Yale at Colgate
This is suddenly shaping up as the most compelling game of the weekend. Yale (2-0-2) and QU (5-0-1) are the only remaining unbeatens in league play, but the Raiders (4-2-0) are making an early run up the ladder and can establish some late-autumn street cred with a take-down of the champs. The Bulldogs better have some bite in their game, having played only once in the last two weeks (Saturday’s 5-1 win over Sacred Heart). This game had better be a sell-out, Raiders fans: The last time a defending national championship team played in Hamilton was [insert long-ago date here]. Not this millenium, in any case. I’m taking Yale, but with hesitation: 3-2 Bulldogs.
Brown at Cornell
The Big Red return home after a disappointing 1-2-1 road swing, hoping to re-discover some of its recently missing offense. Cornell scored only 10 goals in its last five games, and five of those were at St. Lawrence last Saturday. Brown is still a bit of an unknown, and it’s borderline stupid to predict anything other than a close game when Bruno is involved… especially when it’s an Ivy League affair. In the end, something’s got to give: Brown is struggling to hold opponents under three goals; Cornell is battling to bury that many. Picking a 3-3 tie is weak, so let’s say 3-2 Cornell.
Quinnipiac at Princeton
There is really no good reason to pick against QU right now, especially when it’s Princeton on the docket… the Tigers’ only wins this year have come against Dartmouth, and both of those were in the Garden State. 5-2 Bobcats.
Rensselaer at Mercyhurst
The Lakers are only 1-5-1 outside Atlantic Hockey, but are 3-1 at home overall, and Rensselaer is in no position to overlook any opponent following last week’s home-and-home sweep against Union. RPI is loaded with talent and experience, and Scott Diebold is playing well as the No. 1 following Jason Kasdorf’s (potentially) season-ending injury. This is wake-up time for the Engineers, who have yet to play like the league’s top team that some preseason polls predicted. 4-2 RPI.
St. Lawrence at RIT
RIT is 1-6-2 this year, and 0-3 at home. These games are SLU’s, should the Saints step up and take them. 4-1 Saints.
Saturday, November 23
Brown at Colgate
Raiders will either be rolling, or looking to rebound come Saturday night. Either way, I like their odds at Starr. 3-2 ‘Gate.
Yale at Cornell
Another marquee game, Yale currently appears to be in better shape than the Red. Cornell and goalie Andy Iles have played eight games, allowing either two or three goals in all eight, but as previously stated, the offense has yet to find a groove. Yale’s goaltending has been better, its offense has been more reliable, and that will be a tough match-up for the home side. 4-3 Blue.
Princeton at Quinnipiac
Round 2 should look a lot like Round 1… if not worse, since we’re in Hamden. 5-2 QU.
Rensselaer at Mercyhurst
Again, if RPI is the team many of us thought it would be, now is the time to open the throttle. 4-2 Engineers.
St. Lawrence at RIT
Amazing how many sweeps I’m predicting this weekend, but I’m being honest. Given what we’ve seen on the ice, SLU should take both games in a relatively dominant manner. 4-2 SLU.
Tuesday, November 26
Niagara at Cornell
The Purple Eagles are 0-5 outside Atlantic Hockey and 0-5-1 away from home. This is another on-paper mismatch, and paper’s all we’ve got to go on right now. 5-2 Big Red.
Harvard at New Hampshire
Harvard has shown flashes of talent and proficiency, but boy was that Boston College loss a beat-down. UNH is rising at the same moment that Harvard is tumbling… 4-1 Wildcats.
Wednesday, November 27
Providence at Quinnipiac
One of the best games in the nation over the next two weeks pits two top-five teams in Hamden on the day before Thanksgiving. The Friars are 9-1-1 entering this weekend; QU, 11-1-1. PC goalie Jon Gillies holds an otherworldly .949 save rate and a 1.59 GAA; QU’s Michael Garteig, .924/1.53. This is going to be a heavy-hitting, low-scoring, size-em-up-and-knock-em-down kinda game. I’m salivating already. 2-1 Bobcats in a thriller.
Cortland defenseman Stephen Nardi displayed a scoring touch last weekend against Morrisville – and blamed the outing on a solid bowl of cereal (photo: Dan Hickling).
The question was as logical as it was simple.
“What did you have for breakfast on Saturday, Stephen?”
You’d have asked it, too, if you had seen the sort of unexpected offensive eruption that Cortland senior defenseman Stephen Nardi put out against visiting Morrisville.
Known more as a body-banging defenseman who is adept at keeping the peace in front of the net, Nardi, who had authored just five tallies through his first three seasons as a Red Dragon, popped in not one, but two goals (while assisting on another) to help Cortland take a solid 6-1 triumph over their Central New York State cousins.
Hockey can provide a strange twist with every shift, and Nardi, who hails from Long Island, admitted to being a little taken for a loop when one puck, then another, made it into the cage.
“Yeah,” he said, “a little. I guess I was surprised. I knew if I kept working, the points would come.”
On this night, he was rewarded handsomely for his all his work as the points came in a tidy cluster.
Nardi got the scoring less than four minutes into the game. It ended a goal drought that stretched back to Jan. 27, 2012, when he last scored (against Brockport).
“I got a great pass [from Nick Zappia] on the first goal,” Nardi said. “I just kind of threw it to the net. Someone set a good screen and it happened to go in.”
His second came late in the second stanza while he was penalty killing with defense partner Ryan Wagner.
Wagner blocked a Mustang shot and when the puck came loose, Nardi grabbed it an polished off his scoring chance.
“He [Wagner] put it out there in front of me,” said Nardi. “He did all the hard work.”
Nardi’s offensive contribution was a welcome one for a Red Dragons’ squad that is off to a solid 2-2-1 start despite having lost last year’s two top scorers – Michael Lysyj and Chris Kaleta – to graduation.
Even without those two point-getters, Nardi feels that Cortland is better balanced than in previous years.
“Our team’s much stronger this year,” he said. “We’re just trying to prove that. I was just trying to help our cause.”
While every college team is forced to deal with graduation losses, not every team undergoes a coaching change. Cortland did during the offseason when Joe Baldarotta retired and was replaced by Tom Cranfield, who had previously coached the Red Dragons from 2001-07.
Nardi, who serves as a team co-captain, said the Dragons have taken well to Cranfield’s up-tempo, in-your-face style of play.
“Everyone’s enjoyed it thus far,” said Nardi. “It’s a change of pace with good energy. Our practices have a lot of energy all the time. We’re always moving on the ice. It’s like a ‘go go go’ kind of thing. The atmosphere is more energetic.”
And to produce that kind of energy, one has to be well-nourished.
Which brings us to the original question.
What did give Nardi all that scoring vigor?
Just the “Breakfast of Champions,” he laughed.
“I definitely had some extra Wheaties, that day,” said Nardi.
Michigan head coach Red Berenson was inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame last night (Nov. 20). Berenson, who played and coached for the St. Louis Blues, is also a member of the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, the Dekers Club Hall of Fame, the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame and the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame.
Devon Toews is one of a number of freshmen that have made an immediate impact for Quinnipiac (photo: Matt Dewkett).
There were times last season when Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold was surprised with the Bobcats’ success.
He expected Quinnipiac to be good, but not 21-game unbeaten streak and No. 1 team in the country good.
This year’s start is even more unexpected for the Bobcats coach. Quinnipiac lost 11 seniors, including four starting defensemen and goalie Eric Hartzell, from last year’s national runner-up team. The season begin with a loss to Alaska-Anchorage, but Quinnipiac hasn’t lost since, and is on a national-best 12-game unbeaten streak.
“This one is probably even more surprising,” Pecknold said of Quinnipiac’s current stretch. “I knew we were going to be good, but I thought it would take until January or February to get the freshmen defensemen up to speed.”
It’s taken less time than that, as the Bobcats allow the fewest goals per game in the country and rank third in defensemen scoring.
Freshmen Connor Clifton, Derek Smith, Devon Toews and Joe Fiala have all seen significant action this year, while sophomore goalie Michael Garteig has started every game and has a .924 save percentage and 1.52 GAA.
While Pecknold said the coaching staff is excited about this year’s freshman class, there’s no substitute for game experience. “There’s a lot more chaos for us,” he said.
But while the newcomers, including forward and leading scorer Sam Anas, have contributed, Quinnipiac has gotten plenty of production from veterans Matthew Peca, Jordan Samuels-Thomas, and Connor and Kellen Jones.
After spending the end of last season on the same line, Peca and the Jones brothers are broken up again, with Peca skating with Travis St. Denis and Tommy Schutt. The Joneses are with Anas, and Samuels-Thomas is with Cory Hibbeler and Bryce Van Brabant, giving Quinnipiac three scoring lines.
“We’re good this year, but we’re not as good as last year,” Pecknold said.
Just like last year, the Bobcats have players outside their superstars contributing. Defenseman Danny Federico is among the national leaders in blocked shots with 24, while Alex Barron had five assists last weekend from the blue line.
Hibbeler has given Bobcats valuable and flexible minutes, rotating between centering QU’s second line and playing defense on its top penalty kill unit.
“There’s a few games where the freshmen haven’t been very good and he’s gone back on the blue line and eaten nine or 10 shifts,” Pecknold said of Hibbeler, the Bobcats’ senior captain who played defense in juniors and spends one day a week there during practice. He’ll keep his spot on the penalty kill until the Bobcats’ freshmen get some more experience.
“It’s a valuable resource to have a kid that can move back in games, especially if you have one take a five-and-10 and get tossed and another kid gets hurt,” Pecknold said. “He’s a great kid; I could probably tell him to play goalie and he’d do it.”
Win No. 12 of last year’s streak came on Dec. 30 against Nebraska-Omaha. By that point, Quinnipiac had gotten some headlines across the country. This year’s streak has been a bit quieter.
“Certainly, at the 12-game point last year we were getting a lot more attention,” Pecknold said.
Tim O’Brien put Dartmouth ahead 3-0 last Friday, but the Big Green lost to Princeton 5-4 in overtime (photo: Shelley M. Szwast).
Opening month a struggle for Dartmouth
It was just one play Saturday night at Quinnipiac, but it was a microcosm of Dartmouth’s season to date.
Hibbeler brought the puck up the right boards and threw it toward the slot from behind the goal line. Dartmouth defender Rick Pinkston was in position to break up the play, but the puck went off his left skate and straight to a crashing Van Brabant, who sniped it past Cab Morris to put Quinnipiac up 1-0.
The Big Green lost the game 3-1 and fell to 0-8, keeping it with Alabama-Huntsville as one of two teams nationally without a win. It’s a stark contrast from last year, when Dartmouth was the last unbeaten team in Division I and was in position for a first-round bye in the ECAC Hockey playoffs late in the season.
“That’s kind of how things have gone,” Big Green coach Bob Gaudet said. “I love the team; [it’s] a really, really good group of guys. I think we’re making strides.”
Dartmouth looked in position to get its first win Friday, taking an early 3-0 lead at Princeton. But the Tigers scored four straight goals to take the lead. Brett Patterson tied it for the Big Green, but the Tigers won it with 11 seconds left in overtime.
“It was a tough one,” Gaudet said of the loss to Princeton. “One of the tougher ones I’ve been around in 25 years of coaching.”
Injuries haven’t helped, as senior forward Eric Robinson was lost for the year and freshman forward Troy Crema missed last weekend after getting banged up two weeks ago. Defenseman Nick Lovejoy played right wing in both games last weekend.
Gaudet said Robinson will be back for a fifth year next season, while Crema was held out for precautionary reasons and should be fine going forward.
Despite the injuries, Dartmouth’s power play is ranked first in the country. Defense has been another story — the Big Green give up 5.12 goals per game, second to last in Division I.
Still, Gaudet has seen improvements in the back end from the start of the season.
“We were filling some holes and trying to score,” Gaudet said of his defense. “And sometimes when that happens, it’s that extra pass or that extra play and it’s not the simplicity of the game. As we’ve moved along, this weekend especially, I think we’re a much more solid team. It might not look like it to the naked eye, but I know we know what we’re doing.”
Around the league
• Colgate and Union have bounced back nicely from slow starts. The Raiders won at St. Lawrence for the first time since 2008, while the Dutchmen swept rival Rensselaer in a home-and-home series. Union defenseman and Philadelphia draft pick Shayne Gostisbehere is arguably one of the top players in the league, but RPI coach Seth Appert thinks he’s the best in the country, period. “We’ve played a pretty good schedule, we’ve played [Boston College’s] Johnny Gaudreau and it’s no sleight to him.” Gostisbehere had two goals in Union’s 4-1 win Saturday, a game in which the Dutchmen and Engineers finished with a combined 36 penalties for 177 minutes.
• Four league teams (Union, Rensselaer, St. Lawrence and Yale) rank among the top 10 nationally in goal scoring, while St. Lawrence’s Greg Carey (second), Brown’s Mark Naclerio (third) and Nick Lappin (fifth), and Cornell’s John McCarron (eighth) are among the leaders in points per game. Union also leads the nation in defenseman points with 38, while Quinnipiac (32) and St. Lawrence (30) are in the top five as well.
• Several league teams rank among the leaders in timely scoring as well, with Brown’s four goals in the opening minute of a period second only to Lake Superior State. Union is tied for third with American International with three goals in the first minute of a period. Clarkson is tied for the most goals in the final minute of a period with six, while Quinnipiac and St. Lawrence are in a tie for second with five.
• Kevin Beattie, the associate athletic director for communications and compliance at Rensselaer, is holding a fundraiser throughout “Movember” to honor a friend who suddenly passed away. You can find more information here.
• Princeton wore its throwback jerseys Saturday night, a 5-3 loss to Harvard.
Player of the week — Shayne Gostisbehere, Union: The junior defenseman scored twice in a span of 70 seconds to lead Union to a 4-1 win over Rensselaer Saturday. Both goals came off slap shots, one from inside the left faceoff circle, the other from atop the right circle. He recorded two assists in Friday’s win and finished with 14 shots on goal for the weekend.
Rookie of the week — Emilio Audi, Colgate: Audi had five points on two goals and three assists in a 2-0 weekend for the Raiders.
Goalie of the week — Michael Garteig, Quinnipiac: The sophomore stopped 50 of 53 shots as the Bobcats extended their nation-best unbeaten streak to 12 games.
Minnesota coach Don Lucia, whose team plays Minnesota-Duluth this weekend after facing Minnesota State: ‘The reality is that I almost feel like we’re playing the WCHA” (photo: Jim Rosvold).
It’s the last week of total nonconference action for the Big Ten. League play begins Thanksgiving weekend with two series: Minnesota versus Wisconsin and Ohio State versus Michigan.
Wait a minute. The Gophers playing the Badgers and the Buckeyes and Wolverines facing off? This is not exactly unfamiliar territory. Maybe that’s why this weekend doesn’t feel like the final tune-up for anything new.
“It doesn’t even cross my mind.” That’s how Minnesota coach Don Lucia put it when I asked him about one more weekend of nonconference play to prepare for the Big Ten season. And that’s completely understandable, given that the Gophers faced Minnesota State last week, play Minnesota-Duluth this coming weekend and begin their Big Ten play with that two-game series against Wisconsin Nov. 29-30.
“The reality is that I almost feel like we’re playing the WCHA,” said Lucia. “That’s what’s been a little bit strange.”
We all knew that this season would be a little bit strange for everyone in the Big Ten — and for several other conferences — but how the weirdness would manifest itself wasn’t really apparent until play began.
“I’ve talked to other people, too,” said Lucia — other people meaning other coaches — “and you start getting into some league games and they don’t feel like league games because there’s no rivalry. They feel like nonconference games.”
Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves has a slightly different take on the start of his team’s Big Ten play.
“I think because it’s Minnesota, it’ll feel like the beginning of conference play,” he said. “I think, though, that it’ll really kick off the Big Ten for us. It’s a great way to kick it off, get right into it like that. Big rivals.”
Before we get to the start of league games, though, three Big Ten teams play nonconference contests this weekend while three teams are sitting this one out. The Gophers host their former WCHA rival Bulldogs; Michigan State plays a home-and-home series against former CCHA foe Western Michigan; and Michigan hosts Niagara for a single game Friday.
This weekend definitely feels like another chance to prepare for league play for the Spartans, according to coach Tom Anastos.
“I don’t know how many teams are in our situation,” said Anastos, “but for us we’re trying to introduce a lot of new people gaining experience and playing time. We also had some pretty relevant injuries we’re hoping to get healed up before we start Big Ten play.”
Michigan State has been without its leading returning scorer, junior Matt Berry, and a top defenseman, sophomore John Draeger, since the start of the season. Anastos said that the two began to skate this week.
The Spartans actually have two more weeks before they host Minnesota Dec. 6-7. Following this weekend’s series against the Broncos, Michigan State hosts Princeton for two games Thanksgiving weekend. There is much work to do, said Anastos.
“We’re using this time trying to identify line combinations and special teams,” he said. “What we’re seeing [during nonconference play] is the benefit of experience. Learning to execute at game time, and not just at practice time.”
The Spartans are returning to play this weekend for the first time since Nov. 8-9, when they dropped two road games to Michigan Tech.
“I don’t want to take credit away from Michigan Tech,” said Anastos, “but we weren’t happy with our play.”
Michigan State scored two goals while allowing six in the two contests, and the Spartans allowed 68 shots on goal while registering 38 themselves.
Anastos said that after the Michigan Tech series, it was challenging to address things that needed to be addressed because of the following weekend off.
“We couldn’t practice because we had to take the week off by NCAA rules,” said Anastos. “We did skate Monday and Tuesday, but then we were off. We regrouped this week. You try to simulate what you need in practice but there’s nothing like playing games.”
It’s time off this weekend for Wisconsin before the road series against Minnesota.
“This is our third [weekend off] already this year,” said Eaves. “It’s very similar to our schedule last year with two byes early.”
Unlike the Spartans, the Badgers could practice this week because this specific bye week is a result of not having to travel to Anchorage this season.
“It becomes a little bit of a challenge for the coaching staff,” said Eaves, “to be creative, to keep the players interested. It becomes a matter of how often you want to practice.”
Like the Badgers, the Buckeyes will be idle this weekend. And like the Badgers, the Buckeyes have been creative in the way that they’ve used their practice time, balancing some time off with time on the ice, according to associate head coach Brett Larson.
Larson said that in Columbus, the Big Ten season is looming big — and the Buckeyes are excited for it.
“There is a sense that every weekend, we’re doing work that leads to league play,” said Larson, “and every weekend in the second half will have more at stake.”
Ohio State returns to play against Michigan, hosting the Wolverines Nov. 29 and traveling to Ann Arbor for a Monday night game, Dec. 2.
“Obviously,” said Larson, “there are teams [in the first weekend of Big Ten play] playing against each other from the previous leagues they were in, but everyone is sensing how big this is. Everyone.”
Michigan’s Zach Nagelvoort is sixth nationally in both GAA and save percentage (photo: Michelle Bishop).
It’s all about the goalies
One of the biggest surprises of this season has been the play of Michigan, a team that looked more than a bit disorderly in 2012-13.
This is in no small part to goaltender Zach Nagelvoort, the rookie with the sixth-best GAA in the nation (1.71) and sixth-best save percentage (.940).
Nagelvoort, though, isn’t the only Big Ten goaltender making news. Minnesota senior Michael Shibrowski shut out Minnesota State 3-0 Saturday night after sophomore Adam Wilcox earned the 4-1 victory Friday.
“Adam played very well on Friday,” said Lucia. “I thought it was one of his better games of the year, [but] we went into the weekend knowing that we wanted to give Shibrowski a chance. That put a little bit more pressure on our team, too.”
Shibrowski’s play buoyed the entire team, said Lucia. “The guys love him,” he said. “He’s a great teammate. He’s waited and he’s worked on his trade. When you’re a good person, it shows. The team was really happy for him.”
In Oxford, Ohio, the Badgers split with Miami and the Saturday 3-2 win went to junior Joel Rumpel, who had been out for a month with an injury.
“It was great hockey,” said Eaves. “Both coaches said that was really fun. Both teams played a high pace, goaltending was good, refereeing was not a factor, the building was full.
“We dropped Joel into the middle of the deep end. One thing that factored into that decision is that he’s kind of a laid-back guy. You could tell right from the get-go that he was ready.”
Eaves said that the fact that the Badgers had to come from behind to win late in the third period made Rumpel’s return that much better.
“I’m really proud of the way we won that game,” Eaves said.
Enter Logan Davis, a freshman from the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington who earned a 6-1 win against Niagara in his first collegiate appearance and then went on to sweep visiting Canisius last weekend, recording his first career shutout in Friday’s 3-0 win.
Larson said that the game against Niagara was “an emotional night” for the Buckeyes coaching staff.
“It was incredible to watch,” he said. “Logan went into the net and guys were doing whatever they could to block shots — blocking with their heads if they had to.
“He went in and stopped all the pucks he should have, but I think he helped us to elevate our game.”
Davis was suddenly elevated himself, to starter from practice goalie. “He was the third goalie on the team,” said Larson. “He knew the situation coming in behind two NHL-drafted goalies. He was excited to be part of the team knowing that he was the third goalie.”
Olson’s departure and the injury to Tomkins left the Buckeyes with one goalie — so they found two more, a couple of guys named Aaron.
Aaron Gretz is a junior catcher with the Ohio state baseball team, and he’ll leave the hockey team for baseball when that season begins. Gretz was a four-year letterwinner at Apple Valley (Minn.) High School. Aaron Kahn played two seasons for the OSU club hockey team and played for the AAA San Jose Jr. Sharks.
Larson said that the Buckeyes are lucky to have found two goalies so quickly. “It’s not easy to get people NCAA eligible immediately,” he said. “The NCAA gave us an emergency waiver to clear Gretz, so we got that taken care of.”
Kahn was another gift. “We put a feeler out and he was known as a good midget goalie and had some credentials and he reached out to him,” Larson said. “He was excited to be able to participate with the team.”
While Gretz will return to baseball, if Kahn’s time with the Buckeyes ends this season, he has nowhere to go. His play with the Division I squad nullifies his ability to play club hockey for the remainder of the season.
“It’s a great sacrifice for this young man to be here,” said Larson. “They’re both great young men and I think this whole process of all this adversity has brought this whole team together.”
Tomkins has a lower-body injury and is day to day, said Larson.
Players of the week
This week is all about the goalies. I’m not kidding.
First star — Wisconsin junior Joel Rumpel: Rumpel, sidelined with an ankle injury since mid-October, returned to action on the road against Miami last weekend, earning his second win of the season with a 3-2 decision Saturday, turning away 32 shots in the process. In his two games this season, Rumpel has a 1.50 GAA and .945 save percentage.
Second star — Minnesota senior Michael Shibrowski: In his third career start Saturday night, Shibrowski shut out Minnesota State 3-0, stopping 25 shots in his first collegiate shutout. The 25 saves matched a career high for saves in a single game for Shibrowski.
Third star — Ohio State freshman Logan Davis: Davis was in goal for both contests as the Buckeyes swept visiting Canisius 3-0 and 3-1. He stopped 20 saves during the Friday contest, his first career shutout, and made 22 stops on Saturday.
My ballot
1. Minnesota
2. Notre Dame
3. Miami
4. Michigan
5. St. Cloud State
6. Boston College
7. Providence
8. North Dakota
9. Yale
10. Quinnipiac
11. Wisconsin
12. Massachusetts-Lowell
13. Clarkson
14. Ferris State
15. Lake Superior State
16. Union
17. Ohio State
18. St. Lawrence
19. Northeastern
20. Rensselaer
Shameless self-promotion
Next week, Drew Claussen has the column and I have the Monday blog. I’ll post our picks for this weekend’s games on Friday morning.
Johnson and Wales freshman forward Stefan Brucato has picked up where he left off last season in the Western States Hockey League (photo: JWU Athletics).
Coming together as a team.
For a young team like Johnson and Wales, it’s important for team bonding early on and that’s what exactly what the Wildcats did.
“We have some upperclassmen that have done a terrific job helping the [younger] guys out because they need it, getting back on to campus and being back in class,” Johnson and Wales coach Eric Noack said. “The veterans on the team have been instrumental to get guys in line and on time in doing the team building and team dinners.”
This wasn’t orders coming down from Noack to get the team together to go to watch field hockey games this fall, but it has certainly paid off as the Wildcats are off to a 3-1 start after a 10-16-1 campaign last year.
“We are a very young [team], we are very young on the back end and we don’t even have a junior defenseman right now,” Noack said. “It’s all freshmen and sophomores, freshman goalie and a freshman on the first line. It’s going to take a little time for the guys to get going and get use to the intensity to college hockey.”
Last season, the team had talent, but just didn’t put everything together for the entire season.
“Last year was a weird year – we had a ton of talent and it came together at the end,” Noack said. “They came together in spurts and we started off a lot slower than we were going to. I think we weren’t playing well defensively and everybody, including the forwards, our [defensive] zone wasn’t where it needed to be.”
The Wildcats have certainly jumped out to a better start defensively this season, allowing nearly two goals less to their opponents and the penalty kill has been much better through the first four games of this season.
Freshman Stefan Brucato has lived up to the hype so far with a goal and five assists through the first four games
“Stefan was a kid that we were on all [last] year,” Noack said. “He played with the Idaho [Jr. Steelheads] and he was absolutely the best player in the Western States Hockey League. We knew that all year and saw him out in Las Vegas and the year before. He has done what we thought he would do. No matter what they say, it’s an adjustment out of Tier III Junior A to get thrown in against, Wentworth, Suffolk and Curry.”
Brucato’s linemate, Josh Obregon, has been putting the pucks in the back of the net with four goals and two helpers after coming off a 23-point freshman campaign that included 12 goals.
Noack said Obregon is a proven goal scorer going all the way back to his playing days in the North American Hockey League where he put up 28 goals in two seasons.
Most teams have been splitting time between goalies trying to find a goalie to take the reins, but the Wildcats have found a hot goaltender from the get-go. Joey Ballmer has been solid in his rookie campaign with a 3-1-0 record, a 2.25 GAA and a .919 save percentage.
“He’s a kid we worked really hard to get in here, he was a late commit,” Noack stated. “He’s doing what he needs to do in there. Off the ice, he’s something special. He just wants to go to school and play hockey. He doesn’t want to do anything else. He doesn’t want to be a social guy, he’s very easy-going. He doesn’t seem to get down when he gets scored on.”
Noack also said Ballmer’s experience in the United States Hockey League last season facing Division I-caliber players helped in the transition to the Division III game.
Melissa Paluch of Lake Forest (Lake Forest Athletics)
As a blueprint, it might not have been the best scenario, but for Lake Forest coach Carisa Zaban, heading into the season with a roster nearly devoid of seniors has been rendered a nonissue.
Zaban’s club has thrived thus far, outside of the conventional wisdom that says leadership qualities are best served by a senior-laden roster.
The Foresters, tapping on the door of the top 10 in the first two weeks of play, are now intent on kicking it in following a pair of quality wins in a home-and-home set with Concordia (Wis.) last weekend. The Foresters take on a crucial early season swing of four away games, the first two with quickly rising, unbeaten St. Scholastica, beginning Friday.
“We’re just looking to build on and off of the success we had last year,” said Zaban, now in her ninth season with the Foresters. “We are still relatively young, but our junior class boasts some great leadership to add to our few seniors. One of our sophomores, Melissa Paluch, was named a captain this year — the first for the program. So that gives you an idea of the role of the sophomore class, as it’s not just their offensive output, but their recognized leadership as well within the team.”
Paluch, who concluded the 2012-13 campaign with 14-19-33 numbers, earned her second career hat trick in Saturday’s 8-1 thumping of Concordia.
“I believe we are a young team with a lot of talent, and if we continue to stay motivated and focused throughout the season, our ability to mesh and work well as a team will increase greatly,” said Paluch in regard to the team’s collective mindset of going forward with a youthful roster.
Defenseman Sarah Gilbride and forward Maeve Connelly are the lone skaters who hail from the class of 2014. Senior goalie Stacey Dierking, backing up freshman find Casey Hartfiel, has yet to see action.
“Even though we have a lot of underclassmen, the majority of our team are returning, so I feel very confident and think we will be even better than last year with the help of the freshmen that we brought in this year,” said Gilbride, who brings a wealth of experience to the Foresters in their own end. “We have a lot of new talent, and added to the talent we already had I think gives us a lot of depth as a team. As one of the only seniors, I see my role as being a positive and encouraging leader, and I hope to lead by example, both on- and off-the-ice, just as my past seniors have done for me.”
Zaban believes the dearth of seniors onboard hasn’t altered the teams’ disposition one bit.
“I don’t think we implemented too many changes this year, which is why I hope we will be successful,” said Zaban whose team is averaging 42.7 shots on goal per game. “I think consistency in systems and expectations is good for a younger team, as they already know what’s being asked of them, have proven success from it, and hopefully fuels their confidence level. Every year, though, it’s about team chemistry more than anything else, and so I hope that the girls come together and want to play for each other and share the same expectations.”
Last season, the Foresters won both away games against St. Scholastica while dropping a pair on home ice. For sophomore Michelle Greeneway, at the top of the list in scoring for the Foresters with nine points, the impending series with St. Scholastica and the prolific Waidacher sisters provides a golden opportunity.
“I think we shot ourselves in the foot last year by dropping a few games early in the season to teams we should have beat,” Greeneway said. “Come playoff time, those points turned out to be ones we couldn’t afford to lose and our ranking was affected by it. We are all now more aware of the importance of every game and go into each weekend, no matter who the opponent, knowing that we need those four points because at the end of the regular season those points will be crucial to a better seed.”
Junior forward Morgan Pope, who tops the team with six goals on just 20 shots, was among those who surmised coming in that the team makeup was ideal.
“Right from the start, I had a feeling we were going to have a strong season due to the amount of returners,” said Pope who is one score shy of 20 career goals. “Each one of us was ready to get back on the ice and move forward from where we finished last year. Some teams usually worry about the amount of underclassmen, but our underclassman were able to jump right into things, which made it easier to mesh as a team, in terms of team chemistry on- and off-the-ice. Our seniors are a big part of our success; they set the bar for how hard we need to play not only during games, but also practice. I don’t think our record so far this really shows the ability we have, so I’m hoping we can continue from our past two wins and keep that going for the rest of the season.”
Consider recent years, as far back as the 2010-11 season when North Dakota first rose to become a perennial top-10 team. What UND players come to mind?
Jocelyne and Monique Lamoureux, of course. Michelle Karvinen. Josefine Jakobsen. Meghan Dufault. All forwards. And if you kept going, you’d probably come up with names like Alyssa Wiebe before venturing beyond the forward lines.
Many programs are that way to an extent, just because we tend to spend so much time talking about offense, but included in the mix at Minnesota-Duluth will be a Jocelyne Larocque and Kim Martin, or Alex Rigsby and Stefanie McKeough at Wisconsin.
One reason we tend to be unfamiliar with North Dakota players responsible for the defensive game is because that defense has often not been very sound. Three years ago, when UND advanced to a WCHA semifinal for the first time and fell just short of an NCAA tournament bid, its scoring defense ranked 26th out of 33 teams at 2.86 goals per game (GPG). That improved to 18th in 2011-12 at 2.54 GPG and 10th at 2.26 GPG last year, but some of that improvement was due to a top offense controlling the puck for much of the game.
“[Defense] is something we’ve struggled with in the past,” said Karvinen, this year’s captain. “It’s been hard for us to even break it out in the past.”
So much so that Monique Lamoureux was moved back to defense midway through each of the previous two campaigns, not because she was better at defense than at forward, but because the team didn’t have any other options. In the wake of her graduation, it was vital that a better alternative emerged.
Luckily, this season’s freshman class included defensive standouts Gracen Hirschy and Halli Krzyzaniak.
“Having two players like that who can just bring it up and be a part of the offense as well, that’s something that’s just huge for us forwards,” Karvinen said.
The duo definitely contributes on the offensive end, both averaging at least a point a weekend. Hirschy is particularly skilled in that respect, ranking fifth on the team in points.
“I played a lot of forward my senior year of high school, so I’ve been back and forth at forward and D,” she said. “I love skating the puck up. I love scoring goals.”
She has scored four times in her first dozen games, and has added five helpers.
Nice as that offensive boost has been, it is what the pair has brought to the defensive side of the game that brings the greatest cause for optimism. The scoring defense has tightened further to 2.08 GPG, and having watched North Dakota limit Minnesota to two goals on Sunday and end the NCAA’s longest winning streak, the two freshmen are a huge reason why.
“There’s going to be ups and downs,” coach Brian Idalski said. “What they’re doing for us, it’s a little unfair to expect them to do that week in and week out. Obviously, we’re excited for them down the road, a couple of years of development and just understanding what it means to play in this league week in and week out. They’re solid; they’re going to be cornerstone D for us.”
Although the two have experienced international competition at the Under-18 World Championships, Krzyzaniak playing for Canada and Hirschy for the United States, they are still freshmen trying to adjust to a new level.
“Right now, we’re kind of developing and learning the systems and stuff,” Krzyzaniak said. “Hopefully, we continue to develop, the eight of us that we have on defense continue to develop as a whole, and we can be solid back there.”
Saturday was the first time that the duo and their teammates met a team from the current top 10, and there were some struggles in a 6-1 loss. Signs of progress were definitely in evidence the next day, as they adjusted to the speed of the opponent in a 3-2 win.
“That’s why those kids end up in this league, because those are the games you want to be in development wise, and just for the fun and the pace,” Idalski said.
The games aren’t necessarily even the biggest adjustment.
“I think definitely it is the day-to-day intensity,” Krzyzaniak said. “The girls here, they’re so great, they’re intense with absolutely everything we do, whether it’s in the weight room or it’s a 20-minute skate. Everything has to be your best all the time.”
Hirschy’s adjustment is one not often associated with Grand Forks, population 53,456.
“It’s actually a pretty big city, compared to what I’m used to,” she said. “It’s a lot more spread out than what I’m used to.”
Although her hometown is listed as Fort Wayne, Ind., Hirschy grew up in the much smaller New Haven. Unlikely as it seems, the state of Indiana produced a five-foot-nine-inch athlete whose sport involved hockey pucks instead of basketballs.
“When I was little, my family had season tickets to the professional team there, the Fort Wayne Komets,” Hirschy said. “I went to every game since I was a little kid, and they finally just put me on the ice.”
When it came time to select a college, Division I hockey wasn’t an option at the state universities, such as Big Ten schools Indiana and Purdue.
“They have boys club teams, but that’s about it,” Hirschy said.
The in-state prospects are a bit more promising at Notre Dame in South Bend.
“I really hope they are able to get one,” she said. “They have a fabulous rink there, so I think a girls’ team would first be there.”
Forced to look elsewhere, Hirschy was drawn to North Dakota.
“The first time I visited UND, I had a feeling and I knew that was the place for me,” she said. “I knew just right off the bat; this is it.”
Grand Forks is roughly four hours away from Krzyzaniak’s home of Neepawa, Man.
“Obviously, it’s nice that it is really close to home,” she said. “My parents are able to come and watch a lot more than they used to, but that definitely wasn’t the deciding factor. Just being there on my visit, everything felt right and that’s kind of where I wanted to play out my four years of college.”
She had some familiarity with her new teammates, having played a couple of years with Dufault and Tori Williams for Team Manitoba, and teaming with Rebecca Kohler to win U-18 gold for Canada.
“Walking in knowing nobody would be a little intimidating, but the group has been really welcoming,” Krzyzaniak said.
Attendance in the WCHA tends to be considerably more than what is typical at a youth hockey game, but Krzyzaniak hasn’t found that to be intimidating in the least.
“I love it,” she said. “Playing at the Ralph [Engelstad Arena] is great. When the band comes out, it really changes the atmosphere there. I didn’t mind playing [in Minneapolis]. They had a lot of fans. I really think that the fans kind of fuel the players. It’s great when you have a good showing out there because it really helps the game.”
Krzyzaniak would enjoy playing on an even bigger stage some day, such as that found in the PyeongChang, South Korea, host of the Winter Olympics in five years.
“2018 is obviously a goal; never turn that down,” she said. “Definitely, winning a national championship would be the ultimate goal for my four years here. To be part of the team that wins the first for North Dakota would be great.”
Perhaps Hirschy and Krzyzaniak will wind up as opponents in PyeongChang, or as teammates hoisting that NCAA trophy, but in the short term, they have other things to worry about. The WCHA schedule delivers its own one-two punch: No. 2 Wisconsin arrives Friday, five days after North Dakota faced No. 1 Minnesota.
“We’re at home and we need points and we’re battling with Wisconsin, and the way the PairWise has gone, you know full well that that is a full-value game and we’ve got to take care of business,” Idalski said. “And we toward the end of last year got a little bit of the monkey off our back. That’s another team that’s dominated us a little bit, so we have to be ready to go.”
Freshman Elliott Vorel posted five points in his Wesleyan debut last Friday night versus Tufts (photo: Brian Katten).
For the 2-0 Wesleyan Cardinals, opening weekend showcased great results, great resolve in some adverse situations and some young talent that has taken-off early.
Wins at home against Tufts and Connecticut College were strong confidence boosters for Wesleyan, but it was more about the way they did it that most impressed their head coach and has the coaching staff excited about the opportunities down the road.
“We definitely created some challenges for ourselves in both games going down a forward and taking major penalties that potentially could have cost us in both games last weekend,” stated Cardinals’ coach Chris Potter. “We didn’t have a major penalty all last season, so to take two in the first two games was something very different for us and a challenge we rose to meet as a team.”
Potter said with the turnover from last season, putting players in new situations is an adjustment, but one the Cardinals have made with ease.
“Last year, I used a lot of the same guys on specialty teams, which meant a lot of guys sat and didn’t necessarily gain experience on the penalty kill or power play,” Potter said. “With the graduation of 10 seniors last year, I give a lot of credit to assistant coach Jon Bellonio, who really reshaped this team. This year, I decided that we were just going to roll players out in specialty situations and find out what people can do in those situations. Obviously, we didn’t plan on having to kill major penalties, but being down players as a result of the penalties really meant everyone stepping up and contributing to getting the job done. That was a real positive coming out of a not-so-positive situation that could have changed the game in favor of our opponent on either night last week.”
A couple of new players to the roster shined for Wesleyan and the Cardinals’ week one performances may hopefully be a portent of good things to come.
Freshman forward Elliott Vorel had an incredible first game as a collegian, posting two goals and three assists for five points in a 5-4 win over Tufts last Friday night. Vorel slotted in nicely with seniors Tommy Hartnett and Keith Buehler and the line accounted for four of the team’s five goals and 10 points on opening night. With Buehler out for the Saturday game against Connecticut College, Vorel and Hartnett continued their magic with four of the five goals in a 5-2 win.
“Elliott has some great offensive skill,” said Potter. “He really showed that last weekend playing with and then without Keith [Buehler], who has definitely proven his offensive ability in his time here at Wesleyan. Elliott has that innate ability to go to the right spot on the ice and one of his goals this weekend was a perfect example where he left the forecheck and found the open spot in front of the net and buried the puck when it got there. Tommy and Keith are proven guys up front and Elliott has been a good fit in working with them. It will be exciting to see where he continues to improve at the college level and be a key offensive player for us this season.”
Another freshman who excelled this past weekend was forward James Kline, who made an impact with a steady overall game, strong presence on the penalty kill and scored the game-winning goal in Saturday’s contest against Connecticut College in the second period. Kline’s goal came just 40 seconds after the Camels had tied the contest at 2-2 and swung the momentum back to the home team that responded with two more unanswered goals in the win.
“James played great,” Potter said. “He had some good chances on Friday night that he didn’t finish, but really was a key contributor each and every shift and was a big part of our success on the penalty kill all weekend. Getting that goal, a really timely and needed one for us, hopefully will get him going offensively and add to the balance I think we have across all of our lines. With our depth and balance, I think it will be hard for teams to just focus on Keith and his line. If they do pay special attention there, I think we have enough talent and offense among the rest of the forwards to make that strategy unsuccessful for our opponents.”
The third high-flying freshman was goalie Dawson Sprigings, who made 36 saves in his collegiate debut in the win on Saturday. Sophomore Nolan Daley picked up the win on opening night and Potter has a high level of confidence in his goaltending depth based on what he has seen in practice and in the pressure situations faced early on this season.
“Both guys played great,” stated Potter. “Obviously, you scramble a bit when you go down a player and face major penalty-kill situations, but I thought both Nolan and Dawson were very composed and came up with some big saves in situations that could have changed the momentum of the game. We have a couple of other guys on the roster that will push those guys to play at a high level, but it was good to be able to split the load last weekend and see solid performances from both goaltenders and our defensive core overall.”
This weekend, the Cardinals travel to Hamilton and Amherst on the not-so-common Saturday-Sunday two-game set. The change from the typical Friday night/Saturday schedule doesn’t bother the Wesleyan coach and he hopes his team responds well to the start of five games in eight days, including three nonconference games.
“I like the Saturday-Sunday set-up,” said Potter. “It gives us that extra day during the week and some flexibility as to whether it is a rest day or practice day and as well, it gives some guys with some bumps and bruises time to heal up a little bit longer. This weekend are the last conference games we have before the break, so we want to try and get points in two places that are very difficult places to play. Hamilton will be hungry after losing their opening games and Amherst is always a difficult game, especially at Orr Rink.
“We got off to a good start last weekend and now need to see if we can be consistent and play well on the road. The league is so tight that if we want a shot at a home-ice playoff position, we need to get points every weekend. The opportunity is there again this weekend against two tough opponents on the road.”
Jon Puskar (center) has seven points in six games for American International (photo: Omar Phillips).
After years of frustration, American International looks like it’s “figuring it out.”
I used that phrase when talking to Yellow Jackets coach Gary Wright, who has his team off to its best start ever in Atlantic Hockey. AIC is 3-3 overall and 3-0 in conference, good for third place with games in hand on first-place Air Force and second-place Niagara.
“It’s funny you should say that,” said Wright. “Our football coach … who comes to a lot of our games, used that exact same phrase.”
It’s been a long time coming. After years of finishing in the basement of Atlantic Hockey, the Yellow Jackets went on a late-season run last year, jumping into ninth place and barely missing a home-ice playoff series.
Bolstered by record-setting goaltender Ben Meisner and all-star forward Adam Pleskach, AIC lost just once after Jan. 25, going on a 7-1-3 run that finally ended in a playoff series loss at Rochester Institute of Technology.
But the Yellow Jackets were expected to take a step back this season with the loss of Meisner, Pleskach and five other seniors. They were picked to finish 11th in the league’s preseason poll.
“We did lose a big senior class,” said Wright. “Not just Meisner and Pleskach and [defenseman Jeff] Ceccacci, who were all-stars, all-league, but a class that gave us a lot of leadership and experience.”
Last season taught Wright’s team how to win, and that has carried over to this year, even with several players in new roles.
“I think it really started the year before,” he said. “We took Robert Morris to three games [in a first-round playoff series] and lost the deciding game in overtime. Robert Morris was a very good team and we came away knowing that we could play with them.
“Last year was interesting. The first half of the year it was very much about Meisner playing so well, and putting the team on his proverbial back. But after January our underclassmen got stronger and all of a sudden we were playing more as a team and not just about our goaltending.”
AIC’s 2013-14 season has already seen its fair share of drama. In their first six contests, the Yellow Jackets have endured a 10-4 loss at Providence, a close 5-4 loss at Michigan State, a wild 8-7 win over Bentley, and then immediately followed that scorefest with a stingy 1-0 victory at Holy Cross.
“We’re certainly covering things,” said Wright. “Bentley was the kind of game we used to have when I was playing in the ’80s. Following that up with a 1-0 shutout was ironic.”
The volatility can be expected when breaking in eight freshmen, including a pair of rookie goaltenders.
“We’ve got the two freshmen and a senior who really hasn’t played before,” said Wright. “[Senior] Ryan Kerpan opened with the 10 goals at Providence, really getting thrown into the fire. He’s going to get another start soon. [Freshmen] Ty Reichenbach and Hunter Leisner have both turned in good performances — Reichenbach at Sacred Heart [a 4-1 win] and Hunter at Holy Cross [a 1-0 win].
“We’ll take another look and eventually have a starter. As they say in football, ‘If you have three starting quarterbacks then you don’t have a starting quarterback.'”
While Wright works at settling on a starter in net, he knows he has the offense to keep his team in games. AIC has the top-ranked offense in the league (3.5 goals per game), as well as the No. 2 power play (26.1 percent). Junior Alexander MacMillan and freshman David Norris lead the team with eight points each. Six players have two goals or more already.
The Yellow Jackets have played only one home game so far, the win over Sacred Heart. But their next four contests are on home ice, including a game this Saturday against Connecticut.
Confidence has never been higher for Gary Wright’s Yellow Jackets. It looks like they’re figuring it out.
Ryan Timar (13), Adam McKenzie (6) and Air Force are 7-3 after beating Colorado College on Tuesday (photo: Omar Phillips).
A bright spot has been Air Force, which owns three of those seven wins, including a 3-1 victory against crosstown rival Colorado College on Tuesday.
And it is a bonafide rivalry now. Colorado College leads the all-time series 59-9-2 but the teams have split their last six meetings.
This win by the Falcons was make a little more special by the introduction of the Pikes Peak Trophy, which will be presented to the winner of the annual meeting between the two Colorado Springs-based schools. The Falcons captured the inaugural version.
“It goes to show you where our program is,” Air Force coach Frank Serratore said in a postgame interview. “It’s not that CC’s gotten worse. We’ve gotten better.”
The Falcons have more local rivalry games this weekend when they host Denver on Friday and play the Pioneers at Magness Arena on Saturday.
Here are the highlights from Tuesday’s Falcons-Tigers game:
Air Force isn’t the only AHA team hosting a big nonconference game this weekend. Mercyhurst hosts No. 14 Rensselaer on Friday. RPI leads the all-time series 6-2 but this is the first time the teams have squared off at Mercyhurst Ice Center.
Lakers coach Rick Gotkin was an assistant at Rensselaer from 1986 to 1988 before leaving to start the Mercyhurst program.
It comes down to goaltending
It’s always interesting to see how teams work out their goaltending in the early part of the season. Some have already settled on a No. 1, either by choice or by circumstance. Others are still looking for a go-to guy in net, while some will platoon throughout the season.
Here’s what the goaltending situations look like so far around the league:
Air Force: Senior Jason Torf has been the starter for most of his career, and will play in his 100th game this weekend.
American International: After four years of Meisner, the Yellow Jackets continue to audition for his replacement. All three goalies on the roster have started.
Army: Junior Rob Tadazak has seen the majority of time in net, as he did last season. Rookie Parker Gahagen got his first start last weekend as Brian Riley decided to shake things up after opening the season 1-6.
Bentley: Senior Branden Komm earned the starting role as a sophomore and has played all but 23 minutes so far this season. His next appearance will be his 90th.
Canisius: Senior Tony Capobianco played in 41 games last season for the Golden Griffins, but this season he has shared the duties so far with junior Keegan Asmundson.
Connecticut: Senior Matt Grogan won the starting role over Garrett Bartus in the second half of last season, and has played all but one game so far for the Huskies.
Holy Cross: Matt Ginn enters his junior year as a three-year starter for the Crusaders, and has played every minute so far this season.
Mercyhurst: Junior Jimmy Sergeant was the odd man out his first two seasons with the Lakers, sitting first behind Max Strang in his rookie season and then behind a platoon of Strang and Jordan Tibbett last year. Sergeant has shared time with Tibbett this season, but looks to have won the starting job in recent weeks.
Niagara: Rookies Jackson Teichroeb and Adrian Ignagni have split time in net, as coach Dave Burkholder looks for a successor to Hobey Baker Award finalist Carsen Chubak, who played in 35 games last season but decided to forgo his senior campaign in favor of a professional contract.
Rochester Institute of Technology: Junior Jordan Ruby platooned with the departed Josh Watson last season, but took the reins down the stretch for the Tigers. He’s played every minute for RIT so far this season.
Robert Morris: The Colonials look to replace the steady Eric Levine, who graduated at the end of last season. Sophomore Terry Shafer has started all but one game so far for the Colonials.
Sacred Heart: Sophomore Alex Vazzano, a transfer from Vermont, has started eight of the Pioneers’ first 10 games.
Players of the week
I decided to combine awards this week, because a rookie goalie is both a rookie and a goalie:
Player of the week — Niagara forward Hugo Turcotte: The sophomore had a big weekend in a series sweep of Army, recording four goals and an assist.
Goalie and rookie of the week — American International’s Hunter Leisner: The freshman picked up his first career win in style with a 22-save shutout of Holy Cross.
Games played on Tuesday of this week will count toward next week’s awards. Let’s see if Torf’s excellent 34-save performance in that 3-1 win at Colorado College stands up.
Castleton senior goalie Erik Cinotti should see the bulk of action as the Spartans’ No. 1 goaltender this season (photo: Deb Slawinski).
For first year coach Steve Moffatt, life with Castleton has been an interesting odyssey that finds the new coach greatly enjoying the regular season and appreciating the community presence his program has established in the Rutland, Vt., region.
“I am really loving the job, especially now that the real games have started,” noted Moffatt. “All the details away from the rink have been challenging to get my arms around, especially based on the scale of things like fundraising and community service that the Castleton program supports. I am, of course, very familiar with those activities based on my time at Plattsburgh, but the scope here is on a much bigger scale if that is possible to believe. I have been very impressed by the program’s commitment to the community outreach and perhaps that has a lot to do with why we are setting attendance records in our first home games this season.
“The perspective is different being the head coach, but it is great to be a part of with this group of players and the school.”
After years of working with the very successful Plattsburgh program and coach Bob Emery, Moffatt has inherited a successful program in his first head coaching stint. So what will be different at Castleton this time around from the success achieved under former head coach Alex Todd?
“I think the big focus for us is a new focus on discipline,” stated Moffatt. “I came from a program that had great success at Plattsburgh where we played very hard for 60 minutes each and every night and aggressively, but with discipline. I think over the past five or six years, we were one of the least penalized teams in all of D-III and that discipline helped us be successful. We didn’t beat ourselves or give the opponents man-advantage situations that could swing the outcome in games. So right now, we are focused on being smart, disciplined and reducing unnecessary penalties. I thought we did a great job on the opening weekend and could have been better this past weekend, so we will focus on improving from there.”
With that focus, the new coach also had some views on the early stats around the Spartans’ power play and penalty kill efficiency.
With identical 21.1 percent success rates for and against on special teams, one would think there might be room for improvement, particularly on the penalty kill side of the equation. Moffatt was more than happy to point out the old Mark Twain quote regarding “lies, damn lies and statistics.”
“I actually think we have been pretty good in the early going on both the power play and the penalty kill,” stated Moffatt. “On the power play, we actually have two goals just a second or so after the penalty expired that don’t show up in the overall success rate. On the penalty kill, we have given up a couple of goals in multiple man-down situations, including an extra-attacker goal that probably unfairly inflates the numbers as compared with the way we have played and defended in man-down situations.
“I know that we will need to be really good in those areas this weekend when Babson and Massachusetts-Boston come to play. I think both have power plays working better than 30 percent, so we have our work cut out for us and welcome the challenge in the conference. We have a lot of home games early in the season and we need to take advantage of the home ice and crowd to get points every weekend and especially at home. This weekend will be a great test for our hockey team with a couple of the league’s best coming to Vermont.”
With a new coach comes a new system and so far, the players seem to be adapting pretty well to the style of play Moffatt expects from this very diverse roster across all of the different classes.
“It’s obviously easier for the freshmen coming in to pick up something new in a new program since they don’t have one, two or even three years of playing in the same system with the same players,” Moffatt said. “I am really proud of how hard the upperclassmen have worked and committed to the system and I am pleased with the results so far, but know we can continue to improve.”
One senior that is off to a strong early start is Colin Murray, who leads the team in goals and points after the first four games and has taken to his pairing with freshman forward Bart Moran with their combined 14 points in just four games.
“Colin has worked really hard,” noted Moffatt. “Sometimes, you have to take him aside and just remind him how good he really is and let that talent come out on the ice. He is off to a great start along with Bart and has done a great job in working in the new system. Ross [Herzog] and Kyle [Richards] have also been leading by example as seniors and that has really helped the young guys come along quickly.”
Back in the crease, senior goaltender Erik Cinotti has cemented his spot as the team’s No. 1 netminder and will be expected to continue to play his consistent style that has produced a better than .900 save percentage and near two-goals against per game average during his career at Castleton.
“Erik played very well on our opening weekend and really came up with some key saves when we needed them,” said Moffatt. “He did cement his role as No. 1 in that first weekend and backed it up with a solid weekend performance this past weekend against St. Anselm and New England College. He is healthy and in great shape, so we do expect lots from Erik, as we do from any of the capable goaltenders we have on our roster.”
Yes, there is a new coach leading the Spartans, but the anticipated outcomes aren’t any different this year than in seasons past. The Spartans are looking to compete every night with the best in the ECAC East and compete for a title. The road to get there might be a little different with Moffatt leading the way, but the end goal and resolve to get there is as strong as ever for the Spartans.
Utica senior Adam Graff wants to see the Pioneers hoist some hardware at the end of this season (photo: Jamie Callari/Utica College).
One draws motivation where ever it can be seized and for Adam Graff, it seems to be there for the taking at every turn.
If not in an air-filled grab at a Frozen Four title, then perhaps in a stinging last-second loss.
Or if not there, then in a chance to show an ECAC West foe just what slipped through their fingers.
Nope, there is no lack of fuel to spark Graff’s competitive fire, which accounts for how the Pioneers’ senior stalwart has become so important to the fortunes of the nation’s seventh-ranked team.
Graff and the other returning vets took Utica to its first-ever Frozen Four berth last year. However, the loss in the semifinals to eventual champions Wisconsin-Eau Claire left the Pioneers with something of an empty feeling.
“[It’s] unfinished business,” Graff said. “We have 13 seniors on this team and this is our last chance. We want to go out as winners, as everyone does. Getting there last year was awesome, but now the next step is to bring home the hardware.”
Utica is backing up those aspirations with perspiration.
The Pioneers are off to a scintillating 5-1-0 start and might be a perfect 6-for-6, if not for a last-second [literally] goal by Hobart’s Robert Sovik that handed Utica a stunning 3-2 loss, it’s lone blemish, in front of packed house at the Utica Aud.
“It was definitely a humbling experience for us,” said Graff. “They beat us on our home ice. And the way they beat us is more of a teaching point for us.”
And the hard lesson that was learned?
“You can’t take a second off,” said Graff, who was on the ice, watching in disbelief when the puck crossed the line just before time expired. “Not even a second. In a split-second, the puck can be in the back of the net.”
The loss will still be fresh in the Pioneers’ minds this weekend when they’ll make the return trip to Geneva for two clashes with the No. 14 Statesmen.
“They’re a very good team,” said Graff. “[But] this is huge. It’s always a battle when you go into Hobart. The mindset is to come in on Friday, ready to go, and getting the lead on them early in their rink.”
Graff is a business management major [with a concentration in risk management] from Bear, Del., and is one of very few First Staters ever to play NCAA hockey.
Once he had outgrown Delaware’s youth leagues, Graff [and his parents] had to routinely make the 90-minute trek to West Chester, Pa., to find better competition, which put him within easy viewing reach of ECAC West rival Neumann.
However, Graff said, the Knights never gave him a single look.
“No, not once,” he said.
And that, said Graff, gets him plenty revved up every time Utica invades the Ice Works in Aston, Pa., where he skated often as a youngster.
Last weekend, Graff enjoyed another homecoming by scoring one goal and setting up another in the Pioneers’ 6-2 win.
That performance helped Graff earn the league’s player of the week honors.
“Every time we play Neumann,” he said, “it’s a chance to prove that they missed out. I’m in a better place and much happier here.”
Alex Globke has 12 points in 10 games for Lake Superior State (photo: Lake Superior State Athletics).
Lake Superior State coach Jim Roque had a different plan for freshman forward Alex Globke than the one that’s played out through 10 games this season.
The 6-foot-3, 206-pound wing out of Waterford, Mich., and the Carleton Place Canadians of the Central Canada Hockey League was supposed to replace early departure Kellan Lain at center this year.
Instead, Globke has made himself right at home with LSSU seniors Dan Radke and Colin Campbell, who have combined for nine goals and 18 assists equaling 27 points for the Lakers. Globke has accounted for five goals and seven assists.
The line came to be via an early effort by Roque to pair one of his many freshmen forwards with two veterans in hopes the experience would rub off.
“They’ve had instant chemistry from day one so we haven’t touched it,” Roque said. “They’re on the power play together. I think Alex will tell you Danny and Colin have been really good linemates for him.”
Globke had a seven-game point streak snapped last Saturday in a loss at Michigan Tech but still leads all WCHA freshman in scoring with his 12 points. His five goals ties him for the league lead among rookies with Ferris State’s Kyle Schempp. His 1.2 points per game average is sixth in the nation among freshmen as well.
He’s tied for third overall in scoring in the WCHA with Northern Michigan’s Stephan Vigier, Ferris State’s Scott Czarnowczan and Bowling Green’s Dal DeSalvo.
Globke, who turns 20 on Dec. 10, will tell you he won the lottery being paired with Campbell. Roque said doesn’t plan to break up the duo anytime soon.
“They’ve really helped me out a lot,” said Globke, whose older brother Rob played for Notre Dame and the NHL’s Florida Panthers. “Dan Radke is really good with his hands. Campbell really likes to move [the puck] quick. They’re teaching me when to move the puck, when not, so puck poise basically.”
Michigan Tech’s Alex Petan (23) scored twice in a series split with Lake Superior State last weekend (photo: Adelle Whitefoot).
Michigan Tech heading to Alaska for 11 days
Michigan Tech embarks on an 11-day trip to Alaska starting this week as the Huskies play the Seawolves in Anchorage on Friday and Saturday and the Nanooks in Fairbanks the following weekend.
With the Thanksgiving holiday sandwiched between the two series, Tech is able to remain in Alaska without missing much class, according to coach Mel Pearson.
“The biggest thing on the Alaska trips, and I’ve been there before, is trying to get acclimated to their time zone and what’s going on up there,” Pearson said. “We’ll have enough time to get acclimated.”
In addition to some sightseeing and a few games of curling, Pearson said the team needs to get its first road win of the season in Alaska, having gone 0-6-1 at Minnesota-Duluth, Notre Dame, Northern Michigan and Michigan.
That will be tough, considering the Nanooks and Seawolves are a combined 7-1-2 this season on their home ice.
“We have to prove to ourselves first and foremost we can go into a [road] rink and win,” Pearson said. “Anchorage is much improved and Fairbanks has a good team. It’s going to be a tough trip, but I think our boys are looking forward to it.”
Minnesota State will make a similar trip to Alaska in January, playing Jan. 3-4 at Fairbanks and Jan. 10-11 at Anchorage.
Around the WCHA
• Ferris State held on to first place in the WCHA with a come-from-behind tie Friday and a come-from-behind win at home on Saturday against Bowling Green. The Bulldogs, who needed two goals in the third period on Friday and three in the third on Saturday, are unbeaten in WCHA play at 5-0-1 and unbeaten in their last seven games (6-0-1). Junior goaltender CJ Motte is an even better 8-0-1 this season.
• Bowling Green not only failed to take over first place in the WCHA by giving up two late goals on Friday and three in the third on Saturday, but the Falcons failed to win another overtime game, falling to 0-1-3 this year. The Falcons are 4-7-13 in their last 24 overtime games. In addition, BGSU failed to score a power-play goal in Big Rapids and is 0-for-23 in its last five games.
• Northern Michigan senior Vigier remains the leading goal scorer in the WCHA after the Wildcats’ bye week with 10 on the season. He fell into a tie for third in points with 12. Vigier takes an eight-game goal streak into this weekend’s series against Alabama-Huntsville in Marquette.
• Alabama-Huntsville is one of two winless teams remaining in the country, along with Dartmouth. The Chargers have been close. Their 4-3 loss to St. Cloud State on Saturday (following a 10-0 loss Friday) was their fourth one-goal loss of the season. All four of those losses came on the second day of a series.
• Alaska-Anchorage got one point at Bemidji State last weekend, but first-year coach Matt Thomas is looking at his glass as half full. After losing 4-1 on Friday, the Seawolves scored four times in a 4-4 tie on Saturday. “We stayed mentally strong tonight, which is a great characteristic of a winning team,” Thomas texted to the Anchorage Daily News. “We couldn’t be more proud of the guys or their effort. This was an important game in our quest to be a winning program.”
• Alaska will play Ferris State this weekend, marking its third straight WCHA weekend and third straight series against a former CCHA foe. There hasn’t been much crossover yet between the leftover WCHA and CCHA teams following realignment, just five series with two more scheduled for this weekend (Minnesota State at Bowling Green and Lake Superior State at Bemidji State). Former CCHA teams are 7-3 against former WCHA teams so far.
• Bemidji State’s series against Alaska-Anchorage produced two of the three WCHA players of the week. Offensive honors went to Seawolves forward Scott Allen, who had a hat trick on Saturday. Beavers forward Phillip Marinaccio was named rookie of the week for his three-point performance on Saturday. Ferris State goaltender Motte was named defensive player of the week.
• Minnesota State begins an important four-week, eight-game conference stretch this weekend at Bowling Green. The two teams played each other just two weeks ago in Mankato, with the series ending in a split. The Mavericks have struggled on the road so far, going 1-5 and getting outscored 22-7 with two shutouts in those games.
Dillon Simpson, Luke Johnson, Rocco Grimaldi and Jordan Schmaltz took the ice last weekend for a North Dakota team that experienced a flu outbreak (photo: Bradley K. Olson).
Sports teams that have a lot of players banged up are often referred to as MASH units, but North Dakota’s men’s hockey team last week resembled something from a different wing of an infirmary.
Between UND’s series at Nebraska-Omaha Nov. 9-10 and last weekend’s series at home with then-No. 20 Minnesota-Duluth, an estimated 10 to 12 were hampered by a stomach flu bug that hit the team.
Needless to say, this made for a difficult week for UND just in terms of preparing for the Bulldogs’ visit to Ralph Engelstad Arena.
“It all started early in the week with a couple of guys getting down with a bout of the flu, and that gradually progressed to probably about 10 or 12 guys that got it,” UND assistant coach Brad Berry said. “And the virus stayed for two or three days for each one of the guys.
“From a practice standpoint, it was pretty difficult to try and get a full team practice out there, and we did skate with a limited number of players. But the biggest factor was getting everyone healthy and getting their energy level up to a game-ready level. So it was a tough week, but the guys responded as well as they could.”
The virus first made its impact on the team in Omaha during a series in which UND dropped a 4-2 decision to its hosts Nov. 9 before picking up a hard-fought 3-2 win the following night.
Where problems became particularly clear was when it came time for UND’s team to head back to Grand Forks, N.D. Grand Forks is a straight shot up Interstate 29 once crossing over the Missouri River from Nebraska into Iowa, but it’s also a nearly 500-mile trip one-way.
With players and coaches being in such close proximity to one another for so long, then, one can imagine the virus was bound to get around.
“Coming on the bus after a 5 p.m. game in Omaha, after the game, there were a couple of guys that weren’t feeling well to the point where they had nausea and stomach flu, so they sat out the next day,” Berry said. “But gradually a few more came down with it throughout the week.
“It’s one of those things where you’re on the road and in the bus in such a close environment that you’re together for a few hours at a time, you can’t help getting exposed to different things.”
Things were particularly rough early in the week — UND’s list of absentees from Tuesday’s practice reached into double-digits — but something resembling normality came back around Friday when North Dakota scored the first two and last two goals in a 4-2 win over Minnesota-Duluth.
The visiting Bulldogs rolled the following night, though, doubling up on UND 6-3.
Berry was pleased with UND’s energy Friday, but he felt that not enough of it was left for the rematch.
“You deal with it, and the biggest thing is bringing your energy level up every night to have success, and that was our main focus,” Berry said, “But practice was secondary compared to health and getting our guys close to 100 percent for the weekend.
“It’s the old adage that it is what it is, and we had to deal with it. And I thought on Friday, for sure, our energy levels were way up and we played a really solid game. But I think you could tell the gas in the tank was out a little bit on Saturday.”
Nebraska-Omaha’s Ryan Massa has started in goal only on Friday nights this season (photo: Michelle Bishop).
UNO’s goaltender carousel keeps spinning
Things have been going pretty well lately for Nebraska-Omaha, with a 4-2 record so far in November.
Something has been missing, though.
Goals?
Nope, that’s definitely not an issue. UNO has yet to score fewer than two goals in any game this season, and the Mavericks have scored at least three goals in five of their six games so far this month.
Defense?
Getting warmer, although that’s not quite it. UNO has conceded an average of 2.5 goals per game this month and 3.25 per game this season, and that will need to go down if the Mavericks are to compete for top honors in the NCHC this season.
A No. 1 goaltender?
Bingo.
UNO coach Dean Blais has a well-documented history of experimenting with his netminders before ultimately deciding on which goaltender to ride, and this season has proven no exception. After freshman Reed Peters picked up his first collegiate start in last Saturday’s 4-3 loss to then-No. 2 Michigan, all three UNO keepers have started in at least one game already in the current campaign.
Peters, who is 0-2 after having picked up a 3-2 loss in relief against North Dakota Nov. 10, picked up 27 saves in his start against Michigan.
“It’s nonconference, and Reed hasn’t really gotten the opportunity to play,” Blais said following the Mavericks’ loss to the visiting Wolverines. “[Starting Peters was] kind of make-or-break, see what he can do.
“We’ve got Miami and Colorado College after that, and then he goes home for Christmas. He’s got to at least have an opportunity, and he’s looked good. He’s improved at a fast rate.”
No one UNO goalie has yet to make the No. 1 job his own just yet. In terms of stats and performance, though, statistics and recent performances have indicated that one netminder might be winning that race.
Junior goaltender Ryan Massa has started only on Friday nights so far this month, but he’s won in all three of those outings. The only Maverick goaltender with prior collegiate experience coming into this season, Massa gave up only two goals in each of those three outings and has posted a .935 save percentage this month.
UNO’s two freshman goaltenders have paled slightly in comparison thus far, and especially lately.
Kirk Thompson (3-2 in six appearances) and Peters have been given the Saturday nods so far in November, but although Thompson picked up a 3-2 overtime win at Denver on Nov. 2, he was pulled a week later against UND after giving up a pair of soft goals. Peters also has run hot and cold in the UNO nets so far, albeit against two top-15 teams.
This weekend, UNO hosts No. 8 Miami in the final two games of the Mavericks’ current six-game home stand. For the games against the RedHawks, Blais plans to continue at pace with his goaltender experimentation as he waits for that solid starter — whoever it is — to emerge.
“[Massa] has played well the last three weeks, and he’ll probably start against Miami on Friday,” Blais said. “And then we’ll make the decision [about Saturday].”
Western looking for an immediate ‘bounce-back’
Although Western Michigan is winless in its last four games and lost three of them, coach Andy Murray found things to like out of his Broncos’ performances last weekend at Denver.
Other aspects of Western’s games in the Colorado capital, however, left a lot to be desired.
Although Denver swept Western Michigan 5-3 and 1-0, the Broncos battled and looked good while playing at even strength. When their special teams units were out on the ice, however, things became problematic for the visitors.
Western didn’t exactly get obliterated while on the penalty kill, but three of DU’s goals last weekend came while the Pioneers were playing with a numerical advantage. One of them was the only goal of Saturday’s game, which came when David Makowski shot past Western goaltender Lukas Hafner 6:40 into the second period while the Pios were on a five-on-three power play.
What’s worse, DU had its penalty kill on lock all weekend. The Pioneers went a perfect 12-for-12 on the penalty kill against the Broncos, and DU still has given up only five power-play goals on opponents’ 62 opportunities so far this season.
Murray said he liked his team’s competitiveness against the Pioneers, but he suggested that his special teams units will have to bump up their game, starting this weekend when Western faces old CCHA rival Michigan State in a home-and-home series.
“We played a Denver team that are very mobile on the blue line, and they move the puck very effectively, are well-structured and coached very well, and they’re a tough opponent,” Murray said at his weekly news conference Monday in Kalamazoo.
“I liked our battle in our team, [but] certainly our special teams and our power play in particular needs to be better. It was not due to a lack of opportunities; we had a number of great opportunities on the power play and simply did not capitalize. We’ve got some work to do there, and losing two games in Denver, we need to get a bounce-back right away.”
NCHC players of the week
Offensive player of the week — Cory Thorson, St. Cloud State: The senior Huskies forward had a huge weekend for SCSU at Alabama-Huntsville, picking up five points on three goals and two assists in two games against the Chargers. Four of those points — a career high for one night’s work — came in St. Cloud’s 10-0 win in Friday’s series opener thanks to two goals and as many assists. He then picked up the Huskies’ first goal in the rematch the following night before leaving the game later with an injury.
Defensive player of the week — Dillon Simpson, North Dakota: North Dakota’s captain came up big last weekend at home against Minnesota-Duluth, contributing four points to the cause while also anchoring UND’s blue line. The senior defenseman had a pair of assists Friday against the Bulldogs before picking up a goal and an assist in the series finale. He also blocked three shots on the weekend, including two on Saturday.
Rookie of the week — Alex Iafallo, Minnesota-Duluth: Iafallo continues to be as good as he was advertised coming into this, his first collegiate season. Minnesota-Duluth picked up eight goals in Grand Forks last weekend, and Iafallo had a hand in half of them, picking up a goal and an assist in both games against UND. Iafallo, who has received this award twice already this season, is riding a five-game point streak.
Goaltender of the week — Sam Brittain, Denver: Pretty much no contest here, as the senior netminder helped lead the Pioneers to a sweep last weekend at home against Western Michigan. Between DU’s 5-3 win over the Broncos Friday and the Pios’ 1-0 victory the following night, Brittain amassed 54 saves and helped DU kill all 12 of Western’s power plays on the weekend. Seven of those power plays came on Saturday. This is the third time that Brittain has won this award.
In memoriam
Our thoughts go out to the friends and family of Chad Johnson, a former hockey player at North Dakota who was found dead Monday in Fargo, N.D.
Fargo police announced in a written statement Tuesday that Johnson died of injuries related to being struck by a train. His body was found Monday evening by a BNSF Railway crew near railroad tracks in an industrial area of the city.
A Grand Forks, N.D., native, Johnson played in 95 games for his hometown university between 1990 and 1993, collecting six goals and 16 assists.
Following a four-year pro career, Johnson joined the Lincoln Stars of the USHL in 1997 as an assistant coach. He remained there for two seasons before taking the same job with the Fargo Force in 2009, but he returned to Lincoln a year later to take the reins as the Stars’ head coach.
Johnson, 43, resigned from his position in Lincoln on Sept. 18, citing personal and health reasons. It was then that he opted to move back to Fargo to be nearer to his family.
Rose Alleva (Princeton – 25) carries the puck out of the defensive zone. Alleva assisted on Romanchuk’s second goal of the game as the Tigers defeated Syracuse 5-0. (Shelley M. Szwast)
Candace: Well, it’s over. After 62 consecutive wins dating back to Feb. 17, 2012, when they lost in overtime to North Dakota, the Minnesota Golden Gophers finally lost again, as North Dakota came out firing and scored three in the first period, then held on to defeat Minnesota, 3-2. I watched a YouTube video of the final stick salute, and the entire Gophers team came in to center ice and huddled together after saluting their cheering fans. Coach Brad Frost said afterward, “We’re not sad because it’s over. We’re happy because we were a part of it. I’ll tip my hat to anyone who can go to 62 or 63 games without a loss.”
As you pointed out in your game recap, during that streak, Minnesota defeated North Dakota 10 times, including heartbreakers for the losers, such as the triple OT game in the NCAA quarterfinals last year, or last year’s WCHA Tournament final.
I guess it begs the question though, of what happens going forward? Will the loss have other teams (especially Wisconsin) believing that they can beat Minnesota. Will the path to a third consecutive national title suddenly get even harder? I definitely felt, especially this year, that there were times Minnesota’s aura of invincibility carried it through some tough games where Minnesota was in trouble. With that aura suddenly gone, perhaps other teams will be able to prevent that from happening?
Arlan: I think at this point it becomes more of a typical season in the WCHA. There’s always some team that is the defending national champion, and there’s always somebody that’s leading the league. In some years, those are one and the same. Either way, opponents get up to play that team. Then there are the rivalries. The traditional powers always get up to go head-to-head. The incentive is always there. Sure, maybe the intensity has been cranked up a little extra for opponents of the Gophers as of late. North Dakota came out yesterday like it was the NCAA tournament.
We always hear about giving 100 percent all the time. I’m sorry, but in a sport like hockey, that just isn’t going to happen. You see a competitive regular season game and think that the pace is high until you see those same two teams meet in the conference tournament, and it is up a couple of notches. Then the NCAA tournament arrives, and somehow the speed increases even more. Maybe it is adrenaline kicking in or players mentally peaking; I’m not enough of a human physiology expert to say. When Wisconsin came to Minneapolis in October, the Badgers were in February form. And yesterday, North Dakota played the first period like it was March. But it isn’t March, so it is tough to stay at the same level, particularly once the Gophers come out of the intermission with renewed purpose. Frost talked about how bad his team was in the first period. I thought they had good jump and were skating around like they did in Saturday’s win. North Dakota was just amped. And once they scored the first goal, that energy increased, and that’s when the Gophers got back on their heels.
Now the question is how do they react going forward? Minnesota catches a break in that it gets two unfamiliar opponents in Yale and Princeton. The first is on the road, so they can get back to just playing hockey without any other distractions and focus on improving.
North Dakota goes from the frying pan to the fire, so to speak. Sure, North Dakota has struggled against the Gophers, losing the first 28 meetings, winning five of the next seven, and then losing 10 straight before yesterday’s win. But those six wins all-time against Minnesota are two more than it has over the Badgers. North Dakota has to find a way to carry that energy from the Minnesota series into a crucial home series with Wisconsin. If the energy dips, North Dakota will need better goaltending than it had over the weekend to handle the Badgers. Another two weeks out is a trip to Clarkson for a key nonconference test of the season.
In my opinion, that’s the flaw with the ECAC schedule. Cornell and Harvard play to a draw, then they go off and face Dartmouth and Colgate, not meeting each other again until January. Even though playing each other fewer times serves the ECAC well in the PairWise Rankings, would you like to see an immediate rematch of Cornell and Harvard, as is done in the CHA and WCHA?
Candace: Hell yes! It’s not just the ECAC either; Hockey East does some home-and-homes, but often does a lot of one-offs as well. I think though, that it might be a travel factor. In the CHA and WCHA, teams have to travel long distances to play each other, so playing a pair of games on the weekend makes sense. Most teams in Hockey East and in the ECAC have shorter bus rides; but yes, I don’t quite understand the travel partner setup. Harvard has already driven all the way to Ithaca; why not play a pair? I think it’s a treat for fans too, and helps build rivalries.
Regarding Harvard and Cornell, what is your take on what their tie means in the bigger picture? Who do you feel has the inside edge to take the ECAC crown? Or will it be neither of those two? I could see Quinnipiac making a run, especially after the Bobcats beat Boston College this past weekend. Their confidence must be sky-high. And you can’t overlook Clarkson either. Frankly, the ECAC looks to be the conference most up in the air. Yes, the WCHA will be competitive, but it will come down to one of three teams. Syracuse still can’t break Mercyhurst, so the CHA probably comes down to two teams. Hockey East, even if BC and Boston University have issues, none of the other HE teams are good enough to take it from those two.
Arlan: Cornell has the edge. The Big Red have their road games at Harvard, Quinnipiac, and Princeton out of the way and have a lead in the standings. They have the three most prolific scorers in the country so far playing on one line. That offense will blow away most teams in the league. Meanwhile, Harvard didn’t even outshoot Colgate on home ice in its 2-0 win. I get the feeling that Harvard is going to be forced to play 60 minutes in more games and grind out wins, while Cornell will have a lot of games wrapped up by the second intermission.
Clarkson has the sixth-best winning percentage in the league. I know the Golden Knights have only played six league games and have games in hand so they aren’t as far back as it appears, but they just had their first weekend sweep since the first half of October. It is hard to just pencil in wins for a team that was playing at a .500 clip until it got well against Providence. The Friars are in such a funk that I don’t know if we can take it as a sign that Clarkson has turned a corner, because it could easily slip back when it travels to Princeton and Quinnipiac.
St. Lawrence and Princeton may be higher than expected, but both are already 0-2 against the Cornell and Harvard tandem. It will be hard to win the league without beating those teams. The Bobcats are the only other squad that I’d give a chance at taking the ECAC. To do so, I would expect that their home contests coming up with St. Lawrence and Clarkson are must-win games.
I’ll say that Cornell has a 50 percent chance of winning the league, Harvard is 35 percent, Quinnipiac is 10 percent, Clarkson is five percent, and the field gets another five percent. I know that is higher than 100 percent, but that’s because of ties and shared titles. What do you think of those numbers, which admittedly lack scientific backing?
Candace: I’d say it’s pretty close to what I’d expect. There is one potential X factor though. Of those three teams that you give the most chance of winning to, Cornell has the toughest out-of-conference schedule by far until it starts in exclusively with conference action again in mid-January. What if the Big Red get beat up a bit, or tired, in facing Boston College, Syracuse, and Mercyhurst ahead of its home series with Dartmouth/Harvard Jan. 17-18? That could be an opening for the Crimson. Of course, Harvard has displayed more vulnerability since its strong performance on opening weekend, struggling against Colgate, losing to Rensselaer, and squeaking by St. Lawrence, teams that, aside from Colgate, which Cornell hasn’t played yet, the Big Red defeated handily. Quinnipiac is another team that, while it usually finds ways to win, is also more vulnerable to the upset than a squad like Cornell, which has such offensive firepower.
I mentioned the series Cornell has at Boston College at the end of November. Those two games are now looming huge for the Eagles after this past weekend, when they lost to Quinnipiac and tied Princeton while scoring a measly three goals in two games. BC currently sits at 11 in the PairWise. Yes it’s early, but if the Eagles don’t right the ship soon, they’ll find that winning the Hockey East Tournament may be their only avenue to a fourth straight NCAA tournament appearance.
Arlan: No, the Eagles shouldn’t have to think in those terms yet. They still only have three losses, three and a half if you factor in the tie. No matter how weak Hockey East may wind up, and right now the league has lost seven more games than it has won, 10 losses or less should have them in contention. One way to look at it is which teams above BC would it have a good shot at displacing? Princeton and Robert Morris are definitely in range. Clarkson is pretty much in the same boat as the Eagles. There are so many head-to-head games to be played with Boston University that the current ranking of those two doesn’t mean much, given they could meet five times before NCAA selections.
More of a concern is that BC lacks any wins that are that impressive. Sweeping St. Lawrence is likely its best result. Beyond that, it isn’t playing like a team that would be much of a factor if it should reach the tournament. Sitting 12th in scoring defense doesn’t really matter; it is allowing an average of 2.23 goals per game that is the problem. That number is particularly shaky when considering that the Eagles have yet to face a top offense. Princeton and Quinnipiac were the best BC has seen, and neither of those games went particularly well, although it was the offense that stalled.
I’d say that the Eagles need three wins in the five games they have left in 2013. A 12-5-1 record heading into the new year should suffice given BU is the only big challenge on that portion of the schedule. However, if a team like New Hampshire gets healthy, that could make the road more challenging.
How about BU? The Terriers are in good shape, but should they lose to Harvard on Friday, their record starts to look a lot like that of the Eagles.
Candace: The Terriers continue to win, despite the fact that I expect them not to almost every weekend, but in looking at their record, they haven’t played anyone you’d really expect them to lose to, and when they have, they’ve lost. Case in point, they got blown out by Wisconsin this past Saturday in a game in Vail, Colo. The win against New Hampshire looks good only because the Eagles lost to the Wildcats. BU split with Robert Morris, and given the volatility in the CHA, perhaps BC’s loss to Syracuse doesn’t look so bad in retrospect. BU has a couple of interesting tests coming up. In addition to Harvard, they play at Northeastern, where they barely won in OT at the end of October, then close the first half with a two-game set at home against Minnesota-Duluth. I will hedge my bets on the Terriers until I see how they do against a top defensive team like Harvard that they should be competitive with, where they weren’t competitive against the Badgers. Interestingly enough, Northeastern gave Wisconsin all it could handle in the Friday game, but perhaps we can chalk that up to travel and adjusting to the 8,000-foot elevation, although those affect Northeastern as well, so who knows. Regardless, I think Hockey East comes down to how the Terriers and Eagles do against each other in the second half. It will be interesting to see where the PairWise is at in early January.
I mentioned Syracuse. While the Orange still haven’t beaten Mercyhurst, perhaps they can take heart from the 3-3 tie in the Friday game. Syracuse had the lead entering the third, and held it until Mercyhurst tied it with four minutes remaining. In the second game, the two were tied at the end of two, and tied at three until three minutes remained, when Kaleigh Chippy scored the game-winner. Syracuse did have a lead at the halfway point in the game, but couldn’t hold it. Do you think the Orange can use this weekend as a springboard to finally get the Mercyhurst monkey off its back, or will the inability to close further demoralize them the next time they play the Lakers.
Arlan: The Orange are probably best served by just forgetting about the Lakers for the time being; they won’t meet again until the end of January. Syracuse has Robert Morris, the current points leader in the CHA, coming into town this week, so that will have to be its focus. The Orange broke through against the Colonials last year, winning three times, after failing to take a single game two seasons ago. If they can play well versus the other teams in the league and build confidence, that may be the best route to build to an upset of Mercyhurst.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have problems of their own. Mercyhurst (7-4-2, 2-1-1 CHA) heads to Rochester to confront RIT (7-5-1, 3-0-1 CHA), and while that looks like a favorable matchup, the two teams have roughly equivalent records. Plus, Mercyhurst seems to be vulnerable against anyone, having lost to Minnesota State, Ohio State, and Providence, three teams that have really struggled of late.
The Lakers looked to have their defensive game figured our for a stretch, but now they’ve allowed three goals in three consecutive games. That poses a problem, because they’ve scored two goals or less in over half of their games. Their next four games will be huge. If they can somehow manage sweeps of the Tigers and St. Lawrence with a quick turnaround in the middle of Thanksgiving week, that sets up well with only Penn State and Lindenwood left in 2013. Steal a game from Cornell on home ice out of the break, get that record to 16-5-2, and Mercyhurst is back to looking like a tournament team. That sounds easy, but will be more difficult in practice, largely because the offensive production is down by over a goal per game from last year. It declined in each of the previous two campaigns as well. It could rebound quickly once the Lakers get back into the softer side of the CHA slate.
How do we view RIT being two games over .500 in what looked to be a rebuilding year? Interestingly, two games above even was the Tigers’ high last season as well. Is this year’s record a product of a weak schedule, or an indication that RIT will be feisty throughout?
Candace: We view RIT as a tricky team that is capable of throwing a scare into almost anyone. Really, aside from the Tigers’ first game against Clarkson, where they were blown out 12-1, they’ve played some good teams, beating New Hampshire, losing by one to Northeastern, splitting with Vermont. The OT losses to Colgate and Brown I think can almost be viewed as the growing pains of a young team.
This weekend’s series against Mercyhurst is really the Tigers’ stoutest test. RIT has seemed to improve its defense, but we won’t really know how well until this weekend, because it’s not like Brown or Colgate are teams that score a lot to begin with. Given that the rest of the CHA is Penn State and Lindenwood, teams that really are still trying to get established, I feel confident predicting that the Tigers will finish fourth. Penn State has shown signs of life, playing Syracuse tight in two losses and beating Union and Vermont, plus the one-goal losses to RIT this past weekend, but I don’t think the Nittany Lions really have the players yet to move up the CHA ladder. Ditto for Lindenwood. Will RIT challenge Syracuse or Mercyhurst or Robert Morris? I won’t go that far yet, but it will be interesting to see what happens.
Speaking of Tigers, what do you make of Princeton so far? Can those Tigers move up in the ECAC? They’ve got a good challenge before Thanksgiving, hosting Clarkson and St. Lawrence this weekend and then Quinnipiac on Tuesday before going out to Minneapolis. They looked good this weekend in beating New Hampshire and tying Boston College, and of course there was that one-goal loss to Cornell. Could you see Princeton challenging for top four in the ECAC?
Arlan: I still like Cornell, Harvard, Quinnipiac, and Clarkson as the top four in the league, but Princeton and St. Lawrence are the teams most likely to take advantage should anyone falter. Outside of that four-goal loss to Harvard, there is little to complain about in Princeton’s results, except the period that followed it, the horrific first 20 minutes against Cornell. Five of the team’s top six scorers are seniors: Rose Alleva, Denna Laing, Sally Butler, Gabie Figueroa, and Oliva Mucha. The future should be now. Those five are also tops in career points on the roster. In fact, outside of those five seniors, only two players, juniors Ali Pankowski and Brianna Leahy, have more than eight points as Tigers, so the window of opportunity is closing quickly. Princeton made its only NCAA appearance eight years ago. One never knows; history could repeat in another Olympic year. We’ll have an idea as to how realistic that is after the five-game stretch you mentioned. I haven’t seen Princeton since that NCAA appearance in 2006, so I’m looking forward to their Minnesota trip Thanksgiving weekend.
If RIT is in the next tier in the CHA, and Princeton and St. Lawrence occupy that spot in the ECAC, which teams are the best of the rest in the other leagues? I think we both agree that Hockey East comes down to BU and BC in some order. What team will emerge as the closest pursuers behind the Terriers and Eagles? The WCHA isn’t clear-cut either. For a time, it looked like Ohio State would be next after the three that are high in the polls, but the Buckeyes have dropped off the pace. Will it be Minnesota-Duluth, or a dark horse like Bemidji State or St. Cloud State?
Candace: I’m really not sure what to make of the other teams in Hockey East. For now, Maine, with all the problems it has had, really sits at the bottom. Providence sits in last, but I feel that the Friars have the potential to make a run if they can get it together. They’ve been in a tailspin of late, but they did split with Mercyhurst, Syracuse, and Northeastern. I figure the second tier in Hockey East comes down to Vermont, New Hampshire, and Northeastern, with the latter having the best chance of finishing third. Regarding New Hampshire, every time I think I have them figured out, they punt, so I won’t even touch that one. I guess you can’t really count out Connecticut either, but the Huskies have struggled against most good teams.
Hockey East and the WCHA do share something in common: I think after the top favorites, you could throw darts and predict the order of finish better than you could by looking at records and the teams’ play. Minnesota-Duluth currently sits in fourth in the WCHA, but the Bulldogs have been a puzzle, losing and tying St. Cloud at home and then going on the road and sweeping Ohio State. St. Cloud has had some decent results, but seems too inconsistent to push for that spot. For Minnesota State, the high point was the first game, in which it beat Mercyhurst. Since then, they’ve been dreadful, only managing wins against Lindenwood. Ohio State has potential, but the Buckeyes look to have suffered a severe letdown since beating North Dakota, getting swept by Wisconsin, losing and tying Bemidji, and getting swept by Minnesota-Duluth. Bemidji looks to have rebounded of late, but we’ll really get a handle on the Beavers after this weekend’s series against Minnesota-Duluth.
Hockey East officials Chris Aughe, Jeff Bunyon, Shane Smith and Tim Benedetto worked the 2012 playoff championship game (photo: Melissa Wade).
If you simply looked at the box score from last Thursday’s Boston College-Massachusetts game played in Amherst, Mass., you would think it was a close game that the Eagles won 2-1.
What the box score wouldn’t tell you, however, was that UMass appeared to score the tying goal in the third period only to have it nullified by a controversial video review.
That review led the NCAA to issue a memo on Friday clarifying the use of video replay to review whether a play is onside and, further, Hockey East issuing a press release on Saturday explaining that the officials had erred three times in the review of the play while noting that, in essence, there was nothing the league could do.
To set the stage, UMass scored the apparent tying goal on a three-on-two rush. Immediately after the goal, BC coach Jerry York used his timeout and called over referees Kevin Keenan and Jeff Bunyon to ask them to review the play under what is essentially a coach’s challenge.
After careful review, it was decided that indeed the play was offside on the left wing side and the goal was nullified.
While that was the correct call, it was a call that needed to be made at the time of the play; it should never have been allowed to go to video review.
Two years ago, the NCAA inserted a rule that allowed officials to review plays where an obvious (in their words, “egregious”) offside occurred on the play or where a goal was scored while the attacking team had too many men on the ice. When first instituted, these reviews were only to occur in televised league tournament and NCAA tournament games.
The rule was developed after a 2012 NCAA East Regional game between Massachusetts-Lowell and Union where Union scored an empty-net goal from center ice before one of the Dutchmen players had cleared the offensive zone. At the time, although video replay clearly showed the play was offside, the officials had no recourse to review the play under the NCAA’s criteria for use of instant replay.
Fast forward to last summer, where leagues petitioned the NCAA to allow this review to be used in regular season games. In a July 5, 2013, memo issued by NCAA rules secretary Steve Piotrowski, it was decreed that replay may be used to correct an error on offside or too many players that directly leads to a goal but ONLY in games that are televised.
The thought process is that televised games provide officials with sufficient angles to review an offside or too-many-players situation whereas a standard house feed might not.
Thursday’s game at UMass wasn’t televised; it was live streamed on the UMass website. Thus, replay shouldn’t have been used. Similarly, under the criteria where a coach may ask for video review of a goal, the new offside/too many players review is not included. And finally, the rule specifically says that the offside must be “egregious” according to the rules and the play against UMass was not.
Hockey East supervisor of officials Dan Schachte said he takes full responsibility.
“As far as what Thursday, the buck stops with me,” Schachte said. “The [officials], I would say that they weren’t prepared properly and at the end of the day, that sits squarely in my lap.”
As the rule is relatively obscure and doesn’t occur often, none of Thursday’s night crew had experience enforcing it. In fact, Schachte said, there is further discussion with the NCAA and supervisors from additional conferences to better clarify the new rule.
“One of the things that happens when you begin writing things down [such as new rules], you skip a bunch of things,” Schachte said. “I think this is a perfect example.
“That’s the type of thing that we need answers on. But at the end of the day, we weren’t prepared and I take responsibility for it.”
For Schachte, the play last Thursday is the first in his year-and-a-half tenure as supervisor that has caused such controversy. In further speaking with Schachte, he was forthcoming with some of the improvements in officiating that have been made under his watch as well as some of the challenges that still lie ahead.
Schachte said he is happy with improvements made in one major area of concern from a year ago: diving. In this space a year ago, Schachte called the diving problem in Hockey East embarrassing.
Determined to make it better, Schachte’s officials not only attempted to call diving more closely, but he went so far as to address individual players and coaches.
“I wouldn’t go as far to say that diving and embellishment doesn’t happen,” said Schachte, “but there are some mechanisms in place that allow me as coordinator a little more latitude. I can call people out on it and I have done it and I’ll continue to do it.
“What I’ve noticed is that when I talk to a coach or I talk to a kid, it stops.”
While diving has been curbed, one area of officiating Schachte still wants to see improve is consistency among officials. That consistency doesn’t just translate from official to official but also from night to night.
Schachte said that he wants teams playing a two-game weekend series to be able to have both games called the same whether or not the officiating crew is the same.
He said anecdotally that officials have had more problems on Friday night games than on Saturday. Schachte said traffic heading to games on Friday night can stress out an official, many of whom come to the games from their day job. He said that oftentimes he will call officials as they drive to their assignments on Friday, hoping to make sure they’re in the right mind when they arrive at the arena.
“I talk to the guys on the way to the game in the car,” said Schachte. “I want them to be prepared to do the game. I’m not concerned about what happened at work, not concerned about the kid’s report card. I want undivided attention when you’re out doing this game.”
On a positive note, Schachte said that two of Hockey East’s officials — first-year referee Keith Kaval and second-year linesman Tommy George — are nominees to officiate the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. The official announcement will come on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28.
“They’ll be on pins and needles waiting to hear,” said Schachte.
Ross Mauermann has 10 goals in 11 games this season for Providence (photo: Melissa Wade).
Mauermann breaking through for the Friars
It’s easy when you talk about the Providence Friars to immediately point to goaltender Jon Gillies as their go-to player.
But understanding that defense can get you only so far in hockey and that the balance of goal scoring is just as important, a team needs to find offensive players if it’s going to have success.
This season, junior Ross Mauermann has been that offensive spark plug for the Friars. With 10 goals in 11 games this season, including three goals last weekend against Vermont, Mauermann has already shown early on this season will be a breakthrough year for the forward from Janesville, Wis.
“He brings everything for us,” Providence coach Nate Leaman said of Mauermann. “He’s a great competitor. He works hard and he’s a tremendous competitor.
Mauermann, according to Leaman, has grown with the program. Thrown into the fire as a freshman, Mauermann got the ice time necessary to build him into a standout forward this season.
“He came in and unfortunately he had to play first or second line center. That’s really tough,” said Leaman. “Asking a freshman to come in and do that is tough.”
Mauermann plays every role on the team. In addition to being first-line center, he’s a major part of Providence’s power play and is a solid penalty killer as well.
Of his 10 goals, three have been game winners, one has come on the power play and one has come short-handed. He’s been held off the score sheet just once this season, a 1-0 victory at Merrimack.
“Because of [the experience Mauermann got], those minutes that he played his freshman and sophomore year, you can really see him take a big step here his junior year and be one of the best players in the country at this point,” Leaman said.
Injury bug hits South Bend
Notre Dame’s welcome to Hockey East has been fine on the scoreboard, with the Irish posting a 2-1-1 record through four league games and an 8-3-1 mark overall.
But those early wins haven’t come without some significant losses.
Entering this weekend’s two-game series at Massachusetts-Lowell, the Irish will be without five players from their regular lineup. The two biggest names of that bunch are rookie Vince Hinostroza, who didn’t play last weekend but still leads the team in scoring, and defenseman Eric Johnson.
Additionally, sophomore forwards Steven Fogarty and Thomas DiPauli as well as senior forward Mike Voran are all injured and expected to miss significant time.
“We’ve been playing with the bare minimum for the last few weeks and we’ll continue to do that for the next few weeks,” said Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson. “It’s impacted our depth offensively and certainly changed the way we play.”
Quick hits
• If there is one team that seems poised to take advantage of the new NCAA selection criteria that awards teams in the Ratings Percentage Index for victories on the road, it is Massachusetts-Lowell. The River Hawks are 6-1 away from Tsongas Center and ride a six-game road win streak after a win at Princeton and two wins at Penn State last week.
• Boston University is one team that is confusing as heck to follow right now. Since beginning the season 3-1, including a 7-3 victory against Wisconsin, the Terriers are 2-5 and posted lopsided losses at home against Boston College (5-1) and last Friday on the road against Maine (7-0). The Terriers will look to right the ship this weekend against another team performing below expectations out of the gate, North Dakota. BU hosts NoDak for two Friday and Saturday.
• New Hampshire fans can maybe breathe a little easier after the Wildcats have posted five straight wins since losing to Lowell 3-2 in overtime on Nov. 2. While UNH has allowed just four goals in those five victories, the story is the Wildcats offense. Struggling to score goals out of the gate, UNH has scored 24 goals in the five wins including a nine spot on the road at UMass.
• Think travel is easy? Think again if you’re Merrimack. The Warriors got caught in the vicious storms that ravaged the Midwest on Sunday and were forced to spend Sunday night in Chicago after their two-game series at Notre Dame. The Warriors made the most of the time by holding an impromptu team bowling tournament, according to Facebook and Twitter feeds. Merrimack finally arrived back to Boston mid-afternoon on Monday.
David Donnellan has been a solid leader on defense early on for Wisconsin-Eau Claire (photo: UW-Eau Claire Photography).
Expectations rise when a team wins a national championship.
Those expectations carry over into the next season, even if the team does have a different look than it did during the title run.
Wisconsin-Eau Claire is adjusting to life with the bulls-eye once again, ranked No. 1 in the nation and attracting every opponent’s best shot like a magnet.
Eau Claire coach Matt Loen said it’s taken time for this team to come together and yet, the Blugolds are unbeaten through four games.
“It can be very tough because we lost a lot of good players from last year’s team,” Loen said. “We had a very good group of upperclassmen and we’re still working on gelling as a team and getting acclimated to each other.”
The Blugolds have won three of their four games by two or more goals and Loen is happy with the way the team has played up to this point.
“So far, so good,” Loen said. “We’ve been challenged by very good opponents and we’ve been able to find a way to win. We’ve had different guys step up and we are just continuing to work to get better as a team.”
What has been helpful for the Blugolds in the early going is their play on the defensive end of the ice. Eau Claire returned its top five defensemen this season, including David Donnellan, who has been effective on offense as well with four goals and an assist.
Forward Ethan Nauman has tallied two goals and forward Joe Krause has racked up two goals as well.
“Our defense has been our biggest strength,” Loen said. “We have played very good defense and that’s been important to our success and has been a big help as we work to get going on offense.”
The Blugolds have tallied 16 goals in their first four games and goalie Tyler Green has started three times, giving up four goals and making 82 saves. He has won in all three of his starts.
“Tyler has done a good job and it helps that he has a veteran defense in front of him,” Loen said. “He’s been solid for us and will continue to get better as the year goes on.”
Eau Claire still has seven games remaining in the first half of the year and Loen wants his team to continue to make strides as it builds toward making another championship run.
“Our younger players will gain a lot of experience and we just want to keep playing good hockey,” Loen said. “Our goal is to be playing our best hockey in the second half. We want to be at our best when it matters most.”
CLOSE CALL: Wisconsin-Stout gave nationally-ranked St. Thomas all it could handle in a 1-0 loss to the Tommies on Saturday night.
The Blue Devils did not give up a goal in the first two periods, but Charlie Adams scored in the third to secure the win.
Stout missed out on several opportunities to score on the power play as it came up empty on four chances. St. Thomas, though, wasn’t much better as it went 0-for-6.
Corey Koop played a tremendous game in goal as he racked up 29 saves, including 24 in the first two periods. Stout is 2-4 on the season. Koop has started all six games this year and has racked up 156 saves. He has allowed 13 goals and has a save percentage of .923.
OT BATTLE: Wisconsin-River Falls went toe-to-toe with Augsburg Saturday night in Minneapolis and lost 3-2 in overtime. It was the first loss of the year for the Falcons, who are 2-1-1 on the year.
Mike Fazio gave River Falls a 1-0 lead in the opening period and the Falcons stretched their lead to 2-0 on a goal by Willie Hess. Augsburg scored the next three goals, though, to put the game away.
Scott Lewan took the loss in goal as he gave up all three goals and made 23 saves. River Falls was outshot 26-23.
River Falls has scored 13 goals on the year and has given up nine. The goal by Fazio on Saturday was his first of the season. Hess leads the Falcons in goals with five and has also dished out one assist.
Chris Brown knows what a slow start can do to a team.
Augsburg won just three of their first 10 games a year ago and while they finished strong, winning six of their final 10, the early struggles crushed the Auggies’ hopes for a MIAC tournament berth.
Brown believes that has served as motivation for this year’s team, which is unbeaten through six games at 5-0-1.
“We did really well in the second half last year and I think that carried over into the offseason and has helped us get off to a good start,” Brown said. “We saw how the season turned out for us last year and I think that got our attention. The guys are focused and are playing well so far.”
The Auggies aren’t overpowering opponents, earning four of its wins by just a goal, but they are doing enough to get the job done.
“We’re just playing good hockey right now,” Brown said. “We have more depth this year and are giving a great effort in each game.”
Augsburg has relied on several players to provide the scoring punch, including Nicholas Widing, who has scored five goals and dished out one assist.
Ben McClellan has tallied three goals, while Dylan Meier, Carl Krieger and Nicklas Almstrom have come through with two goals apiece. Augsburg has tallied 19 goals in all.
“We’re getting scoring from two of our lines consistently,” Brown said. “Most of our goals have been even-strength goals and that isn’t always easy to do. We have stayed disciplined and have done a good job of executing our offense.”
Defensively, the Auggies have relied on an all-around team effort to be successful. They have held opponents to 10 goals behind an aggressive effort that has resulted in limiting opportunities for opponents.
“We do a good job of pursuing the puck all over the rink and have done a better job of blocking shots this year,” Brown said. “Our defense is our strength. We have been solid on that end of the ice and our team defense has been a big part ofthe success of our goalie.”
Goaltender John Bretzman has started five games and has made 106 saves. He has given up all nine goals and owns a save percentage of .922.
Matthew Bartels has started one game and has tallied 13 saves.
“Our goaltending was an unknown going into the season because John hadn’t played a lot, but we watched him in practice and knew he was capable of being a good goalie,” Brown said. “He’s had to make some big saves for us and has proven he can step up when needed.”
One area where Augsburg would like to improve is in power-play situations. The Auggies are 3-of-31 on man-advantage opportunities.
“If we can do a better job of scoring on those chances and continue to do what we have been already, we are going to be a better team,” Brown said. “It’s something we will continue to work on.”
Augsburg hopes to build on its early-season momentum and be in a position to contend for a league title and playoff berth at the end of the year.
“We have a month break after Dec. 7 and that is going to be the challenge for us,” Brown said. “We have to be able to handle that break well so that we are ready to go in the second half of the year. If we can do that and keep getting better, we’ll be in good shape.”
DAUNTING TASK: St. Mary’s became the first team all season to score first against nationally-ranked Wisconsin-Stevens Point and even held a 2-1 lead in the second period. But the early goals weren’t enough as the Pointers rallied for a 6-4 win on Saturday.
Bob Marx scored twice in the loss, while Jed McGlasson and Nick Albergo both scored goals as well. Christian Gaffy made 46 saves, which is a career-high for him. He made 22 of those saves in the second period.
The Cardinals are 2-4 overall and will now turn their attention to St. John’s on Friday night. The Cardinals host the Johnnies in a two-game series and go into it having lost three of four. Their win during the stretch was a 3-1 victory over Wisconsin-Superior last Friday.
TOUGH GOALIE: John Sellie-Hanson made his first career start for Hamline on Saturday night and played well despite the Pipers’ 4-0 loss to Wisconsin-Superior.
Sellie-Hanson made 25 saves in the loss, showing that he has the potential to be a solid goalie as he gains more experience as a starter. He has played in two games this year and has allowed seven goals while making 26 saves.
One of the issues for the Pipers was their struggles on the power play. Hamline missed out on two opportunities in the game and is now 0-5-1 overall on the year.
CHALLENGING THE CHAMPS: Bethel gave the defending national champions all they could handle in a 2-1 loss to Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Saturday. The Royals fell behind 2-0, but scored on Grant Dye’s goal in the third period. Brock Raffaele and Colin Mayer assisted on the goal.
Bethel held a 29-26 edge in shots, but the aggressive play wasn’t enough to avoid its fifth one-goal loss of the year. The Royals are 0-5-1 on the season. Steven Bolton racked up 24 saves as he did his best to keep Bethel in the game.
We forgot to pick this game last week, so here you go.
Nov. 19
Air Force at Colorado College
Candace: CC is at home, and after a pretty tough stretch, should be both rested and fired up. Expect the Tigers to come out firing and win by a couple. Colorado College 4-2 Matthew: Although Air Force had a pretty big hiccup in losing 8-2 at Mercyhurst Nov. 2, the Falcons have won six of their last seven games, including a 4-3 win over Robert Morris at home last Saturday. This game’s at CC, but the Tigers haven’t won since their opening night of the season and currently have Division I’s second-worst team offense (1.25 goals per game). Will they be able to find the net enough to win this game? For CC’s sake, I hope so. Colorado College 2-1
According to KFGO News in Fargo, N.D., and the Grand Forks Herald, a body found near railroad tracks near downtown Fargo Monday was that of former North Dakota player Chad Johnson.
Johnson resigned as head coach of the USHL’s Lincoln Stars in September and was a former assistant with the USHL’s Fargo Force.
Johnson was just 43 and played at UND from 1990-93.
“On behalf of the entire WCHA, we would like to pass along our sincere thoughts and prayers to the Johnson family, to all who were fortunate enough to know him for the great and gregarious person he was, and to the entire University of North Dakota family on this tragic loss,” said WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod in a statement.
Most recently, Johnson was the was head coach of Lincoln for three seasons before stepping down in September, citing health issues.
KFGO reported Monday that Fargo police said a 43-year-old man was spotted by a passing train crew along the tracks behind Nelson International in the 4100 block of Main Ave.
It appeared the man was hit by an earlier train.
Police said they did not suspect foul play.
Johnson’s brother, Steve Johnson, was an assistant coach at Nebraska-Omaha last season.
