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This Week in the CCHA: March 13, 1998

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It’s the Girl Reporter’s List of Sins and Graces, the worst and the best of the CCHA that don’t necessarily fit into the usual categories.

Disclaimer: I have yet to visit Abel Arena, Lakeview Arena, and the Carlson Center.

Sins

Worst rink: The Joyce Arena. You’d think a school with the athletic tradition of Notre Dame could give its hockey team a building it didn’t have to share with fencing.

Worst rink food: The hot dogs at Yost Arena. The smell hits you the moment you walk into the door, and if you eat one of these things, the rest hits you about an hour later.

Worst hospitality: OSU Ice Rink. No heat in the press box (or anyplace else in the building). Birds and other animals making squeaking noises in the walls. You have to go to St. John Arena to use the toilet.

Worst road uniforms: Ferris State. Somebody, please, match maroon to maroon. Or better yet–get new pants. Or new sweaters. Something. Anything.

Worst home uniforms: See, "Best home uniforms" below.

Worst cheer: The announcer says that a team is back at full strength. And what does the crowd say? "And they still suck!" Please, kill this chant. Doesn’t anyone have anything new to add? This one is as fresh as the Macarena.

Worst fans: Anyone who doesn’t like your team. That’s the way it works, right?

Graces

Best gesture by a coach or coaches: The Jesus Gesture, a spreading of the arms in disbelief, best performed by OSU assistant coach Casey Jones. Of course, Jones learned it from OSU head coach John Markell, who learned it from MSU head coach Ron Mason–an obvious chain of command.

Best cheer: The "score" cheer at Miami. "Give me an ‘S’! Give me an ‘E’! Give me an ‘X’! What’s it spell? Score! Score! Score!" It’s even funnier when you consider that the nature of the cheer doesn’t have to accurately reflect the lives of those who do the cheering.

Best rink food: Yost Arena, but you can’t have this stuff. It’s the food provided to press, and it’s not bad at all. Better than those yucky hot dogs.

Best road uniforms: Lake Superior. That anchor on those blues…styling, just styling.

Best home uniforms: None. They’re all so dull that shame should be shared uniformly. Ha! Get it? Uniformly! (Insert groan here.)

Best player off the bench: This is a tie between Michigan’s Krikor Arman and Ohio State’s Ray Aho.

Arman–a second-year, redshirt, walk-on player–scored two first-period goals in his first-ever game for the Wolverines, a 7-2 win over Notre Dame in South Bend. Quite an introduction to the league.

Aho–OSU’s sophomore goaltender who has been playing backup all season–came off the bench to start in the OSU-Northern Michigan game on January 34 and shut out the Wildcats 2-0. One week later, he did it again in the second game of a weekend series in Western Michigan, shutting out the Broncos 2-0. Just last week, he came off the bench in the second game of the Bucks’ weekend series against Ferris State, and won 6-1. Where Aho is concerned, "backup" is a relative term.

Best underrated player: Perhaps this one should be listed under "Sins," because overlooking the good work that Ohio State junior center Chris Richards is doing is sinful.

Richards finished the regular season tied for third in league points with Michigan State’s Mike York. In 29 CCHA games, Richards had 17 goals and 24 assists for 41 points–and he did that without loading up on power-play points (only six league points were on the power play, four goals and two assists). Richards had a hat trick and two game-winning goals, and was a crucial component on the Buckeye penalty kill, where he scored three shorthanded goals. He finishes the season at plus 13.

And another thing: Richards had two seven-point weekends, each of which earned him CCHA Offensive Player of the Week, including last weekend’s performance in Big Rapids.

All this from a kid who stands 5-10, and weighs in at 170 pounds soaking wet. On Ohio State’s second line. Last year, he totaled just 22 CCHA points.

Best talking game: Chris Bogas, Spartan defenseman. I can’t tell you what he says on the ice, but he’s really, really funny. We laugh in the press box, anyway.

Best player who wants to goon it up: Tim Leahy, Miami senior forward. Twenty penalties for 73 minutes is not earth-shattering, but, boy, does Leahy want to go. It’s admirable that he doesn’t drop the gloves as often as he’d like.

Best-dressed coaching staff: Ask any CCHA coach, and he’ll tell you the truth about this one. Go ahead–ask him.

Quote of the year: At the CCHA Media Day before the start of the season, Western Michigan head coach Bill Wilkinson said, "I’d like to welcome again Rick and his Wildcats back to the league. I’d also like to welcome Michigan back to the league as well."

Later in the year, after Michigan established itself among the top four in the league, Wilkinson would tell me, "Yeah, but I didn’t have to welcome them with such open arms, did I?"

Best fans: All of you who read USCHO on a regular basis. You didn’t think I’d actually rate one team’s fans against another, did you?

And Now for Your Regularly Scheduled Preview…

The second season is upon us, and aren’t we all just a little bit surprised about who is hosting whom?

Congratulations to the No. 3 Michigan State Spartans, who captured their first regular-season title in eight years with a 4-1 win over Lake Superior last Friday; they lost to Northern Michigan 5-1 on Saturday. The Spartans host eighth-place Ferris State, who finished the regular season with two home losses to Ohio State, 4-1 and 6-1.

No. 4 Michigan finished second in the league with two wins last weekend, 5-4 over Bowling Green and 1-0 over Notre Dame. The Wolverines will host Notre Dame, who finished the regular season in seventh place with that loss at Yost.

No. 9 Ohio State had third place sewn up two weeks ago, and finished the season by beating Ferris State twice last weekend. The Buckeyes will host Lake Superior, which finished the regular season in sixth place with the loss to Michigan State.

Northern Michigan captured fourth place and the right to host a first-round playoff series when they beat the Spartans and when Miami lost to Bowling Green 6-5 last weekend. The Miami loss sends the RedHawks to Marquette, just in time for the arrival of winter.

These games have implications beyond the CCHA championship. While Michigan State and Michigan will surely be invited to the NCAA tournament regardless of the outcome of this weekend’s games, Ohio State probably needs to advance to The Joe to get the nod. For each of the remaining teams, it will probably take winning the CCHA title game in Detroit to win an invitation to the big dance.

Last week’s record in picks: 5-2 Overall record in picks (final regular-season tally): 123-77

To the races!

Ferris State (15-19-3, 12-15-3 CCHA) at No. 3 Michigan State (29-5-5, 21-5-4 CCHA) Friday, 7:08 p.m., Saturday, Sunday (if necessary) 7 p.m., Munn Ice Arena, East Lansing, MI

The Spartans finished the season on a bit of a sour note, losing 5-1 to Northern Michigan on the road last Saturday. "We were flat in the first period," says Michigan State head coach Ron Mason, "but we got better as the game progressed.

"I sat Chad [Alban] out, and that was a big factor. But he deserved a rest."

Before the loss to Northern, Michigan State had won seven in a row, and had gone unbeaten for eight straight.

Ferris State finished out the season with two losses at home against Ohio State, including the penalty-filled debacle that passed for hockey last Saturday night, during which the Bulldogs had 136 penalty minutes (of the 243 total given).

The game ended 6-1, and naturally special teams made a big difference. "The game pivoted really on our inability to convert on our five-on-three, and Ohio State’s ability to convert on their five-on-three," said Ferris State head coach Bob Daniels after the game.

Ferris State finished the regular season with a three-game losing streak, which included a 6-3 loss to Michigan State before dropping two in a row to Ohio State.

Recent History

The Spartans have outscored the Bulldogs 19-4 this season; three of those goals came just two weeks ago in the Spartans’ 6-3 win over Ferris in East Lansing on Feb. 28. "We had pretty good game against them," says Daniels.

In that game, MSU was up 3-0 after one, and the Spartans made it 5-2 on an empty-net goal at 18:53 of the third.

Then the Bulldogs scored with less than a minute left in the game to make it 5-3. Michigan State had the final goal of the game, Chad Alban’s fabled empty-netter, with just seconds to go in the game.

On Jan. 17, the Spartans topped the Bulldogs 7-0 in Big Rapids. And on Oct. 28 in Grand Rapids, Michigan State won 6-1.

On the season, Michigan State’s Mike York has three goals (hat trick Jan. 17) and four assists against the Bulldogs; Rustyn Dolyny and Kevin O’Keefe each have four goals.

On the season, Michigan State’s power play has been a factor in beating the Bulldogs in two of three games (in the third game, there were no Ferris State penalties). The Spartans have scored four goals in 11 power-play opportunities against the Bulldogs, for a series PP of 27.5 percent. That’s nearly three full percentage points higher than Michigan State’s league power play finished against the entire CCHA.

The Bulldogs have scored just once on their power play against Michigan State, for ten tries. The conversion rate of 10 percent is more than three full points lower than Ferris State’s league power-play stat (13.6 percent) on the season.

Ron Mason denies that the Spartans have the Bulldogs’ number this season. "We’ve always had a great rivalry with Ferris State. They’ve taken us to the limits."

As for the lopsided scoring, Mason says, "The puck just went in the net in those games. You can’t predict goals, and all you can do is play your best game. We didn’t play them any different from how we played anybody else."

Ancient History

Michigan State leads this series 43-21-10, with a 25-11-4 record in Munn Ice Arena. In addition to being 3-0-0 against Ferris State this season, the Spartans were 3-0-1 last season against the Bulldogs.

The last time the Bulldogs beat the Spartans was in a first-round CCHA playoff game in 1995-96. Ferris State won the second game in Munn 5-3; Michigan State took the series, winning the first game 3-2 in overtime, and the third game 3-1.

Michigan State is 7-3-0 against Ferris State in the CCHA playoffs. The two teams have met in four first-round series, with the Spartans advancing each time.

The Bulldogs have advanced beyond the first round of the CCHA playoffs just once since becoming a Division I team in 1979-80. The last time Ferris State won a first-round playoff series, they did so against Alaska-Fairbanks in 1992-93, a season they finished with a 21-16-4 record. The Bulldogs then beat Michigan State in the semifinals at The Joe, but lost the title game to Miami.

This series brings Bob Daniels home. Daniels is a 1982 graduate of Michigan State.

Point to Point

Looking at offense, defense and goaltending, Michigan State has the edge on the Bulldogs in every category.

Three Spartans finished in the top ten in league scoring for the season.

Mike York finished the season tied for third in league points (with OSU’s Chris Richards). In 28 games, York had 18 goals and 23 assists for 41 points. He was third among forwards in power-play points (19), with nine league power-play goals and 11 goals on the power play for the season overall. York had one hat trick and two game-winners in league play. He finished the season at plus 14.

Sean Berens finished the season in sole possession of fourth place in CCHA scoring (26-13–39). Berens was stunning on the first-place Spartan power play, with 13 power-play goals overall, and 12 in league play. Berens had three hat tricks, five game-winners, and two empty-net goals. He finished the season at plus nine through 28 league games. He’s the man to go to in the clutch.

Rookie Rustyn Dolyny (or is that Rookie of the Year Rustyn Dolyny?) finished the season sixth in league scoring with 17 goals and 17 assists in 30 games. Also a major component of the Spartan power play, Dolyny had nine of those league goals on the Spartan man-advantage. Five of his league goals were game-winners, and he finishes the season at plus 13.

For the Bulldogs, the most prolific scorer on the season was defenseman Brett Colborne, one of the league’s most underrated players. Colborne finished the season with 27 league points (7-20), tied for tenth in league scoring with Bowling Green’s Dan Price and Notre Dame’s Ben Simon.

Colborne had two league power-play goals, one shorthanded goal, and finishes the season with a plus/minus of zero throughout 30 games.

Only one Bulldog, Kenzie Homer, finished the season with more than ten goals in league play (11-6–17). Joel Irwin (10-15–25), rookie Kevin Swider (8-17–25), Brian McCullough (10-11–21), and Brent Wishart (10-11–21) are the Bulldog scoring leaders.

One of the strengths of the Bulldog offense is that the scoring is spread around. Any one of those guys–and a number of others, including Geoff Bennetts and Jason Hodel–can score from nearly anywhere. But the Bulldog offense doesn’t create enough chances for that to happen often.

Defensively, there can be no question that the Spartan defense is the best in the league, and perhaps in the country. It’s certainly the best in the history of the CCHA. Michigan State’s league 1.80 GAA represents the best defensive effort ever in the CCHA, period. It’s no coincidence that Ron Mason also coached the second-best defensive team in league history, the 1978-79 BGSU Falcons (2.25 league GAA).

It’s impossible to talk about the Spartan defense without mentioning Tyler Harlton. The senior defenseman, considered the best defensive defenseman in the league, has just one goal and 11 assists in league play (that goal was a game-winner, by the way), but Harlton finished the season with a league-leading plus 27 in 30 CCHA games.

Mike Weaver is another Spartan defenseman who deserves mention. Weaver also had just one goal in league play–also a game-winner–and 14 assists. He finished the season at plus 25 in 30 league games.

For Ferris State, Brett Colborne is one of those rare offensive defensemen who can actually play defense. The Bulldogs have also seen good defensive play from rookie Jim Dube (plus six) and Scott Lewis (minus five), and J.P. Tessier (minus three) just to name a few. The Bulldog defense is good, but on the season Ferris State has allowed more league goals than it has scored (88 for, 106 against).

In net, it’s obvious that Michigan State has the clear advantage. Not only is Chad Alban the best goaltender in the CCHA, but he’s playing in Munn Ice Arena. Alban plays the puck along the boards like Carl Yastrzemski played the Green Monster in Fenway Park.

Alban finished the season with a 1.63 GAA in league play, the best GAA in CCHA league history. His .922 league save percentage is the third-best in CCHA history. He also finished his regular-season career with more shutouts than any other CCHA goaltender (10), the fourth-best record for wins (61), and a lifetime save percentage of .900 (sixth in league history).

For Ferris State, newcomer Vince Owen has shouldered the load on the season. He is the only league goaltender who saw play in all 30 league games. Owen finished the season with a .875 league save percentage, and a 3.27 league GAA. His stats place him ninth among goaltenders with 1,000 minutes or more of league play.

Nuances

Without last week’s penalty-filled game against OSU, these two teams would be nearly dead-even in penalty minutes. Daniels says that his team needs to understand that staying out of the box will help their cause.

"The first thing we need to do is to address the discipline situation. Once we get that covered, we’ll look at different ways to try to solve State.

"Obviously, no one has really been able to figure out how to solve them. We’ll try some different things and see what we can come up with."

There are a couple of things that Ferris State will have to "solve" to get past the Spartans, including Michigan State’s dominance at home, and the Spartan ability to significantly outscore opponents.

Michigan State has never lost a CCHA first-round playoff series at home, in 15 different seasons. The Spartans are 28-4-0 in first-round games at Munn. Michigan State is 16-3-2 in Munn this season.

Michigan State led the CCHA with 110 goals scored and just 54 goals against in league play.

Daniels sounds determined when he talks about this series. "We’ll play hard. We’re going to show up there to win. We’re not going just to play; we’re going there to win."

There’s no doubt that Ferris State will play to win. The Spartans will be playing to win, too, and they’ll do so in two games.

PICK: Michigan State in two–5-2, 5-2

Notre Dame (17-17-4, 12-14-4 CCHA) at No. 4 Michigan (28-9-1, 22-7-1 CCHA) Friday, Saturday, Sunday (if necessary), 7 p.m., Yost Arena, Ann Arbor, MI

The Wolverines finished the regular season with a three-game win streak, including a 1-0 shutout of Notre Dame at home last weekend.

"We’re feeling OK," says Michigan head coach Red Berenson. "I think when you look behind us at the 30-game schedule, we had a much better 30 games than most people anticipated."

Berenson says he’s looking forward to the "new season." "We pushed hard, and I think we pushed Michigan State hard during the regular season. Now we’re looking forward to the next challenge.

"Our leaders are playing well, and I think we’re as ready as we can be."

Before losing to Michigan last week, Notre Dame defeated Northern Michigan twice at home. The Irish finished their season with a 7-9-2 record in January, February and March.

Notre Dame head coach Dave Poulin says that his team is feeling "pretty well" after the second half of the season.

"We played very well against Michigan last weekend. We’re playing very well, Matt’s [senior goaltender Eisler] playing well, and the team is playing well in our own end."

Recent History

The Wolverines swept the Irish in the season series this year, but it wasn’t always easy.

Last week’s 1-0 win might have been an 0-0 tie if it weren’t for Bill Muckalt’s unassisted goal 32 seconds into the game. Notre Dame goaltender Matt Eisler did the proverbial headstand in net, as the Wolverines outshot the Irish 35-18.

Michigan beat Notre Dame back to back the last weekend in April, 7-2 in South Bend, and 5-4 in overtime at Yost. The game in South Bend saw Krikor Arman step up for his first two collegiate goals; Chris Fox and Bobby Hayes each had two points as the Wolverines outshot the Irish 31-27. Each team also went one for five on the power play.

The game the following night would see the Wolverines very nearly lose a game they completely controlled early on. Michigan scored three unanswered goals in the first, then each team scored a goal in the second.

Leading 4-1 going into the third, Michigan replaced Marty Turco in net with Greg Malicke. The Irish promptly scored three unanswered goals–four actually, depending on who you ask. Steve Noble had a goal that was disallowed.

Greg Crozier had the game-winner for Michigan at 3:19 in overtime; he had a hat trick on the night.

In the two-game series, Michigan had three goals on 11 power plays; Notre Dame had three goals for ten tries on the man-advantage. Muckalt’s goal in last week’s game was even-strength.

Ancient History

As it does with most teams, Michigan leads the all-time series with Notre Dame, 47-32-2. The Irish haven’t beaten the Wolverines since Feb. 25, 1995.

Michigan and Notre Dame have met four times in post-season play, with the edge going to the Wolverines. Their last playoff pairing ended with two Michigan wins, as the Wolverines eliminated Notre Dame in the first round of the CCHA playoffs in 1992-93.

With two wins Notre Dame advanced at Michigan’s expense in the first round of the CCHA playoffs in 1981-82. The Irish won a two-game, total-goals series in the 1979-80 WCHA first round; the Wolverines did the same in 1975-76.

Point to Point

As in the series between Ferris State and Michigan State, Michigan has its opponent beat–at least on paper.

Offensively, Michigan has two of the most dynamic players in the league.

Bill Muckalt just missed the league scoring title, with 20 goals and 23 assists for 43 points. Six of those goals came on the power play, where Muckalt was the top scoring forward in overall games. Two hat tricks, six game-winners. Muckalt finished the season at plus 14.

Bobby Hayes finished the regular season tied for seventh in league scoring (with Lake Superior’s Terry Marchant). He had 16 goals and 17 assists in 30 games, including four power-play goals. Hayes is a threat when the Wolverines are a man down, scoring three shorthanded goals in league play. He finished the season at plus 15.

Rookie Mark Kosick finished the season tied for ninth in league scoring (with Miami’s Marc Tropper) with 10 goals and 18 assists. Also valuable to the Wolverines on the power play, Kosick scored nine league goals on the PP, and finished the season at plus nine.

When you’re playing Michigan, you need to do more than control the three Wolverines who finished the regular season among the league’s top ten scorers. Playing only 20 games because of injury, senior captain Matt Herr had 11 goals and 12 assists, including three game-winners. Rookie Josh Langfeld was fourth in team scoring with 11 goals and 13 assists.

Junior Dale Rominski stepped up his game this season to end the year with nine goals and eight assists in league play, and a phenomenal plus/minus of plus 19.

Notre Dame has some decent offense, but the Irish are more role-players than are the Wolverines, which sometimes translates into a lack of offensive consistency.

The top sniper for the Irish is junior Aniket Dhadphale. With 18 goals and eight assists in league play–eight of those goals on the power play–Dhadphale is the Irish go-to man when a goal is needed. Station Dhadphale anywhere to score, especially close into the crease; Dhadphale is not, however, the kind of player who fights it out in the corners, and his stat of minus seven throughout 30 league games says a lot more than mere words can about the kind of player he really is.

The top scorer for Notre Dame this season has been Ben Simon, who’s had a rather quiet second half of the season. Simon finished the regular season in tenth place in league scoring, with five goals and 22 assists. Simon is definitely a player; with two shorthanded goals, two power-play goals and a game-winner, Simon is essential to the Irish offense. He finished the season at plus five.

The Irish have four more players who finished with 20 or more league points: rookie standout defenseman Mark Eaton (9-17), Brian Urick (11-14), Benoit Cotnoir (9-15), and Lyle Andrusiak (6-14). Dan Carlson had three league power-play goals for the Irish.

Defensively, this is a fairly even match. For Michigan, Bubba Berenzweig has made great strides this season, finishing at plus 15 with four goals and seven assists in league play. Dale Huntzicker also finished with an impressive plus/minus (plus 17); Huntzicker was the CCHA Defensive Player of the Week for the final week of regular-season play.

Several of the Wolverine forwards play decidedly defensive games, especially Rominski, whose on-ice maturity is evident in sticky situations.

The Wolverines have allowed two or fewer goals in 22 of their 38 games overall this season, and three or fewer goals in 30 of those games.

Notre Dame has an excellent pair of offensive defensemen in Eaton and Cotnoir. Cotnoir finished the regular season leading all defensemen on power-play points with 19 (4-15 overall). Both Eaton and Cotnoir play as well defensively as they do offensively, and Eaton is simply outstanding on both sides of the puck.

The Irish defense has been a bit short this season, with injuries to Tyson Fraser, Ryan Clark and Nathan Borega.

In net, Marty Turco is a definite advantage for the Wolverines. No other CCHA goaltender has seen as much playoff action as has Turco, and two years ago–lest you forget–he was the goalie of record when Michigan captured the national title.

And just in case you haven’t heard, Turco is the winningest goaltender in NCAA Division I history. Turco finished the season with a league GAA of 2.06 and save percentage of .908 in 29 games. His stats place him second among league goalies with 1,000 or more minutes in net.

Turco can be rattled; you only need to look at game tapes of the series with Miami in Oxford for proof. And once rattled, it’s hard for him to get his head back into the game. But this doesn’t happen often, and it probably won’t happen in the playoffs, where Turco feels right at home.

Matt Eisler took some time finding his feet for the Irish, but once he found them, he stayed on them (unless he was doing the proverbial hand-stand; see "Recent History" above). Eisler is a solid goalie capable of spectacular play. He finished the season with a 2.79 league GAA and .899 save percentage, fifth in the league among goaltenders with 1,000 or more minutes in net.

Nuances

The key to this series between two relatively young teams may be, ironically, experience.

"Turco’s a pretty good playoff goalie," says Berenson. "Certainly I feel good that he can give us stability back there.

"The success of this team is due to the experienced players, especially Turco and Muckalt. Also, players like Rominski and Hayes have matured."

The Wolverines have finished in first or second place in regular-season CCHA play every season since 1990-91, and they’ve had at least 21 CCHA regular-season wins in each of those years.

You can’t buy that kind of success, and the experience it gives your players.

As if to prove they’re ready to take on the world, six different Wolverines have scored the game-winners in the last six Michigan games (Muckalt, Andrew Merrick, Crozier, Berenzweig, Kosick and Herr).

The fact that forecasts this series better than anything else: the Wolverines are dominant in postseason play in the last three seasons. Michigan is 15-3-0 in its last three years in playoff action, including two CCHA post-season titles, three NCAA semifinal appearances, and that NCAA championship.

Berenson is not taking these games as gimmes. "Notre Dame in particular had a pretty strong finish. They’re a strong team physically, and they’re a fast team."

Says Poulin, "We’re a young team going into the playoffs, but we’ve played very well in Yost. Our kids are excited about it."

Berenzweig hurt his knee against Bowling Green, but should play this weekend.

PICK: Michigan in two–4-2, 5-2

Lake Superior (15-16-4, 12-14-4 CCHA) at No. 9 Ohio State (22-11-2, 19-10-1 CCHA) Friday, Saturday, Sunday (if necessary), 7 p.m., OSU Ice Rink, Columbus, OH

Lake Superior is traveling to Ohio State. Sounds like an episode of The Twilight Zone, but this is for real.

Lake Superior had an inconsistent season, and ended the season on a three-game losing streak. There was no shame in the losses, however, since two were at the hands of Michigan State, and the third was to Michigan.

Laker head coach Scott Borek says these last three regular-season games have helped him prepare for the playoffs. "I’d hope it’s really picked up our defensive tempo."

Ohio State ended the season the hottest team in Division I hockey. The Buckeyes are 13-1-1 since Jan. 9, the highest win percentage since then (.900) in the nation.

"There’s no reason for us to let up now," says Buckeye head coach John Markell. "We didn’t let up last weekend." The Bucks ended the regular season with two road wins against Ferris State.

Recent History

The Lakers are one of just three teams to take the season series over the Buckeyes, taking a pair of games in the Soo in mid-December (4-3, 4-2), and

losing 7-0 to Ohio State Jan. 9.

It was, in fact, that shutout that began Ohio State’s current hot streak.

"The 7-0 game was very uncharacteristic," says Borek. "The power play was the difference in the game. I think they had more desire that night than what we had."

Power play or no, Eric Meloche had a goal and three assists in that game; Hugo Boisvert had two goals and an assist. Rookie defenseman Andre Signoretti tallied the game-winner.

In the December series, Terry Marchant had two goals and three assists for Lake Superior; Ben Keup had a goal in each game. Even though they won, the Lakers couldn’t keep Meloche from scoring–the sophomore had three goals on the weekend.

In fact, this season, Meloche has four goals and three assists against Lake, in a series the Buckeyes did not win.

"We played two excellent games against them in December and lost, but that was at the end of exam week, and we traveled up there all day on a Thursday to play them Friday," says Markell.

Ancient History

There’s a long playoff history between these two teams, but all of it has played out in Abel Arena and not in Columbus. As recently as the 1995-96 season, the Lakers eliminated the Buckeyes in two straight games in the first round of the playoffs in Sault Ste. Marie.

Since the 1983-84 season–the last time the Buckeyes hosted a playoff series–Lake Superior and Ohio State have met five times in the first round, with four decisions going to the Lakers. Since that season, the Buckeyes have advanced to the CCHA semifinals only once, in 1985, and it took three games in Lake Superior to do it.

Lake Superior is 9-3-0 all-time against Ohio State in the CCHA playoffs.

The Lakers have an impressive CCHA post-season record of 41-17-0, and an NCAA tournament record of 20-11-1. They have captured the CCHA championship four times, most recently in 1994-95. Lake Superior has won the NCAA national title three times, most recently in 1993-94.

The Lakers lead the all-time series 63-34-7, and hold a 9-1-0 advantage in the last 10 meetings, with their only loss that Jan. 9 game at the OSU Ice Rink. Lake Superior also holds an advantage in games played in Columbus, 24-18-3.

This series marks the first time since 1984-85 that Lake State has not hosted a first-round playoff series.

Point to Point

Offensively, the edge clearly belongs to Ohio State.

The Buckeye finished the regular season with three players among the top ten in CCHA league scoring, including league scoring title winner Hugo Boisvert.

Boisvert is one of the best all-around forwards in the country, period. He led the league in scoring for the entire second half of the season, and finished with 20 goals and 27 assists. Nine of those goals were on the power play in league action; Boisvert was tied for third in points (19) among forwards on the overall power play.

Boisvert had two shorthanded goals, a hat trick and three game-winners. He finished the season at plus 16.

Chris Richards tied Michigan State’s Mike York for third in league scoring at the end of the regular season with 41 points (17-24). Richards is the league’s most underrated player, playing for a team that few people in the league think is for real, which seems to work out for the junior center–it leaves him alone to do his job with Ohio State’s prolific second line.

Richards had four power-play goals, a hat trick (just last weekend against Ferris State), two shorthanded goals and two game-winners. He finishes the season at plus 13.

Eric Meloche is another third of the Buckeye first line, le trio Quebecois. Meloche finished fifth in league scoring with 20 goals and 15 assists, three league power-play goals, two shorthanded goals, and five game-winners.

There’s nobody prettier on the breakaway than is Eric Meloche. He finished the season at plus 12 through 30 league games.

Jean-Francois Dufour is the third member of the first line, and the fourth Buckeye to have 20 points in league play during the regular season (7-14). The rookie had two league power-play goals and two game-winners, but his role on line is mostly to get into the corners and feed Boisvert and Meloche the puck. He finished plus four in league play.

Two Lakers finished the season with 20 or more points, and several others made significant offensive contributions.

Senior Terry Marchant flirted with the league scoring title early on, but finished tied for seventh place in league points (with MSU’s Rustyn Dolyny), with 14 goals and 19 assists. Four of those goals were power-play goals, and three were game-winners. He’s one of the few Lakers to finish on the plus side, at plus seven.

Marchant is slumping lately, however, with just three points (1-2) in his last 11 games.

Jason Sessa finished tied for eighth in league scoring (with Miami’s Adam Copeland). In 27 games, Sessa had 16 goals and 13 assists; seven of those goals were power-play goals. Sessa finished the season at minus five in league play.

Ted Laviolette (6-11), Tobin Praznik (7-8) and Ben Keup (7-6) are Lakers to be watched. Keup is the only Laker to have played in all 30 league games during the regular season.

It took half a season for the Buckeye defense to become solid, but now that it has, it’s a definite advantage, especially in the little OSU Ice Rink.

Lead by senior captain Taj Schaffnit and senior assistant captain Ryan Root, the Ohio State defense is definitely defensive, a system that allows the forwards to light up the lamps.

Best among these defensive defensemen is sophomore Ryan Skaleski, who began his career with the Bucks as a walk-on last year. Skaleski has few points (one goal and two assists in league play), but he finishes the season at plus 13.

Two of the Buckeye defenders are equally adept on both sides of the puck. Root and rookie Andre Signoretti can both score, and are key on the Buckeye power play. Signoretti is fourth among defensemen in power-play points (15) and finished the season with three goals and 14 assists in league play, and a plus/minus of plus 13.

Root finished the season with seven goals and eight assists in league play, and five of those league goals came on the power play. He finished the year with a season plus eight.

In goal, once again, OSU has an advantage. Ohio State has the best one-two punch in net in the league (which is nothing new, if you remember Kurt Brown and Tom Askey).

Rookie Jeff Maund is simply outstanding. He finished the regular season with a record of 15-6-0 in league play, a league GAA of 2.51 and .913 save percentage. Among goalies with 1,000 or more minutes in net, Maund is second in save percentage, third in GAA.

Sophomore Ray Aho is no slouch, either. Aho finished the season with a league record of 4-4-1, an impressive league GAA of 2.24, and an equally impressive league save percentage of .915.

That’s a combined league save percentage of over 91 percent.

A pair of rookies pace the pipes for Lake Superior. Rob Galatiuk has been the go-to man for most of the season. With 1,368+ minutes in league play, Galatiuk has a GAA of 2.98, and save percentage of .894.

Jayme Platt may be playing better than Galatiuk lately, and fans at the OSU Ice Rink may see either one or both of these netminders in this series. Platt finished the season with a league GAA of 3.50 and save percentage of .895.

Nuances

"I think John [Markell] has done an unbelievable job keeping them in line this year, allowing them to be the underdog," says Borek. "For the first time this year, they’re the favorites."

Losing home-ice advantage for the first time in 13 years has certain perks, says Borek. "I think with this team that it’s great that we’re on the road. Being on the road puts less pressure on you. There’s no pressure on us, and there’s an expectation level that the Buckeyes have to do well.

"It’s nice being the hunter, and not the hunted."

Markell doesn’t see the series that way at all. "They’re [Lake Superior] aware of how the series has gone. They’re in the driver’s seat–they’ve beaten us twice."

Part of the reason for Ohio State’s success this season has been the underdog mentality. In spite of how well this team has played, the Buckeyes continue to get little local press, keeping the pressure off–at least for now.

The Buckeyes have surprised many teams throughout the league with how well they’ve played–and that’s part of why they’ve won. Not being taken seriously can be a big advantage.

Markell and his players still think of themselves as the underdogs in this series. "We respect any team we play against, especially a team that has beaten us two out of three."

As good as Ohio State has played this second half of the season, the Buckeyes have become even more dangerous in the last two weeks, with their power play finally clicking. The Buckeye league power play jumped to second place after games against Miami, Bowling Green and Ferris State.

Lake Superior ended the regular season with the best league penalty kill (.907), and ten shorthanded goals. Marchant led the league in shorthanded points (3-3), followed by Sessa (3-2).

Ohio State can also be dangerous when shorthanded. Boisvert tied Sessa for shorthanded points (2-3); watch out for the Richards-Neal Rech combo, which has proven deadly more than once this season.

One big advantage for the Buckeyes is the teeny, tiny, little, god-bless-it-substandard OSU Ice Rink. These games represent the last games to be played in the rink, a barn the Buckeyes have come to love to defend this season. Ohio State is 10-3-0 in the little rink. The place is sold out, and even the pep band has become part of the atmosphere.

The Buckeyes are 13-3-1 in 1998. Two losses were to Michigan, one to Michigan State.

"If we keep our focus right now," says Markell, "I think we’re hard to beat."

And then some.

PICK: Ohio State in two–5-3, 4-2

Miami (19-12-4, 14-12-4 CCHA) at Northern Michigan (17-14-4, 15-12-3 CCHA) Friday, Saturday, Sunday (if necessary), 7 p.m., Lakeview Arena, Marquette, MI

This season hasn’t gone as planned for the Miami RedHawks, who were expected to finish in the top four.

"In life you don’t always accomplish what you want," says Miami head coach Mark Mazzoleni. "We played very, very hard when we lost to OSU; we played very, very hard when we beat Bowling Green."

The RedHawks unraveled in February, compiling a 2-6-1 record in their last nine games. The ‘Hawks finished the season with a 6-5 loss to Bowling Green, which opened the door for Northern Michigan to sneak into fourth place.

"We outplayed them last week, but we didn’t stop the puck."

The Wildcats also struggled toward the end of the season, going 3-4-0 in their last seven games. The ‘Cats ended the regular season with a 5-1 win over Michigan State. Three of the four most recent losses were to Notre Dame.

Recent History

Northern Michigan owns the season series, after splitting with Miami in Oxford in mid-December (3-2 Northern, 5-2 Miami), and winning 5-3 at home Jan. 16.

The games in Marquette were nearly even in shots on goal and power-play goals. The series is interesting in that a number of different players made a difference in each game throughout the year; no one player dominated for either team.

In the first game, Wildcat rookie Fred Mattersdorfer had a goal and an assist, while Miami defender Josh Mizerek had two assists. In the second game, Miami rookie Alex Kim had a goal and an assist, as did Josh Harold.

In the most recent game, four different Wildcats scored, and Tyson Holly had two goals.

Ancient History

The ‘Cats and the ‘Hawks have met 16 times since 1978-79; Northern Michigan leads the all-time series 11-3-1.

The last time the RedHawks won in Marquette was Nov. 14, 1981, a 4-3 overtime game. In Lakeview, the Wildcats lead the series 8-1-0.

This is Miami’s 10th CCHA post-season appearance. The RedHawks are 12-14-0 in the playoffs, including last season’s 2-1-0 post-season record. Last year, Miami swept Ohio State in Oxford before losing to Michigan State at The Joe.

The RedHawks are 2-7-0 in road playoff appearances, and 1-5-0 in the postseason at Joe Louis Arena.

Positively Prehistoric

The Wildcats were originally members of the CCHA, then left to join the WCHA for a while, and have returned home just this season. Rick Comley is the only coach Northern Michigan has had as a Division I team. In his 22nd season, Comley has amassed a 448-375-50 record.

Northern hosts playoff games for the first time since March of 1994, when the Wildcats beat Alaska-Anchorage in two games.

When the Wildcats first played in the CCHA (1977-84), Northern twice won the CCHA championship (1979-80, and 1980-81) on its way to NCAA semifinal action.

The Wildcats possess a 6-1-5 mark in CCHA playoff games at home, and an all-time home league playoff ledger of 18-1-5–which includes a 12-0-0 record in WCHA home playoff games.

The only time the ‘Cats have lost a home playoff game was against Western Michigan in 1984.

Point to Point

On paper, it would appear that Miami has many advantages over Northern Michigan. Appearances, however, can be deceiving, as the secret to each team’s relative success is balance.

Offensively, Miami has it all over Northern–when "it" works. Adam Copeland and Tim Leahy lead the RedHawks in league scoring, each with 29 points (tied for eighth in CCHA scoring with LSSU’s Jason Sessa).

Copeland has 19 goals and 10 assists in league play; three of his goals are on the power play, one is shorthanded, and he had four game-winners in league play on the season. He finished the season at plus nine.

Leahy had five goals and 24 assists in 30 league games; two of those goals were shorthanded. He finished the season plus three.

Four more RedHawks finished with 20 or more points in league play. Marc Tropper (9-19) finished tied for ninth in league scoring (with Michigan’s Mark Kosick); defenseman Dan Boyle (12-13) finished the season plus 13 in league play; the much underrated Dustin Whitecotton (5-20) had penalty minutes in the single digits; rookie Alex Kim (11-10) was plus 17 in league play on the season.

When Miami’s offense plays like a unit–and not like a bunch of individual guys who think they can score–this team is tough to beat.

Like Miami, Northern spreads out the scoring, with 10 players who have six or more goals, and 16 players with 10 or more points.

Roger Trudeau led the Wildcats in CCHA scoring with 13 goals and 11 assists. In 28 league games, Trudeau had one power-play goal, one shorthanded goal, four game-winners, and he finished the season at plus nine.

Next in league scoring is Buddy Smith, who played just 23 league games because of injury. Smith finished the regular season with five goals and 17 assists, and a plus/minus of plus nine. This kid is a playmaker.

J.P. Vigier had nine goals and 11 assists in 28 league games. Vigier is important on the anemic Northern Michigan power play; three of those goals came with a man-advantage. One shorthanded goal, and one game-winner, and a very impressive plus 15 league finish.

Rookie Fred Mattersdorfer finished the season with 11 goals and eight assists in league play. Rich Metro had nine goals and eight assists.

The key to the Wildcat offense is the forecheck; Northern Michigan will just hit you off the puck, creating offensive chances themselves in the process.

Defensively, there’s good news for Miami: Todd Rohloff is back. The senior captain missed half of the regular season with a hand injury. Rohloff is one of the league’s best defensive defensemen. His presence will be appreciated on the ice, on the bench, and in the locker room.

In Rohloff’s absence, Dan Boyle has had to play a more defensive game. While this has taken Boyle off his offensive numbers, he’s proven to be effective in his own zone, perhaps rediscovering skills he had forgotten he had.

When Rohloff left the lineup, Miami had to rethink its whole plan of attack. Without the big defensive presence protecting their own end, the RedHawks have had to play a much more defensive game, rather than the open-style of offense that many forwards preferred.

Miami has a number of good defensemen, including Boyle, Josh Mizerek, Josh Harrold, and Brooke Chateau. It has been difficult, however, for the defense to switch styles in mid-season. Perhaps with Rohloff back on the ice, some players may be able to return to more comfortable roles.

Northern Michigan plays a defensive game from top to bottom, preferring to play close to the vest and waiting for defense to create offensive chances.

The Wildcats’ best defenseman is Curtis Sheptak. In 30 games, Sheptak is plus two, with three goals and nine assists. A pair of Schmidts–Doug and Kevin–shore up the defense.

In net, when Trevor Prior is on his game, he’s hard to beat. But lately he’s been easy to rattle.

Prior finished the season with a league GAA of 2.66 and .905 save percentage. His stats put him fourth in league play among goaltenders with 1,000 or more minutes in net.

Duane Hoey has been the goalie of record for Northern Michigan this season. After a rocky first half, Hoey improved his save percentage significantly, and finished the season with a league save percentage of .883 and league GAA of 2.93. He’s sixth in goaltending stats among netminders with 1,000 or more minutes.

Nuances

One factor that went a long way toward Miami’s tailspin was a lack of leadership, both on the ice and in the locker room. With Todd Rohloff back, the RedHawks could receive the pick-up that they need. It’s a lot to ask of just one player, but it’s do-or-die time; after half a season off, Rohloff is, no doubt, ready to lead.

"We have a huge emotional lift because Rohloff’s back," says Mazzoleni. "He’s our leader, and he’s a big tough kid."

While the Miami offense faltered in the second half of the season, scoring just 1.5 goals per game from Jan. 30 to Feb. 26, the RedHawks finished the season strong, with 13 goals in their last two games.

If the Miami defense is more comfortable with Rohloff back, and if the Miami offense can start producing again…

Miami’s league power play–once among the best–has struggled, and finished the regular season fifth (.168). As mediocre as that sounds, Northern Michigan’s league power play is much worse, finishing the season last in the league (.109).

On the PK, Miami finished the regular season seventh (.820), while Northern finished eighth (.819).

One advantage that Miami should have is experience. Loaded with talent, this Miami team has seen a few playoff games, and this Miami team used to know how to pull out the win.

If positive attitude could win a series, then this one belongs to Miami, just on the basis of how proud Mazzoleni is of his players. "Our team has shown great character through this last part of the season.

"We’ve never quit. I’m very proud of the way our guys have played. We faced adversity, and we persevered. We have the ability to advance.

"I’ve never coached a better group of kids."

Says Rick Comley, "Miami has been struggling a little lately, but they are a talented offensive club. We’ll need a strong defensive effort each night if we’re going to be successful and advance to Joe Louis Arena."

Make that three nights. And Miami in three nights. The RedHawks are the Phoenix.

PICK: Northern 3-2, Miami 4-2, Miami 5-2

This Week in the WCHA: March 13, 1998

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All the playoff posturing, injuries, streaks and statistical battles are irrelevant now. Here’s the bottom line: win four games (five games for some), collect your ticket to the NCAA tournament’s Field of 12.

Now that the dust has settled on a wild season in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, let’s take a quick look at what remains:

North Dakota, as expected, repeated as WCHA champions, tearing through the 1998 portion of its schedule to reach the top spot in the nation, as well. The defending national champs, despite losing their final regular-season game at home, will host non-league invite Mankato State in the first round. The Sioux will without a doubt receive an NCAA tournament berth, most likely the West Regional’s top seed.

Beyond that, however, little is certain. Wisconsin, after a season of ups and downs, stole a key victory at Engelstad Arena, just when it needed to most. Coach Jeff Sauer’s Badgers will play a pesky Alaska-Anchorage bunch that gave them problems a month ago in Madison.

Colorado College, after playing inconsistently all season long, is coming on at the right time, demolishing Michigan Tech this past weekend to assume the league’s number three slot. The Tigers will face intrastate rival Denver, which got the better of CC this year. The team it displaced, St. Cloud State, is struggling when it can least afford to after a surprisingly good year. The Huskies get an equally rusty Michigan Tech.

In the most intriguing first round matchup, intrastate rivals Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth square off up north. While the Bulldogs have been streaking lately, so have the Gophers, who have taken three of four meetings between the teams this season.

So who among the lower five seeds is the best bet to pull a first round road upset? The obvious choice is Minnesota, but don’t overlook Denver. The Pioneers choked this past weekend against a Duluth team that had nothing to gain, but have matched up well against CC this year. Tech and Anchorage could steal a game in their series, but are unlikely to win two of three games.

Mankato State (16-15-6) at No. 1 North Dakota (27-6-1, 21-6-1 WCHA) Friday-Saturday-Sunday (if necessary), 7:35 CT, Engelstad Arena, Grand Forks, N.D.

These two teams played twice in Grand Forks at the end of January, with the Mavericks enjoying a surprising level of success. Mankato tallied nine goals in two games at Engelstad, but gave up 14 in dropping a pair.

Playing an independent schedule this season, coach Don Brose’s team has gone 3-11-2 against WCHA opponents, with wins coming over Minnesota-Duluth, Denver and Alaska-Anchorage. The team hopes to enter the WCHA in the near future, and would like nothing better than a strong showing against the league champions.

They’ll have a hard time doing so. Despite "struggles" lately, losing two of its last four games, North Dakota remains the league’s creme de la creme, the only league team capable of a national championship.

After posting sub-2.0 goals against averages for the majority of the season, freshman goaltender Karl Goehring has seen his GAA "skyrocket" to 2.23 in conference play. He will be tested by MSU forwards Aaron Fox (14-19–33), Tim Wolfe (11-17–28) and Rob White (15-11–26).

Forwards: Mankato’s depth up front was hurt by the suspension of leading scorer Tyler Deis, who was suspended several weeks ago over an internal team issue. Even with Deis, it is doubtful that the Maverick forwards could keep up with the three- and four-line depth of the Sioux. Jason Blake (21-25–46), Matt Henderson (22-12–34) and David Hoogsteen (17-20–37) highlight this bunch, but the talent stretches all the way to the likes of Jesse Bull, Adam Calder, Brad DeFauw, Jay and Jeff Panzer, Jeff Ulmer and Wes Dorey. Advantage: North Dakota.

Defensemen: North Dakota has likely WCHA player of the year Curtis Murphy (6-23–29), as well as steady Brad Williamson, captain Mitch Vig, and hulking rookie Mike Commodore (6-foot-4, 225 pounds). Todd George (5-12–17) and Ben Christopherson (1-14–15) lead Mankato’s blueliners, but are young (a sophomore and freshman, respectively). Advantage: North Dakota.

Goaltenders: North Dakota has Goehring, and the NCAA’s lone backup who started in the NCAA championship game last season. Mankato senior Des Christopher (10-12-3) has his work cut out for him. Advantage: North Dakota.

Picks: Mankato may have played the Sioux tough in January, but this is March, and North Dakota is focused on another national crown. The Mavs will not score nearly five goals per game this time around, although UND might average seven. North Dakota 7-1, 6-1.

Alaska-Anchorage (6-24-5, 5-19-4 WCHA) at No. 10 Wisconsin (22-13-1, 17-10-1 WCHA) Friday-Saturday-Sunday (if necessary), 7:05 CT, Dane County Coliseum, Madison, Wis.

Last weekend, a young player by the name of Peter Talafous came to the Dane County Coliseum and put on quite a show. In two games at the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association state hockey tournament, Talafous scored four goals, including a spectacular slapshot against eventual runner-up Stevens Point, prompting one coach to remark, "He’s just like his dad, isn’t he?"

His dad, Alaska-Anchorage coach Dean Talafous, lit the Coliseum lamp with regularity in the early 1970s, starring on one of Wisconsin’s five national championship teams. This weekend, however, his sputtering Seawolf squad will have difficulty matching his son’s two-game output against the host Badgers.

Bear in mind, these games will not be blowouts. Though Wisconsin swept the season series with UAA, the Badgers never won by more than two goals, and in one instance pulled a Copperfield-esque escape job, winning 2-1 despite putting a school-record 11 shots on net.

The Seawolves are in the midst of a 10-game winless streak, without a victory since Jan.24 over Mankato State.

Forwards: Alaska-Anchorage set a league record for scoring futility this season, averaging 1.65 goals per game overall, 1.61 in WCHA play. Through 35 games overall, UAA has just five double-digit scorers, with no player tallying 10 goals. Clayton Read (9-6–15), Rob Douglas (6-7–13), Stacy Prevost (4-9–13) and Jeff Edwards (7-4–11) are the notables up front. Wisconsin counters with star sophomore Steve Reinprecht (18-21–39), spunky senior Joe Bianchi (13-18–31), flashy freshman Kevin Granato (12-8–20) and scrappy senior Erik Raygor (12-13–25). Brad Englehart (9-4–14), unproductive for much of the season, could be the wild card here, coming off a two-goal game against North Dakota. Advantage: Wisconsin.

Defensemen: Wisconsin’s Craig Anderson (8-26–34) was the league’s second leading blueline scorer behind Murphy, but many of his points come from second assists. Tim Rothering (2-15–17) also chips in offensively, but Steve Sabo (3-10–13) can often be a liability. Duvie Westcott and Mark Leitner lead the Seawolf defensive corps, but both are freshman. Advantage: Wisconsin.

Goaltenders: Wisconsin has somewhat of a controversy here. Does Sauer go with the slightly more experienced Mike Valley (9-6-1, 3.28 GAA, .896 SV%), who started most of the year before a January knee injury, or freshman Graham Melanson (7-4-0, 2.87 GAA, .909 SV%), who rates better statistically, and beat North Dakota on the road? Doug Teskey (6-18-4, 2.72 GAA, .911 SV%) is better than both of these guys, and might have even better numbers with better talents in front of him. Advantage: Alaska-Anchorage.

Picks: Expect a low-scoring, grind-it-out series where a lucky call or bounce proves to be pivotal. Wisconsin 4-2, 2-0.

Denver (11-23-2, 8-18-2 WCHA) at Colorado College (22-11-3,16-10-2 WCHA) Friday-Saturday-Sunday (if necessary), 7:05 MT, World Ice Arena, Colorado Springs, Colo.

An interesting matchup, indeed. Colorado is the hottest team in the WCHA right now, winning seven consecutive games since losing to Denver in early February. Denver, after having seemingly righted its ship after a strong showing against Wisconsin, has gone 1-4-1, with all four losses coming at home.

Still, the Pioneers’ greatest success this season has come against the Tigers. After a 9-1 CC spanking, DU has gone 2-1-1 its intrastate rivals, an effort good enough to claim the Golden Pan.

Defense has been optional in this year’s series. In five games, the winning team has scored six or more goals three times, with a fourth game ending in a 6-6 tie. CC, fresh off 14 goals in two games against Michigan Tech, looks like the best bet to continue this scoring streak.

Forwards: Brian Swanson (15-34–49) is playing like the scoring machine everyone expected him to be, and shared the WCHA regular season scoring crown with Minnesota’s Reggie Berg. He’s getting a lot of help from pleasant surprise Darren Clark (22-20–42), Jason Gudmundson (13-22–35), K.J. Voorhees (17-13–30) and Toby Peterson (13-15–28), who had a hat trick Friday in the romp against Tech. Premier power forward Paul Comrie (17-20–37) leads an underrated Pioneer forward group, and is centered by the capable Anders Bjork (12-18–31). Watch out for winger Mark Rycroft (14-16–30), who may be the league’s top freshman. Advantage: Colorado College, but not by much.

Defensemen: Scott Swanson (7-28–35) has been huge lately, and he and senior Cal Elfring (9-22–31) give Lucia two standout blueliners. Touted freshman Paul Manning has been a disappointment to some CC fans. Joe Ritson (4-12–16) is the top Denver defender, Todd Kidd (1-10–11) is steady, and freshman Bryan Vines has shown promise. Advantage: Colorado College.

Goaltenders: Colin Zulianello will be the man down the stretch for CC, and, like the rest of his team, has played well lately. Overall, the freshman is 12-6-1, with a 2.84 GAA and .881 save percentage. Sophomore Jason Cugnet pitched a 16-save shutout Saturday against Tech. Denver’s goaltending has been less than superb, with Stephen Wagner (9-14-1, 4.21 GAA, .868 SV%) and Ben Henrich (2-8-1, 4.27 GAA, .850 SV%) sharing duties with little sustained success. Advantage: Colorado College.

Picks: CC has momentum, but Denver has the fire. Look for this series to go three games. CC 5-2, DU 6-5, CC 4-1.

Michigan Tech (16-18-3, 10-17-1 WCHA) at St. Cloud State (19-13-2, 16-11-1 WCHA) Friday-Saturday-Sunday (if necessary), 7:05 CT, National Hockey Center, St. Cloud, Minn.

St. Cloud is an interesting case, overachieving all season before fading out of the top three on the final weekend. Since a sweep of Tech in mid-February, the Huskies have gone just 1-5-0, and were swept by Minnesota this past weekend.

After watershed sweeps of Minnesota and Wisconsin, Tech has struggled, and was destroyed by CC Friday and Saturday, losing by a combined score of 14-1. So with two struggling teams, which way will the momentum swing? Will it favor St. Cloud, which has something to prove after being leapfrogged by CC? Or will it be Tech, playing for pride after being jackhammered by CC?

Forwards: While none of them stand out, St. Cloud coach Craig Dahl can throw three solid lines at opponents without experiencing much of a dropoff. Three M’s, Matt Noga (12-16–28), Mike Maristuen (13-13–26) and Mike Rucinski (10-15–25) are the top scorers, with Jason Stewart (11-13–24), George Awada (12-11–23) and Sacha Molin (11-12–23) just behind. Awada is especially dangerous on the penalty kill, having scored three shorthanded goals in a game this season. Andre Savage (12-24–37) has made a strong case for all-WCHA mention this season, despite missing time with injuries. Riley Nelson (16-20–36) is another strong center, while Bret Meyers (16-17-33) ranked second in the conference with seven power play goals during WCHA play. Advantage: St. Cloud State, because of its depth.

Defensemen: Josh DeWolf (8-7–15) is the top St. Cloud defenseman on a unit which has been riddled with injuries to the likes of Andy Vicari and Brian Gaffaney. Andy Sutton (12-22–34) is a plodder who isn’t easily moved, and has eight power play goals overall this year. Freshmen Mat Snesrud (0-14–14) and Adrian Fure (0-11–11) have been impressive this year as well. Advantage: Michigan Tech.

Goaltenders: St. Cloud’s Brian Leitza (19-11-2, 2.97 GAA, .902 SV%), while not a chart-topper statistically, has carried his team more than any WCHA goaltender this season. David Weninger (12-14-3, 3.67 GAA, .878 SV%) has been decent this year, but has not won games single-handedly like Leitza. Advantage: St. Cloud State.

Picks: Two struggling teams face off here, but St. Cloud swept all four games this season. Weighing heavily in the back of St. Cloud’s collective minds is the fact that unless UND, UW, or CC stumble, three victories will be needed to win the Final Five. MTU 6-4, SCSU 3-0, SCSU 5-3.

Minnesota (16-20-0, 12-16-0 WCHA) at Minnesota-Duluth (19-15-2, 14-12-2 WCHA) Friday-Saturday-Sunday (if necessary), 7:05 CT, Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center, Duluth, Minn.

Without a doubt, the most compelling of the first-round matchups. The Gophers just keep on streaking, either sweeping or getting swept in seven straight series. This S-curve dictates a Duluth sweep, but that probably won’t happen here, even with the Bulldogs winning seven of 10 games since two losses in Minneapolis.

While Minnesota just finished an emotional sweep of St. Cloud, at least partially atoning for a disappointing season, Duluth quietly went about its business in Denver. Coach Mike Sertich’s club swept the Pioneers with no seeding implications on the line, in an odd Sunday-Monday series. Could Duluth have more emotional juice left in its batteries?

Forwards: Minnesota is led by the high-flying combo of WCHA leading scorer Reggie Berg (19-18–37 overall) and Wyatt Smith (23-20–43 overall), and capably complemented by Ryan Kraft (9-24–33) and Dave Spehar (17-18–35). Assorted injuries to Stuart Senden and Aaron Miskovich have hurt the Gophers’ depth, but captain Casey Hankinson, winger Mike Anderson, and pleasant surprise Rico Pagel have picked up the slack. Big, bad Mike Peluso (21-18–39) is the top Bulldog forward, accompanied by Jeff Scissons (12-20–32), Colin Anderson (12-17–29), Ken Dzikowski (10-15–25) and Joe Rybar (10-15–25). Youngsters Ryan Homstol (8-14–22) and Shawn Pogreba (11-11–22) have provided depth to this unit. Advantage: Even.

Defensemen: A weak spot for Minnesota. Bill Kohn (4-14–18) is the top scoring blueliner, with youngsters like Mike Lyons and Dylan Mills helping out. Ryan Trebil’s injuries haven’t helped Doug Woog replace the irreplaceable Mike Crowley. UMD’s Curtis Doell (8-21–29) is among the WCHA’s top defensemen, Bert Gilling (1-7–8) is solid, and Ryan Coole (5-3–8) is among the top freshman blueliners. Advantage: Minnesota-Duluth.

Goaltenders: Duluth’s Brant Nicklin (19-15-2, 3.06 GAA, .902 SV%) has improved ever-so-slightly on last year’s solid rookie performance, and can win games by himself. Steve DeBus (13-17-0, 3.07 GAA, .892 SV%) has been inconsistent this year, spectacular at times, shaky at others. Advantage: Even.

Picks: This one will go three games, with the first game setting the tone for the rest of the series. UM 4-3, UMD 5-4, UM 4-2.

CCHA All-Academic Team Chosen

USCHO Staff Report
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Three repeat selections lead the 1997-98 CCHA All-Academic team announced by the league Wednesday, as Michigan State’s Tyler Harlton, Notre Dame’s Steve Noble and Western Michigan’s Jeff Rucinski all return to the team.

Rucinski’s selection marks the 14th consecutive season that a Western Michigan student-athlete has been a member of the team, the longest active streak for any CCHA institution. The complete roster, with school, year and major, is as follows: 

Brett Colborne  Ferris State        Senior, Business Administration
Chris Fox       Michigan            Senior, Anthropology & Zoology
Tyler Harlton   Michigan State      Senior, Political Theory
Steve Noble     Notre Dame          Senior, Finance
Jeff Rucinski   Western Michigan    Senior, Finance
Curtis Sheptak  Northern Michigan   Senior, Accounting

Receiving honorable mention were Lyle Andrusiak (NMU), Matt Barnes (WMU), Jeff Blashill (FSU), Dan Cousineau (OSU), Aniket Dhadphale (UND), Dave Faulkner (BGSU), Matt Herr (Michigan), Shawn Horcoff (MSU), Joel Irwin (FSU), Forrest Karr (UND), Eric Meloche (OSU), Kevin O’Keefe (MSU), Trevor Prior (Miami) and Ryan Root (OSU).

To be eligible for CCHA All-Academic team consideration, a player must be at least a sophomore, and have a 3.00 grade-point average on a 4.00 scale. The team is voted on by the faculty athletic representatives of the 11 member institutions, considering both academic and athletic achievement. Players receiving the top six vote totals are honored as first team members, with all others receiving votes earning honorable mention. 23 additional players received special-mention honors for a nomination.

Selection Without Representation

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The title doesn’t quite have the same ring as taxation without representation, and you won’t be finding Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna dumping tea, or its equivalent, into the Boston harbor. Nonetheless, Hockey East will next year become the first major conference without a member on the NCAA tournament selection committee, and Bertagna is none too happy about it.

NCAA by-laws dictate two representatives from the East and two from the West on the committee, naturally resulting in one from each conference. Historically, when a league member’s term neared expiration, he was for all practical purposes allowed to name his successor. Hockey East assumed that would again hold true this year when Merrimack Athletic Director Bob DeGregorio completed his tenure.

NCAA restructuring, however, has changed the way committee members are chosen. Under the new format, most of the power lies with multi-sport conferences. None of the four existing hockey conferences — not even the ECAC — fits this criterion. So, for example, Bertagna’s appointment to the NCAA rules committee required that he first be nominated by either the Big East or America East, multi-sport conferences that some Hockey East schools are part of.

That these changes would also affect the tournament selection committee, however, came as a surprise. Thinking that it would once again be allowed to name DeGregorio’s successor, Hockey East did not submit paperwork to officially nominate a candidate. As a result, the Division I Championships Committee voted in Quinnipiac Athletic Director Jack McDonald as DeGregorio’s replacement, effective this summer.

Last year, McDonald spearheaded the formation of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), a fifth Division I college hockey conference slated to begin play next season. The MAAC is a multi-sport conference with all the attending advantages within the NCAA power structure.

“We just got caught in this transition where people expected that the same process would be in place, where Bob would name his successor,” says Bertagna. “For the record, the NCAA never sent us anything. I get two to three pieces of mail a week from the NCAA. I open all of it and I look at all of it. We never got anything from the NCAA notifying us of this.

“When I asked them why I didn’t, the answer that I got was, ‘Well, it was in the NCAA News. You should have read it.’ Which I think, given the relationship we have with hockey, was a little short.

“But we’ll take the responsibility. We got caught in this change of the rules.”

Bertagna and Hockey East weren’t the only ones shocked.

“I was taken as much by surprise as anyone,” says St. Lawrence coach Joe Marsh, the committee chairman and ECAC representative. “I didn’t realize that the MAAC would be that involved in it at this point.”

Which gets to the crux of the issue. The upstart league looks like a 5-5, 140-pounder that went into the corner for a loose puck, knocked the 6-4, 230-pound superstar on his butt and then walked in for the winning goal.

“I have no ill will against the MAAC, but I think that them having a representative in place of another conference is a problem,” says Bertagna. “Not just because someone is left out, which will be us for a year, but they’re not even going to have a team under consideration over the next year or two.”

Bertagna and McDonald aired out their differences recently by telephone.

“My point to Jack was,” says Bertagna, “‘At the time that you sought the position, you didn’t know if we were going to have our paperwork in or not. You were just going after the position knowing that if you got it, you’d be getting it at the expense of one of the existing conferences.’

“I just don’t think that’s the way you do business. Did they have every right to do that? They certainly did. But to me, it signaled an aggressive posture when they could have said, ‘How do we expand this committee to five so we can get a representative?’

“If they’d come to every one of the four leagues with that approach, they would have been welcomed with open arms.”

McDonald, for his part, is now left with a measure of happiness and pride at the prestige his new league has acquired before its first season, but also with disappointment that its relationship with Hockey East has gotten off on the wrong foot.

“We’re the new kids on the block,” says McDonald. “We need the help, friendship and respect of Hockey East and the ECAC. In no way, shape or form were we attempting to displace, or make unhappy, our big brothers in this college hockey world. We want to work together and use their resources and their advice and their experience.

“We would prefer good relationships with all our Division I conferences over representation in our infancy years. If anybody deserves not to be there in the first time span, it would be the MAAC hockey league.

“If Hockey East had applied and it had come down to Hockey East or MAAC, I would think it would have been Hockey East. There’s no question that they deserve a place.

“My honest opinion is that if it was good for college hockey for Quinnipiac not to have this slot, that would be okay. I’m not sure that can happen, but in no way, shape or form do we want to be the bad guy in this situation.

“If we could give this back — not that we don’t want it — it’s not that important to us in our infancy to have this position. It’s more important for us to have a good working relationship with the premier hockey conference in the country.”

Although any such reversal appears inconceivable, McDonald’s comments would seem to indicate a genuine hope for harmony with the MAAC’s “big brothers.” At the same time, however, he adds the following cautionary note.

“When we announced the new league in September,” McDonald says, “Joe’s quote was, ‘It’s a whole new landscape.’ This is a perfect example of that. It’s not just the good old boys anymore.”

Despite the controversy, Hockey East followers shouldn’t be up in arms, assuming that their league will be getting the short end of the stick in next year’s postseason.

“The one thing people have to realize is that it’s not a voting process anyway,” says Marsh. “The selection of teams is pretty clear-cut in the criteria. The only real subjectivity involved is when you get into seeding and the avoiding of interconference match-ups.

“So I don’t think it’s something that’s a huge problem. Hopefully, we’ve got things streamlined enough to where the process is going to run smoothly regardless of who serves on the committee.”

Bertagna, though clearly unhappy about the situation, agrees.

“It’s more symbolic that you don’t like to have the situation happen,” he says. “I also don’t think it’s that big a deal in the sense that people that get to positions on any NCAA committee are responsible people. Even though we try to spread the representation to make sure each league is heard, I don’t think that anybody is so single-minded that they don’t do the right thing when faced with a decision.

“Certainly, the chairman of the committee next year, Joe Marsh, who’s a personal friend of mine, is a very honest, straight-down-the-middle guy. He’s not going to allow anything untoward to happen.”

Though largely symbolic, the situation still seems unfortunate and easily remedied. With the MAAC expanding the number of Division I hockey conferences to five starting next year, shouldn’t the committee also grow?

“There has been talk of expanding the committee to five members, but at least this year that will not happen,” says John Painter, a top NCAA ice hockey administrator. “The coming season will see just a four-member committee.”

If that continues beyond just the one year, relations among the Eastern conferences could become further strained next season at this time when Hockey East fields a candidate at the same time Marsh’s term ends.

“I’ve already spoken to Jeff Fanter because I don’t think either Jeff or I should be in this situation,” says Bertagna. “I don’t think we should be competing for a spot.

“What I know will happen is that there will be a movement almost immediately to expand the committee to five as soon as we get through the tournaments and we get our current responsibilities out of the way.”

Ideally, with Marsh vacating one spot and a new fifth one created, Hockey East and the ECAC will each place a representative on the committee next year.

“I would love to make that our first agenda item,” says McDonald.

The only foreseeable sticking point would be Western conferences complaining about no longer having an even geographic split, even if that may be justified by the presence of three Eastern leagues.

“It’s not like this is something where we’re going to have votes 3-2,” says Marsh. “You’re dealing with a situation where the criteria dictate who is going to be chosen.”

The committee is, however, responsible for some subjective decisions that could be viewed as problematic.

“When you’re looking at site selections,” says Marsh, “people could say, ‘Oh, they’re going to favor Eastern site selections.’ But I think the committee, since I’ve been there and for a long time before that, has really tried to balance things out and be fair to everyone. We’ve chosen the best sites, based on the interest and commitment to make it a real event.

“I don’t anticipate an [East vs. West] problem at all, but there are people who could think that.”

McDonald also points to a potential third Western conference — consisting of schools like Air Force, Mankato State and Division II and III superpowers like Bemidji State and Alabama-Huntsville — giving the West a comparable third representative.

Assuming the size of the selection committee can be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction, the MAAC could prove instrumental in achieving things for all of college hockey because of its unique status as a multi-sport conference in the restructured NCAA.

One such topic, a 16-team tournament field with four regional sites, has near-unanimous approval throughout the college hockey community, but has yet to meet NCAA approval because the ratio of Division I teams to a 16-team field isn’t sufficient. McDonald considers this second on his agenda list, trailing only committee expansion.

“Two weeks ago in the NCAA News, there was a cover story on bracket expansion in a bunch of sports,” says McDonald. “Guess which sport wasn’t mentioned? It was very disappointing to me as a college hockey person.

“There’s three things to our advantage in moving to a 16-team tournament. One is the new league. Two, the NCAA restructuring is allowing some federation of ideas and concepts. Three, and most importantly, is the fact that NCAA hockey is one of the highest revenue-producing championships.

“One thing about the MAAC hockey league is that we may not have the best hockey teams as far as the [Ratings Percentage Index] is concerned today. But as my appointment has shown, we do have one of the best, if not the best, representations to the NCAA under the new system because we are from an all-sports conference.

“We may not be able to take on BU, BC, Wisconsin and Minnesota anytime soon, but we do have the ability, through the NCAA structure, to add a fifth member of the ice hockey committee, at least make a good presentation for going to a 16-team tournament and also maybe develop women’s hockey.”

If so, McDonald’s appointment, contentious start notwithstanding, could result in a happy ending for all concerned.

“We’re all in this together,” says Marsh. “We want what’s best for the game. If he’s the guy that can help in that, more power to him.”

This Week in the ECAC: March 6, 1998

By Becky Blaeser & Jayson Moy
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I didn’t hear a fat lady sing, did you?

What was once the largest lead of any first-place team in the nation is now the smallest. Clarkson picked up four points this past weekend and Yale just one, narrowing the battle for the ECAC regular-season title between the two to just one slim point.

Taking a look further down the standings, four points separate fourth from tenth place. After another mind-boggling weekend in the ECAC, does anybody have any energy left?

Let’s run down the facts once again:

Clarkson or Yale will finish first and earn the automatic NCAA bid, and the other will finish second. Those two, along with Rensselaer, have clinched home ice for the quarterfinals. Those three, along with Colgate, Brown, Cornell and Princeton, have clinched playoff spots. Union has been eliminated from the playoffs. Eight of 12 teams still don’t know where — or in some cases, if — they’ll be playing in the first round. I’m still in amazement at the possibilities that exist for the final standings.

Take a look for yourselves: ECAC Standings

Last week’s predictions: 3-9 Year to date: 97-93, .511, 4th

Just when you think you have it all figured out…

Cornell (13-12-2, 9-10-1 ECAC, T-6th) and Colgate (15-11-4, 9-8-3 ECAC, T-4th) at St. Lawrence (7-19-2, 6-12-2 ECAC, 11th) Friday – Saturday, 7:30 pm – 7 pm, Appleton Arena, Canton, N.Y. Colgate (15-11-4, 9-8-3 ECAC, T-4th) and Cornell (13-12-2, 9-10-1 ECAC, T-6th) at Clarkson (18-7-3, 14-4-2 ECAC, 2nd) Friday – Saturday, 7:30 pm – 4 pm, Cheel Arena, Potsdam, N.Y. Earlier this Season: Jan. 30: Cornell 2, Clarkson 1; Colgate 4, St. Lawrence 1 Jan. 31: St. Lawrence 4, Cornell 3; Colgate 3, Clarkson 3

St. Lawrence is teetering on the edge of elimination. The Saints don’t have many chances left to make the postseason dance.

"We have to look at it as being in the playoffs right now," said Saint head coach Joe Marsh. "If we can win two and other results fall the right way, we keep playing. Otherwise, we can put the gear away."

The Saints did take two points this past weekend with an overtime win over Harvard, but lost the next night against Brown while the team they were trying to track down, Vermont, got three points.

"The effort and intensity at Harvard was a real positive for us, but we lost discipline in the second period at Brown on Saturday, and it really hurt us," said Marsh.

Will we be writing about the Saints next week? It’s wait-and-see.

Clarkson has the ECAC Player of the Week in Chris Clark and just a one-point deficit in the race for the regular-season crown. Not bad for a team that started last weekend four points out.

There really isn’t much more that you can say. The Knights are hot, they’re one point behind, and this week they’re rooting for Union and/or Rensselaer while trying to take care of their own business, which is winning — something they have done in 14 of their last 18 league games.

Colgate came away with one point last weekend after a loss to Union and a tie against Rensselaer, but remained in fourth place.

"We’re taking our rewards in little bits and pieces now, because it’s been tough for us in recent games," said head coach Don Vaughan. "We’re going to take this and take the positives out of it and build on it, and realize we’re still in fourth place, head into next weekend and see what we can do."

"You look back at the beginning of the year and you think it’s going to mean a lot, and it’s obviously going to," he added about this weekend’s games. "We’ve just got to go up there and worry about our game."

Cornell dropped to a tie for sixth place after getting swept by Rensselaer and Union this past weekend. Ian Burt took over for the injured Jason Elliott in goal, but was by no means the cause for the losses.

"Ian played great," said head coach Mike Schafer in the Ithaca Journal after Friday’s loss to Rensselaer. "The problem was the guys in front of him who took some undisciplined penalties.

"We took a bunch of undisciplined penalties in the third period (Friday night)," he added. "If you’re going to keep giving them that many power plays they’re going to capitalize, and that’s just what [Rensselaer] did."

The Big Red are two points out of home ice, and need a little help to give the Lynah faithful a home quarterfinal series.

PICKS: Cornell at St. Lawrence: Picks this week I won’t try… Colgate at Clarkson: And let me tell you why… Colgate at St. Lawrence: If you stick that needle in my eye… Cornell at Clarkson: Or even if you make me cry

Yale (20-6-1, 15-4-1 ECAC, 1st) and Princeton (13-8-6, 7-8-5 ECAC, T-6th) at Union (6-21-3, 4-14-2 ECAC, 12th) Friday – Saturday, 7:30 pm – 7 pm, Achilles Rink, Schenectady, N.Y. Princeton (13-8-6, 7-8-5 ECAC, T-6th) and Yale (20-6-1, 15-4-1 ECAC, 1st) at Rensselaer (16-10-4, 10-6-4 ECAC, 3rd) Friday – Saturday, 7:30 pm – 7 pm, Houston Fieldhouse, Troy, N.Y. Earlier this Season: Jan. 2: Yale 4, Rensselaer 2; Princeton 3, Union 1 Jan. 3: Yale 5, Union 4; Princeton 2, Rensselaer 2

After earning only one point this past weekend, Yale’s lead over Clarkson is now just one point. Definitely not what the Bulldogs wanted, but it did nonetheless after a tie to Dartmouth and a loss to Vermont.

"We don’t want to look too far ahead," said head coach Tim Taylor last week. "But we realize what we have to do and our destiny is in our own hands. We don’t have to wait for help from anybody else."

That destiny is still in the Bulldogs’ hands, but they are looking behind now with much more attention.

Princeton came out of last weekend with three points, drawing the Tigers into a sixth-place tie with the Big Red of Cornell. The Tigers tied Vermont and defeated Dartmouth.

The Tigers are getting healthier, and just in time.

"Hopefully we can get some bodies back," said head coach Don Cahoon. "And we can learn from the losses we’ve had."

Rensselaer’s three-point weekend earned the Engineers home ice for the quarterfinals. The victory over Cornell and the tie against Colgate sets the magic number at two points for the Engineers to clinch the all-important third seed for the tournament.

For three straight games, the Engineers came back from a deficit in the third period to tie the game or better. Against Dartmouth and Cornell, the Engineers won, and against Colgate it ended in a tie.

"We had two good periods this weekend, and we came away with three points, but I tell you we can’t keep going on like that because it’s living on the edge," said head coach Dan Fridgen about the weekend and his new Kardiac Kids. "With playoff hockey around the corner, sooner or later it’s going to catch up with us."

Union is finished by virtue of a Vermont tie on Friday evening, but that didn’t prevent the Dutchmen from playing the role of spoiler — a role that a lot of teams hope they take again this weekend. The Dutchmen defeated Colgate and Cornell this past weekend, ruining the Red Raiders’ chance at home ice, and helping Cornell toward the same fate.

Trevor Koenig shut out both teams, 6-0 and 1-0, respectively. That effort earned him ECAC Goaltender of the Week honors.

"It was a bit anti-climatic because we didn’t make the playoffs," Koenig told Ken Schott of the Schenectady Gazette. "But I’m proud of the work effort these guys gave. Knowing that we are out of the playoffs, we could have come in and played the rest of the season out. Instead, we seemed even more relaxed. We left everything out on the table."

PICKS: Yale at Union: I’m going to wimp out… Princeton at Rensselaer: You must hate me, no doubt… Princeton at Union: But before you scream and shout… Yale at Rensselaer: You’ll see what this is all about

Brown (11-14-1, 10-9-1 ECAC, T-4th) and Harvard (9-16-2, 8-11-1 ECAC, T-8th) at Dartmouth (11-11-5, 7-10-3 ECAC, T-8th) Friday – Saturday, 7:30 pm – 7:30 pm, Thompson Arena, Hanover, N.H. Harvard (9-16-2, 8-11-1 ECAC, T-8th) and Brown (11-14-1, 10-9-1 ECAC, T-4th) at Vermont (10-17-3, 7-10-3 ECAC, T-8th) Friday – Saturday, 7:30 pm – 7 pm, Gutterson Fieldhouse, Burlington, Vt. Earlier this Season: Jan. 2: Vermont 4, Brown 2; Harvard 4, Dartmouth 3 Jan. 3: Vermont 4, Harvard 3; Brown 6, Dartmouth 5, OT

Someone answer this question — where did Brown come from, all of a sudden?

With three points, the Bears can clinch home ice in the ECAC first round. Not bad for a team picked to finish 12th in the preseason coaches’ poll.

Damian Prescott and Scott Stirling are heading the charge. Stirling has taken the number-one goaltending job and has gone 7-2-0 in his last nine games, allowing only 17 goals in that span. Prescott has scored 26 points (15-11–26) in his last 13 games.

High times in Providence once again.

Harvard was once sitting in third place in the ECAC, and looking to solidify that position. The Crimson suddenly find themselves in a tie for eighth, and possibly out of the playoffs after losses to St. Lawrence and Clarkson this past weekend.

"It was just a bad, bad weekend. We played poorly," Harvard coach Ronn Tomassoni told USCHO’s Becky Blaeser. "I hope these guys are angry at themselves because that’s the way it should be.

"We’re in a real battle here for the playoffs now," Tomassoni added. "These guys have to decide right here which team is going to show up next weekend."

Just two points this weekend will clinch a playoff spot for the Crimson.

When you talk about Dartmouth and Vermont, see the above. The same applies to the Big Green and the Catamounts — two points, and they’re in.

The Cats got there by taking three points this past weekend, making it seven points in the last two weekends to move up into a tie for eighth place. In those four games, the Cats have scored 18 goals — half of what they scored in their previous sixteen ECAC games.

As for the Big Green, there was only one point last weekend, a tie with Yale. The Big Green have played strong hockey in their last four games, but only have three points to show for it.

"We’re all in this together, but we’ll find a way," said head coach Bob Gaudet. "We’ll prepare all week and we’ll prepare to play hard. Hopefully we’ll get the bounces that we need. I really want these guys to have positive results."

PICKS: Brown at Dartmouth: No matter how much you whine… Harvard at Vermont: And curse this pen of mine… Brown at Vermont: Remember last week, I lost nine… Harvard at Dartmouth: And I want to stay above the .500 line

Next Week — The Party Begins!

NCHA Announces Postseason Awards

USCHO Staff Report
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St. Norbert forward Rob Smillie, who helped lead the Green Knights to their second straight NCHA regular-season championship, was named the league’s Player of the Year, the league announced Monday. The 5-11, 190-pound junior led the NCHA in both goals and points, with 19 goals and 14 assists for 33 points.

Meanwhile, St. Norbert College coach Tim Coghlin has been named NCHA Coach of the Year. Coghlin, who won the award for the first time, led the Green Knights to a 21-4-0 regular-season and a 17-3-0 NCHA record. Coghlin has compiled a 75-49-9 record in five years at St. Norbert.

The 1998 all-NCHA team, consisting of two goaltenders, four defensemen and six forwards, is as follows:

Goalies: Brady Alstead, Wisconsin-River Falls (12-5-1, 2.34 GAA, .913 SV%) and Bobby Gorman, Wisconsin-Superior (13-5-0, 2.52 GAA, .912 SV%).

Defensemen: Mike Donaghue, Bemidji State (8-11–19), Lon Hovland, Wisconsin-Superior (5-15–20), Greg Ambrose, Bemidji State (3-20–23) and Tom Maryshak, St. Norbert (4-13–17).

Forwards: Rob Smillie, St. Norbert (19-14–33), Scott Jewitt, St. Norbert, (14-17–31) Aaron Novak, Bemidji State (18-14–32), Forrest Gore, Wisconsin-Superior (15-11–26), Mike Schauer, Wisconsin-River Falls (12-15–27) and Ben Gorewich, Wiscosin-Superior (10-17–27).

This Week in Hockey East: March 6, 1998

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I don’t have anything to complain about this week.

Neither does Northeastern coach Bruce Crowder, whose team swept UNH in yet another Husky stunner. Everyone keeps waiting for the NU Cinderella season to turn midnight, but it seems these kids can’t tell time.

Their own Roger Holeczy took the KOHO Player of the Week award on the strength of his three goals and one assist against New Hampshire.

BC’s Brian Gionta earned Rookie of the Week honors with his Texas hat trick and assist in a 7-3 win over UMass-Lowell along with a goal and an assist one night earlier.

The Heaton/Hockey East Goaltender of the Month award went to BU’s Michel Larocque for his 6-0-0 record, 1.27 goals-against average and .947 save percentage.

Last week’s record in picks: 6-4 Season’s record in picks: 121-65, .651

Hockey East Standings

Pairwise Rankings

No. 3 Boston University (23-5-2, 16-4-2 HEA, 1st) at

Northeastern (20-12-2, 13-7-2 HEA, 4th)

Merrimack (9-23-1, 4-19-0 HEA, 8th) at No. 3 Boston University (23-5-2, 16-4-2 HEA, 1st)

Thursday, 7 p.m., Matthews Arena, Boston, MA

Boston University swept UMass-Amherst last week, 3-1 and 5-1, putting its impressive stretch run at 12 wins in 13 games. The Terriers have allowed only six goals in their last five and outshot the Minutemen 42-27 and 43-13 on the weekend.

"I thought that from a technical point of view and from an emotional point of view we played very well," says coach Jack Parker. "UMass played real well, much better than in games we’ve played in the past. They’ve improved greatly and Brian Regan obviously played well, making a lot of saves.

"[But] in general, they were games we pretty much controlled. I was happy with the outcome and around the league as well."

Ah, yes, around the league. The Terriers got a big helping hand from Boston’s other ice dogs, the Northeastern Huskies, who swept then-second place UNH. Two weeks ago, BU was not in control of its own destiny, trailing New Hampshire by a point with no head-to-head games remaining. Now, the Terriers are three points in front with only two games left.

Wunderkind Tom Poti completed a rarity for blueliners, collecting his first collegiate hat trick on Saturday. Poti, who might be the top offensive defenseman in the nation, trails only Chris Drury for the team lead in points. Poti now totals 14 goals and 25 assists.

"He just creates things," says Parker. "And when he shoots the puck, it goes in the net. When Danny Ronan shoots the puck, it doesn’t," he adds laughing.

No knock intended, of course, on Ronan, who is known more for his hip checks than his one goal and six assists.

Several milestones were set in the Saturday night home game. Drury became only the fifth Terrier in school history to reach 200 career points, while the win marked BU’s 300th at Walter Brown Arena, dating back to the 1971-72 season.

With goaltender Tom Noble sidelined with a hamstring pull, Michel Larocque — winner of the Heaton/Hockey East Goaltender of the Month award — played both games against the Minutemen and will continue the double duty this week.

"There’s no question that he’s had a great career here so far," says Parker. "He’s been a big-game player for us. We’ve been blessed with two great ones in Noble and Larocque. But Noble won’t be back for at least another week, so it’ll be Larocque for a while here.

"He’s played extremely well. He’s got the best numbers, but he also has the poise. When he’s in the net, everything is calm. He knows how to handle a game and the defensemen in front of him. Everything seems to be copacetic, so to speak, when he’s in the cage. He gives everyone a lot of confidence.

"I don’t think there’s any question that he’s the best goalie in the league. They may be raving about [Michigan State’s] Chad Alban, but I can’t believe that anybody is as good as Larocque and has the future that he has."

On Thursday, the Terriers take on the same Northeastern team that removed most of the drama in the race for the regular season crown with its surprising sweep of UNH.

"We weren’t surprised by it," says Parker. "We’ve had some real battles with them. They’re a real good hockey team. They’ve got a lot of freshman and sophomores, but they’re real old freshmen and sophomores. They’ve played a lot of hockey.

"They’ve got a lot of skill, a lot more skill and confidence up front than they’ve had the last couple years. And, obviously, they’re in the same boat as we are. Their goaltending gives them a lot of confidence and they play real hard in front of him.

"When you have a goaltender that’s as hot as Marc Robitaille is, you’ve got a chance to win any game. They certainly have added to that with great team defense. They’re a much more offense-minded team than people expected they’d be at the beginning of the year."

What a week Northeastern had! The Huskies swept UNH, the number four team in the country, 5-4 and 2-1. In doing so, they rose to 13th in the Pairwise Rankings and now are in striking distance of an at-large NCAA berth.

"We were pretty consistent for six periods of hockey," says coach Bruce Crowder. "Looking back, I don’t think they really dominated like some other teams have done to us for different stretches.

"The other thing for us was just the composure that this young team showed. Obviously, UNH is a tough place to play and they had [Senior Night and ceremonies honoring legendary coach Charlie Holt]. We were able to stay focused throughout the 60 minutes and we got goals when we needed them and saves when we needed them."

Going into the game, Crowder had indicated that facing the second-highest scoring team in the nation would tell a lot about his young defense. With junior David Dupont sidelined by injury and sophomore Aaron Toews’s career ended following the discovery of a congenital spinal problem, the Huskies rolled out five freshman defenseman along with a senior who’d been number eight on the blueline depth chart.

UNH’s forwards, including the top four scorers per game in the nation, had to be licking their chops. By the weekend’s end, however, they were licking their wounds. It was a two-game TKO for the Northeastern freshmen.

"They’re a group that’s getting better and better, probably because, unlike normal freshmen, they have the demands of playing, and playing in key situations," says Crowder. "I don’t think I’d trade them for anybody right now.

"I like what they give us, especially Arik Engbrecht, John Peterman and Mike Jozefowicz. Matt Brown’s getting better because he’s getting a lot of quality ice time and Dougie Carlson’s the same thing.

"We’re still making mistakes as a young team. We’ll probably make them until the end of the year, but they learn from them and a lot of times they don’t make the same one twice."

Roger Holeczy, Hockey East’s Player of the Week, led the offense with three goals, including the Saturday game-winner, and a great assist on Billy Newson’s Friday night shorthander that also proved to be the game-winner.

"He’s really started to come on the last two or three weeks," says Crowder. "He and [Todd] Barclay and Newson are comfortable playing together. That sophomore class was very much like this freshman class. They got a lot of quality ice time last year and they learned from it. They’re just bringing it to the rink every night."

Newson added two goals and two assists on Friday night, but was sidelined for most of the rematch at the Whitt by a groin pull. He is listed as day-to-day.

Brian Cummings has provided some of the muscle to complement the speed and skill of the 5-8 Newson and the 5-9 Holeczy. His big hit, which never showed up in the box score, helped spring Holeczy for the Saturday night game-winner. Up front, the Husky whole has been more effective than the sum of its parts because of the mixture of offense and physical play.

"It’s good, as a team, that you have the ability to do either one," says Crowder. "We’re still not scoring a lot of goals, but I think physically we can play with people. We exploded a little bit outside our norm on Friday, picking up five, but I think you need a mixture.

"You just can’t have a whole group of bangers and you just can’t have a whole group of finesse players. You’ve got to have balance. I like the way our team is shaping up in that regard right now."

The Huskies now own a 7-3-1 record in games they’ve entered the third period either tied or behind. Last year, they didn’t win a single game in that category, prompting a no-nonsense emphasis on offseason conditioning. The sweep over UNH represents two more returns on that investment.

"The kids have got the confidence that if we’re down by a goal or tied or up by a goal, [we’ll come through,]" says Crowder. "Third periods have been pretty good for us this year. Because of that, the kids continue to bring that work ethic to practice and realize that it’s going to pay dividends down the road."

In the Huskies’ last nine games, they’ve faced New Hampshire and Maine three times each, Boston University, Boston College and Army. Even after a gauntlet like that, however, they must now take on No. 3 BU and No. 5 BC to close out the regular season. When asked about the two tough opponents, Crowder laughs and says, "Just replay the last month’s tapes."

"Obviously, both BU and BC are tremendous hockey teams," he adds seriously. "They’re a little bit different. BC’s more of a flowing type of a team. BU’s more of a come-at-you team and a little bit more physical.

"I’m being redundant, but we’ll be a better team come Sunday or Monday morning after playing these two teams."

PICKS: Northeastern keeps it going, 3-2.

Merrimack (9-23-1, 4-19-0 HEA, 8th) at No. 3 Boston University (23-5-2, 16-4-2 HEA, 1st)

Sunday, 2 p.m., Walter Brown Arena, Boston, MA

This could be a game that means a lot or means nothing at all. When the two teams eat their pre-game breakfast on Sunday, they’ll know which of the two scenarios apply.

Unless UMass-Amherst gets at least one win or two ties against Boston College and Maine, Merrimack takes the eighth and final playoff berth regardless of this game’s outcome.

And if BU defeats Northeastern on Thursday night, this game becomes moot for the Terriers, too. They will have clinched the regular-season title already.

As a result, this game could be a meaningless prelude to the two teams meeting in the playoff quarterfinals one week later.

The flip side, however, is that BU could need this game to finish first in Hockey East and Merrimack may need it to qualify for the playoffs.

Either way, Boston University coach Jack Parker doesn’t see much difference in how his team will approach the game. Even if the two teams will be facing in the playoffs, there’ll be no sense of holding back a trump card or two for next week.

"You want to play as hard as you can and as well as you can down the stretch," he says. "You don’t even want to worry about who you’re playing next weekend. It’s possible that it will be…an important game for us as well as for Merrimack, so I don’t think there’s any question that the game will have a playoff atmosphere.

"It will certainly be a different attitude in terms of imminent reward if, by chance, we’ve already gotten the first seed. But I don’t think it’ll be much of a difference, because we’ve had some real battles with Merrimack. It will be important for us to play real hard, just to make sure that we’re on a roll going into the playoffs, too."

Merrimack dropped 4-2 and 6-4 games to Providence, extending its losing streak to a school single-season record of 11. The two games were, in some ways, typical since the majority of the losses during the skein have been by only one or two goals.

"It obviously didn’t go the way we wanted," says coach Ron Anderson, "but I thought we gave ourselves a real chance to win both nights. Providence is a pretty stingy team defensively. We gave ourselves a good chance to win down there on Friday until they got the empty-net goal.

"And I thought the game at our place might have been one of the best games we played all year. I thought we came out and played hard, strong and with a lot of determination. We had ourselves a 3-1 lead, but give Providence credit. They played really well and came back on us."

The latter game was not only Senior Night at Merrimack, but also Anderson’s home farewell. He was treated to a standing ovation from the crowd prior to the game and was greeted by many former team members as he left the ice.

"You need emotion to play this game, game in and game out, and you need it to coach as well," says Anderson. "I’ve always tried to muster emotion out of our players and out of myself.

"Saturday night was a different kind of emotion. It was extremely gratifying to get the send-off that I got, not only from the fans, but obviously from all of my former players that were here. To see them and think that they thought that much of their experience here that it was important for them to come back and wish me well.

"Those are the kind of kids that we’ve been fortunate enough to have come through our program and the kind of personalities and characters that we’ve been able to develop.

"I actually had four of my student managers, kids who aren’t on scholarships and don’t get any of the glitter or glory, come back. One of them was my first student manager from 15 years ago.

"It was heart-warming and extremely gratifying. I really appreciated it."

This week’s opposing coach, BU’s Jack Parker, weighed in on Anderson’s firing.

"They’re not going to find a better coach," says Parker. "It’s obvious that people want change for change’s sake instead of looking in the mirror and changing what they could help Ronnie with. They’re getting rid of a really fine coach and that’s too bad. It’s too bad for the sport, because he’s a great guy, too."

Not all of the milestones were tinged with sadness, however. Rejean Stringer passed the career 100-point barrier, the first Warrior to do so before his senior year. Stringer leads the country with 41 assists to go with his eight goals.

"It’s pretty obvious that he’s developed into the kind of offensive player that we projected he would," says Anderson. "This season is obviously no exception. He’s having a great year, numbers-wise, right up there with Kris Porter.

"I’m glad to see Reggie got there. He’s got great vision and great skills. He really sees the ice well. If he’d shoot the puck more and score some more goals himself, he’d have even more points, but he’s more of a set-it-up guy. He’s got 41 assists this year. That’s a heckuva tribute to his playmaking ability."

Anderson, like Parker, doesn’t see any holding back of special plays this Sunday, even if the game won’t matter in the league standings.

"My style is that we play to win every night," says Anderson. "You use everything you’ve got. We’re not the kind of team that can hold anything back anyways, so you can rest assured that we’ll be using everything we’ve got to try to win the hockey game. That’s first and foremost in our mind.

"It’s always a tough battle against them, especially at their place. We’ve had two real solid outings against them here this year already. We’re still trying to play our best hockey every time we step on the ice. I thought last Saturday may have been our best game of the year. We’re hoping that we can improve on that this Sunday."

PICKS: Merrimack plays BU tough, but the Terriers prevail, 4-2.

No. 5 Boston College (21-8-4, 14-5-3 HEA, 2nd) at UMass-Amherst (6-23-2, 3-18-1 HEA)

No. 5 Boston College (21-8-4, 14-5-3 HEA, 2nd) at

Northeastern (20-12-2, 13-7-2 HEA, 4th)

Wednesday, 7 p.m., Mullins Center, Amherst, MA

Saturday, 7 p.m., Matthews Arena, Boston, MA AudioNet

Last week, Boston College swept UMass-Lowell, 5-4 and 7-3.

A major factor was its power play, which capitalized on two of three chances on Friday night, including the game-winner with three minutes left, and three of eight chances on Saturday. It now ranks first in Hockey East in league games (27.4 percent) and second overall (27.9 percent).

In the waning minutes of a 4-4 game on Friday, coach Jerry York put that success in perspective for his team as it went on the fateful man advantage, telling his players, "All the statistics tell us that we have [one of] the top power plays in the country, but to be a real effective unit, you’ve got to be able to score when you really need a goal. Let’s throw out the statistics and let’s get one because we need it."

They got it.

Last year’s four-freshmen-and-a-sophomore unit has been supplemented by this year’s freshmen, Brian Gionta and Bobby Allen, as well as benefiting from an extra year of maturity, according to Blake Bellefeuille.

"Last year, we were all new guys," he said. "We all played together last year, so we had some experience coming into this year.

"Our power play is pretty simple. We just try to wrist it down to the net, get position and whack rebounds in. It’s really been working for us lately."

In addition to his game-winner on the power play, Bellefeuille added an even-strength goal, also in the third period, and an assist in the 5-4 win. It marked his second straight two-goal game.

"He’s becoming a dominant player in this league," says York. "He’s had a hot stick recently. He’s so strong on his skates. He’s not very tall, but he’s 195 pounds. He’s hard to play against."

The Saturday night game at Conte Forum turned into the Brian Gionta and Marty Reasoner show, with both players totaling five points. Gionta got a Texas hat trick and an assist while Reasoner assisted four times and put one in the net himself.

The two have been torrid of late. Gionta, the league’s Rookie of the Week, now has hat tricks in two of the last four games. Reasoner has at least two points in each of the last five contests for a total of 15, passing York among all-time BC scorers.

"I benched him just before that," says York with a laugh. Becoming serious again, he adds, "He’s a lot better player than I was."

The dynamic Gionta represents the Eagles’ best complement to Reasoner since David Hymovitz two years ago. He has now accumulated 23 goals and 19 assists and is a shoo-in for Hockey East Rookie of the Year.

"Brian has tremendous quickness and anticipation," says York. "Just when you think you have him, he’s got that extra speed that jumps in….We’ve known from real early that he’s a special player. Now he’s really giving it and going."

Along with Reasoner, Mike Mottau factored prominently in helping create some of Gionta’s opportunities. The defenseman has now scored in the last seven games, totaling 14 points.

"Brian was on the receiving end of some great passes," says York. "You can’t discredit the people that moved the puck to him.

"Brian finishes so well. He just has a great knack for scoring goals. He’s a fearless competitor.

"He’s had a great year, but he reflects our team. Our team is getting better. It’s great playing with Marty Reasoner. I’d like to come back and play with Marty."

The other Marty, defenseman Marty Hughes, returned to action after missing eight games with a broken ankle. Without him, BC typically dressed only five defensemen.

"He looked better than I expected," says York. "When he gets a little more confident with his ankle, he could be back where he was earlier. He’ll certainly be a catalyst for us down the stretch."

Unsung heroes Ken Hemenway and Jamie O’Leary were honored on Saturday night as BC’s only seniors.

"This is the first time that they’ve been playing for anything in February," says York. "They don’t get a lot of publicity, but they’re integral parts of our club and have given us good upperclass leadership. I’m very pleased with the way both Kenny and Jamie are playing."

The Eagles can now theoretically finish as high as first or as low as fourth. They open with a Wednesday night makeup against UMass-Amherst of a Jan. 23 contest postponed because of weather. They then take on a Northeastern team fresh off a surprising sweep of UNH.

"Nothing surprises me in our league this particular year," says York. "Our depth this year is so good.

"Marc Robitaille really changes the game right around for Northeastern. They go from a 7 to a 10 when he’s in the net."

Even though the Huskies may be "a 10," York likes what he sees in his own team.

"Late in the season, with a lot at stake, you want your team to be playing its best hockey," he says. "I think right now we’re playing our best hockey of the year.

"We’ve got some good strength on our skates. We’re tough to knock off the puck. We seem to be moving the puck very unselfishly and creatively. That makes us a dangerous offensive team."

(Northeastern is previewed above.)

UMass-Amherst lost two to BU, 3-1 and 5-1, last weekend.

"We went into the third periods the two nights [down just] 1-0 and 2-1," says coach Joe Mallen. "I thought we tactically played pretty well both nights up to that point. The second night, there was just no doubt that the difference in the game was Poti and Drury. Poti had a hat trick in the game. That’s a pretty special thing for a defenseman in this league to do.

"But I thought we played well, overall. It was the same thing for us, struggling to score goals. We did a great job on our penalty kill against them. They were just 1-for-12 on the weekend. So we were pleased with that.

"Right now, we just have to put those two games behind us and get ready for our two games this week."

In facing BC on Wednesday, the Minutemen take on a team with a five-game win streak.

"It seems like they’re flying right now," says Mallen. "They had two big wins over UMass-Lowell. They came from behind and scored a lot of goals. To me, they look like they’re playing like the BC teams of old. They’ve got great skill and move the puck. They’re just a tough team to play against."

With Reasoner and Gionta forming one of the hottest combinations in the league, Mallen could opt to match a defensive line whenever BC’s top unit is on the ice.

"Every team tries to make some sort of match-ups," says Mallen. "It just depends on the flow and tempo of the game. Going into it, I don’t know if I want to put individual people on those guys, but it’s our home game and we have the last change, so we can put on whoever we want."

PICKS: BC takes two, 4-3 over Northeastern and 5-3 over UMass-Amherst.

No. 6 New Hampshire (22-8-1, 14-7-1 HEA, 3rd) at

Providence College (15-15-3, 9-12-2 HEA, 7th)

No. 6 New Hampshire (22-8-1, 14-7-1 HEA, 3rd) at UMass-Lowell (13-15-3, 10-10-3 HEA, 5th)

Friday, 7 p.m., Schneider Arena, Providence, RI

Saturday, 7 p.m., Paul E. Tsongas Arena, Lowell, MA FOXNE

Superstitious New Hampshire fans have got to be muttering, "Hendrickson, please shut up!" Two weeks ago, I promised a trip to the Final Four. Since then, the Wildcats have lost to UMass-Amherst and then suffered last week’s 5-4 and 2-1 losses to Northeastern.

Against UMass-Amherst, the Wildcats could tip their fedora to Minuteman goaltender Brian Regan and figure that they wouldn’t lose many games in which they outshot their opponent 41-18. Sean Matile’s sub-par performance wasn’t likely to be repeated.

The double-dip to Northeastern, however, wasn’t simply a matter of an opposing netminder standing on his head. The Huskies displayed a surprising ability to skate with the best offensive team in the East.

"I’m not surprised that they were difficult hockey games," says coach Richard Umile. "They’re a very good team and they played well. We could have won both games by a goal, but we lost both games by a goal.

"Obviously, we feel disappointed, but it isn’t like we were supposed to go in there and beat up on them. They’re a good team, they’re playing well and you’ve got to give them credit. They found a way to win and we’re finding ways not to score goals when we have opportunities."

On Friday night, Northeastern not only shut down the UNH power play which went 0-for-7, but also added two shorthanded strikes.

"Specialty situations hurt us," says Umile. "We had our opportunities to score goals, but we’re a little snakebitten right now."

FOX New England play-by-play announcer Sean Grande noted in the Saturday telecast that UNH is 19-1-0 in games which it led going into the third period, the lone loss being two weeks ago to UMass-Amherst. The Wildcats are only 3-7-2, however, in games in which they were tied or trailed entering the final stanza.

From a purely statistical point of view, one would expect teams to have losing records in such circumstances and winning ones when they lead. Even so, UNH’s losses in both games after being tied going into the third prompted questions of whether there was a tangible factor at work or if it was a statistical fluke.

"I think it’s probably statistical," says Umile. "If you look at the games [against Northeastern], both teams played good third periods. They scored on their opportunities and we didn’t."

Now, for the first time in two years, UNH enters a weekend with no chance at first place.

"You have to look at it positively," says Umile. "We have home ice for the playoffs. Who we’re going to play is irrelevant this season more so than other years, because every team is good in the league.

"It’s going to be a tough first round for anyone that has home ice because of the parity within the league. So you’ve just got to be playing good hockey.

"Right now, we’re not playing with the confidence we were playing with two weeks ago. The important thing is that we have to play solid, two-way hockey with confidence and win these games."

Like UNH, UMass-Lowell lost two last weekend, dropping 5-4 and 7-3 games to Boston College.

The Friday night contest at the Tsongas Arena went down to the final four minutes tied, 4-4, until a marginal Lowell penalty opened the door for the formidable BC power play which capitalized.

"The difference in the end was the power play with [four] minutes to go in the game," says coach Tim Whitehead. "They’ve got a good power-play unit and they converted

"It was a real up-and-down game for both teams. There were a lot of turning points in that game. We didn’t play our best hockey, but it was still winnable. A couple penalties that we took at the wrong times cost us."

The River Hawks also allowed three critical two-on-ones in a one-minute span early in the third period that BC turned into two goals. They sorely missed All-Hockey East defenseman Mike Nicholishen, who was serving a one-game suspension for a game disqualification.

His return to the lineup on Saturday, prompted BC coach Jerry York to observe, "Nicholishen in the lineup makes them a lot better club. He gives us a lot of trouble. He’s strong and he moves the puck well."

Although the River Hawks entered the Saturday third period tied, 3-3, they surrendered four unanswered goals to create the final 7-3 score.

"Boston College earned the sweep," says Whitehead. "They definitely deserved it. They were the better team. They have a couple exceptional players, but they’ve got a real solid team, even though Reasoner and Gionta dominated the scoresheet."

One silver lining in the cloud was the play of Chris Bell, who scored three goals and added an assist on the weekend. Bell, a solid freshman last year who was overshadowed by Rookie of the Year Greg Koehler, now has 13 goals and 12 assists.

"He was a bright spot for us, but I don’t think he’s real excited about it," says Whitehead. "We’re going to need him playing that way down the stretch for us. That’s what he did last year and we expect the same thing this year. He really competes and it pays off for him."

Lowell now prepares for its one remaining game of the season, the home finale against UNH. A win would clinch fifth place.

"It’s the last home game for our seniors, so it’ll be a special night there at the Tsongas," says Whitehead. "The important thing for us is to refocus and bounce back. A loss is like a win. You’ve got to put it out of your head and get back to business for the next week.

"In the month of February, we’ve faced some real good competition. We feel that going into the playoffs that’s only going to help us."

Providence had the yang to UNH’s and Lowell’s yin last week, sweeping Merrimack 4-2 and 6-4. Although the Friars will still likely finish in seventh place, the wins were most welcome considering PC’s 1-10-2 record in its previous 13.

"The weekend was obviously good," says coach Paul Pooley. "We won two, which was great.

"Friday night, we played real well, limited their shots and played pretty well defensively.

"On Saturday, we did what we had to up there. Merrimack came up with a lot of energy and emotion for Ron [Anderson’s final home game] and Senior Night. So it was a good win."

Captain Mike Mader has joined Mike Omicioli and Fernando Pisani on the Friar’s top line. Each scored a goal on Saturday. Mader and Pisani also scored on Friday.

Another line, of Troy Lake, Jon Coe and Jon Cameron, also put the puck in the net well, with Lake and Coe each getting goals in both games.

"I thought Boyd Ballard played very well for us on Saturday, as well as Lake, Coe and Cameron," says Pooley. "Even though Omicioli, Pisani and Mader got a goal each, I thought Coe’s line really played well."

The Friars finish their regular season with one game against UNH. Whether they are catching the Wildcats at the right time or wrong time remains to be seen.

"It’ll be a tough test even though they’ve dropped a little bit," says Pooley. "We’ve just got to be ready to play. Hopefully, we’ll get playing a little bit better as well with our specialty teams and go into the playoffs strong."

PICKS: UNH doesn’t stay snakebit for long. The Wildcats take two, 5-4 over Lowell and 5-3 over Providence.

Maine (14-14-3, 10-11-2 HEA, 6th) at UMass-Amherst (6-23-2, 3-18-1 HEA)

Friday, 7 p.m., Mullins Center, Amherst, MA

Maine had one of the oddest weekends in recent memory, slaughtering Nebraska-Omaha 11-0 on Friday night before losing the rematch 4-3.

"Friday night, we were on all cylinders," says coach Shawn Walsh. "Saturday night, we did everything but finish. We limited their chances; they had three shots in the third period and scored twice. Those types of things happen.

"We knew going in that the games didn’t count, so I played [senior goaltender] Javier Gorriti in his first game on Saturday night. It was Senior Night and I thought he deserved that for his loyalty to the program.

"Unfortunately, it backfired….But we actually played pretty well. We had 70 attempts to 28. I’ll take that any time in terms of territorial domination. The pucks just didn’t go in the net.

"I’m not so much concerned about the outcome as I am pleased with how we’re playing.

"Our biggest concern, obviously, is Stevie’s injury."

Steve Kariya (23-23–46) suffered a collapsed lung early in the Saturday game when he was hit while holding his breath, resulting in the puncture.

He is expected to be out for this week’s action, but is probable for the playoffs if the lung seals itself soon, which, according to doctors, happens in 98 percent of all cases. If not, however, Kariya could miss the playoffs.

"That’s a big loss," says Walsh. "Our major concern right now is just making sure that he’s healthy."

The Black Bears have also lost sophomore defenseman Jason Price, who left the team to play major junior hockey in Canada.

They now travel to Amherst where they finish out the season against a team they swept in Orono, 6-1 and 12-2. Since then, however, the Minutemen have played improved hockey.

"They certainly have played everybody tough and this will be different, playing in their rink," says Walsh. "The game will obviously mean a lot towards seeding, depending on how the games earlier in the week go. We can finish anywhere from fifth to seventh.

"In a way, we can dictate, within some semblance of reason, who we’re going to play by our performance in this game. We want to get to .500 and finish as high as we can — that’s our goal — and certainly try to go into the playoffs with a little momentum."

Hockey East teams under NCAA consideration will also be viewing this game closely, apart from its effect on the league standings. A win or tie makes Maine a "Team Under Consideration" for the Pairwise Rankings and hence the NCAA tournament. As a result, teams that did well against the Black Bears will want to see Maine win.

This, naturally, results in some delicious ironies. BU fans must root for the Black Bears because of the 3-0-0 Terrier record against them. One can hear the groans of discomfort from the Babcock Street stands already.

The same holds true for UNH (3-1-0) and Northeastern (2-1-0). Boston College (1-1-1) can safely be apathetic.

UMass-Amherst (previewed more fully above), could need this game to gain a playoff berth and pay back Maine for the 12-2 beating it inflicted on the Minutemen when the two teams last met three weeks ago.

"Some coaches say that revenge isn’t great motivation, but I think our guys are going to be particularly up for the game," says coach Joe Mallen.

"It was certainly a big change and turn of events from Friday and Saturday night in Orono last week [when Maine defeated Nebraska-Omaha 11-0 only to lose one night later 4-3]. We just want to make it a completely different game than the ones we saw up in Orono."

PICKS: Maine 5-3.

This Week in the CCHA: March 6, 1998

By
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It should be mentioned that this list is not an official endorsement by USCHO; nor was the all-rookie team of last week. It’s just the official Girl Reporter’s All-CCHA Team. If I were picking sides, these are the guys I’d want on my team.

Goalies

As I’ve been saying all season long, hands-down, without a shadow of a doubt, the best all-around goaltender in the CCHA is Michigan State’s Chad Alban.

Much has been said about Alban playing behind one of the country’s best defenses, that perhaps he hasn’t had to work as hard as other goaltenders, that perhaps his teammates deserve as much credit for his incredible 1.65 league goals-against average as he does himself.

That’s just a lot of noise. The outstanding Spartan defense cannot take credit for a .920 league save percentage. Chad Alban is saving 92 percent of the shots that incredible defense lets through in league play. In over 1561 minutes.

There may be other goalies with comparable in-net skills — super-fast reflexes, great eyes for the puck — but no one handles the puck better than Alban does outside of the net. He is, quite literally, Michigan State’s third defenseman whenever he’s in the game. And he’s always in the game.

He’s the best in the league. Period.

Deserving of mention: Marty Turco (UM), Trevor Prior (MIA), Jeff Maund (OSU)

Defense

The two defensemen chosen here couldn’t play two more different styles of hockey, but each has proven invaluable to his team.

It is the consensus in the CCHA that Tyler Harlton is the best defensive defenseman in the league. It is the consensus, because it’s true.

Harlton has hockey sense like nobody’s business. He can play his man, play a zone, play the trap — play it all — and he can, occasionally, make a difference on an offensive play, which is pure gravy where this guy is concerned.

Harlton has one goal and 11 assists in league play, and he leads the CCHA in league plus/minus at plus 26.

There will be much squawking about the selection of the second defenseman, but I don’t care. If I were picking sides, I’d take Ferris State’s Brett Colborne in a heartbeat.

This is a rare blueliner who can score without sacrificing defensive play. His 26 league points (7-19) lead the Bulldogs in scoring. He’s tied for third among defensemen for power-play points (2-13–15).

Colborne has just 20 penalties for 40 minutes, scored one shorthanded goal, and he’s plus three. He plays with intelligence and heart.

Deserving of mention: Mike Weaver (MSU), Dan Boyle (MIA), Mark Eaton (ND), Benoit Cotnoir (ND), Ryan Skaleski (OSU)

Offense

For those of you who follow the entire league from week to week, the names of these three players will come as no surprise, and it just makes sense that these three have led the league in scoring all season long. Here they are, presented in the order of league scoring as of this writing.

Ohio State’s Hugo Boisvert has been flirting with the league scoring title for more than half the season. This sophomore is one of the best players on both sides of the puck in this or any league. As adept at scoring goals as he is at feeding a linemate, Boisvert is not afraid to get into the corners to work the puck. He’s been important on both the OSU power play and penalty-killing units.

Through 28 league games, Boisvert has 18 goals and 23 assists for 41 points. He has two shorthanded goals, one hat trick, three game-winners and two empty-netters. He’s plus 13 in CCHA games. Boisvert has 16 points on the power play: nine goals (eight of them in league games) and seven assists.

Bill Muckalt has emerged from the shadow of The Michigan Nine in ways that few expected. No one ever doubted that Muckalt was a good player, but few knew just how good.

In 28 league games, Muckalt has 19 goals and 21 assists for 40 points. Six of those goals came on the power play; in fact, he leads all CCHA forwards in power-play points with 27 (11-16).

Two hat tricks. Five game-winners. Three empty-netters. Plus 13. What a player.

Mike York has remained near the top of CCHA scoring in spite of playing two fewer games than Boisvert and Muckalt (thanks to time spent at the World Juniors).

In 26 games, York has 18 goals and 21 assists for 39 points. He is, perhaps, the most graceful forward in the CCHA this season. If hockey players were given style points, York would blow away the competition.

He has one hat trick, two game-winners and two empty-netters, and he’s plus 14. With 11 goals and seven assists, York is integral to the outstanding Michigan State power play, currently first in the league and performing at an incredible 24.8 percent.

Deserving of mention: Sean Berens (MSU), Bobby Hayes (UM), Chris Richards (OSU), Terry Marchant (LSSU), Eric Meloche (OSU), Adam Copeland (MIA)

So there you have it, the Girl Reporter’s 1997-98 All-CCHA team: Chad Alban, Tyler Harlton, Brett Colborne, Hugo Boisvert, Bill Muckalt and Mike York.

So who’s the player of the year? Michigan’s Marty Turco. Confused? Don’t be.

Turco was, quite simply, the most valuable player to his team this year. He is the reason why Michigan was able to win so many one-goal games early on, why the Wolverines were able — are still able — to threaten to take the regular-season title, even though they’re working with a lot less on the ice than they have for the last four years.

This was the year for Turco to prove himself behind a defense that wasn’t nearly as good as what he was used to playing with for three years. And the senior netminder rose to the challenge, proving many disbelievers — including this girl reporter — wrong in the process.

In 27 league games, Turco is 19-6-1, with a GAA of 2.07 and a save percentage of .908. In 1565:40 minutes of CCHA play, Turco has saved 530 shots on goal.

Is he the best player in the league? No, but "best" is not the thing that matters.

Next week: The Girl Reporter’s unofficial list of the best and worst in the CCHA, and we ain’t just talking about what happens on the ice, either.

And Now for Your Regularly Scheduled Preview…

Perhaps before we even begin, we should consider subtitling this preview "The Big Ten." After all, it’s the first time in over a decade that the three teams who will finish one-two-three in the league are Big Ten schools.

Just had to get that out of the way.

It’s three in the morning, and you can’t sleep. You toss and turn, because you’re thinking about the CCHA league standings. Who’s going to come in first?

More importantly — and far more interesting — who will be in sixth when all is said and done? Who in eighth?

With just one weekend of hockey left in the regular season, only one of the top eight spots has been decided. No. 10 Ohio State (that bears repeating — number ten Ohio State) has sewn up third place.

Here’s what teams in the league did last weekend. No. 1 Michigan State beat Lake Superior 4-2, and Ferris State 6-3.

No. 4 Michigan lost to Ferris State 2-1, and beat Lake Superior 5- 2.

No. 10 Ohio State beat Miami 3-1, and Bowling Green 5-2.

Miami lost to OSU 3-1, and beat Bowling Green.

Northern Michigan lost two games to Notre Dame, 3-1 and 5-2.

Lake Superior lost 4-2 to Michigan State, and 5-2 to Michigan.

Ferris State beat Michigan 2-1, and lost to Michigan State 6-3.

Western Michigan and Alaska-Fairbanks tied 4-4, Western won 8-1, and Fairbanks won 4-1.

Here’s the playoff situation:

No. 1 Michigan State is in first place with 44 points. The Spartans travel to Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie this weekend. With just one point on the weekend, Michigan State will take the regular-season title.

No. 4 Michigan is in second place with 41 points. The Wolverines travel to Bowling Green and host Notre Dame. Michigan can take the regular-season title, but only if the Wolverines win both games and the Spartans lose both games. Michigan State has the tiebreaker on Michigan with the season-series sweep.

No. 10 Ohio State is in third place with 35 points, and that’s where the Buckeyes will stay. With a game in hand and three points on fourth-place Miami, even if Ohio State loses both games, the Bucks still stay in third. They can’t catch either Michigan or Michigan State. OSU travels to Big Rapids for two this weekend.

With 32 points, Miami is clinging to that precious fourth spot in the league standings. With a win over Bowling Green this weekend, the ‘Hawks are guaranteed home ice. If they lose, however, they leave open the door for…

…Northern Michigan. In fifth place with 31 points, the Wildcats can finish in fourth place if Miami loses to BG and if Northern beats Michigan State and if Ohio State beats Ferris State twice.

Now here is where the sticky part begins: positions six through eight.

Lake Superior and Notre Dame have identical league records of 12-13-4; each has 28 points.

With a record of 12-13-3, Ferris State has 27 points, in eighth place, but has a game in hand on both Lake and ND.

Lake Superior has the tiebreaker over Notre Dame (2-0-1). Ferris State has the tiebreaker over Lake Superior (2-1-0). Notre Dame has the tiebreaker over Ferris State (1-1-1, 15 GF, 10 GA). Ferris State has the tiebreaker over Northern Michigan (2-1-0).

In the case of a three-way tie in points between Ferris State, Lake Superior and Notre Dame, Ferris State earns sixth place, Lake Superior takes seventh, and Notre Dame takes eighth. Ferris and Lake both went 3-2-1 head to head with Notre Dame and each other, and Ferris State has the tiebreaker on Lake Superior.

The Lakers host one game against Michigan State; Notre Dame hosts one game against Michigan. Ferris State hosts Ohio State for two.

Lake Superior takes sixth place if:

The Lakers win and Ferris State takes two or fewer points from Ohio State. The Lakers tie and Notre Dame takes one or no points from Michigan, and Ferris State takes two or fewer points from Ohio State. The Lakers lose, and Notre Dame loses to Michigan and Ohio State takes four points from Ferris State

Lake Superior takes seventh place if the Lakers lose to Michigan State, and Notre Dame beats or ties Michigan and Ferris State takes no points from Ohio State.

Lake Superior takes eighth place if the Lakers lose to Michigan State, and Notre Dame beats or ties Michigan and Ferris State takes a point or more from Ohio State.

Notre Dame takes sixth if the Irish tie or beat Michigan, and Lake Superior loses to Michigan State and Ferris State takes one or no points from Ohio State.

Notre Dame takes seventh if the Irish lose to Michigan, and Lake Superior ties or beats Michigan State and Ferris State takes one or no points from Ohio State.

Notre Dame takes eighth if the Irish lose to Michigan and if Ferris State takes two or more points from Ohio State, regardless of whether or not Lake Superior wins.

Ferris State takes fifth if the Bulldogs take four points from Ohio State and if Northern loses to Michigan State.

Ferris State takes sixth if:

The ‘Dogs take four points from Ohio State and Northern beats Michigan State. The ‘Dogs take two or more points from Ohio State and Lake Superior and Notre Dame both lose. The ‘Dogs take three points from Ohio State, whether or not Lake Superior beats Michigan State, as long as Notre Dame loses to Michigan.

Ferris State takes seventh if the Bulldogs take two points from Ohio State while Lake Superior takes a point from Michigan State — that is, if Notre Dame loses to Michigan.

Ferris State takes eighth if the Bulldogs take no points from Ohio State, or if they take one point from Ohio State and Lake Superior takes a point from Michigan State, and Notre Dame loses to Michigan.

Dammit, Jim, I’m a writer, not a statistician!

Last week’s record in picks: 7-2 Overall record in picks: 118-73

No. 1 Michigan State (28-4-5, 20-4-4 CCHA) at Lake Superior (15-15-4, 12-13-4 CCHA) Friday, 7 p.m., Abel Arena, Sault Ste. Marie, MI No. 1 Michigan State (28-4-5, 20-4-4 CCHA) at Northern Michigan (16-14-4, 14-12-3 CCHA) Saturday, 7 p.m., Lakeview Arena, Marquette, MI

Michigan State head coach Ron Mason says that the key to his team’s late-season success is no mystery. "I think we played these games with the philosophy that we’d have to win the rest of our games."

After losing to Ohio State and tying Miami the first weekend in February, the Spartans have won six straight.

Now the first-place, top-ranked Spartans are heading to the Upper Peninsula for a game against the Lakers and the Wildcats, two teams who gave the Spartans good games earlier this season.

"We knew going into the year that we’d be playing up there this last weekend," says Mason. "I think it’s important to play tough opponents late in the season. It prepares you better for the playoffs."

Mason’s Spartans are a little banged up, as they have been all season.

The injured Spartans include freshmen center Andrew Bogle and defenseman Brody Brandstatter, both questionable for the weekend with a right shoulder strains; sophomore center Shawn Horcoff, who — finally — may be possible this weekend with a fractured right thumb; and senior winger Jon Gaskins, whose sprained knee may keep him out through the playoffs.

Those are just the listed injuries.

So it’s understandable when the coach who just recently recorded his 800th career win sounds as unsettled as the California coast when he says of this week’s opponents, "Both of them have played us really tough in our own building."

And there’s more on line in these games than just the conference title; the Spartans are thinking about the NCAA tournament as well.

Michigan State at Lake Superior

Michigan State has beaten Lake Superior twice in East Lansing this season, 4-3 on Jan. 24, and 4-2 just last week.

In last week’s game, the Spartans outshot the Lakers 29-17, as Tyler Harlton and Mike York assisted together on two of the Spartan goals.

The score was tied after two, and the Lakers scored first in the third period, but Michigan State did what it’s done for much of the season, turning up the heat in the last stanza to take the game. The Spartans scored three unanswered goals in the third to win. On the season, Michigan State has outscored opponents 46-23 in the third period.

As in most Spartan games (arguably, in most CCHA games) defense will be the key. If Michigan State plays its brand of defense — controlling the neutral zone, allowing few shots on goal — then Spartan offensive opportunities will follow.

State will have to contain Terry Marchant, who is having a great season and receiving zero publicity for it (at least not south of the Yoop). With 14 goals and 19 assists in league play, Marchant is among the top ten in CCHA scoring, and among a handful of Lakers on the plus side of things (+9).

Jason Sessa is more the goalscorer than the playmaker that Marchant is, with 16 goals and 13 assists in league play for the Lakers. Like Marchant, he’s on the plus side — barely, at plus one.

Unfortunately for Lake Superior, the Lakers like to spread the misery. As a team in league play, the Lakers are minus 136, indicating a defense that can be on the weakish side overall; however, the Lakers aren’t being outscored by much in league play: just 81-96.

Obviously, Michigan State has the advantage in depth of offense, and in net. Between the pipes for the Lakers, Jayme Platt and Rob Galatiuk are each saving between 89-90 percent of the shots they see in league play; Chad Alban is saving 92 percent of shots in CCHA action.

It should go as planned for the Spartans, who can take the regular-season title with two points in this game.

PICK: Michigan State 4-2

Michigan State at Northern Michigan

Northern Michigan head coach Rick Comley says the Wildcats are not exactly where they thought they’d be in the CCHA standings at the start of 1998. "A month ago, no, we wouldn’t think we’d be chasing fourth. Two months ago? No.

"It’s been a discouraging last couple of weeks."

When 1998 began, it looked as though Northern definitely would finish in the top four, surprising many CCHA fans who expected the young team to stumble its first year back in its home conference.

But in January and February, the Wildcats went 6-6-1. The ‘Cats missed the opportunity to surge ahead of Miami when the RedHawks faltered, and then Northern couldn’t capitalize on Ohio State’s weekend off two weeks ago.

The only wins Northern had in its 2-4-0 month of February were over Bowling Green and Alaska-Fairbanks, two teams that won’t be making playoff appearances. Last weekend, the Wildcats dropped two to Notre Dame.

"We seem to have survived the month," quips Comley, "but those six games hurt us."

Comley says that Northern’s struggle stems in part from a lack of scoring from the team’s first line. "Everybody establishes their great players. For us, Vigier, Smith and Trudeau didn’t have a good month."

Buddy Smith leads the Wildcats in league scoring (7-19–26), followed by Roger Trudeau (13-11–24), J.P. Vigier (10-13–23) and rookie Fred Mattersdorfer (11-11–22).

Further adding to Northern’s woes is the injury to defenseman Curtis Sheptak, who is playing with a dislocated shoulder. "He’ll need surgery in the offseason," said Comley. "He’s a courageous kid."

One plus for the ‘Cats late in the season is the improved performance of goaltender Duane Hoey, whose league save percentage climbed some in January and February, to .879.

The ‘Cats and the Spartans tied 1-1 on Jan. 9, and Michigan State won the following night, 6-1.

One key to this pairing may be how fast the Spartans are able to jump out on Northern. Michigan State is outscoring opponents 46-13 in the first period; Northern Michigan has let itself be outscored 37-26 in the first.

Another key will be the matching of the league’s best power play against one of the league’s least efficient penalty-killing units. Michigan State is capitalizing on nearly one in four power-play chances; Northern Michigan is killing off 82 percent of its penalties.

Not helping Northern’s special-teams cause is its power play, which is operating at just over 10 percent in league play.

Of course, there’s Michigan State’s offensive firepower and depth. Mike York is third in the league in scoring (18-21–39). Sean Berens is keeping close company with 38 points of his own (25-13). Then there’s Rookie of the Year candidate Rustyn Dolyny (15-17–32).

And Michigan State’s defense. And Chad Alban.

And in case you haven’t heard — if you’ve been trekking in Tibet, for example — Chad Alban scored a goal last weekend in Michigan State’s 6-3 win over Ferris State. According to the MSU press release, "Alban raced from his net and got the puck along the back boards and, with time and room, fired a wrist shot in the air towards the Ferris goal. The puck bounced just short of the Ferris blue line and slid into the left side of the empty Bulldog net with 13 seconds remaining."

So there.

PICK: Michigan State 5-2

No. 4 Michigan (26-9-1, 20-7-1 CCHA) at Bowling Green (7-26-3, 5-20-3 CCHA) Friday, 7:08 p.m., BGSU Ice Arena, Bowling Green, OH No. 4 Michigan (26-9-1, 20-7-1 CCHA) at Notre Dame (17-16-4, 12-13-4 CCHA) Saturday, 8 p.m., Joyce Center, South Bend, IN

Michigan experienced a rare Yost Arena loss last week to Ferris State, 2-1, then beat Lake Superior 5-2.

There are several things at stake for Michigan in this pair of games. Michigan still has the chance to catch Michigan State for the regular-season CCHA title, and these games will also factor into Michigan’s NCAA tournament bid.

And don’t forget that Bill Muckalt wants that league scoring title. Muckalt has 40 points (19-21), just one point behind Hugo Boisvert.

This is a motivated Michigan team, and don’t think they won’t smell victory when they roll into Bowling Green.

Michigan at Bowling Green

Michigan leads Bowling Green all-time, 46-27-1, and has beaten the Falcons twice this season by the score of 4-2 — Nov. 21 in Bowling Green, and Jan. 9 in Ann Arbor.

In the last meeting between the Falcons and the Wolverines, Marty Turco set the NCAA record for career goaltending victories with his 112th career win, and Bill Muckalt had a hat trick. Michigan outshot Bowling Green 40-16, and Shawn Timm made 36 saves in the Falcon losing effort.

Not much has changed for either team between then and now. Michigan can still dominate a game, especially in the first and third periods. The Wolverines are outscoring opponents 40-25 in the opening period, while Bowling Green is being outscored in the first 39-27. If the Wolverines open a lead, this could be a long night indeed for the Falcons.

On the other hand, if Bowling Green takes a lead into the third period, the Wolverines are one of the few teams in the CCHA that can turn up the heat enough to simply take the game back. Michigan is outscoring opponents in the final period of the game nearly two to one, 50-27.

Bowling Green, meanwhile, tends to find trouble in the third, being outscored by opponents 51-35. Last weekend, the Falcons allowed Ohio State four unanswered goals — three power-play tallies and an empty-netter — in the final period after leading OSU 2-1 through two.

For Bowling Green, Dan Price has picked up the thread of his offensive game from where he left off during his suspension. Price leads the Falcons in league scoring with 12 goals and 11 assists; unfortunately, like every other Falcon but four, Price is in the minus (-10).

Rookie Shawn Timm has played both very well and inconsistently between the pipes for Bowling Green, but he hasn’t had a whole lot of defense to rely on, either. Timm’s league save percentage is a solid .888, but his GAA is a less-impressive 3.68.

Bowling Green is living to be the spoiler, and the Falcons are capable of pulling out some big games. They are not an untalented team, but rather a team without on-ice leadership.

Michigan is just the kind of team that can exploit lack of focus; the Wolverines may tear Bowling Green to shreds.

PICK: Michigan 6-2

Michigan at Notre Dame

The Fighting Irish are very happy after two wins over Northern Michigan last weekend, and wins in three of their last four games.

And head coach Dave Poulin couldn’t be happier about the way the end of the season is shaping up. "It’s all coming down to the last two games of the season. It’s very exciting, and it’s good for college hockey."

Michigan defeated Notre Dame twice earlier this season, a 7-2 win in South Bend, and a 5-4 overtime win in Yost.

While Michigan needs points to pass Michigan State for the title, Notre Dame just plain needs points. If the Irish come in eighth, they play Michigan State. If they come in seventh — a distinct possibility — they’ll be playing two games against Michigan in Yost next weekend.

Poulin says it doesn’t matter who his team faces in the first round of the playoffs. "You just want to prepare your team to play its best. At this point in the season, you’re not really playing other teams, you’re just focusing on yourself."

The last game these two teams played — the one in Yost on Jan. 31 — took some unexpected turns.

After two periods, Michigan was leading 4-1, and when the third period began, Marty Turco had been replaced in net by Gregg Malicke. Notre Dame scored three unanswered goals in the third period — four, if you count Steve Noble’s disallowed goal that nearly everyone agrees was in the net — and the Irish sent the game into overtime.

Guess who returned to the net for that?

In the end, Michigan prevailed, outscoring and outshooting the Irish. Don’t you believe for a second that Notre Dame has forgotten that game, and how close they came to beating the Wolverines.

This will be Senior Night for the Irish, when Notre Dame says goodbye to Steve Noble, Lyle Andrusiak and goaltender Matt Eisler. According to Poulin, Eisler has "been through so many different stages this season," and the impression here is that Eisler has played inconsistently.

But Eisler’s numbers are solid: a 2.88 league GAA, and a league save percentage of .898.

This game pits a solid Michigan offense and defense against a spotty Notre Dame offense and a Notre Dame defense with two of the better offensive defensemen in the game.

Everyone knows about Michigan’s Bill Muckalt, Bobby Hayes, Matt Herr, Mark Kosick and Josh Langfeld. The two seniors, Muckalt and Herr, will be missed tremendously next season. The junior, Hayes, has had a breakout year. The rookies, Kosick and Langfeld, should be household names.

But keep your eye on junior Dale Rominski, the unsung hero of this Michigan team. Rominski has nine goals and seven assists in league play, and his hockey sense has helped contribute to the overall performance of this Wolverine team this season; he’s plus 18 in league play.

For Notre Dame, Aniket Dhadphale continues to be the sniper, with 18 goals and eight assists in CCHA contests; he is, however, minus six, a stat that you can figure out all by yourself.

If you’re going to this game and you do nothing else, watch Mark Eaton. Watch Mark Eaton on Bill Muckalt. That matchup is more even than you may think.

Michigan won’t go down easy, even on the road.

PICK: Michigan 4-2

No. 10 Ohio State (20-11-2, 17-10-1 CCHA) at Ferris State (15-17-3, 12-13-3 CCHA) Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., Ewigleben Arena, Big Rapids, MI

Just what the heck is going on here, anyway?

Ohio State — a team picked anywhere from fourth to last in preseason polls — has wrapped up third place and home ice, and actually needs these points to help bolster its NCAA bid.

Ferris State — now eighth in the league, and just a couple of months ago looking for all the world like the team that would be defending third or fourth place at the end of the season — needs these points to avoid playing Michigan State in the first round.

And you’d better believe that Ferris State wants to travel anywhere but to East Lansing for round one, since the Spartans have outscored the Bulldogs 19-4 in regular-season play this year.

Ohio State beat Ferris State 5-3 on January 10 in the little War Memorial rink in Columbus. That was a good game, with nearly even shots on goal (FSU 29, OSU 26), and a terrific defensive struggle through the neutral zone.

Two players accounted for nearly all the scoring in that game; Kenzie Homer had two goals for Ferris State, while Hugo Boisvert picked up his first collegiate hat trick (the last goal was an empty-netter).

Last weekend, Ferris State beat Michigan 2-1 and lost to Michigan State 6-3. Ohio State beat Miami 3-1 and Bowling Green 5-2.

"We played well both nights," says Ferris assistant coach Drew Famulak.

In fact, the Bulldogs have played well all season, with the exception of just a couple of games here and there. "We’ve won three out of our last four, four out of our last six, and we’re losing ground," says Famulak.

The Bulldogs are one of three teams with a dozen CCHA wins fighting for positions six, seven, and eight in the league. Depending on the way things go this weekend, one of those teams — the one in eighth place — could be the only CCHA team making the playoffs with a record below five-hundred.

Since the Bulldogs resigned themselves to a first-round playoff road series, "we haven’t really worried about the standings much lately," says Famulak. The effect has been freeing; Famulak says that not worrying about where his team might finish has allowed Ferris State to focus more on itself than its opponents.

The strategy is working. "We’ve played well defensively for a while now. We’re keeping teams to pretty low shots on goal.

"Our power play is coming. We’re happy with where our special teams are."

Ferris State’s league power play is at 14.4 percent, while its penalty killing is at 82.8 percent.

Famulak says that playing the same opponent twice this weekend is beneficial for the Bulldogs. "This way, if we don’t play our best Friday, we may recover the following night."

The Buckeyes need these wins to keep the attention of the NCAA tourney committee.

"We have tremendous respect for Ferris going in," says head coach John Markell.

Respect is something the Buckeyes themselves don’t see a whole lot of, even though Ohio State has had a remarkable second-half run this season, losing only to Michigan and Michigan State since the start of the calendar year.

In fact, OSU’s win percentage is the best in the country since Jan. 9; with a record of 11-1-1 and a win percentage of .884 during that stretch, the Bucks are even ahead of Hockey East powerhouse Boston University (14-2-0, .875) during that span.

Last weekend, Ohio State became the ninth team in the country to post 20 wins this season.

"Our team is unassuming," says Markell. "We don’t think we’re better than anybody else."

Markell says there are some "personal goals" the Buckeyes would like to achieve this weekend, most notably the league scoring title. Hugo Boisvert (18-23–41) leads the league in scoring by just one point over Michigan’s Bill Muckalt, and two over Michigan State’s Mike York.

Another personal goal would be to finish the season on a high note, keeping the second-half losses to just those three against ranked teams, and going into the playoffs with confidence in any number of players.

To that end, Markell will start goaltender Ray Aho for one game this weekend. Aho has lingered in Rookie of the Year candidate Jeff Maund’s shadow for most of the season, but don’t think for a moment that Aho is rusty or can’t play.

Aho is third in the numbers among CCHA goaltenders with 400 or more minutes in net, with a league GAA of 2.39 and a save percentage of .907.

And don’t forget Maund. With a 2.58 league GAA and .911 league save percentage, no one should forget Jeff Maund.

Vince Owen is the workhorse for the Bulldogs in net. In over 1,500 minutes of league play, Owen has a 3.17 GAA and a .876 save percentage.

The Bulldogs have five scorers with 20 or more points in league play: Brett Colborne (7-19–26), Joel Irwin (10-15–25), Kevin Swider (8-16, 24), Brian McCullough (10-11–21) and Brent Wishart (10-11–21).

With the notable exception of rookie defenseman Andre Signoretti (3-14–17), the top Buckeye scorers play on the first two lines: Boisvert (18-23–41), Chris Richards (13-20–33), Eric Meloche (18-14–32), J.F. Dufour (7-10–17), Dan Cousineau (4-12–16) and Todd Compeau (9-6–15).

And just last weekend — heaven help the Bulldogs — the formerly-anemic OSU power play began to click. The Buckeyes won each game with a power-play goal, and scored five total on the weekend, vaulting the OSU PP into fourth place (.173) in league play.

"We know it’s going to be a very hard-fought series," says Markell.

Truer words were never spoken.

PICKS: Ohio State 4-3, 4-2

Miami (19-11-4, 14-11-4 CCHA) at Bowling Green (7-26-3, 5-20-3 CCHA) Saturday, 7 p.m., BGSU Ice Arena, Bowling Green, OH

This is the tale of two teams. The first, the home team, is thankful the season is over. The second team, the visitor, is grateful to have survived January and February.

"The biggest thing we have to do is play our game," says Miami head coach Mark Mazzoleni. "It’s got so much importance for us."

Indeed. If the RedHawks win this one little game, they hang on — just barely — to fourth place, and play the first round of the CCHA playoffs in the comfort of Goggin Arena.

If they lose, they may be heading to Marquette.

The ‘Hawks snapped a five-game losing streak by beating Bowling Green last weekend 8-2. The win avenged a 5-4 loss to the Falcons just the week before.

Mazzoleni says that his team is balanced, but "we haven’t shown that on the road. We’ll have to rise to the challenge."

Miami’s late-season slip may be one of the great mysteries of the universe. Loaded with talent, this RedHawk team should have floated into one of the top spots in the league. Instead, with injuries and suspensions, a lack of on-ice leadership, and a bit of role-shifting, the ‘Hawks may have to back into fourth place, and be grateful for it.

On paper and on ice — just like we said last week — Miami is the better team. Trevor Prior is one of the best goalies in the league (2.56 league GAA, .910 save percentage). The ‘Hawks have lots of guys who can score (Copeland, Leahy, Tropper, Kim, Boyle…yada, yada, yada).

So, maybe they’re banged up a little defensively, but who isn’t?

If Miami plays its game, the ‘Hawks should win.

PICK: Miami 5-2

This Week in the WCHA: March 6, 1998

By
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Except for you, my friends on the World Wide Web, who, instead of being treated to tuxedos and slinky dresses on the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, will be treated to 30-some bloody, battered, bruised dudes — and one guy in a suit — waiting to get their mitts on some USCHO hardware.

I think the actual prize is a "virtual bouquet" from chief editor Scott Brown.

Well, anyway, may I please have the envelopes?

First team:

Forward Steve Reinprecht, Wisconsin Arguably the league’s top sophomore, has been a consistent point producer for top-three team. Like the rest of these top guys, his motor never stops running, and he always seems to be generating scoring chances.

Forward Wyatt Smith, Minnesota See teammate Berg. Reigning WCHA offensive player of the week for four-goal effort against Colorado College.

Forward Jason Blake, North Dakota Some say he’s the league’s most annoying/hated player, yet Sioux coach Dean Blais wouldn’t trade him for the world. Reportedly, Minnesota-Duluth coach Mike Sertich called him a "dinkhead" on the radio after a game last weekend. High praise, indeed.

Defenseman Curtis Murphy, North Dakota Anchor of nation’s number-two team. Little guy (five-foot-eight) who has not only contributed offensively, but played a big role in Karl Goehring’s stunning success.

Defenseman Craig Anderson, Wisconsin Tough, and hesitant, choice over Michigan Tech’s Andy Sutton, who has more power play goals. Gets the nod for crisp passing (21 assists) and puck-carrying skills, but more importantly, his team’s overall success.

Goaltender Karl Goehring, North Dakota Won starting role from last year’s frosh phenom, Aaron Schweitzer, and has dazzled, winning 18 straight decisions. Undoubtedly aided by stellar talent in front of him, how can you argue with a sub-2.00 goals-against average?

Second team:

Forward Reggie Berg, Minnesota See teammate Smith. Currently tied with Reinprecht in league scoring race.

Forward David Hoogsteen, North Dakota Another Sioux little guy is big on the power play, with eight man-advantage goals in conference play.

Forward Andre Savage, Michigan Tech Came back from injuries to challenge in the league scoring race.

Defenseman Andy Sutton, Michigan Tech Picked up scoring slack when Savage was injured, has had a breakout season offensively.

Defenseman Scott Swanson, Colorado College Somewhat of a disappointing year, yet still good enough to be here.

Goaltender Brian Leitza, St. Cloud State Not as far behind Goehring as one might expect. The backbone of the season’s most pleasantly surprising team.

Third team:

Forward Brian Swanson, Colorado College Like the other Swanson, Brian has played beneath expectations, but still put up good numbers.

Forward Mike Peluso, Minnesota-Duluth Overcame a frustrating start with a strong 1998.

Forward Paul Comrie, Denver May be league’s top power forward (ask Peluso what he thinks).

Defenseman Brad Williamson, North Dakota Underrated in Murphy’s shadow.

Defenseman Curtis Doell, Minnesota-Duluth Sophomore has bright future ahead of him.

Goaltender Doug Teskey, Alaska-Anchorage The lone bright spot in otherwise-dreary Seawolf season.

Honorable mention:

Matt Henderson, F, North Dakota; Joe Bianchi, F, Wisconsin; Jeff Scissons, F, UMD; Darren Clark, F, CC; Mitch Vig, D, North Dakota; Mike Valley, G, Wisconsin; Matt Noga, F, St. Cloud; Mike Maristuen, F, St. Cloud.

All-Rookie:

Forward Mark Rycroft, Denver Forward Kevin Granato, Wisconsin Forward Jeff Panzer, North Dakota Defenseman Adrian Fure, Michigan Tech Defenseman Ryan Coole, Minnesota-Duluth Goaltender Goehring

Coach of the Year: Craig Dahl, St. Cloud State

Arguments could be made that this should be Blais, but come on — he hardly lost anyone from last year’s national championship squad. Dahl’s Huskies lost guys like Dave Paradise, Matt Cullen and Matt Parrish, and still will likely finish second in the WCHA. Dahl’s teams play hard and smart, an extension of their coach.

Player of the Year: Murphy

Rookie of the Year: Goehring

Whoops, the awards banquet isn’t for another couple of weeks. We’ve still got one week of regular-season hockey to play.

No. 9 Wisconsin (21-12-1, 16-9-1 WCHA) at No. 2 North Dakota (26-5-1, 20-5-1 WCHA) Friday-Saturday, 7:35 CT, Engelstad Arena, Grand Forks, N.D.

There’s been some heated discussion in Sioux country over the presentation of the MacNaughton Cup. North Dakota won the Cup outright by beating Minnesota-Duluth Friday, a year after sharing the title with Minnesota, yet opted to receive the award from commissioner Bruce McLeod this Saturday night.

An outrage? A publicity ploy by athletic director Terry Wanless? A slap in the face for Badgers and Bulldogs alike?

Settle down, people, and listen to the sensible words of the youngest Sioux.

"It just makes more sense," said Commodore after Friday’s clincher. "We would love to receive it now, but I hardly think UMD fans would like to see us prancing around their rink, and besides, our fans at North Dakota deserve to see it."

Indeed. Commodore wasn’t around for last year’s disappointing share with the Gophers, but Blais was. The Sioux boss didn’t seem to mind the lack of drama heading into the season’s second-to-last weekend.

"We have played very well all year, so we felt we were in good position," Blais said. "Last year was probably a little better in terms of all-around excitement for the players. This year we had eight points leading into the contest with UMD, and only four games remaining."

Now the Sioux have two games remaining, but are 0-1-0 since clinching the league crown. Aha! Here is another conspiracy theory being bantered around the upper Midwest: did Blais concede the game to Duluth, thus clinching playoff home ice for the Bulldogs, and thus eliminating Minnesota from similar contention?

Again, get real. This is uscollegehockey.com, not alt.hockeyconspiracy.x-files.com. The letdown was inevitable, and Aaron Schweitzer was the unfortunate victim of subpar play. Schweitzer will probably split time in net with Goehring again this week, and hopes to have a refocused team in front of him.

"Sometimes a 7-0 spanking is better than a 3-2 loss, and I’m sure it will make us realize what we need to do for the next few weeks," Blais said.

What they need to do next is take care of a Wisconsin squad which has struggled of late, but also has much more to play for in the midst of a second-place battle with St. Cloud.

But the Huskies aren’t Wisconsin’s sole concern. Coach Jeff Sauer’s rear-view mirror is trained on Colorado College, which could assume third place with a sweep of Michigan Tech, accompanied by a Sioux sweep.

"This is not just ‘Go and play the games and get ready for the playoffs’ — we need to play well," Sauer said.

More specifically, Sauer’s defense needs to play well. After allowing a scant 2.35 goals per game through its first 26 contests, Wisconsin has let in 4.5 per over its last eight games.

Part of the struggle has come from No. 1 goaltender Mike Valley’s re-insertion into the starting lineup. After struggling for several games, Valley picked up his first win since Jan. 23 Saturday night, and he figures to be even more comfortable between the pipes this weekend.

"He was a little shaky [Friday] night, but I felt we needed for him to come through for us," Sauer said. "We need him down the stretch."

Sauer also needs to determine how an adjusted defensive system will work. After a quarter-century of a zone-oriented defensive style, Sauer has gone with a man-to-man system this year, with great success. Yet in the face of the league’s top offense, Sauer saw the need for change.

"Going against North Dakota, we may need a little more support," Sauer said.

Picks: North Dakota may be complacent, and looking to go easy on its players with minor injuries. And, as Sauer points out, "North Dakota’s not invincible; we’ve always played well in that building." But emotions will be running high Saturday night, so the sweep Wisconsin hopes for looks pretty much impossible. UW 4-3, UND 7-2

Minnesota (12-20-0, 10-16-0 WCHA) at St Cloud (19-11-2, 16-9-1 WCHA) Friday, 7:05 CT, National Hockey Center, St. Cloud, Minn. Saturday, 7:05 CT, Mariucci Arena, Minneapolis, Minn.

This intrastate rivalry has been decidedly lopsided over time, with Minnesota leading 21-8-3. But the teams have split their last 10 games, with St. Cloud sweeping its in-state neighbors for the first time ever earlier this season.

As has come to be the case this season, Leitza stole the show for St. Cloud, saving 73 of 75 shots in the Husky sweep. St. Cloud was an efficient 4-for-8 on the power play, but was outshot by Minnesota by a staggering 75-32 margin.

"It’s important for us to work hard — we’re not going to be the most talented bunch in the chute," Dahl said.

Still, the Huskies remain the most dangerous special-teams workers in the chute, scoring two power play and two shorthanded goals in Friday’s win over Wisconsin. St. Cloud leads the WCHA with 10 shorthanded goals.

Friday night will be Senior Night at the National Hockey Center, as such notables as Leitza, Mike Maristuen and Sacha Molin will be honored for their outstanding careers.

Minnesota, on the other hand, continues to take things to extremes week after week. The Gophers have either swept or been swept for six straight weeks and nine out of 10. Last weekend was no exception, as Minnesota followed a pair of victories over Alaska-Anchorage with two losses at CC, yielding nine goals in Saturday’s game.

One bright spot, though, was Smith’s four-goal, one-assist output, the junior’s second hat trick of the month. Smith is 10-4–14 in his last seven games. Berg has remained a strong running mate for Smith, recording his 50th career goal Saturday. Minnesota is an impressive 24-1-0 in Berg’s 25 multiple-point games.

Yet defense continues to be a sore spot for coach Doug Woog. Goalie Steve DeBus was shelled for five first-period goals Saturday night before giving way to Erik Day, and since the injuries which have plagued Minnesota this year don’t appear to be getting much better, the senior must pick up his play between the pipes.

Picks: This will be the weekend Minnesota actually splits a series. St. Cloud has more to play for; if they win twice, and Wisconsin doesn’t sweep (likely), the Huskies get to host Anchorage next weekend. Minnesota is playing for pride, which shouldn’t be underestimated. SCSU 6-4, UM 4-1

Michigan Tech (16-16-3, 10-15-1 WCHA) at Colorado College (20-11-3, 14-10-2 WCHA) Friday, 7:35 CT, Saturday, 7:05 CT, World Ice Arena, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Depending on how the chips fall, these two teams could play meet again next weekend, which likely wouldn’t upset the Tigers one bit. CC took two games in Houghton earlier this season, and the Tigers are even more of a threat now that they have learned to win at home again.

"Colorado College is a dangerous team," said Tech coach Tim Watters. "They’re on a bit of a roll right now and we know we’ll have to beat the top of our game."

Colorado has extra motivation for this series. After a year spent knocking on the door, trying to break into the WCHA top three, CC could earn a day off at the Final Five with a sweep of Tech and a North Dakota or Minnesota sweep.

But first things first. The Swansons are playing well for CC — especially Scott, who had a goal and three assists in last weekend’s 13-goal effort against Minnesota. Darren Clark has also been solid, contributing two goals and an assist in Saturday’s romp.

Freshman goaltender Colin Zulianello has his goals-against average under three (2.95), but look for Jason Cugnet to get some playing time if third place is out of the question.

Tech is in the midst of a four-game unbeaten streak, following an impressive sweep of Wisconsin with a mediocre 1-0-1 performance against Mankato State.

"We didn’t play particularly well last weekend," Watters said.

Savage and Sutton continue to lead the Husky attack, both carrying five-game scoring streaks into this weekend’s games. Added back to the attack this week is Bret Meyers, the league’s second leading power-play scorer. Meyers missed last weekend’s series with knee injury, but is probable this weekend, along with A.J. Aitken, who has been out with a shoulder injury.

Picks: CC has a lot more riding on this series than Tech — if St. Cloud and Wisconsin lose Friday night. If that happens, CC turns it up a notch in its quest for the third position. CC 6-2, MTU 3-2

Minnesota-Duluth (17-15-2, 12-12-2 WCHA) at Denver (11-21-2, 8-16-2 WCHA) Sunday, 7:05 MT, Monday, 7:35 MT, Denver Coliseum, Denver, Colo.

The series that screws everything up. With their Sunday-Monday series, Duluth and Denver have thrown a monkey wrench into several teams’ playoff plans, most prominently their own.

The Bulldogs and Pioneers will have just three days to rest and prepare for their first-round opponents. Even more interesting, if Denver, St. Cloud and CC were to sweep, these two teams would meet again next weekend.

I think.

Denver won and split at Anchorage last weekend, but shockingly allowed five Seawolf goals in Friday night’s win. Goaltender Stephen Wagner was the culprit, saving just 21 of 26 shots before yielding to Ben Henrich Saturday. Henrich gave up a UAA-like one goal, so look for a goaltender tandem this weekend.

Denver’s top guns were silenced last weekend, as Paul Comrie, Anders Bjork and Mark Rycroft combined for one assist on the weekend. A balanced attack picked up the slack, with Gavin Morgan scoring two goals Friday, while Jon Newman added two assists.

Duluth, on the other hand, comes in as high as a team which split can be. The Bulldogs waxed then-No. 1 North Dakota 7-0, administering the Sioux their worst loss of the season.

Brant Nicklin was spectacular in net, recording 40 saves, good enough to be named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week. Even more spectacular were the Bulldog penalty killers, which successfully erased 21 Sioux man-advantage situations on the weekend.

"Nicklin played really well for UMD," said UND defenseman Curtis Murphy. "I thought we would of buried a few on him early on, but we were unable to get the puck past him."

But alas, they didn’t, and UMD did. Mike Peluso scored two goals, and Ken Dzikowski recorded five assists.

"We got great penetration down low from out forwards," said UMD coach Mike Sertich.

"The strength of our team is getting the puck low and really working them over," said Nicklin.

Picks: How about we make this series a doubleheader and finish the regular season on Sunday? Duluth is playing well right now, and Denver may be drained after two overtime games in Alaska. But eight days off to rest and home ice will make this an interesting series. UMD 6-4, DU 5-1

Thanks to WCHA game reporter Ryan Kern, who contributed to this report.

PrimeLink Great Northern Shoot-Out To Debut In November

USCHO Staff Report
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The PrimeLink Great Northern Shoot-Out, a new season-opening tournament featuring four top Division III hockey programs from New York and Vermont, will debut in November on the campus of Norwich University.

Slated to appear are ECAC powerhouse and host Norwich, three-time defending Division III champion Middlebury, perennial NCAA contender and 1992 national champion Plattsburgh State and SUNYAC stalwart SUNY-Potsdam. The tournament is sponsored by PrimeLink, a Champlain, N.Y., telecommunications firm.

“In this part of the country, we can witness some of the nation’s finest and fiercest collegiate hockey contests,” said Trent Trahan, president and CEO of PrimeLink and an alumnus of Plattsburgh State. “This tournament will showcase the talent of these local colleges and provide area residents with some exciting and entertaining hockey.” Trahan also credited Plattsburgh head hockey coach Bob Emery with the idea for the new tournament.

Norwich’s new multi-purpose arena, to be completed this spring, will house the inaugural tourney, after which it will rotate to Middlebury in 1999, Plattsburgh State in 2000 and SUNY-Potsdam in 2001. First-round matchups at the first Shoot-Out will feature Norwich vs. Plattsburgh and Middlebury vs. Potsdam. The following day teams will meet in championship and consolation games.

Maine Loses Kariya To Collapsed Lung, Price To Major Juniors

USCHO Staff Report
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Maine junior winger Steve Kariya remained hospitalized Monday with a collapsed lung suffered early in Maine’s Feb. 28 game against Nebraska-Omaha. Kariya, the nation’s 11th-leading scorer with 23-23-46 in 30 games, was hit while holding his breath, resulting in the puncture.

He is expected to be out for this week’s action, but is probable for the playoffs if the lung seals itself soon, which, according to doctors, happens in 98 percent of all cases. If not, however, Kariya could miss the playoffs.

Maine will also play the remainder of the season without sophomore defenseman Jason Price, who departed the team after Saturday’s game to play major junior hockey in Canada. Price had 1-6-7 in 22 games for the Black Bears this year.

Alban Scores Empty-Netter Against Ferris

USCHO Staff Report
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Michigan State’s Chad Alban became just the fourth netminder in collegiate history to tally a goal Saturday night, scoring into an empty net in the Spartans’ 6-3 win over Ferris State.

On the play, Alban collected the puck in the corner to the right of Michigan State’s goal and fired a 180-foot shot which bounded into left half of the Bulldog net at 19:47 of the third period.

Alban is believed to be just the second college netminder to score off a deliberate try, and the first to do so in an NCAA contest. The other, Maine’s Jim Tortorella, shot a puck against Vasby of Sweden in 1980 which was mishandled by the Vasby keeper for a goal.

Michigan Tech’s Damian Rhodes (1989) and Vermont’s Andrew Allen (earlier this season) have also been credited with goals — Rhodes as the last MTU player to touch the puck before a Colorado College player put it into his own goal, and Allen on a tip of a Harvard pass from behind the Vermont net which then sailed all the way down-ice.

Saturday night, Alban also had the single assist on Michigan State’s third goal. The senior netminder now has one goal and nine assists in his four-year career.

This Week in the ECAC: February 27, 1998

By Becky Blaeser & Jayson Moy
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So what’s the deal here?

I have no idea, and all the loyal readers will agree with me when I say so.

Can you figure this out? I know that I can’t.

How about some facts to begin with:

Yale, Clarkson, and Rensselaer have clinched ECAC playoff berths. Yale has clinched home ice for the quarterfinals. Five points separate third place from ninth place in the standings. Clarkson needs two points to clinch home ice for the quarterfinals. Union is on the brink of being eliminated from playoff contention. I have no idea what to expect this weekend

Take a look at this mess: ECAC Standings

Last week’s predictions: 7-5 Year to date: 94-84, .528, 4th (I think Hendrickson, Weston and Tappa cheat)

I predict that a monkey can do better. But then again, when I predict something, it definitely isn’t a sure thing.

Clarkson (16-7-3, 12-4-2 ECAC, 2nd) and St. Lawrence (6-18-2, 5-11-2 ECAC, 11th) at Brown (10-13-1, 9-8-1 ECAC, T-5th) Friday – Saturday, 7:30 pm – 7 pm, Meehan Auditorium, Providence, R.I. St. Lawrence (6-18-2, 5-11-2 ECAC, 11th) and Clarkson (16-7-3, 12-4-2 ECAC, 2nd) at Harvard (9-14-2, 8-9-1 ECAC, 7th) Friday – Saturday, 7:30 pm – 7pm, Bright Hockey Center, Cambridge, Mass. Previous Meetings: Dec. 5: Brown 2, St. Lawrence 1; Clarkson 4, Harvard 1 Dec. 6: Harvard 3, St. Lawrence 1; Clarkson 3, Brown 2

St. Lawrence got one point this weekend with a tie against Princeton, but a loss to Yale put the Saints back into the 11th spot in the standings and, currently, out of the playoffs.

"It isn’t going to be easy," said Saint head coach Joe Marsh about making the playoffs. "We worked hard to get back into it on Friday night and gained a point in the tie with Princeton, but we were flat against Yale and never really got it going. You can’t do that if you are playing a team as good as Yale, and you can’t do it if you want to seriously challenge for a playoff spot."

If there is any consolation to the weekend, it is the one point that the Saints gained after coming back to force the overtime.

"We didn’t have a great first period, but we were able to battle back in the second and third," said Marsh. "Princeton was dangerous in the overtime, but the way things have gone for us this season, it was good to be able to hang in there and get a point out of it."

Clarkson is back on a tear. After a weekend sweep by the Golden Knights over Yale and Princeton, the good news for Clarkson fans is that the Knights’ hopes for the ECAC regular-season title are alive. The better news is that the Knights are just two points away from earning home ice in the quarterfinals, and three points from the all-important — clinching third place, which keeps the Knights out of the play-in game under the ECAC’s new playoff format.

Erik Cole is making his bid for ECAC Rookie of the Year. In his last six games, Cole has scored nine points (3-6) to move into the ECAC lead in rookie scoring. His linemate, captain Chris Clark, is also on a tear — a seven-game point streak with four goals and six assists.

One of the biggest stories in the ECAC has to be senior Chris Bernard, who after sitting on the bench for his first three seasons is now the toast of Potsdam. He remained undefeated by gaining both victories this past weekend, running his record to 9-0-1 — and all this after seeing only 12:33 of playing time in three seasons.

Brown is also on a tear. The Bears are now 8-2-1 in their last eleven games, with the only losses to Yale and Northeastern. The Bears are 7-1-1 in their last nine ECAC games, moving into a tie for fifth place — the last home-ice playoff spot.

Leading the way is the ECAC Player of the Week for the second time, Damian Prescott. Prescott is putting up some large numbers lately, as he leads the league in goals scored (16) and has 12 points in his last eight league games. Overall, Prescott has become the first Bear to score 20 goals in consecutive seasons since Bob McIntosh did it in 1976 and 1977.

The Bears have also got some great goaltending from Scott Stirling, who is 6-1-0 in his last seven games, and has allowed just 12 goals in those games.

Harvard gained a split on the weekend, but the result was that the Crimson dropped one spot in the standings, going from a tie for sixth to seventh place all alone. The win on Friday did break a four-game losing streak for the Crimson.

"We were on a bit of a skid lately, dropping the last four games, so this one was definitely a must-win for us," said head coach Ronn Tomassoni after Friday’s win over Colgate. "We played a smart hockey game. Colgate’s strength is [its] forwards, and you can’t them give too many uneven rushes. And we did a good job at making the game boring. We just didn’t allow many rushes up the ice."

In the major news department, goaltender Mike Ginal closed out the game for the Crimson. Ginal became the first player with a prosthetic limb (his leg) to play in a Division I contest. he did not make a save in the game, but that does not belittle his feat, and we here at U.S. College Hockey Online can’t help but smile at his accomplishment.

Making their bids for the ECAC All-Rookie team are Steve Moore and Chris Bala. The two have five goals and six assists in their last six games, and are two and four in the league in freshman scoring: Moore (5-12–17) is second, and Bala (5-10–15) is fourth.

PICKS: Clarkson at Brown: The Golden Knights break Brown’s streak. Clarkson 4, Brown 2 St. Lawrence at Harvard: The Crimson make a bid for the top half. Harvard 4, St. Lawrence 3 St. Lawrence at Brown: Brown gets back on track. Brown 5, St. Lawrence 3 Clarkson at Harvard: The Knights’ bid to catch Yale continues. Clarkson 6, Harvard 2

Union (4-21-3, 2-14-2 ECAC, 12th) and Rensselaer (15-10-3, 9-6-3 ECAC, 3rd) at Colgate (15-10-3, 9-7-2 ECAC, 4th) Friday – Saturday, 7:30 pm – 7 pm, Starr Rink, Hamilton, N.Y. Rensselaer (15-10-3, 9-6-3 ECAC, 3rd) and Union (4-21-3, 2-14-2 ECAC, 12th) at Cornell (13-10-2, 9-8-1 ECAC, T-5th) Friday – Saturday, 7:30 pm – 7 pm, Lynah Rink, Ithaca, N.Y. Previous Meetings Dec. 5: Colgate 4, Rensselaer 2; Union 4, Cornell 1 Dec. 6: Colgate 3, Union 0; Rensselaer 7, Cornell 5

One more lost point and Union is home for the season after next weekend. The Dutchmen are eight points out of a playoff spot, and with only four games remaining, the Dutchmen need some serious planets to align in order for the playoffs to become a reality.

"We still have four more games left," said Dutchmen captain Ryan Campbell to the Schenectady Gazette`s Ken Schott. "We’re going to play every one of them as hard as we can, and as hard as we’ve tried to play all year. I don’t think we’re going to give up just because people don’t think we have a chance."

There is no doubt that the Dutchmen will go out and play those four games with all the heart and determination that was evident all year long, but the playoff future still looks bleak.

Even though Rensselaer split a pair of games this weekend, the Engineers moved into third place in the ECAC after an overtime win over Dartmouth that followed a blitzing by Vermont.

"They showed real good character…capitalizing on their opportunities," said head coach Dan Fridgen on Saturday’s game. "I was certainly happy with the effort.

"There aren’t many weekends left, and you can’t go 0 for 2," he added. "We salvaged a split, and now we’re sitting along in third place. Even though it’s by a point we just have to maintain it and not play mediocre."

The Engineers also have the top three scorers in the ECAC in Eric Healey (12-19–31), Matt Garver (13-17–30) and Alain St. Hilaire (7-22–29). Those three form the top line for the Engineers, and have a combined 90 points in league play and 113 overall.

Cornell played two last weekend, and once again, the Big Red split two games. The Big Red lost to Brown and defeated Harvard, but the biggest story that came out of Cambridge on Saturday evening was an injury to All-Everything Goaltender Jason Elliott.

Elliott went down in the second period, apparently with a knee injury. He underwent arthroscopic surgery after the game, and is most likely out for this weekend’s games.

"It’s a tough time of year to have it happen," Elliott told the Cornell Daily Sun. "It shouldn’t be a [long-term] problem. We’re playing it by ear. It’s not as bad as we thought."

His status is day-to-day, but most likely it will be freshman Ian Burt in nets for the Big Red this coming weekend.

Other injuries are also a factor. Ryan Smart will probably continue to sit due to a broken hand, though David Hovey is looking like he will be in the lineup.

Colgate was riding in second place in the ECAC a few weeks ago, but have now dropped to fourth. But the Red Raiders are only one point out of the coveted third spot in the standings.

The Red Raiders, who lost a pair of games last weekend, are now 1-4-1 in their last six league games, in which they have only scored nine goals. The Red Raiders were averaging 4.33 goals per league game before that stretch, but now stand at 3.39, dropping from first in the league to sixth.

The team’s leading scorer, Jed Whitchurch, has just one goal and one assist in those six games, dropping from fourth in the league in scoring to eighth.

PICKS: Union at Colgate: Union gets officially eliminated. Colgate 4, Union 1 Rensselaer at Cornell: Cornell wins, with or without Elliott. Cornell 4, Rensselaer 2 Rensselaer at Colgate: The Engineers bounce back. Rensselaer 6, Colgate 5 Union at Cornell: Cornell continues on. Cornell 2, Union 1

Dartmouth (11-10-4, 7-9-2 ECAC, T-8th) and Vermont (9-17-2, 6-10-2 ECAC, 10th) at Yale (20-5-0, 15-3-0 ECAC, 1st) Friday – Saturday, 7:30 pm – 7 pm (NESN), Ingalls Rink, New Haven, Conn. Vermont (9-17-2, 6-10-2 ECAC, 10th) and Dartmouth (11-10-4, 7-9-2 ECAC, T-8th) at Princeton (12-8-5, 6-8-4 ECAC, T-8th) Friday – Saturday, 7:30 pm – 5 pm, Hobey Baker Rink, Princeton, N.J. Previous Meetings: Jan. 9: Princeton 6, Dartmouth 4 Jan. 10: Yale 4, Vermont 2 Jan. 11: Dartmouth 4, Yale 3; Vermont 6, Princeton 3

Last weekend, Vermont swept a weekend series for the first time since the first week of 1998, when the Catamounts topped Brown and Harvard. This past weekend’s sweep of Rensselaer and Union was the Cats’ first at home this season, and only their second and third win at the Cathouse.

"That was the first time all year that we’ve really shot the puck with any authority, and we got to the net more than we did in the past," said Vermont head coach Mike Gilligan after his Cats pounced on Rensselaer Friday evening. "We haven’t seen that at all this year. We were very uncomfortable with a lead like that, but the guys came through.

"We were set back a bit at the beginning but after that we started to play a little hockey and [goaltender Andrew Allen] made some great saves to get us going," added Gilligan. "That’s the first time I’ve seen the puck bounce for [our team]. They’ve worked real hard and they’ve put out some pretty solid efforts and it’s nice to see the puck go their way."

Dartmouth destroyed Union 8-1 on Friday and played an outstanding game, but were tied with 40 seconds to go against Rensselaer, and eventually lost in overtime.

"I thought we outworked them, we outshot them, and we had them on the mat and we didn’t finish them," said Big Green head coach Bob Gaudet after Saturday’s loss. "It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but it doesn’t change the fact that for a break here or there we come out on top," he added. "Do we learn a lesson from it? Of course we do."

The Big Green have definitely turned it around, as they have only lost two games in their last eight.

"As far as understanding the game, as far as generating offense, as far as hanging in there and scoring big goals, we’ve done it," said Gaudet. "I really like the team; they’ve played so hard and they’ve worked so hard, they want so much to have success, they want so much to be a playoff team and roll the dice at that point in time."

Princeton is also suffering from the same things that Cornell is — weekends with just one or two points, and the injury bug.

Last weekend, the Tigers got one point against St. Lawrence and lost to Clarkson in the latter half of the third period, and dropped into a tie for eighth place in the ECAC.

"We’ve looked strong at certain times, and we’ve look inconsistent at certain time," said head coach Don Cahoon. "I hate to make excuses, but this weekend with our lack of depth, we played a patchwork team.

"But I was pleased at the effort that the skeleton crew put out there," he added.

The injury bug is flying in New Jersey. Casson Masters, Matt Brush, Michael Acosta, Darren Yopyk, Jackson Hegland and Ethan Doyle can be counted in the M*A*S*H unit.

"Again, no excuses here," said Cahoon. "Hopefully we can get on the mend this weekend."

Yale is close, oh so very close, to clinching the ECAC title and the accompanying automatic NCAA tournament bid.

"We don’t want to look too far ahead," said head coach Tim Taylor. "But we realize what we have to do and our destiny is in our own hands. We don’t have to wait for help from anybody else."

What they have to do is put five points between themselves and Clarkson, and the Bulldogs are in the tournament.

"It would be a nice accomplishment," said Taylor. "We’ve had some nice accomplishments along the way. The Ivy Title, home ice in the playoffs, and the 20-win season, though that was not a specific goal at the beginning of the season.

"We’re looking at the last four games as another mini-season," he added. "We’ve stayed relatively injury-free, and when we haven’t our depth has really come through."

PICKS: Dartmouth at Yale: The Bulldogs move closer to an automatic bid. Yale 4, Dartmouth 3 Vermont at Princeton: Vermont makes a logjam at the bottom too. Vermont 4, Princeton 3 Vermont at Yale: The Bulldogs clinch a tie for the regular-season title. Yale 6, Vermont 3 Dartmouth at Princeton: The winner gets eighth place. How about both? Dartmouth 4, Princeton 4

One weekend left and the jockeying continues. Let’s see who stays home, who goes on the road and who gets sent home.

The Last Weekend: Friday, March 6: Colgate at Clarkson Cornell at St. Lawrence Brown at Dartmouth Harvard at Vermont Yale at Union Princeton at Rensselaer

Saturday, March 7: Colgate at St. Lawrence Cornell at Clarkson Brown at Vermont Harvard at Dartmouth Yale at Rensselaer Princeton at Union

This Week in the CCHA: February 27, 1998

By
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Goalies

There are several rookie goaltenders who have made a difference for their respective teams. The most notable of these is Jeff Maund, Ohio State’s rookie who never–not for one second– played like one.

Maund has considerable talent, considerable points–and considerable stats. He’s 14-6-0 in over 1,200 minutes of play; he’s 12-6-0 in league play. His league GAA is 2.70, and he’s given up 49 goals in 530 league shots for a save percentage of .909.

Maund is tied with Miami’s Trevor Prior in wins, and he’s kept company all season long with the likes of Prior, Chad Alban and Marty Turco. He has all the right moves, and he’s one of the few goaltenders I’ve seen who can actually get better as the game progresses.

Deserving of mention: Shawn Timm (BGSU) and Rob Galatiuk (LSSU).

Defense

The sole criterion for rookie defensemen is not necessarily the ability to play well on both sides of the puck, but the two rookies who earn mention here can do just that.

My favorite rookie defenseman to watch has got to be Notre Dame’s Mark Eaton. Eaton is the kind of blueliner who can score and defend–just ask OSU’s Eric Meloche, whom Eaton stuffed on Meloche’s considerable breakaway twice in a Notre Dame losing effort. If I were choosing sides for a team, I’d choose Eaton.

In 27 league games, Eaton has eight goals and 16 assists. Six of those goals are on the power play. He has just 11 penalties for 22 minutes in league play, and he’s plus seven.

Ohio State’s Andre Signoretti is the kind of defenseman you’ll take any day of the week to anchor one point of your power play. Signoretti is another guy who can score and defend. In 25 league games, Signoretti has three goals and 11 assists, 15 penalties for 30 minutes, and his plus/minus is plus 12. He’s had two power-play goals in league play and two game-winners.

Deserving of mention: Mike Van Ryn (UM), Jim Dube (FSU)

Offense

The best newcomer up front has to be the guy with the great name, Spartan Rustyn Dolyny.

In 26 games, Dolyny has 15 goals and 17 assists for 32 points. He’s taken just 11 penalties for 22 minutes. He has seven league power-play goals, five league game-winners, and he’s fifth in scoring in CCHA play. He’s also plus 13.

Dolyny is fast and smart, and while other Spartans may make the offense and power play actually click, Dolyny takes care of business when he has the puck.

Michigan has a pair of newcomers who have had quite an impact on Wolverine hockey. Center Mark Kosick is especially impressive because he’s a true rookie–born in 1979 (that’s two years after the release of Star Wars: A New Hope, for those of you keeping track). While Kosick has put up impressive numbers, if I were choosing sides, I’d pick his teammate Josh Langfeld.

Langfeld plays with poise, and his hockey sense is impeccable. Kosick’s league numbers are slightly better than Langfeld’s, but Langfeld’s are nothing to scoff at. Fourth among Wolverines in league scoring, in 26 CCHA games, Langfeld has 10 goals and 13 assists, 13 penalties for 26 minutes, four league power-play goals, and he’s plus 11. And he’s plenty fun to watch.

Third on my list is a rookie who has been overlooked most of the season, but who has proven to be a player. Ferris State’s Kevin Swider is second in league scoring for the Bulldogs. In 24 league games, Swider has eight goals and 16 assists, has taken just four penalties for eight minutes, has four league power-play goals, three game-winners, and is plus eight.

Like Langfeld, Swider is fun to watch, and has become a key playmaker for the Bulldogs this season.

Deserving of mention: Mark Kosick (UM), Alex Kim (MIA), Fred Mattersdorfer (NMU), and Jim Lawrence (UAF)

So, my all-rookie team would be: Jeff Maund (G), Mark Eaton and Andre Signoretti, and Rustyn Dolyny, Josh Langfeld and Kevin Swider (F).

My rookie of the year? Jeff Maund. His presence has meant more to this surprising Buckeye team than any other single rookie has meant to his. While Ray Aho has proven this season that he also has buckets of talent, Ohio State didn’t perform well for Aho early in the season; as soon as Maund took the net, he took the game.

And how much more confident do you think the Buckeyes are knowing they have two of the top five goaltenders in the CCHA?

Besides, didn’t the Buckeyes take one in the chin last year when Hugo Boisvert wasn’t named CCHA Rookie of the Year?

And Now, For Your Regularly Scheduled Preview…

Meet the new boss. Not quite the same as the old boss.

With two consecutive wins over No. 5 Michigan 5-1 and 4-1, the No. 2 Michigan State Spartans slid into first place in the CCHA with 40 points. The Wolverines, however, are just one point behind.

This week the Spartans host the Lakers and the Bulldogs. The Wolverines host…the Bulldogs and the Lakers.

You’d think with Ohio State idle last week, Miami or Northern would jump ahead into third place. Well, I thought so, but I didn’t have that darned crystal ball…where did it go? If I could only find it…

Sorry. By just staying home, minding their own gosh-darned business, the Buckeyes remain in third place with 31 points. And they jump into 10th place in the nation in the Pairwise Rankings. If there were more than 2,500 Buckeye hockey fans in Columbus, believe me, the place would be on fire.

Thursday, the Buckeyes host the no-longer-top-ten-and-probably-really-steamed-about-it Miami RedHawks. This game is important for all the right reasons. Forget the fact that both teams are fighting for playoff home ice; The Ohio Cup is at stake in this game.

Then the Bucks travel to Bowling Green for the final game of that series on Saturday, where, again, The Ohio Cup may be at stake.

Tied for third in points with OSU is Northern Michigan, but remember that the Bucks own the regular-season series over the Wildcats. Northern lost to Notre Dame 4-3 and beat Alaska-Fairbanks 3-1 last weekend to gain those points for the tie. This weekend, the ‘Cats play two games at Notre Dame.

Miami lost 4-3 to Ferris State and 2-0 to Western Michigan last weekend, and the cornered ‘Hawks will take on OSU in the little War Memorial (bring an ice pack–you might need it), then play Bowling Green on Friday. The RedHawks are in fifth with 30 points.

In sixth place, the Lakers are not playing like a team banged up. Does anyone know better how to rally than Scotty Borek and his Lakers? After beating UAF 2-1 and Notre Dame 2-1 (OT) last week, the Lakers take on Michigan State and Michigan. Watch out for the Lakers, who are within striking distance of a top-four finish with 28 points.

Ferris State remains in seventh place with 25 points. The Bulldogs won a couple of games last week, a 4-3 win over Miami, and a 3-0 win over Bowling Green. This week, Ferris State travels to Michigan and Michigan State.

With 24 points, in the eighth and last playoff spot–although their standing may change–are the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame beat Northern Michigan 4-3 and lost to Lake Superior 2-1 (OT) last weekend. This weekend, the ‘Cats and the Irish go at it again for two.

The bottom three teams–Western Michigan, Alaska-Fairbanks and Bowling Green–have all been eliminated from playoff contention. Two of them–the Broncos and the Nanooks–duke it out for three up north, while Bowling Green tries to play the spoiler at home against Miami and Ohio State.

Last week’s record in picks: 5-5 Overall record in picks: 111-71

All right. I’m through being nice. Return the crystal ball, and you’ll live. OK? That’s all I want. Put the ball down, back away slowly, and you won’t die…

Miami (18-10-4, 12-10-4 CCHA) at Ohio State (18-11-2, 15-10-1 CCHA) Thursday, 7 p.m., OSU Ice Rink-cum-War Memorial, Columbus, OH Ohio State (18-11-2, 15-10-1 CCHA) at Bowling Green (7-24-3, 5-18-3 CCHA) Saturday, 7 p.m., BGSU Ice Arena, Bowling Green, OH

It’s February 13–Friday the 13th–and you’re Ohio State. You’re about to play Notre Dame, and in order to move into third place in the CCHA, you have to win, and Miami has to lose. You win, and Miami loses. But the next night, you’re Ohio State and you’re playing Michigan State. To remain in third place, you either have to win, or both Miami and Northern Michigan have to lose. No way you’re going to win at Munn, so you thank your stars for the brief appearance in third place. But what happens? Miami and Northern lose, and you’re still in third.

Jump to one week later. You’re still Ohio State (are you with me here?), and you’re not playing. That’s bad, because with two points, Northern Michigan ties you in third; with four, they vault ahead of you. And Miami is just three points behind you, too. So, you thank the hockey gods for your week in third place and…Northern takes two points, but Miami takes none, and you’re still in third.

Feeling lucky?

"No one expected Miami to lose both," says OSU head coach John Markell. "Western Michigan was overdue. But we also did ourselves a favor; we won our games to put ourselves in this position."

Luck has little to do with how well the Buckeyes have played this season. Loaded with talent, Ohio State has improved steadily, especially in the second half of the season when the second line of Chris Richards, Dan Cousineau, and Todd Compeau has clicked. Then there’s the occasional contribution of the fourth line, especially Neal Rech and Tyler McMillan.

And don’t forget le trio Quebecois.

Markell will tell you that his players knew all along that they could possibly finish in the top four (and it ain’t over yet), but he still sounds a little surprised by the way things have worked out.

"Yes, it’s a little different from what we expected. For success, you need good players playing well, and peripheral players playing well. We didn’t know at the start of the season how Jeff Maund would respond. We’re getting good play from Neal Rech, and Tyler McMillan is a good defensive forward."

Every weekend of play just seems to get bigger for the Buckeyes, and this one is no exception. Not only are the Buckeyes playing for points–for home ice in the playoffs–but the Ohio Cup is at stake.

The Ohio Cup is awarded to the Ohio Division I team with the best head-to-head record against the other Ohio Division I teams. Ohio State will take the Cup if they beat Miami Thursday night; if they lose, they can still get it if they beat Bowling Green Saturday.

In order for Miami to win the Cup, they have to beat Ohio State, then beat Bowling Green twice more. For Bowling Green to win, Ohio State has to lose to Miami, and the Falcons need to beat Miami once more and the Buckeyes once.

"We’re more worried about playoff positioning than we are about the Cup," says Markell.

Go figure.

Miami at Ohio State

These two teams don’t like each other very much. Miami eliminated Ohio State in the first round of the playoffs last year; earlier this season, OSU came back to score four unanswered goals to beat Miami in the War Memorial.

The season series is tied at one game each.

"We respect Miami," says Markell. "They’re well coached. Obviously, they’ve been struggling a little lately, and we don’t know whether that will be good for us or for them come Thursday."

The ‘Hawks and the Bucks match up quite nicely from the net out. Trevor Prior and Jeff Maund are having similar seasons. They are third and fourth, respectively, among CCHA goaltenders who have 1,000 or more league minutes of play. In those games, Prior is 11-7-2, with a GAA of 2.58 and a save percentage of .910. Maund is 12-6-0, with a GAA of 2.70 and a save percentage of .909.

How well a goaltender can perform under pressure is especially important in the teeny, tiny OSU Ice Rink. It’s a bit bigger than Goggin, but the corners are short and any shot from the red line could be a grade-A opportunity.

So defense is important in the War Memorial. This has been a problem lately for the RedHawks, who have not been able to adjust completely to the mid-season loss of Todd Rohloff. The ‘Hawks are playing well defensively, with seniors Dan Boyle and Brooke Chateau leading the forces. If Boyle’s offensive numbers are a bit off this season, that’s because he’s been playing fairly good defense.

For Ohio State–a defense that occasionally nearly puts the puck in its own net–the men to watch are Ryan Skaleski and Ryan Root. Skaleski is the proverbial stay-at-home defender; Root is an offensive threat whose defensive game has improved steadily over the past two seasons.

This may be a strange thing to read, but Ohio State has a better offense. Hugo Boisvert leads the league in CCHA scoring with 16 goals and 22 assists in 26 games. He is, quite simply, one of the best players in the league.

His linemate, Eric Meloche, is sixth in league scoring with 17 goals and 14 assists. Meloche’s breakaway ability is breathtaking, and he has five league game-winners. Boisvert and Meloche each have two shorthanded goals.

Often overlooked at Ohio State is the second line, and the league’s most underrated player, junior Chris Richards. A scrappy, blue-collar player, Richards is seventh in league scoring with 11 goals and 19 assists.

For Miami, the number-one threat continues to be Adam Copeland, with 14 goals and 10 assists in league play. Tim Leahy actually has one more point than does Copeland (5-20–25), but Copeland possesses speed, agility and the ability to shoot from anywhere; he’s a dangerous man.

Dan Boyle (11-12–23) is still a force to be reckoned with, and the combination of Dustin Whitecotton (4-18–22, another underrated player) and Alex Kim (10-8–18) is potent.

Markell says the key to this game is poise, and he’s right. "We’re playing against a very mature hockey team, and we have a young club.

"This will be a test of our maturity."

Both teams need points, and Miami feels a might bit edgy. This is going to be a hard-hitting, name-calling, crowd-spurring thing of beauty.

Playing at home never used to be an advantage for the Buckeyes, but when you’re 9-4-1 at home, even the little War Memorial becomes a barn you love to defend.

PICK: Ohio State 4-3

Ohio State at Bowling Green

"We respect Bowling Green," says Markell. "We know we’ll have to go in there with our ‘A’ game. We’re not the kind of team that can take any opponent for granted."

In addition to a healthy history of in-state rivalry between the two teams, Markell knows that one other factor will dictate Bowling Green’s game Saturday. "It’s a nothing-to-lose situation for them, and they will be playing the spoiler."

Last week, Falcon head coach Buddy Powers said that playing the spoiler was one of the few things Bowling Green has to look forward to for the remainder of the season. BG has been able to jump up and bite a few teams right where it hurts.

After a dismal first half of the season–which included a seven-game losing streak–and a rocky start to the second half of the season–which included a seven-game losing streak–the Falcons have been playing inconsistent, yet sometimes good, hockey lately.

In their last eight games, the Falcons are 3-4-1, with wins over Lake Superior, Western Michigan and then-top-ten Miami. The tie was against Notre Dame.

By now, everyone knows the secret of this late-season Falcon redux. Rookie goaltender Shawn Timm is the real deal, and his team plays better in front of him. In just over 1,000 minutes of league play, Timm has a GAA of 3.39, and a save percentage of .895.

Another reason for the relatively better play of the Falcons lately is the return of Dan Price to the lineup. In 18 league games, Price has 11 goals and 10, and he leads the team with 21 points.

But two players alone cannot carry a team. The entire story of the Bowling Green offense can be summed up like this: for all except one week while Price was gone, Price still led the Falcons in scoring.

Here’s another telling factor: minus 191 in league play.

Still more statistics that tell the story of the season most Falcon fans would probably like to forget: the Falcons are giving up, on average, 3.90 goals in league games, while their opponents are giving up 2.50. And Falcon opponents are saving 90 percent of the shots Bowling Green tosses at them.

It would be a mistake to call the Falcons a bad team, and it would be a mistake to say that they can’t beat Ohio State. The Buckeyes have already taken two from Bowling Green this year, but they had to come from behind to do it both times.

One big advantage Ohio State has is that the Bucks take the Falcons very seriously. Even in an environment as hostile to Buckeyes as is the BGSU Ice Arena, Ohio State should win this one.

PICK: Ohio State 5-2

Northern Michigan (16-12-4, 14-10-3 CCHA) at Notre Dame (15-16-4, 10-13-4 CCHA) Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., Joyce Center, South Bend, IN

These two teams met for the first time this season last weekend, where the Irish prevailed 4-3 in Marquette. "It was good for us because we were up 3-2 going into the third, and they came back and scored to tie it up," says Notre Dame head coach Dave Poulin. "We needed to learn to win a game like that."

Poulin likened last week’s game in Lakeview Arena to a test. "It’s no different from school. You don’t like tests when you’re taking them but when you’ve passed they’re great."

The Irish are still bit short defensively, with Tyson Fraser and Nathan Borega still out. Making a defensive difference for Notre Dame have been rookie Mark Eaton (8-16–24) and junior Benoit Cotnoir (7-14–21), who are second and fourth, respectively, in Notre Dame league scoring.

Poulin says he’s also happy with the defensive play of rookie Ryan Clark.

Up front for the Irish, junior Aniket Dhadphale continues to be the sniper with 16 goals and seven assists. His 23 points put him third in league scoring for the Irish; he’s also the only Notre Dame player with goals in the double digits in league play.

As spectacular as Dhadphale can be, he’s no playmaker. Stationed in front of the net, Dhadphale can pop in the puck, but he’s minus eight in league play, which certainly colors his stats.

Junior Brian Urick is probably the most consistent of Notre Dame’s offensive threats. With nine goals and 10 assists, he’s fourth in league scoring for the Irish, and he’s the right winger on the Irish first line, complimented by rookie Dan Carlson and senior Steve Noble.

The enigmatic Northern Michigan Wildcats have more than just a few things in common with the Irish. The ‘Cats are a bit thin defensively, with goaltending that can be inconsistent. But Northern has a potentially dynamite first line.

Word is that defenseman Curtis Sheptak is out for Northern, and if so, that’s bad news indeed. In league play, Sheptak has four goals and 15 assists; one of those goals is on the power play.

With one goal and six assists on the anemic Northern Michigan power play (9.7 percent–last in the league), Sheptak will be missed.

Like the Irish, whose Matt Eisler has played well but inconsistently this season (2.90 league GAA, .899 save percentage), the Wildcats are having a little bit of trouble in net. The go-to guy for Northern Michigan is Duane Hoey, whose league save percentage is .883, and league GAA is 2.91. The good news about Hoey is that as 1998 began, his save percentage in league games was as much as .010 to .015 lower.

The first line of Buddy Smith (4-16–20), Roger Trudeau (12-10–22), and J.P. Vigier 8-10–18) is the killer for the ‘Cats. But the Wildcats have players from top to bottom who can score, and the team is at a healthy plus 114 in league play.

There are several things that will factor into these two games.

Northern Michigan is playing for home ice. Tied in points with Ohio State (31) and in third place, the Wildcats know that Ohio State has the tiebreaker in that series. And chasing Northern is Miami, with 30 points.

The Irish have the definite edge in special teams. Notre Dame’s league power play second, performing at nearly 19 percent; Northern’s league power play is under 10 percent. In league penalty killing, Notre Dame’s PK performs at a rate of 84 percent; Northern’s is about 82 percent.

Notre Dame is averaging four-or-so fewer penalties per game than is Northern.

The Irish have four players with 20 or more points in league play; Northern has two.

In addition to these factors, the actual physical nature of the games will affect the results. Northern Michigan is the most physical team in the league; if Notre Dame can keep up, check for check, these should be two fun-filled games.

Both teams are relatively young, and the team with the most focus should take the points each night.

PICKS: Northern Michigan 4-3, Notre Dame 3-2

Lake Superior (15-13-4, 12-11-4 CCHA) at No. 2 Michigan State (26-4-5, 18-4-4 CCHA) Friday, 7 p.m., Munn Ice Arena, East Lansing, MI Lake Superior (15-13-4, 12-11-4 CCHA) at No. 5 Michigan (25-8-1, 19-6-1 CCHA) Saturday, 7 p.m., Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, MI

The Lakers won a pair of games last weekend, 2-1 over Alaska-Fairbanks, and 2-1 in overtime over Notre Dame.

"Friday was kind of frustrating game," says Laker head coach Scott Borek. "We couldn’t capitalize very much. Saturday we played much better."

Helping the Laker effort was rookie goalie Jayme Platt. "We got a nice spark from Jayme," says Borek.

"I pulled Robbie [Galatiuk] in the second game at Ferris. Our team was in a little bit of a rut, and he was in that rut, too. When I put Jayme in, the team responded."

Platt got the start Friday against Fairbanks because Borek felt that the backup deserved another shot after his performance against Ferris State. "He played so well Friday that I had to put him in Saturday."

For his two wins, Platt was named the CCHA Defensive Player of the Week. In the two games, he made 52 stops and allowed just two goals; his save percentage for the two wins was .963.

Borek doesn’t know who he’s going with this weekend, Platt or Galatiuk, who’s spent more than 1,300 minutes in net for the Lakers in league games. Each has a winning record. Platt is 3-2-0 in league games, with a GAA of 3.04, and a league save percentage of .906; Galatiuk is 9-8-4, with a league GAA of 3.00 and save percentage of .894.

Borek says his players are looking forward to games against both No. 2 Michigan State and No. 5 Michigan. "The next three games will be playoff games. After these, we should really be ready to anywhere we go."

No matter what the outcome of Friday’s game against Michigan State or Saturday’s game against Michigan, Borek says that his team will return home wiser. "Maybe a bit humbler," he quips.

Lake Superior at Michigan State

The Spartans have been banged up for most of the season, and they’ve seldom had a roster that wasn’t without key players because of injuries or the World Juniors.

Forward Bryan Adams has been out, then in, then out, then back again. Adams played this past weekend, scoring the first goal in Friday’s game. "That was a real boost for us," says Mason.

Shawn Horcoff is also out with a broken thumb, but will be back for the playoffs.

In Friday’s game, four more Spartans were hurt, including left winger Jon Gaskins (sprained right knee). Defenseman Chris Bogas hurt his wrist and Damon Whitten hurt his shoulder. But both players put themselves together with duct tape (well, OK, it was a cast for Bogas) and played with fervor against the Wolverines Saturday.

"We’ve had that kind of performance from a lot of guys this year," says Mason. "I’m not sure we’ve played completely healthy all season."

Like the Spartans, the Lakers have been a team plagued by injury. But, thankfully says Borek, "Cheeseman is the only one out for the year."

In order for the Lakers to have a chance with the Spartans in Munn, Lake Superior will have to contain a potentially explosive offense, and contend with a defense anchored by senior goaltender Chad Alban and defenseman Tyler Harlton.

This is nothing you don’t already know. Berens has been on a mission since recovering from his early-season injury. Three hat tricks, all in league games. 12 power-play goals, all in league play. 24 goals and 11 assists for 35 points, third in the league. One shorthanded goal. Five game-winners.

Mike York may be the most elegant player in the CCHA. His numbers (17-20–37) put him in a tie for second in league scoring (with Michigan’s Bill Muckalt).

In addition to Berens and York, the Spartans have a host of other talented offensive threats with whom you are doubtless acquainted. Add to this mix the best defense in the country, and Chad Alban (17-3-4 CCHA, 1.58 GAA, .924 save percentage) in his own rink, and the Lakers have a lot to handle.

For their part, the Lakers can put up decent offense, with Terry Marchant (14-19–33) and Jason Sessa (16-11–27) leading the team in league scoring. Marchant and Sessa, however, continue to be two of the very few Lakers who are on the plus side, on a team that is minus 135 in league play.

The Lakers lost 4-3 in Munn just a month ago, and in spite of some questionable stats, Lake Superior is a team that can hang tough. They also have a three-game win streak on the line.

From top to bottom, on paper and on the ice, the advantage belongs to the Spartans. A Laker win would be a fairly big upset.

PICK: Michigan State 4-3

Lake Superior at Michigan

The Wolverines have taken two games from the Lakers this season, a 7-0 nationally televised win, and a 4-1 win televised locally in Detroit. Remember that the Lakers lost 8-0 to Michigan last year on television.

This game, mercifully, is not being televised.

In the 4-1 loss, the Lakers were up on the Wolverines into the second period when Michigan just roared back to take the game, as the Wolverines are so capable of doing.

On reason for the Wolverine success, one big reason why Michigan has been able to come back in games this season–and take so many close games–is senior Bill Muckalt. Michigan head coach Red Berenson is fond of calling Muckalt an "elite" player–a term that is much overused this season when referring to some of the top players in the CCHA.

Still, Muckalt is one of the best, just a step behind OSU’s Hugo Boisvert for the lead in league points, tied with Spartan Mike York with 37 (18-19). Muckalt leads his team in league points, and is a among the team leaders in other categories: power-play goals (6), game-winners (5), plus/minus (plus 13) and, oddly enough, penalty minutes (56).

Muckalt is capable of setting the pace of any Michigan game.

Just a few of Michigan’s other weapons in its well-stocked arsenal are Bobby Hayes (16-17, plus 18), the rookies Kosick (28) and Langfeld (23), goalie Marty Turco (2.07 GAA, .909 save percentage), and a slew of other players who have made this Michigan team somewhat of a surprise in the CCHA this season.

How do these two teams match up? Well…

Michigan has better offensive firepower, better defense, and better goaltending. Michigan also seems to have Lake Superior’s number this season.

And Michigan is home, and home is Yost, where the Wolverines seldom lose.

And this will be Michigan’s senior night, honoring Matt Herr, Bill Muckalt, Marty Turco, Chris Fox and Gregg Malicke.

One more stat of note: in 1998, the Wolverines are 10-4-0, and those four losses came in the form of back-to-back weekend series sweeps by Miami and–just last week–Michigan State.

It may be a long night for the Lakers.

PICK: Michigan 5-2

Ferris State (14-16-3, 11-12-3 CCHA) at No. 5 Michigan (25-8-1, 19-6-1 CCHA) Friday, 7 p.m., Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, MI Ferris State (14-16-3, 11-12-3 CCHA) at No. 2 Michigan State (26-4-5, 18-4-4 CCHA) Saturday, 7 p.m., Munn Ice Arena

But for a little mid-season setback, the Ferris State Bulldogs might be fighting for home ice now. "We just stumbled a little bit in January," says assistant coach Drew Famulak.

At the start of the year, Ferris State made finishing in the top four a team goal. Currently in seventh place, the Bulldogs cannot gain home-ice advantage for the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean the team and coaches are overwhelmed with disappointment.

An end-of-the-season series with Alaska-Fairbanks proved to be season-ending for Ferris State in 1996-97. The Bulldog reversal of fortune has the team in high spirits.

"Look at where we were this time last year. We ended up sitting out the postseason," says Famulak. "We’re pretty positive right now."

The Bulldogs took two games last weekend, a 4-3 win over Miami and a 3-0 win over Bowling Green. "Defensively we played very well. Tessier and Jim Dube have been playing very well for us on defense."

Defense, says Famulak, is the key to Bulldog success. "We just need to keep playing good defense, and our offensive chances will come from that."

The Bulldogs are relieved that they have the points to make the playoffs at this point in the season, since their last four games are against the league’s top three teams–Michigan and Michigan State this weekend, and two at home against Ohio State to end the regular season.

"We just want to play the best we can going into the playoffs. It doesn’t matter who we face when we get there."

It’s likely that Ferris State will face one of the teams the Bulldogs play this weekend. A little playoff preview can’t do anything but help the Bulldog cause.

Ferris State at Michigan

The Bulldogs have solid players at every position, although their weakest link is between the pipes.

In goal for Ferris State this season, rookie Vince Owen has been a workhorse, posting a 10-11-3 record in CCHA play. His 3.18 GAA is of less concern than is his league save percentage of .874; something closer to 90 percent would probably better help the Bulldog cause.

Offensively, Ferris State has several players who have contributed all season long. Three players have 24 points each in league play–Joel Irwin (10-14), rookie Kevin Swider (8-16) and defenseman Brett Colborne (6-18).

The fourth Bulldog to reach 20 points in league play this season is Brent Wishart, whose three goals and three assists last weekend brought his league totals to 10 goals and 10 assists.

The Bulldogs are tough defensively, but can they match up to Michigan in Yost Arena? (All right, Wolverine fans, refrain from saying, "Who can?" right now and you go to the head of the class.)

The Bulldogs have taken the Wolverines into overtime twice this season, losing 3-2 in Yost, and tying 3-3 in Van Andel Arena, a game in which Ferris State rallied to score three goals in a little over four minutes to tie the game. Michigan leads Ferris State 40-18-1 all time, and the Wolverines have a current unbeaten streak against the Bulldogs (9-0-1) that goes back to October of 1994.

Michigan is also 21-7-0 all time in Yost Arena against Ferris State.

So the odds are against the Bulldogs, but they’ve proven this season that they can play with the Wolverines if they stick to their defensive game plan. And it doesn’t hurt if you can rattle Marty Turco a little either.

PICK: Michigan 4-2

Ferris State at Michigan State

Ron Mason is a little concerned about his team’s remaining regular-season games. "We have a tough schedule for the rest of the season. We knew that even if we beat Michigan, nothing would be decided by it.

"It’s a long season, and there’s a lot of bumps and bruises along the way. At least at this point, we have a chance. We knew that when we moved ahead of them."

The Spartans jumped into first place in the CCHA with two wins over the Wolverines, and Friday’s was Mason’s 800th career win as a coach.

"I thought in the game here Friday night we really, really played well. When we were up 3-0, it’s pretty hard to come back on us. Chad came up with some big saves for us."

After the game, the Spartan fan exuberance spilled over onto the ice. "That was really something. I’ve never seen anything like it."

The wins not only put the Spartans in first place in the CCHA, but put them in a better position for postseason–and post-CCHA–play. But Mason says he’s not concerned yet with how the Spartans may seed in the NCAA tournament. "The biggest thing for us is that we’ve got to qualify. Then you take it from there."

Unless the world goes mad, this is one game that the Spartans should be able to count on to help get them where they want to go. Michigan State seems to own the Bulldogs lately, outscoring them 13-1 in two games this season, at two different times of the season.

The Spartans are 42-21-10 overall against the Bulldogs, and 24-11-4 against Ferris State in Munn Arena. Michigan State is 11-1-2 in its last 14 games against Ferris State, and the Spartans have not lost a regular-season game to the Bulldogs since February of 1994.

Michigan State has also scored seven goals against Ferris State in four of its last five games against the Bulldogs. In that fifth game, the Spartans scored six goals.

This is not to say, necessarily, that the Bulldogs will go down easy, but–as in their game with Michigan–the odds are against Ferris State.

Not at all helping the Bulldog cause is the fact that Saturday is Senior’s Night for the Spartans. The team will honor Chad Alban, Sean Berens, Jon Gaskins, Tyler Harlton and Kevin O’Keefe. "Some groups are easy to work with," says Mason, "and this is one of those groups."

PICK: Michigan State 5-2

Miami (18-10-4, 12-10-4 CCHA) at Bowling Green (7-24-3, 5-18-3 CCHA) Saturday, 7 p.m., Goggin Ice Arena, Oxford, OH

The RedHawks were a bit stunned the last time they faced the Falcons. Bowling Green outshot Miami 20-5 in the first period, and by the time Miami recovered, it was too late to get back into the game.

Dan Price had a hat trick in the 5-4 Bowling Green win over Miami, a sweetheart delivered to the Falcon faithful at home on Valentine’s Day.

Miami has a four-game losing streak coming into this game, and a five-game winless streak. Bowling Green lost a pair of games last weekend.

This sets up a curious second meeting between the two teams. It was obvious that Miami didn’t take Bowling Green seriously in their first meeting of the season. That was a dangerous thing to do, but have the RedHawks learned their lesson?

On paper, the ‘Hawks have it all over the Falcons; Miami has better goaltending, a much better defense (plus 71 team rating as opposed to BG’s minus 191 in league play), and more then one player who can score on a consistent basis.

But you can toss that all out the window–as the RedHawks apparently did two weeks ago–if Miami doesn’t behave like the balanced, mature team that has brought the ‘Hawks so far this season.

The RedHawks will be playing for points, and if they don’t pick them up in Thursday’s game against OSU, then they may be playing with, um, added emotion.

Bowling Green is the king team of added emotion; come on, Falcon fans, how many times have you seen more than one player in the box at the same time this season? It’s not that the Falcons play too rough or too stupid, but sometimes, frustration-mode kicks in, and players stop thinking.

This game could go one of several ways: (1) high-scoring from both teams, with plenty of guys from both sides in the penalty box; (2) low-scoring from both teams, with plenty of guys from both sides in the penalty box; (3) a game in which Miami controls the pace, plays with poise, and wins the game like they should, even though Bowling Green will be trying their best to play the spoiler.

Monty, I’ll take door number three, please.

PICK: Miami 4-2

Western Michigan (9-24-2, 8-18-1 CCHA) at Alaska-Fairbanks (9-20-3, 6-19-2 CCHA) Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Carlson Center, Fairbanks, AK

In these last games of the season for both the Broncos and the Nanooks–two teams who have been eliminated from the playoffs–what’s at stake?

"Team goals," says Western coach Bill Wilkinson. "We have eight league wins; we’d like ten.

"Some players have personal goals they’d like to achieve as well. There’s a maturity factor at play here."

For the Broncos, an 18-game losing streak ended much too near the close of the season to do them any good. Since snapping that streak with a 4-3 win over Ferris State February 6, Western has gone 3-2, with a pair of wins last weekend, 6-3 over Bowling Green, and 2-0 over Miami.

"The funny thing is," says Wilkinson, "that we’re not playing much different from when we were losing. But we’re scoring goals.

"It gives us confidence, but it’s a little bit too late for us."

It’s also too late for the Nanooks, whose last little bit of the season has also resulted in better play. Alaska-Fairbanks is 0-3-1 in its last four games, all on the road, but each of those games was well played.

The Nanooks lost 3-2 to Miami, then tied the Buckeyes 4-4. Last weekend, Fairbanks lost 2-1 to Lake Superior, and 3-1 to Northern Michigan.

Throughout this little stretch, Ian Perkins has been the goalie of record for three of four games (he was injured in the game against OSU and replaced by Chris Marvel). Perkins has looked very good in these games; he made 41 saves on the Wildcats last weekend.

This is an interesting matchup for several reasons. First, it pits a team with offensive troubles (Western) against a team that has little trouble scoring goals (Fairbanks).

Second, while Western has had better and more consistent goaltending in Matt Barnes, goaltending should be strong for Fairbanks, especially at home, where they tend to play much better.

Third, it will be interesting to see how Fairbanks’ sometimes-nonexistent defense handles Western’s sometimes-nonexistent offense, and whether or not the Bronco defense will be able to stop Sjon Wynia and Jeff Trembecky, too of the league’s better scorers.

Fourth–and this may be the most fascinating (or disturbing) factor by far–it will be interesting to see how well the league’s two teams with the worst reputations for chippiness pair up. As one coach who shall remain nameless put it, will the Broncos need to book extra passage for the body bags?

The Nanooks have 804 penalty minutes in 27 league games. The Broncos have 679 in 27 league games. You do the math.

The Nanooks play much better at home, and that may be the key to this series.

PICKS: Fairbanks, two out of three

This Week in the WCHA: February 27, 1998

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"Figures often beguile me, Scott, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: ‘There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.’"

To which I responded:

"You’re talking about Duluth’s penalty-kill percentage, right? I’ll bet they’d be better if Peluso was out there more."

After smacking me with the butt end of his stick, he said that, actually, he was referring to the WCHA’s hyping of its team’s post-holiday hot streaks. Here it is, verbatim:

"Six of the nine WCHA teams have been playing at an impressive level — .600 or above — over the past 2 1/2 months as the 1997-98 regular season winds down and post-season play looms on the horizon.

"Defending national champion and No. 1-ranked North Dakota (25-4-1) has racked up nine straight victories and is 17-1-0 (.944) since Dec. 13 … Wisconsin (20-11-1) is still at .711 since Dec. 10 … St. Cloud State is 16-7-1 (.688) since Nov. 1 … Minnesota-Duluth is unbeaten over the last five games and displays a 12-5-2 (.684) mark since Nov. 28 … Minnesota is 9-5-0 (.643) in the new year. Colorado College is 14-8-1 (.630) since Nov. 16 …"

True enough. But is anyone outside of Grand Forks really hitting on all cylinders consistently? Wisconsin’s five losses have all come to second-division opponents, and St. Cloud was just swept at home by an equally Jekyll-and-Hyde-ish CC squad. Duluth has looked strong, but Minnesota has followed a sweep-and-get-swept pattern for several weekends.

"So what does it all mean, Mr. Twain?" I said, to which he answered:

"You tell me whar a man gits his corn pone, an I’ll tell you what his ‘pinions is."

I guess when my books are staples of literature curricula in American public schools, I can get away saying stuff like that.

Well, let’s drop our anchor and explore this week’s matchups, with help from our friend Twain.

Minnesota (14-18-0, 10-14-0 WCHA) at Colorado College (17-11-3, 12-10-2 WCHA) Friday, 7:35 p.m. MT, Saturday, 7:05 MT, World Ice Arena, Colorado Springs, Colo.

"The report of my death was an exaggeration."

Perhaps CC coach Don Lucia said this under his breath as he left St. Cloud’s National Hockey Center last weekend. The up-and-down Tigers put together two outstanding performances against second-place St. Cloud, solidifying their hold on the conference’s fourth slot.

"Our team played its best hockey of the season last weekend," Lucia said. "We’ve had a lot of success on the road, so that’s not so surprising."

Indeed. The Swanson boys caught fire last weekend, with Brian picking up a pair of goals and assists, and Scott going for 2-3–5. Scott’s efforts earned him WCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second time this season while racking up a plus-three rating.

Darren Clark chipped in with a solid weekend, and his shorthanded goal Friday was his 100th career point, making him the 58th member of CC’s "Century Club."

The problem is, the Tigers now return to the new Colorado Springs World Arena for the majority of the remaining schedule. Problem? Yes, considering CC hadn’t won in its new palace before beating up on non-conference neighbor Air Force Tuesday night.

"Hopefully, with our last five regular-season games at home, we can build on that success and gain some momentum heading into the playoffs," Lucia said.

"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man."

Or between a Gopher and a man. It seems that every time Minnesota begins a run out of the second division, they get a tad complacent. Consider the proceedings of the previous month:

A sweep of Duluth followed by two losses at Michigan Tech. A sweep of Wisconsin followed by two losses at North Dakota. A sweep of Alaska-Anchorage followed by…

Two losses at Colorado? Well, Minnesota goalie Steve DeBus is 3-5-1 versus the Tigers for his career. The Gophers have not won on the road since Nov. 7. Minnesota is averaging a full goal less per game on the road than at Mariucci Arena.

Injuries will further hamper the Gophers’ cause. Forward Stuart Senden is out for the season after dislocating his shoulder Saturday night; Mike Anderson will miss the next two weeks with a knee injury; and Aaron Miskovich has a busted face. Defenseman Dylan Mills (groin) and forward Casey Hankinson (shoulder) are probable for the weekend.

Picks: Tigers smell blood, and the Minnesota roller coaster continues its bumpy ride. When will these injuries end for the Gophers?CC 4-2, 7-4

No. 1 North Dakota (25-4-1, 19-4-1 WCHA) at Minnesota-Duluth (16-14-2, 11-11-2 WCHA) Friday-Saturday, 7:05 CT, Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center, Duluth, Minn.

"Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is the lightning that does the work."

It is with this edict that North Dakota clinched at least a share of its second consecutive WCHA regular-season championship with a sweep at Denver last weekend. The Sioux did it with a lightning attack, scoring 13 goals in the series, keyed by Jason Blake’s 3-3–6, an effort good enough to earn WCHA Offensive Player of the Week honors.

By the way, the wins pushed the weekly "Sioux-o-meter" to nine straight victories, and 17 in 18 games.

"If we keep playing the way we are, I feel this team is right where we were last season when we won the national title," Blake told the Grand Forks Herald. "The pieces are fitting in the puzzle right now."

One of the key pieces is play away from Engelstad Arena, where the Sioux are 11-2-1. The constant, of course, is freshman Karl Goehring, whose personal winning streak now stands at 17 games. In allowing a forgivable seven goals against Denver, Goehring’s goals against average leapt to 1.94.

Also chipping in have been unheralded forwards like Jesse Bull, who scored three third period points Saturday after being benched earlier, and freshman center Wes Dorey, who gained WCHA Rookie of the Week honors after a three-point effort Sunday.

"Put all your eggs in the one basket and — WATCH THAT BASKET."

Duluth’s basket will be watched this weekend will be goaltender Brant Nicklin, who handles the proverbial eggs deftly when playing between the DECC pipes. In his last nine home contests, the sophomore is 7-1-1 with a 1.65 GAA, three shutouts and a .932 save percentage.

The Bulldogs took last weekend off, but enter the series with a modest five-game winning streak. However, UMD is just 1-6-1 in its last eight home matchups with the Sioux.

Watch that basket, and the goal light several feet behind it.

Picks: North Dakota is just too hot right now, even though Nicklin is on a home tear. With the Sioux having clinched first place, might we see Aaron Schweitzer in net?UND 5-3, 4-1

No. 8 St. Cloud State (18-10-2, 15-8-1 WCHA) at No. 10 Wisconsin (20-11-1, 15-8-1 WCHA) Friday-Saturday, 7:05 CT, Dane County Coliseum, Madison, Wis.

"When angry, count four; when very angry, swear."

Wisconsin coach Jeff Sauer likely became very angry and swore Saturday after he counted four Badgers on the ice, the result of numerous ill-advised penalties. Penalties taken by Alex Brooks, Joe Bianchi, Erik Raygor and Luke Gruden led to four Michigan Tech power play goals.

The Badgers dropped both games in Houghton, the Huskies’ first sweep of the UW since 1988, and have now lost five of their last six games.

"I’ve been trying to look through the last three weekends to figure out where the breakdowns have been," Sauer said. "We’ve had 11 special teams goals scored on us in the last three weekends."

Wisconsin also suffered from a lack of scoring during its mini-drought, tallying just eight goals in its five losses.

"In any sport, you have to score to win…except for golf," said a perceptive Sauer.

Injuries are less of a problem for Wisconsin than in past weeks. Goaltender Mike Valley made a return, albeit a losing one, from knee surgery in Saturday’s loss, and winger Dustin Kuk is back after missing time with mysterious virus. Forward E.J. Bradley will likely be absent from the UW lineup this weekend.

"[The Bible] has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies."

This season has been somewhat of a clever fable for St. Cloud. After losing stalwarts like Dave Paradise, Matt Cullen and Matt Parrish from last year’s team, the Huskies were slated for a middle-of-the-pack finish.

But alas, St. Cloud has exceeded expectations, hanging around the top of the WCHA for much of the season. But with erstwhile second-place holder Wisconsin stumbling last weekend, coach Craig Dahl’s team suffered a blood-drenching pair of losses to visiting CC.

OK, so maybe "blood-drenching" is a little dramatic. But the losses illustrated a point earlier made in regard to Duluth: goaltender Brian Leitza is the nerve center of this team.

"Their team goes as their goaltender goes," Sauer said. "They’re a pretty nondescript team other than their goaltender."

Leitza is about average statistically when compared with other conference goaltenders, yet only Goehring can match his total of 15 wins.

Picks: SCSU has a better road record (8-3-0) this season than at home (10-7-2). Both teams badly need this series, although an argument could be made that Wisconsin has more to lose. An NCAA tournament lock several weeks ago, the Badgers are sitting on the fence right now, and their performance down the stretch will go a long way toward determining their postseason fate. UW 4-1, 3-3 tie

Denver (10-21-1, 7-16-1 WCHA) at Alaska-Anchorage (6-23-4, 5-18-3 WCHA) Friday-Saturday, 7:05 AT, Sullivan Arena, Anchorage, Alas.

"There ain’t no way to find out why a snorer can’t hear himself snore."

Aha, Mark, but we have found out! The answer: Because Anchorage coach Dean Talafous is never awakened by the sound of the goal siren.

OK, OK, I have been accused of coming down harshly on our friends to the Northwest, and maybe I have. As Lee Urton’s probing interview with Talafous illustrates, the man knows what he’s doing, and his program is merely experiencing growing pains.

So let’s accentuate the positive.

Keeping things close: more than two-thirds of the Seawolves’ games have been decided by two goals or less.

Snipers on fire: Rob Douglas broke a nine-game pointless streak with an assist against Minnesota.

Rubberized goalie: Doug Teskey has faced 154 shots over a fortnight, and is still expected to play this weekend.

Lead protectors: UAA is 6-1-0 when scoring first. Of course, the team is also 0-21-2 when its opponent scores first.

"When I was younger I could remember anything, whether it happened or not; but I am getting old, and soon I shall remember only the latter."

Coach George Gwozdecky’s team has gotten a lot older during this trying season, and last year’s NCAA tournament appearance may seem somewhat like a distant dream.

But the Pioneers have been spunky lately, posting a winning record in 1998, and giving North Dakota a fight last weekend before succumbing. Yet DU continues to be plagued by inconsistent goaltending, and Stephen Wagner ranks last among regular WCHA goaltenders.

Scoring hasn’t been as much of a problem, though. Left wing Paul Comrie has been a stalwart, currently holding a five-game goal scoring streak. Center Jon Newsman helped out against North Dakota, with his third multiple-goal game of the season. Mark Rycroft continues his push for inclusion on the WCHA all-rookie team, with 10 goals and 10 assists in conference play.

Picks: Denver has allowed six or more goals in four of its last six games, but not even El Nino is going to help Anchorage score that many goals. But look for the Seawolves’ discipline to pay dividends, as Denver has used power plays to spur their offense in recent weeks. UAA 2-1, DU 3-2

Mankato State (15-14-4) at Michigan Tech (15-16-2, 10-15-1 WCHA) Friday, 8:05 ET, Saturday, 5:05 ET, MacInnes Student Ice Arena, Houghton, Mich.

"Barring that natural expression of villainy which we all have, the man looked honest enough."

Such is the nature of Michigan Tech, the opponent teams just can’t read. Whether it’s sweeping Minnesota and Wisconsin for the first time in decades or slipping every time threatens to move into the league’s upper class, Tech is hard to gauge.

Last weekend’s effort wasn’t hard to gauge, as the Huskies used special teams and solid goaltending to stymie Wisconsin.

"First of all, let me say I was extremely pleased with our effort against Wisconsin last weekend," said Tech coach Tim Watters. "We picked up two important wins for our program."

Once more, Andre Savage was the center of attention, going 2-3–5 on the weekend. But Savage is accompanied near the top of the WCHA scoring charts by a surprise guest, defenseman Andy Sutton. Sutton is 10-13–23 in conference play, 14-18–32 overall, making him the highest-scoring Husky blueliner since Kip Noble in 1989-90.

Weninger was equally big against Wisconsin, thwarting several rallies with key saves. Weninger’s superior save totals of 29 and 26 saves won him the Superior National Bank Superior Player of the Game Award.

Superior.

"Be good and you will be lonesome."

The Mavericks have been good this year, going 15-14-4 as an independent. Yet as a major-conference orphan, MSU just wants to belong.

Mankato will get its chance in two weeks, when it goes to Grand Forks and serves as North Dakota’s opening-round sacrificial lamb. In the interim, conference teams continue to build their books on the Mavericks, preparing for the day when the team joins the conference.

Last year, Mankato lost 6-3, 3-0 in Houghton, but left quite an impression on Watters.

"They gave us all we could handle last year," Watters said. "They have a solid club and we need to be ready to play."

Tyler Deis (16-20–36), Aaron Fox (13-18–31) and Tim Wolfe (11-18–29) are Mankato’s top guns, but Deis has been suspended for the remainder of the season for undisclosed violations of team policy. Des Christopher is Mankato’s top goaltender, with a 9-11-1 record and 3.77 GAA.

Picks: Will Tech get caught looking a.) back on its sweep of Wisconsin, b.) ahead to its potentially pivotal series with CC, or c.) at Sutton, the six-foot-six behemoth? Probably not. MTU 5-3, 4-3

This Week in Hockey East: February 27, 1998

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From 1984 through 1989, the two leagues played games against each member of the opposing conference, with the games counting in both leagues’ standings. In those days, wags in Hockey East press boxes would announce, "WCHA rules tonight. Two assists for every goal."

I find myself wondering sometimes if we’re back to "WCHA rules" again. Phantom assists are on the rise. If you’ve traveled around the rinks and been paying attention, or even watched the games on TV, you’ve probably seen it, too.

There are some stalwart defenders of statistical purity, but it’s increasingly become like trying to plug holes in a dike. To keep up with another school’s perceived largesse in awarding points, a competing program feels compelled to follow suit. Soon, the ante has been raised so many times that it’s gone past the gray regions. A player steals the puck from an opponent and beats the goalie, yet somehow assists are awarded.

Admittedly, a lot is at stake. Perceptions about players for consideration on All-America teams and the Hobey Baker Award are influenced by statistics. But when a surfeit of phantom assists diminishes the importance of that statistic, what’s the point?

Onward…

Contrary to the conventional wisdom espoused here last week, Maine did not have to get at least three points against Northeastern last week to still have a shot at playoff home ice. After the Black Bear-Husky split, it came to light that Maine would win a three-way tie for fourth place with Northeastern and UMass-Lowell.

In such a tie, Maine would finish fourth by virtue of its 3-2-1 head-to-head record with the other two schools, Lowell would take fifth with a 2-2-2 mark and Northeastern would have to settle for sixth because of its 2-3-1 record.

UMass-Amherst’s stunning upset of New Hampshire last week put Boston University back in control of the Hockey East race with two weeks remaining. The Minutemen swept league awards as a result of their 4-3 win.

Hockey East Standings

Goaltender Brian Regan took the KOHO Player of the Week award with his 60 saves on the weekend and, in particular, his 38 stops in the upset.

Teammate Nick Stephens earned Rookie of the Week honors with the game-winner and three assists in the series. Last week’s record in picks: 7-1

Season’s record in picks: 115-61, .653

No. 3 Boston University (23-5-2, 14-4-2 HEA, 1st) vs. UMass-Amherst (6-21-2, 3-16-1 HEA 9th)

Friday, 7 p.m., Mullins Center, Amherst, MA

Saturday, 7 p.m., Walter Brown Arena, Boston, MA WABU-TV68

Boston University took 5-1 and 3-2 wins over Providence College this past weekend to complete a season’s sweep begun with a 1-0 squeaker on Jan. 10.

"I was real happy with how we played," said coach Jack Parker. "With the exception of us falling off our attack against Providence in the middle of the second game, I thought it was a solid weekend for us.

"We’ve really battled with Providence over the years and we certainly battled with them this year. The 3-2 game probably wasn’t as close as it looked, but the 5-1 game was much closer. We’ve always had good wars with them, so to get all three of those games the way we did — 3-2, 1-0, and then 5-1 in their place — was a pretty nice season against Providence College, that’s for sure."

Freshman Nick Gillis, elevated to right wing on Chris Drury’s line a few weeks ago, scored both game-winners and added two assists. Which begs the question: is Gillis playing better now, or is he just scarfing up crumbs off Drury’s table?

"The reason he’s on Drury’s line is that he’s playing a lot better," said Parker. "Playing with Chris Drury can get you a lot of points, but he’s helped Chris out as well. It’s not a one-way street. He’s played well and he’s gotten a lot more confident.

"He’s always been a great goal-scorer and playmaker. He realized he had to work a little harder to earn a spot, but once he did, his skills started to come out for us. That’s good for him and good for his linemates."

Making the sweep even sweeter was UMass-Amherst’s stunning upset of UNH on Sunday, giving the Terriers sole possession of first place and control of their own destiny.

"Obviously, getting four points and winding up back on top of the league with four games to go is nice," said Parker. "We got a good break from UMass and we didn’t falter."

Despite the potentially critical turn of events, Parker doesn’t see his players suddenly energized by being back in Hockey East driver’s seat as they head into a home-and-home of their own against UMass-Amherst.

"I don’t really think they take that into consideration," he said. "They know that the exact same thing could happen to them, because UMass now all of a sudden is fighting for a playoff berth. There’s still a long way to go when you have just one point on one club and three points on another. Any type of faltering on our part opens the door for either UNH or BC."

Goaltender Tom Noble had to leave the Saturday night contest with a pulled hamstring. The hope is that he’ll be ready for his usual turn in the rotation, at home on Saturday, but early in the week he remained day-to-day.

The Terriers last faced UMass-Amherst on Oct. 31 in a 5-2 win at Walter Brown Arena that stood 3-2 well into the third period. They begin this home-and-home on the big ice surface in Amherst.

"Up there, it’s always been goaltending, power plays and penalty kills," said Parker. "We’ve had a lot of physical games with them with a lot of opportunities both ways, shot-wise. So both goaltenders have to stand up to the pressure. Those are usually the keys against UMass. Also being focused and ready to go.

"Having them beat UNH is a plus for us in more than one way. It lets us know that that’s a real good club, because UNH should have had the advantage playing in the big rink. We’re not used to playing in the big rink, but UNH is. And yet UMass turned around and handled them pretty well.

"We’ll have all we can handle, that’s for sure."

UMass-Amherst lost to UNH 7-3 on Friday, but then stunned the Wildcats, then atop Hockey East and ranked third nationally, 4-3 back at home on Sunday.

"On Friday, I thought the kids played pretty well," said coach Joe Mallen. "The difference was the power play. They were 4-for-6 and had a shorthanded goal. It was 2-2 even strength and we outshot them by a couple. For us to outshoot them in their building was a positive step, we thought.

"Going into the second game, we tried to stick to a basic game plan and we got outstanding goaltending from Brian Regan. We were down 3-2 after two and when we went into the third period, I just asked everybody to do things quicker and stick to the system.

"When we gained the lead, guys like [Mark] Mowers and [Tom] Nolan absolutely picked it up to the nth degree. It was impressive. They were just all over us. Brian Regan just held the fort for about the last five minutes of the game and we were able to hang on for the win.

"Despite beating them on Sunday, I’m very, very impressed with the way that Mowers, especially, and Nolan, [Derek] Bekar and [Jason] Krog are playing. Those four guys are just outstanding. Sean Matile as well."

Regan’s heroics earned him Hockey East KOHO Player of the Week honors, but he almost didn’t get the start.

"To be honest, he didn’t have a great game on Friday night," said Mallen. "I really hemmed and hawed about whether I wanted to come back with him. But one thing about Brian is that he’s a great competitor. Usually, if he doesn’t play well, he comes back and plays real strong, which was the case here. In this game, he just looked like he was on top of every shot.

"I was talking to him about Patrick Roy and Dominik Hasek [in the Olympics]. When the puck was being sent across the ice for one-time shots, they were already right on it or were on it before the shot was even taken. That’s how Brian looked the other night. He was on top of everything.

"For him, our defense really played a decent game. Mike Gaffney played a good game offensively, but we gave Brian good protection and didn’t allow many rebound shots. That’s something that helps him a lot."

The league honors didn’t stop there. Nick Stephens took the Rookie of the Week award for his game-winner and three assists on the weekend. Admittedly, his goal came on a play where all he had to do was put a puck into an open net just a few feet away after Dan Juden beat Matile to a loose puck, but the games against UNH still amounted to a breakout weekend for the freshman. He’d totaled just one goal and one assist previously.

"Nick Stephens is an unbelievably fast skater," said Mallen. "In some ways, he reminds us of [UMass-Lowell senior] Shannon Basaraba, who is really a great skater. Nick needs to learn a lot more about the game itself, but that speed can be a scary factor. He’s got speed, a great work ethic and he’s really tough, but he’s still learning a lot about the game."

Fellow freshman Jeff Turner continued his impressive comeback from the broken leg he suffered in the season’s first practice, scoring two goals on the weekend and assisting on Stephens’ game-winner. Turner, whose injury required three screws in his leg and the reattachment of a ligament, has now scored goals in the last three games.

"I had said after he got hurt that I didn’t feel comfortable with our second line," said Mallen. "I had thought he could have been our second-line center. Now he’s bearing that out. This kid is showing what we thought he could do. He’s going to be a real good player in the league."

With perhaps an extra jump in their step following the upset of UNH, the Minutemen prepare for a series with Boston University. Despite the truism that any team in Hockey East can beat any other on any given night, there’s nothing like beating the team on top to reinforce that ideal.

"There’s no doubt that hockey is a game of momentum," said Mallen. "If you can get some winning momentum, that goes a long way. As we found out this year, some losing momentum can go a long way, too. I know everyone feels a lot more optimistic going into the last four games after that win."

In principle, the Minutemen have their destiny in their own hands since they are one point behind Merrimack for the final playoff berth with one game in hand. The schedule, however, provides some fine print. Merrimack faces seventh-place Providence twice this weekend and first-place Boston University once. UMass-Amherst faces BU twice this weekend, followed by lone games against third-place Boston College and sixth-place Maine.

So the Minutemen have their work cut out for them, but that still beats where they stood just a few weeks ago, still waiting for their first league win.

Tim Lovell returns for the run at the playoffs after serving a four-game suspension for an unidentified violation of team rules.

PICKS: BU 3-2 on the Mullins Center ice and 4-2 back home at Walter Brown Arena.

No. 4 New Hampshire (22-6-1, 14-5-1 HEA, 2nd) vs.

Northeastern (18-12-2, 11-7-2 HEA, 4th)

Friday, 7 p.m., Matthews Arena, Boston, MA

Saturday, 8 p.m., Whittemore Center, Durham, NH FOXNE

New Hampshire lost control of the Hockey East race when UMass-Amherst stunned them 4-3 in a Sunday afternoon back end of a home-and-home series. The Wildcats had taken a 7-3 win at the Whittemore Center.

"Believe it or not, we played better on Sunday than we did on Friday night when we won 7-3," said coach Richard Umile. "That’s how crazy the game is. On Friday night, we played better as the game went on and obviously played well on the power play."

The Wildcats scored in four of their five man-advantage situations, putting them atop Hockey East with a 26.5 percent success rate in league games.

They also added a shorthanded goal, their 13th of the season. Their penalty kill unit now ranks first in overall efficiency (89.5 percent) and, in one of the more amazing statistics of the year, has allowed only one more goal while shorthanded than they have scored themselves.

With special teams like that, goaltender Sean Matile setting league career shutout marks in just his second year, the top four scorers in Hockey East and an underrated "No-Name" defense, this writer last week predicted not only two blowout wins, but a trip to the Final Four in April.

Was the "Hendrickson Kiss of Death" at work in the Sunday afternoon upset?

More likely, it was Brian Regan winning the goaltending battle. The Wildcats outshot UMass-Amherst 41-18, but still wound up on the short end of the stick.

"I can’t tell you how disappointing it was," said Umile. "I won’t take any credit away from UMass. They found a way to win the game. We didn’t give them that many opportunities, but every one that we gave them, they scored. They hung in there, played together and found a way to beat us.

"I give credit to Regan. He played well. Matile has had a good season. Obviously, [Sunday] wasn’t his best game, but he’s done a lot for us throughout the season, so it was a chance for us to maybe score some goals to help him out, but that didn’t happen."

As a result, BU is now in the driver’s seat. The Terriers can take the regular season championship and a first step towards an NCAA opening round bye by running the board of their games against UMass-Amherst (twice), Northeastern and Merrimack.

"It’s not the end of the world, as I told the team, but obviously it’s out of our hands right now," said Umile. "Now we have to rely on something else happening, but that’s what’s going on in the league. That’s how tight the league is.

"Now, it’s going to come down to how we respond after a disappointing loss that took it out of our control. We’ve got to play and focus on what’s ahead. If you have a chance to win it, you better pay attention to what you’re doing down the stretch, otherwise you won’t have any opportunity."

In their previous game against Northeastern, a 5-2 win on Jan. 30, UNH jumped out to a 2-0 lead on two first-period shorthanded goals.

"I’m not going to rely on scoring two goals shorthanded to beat Northeastern," said Umile laughing. "That’s for darn sure. They’re a well-coached team and they play hard. Obviously, they’ve proven that.

"It’s going to be a solid physical game. It’s going to be who does the best job defensively."

Northeastern split with Maine last weekend, coming back to take the opener 4-3, but then dropping the back end 4-1.

Billy Newson figured in each NU goal, scoring twice and assisting on the two others. The flashy 5-8 forward also adds a mosquito-like quality to the Husky penalty kill.

"He’s learning to play with his head," said coach Bruce Crowder. "He’s always been very quick. At other levels, he’s been in situations where he was able to compensate with his quickness for his mistakes. At this level, you can’t and he’s really eliminated them. He’s been fantastic the last half of the season.

"He had a great game, but that’s very typical of this team. It’s somebody different every night that’s stepping up. [Friday] it was Billy; a week ago, it was Matt Keating, Bobby Haglund and Graig Mischler.

"It’s nice, because sometimes it’s tough for teams to play us. We’re not going to wow teams offensively. But when you’re dealing with a bunch of young kids and they know that if they come to play on a certain night they can be the hero, that can go a long way."

The Huskies also showed increased maturity compared to earlier in the season by making sure they got the puck deep once they took the lead and forced Maine to beat them 200 feet.

"That was one of our goals for all three periods," said Crowder. "Maine is a good transition team. If we were turning it over in the neutral zone, they were going to capitalize."

Crowder also pointed to a seventh player that helped the Huskies score twice within 11 seconds in the third period.

"I think it’s the crowd, to be honest," he said. "The students have really gotten into this. When the crowd is behind you and all of a sudden the place is rocking, it brings [the players] up.

"I’ve said all along, that if we can get this place packed and get four or five thousand people, they’re going to be good for a goal or two a night. That’s one of the goals outside the goal: to get the fans more involved. I think we’ve treated them to some pretty nice hockey."

Although it falls into the "So what else is new?" category, Marc Robitaille again was terrific in the nets, stopping 37 shots while his team was outshot 40-23.

"Robitaille played outstanding," noted Maine coach Shawn Walsh after the game. "We had breakaways, we had two-on-ones, we had good chances, but Marc has been the backbone of their team. Probably in our league, he may be the one player that means more to his team than anybody. That was evident tonight."

When asked about Robitaille’s ironman status of playing all but 22 minutes this year, Crowder responded tongue-in-cheek.

"He doesn’t have to skate," he said. "He just stays in the blue paint all the time. Why should he be tired? It’s one of the easiest jobs in hockey. He just stands there. He got seven minutes’ rest last Friday night. What do you want?"

On a more serious note, he added, "It’s no big deal. This is college hockey. New Hampshire is using the same kid every night. Clemmensen at BC is playing every night. We’re using the same kid every night."

Crowder felt that his team played well in the rematch, but just didn’t get the W.

"I thought we played better tonight than last night," he said after the game. "We forced some things and created some offensive chances. We battled a lot better. It was just one of those things that wasn’t meant to be."

As a result, the battle for home ice remains undecided, as noted above. The Huskies could finish anywhere from fourth to sixth.

"It really hasn’t been a focus," said Crowder. "I felt that if we made it a focus, it would be a deterrent. We’ve pretty much stayed close to the game plan. We’re a young team and we’re going to have learning experiences from everything we do. We’re going to just take one game at a time."

So the Huskies now switch their attention from Maine to New Hampshire.

"It gets easier," said Crowder with a laugh. "It’s going to be tough. I saw today that they have the top four scorers in the country or some crazy thing like that" — four in the top six, to be exact — "and I’m playing five freshmen defensemen. Something has got to give. We’re going to learn a lot more about our guys. It’s just another challenge, just like they all have been over the last six or seven games."

The contest pits Northeastern’s league-worst overall power play (13.6 percent) against UNH’s league-best penalty killers (89.5 percent), who have also displayed a shorthanded scoring prowess.

"That’s what killed us the last time they played us," said Crowder. "Our biggest thing is that we’ve got to get something on the power play. We’re not generating a whole lot of offense off it. We’re generating opportunities, but we’re not seeing the red light go on.

"That’s been our Achilles’ heel all year. At times we move it well and create some opportunities, but there’s nothing at the end of it for our effort."

Crowder hopes to get back blueliner David Dupont, who remains day-to-day.

As noted last week, defenseman Aaron Toews was forced to retire because of a congenital spinal condition discovered during treatment of an unrelated injury. Toews, whose father played linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, was advised by doctors to avoid all contact sports.

"It’s another bit of adversity for this team," said Crowder. "It’s bad enough that we’re playing the youth we’re playing, but he gave us a real stabilizing factor back there [on defense]. He’s a guy that came to play, he was a competitor and he was great in the locker room. He’s going to be sorely, sorely missed for the rest of this season and the years ahead.

"I’m just so damn happy that we found it out the right way and we didn’t find out the wrong way."

PICKS: Stung by the upset this past week, UNH sweeps, 4-2 and 5-3.

No. 7 Boston College (19-8-4, 12-5-3 HEA, 3rd) vs. UMass-Lowell (13-13-3, 10-8-3 HEA, 5th)

Friday, 7 p.m., Paul E. Tsongas Arena, Lowell, MA AudioNet

Saturday, 7 p.m., Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, MA

Boston College was idle last week, a scheduling victim of Hockey East’s odd number of teams, thus becoming Exhibit A in the case for expansion. With ECAC teams committed to league play every weekend from the beginning of February on, good nonconference games are tough to find.

Other than the Beanpot, the only nonleague games for Hockey East teams since the end of January have been Northeastern’s one game against Army and Maine’s series this weekend with Nebraska-Omaha.

Although it wasn’t the ideal time to be off, coach Jerry York — who had his team watch the Maine-Northeastern and BU-Providence games last weekend — chose to emphasize the positive.

"We had a couple days off and it should be good for us," he said. "We can come back refocused and refreshed. We realize that we have four games left in our regular season and we want to be playing the best hockey of our year."

Even while inactive, the Eagles had a good weekend, solidifying their position nationally while No. 5 Michigan, No. 7 St. Cloud, No. 9 Miami and No. 10 Wisconsin all lost twice. As a result, BC moved from No. 8 to No. 7 in the U.S. College Hockey Online poll and are also at the No. 7 position in the Pairwise Rankings.

"We’re very conscious of that, but we’re trying to keep our focus within the league," said York. "We need a little bit of luck here and we have to take care of our own business, but our sights are still on the Hockey East [regular season] championship.

"Then we have the playoff championship. So a lot of things are happening within Hockey East."

This weekend, the Eagles take on UMass-Lowell in a home-and-home series chock full of playoff positioning implications.

"As you look around the league, there are some great match-ups, no matter who you play," said York. "There’s a lot of quality within the conference. This weekend is a pivotal weekend for both teams."

UMass-Lowell swept Merrimack last weekend, 4-3 and 5-1, including its first win at the Tsongas Arena.

"It was good to get the result," said coach Tim Whitehead. "Sometimes you work hard, but you don’t get the end result. It was very important for us to win at home and we did. I thought the game could have gone either way. We were fortunate to come out of it with the win, but the guys came out to play on Saturday and I thought we earned that victory. It was good to get four points."

The sweep vaulted the River Hawks back into the race for playoff home ice.

"It’s definitely a goal of ours, but we’re not getting too carried away," said Whitehead. "We’re battling with some very good teams that are shooting for the same thing. But that’s definitely our goal. We just have to win some hockey games to do it.

"If we win a couple games and the other teams win more than that, then so be it. We’re just worrying about ourselves right now and trying to play as well as we can down the stretch. We’re not focusing as much on winning and losing as playing hard and playing good hockey."

Marty Fillion, for one, is playing very well, reminding fans of his play in the postseason two years ago. He has won his last four starts, while posting a 1.75 goals-against average. So what has been the difference for Fillion?

"He’s played," said Whitehead laughing. "It’s no secret that he hadn’t played his best hockey this year. After Christmas, Scott Fankhouser earned the number-one spot. Marty had an opportunity to go back in the net three weeks ago and he’s earned the spot back.

"We felt that down the stretch run, it was important for our seniors to contribute and lead the way. With Mike Nicholishen and Chris Libett healthy now, Fillion back in the lineup and Shannon Basaraba his good old dependable self, we’re headed in the right direction.

"Whether it’s going to translate into wins down the stretch, we’ll have to wait and see. But we feel we’re at least positioned to play our best with those guys getting the ice time."

Basaraba contributed his second career hat trick on Saturday night, a departure for a player who has spent more of his career using his speed to set up his linemates.

"He’s trying to shoot the puck more and he’s certainly getting a ton of ice time," said Whitehead. "The combination means the puck is going in more for him. He’s been very dependable all year, a very steady two-way player. He’s our best defensive forward.

"Goals aren’t everything, but it’s good to see the puck go in. Everybody likes to score. I’m definitely happy for him as a senior to see the puck going in the net for him, because it’s tough to just get praise for playing defensive hockey all the time or setting up goals. He’s really rounding out his game and leading the way up front for us."

The next stop on the tough road to playoff home ice is a series with Boston College. In the opener, the River Hawks will be without Nicholishen — who posted a 2-3–5 line last weekend — because of a game disqualification for leaving the bench (though in a peacemaker role). They will continue to be without Craig Brown (torn pelvis ligament) and Andrew Korzen, who was sidelined for the year back in November with a knee injury.

"They’ve got a very strong power play and they’re a very well-balanced team from the goaltending to the defense to the forwards," said Whitehead. "They’re a good hockey team and they’re playing very well right now. It’s a very big challenge for us."

PICKS: The River Hawks would have a better chance to split by picking up a game at home against a rusty Eagle squad if Nicholishen were playing. Of course, that logic fell apart two weeks ago when Lowell knocked off BU without Greg Koehler. Still, this looks like two 4-3 wins for BC.

Providence College (13-15-3, 7-12-2 HEA, 7th) vs. Merrimack (9-21-1, 4-17-0 HEA, 8th)

Friday, 7 p.m., Schneider Arena, Providence, RI

Saturday, 7 p.m., Volpe Complex, North Andover, MA

Providence lost 5-1 and 3-2 games to Boston University last week. The Friars have now posted a 1-10-2 record dating back to Jan. 10, scoring only 17 goals in the 13 games. They now rank last in Hockey East offense.

"[In the 5-1 loss,] we could have made it 3-2," said coach Paul Pooley. "We had a couple great chances and didn’t bury it. [Michel] Larocque made some saves, but I think we hit him more than he made some saves. But, obviously, he’s a tremendous goalie and played well for them.

"On Saturday night, they jumped out with three power-play goals. Then we got a spark, played very well, had some chances and made some plays, but were just a little too late.

"It seems like everyone is looking for somebody to lead the way. When somebody gets a goal or steps up, then somebody else follows, but its almost a little too late sometimes."

Boyd Ballard kept PC in the 3-2 game, particularly in a first period in which BU outshot the Friars 17-1. The freshman goaltender, who played brilliantly during the first semester until slumping in January, appears to be back in form.

"He made some good saves and was very steady in there," said Pooley. "It was very promising for us for him to play that well, because that’s what we need to have happen. It all starts around your goaltending and he gave us a chance to win that game."

As a result of his return to form, he’ll be starting both games this weekend and, barring a relapse, probably into the playoffs.

"Mark Kane has played well for us, but I still think Ballard is the guy that we have to go with for us to win," said Pooley. "There’s no doubt in my mind that he has to be our goalie and he has to be on. He can take us to a point where we have a chance to beat anybody, whether its UNH, BU or BC in the playoffs."

Until then, the Friars appear locked in seventh place, with only a mathematical chance of catching Maine for sixth place and no chance of falling to eighth. Pooley, however, doesn’t see any change in game preparation because of this.

"Our goal is that we have three weeks to become the best team that we can be," he said. "We need to get back on track, get our specialty teams in order and do the simple things for us to get a chance to win.

"I don’t care if we’re going to UNH, BU or BC [for the playoffs]. I think we can beat all those teams if we’re on and we’re playing with good goaltending.

"Our power play has to get us a goal and our PK has to be better. We’re going to work on that, fine-tuning our game over the next few weeks. But we’re just worried about playing good.

"A win would be great for us, whether we’re in seventh, sixth or eighth. It doesn’t matter."

The Friars will be taking on Merrimack, the only team they’ve beaten in the last 13 games. In fact, you have to go back to 1994 for the last Warrior win over PC.

"They transition the puck very well," said Pooley. "Their power play is very, very good, so we have to make sure that we’re disciplined. We have to use our speed to make sure that we’re playing good defense against them and not giving them odd-man rushes."

Merrimack’s losing streak stretched to nine games with 4-3 and 5-1 losses to UMass-Lowell over the weekend.

"Obviously, you’d like to win two instead of losing two," said coach Ron Anderson. "I thought we played pretty well on Friday night at their place. We just didn’t seem to have it on Saturday night. It was a game for a while, but they beat us on special teams."

The Warriors got another encouraging performance from freshman goaltender Tom Welby when he stopped 40 of 45 shots on Saturday. Sophomore Cris Classen made 27 saves on 31 shots one night earlier.

"I thought Welby played very well," said Anderson. "I think we’re at the point where right now both of those guys are playing well enough to be in there and playing on a regular basis. Unless something happens, we’ll probably just rotate them for the rest of the year. We’ll at least give them both the opportunity to develop and see if anybody emerges.

"We’re reasonably pleased with the play of both of those guys the last three or four weeks. That’s what we had hoped would happen. Obviously, it would have been nice if they could have both stepped in at the beginning of the year and played very well, but, like I’ve said, Cris didn’t play much last year so it was almost like we had two freshmen. They’re both starting to come on now and are playing pretty well down the stretch."

With the Warriors suddenly facing a UMass-Amherst challenge from the rear for the last playoff berth, they’ll be hoping to take advantage of an opponent in as bad a slump as their own.

"The last game here against Providence, we checked them pretty close and they checked us pretty close," said Anderson. "It was a 2-0 game. I’d be surprised if either game [is] high-scoring this weekend.

"We’ve got to get our offense up to where we can get ourselves three or four goals anyways. We’re playing better defense now, but we’re struggling with offense.

"That’s been the tale of the tape for us all year. When the offense was going good, we couldn’t keep it out of our net. Now that we’re playing better team defense and our goaltending has come along, we’re not scoring as well as we’d like to."

The Saturday night home game marks Anderson’s final game at the Volpe Complex.

"I’ll approach it like any other game, obviously, but certainly it takes on a little more significance," said Anderson. "I’ve had a lot of good memories in the building. Now, I just hope we can make some more on Saturday night."

PICKS: Providence wins 4-2 on Friday. Merrimack comes back on Saturday, however, and gives Anderson a winning home sendoff, 4-1.

University of Nebraska-Omaha (11-17-2, 4-13-0 vs. aligned D-I) at Maine (13-13-3, 10-11-2 HEA, 6th)

Friday, Saturday, 7 p.m., Alfond Arena, Orono, ME

Last Friday, Northeastern came back to top Maine 4-3 and reduce Black Bear hopes of home ice to the slim possibility of a three-way tie with the Huskies and Lowell.

Even so, coach Shawn Walsh praised his team’s performance.

"I’m really encouraged with how we played," he said. "We played well and played hard all night long. The shots were 40-23. That pretty much speaks for itself."

One night later, Maine got the W, 4-1, led by Alfie Michaud’s 37 saves on 38 shots.

"The puck went in the net for us tonight," said Walsh after the game. "That was the difference. I actually feel we played better last night and territorially dominated the game more last night. The difference was [Marc] Robitaille came down to Earth tonight and Alfie played very, very well.

"Obviously, we were really disappointed with last night’s loss, but we decided to just keep coming after them and play hard and we got the lead. But I don’t think it was a 4-1 game; it was closer than that.

"Now we’ve got to ask for some help if we’re going to finish in fifth place."

Steve Kariya scored twice and added two assists on the weekend. He has now earned points in the last eight games.

"Steve is coming on now," said Walsh. "He’s a great player. It’s a long season, but I think he knew how important this season was for us and he obviously took it upon himself to lead us offensively."

Sophomore Jim Leger, a role-player on the lower lines, added a goal along with his customary hustle.

"You know what you’re going to get from him when he gets on the ice," said Walsh. "He works his tail off. He’s not a real pure offensive player. He’s more a worker. He works and he’s quick. He’s got a great attitude and he’s very coachable. He’ll dive or do whatever it takes to make the play.

"I think this team lacks those kind of guys. The forwards that graduated last year all had that in their blood. Dan Shermerhorn would do anything defensively. [He and Reg] Cardinal and [Trevor] Roenick were the guys I’d have on the ice with a one-goal lead.

"We don’t have those players yet. You have to develop that. I think that’s something we’re lacking, and we’re certainly looking forward to recruiting and developing that."

The Black Bear power play, which had undergone a mid-season drought after burning up Hockey East in the early going, is back to its previous smokin’ ways. In the last four games, the Bears have scored 10 power-play goals, including at least two strikes in each contest.

"It’s really going now," said Walsh. "What’s nice is that we’ve put in some new people. Marcus Gustafsson has helped it. Robert Ek has really helped it. [On Saturday,] he made a great play on the goal by [Scott] Parmentier. It’s nice to see us move the puck the way we’re moving it."

Maine is the odd-team out this week in terms of conference play in the nine-team league. As a result, the Black Bears are hosting Nebraska-Omaha in a game with no effect on either the standings or the Pairwise Rankings.

"It’s a shame it doesn’t mean anything in the Pairwise," said Walsh. "I didn’t know that when I scheduled it. I think it should. They’re a Division I opponent, no different than in basketball. If North Carolina plays Centenary, the games count.

"I’m disappointed. Whoever made up that rule doesn’t encourage emerging teams. We need emerging teams and we need those games to count, because all they’re saying is that we should not be scheduling them. That disappoints me and I think it’s a rule that needs to be looked at."

Nonetheless, the games still could serve as an important tuneup for the playoffs.

"We’re going to play everybody," said Walsh. "We’re going to give a lot guys ice time and try some things with our eye towards three weeks from now."

Nebraska-Omaha stunned many observers earlier in the season when it took three straight games from Division I conference teams, one to gain a split with UMass-Amherst followed by a sweep of Denver. A couple weeks later, the Mavericks put another one in the W column against Union.

Since then, however, 10 straight losses to aligned D-I teams have injected a temporary dose of reality into what looks like a power in the making. Even so, sweeps of Air Force and Mankato State, then last weekend’s three of four points from Alabama-Huntsville, have restored some momentum for the fledgling program.

Unfortunately for the Mavericks, they won’t have the 8,000-plus crazies behind them that they enjoy at home. They will have some pretty good goaltending behind them. In recent weeks, junior goaltender Jason Mitchell (5-11-0, 3.42 GAA, .893 SV%) came within seconds of a shutout and, one night later, sophomore backup Kendall Sidoruk (3-4-0, 4.11 GAA, .867 SV%) stopped a penalty shot with less than a minute left to preserve a win.

In the other end, Jason Cupp (10-12–22), Billy Pugliese (14-7–21) and Derek Reynolds (6-14–20) lead the Maverick scoring.

PICKS: Maine sweeps 5-2, 4-1.

SUNYAC Postseason Awards Announced

USCHO Staff Report
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The SUNYAC has announced its postseason awards, including all-conference teams.

Junior Tracey Belanger of Plattsburgh and senior Brian DeFeo of Oswego were honored as co-Players of the Year. The SUNYAC Coach of the Year is Oswego’s George Roll, and the league’s Rookie of the Year is Aaron Coleman of Geneseo.

First- and second-team all-conference rosters:

FIRST TEAM

Name               School      Pos    Yr.
Tracey Belanger    Plattsburgh  F     Jr.
Brian DeFeo        Oswego       F     Sr.
Steve Naughton     Potsdam      F     Sr.
Nathan Sunday      Potsdam      D     Sr.
Mickey Gebo        Plattsburgh  D     Sr.
Carl Antifonario   Oswego       G     Jr.

SECOND TEAM

Name               School      Pos    Yr.
Francois Albert    Fredonia     F     Sr.
Aaron Coleman      Geneseo      F     Fr.
Steve Moffat       Plattsburgh  F     Sr.
David Zak          Brockport    D     Fr.
Matt Warren        Plattsburgh  D     Fr.
Jason Lammers      Geneseo      D     Sr.
Jason Desloover    Plattsburgh  D     Jr.
Mark Breeden       Geneseo      G     Jr.

Engineering A Dream

By
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Last year was a banner year for the ECAC in terms of national recognition. A look at the rosters of the Titan All-America Teams from the East, and the presence of the ECAC was undeniable.

On the first team there was Trevor Koenig (Union) in goal, Matt Pagnutti (Clarkson) on defense, and Martin St. Louis (Vermont) and Todd White (Clarkson) at forward. On the second team, Dan Murphy (Clarkson) in goal, and Mike Harder (Colgate) and Eric Healey (Rensselaer) at forward. But of those, only Healey, Murphy and Koenig were underclassmen.

This year, those superstars may be a little harder to find.

The ECAC — a world without a star? Maybe, and maybe not.

A look at the top of the ECAC scoring charts finds a returning All-American — Eric Healey.

It isn’t surprising to find Healey atop the charts; after all, he was the league’s returning scorer this season.

Healey became the first Engineer since 1986 — when Mark Jooris tallied 34 goals — to hit the 30-goal mark last season, joining the likes of Adam Oates, Frank Chiarelli and George Servinis among Rensselaer’s 30-goal club. He led the team in points, as did Oates and Joe Juneau. He shares All-American status with such Engineers as Oates, Juneau, John Carter, Neil Little and Darren Puppa.

“Wow,” said Healey. “When I was growing up and watching them, I idolized them, and to be mentioned in the same breath as those guys is incredible.

“It gives me hope that I could play at the same level that they did in college, and that I’d love to play hockey afterwards and get up to their status. For me to be even considered with them, it’s just an honor.”

Add to his stats a mark of 26 assists, and you can see why all of a sudden people had their heads turned towards Eric Healey, leading to a second-team All-ECAC selection and a second-team All-America selection.

“I was a little surprised [to be named an All-American], because I made [only] second-team ECAC,” said Healey. “I didn’t think I had a chance.

“I knew I had the numbers, but because I was second-team I didn’t even think about it. There were a lot of big guns [Hobey Baker finalists Mike Harder, Martin St. Louis, and Todd White] ahead of me so I just didn’t expect it.”

When Healey arrived at Rensselaer, Healey was known as a scorer, but wasn’t especially heralded among the freshmen class. He was one of six, and one of three undrafted. He arrived from the New England Classics, and played a year at Tabor Academy before that.

He did come with credentials — while with the Classics he scored 137 points with 61 goals and 76 assists, and was named the New England Junior Hockey Player of the Year. After that came the choice of where to attend college, which for Healey came down to just a few things.

First off, all of his friends were going to stay in the New England area, and most of them were going to attend Beanpot schools — Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern and Harvard. Second, not many schools recruited him, despite being the Player of the Year.

There was interest from Rensselaer, Vermont and Clarkson, and Healey chose Rensselaer, maybe because a Rensselaer connection was already established within the Healey family. Healey’s uncle played college hockey at Holy Cross under Mike Addessa, who went on to Rensselaer, where he won the NCAA championship in 1985.

“It was basically because I didn’t have anywhere to go at that time,” joked Healey. “I made my decision because I wanted to get it out of the way.”

It was a decision that Healey, Rensselaer and Engineer fans have never regretted.

When Healey arrived he was put on the fourth line, but within five games, he was on a line with seniors Craig Hamelin and Wayne Clarke. Combining the seniors and Healey paid dividends for the Engineers.

“That was a great opportunity for me because I followed their lead,” Healey said. “They liked to carry the puck through the neutral zone and I just followed the play and went to the net and took the body to create space for them. I was the guy that sat in front of the net and took a beating.

“But I got the odd goal here and there,” he added with a smile.

In fact, Healey scored 13 goals and added 11 assists in a freshman campaign that placed him on the ECAC All-Rookie Team, and was a member of the first ECAC championship team for the Engineers since the last Adam Oates-led team in 1985.

In the league championship game, Healey scored twice, with his first of the game being the winner.

“That was probably the highlight of my college career, and I was just glad that I could contribute,” he said.

Not only did Healey contribute, he learned a lot from the senior-laden team. He credits Clarke with a lot of his development.

“Clarkie was a tremendous influence,” Healey said. “I spent a lot of hours on and off the ice with him. He was a great guy and a great hockey player, and he was a great mentor for me.

“I wasn’t really aware of what was going on that year because it went so quickly, but I learned to work hard and go out every day with the same attitude,” he added. “To be a leader when you have to be a leader.

“I followed the suit of the seniors and I started to become a leader.”

Healey’s next year was a disappointing one for the Engineers, who suffered their first-ever 20-loss season. He also had different linemates, this time playing with seniors Bryan Richardson and Tim Regan on the number-one line.

“I was probably the biggest guy on that line and I did a lot of the gritty work,” Healey recalled. “Our line complemented each other well. It’s always great when you play with a great centerman (Richardson) [who] can dish the puck left and right.”

He added 18 goals and 22 assists to his numbers that season, and going from a championship team to a team that lost 20 games also provided valuable lessons.

“You can’t take things for granted,” he said. “We had a lot of potential and a lot of high scorers, and we thought we were better than we were. We just didn’t do the little things that we needed to do to win like we did the year before.”

Healey’s third season came with his third different set of linemates. Still on the number one line, Healey was with sophomores Alain St. Hilaire and Matt Garver. The trio exploded last season, scoring 140 points between the three. Healey accounted for 56 of those points and it culminated in Healey’s All-ECAC and All-American selections.

“I can attribute the whole thing to my whole line,” Healey said of the selections. “You’re only as good as your teammates, and the whole team can take credit for my individual honor.

“I think I surprised a lot of people because there wasn’t a lot expected from our team,” he added. “I was able to pop in to get the 30 goals which is another highlight for me.”

He led in goals and points in the ECAC tournament last season as well, setting the stage for an outstanding junior year.

“Going into my third year I had a lot more confidence and I matured as a player — physically and mentally,” he said. “When you have a lot of confidence, you take more time with the puck.”

This season, Healey didn’t get a different set of linemates, and the Engineers were picked to win the ECAC as the season began. Not only that, but his line was the one that generated most of the buzz in the ECAC.

However, the season started with a 6-0 loss at Boston University, and the Engineers found themselves with a 7-5-0 record after 12 games. Healey had six goals and nine assists, but still, the talk around the ECAC was `What’s happened to Healey and Rensselaer?’

“I put a lot of pressure on myself and it showed coming out of the gates,” Healey admitted. “I was little snakebitten there, but it wasn’t from a lack of trying.

“I was hurt the first 12 games of the season,” he also revealed. “Sitting in the stands, people probably didn’t know that. I knew I wasn’t playing the way I was capable of playing. But in the last 16 games, I thought I’ve come on pretty strong.”

Pretty strong may be an understatement. In those 16 games, Healey has put up 10 goals and 15 assists, giving him 17 goals and 24 assists on the season — the best overall in the league. He is also first in league scoring, with 12 goals and 19 assists in ECAC play.

He is only two points away from matching his entire league total of last year, two goals from breaking into the top ten all-time Rensselaer goal-scorers, and 22 points from breaking into the top ten Rensselaer point-producers.

“[The scoring title] is always in the back of your mind, but I’d trade that in for a championship and a chance to go to the NCAA tournament again,” he said.

Healey’s 31 ECAC points put him just ahead of his closest competition, both of whom happen to be his linemates, St. Hilaire and Garver.

“If we can finish one-two-three in the league that would be a great boost for RPI hockey,” Healey said. “We’ve had a lot of great scorers in the past and it would be a great honor for the team.

“It’s tough when you’re the center of attention,” he added. “You’re either playing against the checking line or the other team’s best players. It’s a double-edged sword, and it’s kind of frustrating, but I’ve been playing the game for so long that [I know that] if you don’t want to be in that position then you shouldn’t be playing the game.”

Next year, the undrafted senior hopes that he can continue to play the game that started for him on the ponds in Hull when he was four years old.

“I’d like to entertain anybody’s offer,” he said. “I’m not just going to play hockey for 20 years and hang it up. I’ve got a lot more hockey left to be played.

Regardless of his hockey future, there’s his business management degree with a minor in marketing, but Healey hopes that’s not for years to come.

“I’m not ready for nine to five,” he said. “What’s that saying? `Your worst day at the rink is your best day at the office?’ So I’m going to try to keep it that way for a while.”

But for now, the focus is the ECAC championship, which looked lost early in the season, but is once again in sight.

“As a team, we’re definitely peaking,” said Healey. “We lost a lot of games that we shouldn’t have lost and we’ve underachieved. We have to take control of our own destiny — and we will.”

But how about the Hobey Baker Award, the scoring title, and the ECAC Player of the Year?

“We’ll see what happens,” laughed Healey. “I know what kind of hockey player that I am. I don’t have to prove anything to anybody, except to my teammates and my coaches. People can think whatever they want of me as long as I have the respect of my teammates — that’s all that I want.

“And that ECAC championship.”

The thought isn’t to finish atop the ECAC in the scoring race, or to be a Hobey Baker Finalist. There’s only one thought going through Healey’s mind.

“My whole class is my inspiration because we’ve been here for four years. We’ve learned from each other and we’ve helped each other grow as people, and as players on the ice,” he said. “We’ve been with each other every day for the last four years.

“I’ve been with my other teammates for awhile now, too, and I’d like them to get that feeling that we did when we were freshmen,” he added. “It’s the best feeling in the world to come out with a team championship.

“I came in on a bang and I’d like to go out with a bang.”

Special thanks to Rensselaer Sports Information Director Leigh Jackman.

Pay-Per-View: More, Not Less

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When the NCAA announced that this year’s East and West Regionals would be available in a pay-per-view package, the instinctive reaction was, “What are they thinking? This sport needs more exposure, not less.”

Fears that college hockey’s governing organization had sold its soul for a few pieces of silver, however, turned out to be groundless.

“The last few years, NCAA Productions has packaged the eight first-round and quarterfinal games for regional syndication,” explains Chris Farrow, the NCAA Assistant Director of Broadcast Services. “So if you lived in Boston, WABU picked up the BU game, but that’s the only game it picked up. If you lived in Minneapolis, Midwest Sports Channel (MSC) would show six or seven of the eight games.

“We acted as a packager and sold local rights to try to recoup some of our production expenses and pretty much got the games on. Last year, fans of 11 of the 12 teams that were in the tournament were able to see their home team play in their home market for free. But they weren’t guaranteed to see all the games.”

This year, the new pay-per-view deal allows fans with a DSS dish and either the DirecTV or Echostar packages the opportunity to buy all eight games for $29.95. The same holds true for selected cable pay-per-view networks.

All the games will be shown live, including West regional games at 5:00 and 8:30 ET on Friday, Mar. 27; on Saturday, East contests at 12:00 and 3:00, followed by West games at 6:00 and 9:00; and Sunday will wrap up in the East at 2:00 and 5:30.

“The main reason we did this was because we had received a lot of complaints from fans in non-traditional college hockey markets, such as California, Texas and Florida,” says Farrow. “Those fans were not able to see the games. Now we’re allowing access to them through ESPN Enterprises Pay-Per-View.

“Thirty bucks for eight games is a steal. People are paying 50 bucks for a thirty-second fight.”

The chief concern, however, wasn’t whether the price was right or not. It was the assumption that the pay-per-view package had replaced the over-the-air telecasts of the past couple years. For a sport still woefully underexposed, such a tradeoff appeared to be a short-sighted, self-destructive sellout. In exchange for a few bucks from the limited circle of DSS dish owners, the NCAA had appeared to pull the plug on the much wider over-the-air audience.

But the sport needed more exposure, not less.

Which, as it turns out, is exactly what it will be getting.

“We still will sell local rights for over-the-air broadcasts,” says Farrow. “I’ve already done deals with four stations that are going to take the majority of the games. Cox Cable in Rhode Island is going to show all eight games. The PBS station in Washington, D.C., WNVT, is going to show all eight games live. The Warner Brothers affiliate in Madison, Wisconsin, WTVW, will show all eight games live. And Midwest Sports Channel is going to show six of the eight games live.

“So, for example, if you live in Rhode Island and you’re a college hockey fan, you can watch every single game that weekend. On Saturday, that’ll be 12 straight hours of hockey.

“God Bless America!” he adds, laughing.

“Those are just what we have so far,” continues Farrow. “There’ll be others that will come to the table. There’ll be a lot of stations that will wait until March 22, when the selections come out, to see where their teams are playing. For example, a WABU might come to the table and take a BU quarterfinal game, depending on when it is.”

The NCAA website plans to provide updated information after the selection show.

“You’re almost guaranteed to see your home team in your market over the air, even though we don’t know for sure who’s carrying it and when the game is until the week of March 22,” says Farrow. “Looking at the top ten today — Michigan State, North Dakota, BU, New Hampshire — those kinds of markets, we’ll get those games on over-the-air for those fans.”

Phil Buttafuoco, the NCAA’s top hockey person, adds, “We want to build relationships with these stations. We don’t want to shut them out. They’re important to college hockey, especially throughout the regular season, so we don’t want to say to them, ‘Sorry, you’ve got no opportunities here.'”

Farrow likens the arrangement to the NHL’s pay-per-view package.

“If you live in Boston, you’re going to see the Bruins on NESN, but if you’re a huge hockey fan or the L.A. Kings are your favorite team, you can pay for the NHL package and get those additional games,” he says. “This is nothing different than what the pro games are doing.”

In regions where pay-per-view and over-the-air broadcasts clash, free TV wins.

“In the markets that have paid for the over-the-air rights, pay-per-view will be blacked out,” says Farrow. “So, for example, if you live in Providence and have Cox Cable, you will not be able to buy the pay-per-view package, because you’re already getting it for free over the air.”

College hockey will also be getting a boost in exposure this year because of scheduling changes instituted for the next two years to minimize conflicts with the NCAA basketball tournament. Hockey is one week later than in previous years.

“For the first time, the hockey regionals are the same time as the basketball Final Four,” says Farrow. “So there’s less basketball on TV, because you’re only dealing with three men’s games and three women’s games. In previous years, the hockey regionals were the same weekend as the basketball regionals.”

One week later, the semifinal games will move to ESPN2 and the championship game to ESPN.

“When we get to Boston, we’ll be the only show in town,” says Farrow. “The national semifinals on April 2 won’t be conflicting with basketball, as we have in the past. And the national championship game on April 4 will be in prime-time on ESPN. That’ll be terrific.”

Ladies and gentlemen, start your VCRs.

Bob Gaudet: Full Circle

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It was 1981, at Hobey Baker Rink in Princeton. The Dartmouth men’s ice hockey team was on its way to a 4-3 overtime loss to the Tigers when a visitor in the stands named Dan Gaudet found himself in the middle of a loud disagreement between opposing fans. Big mistake for the Tiger faithful, because Dan’s son Robert was in net for Dartmouth.

It probably won’t surprise anyone who has watched Bob Gaudet work the bench for Brown and Dartmouth these last 10 years to hear that he nearly came off the ice to protect his father. Depending upon who is telling the story, the younger Gaudet either attempted to climb into the stands or merely stood in the Zamboni runway and let his feelings for his father’s safety be known.

Either way, you don’t doubt that Gaudet was in the thick of things, because he is, well, somewhat uninhibited once the puck drops.

You may be surprised to know, however, that Gaudet is a little bit embarrassed about his reputation as a firebrand. You may be even more astonished to learn that, once the game ends, there are few people in the game of college hockey who are more of a joy to be around on a day-to-day basis.

“Bob has a couple of personalities,” Vermont coach Mike Gilligan opined. “He is a real easy guy to talk to, with a great sense of humor. At the (annual NCAA) coaches’ convention, he and (St. Lawrence’s) Joe Marsh are the two guys you want to be poolside with. But Bob certainly puts on his game face once the game starts.”

Having been subject to a few of Gaudet’s diatribes from the bench when he was at Brown, you can imagine how some of the Big Green skaters must have felt last spring when they heard who would be their next coach. After six frustrating seasons in which the team never seemed to meet its potential, the university kicked Roger Demment upstairs to a position as director of physical education, and undertook what turned out to be a brief search for his replacement.

“(Gaudet) used to just scream at us from the bench when he was at Brown,” said Dartmouth senior defenseman Shaun Peet. “He was such an intense coach. Some guys were a little skeptical that he was going to be our coach. They weren’t sure if it would be like boot camp or what.”

If Dartmouth’s top priority was finding a new coach with top-notch credentials and the ability to resuscitate an ailing program, they hired the right man. Gaudet took over the Bears in 1988, when the program was at its lowest ebb. Talent? The Bears had a few promising players, including Chris Harvey, Steven King and Mike Brewer, but depth and character were lacking.

Enter Gaudet. Brown won its opener, 5-4, in Hanover of all places — and proceeded to lose the next 25, surrendering 10 or more goals on five occasions. The Bears’ coaching staff worked hard to recruit grittier, quicker and more skilled players, resulting in a big step up to 10 wins in 1989-90 with rookies Derek Chauvette, Mike Ross and Scott Hanley leading the charge.

Brown skated to the Ivy League title in 1991-92, ending Harvard’s six-year stranglehold on the prize. Gaudet coached his team to an NCAA appearance in 1995, two trips to the ECAC semifinals and a second Ivy title. He was honored as ECAC Coach of the Year and was twice a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award, given to the national coach of the year.

“I fulfilled a lot of goals that I had at Brown, but obviously we had our struggles last year,” said Gaudet, whose final Bear team was 7-19-3 in the second year of a rebuilding phase. “The future of that program is very good (Brown is tied for fifth in the ECAC). We left behind a very good group, including our best recruiting class since Chauvette’s. I know that if we had stayed, it would have rebounded very quickly.”

So why leave Providence? After all, Gaudet was offered employment elsewhere once before, at Ohio State in 1994, but turned it down because he was happy with his arrangement at Brown.

“There comes a point where it is time to move on, and my boys are nine and ten — it would have been tough to wait any longer,” said Gaudet, who also has a daughter, age three. “It was a gut-wrenching call. It was certainly not a financial decision. The package that I got is very similar to what I had at Brown.”

The truth is that Gaudet made the move for his family, and for the opportunity to coach at his alma mater. He regretted the long nights on the road or in the coaches’ office, away from his wife and children, and felt that the intimacy of Hanover would be better suited for his role as dad and husband.

With a house just two miles from the rink and no traffic to interfere, his time at home has increased substantially.

“Brown was a wonderful place, but my wife (Lynne) is a Dartmouth graduate (class of ’81) and we wanted to raise a family here,” Gaudet said. “It is such a nice area, [and] it’s much lower-key here. I had to be sure that when I moved from Brown it was for the right reasons. I am trying to keep things more in perspective, and this was a compromise.”

The move has already paid of for Gaudet and Dartmouth alike. The Big Green started slowly, but have been on a tear as of late as they charge up the ECAC standings. Dartmouth is now 11-10-4 overall and only three points out of fifth place in the league, after taking three of four points in a weekend series at Cornell and Colgate and then trouncing Union Friday before dropping an overtime decision to Rensselaer. Among their victories is a 4-1 decision over Providence for the Sheraton/USAirways Tournament championship.

“We have kids who work incredibly hard and really want to do well,” Gaudet said. “With the exception of a couple of games, we have had chances to win every night. I just want these seniors to go out on a positive note.”

“Coach has brought integrity to the program,” explains Peet, who speaks of Gaudet with the reverence of an apostle. “If you are not playing, he explains exactly why. He treats us like men, which is so important. He makes it fun to go to the rink every day, where it used to be just awful. I still think that he is very intense, but I no longer think that he is just some loose cannon.”

Lightening up the atmosphere is one key to Gaudet’s continued success. Austin Powers and Dumb and Dumber are now fair game for the VCR on the team bus, where they might have been vetoed in the past for their, er, lack of intellectual content. Gaudet can kill you with deadpan humor or break up the troops with an outrageous locker-room routine on senior Charlie Retter’s chances against a 70-year-old Gordie Howe.

Moreover, Gaudet returned the concept of Dartmouth pride to Thompson Arena. He immediately trashed the Big Green’s new-look European uniforms, complete with a flying “D”, for the simple, traditional jersey with the name of the school across the chest. He and head assistant coach Brian McCloskey, also an alumnus, never let their players forget who they represent.

On the ice, Gaudet has transformed Dartmouth into a spitting image of his Brown teams.

“Gaudet teams are in your face quite a bit,” Gilligan said. “They play strong defensive hockey and they involve all five guys in the forecheck.”

Teams under Gaudet’s tutelage also play at a high tempo, a trait that carries over from practice. A Gaudet practice is short and intense. He sets goals for each session and practice ends when those goals are met, even if it only takes an hour and a half.

Dartmouth managed to discard one characteristic of recent Gaudet teams. Brown was frequently among the most-penalized teams in the league — never lower than fourth in the past four seasons. The Big Green, however, have kept team penalty minutes to under 20 a game.

“Coach wants you to play tough between whistles, but don’t try to be so manly after the whistle,” said senior forward David Whitworth, the team’s leading scorer. “We have worked hard at finding that balance. We have strict orders from the coaches not to lose control, and we have enough respect for them to do as we are told.”

Gaudet maintains that he has also toned down his act on the bench from past years. As a rookie, he became so worked up at Vermont that he hyperventilated and had to miss the third period of an 8-4 loss. Even in more recent seasons, it was not uncommon to see Gaudet race after the referees at intermission or to turn red in the face as he hollered at the officials from the bench.

“As you get older, you mellow out,” Gaudet maintains. “I started at 28, 29 years old with an extremely weak program. I had to prove to the kids that I was behind them every day. The kids came to expect a certain energy level from me at every practice, every game. When it wasn’t there, you could see the kids wondering, `What is wrong with Coach?’

“Coming here, I have tried to be a little less emotional. No less competitive, but I can have a fresh start emotionally and not take myself out of the game mentally.”

“Bob has not eased up a bit,” said Gilligan, who has seen the Big Green several times this season. “He is still fiery, still vocal. But I am sure that he is still well-liked by his players despite being demanding of them and of himself.”

Gaudet readily admits that his bench demeanor may have rubbed some referees the wrong way in the past.

“It is an emotional game, but it has to be focused,” he said. “My teams at Brown played very hard, with a lot of emotion. I have to think that helped more than it hurt, but I have no question that it did hurt us at some times. I understand more about referees now. It is not that I won’t say my piece, but I understand the reality better of how difficult a job it is. I have a different attitude now that I am 38 and I hope that there is mutual respect.”

Even as Gaudet works towards getting better control of his emotions and toward what he hopes will be a memorable culmination to his first year at Dartmouth, he is looking ahead to subsequent seasons. Once again, he wants skilled recruits who abhor losing.

Gaudet knows that it will be tough to replace Whitworth and his classmates, but the coach is determined to keep the program moving forward.

“The potential of this program is absolutely untapped,” Gaudet said. “You have academics and financial obstacles, but Princeton, Yale, Harvard and Cornell have those obstacles, too. There is no reason why Dartmouth can’t be a formidable program.”

The Big Green already have a formidable coach. Opposing fans may not love Gaudet, but they might if they had a chance to meet him — after the game.

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