Well, once again I triumphed in our regular season picks race. Last week, Matthew and I were a perfect 5-0. On the year, I am 49-23-6, while Matthew is 46-26-6. We hope you enjoyed following us this season!
Friday, March 5
No. 12 Omaha at No. 1 North Dakota Candace: North Dakota has been on a roll, and I see no reason that will change this weekend, especially since the Fighting Hawks are at home. North Dakota 3-1 Matthew: Not to take anything away from UNO, but given how UND has played lately against the Mavericks and other foes, it’s hard to go against the Fighting Hawks here. North Dakota 4-1
No. 9 Minnesota Duluth at No. 6 St. Cloud State Candace: It won’t be a 5-1 blowout, but there is a reason Minnesota Duluth has played in the last three national championship games: the Bulldogs know how to win when things are on the line. Minnesota Duluth 3-1 Matthew: My gut feeling is that St. Cloud’s 5-1 loss in Duluth last time out was a bit of a blip. I’ll take the Huskies here. St. Cloud State 4-2
Quinnipiac is the ECAC Hockey regular season champions for the fifth time in nine seasons.
Last time: 3-1
Overall: 18-21-7
Half of the teams in ECAC Hockey saw their regular seasons come to an abrupt end Thursday, as St. Lawrence announced it was pausing all team activities due to COVID-19 protocols. That means the Saints four remaining games, all against Clarkson, were cancelled and will not be made up before the start of the conference tournament on March 18.
That leaves two teams – Quinnipiac and Colgate – to finish out the regular season this weekend. Clarkson had a chance to surpass Quinnipiac for the Cleary Cup, but the Saints’ cancellation means that the Bobcats will finish the abbreviated regular season as league champions. It’s a blow for the Golden Knights, who could have used those remaining games to bolster their NCAA Tournament hopes.
Colgate is currently is fourth place by points percentage; third-place St. Lawrence has fewer points, but has also played fewer games than the Raiders.
Here are my picks for the Colgate at Quinnipiac games this weekend. Friday’s game starts at 6 p.m., while Saturday’s game is at 4 p.m. I’m going with a Bobcats sweep; Quinnipiac is riding a seven-game unbeaten streak, while Colgate is winless over its last five games.
The final weekend of the season is upon us, and there are still key points on the line, along with home ice for the playoffs. What a way to close out the WCHA as we know it.
Michigan Tech at Minnesota State (Friday and Saturday)
Jack: The Huskies rallied well after being swept by Bemidji State Feb. 19-20, winning three straight and getting back into home ice contention. Now they need to beat the Mavericks to make sure they have it. The Mavericks aren’t playing for anything in particular, but two more wins won’t hurt them. I can see the Huskies getting a split, but not the sweep. Huskies win 3-2 Friday, Mavericks win 5-2 Saturday
Daver: The Mavericks have sown up the No. 1 seed, so they come into the weekend with nothing really to play for beyond pride. The Huskies have been storming back after their bump at home against Bemidji State, and they still have a shot at home ice if the Beavers stumble against Alabama Huntsville. Mavericks win 3-2 Friday, Huskies win 3-1 Saturday
Ferris State at Lake Superior (Saturday)
Jack: The Lakers’ 5-2 win against Bemidji State on Wednesday goes a long way towards helping the Lakers secure home ice for the playoffs. They now just need to beat the Bulldogs at home on Saturday and they will clinch. I don’t see any reason why they won’t. Lakers win 4-1
Daver: The Lakers can safely punch their ticket to a home playoff spot with a win over the Bulldogs. I feel sorry for the Bulldogs for having to face a team hungry to prove they belong in the upper echelon of the conference on the road. Lakers win 5-2
Alabama Huntsville at Bemidji State (Saturday and Sunday)
Jack: The Beavers had the chance to get up to second place in the WCHA if they had swept Lake State earlier this weekend, but now the best they can hope for is fourth — and they’ll need some help from Tech to do it. I expect the Beavers to keep their end of the bargain, although the Chargers will be eager to beat their rival Beavers in what could be their last meeting as conference opponents. Beavers sweep, 3-2, 5-3
Daver: The Chargers have battled hard all season and they are always tough to play against. However, given that they are the road team for this series, it is hard to pick them to throw a monkey wrench into the Beavers’ plans. I could see them taking one of two, but not the sweep. The Beavers need a pair of wins, or at least a little help from Michigan Tech to clinch, so it is up to them to prove they want it. Beavers win Friday 3-1, Chargers win Saturday 2-1
The Michigan-Michigan State game scheduled for Wednesday, March 10, in East Lansing, Mich., has been canceled upon mutual agreement by both schools.
According to a news release, the decision is based on the health and safety of the student-athletes involved and is directly correlated to the Big Ten conference tournament being moved up four days to March 14-16.
The cancellation of this game allows both programs a similar opportunity for rest and preparation prior to the tournament as all other competing institutions, which all end their regular-season schedules on March 6.
Wisconsin’s Daryl Watts has collected 31 points this season on 15 goals and 16 assists (photo: David Stluka).
Wisconsin senior forward Daryl Watts has been named the 2020-21 WCHA Player of the Year.
Watts, who was named the WCHA Forward of the Year on Thursday, was chosen for the top overall honor by league head coaches and assistant coaches from among the All-WCHA First Team selections that included Wisconsin junior forward Sophie Shirley, Minnesota senior forward Grace Zumwinkle, Minnesota Duluth senior defenseman Ashton Bell Wisconsin senior defenseman Grace Bowlby and Minnesota Duluth junior goaltender Emma Söderberg.
“Congratulations to Daryl Watts on her selection as our 2020-21 WCHA Player of the Year,” WCHA commissioner Jennifer Flowers said in a statement. “Daryl has had another outstanding season and this award is well-deserved. The WCHA is home to many of the nation’s best collegiate women’s hockey players, which makes this award all the more impressive.”
A 2021 top-10 finalist and the 2018 winner of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, Watts has potted 15 goals and 16 assists for 31 points in 2020-21. She ranks second nationally in point scoring and is one of only 16 skaters to record a hat trick this season.
The Toronto native boasts the best points per game (1.94) and goals per game averages (0.94) of any player who has played more than two games.
Watts headlines a Badgers offense that ranks fourth in the nation and has tallied two crucial game-winning overtime goals for Wisconsin, including the Julianne Bye Cup clincher against Minnesota Duluth in the final game of the regular season.
Watts secured the WCHA scoring championship for the second straight year with her 31 points, becoming only the third player in league history to earn the title in back-to-back years.
She recorded points in 15 of the Badgers’ 16 games and registered a seven-game goal-scoring streak during the season.
Watts is the third Badger to win the award in as many years and the eighth in school history, joining two-time winner Sara Bauer (2005-06, 2006-07), Hilary Knight (2008-09), Meghan Duggan (2010-11), Brianna Decker (2011-12), Ann-Renée Desbiens (2015-16), Annie Pankowski (2018-19) and Abby Roque (2019-20).
The 2020-21 season for Holy Cross has ended, with the Crusaders finishing 4-12-0 overall and 3-9-0 in Atlantic Hockey games (photo: Holy Cross Athletics).
Due to a positive COVID-19 test within the Tier 1 group, the Holy Cross men’s hockey program will pause all team activities, including participation in the 2021 Atlantic Hockey tournament.
The Crusaders were scheduled to play at Sacred Heart in a first-round game next Tuesday, March 9, but instead will not return to action this season.
Sacred Heart now gets a bye and advances to the quarterfinal round of the tournament. Opponent, date, and time will be announced at a later date.
“We are very disappointed that our season has come to an end in this way,” Holy Cross coach David Berard said in a statement. “I feel terrible for our players, especially our seniors, who deserved a better ending to their careers. I am extremely proud of and grateful for our players and staff for the commitment and sacrifices they made in order to have a season. They earned my deepest respect and admiration for how they adapted and persevered through these unusual times.
“Best of luck to all the remaining teams in Atlantic Hockey, and around college hockey, as the regular season ends and playoffs begin. I hope everyone stays safe and healthy and finishes their seasons on the ice.”
The Tier 1 designation consists of individuals for whom physical distancing and/or face coverings are not possible or effective during athletic training or competition, including student-athletes, coaches, athletic trainers and physical therapists, medical staff, equipment staff and officials.
Long Island celebrates its second straight NEWHA championship (photo: LIU Athletics).
Coming from behind for the second consecutive game, Long Island claimed the NEWHA Commissioner’s Cup Thursday with a 5-2 victory over Sacred Heart to conclude the best-of-three series.
LIU, in just its second year of competition, moves to 5-8-0 on the season while Sacred Heart drops to 1-10-0. In lieu of a formal league championship, the Commissioner’s Cup series featured the two NEWHA programs still competing as of this week.
The Sharks won the traditional postseason NEWHA title in 2019, downing Saint Anselm by a 1-0 score.
Matilda af Bjur finished the game with three goals and an assist for LIU, factoring in to four of her team’s five markers, while winning 15 of 22 faceoffs. Alva Johnsson was a plus-3 for the game, dishing out three assists.
The Sharks outshot the Pioneers 35-25.
Kelly Solak put Sacred Heart in front by a 1-0 margin with a goal at 15:02 of the first period, scoring off an Alexa Ocel assist on the power play. The Pioneers fired 10 of the first period’s 15 shots and found the back of the net on the first of their three power play opportunities. Solak had also scored a power-play goal in Tuesday’s narrow loss to LIU.
Trailing for the second consecutive game, af Bjur drew the contest even for the Sharks with a goal at 14:44 of the second period. LIU was not done, opening the game up in the first 7:44 of the third period by pushing the lead to 4-1 with three consecutive goals.
Julia Hoffmann, who scored the overtime winner for the Sharks in game one on Tuesday, put home an unassisted goal at 4:57 before Carrigan Umpherville sent home her team’s third goal just 30 seconds later. The Sharks struck for yet another goal as Bjur tallied her second of the game under two minutes later.
Sacred Heart’s Sophia Lupone scored an unassisted goal at 11:07 of the third period, shrinking the LIU lead to 4-2, but af Bjur completed the hat trick with an empty net goal with 26 seconds to go to secure the victory. Strong play in the final 20 minutes carried the Sharks to victory as the team fired 16 shots while limiting Sacred Heart to just five attempts.
Kenzie Harmison picked up wins in both games of the Commissioner’s Cup series, this time making 23 saves on 25 shots in the decisive game two. Sacred Heart’s Frankie Sanchez drew the loss, despite making 30 saves on 34 attempts.
Jordan Sanislo of Sacred Heart and LIU’s Hoffman each had three blocked shots in the game, leading their teams in that statistic.
Jim took an approach that attempted to rank the six conferences and pick teams based on that using a recent memo (see below) from the men’s ice hockey committee.
Jayson decided to take a different route, allowing each conference to place their top two teams in the tournament and then filling the final four spots based on winning percentages, without any conference bias whatsoever.
Let’s see how these two approach this week:
As mentioned last week, at-large selection of teams will change. Based on the extremely limited amount of inter-conference play, it is very difficult to compare one league to another and thus, one team to another.
The NCAA has attempted to clarify the process. In a memo from the NCAA that was issued on February 16, it states:
“Due to the limited number of inter-conference games played this year, the committee has determined that the statistical value of the PairWise and RPI is not what it is in a typical year. As a result, the committee will not be using a strict PairWise comparisons as the sole determinant for at-large selection and seeding; however, the various criteria that have made up the PairWise and the RPI will be the primary basis for consideration by the committee in its selection and seeding process.
The criteria include:
• Won/Loss Record
• Strength of Schedule
• Head-to-Head Results
• Results vs. Common Opponents
• Quality Wins
• Home/Away Weighting
Due to the unusual nature of this year’s selection process, the committee will institute the use of two regional advisory committees comprised of six members each. Three national committee members from each region, as well as additional coach from each conference in the region, will serve on the regional advisory committees. The representatives were provided to the committee based on recommendations from the conference commissioners. These committees will assist in the observation and evaluation of teams and provide recommendations to the national committee.”
Let’s attempt to translate.
Basically, the PairWise, as we all know it can be thrown out. But the criteria used to establish the PairWise can and will be used to rank teams, particularly within each conference. From there, though, there will be an “eye test” provided by two regional committees that will help the six-member NCAA committee select the field.
Thus, in this year’s Brackteology, Jim Connelly and Jayson Moy will work each week to give their best guesses based on games played to date, which teams should qualify for the 16-team field.
Jim: Well, Jayson, you stirred the pot last week when you placed three teams from Atlantic Hockey in the 16-team field but just two from the Big Ten. So I’m curious to see if you’ll use the same approach this week.
I’m going to try to remain consistent, at least in my approach. Last week, I ranked the conferences and will do that again. I gave them letter grades last week but will change and use tiers this week.
Tier I: NCHC
Tier II: Hockey East, Big Ten
Tier III: ECAC
Tier IV: WCHA, Atlantic Hockey
Based on that approach, I want to maximize the number of teams that earn bids in my top two tiers. If possible, I think it is fair to have four teams from the NCHC, Hockey East and Big Ten – though that might not be easy for the latter two (I’ll explain more in a bit).
ECAC, with only four teams, shouldn’t have more than one team, in my opinion, unless its leading team, Quinnipiac, doesn’t win the automatic qualifier as conference champion.
I think the WCHA definitely has a case for two teams, maybe three, while Atlantic Hockey to me already has a lock in AIC and could gain a second team if the Yellow Jackets don’t win the conference tournament.
So let me begin with placing some of my “locks” into my field. I have 12 thus far.
NCHC: North Dakota, St. Cloud State, Minnesota Duluth and Omaha
Hockey East: Boston College, Massachusetts
Big Ten: Minnesota, Wisconsin
ECAC: Quinnipiac
WCHA: Minnesota State, Bowling Green
AHA: AIC
One caveat I have is Boston University in Hockey East. At 10-3-0, the Terriers have the sixth-best winning percentage in the nation. But, should BU lose twice this weekend, the final weekend of the regular season and go one-and-done in the conference tournament, I’d be hard pressed to call them a lock at 10-6-0. So right now, I’m holding off on calling BU a lock.
But with 12 locks, I’ll only have four spots to fill. It won’t be easy, but that’s my approach.
How are you approaching things this week?
Jayson: I still like my approach. I know that there are grumblings because of the perceived strength of conferences. But again, and I need to stress this, this is not your typical year and without Inter-Conference play, you just can’t tell who if one conference is better than another. Yes, polls tell you one thing, but is it true? Probably. But in a numbers-driven selection like NCAA Hockey has been, you just can’t go by smoke and mirrors again.
So here I go again. The top two in each conference:
Atlantic Hockey – AIC, Army
Big 10 – Minnesota, Wisconsin
ECAC – Quinnipiac, Clarkson
Hockey East – Boston College, Boston University
NCHC – North Dakota, St. Cloud State (note: NCHC is using points per game as a seeding mechanism)
WCHA – Minnesota St, Lake Superior
Third Place Teams
Atlantic Hockey – Robert Morris
Big 10 – Michigan
ECAC – Colgate (does not qualify due to sub-.500 record)
Hockey East – Massachusetts
NCHC – Minnesota-Duluth
WCHA – Bowling Green
Last week I just went by winning percentage. This week, I will take it a bit further. The tiebreaker for me will be winning percentage vs the top team in the conference. If it’s still tied, then percentage against the second-place team, and so on and so forth.
Atlantic Hockey – Robert Morris vs. AIC (DNP)
Big 10 – Michigan vs. Minnesota (0-2 with 2 games left to play this weekend)
Hockey East – Massachusetts vs. Boston College (1-2)
NCHC – Minnesota-Duluth vs. North Dakota (0-1-1)
WCHA – Bowling Green vs. Minnesota State (0-2)
From this, I put Massachusetts and Minnesota-Duluth into the field, as they are the only teams to gain any points from the first-place teams.
Two more teams to place.
Atlantic Hockey – Robert Morris vs. Army (DNP)
Big 10 – Michigan vs. Wisconsin (3-1)
WCHA – Bowling Green vs. Lake Superior (0-2)
Michigan is placed into the field.
Now we move onto the records versus the fourth-place teams
Atlantic Hockey – Robert Morris vs. Canisius (1-1)
WCHA – Bowling Green vs. Michigan Tech (2-0)
I place Bowling Green into the field.
So, my teams are:
Atlantic Hockey: AIC, Army
Big 10: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan
ECAC: Quinnipiac, Clarkson
Hockey East: Boston College, Boston University, Massachusetts
NCHC: North Dakota, St Cloud, Minnesota-Duluth
WCHA: Minnesota St, Lake Superior, Bowling Green
Seems like the only team I don’t have that you have is Omaha.
The other wavering I have is Robert Morris. Because it did not play against AIC or Army, it’s tough to actually estimate how it did against those two because of the pods in Atlantic Hockey this season.
Jim: Again, and interesting approach but in a strange year, I’ll take it.
I left myself a little work to do and that’s find my last four teams. I’ll start by picking some teams to consider:
Atlantic Hockey: Robert Morris, Army
Big Ten: Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State
ECAC: Clarkson
Hockey East: Boston University, Providence (I’m going to leave off UConn as they are currently under .500)
NCHC: None
WCHA: Bemidji State, Michigan Tech, Lake Superior
So right now I have 11 teams for four spots. That’s significant work still to do.
I’m going to begin by using my league rankings again. NCHC is my top league, but I’ve already placed my four teams from that league into the field. So I’ll move to Big Ten and Hockey East. Two of those teams belong as of today – Boston University and Michigan. In fact, Michigan is very close to a lock in my mind. BU, not so much. They have a maximum of two losses still possible and it could leave them at 10-5-0. That doesn’t work for me. So BU still needs a win. But we’ll include them for now at 10-3-0.
That leaves me with two more teams. Providence is clearly on the bubble and I’ll look at ECAC to add Clarkson, another bubble team.
I’m prepared to eliminate Robert Morris, Army and Lake Superior. And Notre Dame and Penn State, though I could be swayed on whichever of those two end up above .500 (if either) down the line.
So Providence, Clarkson, Bemidji State and Michigan Tech will fill my final two slots. I’m going to compare Bemidji State and Michigan Tech because those teams are in the same conference. Right now, Bemidji State is ranked higher in the PairWise, despite having a lower winning percentage. The Beavers have played a much tougher schedule with five of their 11 wins coming against the top two teams in the WCHA – Minnesota State and Bowling Green.
I’m down to three – Providence, Clarkson and Bemidji State – for two slots. Right now, I’m leaning towards eliminating Clarkson as they played much of their season in a four-team conference and earned only six regulation wins in ECAC play, and 11 total wins in 22 games.
With that, I have my 16 teams.
Let’s stop here this week. Maybe next week we can try to come to a more unified decision and rank these teams in hopes to seeding the regionals.
Until then…
Jim’s field this week:
AHA: AIC
Big Ten: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan
ECAC: Quinnipiac
Hockey East: Boston College, Massachusetts, Boston University, Providence
NCHC: North Dakota, St. Cloud State, Minnesota Duluth and Omaha
WCHA: Minnesota State, Bowling Green, Bemidji State
Jayson’s field this week:
Atlantic Hockey: AIC, Army
Big 10: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan
ECAC: Quinnipiac, Clarkson
Hockey East: Boston College, Boston University, Massachusetts
NCHC: North Dakota, St Cloud, Minnesota-Duluth
WCHA: Minnesota St, Lake Superior, Bowling Green
Hockey East announced Thursday that the series between Merrimack and Vermont scheduled for Friday and Saturday, March 5-6, will not be played after Merrimack Tier 1 personnel have entered the league COVID-19 protocol.
Minnesota Duluth goalie Emma Soderberg was solid all season long for the Bulldogs (photo: Dave Harwig).
The women’s WCHA announced Thursday its individual award winners for the 2020-21 season.
WCHA Forward of the Year, Scoring Champion Daryl Watts, Sr., Wisconsin
A top-10 finalist for the 2021 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, Watts has potted 15 goals and 16 assists for 31 points. In all games this season she ranks second nationally in point scoring and is one of only 16 skaters to record a hat trick in 2020-21. The Toronto, Ont., native boasts the best points per game (1.94) and goals per game average (0.94) of any player who has played more than two games. She headlines a Badgers offense that ranks fourth in the nation and has tallied two crucial game-winning overtime goals for Wisconsin, including the Julianne Bye Cup clincher against Minnesota Duluth in the final game of the regular season. She saw herself named the WCHA Forward of the Week three times this season as well as the WCHA Forward of the Month in January.
WCHA Defenseman of the Year Ashton Bell, Sr., Minnesota Duluth
Bell has tallied 12 points on three goals and nine assists in her senior campaign, ranking her second in the league among defensemen and 11th in the nation. The senior blueliner earned WCHA Defenseman of the Week honors twice this season and also picked up a WCHA Defenseman of the Month nod in November. The Deloraine, Man., native has racked up the best plus/minus rating of any league blueliner, entered the postseason with a +19 rating.
WCHA Goaltender of the Year, Goaltending Champion Emma Söderberg, Jr., Minnesota Duluth
Söderberg earns Goaltender of the Year honors after leading the WCHA with a .951 save percentage, a 1.34 goals against average and the highest percentage of time played (97.3 percent]. The junior netminder tied for the league lead in shutouts with five, which is also tied for the second most whitewashes in the nation this season. She played in all 16 games for Minnesota Duluth and registered 404 saves on 425 shots. Söderberg has earned WCHA Goaltender of the Week accolades on three separate occasions this season and has received WCHA Goaltender of the Month honors for three consecutive months from December to February.
WCHA Rookie of the Year Jamie Nelson, Fr., F, Minnesota State
Nelson has stood out as a leader among Minnesota State’s forwards in her freshman campaign. contributing a WCHA newcomer-best eight goals and adding seven assists for 15 points, ranking her second in point scoring among league freshmen. The freshman forward boasts the most shots on goal of any league rookie at 57 and has registered the most power-play points at three (1g-2a). She has registered 26 blocked shots, outranking all other WCHA freshmen, defensemen included, and was recognized as the WCHA Rookie of the Month for December.
WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year Mak Langei, Sr., D, Bemidji State
A 2020-21 captain for the Beavers, Langei is a senior biology and pre-dentistry double major with a double minor in business administration and chemist who maintains a 3.96 cumulative GPA and is on track to graduate this spring. Langei is a two-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete, a two-time WCHA All-Academic Team honoree and a three-time AHCA All-American Scholar who has also been named to the Dean’s List at Bemidji State each semester. In addition to her scholastic achievements, the senior defenseman provides service to local youth hockey clinics and camps and volunteers for the Bemidji Community 5K Suicide Prevention Walk/Run for Evergreen Youth services and plans to pursue dentistry school after graduation. On the ice, Langei has had a notable senior campaign, closing out the regular season with the second-most blocked shots in the NCAA at 73. She ends her career as a Beaver with 11 goals and 36 assists for a total of 47 points, the third-most among active skaters for Bemidji State and the most among active blueliners.
WCHA Coach of the Year Mark Johnson, Wisconsin
In his 18th season behind the Bench for the Badgers, Johnson has led Wisconsin to a 12-3-1 record, a top-two ranking every week of the regular-season and the No. 1 seed in this weekend’s Final Faceoff. His Wisconsin team has faced top-7 opponents 10 different times this season, and emerged victories in six of those contests. He leads a roster that features two Top-10 Patty Kazmaier finalists, seven All-WCHA honorees and the WCHA’s Forward of the Year. In almost two decade in Madison, Johnson has a career record of 534-95-47 (.824). He is the only head coach in women’s collegiate hockey to have surpassed 500 career wins, and is the winningest active women’s hockey coach in the NCAA. This year’s honor marks Johnson’s ninth WCHA Coach of the Year award.
The St. Lawrence men’s hockey team’s four games with Clarkson scheduled for this weekend and next week have been canceled due to a pause in team activities due to COVID-19 protocols.
There will not be time to reschedule the games before the ECAC Hockey tournament begins.
Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State will drop the puck this weekend in St. Cloud, Minn. (photo: Sara Guymon).
Entering last Saturday’s game against then-No. 6 St. Cloud State, Minnesota Duluth was in a slump.
Admittedly, the slump was only three games, but for the team that has won the last two national championships and played in three straight national championship games, it was cause for concern that the Bulldogs had lost three straight.
While a win wasn’t necessarily going to be a surprise, it’s likely that few expected the Bulldogs to roll to a 5-1 triumph over St. Cloud.
“We had a lot of time to think about the three games,” laughed Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin, referencing the nine-day break between their loss to Colorado College and the win over St. Cloud. “Obviously, our guys weren’t happy with the way the CC game ended to make it three. We got back to work. We had a good latter part of the week; our first part of the week was a little disjointed because we had some guys out. They were ready to play, and the big difference was we got a lead and built on it. Some other games, we haven’t scored.
“The three games we had opportunities to build on leads, but this time we did. I thought our guys had a really good start, and getting that first goal was really critical. Really good first period, and we made that hold up the rest of the game.”
Offensively, the Bulldogs were led by senior Nick Swaney, who scored two goals in less than three minutes midway through the first period as the Bulldogs built a 3-0 lead. After St. Cloud got one back on a power play in the second, Swaney completed the hat trick to put his team back up by three at 13:38 of the second.
“He’s had a really good year for us,” said Sandelin. “He’s been good from the start, he’s been consistent, he’s been a leader for us. He’s one of the vocal guys for our team. Last weekend against St. Cloud, he had a great game getting the hat trick. It kind of goes along with his year. It was nice to see him get rewarded with more than one or two goals.
“We need those guys. I talked to our upperclassmen during the week and said, you guys have been there and done that and been through some of these stretches, and you have to help pull us through. Those guys have been our leaders, and Nick’s at the top of that list. I know he’ll continue to lead us going forward.”
In goal in the game was rookie Zach Stejskal, who has been rotating in the second half with Ryan Fanti. Stejskal had previously held St. Cloud to a single goal in a 1-0 overtime loss in January. Last Saturday, he made 24 saves in the win.
“The only time we missed the rotation was when we went to Miami,” said Sandelin. “Zach had a lower-body injury and missed it. Pretty much it was his rotation. The games he’s played, he’s played well for us. The last time against St. Cloud, he didn’t give up a goal until the three-on-three OT. We’re in a good position with goaltending. The decision will be a little tougher moving forward, but I like where we’re at.”
Outside of the current season, the Bulldogs program was recognized after a fashion when former Bulldogs player and coach Mike Sertich was honored with the Hobey Baker Legend of College Hockey Award. Sertich earned 350 wins as coach of UMD, and Sandelin took over the reigns from Sertich after he resigned.
“Anytime you see a colleague and someone that’s an alumnus of our program get recognized with a prestigious award, certainly there’s not many people more deserving of it than him,” said Sandelin. “He’s given a lot back to the game. He was an integral part of building this program. I got to follow in his footsteps. We’re good friends, and we’ve always been good friends, and I have a lot of respect for Mike. He’s not just a hockey coach, he’s a good person. It’s a great honor for him, and anytime it’s someone associated with your program, you take great pride in that.”
One challenge all the NCHC teams have faced is familiarity with each other. Since the second half started in January, most of the teams have been in a rotation with three other teams where they’ve faced each other 4-6 times, rather than spreading out their play against all league opponents.
“I think we all know it’s been a crazy year; I thought the pod was outstanding because we were busy,” said Sandelin. “The second half, we haven’t seen a lot of opponents. It’s basically been three teams. We did have the pause there for 10 days where we missed the one weekend after we just got going. We came out of that pretty well. It feels like at times you can’t get a lot of rhythm going. It’s just been so different for guys. Everyone has had their own different struggles. Some have handled it well. I think our guys have handled it well. This is the time of year too in any year where the excitement ramps up because it’s the end of the year and the playoffs are coming.
“It’s kind of that second season for everybody. When you look at this year, it really is a second season with single-game elimination. Teams maybe have the opportunity to win the league tournament and continue to play.”
Sandelin then knocks on wood and says, “We’re thankful that we have 23 games, and are getting to 24. I think that’s an amazing accomplishment for all the teams that have been able to play. Right now, we have to win games. It’s like I told our guys: the sure way to get to the NCAA tournament is to win the league tournament.”
This Saturday, the Bulldogs face St. Cloud State in the season finale. The game will be extra intense after last weekend’s contest, as well as because second place in the league is on the line. Sandelin expects it to be a battle.”
“We’re going to need to bring extra; like I told our guys on Monday, don’t exhale,” said Sandelin. “The fun part about this game is that there’s some meaning. We’re both playing for seeding, and we both want to finish in second. You want to finish the year on a good note, so it’s not like this is a meaningless game. If we were already set with where we were going to finish, there would be meaning, but there’s more on the line. I think that’s great, because even the way the game ended there was emotion in the game and a little chippy stuff.
“I think it’s a great way to get ready for the playoffs, and to me it is a playoff game with second place on the line. It’ll be a fun game. We know what’s coming, and hopefully we can handle it and go in there and put together a good 60 minutes and get a win.”
COVID-19 and the NCHC
This weekend, Denver and Colorado College were supposed to play a home-and-home again for their final two games of the year. This series had twice been postponed in January because of positive COVID tests, once by Denver for the original series on Jan. 8-9 and once with CC for the reschedule on Jan. 29-30.
COVID hit four of the NCHC’s eight teams this season, with CC bearing the brunt of it. The Tigers had to postpone the start of their season in the NCHC pod because of positive COVID testing, had the Jan. 29-30 series canceled, and now have this weekend canceled.
Denver had the one weekend canceled Jan. 8-9 because of COVID. Omaha missed two weeks because of an outbreak in early January, and Minnesota Duluth had to postpone a series on Jan. 15-16 because of positive COVID tests.
Despite that, all but CC and Denver will have played their scheduled 24 games this season, a remarkable accomplishment. Because CC and Denver only played 22 games, the league will go with a points per game average to determine league standings, meaning Omaha finishes fourth, Denver fifth, Western Michigan sixth, CC seventh, and Miami eighth. North Dakota claimed the Penrose Cup as league champion, and Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud will play this Saturday to determine who finishes second and finishes third.
Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by Jess Myers, who covers the Golden Gophers beat as a reporter for The Rink Live, to preview No. 7 Michigan at No. 3 Minnesota.
We also look at another Big Ten series and its implications – No. 5 Wisconsin at Michigan State – as well as Hockey East single games with No. 18 Northeastern at No. 2 Boston College, No. 10 Boston University at UMass Lowell, and Maine at No. 6 UMass. Also significant are a pair of single NCHC contests with No. 12 Omaha visiting No. 1 North Dakota and No. 9 Minnesota Duluth traveling to No. 8 St. Cloud.
The WCHA wraps its season with some important games and Atlantic Hockey plays its first round with three single-elimination matchups.
Would Boston University have played well enough down the stretch to be crowned Hockey East’s regular-season champion? (photo: Rich Gagnon)
As we approach the end of this strange pandemic season, I need to put aside something I’ve said publicly a number of times and speak up on a topic that bothers me.
Multiple times this season, I’ve said that I won’t criticize decisions that have been made. Whether it be a delayed start date for all six leagues, the decision of 10 college hockey teams not to participate this season, Hockey East’s decision to pivot on how games are counted or scheduled, or even the decision to make the postseason tournament a single-elimination event.
Whether I agree or disagree with any of these decisions, I understand this is a difficult season and a lot of thought was put into each of them.
But the time has come that I can’t hold my tongue. I am highly disappointed that the athletic directors in Hockey East decided NOT to crown a regular-season champion in both men’s and women’s leagues.
Listen, I understand that stops and starts have caused an imbalance in schedules among teams in both leagues. And quite possibly frustration had boiled over and too many people wanted to completely devalue the regular season.
In my opinion, and I emphasize that this is my opinion, in a season like this where players have had to endure such incredible circumstances – stops and starts, isolation and quarantine, constant testing, all of which doesn’t take into account players who have tested positive for the coronavirus – all of these are reasons that whichever team is deemed the best at the end of this grueling season deserves to be crowned a champion more than ever.
I’ve talked to a number of people throughout the league about this since it became revealed last Wednesday that neither the women’s nor men’s league would be crowning a champion. From everything I can learn, one of the underlying issues related to this is petty.
Multiple people told me that there was a concern that Boston University might win the men’s championship. The reasoning, it’s somewhat complicated.
Boston University was the final of the 51 programs to get underway. The Terriers planned to play early in December and were hit with COVID that impacted enough players that games had to be postponed. After their players went home for the holiday break, there needed to be a 14-day quarantine period upon their return. Extreme? In this environment, no. But enough were seemingly bothered.
Once they did finally get on the ice, BU performed well and at one point stood at 7-2-0 and, at least for a day, was atop the Hockey East Power Index, a formula created by the league in an attempt to balance schedules and results to determine a fair and equitable final standings.
That, according to multiple people, began the conversation that maybe it wouldn’t be fair to have Boston University win the regular-season championship, and thus the trophy shouldn’t be awarded this year. Once it came to a vote of the athletic directors, it was decided there would be only one champion – a postseason champion – and it would impact both the men’s and women’s side.
All this said, it might seem like such a charge would be led by Boston College, BU’s crosstown rival. Information says otherwise that BC, despite likely being the team robbed of this championship, had nothing to do with this. Sources say BC didn’t oppose canceling the regular season championship, but also didn’t seem moved otherwise, knowing their team was in a strong position to win the title.
All that said, let’s come back to the men’s league in a second. Let’s look at making that decision on the women’s side.
I don’t cover women’s hockey and don’t purport to do so, but I follow it enough, particularly in Hockey East, to understand that this year’s Northeastern women’s team is among the best this league has had. At 17-1-1, the Huskies are No. 1 in the nation in the USCHO.com poll and basically dominated the league. If any team in men’s or women’s hockey deserves a trophy for their regular-season performance, it’s Northeastern’s women.
On the men’s side, I guess I don’t personally see a reason to simply cancel the regular-season champion, no matter which team is on top at the end. Looking at the numbers today, with Boston College holding a 1.86 advantage in points in the Hockey East Power Index and BU facing only UMass Lowell this weekend after a scheduled game against New Hampshire was canceled, it will be difficult to catch the Eagles.
Boy, that seems to make this whole argument against BU more than petty.
We are now left to crown only a postseason champion in Hockey East. And do so not knowing if a sudden COVID outbreak could easily eliminate a team from the tournament. There is no leeway in the postseason – if you can’t play, you can’t postpone. You can’t simply take the healthy teams and schedule games hoping that those with COVID “catch up” at some point in the tournament.
You get COVID at this time of year, your season is likely done.
One other important item in this whole dilemma is the league itself. First-year commissioner Steve Metcalf has worked hard all season to make sure this season – regular and postseason – is completed. His office had every intention of handing out two trophies – regular and postseason – to each league. And while I’m sure Metcalf was a part of the discussions, ultimately decisions like this lie above his head.
The athletic directors at all 12 Hockey East institutions (11 men’s plus Holy Cross on the women’s side) have the power. The commissioner simply carries out their desires.
Sadly, this desire – and the ultimate decision – likely failed the student-athletes.
Providence in familiar place: the bubble
The NCAA tournament bubble this time of year is the most uncomfortable place for a coach.
Not knowing if you’re in or out of the NCAA field based on the result of a single game and any given night makes things feel rather tumultuous. This season, with the inability to quantify your position through the PairWise Rankings, understanding that there will be subjectivity added to a typically objective process adds to the associated anxiety.
For Providence and coach Nate Leaman, though, the bubble feels very familiar.
In 2015, his Friars were the last team into the NCAA tournament and went on to win the national championship. Two seasons ago, after an exit in the Hockey East quarterfinals, the Friars learned their NCAA fate only late in the postseason league tournaments. That team advanced to the Frozen Four before ultimately falling to eventual national champion Minnesota Duluth.
Just because the bubble is a familiar place, it doesn’t mean it’s comfortable.
“We’re definitely in the bubble area,” said Leaman. “The way I felt after the game on Sunday [a come-from-behind 3-3 tie against Northeastern], I felt like we’re coming. But I went home and it dawned on me that we don’t have 10 games left. We have one.”
That realization underscores that the delays in starting this season have thrown off timelines that typically a coach might rely on in a typical season. Leaman admits that it is rare for a team to click and play their best hockey from day one. There is a process that usually takes Leaman’s clubs until early in the second half of the season to begin playing their best hockey.
That’s been the case again this year, but this year, instead of feeling comfortable in his team’s play in early January, the delayed start pushed that to late in the regular season.
“Normally, this is when the Friars teams start to come,” Leaman said. “Our team has battled through it all season. We’re on a really good run in the second half here. The UMass game [an 8-1 loss] after having been on a pause [for COVID], was a setback. Now we’ve got to get on a run.
“I was happy with our play against Northeastern [taking four of six points]. We had to get results.”
Playoffs are coming
For those who may have missed it, here is the format and the dates for the Hockey East playoffs, which begin next Wednesday. All games will be played at campus sites.
Opening round, Wednesday, March 10: seeds 6 through 11 play single-elimination games at the higher seed
Quarterfinal round, Sunday, March 14: top five seeds and three opening round winners play a single-elimination games at higher seed; teams are reseeded after opening round
Semifinal round, Wednesday, March 17: four remaining team play single-elimination games at higher seed; teams are reseeded after quarterfinal round
Championship, Saturday, March 20: higher remaining seed will host lower seed in single game championship
Wisconsin travels to Michigan State to close the regular season as Minnesota hosts Michigan.
It’s the final weekend of the Big Ten regular season and we’ve got ourselves a title race. In a year where it seems like a treat to have games actually played as schedules, it’s hard to ask for anything more. The Gophers and Badgers have a shot at the title and the other five teams have one more opportunity to gain momentum heading into the postseason tournament.
Here’s how Paula and I did last week.
Last week
Drew: 4-1-1 (.750)
Paula: 4-1-1 (.750)
This season
Drew: 59-31-4 (.649)
Paula: 53-37-4 (.585)
This week
All eight teams in action. We’re taking a wait and see approach for next week’s Michigan/Michigan State game. Game times are local.
Arizona State at Ohio State
5:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday
Arizona State is coming off a hard-fought 1-1 tie against Michigan last week and now ends the season with the one Big Ten team it is currently undefeated against. The Sun Devils tied and defeated OSU in December. The Buckeyes took Wisconsin to the wire last Friday, but poking the Badgers resulted in a 7-0 blowout on Saturday.
Drew: Arizona State 3-1, Ohio State 5-2 Paula: Ohio State 3-2, Arizona State 4-2
No. 5 Wisconsin at Michigan State
4:00 p.m. Friday, 2:30 p.m. Saturday
The Badgers can put themselves in a great place to win the regular-season crown with a sweep this weekend and, with as little disrespect to Michigan State as possible, they have a great opportunity to do that. After their first series was postponed, Wisconsin swept the Spartans at home with scores of 6-0 and 4-1 at the end of January. Michigan State has dropped six conference games in a row and has lost seven of their last eight in total.
Penn State at Notre Dame
7:30 p.m. Friday, 5:30 p.m. Saturday
Finally, 35 days since its last contest, Penn State will have the opportunity to get back on the ice and play a game. Ironically, last time out for the Nittany Lions was a 3-2 overtime loss to Notre Dame. The Irish are coming off of back-to-back 2-0 shutouts of Michigan State, but Notre Dame is still searching for more offense and secondary scoring as the season draws to a close.
Drew: Notre Dame 3-1, Penn State 4-3 Paula: Notre Dame 4-3, 3-2
A series that a lot of people circled when the second-half schedule came out and it will end up having a big say in who hangs a banner this fall. The Gophers are coming off an off weekend and have won four in a row since getting swept by Wisconsin. Michigan is 3-2-1 since its COVID pause.
Clarkson’s Anthony Callin is second on the team with 17 points in 22 games during the 2020-21 season (photo: Gary Mikel).
Going nearly three weeks without a game in the stretch run of the season usually isn’t ideal for most teams, but it appears to be working out well for Clarkson.
The Golden Knights stopped all team activities and postponed two games against St. Lawrence last month after the university put a pause on all in-person activities as a precautionary measure against COVID-19.
After recording two regulation wins in nine games prior to the stoppage, Clarkson matched that total with a home-and-home sweep of Colgate last weekend.
“It let us take a deep breath; we weren’t on the ice for over 12 days,” Clarkson coach Casey Jones said. “The guys have been here since the summer. Sometimes, mental breaks are as good as anything.”
The Golden Knights scored three goals in both games against the Raiders, a mark that Clarkson had reached only twice during its previous nine games.
“I thought we were pressing,” Jones said of the Golden Knights’ offensive struggles. “We were grinding, playing really well. The possession game and shots for and against were all there.”
Despite graduating forwards Haralds Egle and Devin Brosseau last spring, the Golden Knights entered the season with a veteran groups of forwards.
However, that depth took a hit with injuries to Chris Klack and Josh Dunne. Klack hasn’t played all this season while Dunne missed the start of the season due to an injury and only has two goals after scoring 13 last year.
But that has given several other players the chance to step up. Jones said the coaching staff is encouraged by the development of sophomore Mathieu Gosselin, who has six goals this season after scoring twice as a freshman. Junior Anthony Callin scored the game-winning goal Saturday against the Raiders and has almost as many goals this season (9) as he did in his previous two seasons (10). Sophomore Anthony Romano has also surpassed his career high in goals, while freshman Alex Campbell is third on the team in scoring.
“We’ve got some good young players that are in good spots and are starting to pop for us,” Jones said. “We’re hoping that will be something down the stretch.”
While Clarkson’s offense is starting to come around, it was the defense that struggled early in the year. The Golden Knights regularly skate three freshmen on defense and it was a bumpy start, as Clarkson allowed 24 goals in its first seven games of the season. But the Golden Knights have tightened up defensively since then and haven’t allowed more than two goals in a game since Jan. 9.
Senior Kris Oldham saw most of the time in goal early in the season, but freshman Ethan Haider has started all but one game since New Year’s and has a .938 save percentage in league play.
“Timing is everything, we started getting a little more structured and started getting a little bit better when he took the reins,” Jones said of Haider. “We feel good about Ethan and Kris. We’re confident going into games that we are getting the goaltending that we need and are playing a bit freer.”
Last weekend’s sweep kept Clarkson alive in the hunt for the Cleary Cup and put some distance between them and the third-place Raiders. The Golden Knights play St. Lawrence in four consecutive games to close the season. The teams will meet this weekend as part of their scheduled series and then will make up the two postponed games from last month on Mar. 10 and 12.
That’s just one of the quirks of the league’s schedule, where each of the four teams plays each other six times during the regular season, meaning there’s not a lot of surprises left by the end of the year.
“There’s only so many tricks in the bag,” Jones said. “You know if you have success with one thing the first night, the coach over there is a good coach and they’re making adjustments to make sure their team is prepared.”
Around the league
— Union forward Josh Kosack was announced as one of the three finalists for the Hockey Humanitarian Award last week. The award is presented annually to college hockey’s “finest citizen” for leadership in community service. The winner will be announced on April 9 at the Frozen Four in Pittsburgh.
— Quinnipiac senior forward Odeen Tufto was named the league’s player of the week after posting a goal and eight assists in three games. His 125 career assists are tied with current Dartmouth coach Reid Cashman for the program record. Teammate Ty Smilanic was named the league’s rookie of the week, while Haider was honored as the league’s goalie of the week.
The Bobcats swept the league’s monthly awards, as Tufto and Smilanic were the league’s player and rookie of the month, respectively, while Keith Petruzzelli was honored as the league’s goalie of the month after recording a .938 save percentage in February.
From left, Alina Mueller, Lacey Eden and Aerin Frankel – the HCA women’s award winners for February.
The Hockey Commissioners Association announced Wednesday its women’s players of the month for February.
Northeastern junior forward Alina Mueller is the player of the month, while Wisconsin forward Lacey Eden is the rookie of the month and Northeastern senior Aerin Frankel is the goaltender of the month.
Mueller averaged 2.3 points per game in Northeastern’s perfect 7-0 month. She went for four goals and 16 points which, along with her season-long production, made her one of three Huskies among the ten Patty Kazmaier Award finalists. She is also one of three finalists for the Cammi Granato Award given to the Hockey East Player of the Year.
Joining the nation’s No. 1 team midseason, Eden had a line of three goals and seven points in six games for the Badgers, four of those coming on the road against nationally-ranked opponents Minnesota and Minnesota Duluth.
Frankel was again solid in February and repeats as goaltender of the month. She led the Huskies to a perfect 7-0 record with phenomenal numbers: a 0.57 GAA and a save percentage of .972. She is the only goaltender among this year’s 10 Patty Kazmaier Award finalists and is another finalist for the Cammi Granato Award.
From left, Dylan Holloway, Landon Slaggert, Trevin Kozlowski, Adam Scheel – the men’s HCA players of the month for February.
The Hockey Commissioners Association announced Wednesday its men’s players of the month for February.
Wisconsin sophomore forward Dylan Holloway is the player of the month, while Notre Dame forward Landon Slaggert is the rookie of the month with Army West Point senior Trevin Kozlowski and North Dakota junior Adam Scheel are co-goaltenders of the month.
Holloway led the NCAA with 17 points (six goals, 11 assists), coming through against a tough schedule that included four games against highly-ranked Minnesota and Michigan. Highlights of the month included a 6-1 win at the then-No. 2 Gophers going for a goal and four assists and scoring both goals in a 2-1 overtime win against Ohio State.
Slaggert had points in six of eight games, finishing strong with a four-game point streak, recording two goals and seven points in the month’s final four games, all on the road.
Kozlowski finished the month of February with a perfect 7-0-0 record. He posted a .942 save percentage and recorded a 1.26 GAA in the seven games. Kozlowski allowed two or less goals in six of the seven games started and allowed only nine goals on 154 shots and stopped 20 or more shots in all seven games.
Scheel allowed only four goals in his four starts in February, backstopping North Dakota to a 4-0-0 record while in net and the Penrose Cup as NCHC regular-season champions. He led the country in February with both a .960 save percentage and a 1.01 GAA. He totaled 95 saves on 99 shots with one shutout.
Gabbie Hughes, Jr., F, Minnesota Duluth
Emma Maltais, Sr., F, Ohio State
Anna Klein, Sr., F, Minnesota Duluth
Emily Brown, Sr., D, Minnesota
Nicole LaMantia, Jr., D, Wisconsin
Andrea Braendli, Jr., G, Ohio State
Third Team
Brette Pettet, Sr., F, Wisconsin
Tatum Skaggs, Sr., F, Ohio State
Britta Curl, Jr., F, Wisconsin
Sophie Jaques, Jr., D, Ohio State
Madeline Wethington, So., D, Minnesota
Madison Bizal, Jr., D, Ohio State
Kennedy Blair, Sr., G, Wisconsin
All-Rookie Team
Jamie Nelson, F, Minnesota State
Abbey Murphy, F, Minnesota
Jenna Buglioni, F, Ohio State
Josey Dunne, D, Minnesota
Riley Brengman, D, Ohio State
Sanni Ahola, G, St. Cloud State
In addition, the league also named its 115-member WCHA All-Academic Team.
The 2020-21 WCHA Offensive Player, Defensive Player, Goaltender, Rookie, Outstanding Student-Athlete and Coach of the Year will be announced March 4. The overall WCHA Player of the Year will be unveiled on March 5.
Bowling Green and Ferris State are two WCHA teams that have made the most of an uncertain college hockey season (photo: Ferris State Athletics).
It is natural to assume that college hockey coaches are cordial, especially when they share the same conference.
It would also be very normal to assume that coaches in a given conference actually despise each other, given that they are often in competition for the same potential student-athlete, whether to an incoming freshman or a transfer student.
What is happening in the WCHA in its final season in its current iteration is a microcosm of what seems to be happening throughout college hockey.
The 2020-21 season has been unlike any other. Schools that have been traditional powers out east are not competing. A higher-than-normal number of schools in the Midwest are nationally ranked. Western powers have stumbled and recovered.
Throughout all of it, one unexpected issue has risen to the top, scheduling is hard. Hockey East eventually gave up and went to a week-by-week approach. In the WCHA, schools have had to drop games, contact neighboring schools, and cobble together a sleight of games that looks very different from normal. Teams have played games on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and even Thursdays, just to get all their conference games in.
At the end of the day, nearly every coach in the conference has stated that all the turmoil has actually brought them closer together than ever before. The reasoning seems to be quite simple, to give players the best experience possible.
“The reality is, I think, more than ever, as I talk to other coaches, the important thing is, let’s give these kids a really good experience,” said Ferris State coach Bob Daniels. “They’re going through a lot and wins are wins, the record is gonna take care of itself, but let’s make sure it’s a positive experience.”
Daniels is in his 29th season at Ferris State. While he has never seen anything quite like this season, he has been impressed with how his fellow coaches have rolled with whatever the season has thrown their way.
He shared a story about a situation in late January, where Michigan Tech went into COVID protocols and were unable to play. Daniels was impressed with how quickly Huskies coach Joe Shawhan got the word to him, so that he could try to find another opponent on short notice. Daniels set up a game against Trine, which gave both teams the chance to play.
“We heard right away from Michigan Tech that, hey, they weren’t going to be available to play,” Daniels said. “I was very appreciative that Joe Shawhan reached out as soon as he did. It gave us the opportunity to call Trine then. We were scouring anybody in our area because you don’t want someone to travel far. We don’t want to travel far.
“We are looking for someone that could come to us and back in the same day. We saw the opening, we made a call and within 24 hours, we had that put together this week, when it was looking very dicey for us to be able to play.”
From there, Daniels ran into a situation with his own team about whether or not they would be able to play against Minnesota State the following weekend. Mavericks coach Mike Hastings proved very accommodating to the situation Daniels found himself in as team testing took longer than expected.
“I got on the phone with Mike Hastings. Mike was unbelievably accommodating moving the series to Saturday, suddenly,” said Daniels. “It was the only chance we had (to get the series in).”
Daniels feels that this season has truly been special because of interactions like the ones he described.
“Hockey’s always been great, the community in terms of working together, but I’ve never seen it come together like it has this year. I’ve gotten to know the coaches better than I ever have before. We’ve had weekly Zooms since April (2020), in terms of trying to iron out details of play. Truthfully, I’ve never seen it so collegial.
“It’s always been great, but it’s gone up a notch. My appreciation for all the other coaches, certainly within our conference has gone up immensely, too.”
In an interview in early February, Northern Michigan coach Grant Potulny echoed a lot of Daniels’ sentiments.
“With the amount of issues that need to be dealt with, probably since the beginning of this season, there’s been more, inner coaching conversations,” he said. “There’s been more Zoom calls. Maybe you know a couple of the guys better than the other guys, but (you) get a chance to really understand who those coaches are as people and understand, now, what their teams are going through.”
Perhaps the most important thing for individual coaches to remember is that they are not alone, especially this season.
“We’ve all gone through the same thing, so we can understand it,” said Potulny. “One team is supposed to play, and they get COVID, or their opponent gets COVID, there’s been schedule flips in hours instead of days.
“I do think there’s been a collaborative effort to do what’s right for the game.”
An example from Potulny’s experience actually involves both of the other two Upper Peninsula rivals in Michigan Tech and Lake Superior State. As the Huskies were readying to come off of their COVID break, the Lakers suddenly had to take one of their own. Also, Alabama Huntsville ran into COVID issues of their own, just as the Wildcats were in the process of leaving Marquette, Michigan, heading south when things changed rapidly.
“I was talking with Lake State’s Damon (Whitten), because they were the team that did not have any worries to that point,” Potulny recalled. “Michigan Tech was coming out of their COVID pause, and they felt like they were gonna play, but they just weren’t sure.
“So it’s interesting. You go from thinking you’re supposed to play Alabama Huntsville, and on your way down, that gets canceled, you turn around and come home, and then you think that you might be playing Lake Superior State. You end up playing Michigan Tech. So those are just kind of the way of the year for us, as a group. I think there’s been lots of teams that have found ways to add games and give their players the most opportunity to compete that they can.”
Shawhan expressed his thanks to Potulny for being willing to travel up to Houghton to play on that Saturday, Jan. 23, and follow up with a game at the Berry Events Center on Monday, Jan. 25. Prior to that series, the Huskies were looking to help a team out, but it did not quite work out for everyone involved.
“A little while back, right when we were coming out of COVID, we had the same opportunity, and we weren’t able to get games in with a team,” Shawhan said. “They scheduled around us.”
One issue that coaches have been trying to manage all season, while dealing with their lineups, injuries and their players’ class loads, has been their players’ mental health. By finding ways to work with other coaches in order to fit games in, coaches in the WCHA have felt that they have found a way to combat mental health issues.
“We were on a two-week break, came back, played a series, and then went on another two-week break,” said Shawhan. “Getting those games in is important. It weighs on the guys, not being able to play.”
WCHA coaches have found ways to work together to solve problems throughout the season, and that has allowed every team to play a 14-game conference schedule along with a strong non-conference slate against teams, for the most part, within the conference.
Across the board, the coaches have been appreciative of how everyone has chipped in to make the season successful.
Crespi helps the Huskies make it six
Ask any coach, it is hard to win four games against a single opponent in a season. It is even harder to win six. Usually, those last two come in a playoff format. For the Huskies, beating their UP-rival Wildcats for the fifth and sixth time this weekend was not easy.
On Friday, sophomore winger Jake Crespi scored a key shorthanded goal in the late stages of the second period to extend the Huskies’ lead to 4-1 en route to a 6-1 victory.
Shawhan has been happy with Crespi’s development as he continues to grow into his role.
“Being able to use him on the penalty kill now says a lot about his growth as a player,” Shawhan said. “That means he is defending well for us.”
Crespi followed up his goal on Friday with the game-winner on Saturday in overtime, winning the game 3-2.
“Crespi gets another big goal for us,” said Shawhan after the game. “He’s a talented young man that keeps growing for us.”
