Three things from a wild and ever-changing big story weekend for the Atlantic Hockey Association.
Holy Moly
In its 10-plus season existence, no AHA program had ever beaten the Boston College Eagles. Earlier this year, Army went to Conte Forum and allowed 11 goals. But resident giant killer Holy Cross, the team that became the first AHA program to win an NCAA Tournament game back in 2006, jumped out to a 5-1 second period lead over the 7th-ranked Eagles, then held off a furious third period rally to win, 5-4.
It was a seminal breakout moment for the Crusaders, who were outscored, 37-24, by opponents entering Friday night. But they controlled the middle of the ice and scored four of their five goals on a rush. They also received 34 saves from goalie Matt Ginn, who head coach Paul Pearl credited with a great performance after the game. “He was able to square up to the puck and keep composed in those scrambling situations,” said Pearl after the game.
For Atlantic Hockey, this was the biggest, most resounding win since Sacred Heart upended UMass-Lowell to start the year. The league is struggling through one of its worst non-conference showings ever, and wins against quality opponents are few and far between. But they’re 3-10 against Hockey East and 8-43-5 against every other league. Neither number is great. But considering five Hockey East teams occupy spots in the national poll and the AHA has wins against two of them (the 7th and 8th ranked teams in the nation as of press time)? That’s a silver lining if there ever was one.
Battle of Falcons Goes to the East
In a weekend where the western division reminded the east who’s boss, a bright spot came from Bentley, who traveled west to Colorado to take on their Falcon counterparts at Air Force. For the second time in three years, Bentley took three points, having now not lost a game at the academy since November, 2009. In the first game, Bentley rallied from down 1-0 and 2-1 to force two ties and eventually take the lead. Brett Switzer scored the game-tying goal in the second period after Jason Torf saved Brett Gensler’s initial shot, then tacked on the game-winner with about four minutes left in regulation. Justin Breton added an empty net strike to give Bentley the win.
Playing with house money, Bentley rallied again from down a goal in the first period to take a 2-1 lead following goals by Alex Grieve and Gensler. But Frank Serratore made the bold decision to pull his goalie with two minutes left, and Chad Demers scored with just about 30 seconds left to salvage a point.
Bentley is now undefeated in its last four games and has lost only once in its last six – an 8-7 loss to AIC considered by both teams to be a fluke of a game. The Falcons are now tied with Air Force for second in the league, one point back of Mercyhurst. They also now have wins in hand as the east continues to struggle with the western scheduling pod. They’ll entertain Robert Morris at home next weekend.
West Dominates East….Again
As mentioned in my column last week, the western scheduling pod usually dominates the east. And once again, that held true despite Bentley’s weekend against Air Force. The west went otherwise undefeated en route to a 5-1-2 weekend, taking four points with RIT sweeping at Sacred Heart and Mercyhurst sweeping at AIC and taking three points with Canisius’ win and tie over UConn.
Entering the weekend, there was a total logjam thanks to the evenly played intradivisional rivalries. As the teams play out across divisional boundaries, the shift and separation will begin in the standings. After starting out 3-0 in league play, AIC has lost four straight, falling from first to seventh. In contrast, Mercyhurst is now 5-1 and threatening the same type of separation Niagara had a year ago.
The east-west matchups continue next week. Key games will include 11th-place Robert Morris (who split their only series with an eastern school when they hosted Holy Cross) at 2nd-place Bentley (1-3-3 against RMU as AHA members); Air Force (the other team tied for second) at Holy Cross (one of four teams tied for 7th); and Niagara at Connecticut in games between two sixth-place teams.
NEW YORK –Every other year, Boston University and Cornell play in front of a sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden over Thanksgiving.
And every other year – so far, at least through four meetings – Boston University somehow comes away with a win or a tie.
For the last three meetings, Cornell and its terrific fan base had to come away feeling like they deserved a better fate.
In 2009, only a last-minute extra-attacker goal pulled out the tie for BU, who went on to a national championship.
The last time around in 2011, a hard-fought game went to overtime before Ross Gaudet got the game-winner. And that only happened after a Cornell goal was controversially called back due a blown whistle on a freak play – a puck went high in the air and out of sight for a good three seconds before bouncing on BU goalie Kieran Millan’s neck and going in the goal.
This year was the first time Cornell really dominated the game – with a little help from a 6-2 edge in power plays.
So what happens? Cornell gets skunked with the man advantage, while BU goes 1-for-2. Cornell outshoots BU 39-11 and the Big Red had an 80-42 margin in shot attempts. The Big Red consistently outmuscled the Terriers, as BU players routinely bounced off of Cornell players in the corners.
So we had to ask Cornell coach Mike Schafer what it’s going to take for the Big Red to win one of these Madison Square Garden matchups.
“One more goal,” Schafer said. “We came down here a couple of years ago and played awesome and we had a goal called back. This year, it’s 3-2. Another year we had the lead and we had to kill a 6-on-3 [power play]. They’ve been great college hockey games. You get kids here in this environment and that’s all you can ask for. They’re great games, close games, really competitive.”
And tonight was Cornell’s best chance ever. The Big Red clanged a couple of shots off of pipes and they did everything right except score on the power play. It took a dogged effort by the Terriers’ defense and some extraordinary goaltending from Matt O’Connor to pull out the win.
“We had some lady luck,” acknowledged BU coach David Quinn. “The hockey gods were smiling on us tonight. But I won’t apologize for that because we put ourselves in a position to win tonight.”
With Cason Hohmann out with a separated shoulder, Quinn noted that only three of his skaters tonight had played in the “Red Hot Hockey” game two years ago. In comparison, Cornell had 12 players who had that experience previously.
That didn’t matter, either.
“I thought they played real well, but I thought we played well, too,” BU senior co-captain Garrett Noonan said. “I thought we came out with a lot of will and came out and took it.”
The Terriers did it with three goals that were shot from a grand total of about eight or nine feet. They did it with a bend-but-don’t-break penalty kill and a goaltender who has now stopped 128 out of 134 shots in his last three games.
Undoubtedly, Cornell will find a way to win one of these “Red Hot Hockey” contests eventually on some future Thanksgiving weekend, but for now, BU is 3-0-1 in this series – and never more thankful than they were tonight.
In three seasons at Merrimack, Black, a native of Canton, Mich., played in 79 games and recorded 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points.
According to Black’s obituary, “his life WAS friends. Where there was a party Jordan was present. He held his friends in the utmost regard. His friends were everything to Jordan. His life WAS hockey. He played juniors and college and no matter where he went, family was there to cheer him. He made hockey his career by training young up and coming skaters from Alaska to Zimbabwe. If there was a rink, Jordan was there.”
Funeral services will be at St. Cyprian Catholic Church on Pennsylvania Road in Riverview, Mich., at 10 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 2 and a memorial contribution fund is being arranged by the family.
Western Michigan vs. Alabama-Huntsville (Shillelagh Tournament) Candace: I think Holy Cross over Boston College is all the upset goddess can stand this weekend. Western Michigan 3-1 Matthew: As confident as I am that Alabama-Huntsville will finally pick up its first win of the season, I’m equally sure it won’t happen this afternoon. Western was unlucky to come away from its tournament semifinal with Northeastern with a shootout loss, but the Broncos are certainly a better team than Huntsville right now and ought to win. Western Michigan 4-2
Senior forward Joe Perry is part of the offense that has help guide St. Norbert to a perfect 9-0-0 start to the season (photo: St. Norbert College Athletics).
St. Norbert is currently the top-ranked team in the nation, toting a 9-0-0 overall record and a 6-0-0 slate in the NCHA.
Many teams in Division III hockey would find them as the team to beat.
However, it’s the Green Knights that see room for improvement.
“I think we have a pretty average group so far,” said SNC coach Tim Coghlin. “I think we have a lot of pieces of our game that are missing. We knew at the start of the season we would be okay keeping the puck out of the net, it has been a little bit of a roller coaster.”
The Green Knights sit fourth in the nation for team offense, averaging five goals a game. They are eighth in the nation for team defense, allowing an average of 1.56 goals per game. Their power play has struggled, though, going 10-for-48, ranked 30th in the nation.
“So far it has been scoring by committee [and] our power play has been anything but special,” Coghlin said. “In the early going, we have [junior forward] Mason Bapsita standing out.”
Baptista (3-9–12) and sophomore forward Michael Hill (7-5–12) are tied for St. Norbert’s leading scorers and are tied for seventh in the nation.
Last Friday and Wednesday, the Green Knights faced quite possibly their biggest challenge in facing defending national champion Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
The Green Knights rose to the challenge, beating the Blugolds 5-2 on Nov. 22. On Wednesday, the Green Knights continued their winning ways beating UWEC by an 8-2 count. Wednesday’s win came with a three-goal performance from Hill.
“They are definitely a good team [and] we look back at last year with bad blood,” said St. Norbert senior forward Brandon Hoogenboom. “It’s big to come out this season with two wins against them.”
Hoogenboom is enjoying the team’s success, but doesn’t see them as shoe-in for any win this season.
“It is only November, we have a long season ahead of us,” Hoogenboom said. “We are not quite where we want to be, we have a long way to go. We still have a lot of things to learn. It is a work progress. We are well on our way, but we have a lot of things to clean up.”
The Green Knights will take on familiar foe St. Scholastica in a nonconference game in Wausau, Wis., this weekend. The neutral-site game will benefit the Marathon County Youth Hockey Association.
“It is about a two-hour ride for us,” said Coghlin. “They take care of everything for us, the guys are excited for it.”
Around the League
Lake Forest swept Finlandia in the sole conference series last weekend with scores of 3-2 and 3-1.
Senior forward Tyler Klein of Marian earned NCHA offensive player of the week honors after a hat trick against Wisconsin-Superior in the Sabres’ 7-3 victory. Klein also had an assist on the night.
Lake Forest sophomore defenseman Ben Certo picked up NCHA defensive player of the week accolades. Certo had two-point nights in each of Lake Forest’s games over the weekend in the sweep of Finlandia. Friday’s game saw Certo with a two-assist scoring line, while Saturday, he notched one goal and had one assist.
This weekend there are no conference games as Marian and Lawrence will be playing in the NCHA-MIAC Thanksgiving Showdown against St. Olaf and Gustavus Adolphus.
Lake Forest will play two games against St. Mary’s, while Bethel travels to Concordia (Wis.) for nonconference games.
Adrian hosts Fredonia on Saturday before hosting Nazareth on Sunday.
Prestigious as it may be, the Cardinal-Panther Classic will be further enhanced by a matchup between the top two teams in Division-III hockey. No. 1 Plattsburgh (8-0-0) and Middlebury at 4-0-0 will highlight their long-standing rivalry on the second day of play. Elmira and Amherst close out the outstanding field that could very well be a preview of post-season play. Defensively, Middlebury’s Annabelle Jones and Plattsburgh’s Sydney Aveson currently rank first and fourth in the nation in goals against average. Add in Elmira’s Lisa Marshall and Kerri Stewart of Amherst and the starting goaltenders in the Classic are a combined 15-1-1 and a collective GAA under 1.00. Not to be outdone by the defensive aspect of the game, the Classic will offer up a prime opportunity for snipers like Plattsburgh forwards Shannon Stewart (8 goals) and Jenny Kistner (7 goals) to shine. A year ago the Cardinals came into the weekend ranked No. 1 while Elmira was No. 4 and the Panthers a slot behind in the USCHO poll. Middlebury took out Elmira 4-3 in overtime but fell to Plattsburgh in a 3-2 thriller.
Saturday
Plattsburgh vs. Amherst
The Lady Jeffs, hovering just outside the top ten, were hammered by an 8-3 final a year ago by the Cardinals. Plattsburgh brings numbers that are off the charts to the Classic. Plattsburgh 6, Amherst 1
Elmira vs. Middlebury
Junior defenseman Kate Moreau and Carly Watson can move the puck smoothly from the Panthers end, adding a different dimension to the Middlebury offensive efforts that is spread throughout the roster. The advantage of playing at Kenyon Arena adds to the edge. Middlebury 3, Elmira 2
Sunday
Elmira vs. Amherst
Ashley Ryan came into the weekend with a seven game point streak for the Soaring Eagles. Elmira’s specialty teams have a slight edge on their opponents in this one. Elmira 4, Amherst 2
Plattsburgh vs. Middlebury
In a game overflowing with talent and bolstered by eye-popping statistics on both sides, the expectation of a tightly played is well within the realm of possibility. Defense will shine in this one. Plattsburgh 2, Middlebury 1
ECAC-WEST
Saturday Nov. 30, Sunday Dec. 1
Buffalo State at Utica
One of a handful of conference games on the docket this week heads to Utica Memorial Auditorium where Buffalo State is looking for its initial victory of the season. It’s been a tough go for first year Bengals head coach Candice Moxley whose club has been out shot 319 to 119 over the course of seven games. Freshman forward Nikki Kirchberger who has registered five of the nine Bengals goals is indeed an offensive prospect but she has been in the penalty box for a team high 27 minutes. The Pioneers have spread out the scoring team wide as nine different goal scorers have made their presence known. Utica goalie Jennifer Hamel having played every minute for her club could get an opportunity a night off if the Pioneers happen to be decisive in the opener. Utica 5, Buffalo 0, Utica 6, Buffalo 1
Non-Conference Saturday Nov. 30
Bowdoin at Holy Cross
Being on the wrong side of a pair of upsets at the outset of the schedule should have little impact on the Polar Bears once they get back on track. Bowdoin’s specialty teams have been effective and that alone should make the trip to Hart Center an interesting one. The Crusaders took their first defeat on home ice against St. Anselm last week. Bowdoin and Holy Cross have a common opponent as both have tangled with Massachusetts-Boston. Each team has come away with a one-goal victory. Bowdoin 3, Holy Cross 3
And away we go on Black Friday with our Division III predictions for this weekend.
With many conference crossover games, it’ll be interesting to see how our columnists fare against one another with these picks. A little internal competition? You bet!
Off and running…
ECAC East – Tim Costello
A 2-1-2 (.600) weekend brings the season overall record to 10-3-2 (.733) and a weekend upcoming that poses some serious challenges for accuracy with Thanksgiving tournaments and interesting nonconference battles.
Here are the picks: Friday, Nov. 29
Middlebury vs. Norwich
The Primelink always is among the best in Thanksgiving hockey and when these two Vermont rivals get together, the action and intensity are palpable. Neither team has an ‘L’ on their record yet this season, but one team gains their first in what some may call an upset. Not a low-scoring affair, which helps the Panthers. Middlebury 5-4. Saturday, Nov. 30
Johnson and Wales vs. Massachusetts-Boston
The first round of the PAL/Stovepipe Tournament may just be the tonic the Beacons need to jumpstart their potent offense. This was the first piece of hardware won last year by the Beacons and coach Peter Belisle would very much like to repeat as champions. Need to focus and take care of business in the first round and do just that. Massachusetts-Boston 6-2.
University of New England vs. Southern New Hampshire
The other half of the PAL/Stovepipe preliminary round finds the host meeting a burgeoning ECAC East rival seen before in this tournament. UNE has shown some early success this season and will make the final an all-ECAC East affair with a closely-contested victory. UNE 4-2.
Tufts vs. Castleton
The Rutland Herald Invitational won’t be taken lightly by the host school that is looking to rebound after a challenging weekend with two of the best teams in conference play. Tufts has played several games on the verge of a timely play or goal to win, so Castleton will need to play hard for the full 60 minutes. This one may need an extra five minutes, but the home team prevails. Castleton 4-3.
Fitchburg State vs. Skidmore
The Thoroughbreds again host their own invitational event with the opening round game against Dean Fuller’s Falcons from the MASCAC conference. The big sheet should help the home team and enable Skidmore to play for the coveted trophy on Sunday. Skidmore 5-2.
Playing for hardware always provides some additional motivation – drop the puck!
ECAC Northeast – Nathan Fournier
Saturday, Nov. 30
Salve Regina at Trinity
Salve Regina starts a stretch of nonconference games with Trinity. It could be an offensive showdown with the Seahawks averaging over four goals a game and the Bantams averaging 3.50 goals a game. The game could come down to special teams with Salve Regina’s power play converting once in every four chances and Trinity’s penalty kill at 76 percent. I will take Trinity in a 5-4 shootout.
Wentworth at Wesleyan
I think Wentworth is glad to reach some nonconference games with a slow start in conference. Offense has been the issue with them with three games of scoring just one goal in their first eight games. They did win a 1-0 game, however. Wesleyan on the other hand are 2-2 so far, but have scored five goals in all four games. If the goal-scorers are still hot, I will take Wesleyan in this contest.
Suffolk vs. Bowdoin in Waterville, Me.
Suffolk has had a good season so far, but I think Bowdoin has too much skill and depth to lose this contest. While this game will be going in officially as a neutral site game in the record books, the Rams are 0-2-1 in away games this season. They are also have been frontrunners this season going 2-0-0 when leading after one period. When they are trailing after one period they are 1-2-1. Bowdoin comes away with a 4-2 victory.
Johnson and Wales vs. UMass-Boston in Hookset, N.H.
This will be Johnson and Wales’ second nonconference game of the season. Both offenses have shown they can score so far this season. I like Johnson and Wales as they have been able to contain the opponent’s offense. I think their goals-against will rise a little after this game as they win the game 6-4. The winner will face the winner of the UNE/Southern New Hampshire contest.
Becker vs. Assumption in Worcester, Mass.
This game should be a defensive game with both teams just barely scoring two goals a game. Becker has been struggling on the penalty kill, only stopping the opponent’s power play 69 percent of the time. Assumption has only scored four goals on the power play in six games, so something will have to give. I will take Becker in a 3-2 game. The winner will face the winner of Worcester State/Nichols.
Nichols at Worcester State
If there’s any team in the nation that’s excited for a nonconference game, it’s Worcester State. They won their first three games of the year in nonconference play and haven’t won a game since then in conference play. Careful for what you wish for because Nichols has been solid so far in every aspect of the game. I expect that to continue with a 5-1 victory. The winner faces the winner of Becker/Assumption. I believe both teams will come away with a win against whoever they face on Sunday. Sunday, Dec. 1
Wentworth at Trinity
I think Wentworth will be able to get it together for Trinity. They are coming out of their rut and if they can get the goaltending, they can skate with Trinity. I will take Wentworth in a 4-2 victory.
Salve Regina at Wesleyan
First one to 10? I wouldn’t surprised if that did happen with these two offenses. Going in, Salve Regina needs to keep pressure on the gas pedal because Trinity has lost an 8-5 shootout to Hamilton. The Seahawks, on the other hand, haven’t won a game away from the friendly confines of Portsmouth Abbey. I will take Salve Regina 7-5.
Suffolk vs. Colby in Brunswick, Me.
It will be a tough weekend for Suffolk as they will be facing a young, but hungry Colby squad. I think it will be a close game. If Sulfolk can jump on Colby early, I like their chances. I will take Suffolk in a 2-1 game. Wednesday, Dec. 4
Southern New Hew Hampshire at Nichols
The Bison will face their first of two Division II schools as they welcome Southern New Hampshire to town. This could be a trap game for them and may give Alex Larson a rest and give Patrik Salkind another chance in net. I will take Nichols in a 5-3 game.
ECAC West – Dan Hickling
Saturday, Nov. 30
No. 8 Utica (6-1-1) @ Connecticut College (0-4-0) – Utica 7, CC 2
Utica has a penchant for winning the close ones. No such heroics will be needed in this one. Sunday, Dec. 1
Nazareth (1-6-1) @ U.S. Under-18 Team – Nazareth 3 U-18s 2
Nazareth is much better than its record shows and may rise to the challenge of beating a strong national squad.
MASCAC – Nathan Fournier
Saturday, Nov. 30
Massachusetts-Dartmouth at Colby
This is a very intriguing matchup with UMass-Darmouth supposed to be one of the contenders in MASCAC and Colby a team that can play with big dogs. If the Corsairs can figure out their special teams, it could a long day for the Mules. I will take UMass-Dartmouth in a 6-3 contest, pulling away in the third period.
Fitchburg State at Skidmore
The Thoroughbreds have depth and multiple lines that can score. They like to get a lot of shots on goal in the first period. The Falcons are getting it done with their young players as their top five scorers are either a freshman or sophomore. I think Fitchburg State will go into New York and surprise Skidmore 5-4.
Nichols at Worcester State
If there’s any team in the nation that’s excited for a nonconference game is Worcester State. They won their first three games of the year in nonconference play and haven’t won a game since then in conference play. Careful for what you wish for because Nichols has been solid so far in every aspect of the game. I expect that to continue with a 5-1 victory. The winner faces the winner of Becker/Assumption. I believe both teams will come away with a win against whoever they face on Sunday. Sunday, Dec. 1
UMass-Dartmouth at Bowdoin
The two teams met eight months ago in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Corsairs will be looking for some redemption from their loss in the tournament. The Polar Bears will be ready and I they they will be able to work out some of their kinks in their game. I will take Bowdoin in a 4-2 contest.
Salem State at Connecticut College
The Vikings have struggled so far this year allowing over four goals per game despite having 188 shots on goal this season. They have only allowed 147 shots by their opponents. Connecticut College has had a tough start to the season, losing their first four games. Salem State has had more game action, so I will take them to win a 6-2 game. Tuesday, Dec. 3
Stonehill at Framingham State
The Rams have been much more competitive this season, so you can’t count them out. For a team like they are who are trying to rebound from a dismal season, they are getting contributions from everyone in the lineup. They will need to be able to stay out of the box and tighten up defensively if they want to win consistently. Stonehill has a decent offense and stays out of the box. so I will take them in a 4-3 victory.
MIAC/WIAC – Brian Lester
It’s another crossover week for teams in the MIAC as teams are participating in a showcase with the NCHA in Appleton, Wis.
Meanwhile, a very light schedule is on tap in the WIAC as Wisconsin-Superior is the only team in action. It takes on
Plattsburgh State Friday in the PrimeLink Great Northern Shootout. The Yellow Jackets will battle Middlebury or Norwich in the finale of the prestigious event.
So without hesitation, here are my picks for the week. And hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Friday, Nov. 29
St. Olaf vs. Marian
One of the biggest challenges for St. Olaf will be winning away from home. The Oles are 0-4 in true road games and 0-2 on neutral ice. The Oles have just one win and need to generate more offense to be successful. They have just 14 goals while allowing 31. Tough to win games when the scoring stats aren’t in your favor. Marian has won four of its last five and has tallied 26 goals while giving up 21. Tyler Klein has eight of those goals. Marian 5-3.
Lake Forest vs. St. Mary’s
The Cardinals did gain some confidence from earning a series split with defending league tournament champion St. John’s and it will be interesting to see if they build on the momentum. St. Mary’s needs Bobby Marx and Bobby Thompson to thrive offensively, but they also need Christian Gaffy to be on top of his game in goal. Lake Forest has won its last two games and has come through with nine power-play goals. The Cardinals can’t allow Lake Forest to be in man-advantage situations.
St. Mary’s 4-3.
Gustavus Adolphus vs. Lawrence
The Gusties have played well, winning three consecutive games, and that bodes well for them heading into the weekend. They have been very productive on offense, racking up 26 goals, and have spread the wealth behind 38 assists. If that continues, and the defense plays well in front of John McLean, Gustavus has a great chance of continuing its streak. Lawerence has been up and down, but has gotten a lot of scoring from Huck Saunders, who has tallied four goals. Anton Olson is giving up 2.92 goals per game. If the Gusties can strike early, they will be fine. Gustavus 5-2. Saturday, Nov. 30
St. Olaf vs. Lawrence
St. Olaf has struggled offensively. Lawrence isn’t much better. But the Oles will find a way to steal one on the weekend. St. Olaf, 3-2.
Gustavus vs. Marian
This is a game between two teams that have been on a roll. It should be entertaining and close. I give Gustavus the edge. Gustavus 4-3.
Bethel vs. Concordia (Minn.)
The Royals desperately need a win, but winless on the year, including two losses on neutral ice, this game might not be the place to find its first win of the season. They simply have to be more effective on offense. They have scored only 14 goals and three of those players have accounted for 10 of those goals. Mitch Hughes has led the way with four goals on the season. Concordia has struggled, too, losing its last four. But it has been a little more effective on offense this season. Concordia, 4-2. WIAC
Superior at Plattsburgh
The Yellow Jackets are making a long trip to New York. They have been good on the road, though, winning two of three, but it’s going to take a heck of an effort to knock off Plattsburgh. The Yellow Jackets have been balanced on offense and have racked up 42 goals. They need to be balanced Friday to be successful. Plattsburgh has yet to lose and has only tied once. Going to be tough to take down the Cardinals on the road. Plattsburgh 5-3.
NESCAC – Tim Costello
This week was a respectable 4-1-0 (.800), bringing the season average to 8-1-1 (.850), but whether in a tournament or facing top-flight nonconference opponents, this week poses many challenges to maintaining the high percentage of successful picks made this season.
No guarantees, but here are the weekend’s picks: Saturday, Nov. 30
Suffolk vs. Bowdoin
The Colby-Bowdoin Classic finds Bowdoin looking for more consistency than its current record indicates. After the emotional weekend of the longstanding rivalry with Colby, the Polar Bears get back to basics and their winning ways against the Rams from the ECAC Northeast. Bowdoin 4-1.
Amherst @ Babson
This is one of the marquee matchups of the weekend and the two teams in many ways are mirror images of each other. Great balance, strong defense and goaltending and good special teams on both benches, so who blinks first? Actually would like to pick a tie in this one, but both teams know how to make big plays at the right time. I am picking the home team by an eyelash. Babson 2-1.
Wentworth @ Wesleyan
The Cardinals had a tough weekend on the road last week in conference play, so they will be looking to rebound against the Leopards, who are still seeking some overall consistency to their game. First line for Wesleyan is deadly and their prolific scoring continues. Wesleyan 5-2.
Salve Regina @ Trinity
The conference leaders from the ECAC Northeast venture to Hartford looking to benchmark how good their game is against a quality opponent on the road. Trinity is off to a good start and Benjamin Coulthard makes life difficult for the visitors in shutting down their offense in net. Trinity 4-2.
Utica @ Connecticut College
The ECAC West leaders visit the Camels, who are looking to break through with a quality and winning performance. Yes, a little “puck luck” would certainly help the home team in this matchup, but even that isn’t enough against what Utica brings in their game. Utica 5-3.
The matchups this early are truly a Thanksgiving treat – drop the puck!
SUNYAC – Dan Hickling
Friday, Nov. 29
Wisconsin-Superior (3-4-0) @ No. 3 Plattsburgh (6-0-1) – Plattsburgh 6, Superior 1
The Cardinals will use this tilt as a Primelink Shootout tuneup before facing either Norwich or Middlebury (both ranked) the next night. Saturday, Nov. 30
Fredonia (2-4-1) @ No. 5 Adrian (7-0-0) – Adrian 4, Fredonia 2
Fredonia, making a westward swing to face one of the nation’s strongest squads, should prove to be a learning experience for the youthful Blue Devils.
Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. It’s a short break for much of the ECAC, with several teams resuming play this weekend. All games are 7 p.m. unless noted.
Friday, Nov. 29
Princeton at Michigan State, 7:05 p.m.
Princeton snapped Quinnipiac’s 13-game unbeaten streak last time out, and heads to Munn Ice Arena for its first game against the Spartans in 33 years. Michigan State is on a three-game losing skid while averaging under two goals per game on the season, while getting subpar performances on both special teams units. Look for the Tigers to capitalize on that. Princeton wins
St. Lawrence at North Dakota, 8:37 p.m. ET
The Saints can score on almost anyone, but the real question will be how many goals they can prevent. North Dakota’s offense hasn’t been lighting it up this season, although they have scored three or more goals in four of their last five games. North Dakota wins
Saturday, Nov. 30
Harvard at Dartmouth
This is the ECAC’s only conference game on the weekend. Harvard is on a solid run of late, while Dartmouth is still looking for its first win. The Crimson’s duo of Raphael Girard and Steve Mihalek have both been strong in net, while Harvard’s penalty kill is one of the best in the country. I’m not sure if the Big Green will be able to generate enough offense, regardless of who is in net. Harvard wins
Brown at Providence (28th Annual Mayor’s Cup)
Brown is in the midst of a three-game losing streak heading into a matchup with No. 4 Providence. The Bears have a way of stymieing skilled teams like the Friars, who play a similar style to Quinnipiac, based on Wednesday night’s game against the Bobcats. Still, the Bears will need to generate some offense if they want to get past Jon Gillies and the Providence defense, who are giving up just two goals per game. Providence wins
Massachusetts at Quinnipiac
These teams are almost polar opposites, at least statistically. The Minutemen are being outscored by around a goal-and-half per game, while the Bobcats are outscoring opponents by roughly the same margin. Quinnipiac likes to control the puck and get it up ice quick. I’m not sure if the Minutemen will have an answer for that. Quinnipiac wins
Merrimack at Yale
This is the first meeting between these teams in 15 years. The Warriors have really struggled this season, while Yale has gotten off to a strong start thanks to a balanced offense and solid production from freshman goalies Alex Lyon and Patrick Spano. I don’t see any reason to pick against the Bulldogs, especially at home. Yale wins
Cornell vs. Boston University, 8 p.m. (Red Hot Hockey at Madison Square Garden)
Cornell is on a four-game winning streak heading to the biennial meeting between these two teams at Madison Square Garden. Big Red goalie Andy Iles will look to start a new streak after giving way to freshman Mitch Gilliam Tuesday night, snapping the senior’s 80-game consecutive start streak. Iles, along with a potent Cornell power play, should be the difference against a BU team that is at .500 this season. Cornell wins
St. Lawrence at North Dakota, 8:07 p.m. ET
The Saints should come home with at least one win…I’m just not sure if I’m picking the right night. St. Lawrence wins
Union at Penn State
Union returns from its exam break to travel to Penn State, a team they hosted almost a year ago during the Nittany Lion’s first year of Division I competition. The Dutchmen swept that series, but didn’t play particularly well, leading to a bit of a dry spell that carried over into the second half. Union should be well-rested and sharp; the two points are there for the taking. Union wins
Sunday, Dec. 1
Princeton at Michigan State, 1:05 p.m.
The hosts should rebound from Friday’s loss with a win in a rare 1:05 p.m. Sunday college hockey game. Michigan State wins
Union at Penn State
I think the Dutchmen will wrap up the sweep and head back into conference play on a five-game winning streak. Union wins
On the season:
Dan: 64-29-6 (.677)
Chris: 65-28-6 (.687)
This Week’s Picks
Friday, Nov. 29 and Saturday, Nov. 30: Bentley at Air Force Dan: There’s one-sided rivalries, and then there’s this. Air Force leads the all-time series 22-7-5, but Bentley took three points two years ago when they last visited. If Bentley wants to make the jump to the top of the league, they’ll have to take at least one game in Colorado. Their compete level has been pretty high against good teams this year. Bentley wins on Friday. Air Force wins on Saturday. Chris: Ah, the annual battle of the Falcons. Both teams are playing pretty good hockey right now, so the faithful in Colorado Springs should see a pair of great games. Each team took three points in the others’ buildings over the past two seasons, but I like the blue and grey Falcons to sweep over the blue and gold variety. Air Force sweeps.
Mercyhurst at American International Dan: AIC got massacred by UConn, then struggled with Army. After buying low, it might be time to sell high on Yellow Jacket stock. They’re getting a brutal matchup this week with Mercyhurst, but at least it’s at home. If they steal a point, I wouldn’t write them off quite yet. That said, the Lakers just split with RPI and beat Air Force and Niagara as part of their recent run. Mercyhurst sweeps. Chris: I hope I wasn’t think kiss of death for the Yellow Jackets. Since my column on AIC, which was written after the ‘Jackets started conference play 3-0 for the first time ever, they’ve lost two in a row. I don’t think it gets any easier against the Lakers. Mercyhurst sweeps.
Rochester Institute of Technology at Sacred Heart Dan: Sacred Heart showed a lot of guts in their sweep of Army, but Army in last place is very different from RIT in last place. RIT is too good to be in 12th place; they know it, and I have a feeling they’re going to want to prove it. RIT sweeps. Chris: The Tigers are 5-2-1 in Milford/Bridgeport since joining Atlantic Hockey, including outscoring the Pioneers 13-0 in their last appearances in Southern Connecticut. I think these games will be much closer, but RIT should pull them out. RIT sweeps.
Connecticut at Canisius Dan: Canisius is just good enough for this to be a series where people can start taking UConn seriously with a quality win. UConn wins on Friday; Canisius wins on Saturday. Chris: If I wasn’t going to be covering the RIT/SHU series, these are the games I’d most like to see. I think the teams will split a pair of evenly played games. Canisius wins on Friday; Connecticut wins Saturday.
Friday, Nov. 29: Holy Cross at Boston College Dan: BC outscored competition 33-10 in going 7-0-1 between defeats prior to losing to Maine last Saturday. That’s bad news for Holy Cross. Boston College wins. Chris: The Crusaders are 0-3 against Hockey East competition so far, and are playing a BC team that’s coming off a stinging loss at Maine last Saturday. I think the Eagles will put things back in order with a convincing win. Boston College wins.
Tuesday, Dec. 3 American Internationalat Massachusetts- Lowell Dan: UMass-Lowell already found out the hard way that championships aren’t won by preseason rankings. AIC draws them at a tough time; maybe if this were a different time of year, AIC would have a good shot at winning. But right now? UMass-Lowell wins. Chris: The River Hawks have been surprised by an AHA already this season: Sacred Heart took them down in their season opener. But this is a different UML team, coming in on a five-game winning streak including a sweep of Notre Dame last weekend. I don’t see them slipping here. Mass-Lowell wins.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Sure, the day itself is over and we’re all the worse for it — okay, so I am the worse for it — and everyone who celebrates Christmas is rushing right into that, but there is still plenty for which to be thankful today. Here in the States, we can be doubly thankful that Hanukkah coincides with Thanksgiving, a holiday mashup that last occurred 125 years ago.
What better way to celebrate everything this season has to offer than with the start of Big Ten conference play?
Last week
Drew: 3-2-0 (.600)
Paula: 3-2-0 (.600)
Season
Drew: 37-18-4 (.661)
Paula: 38-18-4 (.666)
This week
There are four series this week and two of those series kick off the first-ever weekend of Big Ten conference play. That this begins with two traditional rivalries makes it all the better.
Ohio State vs. Michigan
Drew: Hey, Ohio State is finally playing a real team! Yes the Buckeyes’ winning streak has come against some softer teams, but I still think the confidence gained will help them out in the long run this season. Is it enough confidence to pick up a win over Michigan this weekend? Probably not.
Paula: While I respectfully disagree with my partner-in-writing about Ohio State’s previous schedule, this will be a big challenge for the Buckeyes — and not just because Michigan is a the No. 3 team in the country. This rivalry is huge and is heightened emotionally this week by that Ohio State-Michigan gridiron game. The rivalry is as old as I am (hint: 1964) and the Wolverines have pretty much owned the Buckeyes, going 72-33-11 all-time in the series. Michigan is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings and the Wolverines swept the Buckeyes Feb. 22-23, 2013, 5-3 and 6-3. Ohio State swept Canisius two weeks ago and had last weekend off; Michigan beat Niagara, 6-0, Nov. 22. This is a Friday-Monday, home-and-home series. Friday’s game begins at 7:00 p.m. in Ann Arbor with Monday’s contest starting at 7:05 p.m. in Columbus.
Drew’s picks: Michigan 4-2, 3-1. Paula’s picks: I don’t see the Buckeyes winning, either. Michigan 4-2, 4-2.
Princeton at Michigan State
Drew: The Spartans are probably just happy not to be playing another team from Michigan this weekend. This is a matchup of three-win teams, each with one impressive victory this season; Princeton’s 4-3 victory over No.4 Quinnipiac came last weekend.
Paula: Last weekend, the Spartans dropped a home-and-home series to former CCHA rival, Western Michigan, 2-0 and 4-1. The Tigers and Spartans last met in 1980, so the history between these teams is less than meaningful. The young Spartans look to me like a team still transitioning, still looking for its collective identity. Friday’s game begins at 7:00 p.m.; Sunday’s game begins at 1:00 p.m.
Drew’s picks: Michigan State 3-2, Princeton 2-1. Paula’s picks: I think they’ll split, too, but I have no idea how to call it. Michigan State 3-2, Princeton 3-2.
Union at Penn State
Drew: Union seems to be in a good place, winning four of its last five, and I haven’t seen nearly enough out of Penn State to pick them over any ranked team yet. So I don’t have much to say about his one.
Paula: Each team comes to this game well rested, each having last played two weekends ago. Union rides a three-game win streak into this weekend, having beaten Cornell Nov. 9 and swept Rensselaer Nov. 15-16. Penn State hopes to break a two-game losing streak after dropping a series to Massachusetts-Lowell Nov. 14-15. One year ago, the Dutchmen beat the Nittany Lions in Schenectady, 2-0 and 4-1. This is a Saturday-Sunday series, with games beginning at 7:00 p.m. each night — and there’s a teddy bear toss during Saturday’s game! I do so love a teddy bear toss.
Drew’s picks: Union 3-0, 5-2. Paula’s picks: Union 3-1, 4-1.
Wisconsin at Minnesota
Drew: Minnesota looked mortal for pretty much the first time this season last Sunday against UMD, and Wisconsin just straight up hasn’t been playing that much lately. I think the Badgers’ experienced players will help them this weekend and the games will be close, but I don’t think they’ll be able to grab a win.
Paula: This is the other storied rivalry of the weekend, dating back to 1922. The Gophers are 157-87-21 all-time against the Badgers, including a mark of 91-27-8 at home against Wisconsin. As Drew mentioned, the Gophers actually lost last weekend (gasp!), splitting with Duluth with a 6-1 win and 6-2 loss. I suspect that that specific loss was a great motivator in practice this week. The Badgers last played Nov. 15-16, a road split with Miami (2-0 loss, 3-2 win). Minnesota was 2-1-1 against Wisconsin last season. Friday’s game begins at 4:00 p.m., Saturday’s game at 5:00 p.m.
I’m not sure where Drew is this week. I am the proverbial star-crossed hockey lover: I am in Columbus, Ohio, visiting friends for the Thanksgiving holiday while the Buckeyes are playing in Ann Arbor — an hour from where I live in Michigan — Friday night.
Happy Thanksgiving weekend. The WCHA doesn’t slow down for the holiday, though, as there are four important series taking place in league play (in addition to some non-conference matchups), meaning eight teams trying to make moves. Will we see some separation in the standings? Or will there be more of a logjam? Here are the picks …
Ferris State at Northern Michigan
Shane: The Wildcats have the task of cooling off the hottest team in the county. This is the first big road test for the Bulldogs, who have had the benefit of a favorable early season schedule. As I’ve said before: You can’t control the schedule; just win baby! Bulldogs 4-1, Wildcats 3-2
Matt: Based on winning percentage, these are the two best teams right now in the WCHA, making this really and underrated series in my mind compared to some others we’ve hyped this season. I think this weekend will tell us a lot, like whether or not NMU is really the second best team in the WCHA, or if the Bulldogs are just benefiting from a heavy home slate early on. Wildcats 3-2, Bulldogs 4-2
Bowling Green at Lake Superior
Shane: The Falcons have won just once on the road and are 1-3-1 in their last five games, while the Lakers have slowed down a bit after their red-hot start. These teams have played a lot of close games so far, and that won’t change this weekend. Lakers 3-2, Falcons 2-1
Matt: The Lakers have the better goaltending in Kevin Kapalka while the Falcons have the more potent offense featuring Bryce Williamson and Dan DeSalvo. Each team’s strength wins out at least one night this weekend. Lakers 2-0, Falcons 4-1
Alaska Anchorage at Minnesota State
Shane: Despite their improved play overall, the road hasn’t been kind to the Seawolves so far. The Mavericks have yet to live up to expectations, but there are signs. Getting healthy and getting Zach Lehrke back are huge for Minnesota State. Mavericks 4-3, 3-1
Matt: Lehrke’s return may not just be an offensive boost for the Mavericks physically, but mentally as well. His comeback could be the spark the team needs to start living up to its preseason potential. Mavericks 4-2, 3-1
Michigan Tech at Alaska
Shane: These feel like must-win games for two teams that expect a higher standard than what they’ve shown so far this season. The Nanooks return home where they started the season strong, while the Huskies haven’t left Alaska since arriving for last week’s series against Anchorage. Nanooks 4-2, Huskies 2-1
Matt: The Huskies inability to hold a lead in Anchorage last weekend on Saturday has me doubting this team can win away from Houghton right now. There’s probably another tie in here somewhere, but I’ll play the odds and take an Alaska sweep. Nanooks 2-1, 3-2
Miami at Bemidji State
Shane: Miami is supposed to be one of the country’s elite teams but is 1-4 in its last five games with a three-game losing streak. I’ll bet the RedHawks won’t be happy campers. The Beavers won’t make it easy, but I have a feeling Miami gets back on track this weekend. RedHawks 2-1, 4-2
Matt: Don’t let the RedHawks record fool you. Enrico Blasi has a darn good team at Miami again this season. I’m not sure Northern Michigan misses seeing Miami in Marquette, but I do. It’s a fun team to watch. RedHawks 3-1, 5-2
Alabama Huntsville at Notre Dame tournament (Notre Dame, Western Michigan/Northeastern)
Shane: I think I speak for a lot of observers in that I’d like to see the Chargers get that first win of the season. They’ve had some close losses along the way, so there’s some hope. Not sure it happens this weekend, though. Since I don’t know their second opponent, I’ll say: Two losses for UAH.
Matt: The Chargers may be struggling, but they’re not shying away from tough competition this season. This schedule should pay dividends in years to come for the program’s younger players, even if it doesn’t show in the win column. Two losses for UAH
Last week: Shane 8-1-1; Matt 3-6-1. Overall: Shane 52-26-10, Matt 50-28-10
Thanks to Minnesota-Duluth’s win on Sunday over Minnesota, I stayed a game ahead of Matthew in our picks race, as we both went 5-2-3 (.650) last week. Overall on the year, I am 39-27-9 (.580) while Matthew is 38-28-9 (.566).
Here we go with this week’s games.
Friday-Saturday, Nov. 29-30
No. 13 Miami at Bemidji State Candace: Miami needs a weekend sweep badly after getting swept by Nebraska-Omaha. Even if the RedHawks aren’t as good on the road, they should deliver. Miami 2-1, 3-1 Matthew: The RedHawks have lost each of their last three games and ran into a hot goalie last weekend at Nebraska-Omaha, but this trip up to Bemidji, Minn., might be what Miami needs right now. BSU is in second place in the WCHA behind only a Ferris State team that has had a wonderful start to its season, but the only team the Beavers have swept so far is 0-12-0 Alabama-Huntsville, and Miami is the best team BSU will have played since opening the season with St. Cloud State and Minnesota. It won’t be easy, but I’ll take Miami to get back on track and sweep this series. Miami 4-3, 2-0
No. 20 New Hampshire at Colorado College Candace: CC has one of the most dismal offenses in the country, with no player with more than four points a game and a team offense ranked 58 of 59 teams. It will wake up at some point, but I’m not sure this is the weekend. New Hampshire 3-1, 3-2 Matthew: UNH has been very streaky so far, going winless in six between Oct. 12 and Nov. 2, winning six straight after that, and then losing last week to both Harvard and Providence. What makes this one tricky is that, while the Wildcats fell back onto the losing track last week, CC picked up a surprise split in its series last weekend at St. Cloud State. UNH is still scoring an average of nearly two more goals per game than the Tigers are though, so I’ll take the Wildcats to come out west and pick up a couple of wins. New Hampshire 4-2, 3-1
St. Lawrence at North Dakota Candace: North Dakota has been a frustrating team to pick so far this season, and I don’t really have a handle on St. Lawrence either. North Dakota has to start its usual surge at some point, so why not this weekend? North Dakota 2-1, 3-1 Matthew: North Dakota finally fell out of the top 20 of USCHO’s Men’s Division I Poll this week, but a couple of good performances this weekend at home to St. Lawrence might help UND get back into the pollsters’ better graces. Now seems to be a good time to play the Saints, too, as they’ve lost three of their last four games. That’s not to say UND’s in infinitely better shape — UND is 0-2-1 in its last three — but it’s still a better team than SLU. The challenge will be proving it. UND 3-2, 3-1
Western Michigan vs. Northeastern (at Notre Dame’s Shillelagh Tournament) Candace: I’m not sure I’ve picked a Western Michigan game correctly this season. I guess there’s no real reason to expect I will this week either. Western Michigan 2-1 Matthew: Like most first-round tournament games where both teams are playing at a neutral site, this one seems like a toss-up. Northeastern’s offense has been a little better than Western Michigan’s so far, but the Broncos’ defense has bested the Huskies’. I’m going to make the homer pick here and go with Western, which it’d no doubt be fine with as it would most likely mean a rematch with a Notre Dame team that swept the Broncos on the opening weekend of the season. Western Michigan 3-1
Well, Arlan continues to pull away. I think I should concede. Last week, Arlan and I went 15-7-4 (.653), so I moved to 110-40-18 (.708), while Arlan moved to 117-33-18 (.750) on the year.
I have no idea how to catch him.
Friday, Nov. 29
Northeastern at Dartmouth Candace: Dartmouth is home, but it has been inconsistent of late. Of course, Northeastern hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire either. Northeastern 2-1 Arlan: Kind of like when I don’t know how to spell a word, it looks wrong no matter how I type it. Dartmouth 4-3
Robert Morris at Maine Candace: I feel more comfortable picking this than any other. What does that say? Robert Morris 3-1 Arlan: The Colonials’ offense has dried up of late, yet they’re unbeaten in the last six games. Robert Morris 2-1
RIT at Quinnipiac Candace: Which streaky team prevails? I have to go with home ice. Quinnipiac 4-2 Arlan: The Bobcats have scored 11 goals in the last eight games and only twice in their current three-game winless streak. Quinnipiac 4-3
Connecticut versus Yale Candace: Both squads have shown significant improvement this year, so I have no idea which to pick. Yale 3-2 Arlan: Watching Yale last weekend, the Bulldogs play better once they are several goals down. Connecticut 4-2
Friday-Saturday, Nov. 29-39
Wisconsin at Minnesota-Duluth Candace: Defense beats offense, and most other defenses. Wisconsin 2-1, 3-1 Arlan: The Badgers haven’t done particularly well at AMSOIL, including failing to score on their most recent trip. Wisconsin 2-1, 2-1
Boston College at Cornell Candace: I think this will be a split, but am not sure which team wins which game. Boston College 2-1, 2-1 Arlan: The Eagles really need one of these games so I expect a desperate effort; if so, which game do they win? Cornell 5-4, 2-1
Rensselaer at St. Cloud State Candace: A good chance for the home squad to build momentum ahead of a big WCHA series. St. Cloud 2-1, 3-2 Arlan: Two teams coming off of emotional series versus “Bye.” St. Cloud State 2-1, 3-2
Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 30-Dec. 1
Princeton at Minnesota Candace: Princeton is an improved team, but not enough to beat Minnesota. Minnesota 4-1, 4-1 Arlan: Minnesota has won its last 19 games against non-WCHA opponents. Minnesota 4-2, 3-1
Ohio State at New Hampshire Candace: Sooner or later, Ohio State will start winning again, but for now, I’ll pick New Hampshire, even though every time I do, the Wildcats lose. New Hampshire 3-2, 2-1 Arlan: Some series scream, “split,” but this feels like a sweep one way or the other. May I wait for the first result before picking the second? Ohio State 3-2, 2-1
Sunday, Dec. 1
Dartmouth at Harvard Candace: I’m sure this will be a barnburner of a game, but I like the Crimson this year. Harvard 3-2 Arlan: You can throw records out the window in rivalry games; nonetheless, I’m just going to pick the better team. Harvard 4-2
Tuesday, Dec. 3
Boston University at Northeastern Candace: Northeastern and BU played to overtime a month ago, but the Terriers have gotten better, while Northeastern has stayed the same. Boston University 3-2 Arlan: This went to OT last time, but I don’t really see signs that the Huskies have closed the gap. Boston University 4-2
Cornell at Syracuse Candace: I’m not sure Syracuse is good enough to keep Cornell in check for long. Cornell 4-2 Arlan: A potential trap game for Cornell as it closes out 2013 after a much-anticipated series with BC. Cornell 3-2
After Dave and I had equally impressive weeks two weeks ago, this past week was a near disaster for both. Laughably, we were equally bad and thus remain tied.
Jim last week: 5-6-2
Jim to date: 63-30-9
Dave last week: 5-6-2
Dave to date: 63-30-9
Friday, November 29
Holy Cross at Boston College
Jim’s pick: I bet Holy Cross can be competitive but don’t think they can beat this BC team. BC 4, HC 2
Dave’s pick: I think it’ll be more one-sided than Jim expects. BC is coming off a disappointing loss to Maine, and the 3-9-0 Crusaders just aren’t up to the challenge. BC 5, HC 1
New Hampshire at Colorado College
Jim’s pick: After UNH looked pretty bad against Harvard, expect the Wildcats to rebound. UNH 3, CC 2
Dave’s pick: I’d have bet the ranch on that Harvard contest, so perhaps I shouldn’t be so certain about this one. But the Wildcats have been playing far too well to drop a third straight game when matched against a 1-8-2 opponent. UNH 4, CC 1
Maine at Vermont (Non-conf.)
Jim’s pick: Vermont has played some solid hockey at home and Maine has struggled on the road. Might as well play the trend. UVM 3, Maine 2
Dave’s pick: I’m not picking against a team that has beaten BU, 7-0, and BC, 5-1, in the last two games. While Maine is 0-3-1 on the road, two of those losses came in the opening weekend. The Black Bears are a much better team now. Maine 4, UVM 2
Shillelagh Tournament Northeastern vs. Western Michigan
Jim’s pick: As well as NU has played, I’m going Broncos here. WMU 4, NU 2
Dave’s pick: I feel as though I’ve gotten almost every Northeastern pick wrong this year. So to help Hockey East boost its nonconference record, I’m going with the Broncos. WMU 3, NU 2
Alabama-Huntsville at Notre Dame
Jim’s pick: Notre Dame has the perfect opponent for a much-needed win. ND 5, UAH 1
Dave’s pick: Agreed. Despite their injuries, the Irish didn’t play badly even while getting swept last week at Lowell. I’m giving more credit to the River Hawks on that front than blame to the Irish. ND 5, UAH 0
Saturday, November 30
New Hampshire at Colorado College
Jim’s pick: I’ve been picking splits in the past couple of weeks and been killed by calling it backwards. Hoping that’s not the case here. CC 3, UNH 2
Dave’s pick: I actually think that the errors in Jim’s split calls and my sweep picks have cancelled each other out. But whether that’s the case or not, I’m going with a sweep again. If the Wildcats are as good as I think they are, and the Tigers are as weak, then UNH will take all four points. UNH 3, CC 2
Boston University vs. Cornell (at Madison Square Garden)
Jim’s pick: Always a close game when these two schools play. I have to pick the team that I think is simply better on paper. Cornell 3, BU 2
Dave’s pick: I’m not sure what to make of the Terriers. They’ve had some awful losses, but last week took three-of-four points from North Dakota. Since one of those points came while getting outplayed by a wide margin, I’m remaining skeptical. Cornell 3, BU 2
Brown at Providence
Jim’s pick: Brown has pulled off some upsets at the Mayor’s Cup before. I just don’t think this is one of those years. PC 4, Brown 2
Dave’s pick: Providence is 7-1-1 at home; Brown is 1-4-0 on the road. The Friars all the way. PC 4, Brown 1
Maine at Vermont (non-conf.)
Jim’s pick: I like the way Vermont is playing right now. I’m going Catamounts for the sweep. UVM 4, Maine 2
Dave’s pick: The Catamounts have been playing far better than I expected, but I can’t get away from Maine’s even more impressive recent performances. I’m going with a sweep the other way, even on the road. Maine 3, UVM 2
Merrimack at Yale
Jim’s pick: The scoring woes for Merrimack continue. Yale 3, MC 1
Dave’s pick: I’ve been bullish on the Warriors, but they’re now 0-5-1 in their last six games, and their only wins this year have come over Atlantic Hockey teams. My optimism is fading. Yale 4, MC 1
Shillelagh Tournament Championship/consolation
Jim’s pick: Picking all the scenarios for Hockey East teams. NU 4, UAH 1; ND 3, NU 2; ND 4, WMU 3
Dave’s pick: Agreed all around. Notre Dame wins the tournament, and Northeastern beats Alabama-Huntsville if given that match-up. NU 5, UAH 1; ND 3, NU 1; ND 3, WMU 2
Massachusetts at Quinnipiac
Jim’s pick: UMass is going to have to play much better hockey to beat one of the nation’s best team’s in Quinnipiac. QU 4, UMass 2
Dave’s pick: With the Minutemen going 0-5-1 in their last six games, they need an easier match-up than Quinnipiac on the road. QU 4, UMass 1
Tuesday, December 3
American International at Massachusetts-Lowell
Jim’s pick: AIC is playing well but I don’t know if this will be another Sacred Heart for the River Hawks. UML 4, AIC 2
Dave’s pick: I’m convinced the Sacred Heart debacle came only because it was so early in the season. The River Hawks are moving into top form. UML 4, AIC 1
Max McCormick and Ohio State have won five straight games and eight of their last nine (photo: Rachel Lewis).
Ohio State didn’t get off to the most dazzling start under new head coach Steve Rohlik.
The Buckeyes surrendered 12 goals in their two opening-weekend losses to Miami and followed that up by heading to Bowling Green a couple days later and dropping a game to the Falcons 4-3.
However, that was then and this is now. Rohlik’s squad has rattled off eight wins in its last nine games.
“After the start, and getting off to a little slow start, our guys have somehow found a way to win some hockey games,” Rohlik said. “We’re certainly pleased that we’re winning some hockey games, but we certainly have to continue to get better. I think that we’ve done some things pretty well and we’ve gotten better in some areas, but we have a lot of areas that we have to continue to improve on.”
Rohlik said that the team’s mood hasn’t changed this season, whether the team was 0-3 or on the current five-game winning streak.
“To be honest with you, our guys have never wavered,” Rohlik said. “They’ve been the same, win or lose. Our goals, they sound simple, but we’ve talked about just trying to get better each week and game by game instead of looking at the big picture.”
The Buckeyes have benefited from playing most of those contests at Value City Arena. They completed their sweep of a home-and-home series with Robert Morris on the road, but have played every other game since the loss to Bowling Green at home.
Though the schedule has the Buckeyes playing a lot at home, Rohlik said that he was excited to get out on the road. Ohio State hasn’t had an overnight road trip so far this season.
“It’s weird because last year we were on the road a lot; this year we’ve been at home,” Rohlik said, adding that going to Michigan for Friday’s Big Ten opener would be the team’s first overnight trip. “It’s certainly great playing here at home an playing in a great venue, but I think we’re ready to get on the road. It’s important sometimes to get on the road for team chemistry and team bonding.”
What makes the streak impressive is that it has come in the face of some adversity. Sophomore goaltender Collin Olson left the team because of a lack of playing time. That means that the goaltending duties fell directly on two freshmen.
Matt Tomkins has a 5-3 record in eight starts and Logan Davis has a 3-0 record in two starts. Davis has been a bright spot — the backstop from Upper Arlington, Ohio, was named the Big Ten third star of the week last week. He has a 0.68 GAA this season.
“I couldn’t be happier for him,” Rohlik said of Davis. “He goes out there every day and does his job and take pucks in practice just as hard as anybody else. I give him credit: He put himself in a situation where he was ready and when he was called upon he went in there and did the job. It’s a dream come true for him, and he gained a lot of respect from everybody in that locker room.”
Rohlik said that the goaltender situation was an example of one of the unexpected things he has had to work through in his rookie season.
“I think on a day-to-day basis, when you really think about it, the coaching aspect when you get on the ice is such a small percentage compared to everything else that you’re involved with,” he said. “From off-ice, to meetings, to administration. So certainly I’ve learned in that sense that there’s certainly a lot more that goes into it. With coaching, and being on the ice, you truly look forward to that, spending that hour and a half with the guys.”
Tomkins left the Nov. 9 game against Niagara with a lower-body injury. Rohlik said he practiced all week and would be a game-time decision this weekend.
The quality of opponents Ohio State has faced during the streak is something that you can’t ignore. The Buckeyes have sweeps over Robert Morris, Niagara and Canisius, teams with a combined record of 8-24-2. The Buckeyes do have wins over Minnesota-Duluth, which scored six goals against Minnesota on Sunday, and a solid Bowling Green team, however.
“We still haven’t put a three-period game together,” Rohlik said. “But our team has stayed focused and stayed positive. And I certainly think it’s been paying off for us.”
Junior forward Ryan Dzingel is the Buckeyes’ leading scorer with seven goals and seven assists. Dzingel had 38 points last season. Max McCormick, Alex Szczechura and Tanner Fritz all have 10 or more points.
Fritz, who had 26 assists last season, looks to have picked up right where he left off. He has nine helpers this year.
Is Ohio State a legitimate contender for the Big Ten crown? More than likely not. But the team is worth noticing, considering it already has won half the amount of games it did last year with four games remaining in the season’s first half.
And as we’ve seen in the past (Michigan Tech under Mel Pearson and Minnesota State under Mike Hastings), teams under first-year coaches can get hot. In playing in a conference with Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin, the Buckeyes will get opportunities to prove themselves this season.
Michigan hosts Ohio State in the Big Ten opener on Friday (photo: Michelle Bishop).
Conference play set to begin
As the Black Eyed Peas once said, let’s get it started.
For the first time this season, teams from the Big Ten will play teams from the Big Ten. Wisconsin will travel to Minnesota this weekend, while Michigan and Ohio State will play a home-and-home series on Friday and Monday.
“It’s almost surreal that it’s here,” Rohlik said. “Obviously, it’s an honor and a privilege, and it’s exciting for Ohio State to be part of such a prestigious league.”
Rohlik said he was most excited about the brand that the conference has.
“With the other five schools involved, we know what we’re getting into every night,” he said. “We certainly have to be on our ‘A’ game.”
Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves will take his team, and his incredible mustache, to face the No. 1 team in the nation. Eaves said he sees the trip as a way for the Badgers to make some noise.
“First of all, we’re excited to get back playing,” Eaves said. “The fact that we’re going into Minnesota and they’re ranked where they are, our kids will be excited. It’s an opportunity to bang the drum a little bit and make some noise by going in there and playing well.”
Though the conferences are new, the rivalries are not. Wisconsin and Minnesota played each other in the WCHA up until this year and Michigan and Ohio State did the same in the CCHA.
“I think it adds a little more hype to the game, just because it’s the first Big Ten one,” Ohio State senior forward Travis Statchuk said.
Teams ink players during early signing period
Schools are announcing the players that have signed a National Letter of Intent. We’re keeping track on this page.
Here are the players from Big Ten schools:
Minnesota: Leon Bristedt, Ryan Collins, Jack Glover, Steven Johnson and Jack Ramsey.
Wisconsin: Jack Dougherty, Keegan Ford, Gabe Grunwald, Jake Linhart, Matthew Ustaski and Ryan Wagner.
Michigan: Dexter Dancs, Dylan Larkin, Hayden Lavigne and Cutler Martin.
Michigan State: Josh Jacobs and Edwin Minney.
Penn State: James Robinson.
Three stars
First star — Michigan freshman goaltender Zach Nagelvoort: The freshman netminder recorded his first collegiate shutout in Michigan’s 6-0 victory over Niagara and was awarded his third Big Ten honor of the season for his efforts. He ranks first in the nation in GAA (1.48) and is third in save percentage (.950). Nagelvoort has allowed two or fewer goals in seven of his eight games this season.
Second star — Michigan freshman forward Tyler Motte: Motte scored his fifth goal of the season 34 seconds into Michigan’s contest with Niagara. He also tallied two assists in the game. It was his first career three-point game. This is his second weekly honor of the season.
Third star — Minnesota freshman defenseman Michael Brodzinski: Brodzinski had two goals and one assist in the Gophers’ split with Minnesota-Duluth last weekend. He ranks second among Big Ten defensemen with four goals this season.
Wisconsin at Minnesota (Friday and Saturday, Mariucci Arena)
Ohio State at Michigan (Friday, Yost Ice Arena)
Michigan at Ohio State (Monday, Value City Arena)
Princeton at Michigan State (Friday and Sunday, Munn Arena)
Union at Penn State (Saturday and Sunday, Pegula Ice Arena)
Raphael Girard is battling with Steve Michalek for Harvard’s No. 1 goaltender position (photo: Melissa Wade).
Don’t call it a roll yet, but it’s certainly not a tumble. The Harvard Crimson have two wins in their last three games, and coach Ted Donato is hoping it’s a sign of good things to come.
“We just have to be a little more consistent with what we’re doing,” he said. “Our energy and our compete level, for the most part, have been there. Obviously, we have a lot of new faces, and we’re trying to integrate everybody, get everybody on the same page.”
The Crimson have nine freshmen, and Donato said he sees steps forward.
“There’s good energy with the group,” he said. “We’ve lost a couple of tough, close games, but there’s definitely improvement and if we stay on top of it, we can really become a much better team throughout the year.”
One place where the Crimson have no lack of experience is in net, where senior Raphael Girard and junior Steve Michalek are battling it out for No. 1 status.
So far, Girard is posting better numbers, but Donato is in no rush to bench a lesser ‘keeper.
“There are certain parts of the season where goalies can get run down, and competition should bring out the best. I expect that there will be a good battle going on there in the nets, and hopefully we’ll be able to continue to improve in all areas,” Donato said.
“We’re trying to get them both an opportunity. We played four games in our first eight nights, so that made it a little bit difficult to play one guy. We have confidence in both of them, and both have played pretty well to this point. We’re not committed to playing both guys all the way through. Each and every night we want to put in the net the guy who we feel gives us the best chance to win. If someone takes the ball and runs with it, we’d certainly be excited about that.”
Up front, Harvard is unsettlingly dependent on sophomores Kyle Criscuolo and Jimmy Vesey, who have combined for 13 of the team’s 26 total goals.
“We want to create more depth up front,” Donato said. “We want to be more dangerous. We’ve had a decent amount of offensive opportunities from a shot standpoint. The quality of chances, I think we can be much grittier around the front of the net and get some more goals in that tough area. That’s something we’re working on. … Hopefully we’ll get production from more players down the lineup.”
Harvard knocked off New Hampshire in Durham on Tuesday night, doubling up the Wildcats 6-3. The victory was an important step toward recovery for the Crimson, who were still seething over last week’s 5-1 home loss to Boston College.
Harvard won’t play another home game until after Christmas, with road games at Ivies Dartmouth, Brown, and Yale upcoming.
“These four games give us a great opportunity to really establish some fundamental traits of our team: a compete level; an aggressive, offensive, high-tempo game. I think our special teams can continue to improve and will need to improve,” Donato said.
“We get back into the three league games with Dartmouth, Brown and Yale, and those are incredibly important games. There are a couple teams at the top [of the league], but everybody else is very much in the same range, so we’re really keying in on these games.”
Colgate’s Kyle Baun (right) has seven goals and 15 points in 15 games (photo: Shelley M. Szwast).
An ‘interesting team’
I say it almost every year, I think, but here it is again: Colgate sure does fly under the radar sometimes. Maybe it’s the geography, maybe it’s the streak-averse nature of their campaigns, but the Raiders manage to sneak up on myself and the rest of the league with eerie regularity.
Colgate has taken wins in five of its last seven games, downing the likes of Union, St. Lawrence and Clarkson, all on the road. Goals-against are down, goals-scored are up. It’s almost like good offense and good defense are some kind of secret weapon or something.
“We’re an interesting team,” coach Don Vaughan said. “We have 17 first- or second-year guys. One of the biggest challenges has been consistency. When we’ve stuck to the task and taken care of the little things, we’ve had success. When we get away from it, we haven’t.”
That said, Vaughan said that “we’re relatively pleased with how far we’ve come in a short time with such a young team.”
Like Harvard, aforementioned, the Raiders have a multi-headed goaltending arrangement with no clear solution in sight.
“Early on, we tried to see if one of them wanted to run with it, and that did not happen, so we wanted to give each guy a chance to prove himself in a game situation,” Vaughan said. “And we’ve had some pretty good consistent play out of [senior] Eric Mihalik and [freshman] Charlie Finn here in the last couple of weeks. At some point one them may run with it, but at this point we’re really comfortable with the rotation, and we’ve got a third guy in Spencer Finney who played a lot of good minutes for us last year. He’s battling hard, and he’s very close, too. Until one of them takes over, there’s a pretty good chance we’ll continue to rotate.”
Vaughan clarified that Mihalik and Finn are his two starters at the moment, with Finney waiting in the wings for his next chance to shine.
On offense, sophomore Kyle Baun is making a quick name for himself with seven goals and 15 points in 15 games. He is supported by classmates and twins Tyson and Tylor Spink (though Tylor is currently day-to-day with an injury), and second-year classmates Darcy Murphy and Mike Borkowski are doing a bang-up job of keeping the sophomore class at the top of Colgate’s charts.
“It starts with a guy like Kyle Baun,” Vaughan said. “In practice, in games, off the ice, his work ethic and focus and commitment to getting better has been unbelievable. He’s garnering a lot of attention from NHL teams as a free agent. He’s been really consistent in his efforts since he got back on campus in the fall, so he’s probably the guy leading the way in that regard. When he’s going like that, he makes the guys around him better. He’s got a good supporting cast on his line with the Spink twins; they’ve played together a lot in the past two years.
“They all get [goals] kind of differently. Tylor and Darcy get into the dirty areas, battle hard in the blue paint, however Kyle’s got an unbelievable shot. Tyson is probably more of a pure sniper, but I don’t think you can overlook another guy: [sophomore] Mike Borkowski has had a really good start for us this year. He’s taken his game to another level. He’s probably hit three goalposts, otherwise he’d be right up there, too. He’s seeing it well, he’s shooting the puck tremendously well, and he’s spent a lot of time playing with Murphy, too, and I think they complement each other.”
The Raiders have also enjoyed the settling, veteran presence of junior defenseman and cancer survivor Spiro Goulakos.
“There was a sense of ease and calmness, to have him back in the room,” Vaughan said.
While Goulakos is playing major minutes every weekend, Vaughan admits that Goulakos isn’t quite the player he was before his diagnosis last year.
“In fairness to Spiro, he’d be the first to tell you that his stamina is not where it was last year, prior to getting sick,” Vaughan said. “He’s still logging a ton of minutes for us on the weekends,” but his practice schedule has been adjusted to give him as much recovery time as possible. By the new year, Vaughan says, “we hope Spiro will have normal practice weeks.”
Finally, freshman Emilio Audi has finally found a niche on this team after sitting seven games as a healthy scratch. Once an odd man out, Audi cracked the lineup and made the most of it, earning ECAC Hockey rookie of the week honors last week for his goal and two assists in the North Country.
“He’s got some high offensive upside, and from our perspective, we had pretty good balance and chemistry in our lines coming into the early season, so I was struggling to find a place to put Emilio where his game would complement the guys he was playing with, and vice-versa,” Vaughan said. “We had a couple of tough outings and a couple of bumps and bruises, and it allowed us to play him in some situations where he didn’t get that opportunity early on.”
When Tylor Spink went down, Emilio stepped in on the power play, where “he took advantage of that, for sure.”
It’s a youth movement in Hamilton, for sure. Try not to act surprised when Colgate rolls on.
One in a million
Mitch Gillam is certainly thrilled, but might he also be a little bit fearful that he peaked too soon? The Cornell freshman allowed two goals on 26 shots in a 4-2 win over Niagara Tuesday night in his first collegiate game.
With time running down and the Purple Eagles pressing with the extra attacker, Gillam confidently snared a low-angle shot in his mitt and dropped the puck at his feet. With barely a glance up ice, the goalie whisked the puck yonder into Niagara’s open net. As the rubber crossed the far goal line, Gillam officially became the first Cornell goalie to ever score a goal, and the first Division I goaltender since Western Michigan’s Mike Mantua in 2002 to score on a shot on goal. (Michigan State’s Chad Alban is the only other D-I goalie to do so, becoming the first on the three-man list in 1998.)
To be clear, other goalies have been credited with goals — Harvard’s Kyle Richter being the latest, in 2008 — but most such goals are the result of being the last player on his team to touch the puck before the opponent accidentally puts the puck into its own net, as on a delayed penalty or in an extra-attacker scenario. Only the aforementioned trio, however, actively shot a puck into an opponent’s net.
I defy anybody to find me documentation of any other goalie in the history of the sport to actively score a goal in his (or her) first game at a given level of competition (e.g. high school JV, Division I, the AHL, NHL, etc.). I can’t even recall ever seeing a college goalie shoot for the empty-net goal, much less hitting it. I therefore sustain that Gillam’s achievement — in all its coincidental, circumstantial glory — is truly a one-in-a-million goal.
Top-five tilt
Among the benefits of a Thursday column: Being able to write a few impressions of Wednesday games, such as this week’s nationally noteworthy contest between No. 4 Providence and No. 5 Quinnipiac in Hamden, Conn.
The first thing I noticed, is how much I didn’t notice. Quinnipiac fired 89 shots on net, of which 48 made it through to Providence star goalie Jon Gillies. Bobcats sports information director Ken Sweeten could not recall ever noting so many attempted shots under his watch, and yet, much of the game had a disjointed and tentative feel.
On the positive side of the ledger, the Bobcats deserved better than the draw. Beyond the final 48-22 shot disparity, Quinnipiac also earned one more power play than the Friars, and flat-out dictated play more often than not. The Bobcats appeared faster, more physical and more cohesive than their guests for most of the night.
However, the Q-Cats likely would have earned a win in regulation were it not for a pair of dispiriting giveaways in the first period. Quinnipiac has had a habit of going for long stretch passes to initiate the breakout this year, and at this point in time, the defense simply doesn’t look observant or experienced enough to pull them off with consistency.
Oh, and one more positive: Despite falling the day before Thanksgiving, with the student body on break, High Point Solutions Arena nonetheless welcomed 3,520 observers to York Hill — yet another sellout.
“We booked the game three years ago — the actual date, I think, last season,” Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold said, “but it’s one of those things where it’s hard to find weekly weekend games to play, so sometimes we have to play mid-week games. We’ve got three this week while our students are gone; we don’t want to do that, but …” he shrugged.
This game also marked a return to Hamden for former Union coach Nate Leaman, now guiding the Friars. Pecknold recognized some major characteristics in PC’s play this season from his matchups against Leaman’s Dutchmen of the past.
“I like Providence. They’re a very good hockey team,” Pecknold said. “I love their compete level, their faceoff intensity’s great — one of the best teams I’ve seen at that — and they’ve got the big guy in net, and he’s a game-changer.
“There’s some things; he’s changed a few things. I like the way Nate coaches — he always has the ability to adapt and change things up — the one thing that I think is very similar to when I coached against him [at Union] is their compete level. It’s a highly competitive team, they win a lot of battles, and that’s what reminds me of Union [under Leaman].”
In spite of a less than auspicious roll out to its season, a sense of collective optimism holds true at Trinity.
In addition to contesting their first five games away from home, the Bantams (1-2-1 NESCAC, 1-2-2 overall) have struggled offensively at times, particularly with the extra skater advantage. Toss in the nuances of the all-important learning curve under a new coach and a clear picture emerges of the team’s early struggles.
The Bantams have now run into a three-game winless streak
“We all believe that we need to get to that point where it clicks; I think we’re going to be hard to play against,” said Bantams junior defenseman Emily Riccio of the current status.
Despite the early struggles, the Bantams are intent on reversing the trend and making a move upward in the NESCAC standing.
“To me that doesn’t matter,” said new Trinity coach and four-time Olympian Jenny Potter of her impression when she initially glanced at the schedule. “It’s an ice rink, you have a hockey team, what else do you need? Home game, away game; you should be able to play anywhere.”
Following a victory and a tie against Connecticut College to kick off the season, the Bantams put Potter’s words into action in a well-played 3-2 overtime loss to No. 2 Middlebury.
Trinity spotted the Panthers a two-goal edge, but fired back with a pair of goals 1:03 apart in the second period. The following afternoon however, the scenario unfolded in an entirely different manner as the host team outshot the Bantams to the tune of 41-14 on the way to a 7-0 whitewash. Over the course of the two outings, Potter’s power play unit misfired on all five attempts they were given.
“Just gaining momentum and actually getting one,” said Potter in regard to turning around the power play that went into Tuesday night’s game with host Salve Regina without a score in 15 attempts. Senior defenseman Sarah Duncan eventually collected the much-sought-after power-play goal, striking in the second period against the Seahawks Tuesday night in a 3-3 deadlock.
“We’ve had a lot of looks, we’ve had a lot of great shots, they’re there but we’re just not getting them in the net,” said Potter. “We’ve struggled at five-on-five as well. It’s just a constant learning experience.”
Coach Potter’s statement echoes throughout the Bantams locker room.
“Our power play hasn’t quite set yet,” said Riccio, who has emerged as a leader on the Bantams blue line. “Taking the smart shots is something we have to work on. We’re still rotating our defenseman around and trying to figure out what works. We are looking to see who will step up there.”
Riccio surmises that once all of the variances that enveloped the team thus far resume a bit of symmetry, the success will come.
“Once we pull it together, we have the potential to be really good,” said Riccio. “We’re still figuring it out, but we have a lot of talent and a lot of speed.”
Trinity sophomore forwards Emma Tani and Cheeky Herr, who both displayed promise a year ago, lead the team in scoring with four and three points respectively. Trinity’s constantly developing offense has managed a mediocre eight goals while allowing 15.
Having a four-time Olympic medalist and legend in Potter advances Riccio’s theory.
“Everything is a lot more intense,” she said of Potter’s approach. “She’s been really strict on our nutrition, our systems are different, and she’s brought in the 6 a.m. practices that we never had before. Throughout the team, there’s a sense that we really want it a lot more. Our team has had a better bond this year; there is just a good vibe all around.”
Coming out of the Thanksgiving holiday break, the Bantams settle in for a 13-game home stand that will take them into February. The first five contests at the Koeppel Community Sports Center are of the nonconference variety. Trinity returns to NESCAC action on Jan. 10, when it hosts Williams in the first of a two-game weekend series.
“It’s nice to have a game at home for sure,” Riccio said.
Sacred Heart’s Andrew Bodnarchuk is this week’s Atlantic Hockey goalie of the week (photo: Shelley M. Szwast).
At this point last year, Sacred Heart felt like a Thanksgiving turkey. Opponents stuffed their net to the tune of 56 goals over nine games. Defenses basted and cooked their offense, and the Pioneers scored only 26 times.
And they’d been carved up, winless at 0-8-1 and well en route to being digested 28 times before they’d pick up their first victory.
What a difference a year makes.
The Pioneers are 4-8 as they get set to host Rochester Institute of Technology for a Thanksgiving weekend series, miles ahead of where they were a year ago. But they’re settling in for a nice dinner with some solid company, 3-3 in league play, good enough for six points and a spot among five other teams all mashed together in third place.
“We’ve been much better [this year] at managing games,” said coach C.J. Marottolo. “We’re doing much better of playing without the puck and getting into the right spot, and our team defense has gotten much better. We still have to get more consistent offensively, but we’ve gotten timely goals out of our power play, and we’ve had key guys come up big in big spots.
“We’ve become harder to play against as a group. But while it’s great to be where we are, we know we have to bring our ‘A’ game. We’re happy but not satisfied.”
That power-play unit accounts for nearly half of the team’s goals, scoring 11 of the 26 goals they’ve counted to date. Defenseman Will Rayner helps lead that charge with four (accounting for all of his goals this year), and juniors Drew George and Brian Sheehan each have two.
The trio is part of a group of five players that accounts for 17 goals this year, with the other two being junior Ben Lake and freshman Evan Jasper. Justin Danforth leads the assist attack with 10.
The biggest key for the Pioneers is that team defense, which is seeing a dramatic reduction in goals allowed. Allowing over six goals per game through the Thanksgiving stretch a year ago, Sacred Heart finished the season ranked dead last in Division I with a 5.06 GAA, nearly a full goal behind Alabama-Huntsville’s second-to-last pace.
To date, the SHU GAA stands at 3.83, still only 10th in the league and 54th overall but also 0.01 behind AHA ninth place RIT and within one-half goal per game of the top of the conference.
That’s the equivalent of allowing one less goal every other game, and Sacred Heart is on pace to slash its goals allowed cumulative number by 60.
“We’ve shown we are able to win one-goal games,” said Marottolo. “But now we need to grow as a team and get more consistency from our offense.”
Standing behind that defensive unit is a goaltending tandem that quietly has becoming one of the more serviceable units in the AHA. While netminders like Matt Grogan, Jason Torf and Branden Komm steal the headlines, Alex Vazzano and Andrew Bodnarchuk are working hard in their own right to stabilize a position that was a cavern for two seasons in Fairfield County.
Vazzano defeated then-No. 1 Massachusetts-Lowell to open the season, then established himself within the league by stopping 37 shots to defeat Bentley at home.
But last weekend, Vazzano gave up three goals in the first period against Army, and Marottolo made the change to go back to last year’s starter Bodnarchuk. Spurred on by rest and the chance to play, Bodnarchuk made 20 saves to help the Pioneers rally from 3-0 and 5-3 deficits to win 6-5.
He earned the start the next night, where he shut down the Black Knights for 31 more saves, winning 4-1. More importantly, it helped Sacred Heart take its first season series since going an identical 2-0-1 against Army two years ago.
“Andrew played great this past weekend and earned a start [on Saturday],” Marottolo said. “When you have two goalies who are pushing each other, it creates a competition. And both of those guys are working hard to earn playing time. That’s something that’s going to help our club for the long run.”
Prior to the season, RIT at Sacred Heart on Thanksgiving weekend would result in a prediction of a Tigers sweep. But with RIT sitting in 12th place at 1-3 in league play, anything’s now possible.
Jason Fabian and Air Force have the league’s best record at 4-1 (photo: Omar Phillips).
Westbound and down
As the AHA heads into interdivisional play this weekend, it’ll be a good respite from the two divisions cannibalizing themselves.
Through the first slate of games, only Air Force and Mercyhurst are multiple games over .500 at 4-1 and 3-1, respectively. No team is more than two games under .500 (RIT is 1-3 and Army is 2-4).
The result is a logjam in the middle of the conference, where six teams are tied for third place, two points out of first. Since the introduction of pod-based scheduling, the west feasted on the east, creating a separation where no western team has ever finished worse than ninth.
Last year was the first time the east placed two teams in the top four of the league. Two years ago, the west occupied the entire top four, and three years ago, Holy Cross finished third with four eastern teams occupying the standard 10th through 12th spots.
While the east teams have gotten significantly better, they still haven’t gotten over the western hump. The next month and a half of scheduling will go a long way to determining just how far they’ve come, with 72 games scheduled between the two divisions.
Last year, the west went 43-21-8. And while many point out the struggles of Army and Sacred Heart, the east only won two series — a win and tie by Holy Cross against RIT and a sweep of Canisius by Bentley — and Niagara went 11-1.
If the east wants to fight the perception that the AHA is a west-heavy and dominant league, it starts this weekend when interdivisional play opens up.
Planes, trains and automobiles
With the start of the east-west battles, travel days will get pushed out to Thursday to allow teams to make long bus rides (or plane rides, if they’re heading to Air Force).
That means four teams this weekend will spend their Thanksgiving Day traveling. Bentley flies west to take on Air Force, with RIT coming east to play Sacred Heart. Mercyhurst comes east to play American International, while Connecticut heads to Buffalo to take on Canisius.
While not much, it is noted by several players and coaches that it’s a perk to be able to spend Thanksgiving dinner at home when applicable. Last year, road teams went 1-4-1 in league play over the Turkey Day weekend, with only Mercyhurst defeating Bentley on Friday.
Players of the week
I see no reason to argue with the league on this one.
Player of the week — Dan Shuler, RIT: Give credit to Shuler for one heckuva week despite RIT losing two of three games played. Shuler scored five of the Tigers’ nine goals, including two in a two-minute span against Canisius and a power-play strike against St. Lawrence. He hit the game-winner the next night against the Saints, then iced the cake with an empty netter to help RIT split with SLU. How good was he? He actually could’ve had more goals — he had one disallowed during the first game against the ECAC school.
Goalie of the week — Andrew Bodnarchuk, Sacred Heart: Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back! Bodnarchuk relieved Alex Vazzano on Friday night after the latter gave up three in the first period and made 20 stops to help the Pioneers come back from down 3-0 and 5-3 to win 6-5. He then slammed the door on West Point with 31 stops in the 4-1 win. He tallied a 1.67 GAA and a .944 save percentage for the weekend.
Rookie of the week — Todd Skirving, RIT: Skirving had himself a weekend with 1-5–6 totals for the Tigers. On Tuesday, Skirving assisted on both first-period goals in the loss to Canisius. On Friday, Skirving struck after just 58 seconds the and added a pair of assists for three points in a 5-3 loss to St. Lawrence. On Saturday, Skirving drew the primary assist on Schuler’s game-winning goal in a 6-4 win over the Saints. Skirving has seven points on two goals and five assists, all in the last four games.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone
Speaking for Chris, we’d like to wish you all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. May your turkey be warm and your hockey rinks cold, and thanks to all who’ve tuned this year for our poetic words of wisdom. Actually, that’s just Chris. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
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