Last week, I got Duluth’s sweep of St. Cloud right, but Matthew got the North Dakota-Minnesota Saturday result right, so we both went 4-3-1 (.562). On the year, I am 29-21-7 (.570) while Matthew is 25-25-7 (.500). Let’s see how we do this week.
Friday-Saturday, Nov. 11-12
St. Cloud State at Colorado College Candace: Colorado College has shown a lot improvement early. St. Cloud will rebound after getting swept though, and I’m not convinced the Tigers have fixed their defensive issues yet. St. Cloud State 4-2, 4-3 Matthew: I’m tempted to give CC a little love here and pick a split, but I think the Huskies will get the job done and sweep. St. Cloud State 3-2, 3-1
Denver at North Dakota Candace: Hard to see anything other than a split, and I’ll pick North Dakota to win first, since I can’t see the Hawks going winless in a fifth consecutive game. North Dakota 3-2, Denver 3-2 Matthew: UND needs to get back on track, but I’d be surprised to see this Denver team leave Grand Forks empty-handed. North Dakota 4-2, Denver 4-2
Omaha at Miami Candace: Both teams have been consistently inconsistent. Home ice should get the RedHawks at least one win. Miami 3-2, Omaha 3-1 Matthew: Omaha won Alaska’s tournament earlier this season, and they’ve been up-and-down since then during a six-game homestand. Maybe hitting the road again is what the Mavericks need, but Miami would be hard to beat at home. Hmm. Miami 3-2, Omaha 3-2
Western Michigan at Minnesota-Duluth Candace: Western has been the surprise team of the conference this year. They look really good. Duluth looks better, and while I think a split is entirely possible, I’m going with the Bulldogs to stay hot. Minnesota-Duluth 3-2, 3-2 Matthew: Western is looking very good so far this season, and I have a feeling the Broncos could give UMD their second home loss. I just don’t know which night to go with. Minnesota-Duluth 3-2, Western Michigan 3-2
Just when you would think you would gain some games, Dave goes (almost) perfect on the week.
Jim last week: 7-2-3
Jim to date: 38-33-13
Dave last week: 9-0-3
Dave to date: 43-28-13
Friday, November 11
Massachusetts at Merrimack
Jim’s pick: Neither team is playing incredible. Neither is playing well but neither is playing that poorly. Thus, I’ll let home ice dictate. MC 3, UMass 2
Dave’s pick: Agreed. This is definitely a home ice kind of game. MC 3, UMass 2
UMass-Lowell at Maine
Jim’s pick: I lost ground last weekend picking against the River Hawks. Not going to make that mistake again. UML 4, Maine 2
Dave’s pick: Maine has gone seven games without a win, but has played very well in some of those contests. I expect more of the same. UML 3, Maine 2
Connecticut at Ohio State
Jim’s pick: Tough game to call. Ohio State was white hot then got a single point in a two-game series with Robert Morris. Still, I think I can go OSU at home, at least on night one. OSU 3, UConn 1
Dave’s pick: The Buckeyes are 5-1-3 so it’s awfully tough to pick against them at home. OSU 4, UConn 2
Boston University at Michigan
Jim’s pick: There are some injuries that might make this weekend an issue for Boston University, so I don’t see a sweep. Let’s go Michigan on night one. UM 4, BU 2
Dave’s pick: Injuries or not, I still think BU is the better team so I’m going with the Terriers. Even on the road. BU 3, UM 2 (OT)
Saturday, November 12
Notre Dame at Northeastern
Jim’s pick: Though I am not sure I think this weekend will be a sweep, I believe a rested Notre Dame team is dangerous. ND 5, NU 3
Dave’s pick: I was really tempted to go with Northeastern as another home ice victor, but I think the Irish are just too good. ND 4, NU 3
Vermont at Massachusetts
Jim’s pick: A more rested Vermont team gets back to winning ways. UVM 3, UMass 1
Dave’s pick: This will be Vermont’s seventh road game of its first nine. To celebrate the end of these nomadic ways, the Catamounts will secure the win over the Minutemen. UVM 3, UMass 2
Connecticut at Ohio State
Jim’s pick: The Huskies find a way to earn a split. UC 2, OSU 1 (OT)
Dave’s pick: I’d love to see a split, but I think the Buckeyes go to 7-1-3. OSU 3, UC 2
Boston University at Michigan
Jim’s pick: I don’t think BU is going to get swept here. So let’s go Terriers on night two, hoping the offense is ready. BU 5, UM 3
Dave’s pick: This is probably way too optimistic, but I’ll go for a BU sweep. BU 3, UM 3
Arizona State at New Hampshire
Jim’s pick: UNH hasn’t lit the world on fire, but I do believe that they are better than the current Arizona St. team. UNH 5, ASU 2
Dave’s pick: A bit more dues paying for Arizona St. UNH 4, ASU 1
Sunday, November 13
Notre Dame at Northeastern
Jim’s pick: I know I said I wasn’t sure if Notre Dame could sweep. But I’m still going to pick that as I’m not sold on Northeastern right now. ND 3, NU 2
Dave’s pick: I’m going with an Irish sweep, too, making the Huskies 0-4-1 in league play. ND 4, NU 2
Maine at UMass-Lowell
Jim’s pick: After Maine’s fast start, it’s hard to believe I’m picking them to get swept. But this is a Lowell team that is pretty solid. UML 5, UM 3
Dave’s pick: Maine’s last win on Oct. 14 — in overtime over Quinnipiac — feels more and more distant. UML 4, UM 2
Merrimack at New Hampshire
Jim’s pick: This is a strange single game where both teams have already played on the weekend. So I’m going with the home team. UNH 3, MC 2
Dave’s pick: Not to play monkey see, monkey do, but I also think this is a home ice game. UNH 3, MC 2
Arizona State at Boston College
Jim’s pick: The Eagles, simply put, continue to roll. BC 6, ASU 2
Dave’s pick: If this is even close, it’ll be more stunning than, well… let’s not go there. BC 7, ASU 1
Tuesday, November 15
Dartmouth at Vermont
Jim’s pick: Tough game to call as I am not sure of the strength of Dartmouth, so I’ll simply go with the home team. UVM 4, DC 3
Dave’s pick: Because I haven’t gotten enough nasty emails from the fine state of Vermont. DC 3, UVM 2 (OT)
Thursday, November 17
UMass-Lowell at Notre Dame
Jim’s pick: Over time, Lowell has had Notre Dame’s number. But this might be Notre Dame’s best team in its four years in Hockey East. ND 3, UML 2
Dave’s pick: This is yet another game between such closely matched teams that home ice decides it all. ND 3, UML 2
Jim Montgomery (right) is now in his fourth season behind the Denver bench (photo: Bradley K. Olson).
When Jim Montgomery arrived at Denver in April 2013, he became just the eighth head coach in Pioneers men’s hockey history — a program home to seven NCAA national championships, including back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005.
It would be Montgomery’s first head coaching job at the NCAA level, but his experiences as a player and coach before arriving at DU helped prepare him for the position at one of the nation’s top college hockey programs.
The Montreal native knew what it took to win and he’d done it often in his career as a player and coach. He captained Maine to the NCAA national championship in 1993 and was a member of the 1998 Calder Cup champion Philadelphia Phantoms as a player in the American Hockey League. As head coach of the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the United States Hockey League, he led his team to two Clark Cup titles in three seasons before coming to Denver.
Behind Montgomery’s success was a team-first mentality — one he brought to Denver and has used to help develop a strong culture for the Pioneers, while also receiving tremendous support from the university and the surrounding community.
Montgomery’s team-first approach has helped the Pioneers to increasingly better records in each of his three seasons at the school, including a berth in the 2016 NCAA Frozen Four — Denver’s first trip there since 2005.
At DU, Montgomery has created an environment built around identifying each player’s individual strengths and giving them the tools to succeed together as a team.
“We coach very simple — team-first — and we are going to create a culture based on effort, execution and energy. I have always coached that way,” Montgomery explained.
Montgomery, who describes himself as a cerebral player during his playing days, often talked over the game with Paul Kariya while the two were teammates on the Black Bears. He has used that experience to help channel each Pioneer player’s mental energy and immerse each in the role they play on the team.
“That’s the one thing from my playing days that I think has really helped me as a coach, is understanding what gives myself and my teammates success, and what helps them flourish, and relating that to our players and giving them, whatever their role is on the team, to be immersed in that role and believing in what gives our team success … and if we are thinking about those things, then the results take care of themselves,” Montgomery said.
The Pioneers have used this team-first approach to put together three straight seasons of 20 or more wins under Montgomery.
Montgomery’s mentality is reinforced in the Pioneers through the support they receive in the tight-knit community at DU, from the university’s leaders and athletics coaches, to its students and the city of Denver.
“On our campus, we’re very blessed with an incredible athletics program,” Montgomery said. “We all push each other to be better and we all support each other. You see a lot of coaches at all the other events and I think that rallies the student-athletes to do the same.”
Support for the team extends outside of the campus and into the city of Denver — something Montgomery experiences firsthand and appreciates.
“Denver hockey is a big part of, not only campus community, but the city of Denver and I recognize that when I go out for dinner with my family and a lot of people are wishing me luck in the upcoming games,” Montgomery said.
The support the Pioneers receive off the ice helps to facilitate the team-first mindset Montgomery strives to achieve for his players on it.
As a coach at Denver, Montgomery draws upon the lessons he learned as a player at Maine where he played for head coach Shawn Walsh and Grant Standbrook, an assistant coach and close friend.
“With Shawn, it was always about the details, being organized and knowing when to push a team and when to pull a team back, or pull back for the team, to give them space. That’s the biggest thing I learned from Shawn,” Montgomery said.
Montgomery’s Black Bears team lost just one game during that championship season and he credits how Walsh allowed him and his teammates to handle it, as an important point in the team’s development that year. Montgomery carries Walsh’s approach with him as he leads the Pioneers through the ups and downs of the college hockey season.
“I can’t motivate like Shawn can, but I feel that if you’re well-prepared and you give the players the tools that they need to succeed and you hold them accountable to it, that’s in the end what wins championships,” Montgomery said.
“It’s not motivational moments that do it. I think those moments come naturally when you believe in a process and you can pick out those points that are going to allow your team to raise their level, especially in championship moments.”
Montgomery’s strong relationship with Standbrook began at Maine and continues today, as Standbrook watches DU games and gives input on ways for the team to keep improving.
“The impact he has had on me as a coach is probably more profound than it was as a player, if that’s possible, because it was profound as a player and that’s how much of an impact he has,” said Montgomery. “I continue to work with Grant. He watches our games and still gives me ideas on how our team can do better.”
Denver is currently 6-2-0 and on a six-game win streak after dropping the first two games of 2016-17. The team travels to North Dakota for a pair of games on Nov. 11-12 — their first matchup since UND eliminated DU at the 2016 Frozen Four and a good test for the Pioneers.
Denver’s early success has them ranked No. 2 in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll, but Montgomery’s focus is on continuing to improve as a team and getting better each week.
“It’s about team growth and individual growth throughout the year,” Montgomery said. “If your team is continually improving and people are growing and feel a part of something special, I think that’s when you get the opportunity to win championships at the end of the year.”
For the Pioneers, the city of Denver is home, but Montgomery and his players are using a team-first approach with the focus on earning a trip to Chicago in April.
Now in different conferences, Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth will continue to play one another in nonconference action for the next six seasons (photo: Jim Rosvold).
One of Minnesota’s top in-state rivalries will continue into its seventh decade as Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth have agreed to play four home-and-home series over a five-year period starting in 2018-19 and running through 2022-23.
Dates and sites will be determined at a later time.
The Gophers, who hold a 134-79-17 all-time record against the Bulldogs, have played UMD at least once every season since 1961-62 – the longest continuous rivalry for Minnesota.
The two in-state rivals – both nationally ranked – will face off later this year at the North Star College Cup on Friday, Jan. 27 at the Xcel Energy Center. The two programs will also compete at the Ice Breaker Tournament at the Amsoil Arena in Duluth to open the 2017-18 campaign.
“The Gopher series is always a fun one for our players and fans,” said UMD coach Scott Sandelin in a statement. “They’re a competitive program and a rival.”
Minnesota has perennially been the Bulldogs’ biggest draw at home and the top two attended games in Amsoil Arena’s six-year history were both UMD victories over the Gophers. That included a 3-0 triumph before a record 7,569 spectators on Oct. 17, 2015. Five of the top nine all-time crowds at the DECC, UMD’s home facility until midway through the 2010-11 season, also involved Minnesota.
“It is exciting to extend this rivalry for the foreseeable future and for the Bulldog faithful to know that they’ll see the Gophers and Bulldogs face off at Amsoil Arena,” added UMD athletic director Josh Berlo.
The WCHA schedule houses one of the top NCAA matchups this weekend when Bemidji State travels to Minnesota State.
It’s one of three series featuring a top-20 team.
Let’s get picking.
Ferris State at/vs Michigan State (Thursday/Saturday)
Sean: Ferris State has found a nice offensive groove after getting healthier at forward, and younger players have stepped up and learned throughout the course of the season. A home-and-home with Michigan State should be a chance to build on recent success. Bulldogs 4-2, 3-2.
Jack: A rare (for the midwestern hockey leagues) Thursday/Saturday series. Today’s game is in East Lansing while Saturday’s game in Big Rapids is already sold out. I can see some rowdy fans in Ewigleben pushing the Bulldogs to a sweep. Bulldogs 3-2, 5-3
No. 15 Bemidji State at No. 11 Minnesota State
Sean: The Minnesota-based teams are each good at the same time, and the winner of this series can lay claim as the WCHA’s best team. Minnesota State has had the recent success, winning four of the past five, but I think Bemidji gets it done this week. Beavers 3-2, 2-0.
Jack: I do wish I could watch this series in person. I’m covering football instead, but you best be sure I’ll have every minute of this on my computer. As well as the Beavers are playing, I think the Mavericks are going to be the team that hands them their first loss. It’s only appropriate. Beavers 4-2, Mavericks 3-1
No. 20 Lake Superior State at Michigan Tech
Sean: Lake Superior State is going to be getting its fair of road tests for the remainder of 2016, and that starts with a trip within the UP. The Lakers have the offense to get it done, and a road sweep should be a nice confidence booster. Lakers 5-2, 4-2.
Jack: I think the Lakers are legit — that 5-1 win over Minnesota State proved it — but I don’t think they’re at the point where they will be able to go into Houghton and sweep. This seems like a split, especially considering how well the Huskies have been playing. Huskies 4-3, Lakers 5-3
Alaska at Alabama Huntsville
Sean: The Chargers should be favored in this series as they return home for just the second home series of the season. Huntsville also gets back a key asset in goal with Carmine Guerriero returning and likely playing for the first time this season. Chargers 3-1, 2-1.
Jack: Did the Chargers turn the corner after that series in Anchorage? It seemed like it, but I think the Nanooks are a much better team than the Seawolves. This one also seems like a split to me. Chargers 3-2, Nanooks 4-2
Bowling Green at Northern Michigan
Sean: Bowling Green and Northern Michigan have both started to turn things around and seem to be trending in the right direction over the past couple weeks. This has been a historically close series, and it should hold serve that way this weekend. Falcons 3-2, Wildcats 3-2.
Jack: Bowling Green finally got a conference win last weekend. Northern Michigan also just has one (but has beaten Wisconsin twice). This seems like a big split. Wildcats 4-3, Falcons 3-1
Alaska-Anchorage at No. 12 Penn State
Sean: The second Big 10-WCHA meeting this week has Anchorage traveling to Penn State against a top-15 team. Penn State is slowly building a strong program in the Big 10, and this one feels like a sweep. Nittany Lions 4-2, 5-1.
Jack: I can’t see the Seawolves doing much this weekend. The travel and their recent track record doesn’t bode well. Nittany Lions 5-2, 4-3.
Michael Bitzer is a major reason why Bemidji State leads the WCHA with a spotless 8-0 record (photo: Jim Rosvold).
If one were looking ahead on the schedule a month ago, before the start of the season, this week’s Minnesota State-Bemidji State matchup would likely have been important only to Minnesotans.
It’s a nice rivalry, a healthy one that dates back to the programs’ Division II days, but in recent years, the Mavericks have been a dominant force in both the national scene in the WCHA.
That rivalry might move to the forefront of the national college hockey conversation this week.
The Beavers, ranked No. 15 in the country and on top of the WCHA with an 8-0 record, travel to Mankato to take on the No. 11-ranked Mavericks in a battle of the WCHA’s No. 1 and No. 2 teams.
The Beavers’ start might have been something of a shock considering they were picked to finish sixth by both the coaches and the media before the season started.
But Minnesota State coach Mike Hastings — who is 11-4-0 all-time against Bemidji State — said he’s not surprised.
“Their start, in my opinion, is well-earned,” he said. “They’ve played 10 games and they’ve been in every one of them. They’ve not only been in every one of them, but they’ve led in every won of them and played well from behind to where it was a coin toss at the end of the game.
“What they’re doing right now, power-play wise and penalty-kill wise, then defensively and with the goaltending, you stack all that up and that’s why they’re 8-2 and undefeated in the league.”
Although the WCHA standings have been somewhat topsy-turvy so far — preseason favorite Bowling Green has just one league win and is in ninth place while Bemidji State and Lake Superior State are in the top three — the Mavs’ current place isn’t a shock. After sharing the MacNaughton Cup title with Michigan Tech last season, the Mavericks were picked to finish third and have plenty of talent back.
A solid group of veteran offensive players in C.J. Franklin, Brad McClure, Jordan Nelson, Zeb Knutson and Michael Hunterbrinker have helped MSU score 3.60 goals per game (second in the conference). Senior goaltender Cole Huggins, who has started in 68 games for the Mavericks in four years, is 6-2-0 with a 1.99 GAA.
But with eight freshmen on the roster, Hastings has said he still doesn’t think the Mavericks have reached their full potential.
“For us, I think we’re definitely still a work in progress,” he said. “We have an eight-person freshman class. At times, I’ve been happy with where we’re at, but at times, I think we could be better.”
Case-in-point: the Mavericks opened the season with consecutive sweeps against Michigan Tech and instate rivals St. Cloud State, but followed those sweeps with three straight splits — against Alaska, Ferris State and Lake Superior State.
For Hastings, the series against Bemidji State will be a litmus test.
“We have some peaks and valleys that we’re dealing with,” he said. “I just think it’s a great opportunity to judge ourselves against a very well-coached and talented hockey team.”
Re-Charging
As mentioned earlier, Bemidji State and Minnesota State are the class of the WCHA right now.
But, surprisingly Alabama-Huntsville is sitting in the second row behind the nationally-ranked Minnesota-based programs.
Well, let’s rephrase that.
It’s a surprise to everyone outside of the Charger hockey program.
Head coach Mike Corbett said his team doesn’t get wrapped up with key wins or losses. The team celebrates the good and dwells on the bad in a short-time span before moving on, it’s a winning approach that hasn’t always been present in Dixie.
“I’m not throwing any parades, I’m also not going to kill myself either,” Corbett said. “We understand what we need to do. And I think in the past we’d get too low after a loss, and way to up after a win. We couldn’t manage that, and now we can.”
Corbett has helped redefine expectations for the Chargers after being named the fifth coach in eight seasons. He’s in his fourth season in Huntsville and he’s built a program that relies on solid goaltending, and goes after the players that want to be Chargers.
“If you never buy a lottery you’ll never get those big-name players, but you can’t spend all your time lottery dreaming,” Corbett said. “So you have to be smart about recruiting and you have to find the players that others are overlooking. Swing big, but always be realistic while building a program up.”
Alabama-Huntsville came up with a key sweep this past weekend against Alaska-Anchorage, and they should get an emotional boost this week when goaltender Carmine Guerriero returns after missing the first 12 games because of NCAA age limit rules. The Chargers appealed and the goalie was able to rescue his fourth season of college hockey.
Guerriero took a slight dip statistically last season (from a .928 save percentage to .902), but he has a history of playing big games for the Chargers and holds the WCHA record for saves in a game with 76 against Michigan Tech in a five overtime game in 2015.
Ice Chips
– Alaska-Anchorage still has yet to win a conference game, but the Seawolves have taken their last two opponents — Bemidji State and Alabama Huntsville — to the brink with a pair of overtime games in the past two weeks. Last weekend against the Chargers, UAA scored a total of four goals — equaling the output they scored in their first six games combined.
– Alaska hasn’t been able to find a consistent answer in goal. Jesse Jenks and Davis Jones have each played well at times this season, but the moment either looks poised to grab the starting role his next game is a dud. Jenks entered this past weekend on a hot streak after beating Lake Superior State on Oct. 29, but allowed six goals on 32 shots Saturday. Jones started the Sunday game and stopped 17 of 20 shots in a 3-1 loss, leaving the goaltending situation in Alaska as a toss-up.
– Of the three goals Bemidji State allowed last weekend in its sweep against Alaska, two were power play goals. Those were the first two the BSU penalty killers had allowed in league play all season. Currently the Beavers are killing penalties at a 42-for-46 clip overall (.913) — that’s No. 6 nationally.
– Bowling Green finally picked up its first WCHA win in a 4-1 showing against Ferris State this past Friday. For a moment, BGSU looked like the team that was picked as WCHA favorite and limited Ferris to 15 shots. Those positive feelings disappeared in a 3-1 Bulldog victory on Saturday.
– Freshmen provided the spark Ferris State needed in a 3-1 win against Bowling Green. Freshman goalie Justin Kapelmaster picked up the win, while freshman Taylor Fernandez got the Bulldogs on the board first with a goal six minutes into the opening frame.
– Lake Superior State’s split with Minnesota State — they won 5-1 before falling 2-1 — put them in the USCHO.com rankings at No. 20. It’s the first time since Jan. 6, 2014, that the Lakers have been ranked. Their 36 goals through eight games remain No. 1 in the nation — tied with Harvard for the NCAA lead.
– With one more victory, Michigan Tech head coach Mel Pearson will win his 100th career game. He is 99-83-24 in his sixth season as Huskies head coach. A win against Upper Peninsula rivals Lake Superior State this week would give him the milestone; Tech is 40-21-5 all-time against LSSU and 25-9-1 in Houghton, Mich.
– Through 10 games, Northern Michigan has allowed only 11 goals while skating at even strength, with four of those tallies came during their four non-conference games against Wisconsin. But, Northern Michigan has struggled on special teams and given up 15 power-play goals, the second most in the WCHA, and three shorthanded goals, tied for the second-highest in the league
Players of the Week
This week’s WCHA players of the week are Bemidji State senior forward Phillip Marinaccio (offensive), Alabama Huntsville sophomore defenseman Kurt Gosselin (defensive) and Ferris State freshman goaltender Justin Kapelmaster (rookie).
Boston College’s Austin Cangelosi scores on a penalty shot against Air Force goalie Shane Starrett at the Icebreaker Tournament last month in Denver (photo: Candace Horgan).
Eight games in 19 days.
That’s simply not something that resembles a college hockey schedule.
But that’s exactly what Boston College, after finishing Tuesday night’s game against New Hampshire, had played. And the Eagles came through that stretch with a 7-0-1 record.
Add in a Sunday win five days prior to the stretch beginning and Boston College has run its unbeaten streak to a nation’s-best nine games (8-0-1).
You also have to forgive the Eagles if on Tuesday night that didn’t exactly have much left in the tank by game’s end. In fact, the Eagles watched an early 3-0 lead disappear against UNH before J.D. Dudek scored the game-winning goal with 2:27 remaining.
“Not everybody had their legs,” said BC associate coach Greg Brown. “Sometimes when you don’t have your legs you’re just trying to be smart.
“You hope your legs show up, but sometimes they don’t. [Tuesday] we had a few guys like that.
“When you don’t have your legs, you use your head.”
The Eagles have certainly played smart hockey over this unbeaten stretch. Offense has not been a problem, averaging 4.89 goals per game over the nine-game unbeaten streak. Twice the Eagles have exploded for seven of more goals. And at the same time, Tuesday was just the third time in the stretch that the Eagles allowed more than two goals in a game.
Boston College having success shouldn’t come as any surprise to people. But given the fact that the Eagles lost so much talent last offeseason with seven players leaving for the professional ranks, few believed this early success was possible.
But the Eagles are getting contributions from the right place. Jon Woll has been a stabilizing factor in net. Casey Fitzgerald and Michael Kim have each found on offensive touch on the blueline.
And offensively, the goals have come from plenty of sources. Leading that has been Austin Cangelosi, particularly in the last week. After potting a hat trick last Friday against Maine, he tacked on three assists on Tuesday.
“He’s played well all season, but he’s really sharp right now,” said Brown of Cangelosi. “It’s his willingness to work hard every day. He treats every practice like ‘I have to get better.'”
After such a tough schedule stretch, BC will get a bit of a breather. They will play just three games in the next 16 days and this weekend will play a single game against Arizona State at home on Sunday.
Certainly, that will be a welcome breather. Though sometimes when you’re hot like these Eagles, all you want to keep doing to playing games.
River Hawks finding success against tough opponents
Many teams have faced difficult schedules early in the season. At the end of the season, it’s possible we’ll recognize that some weren’t as difficult and other, if October and November opponents go on runs in January and February, some schedules were more difficult than others.
That may be the case for UMass-Lowell. The River Hawks didn’t realize when they faced Minnesota-Duluth that the Bulldogs were just a few weeks away from becoming the nation’s top team. Clarkson and Omaha, the two losses on the River Hawks schedule, could go on to be consistent top-20 teams as the season crawls along.
And then there is last weekend’s opponent, Vermont. Come season’s end, maybe the Catamounts aren’t the top 20 team they were coming into last weekend. But for the River Hawks, they faced a red-hot Vermont team and were successful in slowing that momentum down, sweeping the weekend in Lowell.
That’s a fact that wasn’t lost on coach Norm Bazin.
“We were concerned about [Vermont],” said Bazin. “They’ve been playing so well and they’re hard to play against as a whole, so you have to be very happy with your performance when you can squeeze out four points against a team in Hockey East, particularly a team that is that hot.”
Bazin said there were a number of tough stretches, particularly in Saturday’s 4-2 victory. The game was played largely in the neutral zone for long periods, but each team is dangerous on counterattack, and Bazin realized either game could have been tilted the other way.
“That’s what was most encouraging about [the weekend],” said Bazin. “They had to work through a lot of tough stretches. There’s going to be some of these games and I’m glad they were able to work through it.”
Quick hits
— Of the top 10 goaltenders in save percentage nationally, three hail from Hockey East and all of that trio are freshmen. Boston University’s Jake Oettinger has the best in the league at .941 (sixth nationally). Connecticut’s Adam Huska and Lowell’s Tyler Wall and ranked ninth and 10th, respectively. Another freshman, Vermont’s Stefanos Lekkas, ranks top 10 in goals against, joined in that category by Oettinger and Wall.
— BU’s penalty kill until has been nothing short of amazing this season. The Terriers are 51-for-55 when down a man and at the same time have scored five shorthanded goals. Do the math, the Terriers are actually +1 in goals when killing penalties. In a year where penalties are higher than normal, it’s certainly not the worst trait.
— Speaking of the Terriers, they will be the only Hockey East team locked in a battle of nationally-ranked opponents when they travel to Michigan to face the No. 18 Wolverines. Michigan is the only opponent BU has played 25 or more times without having a winning record. The Terriers are 11-14-0 all-time versus Michigan.
Remembering Bob Saunders
The college hockey world lost one of its friends over the weekend when Bob Saunders passed away. He was 84.
If you’ve been around Matthews Arena over the last two decades, you probably saw Bob. He made his way from the locker room to the rafters every single period, clipboard in hand. He loved the program for the school from which he graduated.
His official title was administrative assistant for internal affairs. But he easily could have had the title Northeastern ice hockey lover. Despite the fact that helped coach Rensselaer to the national title on the staff of Mike Addesa, he bled red and black.
Our thoughts are with Bob, his family and the entire Northeastern hockey family.
The second weekend of November has arrived and below is a look at eight games to watch in the western region of Division III hockey. The slate includes several MIAC-WIAC crossover games.
Friday, Nov. 11
Concordia (3-1) at Wisconsin-Stevens Point (3-0-1)
Coming off a series split with fellow MIAC power St. John’s, the Cobbers now hit the road for perhaps their biggest test of the year as they take on the defending national champion. Capitalizing on opportunities is the key to success for the Cobbers, who feature several scoring threats, including Dalton Mills (three goals), and have come through with 11 goals. The Pointers are tough to beat at home, winning 79 games on their home ice over the last nine seasons. Their offense is one of the best in the nation, with 15 players tallying at least one point. Wis.-Stevens Point 5-2
Hamline (3-0-1) at Wisconsin-River Falls (1-4)
The Pipers are off to a hot start thanks in large part to the play of Russ Jordan, who is in the midst of a breakout season, having scored five goals and dished out four assists. With Jordan on the ice, the Pipers have a chance to win every time out and will look to keep their momentum rolling in a road game against the Falcons. Wis.-River Falls is off to a difficult start and is 0-2 on its home ice and 0-2 against MIAC competition. Hamline 4-2
St. John’s (3-1) at Wisconsin-Eau Claire (2-1-1)
The Johnnies come to town poised for the upset and have to be able to find a way to grind out a win in a game that is expected to be tight from start to finish. Both teams have been fairly efficient on the power play, converting a combined 13 chances, and it’s an area of the game that could determine which team comes out on top. Wis.-Eau Claire is a little better at defending the power play, allowing just two goals. St. John’s has given up five. St. John’s 4-3
Friday-Saturday, Nov. 11-12
Lake Forest (3-1) at St. Scholastica (1-2)
The Foresters are riding the momentum of earning a split over St. Norbert and can build off that with a stellar performance in this two-game series against the Saints. Playing on the road is never easy, but the Foresters are 2-0 away from home and are ready for the challenge in front of them. Jack Lewis will be crucial to the Foresters’ success, having scored five goals already this season. Steven Phee is the player to watch for the Saints. Phee has scored all three of his goals off the power play. St. Scholastica needs a quick start each night as the Saints have yet to score a first-period goal this season. It will be a surprise if the Saints don’t win at least one of these games. Lake Forest, 4-2, St. Scholastica, 3-2
Aurora (2-2 at St. Norbert (3-1)
The Spartans, riding a two-game win streak, would love nothing more than to go on the road and make a statement in this two-game series against the Green Knights. They have yet to win on the road and will need goalie Hunter Vorva to rise to the occasion if the Spartans are to pull off an upset. Vorva has one shutout and a .911 save percentage on the year. The Green Knights are one of the best in the nation at home and one of the better offensive teams in the country as well. Tanner Froese has five goals and leads the way for a team that has put up 23 goals in all. St. Norbert 6-2, 5-2
Saturday, Nov. 12
Hamline (3-0-1) at Wisconsin-Superior (3-1)
Hamline has scored four or more goals in each of its last three games and will need that offense to click against a Wis.-Superior team that is off to an impressive start, including a 2-1 win over St. Thomas last Saturday in a neutral-site game. The Yellow Jackets will lean on the play of goalie Ethan Wood to keep this game close and give Wis.-Superior a shot to win at the end. Wood is 3-1 with a 3.43 goals-against average. Hamline 6-3
Concordia (3-1) at Wisconsin-Eau Claire (2-1-1)
The Cobbers have to be able to keep this close to have a shot at knocking off the Blugolds on the road. Wis.-Eau Claire is accustomed to tight games, going 1-1-1 in its last three outings. Garrett Hendrickson of Concordia and Mac Jansen of Wis.-Eau Claire are two of the best offensive threats on their respective teams, combining for five goals and five assists, and the one who has the best game will go a long way in determining the outcome. Concordia, 3-2
St. John’s (3-1) at Wisconsin-Stevens Point (3-0-1)
The Johnnies have been competitive in their series with the Pointers over the years, trailing just 9-7-1 all-time. St. John’s hasn’t beaten Wis.-Stevens Point since 2007 and will have its work cut out for it if it hopes to end the streak. Slowing down the Pointers’ high-powered attack is crucial. The Johnnies have allowed 11 goals and need a great game from the defense to have a shot at the upset against a Pointers team that boasts seven players with two or more goals. Wis.-Stevens Point 5-3
When I spoke with Eric Lang prior to this season, he talked about how the American International program found itself injected with a new attitude.
He talked about the players’ buy-in with a new coach, how they wanted to improve and be pushed. At the surface, the Yellow Jackets looked the same, but the infrastructure underwent a renovation essentially from top to bottom.
One month into the season, AIC (3-3-2, 2-2-2 Atlantic Hockey) is proving all of that to be more than just words. Following Tuesday night’s tie against Bentley, they sit tied for third in Atlantic Hockey with RIT, right in among league heavyweights like Robert Morris and ahead of the early results of Mercyhurst, Air Force, and Holy Cross.
“Our goal is to be competitive every night,” Lang said. “So far this year, we’ve done that. We’re consistently competitive. We’re right there with every game we’ve played so far, and the more we do it, the more chance we have of being in games [later in the year].”
It’s been a message sent from the first game of the year. Hosting Union at the MassMutual Center, AIC battled back from three different deficits, including one that was by two goals, despite eventually losing a 5-4 game. A week later, they tied a Hockey East opponent, again rallying from deficits to earn a 2-2 split with Connecticut.
Lang’s first career win came with a come-from-behind, 5-3, victory over Mercyhurst. Last weekend, they took three points from Holy Cross. That’s five out of a possible eight points against two of the league’s preeminent teams.
Against the Crusaders, they opened up a 2-0 lead in the second period thanks to goals from Dominik Florian and Austin Orzulak. After Holy Cross rallied with two goals in the third, Janis Jaks and Johno May scored within two minutes of each other with less than four minutes left in the game to give the Yellow Jackets a 4-2 lead.
The next night, Holy Cross came back from down 2-1 in the second to take a 3-2 lead after two. In the third, they made it 4-2 in the first five minutes. Once again, though, AIC came back, earning a 4-4 tie after strikes from Orszulak and Martin Mellberg.
“We’re proving ourselves to be a resilient bunch,” Lang said. “We have a knack for going down to the buzzer.”
That resiliency shows itself in AIC’s situational scoring. Although they’re -6 in the first period, they’re +3 in the second and third combined. They’re minus-2 in shot totals in the third period despite being minus-19 in the first, and in two overtime games, they’ve outshot their opponents in the extra session.
They’ve accomplished that with balanced scoring from their young roster. Of their eight players with five points on the year, only two are above their sophomore year and five are freshmen. Dominik Florian’s eight points (four goals and four assists) leads the overall point totals, but others join him atop categorical leaders. Senior Austin Orszulak and freshman Martin Mellberg both have four goals, and junior Andrew Debrincat, sophomore Shawn McBride, and freshman Blake Christensen have five assists apiece.
“We’ve been very gritty,” said Lang. “We play hard, and we’ve been accumulating a lot of video (on our play). Our guys play the game the right way, and players who play the game the right way get breaks to go their way. We still have to defend better, but these guys still have some really high buy-in, and we’re committed to continuing to get better.”
You’re The Tops
One month into the season, let’s take a look at how Atlantic Hockey is faring against some of the other names in the nation.
Holy Cross forward T.J. Moore nine goals is tied for second with UNH’s Patrick Grasso and Western Michigan’s Matheson Iacopelli. You may remember Moore from his back-to-back hat tricks in the season’s first two games.
Moore is tied for fifth nationally with his teammate Mike Barrett, Robert Morris’ Brady Ferguson, and two others. Barrett is second nationally with 10 assists, joined in the top 10 by another Colonial: defenseman Eric Israel, who has nine.
No player truly enjoys penalties and shorthanded situations, but RIT’s Myles Powell might smirk at the thought. He’s tied with nine other players who have two shorties on the year, but he’s the only AHC player in the category.
Bentley might be the second-most penalized team in the nation, but they’ve made the most of their opportunities. As a team, they have five shorties from five different players. Connor Brassard, Tyler Deresky, Andrew McDonald, Alexey Solovyev, and Kyle Schmidt all lit the lamp.
On the defensive side, Army West Point is the current gold standard with the fourth best scoring defense in the nation at 1.62 goals per game. They’re led by goalie Parker Gahagen, who’s .947 save percentage is the best among regular starters. He stands atop a trio of Atlantic Hockey netminders ranked 1-2-3 in the category; RMU’s Francis Marotte is in second at .946 and Canisius’ Charles Williams is tied for third at .944.
Matinee Theater
Both Sacred Heart and AIC made major strides this year on the facilities front by moving from small municipal rinks into arenas hosted by American Hockey League franchises. The Pioneers moved into Webster Bank Arena, the home of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The Yellow Jackets, meanwhile, shuttled into the MassMutual Center, home of the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Sharing an arena means potential conflicts for weekend nights, so creative scheduling is needed to ensure everyone gets the right amount of time. AIC, for example, played Bentley on Tuesday and is playing them again on Thursday.
In a couple of weeks, they’ll play Niagara on both Friday and Saturday, but the games are at 2:05 p.m. They’ll play RIT at 2:05 in January, and the same time slot is reserved for games against Canisius on two nights. In fact, the Yellow Jackets won’t play a full weekend slate of 7 p.m. games during the rest of the season.
“We monitor the calendar to make sure we’re getting our guys the right rest and recovery,” head coach Eric Lang said. “We know that for a Tuesday or Wednesday, we have to be ready to play. We have some awkward times with Friday and Saturday afternoons, so we have to be ready to maximize individual preparations.”
USA! USA! USA!
There’s a part of me that had to smirk a little bit this past weekend. In the final weekend before Election Day, Air Force played Army for the first of four games. Before nearly 5,000 combined fans over two nights, neither branch gained bragging rights with Air Force winning the first night (4-2) and Army West Point winning on Saturday (3-1).
They’ll play again in late January in Colorado Springs. To me, there’s absolutely nothing better than when service academies play each other. The two games came opposite Air Force’s win over Army in football in West Point on Saturday.
There is no other “America’s game” like when service academies play each other because the players all graduate for something greater than the sport they play in.
Players of the Week
Player of the Week: Robert Morris’ Alex Tonge
Tonge scored two goals and two assists as Robert Morris handed previously undefeated Ohio State its first defeat, then its first winless weekend. In a 6-2 win on Friday, he scored the first goal, then added what was the eventual game-winner. In Saturday’s 4-4 tie, he had two assists, including one that was a behind-the-back, no-look pass.
Defensive Player of the Week: AIC’s Andrew DeBrincat
DeBrincat had four assists in a three-point weekend over the Holy Cross Crusaders. That included three on Saturday in the 4-4 tie where the Yellow Jackets rallied from down two goals.
Goalie of the Week: Canisius’ Charles Williams
Williams tallied 84 saves over the weekend as the Golden Griffins took four points in a sweep over RIT. In the first game, he saved 41 shots in a 1-0 shutout that included 21 saves in the third period alone.
Rookie of the Week: Robert Morris’ Luke Lynch
Lynch scored two goals and two assists in RMU’s weekend sweep over Ohio State. On Saturday. He scored his first collegiate goal in the second period, then added his second with the game-tying goal with under five minutes remaining in the game.
The first week is always a very challenging one in predicting winners, as “on paper” rosters don’t always translate to “on-ice” performance. That said, I will take week one as being a good start, having posted a 5-2-1 (.688) record, which is just below my targeted 70 percent success goal for the season.
This week doesn’t get any easier, but here are the choices, starting with two CCC battles on Thursday night.
Thursday, Nov. 10
Salve Regina at Endicott
The rematch of last year’s conference title game that sent the Seahawks on to the NCAA tournament is likely to be one of the best games of the weekend. Both teams have many of the same pieces back from last season and the game will likely come down to a battle between the respective goaltenders — Kevin Aldridge for Endicott vs. Blake Wojtala for the Seahawks. Salve Regina 2-1
Wentworth at Johnson & Wales
Both teams are really trying to find some early-season consistency in their overall games, while the Leopards in particular are struggling for goals. The Wildcats at home won’t make scoring easy for their opponent, but an empty-netter is likely the final difference-maker on the scoreboard. Johnson & Wales 3-1
Friday, Nov. 11
Elmira at Neumann
It is early November, so there is no reason to hit the panic button, right? Well, if you are either of these teams looking up at Hobart and Utica, you need to start earning some wins and the Knights get it done on home ice. Neumann 5-4
Plattsburgh at Buffalo State
The Bengals have enjoyed being at home on back-to-back Fridays, but unfortunately last week didn’t go their way against Fredonia and this week’s opponent is not going to be in a giving mood either. Plattsburgh 4-3
Skidmore at Babson
The Thoroughbreds got off to a fast start in conference play last weekend with two wins, while Babson has been finding its game in three nonconference battles. To contend, you need to beat a perennial contender. Skidmore falls a bit short but sends a message that they are a team to challenge this season. Babson 3-2
Saturday, Nov. 12
Salem State at Plymouth State
This was last year’s conference title game and could be a preview of the same for next calendar year so look for the visitors to send a message as to why they are the defending champions. Salem State 2-1
Lebanon Valley at Utica
The Flying Dutchmen are about to find out just how hostile a rink can be toward the visiting team when they take on Utica, where the home-ice advantage and crowd are something special across all of college hockey, not just D-III. Utica 6-2
Framingham State at Stonehill
This nonconference affair is likely to be a high-scoring and highly entertaining game, but look for the Rams to leverage special teams to their advantage in earning the hard-fought win. Framingham State 5-4
Some major matchups between key rivals headline the schedule this week, so look for playoff-style hockey in November to add to the usual excitement of conference play. “Drop the puck!”
Annika Zalewski (Colgate – 15). ((c) Shelley M. Szwast 2014)
Last year was a breakout season for the Colgate Raiders. They won 22 games and made it to the ECAC tournament semifinals. It was an incredible turnaround from the 2014-15 season, where the team finished 7-25-2.
The Raiders weren’t done. This season, they are thus far undefeated and are currently ranked fifth in the D-I Women’s USCHO.com Poll. Having graduated just three seniors, the Raiders have benefited from returning 18 players to the ice that tasted what success could look like. That gave the team the confidence to hit the ice eager to find more.
“It raised the level of expectations coming into the season. Having gone through what was our program’s first winning season in a long time was great, but everyone’s expectations within the program just raised up another level,” said coach Greg Fargo.
Chemistry and trust among teammates can be nebulous and sometimes difficult concepts to attain. They can’t be forced, nor can they be taught. However, when the Raiders took the ice for preseason workouts this season, those things were already in place for them. It has given them an advantage, taking the ice with the feeling of a fully gelled squad while others are still figuring out line pairings and getting used to their teammates.
That chemistry would have only taken the Raiders so far, but Fargo said each of his players came back as fit and ready to play as he’s seen. They’d seen what the team could do last season and they put in the off-season work to make sure they could come back and be better than ever.
Colgate plays a quick game. Fargo says they are fast all over the ice. They wouldn’t be so successful at their game if the players weren’t so in tune with each other. Stick-to-stick passes and quick, unified rushes work because the players are so in sync with how their linemates move. This part of their game excels because of the cohesiveness the team carried into this season.
“When we’re playing connected as a unit of five in all three zones, we’re really tough to play against,” said Fargo.
Though it appeared to be a quick change — a swing of 15 additional wins from one season to the next — Fargo said this is a change that’s been four years in the making. Creating a positive team culture — and a winning squad — aren’t things that happened quickly at Colgate.
In the beginning of his fifth season with the Raiders, Fargo said he’s the last person left that was there when he took over, but even the seniors on the current squad have been around for most of the transition to see the program turn over and change and work toward this goal.
The Raiders focus on four themes and Fargo said everything in their program comes back to them: team first, work ethic, attitude, and family form the basis of the culture that Fargo credits with the team’s success on the ice.
“The expectation is to maximize our potential and usually when we do that it ends up in resulting in good things on the ice,” he said.
Thus far, it’s been working for the Raiders. With a much more veteran club that they’ve had in year’s past, they were able to hit the ice and pick up right where they left off last season and work to make improvements for this one.
The difference shows on the score sheet, but Fargo said it’s also showing with recruiting and the program’s reputation. In a short time, he’s built Colgate into a program with national recognition that players are interested in and want to be a part of, meaning this rebuilding has not only been successful, but should be able to continue for years to come.
In the meantime, the current team is just trying to focus on each game as they come. Despite their undefeated record, Fargo said there have been plenty of instances so far where his players have been unhappy with how the team played for 60 minutes. Instead of focusing on the long term, they’re looking to fix those small mistakes and get better each day.
The Raiders are heading into the meat of their ECAC schedule. They’ve got four games against conference opponents in the next 10 days and it’s only going to get more difficult from there. In just over a week in January, they’ll play Quinnipiac, Princeton, Cornell, St. Lawrence, and Clarkson.
It’ll be a tough test, but Fargo has faith in his team.
“I like how our team’s playing week to week,” said Fargo. “We get better every day that goes by. That’s what we’re looking to do, is continue to improve as the season goes on. We know that there’s going to be some tough challenges ahead, but we’re pleased with our progress here to this point.”
Michigan State kicks off the weekend with a home game against former CCHA rival Ferris State Thursday night. Before we get to the picks, though, let’s look at how Drew Claussen and I have been faring.
Last week
Drew: 4-3-2 (.556)
Paula: 5-2-2 (.667)
Season
Drew: 22-18-7 (.543)
Paula: 26-14-7 (.628)
Not bad.
This week
There are four Big Ten teams playing this week. Both Minnesota and Wisconsin have bye weeks. All times are local. Sadly, not one of these games is televised this weekend.
Alaska-Anchorage at No. 12 Penn State
Drew: I can’t think of a reason to pick against Penn State at home against a 1-7 team.
Paula’s picks: Neither can I. The Seawolves lost two road games to Alabama-Huntsville last weekend, 5-2 and 3-2 (OT). The Nittany Lions are riding a seven-game unbeaten streak (6-0-1) into this series, their third consecutive weekend series in the friendly confines of Pegula Ice Arena. Penn State leads this series, 1-0-2. Last season, the Nittany Lions defeated and tied the Seawolves in Anchorage (Nov. 20-21, 2015). Games are Friday and Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
Drew’s picks: Penn State 3-1, 4-0. Paula’s picks: Penn State 5-2, 5-2.
No. 4 Boston University at No. 18 Michigan
Drew: This is definitely the marquee series featuring a Big Ten team and is one of the top series across the country this weekend. Michigan has had a ho-hum start to the season with nice wins over some fellow Michigan schools, but disappointing losses to Vermont and Dartmouth. Boston University, on the other hand, has only dropped one game. Since the Wolverines have home-ice advantage, I’m going with a split.
Paula: I think that’s solid reasoning. These teams have quite a history, with Michigan leading the series 15-12-0. The Wolverines are 5-0-0 against the Terriers in Ann Arbor, the last home win for UM coming Oct. 25, 2013. The Bulldogs are unbeaten (3-0-1) in their last four games this season, having tied 4-4 at Northeastern last weekend before beating the Huskies at home, 3-0. Last weekend, Michigan beat Arizona State on the road, 4-1. Friday’s game begins at 7:35 p.m., Saturday’s at 5:05 p.m., and both are in Yost Ice Arena.
Drew’s picks: Michigan 4-2, Boston University 4-2. Paula’s picks: Michigan 4-3, Boston University 4-1.
Connecticut at No. 14 Ohio State
Drew: The Buckeyes had their first letdown of the weekend last time out, with a loss and tie to Robert Morris. Ohio State and UConn have combined for seven ties already this season, so I wouldn’t be surprised if one of these games ended with the score even. However, picking a tie is boring, so I’m going to predict that the Buckeyes get back on track this weekend.
Paula: The Huskies and Buckeyes have never played each other before, so there’s no history to report. Connecticut played a single game last weekend, a 2-2 road tie against Massachusetts. Friday’s game begins at 7:05 p.m. and Saturday’s at 4:05 p.m. Both are in Value City Arena.
Drew’s picks: Ohio State 4-2, 4-3. Paula’s picks: Ohio State 4-3, 5-2.
Ferris State vs. Michigan State
Drew: If Ferris State can win Thursday’s game on the road, I think the Bulldogs will complete the sweep on Saturday. Gerald Mayhew has been heating up the past couple weeks and I think he and the rest of the Bulldogs will be too much for Michigan State to handle.
Paula: I’ve made no secret of my soft spot for the Bulldogs in the past. There’s something about that program that I’ve always liked. In spite of that, I don’t see a sweep for Ferris State this weekend. I like how the Bulldogs have played the last couple of weekends — but I really like the tenacity I see from the Spartans. This old CCHA rivalry goes back a ways, with Michigan State 70-26-15 all-time against Ferris State. In the last five meetings in Munn, Ferris State holds a 3-2 edge; in the last five meetings in Ewigleben Arena, the Bulldogs are 5-0 against the Spartans. Thursday’s game begins at 7:05 p.m. in Munn Ice Arena. Saturday’s rematch begins at 7:07 p.m. in Ewigleben.
Drew’s picks: Ferris State 4-3, 5-2. Paula’s picks: Michigan State 3-2, Ferris State 4-2.
The Twitters
You can find Drew (@drewclaussen) and me (@paulacweston, @PaulaBonaFide) on Twitter. Talk to us. We won’t bite. I’ll be tweeting live from Yost Ice Arena during Friday’s game — provided I can find a parking spot in advance of the puck drop.
Thursday, November 10 Bentley at American International Dan: AIC is proving, time and time again, that they’re a gritty team capable of competing with everyone at any time. On Tuesday, they rallied from down 1-0 to go up 2-1 before Tanner Jago tied the game late. My head is telling me that Bentley is due to rebound, but there’s something pulling me to AIC. I’m going to go with my head, but I’m doing it knowing my pick could be very wrong. Bentley wins. Chris:I can’t remember a “series” that took place on a Tuesday and Thursday but Bentley will return to AIC after a 2-2 tie in Springfield on Election Day. The Yellow Jackets have some momentum but I think the Falcons put together a good 60 minutes. Bentley wins.
Friday, November 11 and Saturday, November 12 Rochester Institute of Technology at Air Force Dan: RIT never plays well in the altitude, and after last weekend, the door is open for Air Force to kick them back east without any points. Air Force sweeps. Chris:The Tigers are reeling from a sweep at the hands of Canisius last weekend, and have never had much success in Colorado Springs. RIT has never swept Air Force in the Springs and I don’t think it will happen this weekend. Air Force sweeps.
Canisius at Army West Point Dan: This is going to be a weekend dictated by goaltenders – Army West Point’s Parker Gahagen and Canisius’ Charles Williams. Or as my Boston accent would dictate – Pahkah Gahagen and Chahles Williams. Army sweeps in a really close series. Chris:This should be a hard-fought, low scoring series. Army West Point has the top penalty kill in the nation, so I’m going with that and home ice. Army sweeps.
Holy Cross at Mercyhurst Dan: I hesitate to call this a must-win series for anyone since it’s so early in the season, but recent seasons are proving just how key every game really is. A good weekend can vault one of these teams right back into the hunt for first place. A bad weekend can push them all the way down to the bottom of the league. I don’t know who will win on what night, so I’m going with the home team to win both. Mercyhurst sweeps. Chris:This has been a good rivalry in recent years thanks to the many post-season meetings between the schools. The Lakers’ offense struggled last weekend against Hockey East competition, while the Crusaders were flying high until suffering a setback against AIC. I think Holy Cross will be the team that rebounds. Crusaders will sweep.
Saturday, November 12 and Sunday, November 13 Robert Morris at Sacred Heart Dan: For all of our talk about the Pioneers’ difficult schedule, they’re still 2-4-2 after tying UNH last weekend. RMU, meanwhile, is coming off of three points against THE Ohio State – the first loss of the Buckeyes’ season. Tally this one for series of the weekend. I don’t think anyone gets swept, but since we can’t pick ties, I’m going to have to do that. RMU sweeps. Chris: RMU looked great against Ohio State last weekend, while SHU has faced a difficult schedule so far. I think this will be a split with Robert Morris winning Saturday and Sacred Heart coming back for a win on Sunday.
Tuesday, November 15 Mercyhurst at Niagara Dan: This is the upcoming schedule of series for Niagara: at Sacred Heart, at AIC, home against RIT, at Air Force, and at Holy Cross. As they’re hunting for their first victory of the season, the calendar is doing them no favors. Mercyhurst wins. Chris: The Lakers will be playing three games in five days while the Purple Eagles have been idle since Nov. 4. Even taking that as well as home ice into account, I think Mercyhurst will win.
Jack Lewis recorded his second career hat trick earlier this month against Concordia and already has five goals on the season for Lake Forest.
Skill has something to do with his success, but as Lewis, a senior forward for the Foresters, puts it, having opportunities to make plays does as well.
“It’s just about being in the right spot at the right time,” Lewis said. “I also have great linemates and they put me in a position to execute offensively.”
Lewis has always been a tremendous scorer for the Foresters. He burst onto the college scene as a freshman out of Canada three years ago and finished up his rookie campaign with 10 goals and eight assists on his stat line. He tallied 18 or more points in each of the next two seasons as well, highlighting his sophomore campaign with 16 assists and punching in 11 goals to punctuate his junior season.
He went into this season determined to be even better, and feels as if his added dose of confidence has been instrumental to his early-season success.
“I have a lot of confidence with and without the puck,” Lewis said. “When I was younger, I would get into situations where I’d tighten my grip on the stick more or be more eager to pass the puck off on a power play rather than be a little more patient. That all goes back to my confidence and the belief I have in my teammates.”
Lewis is not only more confident, but is in better shape as well, pushing himself to get faster and stronger in the off season.
“I trained real hard in the off season and was consistent with those workouts and stayed dedicated to them,” Lewis said. “I felt like I went into the season well-prepared for it because of the training we did in the off season. It’s paying off.”
As one of the older players, Lewis has embraced a leadership role and does his best to stress the importance of making every game count during what ultimately is a short season.
“It’s important to help guys understand that you have to be consistent every day. It’s only a 25-game season, so the games count for a lot. But you also want to make sure you are having fun, too. Finding that right balance is important.”
Lewis and the Foresters are coming off one of their biggest wins of the year, a 5-3 victory over national power St. Norbert on the road Saturday night. That win came on the heels of a 7-0 loss to the Green Knights one night earlier.
“That was a big win for us, especially after the way the game went on Friday,” Lewis said. “To be able to rebound from that loss and pull off a close win against a great team is huge for us.”
The Foresters hope to build off the victory as they push toward making the postseason after missing out on an NCHA tournament bid a year ago.
“We just have to take it one game at a time,” Lewis said. “You have to be able to put a game behind you, whether it’s a win or a loss, and move on to the next one. It’s important for us to be consistent and execute every time we play.”
Perfect Pipers
Hamline has yet to lose a hockey game this season, fashioning a 3-0-1 record, and more importantly, the Pipers are 2-0 in the MIAC after sweeping St. Olaf last weekend.
Russ Jordan has been instrumental to the Pipers’ success, scoring three goals and dishing out three assists against the Oles to push his season totals to five goals and four assists. He is the leading goal scorer in the conference and the second-best goal scorer in the nation.
Jordan, who might just end up as the breakout player of the year in the league, is a transfer forward from Wisconsin-River Falls, and after managing only one goal and a couple of assists last year, the talented junior out of Illinois has made his presence felt with the Pipers in his second year with the team.
Hamline has scored 16 goals in all and Jordan is one of three players who has scored two or more goals for an offense that has put up four or more goals in each of its last three games.
Great start for Bulldogs
Adrian has rattled off three consecutive wins and their success is partly due to the play of Trevor Boyd and an offensive attack that has scored five or more goals in each of its last three wins.
Boyd is only a sophomore, but plays like a veteran. He struck for a couple of goals and dished out four assists in a two-game sweep of Northland over the weekend.
Boyd currently leads the NCHA in point scoring, averaging 2.25 per game, and is well on his way to matching his totals of a year ago when he came through with 16 goals and 13 assists.
Adrian hasn’t missed much of a beat this year in terms of offense as a team, scoring 19 goals in all. The Bulldogs have also been tough to crack on defense, giving up just eight goals, thanks in part to the play of Kevin Entmaa, who has two wins and a 1.68 goals-against average.
Pointers thrive off balance
Being the defending national champion means the target on your back is a little bigger and at least through four games, Wisconsin-Stevens Point has handled the added pressure well, going 3-0-1 behind a balanced scoring attack.
Seven players have come through with at least two goals and 10 players have tallied two or more assists. With that kind of balance, opponents have to cash in on every opportunity they get if they hope to pull off an upset.
Jacob Barber leads the way offensively with four goals and three assists and Nathan Harris is second on the team in scoring with two goals and a team-high five assists.
Barber and Harris both have the experience of playing on the national championship team a year ago and that experience is paying off for the Pointers, who have already scored 19 goals and are poised to be one of the top offensive teams in the nation again this year.
Amherst’s David White leads the offense in what projects to be a highly competitive NESCAC battle for the top spot. (Eric Miller)
What an entrance the NESCAC teams make to the season. As always, the late arrivals but with the most dramatic entrances and battles for playoff positioning amongst any of the other conferences in the D-III ranks. This year will likely be no exception according to last year’s championship coach from Williams, Bill Kangas.
“We start the season, the grind, right away with two always challenging teams in Bowdoin and Colby,” stated Kangas. “There is no easing into the schedule and the focus on being better than the day before has already started. Everyone you play against is competitive, especially in our league, so it is important to stay focused and in the moment, not to get too far ahead of ourselves with what team is on the horizon.”
The favorites
Over the past few years, Amherst, Bowdoin, Trinity, and Williams (placed in alphabetical order consistent with NESCAC naming and listing conventions) have battled down to the wire for the conference title and auto-bid to the NCAA tournament. This year is shaping up to be no different among the key competitors, but roster makeup may be an important factor.
“When you look at the teams that have been successful in the past, the senior group usually has a lot to do with it,” noted Kangas. “We had a great group of seniors last year led most notably by Zander [Massucci], who will be very hard to replace. Guys like Noah Klag, who played great but also gave time and help in Michael’s [Pinios] development. The seniors are an important piece for getting the chemistry right and on-boarding the new freshmen to the culture of the program and assimilation to the school. We have a great senior class this year with eight guys that will hopefully help keep us focused on the daily grind and just improving as a team every day so that February and March we can still be playing important hockey.”
The dark horses
Virtually every team in this conference could qualify as a dark horse candidate based on the top-to-bottom talent and competitiveness in the league, but look for second-year coach Patrick Norton to make some noise with the Tufts Jumbos as a continuation of last year’s improved play.
While long-time Bowdoin coach Terry Meagher has retired, there is great continuity in the ascension of long-time assistant Jamie Dumont to the head job, which should have the ever-present Polar Bears in the mix at the top of the conference standings.
Players to watch
Amherst: David White – forward; Phil Johansson – defense
Bowdoin: Jamie Dumont- coach; Cody Todesco – forward
Colby: E.J. Rauseo – forward; Geoff Sullivan – defense
Connecticut College: Craig Liautaud – defense; Joe Giordano – forward
Hamilton: Robbie Murden – forward; Neil Conway – forward
Middlebury: Mike Najjar – forward; Stephen Klein – goalie
Trinity: Ryan Cole – forward; Sean Orlando – forward
Tufts: Sean Kavanaugh – defense; Mason Pulde – goalie
Wesleyan: James Kline – forward; Jordan Jancze – forward
Williams: Michael Pinios – goalie; Colby Cretella – forward
USCHO predicted finish
1. Williams
2. Trinity
3. Amherst
4. Bowdoin
5. Tufts
6. Middlebury
7. Hamilton
8. Colby
9. Wesleyan
10. Connecticut College
The addition of the NESCAC schedule this month means that every conference is active with real games. There are some great nonconference matchups with upcoming holiday tournaments as well as jumping right into the very difficult conference play, where every single result matters as potential future tiebreaking criteria.
A new version of the Humanitarian Award debuted in 2015, when Wisconsin’s Brittany Ammerman claimed the award (photo: Jim Rosvold).
The nomination process is underway for the 2017 Hockey Humanitarian Award.
Being presented this season for the 22nd time, the Humanitarian recognizes college’s hockey’s finest citizen, a men’s or women’s player from any division who has demonstrated a selfless commitment of time and leadership to community service.
Information on nominating a player can be found on the Hockey Humanitarian Award website, www.hockeyhumanitarian.org. The deadline is Dec. 22.
The award will be presented on Friday, April 7, 2017, at the Frozen Four in Chicago.
Minnesota’s Tommy Novak has provided an offensive spark this season for the Gophers (photo: Jim Rosvold).
This week, the column is all about some of the minutia of the league, the little things that seem to be adding up to some interesting first impressions for B1G Hockey in the early going.
That scoring margin
Three of the top ten scoring offenses nationally belong to Big Ten teams: Ohio State (4.44 goals per game, third), Penn State (4.22, fourth) and Minnesota (4.00, tied seventh). Averaging 3.75 goals per game, Wisconsin is tied for 12th nationally in scoring. Not one of those teams has played fewer than eight games.
At the end of the 2015-2016 campaign, there were four B1G team among the nation’s top 11 scoring offenses, with Michigan averaging 4.76 goals per game to lead the nation. At the end of last season, though, Michigan was the only Big Ten team to be among the top 20 teams in the country in terms of scoring margin, and the Wolverines were fifth, averaging 1.74 more goals per game than opponents.
Through the first eight and nine games of the season, there are two B1G teams among the top 10 nationally in scoring margin, Penn State (2.22, third) and Ohio State (1.67, seventh), and Minnesota sits in 12th place (1.25).
Although the season is young, this is a particularly encouraging stat – especially considering that not one Big Ten team finished the 2015-2016 season among the top half of D-I teams in scoring defense. Minnesota led the league and was 33rd in the nation defensively.
Two B1G teams, Penn State (2.00, seventh) and Michigan (2.25, tied 10th) are among the top ten teams nationally in scoring defense. Minnesota (2.75, tied 24th) and Ohio State (2.78, tied 27th) barely crack the top half.
It’s a mixed bag, but it’s a promising trend.
And when was the last time you saw a Michigan team that played better defense than offense?
Those freshmen goaltenders
Four freshmen goaltenders have made an impression so far this season. In Michigan’s net, rookies Jack LaFontaine (2.28 GAA, .936 SV%) and Hayden Lavigne (2.00 GAA, .944 SV%) are among the top 10 goalies nationally in save percentage.
Penn State’s Peyton Jones (1.95 GAA, .923 SV%) is 16th in save percentage, 11th in goals-against average and third (6-0-1, .929) nationally in win percentage. Last week, Guy Gadowsky told my partner-in-writing, Drew Claussen, that Jones’ demeanor is “even-keeled and calm” and that solid goaltending “makes it a lot easier for the team to get good results.”
Last weekend, another rookie goaltender garnered attention by earning a shutout in his first college start. Wisconsin freshman Jack Berry made 22 saves in his first complete game, shutting down Northern Michigan as the Badgers won 2-0. That stat is made sweeter by the five power plays that Berry handled and the fact that Wisconsin lost to Northern Michigan the night before, 5-2.
Berry knew in advance that he’d be Saturday’s starting netminder.
“I didn’t really sleep much,” said Berry after the win. “The guys did great in front of me. They did an unreal job, so I got to give it to them.”
“We didn’t really ask him to get a shutout, but since he did, we’ll pretend we did,” said Wisconsin coach Tony Granato. “It’s hard as a guy who doesn’t get a whole lot of reps to jump in like he did.”
Granato called Berry’s performance “great” and added, “I think he solidified our back end. He was nice and relaxed in front of them.”
And the kids can score, too
Four Big Ten teams are currently led in scoring by freshmen.
Michigan’s Will Lockwood (5-3—8) leads the Wolverines in overall scoring and goals, and so far this season, freshmen have accounted for 12 of Michigan’s 22 goals. Lockwood is among a handful of players nationally to have two shorthanded goals this season.
At Ohio State, it’s Tanner Laczynski (3-9—12) leading the scoring but not the goal production. Laczynski is fourth nationally (1.33) among rookies in points per game.
Denis Smirnov (5-10—15) also leads his team, Penn State, in scoring but not goals, but he’s currently third nationally in points per game (1.67) and leads all freshmen in that category nationally.
And for the Badgers, Trent Frederic (4-6—10) also leads in scoring but not goals. Frederic has scored three goals for Wisconsin’s ninth-best power play in the nation (24.0) and is tied for sixth among rookies in scoring nationally with 1.25.
Those are just the four top offensive contributors among this year’s Big Ten freshman class. They are not anomalies.
And B1G Hockey still looks good in nonconference play
This is a drum I’ll beat all season long, if the league continues to set this pace.
The Big Ten is now 27-15-7 (.622) in nonconference play following last weekend’s collective 6-3-2 performance. This is second only to the NCHC (.635) in nonconference play, miraculously ahead of Hockey East (.582) for the moment.
It’s too early to put stock in the PairWise Rankings, but it’s heartening to see Penn State, Minnesota and Ohio State all solidly above the No. 16 cutoff line in the PWR, with Wisconsin at No. 17. One of the biggest problems B1G Hockey has had in the past two seasons was its lack of competitiveness outside its own league, leading to dismal PWR standings at the end of the season – even when teams improved significantly as the season progressed. This quicker start could be good news in March.
And thank you, Minnesota
The much-anticipated renewed rivalry between North Dakota and Minnesota didn’t disappoint — if you are a Golden Gophers fan.
After the teams tied 5-5 Friday night, Minnesota blanked NoDak 2-0 Saturday. Sophomore Eric Schierhorn made 33 saves in his second shutout of the season and the fifth of his career and battled through six North Dakota power plays as the Hawks outshot the Gophers 33-20. Schierhorn gave up five goals on 22 shots in the tie the night before.
“I’m happy for Eric and the way he rebounded tonight, the way he played,” said Gophers coach Don Lucia.
The Gophers are now 2-0-2 since dropping a home-and-home series against St. Cloud State Oct. 21-22. Last weekend, Minnesota played two overtime games in New York State, beating Clarkson 4-3 and tying St. Lawrence 2-2. Lucia said that the Gophers’ performance against North Dakota was “important” given how the early season has gone.
“These last two weeks – obviously we were disappointed with the St. Cloud weekend,” said Lucia. “We’ve looked at [last weekend and this] as a four-game segment, starting with that road trip to win and tie and to come back to win and tie again this weekend. Now we have a week off to catch our breath.
“We’ve had a tough stretch. We’re 4-2-2, probably in the position where we could’ve had one more win, but at the same time, we’ve only had three home games and we’re back on the road three of the next four. We just want to continue to take steps.
“When you play an outstanding team like North Dakota and how hard they compete, it forces you to play a little bit higher level, too, and I think they certainly brought out the best in us this weekend.”
And finally, a little history
Forty-eight years ago this week – Nov. 7, 1968, to be exact – Red Berenson scored six goals in a single game to lead St. Louis in an 8-0 win over Philadelphia. Berenson scored four of those goals in the second period.
Three stars of the week
This week, three players are honored for the first time in their careers.
First star – Minnesota sophomore forward Tommy Novak
Novak (River Falls, Wis.) scored two goals and two assists in Minnesota’s series with North Dakota. Novak had two goals and a helper in Friday’s 5-5 tie, including the game-tying goal with 1:17 left in regulation, and he assisted on the game-winning goal Saturday. Novak has three goals through eight games this season after scoring six goals in 37 last year. This is his first career weekly Big Ten award.
Second star – Penn State freshman forward Denis Smirnov
Smirnov (Moscow, Russia) led all B1G scorers with six points last weekend in Penn State’s sweep of visiting Niagara. In Thursday’s 5-1 game, he recorded two goals and an assist, and he had three assists in Friday’s 5-1 game. This is his first career weekly Big Ten award.
Third star – Minnesota junior forward Mike Szmatula
Szmatula (Commerce Township, Mich.) had two assists in the Gophers’ 5-5 tie against North Dakota Friday, including an assist on the game-tying goal. His power-play goal at 10:34 of the first period in Saturday’s 2-0 win held up to be the game winner. Szmatula was a Hockey East All-Rookie Team honoree in 2014-2015, transferring to Minnesota before the start of 2015-2016, which he sat out to comply with NCAA rules. This is his first career weekly Big Ten award.
My ballot
1. Minnesota-Duluth
2. Boston College
3. Boston University
4. Denver
5. Mass-Lowell
6. North Dakota
7. Quinnipiac
8. Ohio State
9. Penn State
10. St. Cloud
11. Minnesota
12. Union
13. Bemidji State
14. Minnesota State
15. Western Michigan
16. Providence
17. Michigan
18. Notre Dame
19. St. Lawrence
20. Vermont
Kyle Hayton was yanked in two straight games last month, but rebounded with two shutouts last weekend for St. Lawrence (photo: Shelley M. Szwast).
There were some high hopes this season for St. Lawrence.
Part of those positive vibes were on the back on junior goalie Kyle Hayton, but things haven’t gone his way in the first eight games as SLU stumbled to a 3-4-1 mark.
In that same stretch, Hayton was pulled twice in back-to-back games against Massachusetts-Lowell and Providence back on Oct. 21 and 22.
The Saints and Hayton bounced back this last weekend with a 4-0 victory over Princeton and a 2-0 victory over Quinnipiac.
Hayton’s record now is 5-3-1, his GAA dropped to 2.57 and his save percentage is now .922.
“It was good to see him get his bearings back,” St. Lawrence coach Mark Morris said. “He’d never been pulled before and he got pulled twice in two games. We were curious to see how he would respond and he stepped up in a big way. Obviously, with two shutouts and his record-breaking performance this past weekend, it’s certainly comforting to know he’s finding his way.”
The two shutouts were Hayton’s ninth and 10th and he is the school’s new record holder in that category, surpassing Bill Sloan, who graduated back in 1956. The last time St. Lawrence had back-to-back shutouts was in Feb. 2009 when Alex Petizian (SLU’s current goalie coach) accomplished the feat.
Hayton was also named the ECAC Goalie of the Week.
Morris didn’t speak to Hayton after being pulled.
“I usually don’t say too much to goalies – I have learned my lesson,” Morris chuckled. “I let our goalie coach spend time with him. It’s a delicate area for coaches who never played the position to air their displeasure, but we know he has huge upside. I think the goaltender coach pressed the reset button and has gotten him back to focus.”
St. Lawrence got scoring from veterans and newcomers alike. Senior Gavin Bayreuther had a three-point weekend as he scored and added an assist in Friday’s victory over Princeton and an assist over Quinnipiac. His 13 points (four goals and nine assists) is tied for eighth in the country and leads all defenders in scoring. Freshman blueliner Ben Finkelstein and senior forward Alexander Dahl each had two assists against Princeton. Jacob Pritchard and Michael Ederer each had a goal and an assist over the weekend.
Morris noted that his club will have to continue being a hardworking team as the season goes along.
“Your upperclassmen, obviously, are a big reason why you have success in most situations,” Morris said. “They shouldered a lot of pressures and garnered a lot of quality ice time. We aren’t a deep team, so a lot of pressure is on them to play the special teams role and on the ice in critical moments in time. Because we aren’t a deep team, we’ve had five freshmen play on a regular basis. They are also seeing key moments and being thrust in the fire, so to speak. Them being able to adapt to the speed and intensity of college hockey is very important to us moving into ECAC play.”
The schedule doesn’t get easier for the Saints as they travel to Union and Rensselaer this weekend. Union has the second-best record in the nation at 8-2-1 (2-0-0 in ECAC) with Bemidji State. Both teams are just one game behind Boston College, (9-2-1).
The Saints look to contain the Dutchmen’s top line of Mike Vecchione, Spencer Foo and Sebastian Vidmar.
“We don’t have any real dominant lines,” Morris said. “We just play a solid team game and keep a good focus throughout the game. When we play that good team game, we’ve been in some good battles.”
Morris hopes the team can continues executing their systems and manage pucks well, something that helped the Saints in their 2-0 victory over the Bobcats.
First full slate of conference games yields parity
Besides St. Lawrence, Union was the only other team to sweep last weekend with a 5-3 victory over Yale and a 6-4 victory over Brown.
The one big surprise early on has been Dartmouth. The Big Green followed up their 3-2 victory over Michigan in their opening game of the season with a 1-1 tie against Cornell and a 2-0 victory over Colgate on Saturday.
Dartmouth goaltender Devin Buffalo has been outstanding as he has only allowed three goals so far. Scoring-wise, the junior and freshmen class has been carrying the load with junior Carl Hesler leading the way with two goals and an assist.
The Big Green’s travel partner, Harvard, also won one and tied another. The Crimson fired 42 shots on net Friday night, but Colgate senior goalie Charlie Finn stopped 41 of them in the 1-1 tie. The Raiders were only able to get 15 shots on goal.
Harvard picked up a 4-3 victory over Cornell Saturday as sophomore forward Lewis Zerter-Gossage recorded at hat trick. Early on, it looks like he can be a breakout player of the year candidate as he’s nearing last season’s point output. As a freshman, he had three goals and four assists. This year, he already has four goals and an assist.
You can only fly under the radar for so long.
“You’re not going into the game trying to shut [Zerter-Gossage] down. He had a good night,” Cornell coach Mike Schafer told USCHO.com after the game. “He tipped one in on the power play, and collected a rebound around the net. He had a night where the puck found him.”
RPI, Yale, Quinnpiac and Clarkson each went 1-1 on the weekend. Princeton and Brown were the only teams that didn’t pick up a point this past weekend.
Vecchione and Kaldis win weekly honors
Vecchione has picked up another Player of the Week honor as he had eight points the past week. It started with an assist last Tuesday in the 6-4 loss to Holy Cross. Friday in the victory over Yale, he had a hat trick and a helper. On Saturday, he posted a goal and two assists.
Yanni Kaldis picked up Rookie of the Week as the defenseman for Cornell paced the Big Red with three assists over the weekend.
Alex Iafallo has been “extremely consistent” this season for Minnesota-Duluth (photo: Candace Horgan).
When Minnesota-Duluth swept then-No. 1 North Dakota two weeks ago, the college hockey world took notice, giving Duluth the unanimous top spot in the polls.
Many expected the Bulldogs to fall from that perch after this weekend, when they faced then No. 8 St. Cloud State, but Minnesota-Duluth twice rallied in the third for 5-3 wins.
“The games were almost mirror images of each other,” said Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin. “You don’t see that very often. Obviously, [St. Cloud’s Robby] Jackson scored the first goal on the first shift in both games. The games took the same path, really. They scored and then we’d respond and they’d score. The only difference between the two nights was it was only 2-1 after one instead of 3-2.”
For many teams, following up an emotional sweep of a rival with another big rival series would be the perfect time for a letdown, but the Bulldogs responded by focusing on the process.
According to Sandelin, the team’s response was definitely a concern for the coaches during the week.
“Sure, absolutely,” he said. “I think that was definitely a concern. I was interested to see how we would play on Friday. It’s not that we had a terrible start, it’s just that they scored right away. I liked how we responded. We responded shortly thereafter, and then they went ahead, and we responded late again. We knew St. Cloud is a great team and they had won four in a row too. It was a great test for our guys. We talked about the process, about how we go in there and play, and that we would focus on playing a good 60 minutes, and we found a way to win late in the game and just stuck with it. It’s a real good sign for our team.”
One key to Duluth’s success of late has been improved overall offensive production, including from senior Alex Iafallo, whose current production pace is nearly triple what it was in his junior year.
“I think he’s been extremely consistent,” said Sandelin. “You expect that from your older guys, your leaders, and I think it’s really nice to see him have offensive success early in the year because he’s played well and been very, very consistent and been one of our top players from day one.”
Sandelin also believes the offense has gotten some bounces that perhaps it hasn’t in recent years, and thinks it bodes well for his team, especially since he stills sees room for improvement.
“I don’t think we’ve had nearly the puck possession time that our team likes to play with so hopefully that’s something that can continue to get better,” said Sandelin. “Last year there were stretches where we walked out of there kind of going how did we not win with the opportunities and chances we had. This year some of those have gone in to this point. Obviously, that’s a great sign, but for us, it’s something where we want to get better in some areas and certainly possessing the puck more and getting more chances is something we want to do.”
Another area Duluth can see improvement in is the penalty kill, which is currently only succeeding 82.7 percent of the time. One way Duluth has helped its PK is by being one of the least penalized teams in the country, with an average of only 11.4 penalty minutes per game.
“We had 14 or 15 against North Dakota, and I told our guys if we’re going to give St. Cloud that many opportunities, we’re probably not going to win,” said Sandelin. “We gave up a power-play goal on Saturday, but that was the only one they had. We had a good start against Michigan Tech, not a good weekend against Lowell, which kind of hurt our numbers a bit, but I think it’s just working on it, working on some things that need to get better. To get back to your original question, the number one thing is to stay out of the box. You have to stay disciplined and try not to take unnecessary penalties.”
This weekend, the Bulldogs host Western Michigan, which has shown great improvement early and just swept Miami last weekend. Facing a strong power play, Sandelin knows his players need to stay out of the box.
“They’ve got the (Matthew) Iacopelli kid who is off to a great start; he scored a lot of goals in junior hockey, too,” said Sandelin. “They’re hungry. I think they are playing a lot more aggressively and using their speed and I think offensively they really support the puck well. Watching the tape against Miami, they didn’t give up a lot of chances. I think they’re sound defensively and don’t give you a lot of room. I think it’s going to be a great series. Both teams can skate, and their power play is at 28-plus percent, so again, we need to stay out of the box.”
Colorado College off to good start
After two of the worst seasons in program history, Colorado College has already shown improvement.
The Tigers opened conference play last weekend by beating high-flying Omaha 2-1. CC is currently 3-5.
To put that in perspective, last year the Tigers didn’t get their first win or first conference win until December, and they’ve only won six games all year in each of the last two seasons.
“It was huge for us; I think we are growing as a team every day,” said CC coach Mike Haviland. “We have 17 freshmen and sophomores playing, and certainly I think to go in and win your first conference game is huge in our conference to give us the confidence moving forward. I think early on, we keep finding ways to win on the road. As a young team, I think we are growing each and every day, which is a great time for us. To do it in the fashion we did it, score two early and then shut down a high offensive-minded team, I was pretty proud of how the guys played in all three zones for 60 minutes.”
One key to CC’s early success has been improved offensive production. The offense has ranked near the bottom of the country the last two seasons, averaging less than two goals a game, while this year CC has averaged close to three goals a game.
“I think we added more speed and more skill up front first,” said Haviland. “I think also on the back end we played so many young guys last year that they got experience and that they feel comfortable now in moving the puck and in their game. All of a sudden now, you have guys that after that first year, we had a young freshman class, and now guys are a little older and have more confidence in themselves that they can make the plays, and I think that has translated into some goals here.”
One player who has contributed early is freshman Alex Berardinelli, who has six points in his first seven collegiate games.
“He’s not afraid to go to those traffic areas, those hard areas, and he’s getting rewarded for it,” said Haviland. “Certainly he was one of those guys we added with speed and that skill set, so it’s really nice to see him getting rewarded early.”
While the offense is up, the defense is still one of the worst in the country, giving up over four goals a game. CC got a boost before the Omaha series when Jacob Nehama returned to the starting lineup after missing the first few weeks of the season, and Nehama helped shut down Omaha’s high-powered offense Friday, making 31 saves. The next night, Nehama couldn’t keep the Mavericks in check, making 27 saves in a 6-4 loss.
According to Haviland, keeping out to the penalty box is one thing the defense needs to do to improve.
“The one thing is I think we are taking way too many penalties,” said Haviland. “It’s early on and our PK hasn’t been up to the standards that we need it to be. We’ve given up too many goals on the PK and five-on-five, it’s also more of a matter of us taking more pride and really winning those battles in our own end. The D-zone coverage for us as a staff is about pride. You have to have the same passion to keep it out of your net that you do to score. That’s something we’ve been talking each and every day about, and we’re really trying to work with the guys in the defensive zone and making sure they don’t want to get scored on and that everyone is on the same page.”
This weekend, that defense will get another stout test when St. Cloud State comes to Colorado Springs. Haviland knows his team has confidence, but that the Huskies like to attack early and often.
“I think we have confidence right now as a team, splitting our last two, out in Boston we split and then in Omaha last weekend we split, with a weekend off in between,” said Haviland. “We have confidence in ourselves and how we’re playing, so that’s a good sign. We know our confidence and how good it is, and certainly a team that is coming in here which is one of the better teams in the country with a high-powered offense, we have to make sure that we take care of their transition and not get them odd-man breaks and second or third chances in our end. And we have to stay out of the box. Their numbers may not be as big as they were last year on the power play, but they are certainly a very offensive-minded team.”
NCHC Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week – Matheson Iacopelli, Western Michigan: Iacopelli led Western Michigan to a weekend sweep of Miami with four goals in two games. On Friday, he had three points, assisting on the game-tying goal and then scoring Western’s final two goals, one on the power play, in a 6-3 win. On Saturday, he scored two more goals in a three-minute span in the second period, including the game-winner, in a 5-2 win. He was named the game’s first star both nights.
Defensive Player of the Week – Carson Soucy, Minnesota-Duluth: Soucy helped Duluth to a second straight weekend sweep of a top 10 team and conference foe as the Bulldogs swept St. Cloud by identical 5-3 scores. He helped the penalty kill go 8-for-9 on the weekend while going plus-3. On Friday, he assisted on the game-tying goal in the third period. On Saturday, he scored twice in the third in a second consecutive come-from-behind win, with the first goal coming unassisted and tying the game.
Rookie of the Week – Joey Anderson, Minnesota-Duluth: Anderson continued his red-hot start, notching five points to help his team to a weekend sweep of St. Cloud. On Friday, he had three points overall and scored his first two collegiate goals in the third period, the first the game-winner and then an empty-netter to seal the win. On Saturday, he scored Duluth’s first goal and then assisted on another. He had a plus-4 rating on the weekend.
Goaltender of the Week – Trevor Gorsuch, Western Michigan: Gorsuch notched his first career back-to-back wins in Western Michigan’s sweep of Miami. On Friday, he stopped 17 shots in a 6-3 win, and on Saturday he made 29 in a 5-2 win. He helped Western kill off all 11 Miami power plays Saturday. He posted a 2.50 GAA and a .902 save percentage on the weekend, stopping 46 of 51 shots.
Grace Harrison has St. Lawrence in a strong position. ((c) Shelley M. Szwast 2016)
Candace: Nicole, welcome back to Wednesday Women after taking last week off to write the women’s D-III conference previews. You will certainly be kept busy this winter covering so many teams!
Last week was a little light on the action, in part because schools often don’t schedule games during this weekend due to the Four Nations Cup, which, by the way, was won by Team USA this year. The Americans regrouped after a disappointing 3-2 loss to Team Canada in the final game of the round robin to beat the Canadians 5-3 in the gold medal game. A lot of former college stars factored into the win, including former Badgers Brianna Decker and Hilary Knight, who had three points and two points respectively. Former BC players were also big, as Emily Pfalzer was named player of the game, and she, Haley Skarupa, Kelli Stack, and Alex Carpenter each got a point.
Let’s turn to the current college game though, and lead again with Wisconsin. The Badgers were missing Annie Pankowski, who was at the Four Nations Cup. Pankowski has had a bit of a down year point-wise so far, but her absence certainly didn’t slow the Badgers, who racked up 11 goals in a weekend shutout sweep of Bemidji State, 5-0 and 6-0. Ann-Renée Desbiens set a new shutout mark with her 43rd and 44th. Three Badgers, Sarah Nurse, Alexis Mauermann, and Abby Roque, each scored two goals in Sunday’s 6-0 win, while freshman Presley Norby scored twice on Saturday, as did Mikaela Gardner, while Mauermann also scored.
Wisconsin just seems like a bad matchup for the Beavers, because even when Bemidji has owned wins over Minnesota, they haven’t been able to break through against the Badgers, and the scores have often been blowouts. Bemidji hasn’t beaten Wisconsin since 2012. What do you think makes the Badgers such a bad matchup, and after such a convincing sweep, does it give Wisconsin more momentum going into a big series with Minnesota-Duluth in two weeks?
Nicole: I feel the need to defend Pankowski a bit because I’ve heard that she had a rough start to the season from more than one person already this season. When I asked Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson about it this weekend, he chuckled. He went on to point out that much of what Annie contributes on the ice doesn’t show on the score sheet, most especially her leadership. He pointed to the fact that she was named captain of the U-22 squad this summer as proof. She was one of just three collegians on USA’s Four Nations roster. And though she did put up 22 goals last season, she led the team by a large margin with 36 assists. Though her shot is strong and impressive, she’s even more adept at dishing out the puck and setting up teammates. Pankowski herself would tell you she needs to score more, but if Mark Johnson isn’t concerned, I’m not sure anyone else should be.
I don’t think it would be disingenuous to ignore that the emergence of the second line can be tied to how good Pankowski and Clark were last season. With the top line drawing so much attention, the matchups are much more favorable for Nurse, McKibbon, and Norby. That’s not to discount the monster season they’ve all had so far, but I do think the two are linked. Wisconsin played four weekends on the road before coming home this weekend, meaning their opponents got last change. The Badgers’ third line has 10 goals and 11 assists and the team is averaging 3.75 goals per game. Quite frankly, they don’t need Pankowski to score.
As you said, the Badgers have had great success against Bemidji in recent years, but I thought this past weekend’s series was even more impressive because Wisconsin was missing not just Pankowski, but linemate Sam Cogan, who was injured. The Badgers run four lines pretty consistently and all four lines were productive to start the season. This past weekend, they ran three lines that were pretty mixed up and still got the results we expect from them. It says a lot about the talent and resiliency of the players — not to mention their fitness — that a bunch of disruptions to their lines early on hasn’t changed their chemistry or momentum at all.
As far as why the Badges can be such a bad matchup, I think people under-appreciate the Badgers’ fitness. Teams try to push the Badgers in the first period, hoping to steal a goal or two and then pack it in on defense, but rarely can keep that pace throughout the whole game. You pretty much are never going to outskate the Badgers. I suppose teams will try anything to figure out how to get past Desbiens, but it’s not proven successful for anyone yet. The above-mentioned depth means opponents don’t get a chance to rest and have to have defensive lines to match Wisconsin’s offensive prowess and few, if any teams, do.
The biggest advantage the Badgers have before heading to Duluth is they get the week off to rest and recuperate, not just physically, but mentally. They’ve had a challenging few weeks to open the season and now get to take the time to regroup when they’re already the no. 1 team in the country. Desbiens, who loathed the attention and talking about the various records she broke, gets to put all that behind her and the roster should be full to finish the final eight games before the winter break
Since we’re talking about the upcoming series against UMD, let’s stick with the Bulldogs. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t see this season coming from Maura Crowell’s team. It’s been spectacular to see Lara Stalder come a bit into her own this season and there’s a lot to be excited for in Duluth. However, the Bulldogs have another tough stretch of games as they head to Grand Forks before hosting Wisconsin and then spending Thanksgiving at Harvard. Their only losses so far came in close games against Minnesota. What record do you expect from UMD come winter break? I think we knew to expect good things from Stalder and Ashleigh Brykaliuk, but who else has impressed you from the Bulldogs?
Candace: Like you, I have been somewhat surprised by Duluth so far this season. With all the chaos that has surrounded the team, it wouldn’t have surprised me to see them in the middle of the WCHA, perhaps trying to fend off Ohio State and St. Cloud. Instead, the Bulldogs have ridden the momentum from the tie and win over Boston College on opening weekend to an exceptional start, one that hearkens back to their glory years.
You mention Stalder, and obviously her production and leadership have been essential to the team’s start, but they are getting great production from Katherine McGovern and Brykaliuk as well. McGovern is off to an exceptional start in her senior campaign, averaging 1.40 points per game. To put that in perspective, in her freshman and sophomore years, she had one point each season, and last year she had 15 points in 37 games. Right now, she has 14 points in 10 games.
Elsewhere, Freshman Sydney Brodt has nine points, almost a point a game, and is giving the Bulldogs more offensive punch along with Katerina Mrázová. The latter’s production is up nearly 40 percent from her junior year.
Back in net, sophomore Maddie Rooney has a .934 save percentage and 1.89 goals-against, neither of which is Desbiens-like, but both are solid stats and help give the Bulldogs confidence to press more in the zone. It might cost them on the PK, which is one stat where Duluth has struggled so far.
The question is whether the Bulldogs can continue to gain confidence and stay near the top, and something tells me they will. I don’t know that it will be enough to break the Minnesota-Wisconsin stranglehold on the WCHA and the NCAA tournament, but it could be enough to at least get the Bulldogs back into the postseason dance.
Let’s turn to Hockey East. Boston College and Boston University played a home-and-home, with each team winning 5-3 behind a big third period. On Friday at Chestnut Hill, the Eagles got three goals in the third, including two from Delaney Belinskas, to get the win, but on Saturday on Commonwealth Ave, the Eagles gave up five goals in the third. Neither Katie King Crowley nor Brian Durocher can be happy with their team’s defense right now. At BC, Katie Burt’s goals-against is way up and her save percentage is way down, while BU is in even worse shape, with Erin O’Neil giving up on average over three goals per game and Victoria Hanson near that mark.
What do you take away from the series in terms of where BC and BU need to improve to have success the rest of the year, and do you favor either in Hockey East or to make the NCAA tournament?
Nicole: I tried to do some quick statistical research and best I can tell, Burt isn’t facing significantly more shots on goal. That sort of puts holes in any of the theories I had about opponents not having possession much due to BC’s offense holding the puck so much last season or that the graduation of Lexi Bender and Kaliya Johnson (and Megan Keller being at Four Nations) meant the defense isn’t blocking as many shots as maybe they did in the past.
Without anything concrete to go on, my guess would be that opponents are getting better looks. When BC was so dominant last season, teams were lucky to get much offensive zone time at all and often they were shooting the puck from near the blue line or dumping it in and hoping to get a line change before Alex Carpenter et al. came roaring back.
As for BU, both O’Neil’s GAA was 2.81 and Hanson’s was 3.19, so at least their current stats are matching up to what they’ve done in the past. O’Neil has had the tougher opponents thus far, having had the net for both BC games and a game against Northeastern.
My personal feeling is that it’s never going to go well for a team to split starts in net. I’m certainly not picking on BU here; lots of teams, especially early on, are rotating goalies, but it’s just not a strategy I think leads to success. It’s so difficult to get into a rhythm and gain confidence if you never know what might be the reason you do or do not start the next game.
Both teams need to work on staying out of the penalty box — they had 28 penalties between them in this past weekend’s two games. BU is third in the country in penalties, averaging more than 14 minutes a game in the box. Besides the obvious player advantage that gives their opponents, it really keeps them from ever getting into a rhythm.
I think the door is open for either team to win the conference and get a bid to the NCAA tournament. I’ve said a few times already this season that I feel like I’m not ranking teams based on how good they are, but on how good other teams aren’t. Meaning that I don’t know if BC is a no. 6, I’m just not sure who I’d move up to take their place if I moved them down. That to me says there’s a lot of wide open space for teams to occupy in the middle and bottom of the polls. St. Lawrence moved from unranked and a preseason no. 7 pick in their conference to no. 4 in the sixth poll of the season. There is opportunity to make a move.
At this moment, I don’t see an at-large bid going to Hockey East. With five ranked teams in the ECAC and four in the WCHA, at-large bids are going to be at a premium. Even middle teams in those two conferences have a lot of opportunity to get a lot of quality win bonus points. A second Hockey East team would have to have a pretty flawless record to get consideration, in my opinion.
We talked about UMD’s surprising start, but that pales in comparison to St. Lawrence in my opinion. I just mentioned their upward trajectory to start the season, but on top of that, they toppled Princeton and Quinnipiac this weekend. It’s one thing to have a hot start, it’s another to beat the reigning conference champion and preseason favorite. It feels a bit like those wins were the Saints’ way of saying, “We’re the real deal.” What have your impressions been of St. Lawrence so far, and do you think we’ll still be talking about them in the same way at the end of the season?
Candace: For me, St. Lawrence is the likely favorite in the ECAC. So far at least, neither Quinnipiac nor Princeton has shown signs of being ready to step up, and when the Saints played arch-rival Clarkson, they got a win and a tie. The top line of Kennedy Marchment with Brooke Webster and Hannah Miller is scoring at a pretty ridiculous clip; Marchment is fifth in scoring and is fourth in points per game, while Webster and Miller are just outside the top 10.
One possible concern is goaltending. So far, sophomore Grace Harrison has played every game, and she’s done very well, with a .945 save percentage and 1.19 goals-against. It makes sense that she’s been in every game, especially key ones like Clarkson, Princeton, and Quinnipiac, but if I were coach Chris Wells, I’d be looking to get Harrison’s backups, Brooke Wolejko, Sonjia Shelly, and Allison Compeau, some playing time soon, both in case Harrison were to get injured, and just to give her a rest so she can withstand the long grind of the season and can still be sharp when the Saints need her in the postseason. This weekend, when the Saints host Rensselaer and Union, might be a good time to give Harrison a rest.
Looking at the Saints’ schedule, I could see them finishing November unbeaten, as in addition to RPI and Union, they have Yale, Brown, and Penn State twice. Then they finish the first half with a home-and-home with Clarkson. The Golden Knights have had the better of that rivalry the last three or four years, but St. Lawrence may have turned a corner in that series this year. I guess we’ll know more about it in December.
Of course, while I think St. Lawrence may have the inside track in the conference, Clarkson is right there. The Golden Knights gave Wisconsin its toughest test so far this season, and they looked fearsome this weekend in beating Quinnipiac 4-1 and Princeton 4-2, both more impressive than what St. Lawrence could post. Ultimately, wins, not scores, are what matters, and whether you win by one goal or 10, a win is still a win. Clarkson netminder Shea Tiley is again on a tear with a .928 save percentage and 1.77 goals-against. The offense hasn’t been quite at St. Lawrence’s pace, but it is clicking, led by Cayley Mercer.
Do you agree that Clarkson and St. Lawrence have separated themselves from the rest of the ECAC, and who do you favor between the two?
Nicole: At this point those two are the front runners. This is where the Ivies starting later really affects things for me, because I imagine that Princeton will be a bit more settled when they’ve got six weeks under their belt like most everyone else does.
I do think Tiley — and experience — give Clarkson the edge. Not only do they have the postseason experience, but they’re well practiced in pacing themselves and handling the long season. It’s sometimes difficult to remember that we’ve got a full month before the winter break, much less that final six-week or so push to conference tournaments.
That being said, I’ve got a soft spot for St. Lawrence. I just really love any sign that shows how much the sport is growing and changing. I suppose that can be said about any year since we started, but it just feels like the gaps keep closing that much more every year. So I love cheering for programs that are building and growing and making people pay attention, and I think there’s an ease around St. Lawrence. Wells told me a few weeks ago that there’s not a lot of national press in Canton, New York. Pretty much everything they do from here on out is exceeding expectations, so they don’t have a lot to lose. They don’t have internal or external pressure; they just get to enjoy the ride and play really loose.
That’s not something I think can be said for Clarkson, which made such a splash winning the 2014 National Championship. They have a lot to live up to and I imagine there’s a lot of self-imposed expectations and pressure, especially after it was a matter of an overtime goal that separated them from last year’s title game.
Going back a minute, you mentioned Ann-Renée Desbiens getting her 44th career shutout, eclipsing Noora Räty and setting a new NCAA career mark. At this point, it’s been a year of Ann-Renée breaking various records, so I feel like folks aren’t going to appreciate what an incredible accomplishment that is.
She earned just three shutouts her freshman year when she played in relief of injured Alex Rigsby and she picked up six this season. That means the bulk of them came in just two seasons, including last year’s mind-boggling 21. For comparison, Räty earned seven shutouts her first year, nine in her second, 10 in her third and 17 during the Gophers’ perfect season. Desbiens has played in 97 games for the Badgers, meaning she’s earned a shutout in nearly half the games she’s played. Her career goals-against average is 0.96. The numbers are just kind of unfathomable.
Setting yourself apart as a goalie at Wisconsin means competing with Olympian Jessie Vetter and Rigsby, who currently seems to be Team USA’s starter. The bar was set pretty high and Ann-Renée has gone far beyond it and has plenty of games left to go.
You’ve been involved and watching games for longer than I have. What do you make of Desbiens’ accomplishments? Do you think we’ll see another season like she had last year any time soon?
Candace: Maybe this year, with Desbiens again. She is an outstanding goalie, and she also benefits from having an amazing defense in front of her. Not only is Wisconsin’s blue line corps deep and experienced, but the forwards also play well in the zone and backcheck a lot. It shows in the stats too. Wisconsin already has six shutouts this season in 12 games. In those 12 games, the Badgers have given up more than 20 shots only three times, and two of those were to Clarkson. Many of the games the opponents are only getting around 15 shots on net. Desbiens has faced 193 shots in 12 games. When you combine the few shots and the ferocious defense with an outstanding goaltender, scoring on Wisconsin just becomes a very difficult proposition.
Look at some of the other teams in contrast. Julia Vandyk at Colgate is facing over 20 shots on average, and has faced over 30 twice so far, facing 209 shots in nine games. St. Lawrence’s Harrison has faced over 20 on average as well, facing 219 shots in 10 games while registering four shutouts. Lexie Shaw at North Dakota has faced 227 shots in only nine games. BC’s Burt has faced 255 shots in 11 games.
The only goaltender facing as few shots as Desbiens is Sydney Peters at Minnesota, who has ironically faced even fewer than Desbiens, seeing only 166 shots in 12 games while registering four shutouts.
Speaking of the Gophers, they looked good again in sweeping Minnesota State, and the offensive stats for the country currently see three Minnesota players tied for the national scoring lead in Kelly Pannek, Sarah Potomak, and Dani Camerenesi. I admit I gave the inside edge to Wisconsin in the WCHA this year because of who returned to the Badgers and that Minnesota lost Amanda Kessel and Hannah Brandt, but the Gophers returned plenty of players that most other teams would kill to have. The Gophers are also off this weekend, but then face North Dakota in Grand Forks and then have a rematch series with Bemidji State at Thanksgiving; the Beavers are responsible for Minnesota’s only loss to date.
What do you think of the Gophers so far? Can they win it all once again?
Nicole: I’ve had a difficult time getting a grasp of the Gophers. I think the expectations are always so high for them that any time they aren’t just rolling over opponents seems like they’re having a bad year, which is kind of ridiculous. Most coaches in the country would love to have a “down year” if it looks like the one Gophers are supposedly having.
Losing Brandt and Kessel did have an impact, but Potomak and Pannek had already showed they were ready to step up and take bigger roles. I think that as opposed to being flashy or big name like some rosters in year’s past, this team is a bit more workman-like and that’s caused people’s perceptions to be skewed. There’s too much talent constantly coming through that program for them to do anything other than just reload. Peters did have a bit of a difficult time transitioning in the early weeks, as any goalie who’s played behind a long-time starter would, but seems like she’s doing better as the season progresses.
Minnesota has always been a team that gets better as the season moves on as well. In the opening weeks, there was chatter about their power play; while I’m sure coach Brad Frost would like to see them with more than nine man-advantage goals, their conversion rate is second in the country. If there was a problem there, it’s already well on the way to being solved.
When looking ahead a few seasons ago, taking into account graduations and recruits, I had been zeroing in on Wisconsin for this season and so far I have to stick with that. That being said, I would never, ever discount Minnesota. They certainly have the talent to win it all.
One last WCHA question — North Dakota has been on the outside looking in for the past few seasons. They seem to hover near the bottom of the rankings and find themselves left out when it comes to at-large bids. They’re already having a similar season, but this year with UMD breaking out, the Fighting Eagles are the fourth WCHA team and if the season ended today, would likely once again be left out.
What have you seen from North Dakota? What do they need to do to climb a few spots in the polls and earn some recognition – and respect? If they are in the 8, 9 or 10 spot in the polls, do you think we’ll see a fourth WCHA squad in the NCAA tournament?
Candace: Ultimately, the polls don’t matter for the NCAA tournament; the PairWise is all that matters. Right now North Dakota is seventh, so they’d be out because there is no Hockey East team above them in the PairWise and the winner of the Hockey East tournament gets an autobid. It also depends on who wins the ECAC tournament and whether Robert Morris, currently eighth, were to win the CHA. The top eight currently has four WCHA teams, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth, and North Dakota, three ECAC teams, St. Lawrence, Clarkson, and Colgate, and then Robert Morris. Northeastern and Boston College round out the top 10.
To get into a better position, North Dakota needs to at least split with Duluth this weekend. The Hawks also need to try to get at least one win over the Wisconsin or Minnesota. They haven’t played the latter yet; the first series against Minnesota is the weekend after Duluth, so that’s a pretty brutal week that could knock North Dakota out of contention for an at-large bid before November is over. As I said last week to Arlan as well, the loss to St. Cloud, on the second weekend of the year, could ultimately cost North Dakota any shot at the NCAA tournament. It’s tough, but that’s the way the selection system works.
North Dakota has a lot of upside. Shaw is playing amazing in net, and the Hawks are getting good scoring from Amy Menke. Freshman Emma Nuutinen is playing well too, but after that the scoring falls off quite a bit. Ultimately, North Dakota is going to likely rely on strong defense to win most of its games.
I mentioned Robert Morris earlier. The Colonials have certainly put themselves in the driver’s seat in the CHA the last two weekends, sweeping Mercyhurst and then tying and beating Syracuse last weekend. Surprisingly, Penn State, which beat Mercyhurst in OT this last weekend, is in second in the CHA. I know it’s early, but what’s your read on the CHA and who might get the conference autobid?
Nicole: I’m loving all the parity in the CHA. It’s felt like Mercyhurst has had the conference pretty much on lock for a long time, with occasional pressure from RIT, so in terms of the growth of the game, it’s great to be talking about other teams.
Robert Morris was on my radar, but the past two weekends’ results really solidified for me that they’re a solid team capable of taking the CHA this year. I’d really love to see them find that extra little bit to be able to finish off teams. They already have four ties and three are against teams they beat in the other game of the series. By the end of the season I’d like to see them be able to convert just one or two of those types of games to wins. The postseason requires that kind of killer instinct.
Penn State has been a team over the past few seasons that has shown moments of brilliance but that has been unable to maintain it. The lack of consistency makes it very difficult to believe that they can carry through a full season. They played Clarkson close, but lost to Union — after beating them 8-1 the day before. It feels like we have no idea what Penn State team we’ll see skate for any given game. That does make it difficult for teams to prepare against them, but for me to have more faith in them I need to not see such wildly disparate outcomes each weekend.
