Sam Anas led Quinnipiac with 24 goals and 50 points during the 2015-16 season (photo: Shelley M. Szwast).
The Minnesota Wild announced Friday that the club has signed Quinnipiac junior forward Sam Anas to a two-year, entry-level contract starting with the 2016-17 season.
Anas tallied a team-best 50 points in 2015-16 on 24 goals and 26 assists in 43 games.
In addition, Anas was named to the 2015-16 AHCA/CCM Hockey Men’s Division I All-America First Team, to the NCAA tournament All-East Region Team, as well as the ECAC Hockey First Team.
He tallied 132 points (69 goals, 63 assists) in 121 games during three seasons with the Bobcats.
Anas recorded 39 points in 38 games during his sophomore season and was named to the 2014-15 AHCA/CCM Hockey All-American Second Team, becoming the third player in Quinnipiac history to receive All-American honors. He led NCAA freshmen in goals (22) and points (43) as well as points-per-game (1.07) in 2013-14 and received the Tim Taylor Award from the Hockey Commissioners Association as the NCAA Division I Men’s National Rookie of the Year. Anas was also selected as the ECAC Hockey Co-Rookie of the Year and was named to the 2014 ECAC Hockey Second Team and the ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team.
Union women’s coach Claudia Asano Barcomb will not be returning next year, the school announced Friday.
Barcomb has served as the head coach of the Dutchwomen since the 2007-08 season.
A national search for the next coach will commence immediately.
“We thank Claudia for her efforts and work with the student-athletes both on and off the ice and wish her all the best in her future endeavors,” said Union director of athletics Jim McLaughlin in a statement. “Claudia brought many positive attributes to the program and the campus community, as well as the student-athletes under her guidance.”
“I would like to thank the many dedicated players that I have had the privilege of coaching through these nine years at Union College,” added Barcomb. “I would also like to thank my family, my staff, and the Union College community who have supported our program throughout the years.”
Over the course of her tenure at Union, Barcomb fashioned a record of 36-236-32, including an 0-28-6 mark in 2015-16.
Kyle Connor’s only season at Michigan produced 35 goals and 71 points (photo: Michael Dubicki).
In the last 15 seasons, four players have been both the top goal-scorer in Division I men’s hockey and the nation’s leader in points.
To the list that includes Colorado College Peter Sejna in 2002-03, Boston College’s Nathan Gerbe in 2007-08 and the Eagles’ Johnny Gaudreau in 2013-14, add Michigan freshman Kyle Connor this season.
Connor scored 35 goals and netted 71 points in helping the Wolverines end a three-year NCAA tournament drought.
The national-best point total equaled the figure posted by Boston University rookie Jack Eichel in his Hobey Baker Award-winning season in 2014-15.
Connor didn’t win the Hobey this season — that went to Harvard senior Jimmy Vesey — but the Michigan rookie was USCHO’s choice as the top rookie and player in Division I men’s hockey.
Connor, a first-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets who signed with the NHL team on Monday, was part of the Michigan first line that made history by all being named to the list of 10 Hobey finalists.
JT Compher was second nationally in scoring with 63 points, while Tyler Motte was second in goals with 32.
Connor started his collegiate career with a two-goal performance and added 11 other multiple-goal games. He scored four times in a Big Ten semifinal victory over Penn State and had a hat trick against Minnesota on Dec. 11.
He finished the season with a 27-game point-scoring streak and recorded at least one point in 35 of 38 games.
USCHO’s postseason awards were selected by USCHO staff members during the Frozen Four.
Alex Tuch is giving up his last two seasons at Boston College after signing with the Minnesota Wild (photo: Melissa Wade).
The Minnesota Wild has signed Boston College sophomore forward Alex Tuch to a three-year, entry-level contract starting with the 2016-17 season.
He was selected by Minnesota in the first round (18th overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft.
Tuch tallied 34 points on 18 goals and 16 assists with a plus-23 rating in 40 games during this past season with the Eagles.
During his freshman season of 2014-15, Tuch recorded 28 points (14 goals, 14 assists) in 37 games, led the team in scoring and was named to the 2015 Hockey East All-Rookie Team.
Tuch notched two points in five games for the United States at the 2015 World Junior Championship and won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2014 Under-18 World Championship, posting three assists in seven games.
But there was a high bar set by his predecessor, Dave Hakstol, who took the program to seven Frozen Fours in 11 seasons but never reaching the ultimate goal of a national championship.
In the end, Berry did pretty well for himself in his debut season as a college head coach.
Berry became the first person to win the NCAA title in his first season as a head coach last Saturday, adding to a resume that also included the NCHC regular season championship.
Berry, USCHO’s coach of the year for 2015-16, didn’t want the attention focusing on him after the Fighting Hawks beat Quinnipiac 5-1 in Tampa, Fla., for the championship.
“First of all, I feel very uncomfortable talking about that because, again, it’s not about me,” Berry said. “I feel blessed and fortunate to be in this position. I’ve been here for 10 years, and now I’m the head coach. Nothing changes for me.
“I’m part of a special group and a special family here at North Dakota. And it’s about these young men here in the locker room that put it on the line every night in a game and come to work every single day to the Ralph Engelstad Arena.”
Berry led North Dakota to a 34-6-4 record and a second straight NCHC regular season championship after taking over from Hakstol, who became the head coach of the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers.
Before moving up, Berry spent nine seasons as a North Dakota assistant under Dean Blais and Hakstol, first from 2000 through 2006 and then from 2012 to 2015. In between, he was an assistant with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose and the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets.
USCHO’s postseason awards were selected by USCHO staff members during the Frozen Four.
British Columbia native Troy Stecher is leaving North Dakota and heading home for a chance to play with the Vancouver Canucks (photo: Melissa Wade).
North Dakota junior defenseman Troy Stecher has signed a contract with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks and will forgo his final year of collegiate eligibility.
Stecher, an undrafted free agent, earned All-America honors in 2015-16 after leading North Dakota’s defensemen in points (29) and goals (8), establishing career highs in both, with a career-best plus-26 rating in 43 games.
He was named to the All-NCHC Second Team and the NCAA Frozen Four All-Tournament Team. He was also a finalist for both NCHC Defenseman of the Year and NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year in his final season at UND.
In 119 career games at North Dakota, Stecher posted 13 goals and 40 assists with a plus-46 rating.
Lake Superior State’s Alex Globke will not return to the Lakers for the 2016-17 season (photo: Lake Superior State Athletics).
Lake Superior State junior forward Alex Globke signed a contract on Wednesday with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins for the 2016-17 season and will give up his senior season with the Lakers.
Globke appeared in 28 games during the 2015-16 season and totaled four goals and four assists for eight points to go along with 27 penalty minutes. As a sophomore in 2014-15, Globke produced five goals and 10 points in 36 games. His best season came as a freshman while scoring 12 goals with 19 assists to lead the team in points. That season, while leading the WCHA and tying for 12th national in freshman scoring, Globke earned the league’s Rookie of the Year award, along with a nod on the All-WCHA Rookie Team.
He was also an exceptional talent in the classroom, having earned his second straight WCHA Scholar-Athlete Award this season for achieving a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher for his previous two semesters.
Globke’s decision to forgo his senior season in lieu of signing a professional contract marks the second LSSU player to do so after redshirt junior Matt Johnson signed with the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits earlier this month.
During each of the past two offseasons, Globke has attended the Detroit Red Wings prospect development camp in Traverse City, Mich.
While the AHL playoffs-bound Griffins still have three games remaining in the regular season, Globke will not join the team until the 2016-17 season.
Omaha announced Wednesday that Mike Gabinet will join the staff as the team’s associate head coach.
“Mike is an outstanding coach who has had great success as both a head coach and assistant at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology,” said Omaha head coach Dean Blais in a statement. “He impressed us right away with his knowledge and passion for the game and as an alum, he is all in with what it means to be a Maverick.”
“It was important for us to find someone with a prior connection to our program and a distinguished one at that,” added associate athletic director Mike Kemp, who oversees hockey and is a former head coach. “When we recruited Mike as a player, we saw in him someone who had a great mind for the game. He looked at that game more deeply than the average player, and some of that likely was because he was the grandson of Canadian coaching legend Clare Drake, and because Mike is also the son of a coach.”
Gabinet recently completed his first season as the head coach of NAIT after three years as an associate coach there. He led his team to the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference championship with a perfect 36-0 record. He was named the ACAC Coach of the Year and became the first rookie head coach to guide his team to the conference championship since 2005-06. He also was the first rookie head coach in Canadian college hockey history to guide his team to an undefeated season.
American International announced Wednesday that alumnus and former graduate assistant coach Eric Lang has been named the team’s new head coach.
Lang has worked as an assistant coach at Army West Point the past three seasons.
“Eric is a true professional, cut from the same cloth morally and ethically as former head coach Gary Wright,” said AIC athletic director Matthew Johnson in a statement. “It is not often in this business that you find the perfect fit. However, we feel that Eric is exactly that. He understands the nuances of a school like American International College, embraces the challenges he will face, and yearns for the opportunity to put this program on the map in North America. I was afforded the pleasure of working with Eric on a daily basis while he served as a graduate assistant coach from 2006 to 2008. During that time, I was incredibly impressed with his upbeat attitude, strong work ethic, and ability to communicate with all constituents.
“Eric is a Yellow Jacket through and through. He loves American International College and views this as an opportunity of a lifetime. It’s not every day that you have the chance to hire an alum and former employee whose passion for the sport and the institution are transcendent. I can’t wait to start working with Eric and have no doubt the players, alums, and fans will soon understand what I already know, that Eric Lang is a game changer.”
Lang, a 10-year coaching veteran, returns to his alma mater after spending the last four seasons on the bench at Army West Point. During his tenure with the Black Knights, Lang worked his way up from a volunteer assistant during the 2012-13 campaign and has served as lead assistant over the last three seasons.
“It is with great pride and humility that I accept the position of head hockey coach at my alma mater,” added Lang. “Together, our staff and players will embrace the overall mission of AIC and recognize the responsibility we share to represent our institution, program and community, on and off the ice, with class, enthusiasm and excellence.”
While at Army, Lang was responsible for handling the power-play unit, which ranked fourth in Atlantic Hockey this past season, as well as coordinating video analysis of games and working with student-athletes in on- and off-ice drills. Lang has also served as a key factor in recruiting efforts during his time with the Cadets which has seen Army West Point move from a last-place finish in 2013-14 (6-28-0) to a berth in the Atlantic Hockey championship Weekend this past season after a 15-15-9 finish.
Before his time at West Point, Lang spent four seasons at Manhattanville, guiding the women’s team for three seasons and the men’s team for one. At the helm of the Lady Valiants, Lang captured an ECAC East conference and regular-season title, as well as the No. 8 ranking in the final USCHO.com Division III national poll while winning a total of 58 games. In his one season behind the bench with the men, Lang led the team to a 14-9-0 record.
Lang skated in 80 games for AIC over his four years from 1994 to 1998, serving as a two-year captain while being honored with the ECAC Merit Medal and the College’s Henry Butova Leadership Award.
“As a former player and coach here, I don’t think I ever stopped thinking about AIC,” said Lang. “I love this place and the memories it created for me. I have always dreamed of being the head coach here. One thing I know for certain, it would be tough to find anybody who wants to be the leader of this program more than I do.”
Lang graduated from AIC in 1998 with a degree in psychology before going on to earn his master’s degree in organizational development in 2008. He has also worked for the NHL as an off-ice official, assisting with in-game scoring and analysis.
“I deeply appreciate the support of the AIC administration, in particular President Maniaci, Mr. Berman, and Mr. Johnson,” concluded Lang. “Together, they have made a huge commitment to our hockey program. The process for us starts with our overall mindset. We have to work hard enough to believe that we can and will win here. I can’t wait to get started. It’s a great day to be a member of the AIC hockey family.”
Drake Caggiula was one of four North Dakota players to make the 2016 All-USCHO teams (photo: Melissa Wade).
National champion North Dakota and Michigan each had four players honored on the 2016 All-USCHO teams.
Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player Drake Caggiula led the way for the Fighting Hawks as a first-team selection. Two teammates were on the second team and one made the third team.
Hobey Baker Award winner Jimmy Vesey of Harvard repeated as a first-team forward, while second-teamer Sam Anas, a Quinnipiac forward, and third-teamer Matt Grzelcyk, a Boston University defenseman, also returned to the teams.
Here are the All-USCHO teams, with links to player statistics pages:
• Forward JT Compher, Michigan junior
• Forward Kalle Kossila, St. Cloud State senior
• Forward Zac Lynch, Robert Morris senior
• Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, Boston University senior
• Defenseman Troy Stecher, North Dakota junior
• Goaltender Kevin Boyle, UMass-Lowell junior
The NCHC led the way with seven selections, while the Big Ten had four — all from Michigan.
All-USCHO teams were selected by USCHO staff members during the Frozen Four.
Individual awards for player, rookie and coach of the year will be announced later this week.
Boston University’s Charlie McAvoy, right, is ranked sixth among North American skaters eligible for the 2016 NHL Draft (photo: Melissa Wade).
Boston University defenseman Charlie McAvoy is the top college player in the final Central Scouting rankings for the 2016 NHL Draft, and two players committed to the Terriers are also in the top 10 for North American skaters.
McAvoy was ranked sixth, while Boston University recruits Clayton Keller and Kieffer Bellows were ninth and 10th, respectively, in rankings released Tuesday.
McAvoy ranked sixth among BU players with 25 points in his freshman season. He was plus-10.
Wisconsin forward Luke Kunin, North Dakota forward recruit Tyson Jost, Minnesota-Duluth forward recruit Riley Tufte and BU defenseman recruit Dante Fabbro also were ranked in the top 20 for North American skaters.
Here are the players from college teams or leagues that traditionally send players to college that were in the North American rankings. College commitments are according to College Hockey Inc.
North Dakota captain Gage Ausmus signs an autograph after Monday’s event (photo: Patrick C. Miller).
GRAND FORKS, N.D. — As thousands of North Dakota hockey fans gathered in Ralph Engelstad Arena on Monday evening to celebrate the school’s eighth NCAA championship, coach Brad Berry noted that leaving UND for a time was one of the keys to his coaching success.
During the past week during the NCAA Frozen Four in Tampa, much was made of Berry’s long association with UND’s hockey program. He started as a player at UND from 1983 to 1986 and became an assistant coach from 2000 to 2006 and from 2012 to 2015. He was named UND’s head coach last year after Dave Hakstol left to coach the Philadelphia Flyers.
[scg_html_ff2016]Berry became the first rookie head coach to win a national championship when the Fighting Hawks defeated Quinnipiac 5-1 on Saturday in Tampa.
“Don’t get me wrong,” he said. “At North Dakota, in six years I learned a lot and it got me into the coaching ranks. But I firmly believe that you have to have other experiences in your life to make you a more well-rounded coach.”
Berry spent time in assistant coaching roles with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League and the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. He also did some NHL scouting.
Getting away from a program with which he had a long history helped Berry learn how to better communicate, understand how other hockey organizations operate, learn what motivates different players from different parts of the world and — most importantly — it exposed him to other coaching styles.
“It helped me in a lot of different ways,” he said. “I went to the AHL and I went to the NHL. I was very grateful for those opportunities, but when Dave Hakstol called me when he needed an assistant coach in 2012, I wanted to come back.”
Fans filled Engelstad Arena to hear speeches from UND dignitaries that included acting university president Ed Schafer. A UND alum, he reminded attendees that he was North Dakota’s governor when the team won a national championship in 2000 and is now its president for the latest title. He declared himself UND’s official good luck charm.
Fans also heard from UND athletic director Brian Faison, Berry and Fighting Hawks captain Gage Ausmus, who delivered the newest NCAA trophy to UND’s national championship collection. Ausmus, an East Grand Forks, Minn., native, is one of five players on UND’s roster with connections to the greater Grand Forks area.
“It’s pretty cool when you think about five of us coming from Grand Forks,” he said. “It’s where we wanted to be when we were kids, and look at us now. We’re national champions. It’s something you dream of and it’s just unbelievable that it happened to us.”
UND senior forward Drake Caggiula, who was named the Frozen Four’s most outstanding player, couldn’t have scripted a more perfect ending to his college career. He passed up an opportunity to turn pro after his junior season to return to the university.
“I wanted to leave UND as a champion,” he said. “To be able to come back and close my career out with a national championship is the best ending I could ever imagine.”
One thing Caggiula said he’ll miss most about playing for UND is the community and support from the fans.
“We have about 15,000 students who go here, but we have 12,000 fans who show up for every single game,” he said. “Everywhere we go, they travel and support us. You walk into a restaurant and people recognize who you are. It’s a special community, and I can’t imagine a better place to play college hockey.”
Danton Heinen was Denver’s top scorer in his two seasons with the Pioneers (photo: Bradley K. Olson).
Denver sophomore forward Danton Heinen will forgo his junior and senior seasons to sign an entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins.
Heinen was selected by Boston in the fourth round (116th overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft and has led Denver in scoring in each of the last two seasons.
“We’re very excited for Danton to be signing with Boston – it’s a great achievement and everyone in our program celebrates the accomplishment with him,” said DU coach Jim Montgomery in a statement. “The accolades he’s accrued and the numbers he’s produced during his time at Denver speak volumes about his talent as a hockey player, but the things that don’t show up on a score sheet – his tremendous character, work ethic and dedication to his teammates – are truly immeasurable and that’s what makes him such a special young man.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure to have coached Danton these last two seasons and we wish him nothing but the best as he enters the next stage of what will undoubtedly be a highly-successful career. We’re looking forward to watching him skate alongside the best players in the world in the near future.”
In 81 career games as a Pioneer, Heinen registered 93 points on 36 goals and 57 assists. He earned NCHC Freshman of the Year honors in 2014-15 and was named the conference’s Forward of the Year for 2015-16. The 20-year-old playmaker was named the inaugural recipient of the ASN Player of the Year Award last week after recording 20 goals and 48 points as a sophomore and captured All-Tournament honors at this year’s NCAA West Regional, tallying a goal and five assists in two games in helping DU reach its first Frozen Four since 2005.
“I’d like to thank everyone at Denver for two fantastic years and it’s been an honor to wear a Pioneers jersey,” added Heinen. “The administration, faculty, my teammates and the student body as a whole have been very supportive and the coaching staff has been nothing short of phenomenal. Coach Montgomery and his staff have been instrumental in helping me develop to a point that I believe I’m ready to begin my professional career and I can’t thank them enough for everything that they’ve done for me.”
After weighing in at 161 pounds as a freshman, he leaves DU having added 25 pounds of muscle to his 6-foot-1 frame in two short years.
“I wasn’t sure I was even ready for college hockey when I came here two summers ago but the coaches worked with me before, after and during practice to make me a better all-around player and prepare me for the next phase of my career,” said Heinen. “[DU strength and conditioning coach] Matt Shaw deserves a lot of credit for helping me develop physically and I wouldn’t be getting a chance to play at the next level if not for his efforts and the time we worked together in the gym. I know that DU Hockey is in great hands and I wish my teammates and everyone involved with the program nothing but the best as they seek to bring an eighth national title back to Denver.”
Michigan’s freshman sensation, Kyle Connor, was a Hobey Hat Trick member in 2016 (photo: Melissa Wade).
Michigan freshman forward Kyle Connor has signed an entry-level contract with the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets and will give up his final three years of NCAA eligibility.
Connor, a finalist for the 2016 Hobey Baker Award, was named National Rookie of the Year by the American Hockey Coaches Association last Friday after a sensational campaign at Michigan.
“Playing at Michigan was the most fun year of hockey in my life, and I think that I really benefitted from all of the coaching here,” Connor said in a news release. “I want to thank everyone that works hard in the program behind the scenes as well. It was truly a dream come true to play at Michigan and an experience I’ll never forget.”
Connor, who was drafted by the Jets in the first round (17th overall) in 2015, led the nation in scoring with 71 points (35 goals, 36 assists). He finished the season with a 27-game point streak, a Michigan record, notching 59 points (30 goals, 29 assists) in that span. Named the Big Ten Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, Connor was the first freshman in college hockey to record 30 goals since Thomas Vanek (Minnesota) in 2002-03, and his point total (71) matched Jack Eichel’s (Boston University) total from last season, the most by any freshman in college hockey since Paul Kariya (Maine) had 100 points in 1992-93.
This season, Connor had the most goals ever by a first-year player at Michigan, and the second-most points by a freshman in program history (Bruno Baseotto had 76 points in 1979-80). He became the first Michigan player to reach 35 goals and 70 points in one season since 1996-97, when Jason Botterill had 37 goals and Brendan Morrison had 88 points.
Connor’s individual performances stood for themselves. He led Michigan with 19 multiple-point games, and 12 multiple-goal efforts. On March 18, Connor scored four goals in a 7-2 win over Penn State in a Big Ten semifinal contest, becoming the first Michigan player to notch four goals in a game since Kevin Porter in 2008. He followed that effort with a four-point effort (goal, three assists) in a 5-3 win over Minnesota the next night to help the Wolverines earn their first ever Big Ten tournament title. For his efforts, Connor was named to the All-Tournament Team and Tournament MVP.
Earlier in the season in an 8-3 win over Minnesota on Dec. 12, Connor became the first U-M freshman to record a hat trick in a game since Michael Woodford in 2001. He also helped Michigan clinch its 17th Great Lakes Invitational title with three points (goal, two assists) in wins over Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech on Dec. 29-30, earning GLI MVP honors. His 10 power play goals on the season ranked second in the nation, and his seven game-winning goals ranked third in the country. Connor was fifth in the country with a plus-34 rating.
TAMPA, Fla. — After 7,929 completed brackets and 15 NCAA tournament games, there was one perfect entry in College Hockey Pickem 2016.
It’s only the second season out of six that the contest has been around that there have been perfect brackets. In 2014, there were three when Union won the national championship.
Defenseman Steve Santini played three seasons at Boston College before signing with New Jersey (photo: Melissa Wade).
Boston College junior defenseman Steve Santini and freshman forward Miles Wood have given up their remaining eligibility after signing with the NHL’s New Jersey Devils.
Both signings happened after Boston College lost to Quinnipiac in the Frozen Four semifinals on Thursday.
Santini was a second-round pick of the Devils in the 2013 NHL Draft. He played in 98 games over three years with the Eagles, posting a career-high 19 points as a junior.
Wood, a fourth-round pick in 2013, scored 10 goals in 37 games in his only season at Boston College.
Both made their NHL debuts in Saturday’s season finale against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Neither recorded a point, but Santini was plus-2 in the Devils’ 5-1 victory.
North Dakota’s Drake Caggiula went for a hat trick in the third period but was denied (photo: Jim Rosvold).
TAMPA, Fla. — When Drake Caggiula scored twice in the Frozen Four semifinal contest and then added another two in the championship game to earn Most Outstanding Player honors, it should have come as no surprise to anyone. The North Dakota senior has been doing it all season long.
He recorded points in 31 of 39 games with an even more impressive 13-game streak to close out the season and, not coincidentally, a North Dakota national championship. Going into the Frozen Four, he had set a school record with a plus-minus of plus-41, then added another plus-5 to the total.
“We’ve had to rely on him this year,” linemate Brock Boeser said. “We definitely did this tournament.”
And Caggiula delivered.
His two goals against Denver in the semifinals staked North Dakota to an early lead, albeit one that eventually was erased. The dramatic game-winning goal was scored by linemate Nick Schmaltz, one that Caggiula set up.
In the title game, North Dakota held a 2-1 lead going into the third period, but arguably Quinnipiac had stolen much of the momentum, 20 minutes away from euphoria or agony. Caggiula struck at the 1:21 mark and then drove the decisive nail in the coffin barely more than two minutes later.
“It just goes to show he’s a big-time player,” Schmaltz said. “The type of style he plays really shows in the playoffs. His hardness and his compete [level] is undeniable. No matter what, he’s going to come out and play hard, whether things are going his way or not. He’s always going to find a way to help out the team some way.
“He made some big-time plays tonight.”
Not to sound like a broken record, but Caggiula has done that all year. He recorded 22 of his 51 points in the third period.
“Being a senior, it’s my job to lead,” he said. “All season long, my line has just been trying to drive the bus and lead in the right direction.
“Our line always says the third period has got to be our best period. Whether we’re up or down, we need to keep pushing and pushing. We take pride in that, and that’s why you can see our third-period results.”
Caggiula was quick to spread the glory of winning the Most Outstanding Player award to his linemates Boeser and Schmaltz on the famed CBS Line, as well as the rest of his teammates and coaches.
“It may be an individual award, but you don’t win it by yourself,” Caggiula said. “My teammates have been there. All four years, not just this year. They’ve helped me grow as a person and as a player.
“To win that award, it’s a special thing for me, but I couldn’t be there without my teammates and my coaches and family and all my friends, whoever supports me. So it’s an individual award, but at the same time it’s from everyone else as well.
That mindset is what has produced all of Caggiula’s results, according to North Dakota coach Brad Berry.
“He puts the team first,” Berry said. “That’s what makes him so successful. It just permeates through our group. If he does it, everybody else does it.
“He’s a great young man. I’m extremely proud of him, and I’m going to sadly miss him out of our program here. But he’ll always be a part of the family.”
A part of the family that helped bring an eighth national championship to North Dakota.
Austin Poganski scores a third-period goal in North Dakota’s win over Quinnipiac (photo: Jim Rosvold).
TAMPA, Fla. — At 2-1 after two periods Saturday night, North Dakota began the third period of the national championship game with a mission.
Drake Caggiula scored two goals 2:20 apart before the period was five minutes old, and from that moment forward, there was little room for Quinnipiac to move back into the game and little doubt of the eventual outcome. Even though shots were even in the last period, North Dakota outscored Quinnipiac 3-0 in the final 20 minutes.
[scg_html_ff2016]That the Fighting Hawks can capture a third period should surprise no one by now. North Dakota finished the season 27-0-2 when leading after two periods, and that streak of holding onto a lead after 40 minutes is 71-0-5, dating to November 2013.
In Saturday’s game, however, the Fighting Hawks needed more than history and statistics to maintain their lead over the Bobcats. What North Dakota really needed to do, said coach Brad Berry, is get out of their own way.
“Our play got disrupted by taking a few undisciplined penalties,” he said. “We addressed that — no more penalties. If we did that, we’d be OK rolling four lines back into our play.”
North Dakota had to contend with three consecutive Quinnipiac power plays from just after the midway point of the first through the early going in the second, including a five-on-three advantage that led to the Bobcats’ only goal late in the first.
Even though Brock Boeser scored short-handed on Quinnipiac’s first power play of the game, the Fighting Hawks weren’t able to play the game they wanted until they began to play smarter hockey near the midway point of the game.
“We got rolling,” said Berry, “and started protecting pucks down low, making them defend a little bit, and we got some opportunities in their end of the rink. I think we caught fire. We knew that was the recipe for success: Stay out of the penalty box and make sure we play a 200-foot game and grind them down a little bit.”
After figuring out how to stay out of the penalty box, it was a matter of sticking to what the Fighting Hawks knew they could do especially well.
“In the [second] intermission, we talked about keeping the foot on the gas, and we came out and put the gas full-throttle there,” said Caggiula. “We wanted to get the next goal, we wanted to push back and make it as hard for them as possible. We got two early goals there and from there we just kept rolling and rolling. We had the momentum all in our favor. We executed our game plan to perfection there.
“Our line always said that the third period has got to be our best period, whether we’re up or whether we’re down. We need to keep pushing and pushing.”
“It’s a mindset in the locker room, when you come in after the second period,” said North Dakota captain Gage Ausmus.
“That’s been a huge goal for our team, to have a good third period and close out games like that. We weren’t going to let that one slip by us tonight.”
