.

Still, Borek remains very upbeat. Concerned about his sidelined players, certainly, but upbeat. “I have so much respect for our players … who are trying to make a positive out of the situation.”

Borek says that despite the shortened bench, his players have never hung their heads, even when facing Michigan State in East Lansing for the third time in two weeks.

“With everything we’ve had going against us, that’s probably the best I’ve been going into that building [Jan. 23]. I’ve taken more talented teams in there not knowing what I was going to get. On Tuesday I knew what I was going to get from our guys.”

What Borek got from his players was an effort that even Spartan head coach Ron Mason lauded. “They worked very hard. That was no easy win.”

MSU won that match 3-0, but says Borek, “That game wasn’t over until the final buzzer. We played as hard as we could. We didn’t make it easy for Ryan [Miller]. I’m very proud of this team right now, maybe more proud of this team than I was last year. There have been no positive bounces yet they keep trying to create them.”

It isn’t all doom and gloom in Sault Ste. Marie. Borek says that he’s “hopeful” that Knox will return soon, and that with Dahlen it’s “wait and see.”

Even Nightingale may return — although the coach stresses the term may. “There is some congenital defect in his heart, and he’s in no imminent danger. His situation may change. Just having him back, having him dress, would be such a positive thing for our locker room.”

In the meantime, Bachusz will redshirt and return next year. The jury is out on everyone else.

Borek maintains his positive outlook as he and the Lakers face the remainder of this campaign. “The way our players are working, I think our season is still ahead of us,” he says.

Still on tap for Lake Superior State are two games in Bowling Green, two at home against Ferris State, a single home game against Niagara, two more at home with Michigan, and a home-and-home series versus Northern Michigan.

Borek says that regardless of the season’s outcome, coaching this specific group of players have been “one of the most rewarding” experiences of his career.

“It’s been an incredibly challenging year, but not a difficult year. I think we’ll have some good things happening for us if we keep working like we’re working. I think they can be proud of themselves.”

The Game Is The Grudge

Yes, CCHA fans, it’s that time again, and the suspense going into Saturday’s game is mounting! Will Ryan Miller record yet another shutout? Can the Wolverines break his streak? Can anyone derail Michigan State? Will the center hold?

No. 1 Michigan State (21-1-4, 14-1-3 CCHA) vs. No. 7 Michigan (18-6-4, 12-4-2 CCHA)
Saturday 7:35 p.m., Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Mich.

January has been a good month for the Wolverines. So far, Michigan is 4-1-1 for the month, most recently having pounded the Fighting Irish 9-0 on Tuesday of this week.

January has been an even better month for the Spartans. Michigan State is 7-0-0, and in those seven games has allowed just one goal. The Spartans downed the Lakers 3-0 Tuesday.

Spartan goalie Ryan Miller is riding a shutout streak of 207 minutes and 12 seconds. His goals-against average has dropped to an astonishing 1.13, and his save percentage is up to .956.

Lest we forget, there’s an entire team playing in front of Miller, a team that Ron Mason says deserves more than a little credit for this season’s success. The Spartans are plus-122 overall (plus-76 CCHA), and have allowed just 29 goals total this season.

This game pits the highest-scoring offense in the league against the NCAA’s best defense. Michigan is averaging 4.21 goals per game, while the Spartans are allowing 1.12.

Here’s all you need to know about this Clash of the Titans:

  • Michigan leads this all-time series 121-104-8.
  • Michigan leads the Michigan State 16-11-2 all-time in neutral-site contests, including a 13-10-2 mark at Joe Louis Arena.
  • Michigan State enters Saturday’s game with a two-game unbeaten streak against Michigan (1-0-1).
  • The Spartans are unbeaten at the Joe against the Wolverines in their last six meetings (5-0-1), dating back to Dec. 28, 1997.
  • Longest Michigan State win streak vs. Michigan: Eight games, from Jan. 18, 1982 – Nov. 18, 1983.
  • Longest Michigan win streak against Michigan State: Thirty-three games, from Feb. 7, 1928 – Feb. 23, 1957.
  • First meeting: Jan. 11, 1922. The Wolverines beat the Spartans 5-1 in Ann Arbor.

    The Spartans are unbeaten in their last 23 games (20-0-3), and Coach Mason celebrated two milestones last weekend: his 400th CCHA regular-season win behind the MSU bench, and coaching his 700th CCHA regular-season game.

    The Wolverines got a boost last weekend from the return of assistant captain Dave Huntzicker, who had been out since Nov. 17 with a torn MCL.

    In their last meeting on Nov. 4 in Yost Arena, Ryan Miller recorded one of his bazillion shutouts, stopping all 34 shots he faced in a 1-0 victory. Rustyn Dolyny notched the only goal of that game.

    What else is there to say? This is your proverbial dogfight. Both teams will be up for this game. The Wolverines know enough to keep their cool against an opponent the caliber of Michigan State, and the Spartans nearly always keep their cool.

    Would you pick against Ryan Miller? I’m not going to pick against Ryan Miller.

    Michigan State 2-1

    • This Week In The WCHA: Jan. 25, 2001

    By
    -

    A Pipe Dream

    It is not, the parties agree, the end-all, be-all of the WCHA regular season — perhaps unless one of the teams sweeps. But it may end up coming down to the last line of defense.

    When first-place North Dakota hosts second-place St. Cloud State this weekend, there’s going to be more than enough offense to go around. North Dakota’s Jeff Panzer could take care of that himself, in fact.

    But that places more importance on the defense, and in particular the goaltender, to try to win a game.

    St. Cloud coach Craig Dahl has one of the best in Scott Meyer. North Dakota coach Dean Blais has two of the best in Andy Kollar and Karl Goehring.

    We’ll see which steals the show this weekend.

    “I hope [Meyer plays well] because I know Kollar and Goehring are going to play well,” Dahl said. “It’s going to be important because both teams are going to get some chances. Goaltending has to be excellent at both ends in order for the game to be excellent. We hope we don’t give up a whole lot of quality chances.”

    That may be a tough thing to prevent, especially when the Sioux’s top line is on the ice. The most formidable line in the country — Panzer, Ryan Bayda and Bryan Lundbohm — has the ability to dominate. In fact, it’s hard to find a game this season in which it hasn’t made some kind of impact.

    “We have to try to shut them down some way,” Dahl said. “There’s a couple different things we can do and we’ll work on. That’s going to be the key to the whole series, shutting that line down, because they do most of their scoring.”

    Back to the goaltending for a moment. The successes of the three are similar, at least during the regular season. Each seems to play better when there’s a lot on the line.

    For Meyer, that’s partially a result of some bad experiences.

    “He’s a very competitive young man who does not like to get scored on, even in practice,” Dahl said. “He competes hard every day and that’s kind of the cornerstone of his success, he’s so competitive. He just does not like to get beat. Combine that with talent and you’ve got a pretty good player.”

    Blais said he plans to play Goehring on Friday and Kollar on Saturday. It’s been the best combination he said, and only once when one goaltender has played both nights on the weekend has it turned out well — at Anchorage.

    But just as the Huskies have to be concerned with talent on offense with the Sioux, North Dakota faces the same with St. Cloud’s front lines.

    Namely, Tyler Arnason, Nate DiCasmirro, Brandon Sampair and Co.

    “They’ve got six or seven forwards that are as good as anyone in the WCHA,” Blais said. “Forget their solid defense and Scott Meyer in goal — most of the time they have the puck so they don’t have to worry about defense.”

    Bouncing Back

    This scenario is probably starting to get old for Denver and coach George Gwozdecky:

    Play Colorado College. Lose. Get back up and try to rebound. Repeat.

    For the second time in three weeks, the Pioneers are being forced to overcome a loss to rival Colorado College and get ready for important games the next weekend.

    Two weeks ago, they went from a sweep at the hands of the Tigers to Madison, Wis., where they took three points from Wisconsin.

    Not bad. Now do it again.

    The stakes aren’t as high this weekend, when the Pioneers host Alabama-Huntsville in a Friday-Sunday series caused by a Saturday basketball doubleheader at Magness Arena.

    But then again, there’s always those Pairwise Rankings to think about.

    “Every weekend, starting this weekend, is going to be extremely important for us,” Gwozdecky said. “Not only for the confidence level, but for the Pairwise Rankings. Right now we’re in a good situation and we want to make it better if we can. There’s no question starting this weekend, our final 11 games are going to be of the utmost importance for us for postseason play.”

    Gwozdecky doesn’t want his team to be the one going into the Final Five (should it make it that far) in the same position as Minnesota was last year.

    That is, he doesn’t want to (a) have to win the tournament to make the NCAA field or (b) step off the ice and check with that always-popular USCHO crew manning the Pairwise in the media room.

    He’d like to have everything wrapped up by that point. While that’s theoretically not possible anymore because the automatic bid has been yanked from the regular-season champion, there’s a strong chance that if you’re in the Pairwise’s top six or so to end the season, you’re in. (Don’t quote me on that, though.) At No. 10, the Pioneers are the fifth WCHA team in the rankings.

    “We’ve got enough guys on our team who have been through that before, when we won the league championship and we were in position to possibly go to the NCAA tournament without even having to win the league championship,” Gwozdecky said. “For the most part, we have things in our control right now, and that’s what you want to be able to concentrate on.

    “When you have to pay attention to the out-of-town scoreboard, that’s when it becomes very uncomfortable. You’re putting your fate in other people and that’s when you run into some problems.”

    So saying this weekend’s series with Alabama-Huntsville is meaningless is only true to a point. It won’t do the Pioneers any good for that league race, but slip-ups at this point of the season go right to the heart of the Pairwise. You don’t get those chances back.

    “Our season right now is down to 11 games. I don’t have any fear of anybody coasting,” Gwozdecky said. “We’ve talked about this week so far. We’ve had a pretty good season over the last two months if you take CC out of the equation. Unfortunately, you can’t. We’ve played pretty well, but we’ve got 11 games.”

    By the Numbers

    Very quietly, Colin Zulianello has made his mark on the WCHA this season.

    The Colorado College goaltender leads the league in goals against average (1.79) and save percentage (.936), despite only seeing roughly 45 percent of the action for the Tigers this season.

    His counterpart, Jeff Sanger, has a 2.55 GAA and has stopped 89.3 percent of the shots he’s faced.

    “We’re in a pretty good routine right now, and we’re probably just stay with that until something changes, if it changes at all,” CC coach Scott Owens said. “That’s the way it’s worked out well for us. Everyone seems comfortable with it at this point.”

    That could make for an interesting dilemma down the stretch. When things come down to one game, say in the Final Five or the NCAAs, who does Owens go with?

    Good thing he has a couple months to sit on that one.

    “I think that’s going to be an interesting decision,” Owens said. “At that point we’re just going to have to see. We had one game this past weekend and we went with Zulianello for a couple reasons. And that could change.”

    Those reasons include it being a Friday night in Magness Arena, where Zulianello had played well two weeks before, and that Sanger was fighting a head cold.

    “All those things made it easy for us to make that decision,” Owens said. “And it turned out to be the right decision because he played very well.”

    The situation isn’t unfamiliar to CC. For the last three years, Sanger and Zulianello have been the top two goaltenders, in one order or another. It’s even reminiscent of the height of CC hockey.

    “Remember when CC had those championship years, they were basically splitting with Judd Lambert and Ryan Bach, and they were both all-Americans. It’s not unprecedented.”

    The Point is Moot

    It was just one point Minnesota State-Mankato claimed in Grand Forks, N.D., but it wasn’t necessarily the number of points: it was the way the Mavs claimed them.

    Three goals in the last 13:38 of the third period last Friday helped them climb back from a 3-0 deficit and tie in what could be the toughest place to play in the WCHA.

    That single point for which Mankato battled so hard in the third period might actually end up being the difference between home and road for the first round of the WCHA playoffs.

    The Mavericks have 15 points, four behind sixth-place Wisconsin, which is idle this weekend. A sweep of Minnesota-Duluth on Thursday and Friday would put the Mavericks in a tie with the Badgers, and just one point behind fifth-place Denver, which will have played one more game.

    But for the Mavericks, the road to that top-five finish goes through, as would make sense, the top five. Denver, Minnesota, St. Cloud State and Colorado College are all on the schedule for the last 10 games of the regular season.

    More Pairwise

    It’s getting to that point of the season where the Pairwise listings are almost as important as the conference standings.

    (Is that a good thing? That’s another story altogether.)

    And there’s some interesting tidbits in the inner workings of the formulae. Such as:

  • North Dakota and Colorado College are actually tied for the Pairwise point between the two teams. The Sioux take the point right now because they have the better Ratings Percentage Index (.6035 to .5998). Barely. We’ll be hearing from this one at some point in the future.
  • Same goes with Minnesota and St. Cloud State. The Gophers have the RPI and two head-to-head points; the Huskies are better in the last 16 games, against teams under consideration and against common opponents. That home-and-home series to close the season may be crucial.
  • Minnesota is also tied with Denver. DU has the last 16 and two head-to-head points. The Gophs have the RPI, teams under consideration and common opponents. Minnesota’s ahead on the tiebreaker, the RPI.

    What does it all mean? Not much right now. But if one of those teams is fighting for the last NCAA spot, or the last bye for the first round, watch for these important Pairwise points.

    He Said It

    “It is not the end-all, be-all because we’re trying to focus on the NCAAs and doing well there also. In the last seven years, only one team has won our league regular-season title and then also won the Final Five.”

    — Dahl, on his St. Cloud State team’s series with North Dakota.

    News and Views

  • There was a hat trick of hat tricks last Saturday night as North Dakota’s Panzer (vs. Mankato), Minnesota’s Grant Potulny (vs. Wisconsin) and Michigan Tech’s Matt Ulwelling (vs. Anchorage) all scored three goals. That’s a lot of hats.
  • Speaking of which, go figure that Panzer was one of the league’s offensive stars last weekend. He only has 20 goals and 34 assists in 26 games. Holy Hobey, Batman!
  • Panzer was named the league’s offensive player of the week; Travis Roche was the defensive player of the week; and Potulny was the rookie of the week.
  • His 73rd career victory last Friday put Wisconsin goaltender Graham Melanson in a fifth-place tie with Minnesota’s Robb Stauber on the all-time WCHA wins list. He leads the league in minutes played, as usual. What are the Badgers going to do without this guy?
  • It’s a small step, but Michigan Tech moved into eighth place in the WCHA last weekend. It’s a step that counts, though, for the team unanimously picked to finish last in the league.

    On the Docket

    The first weekend of February is highlighted by St. Cloud State’s hosting of Colorado College. The road stays tough for the Huskies.

    Keep an eye on that Mankato-Denver series, too. That might be for fifth place.

    • 1...1,4651,4661,467...1,532Page 1,466 of 1,532

    Latest Stories from around USCHO

    Longtime Notre Dame assistant coach Pooley, Michigan Tech assistant Murray named to Colorado College staff

    USCHO Staff -

    Former Notre Dame standout, Colorado College assistant Oglevie returns to Irish as new assistant coach

    USCHO Staff -

    NCAA Division I independent men’s hockey teams to compete for inaugural United Collegiate Hockey Cup in March 2026

    USCHO Staff -

    With Denver ‘home for me and my family,’ Carle inks multi-year contract extension to remain behind Pioneers’ bench

    USCHO Staff -

    Bowling Green assistant coach Paskaris leaves bench, named assistant athletics director for development with Falcons

    USCHO Staff -

    Women’s Division I College Hockey: The PodKaz Offseason interview – A visit with 2-time defending NCAA championship coach Joe Cranston of UW-River Falls

    Nicole Haase -

    After 42 years coaching Amherst men’s hockey team, Arena retires as ‘heart and soul’ of Mammoths program

    USCHO Staff -

    Western New England men’s hockey coach Young announces resignation after four seasons with Golden Bears

    USCHO Staff -

    SUNYAC tabs Fredonia’s Sudbrink as conference men’s hockey scholar-athlete of the year for ’24-25 season

    USCHO Staff -

    ‘A proud day’ as former Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey captain Brodt tabbed new head coach for St. Scholastica

    USCHO Staff -

    Denver sophomore blueliner, recent Wild signee Buium tabbed USCHO Player of the Year for ’24-25 season

    USCHO Staff -

    Western Michigan’s Ferschweiler leads Broncos to national championship, named unanimous USCHO Coach of the Year for 2024-25 campaign

    USCHO Staff -
    ©1996-2025 USCHO.com – U.S. College Hockey Online