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Breaking The Mold

By Michael Kobylanski
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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
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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

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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
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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.

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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

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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
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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
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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

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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

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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
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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
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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

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    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.

    • This Week In Hockey East: Jan. 25, 2001

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    The Best of the First Half

    We’re a few weeks into the second semester, but let’s take a look at who Hockey East’s top performers have been to date. Unlike the official awards, this looks at all games, not just those within the league.

    (All statistics quoted will be as of Jan. 18 due to the traveling schedule of yours truly.)

    All-Rookie Team

    Goaltender – Joe Exter (Merrimack): Although a sophomore from an eligibility standpoint, this is Exter’s first active season so he’s an All-Rookie candidate. With Boston University’s Sean Fields the only other newcomer seeing any significant time, the nod goes to Exter.

    He came into the season as a backup to senior Tom Welby, but Exter’s consistent play has elevated him to the number-one role. He’s backstopped the Warriors to a 9-7-0 record in his games and posted a 2.97 goals against average and a .903 save percentage.

    Defenseman – J.D. Forrest (Boston College): This stylish blueliner (5-6-11) has quickly adapted to play in Hockey East, whether it’s stopping the opposition’s top scorers one-on-one or manning the point and making excellent decisions in the offensive zone.

    Defenseman – Regan Kelly (Providence): With only three returning defensemen, the Friars appeared to be in for a rebuilding season. Instead the four freshmen blueliners, led by Kelly, have resulted in an upgrade over last year’s performances.

    He’s played well in his defensive end and quarterbacked one point on the power play, recording a 1-13–14 scoring line. He’s one of several big reasons why Providence has been the surprise team of the East.

    Forward – Chuck Kobasew (Boston College): Another member of BC’s stellar freshman class, Kobasew has edged ahead of three-time All-American Brian Gionta in points with a 13-13–26 stat line. Week after week, Kobasew has ranked among Hockey East’s top 10 scorers.

    Forward – Laurent Meunier (UMass-Lowell): This native of Echirolles, France joins with countryman Yorick Treille to form Lowell’s French Connection. Tied for second among River Hawk scorers, Meunier already has eight goals and 14 assists for 22 points.

    Forward – Scott Selig (Northeastern): It didn’t take long for coach Bruce Crowder to put this freshman on the Huskies’ top line alongside Graig Mischler and Mike Ryan. Although his production (5-7–12) has been inconsistent and doesn’t match Meunier’s or Kobasew’s, Selig has potential, at 6-2, 175 pounds, to become an excellent power forward when he grows into his body.

    Best Rookie Surprise – Francis Nault (D, Maine): This one’s a no-brainer. A walk-on, this defenseman was such a longshot to make the team that he wasn’t even listed in Maine’s section of the Hockey East media guide.

    The best part of the Black Bears’ first-half injury woes was that Nault was forced into action and then showed what he can do. From out of nowhere, Nault (1-7–8) has contributed solid defense and occasionally filled in up front.

    Rookie of the (Half) Year – J.D. Forrest: Kobasew would be the safe pick as the top-scoring forward, but these eyes have been even more impressed with Forrest. He’s gifted offensively and solid defensively.

    “He’s got a lot of Mike Mottau’s instincts,” says BC coach Jerry York. “He can make a power play go from average to very good.”

    All-Hockey East Team

    Goaltender – Nolan Schaefer (Providence): From start to half-finish, Schaefer has been the top goaltender in the league. He’s compiled some astonishing statistics — a 1.69 goals against average and .943 save percentage — while stealing many a game for the Friars.

    CONKLIN

    CONKLIN

    Goaltender – Ty Conklin (New Hampshire): He got off to an uncharacteristically mediocre start, but has been on fire of late. Except for the first game after holiday break, he’s allowed only seven goals in the last 10 games for a 0.69 GAA, .974 Sv% and a 7-0-3 record. In case those three ties bother you, two of them were shutouts. That, my friends, is domination.

    Goaltender Runners-up: Matt Yeats (Maine), Mike Gilhooly (Northeastern) and Scott Clemmensen (Boston College).

    Defenseman – Matt Libby (Providence): Libby has anchored the predominantly young Friar defense and been the top-scoring defenseman in the league as well with a 9-16–25 scoring line.

    Defenseman – Ron Hainsey (UMass-Lowell): This sophomore has become a scoring machine for the River Hawks, netting seven goals along with 16 assists for 23 points. For most of the season, he’s led Lowell in scoring.

    Defenseman – Jim Fahey (Northeastern): He only has 11 points, in part because the Huskies have struggled offensively, but Fahey has excelled at both ends and been a team leader as a junior.

    Defenseman – Samuli Jalkanen (UMass-Amherst): His selection results in some very, very tough omissions, but he plays Ray Bourque-ian minutes, is a fixture on both the Minuteman power play and penalty kill and is one of the league’s most underrated players.

    Defenseman Runners-up: Bobby Allen (Boston College), Garrett Stafford (New Hampshire), Doug Janik (Maine), Peter Metcalf (Maine), Freddie Meyer (Boston University), and Stephen Moon (Merrimack).

    Forward – Krys Kolanos (Boston College): This sophomore plays a style reminiscent of Mario Lemieux and has been the league’s top forward. Sometimes he looks like he’s not hustling, because at his size his legs aren’t going to be a roadrunner-like blur, but usually those looks are deceiving. Kolanos is the most dangerous weapon in Hockey East.

    Forward – Devin Rask (Providence): Perhaps the most underrated player in Hockey East, Rask provides the perfect hard-nosed but talented ingredient to combine with Peter Fregoe and Jon DiSalvatore on PC’s top line.

    Forward – Darren Haydar (New Hampshire): Haydar has attracted a lot of defensive attention, but has still put together a 13-18–31 scoring line.

    GIONTA

    GIONTA

    Forward – Anthony Aquino (Merrimack): This sophomore (11-19–30) shoulders the bulk of his team’s scoring burden while not having the depth of weapons around him of some of the league’s other top scorers.

    Forward – Carl Corazzini (Boston University): Is there a scarier sight for a defenseman than seeing Corazzini fly up the off wing, poised to gain a half- or full-step and then cut in with the puck on his forehand?

    Forward – Brian Gionta (Boston College): He’s fallen to only 25 points in 22 games, but Gionta remains a hat trick waiting to happen.

    Forward Runners-up: Kobasew (BC), Lanny Gare (UNH), Mike Lephart (BC), Brad Rooney (Lowell), Yorick Treille, Jon DiSalvatore (PC) and Peter Fregoe (PC).

    Coach of the Year

    Paul Pooley (Providence): A good case could also be made for BC coach Jerry York and UNH coach Dick Umile. However, both of those teams were expected to be strong; Providence was not.

    Pooley has taken one of the youngest defensive teams — four freshmen defensemen and a sophomore number one goalie — and guided it to close to the best goals against ranking in the league. After graduating considerable offensive talent, the Friars are still second only to the Boston College in filling the net.

    Most Valuable Player

    Nolan Schaefer: No player has meant more to his team, nor been more consistent from the opening of the season.

    Home of the Hobey

    With Hobey Baker Award talk heating up, it makes sense to examine Hockey East’s theme of “Home of the Hobey.” The league boast comes from three straight winners: Chris Drury (1998, Boston University), Jason Krog (1999, New Hampshire) and Mike Mottau (2000, Boston College).

    “We have a different theme every year and that seemed appropriate for this one,” says Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna. “Last year, we promoted the All-Decade Team.”

    The braggadocio, however, inherent in “Home of the Hobey” is a lot more likely to ruffle feathers in the other leagues than an All-Decade Team.

    Has there been a negative reaction?

    “There hasn’t been anything like that publicly, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some off-the-record reactions to it,” says Bertagna. “If someone has a problem with it, I think that’s a little small.

    “We all try to promote our leagues. No league has ever had three straight Hobey Baker Award winners so we’re proud of that achievement. We should be [proud] and it’s a reasonable thing to promote.

    “All the leagues try to sell their strengths and this is just an example of that. For example, the WCHA letterhead refers to itself as the Home of the National Champions. For Hockey East to use the Home of the Hobey theme seems to me to be in line with that.”

    Bertagna doesn’t see a likely backlash against league candidates this year.

    “It could happen, but when you get right down to it, there are a lot of independent-minded people involved in the process,” he says. “I don’t think that a piece of paper printed in September is going to sway anyone against a candidate.”

    Obviously, a league office is in the position to promote its candidates in the Hobey race. However, this can be controversial if one player is pushed harder than others within the same league. This can be perceived as “anointing” favorites at the expense of the other league candidates.

    Will Hockey East be actively promoting players this year?

    “I’ve got two different thoughts on that,” says Bertagna. “We make a point of not choosing a Hockey East preseason team. It isn’t fair to other players to name the preseason favorites.

    “People can have their opinions, but to officially designate them is not fair to players who have great years out of the blue. So on the one hand, we try to avoid setting up certain players as the favorites.

    “But once [the season is underway and] we’ve internally found out which players are being considered [to be prominent on the national stage], we might factor that into a Player of the Week or Player of the Month selection if it comes down to two or three candidates and you’re down to pretty much tossing a coin to decide.

    “In that case, we might go with someone more likely to be considered for the postseason awards. But that doesn’t come first. Their performance had got to be equal so that it’s just a tiebreak.”

    Trivia Contest

    (Last week’s contest is carried over into this week because of travel.)

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

    Here’s my list of the top movies of the year. It doesn’t include the following highly-regarded films that have just recently hit the screens, because I haven’t been able to see them yet: You Can Count On Me; Traffic; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Thirteen Days; and O Brother, Where Art Thou?

    That said, here are the top 10, in inverse order.

    10. “The Cell.” In some ways, this is a sick movie. I even walked out of it the first time, something I am loath to do. I tried it again, though, and despite my distaste, I had to admire its imagination. Not that I’m in any hurry to see it again …

    9. “Space Cowboys.” Nothing spectacular. Just a fun movie about four old coots going back into space. Donald Sutherland’s portrayal of a hormone-crazed geezer both stole the show and gave me hope.

    8. “The Perfect Storm.” An excellent flick that goes deeper than just special effects.

    7. “Erin Brockovich.” Julia Roberts hits another home run.

    6. “Best in Show.” This mockumentary was the most hilarious movie of the year.

    5. “Cast Away.” It’s almost always deadly for characters to be alone for long stretches, but Tom Hanks pulls it off. An impressive achievement in a high-risk endeavor.

    4. “High Fidelity.” If you have to see a car crash or a gun fight every 10 minutes, this may not be your cup of tea. But it shows how character is what makes movies, more so than empty action. On the heels of last year’s best movie, “Being John Malkovich,” John Cusack stays on a roll.

    3. “Unbreakable.” With this movie and “Sixth Sense” under his belt, M. Night Shyamalan has established himself as a must-see writer and director. I love imaginative movies and this is an excellent one. I especially liked the relationship between Bruce Willis’ character and his wife.

    2. “Frequency.” Another wonderful film with imagination. This is the first credit that I am aware of for writer Toby Emmerich, but I’ll be looking for his next.

    1. “Almost Famous.” Cameron Crowe has written and directed a masterpiece. I can’t recall a film with such spectacularly performed supporting roles. Kate Hudson and Frances McDormand should be named co-winners of Best Supporting Actress right now. But it isn’t just the acting; this is a flawlessly written movie. Perfection!

    Click here for information about Dave Hendrickson’s latest short story, “Yeah, But Can She Cook?” It has both s*x and humor. Dave believes his USCHO readers are fans of both.

    This Week In Division III: Jan. 25, 2001

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    We’re Getting to the Good Part

    While there have been some exciting conference matchups so far this season, believe it or not, this is the first weekend in which every conference is at play. And for most leagues, it’s a sprint to the finish as most will play nothing but conference games leading up to the playoffs.

    Here’s a preview of the big games coming up in each conference, and what’s at stake:

    ECAC East/NESCAC

    The Main Event:

    Middlebury at Norwich (1/23) – This one already took place, but it still rates as one of the best of the week. Hope you got to see it in person or on NESN. The Panthers (12-2-1) opened a 5-0 lead after two periods and then withstood a Cadet outburst of three goals in two minutes and 19 seconds midway through the third. Scott Goldman finally scored an empty-net goal with four seconds to play to clinch the 6-3 victory for Middlebury. Norwich (9-7-1) outshot Middlebury 36-26, including 18-5 in the third period, but Panther goaltender Christian Carlsson was outstanding.

    Undercard:

    Salem State at Middlebury (1/26) – The win at Norwich vaulted Middlebury into first place in the NESCAC. Now the Panthers host the first-place team in the ECAC East, the Vikings of Salem State. Salem stumbled a bit with a Tuesday tie at Fitchburg State (although they outshot the Falcons 48-14) but still have the third highest winning percentage in Division III at 10-1-3.

    Salem State at Norwich (1/27) – Norwich currently trails Salem by two points in the standings, and hosts Southern Maine the night before. So the teams could be tied for first by the time Saturday rolls around, or the Vikings could be ahead by a four-point margin. Any way you look at it, this game will go a long way in deciding who will win the regular-season title in the ECAC East.

    Hamilton at Trinity (1/27) – Less than two weeks ago, Trinity (10-3-2) was coming off a rare sweep of Norwich and Middlebury and sat atop the NESCAC. Last weekend ended in a devastating 10-1 loss to Babson, but the Bantams are only a point out of first and host a Hamilton team that’s lost three in a row, but is still a quality opponent. This will be the kind of close game the Bantams need to win if they want to keep pace with Middlebury, Bowdoin and Colby.

    ECAC Northeast

    The Main Event:

    Lebanon Valley at Tufts (1/26) – Tufts was upset by Worcester State on Tuesday, 6-5 in overtime. That leaves the Jumbos (10-3) four points behind Johnson and Wales (13-5-1) with two games in hand. Lebanon Valley (9-4-2) is just a point behind Tufts, also with two games in hand on J&W. The loser will fall farther behind, perhaps too far to win the regular season title. The Flying Dutchmen have won five conference games in a row, while Tufts was a perfect 8-0 in conference before falling to Worcester.

    Undercard:

    Mass.-Dartmouth at Fitchburg State (1/27) – These two teams have ruled the Northeast for years, but both fell to Wentworth in last season’s playoffs. Now both are fighting to stay in the hunt: the Corsairs are tied for fifth (7-3-1 in conference) while the Falcons are tied for sixth (5-4-1 in conference). A must-win game for both teams.

    SUNYAC

    The Main Event:

    Fredonia at Plattsburgh (1/26) – The SUNYAC matchups aren’t as enticing as those in most of the other conferences, but this game is clearly the best of the bunch. The Blue Devils (9-6-2), coming off strong, albeit losing, performances against RIT and Elmira, take on the first place Cardinals (14-4) who hold a three point lead over Fredonia in the standings. The Blue Devils have allowed the fewest goals in the SUNYAC to date (just 16 in seven games) and will try to limit the powerful Plattsburgh offense, which leads the SUNYAC (47 goals in seven games).

    Undercard:

    Fredonia at Potsdam (1/27) – Things don’t get much easier for the Blue Devils the next night, when they hook up with Potsdam (10-4-2), which leads Fredonia by a point in the standings. A sweep would but Fredonia in great shape for home ice and possibly a first-round bye; dropping both games would leave them in the middle of the pack in the SUNYAC.

    ECAC West

    The Main Event:

    RIT at Elmira (1/27) – Ahhhh, yessss. The one we’ve all been waiting for is round one for the 2000-2001 season, but round 57 for this long-time rivalry (Elmira leads 27-26-3), one of the very best in Division III. The Soaring Eagles (14-6) are looking for their 500th win overall. First place in the ECAC West is on the line. Number one in the USCHO.com Division III poll against number seven.

    And that’s not all, of course. According to the current NCAA selection process, one and only one of these teams will make the nationals, and the first criterion is head-to-head play. RIT (17-0-1) has the better overall record and has done slightly better against common opponents, so this is a must-win for Elmira. The Soaring Eagles don’t want to have to go into Ritter Arena on February 17 needing a win to keep their NCAA hopes alive. RIT is banged up, but has found a way to win in recent weeks, while Elmira has won 11 in a row.

    It doesn’t get any better than this.

    NCHA

    The Main Event:

    Wis.-River Falls at St. Norbert (1/26) – St. Norbert sits atop the NCHA by a slim two points. Behind the Green Knights, all tied for second place, are Wis.-Stevens Point, Wis.-Stout, Wis.-Superior, and Wis.-River Falls. The Falcons (13-5-1), who had led the NCHA the entire season, were swept last weekend, including a 4-2 loss to St. Norbert (12-5-2) on home ice. Payback could come just six days later, or the Falcons could fall further behind.

    Undercard:

    Wis.-Stevens Point at Wis.-Superior (1/26) – It was a tough call picking this as the undercard, because it’s going to be an awesome game. The YellowJackets (16-3), currently ranked second in the nation, beat the sixth-ranked Pointers (13-6), 4-1 last weekend to move into a tie for second. A win for either team, coupled with a St. Norbert loss puts them into a tie for first. The loser could come out of the weekend in sixth place.

    MIAC

    The Main Event:

    St. John’s vs. Concordia (1/26 and 1/27) – There are no really compelling games in the MIAC this weekend, but this series looks to be the best of the bunch. The Cobbers (9-6-2) hold a two point lead over Bethel in the standings, while the Johnnies (7-9-1) sit in fourth place, six points behind Concordia with a pair of games in hand. Bethel has an easier challenge with a series against St. Olaf, so the Cobbers need to do well to keep pace.

    MCHA

    The Main Event:

    MSOE at Northland (1/26 and 1/27) – Minn.-Crookston wrapped up the regular-season title last weekend, and Marian has the inside track on second place, so that leaves MSOE, Northland and Lawrence to fight over the final two playoff spots. A sweep by either the Raiders or the Lumberjacks gives them a hold on third.

    Picks

    Last week: 3-2-1
    On the season: 33-17-2 (.654)

    Well, I may as well go ahead and pick all of them:

    No. 5 Salem State at No. 2 Middlebury (1/26) and Norwich (1/27) – As improved as the Vikings are this season, I can’t see them taking any points in what has become the toughest road trip in Division III. Middlebury 3, Salem 1; Norwich 5, Salem 4

    Hamilton at Trinity (1/27) – The Bantams look to recover from a blowout loss, while Hamilton ties to stop a three-game skid. I think the former. Trinity 5, Hamilton 3.

    Lebanon Valley at Tufts (1/26) – The Jumbos are also looking to rebound from an upset loss, and I think they will. Trinity 6, Lebanon Valley 5

    Mass.-Dartmouth at Fitchburg State (1/27) – Both teams have dropped off a bit from recent years, but the Falcons have fallen farther. Mass.-Dartmouth 4, Fitchburg State 2

    Fredonia at No. 4 Plattsburgh (1/26) and Potsdam (1/27) – If the Blue Devils can keep the score down, they’ll have a chance. But I can’t see them taking more than a point this weekend — probably less. Plattsburgh 4, Fredonia 1; Potsdam 3, Fredonia 1

    No. 1 RIT at No. 7 Elmira (1/27) – As usual, this one will be close, and may turn on a funny bounce or, as last year, a broken stick in overtime. Elmira has the home ice, and probably more of the momentum at this point. The Soaring Eagles also need this one more than RIT does. Elmira 6, RIT 5

    No. 8 Wis.-River Falls at No. 10 St. Norbert (1/26) – St. Norbert is behind the polls but ahead in the standings. The Green Knights come out ahead in this one as well. St. Norbert 4, UWRF 3

    No. 6 Wis.-Stevens Point at No. 2 Wis.-Superior (1/26) – The YellowJackets won last weekend at Point, but I don’t think the Pointers can return the favor. Superior 4, Point 3.

    St. John’s at Concordia (1/26 and 1/27) – Concordia looks to be the class of the MIAC this season, and should sweep. Concordia 4, St. John’s 1; Concordia 5, St. John’s 4

    MSOE at Northland (1/26 and 1/27) – Northland was swept by MSOE earlier in the season, but is coming off a big win against Marian. That should give the Lumberjacks enough momentum for a split. Northland 5, MSOE 4; MSOE 7, Northland 4

    ECAC West Newsletter: Jan. 24, 2001

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    Elmira Climbs Back Into National Rankings

    Riding a 10-game winning streak, including two victories this week, Elmira got back into the national rankings, jumping to No. 7 in the USCHO.com poll. In other action, RIT beat and tied Oswego, Hobart downed Neumann and then fell to Fredonia, and Manhattanville crushed Brockport.

    Team-By-Team Report

    RIT (ranked No. 1): The Tigers got bad news early in the week when starting netminder Tyler Euverman dislocated his shoulder. While not serious, it did knock Euverman out of net for the weekend series with Oswego.

    “These were by far the two hardest games we’ve faced all year,” said coach Wayne Wilson about the pair of games against Oswego. In Friday’s contest, RIT screamed out to a quick 3-0 lead just 2:33 into the contest. Jonathan Day, Derek Hahn, and Peter Bournazakis all tallied.

    But a quick goaltender change by Oswego let them steady the ship and the Lakers slowly climbed back into the game. The Lakers scored a shorthanded goal in the first and a power-play goal in the second, then tied it with an even-strength goal at the 14:00 mark of the third to send the game into overtime. RIT outshot Oswego 9-2 in overtime, but neither team could score and the game ended in a 3-3 tie. Tiger backup netminder Rob Boope, while not stellar in net, got some help from his defense and stopped 41 of the 44 shots that he faced.

    The same two teams met again on Saturday, this time in Oswego. RIT was much more patient on offense and Boope was significantly stronger in net, and the combination gave RIT the 4-2 victory. Tiger Shawn Wilkins got RIT on the board with a power-play goal midway through the first period. Oswego struck back a few minutes later, but the Tigers took the lead for good with only 10 seconds remaining in the first period on a goal by Mike Tarantino. Erol McDonald made an incredible move at the Oswego blue line on his way to scoring RIT’s third goal 12:57 into the second period. Matt Moore chipped in another tally at 16:19 and RIT was up 4-1 after two periods of hockey. Oswego scored only 30 seconds into the third period, and RIT spent the remainder of the game holding on defensively.

    The Tigers were outshot 47-28 in the game, but Rob Boope came up strong in net. Boope only let in five goals on 91 shots for the two-game set, earning a stellar .956 save percentage. “I think as things went on over the weekend, Boope felt more comfortable in net,” said Wilson

    Next up for RIT is a midweek trip to Brockport to take on the Golden Eagles, but that game is really just a warmup for the all-important trip to Elmira on Saturday.

    ELMIRA (ranked No. 7): The official countdown has been going on since early December, as Elmira nears its 500th victory. Soaring Eagle hockey started in 1975, and through the game on January 20 has amassed an outstanding record of 498-230-18, a .680 winning percentage. Assuming Elmira can get by Cortland on Tuesday, the Soaring Eagles will be looking to notch win No. 500 against RIT on Saturday at home.

    I’m sure Elmira fans wouldn’t want it any other way.

    With its current 10-game winning streak, Elmira also climbed back into the top 10 in the nation by moving into the No. 7 spot of the USCHO.com poll. Elmira was last ranked in the preseason poll, garnering the No. 7 spot.

    “We’ve been a pretty solid club all year long, and our young guys are getting us over the top,” said Elmira coach Glenn Thomaris.

    The Soaring Eagles opened the week at Fredonia, and notched two quick goals by Eddie Cassie and Clark McPherson to jump out to a 2-0 lead.

    “Fredonia played a little more aggressively than we were anticipating,” said Thomaris. “But we got a couple of goals and made them play catchup.” Fredonia scored midway through the first to pull closer. Elmira’s Ryan Baker tallied just 19 seconds into the second period to re-establish the two goal lead.

    Jay Sirios scored for Elmira at the 12:29 mark, and then all hell broke loose on the ice.

    “All of our players arms went up in the air to celebrate the goal, and then the Fredonia players just jumped us,” said Thomaris. “They grabbed all of our players and threw us down like the wrestling association.” After the ruckus was finally separated, four players from each team were each given double roughing penalties to fill the sin bin to capacity.

    Pierre Rivard scored just a minute and a half later to build the Elmira lead to 5-1. Fredonia notched the next two goals, but answered back with two power-play tallies in the third to seal the 7-3 win.

    Elmira engaged in another physical battle on Saturday against Potsdam. A total of 35 penalties were called during the contest, resulting in 24 power plays. Elmira converted one of its ten, while Potsdam was 0-for-14. Dean Jackson scored the only goal of the first period to give Elmira the lead. The Soaring Eagles took a 2-0 lead early in the second period when Jay Zanleoni scored a shorthanded goal at the 1:07 mark. Elmira tallied twice more early in the third period to put the game away, but Potsdam finally ruined the shutout bid 16:53 into the last period. Eddie Cassie finished off the scoring with only nine seconds remaining to give the Soaring Eagles the 5-1 victory.

    “Rob Ligas played very solid in net. Most of the shots he faced were long ones, and he controlled the rebounds very well,” said Thomaris. Ligas stopped 46 of the 47 shots he faced in the contest, leading Elmira to its tenth straight victory.

    Elmira heads to Cortland on Tuesday for a midweek tilt against the Red Dragons. And then the Soaring Eagles host RIT on Saturday.

    MANHANTTANVILLE: The Valiants had a quiet week for a change, and used the extra rest to pound Brockport 8-2 in their only game. Most of the Manhattanville scoring came in groups. Dave Schmalenberg and Ray Williams teamed up to score two first period goals just 2:50 apart midway through. Bill Cummings and Tommy Prate each notched goals just 2:27 apart midway through the second period. And Chris Siefert, Schmalenberg, and Prate combined for three more goals in a 2:31 time span to begin the third period. Dave Schmalenberg finished off his hat-trick 13:45 into the period for Manhattanville’s eighth goal, and earned five points on the night.

    The Valiants pick the pace back up this week, opening with a midweek tilt at Williams. Manhattanville then returns home for a Saturday game against league foe Hobart.

    HOBART: Hobart opened the week at Neumann, where the Statesmen outshot the Knights 53-16 and skated away with a 5-3 win.

    “Their goalie played really well,” said Hobart coach Mark Taylor. “We had a lot of chances and just didn’t capitalize on them.” Neumann scored early in the first to take the lead, but Hobart’s Zach Mundy answered at 17:34 to knot the game 1-1.

    A late first-period goal by the Knights put them back in the lead, but Hobart shut down Neumann’s chances from then on and controlled play the remainder of the game. Early second period goals by Eric Christianson and Matt Pane put Hobart into the lead for good. Tim McCarthy and John Glueck notched goals in the third period as well.

    Unfortunately for Hobart, the team also contracted a bad case of the flu in Neumann and most of the team was weakened by the time Saturday’s game against Fredonia came around. Hobart came out with little jump, and Fredonia carried play in the first period, ending with a 1-0 lead. Two quick Fredonia goals early in the second period gave Hobart plenty of reasons to pack in the bags. But the Statesmen didn’t do that, and fought through the illness and Fredonia to get back into the game.

    “We showed up like whipped puppies, but ended up playing like junkyard dogs,” said Taylor.

    The turning point came midway through the second period when Trevor McGowan scored to get Hobart on to the board. Greg Reynholds scored 8:36 into the third period to cut the deficit to only 3-2, and Hobart was back in the game. But the Statesmen couldn’t tally another goal to tie it, and Fredonia held on to down Hobart 3-2.

    “The third period, we took it to them,” said Taylor. “Some guys really stepped to the plate, some character really showed through.”

    Besides the loss, Hobart took other bad news out of the game against Fredonia. Chris Connolly (.906 save%, 2.88 GAA), who has started 13 games this season, suffered a season-ending injury late in the first period after getting plowed into the net. Also, Hobart’s second leading scorer, Jerry Toomey (11g, 8a), is out at least four weeks with mono.

    The Statesmen open up this week hosting Buffalo State on Tuesday — then it’s off to Manhattanville for a league contest on Saturday.

    Game Of The Week

    No contest this week is as important as the RIT at Elmira matchup, the opening salvo in each team’s bid for an NCAA playoff spot. Elmira has been surging since early December, while RIT has been holding on since being named to the No. 1 spot in the nation. Combine that with the longstanding rivalry between these two teams, and Elmira’s bid for its 500th school victory, and the Thunderdomes will be rockin’ on Saturday.

    SUNYAC Newsletter: Jan. 24, 2001

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    Plattsburgh And Geneseo Sweep; Oswego Ties RIT; Conference Play To Resume

    Plattsburgh may have broken out of its rut with a pair of wins against NESCAC opponents Williams and Colby, while Geneseo also won both its games against Lebanon Valley and Neumann. Even though Oswego did not win a game in its series with RIT, the Great Lakers did provide the only blemish on the top team’s record with a tie the first night. Fredonia split its games, with a loss to Elmira followed by a win against Hobart. Cortland also split, beating Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts before losing to Elmira. Buffalo State still refuses to lose, tying Hobart, while Brockport’s struggles continue as it was blown out by Manhattanville and RIT; also, Potsdam lost its only game of the week to Elmira.

    Now, the remainder of the season really gets underway: conference play resumes, with plenty of games left for anything to happen.

    Team-By-Team Report

    PLATTSBURGH (Ranked No. 4) — If you look at the shots on goal — 49-18 in favor of Plattsburgh State — you wouldn’t think the Cardinals would have needed overtime to dispose of Williams, 3-2. Derrick Shaw gave Plattsburgh the first-period lead, but Williams took a 2-1 lead into intermission. Plattsburgh’s Peter Ollari tied it up with less than seven minutes to go, and Rob Retter won it in overtime. Niklas Sundberg made 16 saves. In Plattsburgh’s next game, the situation was just the opposite. Plattsburgh only got 11 shots on goal against Colby, yet won, 4-1. Proving that quality is almost always more important than quantity, Plattsburgh led 4-0 before Colby even managed a goal. Shaw, Jason Kilcan, Chad Kemp, and Paul Dowe were the goal-scorers, and Sundberg made 25 saves. Plattsburgh hopes to take this momentum into conference matchups this weekend against Fredonia and Buffalo State.

    OSWEGO (Ranked No. 9) — As expected, the Oswego State-RIT series was a rough-and-tumble, exciting pair of games, though the Lakers, despite tying one game, probably felt like they were not rewarded for their efforts. That tie, a 3-3 overtime affair, came the first night in Rochester, and the way the game started, few would have expected the result. RIT came out flying, scoring three times in the first 2:33 and chasing starting goalie Joe Lofberg, who looked unprepared for the start of the contest. Oswego was able to calm the tornado, and slowly but surely whittled the lead away. Joe Carrabs scored a shorthanded goal which may have been the key play of the night, and Rob Smith scored a power-play goal early in the second before Chris DiCarlo tied it up with six minutes left. Tyson Gajda stopped nine shots in overtime, including a 47-second power play for RIT, to preserve the tie. The only blemish in the game was an inexcusable act by John Hirliman, who hit a fan over the glass with his stick while in the penalty box, resulting in stitches for the fan. Hirliman was eventually given a game misconduct after the period, but this is still incident that the school and conference should investigate, as it is an embarrassment to the institution, the SUNYAC, and the game of hockey.

    The series moved up to Oswego, and despite outshooting RIT, 47-28, the Lakers lost, 4-2. After RIT scored a power-play goal midway through the first, Brian St. John tied it up while both teams were down a man. With 10 seconds left in the period, RIT scored the key goal of the night to take a 2-1 lead. RIT then scored twice more in an end-to-end second before Derek Kern got one back 30 seconds into the third. That goal ignited the Lakers, but despite plenty of pressure could not muster anything else as Gajda made 24 saves. Oswego has a trio of home games this week against Brockport, Geneseo, and Williams.

    POTSDAM — The Bears returned to action in a 5-1 loss at Elmira that dropped Potsdam State out of the national Top Ten, despite Potsdam outshooting Elmira, 47-28. That has been a recurring problem for the Bears — plenty of shots, but not many ending up in the back of the net. In a rough game (86 penalty minutes), Elmira took advantage of the penalty-box action by getting a power-play marker and a shorthanded goal. Elmira had a 4-0 lead late in the third period before Potsdam’s Sean Darke scored his squad’slone goal. Potsdam returns home to begin conference play for the second half of the season against Buffalo State and Fredonia.

    FREDONIA — The Blue Devils split their weekend against ECAC West opponents. First they lost to Elmira, 7-3, scoring one goal per period. It was 2-0 Elmira when Clark McPherson scored shorthanded, and it was 5-1 before Mike Moyse and Erik Hlavaty scored. The next night it was Fredonia that jumped out to the early lead en route to a 3-2 victory over Hobart. Tim Polley, Dave Mugavero (on the power play), and Hlavaty scored before Hobart got its two goals, and Fredonia was able to hang on for the win; Will Hamele made 29 saves in net. Fredonia travels to the North Country for two huge games at Plattsburgh and Potsdam.

    GENESEO — The Ice Knights swept the week, beating Lebanon Valley, 6-3, and Neumann, 7-1. In the first game, Geneseo State outshot its opponent 52-30. Dave Bagley scored twice with the other goals coming from Matt Lester, Jeremy Nau, Brian Avery, and Kyle Langdon. Geneseo had 2-0 lead become 2-1 and a 4-1 lead become 4-3, but finally shook off Lebanon Valley. Kevin Koury made 27 saves as Geneseo went 2-for-5 with the extra skater. Against Neumann, Geneseo fired off 63 shots while allowing 24. Aaron Coleman got a hat trick, and Derek Powell, Bagley, Jack Staley, and Peter Boudette each added a goal. Geneseo went 4-for-7 on the power play for a weekend total of 6-for-12, and Jeff Phelps got the win against Neumann with 23 saves. Geneseo resumes league play with games at Cortland and Geneseo.

    BUFFALO STATE — The Bengals extended their unbeaten steak to seven games (and just two losses in their last 11 games) with a 5-5 overtime tie against Hobart. How even was the game? Both teams got 42 shots on goal. Both teams had five penalties for 10 minutes. Both teams had five power-play opportunities, with Buffalo State getting the only power-play tally. Neither team ever had more than a one-goal lead, though Todd Nowicki put together a hat trick with Joe Urbanik and Stephen Troup also scoring. Nick Berti made 37 saves. Buffalo State now starts playing for real again as the Bengals face two tough opponents on the road in Potsdam and Plattsburgh.

    CORTLAND — The Red Dragons split two one-goal games this past week. First, they defeated the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, 3-2 in overtime, in a game of call-and-respond — whenever Cortland tallied, MCLA would do the same. First, it was after a second-period goal by Shawn Ruddy, then after a third period-goal by Jeff Olsen. The Red Dragons won the game in the extra period on a goal by Trevor Bauer, and John Larnerd made 40 saves including four in overtime. Cortland then lost to Elmira, 4-3, despite a gallant comeback attempt. Elmira jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Cortland fought back with three power-play goals by Bauer, Chris Cullen, and Mike Cournyea. However, the Red Dragons were unable to get the equalizer in the final 17 minutes of play, including a power play and pulling the goalie for the final 51 seconds. Cortland hosts Geneseo and Brockport in two key games for playoff hopes.

    BROCKPORT — The Golden Eagles are merely trying to survive for the rest of the season, and it’s becoming more and more difficult to do that. First, Brockport lost to Manhattanville, 8-2, despite having 11 power-play opportunities to just two for the Valiants. Brockport didn’t score until the third period, when it was 7-0, on the power play by James Uihlein. Dave Braunstein scored the last goal of the game. Then came the top team in the nation, RIT, and it wasn’t pretty as the Tigers won with ease, 14-2. The two goals were scored by Brandon Marineau and Don Stiner. Steve Tippett was quite busy, facing 74 shots and stopping 60 of them. The Golden Eagles travel to Oswego and Cortland.

    Upcoming Game Of The Week

    For Buffalo State, the real test begins this weekend. The Bengals have been impressive in their last 11 games; however, even with some quality opponents in that stretch, it won’t be like taking the dreaded North Country trip to play the likes of Potsdam and Plattsburgh back-to-back. For that reason, the Game of the Week is something like, “Let’s follow Buffalo State and see how the Bengals do.”

    Editorial: Do It For The Jersey Or Do It For The Cause; Just Do It

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    You have until noon, Jan. 25, to make a difference for coaches who face devastating illness. That’s when the online auction ends of the special North Dakota jerseys worn during its Oct. 13 game with Maine. Each bore the name “Walsh” in honor of cancer-stricken Black Bear coach Shawn Walsh.

    We all hope that if some day we find ourselves in need there will be those who lend us a hand. Now it’s time for us to do the lending. It’s time for us as college hockey fans to put our money where our mouth is.

    If we appreciate the enjoyment the sport gives us, let’s give something back. The Coaches Foundation, which will receive the funds spent on the jerseys, may have been instituted as the result of Walsh’s illness, but it’s organized to benefit any such coach. This is not the Shawn Walsh Foundation; it’s the Coaches Foundation. If we can’t support coaches in dire need, what does that say about us as fans?

    Of course, this isn’t just a donation. Winners in the bidding will have obtained what might become a valuable collectable. These jerseys are a very unique item. It might even make sense to bid out of purely selfish reasons.

    However, I’m someone who doesn’t much care about the “collectibles” marketplace. I have many books autographed by my favorite writers and care not one whit what they are worth on the market. I care about their value to me.

    I’ll leave it to others to bid on the jerseys as an investment or as a partial tax deduction. I’ll be bidding based on the idea that one of those jerseys would be a very neat thing to have and based even more on the fact that college hockey coaches have given much to the sport and, if facing grave problems, deserve a helping hand.

    Whatever your motivation, though, please consider clicking on this link and bidding on the jersey number of your choice.

    Do it for the jersey or do it for the cause; just do it.

    NCAA Forces MIAC to Abolish ‘Mercy’ Rule

    By Adam Wodon
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    The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has abolished its “running time” rule, effective immediately, at the request of the NCAA. The rule, which had been in effect for more than 10 years, mandated that a game switch to running time in the third period when the deficit was 10 goals. That is in violation of the NCAA men’s ice hockey rulebook.

    The hockey world caught wind of the rule after a game between Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Augsburg, when UWEC coach Marlin Muylaert reportedly instructed his team to allow Augsburg to score two goals, increasing the deficit to 10 so that running time would kick in. Muylaert was later suspended for his actions in that game.

    The publicity that received alerted the NCAA, which immediately contact MIAC officials.

    “When the Rules Committee heard about the MIAC’s running time rule, we notified them that they can’t do that,” said Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna, who, among his many hats, is also the Chair of the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey Rules Committee. “The book is clear that a game is three 20-minute periods of actual play … [in other words] not running time.”

    Carlyle Carter, Executive Director of the MIAC, immediately sent a memo out to school athletic directors and coaches, telling them that the “mercy” rule was no longer in effect.

    “Immediately when we found out it was in violation of NCAA playing rules, we took it out,” Carter said.

    Carter, who has been at his post for seven years, said the rule pre-dates him, though no one knows for sure when it was implemented. He said that the 10-goal rule never came up often in men’s games, and that the spirit of it was to help women’s programs.

    “With our women’s game, there are programs in varying stages of developement. Some teams are just beginning,” he said. “[But] when I talked to Ty Halpin of the NCAA, he said they spoke with women’s coaches at their annual meeting in Florida. It was a consensus that they would follow NCAA rules.”

    Carter said the matter was essentially an oversight, and that the league would never purposefully go against NCAA rules. He did, however, say the rule could be revisited, via the proper channels.

    “We want to be in compliance, and that’s a reason we immediately took care of it,” Carter said. “However, from a Division III and ethical perspective, our focus is supposed to be on the health and well-being of those participants. Is it beneficial to either [team] to continue to punish the [opponent]? You’ve obviously proved your point that you have a superior team on the ice that day.

    “Perhaps at some point the conference may entertain submitting a legislative proposal [to bring the rule back], because we feel no one is benefitted by anyone being beat by 20 goals. If you’re down 10 goals, the likelihood of mounting a comeback is pretty slim.

    “Once you’ve established a 10-goal lead, what else do you have to establish? The rule alleviates running up scores and punishing people for not having a squad that’s developed.”

    Lakers’ Nightingale Sidelined with Heart Condition

    USCHO Staff Report
    -

    Jason Nightingale, the No. 2 scorer for Lake Superior State so far this year, will miss the remainder of the season after being diagnosed with an unspecified heart condition. Nightingale, a sophomore assistant captain, had been complaining of tiredness and a lack of stamina.

    Nightingale, who has nine goals and 15 points, joins a lengthy list of sidelined Lakers, though his is the most worrisome situation. Junior Jeremy Bachusz, seniors Ryan Knox and Klemen Kelgar, sophomore Trevor Weisgerber, and freshman Chad Dahlen are all currently out with injuries or illness. Nightingale’s younger brother, Adam, came off the injured list just three weeks ago after missing most of his freshman season with a broken hand.

    “Obviously, this is another disappointing development for us,” said Laker coach Scott Borek. “Our goals for the season remain the same, and the players able to take the ice will have to carry on. At this point, we all pray that Jason will respond to treatment, recover fully and be able to play again next season. His well-being is the important thing.”

    The Lakers have lost more than 90 man games to injury and illness this season, including a stretch of 21 games in which a Laker captain or assistant has been out of the lineup.

    Bachusz is out for the season with Epstein-Barre virus, while Kelgar is gone for the year with ruptured discs in his back. Knox is sidelined indefinitely with a hamstring pull, while Dahlen is out with a leg injury suffered in the Wayne State series in October. Weisgerber remains out, suffering the affects of a concussion sustained several weeks ago.

    This Week In Division III: Jan. 18, 2001

    By
    -

    Computers vs. Humans

    Have you checked out USCHO’s Division III Pairwise Rankings? Here’s how they compare to our poll:

     Team             Poll    PWR
     RIT                1      1
     Middlebury         2      2
     Wis.-Superior      3      4
     Wis.-River Falls   4      3
     Plattsburgh        5      6
     Wis.-Stevens Point 6      8
     Trinity            7      7
     Salem State        8      5
     Oswego             9      9
     Potsdam           10     11

    Pretty close. The poll was taken before Plattsburgh beat Middlebury on Tuesday, while the PWR rating reflects that game — the loss wasn’t enough to knock the Panthers out of the number-two spot.

    A significant input to the PWR is the Rating Percentage Index (RPI), which ranks teams based on winning percentage and schedule strength. One team you won’t find in the PWR (since it only lists teams at or over .500) is the Norwich Cadets, who are ranked 15th the RPI. Why so high even though the Cadets are just 5-6-1 against Division III teams? Norwich has played the toughest schedule in D-III. Here are the 10 toughest as of January 18:

     Team           Opponents' Win %
     1.  Norwich        .660
     2.  Middlebury     .655
     3.  Plattsburgh    .635
     4.  Geneseo        .604
     5.  RIT            .596
     6.  Trinity        .595
     7.  Elmira         .588
     8.  Wentworth      .582
     9.  Conn. College  .573
     10. Brockport      .569

    Norwich has 11 games left, including six with teams at or below .500, so things should improve for the Cadets, who are just two points out of first place in the ECAC East.

    Around the Leagues

    ECAC West

    RIT (15-0) will be hard-pressed to remain college hockey’s only unbeaten team, as Tyler Euverman, who has started every game in net this season for the Tigers, dislocated his shoulder on Monday. He will certainly miss this weekend’s series with Oswego, and may be out longer.

    Filling in will be backup Rob Boope, a sophomore from Palatine, Ill. He’s played just 85 minutes this season, with a GAA of 3.35 and a save percentage of .884. Boope played for the U.S. National Deaf Team, winning a goal medal at the World Deaf Games in 1995, and a silver in 1999.

    “It will be a wakeup call for our team,” said RIT head coach Wayne Wilson. “I don’t think we played as well as we can last weekend, so maybe this will help us to focus and play disciplined hockey in front of ‘Boop.'”

    Euverman is expected to try working out with a brace on Monday, and will be day-to-day after that.

    RIT’s archrival Elmira is back in the game, winning eight straight including a convincing 3-1 win over Plattsburgh last Saturday. The Soaring Eagles (11-6), who finished just a point out of 10th place in the most recent USCHO.com poll, will host the Tigers on January 27. That game, as well as the rematch at RIT on February 17, will go a long way in deciding the ECAC West regular-season title.

    The tiebreaking system was changed this season, eliminating conference goal differential as a criterion. This is a welcome change, since under the previous system teams were encouraged to run up scores to better their chances. The new system has the following criteria:

    1. Head-to-head results (strictly W-L-T, no goal differential)
    2. Conference wins
    3. Record vs. common opponents
    4. Overall winning percentage

    Common opponents for RIT and Elmira include all the SUNY schools except Buffalo State and Potsdam, as well as Hamilton College. Keep an eye on those games.

    ECAC East

    Salem State fell from the ranks of the unbeaten last weekend, but still leads Norwich by two points in the standings. The Cadets have a game in hand, however. Both teams play Middlebury next week, and then square off against each other.

    The Vikings (9-1-2) are led by goaltender Caleb Christensen, who is 6-0-2 so far. The sophomore from International Falls, Minn., a transfer from St. Scholastica after last season, has a .926 save percentage and a 2.33 GAA.

    Norwich’s large freshman class is stepping up. Rookies have accounted for over half of the Cadet’s goals (37 of 61) to date. The diaper dandies are led by Ed Boudreau, who played four games for Maine last season before coming to Norwich. The forward from Weymouth, Mass., has eight goals and five assists so far, good for second on the team behind All-American Keith Aucoin (23 points).

    Division III hockey will be in the spotlight on Tuesday, January 23, when Norwich hosts Middlebury at 7:00 PM EDT. NESN will carry the game live, so get your satellites ready.

    NESCAC

    Trinity has been the story so far, leading the NESCAC with a 6-0-1 record (9-2-2) overall. The weekend before last, Trinity accomplished what few teams have been able to do in recent memory — sweep Norwich and Middlebury. This puts the Jumbos in the driver’s seat, since they now hold the tiebreaker with the Panthers.

    Trinity only has four seniors on the roster, so they may be a force next season as well, when they’ll have nine seniors, including goaltender Geoffrey Faulkner, who was USCHO’s defensive player of the week for his efforts in that weekend sweep (49 saves).

    This week’s defensive POTW is another NESCAC goalie: Weslyean’s Jim Panczykowski. The freshman from Buffalo, NY, stopped 61 shots as the Cardinals defeated Southern Maine and previously unbeaten Salem State. Panczykowski will try to recreate his heroics when Wesleyan travels to Bowdoin and Colby this weekend.

    ECAC Northeast

    Johnson & Wales (9-0) and Tufts (7-0) remain undefeated in conference and will square off on Sunday. The J&W Wildcats have already notched wins over traditional powers Fitchburg State and UMass-Dartmouth, as well as dark horse Lebanon Valley. Tufts has the harder route, still having to play all three in the coming weeks. Last year’s champion, the Wentworth Leopards, also lie in wait for both teams.

    The scoring machine that is Jason Boudreau continues to crank out the points. The junior forward from Somerville, Massachusetts scored fourteen points in three games last weekend to up his points-per-game average to 4.0. He’s averaging one and a half goals and two and a half assists per game to lead the nation. The Jumbos are averaging an even seven goals per game.

    SUNYAC

    The nonconference portion of the schedule continues for all teams, with league games beginning again on January 26. First-place Plattsburgh has been schizophrenic since the holiday break, looking bad in losses to RIT (8-2) and Elmira (3-1) interspersed with quality wins over Norwich (4-3) and Middlebury (3-0). Which team will show up this Saturday against Williams? The Cardinal lineup has been depleted due to injuries and suspensions, but it looks like many key players will be back in the lineup this weekend.

    The highest-powered offense in the SUNYAC belongs to Oswego, ranked fourth in the nation at an even six goals per game. The Lakers play RIT twice this weekend, and the Tigers have the highest-rated offense (7.67 goals per game), so expect the goal judges to be busy.

    One team that was successful in holding down RIT’s offense is Fredonia State. Thanks to coach Jeff Meredith’s conservative, defensive-minded gameplan and the heroics of netminder Will Hamele, the Blue Devils had limited the Tigers to just two goals over the first 58:54 of their game last Saturday. The Tigers got the game winner with 1:06 to play and then added an empty-netter, but Hamele was stellar in net, making 51 saves.

    NCHA

    Things are really heating up this weekend as the traditional powers square off in what is turning out to be a wild race to the finish for the league that has had, at one time or another, five of its eight teams ranked in the USCHO.com poll.

    Right now, just four point separates the top five teams. Wis.-River Falls sits atop the standings at 5-1 (13-1-1 overall). The Falcons host second-place St. Norbert on Saturday.

    “(River Falls) is very balanced from a scoring standpoint,” said St. Norbert head coach Tim Coghlin. “All their lines have similar stats, and they have one of the best defenses in the league.”

    The Green Knights are coming off a series split with Wis.-Stevens Point, which trails St. Norbert by two points and River Falls by four with a game in hand. St. Norbert won a big game, 3-1 at Point on Friday, but returned the favor by losing to the Pointers 4-3 back in DePere on Saturday.

    “We gave up a late power-play goal,” said Coghlin. “We had a chance to sweep, and now after last weekend we’re basically back to where we started.”

    And let’s not forget Wis.-Superior, just 3-3 in conference but 13-3 overall, the YellowJackets are current tied for fourth, four points behind River Falls. They travel to Wis.-Eau Claire and Wis.-Stevens Point this weekend.

    MIAC

    While most of the focus lately has been on the duel between Concordia and St. Thomas, watch out for Bethel. It’s the Royals who seem to be making a run at the first-place Concordia Cobbers, trailing them by three points in the standings.

    Bethel is led by freshman Mike Marshall, who leads the MIAC in scoring with 12 points in eight league games, and 19 points overall. He’s ninth in the nation in goals, averaging one per game (16).

    The Royals’ fortunes will most likely hinge on the final two weekends of the season, when they play two-game sets with St. Thomas and Concordia.

    MCHA

    As was the case last season, the regular season title is clearly Minn.-Crookston’s to lose, as the Golden Eagles lead Marian by eight points in the standings. Crookston (10-3-1) visits Lawrence (1-9-2) this weekend for a pair of games worth four points each in the standings. A sweep will clinch the regular-season title.

    Marian (7-7-3) scored a pair of impressive victories over Wis.-Stout last weekend, winning 4-3 on Friday and 3-2 on Saturday. Sabres goalie Terry Dunbar made 43 saves to win both games, and was named co-MCHA Player of the Week. He shares the award with Northland defensemen Darrin Voskuhl, who had six points in a weekend sweep of Lawrence.

    Trivia

    Finally, congrats to Todd Poling, who emailed me with the information I was seeking in my last column: when was the last time a team swept Norwich and Middlebury? The answer, apparently, was in 1996, when Colby defeated Norwich 4-3 on February 9, and Middlebury 5-3 the next afternoon. And the White Mules did it the hard way — on the road. Todd’s recollection was backed up by Colby coach Jim Tortorella. “Norwich was not as strong that year,” he recalled. “But Middlebury had something like a 25-game home winning streak snapped by us. It was a big win.”

    Picks

    Well, I correctly picked splits between St. Thomas and Concordia, as well as Stevens Point and St. Norbert, but I picked the winners in the wrong order. That made for a 2-4 week, my worst ever.

    Last Week: 2-4
    On the Season: 30-15 (.667)

    This Week:

    No. 1 RIT vs. No. 9 Oswego (1/19 and 1/20) — The Tigers are missing their workhorse goaltender, and Oswego is a tough place to play, so expect RIT’s streak to come to an end. You have the number-one and -four offenses in the nation squaring off, so look for some high-scoring games. RIT 7, Oswego 5, and Oswego 6, RIT 4.

    No. 3 Wis.-Superior at No. 6 Wis.-Stevens Point (1/20) — The YellowJackets have won 10 of their last 11, but I’m going with the Pointers at home. UWSP 4, UWS 3.

    St. Norbert at No. 4 Wis.-River Falls (1/20)- River Falls is the higher-ranked team and is at home, but this is my upset special. St. Norbert 5, UWRF 3.

    Williams at No. 5 Plattsburgh (1/20) — Have the Cardinals righted the skip? I think so. Plattsburgh 6, Williams 3.

    No. 10 Potsdam at Elmira (1/20) — The teams were separated by a single point in the latest USCHO.com poll, and I think Elmira is the better team right now. Elmira 6, Potsdam 4.

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