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Last To First And Lovin’ It

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Think about the great turnarounds in sports. The last-to-first 1967 Boston Red Sox. The rags-to-riches New York Islanders of the seventies. The bozos-to-boffo Dallas Cowboys earlier this decade.

This year’s Northeastern Huskies are threatening to join the pantheon of those great all-time transformations from 97-pound weaklings to muscle-bound tough guys.

"They’ve raised the level of the bar on what’s expected. Now it’s up to them to maintain that. It’s part of maturing to not accept anything less."

— Northeastern coach Bruce Crowder

Last year, they finished in last place with a 3-19-2 record in Hockey East games and 8-25-3 overall. This year, observers expected more of the same. League coaches picked them to finish in the cellar again.

So who’s in first place now with an overall record of 10-5-2? Who’s ranked tenth nationally? Who was the only Hockey East team to emerge from the holiday tournaments with a championship?

The Northeastern Huskies.

Go figure.

One look at the Huskies’ lineup makes their transformation even more remarkable. Typically, only three players who aren’t freshmen or sophomores dress for any given game. While those three exceptions — senior forwards Scott Campbell and Justin Kearns and junior defenseman David Dupont — have made major contributions, none has had a Hobey Baker type of season where he’s told the kids to hop on his back and he’d carry them to the top.

No matter how you slice it, Northeastern’s dramatic turnaround has come on the shoulders of first- and second-year players.

On the blue line, freshmen Mike Jozefowicz, John Peterman, Arik Engbrecht, and either Doug Carlson or Matt Brown have joined Dupont (a transfer from Michigan Tech) and sophomore Aaron Toews to form a defensive corps that has dropped from last year’s 4.42 goals a game to 3.18.

When Hockey East recently honored one defenseman from each team, it recognized a freshman, Jozefowicz, for the Huskies. A week ago, both Jozefowicz and Toews earned berths on the Mariucci Classic All-Tournament team.

Whatever happened to the difficulties of young defensemen adjusting to Division I action?

Up front, not one player ranks among the Hockey East scoring leaders, but collectively they’re still scoring enough to win. And, again, it’s primarily the younger players. Todd Barclay and Roger Holeczy — both sophomores — and freshman Sean MacDonald lead the team with 14 points in 17 games. After Campbell’s 12 points comes a host of additional underclassmen: freshman Brian Cummings (12 points) and Graig Mischler (10 points), and sophomores Bobby Davis and Billy Newson (both nine points).

But as much as Northeastern’s success has been a true team effort with everyone carrying the load, sophomore goaltender Marc Robitaille has been the team’s backbone in its ascent from the cellar.

On consecutive weekends early in November, he stole wins against Merrimack and Boston College. In the Merrimack game, he stopped 15 shots in the first period, 15 in the second, and 14 in the third, leading the Huskies to a 6-4 win while they were being outshot 48-27.

Against BC, his heroics stood out even more. In three periods of regulation, the Eagles outshot Northeastern 14-3, 13-3 and 9-7, but Robitaille’s 32 saves to his counterpart’s nine put the Huskies into overtime. They won it on their first shot.

“It was definitely him against the other team for parts of those games,” says Crowder. “It’s very rare that a team is having success and the goalie isn’t a big part of it.”

More recently, Robitaille’s 40 saves in the championship game against host Minnesota and its 9,000-plus fans keyed Northeastern’s win in the Mariucci Classic.

Robitaille’s tournament MVP performance capped a stellar December that prompted Hockey East to award him its Goaltender of the Month Award. For December, he posted a 4-0-1 record, a 1.97 goals against average and a .932 save percentage. At the same time, he extended a team and individual eight-game unbeaten streak.

For Robitaille, it represents a payoff on a decision he and his parents made when he was 16, to forgo major junior hockey and retain his NCAA eligibility.

“I flirted with the idea of going major junior, but my parents convinced me otherwise,” says Robitaille, a native of Gloucester, Ont. “An education is too important these days.

“My goal was to get a scholarship and I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. I went back to juniors for four years and worked my buns off to get to this point. This is what I wanted and I was determined to get it.

“I think it was a wise decision that my parents and I made. I don’t regret it at all. I’m having the time of my life. I’m loving it.”

His choice of Northeastern came down to location, and the opportunity to play right away since the Huskies were graduating both halves of their goaltender rotation.

He got a surprise, however, when then-Northeastern coach Ben Smith resigned to coach the U.S. Women’s National team and the school wooed Crowder from UMass-Lowell. Crowder is a former winner of the Spencer T. Penrose Award as the nation’s top Division I coach, but most athletes feel some initial unease playing for a coach who didn’t recruit them.

“I was a little worried at first,” says Robitaille. “I didn’t hear until about two weeks before coming down, so I didn’t have much time to think about it. But I got ready just as if the old coach was going to be here. It was my chance to shine. It was my chance to come in and prove myself and win a job.”

Faced with competition from fellow recruit Judd Brackett and junior Kevin Noke, Robitaille responded.

“It was pretty much neck-and-neck until the games started,” he says. “What won it for me was I was a little bit more consistent, I was a little bit older and I was bigger and stronger. In this league, it’s a tough game. It’s a tough league to play in. Even the goalies get pushed around. I think that’s what won it for me at the start, but my consistent play throughout the first few games solidified my position.

“I was pretty much on the bubble every game, game in and game out. I’d come out as if it was my last game. That’s pretty much what kept me going. I never really thought that the job was completely mine. I was just happy to get the call.”

And get the call he did. Robitaille played in 34 of Northeastern’s 36 games, thriving on the heavy workload.

“Who doesn’t?” he says. “I’ve always wanted to play. In juniors, I played 60 or 70 games in a season. But you come here and practice a bit, but only play 30 or 35 games.”

Crowder’s use of Robitaille as his trump card in game after game reminded some of his reliance on Dwayne Roloson in Crowder’s years at UMass-Lowell. In his junior and senior years, Roloson started 78 of 79 games for the River Hawks and in his senior season earned Hockey East Player of the Year, first-team All-America and Hobey Baker finalist honors.

“Roloson was a kid that wanted to play every night and Robitaille is the same way,” says Crowder. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a goalie that worked harder, even in practices, than Roloson did. Robitaille is getting that now.

“He was a kid that I don’t think practiced very hard at this time last year. There would be drills last year in practice that we felt he would just take off or we might as well put the shooter tutor in there. I think that was a little bit of the junior mentality coming in, where practices are just taking up an hour of ice time, whereas in college they’re pretty important because you don’t have as many games.

“But now, every drill that we do, and in every situation, he’s competing. He’s not taking it for granted. Roloson was always a guy I had to kick off the ice at the end of practice. Robitaille is showing those signs also. He needed to do that to bring his game up a level.”

Robitaille agrees with Crowder’s assessment of his work ethic, both then and now.

“I took a season to adapt, and I think I’m a lot wiser this year,” he says. “It was really hard to concentrate last year. We came to the rink and didn’t want to play. We were expecting a loss. People didn’t want to come to the rink or to the practices.

“My slacking off in practices was a pure reflection of what the older kids were doing too. The whole team was doing the same thing. That’s how the team went last year.

“This year it’s a 360-degree turnaround. This team wants to come out and play. We’re very young. We know that, but we’re not using it as an excuse. We’ve set our goals this year very high.

“As a sophomore group, we got together and we swore to ourselves that a season like last year would never happen to us again. We’ve picked our game up, we’re helping the freshmen, and there’s more of a team atmosphere this year. It’s exciting to be around this place.”

Of course, Crowder had a major hand in changing the atmosphere, too. With almost no returning experience on the blue line, he still cut one defenseman who had played 31 games last year, but hadn’t made the required step up in the offseason.

He temporarily banished the number-four returning scorer, saying at the time that the player “is looking to get himself in shape before he’s allowed to come back. He’s no different than anyone else.”

Strength and conditioning had been a major problem with last year’s team and Crowder wasn’t going to tolerate a second time.

“I had three kids among my better players last year show up and do the two-mile run in 17 1/2 minutes, one in 16 3/4 and one in 16 1/2,” says Crowder. “In a two-mile run! And they’re supposed to be Division I athletes! By the time you get them in shape, the season’s half over.”

“This year, we put a lot of accountability into the kids coming back. They had to send us every month what they were doing. We’ve seen some great improvements in kids. You can see some kids have an extra quicker step.”

No one is questioning the Crowder’s judgment now.

Last year’s team didn’t win a single game that it didn’t already lead at the start of the third period. Last year’s team, one which hadn’t worked hard enough on its strength training in the offseason, routinely lost the battles in the corners.

Not so this year.

In their first game, the Huskies accomplished what they had not been able to achieve once the previous year. They came back and won a game in the third period. The trend continued — in three of their first four victories, and four of their first six, they took the ‘W’ by virtue of winning the third period.

And their improved strength showed when, in stretches, they were able to outmuscle teams down low and control the puck and generate offense by cycling the puck in the corners.

This success as a team has paid dividends individually as well. Several players have gained recognition with league Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors and all-tournament team selections, as well as Robitaille’s Goalie of the Month award.

Those honors were few and far between for last year’s club. This reality was best illustrated by Hockey East’s selection of New Hampshire’s Sean Matile on its All-Rookie team over Robitaille. Playing 22 of 39 games for a first-place team, Matile compiled a 3.17 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. Playing 34 of 36 games for a last-place team, Robitaille’s corresponding numbers of 4.20 and .884 fell short.

“Sean Matile is a great goalie,” says Robitaille, when asked about the comparison. “He had the stats behind him. I was really inconsistent last year. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get it, but I didn’t feel that I had played to the best of my abilities.

“The best man won, I guess. I’m just out this year to beat him,” he adds with a smile.

“Any player wants the best for themselves,” he continues. “They want the awards. They want it all. I’m the same way. I’d like to be a Hobey Baker finalist, but the reality is that it’s a team sport and for anybody to be successful the team has to be successful.

“Right now, I just want to give everything I have to make this team successful and make this team win so we can all get awards and we can all get seen by pro teams. Pro scouts only come to see winners. They don’t want losers. We’re going in the right direction now.”

In the right direction with a bullet.

This Week in the CCHA: January 2, 1998

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Since Michigan State received a gift from Santa in the form of more offense for the Great Lakes Invitational, the Spartans should resolve to keep that offense. They’ll need offense if they want to make a run for the national title.

All the Miami RedHawks need to resolve to do is to continue playing the best hockey they’re capable of playing. If they keep that resolution, sooner or later the rest of the country will notice how darned good this team is.

Northern Michigan should resolve to keep the youthful enthusiasm that makes this team such a delight to watch and a real threat in the CCHA.

Lake Superior should resolve to just keep playing the way the Lakers have played their last five games.

The Ferris State Bulldogs should resolve to play with more consistency. That will get the Bulldogs noticed and solidify their place in the CCHA standings.

Notre Dame: resolve to do what the Bulldogs should do.

Ohio State: see Ferris State and Notre Dame. And resolve to win those one-goal games.

Western Michigan should resolve to continue its search for offense — any offense.

Alaska-Fairbanks should continue to keep the resolution that it obviously made when it joined the CCHA — to play hard in a league where the deck is stacked against the Nanooks, geographically speaking.

After half a season of floundering, the Bowling Green Falcons need to resolve to change their game to a more defensive style. It seems to have worked for them lately.

And now on to this week’s games…

The more things change, the more they stay the same. With 19 points in a dozen games, No. 7 Michigan sits atop the CCHA standings. After losing the title game of the Great Lakes Invitational tournament to Michigan State 5-3 last week, the Wolverines host the Buckeyes for two games. The Buckeyes, who haven’t played since December 13, are in eighth place in the CCHA with 12 points.

No. 2 Michigan State, two points behind the Wolverines in the standings, are flying high after winning the GLI for the first time since 1985. The Spartans are also flying up to Alaska to kick off the New Year with the Nanooks. Alaska-Fairbanks, in tenth place in the CCHA with nine points, did not see tournament action during the break.

The No. 4 Miami RedHawks surprised a few people by taking the Denver Cup, but we knew they could do it all along, didn’t we? The ‘Hawks, in third place in the CCHA, travel up to South Bend to take on Notre Dame for two.

Notre Dame lost and won last week in the Mariucci Classic. The Irish are seventh in the CCHA with 12 points.

Northern Michigan also split in tournament play during the holidays. In fourth place with 16 points, the Wildcats host Bowling Green and Ferris State this weekend.

Ferris State split in tournament play as well, pounding Western Michigan 9-1 in the Pepsi College Hockey Tournament before losing 6-3 to North Dakota in the title game. Ferris is fighting for points; the Bulldogs are in sixth place with 13 points in CCHA play.

Lake Superior hosts Bowling Green for one game this weekend. The Lakers most recently won the Rensselaer Invitational, defeating nationally ranked Yale 5-0 in the first round and beating host RPI 3-1 in the title game. Lake is currently in fifth place in the CCHA and looking to move up.

Western Michigan takes a long losing streak to North Dakota for nonconference play this weekend, where it doesn’t look like things will get much better for the Broncos. With nine points, Western Michigan is clinging to ninth place in the standings.

What is it that they say about hockey after January 1? A brand-new season?

Picks for the week of December 10-14: 5-5 Overall record in picks: 56-47

Should auld acquaintance be forgot…

Bowling Green (4-14-2, 2-8-2 CCHA) at Northern Michigan (9-6-3, 7-4-2 CCHA) Friday, 7 p.m., Lakeview Arena, Marquette, MI Bowling Green at Lake Superior (9-7-3, 6-5-3 CCHA) Saturday, 7 p.m., Taffy Abel Arena, Sault Ste. Marie, MI

The Bowling Green Falcons may be the most interesting cellar-dwellers in college hockey this season.

With rookie goaltender Shawn Timm between the pipes, the Falcons have gone 2-2 in their last four games, after a dismal start to the season. Timm is 2-3-1 overall, with a GAA of 2.64, and a respectable save percentage of .899.

According to Falcons’ head coach Buddy Powers, Timm had to become better conditioned before earning the chance to steal starting duties from senior Mike Savard. Timm got his chance in Alaska, when Savard faltered and after Timm had shaved off 20 pounds.

"He’s played very well in every game he’s played for us," says Powers. "He gives us a chance to be in the games he’s played."

But just when the Falcons gain a player who can help them make a run for the CCHA playoffs, they lose their leading scorer, Dan Price. The senior forward was suspended indefinitely last week after pleading no contest to felony vehicular manslaughter charges. In the offseason, Price was the driver during an auto accident which resulted in the death of his passenger. Price was allegedly under the influence of alcohol at the time of the fatal crash.

Powers says that he and the University delayed making a decision on suspension of Price until after Price appeared in court. "In our team rules, you’ve got to be responsible for your actions," says Powers, "and that’s the underlying thing. He basically pleaded no contest at his hearing, so we want him to take some time and reflect about what’s going on in his life."

Powers says the decision to suspend or reinstate Price isn’t his alone, and Powers isn’t in a position to reveal whether or not Price will play again this–his senior–season.

"He’ll be reviewed weekly," says Powers. "There’s no timetable."

The loss of Price compounds a problem with offense that has plagued Bowling Green all season. "We just have to have 100% commitment to goaltending and defense because we’re just not scoring the goals," says Powers.

This switch to a more defensive style of hockey is necessary for the Falcons, but difficult. Powers says that the Bowling Green forwards have not thought of themselves as defensive forwards before, but will have to for the rest of the season.

With no single Falcon scoring more than four goals so far this season, Powers says, "The facts are on paper.

"It’s a total different mindset than we’re used to having right here. Guys are just going to have to adjust to a more defensive style of play."

After a disappointing, injury-riddled season last year, all Powers says he can do is roll with whatever comes the Falcons’ way. "We’re kind of in a Murphy’s Law syndrome."

Bowling Green at Northern Michigan

The Falcons are coming off an uneven showing at the Sheraton/USAirways Classic, losing 6-2 to Dartmouth in the opening game, and beating host team Vermont 3-1 in the consolation game.

"We played really well overall," says Powers, "but the first night we played big mistakes, and each big mistake was a goal."

Against Northern Michigan, Powers says, "We’re going to have to be on our best if we are to have a chance. Somehow we’re going to have to figure out how to knock in a few goals."

The Falcons have the singular distinction of being the lowest-scoring team in the CCHA this season, having scored just 28 goals in a dozen league games. The Falcons spread the blame and misery around; the team is at minus 89 in league play.

They’re up against a team that likes to score, and the likes to spread the scoring around. The Wildcats are also 2-2 in their last four games; one of those wins was against Miami on the road, and the other was most recently a 3-2 win over Boston College in the Badger Showdown.

While it doesn’t look as though any Wildcat will have a 20-goal season, the Northern Michigan offense is considerably healthier than Bowling Green’s. The team stands at plus 69 in league play, and the ‘Cats are outscoring CCHA opponents 42-38.

Duane Hoey has played consistently and consistently well for the ‘Cats in net, with a league GAA of 2.75 and a save percentage of .882.

In addition to Hoey’s performance in net, the Wildcats have guns that know how to shoot, most notably Fred Mattersdorfer whose five goals and six assists lead the team.

Timm will have to be very hot in net for the Falcons, and those forwards will have to learn the new defensive game plan in a hurry to beat the Wildcats at home.

PICK: Northern 3-1

Bowling Green at Lake Superior

Lake Superior is the hottest team in the CCHA, finishing up the first half of the CCHA season with a win over Miami and a weekend home sweep of Ohio State.

In addition, the Lakers can now call themselves tournament champions, having won the Rensselaer Invitational, with a 5-0 win over Yale in the first round, and a 3-1 win over host RPI in the title game.

"I was very pleased with our team that they maintained their composure throughout," said Laker head coach Scott Borek after the title game.

"We’re playing better, but we still gave up some pretty good quality chances. We got good goaltending both nights, and that made a difference. We have to tighten up our defense a little bit, but we’re having some success and when we get back into the league it’ll help us.

"The only way we’re going to be successful is to move the puck. We’re still not good transitionally and we have to work on that. We can play with anyone, but if we want to play up and down we’re not going to succeed."

This season, the Lakers have much that the Falcons lack, including some solid CCHA wins to show for hard work over the first half of the season, and better momentum coming out of the first half of the season.

They also have something that the Falcons probably won’t have this season: offense.

Terry Marchant leads the CCHA in scoring with seven goals and 13 assists; he’s the first CCHA player to reach 20 points in league play this season. Also sitting comfortably among the top ten CCHA scorers is Jason Sessa, with 10 goals and seven assists.

The confidence Lake will have at home going into the second half of the season — combined with Lake Superior’s fanatical fans — will make Abel Arena a tough place for any team to play, especially a team that is desperate for points to make the playoffs.

Scott Borek’s quotes were provided by USCHO’s ECAC Correspondent Jayson Moy.

PICK: Lake Superior 5-2

Ferris State (6-10-3, 5-6-3 CCHA) at Northern Michigan (9-6-3, 7-4-2 CCHA) Saturday, 7 p.m., Lakeview Arena, Marquette, MI

Ferris State is just one of many surprises of this CCHA season, outperforming most expectations and hanging tenaciously in the middle of the pack.

After beating Western Michigan 9-1 and losing 6-3 to North Dakota in the Pepsi College Hockey Tournament, assistant coach Drew Famulak says that the Bulldogs are "very upbeat."

"We played well. We were up 2-0 on North Dakota and just lost our momentum."

After not making the CCHA playoffs last season — the first time in Ferris’ association with the CCHA — the Bulldogs have every reason to be upbeat. With good leadership from seniors Jeff Blashill and Brett Colborne, the team with nine junior forwards and one junior defenseman is finally reaping the rewards of good recruiting and a few patient years.

"I think our junior class has done a good job of stepping forward," says Famulak. The junior class is responsible for 24 of the Bulldogs’ 46 league goals. Juniors Geoff Bennetts, Kenzie Homer, Joel Irwin, and Ed Kowalski have 21 goals between them. Bennetts is tied for the team lead in goals with rookie Kevin Swider, each with six goals.

As improved as Ferris is offensively, Famulak says that the Bulldogs know not to take anything for granted this season, especially against Northern Michigan. "There’s a good rivalry between us. I expect a packed house, and Northern’s a difficult place to play.

"They’re playing well right now, too. Hoey’s playing well in net, and defensively they’re strong.

"We’ll have to be at the top of our game to beat them."

The Bulldogs will not only have to get past the Northern defense, but will have to contain Northern Michigan players Fred Mattersdorfer (5-6, 11), Roger Trudeau (4-5, 9), Buddy Smith (2-7, 9) and J.P. Vigier (4-3, 7). This is a Northern Michigan offense with the potential for scoring bursts if left unchecked.

Still, the Bulldogs seem the more balanced of the teams, and they are more experienced than the Wildcats. It’s hard to win in Lakeview, but Ferris State may have the momentum edge.

PICK: Ferris State 3-2

No. 4 Miami (13-3-0, 8-3-0 CCHA) at Notre Dame (10-8-2, 5-5-2 CCHA) Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., Joyce Arena, South Bend, IN

What makes this series interesting is the literally unpredictable play of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

"Everybody’s capable of winning on a given night," says Notre Dame head coach Dave Poulin. "That’s what’s great about college hockey."

You’re not alone is you don’t think that Notre Dame has not quite arrived yet … but don’t ever count the Irish out. After a season of many one-goal losses, this Irish team has learned how to win, even without the services of leading scorer Ben Simon and Joe Dusbabek, who are playing with the U.S. National Junior Hockey team.

The Irish most recently lost 4-2 to Northeastern in the first round of the Mariucci Classic, and beat Brown 5-1 in the consolation game.

Before heading into tournament play, however, Notre Dame ended the first half of the regular season on an upbeat note, splitting a home-home series with Wisconsin. The weekend before that, the Irish swept Western Michigan in another home-home series, taking four crucial conference points.

"We came off a pretty good series against Wisconsin before Christmas," says Poulin. "We played them really well."

Poulin says he is pleased with the way in which some of his players have stepped up their game, specifically Mark Eaton, Dan Carlson, and Brian Urick.

Poulin says that rookies Eaton and Carlson have learned to make the adjustment to CCHA-level play. Eaton has nine assists in 12 league games, and Carlson has four goals and four assists. Urick, a junior, has three goals and seven assists in 12 CCHA games.

Crucial to the Irish success this season has been the tandem of goaltenders Matt Eisler and Forrest Karr, who are combining to save nearly 90% of the shots they face.

Miami head coach Mark Mazzoleni knows that Notre Dame has arrived enough to give the RedHawks some trouble.

"We’ve developed a pretty good rivalry with that team," says Mazzoleni. "They’re pretty well coached, and we know we’ll have to be at the top of our game to beat them."

The RedHawks skated past Denver 9-6 and beat then-third-ranked New Hampshire 4-2 to take the Denver Cup in tournament play. Their win over New Hampshire vaulted Miami into fourth place in this week’s USCHO Poll.

Mazzoleni says that his team developed a healthy respect for New Hampshire when the RedHawks watched the New Hampshire-Colorado College game. "They did exactly anything they wanted to against Colorado College.

"We felt we’d have to play very smart, make very good decisions with the puck and not turn it over if we were going to beat them. I thought that was one of the major components in our win."

Although Miami has received national recognition in the USCHO and other polls all season, the RedHawks are a team that few people outside the CCHA seem to take seriously. Closer to home, the Miami University student paper gives the team little coverage; occasionally a blurb appears in the Cincinnati Inquirer.

This lack of recognition can get to the team at times. "I hope a game like this gives us the confidence to reinforce that we have taken a step up and we’ve arrived a little now," says Mazzoleni.

Miami is as solid a team as any in the CCHA; the RedHawks are as deep a team as any in the country. There are three Miami players among the top ten scorers in CCHA league play; only Ohio State can boast as many players in the top ten in CCHA scoring. But if you go just a little deeper, you find a total of five Miami players among the top 20 CCHA scorers.

Impressive.

The RedHawks are solid defensively, and have a goaltending duo every bit as good as Notre Dame’s. Trevor Prior and his heir apparent Ian Olsen have a combined save percentage of .890 in league play. Prior alone is saving nearly 91% of shots on goal in league play.

The RedHawks will be without Ryan Brindley, who was tossed out of the New Hampshire game for fighting in the last minute of play. That leaves the ‘Hawks a little short on defense, which would be more of a factor if Ben Simon were playing for Notre Dame.

There are no easy games in the CCHA — as Dave Poulin himself is fond of saying — but if Notre Dame should take a point from this Miami team, it will, indeed, be an upset.

PICKS: Miami 3-2, 4-2

Ohio State (9-8-1, 6-7-0 CCHA) at No. 7 Michigan (15-4-1, 9-2-1 CCHA) Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., Yost Arena, Ann Arbor, MI

The league-leading Wolverines did something during the break that the seniors on this team have never, ever done: they lost the Great Lakes Invitational. The title match went to arch-rival Michigan State, 5-3.

"You know you’re going to be rusty when you’re off for eight or ten days," says Michigan head coach Red Berenson.

He’s not making excuses. Berenson is the first person to point out that this Michigan team is not the team it was in past seasons. Berenson says again and again that Bill Muckalt, Bobby Hayes and Marty Turco have carried the team so far this season–and he’s right.

But…the GLI?

"They were disappointed," says Berenson of his players, especially of his upperclassmen who have won this tournament for the past three years straight.

As a team, the Wolverine GLI win-streak was nine years running. Losing the GLI is a hard thing to take.

Berenson says that this, too, will be a learning experience for a team that is still very young. "Whether it was good for our whole team or not, I don’t know. It probably was not.

"We should be a better team. We’ll see. I think we took a step backward during the break. Whether or not that loss catapults us is something that remains to be seen."

Even with the return of senior captain Matt Herr, who missed the first half of the season with a groin injury, the Wolverines came up short against a Michigan State team that seemed better prepared.

"When we lost Mike Van Ryn on defense," says Berenson, "we lost more than we thought." Van Ryn will be with the Canadian National Junior Hockey team through next week.

Berenson added, "Michigan State played a good game, and the puck went in for them. And very few teams are going to score five goals on Chad Alban."

In spite of the GLI blues, a few Wolverines are wreaking havoc with opponents. As the goalie of record for the Wolverines in November and December (pre-GLI), Turco was 10-1-1 with a 1.81 GAA and a .928 save percentage.

Senior forward Bill Muckalt is having a career season as well. Muckalt has 10 goals and eight assists in 12 CCHA games for the Wolverines. Bobby Hayes has seven goals and seven assists in a dozen games.

In recent years, after the Wolverines have lost games they particularly wanted to win, the next opponent that faced the Wolverines has been the recipient of a pummeling. Just ask Alaska- Fairbanks.

The lucky team to face the Wolverines this week is the Ohio State Buckeyes, a team that hasn’t beaten Michigan in 30-or-so tries for the last some-odd-years (but who’s counting?), and we’re not talking football.

"I think Ohio State is a strong team," says Berenson. "Certainly I don’t think anyone’s going to beat up on them now."

Berenson says that the Buckeyes may actually be giving the Wolverines something to worry about this week. Berenson says, "Ohio State has a better offensive team than Michigan State."

He’s right. Hugo Boisvert has seven goals and 11 assists for the Buckeyes. He’s third in CCHA scoring. Junior Chris Richards has six goals and ten assists, and he’s seventh in CCHA scoring– and he does not play on Boisvert’s line. Boisvert’s linemate Eric Meloche has nine goals and five assists, and he’s ninth in CCHA scoring.

Only one other team — the No. 4 Miami RedHawks — also has three players among the top ten CCHA scorers.

Frightening.

Ohio State has two lines that can score. On line with Boisvert and Meloche is Jean-Francois Dufour, who has five goals and seven assists in league play. On line with Richards is senior co-captain Dan Cousineau, who has three goals and nine assists.

So the good news is that the Buckeyes finally have some offense. The bad news is that these five players are getting little help. These five have scored 30 of the Buckeyes’ 43 league goals.

The Buckeyes have also had a lot of time off, probably too much time off. The last time Ohio State played was December 12 and 13, two road losses to Lake Superior.

"It’s going to be a difficult weekend," says OSU head coach John Markell.

The last time these two teams played, in November in Columbus, Michigan won a 3-2 heart-breaker in the last minute of overtime.

Markell says his players "know that they played well against them last time, and they probably should’ve got a point for their efforts."

Ohio State has lost four games by just one goal; Michigan has won six one-goal games. "They’ve been doing what it takes to win those games," says Markell, "and we still have to learn what to do to win those games."

In spite of the history between these two schools, each coach insists that this hockey rivalry isn’t something that his team gets up for, especially. Still, Markell says that the Buckeyes are looking forward to these games as an opportunity to show the league that they can play well. "They know it’s on national television. They know it’s in Michigan," says Markell.

"They’re not overconfident. Week in and week out, it’s a difficult league."

Markell says the Buckeyes know that in order to win respect and make the playoffs, "They have to start getting points on the road."

Getting points against this Michigan team would have been a much easier thing to do earlier in the season. Says Markell, "Momentum is a big thing in hockey, and it’s an even bigger thing in Michigan."

And the Wolverines have the momentum in this series — GLI or no GLI.

(It won’t hurt Michigan that former Uber-Wolverine Brendan Morrison will be honored in a ceremony Saturday night, either.)

PICKS: Michigan 3-2, 4-2

No. 2 Michigan State (16-2-2, 8-2-1 CCHA) at Alaska-Fairbanks (5-12-2, 4-11-1 CCHA) Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. AT, Carlson Center, Fairbanks, AK

Ron Mason doesn’t sound like he’s looking forward to this trip to Alaska.

"The last time we went, it was a demanding trip," says the Spartan head coach. "It will be the same thing this time.

"Alsaka seems to play well at home, too."

Mason is philosophical about the Spartans’ 5-3 victory over the Wolverines in the championship game of the Great Lakes Invitational, the first Spartan GLI title since 1985, and only the second tournament of any kinds won by this Spartan senior class.

"It was a typical Michigan-Michigan State game — a lot of emotion."

Mason says he’s never seen the GLI as something that might give the Spartans an extra edge going into the second half of the season, as have the Wolverines for the past nine years. "I’ve never looked at it that way. I’ve looked at it as a mini-season. It’s over when it’s over."

Still, Mason and his Spartans have to be happy with five goals against one of the best goaltenders in college hockey. Mason says, "I’ve always thought we could win in a high-scoring game."

One thing the GLI victory did was give a few unsung Spartans a chance to shine. Without Bryan Adams (injury) and Mike York (U.S. National Junior Hockey team), the Spartans were a bit short offensively in the tournament.

Defenseman Mike Weaver had two goals in the game, earning tournament MVP honors and the title of CCHA Defensive Player of the Week. Curtis Gemmel and Andrew Bogle scored their first goals of the season for the Spartans in the GLI title game.

"It creates a better atmosphere for them in practice in the locker room," says Mason. "Some of them don’t play that often, so they get excited and the other players are happy for them. It’s just a happier place."

The Spartans take their happy place to Fairbanks for two games this weekend, and the folks in Fairbanks are so nice that they’re throwing a New Year’s Eve party for the Spartan players, staff, and fans. Really.

The Nanook hospitality will probably not be rewarded with on-ice success this weekend. While the Nanooks have an impressive league power play and players who can generate offense — most notably Sjon Wynia (8-9, 17), Jeff Trembecky (7-7, 14), and Jim Lawrence (6-8, 14) — the Nanooks are not known for their consistency or for cool heads against teams capable of shutting them down.

The Nanooks have scored more goals than any other team in league play (54), but they’ve also given up by far the most goals in league play (81). They’re at a collective minus 100 in league play, and the Nanook goaltenders are combining for a team save percentage that hovers around 85%.

In league play, the Nanooks are 3-3-1 at home, so they do play better when they’re not distracted by travel and fatigue. But even with their potential to score, the Nanooks will have a hard time even getting to Chad Alban; to do so, Alaska-Fairbanks will have to get past the best defensive core in the CCHA, led by
Tyler Harlton, a core that frequently limits opponents to five or fewer shots on goal in any given period.

So, as nice as they are, the Nanooks will probably not be able to use the Spartans to climb the CCHA ladder.

Let’s just hope that those nice folks from East Lansing remember to say "thank you" for all of that Alaskan hospitality.

PICKS: Michigan State 3-1, 3-0

Western Michigan (5-13-2, 4-11-1 CCHA) at No. 3 North Dakota (10-3-1, 8-3-1 WCHA) Friday and Saturday, 7:35 CT, Ralph Engelstad Arena, Grand Forks, ND

Western Michigan got a chance to see No. 3 North Dakota play and win in Pepsi College Hockey Tournament last week. Bronco head coach Bill Wilkinson was seriously impressed with what he saw.

"They have great forwards. They’re a great finishing team.

"They’re an excellent team. We’re just going to go in there and do the best we can."

Wilkinson says he’ll be happy if the Broncos just play competitively against the reigning national champions. This will be no easy task for Western Michigan, a team that lost 9-1 to Ferris State in the first round of the Pepsi tournament, and 3-2 to Cornell in the consolation game.

The Broncos bring a nine-game losing streak to Grand Forks; the last time Western Michigan won a game was in November, against an ailing Lake Superior.

"We just haven’t scored goals," says Wilkinson. "We haven’t played badly, it’s just that we haven’t put it in the net."

Wilkinson says that frustration compounds the teams problems. "At critical times when you can’t take advantage of your offensive chances, it puts added pressure on the defense and in goal, and things just break down."

Frank Novock leads the Broncos offensively, with nine goals and four assists in 13 league games. He isn’t getting much help. Just behind Novock in scoring is Steve Duke, who has 11 assists — but no goals.

Only one other Bronco — Chuck Mindel — has as many as four goals.

In order to play competitively against North Dakota, the Broncos will have to draw on all of their defensive resources. Goaltender Matt Barnes has a GAA of 2.71 and a save percentage of .900 in overall play, and he’s made a whopping 452 saves.

Given that North Dakota is averaging over four goals per game in overall play, it isn’t likely that Western Michigan will have much success.

PICKS: North Dakota 6-2, 5-1

This Week in Hockey East: January 2, 1998

By
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Marc Robitaille earned Koho/Hockey East Player of the Week honors
as well as Mariucci Classic MVP for his role in the tourney win,
especially his 40 saves in the championship game.

Robitaille was also named the Heaton/Hockey East Goalie of the Month. In December, he posted a 4-0-1 record, a 1.97 goals against average and a .932 save percentage.

BC’s Mike Lephart’s hat trick in the Badger Showdown consolation game earned him Hockey East Rookie of the Week honors.

Last week’s record in picks: 5-4 Season’s record in picks: 70-35

Merrimack (6-9-1, 2-6-0 HEA) at UMass-Lowell (6-7-1, 4-4-1 HEA)

Sunday, 7 p.m., Tully Forum, Lowell, MA

UMass-Lowell’s hopes for a strong second-semester start were dealt a blow when All-Hockey East defenseman Mike Nicholishen contracted a bad case of mononucleosis just before leaving for Ontario for the holidays. Nicholishen, a vital cog at the point on the power play and an exceptional defender frequently matched against the Drurys, Krogs, Kariyas and Reasoners of the league, had also missed several games prior to the illness with a knee injury.

That double whammy becomes all the more ironic considering his ironman streak of never missing a game in his first three years. He has yet to return to the campus and is not expected to play again until late January.

"We don’t have another Mike Nicholishen," says coach Tim Whitehead, "but what we’re looking for from our players is if every guy improves his game five percent or so, we can make up for him being out of the lineup. Certainly, all of the guys on our defensive corps can play five percent better. This is a great opportunity for those guys to prove that to their teammates.

"So we’re not looking for one guy to do it. We’re looking for a team effort where they say, ‘Hey, our best player is down. If everyone gives a little extra, we can easily make up for that.’ If we do, we’ll be a better team in the long run for it."

After a Friday night clash against Colgate (previewed below), the River Hawks host Merrimack in their only league contest in the next five games. As such, the game might be an opportunity to pull out all the stops, shorten the bench and for one game sacrifice long-term development for a short-term win. Then, return to balancing long- and short-term against nonconference foes.

"It is the more important of the two games, but we’ll just have to wait and see how that first game goes and react from there," says Whitehead. "But that might happen.

"We’re going to have to wait and see how the Friday game goes. At this point, we have to take it one game at a time and see who does step up their game for us. We plan on everyone getting a lot of ice time this weekend, but we’ll just have to wait and see."

Merrimack opens the week on Friday against Niagara (previewed below) before this Sunday night clash between old-time Division II rivals. Does anything special remain from that old Merrimack Valley rivalry?

"That’s all gone," says coach Ron Anderson. "I don’t think any of the coaches were around during the old rivalries and certainly none of the players. We’ve both improved our programs to the point where it’s not rock ’em, sock ’em, knock ’em down, drag ’em out affairs any more. It’s more trying to play hockey."

Instead, the Warriors are simply looking to crank it up after a layoff since Dec. 6 that was punctuated only by a 3-3 tie with Dartmouth on the 20th.

"We’ve played one game in a month, so we’re anxious to play," says Anderson. "The upside is that we’re fresh, we’re eager and we’re hungry. The downside is that it’s like starting the season all over again in a new training camp. So we hope to pull it all together in one week."

Although the Warriors can certainly point to some lost first-semester opportunities against nonconference foes, they really can’t be too upset with their 2-6-0 league record, even though it puts them in next-to-last place. All eight games pitted them against the top five teams in Hockey East standings, all of which have spent time in the top 10 rankings.

As a result, the Warriors will be looking to duplicate the turnaround they fashioned last year when they posted an 11-5-1 regular season record after Jan. 1.

"We’re always better in the second half," says Anderson. "I guess we’re just the kind of team that gets better as the season goes along and we play more games. That seems to be the makeup of our personnel. I see this year as being the same, especially since we’re coming off a year where we graduated eight seniors. We had a bunch of holes to fill.

"We’ve come out of the first semester ahead of where we were last year and I think our first semester schedule this year was tougher than our first semester schedule last year. So all indications are that we’re ahead of where we were last year.

"That leads to optimism for the second semester, yet very cautious optimism. We have a chance to make a run. We look at the standings and we look at the difference between us and the first-place team and the first thing you look to is that there are three more games that the first-place team has played than us, so there are a lot of points that can be made up in a hurry.

"We’re done with New Hampshire; we’ve already been to Maine and played two; and we’ve played BC, Northeastern and BU. We think the schedule is going to come around for us and we think we’re going to play better in the second half as well. So we’re looking forward to it."

To start making a move in league standings, the Warriors will need to break an unenviable streak against Lowell. Since a 5-4 overtime win on Mar. 6, 1993, they have lost seven straight games at Tully Forum. With Tully closing later this month, this represents Merrimack’s last chance to end the skein.

They may get an extra hand in that effort. Laval native John Pyliotis — now how’s that for a Quebecois surname? — joins the team from the St. Jerome Panthers. Considered a banger, the 5-11, 180-pound forward could still sit out the semester to preserve a year’s eligibility, but would seem more likely to jump into the fray immediately.

PICK: Merrimack 4-3.

Colgate (10-4-0, 6-2-0 ECAC) at UMass-Lowell (6-7-1, 4-4-1 HEA)

Colgate (10-4-0, 6-2-0 ECAC) at

Providence College (11-4-1, 5-3-0 HEA)

Friday, 7 p.m., Tully Forum, Lowell, MA Sunday, 2 p.m., Schneider Arena, Providence, RI

Colgate travels to Lowell and Providence for two nonconference games, having topped Northeastern 6-3 in its only previous action against Hockey East. The Red Raiders feature the ECAC’s top scoring offense, averaging 4.43 goals a game.

Four of their forwards are in the ECAC top 10 in scoring: Jed Whitchurch (1-19–20), Andy McDonald (8-10–18), Dru Burgess (13-3–16) and Tim Loftsgard (7-9–16). The hot-and-cold Burgess scored 11 goals in Colgate’s first eight games, was then held scoreless in the next five, but is back at it again, scoring twice in last weekend’s Syracuse Invitational Tournament.

Freshman defenseman Cory Murphy (4-6–10) is the ECAC’s second leading scorer among blueliners. He has been named Rookie of the Week twice, a rare honor for a defenseman.

Additionally, goaltender Dan Brenzavich is posting the best stats of his career (2.81 GAA, .903 Sv%) and has been named Player of the Week three times.

(For a more detailed look at Colgate from an ECAC perspective, check out this week’s ECAC Preview.)

UMass-Lowell comes off the break without Nicholishen (see above) and without playing a game while facing a high-scoring Colgate squad that has already played in a post-Christmas tournament.

"We’re going to have to be real sharp," says Whitehead. "It’ll be a good challenge coming back from the break and facing them right away. We’re just going to have to be ready to go from the drop of the puck because they played this past weekend.

"They’ve had those two games after the break under their belt, so that’ll be a factor. We’re going to have to play a defensive game and try to shut them down. The longer the game goes, the better off we’ll be."

Providence looked to have a great shot at taking the Sheraton/US Airways Classic since the three other teams were all in rebuilding seasons, but the Friars lost to Dartmouth 4-1 in the championship game after controlling Vermont in the first round, 5-1. Forward Jerry Keefe and defenseman Leigh Dean, both sophomores, earned berths on the all-tournament team.

"I thought the weekend was okay," says coach Paul Pooley. "Against Vermont, we played better as the game went along. Against Dartmouth, we took some unnecessary penalties that gave them an opportunity to get a lead. Then their goalie played very, very well to shut us down in the third period, even though we had some chances.

"Boyd Ballard played well and gave us the chance to win the game if we could have come back to score some goals on some power-play chances. They scored two goals on the power play and then we didn’t score any. We just took too many penalties.

"They really played well and deserved to win. They outworked us. It was unfortunate, because I thought we could have won that game if we came to play right off the bat. But that happens. I give Dartmouth a lot of credit."

The Friars, who have been flirting with top 10 status in recent weeks, absorbed their first nonconference loss of the year against the Big Green and fall to 6-1-1 in action outside Hockey East. They now look to get back on track against Colgate, a team they last played at Schneider Arena almost 14 years ago.

"It’s going to be a tough game," says Pooley. "I don’t really know much about them, but we have to get back on track and work hard and do the things we’re capable of doing.

"We’ve had some injuries. Nick Lent didn’t play last weekend. Nick Sinerate hurt his ankle in the game against Vermont. And obviously Jay Leach was out [with the U.S. Junior team]. So we were playing a little shorthanded, but we’ve played hard for the most part. We have to continue to improve and make sure we come ready to play all the time."

PICKS: If you put Mike Nicholishen back in the lineup and give the River Hawks a post-holiday tuneup to level the playing field, they’d get the pick. But the loss of "Nicco" makes the difference. Colgate 5-4.

Providence makes it a Hockey East split with the Red Raiders, 4-3.

UMass-Amherst (2-11-2, 0-8-1 HEA) at Army (7-7-0, 0-7-0 vs. aligned D-I)

Saturday, 2 p.m., Tate Rink, West Point, NY

The first semester dealt some tough blows to UMass-Amherst, beginning with the bad omen of top recruit Jeff Turner breaking his leg in the first practice and on to the succession of one- and two-goal losses, including three in overtime. The Minutemen, it seems, can’t catch a break.

"To a man, we feel that the record doesn’t tell the full story," says coach Joe Mallen. "We’ve got eight losses right now that have been by either one or two goals. We’re not happy to have the number of losses that we have, but the majority of those losses were to the top 15 teams in the country….

"You don’t want to make excuses for losses, but there’s no question that the people here at Amherst look at Hockey East as being the ACC of hockey. And when they talk to basketball people about the ACC, they just say, ‘Oh, my.’

"Early in the season I was out scouting some games. I went out to see BC play. I went out to see Merrimack play. I went to see Lowell play. And I said to myself, ‘These are really fine hockey teams.’

"I look at our team and say that we have a really good hockey team, too. The results haven’t gotten there, but I do think the league is that strong this year. I think that the wins and losses are showing that our league should be the strongest league in the country."

So with Hockey East being as strong as it is, the onus is on the Minutemen to get some momentum going with a win over Army before resuming league games later in the month.

"Army is the one team that we’ve beaten consistently the last couple years," says Mallen. "However, we have a great deal of respect for Army because we know two things. They’re always going to be very hard-working. And they’re always going to be very well-conditioned.

"This year they seem to be clicking on all cylinders. I think that we’re looking at a real tough hockey game on Saturday. We’re putting a lot of time this week into preparing for them."

Army may be 0-7-0 against the conference Division I teams, but look at how close the Cadets are coming: 4-3 in overtime (Colgate), 2-1 in overtime (UMass-Lowell), 5-4 (Providence) and 4-3 (Merrimack). They continue to get most of their scoring from their big top line of Greg Buckmeier (4-5–9), Jon Toftey (4-4–8) and Andy Lundbohm (1-6–7). Defenseman Darren Clapprood and goaltender Daryl Chamberlain, both seniors, are the top cogs in the defensive end.

PICKS: In the battle of two close-but-no-cigar teams, UMass-Amherst gets the stogy, 3-2.

No. 5 New Hampshire

(12-3-0, 6-3-0 HEA) at Nebraska-Omaha (5-12-0, 4-8-0 vs. aligned D-I)

Wednesday (31st), 7 p.m., Civic Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska

New Hampshire might have vaulted into a number two ranking if the Wildcats had been able to follow up a 5-3 win over No. 8 Colorado College with a win over No. 4 Miami, but instead fell 4-2 in the Denver Cup championship game. As a result, North Dakota and Miami leapfrogged them while they slid from number three to five.

The best news, however, was that Mark Mowers returned after missing three games. A harrowing hit from behind sidelined Mowers with a concussion that had all concerned thankful it wasn’t worse. The Wildcat captain not only returned, he assisted on two tallies in the win over Colorado College and scored a rebound goal against Miami to narrow the margin to 3-2 before an empty-netter sealed the Redhawks win.

The bad news, on the other hand, was that Tom Nolan picked up a game disqualification for a scuffle following the empty-netter. As a result, Nolan will miss the Nebraska-Omaha tilt.

Nebraska-Omaha has been in a tailspin of late, losing its last five and seven of the last eight. The Mavericks do have wins, however, over Air Force, UMass-Amherst, Union and a sweep over Denver. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the aligned D-I teams the wins came over have a combined 9-35-4 record. Taking on UNH is an entirely different animal.

The Mavericks do have some scoring prowess, though, led by: Derek Reynolds (4-13–17), Billy Pugliese (9-6–15), Andrew Tortorella (6-7–13), Jason Cupp (7-5–12) and James Chalmers (5-6–11). Jason Mitchell (3.03 GAA, .896 Sv%) is the top dog in the nets.

PICK: With four players already in the top 10 in nationwide scoring, UNH hardly needs this taking-candy-from-babies mismatch to fatten its statistics. The 8,000-plus UNO loyalists should be wowed by the best offense in the country. UNH 7-1.

Niagara (5-4-0, 0-4-0 vs. D-I) at Merrimack (6-9-1, 2-6-0 HEA)

Niagara (5-4-0, 0-4-0 vs. D-I) at No. 1 Boston University (11-2-2, 5-1-2 HEA)

Friday, 7 p.m., Volpe Complex, North Andover, MA

Saturday, 7 p.m., Walter Brown Arena, Boston, MA

Although the "big" game for Merrimack this week is on Sunday against UMass-Lowell, it resumes post-holiday play on Friday against Niagara.

Coached by former BU assistant Blaise MacDonald, the Purple Eagles are composed of nine freshmen and 22 sophomores (no juniors or seniors). They are led by the scoring of Mikko Sivonen (8-3–11) and Peter Desantis (4-7–11) and the goaltending of Greg Gardner (2.00 GAA, .900 Sv%). (All Niagara statistics are prior to this past weekend’s tournament action.)

The Purple Eagles might have looked like a gimme before the season, but since then have proved anything but. Although they still have yet to beat or tie an aligned Division I team, they certainly have given opposing coaches a few gray hairs.

Last year they lost respectably to Yale 5-3 in their only such contest, while this year the scores have been more of the same: 4-2 (Rennselaer), 2-0 (Cornell), 4-3 in overtime (Colgate) and 5-1 (Clarkson).

Small wonder, then, that Merrimack coach Ron Anderson isn’t taking anything for granted.

"I don’t know any teams on the schedule that are automatic Ws," he says. "I wish there was a way to have that, but there aren’t any."

As a result, Anderson can be expected to start top goalie Cris Classen, winner of Hockey East’s Player of the Week award prior to Christmas, over backup Tom Welby, and similarly ride his top horses.

"We need to play our best 21 players," says Anderson. "This time of year it’s time to rev it up and get ready for the stretch run. You play your best players; all the experimenting is done."

Niagara will then go from the proverbial frying pan into the fire, taking on Boston University at Walter Brown Arena. The Terriers should be snarling after being upset 3-2 Tuesday night by Princeton.

Although BU’s senior class led by Chris Drury has been the deciding factor for the Terriers, seven freshmen have been seeing regular action. Juha Vuori (7-5–12) has been the top rookie forward while Joe DiPenta has played well on the blue line. Although forwards Carl Corazzini, Scott Perry, Nick Gillis and Russ Bartlett haven’t matched the older Vuori’s numbers, they still are exhibiting greater confidence as the season progresses. In particular, Corazzini has been flying up and down the ice and could be set to take off.

"I’m pleased with all of them," says coach Jack Parker. "They’ve all gotten a lot of ice time. Obviously, we didn’t pay a big price for playing them a lot. We’re [11-2-2].

"Everyone seems to be getting a little bit stronger and a little bit more confident. Juha Vuori is just playing better and better every game. Joe DiPenta played real well starting out and then had a little bit of a lapse. Now he’s playing real well again. We’re real dependable with guys like Perry, Corazzini, Gillis and those guys. We’re real happy with them."

PICK: Niagara takes it on the chin, losing 4-1 to Merrimack and 6-1 to BU.

Saskatoon Chill Out

No. 10 Northeastern (10-5-2, 6-3-2 HEA) at Saskatchewan, Regina and Queen’s/Saskatchewan

All games at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. (EXHIBITION) Thursday, 7 p.m., vs. Saskatchewan Friday, 2 p.m., vs. Regina Saturday, TBA, vs. Queen’s/Saskatchewan

Northeastern was the lone Hockey East team to emerge from a tournament with the championship. Led by tournament MVP Marc Robitaille’s 40 saves, the Huskies followed up a 4-2 win over Notre Dame with another 4-2 victory, this one over the host Minnesota Golden Gophers and their 9,000-plus fans. Any win over the Gophers in Mariucci Arena is a significant feat, let alone in a tournament championship.

Freshman defenseman Mike Jozefowicz, sophomore defenseman Aaron Toews and sophomore forward Roger Holeczy joined Robitaille on the all-tournament team.

The Huskies now proceed directly to Saskatchewan, about which coach Bruce Crowder once quipped that "when the cable goes out, you watch the Northern lights."

"We put this together because I felt that we were going to be a young team and the more games that we could play, the better off they were going to be," says Crowder. "It’s basically three exhibition games that aren’t going to count against us one way or the other, but, at the same time, will be an opportunity to add three games to our schedule under the foreign tour umbrella."

PICKS: Who knows Saskatchewan, Regina or Queen’s from a hole in the wall? Who cares? Now isn’t the time to start picking against college hockey’s biggest surprise. Huskies rule, 4-1 against all comers.

This Week in the ECAC: January 2, 1998

By Becky Blaeser & Jayson Moy
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Yale and Rensselaer just came out of the same tournament, Yale finishing third and Rensselaer second in the Rensselaer Marine Midland Holiday Hockey Tournament.

"It’ll definitely give us a chance to get a real close look at each other," joked Yale head coach Tim Taylor. "But we each have to get by our teams first, or lose to both."

Princeton upset Boston University on Tuesday evening 3-2, and that should give them momentum going into the weekend.

Union traveled to Makato State and dropped a game and then tied the Mavericks.

This was a set of games that determined a lot of playoff positions last year from home ice to making the playoffs. It’s early this year, but there is still a lot at stake. Rensselaer, Princeton, and Union are trying to bring Yale back to the pack, and with the three of those teams separated by just one point in the standings, there’s bound to be a lot of jockeying.

PICKS: Rensselaer at Yale: Yale gets the turnaround on home ice this time around. Yale 4 Rensselaer 3 Union at Princeton: Princeton is good at defense. Union can’t score. `Nuff said. Princeton 4 Union 0 Union at Yale: A feeling. Just a feeling. Union 3 Yale 2, in overtime Rensselaer at Princeton: This is a great battle brewing. Princeton 3 Rensselaer 3

Dartmouth (4-3-3, 1-3-1 ECAC, 11th) and Vermont (3-9-2, 0-3-2 ECAC, 12th) at Harvard (4-7-2, 4-3-1 ECAC, T-3rd)
Friday – Saturday, 7:30 pm – 7 pm, Bright Hockey Center, Cambridge, Mass. Vermont (3-9-2, 0-3-2 ECAC, 12th) and Dartmouth (4-3-3, 1-3-1 ECAC, 11th) at Brown (2-10-0, 2-6-0 ECAC, 10th)
Friday – Saturday, 7:30 pm – 7 pm, Meehan Auditorium, Providence, RI

There should be more jockeying in this set of games as well, as three of the cellar dwellers try to move out of the cellar.

Dartmouth surprised a few people with the Sheraton/US Airways Classic Championship, while Vermont finished last in the same tournament.

Harvard and Brown also finished in the bottom half in their tournaments over the holidays. Harvard finished in a tie for third in the Bank One Badger Showdown, and Brown finished last in the Mariucci Classic.

PICKS: Dartmouth at Harvard: Dartmouth has a little momentum, and it carries them in this one. Dartmouth 4 Harvard 3
Vermont at Brown: Brown plays to a win. Brown 3 Vermont 1 Vermont at Harvard: Vermont stays winless on the ECAC season. Harvard 4 Vermont 2 Dartmouth at Brown: A Dartmouth four point weekend. Dartmouth 5 Brown 3

Colgate (10-4-0, 6-2-0 ECAC, T-1st) at UMass-Lowell (6-8-2, 4-5-2 Hockey East, T-6th)
Colgate (10-4-0, 6-2-0 ECAC, T-1st) at Providence (11-4-1, 5-3-0 Hockey East, T-6th)
Friday, 7 pm, Tully Forum, Billerica, Mass.
Saturday, 7 pm, Schneider Arena, Providence, RI

Colgate finished second in the Syracuse Invitational, not much of a surprise, but the surprise was who the Red Raiders lost too. Minnesota-Duluth took the championship in that tournament.

UMass-Lowell is coming back to action after a three week layoff for the holidays and exams, and Providence finished second in the Sheraton/US Airways Classic.

For more information on the Riverhawks and Friars, please refer to the Hockey East Preview.

PICKS: Colgate at UMass-Lowell: Colgate continues on its hot streak. Colgate 5 UMass-Lowell 3 Colgate at Providence: The two teams battle to a tie. Colgate 3 Providence 3

Cornell (7-4-1, 4-3-1 ECAC, T-3rd) at Gryphon Invitational Tournament
Friday, January 2 Game 1: Wilfred Laurier vs. Brandon, 1 pm, Gold Rink, Guelph, Ontario
Game 2: Waterloo vs. Lethbridge, 1:30 pm, Red Rink, Guelph, Ontario
Game 3: York vs. Alberta, 4:30 pm, Gold Rink, Guelph, Ontario
Game 4: Cornell at Guelph, 8 pm, Gold Rink, Guelph, Ontario
Saturday, January 3
Game 5: Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 3, 9:30 am, Gold Rink, Guelph, Ontario
Game 6: Loser Game 4 vs. Loser Game 1, 1 pm, Gold Rink, Guelph, Ontario
Game 7: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3, 4:30 pm, Gold Rink, Guelph, Ontario
Game 8: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 1, 8 pm, Gold Rink, Guelph, Ontario
Sunday, January 4
Seventh Place Game: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 8:30 am, Gold Rink, Guelph, Ontario
Fifth Place Game: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 1 pm, Gold Rink, Guelph, Ontario
Third Place Game: Loser Game 8 vs. Loser Game 7, 4:30 pm, Gold Rink, Guelph, Ontario Championship: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 7, 8 pm, Gold Rink, Guelph, Ontario

Cornell finished third in the recent Pepsi College Hockey Tournament, losing to defending national champion North Dakota. The Big Red then bounced back with a win over Western Michigan in the consolation game.

It’s another tournament for the Big Red, but all of these games will be exhibitions.

Cornell losing a game in this tournament. Are you kidding me?

PICKS: OK, here’s a stab. Cornell defeats Guelph, Wilfred Laurier, and then York for the Championship, 4-1, 5-3, 3-1

We’ve got some more ECAC action the following weekend, and non-conference play begins to wrap up.

(ECAC Games in Bold) Friday, January 9 Brown at Union Harvard at Rensselaer Princeton at Dartmouth Yale at Vermont New Hampshire at St. Lawrence UMass-Lowell at Clarkson

Saturday, January 10 Brown at Rensselaer Harvard at Union Princeton at Vermont Yale at Dartmouth New Hampshire at Clarkson UMass-Lowell at St. Lawrence Colgate vs. Cornell (Nassau Coliseum)

Sunday, January 11 Colgate at Merrimack

Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Announced

USCHO Staff Report
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The Patty Kazmaier Award will be given to the country’s most outstanding player in women’s college hockey, starting this year. The award will be given annually, and is sponsored by the USA Hockey Foundation.

The winner of the award, the women’s hockey analogue to the Hobey Baker Award, will be selected by an 11-member selection committee made up of women’s ice hockey coaches, representatives of print and broadcast media, and a representative of USA Hockey.

Ten candidates will be announced in January, with three finalists announced March 13, in conjunction with the ECAC Championship. The winner of the award will be announced April 1st in Boston, Mass., at the Boston Madison Square Garden Club, during the NCAA Championship Weekend.

Where Have All The Goal Scorers Gone?

By Frank Mazzocco
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Goal scoring in men’s Division I ice hockey has experienced a steady and significant decline over the last ten seasons and, based on scores of games played in 1997-98, this season could see fewer goals per game than any of the previous ten.

During the ten full seasons starting in 1987-88, an average of 7.92 goals were scored in each game. Through the first 327 games this season, the average is down by 1.31 goals to 6.61. This season’s average is 0.70 goals per game lower than the previous low, 7.31, last season.

The findings are part of a U.S. College Hockey Online analysis of scores from 8,781 Division I games since the 1987-88 season.

The number of goals per game is dramatically lower than the ten-year high of 8.52 during the 1989-90 season. Between 1987 and 1992, even though scoring was in a decline, the average number of goals remained above eight per game.

Since 1988-89 scoring from one season to the next has dropped in all but two. The only increases came during the most productive season of the period, 1989-90, when scoring was up one-half goal per game. It was also up slightly, 0.18 goals, in 1994-95.

From the first year studied through last season, the average dropped a full goal per game, 8.31 to 7.31.

This study includes only conference and non-conference games. Games deemed exhibitions by the NCAA and those involving non-Division I teams are not included.

A closer examination of nearly 6,000 regular season conference games shows one of the four major hockey associations, Hockey East, is bucking the downward trend.

HEA games have produced an average of 8.22 goals per game during the last ten, full seasons. This season, through 43 games, the average is 7.74, down only 0.48. HEA games have averaged more than eight goals per game in all but two seasons. In 1994 the average was 7.53; two seasons later is was 7.98. The HEA high-water mark came in the first year of the study, 8.81 goals per game. (The averages include interlocking conference games between HEA and WCHA teams from 1987-89.)

The three other major conferences are on pace to set new season lows.

The biggest decline is in the WCHA, where production through 56 games this season is only 6.02 goals per game. That’s down 1.90 from its average of 7.92 during the period and down from a decade-low 6.91 last season. The high for the period, 9.16, was in 1989-90.

This season the CCHA is down 1.60 goals per game from its average for the period of 7.98 to 6.38. That circuit experienced a high of 8.97 in 1990-91 and a low of 7.39 in 1994.

In the ECAC, goals per game are at 5.95 this season, a decline of 1.57 from its average of 7.52. The conference’s low for the period was last season, 6.78. The high was 8.22 in 1990-91.

           Season                                All
           Ending    CCHA   ECAC   HEA    WCHA   Games
           1988      8.89   7.50   8.81   8.62   8.31 
           1989      8.10   7.86   8.43   7.54   8.01 
           1990      8.97   7.90   8.05   9.16   8.52 
           1991      7.94   8.22   8.56   8.06   8.26 
           1992      7.94   7.60   8.02   8.47   8.08 
           1993      8.04   7.51   8.70   8.10   7.95 
           1994      7.39   7.61   7.53   7.34   7.59 
           1995      7.64   7.44   8.12   7.69   7.77 
           1996      7.41   6.80   7.98   7.31   7.35 
           1997      7.44   6.78   8.05   6.91   7.31 
                                                  All
                     CCHA   ECAC   HEA    WCHA   Games
Ten Year High        8.97   8.22   8.81   9.16   8.52 
Ten Year Average     7.98   7.52   8.22   7.92   7.92 
Ten Year Low         7.39   6.78   7.53   6.91   7.31 
This Season To Date  6.38   5.95   7.74   6.02   6.61 
Below Average       -1.60  -1.57  -0.48  -1.90  -1.31 
Below Maximum       -2.59  -2.27  -1.06  -3.14  -1.91 
Below Previous Low  -1.01  -0.83   0.21  -0.89  -0.70

Three Maine Students Charged

USCHO Staff Report
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Three members of Maine’s men’s hockey team face charges of criminal threatening, and will appear in Bangor District Court on Jan. 16, 1998.

The charges come following a Dec. 14 incident in which one student allegedly made “reprehensible” comments, and at least one student may be charged with making racial slurs in violation of Maine’s Civil Rights Act.

The three players alledgedly involved in a threatening phone call, which included insulting racial language, are 22-year-old junior Bryan Masotta, 22-year-old sophomore Shawn Mansoff, and 23-year-old junior Matthew Oliver.

The three players have been suspended from the hockey team for an indefinite period of time by the team’s coach, Shawn Walsh.

Five Months And Counting

By
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(Note: This is the second part of an interview with ECAC ice hockey commissioner Jeff Fanter. The first installment was entitled “Man On A Mission.”)

Five months into Jeff Fanter’s tenure as ECAC ice hockey commissioner, he has started to put into motion some of the ideas he presented to the selection committee during his interview.

Media

“In year one, my foundation is the media,” said Fanter. “If the media isn’t behind you, you’re not going to go real far.

“They are important for our ultimate game plan, [so] I want to make sure the media knows what we’re trying to do. Our whole philosophy is that the media has everything that they need at their hands to portray the ECAC the way it should be portrayed.”

The issue of using the media to promote the league is an overriding theme of Fanter’s. He believes that the single biggest problem the league suffers is its image.

“This is not a knock on my predecessor (Joe Bertagna), but I thought the ECAC wasn’t getting a fair shake from the media in the exposure that it was getting,” says Fanter, who says he tried to make inroads during his two-year tenure as an assistant SID at Colgate, from 1993-95. “I tried to make some suggestions to Joe here and there, but I couldn’t call up Joe and say, `You need to expand the weekly release,’ or `You need to be pushing this guy at Clarkson.'”

To Fanter, the media is all-important, and therefore, information that the media receives can make a huge difference. For instance, last year there was the case of Clarkson All-America Todd White.

“I didn’t understand why he didn’t win the Hobey Baker,” says Fanter. “I know where Michigan ranked, and I know what Brendan [Morrison, the eventual winner] is all about, but if someone took a look at the numbers seriously…I could not come up with an answer why [White] didn’t win it.”

The only answer, says Fanter, is that people weren’t informed enough. Fanter is trying to counteract that perceived flaw, to get the message out. In turn, he is hoping that the media will write about the ECAC more fully — to spread the message.

He believes that his efforts are paying off.

“The Boston Herald and the Boston Globe are covering the ECAC like never before,” he pointed out. “I just think we’re getting the information in their hands, and there are people out there that want to read about it. We just need to preach our story.”

Besides the expanded coverage in newspapers, the ECAC now has its own website, including weekly releases and statistics for all seven ECAC-sponsored ice hockey leagues.

The impetus for the site came from Tim Danehy, who worked for Bertagna as league statistician last year. It took a while, but during meetings with ECAC chief Clayton Chapman, Danehy convinced the league to let him create an maintain an extensive website, putting to use an extensive statistical database.

For Fanter, this is just the beginning.

“Once we’ve got the media behind us, and they know what we’re trying to do, and how we’re trying to promote the game and our league at the same time, we move on to other stuff in the future,” he said. “The biggest one is obviously expanding the television package.”

Television
Part of Fanter’s proposal was to expand the reach of the ECAC through television, by using its current package while inking another deal with the New England Sports Network.

The ECAC is currently in the third year of a three-year agreement with the Empire Sports Network, which has televised “The Road to Lake Placid” the last two seasons. The package has included a number of regular-season games, plus the semifinals and the championship of the ECAC tournament. But Empire reaches only select markets in New York State, and goes to less than one million viewers in the Northeast on all cable systems.

Otherwise, the ECAC was absent from New England TV, except for select games by regional broadcast stations such as WNDS in New Hampshire and WABU in Boston. Fanter solved this problem by landing NESN after the network dropped Hockey East following last season.

“We needed a presence in New England. Half of our teams play in New England,” he said. “I had some regional people who called me, and I talked to those people, but I wanted something bigger….Something that was on a satellite dish so that people could find it.”

“I called the folks at NESN, and they were interested, so they came down to talk to us. We didn’t know what the feedback was going to be. They dropped Hockey East, and we didn’t know if they wanted college hockey at all.” But after that initial call, things went very fast, and a deal was signed.

“It happened in two meetings,” said Fanter. “It wasn’t hard for them to see what we had to offer. We had a solid conference, we were organized, we knew how to use television to our advantage, and how the ECAC could work to their advantage.

“NESN wanted a piece of the action.”

NESN signed on to televise four league games, plus the ECAC championships from Lake Placid. This brings the total of league games televised by NESN and Empire to 11.

The key for NESN in getting the deal done, and the major difference from the Hockey East package it discontinued, is that the ECAC is picking up some of the production costs for the package — something that Hockey East did not do. That’s because Fanter considers NESN a big plus towards the marketing of the ECAC.

“We need to work within the New England region, and we’ve made advances with this television package,” he said. “Games have been on in the New York area, but in New England, games have been bounced around on WNDS and some of these smaller, regional stations. We’ve made a big move with NESN.”

Fanter will be a big part of the television package, utilizing his previous television experience to help produce the games. Fanter was part of Fox Sports’ number-one ice hockey team (Mike Emrick and John Davidson) in the first year that Fox had NHL hockey, working as statistical and graphics support.

“In our prep package for television, people aren’t going to be running around looking for information, because I know what television wants,” says Fanter. “The group at NESN is saying, `We’re getting so much information from you, we have so much to work with, this is going to be a great product and we can’t wait to grow in the future with you.’ Anytime you can get a TV station that big behind you…people are going to notice.”

With NESN locked up, Fanter is also trying to assist Empire. He says he is working with the network to get it onto cable systems in areas such as Albany, Ithaca, and the North Country. All of these are hotbeds of ECAC hockey, and currently do not carry either Empire or NESN.

With the present television package in place, Fanter looks towards the future, and the vision that he has for the ECAC and television.

“I want to see an ECAC Game of the Week,” he said. “I want to make it just like Monday Night Football. How many people turn on Monday Night Football and could care less about the teams playing it? I want to make it so that with our fan base and alumni, everyone wants to turn on the ECAC Game of the Week.

“The two stations that we work with have said that they are going to do that. They are going to keep people informed about the league. They’re not just going to put two teams out on the ice and then turn the lights out afterwards.

“If you’re just content with getting your games on television, that doesn’t do a thing.”

Fanter also has bigger aspirations for college hockey and television.

“We ultimately want to get a national TV contract,” he said. “All four [commissioners] have to work together towards it.”

Radio
Fanter has commissioned a weekly Division I ECAC hockey show — around nine minutes, and covering the previous and upcoming week’s games — distributed to all radio stations that cover those ECAC teams. To him, it’s just another way of informing the listening audience.

“I think it’s a good way to talk about what’s going on in the ECAC,” he said. “When people listen to the game, they think they’re only listening to the game. I want to them to listen to the game and know about ECAC ice hockey.”

Perceptions
The ECAC doesn’t exist as a traditional conference like the Big Ten, the Pac-10, the Big East or the ACC. Except, that is, in one sport — ice hockey. “I think what I learned [at Colgate],” says Fanter, “was that the ECAC was not getting the exposure that it truly deserved because of its uniqueness as a conference; that these student-athletes compete for a national championship every time they step out on the ice, and the other five days of the week in the classroom they compete at the highest level academically.

“When you sit down and take a look at where those 12 institutions are ranked academically, there are no other conferences out there like that.

“I was at an institution [Indiana] where the athletes that play their sports are the best in the country. They’re good student-athletes, but they are looked at as athletes, and people don’t get the whole story angle as to what they are as student-athletes.

Fanter also wants to impress upon people what happens after the student graduates.

“We also need to describe what a lot of these student-athletes go on to,” he said. “We have players that are not only going out and playing in the NHL, but are going out there and running businesses and multi-million dollar corporations.”

But Fanter also knows that the perception of the league depends on the performance of the student-athlete as an athlete.

“The biggest thing is what happens on the ice,” he said. “If the ECAC never produces a winning team, people aren’t going to want to hear a lot about doing great in the classroom.

“I think we do, and I think we get overlooked sometimes.”

There are other areas where Fanter believes the ECAC is perceived poorly — like the lack of ECAC teams in national polls.

“The ECAC is structured differently,” he said. “Our season starts later, so these polls come out [at the beginning of the season] and our teams don’t play for two or three weeks. All of these teams get a jump on our league, and by the time we get caught up, we’re all playing each other and we’re knocking each other off, and beating up on each other in the league.”

This perception leaves a mark on the average hockey fan, according to Fanter.

“It’s one area that when the average reader picks up a poll, they only see one or two ECAC teams, and that puts a spin on for the rest of the season that this is a weaker league,” he said. “We just need to work through this, and let the people know that we started later and we’re starting to come around.

“You never want to sound like your complaining or that you’re whining, or making excuses, because that’s not what we’re doing. I think we’re just trying to paint the real picture because it’s never been painted.”

This Week in the CCHA: December 12, 1997

By
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At many schools, players are either taking finals this week or preparing to take them next week. The two teams that travel farthest this week by bus, Northern Michigan and Ohio State, warm up the bus only after players have finished finals.

Finals. Christmas. Family. Mom’s cooking. Who wouldn’t be distracted?

One coach confided, "I hate this week." He could have been speaking for the whole lot of them.

This week there are four good-to-dynamite conference series, and a nonconference pairing that will give fans at each school some good hockey.

No. 5 Miami hosts Northern Michigan this week. Last week the RedHawks were in the Wildcats’ general neighborhood, where they beat Ferris State 6-2 and lost in overtime to Lake Superior 4-3. These teams are tied for points in the CCHA with 14.

Ohio State travels to Lake Superior for two in the Soo, where they haven’t won in Santa-knows-how-long. In addition to beating Miami, the Lakers dropped a 7-0 game to Michigan last weekend. At home last week, the Bucs took two from Alaska-Fairbanks, 8-3 and 4-0 . These two teams are separated by just a point.

No. 7 Michigan and Western Michigan meet for a home-home series, with Western’s "home" being Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. Michigan beat Lake Superior 7-0 last weekend, and Western dropped two to Notre Dame, 2-1 and 4-2.

Ferris State travels to Fairbanks for two this weekend. Last weekend the Bulldogs were beaten by Miami, while the Nanooks lost two to Ohio State.

In nonconference play, Notre Dame travels to Wisconsin for one game on Wednesday, then returns home to host the Badgers Friday. Notre Dame topped Western twice last weekend, while the WCHA’s Badgers are looking for their first win in five tries.

After splitting a series last weekend, both No. 2 Michigan State and Bowling Green have the weekend off.

Last week’s record in picks: 6-3 Overall record in picks: 51-42

Northern Michigan (7-4-3, 6-3-2 CCHA) at No. 5 Miami (10-2-0, 7-2-0 CCHA) 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Goggin Ice Arena, Oxford, OH

Miami comes home after splitting on its first road-trip weekend, winning 6-2 over Ferris State and losing 4-3 to Lake Superior in overtime.

Of the Ferris State game, Miami head coach Mark Mazzoleni says, "We executed exactly what we had to do against them. We were able to get a quick lead on them and put them in the position to (try to) come from behind."

On Saturday, Lake did to Miami what Miami did to Ferris. After Joe Blaznek’s goal at 1:59 of the second period, the Lakers led the RedHawks 3-0. In the second period, the ‘Hawks scored three unanswered goals of their own, and a scoreless third period forced the overtime. But Blaznek’s goal at 1:19 of OT — on the power play — gave the Lakers the upset.

"We came out flat in the first," says Mazzoleni. "I thought we played pretty well in the second and third periods."

The loss was only the second in CCHA for the RedHawks, who’ll be loath to give up any more points at home this weekend as they host the Wildcats.

"We’re at home, and they’re the last games before break," says Mazzoleni. "They’re crucial points."

Both the ‘Hawks and the ‘Cats have 14 points, but having played only nine conference games, Miami has two in hand on Northern.

This is Mazzoleni’s first encounter with Northern Michigan, so he says he has little idea of what to expect. "They’re a team that’s rebuilding, rebuilding the image of their program. They have a quick attack. [Comley’s] teams play with a lot of spunk; they finish their checks. They’re a physical team."

Perhaps as the Northern Michigan team bus passes through Columbus, the Wildcats will jeer at the only team able to deliver two home losses to the ‘Cats, Ohio State. That was two weeks ago, when Northern lost 5-1 and 5-4 to the Buckeyes in Marquette. After having last week off, this squad needs points to go into the break on a positive note.

Northern Michigan head coach Rick Comley doesn’t say much about the losses to Ohio State. "It was disappointing, but they have a good team….We have a young team and the quality of play is going to go up and down because of that."

Comley knows what his team is facing on this first major road trip of the Wildcat season. "Obviously, they have an outstanding team. We’ll have to play very well in order to win."

One interesting stat to look at in this series is the plus/minus. Northern Michigan is plus-80 in CCHA play, and Miami is plus-84. What does that mean? Each team spreads its scoring around, which could means that fans in Oxford could see a variety of players on each side light the lamp.

Defense may be the difference in this game, between two teams whose players can score, but don’t underestimate that Miami offense. Tim Leahy is tied for second in scoring in CCHA games with 15 points (9-6). Other ‘Hawks in double digits in scoring include Adam Copeland and Dan Boyle (13), Marc Tropper and Dustin Whitecotton (12), Alex Kim (11) and Gregor Krajnc (10). That’s seven RedHawks with points in the double digits — again, in just nine games.

Roger Trudeau, Fred Mattersdorfer and Buddy Smith lead the Wildcats in CCHA scoring, each with nine points in 11 games.

Miami’s Trevor Prior and Northern’s Duane Hoey are neck-and-neck in CCHA goaltending stats. In Prior’s seven games played (6-2-0), his GAA is 2.19 and his save percentage is a healthy .912. Hoey has eight full games this season (5-2-1), where he’s posted a GAA of 2.52 and a save percentage of .889.

After an early-season schedule that has seen many games at home, Comley says his players are "looking forward to getting on the road, to seeing other parts of the league."

There’s not much to see in Oxford besides some nice rolling hills and the inside of a smallish rink, and the Wildcat opinion of teams from Ohio may not improve one bit after this weekend of play.

PICKS: Miami 5-2, 4-2

Ohio State (9-6-1, 6-5-0 CCHA) at Lake Superior (5-7-3, 4-5-3 CCHA) 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Taffy Abel Arena, Sault Ste. Marie, MI

"We’re a team searching for an identity," says Lake Superior head coach Scott Borek. "We play one good game, one bad game on a weekend. I really like the way we persevere through difficult times.

"We’re the classic case of a team that’s one game over .500. If we can get over that hump, we’ll be all right."

At home last weekend, Lake Superior lost a 7-0 game to Michigan, a result that didn’t look likely when the Lakers trailed by just two goals at the end of two.

"It was disappointing," says Borek. "It was two-nothing after two. I thought that if we got the next goal, we’d have a chance.

"You just can’t give Michigan any chances. You certainly can’t give Bill Muckalt and Matt Herr chances."

The loss was even tougher to swallow considering that Lake Superior had taken three points from favored Notre Dame the weekend before. It was also hard in front of a packed, Wolverine-hating crowd on national television.

"Sometimes," says Borek, "you find out some things about yourself, about players, and about the whole team from those games."

The Lakers must be quick studies. The following night, Lake Superior beat No. 5 Miami (formerly No. 4 Miami) 4-3 in overtime.

"Miami got a slow start," says Borek. "We got up three nothing. We scored the third goal in the second period, and I thought if we just maintained our defensive posture we’d take the game."

After Lake Superior’s three unanswered goals, Miami answered — with three of its own. The game was tied 3-3 after two.

"It was a potential disaster. We took a five-minute major in the third period and I thought we were cooked because their power play is so good," says Borek. "We got some great momentum out of killing that."

To get over that hump that Borek talks about, the Lakers have to get by Ohio State, another team that’s riding a wave of momentum.

"This weekend is obviously important to us," says Ohio State head coach John Markell. With just a point between the teams, this weekend is important for everyone on the ice. These games have playoff implications.

"We have to maintain pace with everybody else," says Borek. "It’s a challenge on the road, and if we play well, there’s a possibility they’ll get some points."

The Buckeyes can afford some modesty, given their four-game league win streak — their best start in over a dozen years — and the near-total lack of press coverage in Columbus, home to the ghost of Woody Hayes.

Judging by the cheering at Ohio State home games, long-suffering fans know that they’re watching something good even if CCHA fans around the league have a tough time believing what they’re seeing in the standings.

It was, perhaps, that little bit of disbelief that put Alaska-Fairbanks off in its first game against Ohio State last weekend. The Nanooks were so frustrated that a pile-on ensued behind the visiting net. Initial reports that OSU player Chris Richards was at the bottom of the pile were erroneous; according the Richards, it was linemate Dan Cousineau on the bottom of the heap.

The Richards-Cousineau combination gives the Buckeyes offensive depth not seen on this team for years and years. While Hugo Boisvert sits alone atop the CCHA in league scoring this week with 16 points — aided by Quebecois linemates Eric Meloche and Jean-Francois Dufour — Richards and Cousineau have been quietly contributing to the Buckeye success.

For his seven points on the weekend against Alaska-Fairbanks, Richards is the reigning CCHA Offensive Player of the Week. With five goals and nine assists, he is tied for third in CCHA scoring.

"Right now Chris Richards is our most valuable player," says Markell. "Dan Cousineau has matured. He knows he’s a key component in our play. He learned defense last year, and that helps him up front."

Markell believes that if the Buckeyes are to be successful against Lake Superior, they can’t sit back and watch the first line of Boisvert, Meloche and Dufour carry the team. "If we can get two lines going, if we can get points from other lines, we stand a good chance."

Borek is well aware of the new-found offensive potential of this Buckeye team. "Like Michigan, Ohio State plays an up-tempo game. Our hope is that we can make it a very slow game."

In addition to the Buckeye offense, Ohio State has two competent goaltenders in Ray Aho and Jeff Maund. The rookie Maund is hot now, tied for third with Miami’s Trevor Prior in the wins category with eight, behind only Chad Alban (13) and Marty Turco (12). That’s some company.

For Lake Superior, fellow rookie Rob Galatiuk posts respectable numbers himself, with a 2.94 GAA and a save percentage of .893. The Lakers also have firepower up front, as both Jason Sessa and Terry Marchant have 11 points in CCHA play.

For several seasons, the Lakers have owned the Buckeyes. You have to go back to the 1991-92 season for an Ohio State victory over Lake Superior, and since then, the Buckeyes have been 0-16-3 against the Lakers.

Perhaps, if the Buckeyes have been really, really good boys, Santa will come through for them in the Soo this weekend.

PICKS: Ohio State 5-2, Lake Superior 4-3

No. 7 Michigan (12-3-1, 7-2-1 CCHA) at Western Michigan (5-9-2, 4-9-1 CCHA) 7 p.m., Friday, Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI Western Michigan at Michigan 7 p.m., Saturday, Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, MI

"On paper," says Michigan head coach Red Berenson, "Western Michigan may have the best defense in the league."

Sometimes even the best defense — along with its accompanying offense — loses games.

Last weekend the Broncos dropped two games to Notre Dame, 2-1 Friday and 4-2 Saturday, though Western head coach Bill Wilkinson says that Saturday was actually the better game of the two for his team.

"Friday we just didn’t play well. Saturday night we played a good game but they got some opportunistic goals."

Western’s problem all season has been an inability to score goals. The Broncos are being outscored 40-32 in league play, and only one Bronco is in double digits in scoring. Time and again, Wilkinson has said that he’d like to see the few players who are playing hard up front get some help.

Frank Novock leads Western with eight goals and three assists. Steve Duke has eight assists and several Broncos have seven points, but the overall news is not great. On the upside, 15 different Broncos have scored at least one goal this season.

Matt Barnes is playing well in net for Western. In league play, Barnes is the only Bronco goaltender of record, with over 800 minutes in net, a GAA of 2.71 and a save percentage of .904.

Barnes is going to need as much help as he can get from the Broncos’ fabled defense and from whatever offensive Western Michigan can muster. With two games against No. 7 Michigan — and neither of them really "home" — these are points that won’t be easy to come by.

Berenson has said repeatedly that Marty Turco, Bill Muckalt and Bobby Hayes have carried the Wolverines this season. Add to that list Matt Herr, who played in the Wolverines’ 7-0 defeat of Lake Superior last weekend, his first game in months after a groin injury.

Herr assisted on two of Muckalt’s three goals in the Lake game. Berenson cautions that Herr won’t be playing up to par for a while, but if he can assist on two goals his first game back, woe betide the team that faces him on his first par night.

It merits saying that Muckalt is having a career season, with nine goals and six assists in league play for a piece of second place in CCHA scoring. "The guy that stands above it all is Bill Muckalt," says Berenson. "He’s been our best player all season."

Wilkinson knows what his team is facing in this series. "In that game against Lake, they scored opportunistic goals. They’ve got good kids up front, and Turco is good in the net."

Turco, with nearly 600 minutes in net, has a GAA of 2.10 and a save percentage of .914.

Berenson is taking nothing for granted in this series. He says of the Broncos, "It seems like they’re a scrappy team. They’re a physical team, and they’ve lost more than their share of close games."

Wilkinson says, "We’ve got to play with the attitude that we can slow them down and take them off their game. They’re a good skating team. And we have to take advantage of our offensive chances."

With only nine points in 14 league games, the Broncos, currently in ninth place, need points this weekend to keep playoff hopes alive. But now that the Wolverines have reentered the top ten, they’ll want to stay awhile.

PICKS: Michigan 4-2, 5-2

Ferris State (4-8-3, 4-5-1 CCHA) at Alaska-Fairbanks (4-11-1, 4-9-1 CCHA) 7 p.m. AT, Saturday, 4 p.m. AT Sunday, Carlson Center, Fairbanks, AK

Don’t let last weekend’s scores fool you. Even though Ferris State lost at home to Miami, 6-2, and Alaska-Fairbanks lost on the road to Ohio State, 8-3 and 4-0, these are two competitive teams, each with something to prove.

Ferris State assistant coach Drew Famulak says that the Miami game "was kind of lost and won in front of the net. They just have some great defensive players, and Prior played a great game."

The shots on goal were a bit more even than the score would indicate — Miami won that battle, 29-24. And even though Ferris was trailing 6-1 in the third, the Bulldogs never gave up, scoring their second goal of the game at 19:32 in the third.

As for the Nanooks, they looked flat against Ohio State on Friday, but bounced back on Sunday to play a very tough game. Chris Marvel played solidly in net, turning away 33 of 37 shots on goal. The game could have gone either way through nearly two periods, until the Buckeyes scored their third with less than a minute left in the second.

Famulak says his team knows something of what to expect in Fairbanks. "The one thing we have to worry about is their power play. We’ll key on our penalty kill in practice this week."

UAF’s Sjon Wynia (7-8–15) and Jeff Trembecky (7-7–14) are among the league’s best scorers. "They incorporate their offensive power well into their overall game plan," says Famulak.

In league play, the Nanooks have given up more goals by far than any other team — 75 in 14 games — while scoring 47. Defensively, there’s room for improvement.

Famulak says that’s the one area where the Bulldogs can also improve. "Defensively we’ve got to play better. We’ve got to compete better from the blue line in."

Rookie goaltender Vince Owen has seen the lion’s share of work between the pipes for Ferris State. He’s allowed an average of 3.48 goals against; Owen’s save percentage is .866, and the team’s overall percentage is .868.

Offensively, Joel Irwin leads the Bulldogs with five goals and seven assists in league play. Kevin Swider is right behind him with five goals and five assists.

The Bulldogs are a much more disciplined team than are the Nanooks, with 111 penalty minutes to UAF’s 171. In fairness, Alaska-Fairbanks has played two more league games than has Ferris State.

Another stat of note: Alaska-Fairbanks is at minus-130 as a team in league play.

The Bulldogs could feel the need to prove that they’re for real this season after not making the playoffs last year. The Nanooks could feel the need to prove that they are a team that can make the playoffs.

PICKS: Ferris State 6-2, Alaska-Fairbanks 3-2

Notre Dame (8-6-2, 5-5-2) at Wisconsin (7-5-0, 7-3-0 WCHA) 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dane County Coliseum, Madison, WI Wisconsin at Notre Dame 7 p.m., Friday, Joyce Arena, South Bend, IN

Dave Poulin is not only pleased with the wins the Irish earned last weekend over Western Michigan, but also the way in which those games were won.

"It was very encouraging," says the Notre Dame head coach. "They were like the games we’ve been involved in but haven’t been able to get a point in."

As every Irish fan knows, Notre Dame lost 12 games by one goal last season, and the Irish have been working on play in close games ever since. Helping the cause has been the senior leadership that Poulin says his team has been looking for along the way.

"Matt Eisler showed a lot of leadership Friday when he wasn’t even on the ice." Poulin says, noting that the senior goaltender was "very supportive" of Forrest Karr.

Having two goaltenders playing well can make a big difference for a team. In almost 200 minutes of league play and a league record of 2-0-1, Karr’s numbers are better than Eisler’s in just over 530 minutes of league play. Karr’s GAA is 1.85, while his save percentage is .912. Eisler’s GAA is 3.25, and his save percentage .893.

Poulin says that Notre Dame looks forward to the strong competition the Irish will see in these two nonconference games. "We’re looking to maintain momentum and to go into the Christmas break. We’ll certainly go into the break on a high CCHA note, but we’d like to go in on a high national note."

In contrast, the Badgers are looking to find some momentum before their brief break. "We’ve lost four games in a row," says Wisconsin head coach Jeff Sauer. "We need a win. We played well enough to win the four games.

"The real downside is that with the exception of one of the three games, we’ve played well defensively. We’re just not generating offense right now and that concerns me. We’re pretty deep at forward."

Junior defenseman Craig Anderson is leading the Badgers in scoring with three goals and 11 assists in overall play. Sophomore winger Dustin Kuk leads the team in goals with five.

Two of the four losses in the Badgers’ four-game streak were at the hands of CCHA and Big Ten rivals, Michigan State and Michigan. In the College Hockey Showcase, the Spartans downed the Badgers 2-0, while the Wolverines beat the Badgers 3-1.

After losing two games to North Dakota last weekend, Sauer says, "I’m not really looking at the opponent [this week]. I’m looking to win."

Senior center Brad Englehart will be out for this series. Englehart has missed three weeks with a concussion.

This week, we’ll pick against last week’s Notre Dame picks.

PICKS: Wisconsin 3-2, Notre Dame 3-2

Looking Ahead

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In October, when the leaves were turning southern Michigan into a rolling patchwork of color, Tyler Harlton missed the open sky of the western Canadian prairie. The Pense, Sask., native could appreciate the beauty of autumn in East Lansing, but he couldn’t help feeling penned in.

“When you’re surrounded by trees on all sides, it limits what you see. Back home, you can see weather come in. Here, surrounded by hills, you don’t see as much.”

No one can accuse Tyler Harlton of having limited vision, no matter how he feels about his immediate surroundings, for Harlton is among the most dedicated athletes in Division I sports. The Michigan State senior defenseman is the Spartans’ three-year captain, the first MSU captain to serve such a term since Don McSween in the mid-eighties.

Harlton takes his leadership role very seriously.

“Every player has to be on top of his game,” he says, “and as captain, I think it is my job to let players know that I expect them to do the things that help them stay on top of their game, such as working hard in practice, keeping current with schoolwork, and toning down their social lives. I have to keep emphasizing this, both by expressing myself verbally and leading by example.”

This kind of talk would sound a little high-handed from many other players, but not from Harlton.

Tyler Harlton defines the term “student-athlete,” a long-term resident of the dean’s list who maintains a 3.69 GPA in Michigan State’s James Madison College. The focus of his studies is political theory and constitutional democracy.

The All-America candidate was last year’s CCHA Best Defensive Defenseman, has been an honorable mention for the All-CCHA Team, and is president of MSU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council.

This season, Harlton has earned CCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors, and was named to the All-College Hockey Showcase Team. He leads a Spartan defense which is currently allowing just 1.56 goals per game and killing 91.2 percent of opponents’ power plays.

He has also been nominated for the Hockey Humanitarian Award, given annually to “college hockey’s finest citizen.”

Even though he says he’s “not the best public speaker,” Harlton spends as much time as his schedule allows volunteering with children and talking to Lansing area elementary school kids about the local D.A.R.E. drug-resistance program.

“I’ll pretty much do anything if it’s with kids. I think I can be a good role model. I don’t do drugs, I don’t drink to excess, I’m an athlete.

“In high school, I wasn’t in the drinking crowd. I was an athlete. I stayed clean, and I think it’s OK to do that. When I was in school, the people who talked to us about drugs had done them, and I couldn’t relate to that. I want kids to know it’s OK not to even start.”

Under all this too-good-to-be-true image is just a guy who’s really, well, great.

And, according to Harlton, most other folks he cares about are great, too.

His parents, Earl and Pat Harlton, “are really great.” His younger brother Bevan is “a great kid.” Goaltender Chad Alban is “a great competitor…and a nice guy.”

Harlton misses his former roommate Mike Watt, who is “true to his word, honest…a friend’s friend.” He adds that he also misses him because “he’s an awesome player.”

It’s no surprise that a player of Harlton’s caliber and character was recruited by several different schools, including Cornell. He chose Michigan State when he met Ron Mason. “I saw the winning tradition,” he says, and the number of Spartans who have gone on to play pro hockey.

One of the biggest thrills of his life, he says, was “the first time I walked into the dressing room and saw the Michigan State jersey with my name on it. It made me realize that I was a part of something big, a program that had graduated many players into the NHL and one that had won national titles.”

Growing up in Pense, Harlton played hockey and farmed. “My dad’s a farmer, so I’m a farm kid. I helped with the harvest.”

Like many other Canadian youngsters, Harlton knew from an early age that playing hockey was what he wanted to do. “From the time I started playing, I devoted all my time to it.

“When we were younger, we played hockey on the grass, and we played street hockey all day. Then it became natural to me to play ice hockey from September until spring.”

In spite of those open prairie spaces, Harlton didn’t grow up playing hockey on a picturesque pond. “Pense had an indoor rink that actually burned down when I was in grade eight. So I played through grade eight indoors.”

Drafted in the fourth round by the NHL’s St. Louis Blues, Harlton wants to go wherever hockey can take him.

After that, “I’ll probably go to law school in Canada.” This farm kid’s tractor days are over. “You’re your own boss when you farm, and you have your fate in your hands. But you can be the best farmer ever, and you can’t control grain prices, you can’t control weather, you can’t control grasshoppers.”

Harlton says that he wants to study cross-cultural law in the future — way in the future. “I hope that won’t be for several years.”

Playing hockey for Michigan State has been “deeply satisfying” for Harlton. “I can walk away today from hockey with no regrets, because it’s been good to me.”

At mid-season, Harlton takes some time to reflect on his senior year. “The season is living up to my expectations. It has been a great time so far because we are winning and all the players are sharing in the success.

“I look forward to the practices because it means that I get to hang around with the guys, and the work on the ice is rewarding. I’ve been trying to enjoy my senior year, but it’s just going too fast.

“I have been satisfied with my own play. There haven’t been many games where I’ve reflected on my play and thought that I could have done better, (but) I would like to work on my overall preparation. I think that teams that win titles are skilled physically, but I think the mental aspect is more important.

“As a personal accomplishment, I would like to stay healthy all year and dress for every game. I think I can do this by keeping focused — a combination of a good diet, adequate rest, and extra training can keep my body in optimal condition. I would also like to be recognized as someone who helped bring a title to Michigan State.

“This, too, takes a lot of focus.”

There are two things that Harlton and his fellow Michigan State senior teammates want to accomplish — winning the CCHA title and winning the national title. Harlton calls his senior teammates “hungry.”

“It all depends on this year,” he says. “Our last three teams have been successful without postseason success.” Harlton’s stay-at-home style of defense doesn’t garner him much personal attention, but he doesn’t mind. “If you’re an offensive player, you’re sort of on and off because it counts on your point production. If you’re a defensive player, all you have to do is go out and do your job.” It’s this lack of limelight, says Harlton, that lets him do his job without pressure.

Even without the illumination of the limelight, Tyler Harlton has vision that will enable him to see far, far into his own bright future.

This Week in Hockey East: December 12, 1997

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If ever there was a need to prove that axiom, one look at the league standings says it all. Four of the top five teams — Northeastern, Boston University, New Hampshire and Providence — arguably have the top five goaltenders in the league.

Marc Robitaille, Michel Larocque, Tom Noble, Sean Matile and freshman Boyd Ballard have not only the five best goals-against averages, they also have save percentages of .907, .934, .924, .905 and .914, respectively.

In particular, Robitaille and Ballard have sparked the league’s two biggest surprises, Northeastern and Providence.

On the flip side, Hockey East’s biggest disappointment has been the Maine Black Bears, whose goaltenders have slumped in recent weeks.

Ballard won the league’s Rookie of the Week award for the third time after stopping 65 of 69 shots to lead the Friars to a surprisingly lopsided sweep of the Bears.

Hockey East’s KOHO Player of the Week is New Hampshire’s Jason Krog, who scored four goals and added an assist in a weekend sweep of UMass-Lowell. Krog now leads the country with an 18-18–36 scoring line. His plus-minus also stands at a stellar plus-18. Perhaps it’s too early to concede the Hobey Baker Award to Chris Drury after all.

Hockey East also recognized nine defensemen around the league. Blueliners rarely are given their due, since their accomplishments aren’t as easily measured as scoring totals and save percentages. The nine are: Providence’s Richard Miller, Northeastern’s Mike Jozefowicz, New Hampshire’s Jayme Filipowicz, Merrimack’s Darrel Scoville, UMass-Lowell’s Mike Nicholishen, UMass-Amherst’s Tom O’Connor, Maine’s Brian White, Boston University’s Tom Poti and Boston College’s Mike Mottau.

A sparse docket of games this week makes up in quality what it lacks in quantity. No. 1 Boston University travels to No. 4 New Hampshire, where the Wildcats affixed the only loss to BU’s 11-1-1 record. Fans planning on attending the game should note that it is on Friday, not Saturday, as had originally been listed by the league.

Last week’s record in picks: 4-6 Season’s record in picks: 64-30

No. 1 Boston University (11-1-1, 6-1-0 HEA) at No. 4 New Hampshire

(12-3-0, 6-3-0 HEA)

Friday, 7 p.m., Whittemore Center, Durham, NH

Boston University kicked off its three-game extended weekend with a Thursday-night 4-2 win over Merrimack. The Terriers then took on Boston College in a home-and-home series that became an outstanding advertisement for college hockey. Amidst exceptional fan enthusiasm, the Terriers topped BC 5-1 in a game that was much, much closer than that, before squeaking out a 3-3 tie at home with a last-minute six-on-four goal.

The Terriers had entered the weekend in sixth place in Hockey East and in first place in the ECAC.

Say what?

At the time, BU stood at 3-1-0 against Hockey East foes and 6-0-0 against those from the ECAC. Although no one in the ECAC office would be putting the Terriers in the league standings, the 12 points would have been good for first place. In Hockey East, however, the Terriers had been bypassed by teams playing as many as five more league games.

The three games — two wins and a tie — vaulted the Terriers into a third-place tie with four, two and three games in hand still remaining, respectively, against first-place Northeastern, second-place New Hampshire and their third-place neighbor BC.

On Thursday night, Merrimack stopped Chris Drury’s streak of points in 45 straight BU wins. His linemates, Mike Sylvia and Tommi Degerman, were also blanked.

"I don’t think that line, as a whole, played as well as they’ve been playing," said BU coach Jack Parker. "But Chris certainly played hard and had some chances. It’s nice to have guys step up when he doesn’t score and it’s nice to win a game when he doesn’t score.

"But I feel more comfortable when he gets goals," he added wryly.

Instead, a newly created second line stepped to the fore. Albie O’Connell, a winger throughout his BU career, moved to center between Chris Heron and freshman Juha Vuori. Although the White line — so named because of the color of its practice jerseys — scored three goals against Merrimack, by Tuesday, O’Connell was back on the wing. Vuori stayed on the second line with Heron, however, and O’Connell went to the third. Vuori, after a slow start in which he didn’t get a point in the first three games and scored a goal in only one of the first six, is now the Terriers’ top freshman scorer with six goals and four assists.

"When we recruited him, we thought he’d be doing this right off the bat," said Parker. "He really struggled the first few games. He struggled getting used to the face mask. He hadn’t played with one in a couple of years. He had trouble getting used to the smaller rinks, because he’d been playing on the big rinks in Europe.

"And the speed of the game is a little more controlled mayhem here than it is in Europe, where it’s more like soccer."

Having made the adjustments, though, he is now rising to expectations.

"He should progress faster [than the other freshmen] because he’s a lot older," said Parker. "He came in as an older freshman, and we expected him to step in and play. He had been scoring before he got on [the Heron and O’Connell] line, and he deserved to be on the second line."

Drury got back on the scoresheet in big ways in the two games against Boston College. Not only did he score two goals on Sunday and add a third with an assist in the 3-3 tie, he came through when his team needed his efforts the most.

In the first game, with the score tied 1-1 and the Terriers getting outshot 15-3 in the second period, he got open for a breakaway and, of course, scored. (Does anyone have a better percentage on breakaways?) In the rematch, with his team down 2-1 and killing a penalty, he scored a huge shorthanded goal. Then, with a minute left and down 3-2, he won a key offensive zone faceoff cleanly, leading to Mike Sylvia’s tying goal.

As clutch performers go, Drury is one of the best — BU’s Reggie Jackson.

"There’s only one Chris Drury," said Parker.

While the cluster of games gave the Terriers a chance to start cashing in their games in hand, it also presented four games in nine days, ending with this Friday’s game against UNH.

"We’ll be real concerned about our legs up there," said Parker. "It’s a big rink. Maybe [it’ll be a problem] or maybe we’ll be sharp because we’ve just finished playing.

"I guess it might be one too many games, but we go on break after that and they’d rather play than get ready for exams, I know that."

New Hampshire extended its winning streak to six games, and eight in its last nine, with 6-2 and 5-2 wins over UMass-Lowell.

"Any time you win two hockey games against a pretty good team like Lowell, the team has to overall play well," said coach Dick Umile.

Although the Wildcats put away the home game early in the third period, the rematch in the tight confines of Lowell’s Tully Forum stood at 2-2 with only four minutes to play. Then, like Drury against BC, Umile’s stars came to the fore. Jason Krog made a great play, combining with Derek Bekar for the game-winner. Less than two minutes later, Krog scored again.

With Mark Mowers sidelined due to the concussion he received a week earlier, Tom Nolan, Bekar and Krog came up big, scoring two apiece at home. In addition to Krog’s heroics at Lowell, Bekar scored and assisted on a goal and Nolan assisted on two others.

All four are major Hobey Baker Award candidates. In the national scoring race, they rank first, Krog with 36 points; second, Nolan with 31; fourth, Bekar with 24; and eleventh, Mowers with 21.

"Maybe Jason Krog is ahead of them just because of what he’s done, but they’re all pretty good players," said Umile. "It’s great to have a couple of them, and when I say ‘a couple of them’ I mean all four."

Fourth-liner Chad Onufrechuk replaced Mowers on his line with Nolan and Dylan Dellezay so the other two lines could remain intact. That looks like a likely scenario for the BU matchup as well. With just one game between now and post-Christmas tournaments, skipping that game can best leverage the break into the greatest recuperation time for Mowers.

"It hasn’t been officially stated yet, but we’re planning on him not playing," said Umile early in the week. "If he were to play it would be a pleasant surprise, but we’re going on break right after Friday’s game. In my mind, I’d just as soon have him get healthy and not play this weekend."

Umile traveled to Conte Forum on Sunday to see his opponent this week take on BC.

"It was everything that it was built up to be," he said. "It was exciting to go to the game and see a great crowd of 7,000 people for college hockey on a Sunday afternoon. It says a lot for the area and the teams. Right now, BC, BU and UNH are three real good teams that are playing pretty good hockey."

Umile specifically got to see Michel Larocque stop 29 of 30 shots. Given BU’s goaltender rotation, the Wildcats will be facing Larocque, who leads the league with a 1.69 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage.

"I was hoping maybe Jack would change it up," said Umile laughing. "I tell, you what, he played fantastic, but Tom Noble is playing pretty well too.

"We’ve got some pretty good goal-scorers and he’s a pretty good goaltender. We’ll see who wins the battle."

Since the teams have already split a home-and-home, this game marks the last time the two teams will meet prior to the playoffs. As such, the game assumes an even greater importance, even though it still is only December.

"I think it’s a certified Big Game," said Umile.

Prepare for another dandy.

PICK: Larocque is playing better than any goaltender in the league right now. Mark Mowers is almost certainly out. Tilt towards BU. The Terriers, however, are playing their fourth game in nine days, with the critical caveat that the last two were emotional, physical energy-sappers against BC. And the game is at the Whittemore Center. Tilt towards UNH.

UNH 4-2.

Maine (7-7-1, 4-5-0 HEA) at UMass-Lowell (6-7-1, 4-4-1 HEA)

Friday & Saturday, 7 p.m., Tully Forum, Lowell, MA

UMass-Lowell dropped two to No. 4 New Hampshire last week, 6-2 and 5-2, though the latter game stood at 2-2 with four minutes left.

"We actually had a pretty good week in terms of effort and sticking to our game plan," said coach Tim Whitehead. "The first night we got a little bit away from it, but the fact that there were so many four-on-fours turned it into a bit of a weird game.

"The second night we had a game with a lot more flow. We were able to establish our game plan and stick with it. I was definitely proud of the guys and how they played.

"There was just a great play by a great player, [Jason Krog], to win the game. That was pretty much it. The guy was even covered in the slot, but somehow he found a way to put it in the top corner."

The River Hawks played without All-Hockey East defenseman Mike Nicholishen , who had appeared in 130 straight games before hurting his knee in a Dec. 4 practice. He is not expected to play this weekend.

The power play, on which Nicholishen had been a fixture at one point, went 0-for-4 in both games.

"We had some decent chances both nights," said Whitehead. "Obviously, losing Nicholishen hurt us a little bit there. We’ve had a couple of spells when we haven’t had any power-play goals and then we’ve gone on a tear. It’s definitely not something we’re overly concerned with."

One week earlier in the Governors’ Cup, Whitehead had noted that some of his top players hadn’t been contributing at their expected levels. Had this problem continued?

"There are still a couple of our key players that aren’t playing their best hockey right now," he said, "but it’s definitely not from lack of effort. They’re just not sharp right now. Marty Fillion is one, obviously, and a couple of the kids that normally put the points up on the board.

"I definitely don’t see any reason why that shouldn’t swing back the other way this weekend. They haven’t played their best the last couple weekends, but they’re certainly working hard. It’s not like we’ve got lazy kids or anything. They’ve played well at other times for us this year."

In hosting Maine, the River Hawks are taking on another team on a losing streak. Lowell has dropped four straight; the Black Bears have lost three.

"I think it’ll be a real good weekend," said Whitehead. "You have two teams that both got swept last weekend, so they’ll both be pretty hungry. It’ll be a good weekend between two teams that work hard and have talent. I would expect a couple of one-goal games.

"I’m expecting a snowstorm," he added with a laugh, making reference to the propensity for blizzards to greet the Black Bears and, unfortunately in the past, keep fans away from what was typically a big-draw weekend.

The extended forecast as of this writing is for snow on Thursday and "Partly Cloudy" on Friday. Look for the weather system to stall. Get those shovels ready for six inches of "Partly Cloudy."

Although Maine’s recent struggles have been most pronounced in the crease, Whitehead doesn’t see a game plan oriented towards attacking that Achilles’ heel any more than usual.

"We’re not talking about pro hockey players, where you can tell Gretzky to shoot high glove-side," he said with a laugh. "We’re just going to focus on ourselves and play our game. Maybe make a few adjustments, but not with regard to their goaltending.

"I think they’ve got a couple of good goalies, but maybe they had an off-weekend. Their goaltending has certainly done well against us in the past, so that’s not anything that we’re really going to count on. We’re just going to have to worry about ourselves."

Maine ran into a hot goaltender last weekend in Providence’s Boyd Ballard and had the double-whammy of having their own netminding tandem turn frigid at the same time. Brian Masotta backstopped a Friday night 6-2 loss; Alfie Michaud returned to the crease in a 7-2 Saturday night defeat.

Although credit must be given to the Providence players who buried the puck in the latter game, Ballard’s play was so strong and Michaud’s play so weak that a swap of goaltenders would have likely resulted in a Maine win.

"I’ve seen that happen," said Maine coach Shawn Walsh. "Usually, over the years, our teams have done that to other teams. Tonight, it happened to us. What goes around, comes around."

Although Masotta had been somewhat of a question mark after transferring from Rensselaer, Michaud had played very well down the stretch last year after a tough start. It had seemed, then, that he was a known quantity. Although he has shown in the past that he can get the job done, there may be no goaltender in the league with a greater range of peaks and valleys.

Unfortunately for Maine, right now he’s in a valley, if not a canyon. Before last weekend, he was yanked not once, but twice, in the Governors’ Cup championship game. Then things got worse against Providence.

In a sense, this season is acquiring a very deja vu feeling for the Black Bears. Last year at this time, they were 5-7-1 against Division I teams and only 2-5-1 in Hockey East. They then got scalding hot, winning all but two games after Jan. 1, including 12 of their last 13.

"I really liked the way we played," said coach Shawn Walsh after the 7-2 loss. "Except for the goaltending, we played a great game."

Of course, the Black Bears hardly played flawlessly. They are a young team, especially on the blue line where they entered the season with only two defensemen with more than a half-season under their belts — David Cullen and Brian White — and two converted forwards — Shawn Mansoff and Jason Price — shifted to the rear guard. Given those limitations, mistakes were predictable.

Surprisingly, one of the most glaring mistakes was a cross-ice pass out of his own zone by Cullen on the power play that Providence’s Mike Omicioli picked off and netted.

"He handles the puck so much that you’re going to have that," said Walsh. "What we were doing was we were forcing the puck to Steve [Kariya] too much. Anybody in the rink could see what was going on. David thought there was a passing lane and Mike made a good play. He shot the puck, it hit our goalie and went in the net. With Boyd Ballard, that would have been a routine save.

"They made the same mistakes and Boyd Ballard made great saves. You’ve got to make some saves. The third period was ridiculous. It was an example of the whole weekend. We were dominant…. They’d come down, get one shot and score. There’s nothing you can do.

"We’ve got to get our goaltender playing like he played last year. Until that happens, you can’t win."

Sometimes, however, the problem is easy to identify, but the solution is hard to find.

"You just try to practice and see if we can get their confidence up somehow," said Walsh. "I’ve seen it happen before. It’s been happening to Dominik Hasek in the NHL and he’s a pretty good goalie.

"Alfie was really good for us last year, but he’s in one of those funks. We’ve got to help him get out of it, that’s all."

Meanwhile, the power play that had gotten every bounce while going over a 40 percent success rate has cooled down to a more realistic 34 percent.

"We developed a lot of chances," said Walsh. "The one kid in the net stopped us. I’m very happy with how we developed our chances, but we’re not going to score all the time."

Making matters worse for the power-play unit, however, were the shorthanded goals it allowed on both nights.

"Oh, yeah," said Walsh. "But we have a bigger concern than that. You saw the game."

PICKS: If Michaud returns to form, Maine could sweep; if he stays in a rut, UMass-Lowell could sweep. Look for Lowell to win 5-3 on Friday and Maine to bounce back 4-3 to send both teams into a break until the New Year.

Princeton (6-3-3, 2-3-2 ECAC) and Dartmouth (2-3-1, 1-3-1 ECAC) vs. UMass-Amherst (2-10-1, 0-8-1 HEA)

Friday, 7 p.m., Hobey Baker Memorial Rink, Princeton, NJ Sunday, 2 p.m., Mullins Center, Amherst, MA

UMass-Amherst tied Northeastern 1-1 at Matthews Arena, but lost 5-1 in the return match at home.

"The first night was one of the better games we played all year long," said coach Joe Mallen. "It was a good up-and-down hockey game. Brian Regan played real well in a goaltender’s duel with Marc Robitaille. We had plenty of chances to win the game, but just didn’t bury it. But it was a pretty strong performance, we thought.

"The second game got away from us at the end, but we had breakaways and plenty of scoring chances that we didn’t convert. They converted on a couple turnovers and next thing you know, the game was over."

Of UMass-Amherst’s 10 losses, three have been by one goal — with two of those in overtime — and four have been by two. The Minutemen aren’t having problems with respectability, but rather with getting over the hump in pure wins and losses.

"We’ve just been so close on so many nights," said Mallen.

They’ll look to get over that hump against two ECAC teams, Princeton and Dartmouth, to close out their 1997 schedule.

Princeton is one of the few ECAC teams with a winning record against Hockey East, having shut out Merrimack 2-0 and tied Providence 4-4. The Tigers are led by Jeff Halpern (9-10–19), the ECAC’s leading overall scorer, as well as Casson Masters (5-7–12) and Scott Bertoli (4-8–12).

Steve Shirreffs and Michael Acosta (both 0-9–9) are strong defensemen in front of Erasmo Saltarelli (5-2-3, 2.78 GAA, .906 SV%).

"I’ve got a lot of respect for Princeton," said Mallen. "They’re well-coached. They’re a good team. Last year, they showed a lot of team speed and they seem to be playing well right now. I hate to use the word challenge, but it’s going to be a real challenge for us to go down to Baker Rink."

Dartmouth has traversed a bizarre schedule in which the Big Green have played only six games to date. This Sunday afternoon match-up will mark their first return to action since Nov. 22. Having already taken their break, they will now play every weekend until the end of the season.

Against its weaker opponents, Dartmouth has seen success: Army (7-1), Union (4-0) and Vermont (2-2). Against stronger foes, however, the results haven’t been so pretty: Rensselaer (1-7), Cornell (1-4) and Colgate (2-7).

The paucity of contests to date makes an evaluation of this team difficult. It’s leading scorer, Curtis Wilgosh, has five points. Returning top scorers David Whitworth, Ryan Chaytors and Jon Sturgis have four, three and three respectively. But, again, that is in only six games.

The sophomore goaltending tandem of Eric Almon (2-3-0, 3.77 GAA, .890 SV%) and Jason Wong (0-0-1, 1.55 GAA, .938 SV%) may have to pay the price this weekend for their team’s rust following a three-week lull in competition.

"Under Bob Gaudet, they seem to have a renewed enthusiasm," said Mallen. "Last year, we went up there and played them and lost 6-5. They played, I think, one of their stronger games.

"At this point, we need to use these last two games before the semester break to see if we can build some positive momentum going into the second semester."

PICKS:The Minutemen drop a 5-3 contest at Princeton, but go into the break on a high note with a 4-1 win over Dartmouth.

This Week in the ECAC: December 12, 1997

By Becky Blaeser & Jayson Moy
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The standings are frozen in time for the next 23 days as the ECAC takes its annual holiday/finals break, and at that break there are two surprising leaders atop the standings — Yale and Colgate.

The Bulldogs are 6-1-0 in the league and the Red Raiders 6-2-0. During the preseason, few thought that these teams would be in the top half of the league at this time of the year.

This past weekend both earned wins, the Bulldogs over Princeton,and Colgate over Rensselaer and Union.

The schedule is light this week, with only two teams in action, both against the same nonconference opponent.

UMass-Amherst (2-10-1, 0-8-1 Hockey East, 9th) at Princeton (6-3-3, 2-3-2 ECAC, T-6th) Friday, 7:30 p.m., Hobey Baker Rink, Princeton, NJ Dartmouth (2-3-1, 1-3-1 ECAC, 11th) at UMass-Amherst (2-10-1, 0-8-1 Hockey East, 9th) Sunday, 2 p.m., Mullins Center, Amherst, Mass.

The Tigers of Princeton lost an ECAC contest to Yale this past weekend. They fell behind 2-0 early before coming within one goal. But Princeton couldn’t dig the rest of the way out of that hole and lost the game.

The Tigers next step into non-conference play, where they are 4-0-1 this season. In those five games, the Tigers have posted 25 goals, partly thanks to Jeff Halpern, who has 12 non-conference points (6-6-12). In addition, the Tigers are 6-of-21 on the power play in those five games, and 21-of-24 on the penalty kill.

Princeton’s defense is a strong one, not just from a purely defensive outlook, but also from an offensive one. Michael Acosta and Steve Shirreffs both have nine assists on the season.

Dartmouth has not played a game since Nov. 22, a 2-2 tie against Vermont. Charlie Retter and Jon Sturgis scored the two Big Green goals in that contest, and Jason Wong got his first start of the season. Wong played the previous weekend in mop-up duty after missing the start of the year with an injury.

Goals have not come easily for Dartmouth; the Big Green rank last in the league in scoring with just 17. That statistic is a little bit deceiving, since the Big Green have only played six games, by far the fewest in the ECAC. The next teams up the ladder are Harvard and Brown, both having played 10. In terms of average goals per game, the Big Green are at 2.83, still good for only ninth in the league.

The Big Green will also concentrate on the power play, where they have a measly 10 percent efficiency this season, scoring three times with the man-advantage.

UMass-Amherst is coming off of a 5-1 loss to Northeastern and a 1-1 tie to Northeastern. The tie was the Minutemen’s first Hockey East point of the season.

The Minutemen have played opponents very tight all season long, and just need a little push to get the close wins. If those wins come, then the Minutemen could be on their way to the upper half of Hockey East.

PICKS: UMass-Amherst at Princeton: The Tigers’ defensive game keeps the Minutemen down. Princeton 4, UMass-Amherst 1 Dartmouth at UMass-Amherst: The layoff for the Big Green means they are sluggish, and it hurts. UMass-Amherst 3, Dartmouth 2

There are only two games on the docket for next week, as well.

Thursday, Dec. 18 Harvard at Northeastern

Saturday, Dec. 20 Merrimack at Dartmouth

Nice Guys Finish … First?

By Adam Wodon
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When you start the list of nice guys in hockey, Tim Taylor’s name is invariably near the top.

But after years of doubt, Taylor is on his way to proving nice guys don’t have to finish last. In fact, the way things look, they can even earn home ice for the playoffs.

Led by one of the nation’s top all-around defensive tandems in Ray Giroux and Daryl Jones, a goalie in Alex Westlund who has come into his own and a strong sophomore class, Yale has jumped out to an 8-2-0 start (6-1-0 ECAC) following last week’s 3-2 win over Princeton.

Heading into a three-week break, Yale — in first place in the ECAC — is off to its best start since 1991-92, allowing just 1.3 goals per league game, and is receiving votes in national polls. This all comes after finishing 10th last year, which actually was the program’s first playoff appearance since 1992-93.

“It’s a great start. We’ve had some pretty stiff tests and done OK,” said Taylor. “At this point, we couldn’t be better off. If anyone told me in August this is where we’d find ourselves, I would’ve signed the deal.”

If the defense is the heart of the team, and the sophomores are the backbone, then Taylor is the program’s soul. And working together, they have been reborn.

Taylor, a Harvard graduate, isn’t just a nice guy. He’s a 20-year mentor at Yale, a great teacher and a respected member of the coaching fraternity. That was evident when Taylor, after various coaching duties for Team USA in international events, was selected to coach the 1994 U.S. Olympic Team in Lillehammer, Norway.

The conventional wisdom of the time said Taylor would use the Olympics as a springboard to a job in the pro ranks, but a disappointing eighth-place finish squelched that talk. Meanwhile, Yale, without Taylor and stars like Mark Kaufmann, dropped from 15-12-4 to 5-21-1.

Then, despite the best efforts of interim coach and all-time Yale great Dan Poliziani, Taylor’s year away would hurt recruiting. And when Taylor returned, Poliziani left. Yale has yet to have another winning season.

“There’s no doubt we had a couple of lean recruiting years,” says Taylor. “I don’t know if being away had a part of it. The class we recruited [who were seniors] last year didn’t have stars. We had role players and hard workers, but we didn’t have players that could carry the mail. That whole thing hurt us for a couple of years.”

Suddenly, said conventional wisdom, Taylor went from respected coach to a guy who just didn’t have the energy for the job anymore, whose enthusiasm was sapped. The Elis had records of 8-17-3, 7-23-1 and 10-19-3.

But Taylor persevered and, last year, good things started to happen. The Elis had some nice games against ranked teams, made a late playoff run and won a playoff game, giving everyone hope for better things to come. Last year’s freshman forward class, including Jeff Hamilton, Cory Shea, Jeff Brow and Jay Quenville, showed signs of being one of the league’s best.

Still, who could blame coaches for picking Yale 10th when this year began?

“My immediate reaction when we were picked 10th was, ‘I guess that’s what we deserve,'” said Taylor. “But I thought we could certainly improve upon that.”

Every team picked lower than where it thinks it will finish, tries to use it as a rallying cry, as a sign they aren’t respected. Yale, however, has come through on its promises.

“After we practiced and played a little — those first two games against Air Force [a 7-1 exhibition win] and McGill [a 5-1 win] — I said to myself, ‘If there are nine clubs better than us, we’ll have a pretty strong league,'” said Taylor.

Yale followed up with a weekend sweep of Clarkson and St. Lawrence, and wins over tough teams like Cornell, Merrimack and Princeton. The Elis are getting stellar defense and goaltending and just enough offense, led by a budding star in the sophomore Hamilton, an all-ECAC rookie team member last year. Classmate Shea has four goals.

“We probably didn’t expect to be in first, but we certainly didn’t expect 10th,” said Giroux, a second-team All-ECAC defenseman last year with nine goals and 21 points. “We knew we were much better than people thought. It’s a matter of going out and seeing how good we were. Maybe some people took us lightly, but not anymore. Sure, it’s going to make it tougher, but that’s the way we want it.”

The roots to this season began last year, when Yale turned in consecutive North Country wins at Clarkson and St. Lawrence, and followed those up with a tie against Boston University. The freshman-laden team began to gain confidence.

“It opened our eyes to the realization that we’re pretty good if we work together as a team,” Taylor said. “I think we did a good job of reestablishing the killer instinct.”

A late-season win over Dartmouth was huge in earning a playoff spot, and by the time Yale lost a heartbreaking overtime game to Union in the season finale, it already had that berth tied up.

Everything came together for the Elis in the playoff game against seventh-seeded Colgate, a heavy favorite. Westlund, who secured number-one status midseason, made 46 saves in a 1-0 shutout. Yale was competitive before ultimately bowing out to top-seeded Clarkson in the quarterfinals, but the scene was set for this year.

“We returned a lot of players and we didn’t lose too many,” said Westlund. “If you look at our record, nine games under .500, obviously it’s pretty bad. But we played top-10 teams really well. We split with Cornell, split with RPI; there were a lot of positives even though, overall, our record was not very good. That was a big reason we were confident. Last year we knew we were close. Not there, but close.”

The same could be said for Westlund, who is quickly turning into this year’s Trevor Koenig — who, as a junior for Union last year, led the nation in save percentage and came from obscurity to win the league’s Ken Dryden Award as top goaltender. Westlund is currently going in the same direction, at 7-2-0 with a 1.71 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage.

“The team has matured in front of Alex,” said Taylor. “He’s been a pretty good goalie from the middle of last year on, in terms of his mental toughness. He’s truly been overshadowed in the league by [Tim] Thomas, [Dan] Murphy or [Trevor] Koenig, or goalies that have been on stronger teams. But when you look at his save percentage [.916 last year], he was in the top echelon nationally. That speaks pretty well for him. So he’s not a surprise for me.

“This [program], if anything, has been revitalized by this group. They’re fun to coach and very talented, practices are lively, and I enjoy going to the rink.”

While Taylor will never admit if he was truly dispirited in the post-Olympic years, or even close to retiring, it is clear that this year’s team has him reinvigorated.

“He’s tremendously excited about this year,” Giroux says. “He works probably harder than any coach I can imagine.”

Says Westlund, “The players, we take losing pretty hard. But when we lose, I don’t think anyone takes it as hard as [Taylor] does. He’s been frustrated. When you’re losing season after season, it has to wear on you. I think he’s real excited about this year’s team.

“He’s definitely becoming more personable. The type of people on this team has a lot to do with it. He’s a very warm person. You might not get that on first impression, but he cares more about this team than anyone.”

Taylor admits to being excited again, but there’s still work to do.

“There’s no doubt about it. I feel like this is a high-water mark in terms of coaching,” he said. “[But] we still have to make believers out of people. We were picked so far down in preseason, a quick start convinces some but not all.”

It’s been so long since Yale was a winner, there are many who wondered if it was possible for the program to ever be a major player in the league. But some people forget the strong teams Taylor coached through the ’80s and early ’90s. Names like Bob Brooke, Bob Kudelski and Randy Wood cracked NHL lineups for a long time (Wood is still playing). Peter Allen, Craig Ferguson and Mike O’Neill all play in the AHL, and Dave Baseggio and John Emmons reside in the IHL.

In 1984, Taylor was also coming off a stint with the US Olympic Team as an assistant, and upon returning, led Yale to its two best seasons in program history. A 19-11-1 season in 1984-85 was ended by two straight losses to Cornell. In 1985-86, Yale went 20-10 and swept a star-studded St. Lawrence team two straight in the playoffs before losing a heartbreaker in double overtime at Boston Garden to a Cornell team on the way to an ECAC title.

And anyone doubting that it can be done again need to look no further than Yale’s travel partner to see what a program like Yale’s can do. Princeton went from years of mediocrity or worse to two 18-win seasons in the past three years, including trips to Lake Placid.

Harvard, Princeton and Yale are generally considered in the same class, the elite of the elite. You can interchange them subjectively, but the trio is more or less even when it comes to scholastic merit. Harvard, however, has always seemed to have an edge in recruiting because of its Boston roots.

Yale and Princeton, meanwhile, have had it tougher. And while the Tigers may not win a national championship any time soon, Princeton’s Don Cahoon is proving, like Taylor did in the ’80s, that a consistent winner is achievable.

With a combination of no scholarships to offer and the most rigorous entrance requirements, Yale and Princeton look for that special player — perhaps a late-bloomer or someone whose parents have encouraged toward an Ivy League education.

“We cross over a lot,” said Taylor. “Sometimes that does happen. But there’s a lot of good players out there and we have to find the ones that academically can come. I try to avoid the heavy-handed recruiting and not go head-to-head with Princeton and Harvard.”

In the case of Giroux, he had the grades and he was too small for a major junior team. And his brother Rich was already at Yale.

“I could’ve gone to Providence, but I was only 155 pounds when I got to Yale,” said Giroux. A native of North Bay, Ont., he was only 135 pounds as a 16-year old, which ruled out major juniors.

“Other schools wanted me to go to juniors first. It was a tough decision, but in the long run, if hockey doesn’t pan out, if you can get a Yale education, you’re not doing too badly. The entire financial thing has been quite a burden, but my parents realize the value of it.”

Yale has never forgotten the value of having Giroux, even if it’s taken a while for the rest of the league to catch on. Teamed with Daryl Jones, the tandem has become one of the best in the nation — never mind the league — and a large reason why the team has allowed just 17 goals in 10 games this year. They play power play, shorthanded and five-on-five together, and get over 30 minutes a game.

“They are as strong a tandem as I’ve seen on any team. I use them to death,” says Taylor.

“I don’t think, ideally, they’re suited for five-on-five [together]; if you’re gonna pick the ideal combination, I don’t know if they fit that bill. But they like playing with each other and they’ve learned to complement each other very well. As long as I can afford to play them together, I will.”

“I think we’re doing all right together,” says Giroux. “[Francois] Magnant and James Chyz are guys that don’t get very much mention, and they play well together too. So, for now, that’s the way it’s going to be.”

Part of what has made Giroux into a force is learning when it’s OK to rush the puck and when it’s not.

“I’ve learned over the years, it depends who you’re out there against,” said Giroux. “Against [Eric] Perrin and [Martin] St. Louis, it’s never a good time to try something different. Against the other team’s fourth line, you can take a chance.”

The maturation of the defense, combined with the progression Westlund has made, has created a team that’s extremely tough to score against.

“The team defense has gotten better, but also Alex is better,” says Giroux. “He’s a hard worker. He’s one of the last guys off the ice. He never gives up on a puck, and that’s made him such a better goalie.”

Says Westlund, “The defense is making my job very easy. They’re not giving up many shots, not giving up great quality chances.

“[Jones and Giroux] are a tremendous anchor. They’re two senior defensemen. As a player, Ray is phenomenal. He’s so smart with the puck, so poised. To have that as a captain, he’s terrific for the younger guys.

“They’re leaders by example. I don’t think we have too many vocal leaders, but I don’t think that’s what the players on this team need….There’s no surprises in the league anymore for us.”

And now, it appears, no surprises for the rest of the league either. They are learning that Yale is a team not to be taken lightly anymore.

Man On A Mission

By
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You know the story well. You’ve seen it a hundred times before.

Rocky Balboa defeats Apollo Creed.
The 1969 Mets win the World Series.
Rudy sacks the Georgia Tech quarterback.
Team USA claims hockey gold at the 1980 Winter Olympics.
Jeff Fanter becomes ECAC ice hockey commissioner.

Jeff Fanter becomes ECAC ice hockey commissioner?

“I was a darkhorse when I applied, and rightfully so,” said the new head of ECAC ice hockey.

And why wouldn’t he be? A lot was against him when he applied for the job. Fanter’s resume included a stint as an assistant director of media relations and athletic publications (i.e., assistant sports information director) at Indiana University; a degree in journalism with a minor in business from Indiana; and one year in the sports management graduate program at Indiana. None of those had much to do with ice hockey.

Fanter was an assistant SID at Colgate from 1994-96, with responsibilities that included ice hockey, but that was it. Nevertheless, he thinks his experience at Indiana helped.

“At Indiana, I was with the Big Ten [Conference],” he said. “I was around the marquee conference athletically in the country. I was exposed to the Big Ten and the media and all the things associated with it. The media is more than one can comprehend, especially when you’re talking about Indiana basketball.

It was at Colgate, however, that he learned about college hockey — more specifically, ECAC hockey.

“When I went to Colgate I was exposed to a whole new conference,” he said. “I hadn’t been able to find another conference out there that I could put my finger on that could match it. The biggest thing that I learned at Colgate was the uniqueness of [the ECAC].”

In 1996, Fanter left Colgate to return to his alma mater, but something just wasn’t right.

“When I got out there I realized there was something that was missing in my life, and that was college hockey,” he said.

There wasn’t anything that he could do about it until earlier this year; that’s when Joe Bertagna announced he was resigning as ECAC commissioner to take a similar position with Hockey East, leaving the conference without a leader for its most visible sport.

Fanter kept tabs on the ECAC, but immersed in his work, it took a phone call to get him going.

“It started in March and [Colgate head coach] Don Vaughan contacted me and asked me if I would be interested in something like this,” Fanter said. “I said that I’d love to try to make an impact, the impact I couldn’t make at Colgate.”

Vaughan liked Fanter’s work at Colgate, especially in publicity.

“He saw what I could do for one team, and he knew that if I could do this for one team, I could do it for the other 11 teams. He backed me and supported me.

“I told Donnie to keep me informed. I thought about the whole thing and I sent in my application and I waited it out. I thought my resume was strong — different from others, but strong. I thought they needed someone with a different background. When this position came about. I wanted to be back and be a part of the league.”

Knowing the odds were against them, Fanter set out to lobby the other Division I coaches for their support. He explained to them his ideas. He also called many Division III coaches.

Then he waited.

One day during the summer, Fanter got a phone call from the ECAC. They asked him to come to the Troy, N.Y., campus of Rensselaer to be interviewed in front of the executive committee. Fanter had made it to the next step despite being young, and to some, not experienced enough.

“I felt that once I got that interview I had as good a shot as anybody,” said Fanter. “I thought [with] the energy that I had and the dedication that I was going to put in, a 26-year-old person was the right move to make.

“Yeah, I was a darkhorse for the job, but I knew that if I got an interview that was all going to change real fast. I walked in there with a 50-page proposal on what I thought the ECAC was going to be about in the future. I left that with the committee and it had an impact on them.

Thus armed — with energy, enthusiasm, a 50-page vision statement and plenty of confidence — he won over the committee. The experience issue, he says, should never have been.

“We had plenty of controversy (at Indiana) with Bob Knight there, and we learned how to handle it,” he said. “I also got real inspired by the new football coach at Indiana, Cam Cameron. Listening to him talk, he had so many ways on how to get the media, the fans and the support behind you.

“I went into the interview with the ideas as to what the ECAC was to be in the future. I was able to answer all of their questions. When I walked out of there, one of the members of the committee asked me what pills I was taking because of the enthusiasm that I had.

“I think that was a key.

“That’s what this position needs: energy, enthusiasm, organization. I wasn’t an athletic director, and I didn’t have 50 people working under me, but I had energy, enthusiasm and a focus for the future.”

Fanter went to Centerville, Mass., to meet the ECAC staff. The selection process was down to himself and John Weisbrod, a former player for Harvard and director of operations for the AHL’s Albany River Rats.

In the end, the committee chose Fanter. Rudy had just sacked the quarterback on his first play.

Said Fanter, “If you’re going to lay on paper the director of operations for the Albany River Rats, and Jeff Fanter, the assistant media relations director at Indiana, and you’re talking about a hockey job, I can see where people said `Why did they choose that guy?’

“But all that matters is those six people [on the selection committee] made the decision, and they know why they made that decision, and I think they made the right decision.

“I think I opened eyes with my vision of the future, and I was prepared to work damned hard. I wasn’t taking this job to be the youngest commissioner of the league. I want to bring the ECAC to where it should be.”

The executive committee, comprised of athletic directors Mark Murphy of Colgate, Bill O’Flaherty of Clarkson (now director of player personnel with the Los Angeles Kings), Dick Jaeger of Dartmouth, Tom Lawson of Middlebury and Mary Barrett of UMass-Boston as well as ECAC commissioner Clayton Chapman, made a decision which prompted no small amount of controversy.

Critics from all corners publicly and privately wondered how someone with so little administrative or hockey background — especially in relation to the other commissioners in Division I — could get such a prestigious job.

“Maybe they should have gotten a big name in for this job. Yeah, it might have made a difference — for about a week,” Fanter said.

“But after that week, when that big-name person wouldn’t be able to handle the 92 schools and do all these things, because maybe they didn’t have the energy or because they [were] using this job as a winding-down in the career like sometimes commissioners’ jobs are, the ECAC would have suffered.”

But the criticism went deeper than just the hiring of a no-name. Youth serves Jeff Fanter well for all he needs to do — including overseeing 92 schools — but was he picked for only that reason? Would a more experienced administrator be unwilling to be the league’s target for criticism? Would he have enough respect to be the enforcer when league members got out of line?

Jeff Fanter doesn’t buy any of that.

“I am what this league needs,” he insists. “They need an energetic person who is going to devote as much time as humanly possible to this league, to market and promote it the way they need to. And that’s why they hired me, because I’m that person.

“I’m going to get everything in that proposal done. It may not happen in the next year or two, but it will happen in three.

One of the reasons Joe Bertagna left was because, with a growing family, he was no longer willing or able to devote every waking moment to the league. The ECAC then asked him to move from Boston to the Cape in lieu of giving him more assistance.

Bertagna said no.

Fanter, it seems, has no problem with all the work.

“That’s what this league needs, someone who will work seven days a week, who’s going to work until ten o’clock at night and get it done. That’s exactly what this position needed, and it’s been lacking it over the last few years.

“We’re making a real difference, and that’s why I got this job.”

A long-time concern of the ECAC’s following has been whether the home office realizes hockey’s importance as the only sport over which the ECAC has pure jurisdiction. In a recent article, Bertagna himself wondered aloud about that same thing.

“The people at the offices of the ECAC — Clayton Chapman in particular — they know how important ice hockey is,” Fanter asserted. “And he’s the only one that matters when it comes to who knows how important ice hockey is. He knows how important it is to the ECAC’s national identity.

“The people at the ECAC know what ice hockey is all about, and they are very supportive of what I am trying to do. They have their own niche in ice hockey. It’s a different group, and they wouldn’t have put a commissioner in charge of that if they didn’t know that. It’s not [as if the commissioner’s job is] just a title and they’ve downsized the position. They’ve added an intern, which they have never had before.”

Publicly, the coaches have been supportive of Fanter, at least so far.

“I like Jeff,” said St. Lawrence head coach Joe Marsh. “I think Jeff is eager, and brings a lot of good things to the table like media, public relations and television. With his experiences, that’s what we need. He’ll do a great job. He’s excited, and I feel strongly that he’ll do a great job.”

Agreed Cornell coach Mike Schafer, “Jeff will do a good job organizing and pursuing the kind of sponsors that we need for our league.”

Yale mentor Tim Taylor remains concerned over many things, but also is trying to be supportive of the new commissioner.

“I thought it was terrible the way the ECAC lost Joe Bertagna, and the circumstances were terrible,” he said. “But Jeff’s got youthful enthusiasm. He has creative ideas, and the things that he’s done already are great. He’s got some big shoes to fill.”

Fanter certainly does have big shoes to fill — a lot of people thought, and still think, that Joe Bertagna was ECAC hockey, and, as an extension, was and is college hockey.

Fanter, however, is up to the challenge.

“I think this league is going far in the next five years, and people are going to understand the selection that they made. People are going to see results.

“People said I was a dark horse, and the six people in that room heard what I had to say, and now the rest of the country will hear what I have to say as well.”

And the age factor that he constantly battles is something Fanter hopes everyone will soon forget.

“I was 26 years old when I got hired for this job, and it doesn’t mean a thing right now,” he said. “I’ve been on this job for five months and I go to work and I do the same thing that Joe Bertagna does, the same thing that [CCHA commissioner] Bill Beagan does, and the same thing that [WCHA commissioner] Bruce McLeod does. I’m 26 and I do it. They may be 45 or 50, and I do more than they do because I have another 80 teams out there. Age doesn’t mean anything.

“Maybe because I’m younger, it’s more of a benefit because I’m out there beating the streets. Maybe that’s what making a difference in this whole thing.

“Age is so overrated. You could ask me about my age when I first got the job; but now, I do the same thing that Joe, Bill and Bruce do. We’re talking to the same equipment people and television people, and not one of them has asked me about my age. In fact, they’ve said that I’ve breathed a new life into this league that it really needs.

“This is what the league needed. This is what the league needed a long time ago.”

This Week in the CCHA: December 5, 1997

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The American poet laureate Robert Penn Warren put it this way: "You’ll have to rethink the whole question."

What question will you ask, fan of the CCHA, and do you know how to ask it? Does any CCHA question have an answer now?

Well, perhaps. The Michigan State Spartans demonstrated why they are the top team in the country by sweeping their opponents in the College Hockey Showcase last weekend.

Funny thing about that Showcase. Michigan did the same thing, against the same teams.

The CCHA became a much more interesting place last week as Lake Superior took three points from Notre Dame, and Ohio State stymied Northern Michigan in Marquette. Last week, the most interesting play was in the middle of the pack, and that’s where it will be again this week.

No. 1 Michigan State hosts Bowling Green for two this weekend, Saturday and Sunday. The Spartans blanked No. 10 Wisconsin 2-0 Friday and edged Minnesota 3-2 Sunday. Bowling Green, with a strong grip on last place, is coming back to the lower 48 after a disappointing showing in Fairbanks, where the Falcons took one point in three games.

No. 4 Miami, fourth in the CCHA with a dozen points, defends its position with a game at Ferris State on Friday. The Bulldogs are knocking on the RedHawks’ door, just a point behind in the standings. Both teams had last weekend off.

Miami then travels up to Lake Superior for a game. The Lakers are feeling pretty good after two games in South Bend, winning 4-2 in the opener and taking a third point with a 3-3 overtime tie on Saturday. Lake climbed to sixth in the league with nine points overall.

The No. 7 Michigan Wolverines clawed their way back into the top ten by beating Minnesota 4-3 and No. 10 Wisconsin 2-1 in the College Hockey Showcase. The Wolverines have one game this weekend, and it’s a doozy — the Lakers host the Wolverines Saturday night.

Western Michigan and Notre Dame duke it out this weekend in the first series on the CCHA middle-pack fight card. While the Broncos went home for the holidays last weekend, the Irish slipped a bit by losing to the Lakers. Western has nine points, and Notre Dame is right behind with eight points, so this is a significant series for both teams.

Notre Dame also has a strange mid-week match-up against No. 10 Wisconsin next Wednesday.

OK — who’s taken the Buckeyes and replaced them with this team that can win games? The Buckeyes stunned Northern Michigan — you know, the team that’s second in the CCHA — by taking two from the Wildcats in Marquette last weekend, 5-1 and 5-4. While Northern recovers with a good rest this weekend, the Buckeyes host Alaska-Fairbanks for the second fight on the CCHA middle-pack card. Fairbanks took five points from Bowling Green at home last weekend, and since a single point separates these two teams, this will be a series to watch.

Just when you thought it was safe to settle down for a long winter’s nap…

Last week’s record in picks: 7-4 (but the whole spirit of the picks was correct) Overall record in picks: 45-39

Notre Dame (6-6-2, 3-5-2 CCHA) at Western Michigan (5-7-2, 4-7-1 CCHA) Friday, 7 p.m., Lawson Arena, Kalamazoo, MI Western Michigan at Notre Dame Saturday, 7 p.m., Joyce Arena, South Bend, IN

This will be a tough battle for both of us," says Western Michigan head coach Bill Wilkinson. "They’re coming off one point in the last three games."

Actually, Notre Dame is coming off two points in its last four games, and there’s not a win in the bunch. The Irish were still licking their wounds over a one-point weekend against Ferris State when Lake Superior had the audacity to come to South Bend to deliver another one-point weekend for the Irish.

While the Irish are taking some mental licks, the Broncos have been feeling some physical pain recently.

Sophomore defenseman Jeff Lukasak was playing with a broken jaw until he broke his jaw again — two fractures, same face. The first fracture, under his chin, wasn’t enough to keep him out of the lineup, but every man has his limits. Additionally, senior winger Chris Slater will be out until January with a broken ankle.

Compounding the list of injuries is illness — chicken pox, to be specific. Senior defensemen Jeff Rucinski and Steve Duke are just getting over a disease best experienced in childhood, when memories fade faster. Only two other Broncos haven’t already had the chicken pox, so Rucinski and Duke are being kept away from goaltender Matt Barnes and the coach’s son, Mark Wilkinson.

Eek.

"Fortunately, we have enough depth in our program to be able to deal with this, and we have a good defensive core," says Wilkinson. "If we could just find someone to help Frank Novock score some goals…"

Scoring has been the big problem for the Broncos this season. With seven goals and two assists in league play, Novock is easily the most prolific scorer for the Broncos so far. Right behind him is Duke, with eight league assists — but no goals.

None of the top three scorers for the Broncos, including Chuck Mindel with six points, is on the plus side of the plus/minus ratio. That could matter a lot when playing a team like Notre Dame which can consistently create scoring opportunities. Each of these teams is trailing its opponent in the goal game, with Western scoring 29 to its opponents’ 34 league goals and Notre Dame down 33-30.

Notre Dame clearly has the more dynamic offense. Sophomore Ben Simon, currently tied with two other players for the fourth-highest scoring in the CCHA, brings with him 11 points and the potential to break away whenever he’s on the ice. He can also score shorthanded. With six goals and two assists, Aniket Dhadphale can also score for the Irish, as can Lyle Andrusiak and Benoit Cotnoir.

The pairing of Notre Dame and Western Michigan also creates a potentially excellent goaltending matchup, the Battle of the Matts. With over 800 minutes in net, Western’s Matt Barnes has a 2.65 league GAA and a very solid .906 save percentage. For Notre Dame, Matt Eisler has over 700 minutes in net, with a higher GAA (3.41) but a lower save percentage (.886). Forrest Karr has also seen time in net for the Irish this season, and so far he looks good. In league play, in 134 minutes, Karr has a GAA of 2.23 and a save percentage of .911.

So, the Irish have greater depth at offense and goal, but the Broncos have Matt Barnes and greater depth at defense.

Wilkinson says, "We play better on the road. More focused." Given that, and the fact that Notre Dame has four road wins this season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see each team win in the other’s barn.

PICKS: Western Michigan 3-1, Notre Dame 4-2

Alaska-Fairbanks (4-9-2, 3-8-1 CCHA) at Ohio State (7-6-1, 4-5-0 CCHA) Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., Ohio State Ice Rink, Columbus, OH

This matchup could be subtitled, "The Battle of the Teams Feeling Good about Themselves."

After a week of rest, the Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks took it to the Bowling Green Falcons in Fairbanks last week, beating BG 9-2 the first game and 4-3 in overtime the second, and settling for a 2-2 Sunday tie.

"Everything that could’ve gone wrong for them and right for us did," says Alaska-Fairbanks head coach Dave Laurion. "Collectively it wasn’t a good performance for BG and it was good for us.

"Saturday was a real battle. It was nice to find a way to win it. To win the first two was key. When we played the third night, they played hungrier than we did. We just weren’t in sync. I guess if you’re going to tie, it’s better to come from behind and tie than it is to lead and lose."

In the opening game, midway through the second period, Fairbanks was up 4-0, thanks in large part to Darren Tiemstra, who scored his first two collegiate goals, one in the first and one in the second.

"You knew it was a good omen when [Dwayne] Zinger and Tiemstra scored, since they hadn’t scored yet this season," says Laurion.

If Laurion seems a bit gleeful about the five points the Nanooks earned at the expense of the Falcons, it may be easy to forgive him when you realize that the wins were the first two home CCHA wins the Nanooks have had this season. Also, the Nanooks remember suffering a three-game sweep against BGSU in Fairbanks about this time of year, two seasons ago.

"We [had] never beaten Bowling Green at Thanksgiving," he says. "It was nice to get that off the statistical side of things."

The defensive pairing of Tiemstra and Chad Hamilton is performing well for the Nanooks. "Tiemstra and Hamilton had great weekends," says Laurion. "They were just solid for us. Kirwin continues to be a catalyst for us up front."

In fact, Alaska-Fairbanks has plenty of firepower up front. When the Nanooks travel to Columbus this weekend, they bring with them the guy on the top of the league charts in scoring. Sjon Wynia is tied for first in points with Lake Superior’s Terry Marchant and Miami’s Tim Leahy; Wynia leads the trio in goals with six.

Jeff Trembecky is tied for second with 13 points (including seven goals). Jim Lawrence is among the three players with 11 points in league play, for fourth-best scoring in the league. And Chris Kirwin has four goals and six assists for 10 points.

"They’ve got us concerned," says Ohio State head coach John Markell. "We know they’re explosive. They’ve got a very potent power play. We don’t want to let them pass free through the neutral zone."

In fact, this series pits one of the better league power plays, the Nanooks’, with one of the better league penalty-killing units, the Buckeyes’.

"We’ll want to keep it on the boards with them," says Markell, "like we did with Northern Michigan."

That strategy worked last weekend for the Buckeyes, who surprised everyone — even themselves — by beating Northern Michigan 5-1 and 5-4 in Marquette. In addition to puck control, a key to the Buckeyes’ success was the play of freshman goaltender Jeff Maund.

"Jeff has a very good calming effect on our club. The guys play well in front of him. It’s not that they don’t play well in front of Ray [Aho], but Jeff played very well in Northern."

So well, in fact, that he was named CCHA Defensive Player of the Week for his play. Maund made 34 saves in Friday’s 5-1 win, with at least 10 saves in each period. On Saturday, when the Buckeyes had to come from behind to win, he made 24 stops and allowed one even-strength goal, for a total of two even-strength goals in the series. For the weekend, he turned aside 58 of 63 Northern shots on goal for a .921 save percentage.

In addition to solid goaltending, the Buckeyes also have solid defense, with improved play from senior captain Taj Schaffnit and sophomore Ryan Jestadt, as well as from rookies Andre Signoretti and Jaisen Freeman.

And don’t discount the Buckeye offense. Sophomore Hugo Boisvert — one-third of the Bucs’ French Connection line — has 12 points in league play, and linemates Eric Meloche and Jean-Francois Dufour have eight points apiece. That line alone is responsible for 14 of the Buckeyes’ 26 league goals, and is solidly on the plus side of plus/minus.

Also able to score for the Buckeyes are Chris Richards, Brandon Lafrance, Louie Colsant…and a host of other players. This may be the deepest Buckeye offense in a decade.

Even though Laurion was happy with goaltender Chris Marvel’s play against Bowling Green, goaltending and defense continue to be inconsistent — almost a liability — for the Nanooks. Between them, Marvel and Ian Perkins have a 5.20 GAA in league play and an .845 save percentage. In league play, the Nanooks’ opponents have a collective 3.63 GAA.

The Nanooks are also pretty fair about letting their own players be on the ice when another team scores — nearly everyone’s on the minus side of the league plus/minus. As a whole, the team stands at a whopping -85.

The Buckeyes are also in the red in that category, but they stand at only -16 as a team. In contrast to the Nanook goaltending, the duo of Jeff Maund and Ray Aho has combined for a team league GAA of 2.98 and save percentage of .900. Facing the Buckeyes this season, opponents have combined for a GAA of 2.87 in league play.

Games tend to be a bit closer for the Buckeyes, who have been outscored this season by CCHA opponents just 27-26. The Nanooks have been outscored by league opponents by a total of 22 goals this season.

Of course, statistics don’t tell the whole story.

"Certainly they’re playing good hockey," says Laurion of the Buckeyes. "They’re a program starting to take a good long look at what Michigan and Michigan State, the other Big Ten schools, have done in terms of facilities and recruiting. And it’s starting to pay off for them."

No matter how much the Buckeyes have improved, the Nanooks remain optimistic coming into these games.

"We know they’re going to be a tough challenge," says Laurion, "but I know our guys are going to be hungry and see this as a chance to move up in the standings." Markell says, "We have to be tough mentally this weekend. We’re certainly not going to take them for granted."

In the teeny, tiny, little, mini OSU Ice Rink, in a place that’s prime for what Ron Mason calls "ping-pong hockey," tensions can build and play can be fast. Both of these teams — even the home team — will be hampered by the smaller rink, and tempers may flare.

In that regard, it’s a shame that former OSU captain Steve Brent will be on the sidelines as a volunteer student coach instead of on the ice. There may be other players willing to step in for Brent for a rematch of last year’s Trembecky-Brent brawl in Fairbanks, but it could never be the same.

This is a huge series for both teams, and both teams need the points. The Nanooks are pumped, but the Buckeyes are better than anyone expects. The Nanooks have the ability to run up the score, but the Buckeyes — for the first time in years — have the ability to come back.

Little OSU Ice Rink will be packed with sorority rushes (no lie — it’s a mandatory event for Rush Week). Don’t know what that has to do with the game, but it’s too good not to share.

Anyway, the Buckeyes don’t know how good they are, which may be their only liability this weekend.

PICKS: Ohio State 5-4, 4-3

No. 4 Miami (9-1-0, 6-1-0 CCHA) at Ferris State (4-7-3, 4-4-3 CCHA) Friday, 7 p.m., Ewigleben Arena, Big Rapids, MI

This is the best game in the CCHA this weekend.

While the Buckeyes don’t know how good they are, no one seems to know how good the Ferris State Bulldogs are.

With 11 points in 11 CCHA games, the Bulldogs are just one point behind the RedHawks. More and more it looks like last season may have been the fluke, while this season is the welcome reward for a little foresight and planning.

The Bulldogs have a strong junior class which includes wingers Joel Irwin and Kenzie Homer. Irwin leads the team in points with 10 along with rookie center Kevin Swider, and Homer is right behind with nine points. In nine league games, Swider hasn’t earned any time in the penalty box, either.

Rookie Vince Owen is doing good things in net for Ferris State. With a GAA of 3.15 and a save percentage of .875 in league play, Owen is giving the Bulldogs the opportunity to stay in games with tough opponents.

This team has beaten Lake Superior, Western Michigan and Notre Dame, and tied Michigan and ND again. Not bad for a team that’s getting no attention whatsoever this season.

Assistant coach Drew Famulak is modest about the Bulldogs’ success this season. "We’re playing well, but competition is good among all the CCHA teams this season."

Ferris State had the weekend off for Thanksgiving, a break the team earned by playing many games in just a few short weeks. The Bulldogs last played two weeks ago, when they tied and defeated Notre Dame, 5-5 and 4-3.

"We had played 10 games in 23 nights in the last month," says Famulak. "Mentally our kids may have been a little tired during the second game against Notre Dame." The Bulldogs trailed 3-2 at the end of the second in that one, and came back from behind to win in the third.

What’s the secret of the Ferris State turnaround? "We’ve brought down our goals against," says Famulak. "Defensively, we’re a better hockey team.

"Our kids are playing well in both ends of the rink this season. They’ve worked very hard."

Miami head coach Mark Mazzoleni may be among the few who know how good this Ferris State team is. "Ferris State, in our league, is probably the most underrated team. They have excellent personnel. The freshmen they’ve brought in contribute from the blue line. Bob Daniels has done a great job with that program."

Mazzoleni says that this will be a "very difficult matchup."

For the trip north, Miami will pack a power offense, a solid defense, good-to-great goaltending, excellent coaching and just one CCHA loss.

Five RedHawks have points in the double digits in league play, in just seven league games. Tim Leahy leads the way with 14 points. Behind him are Dan Boyle and Adam Copeland with 12 points each, and Alex Kim and Dustin Whitecotton with 10. The RedHawks have outscored CCHA opponents 35-18.

Another impressive stat for the ‘Hawks is a team plus/minus ratio of +71 in CCHA play. Seems like lots of ‘Hawks can score.

In net, Trevor Prior, Ian Olsen and Adam Lord have a combined 2.60 GAA and a league save percentage of .895. That’s especially impressive when you consider that Lord’s stats alone include a GAA of 6.22 and a save percentage of .733.

Prior has been outstanding so far this season, with a 2.04 GAA and a .919 save percentage. Both he and Olsen will travel north to Michigan, and Prior will start against Ferris State.

Miami’s defense is good, but this is the biggest challenge the ‘Hawks defense will face so far this season — a confident team, far away from Oxford, Oh.

Ferris State could very well hand Miami its second CCHA loss of the season, or the Bulldogs could do what they’ve done so well so far this season by taking a point from a strong opponent.

Miami has the deepest team offensively in the CCHA, and solid depth at all other positions. The RedHawk arsenal is the advantage in this game, but they’ll have to pull out all the stops to beat a Ferris State team that knows how good it is.

PICK: Miami 4-3

No. 7 Michigan (10-3-1, 6-2-1 CCHA) at Lake Superior State (4-6-3, 3-4-3 CCHA) Friday, 7 p.m., Taffy Abel Arena, Sault Ste. Marie, MI No. 4 Miami (9-1-0, 6-1-0 CCHA) at Lake Superior State Saturday, 7 p.m., Taffy Abel Arena, Sault Ste. Marie, MI

Lake Superior’s reward for taking three points from Notre Dame on the road last weekend is to return home to the Soo to face No. 7 Michigan and No. 4 Miami in the same weekend.

"It will be a great weekend for us," says Lake Superior head coach Scott Borek.

Borek’s hoping it will be a great weekend of hockey at home, since his Lakers are 1-2-1 so far against CCHA teams at home.

The series at Notre Dame last weekend gave the Lakers renewed confidence. "It was a good weekend," says Laker head coach Scott Borek. "I wish we’d finished the job on Saturday after that two-goal lead." Borek says that the Lakers were a bit winded after using special teams so much of the weekend.

"I think we really fatigued, and they took advantage of us the second half of the second game."

In the 3-3 tie, the Lakers had a 2-0 lead and allowed the Irish to come back with three unanswered goals. It was Jason Sessa’s goal at 18:32 in the third period, when the Lakers were up on the power play and had pulled their goalie for a 6-on-4 advantage, that tied the game.

"We got some great play from Terry Marchant. We had good leadership, both in games and in the locker room." Marchant was named CCHA Offensive Player of the Week for his play against Notre Dame. In the Friday game, he assisted on Lake State’s first two goals and he scored the game-winner. In the 3-3 tie, he scored the first goal of the game and assisted on Sessa’s third-period goal.

Borek says that his upperclassmen are adjusting to the leadership roles they need to assume for this young team. "We were really lacking in that early. That happens when you have 10 or 11 freshmen and they’re looking for someone to follow. Now [the upperclassmen] are giving us options, making the big plays and keeping us in at the end of the games."

Also helping the Laker effort is rookie goaltender Rob Galatiuk. "He’s playing consistently, and consistently giving us a chance to stay in the game." In CCHA play, Galatiuk has a respectable 2.58 GAA and a save percentage of .909.

Michigan vs. Lake Superior

The Wolverines return to the top ten this week after defeating both Minnesota and then seventh-ranked Wisconsin in the College Hockey Showcase.

"We had good results," says Michigan head coach Red Berenson. "We played pretty well. I can’t tell you we played any better than Minnesota or Wisconsin, but we stayed in there and found a way to win.

"Turco was the difference in our first game, and our defense was the difference in the second." Junior goaltender Marty Turco has been the difference in many Michigan games, posting a 2.34 GAA and save percentage of just over 90 percent in 538 league minutes.

The improvement of play in the Michigan defense is a welcome change for the Wolverines, who miss defenders Blake Sloan and Harold Schock as much as they miss the offense they lost to graduation last year. "I’ve got to credit Mike VanRyn, Bubba Berenzweig, Sean Peach and Dave Huntzicker, a walk-on who’s been among our top four defensemen every night. These guys don’t get the stats, but they make a difference for us."

Also making the difference for the Wolverines is Bill Muckalt, who leads the team in scoring with six goals and five assists. Soon to join in will be Matt Herr, who skated this week and is expected to travel with the team to Lake Superior. Herr, a senior who had the potential to have a career year, has been sidelined with a groin injury for the entire season.

"He won’t be able to contribute like we expect him to for a while," says Berenson, who is nevertheless clearly happy that the team captain will be able to finally be a part of the team this season.

Berenson says that Lake Superior’s statistics say little about the team his Wolverines will face this weekend. "They’ll bounce back from a slow start. I expect it will be a tough game."

One advantage the Lakers have is home ice. "It’s wild," says Berenson. "It’s a tough place to play."

Borek says that Taffy Abel Arena sells out for every Michigan game. "The fans are really into it every time Michigan comes to town."

After flexing a little CCHA muscle, the Lakers have the ability to score, but it remains to be seen whether they can score against Marty Turco. Even though Michigan’s defense is the Wolverines’ weakest link, the last line of that defense is Turco, and he’s been on his game nearly every night.

The advantage of the Michigan offense and goaltending may be a wash in a rowdy, packed Abel Arena. Michigan will have to take the Lakers off their game to win this one.

PICK: Michigan 4-2

Miami vs. Lake Superior

"We have not played well at home," says Laker head coach Scott Borek. "We haven’t had our best goaltending at home, and the team hasn’t responded well to that."

Borek says that the Lakers are looking forward to offering Miami a better welcome than the one the RedHawks had last season. "Last year was unfortunate. For the first time we’d filled the arena against Miami and we had this huge snow storm. They closed the bridge, so a lot of people stayed away. And we played some of our best hockey in that game."

Miami head coach Mark Mazzoleni has a story about that game, too. He says that because of weather conditions and a timid bus driver more used to southern Ohio than the Upper Peninsula, his team got to the rink at 6:15 p.m., and had to immediately take the ice for pregame warm-ups.

That was Jan. 17, and the Lakers won that game 5-2.

"To beat Miami," says Borek, "we have to play our absolute best game." Although the Lakers seem to be improving as the season progresses, receiving solid goaltending from Rob Galatiuk and good leadership from Terry Marchant, Ted Laviolette and Jason Sessa, the inconsistency with which the Lakers have played will be something the RedHawks will be able to exploit.

Mazzoleni says he looks forward to this weekend of play on the road. It’s the RedHawks’ first real road trip this season, and the ‘Hawks have only played seven CCHA games. "We need some time on the road to help the team bond," says Mazzoleni.

With their depth and their confidence, Miami should win this one, avenging the snow bowl of the 17th.

PICK: Miami 5-2

Bowling Green (2-12-2, 1-7-2 CCHA) at No. 1 Michigan State (12-1-2, 7-1-1 CCHA) Saturday, 7 p.m., and Sunday, 4 p.m., Munn Arena, East Lansing, MI

It’s the battle between what’s up and what’s down.

Eleven league points separate Michigan State and Bowling Green, but it’s more than mere statistics that keeps these two teams a world apart.

After bringing home just one point from a three-game trip to Alaska last weekend, the Falcons will be tired and down.

In contrast, the Spartans beat both No. 10 Wisconsin and Minnesota in the College Hockey Showcase last weekend. With a little help from arch-rival Michigan, Michigan State showed the world how good CCHA hockey can be.

This series is a study in contrasts. In league play, Michigan State is outscoring opponents 30-16, while Bowling Green has been outscored by league opponents 43-25.

In league play, Michigan State is a combined +60. Bowling Green is at -86.

In league play, Michigan State’s goaltending has an overall 1.76 GAA and a .905 save percentage — and nearly all of that is Chad Alban. When facing CCHA opponents, Bowling Green’s combined GAA is 4.22, and Mike Savard and Shawn Timm have a combined save percentage of .846.

Just two weeks ago, Michigan State beat Bowling Green in Ohio, holding the Falcons to 10 shots on goal.

Although Spartan head coach Ron Mason says, "When we played them down there, they showed us they were a good team," he’s more concerned with his own team than with the Falcons.

"I’m more worried about how we play than about them," Mason says. "From our standpoint, we’re just trying to stay in first place."

A big concern for the Spartans is the loss of Bryan Adams, who will be out quite a while with a broken collarbone. Adams is tied for the team lead in points (12) with Mike York.

In league scoring, Dan Price leads all Falcons with 12 points. He’s the only Falcon with league points in the double digits, though the Falcons have also seen good play up front from Curtis Valentine, Adam Edinger and Brad Holzinger. Still, no one but Price has emerged as a true offensive threat in league play.

Mason says, "You just never know when you play another team in this league exactly what’s going to happen."

But, if history is any indication, the Spartans will shut down the Falcon offense — as the Spartans have done against many teams this season. And unless the Falcons can keep their collective heads, watch for Michigan State to exploit that frustration, and for Bowling Green to take spend time it can’t afford in the penalty box.

Spartan fans, bring your brooms.

PICKS: Michigan State 4-3, 4-1

This Week in Hockey East: December 5, 1997

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While it’s true that every team in the league holds games in hand on the Huntington Hounds — led by BU’s five — you still have to admire the way that last year’s cellar-dwellers, who were predicted to finish there once again, have rebounded.

Their own Billy Newson took Koho Player of the Week honors for his assist and game-winning goal against UMass-Amherst in last week’s only league action.

Hockey East tapped UMass-Amherst’s R.J. Gates as the Rookie of the Week for his back-to-back goals in the same game.

Rounding out the honors is Providence freshman Boyd Ballard, who earned the Heaton/Hockey East Goalie of the Month award. In November, he had a 5-1-1 record, a 2.83 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage, and a 3-0 shutout against Minnesota-Duluth. In that time, he also was selected twice as Rookie of the Week.

With Hockey East posting a 31-11-2 record against nonconference foes, it says something about the league when it can also award its Player of the Week and Goalie of the Month awards to a sophomore and freshman, respectively.

On to the games…

The marquee attraction this week is No. 2 Boston University and No. 8 Boston College in a Sunday-Tuesday home-and-home. You have to go back many years to the last time these two megarivals faced off when both were in the top ten.

Is it Sunday yet?

Last week’s record in picks: 8-5 Season’s record in picks: 60-24

No. 2 Boston University (9-1-0, 3-1-0 HEA) vs. No. 8 Boston College (11-4-0, 5-3-0 HEA)

Sunday, 2 p.m., Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, MA

Tuesday, 7 p.m., Walter Brown Arena, Boston, MA WABU-TV68

Boston University continued to roll on last week with 4-0 and 6-3 wins over Clarkson and St. Lawrence, respectively. The wins completed a two-weekend, four-game sweep of ECAC teams. At the same time last year, the Terriers went 0-2-1 against the two North Country teams and Yale.

"We’ve got a lot of things to improve on, but getting all four of those wins and sweeping Clarkson and St. Lawrence — which isn’t done too often — was nice," said coach Jack Parker.

"In general, I was pleased. We seemed to play fairly well in most areas of the game. We didn’t play with a lot of emotion, but sometimes that happens when you play non-league teams. You don’t see them that often, so you don’t get as pumped up."

The power play, which ended October only 2-for-13 (15 percent), has ended November with a bang, going 7-for-13 last weekend to raise the Terriers’ mark to over 31 percent, good for second overall in Hockey East.

"It’s a couple things," said Parker. "One, we’re generating more shots, especially more shots from the point. That has helped us. But we’re also doing a better job of screening the goaltender. We’re not just letting him see everything and just trying to tip in shots, when actually we could be trying to screen instead. Those two things have helped.

"But I think the biggest thing is that we’ve improved our intensity, in terms of A: getting the puck into the zone, and B: getting control of the puck and keeping control. We’re not just taking a shot and having it come out or carrying it into the zone and having them take it away from us and throwing it back out. We’re doing a much better job of getting it in there and getting control."

Four big league games now loom for the Terriers before the break, beginning with Merrimack on Thursday (previewed below), the two BC tilts, and the final regular-season matchup with UNH next weekend.

Although many Hockey East teams have rivalries with BU born out of the Terriers’ consistent standing among league leaders this decade, on Commonwealth Avenue none matches that with Boston College. Finally, these two archrivals meet with both teams nationally ranked.

"I think that’s more for the media and the fans to get excited about," said Parker. "I think that when BU plays BC, it doesn’t matter if either one [is] in the top ten or not, or if one team is having a great year and the other team isn’t having such a great year.

"The bottom line is they’ve always been tough, emotional games. Even when they weren’t going well, or when they were going well and we weren’t going so well, there seemed to be a lot of energy and intensity generated by both clubs. Both clubs usually play real well against each other.

"The fans will be more excited because it seems like it means more — and it does mean more that way — but BU-BC and BC-BU games always mean something."

Although Michel Larocque was pulled from Saturday’s game after one period because Parker felt his goaltender was still hindered by a hip pointer suffered in practice, he still hopes to get Larocque two of the four games before the break. Tom Noble will definitely get the Thursday night game against Merrimack, to allow Larocque a little extra healing time. If Larocque is 100 percent by Sunday, he will likely then get that game, allowing for a natural return to the 50-50 rotation.

The two netminders are compiling eye-popping statistics. Noble has recorded a 1.76 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage, while Larocque stands at 1.85 and .925, respectively.

Boston College finished off an eight-game-in-16-days stretch with a Tuesday night 6-3 win over Brown, a 6-0 Friday night shutout of St.Lawrence and a 4-3 loss to Clarkson. Marty Reasoner, who has now scored in six straight games, totaled five goals and two assists in the games.

"Against St. Lawrence, we were perfect," said coach Jerry York. "Everything we touched just turned out to be the right play.

"Clarkson was, I thought, a much stronger team than St. Lawrence. We were in a battle all night long. Third period, we were dead even when they got a break on a power-play goal with about eight minutes left to give them the win, 4-3. We had some chances and they had some chances. We were two pretty evenly matched teams, I think.

"Clarkson is, in my mind, certainly a top ten team and probably a good bet to win the ECAC. I was very impressed with them."

The Eagles have been pretty impressive themselves.

"We’re very pleased with a lot of the things that are happening here," said York. "We just finished a month of November in which we played 11 games and finished 8-3. More importantly, we played some very good teams and showed some good promise for the most part, if you throw out the Maine game [a 12-5 loss]."

During the month, freshman goaltender Scott Clemmensen established himself as the team’s clear number one. He has now played in 11 of 14 games. Although his statistics and those of backup Andy McLaughlin suffered in the Maine blowout, both remain respectable: Clemmensen with a .871 save percentage and 3.19 goals-against average, and McLaughlin with .863 and 3.23 numbers.

Lost in the shuffle, at least for now, is Mike Correia, who had the inside track on the top spot going into the season. Correia was the only returning netminder with any significant collegiate experience, if 11 career decisions can be deemed significant.

Correia, however, suffered a severe hamstring pull in the preseason and was sidelined while Clemmensen and McLaughlin had a chance to strut their stuff. He’s healthy now but isn’t expected to see action against BU, the Eagles’ final games before the break.

"Mike is full up, ready to go 100 percent," said York. "Now it’s just a coach’s decision. It’ll be hard for us to get him into the lineup. He hasn’t played since October. He’ll probably be a second semester guy for us." Even then, there is no guarantee that Correia will break into the top two, something that seemed a fait accompli entering the season.

"He’ll have to earn it," said York. "Andy McLaughlin has posted some great numbers."

This week, Clemmensen will need to outduel two of the best in the league in BU’s Noble and Larocque.

"They’re even better because of their core defensemen in front of them," said York. "To get to the goalies, you have to get through their defense. They’re playing very well defensively as a team, particularly the six ‘D’ that play."

Certainly one key edge that BU has is the experience factor, as exhibited by its wealth of seniors, compared to BC’s reliance on primarily younger players.

"I’m very impressed with Boston University’s play this year, particularly by their senior class," said York. "Chris Kelleher, Chris Drury and Mike Sylvia have been real catalysts behind their fine start. Certainly, Tom Poti, [Tommi] Degerman and some of the younger players [have also contributed,] but that senior class, when you throw Tommy Noble in with two shutouts, makes them an imposing team."

PICKS: In a single game at a neutral site, the edge would go to BU: better goaltending, a more experienced defense, and even though most of the offense comes from one line, Drury’s ability to propel that line in big games is tough to match.

But the pick here is for the two Commonwealth Ave. titans to split, BC winning 3-2 at home on Sunday and BU returning the favor 4-2.

No. 2 Boston University (9-1-0, 3-1-0 HEA) and Army (7-6-0, 0-6-0 vs. aligned D-I) at Merrimack (5-8-0, 2-5-0 HEA)

Thursday, 7 p.m., Volpe Complex, North Andover, MA

Saturday, 7 p.m., Volpe Complex, North Andover, MA

So with two games against Boston College and another against UNH following the Thursday night Merrimack tilt, could Boston University look past the Warriors?

"I don’t think our team could ever look by Merrimack, to tell you the truth, because they’ve given us fits over the years," said coach Jack Parker. "It’s always a battle.

"You can go up there and watch them play a team and think, Boy, they don’t look that sharp tonight, but then they play you and don’t look like the same team. There’s no question that they’re always geared up for us. We have to make sure we’re geared up for them.

"We’ve had enough experience with not having great games against them. The last time we played them was in our building, the second-to-last game of the season. We had to win in order to win a Hockey East championship. We were tooth-and-nail with them, 2-1, and they’ve got more guys back from that game than we do, so I’m sure that we’ll have our hands full.

"It’s a tough building to play in so I doubt my guys will be thinking, Boy I can’t wait for that BC game. If they are, I’ll have to shoot them all!" he added, laughing. "They have no common sense!"

While BU has won its last five and nine of 10, Merrimack’s fortunes have been heading in the other direction. The Warriors, after winning four of the first five, have now lost five straight and seven of the last eight.

It’s getting tougher to figure out this team that is now struggling after earlier beating both Boston College and Maine.

Most recently, they lost 2-0 at home to Princeton and then traveled to New Haven, Connecticut, where they lost 6-2 to Yale.

"I thought we were right there," said coach Ron Anderson. "There were a lot of missed opportunities on Friday night. We had 35 shots. We had chances to score goals, we just didn’t.

"On Saturday night, Yale got a quick 3-0 lead on us and we had to play catch-up. That’s pretty hard to do in their building when they’re the first place team in the ECAC. We just came out a little flat down there. They had us 3-0 before we knew what happened."

Unfortunately for backup goaltender, Tom Welby, those three quick goals at Yale were on the only three shots he saw before getting yanked after 8:08 of play. With Cris Classen the apparent number one, and two other candidates pushing for the backup role, Welby could feel Roland Sperlich or Tim Thompson breathing down his neck. Even so, Anderson reaffirmed his faith in Welby.

"Right now, we still think [Classen and Welby] are our top two," said Anderson. "Tommy, like any freshman, is trying to get used to what’s going on around him.

"On the other hand, we’re trying to find an opportunity to get our other two guys in a little bit. One of them has been in a little. The other one, unfortunately, on the nights when he was not dressed, those were the nights that opportunities presented themselves.

"If you don’t happen to be dressed on a night when there’s a chance to get some work, guess what? You missed that opportunity."

After the Warriors opened the season allowing more than six goals a game, Anderson juggled his lineup to try to achieve a better defensive chemistry and also altered the team’s strategic approach to cut down on the goals-against.

Unfortunately, the changes have had the side effect of taming an offense that had been among the league leaders. In the last three games, the Warriors have scored a total of only three goals.

"We were concerned about how many goals we were giving up," said Anderson. "We were trying to become a little more defensive without impacting our offense, but obviously our offense has been impacted. Whether it’s because of more defensive concentration or because we’re just in a little bit of a rut, I’m not sure. We’re still getting our chances. We’re just not putting it in the net right now."

As a result, the juggling is likely to continue.

"We’ve got some people that every game we’re learning new things about them," said Anderson. "Sometimes good and sometimes bad, so we’re mixing things around as they develop. We had some people who went from not being in the lineup to playing regular shifts. They’re struggling again, so maybe it’s time for them to watch again. We’ve got a lot of people and we’re going to use them all. We just hope we can get consistent enough that we can get set on a specific group and stay with them."

Despite the recent setbacks, Anderson remains upbeat.

"We’re not discouraged," he said. "We know we’re playing well enough to get the job done. On certain nights, you’re not going to get it done and on other nights, you might. It just happens that misfiring on some scoring opportunities has cost us some games, but we’re not discouraged by any means.

"We know we’re normally a better second-half team than a first half-team anyways, so we’re setting our sights squarely on BU. We’ve got two games before we go into exams and one more game [after that against Dartmouth], so it’s really like a three-game semester. We’ll set our sights on all three games."

Army has remained undefeated against non-Division I teams with recent wins against St. Anselm and New England, but is still looking for its first D-I victim. Even so, the Cadets have swept a Nebraska-Omaha team that has already beaten UMass-Amherst and Union, and swept Denver. And the Cadets have lost by only a goal to Providence and took both UMass-Lowell and Colgate to overtime before succumbing.

Daryl Chamberlain remains the mainstay in Cadet nets while Greg Buckmeier and Andy Lundbohm once again are the most potent offensive weapons in the team’s arsenal.

PICKS: BU could be ripe for the upset here, but the Warriors’ recent play doesn’t inspire the confidence needed to walk out on that limb. BU, 6-4.

After the BU game, Merrimack could be ripe for an upset. Army has already thrown scares into teams with better records than the Warriors. If they think they merely have to show up, they will lose. Merrimack more than shows up, though, and wins 5-3.

No. 5 New Hampshire (10-3-0, 4-3-0 HEA) vs. UMass-Lowell (6-5-1, 4-2-1 HEA)

Friday, 7 p.m., Whittemore Center, Durham, NH Saturday, 7 p.m., Tully Forum, Lowell, MA

New Hampshire beat UMass-Lowell 4-2 and Maine 7-0 last weekend to take its second straight Governors’ Cup. In the championship game, the Wildcats sustained a

scary injury to Mark Mowers

which, thankfully, proved to be only a concussion, as opposed to the spinal injury it first appeared to be.

Even so, "only a concussion" makes sense as a phrase only in a relative sense. In every other way, it’s an oxymoron. UNH senior Greg Dumont was sidelined this year because of multiple concussions and a look around the hockey world, both professional and collegiate, points to extreme caution when dealing with this injury.

As a result, Mowers will not play this week and could also skip the Dec. 12 match against BU to take advantage of the break until post-Christmas tournaments.

In every other respect, the past week was an impressive performance by the Wildcats. Although purists could complain about Lowell’s two goals in 15 seconds at the close of the second period, as well as its strong play in the third, UNH still put on a clinic of offensive skill, solid defense and strong goaltending.

Derek Bekar made a strong case for Most Overshadowed Star with two pivotal shorthanded goals and an assist against Lowell, and three assists against Maine. Bekar has accumulated points in every game he’s played this year.

UNH is 9-1-0 with Bekar in the lineup and 1-2-0 in the games in which injury sidelined him. Coincidence? Perhaps, especially since the two losses were to No. 8 Boston College. But there’s no denying his contributions.

"He’s playing absolutely terrific," said coach Dick Umile. "All the credit is to him. He worked really hard in the off-season. That little extra jump that he’s got when he’s going by people is no accident. He’s paid a big price working in the weight room. He had deceptive speed, but he’s got explosion now."

Individual performances aside, the domination of then-tenth-ranked Maine was stunning.

"The whole thing came from defense," said assistant coach Chris Serino after the game, speaking along with fellow assistant David Lassonde while Umile went to the hospital to see Mowers. "Our defensemen stayed with them in our zone and didn’t give them any room. By doing that, we [forced them to] turn it over and got some good offensive breaks."

"Our forwards did a tremendous job backchecking and supporting the defense," added Lassonde. "I don’t think they had more than five odd-man rushes in the game. For a team like ours that’s somewhat wide-open in the way we play, that’s a tribute to our forwards and our defense."

Praise also went to goaltender Sean Matile, who, even though the game did not count as a league game, is on a pace to shatter league career shutout records.

"I thought Sean did a tremendous job of controlling rebounds and keeping them out of areas where they could outnumber us [on the power play]," said Lassonde.

"Shorthanded situations are 70 percent goaltending," added Serino. "They’re going to get shots. A lot of it is goaltending and Sean did a great job. As far as the offensive part of it goes — scoring shorthanded goals — that’s a tribute to great players making great plays."

UMass-Lowell will be looking to get back for the 4-2 loss to UNH, as well as redeem itself following a lackluster 4-0 loss to Vermont in the consolation game.

It was a weird one," said coach Tim Whitehead, after the loss to New Hampshire. "The difference in the game was the two shorthanded goals. You don’t see that a lot. They’ve got some dangerous players and we got a little lazy on the power play.

"Our so-called top two units weren’t really focused for the game and it came back to haunt them twice on the power play. Fortunately for them, a couple of their teammates were a little hungrier, so they made a game of it. It actually turned into a real good hockey game.

"In the third period, we carried play at some points and UNH carried it at other points. It was kind of an end-to-end, real good period, but we just dug ourselves a hole…. We were actually playing pretty well and just wanted to get an ugly goal, but just couldn’t seem to get one."

Reigning Rookie of the Year Greg Koehler got shifted to the wing in the third period, as Whitehead tried to juggle a lineup in which his key players weren’t producing. Koehler has been shut out in five of his last six games.

Whitehead’s juggling, however, couldn’t lift his team out of a consolation game stupor that lead to the 4-0 Vermont win.

"This afternoon was kind of a non-game for us," he said. "The guys didn’t seem to have much fire. I would have liked to have thought we could have gotten up for it. A win is a win. It all goes into your season record. The team that loses the championship game is going to have the same record for the tournament as Vermont, so a win definitely would have helped us.

"Maybe if we’d gotten a quick one, we could have ridden that through, but that’s what they did. It didn’t look like we had much legs as far as getting it going for a comeback."

On the technical side, Whitehead saw some specific areas of missed opportunities.

"We had some good shifts where we had a ton of pressure, but we kept shooting it into [Vermont goaltender James Tierney’s] stomach the whole night," said Whitehead. "That’s why we didn’t score. He’s a butterfly goalie and we kept putting it right into where his strength is. That hurt us.

"And we had trouble from the point, getting the puck to the net. As a result, we didn’t get any rebounds, which you normally get from a butterfly guy. That hurt us."

PICKS: New Hampshire could be vulnerable without Mowers, but the Wildcats are playing well enough to sweep anyways: 6-3, 4-3.

Northeastern (6-5-1, 5-3-1 HEA) vs. UMass-Amherst (2-9-0, 0-7-0 HEA)

Friday, 7 p.m., Matthews Arena, Boston, MA Saturday, 8 p.m., Mullins Center, Amherst, MA

Northeastern came back from a three-goal deficit to defeat UMass-Amherst 4-3 in the Huskies only action last weekend.

"We showed a little character coming back after being down by three on the road," said coach Bruce Crowder. "We found a way to win, so that was the plus and the most important thing."

By taking the only league action of the weekend, Northeastern leapfrogged BC into first place. Sensible Northeastern fans — who might call that phrase redundant while catty foes might term it an oxymoron — would be best to ignore games in hand and all the asterisks that might ruin the fun and simply savor the moment. The first place Northeastern Huskies. After last year’s trip to the cellar, the phrase does have a ring to it.

"It definitely sounds better than what was happening last year," said Crowder. "But we’ve got a long way to go. It’s definitely not something to tip your hat to, that we’re able to get into that position and be in first place. We realize that there’s a lot of work yet to be done here.

"We’ll take it. It’s something to be proud of, but there’s a lot of hockey left to be played."

Billy Newson assisted on one goal and scored the game-winner, for which he earned Hockey East’s Koho Player of the Week award. In the first 10 games this year, the 5-8 roadrunner had four assists, but hadn’t yet scored a goal. On the Tuesday leading into the weekend, he finally notched the bung-puller and the bubbly kept pouring against the Minutemen.

"He used to rely a lot on his speed to make up for mistakes," said Crowder. "What he’s getting better at is learning that he has to control his speed a little bit and change speeds.

"He’s really been snakebit this year. He’d been creating a lot of offensive chances for himself. Hopefully, what he’s realizing is that whatever he does up until he shoots the puck is fantastic and looks good, but what really counts is whether or not that lights goes on or whether he’s a part of it going on. I think he’s getting better in each and every game."

This week, the Huskies and Minutemen clash again in the second and third games of the season’s series. Psychologically, three games in a row against an opponent should make it a bit tougher to sweep, especially for a young team like Northeastern.

"I don’t think it affects it much at all," said Crowder. "Our thing with this young team is that no matter who we play, we’ve got to try to get better the next night out. We made a lot of mistakes on Saturday night — which a young team will do — but we found a way to win. What we’d like to do is continue to find ways to win, but eliminate our mistakes. Then when we get into games down the stretch that are going to be huge — not that these two aren’t — we play better.

>From the UMass-Amherst perspective, the season might be nicknamed Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. The Minutemen are coming oh-so-close, but in hockey, unfortunately, a tough loss only gets you an L.

"Despite where we stand record-wise, we’ve been in every game," said coach Joe Mallen. "We had a 3-1 lead against Northeastern the other night that we lost halfway through the second period.

"In our last two league games, the Providence game down in Providence and the Northeastern game, we outshot both teams. We just couldn’t outscore them. Right now, we’ve got to tighten up a little bit defensively and bury our chances.

"[Marc] Robitaille and [Boyd] Ballard played real well against us. Our goaltender, basically, has to outbattle their goaltender."

Which has been a surprising concern. Brian Regan, who for three years has weathered the lack of notoriety that goes with playing well for a losing team, has suffered some lapses. Most egregious was the 65-70 footer in overtime that handed a game to Vermont the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. That heartbreaker helped prompt Mallen to try sophomore Dan DiLeo in his second career game.

"I certainly wanted to see what he can do in a game situation," said Mallen. "He hadn’t had a start for us. It was designed to make our entire team work hard instead of relying on Brian Regan to make all the saves. And the finish to the Vermont game was a real long-shot goal they scored to end the game. So all three of those factors went into [the decision to start Dan]."

One major positive, though, has been R.J. Gates’s ability to bury the puck. In just four Hockey East contests, and five overall, the freshman has scored three goals, including the two against Northeastern that earned him Rookie of the Week honors.

"We’re seeing a lot of bright spots from our younger players right now," said Mallen. "I have to also give credit to Kris Wallis as well. They’re linemates and Kris is a good passer and a good playmaker. He’s really been getting the puck to R.J. and R.J. has really been tough in and around the net.

"But we have to give R.J. Gates a lot of credit. He’s basically a recruited walk-on. He’s found a way into the lineup and we’re extremely proud of his effort."

With only this series and two ECAC games before the break, the Minutemen need to break through with their first league win to avoid a Hockey East goose egg going into the break.

"At this point, we’ve got to stay positive," said Mallen. "Hopefully, the chemistry of our younger guys mixed in with our older guys is going to click in and we’re going to see some success down the road."

PICKS: Northeastern takes the opener at home, 4-2, but the Minutemen gain the split at home, 4-3.

Maine (6-4-1, 4-3-0 HEA) at

Providence College (8-3-1, 3-3-0 HEA)

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

Maine rode three power-play goals to a 3-1 win over Vermont in the Governors’ Cup opener, but got blown out of the championship game 7-0 by UNH.

"It was just a night where it wasn’t going to go your way," said coach Shawn Walsh. "What was going to go wrong, was going to go wrong. When you have nights like this, you just put them away, try to learn from them and move forward.

"Fortunately, in hockey you play 35 or 40 games. You don’t play just 10. So you just have to come back."

A key advantage for UNH, according to Walsh, was its superior experience, especially in comparison to a young Black Bears squad. UNH dressed two freshmen defensemen and two on the fourth line. Maine, on the other hand, dressed seven.

"Our team is capable of these games," said Walsh. "We’re a young club. You look at a UNH team and they’re very experienced. We play four freshmen on our second power play. We’re going to have nights like this.

"You hope they develop and get better. Jason Krog had four goals as a freshman. Now, he’s one of the best players in college hockey. That’s the growth you want to see."

Unfortunately for the Black Bears, there was little opportunity to use their 38 percent power play, which had been so effective in the opener, against UNH.

"The only real power play that mattered was the first one," said Walsh. "UNH did a good job and we didn’t. We didn’t score on it, but you can’t ask your power play to score every time. The next time we got a power play, the game was over."

Despite the loss, Walsh was happy with how his team played at the tail end of a lopsided game, especially in light of the potentially combustible feelings following the

Mark Mowers injury.

Oftentimes, a team frustrated with the scoreboard vents its frustrations in ugly ways. With UNH showing admirable restraint following the injury, a potentially ugly situation never even had to be defused.

"I was pleased that we were classy in the third period," he said. "We played hard. No garbage. That’s the way to represent our school."

Maine now travels to Providence for two games against a team it handled to a 6-3 tune in Orono on Nov. 1. The Black Bears will miss Ben Guite for the first tilt, due to the game disqualification he received for the Mark Mowers hit from behind. They will also be without Dan Kerluke, who will be sidelined for about a month with a shoulder injury.

For their part, the Friars beat Yale at home 5-2, getting more pucks into the back of the Bulldog nets than any team has so far this year. The win gave the Friars seven wins in their last eight games, but against Princeton on Sunday, they found themselves staring at a third-period 4-1 deficit. Three unanswered goals, including the game-tying one with six seconds left in regulation, got Providence a 4-4 tie.

"I thought Friday night was a decent game," said coach Paul Pooley. "I thought we played well as the game went on. I’m glad that [goaltender] Mark Kane had a nice game and played well. He made some nice saves in the third and held onto the victory for us."

Although Pooley was glad to see the comeback against Princeton, he gave his team lower marks than their win over Yale.

"We had one power-play goal, but besides that, our power play really wasn’t functioning," he said. "We made a lot of mistakes. We weren’t making the easy play. It’s fortunate that we came back, no question."

Mike Omicioli continues to shine with a goal and five assists in the two weekend games and a 3-2 loss to Northeastern the preceding Tuesday.

"He’s really playing well, making some great plays," said Pooley. "We’re getting a lot of solid performances.

"Jason Ialongo is really adding to our puckhandling skills on the ice.

"We’re a solid team where everybody contributes."

When these two teams faced each other a month ago, the Friars saw first-hand the vaunted Maine power play. The Black Bears went 4-for-5 on the man advantage.

"If we continue to take poor penalties, we’re going to be in trouble," said Pooley. "It’ll be over; there’s no question. We’ve got to get that out of our system, because we’re taking foolish penalties. They’re a very, very explosive hockey club on the power play."

Pooley also doubts that any particular penalty-killing strategy is the kryptonite for Maine’s man-advantage Supermen.

"I don’t think it matters who they play against," said Pooley. "Obviously, at 39 percent, they’ve probably [had success against] teams like Merrimack that don’t pressure and teams like BU that pressure like crazy. They’ve got the capabilities to handle anything.

"They’ve got the personnel that has the ability to score on the power play because they’re smart, they move the puck, they get to the net, they’ve got shooters, passers and guys in front. They’re very dangerous."

PICKS: Maine has put together back-to-back wins only twice this season, but look for the Black Bears to make it three: 5-3, 3-2.

This Week in the ECAC: December 5, 1997

By Becky Blaeser & Jayson Moy
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After only one league game last week, this week there are 10 league contests on tap which could very well set the tone for what happens when 1998 rolls around.

Last week’s predictions: 8-7 Year to date: 51-34, .600, 3rd place

Colgate (7-3-0, 4-2-0 ECAC, 3rd) and Cornell (6-1-1, 4-1-1 ECAC, 2nd) at Rensselaer (6-4-0, 2-2-0 ECAC, 8th) Friday – Saturday, 7:30 p.m. – 7 p.m., Houston Fieldhouse, Troy, NY Cornell (6-1-1, 4-1-1 ECAC, 2nd) and Colgate (7-3-0, 4-2-0 ECAC, 3rd) at Union (2-8-1, 1-2-1 ECAC, T-9th) Friday – Saturday, 7:30 p.m. – 7 p.m., Achilles Rink, Schenectady, NY

Colgate was lackluster in its exhibition against York at the Punch Imlach College Hockey Showcase on Sunday afternoon, squeaking out a 3-2 win over the Yeomen.

Tim Loftsgard’s late goal in the third period gave the Red Raiders a 3-1 lead, and Colgate held off the Yeomen late in the game to seal the victory.

The Red Raiders continue to get scoring from different players, but one player is really going — Jed Whitchurch. It really doesn’t matter, though, because Whitchurch has 19 assists on the season (17 of them coming in ECAC play, helping to make him the league leader in points).

The Big Red of Cornell defeated Niagara 2-0 in the same tourney, with Jason Elliott notching another shutout to add to his already-impressive resume.

Cornell finally had six healthy defensemen for this game, but Rick Sacchetti went down with an injury in the first period and did not return. Only time will tell if the Big Red will have a full complement of defensemen healthy for this weekend’s series with Union and Rensselaer.

But even if the Big Red do not have six, Cornell seems to be able to make do, as was evidenced in several games before this weekend, when the Big Red dressed only four blueliners. Translation: the Red win with or without their full allotment of warm bodies.

Union is coming off of a split with Nebraska-Omaha. The Dutchmen put six on the board in Saturday’s win, including a goal and two assists from freshman Daniel Pugen.

A good sign for the Dutchmen is the number of goalscorers on the weekend. The Dutchmen got goals from seven different individuals — Jeff Sproat, Bryan Yackel, Bryant Westerman (two), Brent Ozarowski (two), Charlie Moxham, Pugen and Mark Szucs. For the Dutchmen, it’s a must that scoring continue to come from a variety of sources.

One might suggest that this is deja vu for the Rensselaer Engineers. At this point of the season last year, the Engineers were shut out in three consecutive games, suffering a scoreless streak of 192:04. This season Rensselaer has been shut out in two consecutive games, and the Engineers’ scoreless streak has reached 161:05.

The Engineers had the week off, and will be returning to the ice this weekend with a lot on their minds.

PICKS: Colgate at Rensselaer: It will take a while for Rensselaer to score, but Colgate won’t wait that long. Colgate 4, Rensselaer 1 Cornell at Union: Union has gotten Cornell’s goat lately, but not here. Cornell 3, Union 1 Colgate at Union: Sometimes, you just have a feeling. Union 5, Colgate 1 Cornell at Rensselaer: The Big Red play their first game against a high-powered offense. Rensselaer 4, Cornell 2

Brown (1-6-0, 1-4-0 ECAC, T-11th) and Harvard (2-4-1, 2-2-1 ECAC, T-5th) at St. Lawrence (3-7-1, 2-2-1 ECAC, T-5th) Friday – Saturday, 7:30 p.m. – 4 p.m., Appleton Arena, Canton, NY Harvard (2-4-1, 2-2-1 ECAC, T-5th) and Brown (1-6-0, 1-4-0 ECAC, T-11th) at Clarkson (5-4-2, 2-2-1 ECAC, T-5th) Friday – Saturday, 7:30 p.m. – 7 p.m., Cheel Arena, Potsdam, NY Brown (1-6-0, 1-4-0 ECAC, T-11th) at Harvard (2-4-1, 2-2-1 ECAC, T-5th) Tuesday, 7 p.m., Bright Hockey Center, Cambridge, Mass

Brown continues to struggle on the young season, as the Bears are still looking for that dreaded word — consistency. They were down early to Harvard before coming back to within 3-2. But the Bears couldn’t complete the break, losing 5-3.

John DiRenzo and Damian Prescott lead the charge offensively for the Bears. DiRenzo had one goal against the Crimson and Prescott two. On the season, DiRenzo is tied for third in the league in scoring with four goals and five assists for nine points. Prescott has three goals and three assists for six points.

In five league games, the Bears have been outscored by four goals, suggesting that they need to get over the hump — to learn to win the close ones with a new coach and a young team. That will almost certainly take some time.

The Crimson have gotten scoring from a number of players this season, but have not outscored their opponents many times — yet.

Steve Moore tallied his first two career goals and was named ECAC Rookie of the Week for that effort, against Brown. Henry Higdon, Matt Scorsune, Harry Schwefel, Craig Adams and Scott Turco also had goals this past week for the Crimson.

J.R. Prestifilippo continued his strong play, with 34 and 24 saves against Boston University and Brown.

Meanwhile, St. Lawrence went into the weekend flying high after Eric Heffler shut out Rensselaer 1-0 and Union 7-0. The Saints came out of feeling grounded after getting a taste of their own medicine on Friday — shut out by Boston College 6-0 — and then dropping a 6-3 decision to Boston University.

Among the bad news: Heffler reaggravated a hip injury during the weekend’s play, a sight sure to be difficult for the Saints and their fans alike. Injuries will continue to be the focus for this weekend, as defenseman John Poapst is out until January with a broken foot, and Matt Oikawa has also missed action, with a shoulder injury.

The good news on the injury front is that Heffler and Oikawa should be back this weekend, and Bob Prier has already returned from a knee injury.

Clarkson also got a little tit-for-tat on Friday, getting shut out by Boston University 4-0. Nevertheless, the Knights rebounded the next night with a 4-3 victory over Boston College.

In that game, Chris Bernard made his first ever start in goal, making 24 saves in the victory over the Eagles. As a senior, Bernard had only played 12:33 total in his previous three seasons, backing up Dan Murphy.

PICKS: Brown at St. Lawrence: St. Lawrence, at home, keeps Brown frustrated. St. Lawrence 4, Brown 3 Harvard at Clarkson: Here’s that feeling again… Harvard 4, Clarkson 2 Brown at Clarkson: Clarkson rebounds, but not without a fight. Clarkson 3, Brown 2 Harvard at St. Lawrence: A St. Lawrence sweep. St. Lawrence 3, Harvard 1 Brown at Harvard: Brown gets revenge for its loss on Saturday. Brown 4, Harvard 2

Yale (7-2-0, 5-1-0 ECAC, 1st) at Princeton (6-2-3, 2-2-2 ECAC, 4th) Saturday, 7 p.m., Hobey Baker Rink, Princeton, NJ

Yale and Princeton played the same Hockey East opponents this past weekend, and neither came away with two victories. The Bulldogs lost to Providence and then defeated Merrimack, while Princeton topped Merrimack but tied Providence.

Alex Westlund finally allowed some goals in the Bulldogs’ loss to the Friars. The next night it was Trevor Hanger who got the start, and he made 30 saves for the win.

The Bulldogs are off to their best start since the 1991-92 season, when they were undefeated going into the holiday break before losing to Wisconsin in the Badger Showdown.

At the other end, Princeton got a big effort from Erasmo Saltarelli on Friday, as he shut out Merrimack 2-0. Saltarelli returned to the nets on Sunday against Providence, but he and the Tigers could not hold a 4-1 lead against the Friars, ending up with the draw.

Jeff Halpern earned Player of the Week honors with his hat trick against the Friars on Sunday. Halpern and his linemates, Casson Masters and Scott Bertoli — the "Orange Line" — have a combined eight goals and nine assists in their last three games.

PICK: Princeton wins it in a close one as the Tigers are helped by the home crowd. Princeton 3, Yale 2

The schedule certainly gets light after this weekend. There are no league games until the new year, and only a few sparse games of any kind between now and tournament time. The upcoming schedule:

Friday, Dec. 12 UMass-Amherst at Princeton Sunday, Dec. 14 Dartmouth at UMass-Amherst Thursday, Dec. 18 Harvard at Northeastern Saturday, Dec. 20 Merrimack at Dartmouth

This Week in the WCHA: December 5, 1997

By
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If you take a casual glance at the WCHA standings, you might feel the urge to turn the page upside down.

No, it’s not that old eyeglass prescription, and it’s not too much coffee. The Huskies of St. Cloud State are really in first place, and the Golden Gophers of Minnesota indeed seventh.

St. Cloud’s performance should come as a surprise to most. It certainly caught WCHA coaches off guard, seeing as they picked SCSU to finish no better than seventh in their preseason poll. (A certain U.S. College Hockey Online writer took the Huskies fifth.)

SCSU bolstered its reputation and its league standing — and earned a spot in the national top ten — by sweeping the luckless Denver Pioneers last weekend, 6-4 and 6-2. Senior center Jason Stewart (8-2–10) was named WCHA Offensive Player of the Week after scoring four goals, including both game-winners (both shorthanded) and a Saturday hat trick to bring the Huskies back from a 4-1 deficit.

This weekend, the Huskies put the sticks and gloves away, taking time off before traveling to Grand Forks to take on North Dakota.

Okay, maybe you’re not impressed. You saw that one coming a mile away, and St. Cloud atop the conference doesn’t move you. Fine.

Try explaining Minnesota’s record: 4-10-0, and 3-7-0 in the WCHA.

Yes, the long-mighty Gophers are languishing in the WCHA’s second division, having lost two games at the College Hockey Showcase last Friday and Sunday. Two decent performances, two close contests, two defeats. That’s been the tune for Minnesota this season, meaning that the Gophers are already perilously close to ending their streak of NCAA tournament appearances at 13. Like the Huskies, the Gophers now take time off to muse their fortunes.

Among teams actually playing this weekend, the premier matchup sees defending national champion North Dakota take its high-powered offense into Madison to try to put down a WCHA uprising by the No. 10 Wisconsin Badgers.

The Badgers are also flying higher than many anticipated — just three points behind St. Cloud with two conference games in hand. Marring the Badgers’ recent record are two tough losses to Michigan and Michigan State, meaning that the WCHA went 0-for-4 against the CCHA last weekend in the annual battle for bragging rights that is the College Hockey Showcase.

Nevertheless, Wisconsin still poses formidable opposition for the Sioux, who will be hard-pressed to maintain their number-three national ranking.

Also on the slate are Colorado College and Denver, which renew acquaintances in a home-and-home Sunday and Monday. This traditional series is in danger of becoming a rivalry in name only, given the directions the two teams are heading — CC into third place in the WCHA, and Denver down into a tie for last after being swept at home by St. Cloud.

Joining the Pioneers at the bottom of the pile are the Michigan Tech Huskies, whose fast start has disintegrated almost completely over the last few weeks. They did pick up two points last weekend with a split against Minnesota-Duluth, but still bring up the rear in the WCHA with a 2-8-0 record in-conference. This week, Tech visits Alaska-Anchorage, which returns home after two gritty performances — though both were losses — in Colorado Springs against the aforementioned Tigers.

Speaking of the Bulldogs of UMD, they get a break from the rigors of league play this weekend, hosting independent Nebraska-Omaha. Head coach Mike Sertich shouldn’t have to worry about his team overlooking the Mavericks, who have proven dangerous to supposedly better teams, including a sweep of Denver earlier in the season.

And now — the games…

No. 3 North Dakota (5-2-1, 5-2-1 WCHA) at No. 10 Wisconsin (7-3-0, 7-1-0 WCHA) Friday-Saturday, 7:00 p.m. CT, Dane County Coliseum, Madison, WI

It’s doubtful that too many Sioux fans circled this series on their calendars back in August, but here it is, and the significance is great.

A sweep by the Badgers would help restore their confidence after a pair of hard-fought losses in the state of Michigan, while simultaneously derailing a North Dakota team which seems to be building momentum. Similarly, two wins by the Sioux would thrust them into the limelight once again, and possibly vault them into second place in the WCHA standings.

Last Friday, the Badgers fell behind early to the top-ranked team in the land. Michigan State got two goals in the first period and never looked back, riding a strong performance from goaltender Chad Alban to a 2-0 shutout of then sixth-ranked Wisconsin. Two nights later, the Michigan Wolverines did just enough to win, with the capper coming from Josh Langfeld in a 2-1 decision.

For the weekend, Badger goaltender Mike Valley made 55 stops on 59 shots, and now flaunts a gaudy .941 save percentage to go with his 1.86 goals-against average, but only a 4-3-0 record after those two most recent losses. Clearly, the problem last weekend lay on offense, where UW was held to a single tally in the two contests. In their previous five games — all wins — the Badgers had scored 21 times.

The scoring had been coming from the troika of Steve Reinprecht, Dustin Kuk and Craig Anderson, who had a combined 11-21–32 coming into the CHS. But those three were held to a single point against the two Michigan schools, that being Anderson’s goal against the Wolverines. The junior defenseman was named to the all-Showcase team, the only Badger to earn that distinction. He now leads the team in scoring at 3-10–13.

Wisconsin’s defense has been considerably more successful, permitting opponents just 20 goals in 10 games overall.

Across the ice are the Fighting Sioux, who have won only two of their last 10 games against Wisconsin, and none of their last six at the Dane. Up front for UND, David Hoogsteen (6-4–10) has overcome a slow start to co-lead the team in scoring. The all-WCHA forward has nine points in his last five games, including 2-2–4 in the Sioux’ last games, a sweep of Denver two weeks ago.

Hoogsteen’s partner, Jason Blake, has been moderately quiet thus far, scoring only 3-3–6 on the season. However, all of those points have actually come in the Sioux’ last four contests, so an explosion could be in the making.

Between the pipes, freshman Karl Goehring (3-1-1, 1.91 GAA, .945 SV%) has done a remarkable job subbing for the injured Aaron Schweitzer. Of course, he has in front of him a quality defense led by all-WCHA Curtis Murphy (3-7–10), Brad Williamson (2-4–6) and Mitch Vig (0-5–5).

That aside, the spark for the Fighting Sioux continues to be offense. They have scored 36 goals in a paltry eight games this season, a 4.5 per-game clip, and have not failed to score three goals in any game.

Picks: Wisconsin head coach Jeff Sauer needs only three victories to tie the great John MacInnes for the WCHA’s all-time coaching victory mark of 555. Two wins here would be sweet indeed, but the defending champions are unlikely to let that happen. Wisconsin 4-3, UND 5-3

Michigan Tech (4-8-1, 2-8-0 WCHA) at Alaska-Anchorage (3-9-2, 3-6-1 WCHA) Friday-Saturday, 7:00 p.m. AT, Sullivan Arena, Anchorage, AK

Michigan Tech started the season 2-0-1, raising some eyebrows by scoring 17 goals in three games against Northern Michigan and Denver. Tack onto that a 9-3 exhibition drubbing of Canadian university Laurentian, and the Huskies had the makings of a solid beginning.

Unfortunately for the Techsters, had is really the operative word here. Since then, MTU is 1-8-0, including a seven-game losing streak. Trouble is that the suspect Tech defense has continued to allow goals, while the offense has stopped putting them up — the Huskies have scored only 21 goals in that nine-game span, but have allowed 37.

It’s impossible to blame Andre Savage (6-12–18) for the slacking pace of goal-scoring. The senior center only slowed a bit after a lightning-like start against NMU and Denver, and tallied two goals (including a shorthander) and an assist in Tech’s lone recent win, a 5-4 victory last Friday over Minnesota-Duluth.

However, even here there’s a dark cloud for MTU. Savage missed Saturday’s recap (a 1-0 loss) with an injury, and may not see action this weekend. That leaves the scoring responsibility in the hands of senior Bret Meyers (8-6–14) and sophomore Brad Mueller (6-3–9), both tied for the WCHA lead in goals with six.

Back across the blue lines, netminder David Weninger (2-5-1, 3.95 GAA, .872 SV%) appears to have wrested the starting job away from little brother Todd. The elder Weninger started both games against the Bulldogs last weekend, and five straight overall. He is the reigning WCHA Defensive Player of the Week, so named for his 71-save combined effort vs. UMD.

These games will be played in chilly Anchorage, home of the UAA Seawolves. The ‘Wolves have been only slightly more successful than the Huskies thus far, as their 3-9-2 overall record attests. The reasons, however, are quite different.

Alaska-Anchorage is solid on defense, the result of head coach Dean Talafous’ team concept and emphasis on discipline. Number-one goaltender Doug Teskey has a 2.87 GAA and a gaudy .921 save percentage on the season, statistics which belie his 3-6-2 record. He has been especially sharp in conference play, where the figures are 2.11 and .948, respectively.

UAA also continues to lead the WCHA in penalty-avoidance, as they have drawn only 125 minutes in the box, an average of 8.93 per game. The Seawolf penalty-kill is still strong as well, performing at a .941 clip in conference games.

The problem, therefore, is just where it has typically been for UAA: on offense. Although the scoring situation has been improved by the debut of sophomore center Rob Douglas (2-4–6 in eight games), who sat out a season-plus for playing Canadian major junior hockey, the Seawolves still have no player with more than eight points this season — that being junior winger Clayton Read (4-4–8), who missed last weekend’s series with Colorado College due to a groin injury.

Seniors Jeff Edwards (3-2–5) and Stacy Prevost (0-3–3) must pick up the pace if the Seawolves are to get untracked. In particular, Prevost — the team captain — has now gone 27 games without a goal, a streak that goes well back into last season. Picking up the slack last weekend was freshman forward Chris Sikich, whose first two collegiate points came in the form of two goals Saturday.

Picks: Anchorage is a tough place to play just by virtue of distance. If the Seawolves can add anything to that difficulty on the ice, they’ll come away with four points. UAA 3-2, 3-2

Nebraska-Omaha (5-8-0) at Minnesota-Duluth (5-9-0, 4-6-0 WCHA) Friday-Saturday, 7:00 p.m. CT, Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center, Duluth, MN

Minnesota-Duluth ended a six-game home losing streak with a 1-0 victory over MTU last Saturday. The Bulldogs’ last win at home had been a 5-3 victory over Minnesota back on Oct. 24.

The victory came courtesy of Jeff Scissions (3-6–9), who scored at 11:31 of the second to give the ‘Dogs the lead. 1996-97 Rookie of the Year Brant Nicklin then made the lead stand up with a 25-save shutout.

That win took some of the sting out of a 5-4 loss the night before, in which Nicklin was victimized for five goals on just 24 shots. The sophomore netminder (5-9-0, 3.73 GAA, .884 SV%) has not been up to the promise of his freshman year so far.

Feisty Curtis Doell (4-6–10) leads the Bulldogs in scoring from his blueline position, while Ryan Homstol (4-5–9) and Shawn Pogreba (4-5–9), along with Scissions, are right behind. The seniors, including Mike Peluso (3-5–8) and Ken Dzikowski (1-1–2) have yet to turn it on.

Getting the lead early has been essential to the Bulldogs the past couple of years. The MTU series continued two of the more interesting streaks in the WCHA: Minnesota-Duluth has now gone 21 games (19-0-2) since losing a contest it led after two periods, and 31 games (0-30-1) since winning a matchup it trailed after two.

The Bulldogs’ opponents this weekend, the Mavericks of Nebraska-Omaha, have earned quite a bit of respect over the past two months in their inaugural season as a full-fledged Division I team. The Mavericks split with Union last weekend, winning the Friday matchup behind a hat trick from freshman forward Jason Cupp before losing the recap.

For the weekend, Cupp (7-5–12) had four goals to move up among the team leaders in scoring: sophomore Derek Reynolds (2-12–14) and sophomore Billy Pugiliese (8-5–13). the Maverick roster is composed almost entirely of freshman and sophomores, led by captain Jeff Edwards (1-5–6).

In nets, Jason Mitchell is the main man, while Rodney McLeod and Kendall Sidoruk back him up. Mitchell, in particular, had a sub-3.00 goals-against average and a save percentage of .892 coming into the Union series.

Picks: The Mavericks have shown a capacity for upsets, especially at home, where they shocked Denver a couple of weeks ago. But these games are in Duluth, and its about time the Bulldogs start showing what they’re made of. UMD 5-3, 5-2

No. 6 Colorado College (7-3-2, 6-3-1 WCHA) vs. Denver (3-9-0, 2-6-0 WCHA) Sunday, 2:00 p.m. MT, AFA Cadet Ice Arena, Colorado Springs, CO Monday, 7:30 p.m. MT, Denver Coliseum, Denver, CO

This week’s WCHA rivalry matchup comes to you from the Rocky Mountains, where Colorado College takes on Denver in a traditional home-and-home. The rivalry might be a bit muted by the disparity in success between these two teams, but don’t count on it. Denver will be up for the Tigers, bad start or not.

They’d better be. The Pioneers’ season up to now has to be a disappointment to head coach George Gwozdecky, even when one accounts for the sizable chunk of talent he lost after last season. Denver is currently amidst a six-game losing streak, the first two of which came against independent Nebraska-Omaha and the most recent against St. Cloud.

Denver’s start (3-9-0) is its worst in six seasons, dating back to 1991-92. Making matters worse, senior center Anders Bjork (1-4–5) and sophomore netminder Stephen Wagner (2-6-0, 3.74 GAA, .874 SV%) may miss this weekend with a concussion and a groin pull, respectively.

Wagner, of course, has not had as much success as in his rookie season, during which he trailed only UMD’s Brant Nicklin and UND’s Aaron Schweitzer among freshman goaltenders. But some of that can be attributed to the increased pressure he has faced. While DU’s offense has generated a respectable 43 goals in 12 games this season, the defense has allowed a whopping 56, the worst per-game ratio in the WCHA.

DU’s penalty-kill has also been a problem, allowing nine goals in 38 conference chances, the lowest kill rate (.763) in the league.

Freshman Mark Rycroft has been a very pleasant surprise, as he currently leads the Pioneers in scoring with 5-7–12. Rycroft was named WCHA Rookie of the Week for 1-2–3 against St. Cloud last weekend. Junior sniper Paul Comrie (4-6–10) and defenseman Todd Kidd (1-8–9) have also lent a hand, but the Pioneers have been unable to overcome their defensive troubles.

Meanwhile, Colorado College has experienced nothing but streaks this season — a 3-0-1 start (4-0-0 if you count the shootout "win" over Maine at the Penney Classic), followed by an 0-3-1 run against North Dakota and St. Cloud, followed by the Tigers’ current four-game win streak.

That streak was narrowly preserved last weekend against Alaska-Anchorage, which hung tough with the Tigers before going down to defeat in both games. Stewart Bodtker (4-8–12) scored the game-winner on Friday and was 1-2–3 on the weekend, while Jason Gudmundson (7-5–12) did the honors with a late third-period goal on Saturday. Gudmundson also tallied in Friday’s contest, marking his first points in four games.

Another Tiger who got off the schneid last weekend was all-WCHA forward Brian Swanson, who tallied in Saturday’s game to break a seven-game scoreless streak. Swanson (5-9–14) nevertheless leads CC in points and assists.

But the real story of the young season has been the performance of freshman netminder Colin Zulianello, who stepped in when the sophomore Jason Cugnet, was injured and has played brilliantly since, with a 5-0-1 record (5-0-0 in WCHA games), a 1.96 GAA and a .921 save percentage.

Zulianello’s emergence has undoubtedly taken pressure off the CC defense, which has responded by contributing offensively. Cal Elfring (2-8–10) and Scott Swanson (2-8–10) are both making plays in the opponent’ zone, as is Dan Peters (2-7–9). All three have had a significant impact on the Tigers’ fortunes thus far.

Surprisingly, the two wins against UAA were CC’s first at home this season. Previously, the Tigers had been 0-3-1 at Cadet Ice Arena, their temporary home for the past few seasons.

That residence is about to end, though. In fact, Sunday’s game will be Colorado College’s final appearance as the home team in Air Force’s building, as construction is nearing an end on the new Colorado Springs World Arena. When CC returns home after a 10-game road trip in December and January, the World Arena will be waiting to host them.

Picks: No doubt CC is happy to get a brand-new arena, but Cadet Ice Arena has been kind to the Tigers (53-10-4 since 1992). Denver is unlikely to be able to halt the Colorado College rush, rivalry or not. CC 4-2, 5-2

Next week in the WCHA:

Wednesday, Dec. 10 Notre Dame at Wisconsin

Friday, Dec. 12 Colorado College at Mankato State Denver at Michigan Tech St. Cloud at North Dakota Wisconsin at Notre Dame

Saturday, Dec. 13 Colorado College at Mankato State Denver at Michigan Tech St. Cloud at North Dakota

Travis

By
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The following is an excerpt of “A Few Good Men: The Inside Story of a College Hockey Season,” a book by Dave Hendrickson currently under consideration for publication.

December, 1996

Final exams were over.

Like any other student, Travis Roy felt relief and satisfaction. He’d done well in both of his courses, one in English and one in psychology. Next semester, he’d bump his load up to three courses and know he’d be up to the challenge.

Now, if he were any other student, he’d celebrate and go blow off some steam. Head down to one of the bars that catered to the student crowd and just hang out. Shoot the breeze with friends. Tell lies about the horrors of his first exam week at BU.

Chill out, unwind, meet new people. Laugh at new jokes and old. Let the muscles, tense from final exam pressures, slowly relax. Buy a friend a drink. Let another friend buy him his. The place would be noisy, a loud hum of conversation blanketing the crowd.

If his girlfriend was there, he’d put his arm around her. Hold her close. Look into her eyes. Hug her and, if the time was right, give her a kiss.

And if something wasn’t quite right at one place, well, there were plenty more to try. Hop from one to the next.

Shoot pool or play video games. Dance. Mingle. Get a pizza at T. Anthony’s. Hop in a car and head downtown, catch a movie, wolf down a medium-rare steak. Go to Chinatown at two in the morning and eat Peking dumplings with chopsticks. Have a snowball fight. Sample the latest CDs at Tower Records.

The social possibilities at a school like BU were endless. And for a hockey player at a school where hockey was king, the sky was the limit.

Exams were over. Ding, dong, the witch is dead. Party hearty, Marty.

But, of course, Travis Roy was not like any other student.

Every academic building was wheelchair accessible, but how many popular nightspots were? Hanging out, that simplest of student pleasures, became very different when you were a quadriplegic.

On most days, Travis just shut the door to his room, and, with no roommate, shut out the world. He clicked on the TV. Later, he might play on the Internet.

“There were a few people who would come down or call and ask how I was doing or said they’d like to do something with me,” he said, “but I always had an excuse. I didn’t feel comfortable with myself, and there were very few people who were comfortable with me.

“People don’t know all the things that make up a quadriplegic or all the different things that I have to worry about. I don’t like putting myself in awkward situations, and I don’t like putting other people into them either.”

The classroom, that great collegiate melting pot, failed Travis socially even while it met his academic needs. The school, his instructors and his aides could ensure that he had access to notes and other course materials, but they couldn’t alter the discomfort so many felt in his presence.

“You have a group of people that is intimidated by the wheelchair and the handicap itself,” he said, “and then you have another group that is intimidated by just Travis Roy, the kid who had been in the news for the past year. Basically, people fell into one of the two groups.”

The timing of his injury compounded the social struggles peculiar to any quadriplegic. He’d been little more than six weeks into his first semester at BU. He’d barely known the other players and had yet to forge friendships external to the team.

“When I went to Boston University,” he said, “I didn’t know anybody. Thus, nobody knew me. I wasn’t there long enough to establish myself and have people know me the way I wanted them to know me.”

Travis also was struggling to figure out who he was. For so many years, he’d seen himself as A Hockey Player. Now, he was no longer A Hockey Player. A void filled what had once been the core of his self-image.

* * *

Fourteen months earlier, the nightmare had still been a dream. And he had still been A Hockey Player.

“I remember standing there on the blue line,” Travis said, “saying to myself, ‘This is it. You’ve made it.’ I was so excited. It was a time to enjoy what I’d worked so hard for all my life.

“It was a time of intense pride, of myself and for my family. What I had wanted was to be on that ice, to be part of a Division I hockey team. To be on a Division I hockey team that was the defending national champions just made it that much sweeter.”

Then came the fateful first shift. The hop over the dasher, the rush of adrenaline, the head-on crash into the boards and the damaged spinal cord.

“I don’t really remember that much of the shift,” he said. “It consisted of about eleven seconds, so it was quick. The shift never sunk in, either fortunately or unfortunately; I don’t know which would have been better. Before I knew it, it was all over. And I knew it was all over. I knew I wasn’t going to be back…. I still remember the hush of the crowd. You could hear a pin drop in that place.”

His father, a former star at the University of Vermont, came onto the ice. He reached back to his days as Travis’s coach and uttered an almost mantra-like encouragement. “Hey, boy, let’s get going. There’s a hockey game to play.”

“Dad, I’m in deep [trouble],” Travis said.

He couldn’t feel his arms, legs, or anything below the pain he felt in his neck. He didn’t need a doctor to spell it out for him. He knew.

He had worked so hard, for so many years, to reach this dream that had now turned nightmare. Skating since he was just 20 months old, the son of a rink manager, always looking for a little more ice time… stickboy for a minor league team, soaking up knowledge about the game… leaving his home in Maine to attend prep school where he could play against stronger competition… moving to Boston this past summer so he could work out with Mike Boyle, BU’s strength and conditioning coach, and be primed for this season… all that effort to realize a dream… and now this.

“But Dad, I made it,” he said.

As they wheeled him off the ice on a stretcher, he saw his girlfriend, Maija Langeland.

“Don’t worry,” Travis told her. “I’ll be all right.”

At the hospital, everyone was remarkably calm.

“It was a weird thing because I wasn’t in pain,” he said. “I just had a little pain in my neck, and that was it. Other than that, I couldn’t feel a thing. I looked completely normal. I was in my uniform. I was talking normal. It was hard to realize how much was gone with that type of injury.

“I remember Maija being there and just wanting to kiss her. She was right by my side. She was as strong as anybody and helped me as much as anybody. She was my rock to hold onto.”

In the ensuing weeks, Travis endured surgery, pneumonia, stomach ulcers, high fevers, a partially collapsed lung and a tracheotomy. Unable to speak, first because of tubes down his throat and then because of the tracheotomy, he communicated solely through blinking his eyes, nodding, and an occasional smile.

What became even more difficult, though, was his inability to communicate in the nonverbal ways he’d used all his life, “not being able to hold onto, or hug, or touch, or feel the people who were around me.”

Through the ensuing months, those closest to Travis helped him survive emotionally.

“I have an incredible family and an incredible group of friends,” he said. “Maija was incredible. That was all I had to get through it. Luckily, that’s exactly what I needed.”

The team hung his jersey behind the bench for every practice and game. The initials “TR” were added to the Terrier jersey inside a circle above the numerals on the left sleeve.

“It made me feel good that I wasn’t forgotten because nobody there really knew me,” Travis said. “I was a freshman, and I’d been there a month and a half and that was it. That was the hard part for everybody with the hockey team. Nobody really knew me and knew exactly what kind of person I was. But still they didn’t forget me and tried to keep me a part of the team as much as they could.

“It was bittersweet. It felt great not to be forgotten, but to watch the games and see your dream unfolding without you… basically, it went from dream to nightmare in eleven seconds.

“I watched all their games. I didn’t live my dream long enough to know exactly what it was all about, so I didn’t know what I was missing out on, missing out on traveling and being out on the road and pre-game meals and the atmosphere after a big win or a loss. I only sort of know what my dream was all about.”

Five months after the injury, Travis attended his first game when BU went to the NCAA East Regional in Albany, New York. The experience transcended the many games he’d watched on TV.

“It was exciting to see hockey again,” he said. “College hockey is just a great game. But it was definitely different. I went down to the locker room before the game and hung out with the guys.

“I remember seeing everyone relate to one another. The freshmen were no longer freshmen. Everybody got along, and everyone had their rituals and buddies on the team.

“It was hard to see all that and not be part of it. It was hard for them because they all wanted to do something for me and say something, but they were at a loss most of the time, much like myself.

“I felt I had a new puzzle, and I didn’t know how it went together. I was trying to figure everything out, my relationship with the players and the coach. It was just a tough time.”

In September, Travis returned to BU. He had important decisions to make. So much had been left unresolved after his visit to Albany.

“I went down to the rink with Coach Parker,” he said. “It was the first time I’d been down there since my accident. And that was when I figured things out. I hadn’t known if I was going to go into the rink that day and walk out, close the door, and never go back again or if I wanted to be a part of it.

“I found that I definitely wanted to be a part of it. I love the game too much. It’s just an amazing, amazing sport. I couldn’t walk away from that.”

And so, when the team began practices, he arranged for his van to drive him to Walter Brown Arena every day. His wheelchair might prevent him from taking the ice, but he would once again become an active teammate in his own way. Unfortunately, the blur of a student-athlete’s life claimed his plan as a victim.

“I wanted to be there so I could feel more a part of the team,” he said. “But I’d forgotten how much time and dedication it takes to be a Division I athlete. It’s basically two full-time jobs. They didn’t really have that much time to hang out in the locker room. There are so many things going on.

“I’d get down there a half-hour before the practice. They’d get dressed and get out on the ice, and I’d talk a little bit. Then after practice, they would get undressed pretty quick and shower and get to the weight room or the study hall or get doing some homework.

“After a while, I realized that it wasn’t a waste of time, but it really wasn’t worth me going down there for practice every day.

“And to be honest, we don’t have a very deep relationship. I never got to know the guys that well. I’d go down, and we’d talk for a few minutes, but we don’t have a whole lot to talk about. I’m not doing the same things they’re doing.

“It took a little while for me to figure that out and to realize that I’m not going to be with these guys all the time, hanging out and spending all the time that they spend with each other. There are two separate dreams and two separate goals. I don’t think either of us can really appreciate the other’s.”

Eventually, through trial and error, Travis found a more limited role that fit both his needs and the team’s. Although attending practices and pre-game meals amounted to considerable effort with little to show for it, his locker room presence at games benefited everyone and established his place on the team.

For all the home games, and some of those on the road, Travis would be in the locker room, before and after the game and during the intermissions. He’d position himself so he could both see everybody on their way out and also keep his wheelchair out of the way. He’d then move to his game-time position near the arena entrance where he analyzed the action.

“One of my objectives was to try to learn the game from a coaching viewpoint,” he said.

Unlike fans who are convinced they could direct strategy better than their coach, Travis found it more difficult than he had expected.

“I struggled with that quite a bit. Jack Parker is an amazing coach. He sees the game so clearly. For me to go up and watch the game and try to figure out forechecks and backchecks and neutral zones was extremely difficult.

“I’d go down to the locker room, and Jack had it all in his mind. He knew exactly what changes needed to be made. It was interesting that way, going down there between periods.

“By hanging out as a player and coming down sort of as a coach between periods, I mixed a whole bunch of things up and made that into my role. I had my place in the locker room and was supportive of the guys. I felt I belonged there, which felt good. I felt the guys liked having me there.”

With hockey players a traditionally superstitious lot, some developed locker room rituals involving Travis.

“There were several guys who would come over to me as they went out of the locker room,” he said. “I can move my right arm a little bit, and I’d tap my hand to their glove. There are a couple guys that I’d say my few words to every time, and that’s what felt good.

“It was all I needed, just to feel that little bit of a part of it and of the guys. It means a lot, it really does, for them to accept me and not only that but accept me the way I wanted to be accepted as a regular kid.”

Having finally established his role on the team, Travis tried to put together the rest of the frustrating puzzle of his post-injury life. His family and long-time friends, his girlfriend Maija, and his newfound place on the team combined to piece together the puzzle’s outside border.

What remained, though, were the inside pieces of himself, all looking alike but none of them seeming to fit.

“Hockey was a big part of the pride that I had in myself,” he said. “It gave me my confidence in myself. Without it, I don’t have much confidence.

“I’m not a hockey player, and after being a hockey player for 18 years and associating my life as a player, it’s quite a difference. I struggle with myself. I haven’t figured out my personality as a quadriplegic.”

* * *

Summer, 1997

When Travis sustained his injury, he and Maija had been going out for a year. In the next year and a half, she would be his “rock” through maddening frustrations and disappointments.

“It obviously has its ups and downs,” she would say, “but as time goes by there are more ups than downs. It’s definitely do-able.”

She stood by Travis’s side with the patience and loyalty of a saint.

Not surprisingly, Travis exuded praise.

“Oh, gosh,” he said, “she’s been the biggest help to me out of anybody since the accident. She supports me in everything I do. We’ve been able to find a nice balance with our relationship and we’re working that all out. Everything is brand new to me again and it’s one day at a time, but we have a wonderful relationship.”

As summer beckoned, however, Travis and Maija realized that after two and a half years they needed a break. The two had discussed that eventual possibility even before he headed to BU. If they took a break and it was meant to work out, they told each other, it would work out. Travis’s injury, though, both complicated and heightened that need.

“It’s taken so much away from her, and her freedom, and her family and her friends,” he said. “She needed a break to experience life on her own a little bit. Not only that, but also not to have to worry about all the concerns that I have to worry about everyday.

“She just needed to be on her own. We both saw it. I don’t know what would have happened without the injury, but the strain of everything definitely contributed to it.

“It’s not as much the injury as my personality since the injury. I’ve really struggled to find myself again. I know who I am and the person that I was before the injury is still inside me and that’s the way I think, but I can’t physically act in that manner.

“It’s amazing how much reflects on not having that. Not being able to do things or show people how much I love them or just to be able to surprise people or do things for them. I can’t do that unless I have someone with me.

“The wheelchair has absolutely nothing to do with it. I feel very confident that Maija has no problem with me being a quadriplegic or being in a wheelchair, but my personality is not the same and that’s the really frustrating part. I’m trying to figure out how I can be more and more myself in the condition that I am.”

* * *

“In a groundbreaking experiment, California scientists have used gene therapy to induce nerves to regrow in rats with damaged spinal cords, partly restoring their ability to walk…. The results are another in a series of recent hopeful steps toward the goal of reversing paralysis from spinal cord injuries.”
— The Boston Globe, page 1, July 15, 1997

While presently trying to find himself as a quadriplegic, Travis also looks to a future where spinal cord research offers him the chance to discard his wheelchair.

“I have strong hope, almost to the point where I believe positively, that there will be a cure,” he said. “I try and be careful not to set myself up for a big fall, but to be realistic I think there’s a very good chance of it happening. The technology these days is moving very rapidly and they are finding big things. It’s just a matter of time.”

In the meantime, he struggles with himself. The high school athlete with clearly defined goals looks at his life now and can’t find any.

“Not right now, to be honest,” he said. “That’s one of the biggest things I’m dealing with. That’s what’s most frustrating. I don’t have goals and I don’t know where to begin.

“It’s extremely difficult just trying to figure out what’s going to make me happy again. I haven’t been able to figure it out.

“I hate to put my life on hold for seven or ten years or however long it will be before they cure it, but right now that’s what I’m doing until I figure something out.”

Despite the injury’s catastrophic effect on his life, though, Travis maintains an abiding love for the sport.

“Any kids I talk to,” he said, “I ask them, ‘Do you worry about hurting yourself and ending up like me? If you do, don’t worry about it. Go out and have fun.’

“I don’t even think about hockey being a dangerous sport. That’s the most ridiculous thing. It’s an amazing, wonderful, wonderful sport. Hopefully, I can give my kids the opportunity to play hockey.”

Hear, hear.

Travis Roy’s life story, Eleven Seconds, co-authored by Travis and E.M. Swift, will be released in hardcover by Warner Books in January, and will be available online through USCHO’s bookstore (coming soon).

A Team Of Their Own

By Adam Wodon
-

It isn’t taking long for the mission of the U.S. Junior Developmental program to realize its intended purpose.

USA Hockey created the long-needed program last year, and immediately did the right thing by naming former Lake Superior State two-time national champion head coach Jeff Jackson as its director. Not only did this create the first permanent head coach for the World Junior team — which immediately paid dividends with a second-place finish — but more importantly, it created a home for 40 of the nation’s best underage juniors.

From the home office in Ann Arbor, Mich., the 40 players are broken up into two teams, coached respectively by Greg Cronin, former assistant and interim head coach at Maine, and Bob Mancini, former head coach at Michigan Tech.

The program gives players a home where they can play highly competitive hockey without having to head to Canadian major juniors. This allows players to maintain their U.S. collegiate eligibility.

The beneficiaries are the college programs, and one hopes, of course, the athletes themselves. Instead of having to make a decision at 16 years old about college or major juniors, they can go to Ann Arbor and delay the decision, and not have to lose anything hockey-wise.

Already, the U.S. squads are 0-0-3 against major junior teams this year, having played Sarnia, Kitchener and Plymouth of the Ontario Hockey League.

Taking a look at this year’s early signees, we see evidence of the program’s benefits already:

Five Minnesota kids committed from the U.S. junior team during the NCAA’s early signing period, but interestingly, the Gophers only landed three of them. Surprising many, defenseman David Tanabe and forward Matt Doman opted for Wisconsin.

Tanabe has a lot of skill and is still learning to play tougher defensively. Doman should make an immediate impact for the Badgers, with good hands around the net and NHL potential because of his strength and grit.

Minnesota, of course, still landed three prizes. Like Tanabe, Jordan Leopold is a smooth and highly-skilled defenseman with a need to learn to play tougher. Goaltender Adam Hauser is set to be the heir apparent to Steve DeBus, and some say he’s the missing link to a Gopher national title. The third is forward Doug Meyer, a big, strong winger with good hands and a good shot.

Lake Superior State landed one of the top potential pro defensemen in Will Magnuson (no relation to Keith, the former NHL’er who played for Denver and already has a son in U.S. college). Magnuson, from Anchorage, Alas., is a defensive defenseman who has a lot of work to do, because he’s never played at this high a level. But his upside is huge, due to his size and strength.

A trio of Michigan natives — Adam Hall, Andrew Hutchinson and Jon Insana — selected Michigan State as their future home.

Hall is a prototype power forward in the John LeClair mold and an early favorite for the 1998-99 CCHA Rookie of the Year. Hutchinson is a defenseman who handles the puck well and has good ice vision. Insana, like Hutchinson, still has work to do defensively, but is a future power-play quarterback for the Spartans.

The only early signee coming East is the only one from the East, Massachusetts native Doug Janik, who will attend Maine.

Janik could be poster boy for the way in which the program helps American players, since was headed for major juniors before the U.S. junior program snared him. He’s the most-highly touted of all the defensemen, smooth and skilled but with a mean streak when needed.

Maybe Paul Mara, an NHL first-round pick from Belmont Hill, Mass., whose brother Rob plays for Colgate, would have chosen college had the junior program been an option.

There were a number of other players looking at U.S. colleges who didn’t commit during the early signing period. The best of them is Barrett Heisten, who is still weighing his options. Heisten is a forward and is, by all accounts, the best player in the U.S. junior developmental program. He is considering Maine, Colorado College and Michigan, but is also thinking about jumping to major juniors. He could score in college right now, as a 17-year old.

Others, along with position and schools under consideration, are:

  • D Scott Titus: Ohio State
  • C Brett Henning: Notre Dame (son of former NHL player and coach Lorne Henning)
  • D Pat Aufiero: Boston U., Maine
  • C Joe Goodenow: Wisconsin, Denver, Michigan State, Maine
  • W Kyle Clark (6-foot-6): Vermont, Cornell, Dartmouth
  • C/W Willie Levesque: UMass-Lowell, Boston U., UMass-Amherst

    Look for more news from Ann Arbor as the World Junior Tournament approaches at the end of December.

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