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Wisconsin goaltender Desbiens captures 2017 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award

USCHO Staff Report
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Wisconsin Badgers goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens (30) defends during an NCAA women's hockey game against the Ohio State Buckeyes Friday, October 10, 2014, in Madison, Wis. The Badgers won 6-0. (Photo by David Stluka (David Stluka)
Wisconsin’s Ann-Renee Desbiens is just the third goalie to win the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award (photo: David Stluka).

Wisconsin senior goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens has been awarded the 2017 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award.

The honors were presented to Desbiens Saturday afternoon at the Foundry Art Centre as part of the women’s Frozen Four weekend hosted by Lindenwood University.

The award, which is in its 20th year, is presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women’s hockey by the USA Hockey Foundation.

Desbiens is just the third goaltender to win the award, joining Jessie Vetter (Wisconsin) who captured the award in 2009 and Ali Brewer (Brown) in 2000. She is also the fifth player from Wisconsin to win the award (Brianna Decker/2012, Meghan Duggan/2011, Vetter/2009 and Sara Bauer/2006).

Desbiens was selected from a group of three finalists that included senior forwards Cayley Mercer (Clarkson) and Lara Stalder (Minnesota Duluth).

“Coming off last season with a streak of shutouts I’ve never seen before, Ann-Renee has backed it up this year with another outstanding, record-breaking year,” said Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson in a statement. “She has given us an opportunity to win every night and is one of the key reasons for our success.”

Desbiens, a top-three finalist for the second straight year, leads the nation in save percentage (.965), GAA (0.67), shutouts (17) and wins (29) entering tomorrow’s national championship game.

Named to the All-WCHA First Team for the second-consecutive season, Desbiens set the NCAA record for most career shutouts in both men’s and women’s college hockey with 44 on Nov. 6, 2016, and currently has 57 career blank slates.

She was named WCHA Defensive Player of the Month for both January and February, and topped conference goaltenders with a .963 save percentage, 21 wins and 13 shutouts in 26 WCHA contests. In total, Desbiens has allowed one goal or less in 28 of her 34 games this season heading into the national semifinals.

Frozen Faceoff Final Picks: March 18

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Matthew and I went 1-1 (.500) in the semifinals of the Frozen Faceoff. Let’s see if we do any better today. In the playoffs, I’m 9-2 (.818) while Matthew is 8-3 (.727), while on the year I am 105-59-24 (.622) while he is 86-78-24 (.521)

Saturday, March 18

Denver vs. Western Michigan
Candace: I expect we’ll see more offense from the Pioneers than last night, but neither team really has a lot to play for. Denver 3-2
Matthew: Getting out of this game healthy will be important for both of these teams, but they’ll both want to make better cases for better NCAA tournament seeds. I think Denver beats the Broncos to finish third on the weekend. Denver 4-2

Minnesota Duluth vs North Dakota
Candace: Both teams looked very impressive last night, and both have a lot to play for. I’m going with Duluth’s senior leaders to make the difference. Minnesota Duluth 3-2
Matthew: UND snapped Denver’s impressive win streak, but I don’t know if the Fighting Hawks keep it going Saturday. I’ll take Duluth in a close game. Minnesota Duluth 3-2

Championship Game Pick

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Good morning – here is a look at tonight’s ECAC Hockey championship game. Check back with USCHO for all the latest coverage from Lake Placid. Regardless of what happens tonight, both teams are locks to make the NCAA Tournament.

No. 3 Cornell vs. No. 1 Harvard, 7:35 p.m.

Season series: Harvard, 2-0

This is the third straight season that the Crimson are making an appearance in the conference championship game. Harvard won the Whitelaw cup in 2015 before losing 4-1 to Quinnipiac in last year’s title game. Cornell is returning to the ECAC finals for the first time since 2010, when it beat Union to win the championship. The Big Red were impressive in last night’s semifinal win, but Harvard has been virtually unstoppable the last month. Harvard wins

Tournament Field Update – Saturday Morning Edition

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Last night’s action got a few more teams into the tournament and has narrowed the field down as to what needs to be done.

What has changed?

– Cornell, Penn State, North Dakota and Notre Dame are now in.

What does this mean?

14 Spots are Taken

Atlantic Hockey – Winner of Robert Morris-Air Force

Big Ten – Minnesota, Penn State

ECAC Hockey – Harvard, Union, Cornell

Hockey East – Massachusetts-Lowell, Boston University, Notre Dame

NCHC – Denver, Minnesota-Duluth, Western Michigan, North Dakota

WCHA – Winner of Bowling Green-Michigan Tech

That means there are two spots left and four teams left in contention.

Wisconsin, Ohio State, Providence, Boston College

Wisconsin and Boston College must win to get in.

Ohio State and Providence can only wait and see.

 

Production has been progressive for Clarkson women’s standout Bannon

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Genevieve Bannon (Clarkson - 9). (Shelley M. Szwast)
Genevieve Bannon has been an offensive catalyst all four years with the Golden Knights (photo: Shelley M. Szwast).

The Clarkson women’s team returns to the national championship game for the first time since their historic 2014 win.

Just five players on the current roster were a part of that win.

But Genevieve Bannon isn’t sure there’s much she and her fellow seniors learned that year that will be relevant to their experience on Sunday.

For one, the Golden Knights are a much different constructed team than they were that year. Sure, there are the parallels with the Patty Kazmaier top-three finalist forward and the great goaltending, but the 2014 team relied so much on their upperclassmen, something this year’s team hasn’t had to do.

Bannon and linemate, senior captain Cayley Mercer, are certainly anchoring the team, but they’ve gotten a huge boost by having sophomore Loren Gabel with them. Clarkson’s second line of Vassidy Vinkle, Michaela Pejzlova and Rhyen McGill is entirely comprised of underclassmen. And Ella Shelton, on their top defensive pair, is a freshman.

Both Gabel and McGill scored on Friday for the Golden Knights, proving just how valuable they are.

Clarkson will face Wisconsin and just like there’s not a comparison for this Clarkson team in terms of not measuring themselves against the 2014 team, Bannon said she doesn’t think the games the Golden Knights played against the Badgers early in the season have much bearing on the two teams that will take the ice in the national championship game.

“I think it’s a blank slate,” Bannon said. “Our team was really different at that time. I think that’s when we were finding our chemistry and I think it’s probably the same for them. It will probably be a different game tomorrow.”

Bannon, Mercer and Gabel have been particularly prolific for Clarkson this year. Mercer is currently second in the country in scoring with 60 points (26g, 34a). Bannon is tied for ninth with 50 points (15g, 35a) and Gabel has been the goal scorer – she has 22 goals and 19 assists.

The production is nothing new for Bannon, who’s improved her numbers every year at Clarkson. As a freshman, she found a way to be productive on a team of veterans and she’s built on that every year since.

Though obviously another title would help the senior class end their careers on a high note, the best part of reaching the final for Bannon is that is shows the growth of Clarkson. The title or even their Frozen Four appearance in 2016 may have been written off.

But with a return trip to the championship game, Clarkson is proving they’re one of the top programs in the country and they intend to stay there.

“I think it’s just in our culture now,” said Bannon. “We don’t expect any less. We have goals. We believe in the process and that will help the team next year and the years after.”

Three takeaways from North Dakota’s 1-0 victory over Denver

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MINNEAPOLIS – Here are three takeaways from North Dakota’s 1-0 NCHC semifinal victory over Denver:

 1. North Dakota is in Playoff Mode

North Dakota is 6-1 in its past seven games. With Friday’s win they locked up a bid to the NCAA tournament.

“It’s the end of the season. It’s playoff hockey. We have been playing hockey for the past few weekends because our lives have been on the line. So to come here and finally get a win against a good team like Denver, is huge for us. Huge for our group, huge for our confidence. We are playing the right way right now. We are finding ways to win and we are going to roll with it,” said Fighting Hawks goalie Cam Johnson.

The win marked the first in a semifinal game for North Dakota at the NCHC tournament. The Fighting Hawks are 0-4 versus Minnesota Duluth this season and have a chance to continue their roll without the pressure of having to win to make the NCAA Tournament.

2. The Pioneers are human

Denver’s 13-game win streak ended in a 1-0 shutout at the hands of divisional rival North Dakota. The loss was the second time Denver has been shut out this season. The 13-game winning stretch was one in which Denver had outscored its opponents by almost 3 goals a game (4.31 to 1.38).

North Dakota hit Denver hard and yielded little space on the ice, holding the Pioneers to just 12 shots through two periods. 12 shots was their average in the first two periods during the 13-game streak.

“I thought both teams were excellent tonight. Shots were what 23-21. Scoring chances were in the single digits for both teams,” said Jim Montgomery.

Denver’s defense was also outstanding all night, giving up just one goal which came off a unfortunate rebound off the lively boards at Target Center.

“We noticed that right away when we started practicing (lively boards). If you kept it on the ice it would bound out and even if you put it on the dasher about two feet it would come out pretty quick,” said DU defenseman Will Butcher.

3. Silver Lining

Sometimes a loss in tournament play can give a team a reality check and focus them on some of the little things they need to improve upon.

“Just the pace. Knowing how to play against a team that’s this tight checking. It’s what we are going to see in the NCAA Tournament,” Montgomery said. “I thought for a while here our practices have not been at the pace that they need to be, but we have been successful. It’s hard to really get mad at your players when you keep having success. I think this is the only benefit, silver lining out of this. We are going to get back to practicing with pace and using walls and having great puck support coming to the puck.”

The Pioneers may very well face North Dakota again in Fargo next week if they secure the No. 1  overall seed with a  victory Saturday versus Western Michigan.

Three takeaways from Penn State’s 4-3 victory over Minnesota

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DETROIT – Here are three takeaways from Penn State’s 4-3, double-overtime semifinal win over Minnesota:

1.  Penn State is relentless.  While they didn’t control every aspect and every minute of this game, the Nittany Lions outshot the Golden Gophers 63-40, and at the end of regulation shots were 43-23.  Penn State leads the country in shots on goal, averaging 45.11 per game.  The Nittany Lions will shoot the puck from anywhere to attempt to create offensive chances, a tactic that can keep the puck in an opponent’s end for an extended period of time and one that can certainly wear the opposition down.  In Friday night’s game, the only period in which Minnesota outshot Penn State was in the second overtime, when shots were 11-9 in favor of the Golden Gophers.

2.  The goaltending in Friday night’s game was outstanding.  Clearly, Minnesota’s Eric Schierhorn was solid with 59 saves, but Penn State’s Peyton Jones robbed several Golden Gophers of certain goals.  Jones’ most spectacular save was at 11:27 in the first overtime, a glove save that prevented Mike Szmatula from earning hero status. The defense for each team was also consistent right up until the game-winning goal.  It strikes me that a week before the NCAA Tournament is a very good time for these two teams to elevate their defensive level of play, especially for Penn State.

3.  This was an intense game, from the initial drop of the puck until Erik Autio’s game-winning goal at 13:33 in the second overtime, and the Nittany Lions sustained so much intensity in regulation that they looked a little gassed toward the end of the first OT.  It’s a good bet that this will be a factor in Saturday’s championship game against Wisconsin. Not only was the turnaround shortened for Penn State by the double OT, but the emotion of likely securing the program’s first-ever NCAA bid with this win will likely keep these players up for some time.

Minnesota coach Don Lucia, whose team easily could have been the one facing a shortened recovery time before a championship game, fielded a question about changing the overtime format to four-on-four hockey.  He was having none of it.

“Why change the game?  The game’s five-on-five. No chance.  That’s not the way hockey’s supposed to be played.  Why change the game?  The game’s five-on-five; let’s play five-on-five, no matter how long it takes.  Does anybody get tired of watching overtime? I don’t know of anyone who says, ‘Oh, geez, I hated that goalie with the big save there.’  I think that’s the exciting part.  I’m a purist. I’m a purist and you’re not going to see the Stanley Cup go four-on-four in overtimes, and neither should we.”

 

Three takeaways from Boston College’s win over Boston University, 3-2

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These are the three takeaways from BC’s dramatic win over BU.

1. It ain’t over till it’s over!

Holee smokes! I’ve seen many dramatic comebacks over the years, but I don’t think I’ve seen three extra skater goals in the last three minutes. So with three minutes left in a 3-0 game, I began to pack up. I was still watching the action, but I wanted to get the first elevator down from the press box.

When the Terriers scored at 17:36 to make it 3-1, I slowed my packing. When they scored again at 18:38 to narrow the margin to 3-2, I stopped packing altogether.

Could the Terriers pull it off? Could this be the most crushing loss ever for BC?

“We took a timeout and everyone just took a deep breath,” senior Ryan Fitzgerald said. “We knew what we had to do to get a win and we were able to execute.”

Yes, they did. But there were a lot of BC hearts a-thumpin’.

2. Beating a team a fourth straight time may be tough, but it’s not because of three previous wins.

I’ve never bought the “it’s tough to beat a team four times” contention. I figure if you’re the better team in three games, then what piece of logic says you’re suddenly no longer the better team in game four?

(It’s not as stupid as the utterly moronic phrase, “a two-goal lead is the toughest lead to protect in hockey.” If that were the case, then teams that reach that margin would deliberately score on their own goalie to drop their precarious two-goal lead to the allegedly easier-to-protect one-goal lead. In fact, every two-goal lead that has ever been lost, eventually became a one-goal lead that was lost. But not every two-goal lead gets lost. Q.E.D. But I digress…)

When asked, BU’s Doyle Somerby deflected the question about the impact of BU’s three wins in the regular season over BC .

“It’s extremely difficult to beat a team four times, but we try to throw out everything that has happened in the past,” he said. “We knew that they were going to come out firing with their season on the line. We tried to not look at the past games, and just looked forward.”

BU coach David Quinn, though, took the myth straight on.

“I don’t think those three wins had anything to do with tonight,” he said. “Every game takes on its own personality, its own identity.”

3. No team, no matter how talented, can keep digging holes for itself and count on being able to crawl out.

In their quarterfinal series with Northeastern, the Terriers fell behind 2-0 in both first periods, forcing themselves to creep back inch by inch, winning their games in overtime on one night and the final minute of regulation the other.

On this evening, BU stood even after a scoreless, evenly played first period, but resumed their hole-digging ways in the second, falling behind by the familiar deficit of 2-0. This time, however, the hole turned out to be their Hockey East grave as Boston College expanded the lead to 3-0 and then didn’t allow them to crawl all the way out. Close, but not quite.

“We did some crazy things there with the goalie pulled, [scoring] twice and had some chances to tie it,” Quinn said. “I’ve mentioned through the last few weeks about us playing with fire. We played with an inferno tonight.”

And got burned.

Three takeaways from Air Force’s 1-0 victory over Army West Point

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Three takeaways from Air Force’s 1-0 win over Army West Point:

History doesn’t repeat

In last year’s Atlantic Hockey semifinals, Air Force found itself in a similar position — clinging to a 1-0 lead late in the third period. The last time, the Falcons lost the lead in the final minutes and eventually the game in overtime to Rochester Institute of Technology.

“We had a young team last year,” said Air Force coach Frank Serratore. ” We were in the exact same position and that’s what I challenged the boys with in the last TV timeout.

“We were here with RIT … and we couldn’t get a puck out and it ended up in our net, and we end up losing in overtime. Last year, we didn’t get it done. (I told them) ‘This year is different and we’re going to get it done.’ And we went out and took the next step.”

Home away from home

Air Force is looking for its sixth Atlantic Hockey playoff title, and its first since 2012. Since the league moved its championships to Rochester, the Falcons are 11-2 at Blue Cross Arena. Both of those losses were in the semifinals (2010 and 2016). Air Force is 5-0 in AHC championship games (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012)

One reason for that is Serratore’s team rising to the occasion in the postseason, where the Falcons are now 29-10 since joining Atlantic Hockey. Another reason is Air Force’s ability to win on the road. The Falcons are 13-5-2 this season away from Cadet Ice Arena.

“In the playoffs, if you want to be a champion, you have to come from behind and you have to win on the road,” said Serratore. “And you have to be able to win a 1-0 game and we found a way to get it done.

“Us playing in a neutral site, we relish that. We won 12 (now 13) games on the road so us coming to a neutral site, we’re fine with that. ”

Leaving a legacy

Army West Point came up short in its second consecutive trip to the semifinals, losing a 2-1 overtime heartbreaker to Robert Morris last season. But coach Brian Riley says it’s a credit to this senior class for getting the Black Knights to Rochester two years in a row and winning a combined 34 games the past two seasons after single-digit win totals in each of the four prior campaigns.

“Your legacy, you always want to leave a place better when you leave than you got there,” said Riley. “And man oh man, our seniors have certainly done that.”

Senior goaltender Parker Gahagen echoed his coach’s comments. “From where we started to where we are now, it’s been a great representation of our (senior) class. I think our goal was to make the team and our organization better, and I think we accomplished that.”

Three takeaways from Cornell’s 4-1 victory over Union

By GABBI RIGGI
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LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – Here are three takeaways from Cornell’s 4-1 victory over Union in an ECAC Hockey semifinal Friday night.

1. Cornell inundated the Dutchmen with 21 shots on goal in the first period. While the production evened out through the next two frames with six shots in each, Cornell swarmed the Union half of the net. Even with the Big Red’s output triple that of the Dutchmen, the first period ended scoreless. Union ended the game outshooting Cornell 34 to 33, with nine power-play shots on four opportunities. On the other side of the puck Cornell blocked 18 shots; now a hallmark of their game. Mike Schafer, Cornell coach, pointed to Jake Weider as a team leader in laying down in front of shots.

“He leads our charge on those blocked shots,” Schafer said. “Someone said that he has twice as many (blocks) as the next competitors in our league are concerned. He leads by example; our guys follow.”

2. Union’s Hobey Baker finalists Mike Vecchione and Spencer Foo were largely held off the score sheet and out of play for a large majority of the game. Foo’s assist on Cole Maier’s goal, the only tally for the Dutchmen, was the only impact really felt by the nation’s No. 3 and 4 scorers. The positioning and work by the Cornell defensemen to negate the two as a factor is seen as a key part in transitioning Friday night’s success into a title on Saturday.

“Vecchione, to keep him off the score sheet … they have two really good lines,” Cornell coach Mike Schafer said. “It’s very similar to tomorrow night’s game (against Harvard). You’ve got (Alex) Kerfoot, (Ryan) Donato, (Lewis) Zerter-Gossage, and you have the other line with (Tyler) Moy, they also have two great lines. It’s great preparation going into tomorrow night.”

3. Ivy League fans should rejoice at an all-time classic matchup between the Big Red and Harvard set for Saturday night. The teams have faced off six times in the ECAC Championship, with Cornell leading the all-time record advantage 4-2. The most recent meeting resulted in a Harvard win in 2006. The 2002 and 2003 championships between the two went to overtime, and the first meeting in 1969 ended in a 4-2 Cornell victory.

 

Pair of seniors propel Wisconsin to women’s championship game

By Phil Scherer
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ST. CHARLES, Mo. — All season long, the goal for Wisconsin women’s hockey senior class has been simple: get to the championship game no matter what it takes.

As it turned out, a pair of those seniors willed their team to that goal, although only one of the efforts would have been predicted before the evening began.

The predicted effort came from goalie Ann-Renée Desbiens, who pitched yet another shutout for the Badgers, her 17th of the season.

The unexpected effort came from defenseman Mellissa Channell, who’s game-winning goal was just her third of the season and 11th of her four-year career.

Though this level of play has become the norm for Desbiens, Friday evening’s 1-0 shutout over Boston College was far from her routine effort.

The Eagles peppered Desbiens with shots throughout the first period, forcing her to make 11 saves in the first 10 minutes, and 22 for the game.

Keeping focused has been a concern with a lack of action and shots in some games this season, but that was not the case in the semifinal.

“It actually helps to get a lot of shots coming at you to get you engaged,” Desbiens said.

She admitted that it was a different feeling than many games this year, where the Badgers normally keep the ice tilted away from their world-class goaltender. The team’s high-powered offense has outscored opponents by 84 goals this season, and have outshot their opponents by nearly 1,000 shots throughout the year.

Whereas the high level of play in goal is expected from Desbiens, the opposite could be said of the game’s lone goal scorer.

Channell, a senior defenseman from Oakville, Ont., had not scored in game since early January. Ironically, that goal also came in St. Charles, the home of this year’s Frozen Four.

After scoring what ended up being the winner for Wisconsin, Channell jokingly said, “I don’t score much.”

She added that the ultimate goal of hockey is to score, that it ultimately doesn’t matter who puts the puck in the back of the net.

And although the admits she didn’t know what the biggest goal of her career was up to this point, that debate has all but ended.

With the deadlocked game destined for overtime with less than 20 seconds remaining, Channell’s shot from the left point found its way through traffic in front of the net.

The goal allowed Wisconsin’s senior class to accomplish its mission. The game may not have followed the script of many Badger victories this season, but to Desbiens, Channell and the rest of the team, there is only one number that matters: Wisconsin 1, Boston College 0.

After three consecutive losses in the semifinal round, the six seniors will finally get a taste of that long-awaited championship game, and they now have a new goal in mind: winning an NCAA championship.

Three takeaways from Robert Morris’ 6-2 victory over Canisius

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ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Here are three takeaways from Robert Morris’ 6-2 victory over the Canisius in an Atlantic Hockey semifinal on Friday.

1. Finishing as the top seed in Atlantic Hockey has not been an easy path to the championship. Since the league’s inaugural 2003-04 campaign, only five regular-season champions have won the league tournament.

Which prompted the question, “Why?”

“It’s very simple: good teams,” said Canisius coach Dave Smith. “The top seed is a marathon. This is a one-game scenario.

“The league is legit. And to win this league, you’ve got to be great on this weekend. We weren’t great this weekend.”

Robert Morris coach Derek Schooley knows the feeling of being upset as the top seed all too well, having seen his team’s season end at the hands of Rochester Institute of Technology in the championship game last season, and in the semifinals in overtime to Mercyhurst, 4-3, despite outshooting the Lakers 62-29.

“You feel like you’re a failure,” Schooley explained. “But at the end of the day, there’s a lot to be proud of. But it’s tough for them to see that right now.”

Smith recounted the progress the league has made in the NCAA Tournament since his days as an assistant with Mercyhurst through Canisius’ 4-3 loss to Quinnipiac in 2013, in a game the Griffins led 3-1 at the second intermission. He’s convinced that future success and getting multiple AHC teams into the NCAA Tournament is just down the road.

“We had four teams in the top 34 (of the PairWise Rankings). We need three or four teams in the top 24. We need three teams in the top of the PairWise,” Smith said.

“It’s coming. It’s growth.”

2. Atlantic Hockey coaches picked Robert Morris sixth in their preseason poll. But the Colonials, despite losing 10 seniors from last season and welcoming in 10 freshmen, weren’t about to accept this as a rebuilding year.

“Everybody wrote us off,” Schooley said. “We took it as a little bit of a chip on our shoulder. We wanted to prove that we weren’t going to take a step back as a program. And here we are … we’re going to play for another title tomorrow night.”

Schooley credited the leadership on his team for turning things around quickly: “They’ve done an outstanding job with the stewardship of this team.”

“Our seniors, all our captains, have done a great job and told me just play my game,” agreed junior Brady Ferguson.

Ferguson’s hat trick boosted his team-leading total to 24 goals and 58 points.

Freshman goalie Francis Marotte said that getting a warm welcome helped the large rookie class quickly become part of the team. ”Since we’re a big class, we needed that coming in,” Marotte said.

3. Griffins goaltender Charles Williams ended his collegiate career and a storybook season with the loss. He transferred to Canisius with a year of eligibility left after graduating from Ferris State. He was welcomed immediately and won the starting job.

“It’s been a huge blessing,” said Williams.

Williams has been at the top of the national goalie statistics for the latter part of the season. He ends the year with the top save percentage in Division I at .943 and the third-best GAA at 1.82.

“This year is something I couldn’t have imagined, couldn’t have drawn up this summer,” Williams said. “To be here, to be a part of what we did here this season, is something I will never forget

 

Three takeways from Minnesota Duluth’s win over Western Michigan

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The Bulldogs second period
Outscored 12-7 in the second period in the last six games, Minnesota Duluth bucked the trend by tying Western Michigan 1-1 in the second stanza. Despite being outscored almost 2-1 in the second period down the stretch, the Bulldogs were 4-1-1 in the stretch.

“Well, I think their second goal woke our bench up for sure,” said Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin. “I thought we played better toward the end of the period and got a goal and tried to carry that over into the third. We have to get better in the second periods. You know teams are going to make a push when they’re trailing and we were up 2-1. Very similar to the game we had there Saturday where we were up 2-0 and they came out and made a real good push in the second.”

The same six games also saw freshman goaltender Hunter Miska’s save percentage suffer, stopping just .852 with a goals-against of 3.33 compared to the prior six-game stretch where he sported an unworldly .958 mark with a GAA of 1.33. For the season, Miska holds a .917 save percentage and 2.21 GAA.

Both the second period woes and Miska’s lower save percentage come at a time where the Bulldogs are allowing seven less shots per game in the last six games versus the previous six.

Western road woes continue
The Broncos’ road woes continue. At home, Western Michigan is 10 games over .500 (14-4-3) while just one game over 500 away from Lawson Ice Arena (8-7-2). Offense seems to be an issue, as the Broncos score an average of 3.85 goals at home vs. 2.94 away from Lawson. Defensively the team is  playing slightly worse.

In neutral-site games, the Broncos are 2-1 including Friday’s 5-2 loss, scoring 2.33 goals per game while allowing two goals a game.

“We’re actually pretty good at neutral-site games if you check that,” said Broncos coach Andy Murray. “This is what you’d call a neutral-site game; we’ve won quite a few neutral-site games this year. They’re seven other pretty good teams in this league too.”

With only neutral-site games remaining, the Broncos need to find a way to score away from Lawson in hopes of a making a strong tournament run.

“Lawson is definitely a tough building to play in,” said senior defenseman Taylor Fleming. “Nice to have those fans and they help us out and give us a lot of energy. Any time  you are on the road, it’s always going to be a tough game. I don’t think there’s a reason for us being a .500 team on the road; we just have to be better, because the rest of the season is going to be on the road, so we have to pick it up.”

Chasing a one seed
Both teams came into the game staring at one seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Western had a half-game lead on Minnesota for the final one seed, while Duluth had locked up its one seed and had a chance of the top overall seed. Western’s chances were significantly hurt with Friday’s loss.

Losing Saturday will end any hope the Broncos have for a one seed. Duluth will need Denver to lose at least once and get some help from teams that played Denver, such as Air Force.

Check out this scenario in the PairWise Predictor:

http://pwp.uscho.com/rankings/pairwise-predictor/?uniq=pwp_58cc8f0c4d028

Three takeaways from Wisconsin’s 2-1 victory over Ohio State

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DETROIT – Here are three takeaways from second-seeded Wisconsin’s 2-1 victory against No. 3-seed Ohio State in the Big Ten semifinal at Joe Louis Arena.

1. The reality is you can’t tell the story of the game without mentioning the NCAA Tournament. Conference supremacy is on the line this weekend, of course, but the reality was Ohio State would have punched its ticket  to the postseason with a win and Wisconsin’s season would have been over with a loss. Instead, the Badgers – in their first year under coach Tony Granato – kept their campaign alive and now the Buckeyes must watch, wait, and root for favorites. There was an air of playoff desperation – in a good way – about the game, as each team knew its fate with a loss, and it led to a game that occasionally was a back-and-forth “ping-pong match,” as Ohio State coach Steve Rohlik put it. But that desperation helped Wisconsin shut down a Buckeye attack that had scored eight goals a week before in a two-game sweep in Madison.

2. Wisconsin freshman goaltender Jack Berry grew up about 50 miles north of Detroit in Holly, Mich., and his first pro sports event as a kid was a Detroit Red Wings game. He walked on at Wisconsin this year and, after an injury last weekend to Matt Jurusik, started and played the Badgers into the Big Ten title game. OK, it’s not quite a Cinderella story - Berry had played in 22 games this year, time he had earned through his play – but it is still a great storyline. Berry was fantastic for Wisconsin, making his biggest save at 2-1 in the third when he kicked aside OSU star Nick Schilkey’s shot from the slot. He also turned aside Buckeye freshman Tanner Laczynski – who was on Team USA’s gold-medal-winning World Juniors squad – a couple of times in the first. “I had a blast out there,” Berry said afterward. “If you were zooming a camera on me, I probably had a smile on my face. It’s pretty surreal.”

3. Ohio State entered the game with the nation’s second-best scoring offense thanks in part to a power play operating at a clip well over 30 percent, tops in the country. Looking for reasons why Wisconsin was able to keep the Buckeyes’ offense well below its usual output? The Badgers took just two minor penalties in the game, and though the Buckeyes scored their lone goal on the power play, they simply didn’t get many chances to get the man-advantage cooking. “I thought tonight with how much we had the puck, how much we played in the offensive zone, you take less penalties because the other team is chasing you around,” Granato said. “I thought maybe that was part of last week’s issue. We had to do a lot of hooking and holding because we played a lot without the puck. I thought tonight that was a huge difference.”

Adrian, Plattsburgh lead with five players apiece on D-III women’s All-American selections

USCHO Staff Report
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More than half of the 24 players honored as 2017 CCM Division III women’s All-Americans will compete in the NCAA championship in Adrian, Mich., this weekend.

Host Adrian and top-ranked Plattsburgh lead the way with five selections each. Semifinalists Norwich (two) and Gustavus Adolphus (one) bring the total to 13 still competing.

First Team – East

Player's NamePositionClassSchool
Kayla MeneghinFJr.Plattsburgh
Sarah SchwenzfeierFJr.Norwich
Melissa SheeranFJr.Plattsburgh
Erin BrandDSr.Plattsburgh
Kim TiberiDJr.Norwich
Sam WaltherGJr.Hamilton

First Team – West

Player's NamePositionClassSchool
Kathryn LarsonFSr.St. Thomas
Kristin LewickiFSr.Adrian
Dani SibleyFSr.Wisconsin-River Falls
Paige JohnsonDSr.Wisconsin-River Falls
Kelly O'SullivanDFr.Adrian
Amanda DiNellaGSo.Gustavus Adolphus

Second Team – East

Player's NamePositionClassSchool
Alison ButlerFSr.St. Anselm
Alex ToupalFJr.Amherst
Jessica YoungFJr.Middlebury
Megan CrandellDJr.Plattsburgh
Carly WatsonDSr.Middlebury
Camille LeonardGSr.Plattsburgh

Second Team – West

Player's NamePositionClassSchool
Carly MoranFJr.Wisconsin-River Falls
Kaylyn SchrokaFSr.Adrian
Sarah ShurebFSr.Adrian
Kayla GriffithDJr.Lake Forest
Sydney SmithDSr.Adrian
Angie HallGJr.Wisconsin-River Falls

Three takeaways from UMass-Lowell’s 5-1 victory over Notre Dame

By
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BOSTON - Despite one hiccup by Tyler Wall at the beginning of Friday evening’s Hockey East semifinal between UMass Lowell and Notre Dame, the River Hawks dominated the game from start to finish, securing a berth in the Hockey East final. Here are three takeaways from Lowell’s 5-1 victory.

1. Going into Friday’s game, the matchup to watch appeared to be the UMass-Lowell attack vs. Cal Petersen, a Hockey East first-team goaltender. Lowell got the better of the matchup, putting in five goals in the course of a masterful effort in the offensive zone. The Lowell offense was generated not in grade-A areas, but from above the circles. Save for Michael Kapla’s second-period goal, Lowell’s converted chances that were generated in the offensive zone came from either the high slot or above the circles, finding traffic in front. While the River Hawks got some looks in grade-A areas, Lowell’s best chances came from getting pucks to the net in space.

2. There is really no other way to describe Notre Dame’s performance other than bad. The Irish spent most of the first period either pinned in their zone or chasing the puck in the offensive zone. With a whole period of potential offense lost, by the time the Irish got their footing, they were playing catch-up against a very dangerous scoring attack and a difficult goalie to score on.  ”The goal we scored was a gift,” Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson said. “We had a lot of uncharacteristic things, we turned pucks over in our end, we turned pucks over in the offensive end too that led to goals.”

3. If anyone had any doubt ever about the staying power of the rise of the River Hawks in Hockey East tournament play, Friday evening’s game should put that to rest. With the win, the River Hawks will play in their fifth consecutive Hockey East tournament final. With year-after-year of competitive teams coming out of the Tsongas Center, the River Hawks have earned their place amongst the league’s giants. “I think the guys like playing here, there’s no question about it,” UML coach Norm Bazin said. “It’s an exciting time of year to be playing hockey. It shows stability, it shows a consistency in the program, and it shows accountability, and the guys are itching to come back this year.”

Three takeaways from Harvard’s 4-1 victory over Quinnipiac

By John Lyons
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LAKE PLACID, N.Y. - Here are three takeaways from Harvard’s 4-1 victory over Quinnipiac on Friday.

1. Harvard’s top line of Ryan Donato, Alex Kerfoot and Lewis Zerter-Gossage is a scoring threat every time it’s on the ice, but the hot play of Sean Malone and his linemates gives the Crimson legitimate scoring depth. Malone recorded a hat trick and Luke Esposito added a pair of points to help the Crimson win, but they were also the best players on the ice all night for Harvard. Tyler Moy had three shots, Esposito had two and Malone had six. Their performance should give coach Ted Donato and Co. confidence heading forward, knowing that the Kerfoot line can be held off the scoresheet without worry. Not only did Malone have three goals, but he scored them in three different ways. His first one was a shot from the slot, the second came off a rebound near the net and the third was an individual play by the senior to drive the net and put the moves on Andrew Shortridge. Malone has a willingness to play in the dirty areas

2. Penalties were a problem last year for the Crimson against Quinnipiac, particularly Luke Esposito’s major penalty after a hit on Sam Anas. While its penalty kill held up this time, late penalties in the third period were still an issue for Harvard. Tyler Moy took a penalty with 7:46 left in the third period, when the score was 3-1, and Wiley Sherman found himself in the box along with Tanner MacMaster of Quinnipiac with 4:12 left. Only the Moy penalty resulted in a power play, and the Crimson managed to kill it off, but handing late power plays to Union or Cornell in the championship game tomorrow is not something Harvard wants to do, and they might not get away with it again. Granted, Moy was in the box for two minutes, not five like Esposito was last year, but the argument is the same; late penalties almost never pay off.

 3. Merrick Madsen has been far from bad this season, posting a 24-5-2 record with a .915 save percentage and a 2.26 goals allowed average, but his performance in the third period, in which he stopped all 15 Quinnipiac shots he faced, shows that every facet of this Harvard team is locked in. The defense allowed 26 shots, but 15 came in the third as the Bobcats were fighting to preserve their playoff lives, and none of those 15 found the back of the net. Credit Madsen, but also defenders like Adam Fox, who made two big blocks in the waning minutes of the game, and forwards like Ryan Donato, who was a force on the penalty kill and helped the Crimson move the puck out of their defensive end quickly. It’s no secret that this is one of the most talented teams in the country, and if they continue to play defense the way they did today, they have a deep playoff run ahead of them in the national tournament.

Already top scorer in women’s D-III, Wisconsin-River Falls’ Sibley chosen Laura Hurd Award winner

USCHO Staff Report
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sibley

Dani Sibley, a senior forward from Wisconsin-River Falls and the leading scorer in NCAA Division III women’s hockey, is the recipient of the 2017 Laura Hurd Award.

The award, voted on by the nation’s Division III head coaches, is presented to the best player at the NCAA women’s Division III level.

A native of Monticello, Minn., Sibley recorded 27 goals and 65 points in 29 games this season, leading the nation in assists and short-handed goals (4).

In her remarkably consistent career, the two-time All-American had 81 goals and 87 assists for 168 points. Included among those 81 goals were seven career SHGs and 15 game winners.

She was chosen WIAC Player of the Year this season.

“Dani has worked extremely hard every year to become the player that she is today,” said UW-River Falls head coach Joe Cranston in a news release. “She is not only the best player I have ever coached, but also the best player I have ever seen at the D-III level. Dani is also a two-way player – she is a backchecking machine, and she leads our forwards in blocked shots.

“Since joining the WIAC four years ago, Dani has lead our team to four straight regular season conference championships, and four straight conference tournament championships. She helped her team to three straight NCAA Frozen Four championships, and she dominated in those games. Dani has played in nine NCAA tournament games over the past three years, and she scored four goals and seven assists for 11 points in those games. Dani is a leader, team captain, a very good student and an all around great kid. She is truly the best player I have ever had the privilege of coaching.”

Sibley is the first player from the WIAC to win the Hurd Award and only the fourth skater from the West to be so honored in the 18-year history of the award.

The runner-up for this year’s Hurd Award was Kristin Lewicki, a senior forward from Adrian. Lewicki, whose squad is competing this weekend in the NCAA Division III championships in Adrian, Mich., is two points behind Sibley with 63 points this season.

The award is named in honor of former Elmira star Laura Hurd who died in a car accident shortly after graduation. Hurd was a four-time All-American who led Elmira to victory in the first NCAA Division III women’s championship.

Adrian’s Davis claims women’s AHCA D-III Coach of the Year honors

USCHO Staff Report
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chad_davis

Chad Davis of Adrian has been named CCM/AHCA Division III women’s Coach of the Year for 2016-17.

Currently in his sixth season at the helm of the Bulldogs, Davis brings an 18-game winning streak into Friday night’s NCAA semifinal against Gustavus Adolphus.

The Bulldogs were 27-2-0 on the year with both losses dealt by Plattsburgh, a potential championship game opponent. His overall record at Adrian is 127-30-9, including 52-5-1 over the last two seasons. A perfect 18-0-0 in NCHA play this season, Adrian won the conference championship with a 5-1 final win over Lake Forest and advanced to the NCAA semifinals with a 5-4 overtime victory over Elmira in the quarterfinals.

Prior to joining the Adrian staff, Davis spent the 2009-10 season as a volunteer assistant coach at NCAA Division I Robert Morris, where he worked with the Colonials goaltenders that finished first in Atlantic Hockey in team save percentage and goals-against average in overall play.

Before joining the coaching ranks, Davis played professionally for the Laredo Bucks of the Central Hockey League. He played his college hockey with Division I American International, appearing in 52 games from 2001-04. He graduated from AIC in 2004 with a bachelor of science degree in business administration.

Davis was assisted this season by Shawn Skelly, a former AC men’s standout.

The runner-up for this year’s award was Kevin Houle of top-ranked SUNY Plattsburgh. Houle has received the award six times, including in 2016.

The CCM/AHCA Coach of the Year Awards are chosen by members of the AHCA. Winners will receive their awards at the annual AHCA Celebration of Women’s Ice Hockey Banquet, held in conjunction with the AHCA Convention in Naples, Fla. This year’s banquet is scheduled for Friday, April 28.

Minnesota Duluth’s Crowell tabbed AHCA D-I women’s Coach of the Year

USCHO Staff Report
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Maura Crowell (Harvard - Assistant Coach) - The visiting Dartmouth College Big Green defeated the Harvard University Crimson 3-2 on Wednesday, November 23, 2011, at Bright Hockey Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Melissa Wade)
Maura Crowell took Minnesota Duluth to the WCHA championship game this season (photo: Melissa Wade).

For leading Minnesota Duluth to a 25-7-5 record and into the 2017 NCAA tournament, Maura Crowell has been named the CCM/AHCA Division I women’s Coach of the Year.

Crowell, in just her second year as a Division I head coach, led UMD into the WCHA championship game before bowing 4-1 to Wisconsin. Her squad reached the conference final by virtue of a 2-1 double overtime win over Minnesota, whose second-place regular-season finish was one spot ahead of the Bulldogs.

Crowell’s two-year record in Duluth is 40-28-6 and her career mark is 136-88-14.

Prior to her arrival in Duluth, Crowell spent five seasons at Harvard, including a stint as Harvard’s associate head coach in 2014-15 after filling an interim head coaching role in 2013-14 (guiding Harvard to a 23-7-4 record.) She was a Crimson assistant coach from 2010 to 2013. Prior to signing on with the Crimson, Crowell built an impressive resume over five years (2005-10) at the UMass Boston helm. During her time behind the Beacon bench, she rolled up an overall record of 73-53-4 — making her UMass Boston’s all-time winningest coach — and was chosen the ECAC East Coach of the Year in 2009-10.

Crowell’s collegiate coaching resume also includes a two-season stint (2003-05) as an assistant coach at Connecticut College, where she helped the Camels to their first first-ever playoff appearance. Crowell came to Connecticut College from St. Mark’s School in Southborough, Mass., where she doubled as an assistant women’s hockey coach and junior varsity lacrosse coach.

A Mansfield, Mass. native, Crowell enjoyed a rewarding four-year playing career at Colgate and helped the Raiders to three straight ECAC playoff appearances and a spot in the 2000 ECAC championship game. She graduated from Colgate in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in German and earned her Master’s of the Art of Teaching from Connecticut College in 2005.

Crowell was assisted this season by Laura Bellamy, Chris Connolly and Chris Esposito.

The runner-up for this year’s CCM/AHCA Division I Women’s Coach of the Year Award was four-time recipient Mark Johnson from Wisconsin, the top-ranked team in the NCAA this season.

The CCM/AHCA Coach of the Year Award winners are chosen by members of the AHCA. Winners will receive their awards at the annual AHCA “Celebration of Women’s Hockey” Banquet, held in conjunction with the AHCA Convention in Naples, Fla. This year’s event is scheduled for Friday, April 28.

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