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NCHC picks: Nov. 15

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Well, Matthew and I both were dismal last week, going 2-5-1 (.312). It seems that teams are having trouble establishing consistency, and so are we. On the year, I am now 27-21-6 (.555), while Matthew is 28-20-6 (.574).

I’ll try and at least catch him this week.

Friday-Saturday, Nov. 15-16

Western Michigan at Denver
Candace: Just when I am ready to write off Denver and praise Western Michigan, the teams make me question everything all over again. In a lot of ways, Denver has Sam Brittain to thank for its success against Colorado College last week. Brittain has been outstanding this year. Can he do it again? And did the disappointing weekend at home against the Wildcats wake the Broncos back up? Denver 2-1, Western Michigan 2-1
Matthew: Western disappointed me last weekend in only getting a loss and a tie at home to a Northern Michigan team that had really struggled on the road before it came to Kalamazoo. This time, Western makes the big trek west to face a Denver team buoyant after taking five of six points from arch-rival Colorado College, and I think the Pioneers will keep the ball rolling here and continue their recovery from what had been a pretty bumpy start to the season. Denver 4-2, 3-1

No. 20 Minnesota-Duluth at No. 13 North Dakota
Candace: North Dakota hasn’t looked good the last few weeks. They are bound to snap out of their funk at some point, but I can’t see this as anything but a split. For the most part this season, Minnesota-Duluth has had trouble on Friday and done better on Saturday, especially on the road, while North Dakota has been the opposite at home. North Dakota 3-2, Minnesota-Duluth 3-2
Matthew: Nebraska-Omaha last weekend probably should have handed North Dakota its first five-game losing streak in coach Dave Hakstol’s tenure. However, an outstanding 36-save performance from goaltender Clarke Saunders and good fortune at the other end of the ice last Sunday saw North Dakota snap its first four-game losing skid since 2006. North Dakota is back at home this weekend against a rested Minnesota-Duluth team that had last weekend off and is giving up quite a lot fewer goals per game (1.88) so far this season than Nebraska-Omaha (3.30). I’m going with a split here, as while it looks like North Dakota’s starting to get everything back in order, I think the Bulldogs could cause North Dakota some real problems. Minnesota-Duluth 3-2, North Dakota 3-1

No. 12 Wisconsin at No. 8 Miami
Candace: This should be a barn-burner of a series. I got burned picking a Miami sweep the last couple of times, but Wisconsin was dreadful the last time it went on the road, and I am wondering whether the eight goals the Badgers put up in their last game are an anomaly or a sign the team is back to its winning ways. Hmmm. Miami 4-2, 3-2
Matthew: Although Wisconsin’s last game saw the Badgers score more goals than they had in any game in going on four years, I’m not yet sold on the Badgers. The only time Wisconsin’s gone on the road so far this season, it got pounded at Boston College and Boston University by a combined score of 16-5. That’s not great news ahead of a road trip to face a Miami squad that is 6-3-1 so far this season with a tougher early-season schedule than Wisconsin’s. It won’t be easy this weekend for Miami, but I’ll take the RedHawks to pick up their fourth and fifth consecutive home wins. Miami 5-2, 3-1

No. 3 St. Cloud State at Alabama-Huntsville
Candace: I am glad the Chargers found a home in the WCHA, but for now, they are still a few rungs below top teams like St. Cloud. St. Cloud 4-1, 4-2
Matthew: It would be just my luck for Alabama-Huntsville to pick up its first win of the season in one of these two games at home to St. Cloud State, but while I’ve for years had a soft spot for the Chargers, I can’t see anything other than a Huskies sweep here. Division I’s third-worst team defense (4.50 goals allowed per game) might actually see its numbers improve, considering SCSU hasn’t scored a ton of goals, but St. Cloud has the nation’s third-best defense (1.88) and a very solid goaltender in Ryan Faragher, and offensively-challenged UAH will have a tough time solving them. St. Cloud State 4-1, 3-0

No. 2 Michigan at Nebraska-Omaha
Candace: Home was good to Nebraska-Omaha last week. However, I am still of the belief that defense wins, and almost nobody can match the Wolverines in that category. If the Mavericks try to run-and-gun with the Wolverines, they’ll get burned. Michigan 4-2, 3-2
Matthew: Michigan has looked similar to St. Cloud so far this season in that the Wolverines’ success has largely come from the back, with Michigan only having conceded 1.75 goals per game. This week, the Wolverines travel to Omaha for the first time since Michigan and Nebraska-Omaha were both in the CCHA, although it’s yet to be seen whether it will feel much different without league points on the line. That said, the Wolverines rarely faltered in Omaha — they’re 9-4-3 all-time there — and I think they’ll get one more this weekend, but the Mavericks have won three of four games already this month and I think they’ll pull out another one this weekend. Michigan 3-1, Nebraska-Omaha 3-2

Pickin’ the Big Ten: Nov. 15-16, 2013

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Massachusetts-Lowell beat Penn State last night, 4-0. Drew Claussen and I had those picks yesterday, but I’ll remind you here that we both picked the River Hawks to sweep their two-game road series, which concludes tonight.

Last week
Drew: 4-3-0 (.571)
Paula: 6-1-0 (.857)

Season
Drew: 28-14-4 (.652)
Paula: 29-14-4 (.659)

This week

There are five series involving Big Ten teams this week. As I said, the Lowell-PSU series concludes tonight. Michigan State is off this week.

Canisius at Ohio State

Drew: Ohio State has won six of its past seven games. Even with a semi-soft schedule, I didn’t foresee the Buckeyes going on this run. Going against a two-win Canisius team this weekend, OSU has a great chance to make it eight of its past nine. Ohio State has been frequently lighting the lamp during its hot streak; the Buckeyes have four or more goals in each of their six wins this season.

Paula: This is the first meeting between the Golden Griffins and the Buckeyes. Last weekend, Canisius lost 6-1 to Robert Morris before beating Mercyhurst, 4-3. The Buckeyes swept visiting Niagara, but lost starting goaltender Matt Tomkins in the 6-1 Saturday win. Walk-on goaltender Logan Davis got the win — remember that sophomore Collin Olson left the team the week before — and now the Buckeyes have added two goaltenders to their roster. Aaron Gretz is a junior catcher on the OSU baseball team; Gretz was a four-year letter winner at Apple Valley High School (Minn.). Aaron Kahn played two season for the OSU club hockey team and played for the AAA San Jose Jr. Sharks. I love this story. Games begin at 7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Drew’s picks: Ohio State 4-1, 4-2.
Paula’s picks: Ohio State 3-2, 3-2.

Michigan at Nebraska-Omaha

Drew: Michigan’s defense has been great so far this season. The Wolverines are allowing 1.75 goals per game, which is second-lowest in the nation. Goaltender Zach Nagelvoort has also continued to play strong for Michigan, he has a 1.47 GAA. Omaha has been up and down so far this season. The Mavericks were defeated at home by Bentley and got swept by Cornell, but have rebounded to sweep Denver and split with North Dakota the past two weeks.

Paula: I love this old CCHA rivalry, and you can bet that CenturyLink Center will be rocking in Omaha for these games — rocking with pure, unadulterated hate for the Wolverines. Michigan is 26-7-3 all-time versus the Mavericks, and the teams last met March 25, 2011, a 3-2 Michigan win in NCAA West Regional semifinal action. Last weekend, the Mavericks split a pair of home games against NCHC rival North Dakota. The Wolverines last played two weekends ago, a home sweep of Michigan Tech. Friday’s game begins at 8:07 p.m. and is carried by CBS Sports. Saturday’s game starts at 7:07 p.m.

Drew’s picks: Michigan 3-1, 4-2.
Paula’s picks: Michigan 3-2, 3-2.

Minnesota State-Mankato at Minnesota

Drew: This is my favorite series of the season. I feel like I need to explain why. I went to MSU for my first two years of college and did my last two at the U of M. I have friends in both fan bases, all of whom enjoy going through anything I write with a fine-tooth comb in search of a potential bias.

After Minnesota dominated the series early, the contests between the Gophers and Mavericks have been pretty even as of late. The Mavericks have won six of the last 10 contests and the two teams have evenly split the last 10 at Mariucci Arena. The key for Mankato will be the play of whoever is in net, whether it’s sophomore Stephon Williams or freshman Cole Huggins. Williams was brilliant last season, but has struggled so far this season. Huggins is 2-0 with a 1.11 GAA this season.

Paula: I went to Fredonia State and love my Blue Devils — that’s D-III, SUNYAC, in case you’re wondering — so I have no dog in this hunt. I’m just not picking against the Gophers again until they lose. These games begin at 7:00 p.m. each night, and each is carried by Fox Sports North.

Drew’s picks: Mankato 3-1, Minnesota 4-2.
Paula’s picks: Minnesota 3-2, 4-2.

Wisconsin at Miami

Drew: Despite a less that stellar start to the season, I’m not ready to give up on the Badgers just yet. They will still compete for the Big Ten crown with Minnesota and Michigan and should crawl their way back into the top 10 of the polls soon. After another off weekend, its second of the young season, Wisconsin will get another tough road test at Miami. Mike Eaves told me on Wednesday that he expected to give Joel Rumpel a start this weekend, and that would be a shot in the arm for the Badgers. Landon Peterson played well in Rumpel’s absence, but Wisconsin needs Rumpel healthy to be successful. Another interesting fact that I noticed when focusing on Wisconsin for this week’s column was that senior Joe Faust has six assists in six games this season, his career point total going into this season was eight.

Paula: If I could travel this weekend, I’d be in Oxford for this series. These teams have met four times, all in Madison, with the last series resulting in a split Jan. 18-19, 2013. Each of these teams was picked in its league’s preseason polls to finish on top. Last weekend, the RedHawks saw a four-game undefeated streak come to an end when they split on the road against St. Cloud State, winning 2-0 Friday and losing 2-1 Saturday. Friday’s game begins at 6:35 p.m. and is televised on CBS Sports. Saturday’s game begins at 7:05.

Drew’s picks: Miami 5-2, Wisconsin 4-1.
Paula’s picks: Call me sentimental — and this is by no means a slight to the Badgers. These picks will probably bite me. Miami 3-2, 3-2.

The Twitters

Drew be at Mariucci this weekend, be sure to follow along on Twitter: @drewclaussen

Sadly, I will not be seeing any college hockey live this weekend. I may be lonely. Please keep me company: @paulacweston

ECAC Hockey picks: Nov. 15-20

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Overall: 20-14-3

All games are 7 p.m. unless noted

Friday, Nov. 15

Cornell at Clarkson

Clarkson shows no sign of slowing down. The Golden Knights have been outstanding defensively and have gotten balanced scoring through their lineup. Cornell has been shutout in its two of its last three games after a strong start, putting a combined 34 shots on goal in those two games. They’ll have to do better than that against the Golden Knights. One area to keep an eye on: Cornell has strong power play, while the Golden Knights are average on the penalty kill. Clarkson wins

Dartmouth at Princeton

It’s a tossup who needs this game more: the winless Big Green, or the Tigers, who won their opener, but have since lost six straight. I think Dartmouth has a little more depth, but no one is exactly lighting it up for either team, with the exception of Big Green forward Eric Neiley, who has five of his team’s 15 goals on the year. Dartmouth wins

Harvard at Quinnipiac

The Crimson have had some solid stretches in the early going, rallying for a 3-3 tie and posting a 2-0 win in back-to-back games against  Rensselaer. Raphael Girard and Steve Michalek have split time in net, with Girard being virtually lights out in three games, and Michalek more than holding his own. Whoever gets the start will need to be on top of their game, as the Bobcats have been throwing a ton of shots on net while clamping down in their own end.  The Crimson’s freshman class might pay off down the road, but Quinnipiac’s newcomers appear to have fit right in, a big reason for the Bobcats’ early success. Quinnipiac wins

Colgate at St. Lawrence

I think the Saints will win the five-on-five matchup; Greg and Matt Carey are deadly if given room to operate. Both teams have strong power plays, and neither has exactly lit it up on the penalty kill, so whoever can be more disciplined might have the best chance. St. Lawrence wins

Rensselaer at Union

RPI leads the all-time series against its Capital Region rival 45-31-10, but is only 4-18-3 over the last 25 meetings. Union has hit some snags this season, but it’s hard to argue with a 3-1 record through the first two weeks of ECAC play. If they can keep their emotions in check, the Dutchmen should start the weekend off with a win. Union wins

Saturday, Nov. 16

Colgate at Clarkson

Colgate has power-play goals in two straight games, but overall, their unit hasn’t been the same as it was last year. If the Raiders can straighten it out, they could make this game interesting, but Clarkson has been lights out most of the season. Tough to pick against the Golden Knights. Clarkson wins

Harvard at Princeton

The Crimson have allowed an average of two goals a game, while Princeton has scored an average of two goals per game. I think defense wins out. Harvard wins

Dartmouth at Quinnipiac

Quinnipiac has dominated Dartmouth in Hamden, going 9-2 all-time against the Big Green at home. The Bobcats have been relentless on both ends of the ice, and have fired an average of 35 shots on net per game. That’s bad news for a Dartmouth team that is giving up over five goals a game. Quinnipiac wins

Union at Rensselaer 

The Engineers got a little too emotional in last year’s series with Union, taking some costly penalties.  RPI’s has shown signs of being a more mature team this season, and they should feed off a strong home crowd. Rensselaer wins

Cornell at St. Lawrence

This is a nice matchup, as Cornell plays a physical style, while St. Lawrence typically uses its speed to create chances. But the Big Red have plenty of skilled players, while the Saints showed they can be physical when I saw them several weeks ago. I think both teams matchup pretty well. Tie

Sacred Heart at Yale

Rensselaer swept Sacred Heart by a combined score of 13-1 in two matchups earlier this year. The Bulldogs might not be at RPI’s level just yet, but Yale looks poised for another strong season and shouldn’t have much trouble against the Pioneers. Yale wins

Wednesday, Nov. 20

Boston College at Harvard

If the Crimson try to keep up with the Eagles, forget about it. Boston College has plenty of offensive talent throughout its lineup, and has scored five or more goals in nearly half its games entering the weekend.  A strong performance by Raphael Girard could steal a win for a young Harvard team, but Boston College looks to be playing a pretty complete game over the last few weekends. Boston College wins

Concordia (Wis.) showing confidence in face of early adversity

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Brett Penner has shown a knack for early-season scoring with three goals last weekend for Concordia (Wis.) (photo: Jordan Vredeveld).

Quite possibly, the most exciting series over the weekend was between the Saints and the Falcons.

St. Scholastica and Concordia (Wis.) battled to two overtime ties last weekend. Friday night saw a 5-5 tie before Saturday’s 4-4 tie game.

Sophomore forward Dylan Nowakowski netted two goals for the Saints in Friday’s game, while Saturday’s game saw four different skaters getting a goal.

Freshman forward Brett Penner scored on goal in Friday’s game while tallying two goals in Saturday’s game for the Falcons.

The Falcons’ roster is dominated by underclassmen with 10 freshman and 12 sophomores.

“Guys are playing with a lot of confidence,” said Concordia coach Jasen Wise. “We handled some adversity last weekend, gave up the lead a few times, but I am still very happy with the way we played.”

Next up on the schedule for the Falcons is Adrian.

Wise isn’t concerned about how dominant the Bulldogs have been in past seasons.

“Right now, we are focusing on us,” said Wise. “We are a young team, we are still working on our chemistry. Our breakdowns are due to our youth. This early in the season, we are focusing on getting better as a team.”

Standings

There is no surprise that after the first two weekends of play in the season, Adrian and St. Norbert are the top two teams in the league. They are the only two teams to have won four games. Currently, St. Norbert is ranked second while Adrian is ranked fifth in the nation.

Concordia (2-0-2), St. Scholastica (2-0-2) and Lake Forest (3-0-0) are the other three teams in the league who have yet to suffer a loss and remain undefeated.

Lawrence (1-3-0) and Marian (1-4-0) are sitting in the middle of the pack.

Finlandia (0-4), Milwaukee School of Engineering (0-4) and Northland (0-4) have yet to earn a win. Most surprisingly out of that bunch is MSOE as last season, the Raiders did not get to four losses until Jan. 12.

Bulldogs and Foresters prove to be early offense powerhouses

Adrian, who won both the MCHA regular-season title and the Harris Cup playoffs last year, have outscored their opponents 21-4 thus far.

Lake Forest has also showed their offensive side of the game with 21 goals in three games and holding their opponents to five goals. Lake Forest exploded in a 13-2 win over Northland on Saturday night, highlighted with a five-point night (three goals, two assists) from junior forward Bobby Barrett.

Series to watch

There are two series in which teams who are undefeated will face off, so unless there are four ties, there are going to be a pair of teams whose streaks will end this weekend.

Concordia will be traveling to Adrian, while St. Norbert and Lake Forest will battle in a home-and-home series.

Teams always want to win, but this will be the last weekend with full-slated NCHA action until Dec. 6-7, so the four winless teams should feel some pressure to get a win and gain some leverage in the standings.

Taking cue from Red Sox, Worcester State making moves to improve

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Worcester State junior forward Stephen Rock is “having a great start,” according to Lancers’ coach John Guiney (photo: Richard Orr).

A great group of guys, players that get along with each other and cheer for each other are descriptions New England has heard a lot the last seven months when it comes to sports.

The main reason could be because the Boston Red Sox went from worst to first to capture their third World Series title in the last decade.

However, there’s another team in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts trying to prove the doubters wrong 42 miles to the west of Fenway Park.

Worcester State wasn’t supposed to be halfway to last year’s win total in the team’s first three games, but four games in, the Lancers are sitting 3-1-0 after a 6-17-3 campaign last season.

And the Lancers haven’t beat up on cupcakes, either, with wins over last year’s ECAC Northeast champion Wentworth 2-1 and another team that should be in the ECAC Northeast contention this year, Western New England. Worcester State also defeated Becker.

The lone defeat was on Tuesday night where the Massachusetts-Dartmouth scored three goals in a 58-second span in the first period. The Lancers were able to stop the bleeding after, but couldn’t pot any goals of their own.

“Right now, things are going well, it’s hard to describe,” said Worcester State coach John Guiney. “Things are going good, the kids are real comfortable with each other. It’s a great group of kids and sometimes, that has something to do with it, if anything. They get along real well and they are all pulling for each other. It’s a good situation right now.”

Guiney also talked about how winning brings confidence to the table and also makes practices much more crisper.

The Red Sox made some moves at the end of the 2012 season to move some players which helped bring in some key contributors to the World Series squad. With Worcester State building up its hockey program the last few years and bringing in a good recruiting class, Guiney had to do the tough task of letting some players go.

“You never know when you bring in new kids how it’s going to mesh together,” Guiney said. “Unfortunately, this season we had to cut some kids who have played in the program the last couple of years, which was very hard.

“That’s the toughest part of coaching – when you have to cut kids. Fortunately, the upperclassmen have accepted the new kids into the program.”

The upperclassmen have shown their leadership on the ice. Junior forwards Nathan Stanley and Stephen Rock lead the team with five points

“Steve Rock is having a great start,” Guiney said. “He’s a great defensive player and a smart offensive player. He’s been playing great, has done a real nice job.”

While Guiney is cautiously optimistic on where the rest of the season will take his team, it appears the Lancers are well on their way to surpassing last year’s results.

Tough start for Westfield State

The Owls are the lone team in MASCAC that hasn’t won through four games. They have given up the lead twice in games with Western New England and Curry. Westfield State has been outscored in the second period 6-1. For a team bringing back the majority of its scoring from last season, it was expected the Owls would have a better start.

Offense not the problem for Plymouth State

Plymouth State is another team that’s off to a slow start, but offensively, they are clicking.

Defenseman Zach Sarig leads the team with five goals and two assists, which puts him tied fourth nationally in scoring and tied for first nationally among defensemen. They have four other players with three points and the power play is scoring on 35.7 percent of its chances.

WCHA picks: Big weekend in Big Rapids

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Looking at the WCHA standings, you’d think that this has been an unpredictable start to season. Yet, Matt went 10-1-1 in his picks for the second week in a row last week! Looks predictable to me. My 8-3-1 mark wasn’t bad, but Matt’s starting to pull a way a bit.

Bowling Green at Ferris State

Shane: This is the WCHA’s big matchup of the week with the first- and second-place teams going against each other. Tough break for the Falcons’ Ryan Carpenter, who looked ready to return from one injury and now has another. But they’ve survived so far without him. I sure was impressed with them last week. Ferris State has won five straight, grinding out a pair of wins against Bemidji State last weekend. I say one more win, then the streak ends. Bulldogs 3-2, Falcons 4-3

Matt: In the CCHA, this used to be a series you easily overlooked during the regular season with the Bulldogs near the top of the league in its final years while BGSU was at the bottom. Now with both contending for a league-title in the WCHA, it’s a must watch. These two schools played an epic CCHA second-round playoff series in 2011-12 where the last-place Falcons won both games in the best-of-three series in overtime to upset the No. 1-seeded Bulldogs. I expect this weekend to be just as tight and intense. Bulldogs 5-4, Falcons 4-3.

Lake Superior at Michigan Tech

Shane: I liked how the Lakers bounced back from that tough weekend at Wisconsin. Now, one of the nation’s most surprising teams is making Tech’s brutal schedule look even tougher. The Huskies have won all three of their home games, but I think Lake State steals one. Lakers 3-2, Huskies 4-1

Matt: There’s something about John MacInnes Student Ice Arena that makes it such a tough place to play, as Northern Michigan and Michigan State have learned thus far, and I’m not talking about the travel. The boards have a bit of an extra bounce to them not seen elsewhere, and the Huskies have really been strong at home as well thanks in part to solid crowds. A Tech sweep wouldn’t surprise me, and neither would a Lakers sweep in the Sault come January. For now, I’ll chicken out and call a split. Huskies 3-1, Lakers 4-2.

Alaska Anchorage at Bemidji State

Shane: These are two teams that have shown great improvement from last year but now have to figure out if they can sustain it. Both likely are looking at this series as a chance to get points and keep the standings crowded, and I think that’s what happens. Beavers 5-1, Seawolves 2-1

Matt: Neither of these teams look like squads who were picked in the preseason to battle for the eighth and final playoff spot, especially the Beavers. In Alaska, I like the Seawolves to split, but in Bemidji, I think this weekend BSU is able to put some distance between itself and UAA, while also staying in the hunt for first in the WCHA. Beavers 3-1, 2-1.

St. Cloud State at Alabama Huntsville

Shane: After a season in which they played just one Division I opponent at home, the Chargers’ fans have to love this year’s schedule already. The winless Chargers on the other hand, well, would probably like more of a nonconference cupcake right now than the 6-1-1 Huskies. Huskies 4-0, 6-1

Matt: The Chargers have gone all out when it comes to scheduling tough opponents this year and there isn’t a cupcake to be found among its nonconference games against Hockey East, the NCHC and Big Ten. This probably means the Chargers will have to find their first win in WCHA play. Huskies 5-0, 6-2.

Minnesota State at Minnesota

Shane: Something still isn’t quite right with the Mavericks, and adding insult to a rash of injuries is a nonconference series against the No. 1 Gophers. Everything about this series says a Minnesota sweep, except that Minnesota State has played well in this series of late. I think the Mavs keep things close and steal one on Saturday. Gophers 4-2, Mavericks 3-2

Matt: The Mavericks seem to need a nonconference weekend to get its house in order, but it will be tough to tinker and experiment against a rival like the Gophers, who also happen to be the No. 1 team in the country. If this was in Mankato, I’d like the Mavs to steal a win. Since it’s in Minneapolis, I think the Gophers defend their home ice. Gophers 3-0, 2-1.

Last week: Matt 10-1-1, Shane: 8-3-1. Overall: Matt 42-19-7, Shane 38-23-7.

Hockey East picks: Nov. 15-20

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Well, that was more like it! I out-picked Jimmy by two games and now we’re deadlocked again.

Dave last week: 11-3-0  
Jim last week: 9-5-0
Dave’s record-to-date: 50-23-5
Jim’s record-to-date: 50-23-5

Here are this week’s picks:

Friday, Nov. 15

Massachusetts at Boston College
Dave’s pick: The carnage won’t be as bad for UMass as last week’s against New Hampshire, but it won’t be pretty.
BC 5, UMass 2
Jim’s pick: The Eagles are clicking right now like many a BC team to come before – championship teams, that is.
BC 4, UMass 1

Boston University at Maine
Dave’s pick: The competition has been tough, but BU has lost four of its last five and looked particularly bad against archrival BC.  The Terriers have also lost all three of their road games.
Maine 4, BU 2
Jim’s pick: I’m not sold on either BU or Maine, but I’m more sold on the Terriers than the Black Bears.
BU 3, Maine 2

New Hampshire at Northeastern
Dave’s pick: It looks like UNH has crawled almost all the way out of the early-season hole it dug for itself, but I’m not going to continue to underestimate the Huskies all year. I’m going with them to hold home ice.
NU 4, UNH 3
Jim’s pick: This is a tough one for me. I like the way both of these teams are playing and feel like UNH has regained its confidence overnight.
UNH 3, NU 2

Providence at Vermont
Dave’s pick: Catamount fans may be unhappy with me picking against their team all the time, but that isn’t going to change with the Friars involved.
PC 3, UVM 2
Jim’s pick: Agreed. I’m a big Vermont fan this season but I think Providence is a top two or three team in Hockey East.
PC 3, UVM 1

Merrimack at Notre Dame
Dave’s pick: The Warriors will play with great grit and intensity and will block a bajillion shots, but it still won’t quite be enough against Hockey East’s newest superpower.
UND 3, MC 2
Jim’s pick: I don’t think this game will be as close as Dave does. But I do believe the Irish will get the ‘W.’
UND 4, MC 2

Massachusetts-Lowell at Penn State
Dave’s pick: While the River Hawks home-away split (home: 2-3-0, away: 4-1-0) looks like a fluke, I still like them on the road. The only question is whether four games in seven days takes its toll.
UML 3, PSU 2
Jim’s pick:
UML 3, PSU 2

Saturday, Nov. 16

Northeastern at New Hampshire
Dave’s pick: This surprisingly even home-and-home series ends with each team holding home ice serve if UNH can stay out of the box. The Northeastern power play (23.1 percent) is a bad match-up for a struggling Wildcat penalty kill (75.7 percent).
UNH 3, NU 2
Jim’s pick: Though I feel like picking a split is the way to go here, doing so in recent weeks has earned me to losses as I continuously pick the splits backwards.
UNH 4, NU 2

Merrimack at Notre Dame
Dave’s pick: It’s a long way to travel for no points, and this leaves the Warriors winless in Hockey East, but I still think they’ll make their mark in the league this year.
UND 4, MC 2
Jim’s pick: If Merrimack is going to win one, it will be the opener. I think Saturday goes to Notre Dame regardless.
UND 5, MC 2

Providence at Vermont
Dave’s pick: I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Catamounts salvage a split. They did it to Notre Dame and they can do it to Providence. But I’m tossing my lot with the Friars (knowing that Jimmy is going to disagree with me on this series).
PC 3, UVM 2 (OT)
Jim’s pick: And Dave is wrong. I’m not picking against Providence right now. This team is playing excellent hockey.
PC 2, UVM 1

Sunday, Nov. 17

Connecticut at Boston University
Dave’s pick: The Terriers had better halt their skid here, because two games with North Dakota loom on the horizon.
BU 4, UConn 2
Jim’s pick: This won’t be as bad as last Sunday’s Hockey East/Atlantic Hockey matchup, but still believe this could be a bit lop-sided.
BU 5, UConn 1

Wednesday, Nov. 20

Boston College at Harvard
Dave’s pick: I think this will be a lot closer than the way it looks on paper, but the Eagles will emerge on top anyway.
BC 3, HU 2
Jim’s pick: I agree, this game could be close but I am still going with the high-flying Eagles.
BC 4, HU 2

Women’s D-III Picks Nov. 15-19

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ECAC DIV III EAST

Holy Cross at Norwich
Senior forward Tori Charron, who led the nation with 30 goals last season, is off to a lightning start for the Cadets with six goals, including a pair against her former school, Elmira, in the East-West Showcase. The Cadets have benefited from solid, early play from freshman goalie Taylor Fairchild. The Crusaders have displayed outstanding defense thus far. In addition, the special teams have thrived, as evidenced by a 91.7 percent penalty kill and 36.4 percent power play. Difficult call; Cadets like their home barn though. Norwich 3-2

Nichols at St. Anselm
First-year bench boss Wil Brown’s club will be in for all that it can handle against the Hawks, whose lone hiccup thus far was watching a three-goal lead disappear in a 5-4 loss to Neumann last week. The Nichols contingent is aware that the home club will be taking on Manhattanville the following afternoon. Focus wins it for the Hawks. St. Anselm 5-2

Manhattanville at Massachusetts-Boston
The Beacons have been successful on just one of 13 power-play opportunities. Their lack of scoring thus far is palatable. The Valiats, coming off a hard-nosed East-West Showcase, are poised to match their results to their lofty ranking in the USCHO poll. Manhattanville 6-1

ECAC DIV III WEST

Elmira at Potsdam
Elmira’s Ashley Ryan, Tanis Lamoureux and Erin Weston have produced in a big way for the Soaring Eagles up front. Potsdam barely squeezed out a season opening 4-3 win in a nonconference battle with St. Michaels, but the defense has shown hints of improvement since. Elmira 5-1

WIAC

Friday-Saturday, Nov. 15-16

Wisconsin-River Falls at Wisconsin-Stevens Point
There’s a lot to consider when previewing what could be the most interesting matchup of the week. Katie Batters and Brook Story have combined for five goals on 11 shots for a Wis.-River Falls squad that features offensive depth. The Pointers, by contrast, are unlikely to keep up with the Falcons in the offensive zone, but will rely on junior goalie Janna Beilke-Skoug to anchor defensively. Beilke-Skoug had a season-high 38-save performance against the Falcons in a 5-4 loss last December. Wisconsin-River Falls 3-2, 4-3

MIAC

Friday-Saturday, Nov. 15-16

Gustavus Adolphus at Concordia (Minn.)
This two-game set is an opportune time for first year coach Sarah Erickson to move the Cobbers in the right direction in the MIAC, particularly against the Gusties, who are seeking their 10th straight league title under Mike Carroll. Gustavus Adolphus has outshot its opponents by an average of 10 shots per contest. Concordia’s offense has yet to unwind, as the Cobbers have a lone goal in their first three starts. Gustavus Adolphus 4-0, 5-3

NCHA

Friday-Saturday, Nov. 15-16

St. Scholastica at St. Norbert
The teams split their regular season set last year, but the Green Knights copped a 2-1 victory in the NCHA tournament. The talented Waidacher sisters have accounted for nearly 70 percent of the Saints goals through the early going. St. Norbert’s front line has been productive, led by freshman Rachel Koppang and junior Ali Parker. St. Norbert 5-4, 6-3

Pickin’ the Big Ten: Lowell at Penn State, Nov. 14, 2013

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There’s a game tonight!

Massachusetts-Lowell at Penn State

This is actually a two-game series, Thursday and Friday at 7:00 p.m. in University Park. Because the series begins tonight, here is what Drew Claussen and I have for it. We’ll have full picks and our records Friday morning.

Drew: Penn State is on a two-game winning streak, but the Nittany Lions haven’t looked that impressive in their wins over Robert Morris and Sacred Heart. I don’t think the Nittany Lions’ defense is playing well enough right now to beat a good team. UMass-Lowell seems to have fully recovered from its shaky start and should throttle Penn State this weekend.

Paula: This is the first ranked opponent that the Nittany Lions are facing, and as Drew said, this should be a mighty big challenge. The teams have never met before. On Tuesday (Nov. 12), the River Hawks beat Princeton, 2-1; before that, Lowell lost to Northeastern, 4-2, last Saturday (Nov. 9).

Drew’s picks: UMass-Lowell 7-2, 6-3.
Paula’s picks: I don’t think that the games will be that lopsided, but I do think that the River Hawks will sweep. Lowell 4-2, 3-2.

Stability, confidence the name of the game for Morrisville

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Morrisville senior goalie Chris Azzano likes the direction the Mustangs are headed (photo: Dan Hickling).

They weren’t mad and they aren’t trying to get even.

Even so, the Mustangs of Morrisville brought burrs beneath their saddle blankets with them into the still-new 2013-14 season.

No one likes to be pegged for last place in a pre-season poll and the ‘Stangs, who were consigned [with Cortland] for the cellar by the SUNYAC coaches, are no exception.

Morrisville intends to use the low expectations as a spur to lofty things.

“It was some bulletin board material for us,” said senior goalie and team captain Chris Azzano. “Everyone’s aware. In all honesty, we haven’t proven anything. We’ve finished last in the SUNYAC the last two years and have won four games [each year]. It’s kind of expected. It only makes us want to work harder, show up to the rink each day and get better so we can surprise these teams.”

Morrisville coach Kevin Krogol, who carried the interim tag last year, was in agreement.

“It was a little motivation for our guys,” Krogol said. “At the same time, it’s to be expected. We haven’t proved anything in the league yet. Those coaches on the other bench are the ones who voted you in that position. So go out and prove them wrong.”

So far, Morrisville has taken a few steps in that direction.

The Mustangs are a modest 1-3 (all in the SUNYAC) after the first two weekends and that start is a whole lot better than last year’s 0-10 stumble out of the gate.

“If you look at us compared to last year, I think we added some offense,” Krogol said. “We have more depth up front and we have a very good freshman class. They’re going to do great things for us, propel us to the next level.”

A talent upgrade has certainly been helpful to the Morrisville cause, but so has stability.

A year ago, the program was shaken by the sudden resignation of former coach Brian Grady one month before the season started.

Krogol, an assistant on Grady’s staff, was given a battlefield promotion, but although he had the full support of his players, there was plenty of catching up to be done.

“It’s a huge difference having the one year under my belt,” Krogol said. “Last year, it was [all] thrown into the mix. It was a learning year. It was nice to go into this year having everything down.”

Azzano said that the team is fully able to concentrate on following Krogol’s lead.

“It’s unbelievable,” Azzano said. “He’s putting in place a good program here. All the boys love him. All the boys want to play for him. Everyone’s buying into it. We know he’s here to stay. He’s recruiting his type of guy now.”

Actually, Krogol already has one of his feisty ilk already between the pipes in Azzano.

A transfer from Wentworth following his freshman year, Azzano is a stalwart in the Morrisville net who has seen it all during his time as a Mustang.

“We’ve gone from academic probation from the NCAA to a coaching change,” Azzano said. “This year, we’re as prepared as we’ve ever been. A lot of teams are counting us out, but I think we can actually do some damage this year. We have a lot of confidence. I think we’re in a great position.”

Curry looking for identity with 13 freshmen in Colonels’ lineup

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Turnover.

That’s what Curry is experiencing early on in the season with a 1-2 record.

“We have 13 freshmen and quite a bit of turnover from last year’s team, including a new assistant coach,” said Curry head coach T.J. Manastersky. “We are going to be a team early on to be in search of our identity and establish how we are going to play.”

The freshmen have come to play so far with Dan McGinnis and James Murphy each having a goal and assist, which is tied for the lead in points along with sophomore defenseman Ryan Gay.

Tyler Vankleef, Michael Vallescuro, Ellery O’Hara and Jake Heisinger are other freshmen that have recorded a point in the team’s first three games of the season.

Goaltender Brett Sinclair picked up his first career win against Westfield State last Thursday.

Manastersky wasn’t going to rely on one or two first-year players, but will go instead with a group effort. He knows some freshmen will make an impact right away, but others will see a bigger impact later on in the season

“They all have been good, [but] I don’t if any of them completely jumped up ahead from everyone else,” Manastersky added. “I feel really good about them as a group. They are all good hockey players.”

With the influx of the new guys, Curry has a problem that all coaches would like to have.

“We are in a situation, which wasn’t the situation last year, where we are going to have some very good hockey players sitting in the stands every night, which speaks to our depth,” Manastersky said. “We are also going to spend some time figuring out who our guys are and who works well together to see how it all fits.”

Wentworth wasn’t paying attention to the preseason coaches’ poll

The ECAC Northeast coaches overwhelmingly put Wentworth College as the favorites to repeat as conference champions.

Wentworth coach R.J. Tolan didn’t pay attention to it.

“I put no stock in any preseason poll – I think it’s silly,” said Tolan. “Every year, it’s a different group of kids, a different dynamic, a different challenge. We are excited to answer the bell and answer that challenge with this year’s group of players.”

The team the conference had pick on paper is off to a slow start with a 2-3-0 record.

Salve Regina getting it done on both ends of the ice

The Seahawks are averaging 3.75 goals per game, which is tied for 14th in the nation and are 18-for-18 when it comes killing off penalties, good for first in the nation.

That’s slightly above last year’s clip of 3.63 goals per game. Only Wisconsin-Stevens Point has had more opportunities to stay perfect (28-for-28). Last year, Salve Regina’s penalty kill was at a 73.5 percent, near the bottom of Division III.

At Army, players need a toughness that goes beyond the normal value

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Maurice Alvarez had a hat trick in Army’s first win of the season, over Sacred Heart on Tuesday (photo: Army Athletics).

There is no correct formula for a coach to determine when his team is on the verge of becoming great. On paper, a team can be the greatest in his program’s history, but their season can be derailed for a multitude of reasons. A team can look at their schedule and assume the worst, then defy those expectations and become the definition of a Cinderella story.

Without a correct formula, though, a coach needs to look at the roster and try to position them best for the correct jump. At Army, those challenges are tougher than normal.

Brian Riley has been the head coach since the 2004-05 season, and he’s won a regular season championship in Atlantic Hockey at the helm of the Black Knights. He’s also the third member of his family to coach the team, with his brother Rob leading West Point from 1986 through 2004, and his father, Jack, dating back further to the 1950-1951 season.

“Certainly, we have a unique situation as a military service academy in terms of recruitment and player development,” said Riley. “It’s very important for a player to understand their role, both on and off the ice as someone who attends West Point.”

For the Army coaching staff, that means an evaluation system that allows them to look at a player both within their system and through their background.

“We don’t get as many opportunities as we’d like [to evaluate players],” he said, “so we have to take advantage of the ones that we have. We have to take every chance we can and use every opportunity to grow more confident in a particular player.”

That means analyzing an ever-changing list of intentions and desires. “One of the things that we develop is someone that’s going to be tough,” said Riley. “We want players willing to block shots and play physical. It’s funny because we always look at our guys and say, ‘We want to play physical but disciplined and be tough,’ and these are guys who are going to West Point, where all of that is a way of life. But we look at them and say that if we’re not a physical team, we lose our advantage.”

The system is not without growing pains. The team has just one senior in forward Brian Schultz, and it’s comprised of 21 freshmen or sophomores.

“Since we’re so young, we need to have our juniors help our guys realize what it means to be an Army hockey player, on and off the ice,” Riley said. “Our sophomores played a lot as freshmen, so they’re growing together. It’s very important for players to learn their roles and understand that a role can change.

“A guy on the fourth line can buy into that and improve himself as a fourth-line guy,” he continued. “But in the same breath, a guy on the fourth line can really grind and work hard and improve himself to playing in the top lines. They can earn playing time on other lines if they exhibit those qualities that gets them on those lines. But it’s also up to the coaches when a guy needs to embrace a certain role to point that out and help him understand who he is and who he can be as a player in your system.”

Despite improvements within the overall team play, Army struggled out of the gate and lost its first six games, the last of which was an 11-0 thrashing on the road at Boston College.

But the Black Knights finally broke through in a big way against Sacred Heart on Tuesday, defeating the Pioneers 6-2 behind a hat trick by junior Maurice Alvarez and a stingy defense that allowed just 26 shots on net, their lowest shot total allowed all season.

The West Pointers will look to build on that momentum this weekend when they head to Niagara.

Downright offensive

Atlantic Hockey enters this weekend with one program in the top 30 of Division I in scoring defense: Connecticut, which is tied for 30th with Yale and Cornell.

Two teams have given up 10 goals in a game this year: American International, which was beaten 10-4 by Providence; and Army, which was smoked by Boston College 11-0. Neither of those games combined for the amount of goals scored last Friday by AIC and Bentley, who combined for 15 in an 8-7 Yellow Jackets victory.

Three teams have cumulative GAAs over 4.00. Army and AIC obviously fit that bill because of the skewering of their stats, but it’s somewhat surprising that Niagara is the third.

After giving up 10 goals to Ohio State across two games, the Purple Eagles are at 4.12, fifth worst in the country and just above Alabama-Huntsville.

And while we’re at it, half of the league’s teams rank in the bottom 10 teams nationally. Dartmouth has allowed 5.50 goals per game to have a defense that’s worse than an Atlantic Hockey team.

Jon Puskar and American International are off to a 2-0 start in Atlantic Hockey play (photo: Omar Phillips).

Yellow Jackets swarming Eastern pod

Last season, Niagara opened up 9-0 and essentially ended the race for the league’s top seed before Christmas. This year, expected teams like UConn and Air Force are pacing the league by picking up early wins in their scheduling pods.

But the shocker to start the year is the 2-0 start by AIC that’s caught many by surprise and established the team as one that can control its destiny to start out the season.

AIC has beaten Bentley and Sacred Heart in such a fashion that established it as a potential dark horse in the race for the top of the eastern pod. While UConn is the clear favorite, everyone behind the Huskies appeared clumped together.

Bentley spun its tires out of the gate by opening league play at 1-2, and Holy Cross, despite a 2-1 record in the AHA, is facing diminished expectations. Army and Sacred Heart remain in the back.

If AIC can defeat Holy Cross this weekend, the Yellow Jackets will set up a huge early season game with Connecticut the following weekend. They’ll either be the top team or the second team in the eastern pod, and they’ll be in a position to put a little bit of distance between them and the lower-tiered teams. That’s something that’s been a pipe dream for a team that finished a program-best ninth last year and was reduced to 11th in the preseason coaches’ poll.

It’s not a cause for victory celebrations yet, but the next two weeks will go a long way to determining just how relevant AIC is about to become.

Quietly consistent Crusaders

Throughout the league’s struggles this year in nonconference play, it went easily unnoticed when Holy Cross opened up 0-5.

The Crusaders were swept by an improved Northeastern team, then swept by a Quinnipiac team that’s already up into the nation’s top 10. But the Crusaders are right back where they’ve been familiar with a 2-1 league record that stands as the second-best in the east.

They’ve finished in third place in the league each of the last three years, last finishing out of the top four in 2009-10 when a 12-19-6 Crusaders team went 10-13-5 and finished seventh. Before the season, coach Paul Pearl remarked about his team’s consistency, mentioning that it has been consistent because its identity remained fluid and wasn’t bound to the previous year.

With no disrespect intended to previous years, his teams have done a great job focusing on the present.

That focus has been obvious. Fourteen different Holy Cross skaters have scored, 10 of whom are either a freshman or a sophomore. A team that was expected to lose much after graduating four of its top six scorers from a year ago, the Crusaders seamlessly transitioned to the youth movement, a credit to the coaching staff and a move that once again has them positioned near the top of the AHA standings.

Holy Cross will attempt to assert its dominance over the Mass Pike this weekend when it entertains AIC on Friday and heads to Bentley on Saturday.

Players of the week

Continuing the trend of picking our own players of the week, I’m going to agree with the AHA this week, adding one more into my offensive player of the week for dual honors.

Players of the Week — forwards Jon Puskar and Alexander MacMillan, American International: Puskar and MacMillan each registered five points in the Yellow Jackets’ wild 8-7 victory over Bentley last week. In a back-and-forth affair that saw AIC rally from a 4-1 first-period deficit, Puskar had perhaps the biggest strike. After Bentley tied the game with less than 20 seconds left, Puskar scored on a play that was faceoff, saucer pass, shot, score, coming with five seconds left. He assisted on MacMillan’s game-winning goal in the third period.

MacMillan, meanwhile, tallied that eventual game-winner and won half of his faceoffs while registering four assists. Both players were plus-2 in a game that was a statement that the Yellow Jackets aren’t going away quite yet.

Goalie of the week — Mercyhurst’s Jimmy Sarjeant: The Aurora, Ontario, native was dominant when he had to be against two of AHA’s preeminent power programs. He stopped a then-career high 36 shots to help lead the Lakers to a dominant 8-2 victory over first-place Air Force, then topped that high the next night by saving 37 in a 3-2 win over Rochester Institute of Technology. Remember when I said that Mercyhurst needed these two games to announce its presence with authority? Consider it done thanks to the goalie.

Rookie of the week — AIC’s David Norris: Norris had an amazing assist on Puskar’s go-ahead goal at the end of the second period. He delivered a seed of a saucer pass that knifed through the Bentley defense and found the streaking Puskar, who pounced and stole momentum back from the Falcons, who’d just tied the game. He finished with four assists, one of which was on MacMillan’s game winner, and a plus-2 rating.

Bowdoin secure in title defense run

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Bowdoin Womens Hockey vs UMass Boston (Brian Beard/Creative Images Photography)

Within days of opening defense of their NESCAC title, Bowdoin captains Maddie Lane and Emily Tang aren’t  buying into the  perception that significant losses will prove dire for the Polar Bears.

Indeed, Bowdoin will have a not-so-familiar profile as a result of the loss of two high-scoring forwards and a pair of senior goalies that allowed only 43 goals to opponents. For Lane however, who shares the captaincy with Tang and forward Chelsea MacNeil, the concern is a nonentity.

“We will face many of these unknowns in a week; we will rely on our tough, simple style of play to keep going,” said Lane,who is the top scorer among returning defenseman. “We enter every season with many unknowns; that’s what is so exciting about it. That being said, we’re fully aware of the trials and tribulations to be faced every season.”

“There is definitely pressure to defend our NESCAC Championship title, but I know we will use this as motivation to prove to other teams that we deserve this honor,” Tang added. “We are also very excited about our freshmen class of seven, who have proven to be smart, skilled, and hardworking players.”

Graduation erased All-American Kayte Holtz, who concluded an outstanding career at Bowdoin with a 13-15-28 slate from the mix.The Bears also said goodbye to 14-goal scorer Stephanie Lundy. In all, Bowdoin seniors collectively accounted for 39 of the club’s 92 goals last season.  Holtz finished her stellar career in Brunswick with 123 points in 106 outings. Three of her 13 scores were game-winners last season.

“Losing seven seniors who all contributed greatly to our success will definitely be tough to replace, but we are all confident in the leadership of our upperclassmen,” Lane said. “Our team has always emphasized the importance of team leadership from top to bottom, regardless of age or playing time.”

In goal, senior Kayla Lessard fashioned a 1.38 GAA to go along with a .944 save percentage. She played in 58 career games for the Polar Bears. Classmate Tara Connolly was 6-1-0 in her seven starts with a 1.85 GAA. Lessard and Connolly combined for six shutouts overall a year ago. Lessard’s early-March performance in the NESCAC title game at Middlebury propelled the Polar Bears into the NCAA quarterfinals and served as the sort of game that inevitably becomes stamped in one’s memory. Sophomore Beth Findley and freshman Lan Crofton will take on the goaltending duties this time around. Findley played all of six minutes last season.

Regardless of what is perceived on the outside looking in, Tang hasn’t bought into any of the perceived angst to the rink with her.

“Although both our goalies are young players with limited college experience, I am confident that they will both fulfill their important roles on this team,” Tang said. “They are extremely hard working and technically skilled goalies, so I expect that both will see a fair amount of playing time this year.”

Lane echoed her teammate’s sentiments in regards to the Polar Bears infusion of new talent, particularly in their own end.

“With just over a week under our belts, the defensive core , goalies included has already become a formidable group, ” said Lane, who comprised 3-7-10 numbers in 2012-13. “Communication is something we have been emphasizing since day one, between not only defenseman and goalies but between forwards and goalies as well. We rely on healthy competition between our offense and defense to challenge each other and build the network of relationships within positional groups to build on our team chemistry as a whole.”

With the impending opener against Colby in sight, Lane believes that despite the unknowns, leadership will remain at the core of the team’s success.

“There is significant emphasis on our leadership as captains, but whether this emphasis is any greater than that placed on last year’s captains is arguable,” said Lane. “However, given the size of the first-year class, the senior leadership isn’t nearly as important as the leadership of the returnees as a whole. The first years constitute almost a third of our team, and getting them acclimated to a higher level of play is a team priority. The start of every season is always full of unknowns, which is why we try not to over-think anything. There is no way of knowing who will play best together or what the style of play will be like. We have been building team chemistry in the off season, and I am confident that it will translate onto the ice, which has been key to our success in the past.”

Bowling Green’s Carpenter shelved with broken foot

USCHO Staff Report
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The Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune has reported that Bowling Green junior forward Ryan Carpenter, who has been out all season with a broken finger, will remain on the shelf with a broken foot.

Carpenter suffered the injury when he was hit by a shot in practice on Wednesday, BGSU coach Chris Bergeron confirmed to the paper.

The injury is not scheduled to require surgery, but Carpenter is out indefinitely. He was set to make his season debut this Friday night at Ferris State.

Bowdoin looks to be early favorite in the NESCAC

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Keith Buehler, the 2012-13 NESCAC player of the year, will look to have a repeat performance in 2013-14 for Wesleyan (photo: Brian Katten).

Last, but certainly not least every season, the NESCAC conference gets into the fray and starts playing regular-season hockey starting in the middle of November.

The conference is playing catch-up with many of their league brethren in New England, but no worries, these teams come up to speed quickly. They will have to do just that based on playing each other and some of the other top teams in New England with key Thanksgiving tournaments coming just two weeks into the season.

We finally get all of Division III conferences playing this weekend and in the case of the NESCAC, this may be a case of saving the best for last.

Predictions for this conference are always a challenge because of the level of competition top to bottom – here is what it could look like come the end of the regular season:

Bowdoin Polar Bears

2012-13 Conference Record: 13-3-2 (First)
2012-13 Overall Record: 23-4-2
USCHO Predicted Finish: First

Overview: Last season’s conference champions return a solid nucleus of players that should provide the necessary leadership and performance to keep the Polar Bears’ recent run of success continuing into 2014. Colin Downey, Harry Matheson, Kyle Lockwood and last year’s breakout player, Ollie Koo, should continue to create headaches for opposing goaltenders and defenses with their strong offensive and power-play skills. In goal, Steve Messina and Max Fenkell provide a solid tandem that should keep both fresh for the duration of the season as well as support a D-corps that includes six freshmen on the roster. Coach Terry Meagher’s squad has won the conference two of the past three seasons, so the pedigree is still strong and this year’s edition in Brunswick will not be setting the bar any lower.

Trinity Bantams

2012-13 Conference Record: 11-4-3 (Third)
2012-13 Overall Record: 15-7-3
USCHO Predicted Finish: Second

Overview: The Menard brothers have graduated, but the cupboard certainly is not bare for Bantams’ coach Matt Greason. Last year’s leading scorer Jackson Brewer returns along with John Hawkrigg and Will Gray who all produced double-digit point seasons up front for Trinity. The offense will be good, but the key to the Bantams’ success is found on the back end where all-star senior goaltender Benjamin Coulthard returns after posting some outrageous numbers last season including a .944 save percentage and 2.02 GAA in conference play. With strong goaltending and defensive support, the Bantams aren’t likely to be out of any game they play against any opponent. With some added contributions from a good recruiting class, this year’s team could once again compete for a championship.

Middlebury Panthers

2012-13 Conference Record: 11-5-2 (Fifth)
2012-13 Overall Record: 13-11-2
USCHO Predicted Finish: Third

Overview: The Panthers return virtually all of their leading scorers from last season, including their top two of senior Louis Belisle and sophomore Matt Silcoff. On paper, that is the good news, but the challenge for last year’s team was not putting the puck in the net, it was keeping it out. Senior Nick BonDurant, junior Michael Peters and freshman Drew Michals will be expected to establish more consistent play between the pipes for Bill Beaney’s squad this season. If the goaltending performs, this team has great speed and the ability to attack the puck in all three zones and create offense. Somehow, the Panthers always seem to be around at the end of the year when it counts. Early match-ups with Bowdoin and Norwich in November could provide a confidence jump-start that propels this team to great things come 2014.

Amherst Lord Jeffs

2012-13 Conference Record: 11-5-2 (Fourth)
2012-13 Overall Record: 15-7-3
USCHO Predicted Finish: Fourth

Overview: Balance and depth are likely two words that will be used to describe this year’s edition of Jack Arena’s Lord Jeffs team. Scoring leaders have departed due to graduation, but expect a multiple-line attack led by returning forwards such as Mike Rowbotham, Andrew Kurlandski and Mike Cashman. Aaron Deutsch leads a group of mobile defensemen and Dave Cunningham returns in goal having posted strong numbers in limited action last season as a freshman. Three other goaltenders provide both depth and competition for Cunningham, but the formula of strong defense goaltending defense and special teams has been successful for Amherst in recent years and should have them battling near the top of the standings this season as well.

Williams Ephs

2012-13 Conference Record: 12-4-2 (Second)
2012-13 Overall Record: 17-7-3
USCHO Predicted Finish: Fifth

Overview: The Ephs may have been the surprise team for some in the conference last season, but with their strong senior leadership and outstanding goaltending from Sean Dougherty, Williams finished second in the conference regular season last season. This year’s edition for coach Bill Kangas includes nine freshmen with six forwards that will be expected to make contributions early and often as the total roster includes only a total of 24 players. Last season, the Ephs played very low-scoring games and were very opportunistic in their scoring. Junior Sean Dougherty will be expected to build on last year’s success and keep opponents off the board, while the offense finds its footing with the many new players. Williams has been a recent fixture in the final four come tournament time, but is yet to take the prized championship title. If the new players gel quickly, this team may again find themselves knocking on the door to a title.

Wesleyan Cardinals

2012-13 Conference Record: 6-8-4 (Sixth)
2012-13 Overall Record: 10-11-4
USCHO Predicted Finish: Sixth

Overview: Last year’s NESCAC player of the year is back in senior forward Keith Buehler, who posted a 20-20 season for the Cardinals. Forwards Tommy Hartnett and sophomore Jay Matthews are the other returning scoring leaders from last season and will be looked to provide more to account for production lost to the graduating seniors. Gone, too, are two goaltenders that saw a lot of minutes for Chris Potter’s team. The position has been retooled behind sophomore Nolan Daley with three freshmen, including Dawson Sprigings, Daniel Weiss and Nick Miceli. The defense is experienced with seniors Brad Improta and Casey Fratkin who will be expected to help make the transition to the college level easier for the new netminders. The Cardinals always play things tight and if the goaltending matures quickly and the offense finds some new contributors, this team can make some noise in the conference.

Colby White Mules

2012-13 Conference Record: 5-11-2 (Seventh)
2012-13 Overall Record: 7-15-3
USCHO Predicted Finish: Seventh

Overview: Coach Blaise MacDonald did not have time to recruit when he assumed the head coaching role during the summer for Colby. Moreover, Colby endured the entire season without a full complement of defensemen and had shifted forwards back on the blue line to add depth and numbers to the position. This year finds a young Mules’ squad with 13 freshmen added to the roster, including five defensemen expected to give some depth and improved play in the defensive end. Senior forwards and last year’s leading point-getters Nick Lanza and Ben Chwick return to provide offense. A newcomer to look for up front may be freshman E.J. Rauseo, who brings some solid offensive numbers from his prep career. The Mules rallied late to make the playoffs last season and certainly a lot of new pieces have to come together to have more success in this campaign. If MacDonald can get this team playing well together sooner in the year, Colby could challenge for a home-ice berth in the conference tournament.

Hamilton Continentals

2012-13 Conference Record: 4-12-2 (Eighth)
2012-13 Overall Record: 6-16-3
USCHO Predicted Finish: Eighth

Overview: Coach Rob Haberbusch enters his third season with great leaders and performers in captain Evan Haney and fellow seniors, Michael DiMare and Joe Quattrocchi. Offensively, DiMare has proven to be among the best in the conference when healthy and this season will be looking to avoid injury that kept him out of more than 10 games last season. Quattrocchi has been a very durable and reliable goaltender for the Continentals, having played in 24 games last season and posting very respectable statistics. Hamilton has made the playoffs in the past couple of seasons, but would surely like to make a move towards the top of the standings and away from a lower seed and quarterfinal road match-up. The seniors have the talent and desire to carry this team upward, but the supporting cast and overall team health will dictate how far the Continentals will rise.

Connecticut College Camels

2012-13 Conference Record: 3-12-3 (Ninth)
2012-13 Overall Record: 7-14-3
USCHO Predicted Finish: Ninth

Overview: As coach Jim Ward enters his 11th season behind the Camels’ bench, he will be looking for more consistent play from his team with the goal of returning to the NESCAC conference tournament come March. Second-year captains and prep and college teammates Keith Veronesi and Mike Sinsigalli will be expected to continue to create offense and provide the overall leadership needed to build confidence in a winning locker room. Sophomore Tom Conlin played very well in goal for Connecticut College last season and will look to improve on those impressive rookie stats as the likely No. 1 for Ward. All of the teams are so competitive that some first-half points from match-ups with Williams, Middlebury, Trinity, Wesleyan, Bowdoin and Colby could help to spark a second-half run towards the postseason.

Tufts Jumbos

2012-13 Conference Record: 2-14-2 (Tenth)
2012-13 Overall Record: 7-15-2
USCHO Predicted Finish: Tenth

Overview: At a combined 19-feet, one-inch, the Jumbos may have the tallest combined trio of goaltenders in college hockey. Seniors Greg Jenkins and Brian Phillips will be vying with freshman Ryan Kellenberger to improve on last season’s 100 goals surrendered and also support improvement in the team’s penalty kill efficiency. Up front, there is significant leadership in the likes of Kyle Gallegos, Cody Armstrong and Andrew White, who will all be looking to post big numbers this season to take pressure of the goaltending and defense. Look for contributions early from newcomer Conal Lynch. The Jumbos have been on the outside looking in at the playoffs and would surely like to be playing more hockey next spring. To make that a reality, the team will need to be more consistent in all aspects of their game and some first-semester success might help build the needed confidence to make a playoff run a reality.

Great match-ups start right out of the gate in week one – drop the puck!

Time off keeps Wisconsin from gaining an identity

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Wisconsin’s weeks off have given Joel Rumpel time to recover from an injured ankle (photo: Jim Rosvold).

The No. 12 Wisconsin Badgers are off to a 3-2-1 start this season, and they have had a lot of time to think about that fact.

Wisconsin has had two off weekends sprinkled in between its six contests so far, something which coach Mike Eaves believes has led to a lack of flow in its games.

“It’s tough to get going; the guys want to play,” Eaves said. “It’s kind of been interesting trying to find this year’s team identity. That identity is formed by playing games and we just haven’t played enough to really get that going yet.”

Eaves said the biggest challenge was keeping the team’s competitive level elevated, even though they were practicing eight straight days without a game.

“There’s nothing like game speed and pace,” Eaves said. “You try to simulate that, but you’ve really got to get in the ring itself and play.”

Though the weekends off have prevented Wisconsin from forming an identity, they have allowed goaltender Joel Rumpel some time to heal his ankle injury.

“There’s a silver lining, and there are several, that’s one of them is that he hasn’t missed as many games due to the fact that we haven’t played,” Eaves said.

Eaves said that Rumpel has made strides in practice this week, and that he hopes to give him one of the games at No. 8 Miami this weekend.

“He’s given himself a chance to be an option this weekend,” Eaves said. “That’s a good thing for us.”

Landon Peterson has made the last four starts in net for Wisconsin and has gone 1-2-1 in that stretch. Peterson was rocked in the Badgers’ losses to Boston College and Boston University and gave up three quick goals in the series opener against Lake Superior State two weeks ago before finding his game and leading Wisconsin to a 3-3 tie. The Badgers defeated the Lakers 8-1 the next night.

“Goaltending is not like any other position in sports; it’s kind of like an individual sport within a team sport,” Eaves said, adding that he thought the goalie position was similar to a pitcher in baseball. “You’re kind of in your own little world and when things struggle for yourself there’s nobody to back you up.”

Eaves said he was impressed with the way Peterson bounced back after going down 3-0 in Friday’s game against Lake Superior State.

“The first goal hit about five different things and went in. The second goal hit two different things and went to a guy at the side of the net for an open-netter,” Eaves said. “The third one was a screened shot that maybe he’d like to have back, but to his credit he didn’t allow another goal and then on Saturday he only let one in.

“In terms of his mental toughness, it was a good lesson for him,” Eaves added, saying that he thought that Peterson gained a lot of confidence in himself during the series. “Not only confidence for himself, but his teammates have confidence in him.”

Wisconsin was supposed to be led by its arsenal of upperclassman talent, and through six games the usual suspects have been what we expected them to be.

One pleasant surprise for the Badgers has been the play of senior defenseman Joe Faust, who has six assists this season. In 99 games over his previous three seasons, Faust had eight points. Eaves said that even if Faust didn’t have any points this season, he’d still consider him to be off to a fabulous start.

“He’s playing well without the puck and he’s shutting guys down,” Eaves said. “His strengths are his skating ability, his strength and his ability to play without the puck. But he’s been making really good outlet passes, and those outlet passes have led to some goals. So all of a sudden he’s got six points in six games, it’s like, ‘Who is this guy?'”

Eaves said he has also seen progress out of freshmen like Grant Besse and Jedd Soleway, who are making their mark on an experienced team.

“They have both contributed,” Eaves said. “They’re both learning. If you talked to them they would tell you that they’re still thinking a little too much. But in that thinking process they’re trying to understand what we’re asking of them.”

Wisconsin has dropped both of its games away from the Kohl Center this season, both lopsided losses to BC and BU. It will get a chance to level its road record this weekend against Miami.

“It’s going to be a high-tempo, high-paced game,” Eaves said, adding that both games the two teams played last season were up-and-down and tightly contested. “I look for the same kind of weekend.”

This will be the first time the Wisconsin hockey program has traveled to Miami. Eaves said that he felt going to an unfamiliar rink and facing a tough opponent had the same feel as going to a regional.

“Usually when you go to a regional, you haven’t played in that building,” Eaves said. “I think you just kind of get in that mind-set, ‘Let’s go in and play.’ The environment is a little different, but I think it’s more of an adventure than anything else. That’s the mind-set that we look at when we go in there.”

Rookie Hudson Fasching has 11 points in eight games for Minnesota (photo: Jim Rosvold).

Freshmen huge for Minnesota in South Bend

Minnesota coach Don Lucia usually doesn’t let freshmen talk to the media during the first month of the season. If last Saturday’s game against Notre Dame would have taken place at Mariucci Arena, the press may have busted down the locker room door.

All five of Minnesota’s goals in its 5-4 win over the Irish came from first-year players.

Through eight games, Minnesota has three freshmen in its top five for scoring. Hudson Fasching has 11 points, Justin Kloos has 10 points and Taylor Cammarata has nine.

Fasching tallied two goals Saturday against Notre Dame, while Kloos and Cammarata had one each. Jake Bischoff chipped in the game-winner with assists from Cammarata and redshirt freshman Connor Reilly.

Minnesota will host Minnesota State this weekend.

Three stars

First star — Ohio State junior forward Tanner Fritz: Fritz had a big weekend and racked up six points (one goal, five assists) in the Buckeyes’ sweep of Niagara last weekend. This is his first weekly honor of the season.

Second star — Ohio State junior forward Max McCormick: McCormick had four goals and one assist last weekend for Ohio State. This is also his first weekly honor this season.

Third star — Minnesota freshman forward Hudson Fasching: Fasching lit the lamp twice for Minnesota on Saturday and picked up an assist on Minnesota’s lone goal on Friday. The Burnsville, Minn., native leads Big Ten freshmen in points (11), goals (5) and plus/minus rating (plus-12). He has picked up at least one point in each of his first eight career games.

Big Ten in the poll

Here’s where Big Ten teams stand in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll:

No. 1 Minnesota (last week — No. 1)
No. 2 Michigan (LW — 2)
No. 12 Wisconsin (LW — 13)

This week’s matchups

Minnesota State at Minnesota (Friday and Saturday, Mariucci Arena)

Wisconsin at Miami (Friday and Saturday, Steve Cady Arena)

Michigan at Nebraska-Omaha (Friday and Saturday, CenturyLink Center)

Canisius at Ohio State (Friday and Saturday, Value City Arena)

Massachusetts-Lowell at Penn State (Friday and Saturday, Pegula Ice Arena)

Vint’s play, leadership instrumental at Robert Morris

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RMU womens hockey. Photo by Jason Cohn (JASON COHN/RMU ASSIGNED)
Brittany Howard. Photo by Jason Cohn (JASON COHN/RMU ASSIGNED)

Any College Hockey America team with championship aspirations must first topple Mercyhurst from its pinnacle. Robert Morris did just that two years ago in the CHA Tournament, and there is a gap in the banner collection in Erie, Pa., to prove it.

Junior forward Rebecca Vint was a rookie on that Colonials squad, sharing the experience with nine current juniors and seniors.

“We know what it takes to get there,” she said, adding that they are trying to help get their newer teammates on the same page.

One step of the process remains unchanged: defeat Mercyhurst. Had that been the only requirement, the Colonials would have been well on their way to adding a CHA regular-season championship last year, winning three of four conference meetings.

The problems surfaced against the other CHA holdover, Syracuse, and one of the three new additions to the league, RIT. Robert Morris won only once versus the Orange and could salvage just one tie against the Tigers.

“When we play Mercyhurst, the pace of the game is a lot quicker, so it’s easier to play up to that, as opposed to some of the other teams like to slow it down,” Vint said. “When we slow it down, I think that’s more like when we’re dropping to their level. We’re not playing our game.”

That game eluded Robert Morris in its first meeting of this season with the Lakers.

“On Friday, I kind of want to say, we were a little bit nervous,” Vint said.

Coach Paul Colontino, now in his third season guiding the Colonials, with a mark of 43-27-7 over that time, didn’t like what he saw in falling to Mercyhurst, 2-0.

“After reviewing the tape and watching the game again, we just felt like we knew we didn’t play well on Friday,” Colontino said. “Coming back, we obviously wanted to play better and do a better job of just playing our style. Friday, we knew when the game was over it just wasn’t a great showing for us. So the next day, I think the players were pretty fired up to just play a better brand of hockey.”

That was evident immediately in Saturday’s rematch.

“We came out with a completely different mindset,” Vint said. “It helped us out in the first period; we scored three goals. Two of them were power-play goals, so it was really nice to get those in there quick, but I think it was just a lot of hard work that really got us that win, especially right off the bat in that first period.”

Mercyhurst regrouped over the final 40 minutes, owning a big shot advantage and scoring the only goals, but Robert Morris came out on top, 3-2.

“The Lakers obviously came back hard the next two periods looking to tie things up, and we were able to get done what we needed to get done to get the win,” Colontino said. “We were definitely happy with the win. In terms of the CHA league races and stuff, you want to get one of those games if not both of them, because you know they are going to be huge.”

The end of the game was marred by a final tussle that produced major penalties, game misconducts, and a disqualification each way. Vint is trying to be less involved in such activity as she matures.

“I hold back,” she said. “I try not to get as many penalties or retaliate as much now. That part of my game, I’ve been really trying to work on, just because it’s hurting my own team when I did something like that.”

Saturday wasn’t the first time that Robert Morris has rallied to earn a split after losing the first game of a series. It turned the tables on Boston University in mid-October after having done so opening weekend versus Rensselaer.

“You learn from the losses, probably more than you learn from the wins sometimes,” Colontino said. “The one thing with this team is they’re a very prideful bunch. They don’t like settling for losing. I think sometimes it’s just a reality check that it’s going to take more effort than what was given the first day. Also, they don’t feel like there’s a bunch of pressure, it seems like, to win the second one. They just get out and play a better game of hockey.”

Versus RPI, that better game was very nearly not enough. Robert Morris held a seemingly-safe 2-0 lead, only to see the Engineers score a pair of extra-attacker goals in the final 64 seconds to necessitate overtime.

With just over three minutes elapsed in the extra session, Colontino called his timeout. Drawing up an elaborate play designed to score the winning goal perhaps?

“I was talking about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in that timeout; the players just went out and scored,” Colontino joked. “Like they say, a broken watch, it’s right twice a day. Sometimes you get a little bit lucky with it. The timeout was more in the sense that it was an opportune time in the overtime to get an extra breather there. We had an offensive-zone faceoff. It was a good chance to get a few players rested up and be able to come back with them, and then just refocus on how in overtime it is all about getting pucks to the net. That’s what they did, and obviously, it became a huge goal for us and a huge win. Sometimes, games like that are just huge confidence boosters.”

Senior defenseman Kylie St. Louis scored 30 seconds after play resumed to give Robert Morris the first of its nine wins to go with three losses.

In conference action, the Colonials have a record of 3-1 for six points. That leads the CHA, but the only other team to have played more than two league games is winless Penn State. The strong start has been possible in part due to the many contributions from this season’s freshman class.

“With this class, we’ve had a couple more years to prepare in terms of getting ahead of the recruiting process, so that helped,” Colontino said. “Luckily, we had those years, because it was a big class, eight players coming in. The truth is, we expect our freshmen to play like juniors and seniors. Once they’re acclimated to the practice cycle, to the game situation in terms of pace, we want them contributing; we really don’t want them looking to other people to get the job done. They’re going to have a job to do, and they need to get it done. I think they know that. The quicker our freshmen become accountable for their actions on the ice, the better our team does.”

A case in point is freshman goaltender Jessica Dodds out of London, Ont. She has won all seven of her starts with a .931 save percentage while splitting time with junior Courtney Vinet.

“As a coach, it’s great,” Colontino said. “We’ve got phenomenal goaltending from both goalies, Courtney and Jessica. It’s given us some great options. It’s given us some different looks against the same opponent over the course of a weekend, which sometimes can help in a game.”

Another rookie making an immediate impact is forward Brittany Howard from St. Thomas, Ont. Her 17 points lead the team and place her among the national leaders.

“We say that there’s no individual classes,” Vint said. “When you’re out there playing, it doesn’t matter what class you are, you’re out there contributing to the team. I think Howard, especially; she’s really taking on that role. She understands the concept. She takes on that responsibility, and she really knows how to find the back of the net.”

Vint knows a thing or two about where the back of the net is located. She currently leads the team in goals, something she did as both a freshman and sophomore.

“She’s a phenomenal player; she’s an impact player,” Colontino said. “But off the ice now, she’s really stepping up, helping our seniors, being a leader herself, and I think it’s just made a huge difference. A lot of times, freshmen have a tough time just truly grasping what each play means in a game, what each shift means in a game, and just understanding that they all count. One shift can be the difference maker in a game. I think Rebecca having now been here for going on her third year, she’s always brought a high level of skill and a high level of compete with her. Now I think she’s combining it with the leadership aspect of it.”

Having enjoyed a fair measure of personal success, Vint wants more results like the conference championship in 2012.

“I’m really just trying to help out the team in every single way,” she said. “It’s not just an individual sport. It’s a whole team effort every single time we’re out there. Knowing that, you’re doing it for the team, not for yourself.”

Princeton finds itself struggling to put it all together

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Freshman Ryan Siiro has three points in seven games for Princeton (photo: Shelley M. Szwast).

Princeton’s season began well, with a 3-2 win over Dartmouth at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. But if the Tigers hope to end their season in another NHL venue, they’ve got some work to do.

The Tigers dropped the Liberty Invitational finale to Yale the following night by another 3-2 result, and followed that up with five more losses, four of which were lost by two goals or more, a wide margin in ECAC Hockey.

“We’re just diverting a little bit from what we want to do, systematically, and [that will hurt you] in this competitive of a league,” said Tigers coach Bob Prier, now in his third season behind Hobey Baker Rink’s bench. “We’re playing really well at times. We’ll string together a real good period or two, but we just haven’t been able to put it all together yet.”

Princeton has been outshot by an average of seven shots on goal per game, which is a significant deficit, but its special teams are achieving moderate success both on and against the man advantage.

“We’ve played good teams, but without a doubt, it’s falling away from our structure,” Prier said.

Injuries to key players — especially 100-point senior Andrew Calof — have tested Princeton’s depth, but the coach feels fortunate to have quality talent beyond the first line or two.

“A lot of guys have to step up. We need a lot from our whole team; we’re a team that feels it’s pretty deep. When I say deep, I mean talent-wise, and that should help us deal with the adversity here of missing some bodies.”

When prompted for highlights, Prier gave a short list of players who have given their all, even if the stat sheets don’t show it.

“[Rookie forward] Ryan Siiro’s been playing very well. [Senior forward] Andrew Ammon’s been wearing it on his sleeve and playing hard. [Senior] Jack Berger’s been doing a good job. I think those are probably the [most] solid bright spots for us here now. We’re looking for them to continue to step up.”

Notice, goaltenders Sean Bonar (senior) and Colton Phinney (freshman) were not among those mentioned. Prier doesn’t pin the Tigers’ team 3.57 GAA squarely on their shoulder pads, but he’s not shy in spreading the blame around, either.

“I would say it’s an equal measure of both” the goaltenders’ and the defense’s fault, he said. “They’ve played some good games, and I think that if anyone — including the coaches — aren’t doing strong self-evaluations at this point …” he trailed off, before summarizing, “I think everyone, all of us, have to get it together here.”

Prier isn’t about to let his staff or his team get down; not when we’re still looking ahead to Thanksgiving.

“We’re fortunate in the sense that it’s early in the year, we’re learning to deal with the adversity that we have, and it’s a nice character check,” Prier said. “There’s still a ton of hockey left, and we have all the faith in the world that we can be better. We’ve just got to get it together.”

Surprisingly — at least, for those outside coaching circles — the man in charge doesn’t feel that the rocky start has taken any greater toll on his own psyche than any other record would have.

“I guess no more than if we were 6-1, to be honest with you,” he said. “As a coach, you’re consumed during the season and actually away from the season by thinking about what to do, what we can do, whether we’re having success or not. Obviously, it would be better if we were having success, but at the same time, if you are, you’re still putting the same amount of time and thought into your team.

“This is a challenge, to get on the right track, and we’re excited about it. We’re working hard toward it. If it were the other way, it would be a challenge to make sure that we improve as well, and keep working at it, so we’re fortunate to have a good group and fortunate to be able to work through this.”

Ultimately, Prier and his players know that the team is tremendously fortunate to not only be playing a game at such an elite level, but to be doing so while earning an Ivy League degree. Therefore, Prier has no problems reminding his boys where there priorities should lie.

“You gotta continue to be positive, and show them why — when they are successful in games — what it is that they’re doing,” Prier said. “At the end of the day, they’re playing hockey at Princeton University. To take a quote from Joe Marsh, they’re not solving world hunger. You’ve got to be loose, you’ve got to continue to have fun, but you’ve also got to compete and be able to win stick battles and have proper posture on the ice and play systematically all the time. You’ve got to do all that, in a way that you can have fun, and you can play loose.”

Allan McPherson has five goals this season for Clarkson (photo: Shelley M. Szwast).

Around the league

• From 9-2-1 Clarkson’s 32 goals, 18 goal-scorers: The team has only eight multi-goal scorers, led by senior forward Allan McPherson’s five. Only four skaters from the entire active roster are goalless. This is what we call “depth of scoring.”

• Did anybody — seriously, anybody — think Quinnipiac had any chance at all of opening a “transition” season like this? The Bobcats are 9-1-1, on a 10-game unbeaten streak since a season-opening loss in Alaska. They are consistently beating opponents by multiple goals (eight of their nine wins have been by two goals or more), and they are just as fun to watch as last year’s title contenders. They hit, they score, they make plays. It’s no wonder a ticket at High Point Solutions Arena is harder to come by than a QU Braves jersey.

• Meanwhile down the street, Yale is playing well but still seems to be struggling to create its new identity in the shadow of last year’s championship squad. There is no shame at all in a 3-1-2 record, but so far the offense hasn’t quite found the consistency and lethality necessary to regularly top the three-goal mark, which seems to be where the defense and goaltending have landed so far. On the other hand, the freshman goaltending tandem of Alex Lyon and Patrick Spano is doing the job well, each holding personal GAAs under 3.00 and save percentages above .900. This is welcome news for a program that has had a few, shall we say, shaky goaltending performances in recent memory.

• Union has bounced back nicely from a 1-2-2 start, winning three of four ECAC games. A big part of the turnaround has been the Dutchmen’s ability to turn lots of shots into lots of goals: In its three most recent wins, Union outshot its opponents 109-50. The Dutchmen have been putting a lot of rubber on net; it was only a matter of time before that resulted in goals … and W’s.

WCHA women’s commissioner Martin retiring at end of 2013-14 season

USCHO Staff Report
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WCHA women’s commissioner Sara Martin, who has served in her role since the conference’s founding in 1999, will retire at the end of this season.

Martin’s retirement is effective June 30, 2014.

“With all of the changes in college hockey and approaching my 15th season, this seemed like the perfect time to step down,” said Martin in a statement. “I have been very proud to be a part of the WCHA. This association is very special with a long tradition of success. We have an outstanding WCHA staff and institutional coaches, administrators and especially student-athletes who have elevated the sport of women’s ice hockey and will continue to do so. I look forward to being a WCHA fan for life.”

During Martin’s tenure, WCHA member teams have regularly led the country in attendance and the WCHA Final Face-Off has continued to grow.

“Sara has been an invaluable resource to the WCHA and will be missed,” said Bill Hudson, a St. Cloud State professor who serves as the chair of the WCHA executive committee. “I feel lucky to have worked with her over the years and we thank her for her contributions to the association during her tenure.”

Martin has been extensively involved with college hockey for more than 20 years. She served as tournament director of the WCHA Final Five in 1994, 1996 and 1998, was the tournament manager for the 1997 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four held at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee and was assistant tournament manager for the 1993 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four, also in Milwaukee. She was also the tournament manager for the 1995 and 1999 NCAA Division I Men’s West Regionals, held in Madison, Wis.

Prior to assuming her duties with the WCHA, Martin worked in the Wisconsin athletic department from 1990-99.

Gallery: Salve Regina at Wentworth

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Gallery of images from Wentworth’s 2-1 victory over Salve Regina at Tsongas Arena in Lowell, Mass. on Tuesday, November 12. Tsongas, along with Walter Brown Arena, is Wentworth’s new home for games after losing the ability to play at Matthews Arena in Boston.

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