Boston College celebrates its fifth straight Beanpot title after a 4-1 win over Northeastern on Monday (photo: Melissa Wade).
BOSTON — Year after year, the Beanpot tournament has a way of forcing teams to reach for that second or third gear that you rarely see outside of the postseason.
Perhaps that’s why its most frequent champions, Boston College and Boston University, often bring home additional trophies to the case at the end of the year.
[scg_html_beanpot2014]For years, in these type of environments the Eagles have displayed a cool, composed game, machine-like in its efficiency and punctual with its reliability.
For 53 minutes Monday, Northeastern was able to match them with a series of counter-punches, turning this title bout into yet another instant classic.
And yet, BC’s Patrick Brown found that extra gear as he was falling to the ice, caught in a tangle in front of the Northeastern goal, mindful of an oncoming shot from Isaac Macleod. He lunged forward with his stick, and redirected the puck past Clay Witt to pocket the game winner for the Eagles in what ended up being a 4-1 victory.
Brown is a BC legacy — both of his parents are alumni, and his father was a Stanley Cup winner with the Detroit Red Wings in the mid 1990s. A lot to live up to, certainly.
But perhaps emblematic of how BC’s workmanlike effort has produced national championship-caliber teams year-in, year-out, Brown has earned a reputation as the hardest worker on the team and was unanimously voted its captain.
“We knew we needed a greasy goal in the third period,” tournament MVP Kevin Hayes said, “and one of the hardest working guys on the team got it.”
A fitting payoff, and where does it rank among the Beanpot goals Eagles coach Jerry York has witnessed during his tenure?
“Right at the top,” York said. “He was on his knees and reached back to redirect the puck. It was an amazing goal.”
“We compete. We compete to the very end,” Brown said of the Eagles’ consistent ability to reach that next level. “You win it once as a freshman, and you learn the culture: You want to win trophies. You can’t get enough of it.”
Throughout the 60-minute bout, there were a plethora of hold-your-breath moments, with both goalies rising to the occasion. Whether it was Witt batting a redirection out of midair or Thatcher Demko battling a swarm of crashing Northeastern players, it required a superhuman effort to keep the game deadlocked for so long.
Even after Northeastern surged through the second period to tie the game, Demko’s composure again showed why Boston College has such a stranglehold in this tournament at the moment.
“We weren’t worried, we didn’t panic,” Demko said. “It’s huge coming into the locker room before a game and having that calming presence in the locker room. [Patrick] Brown and the other seniors do a great job making sure everybody is ready and not overthinking things.”
That sentiment was echoed by Hayes.
“There was no panic in the room at all,” Hayes said, quickly noting: “One of our freshmen was the best player all night.”
The ability to rise over pressure — even as a favored team — comes in handy in February. It pays dividends in March and April.
Babson goaltender Jamie Murray pitched a 27-save shutout last weekend against Southern Maine (photo: Babson Athletics).
Playoff implications were on the line over the weekend as conferences hit the last weekend or two of conference action.
Teams on the cusp of missing playoffs battled to overtime ties and wins, while teams at the top were nearly upset in multiple games.
ECAC East
Friday night was the night where ECAC East fans were on the edges of their seats.
Three games went into overtime, with Babson getting a 2-1 win over the University of New England and St. Michael’s getting the 3-2 win overtime victory against Skidmore. Norwich and Castleton ended in a 1-1 tie. Southern Maine dropped a game to Massachusetts-Boston 3-2 in a back-and-forth affair.
Saturday night saw two shutouts as Babson’s Jamie Murray made 27 saves in a 3-0 victory over Southern Maine. Norwich’s Chris Czarnota earned his third shutout of the season in a 3-0 win over Skidmore.
ECAC Northeast
A three-goal third period helped last-place Becker battle Johnson and Wales to a 4-4 overtime tie Saturday evening, marking it the second four-goal performance in a week from the Hawks.
ECAC West
First-place Utica swept Neumann over the weekend with 3-2 and 4-2 wins. Freshman forward Luc Boby scored three goals for the Pioneers, which included the game-winning goal in each contest.
MASCAC
Thursday saw a battle of the top of the conference as Salem State tied Plymouth State 3-3. Salem went on to hand Westfield State a 5-1 loss on Saturday night, while Plymouth State skated to a 2-2 overtime tie with Fitchburg State.
MIAC
St. Thomas moved to the top spot and slipped past Gustavus Adolphus in the MIAC standings with a 5-2 victory over Bethel.
The series to watch next weekend will the home-and-home series between the two top MIAC schools as the Tommies and Gusties battle it out.
NCHA
For the first time this season, St. Norbert has taken sole possession of first place in the standings after a sweep of St. Scholastica.
Lawrence gave Adrian all they had in their weekend series. On Friday night, the Vikings battled the Bulldogs to a 2-2 overtime tie. On Saturday night, the Bulldogs found themselves down 3-0 after the first period, but scored five unanswered goals in the second and third periods to down Lawrence 5-3.
NESCAC
The standings are tight going into the last two weekends of play for the NESCAC. Amherst and Trinity are tied for the top spot in the standings with identical 11-3-0 conference records. Williams is right behind them, sitting in third with 22 points. With two weekends of the regular season left, it’ll be a photo finish to see who gets the regular-season title.
SUNYAC
Potsdam is relentless while winding down the season. The Bears battled with Buffalo State to a 1-1 tie on Friday and then took Fredonia to overtime that ended in a 4-4 tie the next night. Jon Hall made 32 saves in Friday’s game while stopping 47 shots in Saturday’s contest.
WIAC
The race is tight going into the last few weekends of play for the WIAC.
Defending national champion Wisconsin-Eau Claire swept Wisconsin-Superior with 3-0 and 6-2 scores.
Third-place Wisconsin-Stevens Point, just two points out of first, split a weekend series with Wisconsin-Stout, winning Friday’s contest 6-2 and dropping Saturday’s 4-2.
A couple of ranked teams were unable to take care of business on home ice, and in the process, lost control of their conference races.
No. 3 Clarkson surrendered third-period goals to Amanda Colin and Shiann Darkangelo of Quinnipiac and had to settle for a 3-3 tie. Carly Mercer had scored twice in the middle stanza to give the Golden Knights the upper hand. Saturday’s contest followed a similar script with a different opponent. Brittany Styner scored twice in the second period to give Clarkson a lead; Kelsey Koelzer and Fiona McKenna struck in the third to earn a 2-2 tie for Princeton. The two points lost leave the Golden Knights in third place and unable to catch Cornell if the Big Red win their remaining four games.
No. 9 Robert Morris continued its slump, losing a third-period lead of its own to Syracuse in a 3-3 tie, before falling to the Orange, 3-1. In the opener, Brittany Howard had scored twice in combination with a Katie Fergus goal to give the Colonials the lead. Syracuse got an equalizer from Brittney Krebs at 11:28 of the third period; Melissa Piacentini tallied the other two markers, and Margot Scharfe and Allie LaCombe assisted on all three. Game two was all Orange, as Julie Knerr scored twice in the second period and Jessica Sibley assisted on both after opening the scoring 26 seconds into the game. Jenesica Drinkwater saved 37 of 38 shots in the Syracuse net. RMU is now three points down in the CHA race.
Beanpot rematch
Northeastern and No. 7 Boston College won Beanpot semifinals over Harvard and Boston University respectively to set up a rematch of last year’s championship game.
Kelly Wallace scored twice as the Huskies took a 4-1 lead through two periods and held on for a 4-3 win over the Crimson, who got a two-goal effort from Mary Parker.
BC led 3-0 after a period in the second semi and BU was unable to challenge beyond a Sara Lefort goal. Haley Skarupa had a pair of tallies after earlier strikes from Taylor Wasylk and Emily Field for the Eagles in their 4-1 victory.
Too little, too late?
Brown attempted to get back into the race for an ECAC playoff spot with its first sweep of the season, taking down Rensselaer, 3-0, and Union, 2-1. The Bears patched together some offense to topple RPI: Kaitlyn Keon scored on the power play, Sarah Robson converted a penalty shot and Maddie Woo hit an empty net. Aubree Moore needed 51 saves to protect her shutout. On Saturday, Moore outdueled Shenae Lundberg as the Bears came back to win behind goals from Jessica Hoyle and Monica Masucci, her first of the year.
Fans of February
A season ago, Lindenwood celebrated the arrival of February with a seven-game unbeaten streak. This February has produced a three-game winning streak for a Lions team that was 2-21-2 entering the month.
This week’s wins came on the road at Penn State by scores of 2-1 and 4-3. On Saturday, Alyssa West and Caitlyn Post scored first-period goals for Lindenwood, and Jenna Welch pulled Penn State within a goal. That’s where the scoring stopped, as Nicole Hensley made 45 saves, including 21 in a final period dominated by PSU.
Sunday’s game required an overtime goal by Kendra Broad to earn Lindenwood’s win. Broad and linemates Jocelyn Slattery and Lyndsay Kirkham all had at least a goal and an assist, with Kirkham contributing an extra assist. Penn State’s line of Amy Peterson, Laura Bowman and Hannah Hoenshell countered with two-point games each. Hensley recorded another 44 stops.
How the rest of the top 10 fared
Cornell, tied for No. 5, swept a home-and-home series from Colgate, but the Big Red struggled a bit with the road game. Cassandra Poudrier scored with just over three minutes to play to force overtime; Jillian Saulnier netted a game-winning goal with just 19 seconds left in the extra session to give Cornell a 4-3 win. Caroline DeBruin scored on a penalty shot and Emily Fulton had three points to overcome a two-goal game from the Raiders’ Taylor Volpe. Back on home ice, Alyssa Gagliardi broke a 1-1 tie in the second period and Hayleigh Cudmore provided the insurance goal in a 3-1 Cornell win.
The other No. 5, Harvard, got a 4-1 ECAC win at Dartmouth to go with its Beanpot loss. Miye D’Oench and Hillary Crowe each scored twice.
No. 2 Wisconsin got a sweep at Ohio State, 3-0 and 3-2. Brittany Ammerman scored three goals and Alex Rigsby backstopped both games.
No. 1 Minnesota recorded a home sweep over Bemidji State, 10-0 and 5-3, with Hannah Brandt scoring twice in each game.
Meghan Dufault returned to the lineup for No. 4 North Dakota and her three assists helped her team rally from a 3-0 deficit to defeat Minnesota-Duluth, 4-3. Josefine Jakobsen had two goals and an assist, while Jamie Kenyon netted a pair for the Bulldogs. UMD staged the rally on Sunday from two goals down to a 2-2 overtime tie and a shootout win after Hannah Bramm tipped in the tying goal with four minutes to play in regulation.
Connecticut got goals from Kayla Campero and Stephanie Raithby, and Elaine Chuli was up to the task on all 45 shots she faced from No. 7 Boston College in a 2-0 triumph for the Huskies.
No. 8 Quinnipiac followed up its tie at Clarkson by falling 3-0 at St. Lawrence. The Bobcats were unable to best Carmen MacDonald in 24 shots. Kailee Heidersbach netted two goals early and Mel Desrochers added the third.
Only series with Penn State and Lindenwood stand between No. 10 Mercyhurst and yet another CHA crown after the Lakers swept RIT, 5-1 and 5-2. Jenna Dingeldein and Christine Bestland produced a goal and two helpers in the opener. Dingeldein, Christie Cicero, and Kaleigh Chippy had a goal and an assist in the second win.
The 2014 Hockey Humanitarian Award will be presented on April 11 in Philadelphia (photo: Jim Rosvold).
The list of 18 nominees for the 2014 BNY Mellon Wealth Management Hockey Humanitarian Award has been trimmed to five finalists, the Hockey Humanitarian board of directors announced Monday.
The finalists are Cornell’s Alyssa Gagliardi, Vermont’s Danielle Rancourt, Holy Cross’ Jeffrey Reppucci, Notre Dame’s Joe Rogers and Colgate’s Jocelyn Simpson.
The award, in its 19th year, recognizes college hockey’s finest citizen and includes players from Divisions I, II and III and both genders. It will be presented on April 11 during the men’s Frozen Four in Philadelphia.
Here are profiles of the finalists provided by the Humanitarian Award:
Alyssa Gagliardi, Cornell
Senior defenseman from Raleigh, N.C.
While at Shattuck-St. Mary’s, Cornell co-captain Gagliardi co-founded “USA Hockey Helping Haiti.” She also organized a “cops, kids and toys” holiday gift drive, which she successfully continued at Cornell. Alyssa also volunteers for Feed My Starving Children, Habitat for Humanity and at Salvation Army holiday gift drives. She is a Big Sister and a very active volunteer in Cornell’s Red Key Honorary Society, which broadly serves the Ithaca, NY community. She and a Cornell teammate were selected to be spokespersons for this season’s United Way fundraiser.
Danielle Rancourt, Vermont
Senior forward from Sudbury, Ontario
Aside from being a standout student and hockey player, Vermont assistant captain Danielle Rancourt has greatly affected the Burlington community through her 20-hour weekly commitment to Meals on Wheels and the NCAA College For Every Student (CFES) program. She considers her greatest accomplishment the ‘Pack the Gut’ fundraiser she initiated, where a record crowd supported Meals on Wheels at a UVM game. Danielle has also spearheaded the “Be Your Best” program that has matched the UVM Women’s Hockey Team with a local elementary school. Danielle has also demonstrated a peerless commitment to the College for Every Student program.
Jeffrey Reppucci, Holy Cross
Student assistant coach from Newburyport, Mass.
A career-ending injury has not stopped this Holy Cross senior from staying actively involved with the hockey team and his extensive off-ice works. Now a student assistant coach and game-day operations coordinator, Reppucci continues his humanitarian efforts with Students Helping Children Across Borders, a non-profit he founded to promote health and wellness through education, sports and recreation among underserved children in poor communities throughout the world. SHCAB has executed more than $125,000 worth of infrastructure development in the US, Russia, Argentina, Haiti and Uganda. In Suzdal, Russia, as part of his Playing For Peace initiative, he designed and implemented a $22,000 community building project centered on fighting alcoholism in children through sports and recreational programming. In Worcester, MA Jeffrey mobilized more than 540 college students last April to help build more than $62,000 worth of infrastructure improvements at 12 of the city’s recreational spaces.
Joe Rogers, Notre Dame
Senior goaltender from Marysville, Mich.
Having overcome a physical disability himself — an underdeveloped right hand — Rogers has dedicated his time as a mentor to disabled youth. Rogers has befriended, mentored and acted as a role model for several young athletes throughout the country. He has also worked with several organizations, including Feed My Starving Children, Junior Diabetes, and the River City Sled Rovers sled hockey team, for which he spends many hours attending practices, helping kids with their gear, and just talking hockey. In addition, Rogers is now on the Board of Directors for Hockey Saves, an organization that unites the game of hockey with members of the military and their families.
Jocelyn Simpson, Colgate
Senior defenseman from Shorewood, Ill.
An Education major and assistant team captain, Jocelyn Simpson has dedicated much of her community service to working closely with autistic children. As an underclassman, she began working at a camp called “Stepping Stones,” helping supervise a group of 30 special needs campers. She later joined the “Oz Project,” a drama, music and recreation program that helps children learn skills to navigate social situations. For four years, Jocelyn has organized the team’s Autism Awareness game/fundraiser, raising more than $25,000 for Autism Speaks.
The nominees, originating from recommendations made by coaches and administrators, were unveiled in January.
What a weekend in the Big Ten. We learned just how evenly matched this league can be — or at least microcosms within this league can be — and we learned that no one is safe. Frankly, it’s the kind of weekend that makes me giddy about the potential for the Big Ten championship tournament.
1. The Badgers.
There’s nothing like a sweep to break a three-game winless streak, and when it’s a sweep of a long-time rival and the top team in the country as well as a sweep that garners your team six points in conference standings, you’re probably going to be a little bit happy about it.
“When you sweep the No. 1 team in the nation, it puts a statement out there,” said sophomore forward Kerdiles, who had the game-winning goal in Friday’s 2-1 contest as Wisconsin swept Minnesota in a pair of 2-1 games Thursday and Friday. The weekend was the first back for Kerdiles, who’d been out since injuring his shoulder Jan. 4.
Entering the weekend, Wisconsin was 10 points behind first-place Minnesota; now the Badgers are just four points behind the Gophers.
2. The Nittany Lions.
Entering their home weekend against Michigan, the Nittany Lions had a single Big Ten win to their credit, with a 0-7-0 conference record. After losing to the Wolverines 7-3 Friday, Penn State picked up its first league win by blanking Michigan, 4-0, the following night. Freshman forward Zach Saar will go down in PSU history as the first Nittany Lion to score a game-winning goal against a Big Ten opponent in league play, with assists from Taylor Holstrom and David Goodwin at 5:31 in the first period. Sophomore Matthew Skoff made 32 saves in his first shutout of the season, the third of his career.
Said Skoff, “That’s something I will remember for a long time.”
No doubt.
Penn State went on to score two more first-period goals and one in the third. Michigan freshman goaltender Zach Nagelvoort was replaced by sophomore Steve Racine after allowing the third goal of the contest.
Six points now separate first-place Minnesota from third-place Michigan.
3. The Buckeyes.
Ohio State extended its unbeaten streak to five with two 2-2 ties and shootout points in each game on the road against Michigan State. In four of those five (3-0-2) contests, the Buckeyes have had to come from behind.
“Any time you can walk away and be down against good teams like this and come back and get two out of three points,” said coach Steve Rohlik, “I think it’s a huge positive and those are things you’ve got to build on, but I want this team to learn how to play with a lead instead of being behind all the time. We seem to play better hockey when we’re behind, but I’d sure like to see us with a lead once in a while.”
It sounds like an obvious statement, but the Buckeyes and Spartans seemed evenly matched on many levels … except for one. In spite of the score, OSU does have an offensive advantage, which made the ties even more impressive for Michigan State. MSU sophomore goaltender Jake Hildebrand made 88 saves in the two games, but I was especially impressed with OSU newcomer Christian Frey, who joined the Buckeyes at midseason and has taken the starting job. The save he made on sophomore Michael Ferrantino with 1:30 or so left in the overtime Saturday night was stunning, point-blank on Ferrantino’s shot from the crease directly after the faceoff.
There’s no more games in hand from here on out, as all of the ECAC teams are at an even amount of conference games played with three weekends left. Still, there’s little settled heading down the stretch run.
Colgate jumped back into first-round bye with a 6-1 thumping of Cornell Saturday. It was the Big Red’s first loss since Nov. 30, a span of nine games. Quinnipiac, Clarkson and Yale each split, while Union swept to take a three-point lead over the Bobcats for first place. The Dutchmen play four of their final six games on the road, but went 3-1 without suspended head coach Rick Bennett, who will be back behind the bench Friday at Cornell.
Clarkson should be in the mix for first-round bye, although the Golden Knights travel to Union in two weeks and host Quinnipiac on the final day of the regular season. As for Yale, the defending national champions chances at a top-four spot are slowly slipping away, but there’s still a chance. The Bulldogs have four games left at home and two on the road. Those away games are against struggling Harvard and Dartmouth, but don’t lock up four points for Yale just yet. The Bulldogs lost to the Big Green 4-1 on Dec. 6, and followed that up with a 2-2 against the Crimson the next night.
Golden Knights and Bobcats wear each other down.
First, there was some history. Then, there were whistles. A lot of them.
Quinnipiac forward Connor Jones scored ten seconds into Friday’s win over Clarkson after scoring eight seconds in against Dartmouth last weekend. Jones is the first player in NCAA history to score a goal in the first 10 seconds of a game twice in his career.
Matthew Peca scored 1:04 later to make it 2-0 Quinnnipiac, although the Golden Knights tied it early in the second period with two quick goals of their own, before the Bobcats regained the lead for good midway through the period. But a barrage of penalties marred what was an exciting game that featured three video reviews of shots that went off iron.
“In the end, that’s not how college hockey is supposed to be played,” Bobcats head coach Rand Pecknold said. “That’s late 90s, early 2000s. We’re supposed to clean all that stuff out of the game, the hooking, the holding, the cork-screwing. I was disappointed the game escalated to that. Both teams were at fault. We’re supposed to play a wide-open, entertaining type of hockey. I guess once in a while, everything falls back to that.”
Quinnipiac was called for 12 penalties totaling 24 minutes, while Clarkson had 47 penalty minutes on 18 infractions.
“I thought it was a situation where two teams were battling pretty hard,” Golden Knights head coach Casey Jones said. “You’re battling for league points; hopefully it doesn’t get to the point where someone gets hurt I didn’t think that was the case. I thought it was a situation where two teams where battling pretty hard.”
The Bobcats were only 1-for-11 on the power play, but Jones said that using Clarkson’s top players on the penalty-kill unit wore down the Golden Knights as the game went on.
Equipment malfunction
There’s already been one game cancelled this season due to a compressor failure. Friday’s game between Harvard and Dartmouth wasn’t cancelled, but a zamboni broke down at the Bright-Landry Hockey Center, delaying the start of the game until 8:49 p.m. and resulting in this sequence. The Crimson blanked the Big Green 3-0, and face Boston University Monday at 4:30 p.m. in the Beanpot consolation game.
Three things from the past weekend in Atlantic Hockey:
Not so fast
The weekend before last, Mercyhurst was able to extend its lead over second-place Bentley by taking three of four points against the Falcons. The Lakers were threatening to run away with the regular season title headed into a pair of games at Air Force, a team they had drubbed 8-2 earlier in the season. Mercyhurst was 7-2-1 all-time at Cadet Ice Arena, one of the few teams in the league that’s had success there.
But after opening a 2-0 lead five minutes into Friday’s game, Mercyhurst was able to muster just a single goal over the next 115, losing 5-3 on Friday and 2-0 on Saturday.
Chris Truehl, who has been filling in for the injured Jason Torf in net for the Falcons for the past 11 games, continued his solid play with 58 saves, including 24 in Saturday’s shutout.
The Falcons top line of Chad Demers, Cole Gunner and Scott Holm were spectacular, combining for six of the seven Air Force goals.
With the sweep, Air Force moved into a tie with Connecticut for third place, three points behind Mercyhurst. As usual, it seems that the Falcons are going to have a say on who ultimately claims the title.
Hobey Hopeful?
In its ten-year history, Atlantic Hockey has seen one of its players named as a Hobey Baker Finalist seven times:
2013 Carsen Chubak (Niagara)
2012 Tim Kirby (Air Force)
2011 Paul Zanette (Niagara)
2009 Jacques Lamoureux (Air Force)
2008 Simon Lambert (Rochester Institute of Technology)
2007 Eric Ehn (Air Force)
2005 Reid Cashman (Quinnipiac)
2013-14 has been shaping up to be the fourth time in league history without a Hobey finalist, but a few AHA players remain dark horses in the race, including Robert Morris’ Cody Wydo. The senior had another excellent weekend, helping the Colonials to take three points at RIT to extend their unbeaten streak to a school-record nine games.
Wydo scored the game-tying goal late in the third period on on Friday, and got the game winner on Saturday. He now has 21 goals on the season, tops in Atlantic Hockey and third nationally.
A couple of more weekends like that will have Wydo in the mix for a Hobey finalist spot.
Three hundred and one
On Friday, American International coach Gary Wright became the 80th coach in men’s NCAA hockey history to record 300 career wins. The Yellow Jackets defeated Army 2-1 for their eighth victory of the season.
What did Wright’s team do for an encore? Play the most exciting game of the weekend, defeating the Black Knights 5-4 in overtime. Each team had two-goal leads during the game, but it came down to a goal by the Yellow Jackets’ ‘s Jon Puskar just 14 seconds into the extra frame. The goal was Puskar’s 88th career point, moving him into fourth place all-time at AIC.
Nebraska-Omaha forward Josh Archibald picked up a hat trick Saturday in the Mavericks’ 6-3 win at North Dakota. (Photo: Candace Horgan)
Nebraska-Omaha’s Saturday games have been becoming more and more, well, interesting.
One could make the argument this pattern began with the Mavericks’ 5-1 win Jan. 18 at Miami, the first time UNO had routed anyone since beating the RedHawks 6-3 at home nearly two months before that on Nov. 22.
Fast-forward to Feb. 1, then, where UNO knocked off then-No. 5 St. Cloud State 8-6 in Omaha in a game in which both teams had one player net a hat trick and in which four goaltenders – two for each team; I mean, let’s not go completely nuts – saw playing time in a game where the standards of defensive play and netminding were sometimes questionable at best.
Finally, there’s UNO’s game last Saturday at No. 16 North Dakota. It ended well for the visitors, who won the game 6-3 thanks to five unanswered goals and a hat trick from Mavericks forward Josh Archibald, but the game didn’t start so great for UNO.
The weirdness started when Archibald and UND forward Stephane Pattyn both watched the game’s opening face off from the penalty boxes after picking up unsportsmanlike conduct penalties zero minutes and zero seconds into the first period.
It wasn’t the only unsportsmanlike call the visitors would pick up in the opening frame, and the second one saw Mavericks coach Dean Blais kicked out of the game. When Blais refused to send a player to the box for his team’s bench minor at 17:07, referee Andy Thiessen gave Blais his marching orders.
Brad Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald reported that Blais watched the rest of the game from the Ralph Engelstad Arena’s Zamboni room, a place Blais used to enjoy playing cards in when he was UND’s head coach at the arena Blais helped design.
Broncos get back on track
Ahead of last weekend’s series at Miami, Western Michigan hadn’t won a single game in Oxford, Ohio since Nov. 19, 2004 and had gone 0-12-1 on the road against the RedHawks since then.
Those weren’t the only reasons, though, that the Broncos’ sweep of Miami in Oxford last weekend came at a great time.
Western had been on a 5-0-1 tear in its last six games – thus putting the Broncos back into contention for the NCHC regular season title – before getting derailed at home in a sweep Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at the hands of Minnesota-Duluth.
Now, though, following a 5-2 win at Miami last Friday before coming up triumphant again in the rematch the following night by a 3-2 count, WMU can and should consider itself back on track in terms of how the NCHC standings are shaping up.
Western would be on the road at fourth-place Nebraska-Omaha in the first round of the league playoffs if the regular season had ended Saturday. However, with only four points separating first-place St. Cloud State from sixth-place Denver with four weeks remaining until the postseason starts – and factoring in Western’s relatively favorable remaining schedule – there’s still a lot of time for the Broncos to keep climbing.
Duluth takes five of six points at home
Talking of that UMD team that swept Western on the road, the Bulldogs stayed hot last weekend by getting a regulation win and shootout win over Colorado College at home.
Both games were close against the Tigers, who are are currently tied on points with Miami for last place in the NCHC. Duluth came up trumps both nights, though, winning in a shootout Friday following a 2-2 tie before besting CC again 2-1 the following night at Duluth’s AMSOIL Arena.
UMD ended last weekend in second place in the league, and the Bulldogs are 4-0-3 in their last seven games. Two of those official ties came in the form of shootout wins in league games against CC and, before that, Denver back on Jan. 18.
Duluth is now only two points behind SCSU at the top of the NCHC tree, and those two teams will meet in St. Cloud this upcoming weekend in a series that could either see St. Cloud open up the gap between itself and the trailing pack or could see Duluth climb into first place with three weeks remaining in the regular season.
Then there were two. An undoubtedly tumultuous weekend played out for a number of NCAA tournament hopefuls, resulting in blemishes on the record of three top-10 squads.
ECAC West
Plattsburg and No. 3 Elmira took turns knocking each other from the ranks of ECAC West teams in search of clean slates. The No.1 Cardinals, despite having an advantage in shots on goal by a 37-24 margin in the opener of the weekend series, could not overcome a late first period goal by the Soaring Eagles Cassidy Delaine in a 2-0 loss. Elmira’s triumph marked the first time the Cardinals have allowed a multi-goal game. Elmira goaltender Lisa Marshall withstood a Plattsburgh offensive rush in the third in facing 14 shots by the visitors. On Saturday, an extremely high-powered effort by the Cardinals came to the forefront in a 58-shot, 2-1 overtime victory.
MIAC
Erin Harper’s breaking of an 11-game, personal goalless string did not bode well for visiting St. Thomas in the opening game of a weekend series with Bethel. Harper, a sophomore defenseman, tapped home a rebound early in the final period that ultimately held up as the game-winner in a 5-3 defeat of the previously unbeaten Tommies, who were 10-0-2 MIAC action. Courtney Umland’s notched the deciding goal in the return matchup on Saturday in a tight 3-2 victory by St. Thomas. Bethel remains four points in arrears to Gustavus Adolphus and St. Thomas, who are both tied with 24 points at the head of the conference.
NESCAC
No. 2 Middlebury took a pair from pesky Connecticut College by scores of 3-2 and 3-0. In the opener, the Panthers were taken to the hilt when Courtney Dumont beat Middlebury goalie Annabelle Jones with 5:54 left in the third. Sara Ugalde broke the deadlock with under a minute to go in the OT, providing the Panthers with a fourth consecutive win. Jones turned away all 22 bids by the Camels the following day in upping her season record to 11-0-3.
ECAC East
Both game-winning goals in Norwich’s successful road trip came as a result of the Cadets’ power play unit. At the Terry Connors rink in Stamford, Conn., Friday, Norwich (No. 4) received a two-goal performance from Vanessa Champagne on the way to a 5-1 win over the Valiants. Champagne connected on the decisive tally early in the third period while her club was skating with an advantage. Taylor Cross did the game-winning honors the next afternoon in a 3-0 whitewash of Nichols, scoring on a power play at 14:06. The Bisons were outshot 58-15 in the loss. Overall, Norwich hit on three of seven power play chances for the weekend. The Cadets moved into third nationally with an efficiency rate of 28.7 percent. On the other side of the ledger, Norwich has killed off 13 of its last 15 short-handed disadvantages. The Cadets are one of six teams nationally that sport a PK percentage at 90 percent or over.
WIAC
Junior defenseman Kendal Evenson provided No. 5, Wisconsin-River Falls with the conclusive goal in a 3-2 win over No.7 Wisconsin-Superior. In a matchup between two of the nation’s top goaltenders, the Falcons’ Ashley Kuechle prevailed, finishing with 23 stops. Yellowjackets senior Shanley Peters made 33 saves in taking the loss. The Falcons improved to 3-0-1 in head-to-head contests against Superior this year.
Notre Dame was just about a minute away from another lost weekend in Hockey East play. But then Bryan Rust saved the day, which leads the three things I learned this weekend.
1. Don’t write Notre Dame’s obituary yet
This hasn’t exactly been a welcome with open arms to Hockey East thus far for the Fighting Irish. And this past weekend had all the earmarks of being another difficult, frustrating weekend. Notre Dame hosted Maine, a team that entered the weekend without a road win. Friday night, the Irish spotted Maine a 2-0 lead. But what looked like back-to-back extra attacker goals had seemingly drawn ND even with about half a minute remaining. A controversial video review ended up negating the goal (I’ll admit, I haven’t seen the no-goal yet, so I can’t comment on the call) and making the Irish a loser for the third straight league game.
On Saturday, it seemed like the Irish were again headed for another 2-1 loss until Bryan Rust scored not once, but twice in 24 seconds to steal victory from the jaws of defeat. The win may breathe some new life into Notre Dame which is in danger of having to head on the road for a single-elimination opening round playoff game in Hockey East.
2. BU seems remarkably improved
The wins haven’t come BU’s way of late, winless (0-2-2) in its last four. But this BU team is playing much better hockey of late, taking BC to the wire in last Monday’s Beanpot before earning a hard-fought tie against a red-hot Massachusetts-Lowell team. What seems most improved for the Terriers is the team’s defensive play. Despite allowing 32 and 35 shots, respectively, over the last two games, the number of grade ‘A’ chances seem significantly reduced, bringing some relief to goaltenders Matt O’Connor and Sean Maguire, both of whom have been BU’s best players since returning from the holiday break.
3. Vermont playing role of road warriors
The Vermont Catamounts played some impressive hockey during a 9-game homestand that wraparound around the holiday break. But when you play nine-in-a-row at home, there is a stark reality that you’ll likely have to play a long road-swing. That eight-game road trip ended Saturday night in style as the Catamounts finished off a weekend sweep of New Hampshire to move into solo seventh place but only three points behind third place Northeastern. Vermont won four of its last five games on the road trip and went 4-2-0 in Hockey East on the swing. If there is any team to keep an eye on in the bottom half of the standings right now, it’s Vermont.
Rumors of Ferris State’s demise apparently have been premature. After dropping three games in a row, the Bulldogs have now won three straight, including this weekend’s sweep over Northern Michigan. Ferris State reminded the WCHA who was in first place with a 7-1 win on Friday and won 2-1 on Saturday. Goalie C.J. Motte was back to form, it appeared, with a rock-solid weekend, stopping 58 of 60 shots in the series. And the goal scoring was spread around with Garrett Thompson and Corey Kane each scoring twice. Ferris State holds a two-point lead over Minnesota State, which is making its own push, but has two games in hand as it tries to clinch the MacNaughton Cup.
2. Sweeps mean seismic shifts in the standings
The WCHA standings remain ever-so tight, so a sweep can be huge for any team that’s able to score one. Michigan Tech went from a tie for fifth place to third with its two wins over Alabama Huntsville. The Huskies are six points out of second but lead Alaska Anchorage and Bowling Green by just one point. Four points currently separate third place from seventh. Lake Superior State remained in ninth place — currently out of playoff position — with its split with Anchorage but is just one point behind Northern Michigan, which lost those two games to Ferris State. Those two teams will play each other in Marquette this weekend, while Bowling Green and Alaska Anchorage, which are tied for fourth, play each other in Anchorage.
3. A disturbing stat for Bemidji State
Bemidji State seems to be a very good team that certainly can give opponents fits. Both Friday and Saturday, the Beavers were tied with the Mavericks in the third period in Mankato, only to lose the games 5-2 and 3-2. ”I think they’re as committed as any team at what they do,” Minnesota State coach Mike Hastings told the Mankato Free Press. “They’re not going to give you out-numbered rushes; they’re not going to give you out-numbered situations at their net. They’re going to make you grind and go through. … I respect how they play from the standpoint that it’s hard to play against. So if you’re not willing to do the hard things, you’re not going to score against them.” Considering that, here is a key stat for the Beavers, who are three points out of home-ice spot but also two points out of that dreaded ninth-place position: When allowing more than one goal in a game, they are just 1-15-7 this season.
Northeastern’s Clay Witt leads the country with a .945 save percentage and can make big gains in the Hobey race in Monday’s Beanpot final (photo: Melissa Wade).
Hello again, and welcome back to the USCHO Hobey Watch, and yes, Michael Mersch has my attention now.
Last week, when running down the leaders in the Hobey Baker Award online fan voting, I mentioned that Mersch, the senior forward from Wisconsin, was in the top 10, but I didn’t address his chances further. Well, he sure showed me, delivering the most impressive goal I’ve seen in college hockey since Kyle Okposo’s between-the-legs score against Minnesota State in 2006 (and it may even be better … I’m not sure).
So, what do I think of Mersch’s chances to earn a Hobey finalist berth? I think he has a reasonably good chance. Working in his favor: He’s a senior, he’s a goal-scorer (17th nationally and second in the Big Ten), and he’s on a team that’s on track for an NCAA tournament berth.
That having been said, there are at least two other strong candidates out of the Big Ten in Minnesota goaltender Adam Wilcox and Ohio State forward Ryan Dzingel, and it will be interesting to see how many of the 10 finalists come out of college hockey’s newest (and, by membership, smallest) conference. He’s certainly someone worth keeping an eye on, though. If nothing else, you just might see another highlight-reel goal!
Now, to the main business of the week: goaltending.
I’ve touched on goaltending a couple of times in the Hobey Watch this year. I came into the season wondering whether we might see a run at the Hobey from Jon Gillies of Providence or Connor Hellebuyck of Massachusetts-Lowell. While Hellebuyck has shown no signs of a sophomore slump — he leads the nation in GAA (1.76) and is second in save percentage (.942) — he’s also still splitting time with senior Doug Carr, who’s having a laudable season in his own right (second in GAA at 1.80, fifth in save percentage at .934).
It’s not unheard of for a goalie who splits time in net to get a Hobey finalist bid (Miami’s Cody Reichard did it in 2010 while platooning with Connor Knapp), but if Hellebuyck is going to be the first goaltender to win the Hobey since Ryan Miller in 2001, it’s not going to be this year.
As for Gillies, he’s having a fine season, sitting 15th nationally in save percentage (.927) and 21st in GAA (.924), and he’s certainly a big part of Providence’s success. The question becomes whether that’s enough to snag a Hobey finalist berth, and I’m somewhat doubtful.
In that same post, I took note of Ferris State netminder CJ Motte, who has established himself as the most notable player for the strongest team in the new-look WCHA. With a top-20 save percentage (.924) for the conference leader, I think Motte has a solid chance of snagging a finalist berth, particularly with such limited competition for a spot within his own conference.
Minnesota State forward Matt Leitner is the only other WCHA player I could see getting a finalist berth, and if the Mavericks were to overtake the Bulldogs in the conference standings, his case could grow stronger.
After that start, we introduced two more goalie names into the mix last week, based in part off of their standing among the top 10 vote-getters in the Hobey online fan balloting: Minnesota’s Adam Wilcox and St. Cloud State’s Ryan Faragher.
As I noted last week, Faragher doesn’t look like an especially viable candidate (save percentage .904 — 54th nationally; GAA 2.68 — 47th), but Wilcox is looking more and more to be a likely Hobey finalist, posting a .930 save percentage (10th in the country) and a 1.97 GAA (11th) for a No. 1 team that took its first conference loss just Thursday.
Now, as we look at goaltending in earnest, there are two more names that we need to add into the mix: Denver’s Sam Brittain and Northeastern’s Clay Witt. Brittain is holding down the nation’s third-best save percentage (.936) and 10th-best GAA (1.96) for a Pioneers team that sits second in the NCHC. Witt leads the nation in save percentage (.945) for a Northeastern team that is in position for an NCAA tournament berth.
The thing that interests me about Brittain is this: Among NCHC candidates, he appears to have the best combination of team and individual success this season. Miami has a pair of outstanding players in Riley Barber and Austin Czarnik, but the RedHawks sit seventh in the eight-team NCHC.
On the other hand, conference-leading St. Cloud State has a somewhat intriguing candidate in sophomore forward Jonny Brodzinski, but his numbers (14-12–26, 1.08 points per game) aren’t superlative at the level of Brittain’s.
Nebraska-Omaha’s Josh Archibald is a stronger candidate than Brodzinski, particularly as the nation’s No. 3 goal-scorer, and is probably Brittain’s biggest competition within the conference, but I have a feeling that Brittain will probably be the guy that gets the most Hobey love when it comes time to pick the finalists.
As for Witt, the best save percentage in the country says it all — or at least, it says most of it. After all, that save percentage puts him in Ryan Miller’s neighborhood, and for better or worse, Miller remains the standard against which netminding Hobey contenders are judged.
The other thing that’s worth mentioning here is that Witt has had to make more saves than all but two other goalies in the country this year — his 745 saves rank third behind Holy Cross netminder Matt Ginn (788) and Bentley’s Branden Komm (775). All told, Witt sees 35.8 shots a game, and if he didn’t turn aside as many as he does, the Huskies likely wouldn’t be having the season they’re having, even with the top-10 offense that they boast.
Witt will have a prime opportunity to showcase his prowess between the pipes on Monday, when the Huskies face Boston College in the Beanpot final. If Witt puts on a show against Johnny Gaudreau and the Eagles en route to Northeastern’s first Beanpot title since 1988, it will be a major feather in his cap, and will seriously bolster his case for a finalist berth, a spot in the Hobey Hat Trick, and maybe, just maybe, the award itself (although I still feel like Gaudreau is the leader).
Finally, I know that a lot of what I write focuses in on statistics, which aren’t always the best way to judge a player’s value to a team. The reason is simple: More often than not, the Hobey is, in large part, a stat-driven award. That doesn’t always mean that the leading scorer in the nation gets the award; in fact, it often doesn’t mean that.
What it does mean, however, is that while it’s hard to win the Hobey at all, it’s even harder to win it without truly elite numbers. The obvious exception in recent memory was Matt Gilroy in 2009, but his win had such a strong narrative behind it — returning to BU after more than 20 offers to turn pro; Jack Parker’s comments about the value of Gilroy’s leadership; his journey from walk-on to All-American — that it was able to capture the attention of voters without elite-level numbers to back it up.
More often, however, it’s hard for Hobey voters to see enough of each candidate to have a really good read on them. The coaches, who vote for the finalists, spend most of their time focusing on their own opponents, while the media voters, likewise, give most of their attention to their own conferences. You can see highlights and catch some extra games from outside your region, but at the end of the day, a lot of it is still going to come down to stats, and that’s where we are.
That’s it for now. Enjoy your weekend of hockey, everyone!
All games start at 7:00 Dartmouth at Harvard
The Crimson and Big Green are a combined 2-9-1 since January 11, with both wins – one apiece – coming in home games against Princeton. I don’t expect this to be a game with tantalizing postseason ramifications, but I do expect it to be a rivalry-quality grinder between evenly matched sides. Dartmouth won Round 1 in Hanover; this one goes to Harvard, 3-2.
St. Lawrence at Princeton
The Saints notched a big win over an admittedly depleted Union lineup last Friday. Princeton… well, they avoided being shut out for the first time in five weekends’ worth of action (having been shut out once in four straight weeks). This is a game between struggling offenses (understatement alert) and Swiss-cheese defenses: Something’s gotta give, right? SLU has better proven talent in the goal-scoring department… if they can just figure out how goals used to happen, they might get back on the right track. Saints, 4-2.
Clarkson at Quinnipiac
One of three pivotal games this weekend, a pair of NCAA contenders square off in Hamden with three points separating the hosts from their aspirational visitors. Unfortunately for the guests, QU is on a 6-1-2 run since the holiday break, while over the same stretch the Golden Knights are a considerably duller 4-7-1. Two teams going in opposite directions? I like the Bobcats’ odds of putting a couple more points between themselves and the Knights. 4-3 QU.
Yale at Rensselaer
Don’t look now, but RPI is 3-1 in its last four, while Yale is just 4-3-1 in 2014. The Engineers have also had the Bulldogs’ number in recent years, going 6-2 against the Blue since the 2009-10 season and including a season sweep of the eventual national champions last year. It’s not a bet on which I’d put my paycheck (insert joke here), but I’m feeling RPI in another upset, 3-2.
Brown at Union
Union is still without head coach Rick Bennett, and will be for the remainder of this weekend. In the meantime, interim coach Joe Dumais will match wits with Brendan Whittet. Bruno has been kind of all over the place lately: While the defense and goaltending have been reliably average, the offense is jumping and diving and rolling around and making a big mess of things, consistency-wise. The power play hasn’t scored in five games (2-3), the even-strength scoring hasn’t exactly been blowing opponents away. Union bounced back from twin 2-1 losses with a 4-3 victory at Clarkson last Saturday, and I don’t think there will be any let-up from the Dutchmen Friday night. I’m taking Union at home, 4-1.
Saturday, February 8
All games start at 7:00 Cornell at Colgate
Believe it or not, Cornell has not lost since November 30, a 3-2 loss to Boston University at Madison Square Garden. The Big Red haven’t dropped a league game since two weeks prior, a 3-2 loss to Clarkson in Potsdam. Since the latter game, Cornell is 7-0-4 in ECAC action and 9-1-4 overall, including the BU loss. Colgate had run off a nifty little six-game winning streak as well, but it hit a pretty thick wall last weekend in consecutive three-goal losses at Brown (5-2) and Yale (4-1). The Big Red currently sit one point ahead of their travel partners from Hamilton, the teams tied their earlier meeting, and so this game carries potentially enormous significance in the quest for postseason seeding and even in the national tournament picture. I’m taking the road Red tonight, as Colgate has shown some disconcerting struggles in the defensive zone while the Red are really bringing a tight, well-oiled game into Starr Rink. Cornell, 4-2.
St. Lawrence at Quinnipiac
QU ought to wrap this one up without a whole ton of drama, unless the Bobcats don’t play their game, or SLU rediscovers what it was that worked so well back in October. Q-Cats, 4-1.
Clarkson at Princeton
Even when accounting for my skepticism of Clarkson’s record, I still peg this as a mis-match. Knights, decisively: 4-1.
Yale at Union
The question on my mind is, can Dumais et. al. out-coach Yale’s Keith Allain & Co.? This should be a fantastic matchup between two teams with legitimate national aspirations… a win for Yale means a big step back toward the top of the tables, while a Union victory may well mark them as the team to beat in ECAC Hockey. Taking the home-ice advantage, Union ekes it out, 3-2.
Brown at Rensselaer
These are two teams that I have been really struggling to figure out. RPI should be so much better, but can’t keep it together long enough to string together some victories… Brown is what it has been for a few years now: Tough but spotty. When the Bears really bring their A game, they are a very tough team to beat. They can grind and stifle and work as hard as anybody, but putting forth the requisite effort to do so on a nightly basis has thus far eluded them. RPI has great players with veteran experience, but something – some unquantifiable spark of effort or focus or energy or communication – has gone missing at critical moments this season, scuttling the campaign far short of the tremendous expectations laid before it during the preseason. What this all comes down to is, I have no idea who is likely to win this game. In a toss-up, I’ll pick the home team, 3-2.
Monday, February 10
Harvard vs. Boston University4:30 (Beanpot Consolation: TD Bank Garden; Boston, MA)
Harvard throttled the Terriers 7-4 in early January, and things really haven’t gotten any better than that for either team: The Crimson are 1-5-1 since then; BU is 1-6-1 and 1-9-2 since November. Harvard’s seniors are 0-4 in the first round of the Beanpot, but 3-0 in the third-place game (they beat BU 7-4 in last year’s consolation contest, too). This is another dismal winter for Harvard, but the third-place friends-and-family tilt at the Garden has breathed new life into recent Crimson campaigns… this is one of the worst seasons in more than a decade for BU; why should it get any better now? Harvard, 3-1.
Atlantic Hockey has suspended Niagara junior defenseman Kevin Albers for one game, adding to the one game ban he incurred on Feb. 1.
Albers was given a major penalty for contact to the head and a game disqualification at the 32-second mark of the third period on Saturday night (Feb. 1) against Sacred Heart.
The disqualification penalty results in a one-game suspension, which Albers served Thursday night against Canisius.
Albers will now sit out the Purple Eagles’-Canisius contest on Saturday, Feb. 8.
Saxton Soley is backstopping St. John’s to what the Johnnies hope is a favorable MIAC playoff seed in two weeks (photo: Caleb Williams/d3photography.com).
It’s getting down to nitty-gritty time, so who’s in and who’s out?
Nothing is certain yet, but with just a few weekends left in the regular season, every win counts.
Here are the predictions for this weekend’s games and then some:
ECAC East – Tim Costello
I know it is winter, or at least the groundhog says we have more coming, but I am clearly on a slippery slope and going the wrong direction.
Upsets abounded last weekend leading to a 1-3-1 (.300) pick week. That has dropped the overall season down to 32-18-5 (.627). The games aren’t getting any easier, but I need to pick up my game accordingly.
Here are this week’s picks: Friday, Feb. 7
Southern Maine @ Massachusetts-Boston
The Beacons rallied for a win and a tie last weekend, but don’t have a position in the top four locked up just yet. The offense is too much for the Huskies on the road and the Beacons pick up a needed two points. Massachusetts-Boston 5-2.
New England College @ St. Anselm
The Pilgrims got behind early and narrowly avoided being shut out at home before the semester break in this travel partner matchup. Turnabout is fair play and the visitors steal one on the road, leveraging an empty-net goal for the final difference. New England College 3-1.
University of New England @ Babson
The Beavers sit atop the standings late in the season and should be strongly motivated by the chance to grab the top seed if they continue their strong play down the stretch. Balance is the key for Babson at home and four different goal-scorers point the way to a win. Babson 4-1. Saturday, Feb. 8
St. Michael’s @ Castleton
It’s tough to know which one of these teams is bringing their ‘A’ game on any particular night, so this one will go the distance and maybe an extra five minutes if the first matchup is any indication. The Spartans need the points more and the home crowd spurs them on to victory. Castleton 4-3.
Norwich @ Skidmore
The Cadets haven’t dropped two games in a row in a VERY LONG time. Needless to say, coach Mike McShane will have the boys refocused to start a new win streak and stay in the hunt for the top spot in the conference. It’s close, but the visitors have enough to garner a second overtime win against Skidmore. Norwich 3-2.
Three weeks, six games and 12 points are available. Who wants the points the most? – drop the puck!
ECAC Northeast – Nathan Fournier
Saturday, Feb. 8
Salve Regina at Curry
Playoff positioning is up for grabs here. The Seahawks came hot out of the gate this season, while Curry is just finding its stride. One thing for certain – I don’t see another 6-3 contest like we saw on Nov. 19 with these two teams in which the Seahawks won. There will be offense in what I think will be a 5-4 Curry advantage.
Becker at Johnson and Wales
Does Becker have another upset brewing after their 4-1 victory over Nichols last Saturday? In my opinion, I can’t see it happening. Johnson and Wales put up eight goals in their first meeting in November. Cody Sarmiento had a hat trick that night for Johnson and Wales. Then again, Becker gained the confidence that they can beat the top teams in the conference with the win against Nichols. I still don’t think it will be enough to knock off Johnson and Wales, who have been knocking on the USCHO.com’s Division III Men’s Poll the last few weeks. Johnson and Wales 5-1.
Suffolk at Nichols
Suffolk handed Nichols its worst loss of the season back on Nov. 20, winning 7-1. That has been one of the few hiccups to the Bison season so far and revenge is on their minds. I don’t think you will see Alex Larson give up four goals in a period like he did in the first period. Suffolk has lost some tough games lately, with a 3-2 defeat to Wentworth on Jan 29. and a 4-3 defeat to Johnson and Wales in overtime on Saturday. I have Nichols coming away with a 4-2 win. Sunday, Feb. 9
Western New England at Wentworth
Wentworth is finally putting it together the last few weeks and are in the thick of things for the ECAC Northeast regular-season title. Western New England is fading back as they had high hopes for this season. They aren’t quite out of it just yet, but need to get a win or two in the near future. The Golden Bears won the first contest 6-3 and again, I don’t think we will see the same result again this time around. I will take Wentworth 4-3 in this contest. Tuesday, Feb. 11
Nichols at Wentworth
A lot of eyeballs will be on this matchup as it could shake up the entire ECAC Northeast standings. In the first contest, it was a very good game as the Bison came away with the 4-3 victory. This time around, I think we will see the same thing happen again. Both teams need the two points and I expect it to have a playoff atmosphere. I will take Nichols in a 3-2 game. Wednesday, Feb. 12
Salve Regina at Becker
While the Seahawks have struggled since Nov. 30, they did beat Becker in their winning stretch to start the season 5-2. I believe Salve Regina has more depth then Becker, which will be the difference-maker. Becker will probably skate with them for the first two periods, but see Salve Regina pulling away in a 6-2 contest. Thursday, Feb. 13
Curry at Johnson and Wales
Curry’s daunted stretch of games come to an end against Johnson and Wales. Curry defeated Johnson and Wales 4-3 on Nov. 16. Johnson and Wales to that point hadn’t hit their stride and are 12-4-0 since that point. This will be another good contest with the way Curry has been playing the last month, but will take the home team in a 5-3 game.
Suffolk at Western New England
This is another rematch where Suffolk is the hunted instead of the hunter. They defeated Western New England 5-3 on Nov. 16. Simon Leahy had two goals in the victory, while Brandon Stroud had a pair of his own in the losing effort. Both teams will want to host a quarterfinal conference tournament game, so I expect it to be another tight contest. I will take Western New England in a 5-4 game.
ECAC West – Dan Hickling
Friday, Feb. 7
Neumann (7-8-4, 2-5-2) @ No. 15 Utica (11-5-4, 6-3-1) – Utica 5, Neumann 2
Utica is far too good a club to have won just once (last week in Elmira) in its last six starts. This would be a good time to prove it. Saturday, Feb. 8
Elmira (12-8-0, 7-3-0) @ Hobart (11-5-4, 5-2-3) – Hobart 3, Elmira 2
First place could be on the line, here, which could make this clash the “Thrilla in the Chilla.” The guess here is that Hobart’s home-ice advantage will frost the Soaring Eagles.
MASCAC – Nathan Fournier
Saturday, Feb. 8
Framingham State at Massachusetts-Dartmouth
Both games between the two teams this season have been one-goal games. In the first meeting, Framingham State surprised the defending league champions in a 5-4 contest. Last month, UMass-Dartmouth came back and squeaked out 2-1 win. Saturday is the rubber match at UMass-Dartmouth and I will take the Rams in 5-3 contest.
Fitchburg State at Plymouth State
Both teams are in the thick of things when it comes to hosting a playoff game. Plymouth State has made a second-half push and are in second place in the standings and would get a bye into the semifinals. Fitchburg State would host a quarterfinal contest. It will be a de facto playoff game with two very important points up for grabs. I will take the Panthers as they are hosting this contest in a 3-1 game.
Westfield State at Salem State
Another contest with huge playoff implications. Salem State is at top of the standings and Westfield State is sitting in fourth. Westfield State has won both games this season, 8-5 on Nov. 14 and 4-3 on Jan. 16. Salem State’s only loss at home has been against the Owls, so the Vikings have something extra to play for in this game. My heart says Salem State will play with that extra motivation, but my brain says Westfield State will go for the clean sweep. I will go with my brain in a 3-2 game. Tuesday, Feb. 11
Worcester State at Assumption
While the rest of the conference beats each other up this weekend, the Lancers have the weekend off and have a nonconference game on Tuesday. They are on the outside looking into the conference tournament. This will be a good game to tinker with lineups and work out some kinks that they may have for the final two weeks of regular season play coming up. I will take Worcester State in a 3-2 game. Thursday, Feb. 13
Worcester State at Fitchburg State
The Lancers get back in the saddle in league play Thursday. The teams have split the first two games of the season Fitchburg State defeated Worcester State 7-3 in which the Lancers were in the second game of a 1-6-1 stretch to end the first half of the season. The Lancers defeated the Falcons 5-3 in their second game of their 4-2 stretch in their last six games. I will take the Falcons at home 4-2 as they are 7-4-0 at home this season.
Salem State at Framingham State
Framingham State has had the slight advantage this season, defeating the Vikings 6-3 on Nov. 16 at home and earning a 4-4 tie in Salem St. The third matchup should be more like the second matchup where it will be a close game. I won’t call it a tie because I don’t believe in “kissing your sister,” but this will come down to the wire. Since the last time these two teams met, the Vikings have alternated in wins and losses. If you look at the schedule, where this game falls, recent results suggest a win for Salem State.
Plymouth State at UMass-Dartmouth
On paper, this game looks like a mismatch, but with the history between the two teams the last two years, anything is possible. Both teams have split the season series so far with the Corsairs winning the first contest on Nov. 16 in a hard-fought 4-3 game. In the Jan. 18 contest, the Panthers shut out UMass-Dartmouth 3-0. I believe Plymouth State will win again with Gordon Ceasar being the X-factor once again in goal. This time, I think UMass-Dartmouth will find away to beat him, but Plymouth State wins 4-2.
MIAC/WIAC – Brian Lester
The regular season is winding down and the title races have yet to be decided in the MIAC and WIAC.
Concordia (Minn.) and St. Olaf highlight the weekend slate in the MIAC, while Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Wisconsin-Stevens Point are both looking to stay in title contention by taking care of business in their respective matchups this weekend.
You can check out all of that and more in my weekend picks. MIAC
Bethel vs. St. Thomas
Bethel is going to need a remarkable late-season push to get into the conference tournament, while St. Thomas is still fighting for the right to win the league championship. The Tommies are in second place entering the weekend.
The Royals have dropped three consecutive games and are going to need quite an effort to take down the Tommies. Brock Raffaele and Travis Payne have eight goals apiece and will need stellar performances to put the Royals in a position for an upset.
The Royals also need to be at their best on defense, having allowed 60 goals on the season.
The Tommies have scored 60 goals this year, including nine by Alex Altenbernd, and Drew Fielding continues to be a force in goal, allowing only 26. He has racked up 440 saves.
St. Thomas, riding a four-game win streak, is just too good on both ends of the ice. St. Thomas, 6-2, 7-1.
Concordia (Minn.) vs. St. Olaf
Concordia comes in four points behind third-place St. Olaf, meaning this series is huge for both teams. The Cobbers have won two consecutive games and the Oles are rolling behind a six-game win streak.
Caleb Suderman leads an offense that has tallied 68 goals this season. He has scored 13 to go along with nine assists. Jordan Christianson has been solid as well, tallying eight goals and six assists. The Cobbers are balanced for sure and goalie Chris Neamonitis is playing well. He has a goals-against average of 2.43 and has racked up 532 saves.
It’s huge St. Olaf gets this series at home, where it is 4-2-2, although the Cobbers are 6-4 on the road this season.
St Olaf has leaned heavily on the play of Dan Cecka, who has tallied 14 goals and six assists. But like the Cobbers, the Oles are balanced as well offensively.
The play of Steve Papciak in goal will be key. He has a goals-against average of 1.81. Defense could decide this series. My guess is it ends in a split. St. Olaf 4-2, Concordia 5-3.
St. John’s vs. Hamline
St. John’s enters the weekend in fifth and still has time to climb in the standings. The Johnnies have lost two consecutive games, but should be able to get back on track against the Pipers, who have lost their last six games.
The Johnnies managed only two goals in a series against Gustavus, but the Johnnies have the ability to play well offensively. Josh Gross has scored six goals to go along with nine assists and Phil Johnson has come through with five goals and five assists.
Saxton Soley owns a 2.24 goals-against average and has tallied 359 saves. His play in goal, combined with enough weapons on offense, should give the Johnnies a chance to sweep the series. St. John’s, 6-1, 5-0. WIAC
Wisconsin-Stevens Point vs. Wisconsin-Stout
The Pointers have won two consecutive games and are legit contenders for the conference championship. Stout comes in on a three-game losing streak.
Stevens Point has been a force on offense, racking up 99 goals, including 21 off the power play. Garrett Ladd is having a stellar season with 16 goals and 15 assists and two others have scored 10 or more goals in Scott Henegar (12) and Nick D’Avolio (10).
Combine the balanced attack with the play of Brandon Jaeger in goal, and the Pointers seem poised for a sweep. Jaeger owns a 1.87 goals-against average and has tallied 349 saves.
Stout needs to score early if it’s going to have a chance. The Blue Devils have scored 48 goals on the season and Kevin O’Donnell leads the way with nine goals.
Corey Koop will need to have one of his best games of the year in goal for Stout to have a chance. Koop has a 3.37 goals against average and has made 558 saves. My guess is Stevens Point rolls. Stevens Point, 6-2, 7-2.
Wisconsin-Superior vs. Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Superior could use a big weekend to get back in the mix for the WIAC title, while Eau Claire is looking to stay on a roll as its riding a two-game win streak.
Superior has to be productive offensively to have a shot in the series. The Yellow Jackets have scored 51 goals and have allowed 58.
Pat Dalbec has played well, having scored nine goals and dished out 10 assists, while Michael Rey has come through with nine goals and nine assists.
Drew Strandberg and Dayn Belfour continue to split time in goal and have each given up 26 goals. Both will have to be ready to be at their best against an explosive Eau Claire team.
The Blugolds are alive and well in the hunt for a league title and have scored 72 goals while allowing only 32.
Jon Waggoner and David Donnellan have scored nine goals apiece for Eau Claire, while Joe Krause has tallied eight goals. Waggoner and Krause have eight assists apiece as well. Jack Callahan leads the team in assists with 12.
Tyler Green and Jay Deo are both formidable goalies and either one is capable of getting the job done. Green, who has started the last five games, has made 347 saves and Deo has tallied 128 saves.
Eau Claire is just too tough on both ends of the ice to stumble and I expect the defending champs to get a sweep this weekend. Eau Claire, 4-2, 5-1.
NCHA – Katie Carito
Lawrence at Adrian
Adrian (17-1-3) was handed its first loss of the season last weekend in quite the fashion as they fell 11-1 to St. Norbert. The Bulldogs rallied the next night as they defeated the Green Knights 4-1. Lawrence (5-15-1) was most recently swept by Lake Forest. I think Adrian will bounce back from a weekend split quite well, especially at home. Adrian 3-2, 4-1
Northland at Concordia (Wis.)
Northland (3-18-1) is on a five-game losing streak, most recently getting swept by St. Scholastica. Concordia (8-9-4) was swept in a home-and-home series with Marian. The Falcons have gone 0-5-1 in the last six and will look at this weekend as a chance to get back to their winning ways. Looking at the Falcons schedule, they tend to win, and lose, in batches. Concordia 2-1, 2-1
Milwaukee School of Engineering vs. Lake Forest
Lake Forest (12-8-1) is on a tear after sweeping Lawrence last weekend with 7-0 and 3-2 scores. They have gone unbeaten in the last eight, winning seven straight. MSOE (5-9-2) is starting to find their footing after a dismal first half of the season. I think each team will win at home. Lake Forest 3-2, MSOE 4-2
St. Norbert at St. Scholastica
St. Norbert (17-3-1) and St. Scholastica (12-5-4) are meeting for the second and third time this weekend. In their nonconference matchup earlier this season, the Saints took the victory with a 4-2 win. These familiar opponents are sure to put on a show – can I pick overtime? St. Norbert 3-2, St. Scholastica 2-1
Marian at Finlandia
Marian (8-11-2) has posted two sweeps in the last two weekends against Northland and Concordia (Wis.). Finlandia (2-17-1) has been swept the last two weekends and sits at the bottom of the NCHA. Marian 2-1, 4-1
NESCAC – Tim Costello
Now that is more like it!
A 4-1-1 (.750) week of picks brought the overall percentage back into reach of my 70 percent success target. The overall season stands at 35-14-6 (.691), so if I can just get a little puck luck in some of the very tough conference games this week, I might reach my goal.
Here are the picks: Friday, Feb. 7
Bowdoin @ Hamilton
The Polar Bears are in a tight battle for a home-ice position in the standings with Colby and Middlebury, so every point matters. Long bus ride for the visitors that only is lessened by going out and securing the valuable two points. Colin Downey continues his hot scoring streak for the visitors. Bowdoin 5-2.
Connecticut College @ Tufts
Mike Petchonka has found his mojo down the stretch for the Camels and they will need to continue to ride the hot goaltender in this travel partner battle to stay in playoff contention. A lot of confidence for the visitors on the front end of this home-and-home weekend. Connecticut College 3-1.
Colby @ Amherst
Finally, a home game for the Lord Jeffs after playing their last 10 games on the road, including a trip to Wisconsin. Everything is better at home – the food, your own bed and yes, the win. Amherst 3-2.
Saturday, Feb. 8
Williams @ Wesleyan
The Ephs don’t know how to play them other than close. They score just enough and Sean Dougherty slams the door shut on the opposition. Sounds like a pretty good formula for success. Williams 3-2.
Middlebury @ Trinity
The Bantams handled the Panthers at Middlebury the first time around and offensively, the home team may have the best top six forwards in the conference. The Panthers have yet to show consistency in their game and drop a close one on the road. Trinity 4-2.
There are battles for position up and down the standings and weeks are winding down. Time to step up the game, boys – drop the puck!
SUNYAC – Dan Hickling
Friday, Feb. 7
Buffalo State (9-8-3, 6-3-1) @ Potsdam (7-12-0, 2-8-0) – Buff State 5, Potsdam 2
After a two-week layoff, the Bengals will be eager to resume their challenge for a first-round bye. Potsdam has already pulled off one major upset (Geneseo), but a second would be asking a lot. Saturday, Feb. 8
No. 10 Oswego (13-4-2, 6-3-1) @ Morrisville (5-13-2, 2-9-1) – Oswego 6, Morrisville 3
The Lakers are laden with first-year players making important contributions, but yet to be playoff tested. No doubt, Oswego head man Ed Gosek is delivering the message that at this stage of the year, there are no more rookies, only Lakers. Morrisville’s desperate fight to keep its already slim playoff chances alive may not be enough to get the job done.
A pair of ECAC West clubs take to the ice to shake out the playoff seedings, while the NESCAC race becomes compelling.
Friday-Saturday, Feb. 7-8
ECAC West
No. 1 Plattsburgh at No. 3 Elmira
The definitive series of the season in regards to the ECAC West regular season title. The Soaring Eagles and Cardinals approach with healthy win streaks intact. Plattsburgh has captured nine consecutive games, while the hosts are hoping to extend their string past their current run of seven games. Both teams are humming along smoothly as the season ramps up to the playoffs. Having played just five home games this season as opposed to a dozen road contests, the Soaring Eagles welcome the home ice this time out. Plattsburgh 4-2, 2-0
NESCAC
No. 10 Amherst at Williams
The Ephs are faced with a prime opportunity to push into the top 10 and make the conference race extremely interesting over the course of the weekend. Margaret Draper, who played in just two games before the break, has been a major contributor of the second half surge by Williams. The freshman is 5-0-0 with a pair of shutouts and a save percentage of .939 in 2014. With solid contributions up front, led by Cristina Bravi (15-12-27), the Ephs are better equipped, at this juncture of the season, to face a consistently strong Amherst defense. Four of the Jeffs losses have been to nationally ranked teams Amherst 3-1, Williams 3-2
MIAC
No. 8 St. Thomas at Bethel (home and home)
The Tommies, 8-0-2 over their last 10, have taken over the top slot in the conference and remain one of a handful of teams sporting unbeaten records in their respective conferences. For Bethel, the opportunity to edge past second-place Gustavus Adolphus in the MIAC standings is within reach. The Royals head into play with the 10th-ranked offense, led by senior Cristina Masten. St. Thomas will counter with All-American goaltender Alise Riedel, who is second in the nation in save percentage (.954) and wins (12). Bethel 4-3, St. Thomas 3-1
Saturday, Feb. 8
WIAC
No. 7 Wisconsin-Superior at No. 5 Wisconsin- River Falls
Wis.-River-Falls outplayed the Yellowjackets in the middle period of last week’s matchup between the two rivals, resulting in a 4-1 road victory for the Falcons. Wis.-Superior garnered a 2-2 tie in the previous meeting at W.H. Hunt Arena last December. Falcons’ goalie Ashley Kuechle has fashioned a 1.62 GAA against Wis.-Superior in three meetings this season. Wis.-River Falls’ adeptness at keeping opposing offenses from going on a scoring outburst has been extremely consistent. Home team takes this one. Wisconsin-River Falls 3-1
According to the Associated Press, three members of the Fitchburg State hockey team have been “barred from campus” while police investigate their possible involvement in an off-campus sexual assault.
Fitchburg police confirmed to the AP that the alleged assault did occur, but would not say when or where, or if the female victim is a student at the university.
The report also states that the names of the hockey players have not been released as they have not been charged with a crime.
A university spokesman said in a statement that all three students have been prohibited from attending classes and participating in athletics pending the police investigation and more serious sanctions could follow, including expulsion.
MSOE defenseman Michael Thompson is a major reason why the Raiders have been winning games since returning from the holiday break (photo: Eric Durant).
Heading into 2014, the Milwaukee School of Engineering had a surprisingly hopeful outlook to the second half the season.
The Raiders ended 2013 with a 1-10-0 record, plagued with injuries and sitting at the bottom of the NCHA standings.
Could it get any worse?
On Jan. 3, the Raiders were set to take on Norwich in the Northfield Savings Bank Holiday Tournament. The travel to Vermont was much like the horror stories felt by many teams traveling after the new year – cancelled flights, impromptu bus trips, lost luggage, you name it. In fact, the Raiders didn’t know if they would take the ice for the opening game of the tournament, as their equipment didn’t get to them until 5 p.m. Game time was set for 7:30.
MSOE dropped a 5-0 tilt to Norwich, making their bleak record drop to 1-11-0.
“We played Norwich with everything we had and we lost,” said Raiders’ coach Mark Ostapina.
The Raiders didn’t throw in the towel, where some teams may have. The next night they battled and beat Plymouth State 3-1.
“We came back the next day [and] that’s the mark of a team with character,” said Ostapina. “We said 2014 was going to be better.”
And that is just what happened.
Including the holiday tournament, the Raiders have posted a 5-3-1 record in 2014. They have swept conference opponents Lawrence and most recently, Finlandia, climbing to seventh in the NCHA standings.
With 13 freshmen and 10 sophomores, Ostapina is happy with his locker room, even with the circumstances of a losing season and an injured bench.
“The locker room was good,” Ostapina said. “It’s been one of those years. I call it the perfect storm year. We’ve got one of the toughest schedules and then I lost key players.
“We’ve had three games this year where we had zero healthy scratches. It’s one of those things that we understood, fought through it, knew that things were going to get better as our young guys got more experience.”
The Raiders have faced their share of adversity this season, namely the loss of two of their top returning players.
Leading returning goal-scorer Kevin LoGiudice scored 10 goals last season as a sophomore and fractured his tibula in the first shift of the first game this season.
Sophomore forward Cody Gonchar, who was the leading returning point-getter with nine goals and 16 assists last year, is out for the season after tearing his ACL, MCL and cartilage with an on-ice injury.
It’s obvious that the Raiders aren’t going to let a bad first half determine the rest of their season as they battle to make the playoffs.
“I’m very proud of them,” said Ostapina. “We’ve had some great teams here at MSOE and this one is right up there with what they’ve endured.”
<!–
