Home Blog Page 1077

Hobey Watch – NCAA Tournament Edition, Day 1

By
-

Following Friday’s East Regional semifinal games at the Times Union Center, I have the following statements to make about the race for the 2010 Hobey Baker Award.

– Thanks for playing, Ben Scrivens.

– Welcome to the competition, Bobby Butler.

Going into the weekend, my feelings were that the Hobey Hat Trick would consist of:

1) Wisconsin defenseman Brendan Smith, absent a T.J. Hensick-type situation that would take him out of the running.

2) Either Denver goalie Marc Cheverie OR Cornell goalie Ben Scrivens, pending the outcome of the East Regional.

3) A player to be determined, with a strong possibility (but not a guarantee) that the player would come from an Eastern team.

That feeling has not changed.

Here’s what happened tonight:

First of all, while both Cheverie and Scrivens had their seasons ended in regional semifinal upsets, Cheverie had a very respectable performance, stopping 23 of 25 shots against an RIT team that did give him a legitimate test. Had Denver won today’s game 3-2, Cheverie’s performance wouldn’t be criticized one bit, and it shouldn’t be now, either. The two goals scored on him were off of a bad turnover and a well-executed power play, and it’s hard to fault him on either.

Scrivens, meanwhile…well, let’s put it this way. When asked about Scrivens’ performance tonight (31 saves on 36 shots), the Big Red bench boss began his response by talking about what a great career Scrivens has had. Schafer would go on to say that he doesn’t comment on goalie performances until he’s reviewed tape, but that kind of opening can be taken to mean, “There’s no way I’m throwing this kid under the bus, but he really didn’t play well tonight.” Scrivens didn’t get much help – Cornell turned the puck over way too much – but he really didn’t look very good.

I think that Cheverie’s strength over the course of the season will serve him well – especially now that he’s just .002 behind Scrivens in save percentage – combined with the fact that he’s playing against WCHA opposition in a system not particularly known for enabling great goaltending statistics, as opposed to ECAC Hockey opponents and the notorious Cornell “system.” So, barring anything crazy, I think Cheverie’s in and Scrivens is out.

Now, as for the third spot, Bobby Butler is staking his claim. Two goals today give him sole possession of the NCAA lead with 29, and the hardware he’s already collected – Hockey East Player of the Year, Walter Brown Award – bolsters his resumé that much more. If Butler turns in a similar performance tomorrow, that third Hobey Hat Trick spot could easily be his. The only other players I see competing for it are Blake Geoffrion with a monster performance in the West regional, or Gustav Nyquist if UNH and Wisconsin both fall short, as Nyquist’s huge regular season numbers will still stand up.

But who knows? There’s a lot of hockey to be played, and as we’ve seen today, anything can happen.

East Regional Live Blog — Friday

USCHO Staff Report
-

Join us starting at 2:45 p.m. Eastern on Friday, March 26 for a live blog from the East Regional.

Please note that this is a moderated chat, and comments will not automatically be added. Please be patient.

Roe ‘Stirs the Drink’ for St. Cloud State

By
-

There’s a certain quality about the best in any area that allows them to be calm under pressure, unfazed when most would be a nervous wreck.

To St. Cloud State coach Bob Motzko, that’s why Garrett Roe had such a big role in his team’s first NCAA tournament victory.

The Huskies junior center didn’t blink when he had barely a few feet in which to squeeze a shot between the goaltender and the post.

He didn’t think twice when he had a player between himself and his intended target early in the second overtime Friday.

Tony Mosey got the credit for the deciding goal 23 seconds into the fifth period in a 4-3 victory over Northern Michigan in the NCAA opening round, but Roe’s calm demeanor in a tight situation was what set up the play.

“He’s fearless,” Huskies coach Bob Motzko said. “If you’re an athlete, it’s like basketball, you have to want that ball and put it up. You can’t be afraid to make plays. He wants the puck. And when he’s aggressive and on his toes, the kid’s got great talent. He’s so dangerous.”

There may have been a larger sense to that fearlessness on Friday.

When Roe last took the ice, it was on the same Xcel Energy Center sheet, and it ended with him being wheeled off on a stretcher. Roe went head-first into the boards in a WCHA Final Five semifinal game against Wisconsin last Friday, and he was taken to an area hospital.

There was no significant damage, but Roe missed the championship game loss to North Dakota a day later and sent a big scare through the Huskies.

So it was no surprise how eager Roe was to get back into game action, even though his absence was brief. His exuberance showed in a one-goal, two-assist performance in which he led the Huskies with nine shots on goal.

“I couldn’t wait,” Roe said. “It was kind of a tough week for me last week. … During this week, the guys they didn’t treat me any differently than they usually would. They know I was getting ready to work, and every other guy was getting ready to work.

“Personally, I wanted to get out there more than last week. It’s the NCAA tournament, that time of year. Coming back from injury, missing a game, all the things combined — I wanted the game to start right now.”

All three of Roe’s points Friday — bringing him to 20 goals and 49 points on the season — came on the Huskies’ power play, which overpowered the Wildcats.

Roe set up the winner with the Huskies on a power play early in the second overtime when, from the right circle, he threaded a pass to the front of the net, where Mosey got his stick on it to direct it between Northern Michigan goaltender Brian Stewart’s pads.

“That’s what big-time players do,” Motzko said. “They want the puck and they have ice in their veins.”

The Huskies’ power play was 3-for-7. St. Cloud State senior Ryan Lasch added a goal and an assist on the power play, again providing a powerful Huskies man-advantage tandem.

“They’re the toughest guys to contain maybe that we’ve seen,” Wildcats defenseman Erik Spady said. “It was a tough battle.”

Roe extended his personal points streak to nine games, a span in which he has eight goals and 15 points.

“Roe reminds me of a Jonathan Toews kind of player,” Northern Michigan coach Walt Kyle said. “He certainly is the straw that stirs the drink.”

On Friday, Roe stirred the Huskies into the West Regional final and a chance to earn the school’s first trip to the Frozen Four.

West Regional Live Blog — Friday

USCHO Staff Report
-

Join us starting at 4:15 p.m. Central on Friday, March 26 for a live blog from the West Regional.

Please note that this is a moderated chat, and comments will not automatically be added. Please be patient.

USCHO: West Regional (St. Paul) Live Blog (Friday)

New Hampshire’s Butler Sparks Rout of Cornell

By
-

Bobby Butler might not be able to grow a handlebar mustache like the rest of his teammates, but the UNH forward helped end the Wildcats’ scoring drought and solve the riddle that is Ben Scrivens. Butler’s late second period shot was declared a goal after a nearly 10-minute review and ended both the Wildcats’ scoring drought and Scrivens’ ECAC record 266:11 shutout streak.

The goal not only tied the game, but began a late UNH scoring onslaught that continued with Mike Sislo’s goal 26 seconds later.

“That was a big turn of events and then Sislo came back with that goal,” Butler said. “Scrivens has been playing well, so we had to go hard on him.”

The two goals gave Butler, the Hockey East Player of the Year, a Division I leading 29. It also ensured that Scrivens’ Cornell career ended on a sour note.

“Ben’s been awesome for us all year long,” Cornell coach Mike Schafer said. “We left him out to dry. He’s one of the best goaltenders that I’ve ever coached and he’s had a tremendous career.”

Out of Character and Out of the Tournament

For a team that’s well renowned for its defensive prowess, the late breakdown (two late second period goals and three third period goals, not including an empty-netter), was something that left the Big Red shell-shocked, even after the game.

“It’s surprising, given the way we’ve been playing in the playoffs,” senior captain Colin Greening said. “Some games you have it, some games you don’t. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why we couldn’t bring it tonight.”

Prior to Friday’s game, Cornell allowed four or more goals just four times this season.

Charting the Hobey Finalists: An Inside Look (Updated After Regionals)

By
-

Editor’s note: Here are updates from March 29 on how the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award fared in the NCAA regionals, followed by the original story.

Bobby Butler, New Hampshire: 2-1–3 in 2 games played … vs. Cornell in the East Regional semifinal he was 2-1–3, plus-4, 5 shots … scored first and fourth goals … vs. RIT in the regional final he was pointless, minus-2, 3 shots, was on the ice for three even-strength goals against (1 was an empty-net goal).

Blake Geoffrion, Wisconsin: 1-1–2, 7 shots, even in a 3-2 West Regional semifinal win over Vermont … was on ice for all three Wisconsin power-play goals and one Vermont power-play goal … in the regional final, was 1-2–3 as Wisconsin won the regional with a 5-3 win over St. Cloud State, 9 shots, plus-1, was on the ice for 2 even-strength goals for and a shorthanded goal against.

Gustav Nyquist, Maine: Did not play.

Mark Olver, Northern Michigan: 0-1–1 in a 2OT loss to St. Cloud State in the West semifinal. Set up game-tying goal late in the third period. Not on ice for any goals against.

Chase Polacek, Rensselaer: Did not play.

Rhett Rahkshani, Denver: 0-0–0, 6 shots, even in a East Regional semifinal loss to RIT.

Brendan Smith, Wisconsin: 0-2–2 in Wisconsin’s West Regional semifinal win over Vermont … 3 shots and even in the game, was on ice for all three of Wisconsin’s power-play goals, not on for a goal against … 0-0–0 in West final, 3 shots, minus-1, was on ice for a SCSU shorthanded goal.

Marc Cheverie, Denver: Stopped 23 of 25 shots in a 2-1 East Regional semifinal loss to RIT … one against was a power-play goal … both goals were first shots.

Ben Scrivens, Cornell: Stopped 32 of 37 shots in a 5-1 East Regional semifinal loss to New Hampshire … 2 of 5 goals were power-play goals. All five were first shots.

Cody Reichard, Miami: Stopped 16 of 17 shots against Alabama-Huntsville in Miami’s Midwest Regional semifinal win … did not play the regional final against Michigan.

The esteemed members of the Hobey Baker Award selection committee will have their annual conference call Monday to chat about the 10 finalists, and then each member will pick his or her top five choices and submit the ballots for review.

Then we’ll find out who the Hobey Hat Trick is.

Listed below are the 10 candidates and some criteria I used in my three years on the committee to determine who really had the best season.

This season is unusual because all of the candidates come from the big four conferences (WCHA, ECAC Hockey, CCHA, Hockey East). The past three years we have had candidates from Atlantic Hockey and the CHA, and that caused some conversation as to the weight of the accomplishments of those players in a conference not as deep against the weight of a player in the WCHA where the competition is a little stiffer on a consistent basis.

There are things scouts look for in evaluating players, and some of those things are listed here. One example is how well a kid plays on the road; another is how well he plays in big games against rivals or in the postseason. There are some teams that are so utterly dominant at home (Cornell comes to mind) because of their home-ice atmosphere that it is better to evaluate their players on the road because you get a truer sense of what type of players they are without the fans intimidating officials or opposing teams.

Here are the 10 candidates, some notes — positive and negative — where applicable based on just stats (no opinion here), and a statistical breakdown. There are criteria that the committee will use to determine the winner, but how well you played is a big deal.

Check out these season-in-review capsules and decide for yourself, leaving your fandom out of it, who had the best season. The key is to be objective. Some years it is pretty clear (the Kevin Porter season was basically him wire to wire) yet the Ryan Duncan year pit Duncan against T.J. Hensick and it took a lot to make that decision. When goalies are in the mix everyone has this tendency to compare their year to Ryan Miller’s Hobey season, but that isn’t really fair to the goalies and there are three good ones on the ballot this season.

Have fun and remember that this weekend’s games are in play so if there are candidates playing they have one or two more games to solidify their credentials. This weekend counts.

Check back next week for a recap of all players who played this weekend to add to your breakdown.

Bobby Butler, New Hampshire. Senior, RW, 37 GP, 27-23–50, 20 PIM, 154 shots, +15, 4 GWGs, power play points 7-5–12, led team in shots on goal, goals, points, shots, PPGs; T-2nd with 2 SHGs.

Games with points: 28. Multi-goal games: 5. Hat tricks: 1 (4-goal game vs Providence). Multi-assist games: 5. Multi-point games: 13. Streaks: two 7-game point streaks, 13 points in the first one and 12 in the second. Two goal streaks of 4 and 5 games. Road stats: 17 GP, 11-10–21. Playoff stats: 3 GP, 2-1–3 in three game loss to Vermont in the Hockey East QF’s, was scoreless in both losses. Rivalry/big game stats: 15 GP vs Maine/VT/BU/BC, 8-9–17. Draft status: Free Agent. Notes: 1st five road points were all goals … goals in four of first six games on the road … scoreless in two games at Wisconsin … last seven games was 3-3–6 but scoreless in three of those games … had eight points in first four games including 2-2–4 against Miami at UNH … had a pair of four-point games and five three-point games.

Blake Geoffrion, Wisconsin. Senior, C, 36 GP, 25-18–43, 52 PIM, +13, 104 shots, 13 PPGs, 3 GWGs, led Wisconsin in goals.

Games with points: 26. Multi-goal games: 6. Hat tricks: 1 (vs. Michigan Tech). Multi-assist games: 2. Multi-point games: 12. Streaks: two 5-game point streaks, two 3-game goal streaks. Road stats: 11-5–16 in 15 games. 6 GP, 4-2–6. Rivalry/big game stats: 10-6 in 12 games vs Minnesota, North Dakota, Denver, Michigan and Michigan State. Draft status: 2nd round (56th overall) by Nashville in 2006. Notes: 13-5–18 on the power play … tied for 1st in PPGs in the WCHA … 2nd in WCHA conference scoring in three less games played … 58 percent on draws … 15 points in 13 GP vs. top five teams in the WCHA … two goals vs. Denver in WCHA consolation game … led WCHA in goals.

Gustav Nyquist, Maine. Sophomore, RW, 39 GP, 19-42–61, 20 PIM, +15, 7 PPGs, 134 shots (led team), tied for 1st on team in goals, led team in points and assists.

Games with points: 32. Multi-goal games: 3. Hat tricks: 0. Multi-assist games: 14. Multi-point games: 19. Streaks: point streaks of seven games (13 points), 10 games (18 points), and 7 games (16 points), assist streaks of five games (8 assists) and 6 games (12 assists). Road stats: 19 GP, 7-19–26. Playoff stats, 5 GP 1-4–5 (1-1–2 vs BC in Hockey East final), Rivalry/big game stats: 13 games against BU, BC, UNH, Vermont 5-15–20. Draft Status: 4th round (121nd overall) by Detroit in 2008. Notes: six games of 3 points or more, only went one span of being blanked in back to back games all season, 6 assists in 3 games against archrival New Hampshire, led nation with 42 assists and 61 points.

Mark Olver, Northern Michigan. Junior, C, 39 GP, 19-29–48, 48 PIM, +16, 117 shots, 2 SHGs, 3 GWGs, 6-8–14 on the power play, 48 percent on faceoffs, led the CCHA in scoring.

Games with points: 29, Multi-goal games: 4. Hat tricks: 0. Multi-assist games: 7. Multi-point games: 12. Streaks: nine-game point streak (16 points) over the month of February. Four-game goal streak (5 goals), four-game assist streak (6 assists). Road stats: 20 GP, 6-15–21. Playoff stats: 4 GP, 0-2–2. Rivalry/big game stats: 10 games against Michigan Tech, Minnesota-Duluth, Lake Superior and Michigan, 3-11–14. Draft status: 5th round (140th overall) by Colorado in 2008. Notes: scoreless in back-to-back games only once all season, points in 15 of 20 road games, shut out in CCHA title game against Michigan, four points in two home games against conference winner Miami.

Chase Polacek, RPI. Junior, C, 39 GP, 26-26–52, 40 PIM, +1, 2 SHGs, 13 PPGs, led RPI in goals, assists, points, PPGs. Led the ECAC in scoring, 2nd in the ECAC in PPGs, led the ECAC with 2-3–5 shorthanded, 13-15–28 on the power play.

Games with points: 29. Multi-goal games: 5. Hat tricks: 1 (at Dartmouth), Multi-assist games: 6, Multi-point games: 15. Streaks: 14-game point streak (24 points), five-game goal streak (5 goals) and a three-game streak (6 goals), five-game assist streak (6 assists). Road stats: 16-10–26. Playoff stats: 3 GP, 1-1–2 in three-game loss to Brown at home, scoreless in Game 3. Rivalry stats: 10 games against Union, St. Lawrence, Clarkson, Cornell, Colgate, 7-5–12 (was 4-2 against cross-town rival Union). Draft Status: Free Agent. Notes: Five goals in two games at Harvard/Dartmouth Feb. 12-13 … two assists and six shots at the GLI against Michigan and Michigan State … nine points in a four-game stretch late February … was plus or even in 27 games this season.

Rhett Rakhshani, Denver. Senior, LW, 40 GP, 21-29–50, 40 PIM, +12, 145 shots, 7 PPGs, 1 SHG, tied for 1st in WCHA scoring, tied for 3rd in WCHA in goals, 7-14–21 on the power play, led Denver in scoring and assists, 2nd on team in PPGs.

Games with points: 30. Multi-goal games: 5. Hat tricks: 0. Multi-assist games: 11. Multi-point games: 15. Streaks: Five-game point streak (8 points) and a six-game point streak (8 points), six-game assist streak (7 points). Road stats: 19 GP, 19-9–22. Playoff stats: 4 GP, 1-1–2 (scoreless in WCHA semifinal game against North Dakota). Rivalry stats: 15 GP, 9-8–17 vs Minnesota, North Dakota, Colorado College, Wisconsin. Draft status: 4th round (100th overall) by the New York Islanders in 2006. Notes: goals in seven of first eight road games played this season … six points in two games at Denver Cup vs Boston College and Nebraska-Omaha … 2-3–5 last six games played … never scoreless in consecutive games.

Brendan Smith, Wisconsin. Junior, D, 38 GP, 15-30–45, 70 PIM, +13, 120 shots, 11 PPGs, led Wisconsin defensemen in scoring, 2nd on team in power-play goals, 8th in WCHA in scoring, top defensemen scoring in the WCHA, 4th in the WCHA in assists, 11-11–22 power play points.

Games with points: 24 Multi-goal games: 3. Hat tricks: 0. Multi-assist games: 6. Multi-point games: 13. Streaks: five-game point streak (9 points) and a seven-game streak (15 points). Seven-game assist streak (10 points). Road stats: 17 GP, 9-10–19. Playoff stats: 4 GP, 5 assists. Rivalry stats: 15 games played against North Dakota, Minnesota, Denver, CC, Michigan and Michigan State, 6-7–13. Draft Status: 1st round (27th overall) by Detroit in 2007. Notes: three-assist game against New Hampshire and four-assist game against Michigan Tech … back to back multi-point games against St. Cloud State and Michigan State.

Marc Cheverie, Denver. Junior, G, 34 GP, 24-5-3, 69 goals allowed, 953 saves, 6 shutouts, .932 save percentage, 2.06 goals-against average.

Had consecutive win streaks of 3 (twice), 4, and 9 games (included a sweep at North Dakota and a sweep at Minnesota State). Allowing one goal: 7. Allowing two goals: 8. That means 21 of 34 games he allowed two goals or less. Allowing 4 goals or more: 5 (once was in the WCHA semifinals against North Dakota). Road record: 11-3-1, 26 goals allowed and 4 shutouts. Playoff stats: 2-1, 8 goals allowed on 75 shots. 30-plus-saves games: 11. 40-plus-saves games: 2 (won both). Rivalry/big games: 8-3-2, 1 no-decision (pulled vs. Wisconsin in WCHA consolation game) vs Minnesota, CC, Wisconsin and North Dakota. Notes: 2nd nationally in save percentage, 12th in minutes played, second in shutouts (behind Ben Scrivens). Top goals-against average in the WCHA, top save percentage in the WCHA … Denver had the second best team GAA in the WCHA at 2.42. Draft status: 7th round (193rd overall) by Florida in 2006.

Ben Scrivens, Cornell. Senior, G, 33 GP, 21-8-4, 58 goals allowed, 863 saves, .937 save pct, 1.77 GAA, 7 shutouts.

Streaks: two of 3 wins in a row, one of 4 wins in a row. 1 goal allowed: 8. 2 goals allowed: 8. 23 of 33 starts allowed 2 goals or less. 4 or more allowed: 3. Road record: 9-5-2, 28 goals allowed. Playoffs 4-0, 1 goal allowed, 230:30 minute shutout streak currently active. 30-plus-save games: 8. 40-plus-save games: 1 (52 saves in an OT loss at home to Yale). Rivalry/big games: 9-1-1 vs Harvard, Colgate, Clarkson, BU (at Madison Square Garden) and North Dakota. Notes: Led the NCAA in GAA, save percentage, shutouts. 14th in minutes played. Draft status: Free Agent

Cody Reichard, Miami. Sophomore, G, 25 GP, 18-4-3, 44 goals allowed, 538 saves, 5 shutouts, .924 save percentage, 1.79 GAA.

Streaks: One 5-game win streak, one 6-game win streak. 1 goal allowed: 6. 2 goals allowed: 6. Total: 17 of 25 starts 2 goals or less allowed. 4 or more allowed: 3. Road record: 10-2-2, 23 goals allowed, 3 shutouts. Playoffs: 1-2, 12 goals allowed, pulled in the CCHA semifinal loss to Michigan. 30-plus-saves games: 2. 40-plus-saves games: 0. Rivalry/big games: 9-2-1 vs Michigan, MSU, Bowling Green, Miami, New Hampshire and Notre Dame. Notes: Tied for 6th nationally with 18 wins, played 10 less games than two other 18 game winners and 13 less than the other (Michigan’s Bryan Hogan, Northern Michigan’s Brian Stewart, Alaska’s Scott Greenham) … .924 save percentage was 5th in the NCAA and 1.79 was 2nd in the NCAA.

Atlantic Hockey Strikes Again: RIT Upsets Denver

By Nate Owen
-

Score one for Atlantic Hockey. Again.

For the third time in the last five seasons, a fourth-seeded Atlantic Hockey team made noise in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

In 2006, Holy Cross knocked off Minnesota with 4-3 overtime victory in the opening round. Last season, a fluky delayed goal call in overtime was all that stood between Air Force and the Frozen Four.

This year it was RIT’s turn, earning a win in their first Division I tournament appearance, and in the process gaining redemption for Atlantic Hockey’s putrid 20-55-5 out-of-conference record in 2009-10.

“We’re so happy to be able to contribute from an Atlantic Hockey standpoint and represent RIT as well,” Tigers coach Wayne Wilson said.

“I don’t think we have to prove [anything] to ourselves,” RIT senior goaltender Jared DeMichiel said of his conference. “I don’t know if Atlantic Hockey will ever get the respect it deserves. It’s the same in NCAA basketball were you have the big conferences like the Big East and ACC and then you have the mid-majors.”

DeMichiel went a long ways towards garnering some respect, tying a career-high with 39 saves in RIT’s 2-1 win. It was the Tigers’ 11th straight win, longest in school history, and longest in Division I hockey this season.

“He handled rebounds well and he was seeing things through traffic,” Denver forward Joe Colborne said of DeMichiel. “RIT plays a terrific system.”

When the Pioneers sliced the lead to one in the closing minutes, DeMichiel was there to stonewall any thought of a Denver comeback.

“I thought we were going to get another one,” Pioneers forward and Hobey Baker finalist Rhett Rakhshani said. “But their goalie stood his ground and they stood their ground.”

Right at Home On the Road

While top seeded Denver was technically the home team at the Times Union Center in Albany, it was the visiting Tigers that brought out the most fans. No surprise there, as the RIT faithful only had a cross-state drive, while Pioneers fans are situated two time zones away.

“Our fans have been outstanding since I first got the job 11 years ago,” Wilson said. “We have a very strong following and with a game like tonight, we can build off that. [Our arena] only holds 2,100, but it’s as good an environment as any team in any league can play in. We’re proud of our fans, facilities, and our school.”

No. 1 is No Fun

For the second year in a row, Denver grabbed the No. 1 in its regional.

For the second year in a row, it’s a one and done for the Pioneers. This year’s loss comes after a disappointing showing in the WCHA Final Five, with losses to Wisconsin and North Dakota.

“I certainly thought our preparation and whole mental outlook going into this game was much different and surpassed the preparation we did for last weekend,” Denver coach George Gwozdecky said. “We were the hunted all year long in our league and at times nationally. I thought these guys did a terrific job throughout the season.”

Wisconsin’s Hobey Duo a Driving Force Against Vermont

By Benjamin Worgull
-

The Hobey Baker Award has eluded Wisconsin since it was introduced in 1981, a shocking statistic for a school that has won six national championships.

But for the first time in program history, the Badgers have two names among the 10 finalists. In the first round of the NCAA tournament, senior center and tri-captain Blake Geoffrion and junior defenseman Brendan Smith showed why their names are among the best in college hockey.

On a day when most of other eight Hobey Baker Award candidates failed to make headlines, Geoffrion assisted on the first goal and scored the game winner at 19 minutes, 16 seconds in the second, while Smith did all the behind-the-scenes work to help top-seed Wisconsin outlast fourth-seed Vermont 3-2 before an announced crowd of 7,281 in the NCAA West Regional semifinals Friday night at the Xcel Energy Center.

Wisconsin's Michael Davies watches Blake Geoffrion's second-period goal hit the net (photo: Tim Brule).

Wisconsin’s Michael Davies watches Blake Geoffrion’s second-period goal hit the net (photo: Tim Brule).

“Their play, their game and their results speak for themselves,” Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves said. “In a big game, they played the way they are capable of. If you are going to win these types of games, your best players have to be your best players. They were that tonight for us.”

Smith was openly endorsed by Wisconsin (26-10-4) early in the Hobey Baker selection process, hardly a slap in the face of any teammate, seeing as Smith leads the nation’s defensemen with 15 goals, 45 points and a 1.18 points-per-game average.

But Geoffrion is no chump either. Leading the WCHA with 26 goals, Geoffrion’s work against Vermont (17-15-7) kept the Badgers on course. He attempted a team-high seven shots, won 18 of 31 faceoffs and scored his 14th goal on the power play, tied for tops in the country.

Smith assisted on both second period power play goals, but his yeoman work hardly went unnoticed. Smith made key outlet plays, was strong on the forecheck, and posed problems for Vermont in the neutral zone.

“He was pretty effective for them,” Vermont coach Kevin Sneddon said of Smith. “They are both great players and both deserve to be Hobey Baker finalists.”

The biggest concern for Eaves entering the weekend was how his team would start, one of the few inconsistencies for a team that is the only squad in the country that has not lost back-to-back games all season.

Geoffrion helped the fast start, assisting on freshman Justin Schultz’s goal to get Wisconsin on the board first at 5:51, but his work was vital in the second period after the Badgers allowed the reins to slip out of their grasp.

Battling back from a one-goal deficit, Geoffrion received a behind-the-back pass from Schultz and ripped a wrist shot past Vermont goalie Rob Madore at the left post, registering the Badgers’ third power-play goal in their first three chances.

“He can release the puck pretty quick and you think you have him covered in that slot area on the power play and he can find a way to get shots off,” Sneddon said. “He’s got a big body, great skill, good speed, plays aggressive.”

Added Eaves: “The power play was huge tonight. It created a lot of scoring chances and goals.”

After shoveling the puck to sophomore Derek Stepan, who in turn found Michael Davies for UW’s second goal at 4:02 in the second to tie the game at two, Smith’s heads-up play to keep the puck in the Wisconsin zone on the Geoffrion’s goal was the finishing bow on a second period that saw the Badgers outshoot Vermont 16-3, part of a 42-30 advantage for the game.

Smith also made sure the rest of the tournament field knows the status of Wisconsin’s physicality, as the junior defenseman knocked Dan Lawson on his keester with a big hit late in the third with the Catamounts trying to mount a rally.

“The base of our pyramid is to play hard,” Eaves said. “It was a good, hard hit.”

The victory means Wisconsin will get a chance to erase its 2-0 defeat to St. Cloud State on this very ice one week ago, as the second seed needed double overtime to upend Northern Michigan in the matinee. The Badgers, who are 2-3-0 against the Huskies this season, waited and watched patiently in their locker room, staying content with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and protein shakes and fighting the nerves.

“It’s a situation I quite honestly have never coached through before,” Eaves said.

Thanks to its Hobey twosome, Wisconsin will get a chance to take one step closer to Detroit’s Ford Field, and one step closer to finally etching a Badger name on college hockey’s top individual honor.

NCAA Regionals on Live TV

By
-

Here’s what we’ve compiled for live television plans for NCAA regional games this weekend, including which local and regional stations are picking up the games not broadcast live on ESPNU (all times Eastern):

FRIDAY

Denver vs. RIT, 3 p.m. (ESPNU HD)

St. Cloud State vs. Northern Michigan, 5:30 p.m.  (WBUP-TV, Marquette, Mich.; MASN)

Cornell vs. New Hampshire, 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU HD)

Wisconsin vs. Vermont, 9 p.m. (ESPNU HD)

SATURDAY

Boston College vs. Alaska, 1:30 p.m. (Comcast Sports Net New England; KFXF-TV, Fairbanks, Alaska; GCI Cable, Alaska; MASN)

Miami vs. Alabama-Huntsville, 4 p.m. (ESPNU)

North Dakota vs. Yale, 5 p.m. (FSN North; WCTX-TV, New Haven, Conn.; MASN)

East Regional final (Denver/RIT vs. Cornell/New Hampshire), 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU HD)

Bemidji State vs. Michigan, 7:30 p.m. (FSN North; MASN)

West Regional final (Wisconsin/Vermont vs. St. Cloud State/Northern Michigan), 9 p.m. (ESPNU HD)

SUNDAY

Northeast Regional final (Boston College/Alaska vs. North Dakota/Yale), 5:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

Midwest Regional final (Miami/Alabama-Huntsville vs. Bemidji State/Michigan), 8 p.m. (ESPNU)

What I Think: Week 24

By
-

Honestly, what I think this week is that there aren’t enough hours in the day. Sorry for not posting until now. NCAA time gets a little crazy around here.

I’m going to go through how I filled out my bracket, but I have to say right away that I don’t feel good about it. One problem is I don’t have any No. 4 seeds winning. That’s going to come back to bite me.

I have Cornell beating Denver in the East Regional final. I’m going with the goaltender that’s going into the weekend hotter, and that’s Cornell’s Ben Scrivens.

I have Wisconsin beating Northern Michigan in the West Regional final. The Badgers showed how they can play against Denver last Saturday. Will it continue? We shall see.

I have North Dakota beating Boston College in the Northeast Regional final. Coin toss, really, if it comes down to these teams. But I do like how North Dakota looked last weekend.

I have Michigan beating Miami in the Midwest Regional final. I think it would be closer than the CCHA semifinal game between the teams, but there’s something intriguing about the Wolverines right now.

In Detroit, I have Wisconsin beating North Dakota for the title. Just a hunch.

But I’m fully expecting the whole thing to crumble within hours of the start of the tournament. That’s why my investment in this in monetary terms is zero.

2010 NCAA Tournament: West Regional Preview

By Jim Connelly, Theresa Spisak and Paula C. Weston
-

WEST REGIONAL DATA

Venue: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minn.

Ticket info: Click here (opens new window).

Schedule: St. Cloud State vs. Northern Michigan, 4:30 p.m. Central Friday; Wisconsin vs. Vermont, 8 p.m. Friday; semifinal winners, 8 p.m. Saturday.

ABOUT THE TEAMS

Wisconsin

Record: 25-10-4 (17-8-3 WCHA, 2nd place)

NCAA tournament appearances: 23 (34-19-2, 6 national championships)

Players to watch: F Blake Geoffrion (25-18–43 in 36 GP), D Brendan Smith (15-30–45 in 38 GP), G Scott Gudmandson (17-4-4, 2.31, .915).

Why the Badgers will get to Detroit: Quite simply, the Badgers have a dynamic offense and a solid defense. When those two things are firing on all the proverbial cylinders, they’re very hard to match.

Why the Badgers will get bounced: You’ve all heard that defense wins championships. Wisconsin does have a good defense, but its goaltending — the last line of said defense in hockey — isn’t as strong as it needs to be this time of year. Also, as dynamic as its offense is, it can be stymied by a hot goaltender. If you want proof, look no further than Wisconsin’s game against St. Cloud State in the Final Five.

The inside story: There are always different things that end up being keys to success in the playoffs. It could be a hot goaltender, it might be a walk-on fourth liner that becomes a surprising star, or it could be a building.

The Badgers are hoping it’s the latter.

“We’re excited to be going back to St. Paul; there’s a certain familiarity [and] we’ve been there two out of the past three weekends so hopefully that’ll be a plus and everybody’s very excited to go,” said coach Mike Eaves. “We have a little familiarity with the Xcel [Energy] Center because we hold the Final Five there and secondly, is because of the big fan base; our fans will be able to travel.”

In other words, St. Paul is an easy enough drive from Madison, Wis., for voracious Badgers backers to come support their team.

“On Sunday, when we found out where we were going, [the players] were like 12-year-olds on Christmas morning; they were really excited,” said Eaves.

If all this building stuff seems silly to you though, don’t worry; Eaves and his team are also ready to play their game.

“There are no concerns [with this team],” he said. “We’ve got some confidence and we all recognize that it’s a one-and-done situation.”

St. Cloud State

Record: 23-13-5 (15-9-4 WCHA, 3rd place)

NCAA tournament appearances: 8 (0-8)

Players to watch: F Ryan Lasch (19-27–46 in 41 GP), F Garrett Roe (19-27–46 in 39 GP), D Garrett Raboin (8-15–23 in 38 GP).

Why the Huskies will get to Detroit: The Huskies have been in the NCAA tournament seven times before this year. Seven times they’ve been bounced without winning a game. It’s not realistic for them to keep losing. The Huskies also have two very capable goaltenders who, if on, are as good as any in the game.

Why the Huskies will get bounced: Take the opposite of what was said for getting the Huskies to Detroit. History is not on their side and if either Mike Lee or Dan Dunn is having a bad day, SCSU is very beatable.

St. Cloud State is winless in seven trips to the NCAA tournament (photo: Jason Waldowski).

St. Cloud State is winless in seven trips to the NCAA tournament (photo: Jason Waldowski).

The inside story: As seen above, there are two story lines for the Huskies. The first is regarding their lack of success in the tournament. Though one can never predict what will or will not bring success, coach Bob Motzko is hoping playing 90 minutes from home will at least help a little.

“Knowing the four regions and if we were going to get in, if I would have had a pick, I would have picked St. Paul, no question,” he said. “Twenty years and the seven previous tournaments, we’ve only been in New York and Michigan so this is the first opportunity for our fans to have an opportunity to see an NCAA event. I think our fans and our supporters are very excited for that opportunity to get back to St. Paul and I think they’re going to show that.”

The second is the Huskies’ goaltending. The team has two capable goaltenders in Lee (24 GP, 11-9-3, 2.74, .918) and Dunn (20 GP, 12-4-2, 2.63, .912).

“We’ve been very fortunate,” said Motzko. “Both goaltenders have helped us to get this position and there hasn’t been a rhyme and reason; they’ve both been very strong and they’ve both had their moments.”

Throughout the playoffs, Motzko has been playing the hot hand, which has been Lee. He stumbled a bit during the Huskies’ Final Five championship game with North Dakota, but Dunn filled in quite ably. As for who fans will see in St. Paul? Motzko’s hoping both.

“I have a feeling if we can have success on Friday night, then that’s our goal right now,” he said. “If we get to play more than one game here, we’re going to see two goalies and we’re going to stay with the girls we brought to the dance and we’re going to put them both in there and they’re going to give us the best chance to lead the way.”

Northern Michigan

Record: 20-12-8 (13-9-6-3 CCHA, 4th place)

NCAA tournament appearances: 8 (10-9, 1 national championship)

Players to watch: F Mark Olver (19-29–48 in 38 GP), D Erik Gustafsson (3-28–31 in 38 GP), G Brian Stewart (18-10-7, 2.40, .927).

Why the Wildcats will get to Detroit: This is a team that has gained momentum every season for the last three years, especially in the second half. The Wildcats are mature, and they’re 9-2-1 in their last 12 games.

Why the Wildcats will get bounced: This is a team that may perform well under pressure, or may struggle with consistency when the heat is on. They can score two goals in a win or four in a loss — and it’s hard to say when which will happen.

Greger Hanson scored the overtime winner in the CCHA semifinals against Ferris State (photo: Rachel Lewis).

Greger Hanson scored the overtime winner in the CCHA semifinals against Ferris State (photo: Rachel Lewis).

The inside story: There’s a lot to be said for this experienced, talented Wildcats team, but the one thing that cannot be denied is that senior Stewart is a second-half goalie. Because of that, Northern Michigan is a second-half team.

Since the beginning of January, the Wildcats have registered 13 of their 20 overall wins. In that span, Stewart has earned four shutouts and a .954 save percentage, propelling him into the top five in save percentage nationally.

And even though he’s seen a lot of shots — the Wildcats have given up over 31 per game, on average, in the second half — Stewart says that the team in front of him has solidified, making his job easier.

“I just think the defense, especially — they’ve been good all year and they’ve been a little bit gutsy,” said Stewart. “Our top four logged a lot of minutes … and that helps. We just really started clicking after Christmas break.”

The Wildcats have six players who have netted 10 or more goals, including Hobey Baker finalist Mark Olver, and in the second half of the season could rotate four scoring lines. They are a physical team that knows how to change the momentum of the game with a few clean hits. The defensive corps, led by two-time CCHA best offensive defenseman Erik Gustafsson, is fearless.

After their 2-1 loss to Michigan in the CCHA championship game, they’re also ready to go, said coach Walt Kyle.

“One of the things that we talk about all the time is that you have to be better, you have to grow through the playoffs,” said Kyle. “We’ve talked about that ever since I’ve been here.

“I guarantee you, this game will make us better. There aren’t many teams that are going to push you like those guys pushed us [last Saturday].”

Vermont

Record: 17-14-7 (9-11-7 Hockey East, 8th place)

NCAA tournament appearances: Five (3-5)

Players to watch: F Brayden Irwin (15-19–34 in 38 GP), F Colin Vock (11-17–28 in 38 GP), G Rob Madore (13-12-7, 2.65, .907).

Why the Catamounts will get to Detroit: Vermont reached last year’s Frozen Four as a team not on a lot of people’s radar. The fact that this year’s team finished in eighth place in Hockey East and needed a Boston College overtime goal on Saturday night to even reach the NCAA field means this team is playing with the house’s money. If goaltender Rob Madore catches lightning in a bottle yet again, the Catamounts could reach Detroit.

Why the Catamounts will get bounced: Scoring goals has been a major challenge for the Catamounts this year. In the final three postseason games, Vermont scored just two goals, both coming in back-to-back 1-0 wins over New Hampshire that allowed it to advance. If the Catamounts can’t get the offense going, this will be a quick exit.

Brayden Irwin has 34 points in 38 games for the Catamounts (photo: Melissa Wade).

Brayden Irwin has 34 points in 38 games for the Catamounts (photo: Melissa Wade).

The inside story: The collective breath of Catamount nation had just breathed a sigh of relief last Saturday night when Boston College grabbed a 6-4 lead over Maine with less than six minutes remaining in the Hockey East final. By that point, all realized that the only team standing between Vermont and an NCAA berth was the Black Bears.

So when Maine came back to score not only once but twice to force overtime, many in the Green Mountain State may have felt the season was over.

“At 6-4, my daughter tried to stay up with me but she was fading very fast, so I said I’d just go put her up to bed, make sure she’s tucked in,” said Vermont coach Kevin Sneddon. “By the time I came down, my wife was standing at the foot of the stairwell saying, ‘It’s going to overtime.'”

Needless to say, once BC’s Matt Lombardi scored 5:25 into the extra frame, the level of excitement for Sneddon went beyond imagine.

“The first emotions were that I was just so happy for my seniors,” said Sneddon. “It’s been a great class for this program so for them to get another opportunity to play is a special reward for a lot of hard work.”

Now that Vermont is in the tournament, the question is do they belong? The Catamounts are the lowest at-large team ever selected in terms of conference standings.

“Two things stand out. First, you look at our league, how tight teams were. The way teams finished maybe didn’t tell the whole story,” said Sneddon. “Then, obviously, our strength of schedule combined with the fact that we had the best non-conference record out of any Hockey East team. That’s what allowed us to even be in it.

“It’s not the most conventional way to make the national tournament, but we received this reward for beating good teams in our league and really scheduling up a really difficult non-conference schedule and having success.”

If Vermont is to advance, one thing is clear: its offense is going to need to show up. In Friday’s semifinal loss to Boston College, the Catamounts were whitewashed. In the previous two games, it was a single goal in each that earned victory.

“Obviously, we’ve got to finish our chances,” said Sneddon. “That’s what the BC game taught them. Not only did [BC goaltender John] Muse stop every opportunity we had, we flat out didn’t execute our chances.”

2010 NCAA Tournament: East Regional Preview

By Dave Hendrickson, Chris Lerch, Theresa Spisak and Brian Sullivan
-

EAST REGIONAL DATA

Venue: Times Union Center, Albany, N.Y.

Ticket info: Click here (opens new window).

Schedule: Denver vs. RIT, 3 p.m. Eastern Friday; Cornell vs. New Hampshire, 6:30 p.m. Friday; semifinal winners, 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

ABOUT THE TEAMS

Denver

Record: 29-7-4 (19-5-4 WCHA, 1st place)

NCAA tournament appearances: 20 (25-15, 7 national championships)

Players to watch: F Rhett Rakhshani (21-29–50 in 40 GP), D Patrick Wiercioch (6-20–26 in 38 GP), G Marc Cheverie (24-5-3, 2.08, .932).

Why the Pioneers will get to Detroit: Since the beginning of the season, the Pioneers have been one of the most dominant teams in the country with one of, if not the best, goaltenders in Cheverie. If he’s on, that dominance should be enough to take them all the way.

Why the Pioneers will get bounced: As good as the Pioneers have been all season, there is a possibility exhaustion is setting in, slowing the team down. There have been rare glimpses of that in early parts of the season, but Cheverie has been there to bail them out. However, if Cheverie looks as pedestrian as he did in the Final Five, the Pioneers won’t get out of Albany.

The inside story: Last weekend at the Final Five, many people were surprised with Denver’s performance. The Pioneers, untouchable for most of the season, lost back-to-back games for the first time all year.

At the time of year when one wants to be playing one’s best hockey, this probably isn’t a good sign going into the national tournament, right?

Not necessarily, according to coach George Gwozdecky. The reason why? The stakes are a lot higher this time around.

“What’s at stake this weekend is different for us than what was at stake last weekend. The Final Five tournament and the championship is significant,” he said, before adding that despite that, the tournament wasn’t do or die for them as it can be for other teams.

Instead, his team knew that it had a one seed in the NCAAs, regardless of what happened in St. Paul. Now, however, things are different.

“We certainly were disappointed in our performance [in the Final Five],” he said. “[But], bottom line right now is that there’s a whole lot at stake right now. We have played all year long to put ourselves in this position in the national tournament.”

It’s doubtful that the Pioneers purposefully mailed it in in St. Paul, but they’ll doubtless be ready to go in Albany.

Cornell

Record: 21-8-4 (14-5-3 ECAC Hockey, 2nd place)

NCAA tournament appearances: 18 (17-18, 2 national championships)

Players to watch: G Ben Scrivens (21-8-4, 1.78, .937), F Blake Gallagher (18-19–37 in 33 GP), F Colin Greening (15-20–35 in 33 GP)

Why the Big Red will get to Detroit: This is a team that is as systematically thorough and precise as anything seen since perhaps the 1980s Soviets. They’re big, they’re strong, they’re very well conditioned and they’re smart to boot.

Why the Big Red will get bounced: Cornell plays defensive hockey so well and so consistently that about the only time it seems to get rattled is when it gets scored upon early, often, or quickly. Scrivens is the nucleus of the team, and when (or if) he ever looks mortal, it shakes the Red to the core. An early deficit or a couple quick goals-against are bound to happen at some point in the NCAAs.

Cornell's Ben Scrivens enters the NCAA tournament on the heels of three straight shutouts (photo: Melissa Wade).

Cornell’s Ben Scrivens enters the NCAA tournament on the heels of three straight shutouts (photo: Melissa Wade).

The inside story: Cornell beat Brown and Union last weekend — two decidedly different teams with entirely disparate styles — in precisely the same way: The Big Red would acquire the puck, gain the offensive zone and maintain pressure for between 20 to 40 seconds. Even if Cornell didn’t score (and it doesn’t score prolifically), by the time the defense finally got the puck, they’d be so tired that they’d have to change.

And repeat.

Union logged a purported 32 shots on Cornell and Scrivens in the ECAC Hockey title game last week, but those must have been the easiest 32 saves of the goalie’s life. Cornell simply does not give up Grade-A chances, and it plays suffocatingly well with the lead.

The long and short of it is that the Ithacans are not an exciting team to watch, but if you want to teach your youth team how to play responsible hockey, pick up a game tape or 30. Coach Mike Schafer has had his teams playing the same game for the last decade and a half, and while it might make you tear your hair out in frustration … well, that’s kind of the goal. Watching Cornell hockey is like watching a plant die of thirst: It’s slow, but it’s inevitable.

The Big Red aren’t perfect or impervious, but it takes a very determined and deliberate team to crack Cornell’s iron will, and Scrivens’ iron wall.

New Hampshire

Record: 17-13-7 (15-6-6 Hockey East, 1st place)

NCAA tournament appearances: 20 (14-23)

Players to watch: F Bobby Butler (27-23–50 in 37 GP, Hockey East Player of the Year), D Blake Kessel (9-26–35 in 36 GP, First Team All-Hockey East), G Brian Foster (16-13-7, 2.95, .910, First Team All-Hockey East).

Why the Wildcats will get to Detroit: They’ll generate glittering opportunities off the transition. In that kind of game, they’re almost impossible to stop, even by two Hobey Baker candidate goaltenders, Cornell’s Ben Scrivens and (if both teams advance) Denver’s Marc Cheverie.

Why the Wildcats will get bounced: Cornell will do what Vermont did to knock UNH out in the Hockey East quarterfinals with back-to-back 1-0 losses, namely keep play to the outside and rely on spectacular goaltending to foil the few Grade A chances that develop.

New Hampshire's Bobby Butler is a Hobey Baker Award finalist (photo: Melissa Wade).

New Hampshire’s Bobby Butler is a Hobey Baker Award finalist (photo: Melissa Wade).

The inside story: The key won’t be that the Wildcats lost to Vermont in the league quarterfinals — they recovered nicely last year — but rather how they lost. In Cornell, they’ll be facing the same type of stifling defense and hot goaltending. The Big Red are the No. 1 defensive team in the country, and goaltender Ben Scrivens has posted three straight shutouts.

“That’s definitely going to be a challenge for us,” UNH coach Dick Umile said. “We thought we were going to score goals against Vermont and we didn’t. They play a similar style game [to Cornell], real tough in the center zone and they take away the middle and get you outside along the wall.”

The power play won’t necessarily be the answer. New Hampshire’s finished eighth in Hockey East (though it did improve over the second half) while Cornell’s penalty kill ranks third in the country.

“We are definitely going to have to screen the goaltender,” Umile says. “We’ll have a challenge just getting shots to the net. You have to make sure you get shots to the net. You have to get in front of him. We have to take his eyes away from the shots.”

The trick, according to Umile, will be to give the Big Red a dose of their own medicine.

“We have to play well defensively ourselves,” he says. “They like to cycle when they get you in the zone, play along the boards and get to the net. You have to be committed to hard work.

“It’s not going to be a wide-open game. It’s all going to come from good defense, that’s what we are focusing on, making sure we get to the net and making sure we take shots when we get them, because you might not get another one.”

RIT

Record:26-11-1 (22-5-1 Atlantic Hockey, 1st place)

NCAA tournament appearances: 1

Players to watch: F Cameron Burt (15-30–45 in 37 GP), D Dan Ringwald (11-23–34 in 38 GP), G Jared DeMichiel (25-9-1, 2.00, .922).

Why the Tigers will get to Detroit: The Tigers have the fifth-ranked offense (3.58 goals per game) in Division I, but RIT’s defense is even better, ranked third (2.08).

Why the Tigers will get bounced: This is an older team but lacks a lot of big-game experience, making its first trip to the NCAA tournament. This is the first season that RIT has made it past the Atlantic Hockey semifinals since moving to Division I five years ago.

RIT is in the Division I tournament field for the first time after winning the Atlantic Hockey tournament (photo: Nick Serrata).

RIT is in the Division I tournament field for the first time after winning the Atlantic Hockey tournament (photo: Nick Serrata).

The inside story: Like most teams, the Tigers’ success has mirrored that of their goaltender. After playing sparingly his first two seasons and splitting time last season, senior DeMichiel has come into his own this year, recording 25 wins and starting all but two games and posting a team-record six shutouts, as well as having a hand in two more.

“It’s been great team defense,” DeMichiel said of RIT shaving its goals allowed by a full goal a game over last season. “Everybody has a role to play.”

Even though the Tigers have won 26 games this season, including an NCAA-best 10 in a row, DeMichiel knows he and his teammates are big underdogs against Denver.

“They’ve got talented goal scorers and a great goalie,” he said. “They have [a] double-digit [number of] NHL draft picks. But we’re playing really well right now and I know we can play with anyone.”

DeMichiel says he relishes the role of the underdog after the Tigers were heavy favorites in Atlantic Hockey, setting records for wins and points in a season and outscoring their opposition 10-1 last weekend in the AHA semifinals and championship.

“It’s actually a nice feeling because we have nothing to lose,” he said. ” All the pressure is on Denver because they are supposed to beat us. We just need to go out, play hard, have fun and hope for the best.”

2010 NCAA Tournament: Midwest Regional Preview

By Matt Mackinder and Paula C. Weston
-

MIDWEST REGIONAL DATA

Venue: Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Ticket info: Click here (opens new window).

Schedule: Miami vs. Alabama-Huntsville, 4 p.m. Eastern Saturday; Bemidji State vs. Michigan, 7:30 p.m. Saturday; semifinal winners, 8 p.m. Sunday.

ABOUT THE TEAMS

Miami

Record: 27-7-7 (21-2-5-2 CCHA, 1st place)

NCAA tournament appearances: 8 (5-7)

Players to watch: F Jarod Palmer (18-27–45 in 41 GP), D Vincent LoVerde (3-8–11 in 40 GP), G Cody Reichard (18-4-3, 1.79, .924).

Why the RedHawks will get to Detroit: Why won’t the RedHawks get to Detroit? They have more motivation than nearly any team in the entire tournament, and they have the deepest team in the competition.

Why the RedHawks will get bounced: The RedHawks are passionate, something that can fuel them or undermine them, as when they take unnecessary penalties or deflate in tougher times during games. These occasions are rare, but when everything rides on one game, all it takes is one moment of weakness … as Miami learned against Boston University at the end of last season.

The inside story: The RedHawks were the dominant team in the CCHA and the top team in the country for most of the 2009-10 season, no small feat for a team that’s been through what this squad has in the past 12 months.

After watching last year’s national championship slip away in the final minute of regulation against Boston University, Miami returned to play this year with renewed purpose. In February, the team was dealt a more significant blow, when student manager Brendan Burke died in an auto accident near the Indiana-Ohio border.

In accepting the 2009-10 CCHA coach of the year award, Enrico Blasi talked about both of those things and opened up about his own personal life, like his recent divorce. All of it, he said, has brought his team closer together, knitted an even tighter Brotherhood — the name the team calls itself — in this year’s quest for a national title.

How has that translated to the ice? A nearly unstoppable offense that has outscored opponents 141-76 in 41 overall games. A second-ranked scoring defense that has allowed just 1.85 goals per game and the fifth-best penalty kill in the nation (86.9 percent). Two sophomore goalies who can start, including this year’s CCHA player of the year, Reichard.

It was Connor Knapp (1.88, .921) who was in net when Miami beat Ferris State in the CCHA third-place game in Detroit, and after that win Blasi said that the starting position for the first game in the Midwest Regional was up for grabs.

“We’ve got two No. 1 goalies,” said Blasi, “a pretty good problem to have. Just like any other week, we’ll compete during the week and we’ll make our decision come game time.”

Miami is deep in every position. They’re fast skaters, have some of the most skilled forwards in the country, have a great transitional game and play excellent overall team defense. They play a very physical game, too; when that physicality is disciplined purposed, the RedHawks are nearly flawless.

After everything the RedHawks endured this year, including last week’s semifinal loss against Michigan in the CCHA championship tournament, Blasi said: “If this team ends up being the No. 1 seed overall, it’s a pretty good season. You want to go into the tournament on a winning note.”

Bemidji State

Record: 23-9-4 (14-3-1 CHA, 1st place)

NCAA tournament appearances: 4 (2-3)

Players to watch: F Matt Read (19-21–40 in 36 GP), D Brad Hunt (7-26–33 in 36 GP), G Dan Bakala (19-7-3, 2.27, .919)

Why the Beavers will get to Detroit: The experience gained from last year’s improbable run to the Frozen Four is invaluable this time of year. Couple that with a gritty, hard-working bunch and getting to Motown isn’t totally out of the question.

Why the Beavers will get bounced: Bemidji State had a terrible, winless CHA tournament and then two weeks off. They’ve had too much time to dwell on the past and go into the tournament facing arguably the country’s hottest team in Michigan.

Matt Read leads Bemidji State with 40 points (photo: BSU Photo Services).

Matt Read leads Bemidji State with 40 points (photo: BSU Photo Services).

The inside story: BSU has never faced Michigan, and that’s fine for Beavers coach Tom Serratore — he knows what his squad is up against.

“They’re always dangerous; this is Michigan we’re talking about,” Serratore told AnnArbor.com. “They’re going to be the favorite in this game and I don’t care what they’ve gone through this year, they’ve still won 25 games. And 25 wins is 25 wins.”

This season is also Bemidji State’s fourth NCAA appearance, but first as an at-large team. BSU ran away with the CHA this season, but faltered in the playoffs with a loss to Niagara and a tie against Robert Morris.

The Beavers also ended the season with just two wins (2-2-2) over their last three weekends.

“We’ve been a little inconsistent over our last five games, but when you factor how much we’ve been on the road and the difficult schedule we’ve played, yeah, I like where we’re at right now,” Serratore said. “We’ve been able to win on the road, we’ve won at home and we’ve shown we’re a hard-working team.

“I know it’s an old coach’s cliché, but we have to look at one game at a time. If you look beyond that, you’re going to get kicked in the teeth.”

Needless to say, Bemidji State will not sneak up on anyone this year and by the same token, no one will take the Beavers lightly — that much is certain.

Michigan

Record: 25-17-1 (14-13-1-0 CCHA, 7th place)

NCAA tournament appearances: 33 (46-25, 9 national championships)

Players to watch: F Carl Hagelin (17-30–47 in 43 GP), D Steve Kampfer (3-19–22 in 43 GP), G Shawn Hunwick (7-2-0, 1.86, .912).

Why the Wolverines will get to Detroit: Michigan is on a mission, having finally galvanized around an injured captain and in front of a backup goaltender. This team is committed to playing defense first, and the goals are coming from there — and the goals are coming.

Why the Wolverines will get bounced: While the team is tournament tested, Hunwick is not. And the Wolverines may have ridden their wave as far as it can go.

Carl Hagelin has 47 points in 43 games for Michigan (photo: Melissa Wade).

Carl Hagelin has 47 points in 43 games for Michigan (photo: Melissa Wade).

The inside story: The Wolverines had one option to get into this year’s tournament. After finishing seventh in the league standings, Michigan had to win the Mason Cup or sit out the big dance for the first time in 20 years.

After beating Northern Michigan to earn the league’s automatic berth, coach Red Berenson said, “It’s not where we are now, but how we got here.”

And how.

For most of the 2009-10 season, nothing seemed to come together for Michigan. Starting goaltender Bryan Hogan struggled in stretches, but when he played well, the team in front of him didn’t score. The Wolverines slumped twice, losing five games in November and six from mid-January through mid-February.

All of that seemed to change Feb. 25 when a third-year, walk-on goaltender was called upon to replace an injured Hogan in the first period of Michigan’s 4-0 win over Notre Dame. Eight games later, junior Hunwick has emerged as the darling of the CCHA, backstopping the Wolverines to a league title and earning the CCHA tournament’s MVP award. UM’s 2-1 win over Northern for the Mason Cup was the seventh start of Hunwick’s career.

“You’ve just got to take it in five-minute segments and that’s what I was trying to do, get through five minutes and then the next five minutes,” Hunwick said of his new role. “You can’t really worry about 60 minutes. It’s just too long.”

While the team seems to have rallied around Hunwick and senior captain Chris Summers, who was injured March 6, Louie Caporusso, the team’s leading goal scorer, said that the Wolverines have just finally figured out how to play.

“It was just a commitment to play sound team hockey, defensive hockey, playing for one another, playing for the team,” said Caporusso. “Something clicked. I can’t tell you what it was, but I think maybe the adversity throughout the whole year.

“Finally we said [that] it’s up to us. It doesn’t matter what people say or what’s thought of us. We just have to work our hardest and play well.”

Alabama-Huntsville

Record: 12-17-3 (6-10-2 CHA, t-3rd place)

NCAA tournament appearances: 2 (0-1)

Players to watch: G Cameron Talbot (12-17-3, 2.62, .924), F Cody Campbell (8-14-22 in 32 GP), F Andrew Coburn (7-15-22 in 32 GP)

Why the Chargers will get to Detroit: The talent is definitely there, but UAH will need lucky bounces, timely goals and Talbot to do headstands to get to Ford Field.

Why the Chargers will get bounced: The only team with a losing record in the tournament, UAH had trouble in its own conference, so playing on the national stage against a top team like Miami may bring the Chargers back to reality.

Alabama-Huntsville goaltender Cameron Talbot has a .924 save percentage (photo: Doug Eagan).

Alabama-Huntsville goaltender Cameron Talbot has a .924 save percentage (photo: Doug Eagan).

The inside story: Both times UAH has made the national tournament, the Chargers have done so as CHA playoff champs with a losing record. And both times, their first game in regionals has been against the national No. 1 team.

In 2007, UAH took Notre Dame to double overtime before bowing out.

This year, first up is Miami, a squad that is 0-3 against CHA teams this year.

Chargers coach Danton Cole has a simple game plan going into Saturday’s tilt with the RedHawks.

“We’re going to concentrate on how we play,” Cole said to the Huntsville Times. “[Miami is] not going to vary the way they play, which is fine by us.”

Alabama-Huntsville and Miami first played each other as club teams in the 1982-83 season and last played one another in 2003-04.

After all games were complete last Saturday night, Cole said he had a pretty good idea of where his guys would be this weekend.

“We had a good idea it would be Miami and Fort Wayne,” said Cole. “Regardless, this is very exciting and great for the program.”

Will the opportunity to upset a team from the CCHA, the league that rejected UAH’s application last year, have any bearing on playing Miami?

“That has no bearing on us,” added Cole. “We are going forward.”

2010 NCAA Tournament: Northeast Regional Preview

By Jim Connelly, Theresa Spisak, Brian Sullivan and Paula C. Weston
-

NORTHEAST REGIONAL DATA

Venue: DCU Center, Worcester, Mass.

Ticket info: Click here (opens new window).

Schedule: Boston College vs. Alaska, 1:30 p.m. Eastern Saturday; North Dakota vs. Yale, 5 p.m. Saturday; semifinal winners, 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

ABOUT THE TEAMS

Boston College

Record: 25-10-3 (16-8-3 Hockey East, 2nd place)

NCAA tournament appearances: 29 (37-37, 3 national championships)

Players to watch: F Cam Atkinson (24-22–46 in 38 GP), F Brian Gibbons (15-29–44 in 38 GP), G John Muse (15-8-2, 2.43, .909).

Why the Eagles will get to Detroit: Boston College is one of the hottest teams in the country, having not lost since Feb. 19 (8-0-1). Over that span, the team has potted 43 goals while allowing just 20 (and six of those were scored by Maine in a wild Hockey East final).

Why the Eagles will get bounced: While BC’s offense seems to consistently produce, its young defensive corps and sometimes shaky goaltending can be a downfall. It’s critical that BC get out to the early lead as the team has trailed for just 55 seconds since its last loss on Feb. 19, so playing from behind isn’t familiar to this team.

The inside story: When the Hockey East playoffs began on March 12, Boston College was riding the back of red-hot rookie goaltender Parker Milner. But after Milner looked nervous in his first playoff start, holding on for a 6-5 win over Massachusetts, he was replaced by junior John Muse, who two years ago backstopped the Eagles to the national title as a freshman.

All seemed well and good until last Saturday’s Hockey East title game, when Muse matched a career high with six goals allowed against Maine in a 7-6 overtime thriller. The game was a strange one as BC never trailed but struggled to close out the Black Bears, allowing two late goals to force overtime before Matt Lombardi won it in the extra frame.

So Boston College coach Jerry York enters this NCAA tournament with two netminders both of whom had rough starts in their last outings.

Does that, then, translate to a dilemma for the veteran bench boss?

“John Muse is going to be our guy,” said York. “If anything happens, we have the luxury of going right back to Parker.”

Much of that decision might have to do with the fact that he felt even in allowing six goals against Maine, that Muse played a great game.

“Hockey is a unique sport in that you never can tell if it’s going to be a tight 2-1 type game or one of those 7-6 type games,” said York. “I thought [Saturday] was just one of those games where the offense was ahead of the defense.”

So with that decision behind him, York can concentrate on his opening game opponent, Alaska.

“They’re a much tighter defensive team,” said York. “I think they will be kind of like a Cornell team. Really defensive orientated. That was just from talking to people this morning. They said they’re very opportunistic offensively.”

Should BC advance, it could set up yet another meeting between BC and North Dakota. The two teams have met seven times in the last 11 NCAA tournaments with BC holding a lopsided 5-2 advantage.

North Dakota

Record: 25-12-5 (15-10-3 WCHA, t-4th place)

NCAA tournament appearances: 25 (40-19, 7 national championships)

Players to watch: F Danny Kristo (20-17–37 in 42 GP), F Evan Trupp (8-26–34 in 42 GP), G Brad Eidsness (24-9-4, 2.09, .915).

Why the Fighting Sioux will get to Detroit: The Sioux are one of the hottest teams in hockey, winners of 12 of their last 13 games. Though that doesn’t always guarantee success this time of year, the Sioux more importantly have the correct attitude to succeed this time of year — playing one game at a time, which is how they were able to win the Final Five despite playing their sixth game in nine days for the championship.

Why the Fighting Sioux will get bounced: As hot as the Sioux are, they’re also a young team and experience can mean a lot come playoff time. Also, even though they will have had six days off by the time the puck drops again, their WCHA playoff grind may come back to bite them.

Brad Eidsness backstopped North Dakota to a WCHA Final Five title last weekend (photo: Melissa Wade).

Brad Eidsness backstopped North Dakota to a WCHA Final Five title last weekend (photo: Melissa Wade).

The inside story: Given their recent play, there really is no one inside story about this year’s edition of the Fighting Sioux. Rather, there are a few small ones.

First: You’ll notice that the players to watch above aren’t necessarily the Sioux’s leading scorers, but rather the players that are probably currently playing their best hockey. Unlike previous versions of UND, this year’s team doesn’t have that one superstar player.

Second: Even though fatigue is mentioned as a reason this team might fall short in its quest for an eighth national title, coach Dave Hakstol almost thinks of it as an excuse.

“The fatigue factor certainly is an obvious one, but [we’ve taken] care of that,” he said. “That’s a nice benefit that we don’t play until Saturday.”

Third: This team is focused. Throughout the Final Five, Hakstol deflected questions about a game that was further in the future than the one on deck. That mind-set got them through the WCHA championship and he hopes it’ll get them even farther.

“It’s no time to relax,” he said. “It’s one goal to get into the national tournament, but we got into the WCHA tournament two weeks ago as one of 10 and said our goal was to win it. Well, we’re in a tournament now as one of 16 and our goal is to win it.”

Yale

Record: 20-9-3 (15-5-2 ECAC Hockey, 1st place)

NCAA tournament appearances: 4 (1-3)

Players to watch: F Broc Little (26-14–40 in 32 GP), F Brian O’Neill (14-25–39 in 32 GP), F Denny Kearney (9-25–34 in 32 GP)

Why the Bulldogs will get to Detroit: Yale had the best offense in the country this year, over a tenth of a point stronger than Wisconsin. Not only were the Bulldogs the only team to average more than four goals a game in Division I, but they also ranked eighth in scoring differential (behind seven other NCAA tournament teams).

Why the Bulldogs will get bounced: Goaltending, goaltending, goaltending. The Elis have been desperately seeking a suitable successor to Alec Richards all season, but even through 32 games, nobody has grabbed the reins. Freshman Nick Maricic had the most appearances on the team (14), but carried an ungainly 2.95 goals-against average and a .888 save percentage with his 7-4-2 record.

Broc Little leads Yale with 26 goals and 40 points (photo: Melissa Wade).

Broc Little leads Yale with 26 goals and 40 points (photo: Melissa Wade).

The inside story: Yale’s success in the tournament will be almost entirely borne of one of two options: Either its defense (and netminding) steps up for once, or its offense simply outraces its opponents’.

While Maricic got the most starts this year, coach Keith Allain has been tapping senior Billy Blase in recent games. Blase has given up seven goals on 77 shots in his last three starts, which is still a step up from Maricic’s year-long averages. Blase’s numbers for the season are pretty reasonable: 2.37 goals-against average and a .901 save rate.

Allain’s offense was dealt a significant blow three weeks ago with the loss of superstar sniper Sean Backman. The senior seriously injured his heel during some late-night extracurriculars, and thus gone are the senior’s 21 goals and huge power-play presence (leading the team with nine PPGs). Little, O’Neill, Kearney, rookie Andrew Miller (30 points) and senior Mark Arcobello (11 goals) are plenty, but when you’re always finding yourself engaged in shootouts, any diminishment can be a big one.

The Bulldogs have demonstrated significant quick-strike and comeback abilities this season, including consecutive wins despite 4-1 deficits. The first came against Clarkson, which led by that score with only eight minutes left in regulation, followed by the ‘Dogs’ impressive 7-4 late-season victory at Princeton despite trailing the Tigers by three at the game’s halfway mark.

Alaska

Record: 18-11-9 (11-9-8-4 CCHA, 5th place)

NCAA tournament appearances: 1

Players to watch: F Dion Knelsen (19-23–42 in 38 GP), D Bryant Molle (3-6–9 in 38 GP), G Scott Greenham (18-11-9, 2.20, .918).

Why the Nanooks will get to Detroit: This is a team under nearly everyone’s radar. They have a tight defense, they can skate with anyone and they’re well rested.

Why the Nanooks will get bounced: On the other hand, the Nanooks have no NCAA tournament experience, they can have trouble scoring goals and rusty legs can be a killer in a one-and-done format.

Dion Knelsen's 19 goals and 42 points lead the way for Alaska (photo: Alaska Athletics).

Dion Knelsen’s 19 goals and 42 points lead the way for Alaska (photo: Alaska Athletics).

The inside story: For the Nanooks, the hardest part of the 2009-10 season was last weekend’s CCHA tournament. It was especially hard because Alaska wasn’t playing. After losing to the Wildcats on the road the week before in the second round of the CCHA playoffs, everyone in Fairbanks was playing the waiting game.

“I was thinking we were on the outside looking in,” said coach Dallas Ferguson, “and we needed some help from some other teams and that’s what happened. Obviously, we’ve had a good season.”

Under Ferguson, the Nanooks program has been strong for the past two seasons, returning to solid defense-first hockey and building a more creative offense. Ferguson credits his players for buying what he’s been selling.

“One of the biggest things is that we wanted to make sure that everyone understood the value with our team and that each guy on our team had to value,” said Ferguson. “It’s a team-first kind of culture. Everyone’s taken a lot of pride in being a member of our program.

“Not everybody’s going to score all the goals and not everyone’s going to make the big plays, but everyone’s going to contribute.”

Alaska has just three players with 10 or more goals, but a slew of others who can contribute. The team’s defense can be smothering, and when Scott Greenham is on in net, he’s difficult to beat.

“He’s got a calmness to his game, which is good,” said Ferguson. “He’s been a good leader for us. He’s not a real vocal guy but he leads being the goaltender, being in that position.”

The Nanooks went through a seven-game winless streak early in the second half of the season, during which they netted nine goals and were shut out twice. They followed that up with an 8-2-2 stretch from the start of February through the end of the regular season, averaging 3.7 goals per game in that run.

Said Ferguson, “We’re just a team that tries to take care of the puck and try to get our opportunities.”

The NCAA Field, Inside the Numbers

By
-

Edmonton Oilers coach Pat Quinn was in Vancouver this week talking about the playoffs. He led the upstart Vancouver Canucks to the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, an epic seven-gamer against the New York Rangers that was probably the best finals in recent memory until last spring and the Pittsburgh Penguins’ improbable Game 7 win in Detroit.

He emphasized a point we talk about in college hockey, and that is forget who is a No. 1 seed and who is a No. 4 seed and look at who is playing really well heading to the field of 16. As we all know, get off the bus with the best players and you have a good chance of winning, but also get off the bus with the team that is playing the best and your chances in a one-and-done situation increase dramatically.

“We all remember the last Oilers team that made it to the Cup,” Quinn said. “They weren’t a real good team at the start of the playoffs, but they sure got good as the playoffs went on. Good enough to go four rounds, and get to a Game 7.

“Get in the dance, and you’ve got a chance.”

Team USA at the World Juniors had some hiccups early and got better as the tourney went along. Several teams in the NCAA tourney are in that boat as well.

Here are some quick notes on every team playing this weekend — how they started out and what they have done recently to look at which team might have the best chance to win this thing. These are the facts; you can interpret them any way you’d like.

Denver: Pretty dominant all season … 10-4-1 after 15, 20-6-4 after 30 … 10-game win streak late January to late February … 0-2 in the WCHA Final Five and 3-3 in last six.

RIT: Lost first five games, were 15-9-1 after 25 … currently on a 10-game winning streak in which have outscored opponents 45-13 with four shutouts … won the AHA playoff championship.

Cornell: 7-2-1 after 10, 12-5-3 after 20 and 8-2-1 last 11, including a four-game winning streak and a 230:30 consecutive shutout streak that extends over the last 11 periods played.

New Hampshire: Got to .500 at 6-6-3 and doubled win total with 6-1-1 run to get to 12-7-4 … went on a 3-1-3 roll to finish regular season … ended season by being shut out twice by Vermont after taking a 1-0 lead in the series at home with a 7-4 win.

St. Cloud State: Were 8-7-3 in January then went on a 9-0 roll … finished 3-4-1 but 3-1 last 4 … lost WCHA championship game to North Dakota.

Northern Michigan: Got over .500 on Jan. 3 at 9-8-4 … 10-2-2 since Jan. 29 … beat Ferris State and lost to Michigan in the CCHA championship.

Wisconsin: 6-3-1 after 10, 12-5-3 after 20 … 13-5-1 since Jan. 15, all in WCHA play … won 3 of last 4, lost WCHA semifinal to St. Cloud 2-0; won third-place game over Denver.

Vermont: Got clear of .500 on Dec. 12 at 7-6-2 … 11-7-2 after 20 … 4-3-1 last eight … shut out UNH 1-0 twice to win Games 2 and 3 of a best-of-three at UNH after a 7-4 opening-game loss … lost Hockey East semifinal game to Boston College.

Boston College: 5-3-2 after 10, 12-6-2 after 20 … 8-0-1 since Feb. 19 … 21 goals scored in last four games, 13 allowed … won Hockey East title with a 7-6 OT win against Maine.

Alaska: 7-2-1 after 10, 10-6-4 after 20 … 8-0-2 run to finish regular season, swept by Northern Michigan in Marquette in the CCHA semifinals.

North Dakota: 7-1-1 start, 9-6-3 at the semester break … four-game winning streak and 12-1 last 13, averaging 4.23 goals per game in that span … swept through the WCHA Final Five, beating UMD in the play-in game, Denver in the semis and St. Cloud State for the championship.

Yale: Went from 2-2-2 to 19-6-3 … seven-game win streak snapped the last day of the ECAC regular season … 1-3 last four, lost to Brown in the ECAC semifinals at home.

Miami: 8-1-1 after 10, 13-2-5 after 20 … 10-0-1 run in second half … 4-3 last seven … lost CCHA semifinal to Michigan; beat Ferris State to win the third-place game.

Alabama-Huntsville: 4-10-1 after 15, 9-14-2 after 30 … 2-0-1 to end the season; beat Robert Morris and Niagara (OT) to win the CHA playoff title.

Bemidji State: 13-2-1 after 16, 21-7-1 after 30 … 5-2-2 to finish the season and winless in last three … lost to Niagara and tied Robert Morris in the CHA championship.

Michigan: 4-7 after 11, 10-10 at the semester break … 16-13-1 after 30 … 8-1 last nine … outscoring opponents 28-9 in six-game winning streak.

Commentary: Sixteen Reasons to Cheer This Year

By
-

Sixteen teams with a chance to be No. 1.

All have a story, all have a purpose and all think they have a legit shot to win it all.

These are 16 likable teams, and here is a reason to root for every one of them. I give you every team and why I’d like to see them win the national title. Before doing that, for our visitors from outside New York and the Capital District region, it is pronounced Awl-bany or All-bany, not Albany (as in You Can Call me Al-bany). It sounds like “that all she wrote” as opposed to Al Gore. Get it? Just trying to help; sounding like you’re from out of town could be a risky proposition.

Miami

Anyone who has spent some time in the CCHA this season knows RedHawk nation can’t stand me and it’s because I said that I felt they would come up short in the CCHA playoffs. Well, they did, but that might be the best thing that happened to them. Losing in a big spot gives coaches ownership of their team for a period of time after that bad loss. You get the undivided attention of your players that week.

Miami has been through hell this season and so has its head coach. Brendan Burke, the team manager, was killed in a car accident and Rico Blasi has had his share of personal grief this year. It is a season off ice you wouldn’t wish on anyone.

However, Miami is a class act on and off the ice. Whether it be Nick Petraglia or Chris Bergeron or Brent Brekke, their staff is professional and they have instilled the concept of the brotherhood at Miami. It’s a fun team to watch and it can be explosive at any moment. It missed a national title by mere seconds last year and was a solid team all season.

You’d be happy for them if they won it all. I’d be happy for Pat Cannone most of all, considering how hard he has had to work to be a D-I player.

Alabama-Huntsville

The Chargers didn’t have a great season but they got hot when they needed to and won an OT game at Niagara against Niagara in the CHA championship game. Pretty impressive. Well coached by a pair of ex-Spartans in Danton Cole and Chris Luongo, it’s a good group that plays hard and battles. They can be tough to score against and tough to manufacture offense against. Great goaltending and discipline are the hallmarks here but they also have a bunch behind the bench you want to see do well.

They will play as an independent next season because they could not get a conference to adopt them as the CHA disbanded. What a story this would be if the defending national champ was an independent next season. For the chaos alone it’s worth rooting for them. Also, no school band plays “Sweet Home Alabama” better. I like the Chargers.

Bemidji State

Tom Serratore is more fun to talk hockey with, or just to talk to, than almost anyone in college hockey. Passionate about the game, smart, and charismatic, Tom is good for college hockey and he has done a phenomenal job at Bemidji State. For the first time in school history they won a regional last year and this year they made the tourney as an at-large pick. These guys are no pushover and they can be Michigan’s worst nightmare because of how hard they play and how well they go to the net. They can match Michigan’s speed at times and certainly can match their work ethic. They also are catching Michigan off an emotional weekend, so that might help or hurt BSU.

The Beavers go to the WCHA next season and should they get a crack at Michigan and Miami in the same regional they’ll be pretty ready either for the Frozen Four with two wins or at the very least be ready to tackle the WCHA. Bemidji State is a favorite of ours at CBS College Sports.

Michigan

OK, be honest. Even if you hate Michigan football or Michigan itself you have to be rooting for the Wolverines. They look dead in the water six weeks ago, they lose their starting goalie, they need to win the CCHA to make the tourney for a record 20th straight year, they needed to beat the No. 2 seed and archrival Michigan State at MSU and then needed to knock out the No. 1 seed in Miami in a semifinal game.

If you love an underdog and a great story you are rooting for Shawn Hunwick to win a national title. If you rooted for Jeff Lerg you can root for Hunwick. Likable, composed and making the saves he needs to, Hunwick is writing a great story. You would smile seeing this one end with the glass slipper on his foot.

North Dakota

Always a favorite program of mine with a terrific coach in Dave Hakstol. Another team that battled some adversity this season to get where it is. The Sioux have Ryan Malone’s cousin and Ron Hextall’s son on the squad, so you have some names that ring a bell. Their goaltending has been terrific and they look like the North Dakota teams that made the Frozen Four for what seemed every year last decade. They have a trio on top of their scoring list that would remind you of the Bochenski-Parise-Zajac era, or the Duncan-Toews-Oshie era.

Very likable team, great staff, and they are due.

Yale

The Bulldogs lost their best player in Sean Backman, who is a diminutive dynamo. Mark Arcobello is a buzz saw and Thomas Dignard is a bit of an unsung hero on the back line. Great coach in old friend Keith Allain and a team that has shown it can skate with anyone. They can hit, play well in their end and their goaltending has been good enough. Minus their best player you worry if they have enough jam but the Bulldogs are a great part of the tradition of college hockey and it’s always nice when the old guard climbs to the top again.

Alaska

The Nanooks are traveling almost as far to Worcester as they would to get to Tokyo to put this gong show in perspective. The committee couldn’t have switched them and Vermont to put Vermont closer to home and Alaska in an area where they’ll be close to some of the families of the players? The team is loaded with Western Canadians, a couple from Minnesota and their star is from Illinois. They have an awesome rookie in Andy Taranto and coach Dallas Ferguson was the coach of the year in the CCHA last season. He’s a class act and a good coach who keeps Alaska a pretty competitive team. If the Nanooks can get to Detroit it could get interesting. The team has a habit of playing well in the state of Michigan and plays about as many games a year there as they do at home.

Boston College

Jerry York, ’nuff said. Then again, we’ll say more. Not the superstar-laden teams we have seen in the past but kids like Jimmy Hayes and Chris Krieder make you want these guys to win. No staff in college hockey makes you feel more at home in their rink as a visitor then theirs, and when it comes to BC it’s a family affair everywhere they go. You never get the feeling they are Boston College; you get the feeling that they are just your local team you root for, which is pretty cool. There is just something folksy about them which is unique since they play in a huge city.

Boston College as a national champion is never a bad thing.

Denver

I’m a huge fan of George Gwozdecky and the Pioneers. Good program, good people, and great tradition. They are always fun to watch because even when they are good there is always that little doubt about them because they play in a great conference, and in the WCHA Final Five it’s just a huge crap shoot who wins anyway. You wonder if losing there hurts their psyche?

They have lights-out goaltending in Marc Cheverie, and this just might be the year Denver gets back to the Frozen Four. It would be cool for Gwozdecky to play in the FF in Detroit — he was an assistant on Michigan State’s national title team in 1986. He is the only person to win a national title in Division I as a player, assistant coach and head coach.

RIT

The little school from one of the great rinks in college hockey, RIT is a fun team to watch. Dan Ringwald is a hell of a defenseman and just oozes hockey sense and confidence. Coach Wayne Wilson has a good track record for success everywhere he has been and is a good ambassador for college hockey. He is an honest straight shooter. If for no other reason other than no one thinks they’ll even beat Denver, the Tigers coming out of nowhere would be a hell of a story.

New Hampshire

There might not be a team you would want to root for more than Dick Umile’s Wildcats from Durham. Always a great program, well coached, and somewhat snake bitten in the national tourney, the Wildcats deserve a national championship. They are always close, always have the right pieces in place and it just never happens for them. They come in as the regular season champs in Hockey East and play a regional somewhat close to home. They are one of those teams you can just root for because of Umile behind the bench and the class the program has.

Cornell

Here is a group that seems to give up a goal only if it feels like it. The Big Red are not exciting but rather ruthlessly efficient. They can play offensive as they have some good skill in their top six forwards, and their goalie Ben Scrivens might win the Hobey Baker. Mike Schafer is a fun coach at a press conference. He might not say much but he is entertaining and a good dude. We like him. Cornell has been close before and this might be as balanced a team as they have had in a while. That loss in the regionals last year has been a motivating factor for them this season. They are as deserving a winner as any team in the Sweet 16.

St. Cloud State

These guys are a little off my radar, but I’m rooting for Mike Lee. The kid got KO’ed from the gold medal game in the World Juniors and responded with a great second half. He is composed, competitive, and a terrific goalie. He is a kid who left Roseau High School after his junior year to play in the USHL, and that is somewhat unheard of up there in the Northern Minnesota region. He survived that and led Fargo to a USHL finals appearance. I like Mike Lee and him in net for a national title-winning game would be a great scene. He was a huge part of why Team USA won gold in Saskatoon.

Northern Michigan

Walt Kyle is a magician. Every year NMU muddles through the CCHA season and every year he gets them to The Joe for the CCHA championship. He did it again, but this year they got there in great shape in the PairWise, beat Ferris State and nearly beat Michigan. Walt’s brother John might be the funniest man in college hockey (he and Rick Gotkin of Mercyhurst at happy hour would be priceless) and if for no other reason than listening to him in a postgame presser after winning a national title NMU is a good team to root for. Their goalie Brian Stewart is also a fun watch and Alan Dorich, an unsung defenseman, is as tough as nails. Walt is a great coach and he deserves some light on him.

NMU fans travel well; they are a fun bunch. They’d be great at Ford Field. They are every year at the CCHAs.

Vermont

There are very few coaches in college hockey as unusual as Kevin Sneddon, and he is an old favorite of mine back to his days at Union. The Catamounts are a Frozen Four team from last year and despite a defensive moniker they are a pretty solid all-around team. The best part about Vermont is when it has to play with desperation. In that scenario the Catamounts might be the best team in college hockey. I’d love to see them in a national title game down 3-1 late and see if they can duplicate the feat BU did last year. They’d be the team I’d bet on in the tourney to do so and it would be great to watch. Why they are not in the Worcester regional for common sense reasons is beyond me.

Wisconsin

There is no coach in college hockey I have known longer than Mike Eaves. It’s now 20 years, just about my entire career in the business that I have had the pleasure to know Mike. I’d root for Mike even if he defected and coached Team Canada. This is another team that has a great staff and is led by a lunch pail group of forwards who work hard, can run you over, and play as a team. There might not be a more active defense in the nation, and John Ramage is my unsung hero of the year. Like Miami, Wisconsin is a team thing — the sum of the parts is bigger than any one piece.

Wisconsin winning a national title in hockey is like Alabama winning a national title in college football. It might ruffle a feather or two but it’s good for the business.

Enjoy the Sweet 16.

NCAA Tournament Preview Live Q&A

USCHO Staff Report
-

Join us at 1 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, March 25 as members of the USCHO staff answer questions about the NCAA tournament.

Please note that this is a moderated chat, and questions will not automatically be added. Please be patient.

Massachusetts’ Marcou, Minnesota-Duluth’s Bordson Among Latest to Leave Early for Pros

USCHO Staff Report
-

Massachusetts forward James Marcou and Minnesota-Duluth forward Rob Bordson added their names Tuesday to the growing list of players who are leaving school early to sign professional contracts.

Both left school with one season of eligibility remaining to sign with California teams.

Marcou, who potted 51 points for the Minutemen, inked a deal with the San Jose Sharks. The team on Tuesday also announced the signing of Massachusetts defenseman Matt Irwin, who was added to the roster of the Sharks’ AHL affiliate in Worcester last week.

Bordson signed with the Anaheim Ducks, which has also recently plucked Northeastern defenseman Jake Newton and Boston University forward Nick Bonino. Bordson had 40 points for the Bulldogs this season.

Click here for a list of players who have given up collegiate eligibility to sign professional contracts.

Tuesday Morning Quarterback: March 23, 2010

By Jim Connelly and Todd D. Milewski
-

Todd: Well, Jim, we’re down to 16 teams and 15 games remaining in the college hockey season. How we got here is a long tale, but in the last week, we’ve seen teams just miss making the NCAA tournament and some teams that were waiting on the sidelines have the bubble carry them into the field of 16. I’ll start with this question this week: What memory of last weekend will you carry forward with you?

Jim: I’ll actually give you two memories, both from the Hockey East tournament. The first is the championship game that was probably the most exciting in history. Maine rallied to tie the game three times, including two goals in the closing minutes (one with an extra attacker). Boston College eventually won in overtime, but the excitement of that game was unparalleled. The other memory is how Vermont had to hang on until the last breath of that title game, needing Maine to lose in order to get an at-large bid. In essence, the Catamounts needed a perfect storm of things to happen around the country on Saturday and, in the end, they all did. How about you? What stands out from this past weekend?

Todd: The big memory I carry away may end up being the surprise at how many games in the first two days ended in shutouts. Thursday’s game in the WCHA and the four of the five early games on Friday were blankings. Everyone says how important goaltending is at this time of the season, and maybe that means good things ahead for North Dakota, St. Cloud State, Boston College, RIT and Cornell — the teams that pitched those shutouts. Although it should be noted that St. Cloud State’s Mike Lee got pulled from Saturday’s WCHA championship game after allowing four goals, adding further intrigue to the Huskies’ goaltending situation.

Jim: The same can be said for Boston College as John Muse gave up six goals in Saturday’s title game, hardly something he or Boston College is used to. So now that the NCAA field is set, what stands out to you? I feel like St. Paul is the bracket of death and that top seed Wisconsin will have a struggle to advance. I think conceivably Denver has the easiest region but its play last weekend make me wonder if anything is easy for the Pioneers right now.

Todd: Both great points. Wisconsin often can be its own worst enemy in terms of not generating enough offense to get by. St. Cloud State did a great job in shutting down the Badgers last Friday, but I know Wisconsin players were looking at themselves as a big part of the reason why they were blanked. St. Cloud State, the No. 2 seed in the West, is still looking to break through with its first NCAA victory, and with the way Northern Michigan is playing, it won’t be easy. With Denver, there were a lot of surprised people in St. Paul after the Pioneers’ losses. But I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to just having a bad weekend at a bad time. No time left, though, for another one. The thing that I wonder about is Vermont’s place in the tournament. Do you think they are feeling like they have to justify their existence to anyone, maybe especially those from Ferris State?

Jim: I don’t think Vermont feels the need to justify anything. The Catamounts are very confident in the fact that they had a solid out-of-conference schedule and played extremely well against some great opponents. If they feel the need to justify anything, they can do so by beating Wisconsin on Friday night. Sure doesn’t sound like it’s out of the realm of things right now. So now being able to look at the field, who is your final four? Will we see the upsets of last year or can we expect for things to return to order?

Todd: I haven’t put a lot of thought into it yet, but here’s who I’m going with (and why): Michigan out of the Midwest, because I think the Wolverines have finally found the way they need to play, and it took Shawn Hunwick being in net to bring it out of them; Cornell in the East, because Ben Scrivens appears to be playing better than Marc Cheverie right now; Wisconsin in the West, because this seems a lot like 2006; and North Dakota in the Northeast, because the Sioux impressed me greatly last weekend, and I think they’ll have just enough to get through BC. And your picks?

Jim: I agree that Michigan has hit its stride but I think Miami is the better team and if both teams can get by their first-round matchups, I think Miami comes out of the Midwest. I also like Cornell in the East, as I think Denver is entering this weekend on such a low note that it’ll struggle to get past RIT. Cornell should have no problem getting past RIT. I’ll go with the homer pick in Worcester and pick BC over North Dakota for the millionth time. Both teams are playing well but I think BC will have a bit of a home-ice advantage. And in the west, I think this is the most difficult to pick, but I like Wisconsin (though will admit if I had multiple brackets, I might take Northern Michigan as a dark horse!) I’ve seen Vermont play a ton this year and depending on the team that shows up, my pick of Wisconsin could be ruined in the opening round. OK, one more set of predictions — we’ve seen the Hobey Baker finalists. Who, at this point, is in your top three?

Todd: I was talking this over with a few people last weekend, and it really seems like this year’s Hobey winner will be decided by play in the conference championships and the regionals. There just isn’t one hands-down front runner in the group, as far as I can see. Going on that belief, if you look at play last weekend, you’d have to include Cornell goaltender Ben Scrivens for his pair of shutouts. Wisconsin’s Blake Geoffrion did OK with a pair of goals against Denver — whose goaltender, Marc Cheverie, may be playing himself off the list — so I’ll throw him in there. And, even though he didn’t play last weekend, I’m going to add New Hampshire’s Bobby Butler to the mix. Obviously, a lot can change after the regionals. What’s your top three?

Jim: I think taking into consideration what you said, the fact that Maine and Rensselaer have been eliminated really hurts Gustav Nyquist and Chase Polacek. Polacek was never a threat in my mind, but Nyquist is a guy who I think deserves to be in the top three. He was a stud last weekend at the Hockey East tournament, but his season ended a week too early. Personally, I’d put him in my top three along with Scrivens and a guy who you didn’t mention but every time I’ve seen him this year he’s played incredible, and that’s Denver’s Rhett Rakhshani. Seeing as there’s another week of hockey left to be played before the Hobey balloting, let’s see if we’re both thinking similarly next week! Until then …

Analysis: What Value, Experience?

By
-

Bruce Campbell said it best – if not a bit cryptically – in a recent Old Spice ad:

“If you have it, you don’t need it. If you need it, you don’t have it. If you have it, you need more of it. If you have more of it, you don’t need less of it. You need it to get it, and you certainly need it to get more of it … but if you don’t already have any of it to begin with, you can’t get any of it to get started, which means you really have no idea how to get it in the first place, do you?

“You can share it, sure; you can even stockpile it if you like, but you can’t fake it. Wanting it, needing it, wishing for it: the point is, if you’ve never had any of it, ever, people just seem to know.”

What is it? Experience, of course, and it becomes the hot intangible commodity at this time of year. Coaches, players, fans, the media? We all want to know who’s got it, who doesn’t, who has more, who has less. We all want to “seem to know.”

The Power of Experience

Like the saying goes, the games aren’t played on paper. That is to say that there are all sorts of extra factors that play a part in every game: fatigue, chemistry, injuries, incentive, mental and emotional states of the individuals and of the team. But every year as elimination time looms, experience becomes the buzz word.

It is seen as an unquantifiable but immensely potent possession, one that is accumulated through any number of different trials and tribulations. It focuses talent, it calms in high-pressure situations, it sharpens decision-making ability and generally negates the effects of “nerves.”

Older, veteran teams supposedly bathe in the stuff, and it allows them to excel against the odds — against more talented but less-seasoned squads, through adversities and challenges. Experience gives you a team full of captains, a single-minded organism composed of poise, leadership and the killer instinct.

Putting It to the Test

But for the sake of argument, let’s try to quantify experience, to see what it’s really worth. It’s a futile experiment in a scientific sense, but I think we’ll all agree that there’s merit and reason to the way I’m about to do this.

What generates experience? What do teams and individuals have to do to accumulate it? Well, depending on who you ask, it could be any of myriad different events and accomplishments, but I’ve picked out the big ones: raw playing experience, playing on a winning team, playing on a league champion — both regular- and postseason, playing in the NCAA tournament, and playing in the Frozen Four. Should I enter the national championship into that? Maybe, but winning two more games probably doesn’t really translate to that much extra experience. Just my opinion.

So let’s get down to business.

The Formula

It’s simple, though it definitely took some time. Let’s say Team X has a balanced six players from each class. Going into a season, that would be six points from the sophomores right off the bat — for playing one full season apiece — followed by another 12 from the juniors (two seasons under their belts), and 18 from the seniors. That’s 36 points for raw playing time.

Senior Erik Condra was part of a 2008-09 team that ranked as the most experienced at the end of the season, but what did it get the Irish? A first-round exit from the NCAA tournament (photo: Melissa Wade).

Senior Erik Condra was part of a 2008-09 team that ranked as the most experienced at the end of the season, but what did it get the Irish? A first-round exit from the NCAA tournament (photo: Melissa Wade).

Let’s say that two years ago, this team had a great record and won the league’s regular-season title, but flamed out in the conference tourney and missed the NCAAs. That happened when the juniors were freshmen, and the seniors were sophs, so that’s 12 combined points from those classes for the winning record and another dozen for the regular-season crown.

If that’s all this team has done in the last four years — we’ll pretend it really stunk the other two seasons — then the team has a total of 60 points. Divide it by the number of players (24), and you get the team’s average experience per player: 2.50.

Now let’s apply it to real teams.

Last Year’s Numbers

At the end of last season, following Boston University’s unbelievable national championship, Notre Dame actually carried the most experienced roster at 10.958 points per player. The Irish were followed by North Dakota (10.333), Air Force (10.136), Michigan (9.84), BU (9.833) and surprise Frozen Four qualifier Bemidji State (9.56).

Three more teams rounded out what appears to have been an Elite Nine, in Boston College, New Hampshire and Miami. All nine of these teams finished above 8.4 on my little scale, while the rest of the pack was a significant step below, at 7.2 and lower. Of the nine, only BSU had qualified for fewer than three NCAA tournaments in its last four years (the Beavers made it twice).

Six more teams formed that tier, between 6.95 and 7.2, followed by a steady decline from 6.35 down to the very bottom team — Robert Morris — at 2.038 experience points per player.

But what were the ultimately successful teams’ numbers at the beginning of the campaign? That’s really the point, so let’s take a look.

As of October 2008 …

… the numbers looked pretty different. The top six teams entering the season were all part of the aforementioned Elite Nine — North Dakota led off at 7.33, followed by Notre Dame, Boston College, Michigan, Air Force and New Hampshire — but the next three were Clarkson, Niagara and Colorado College. Eventual champion Boston University sat in 10th, but Hockey East and Frozen Four foe Vermont was halfway down the list at 22nd, and Northeastern — which had a spectacular run to the NCAAs last year — was way down in 41st.

Furthermore, the groupings were different at the start of the year. Instead of nine bunched at the top, it was only four. Air Force and UNH were stuck on a steep slope between the top quartet and the rest of the pack, and everyone else was below 5.2.

As of the end of the regular season …

… Niagara and Colorado College were still hanging tough in seventh and eighth, respectively. National runner-up Miami had climbed from 13th to 11th. The top 10 most “experienced” teams entering the postseason were North Dakota, Notre Dame, Boston College, Michigan, Air Force, UNH, Niagara, CC, BU and Bemidji State.

There were quite a few NCAA-qualifying teams who sat outside the nation’s top 16: Ohio State (45th), Minnesota-Duluth (33rd), Northeastern (30th), Vermont (22nd), Yale (21st), and Cornell (19th). Those in the top 16 who didn’t make it to the big dance: BC (3rd), Niagara (7th), Colorado College (8th), Clarkson (13th), Minnesota (15th) and St. Lawrence (16th).

How do teams as rich in experience as Boston College, CC and Minnesota get left behind, while such greenhorns as Ohio State, Minnesota-Duluth and Northeastern scrap their way in?

How do programs like Bemidji and Niagara — with all due respect — find themselves in such esteemed company, while 38th-ranked Harvard or 36th-ranked Massachusetts-Lowell are so far behind despite murderous league and non-conference schedules alike?

I declare shenanigans are afoot.

The Here and Now

So yes, last year’s all well and good, but what about this year’s crop?

Michigan enters the 2010 NCAA tournament as the nation's most experienced team (photo: Melissa Wade).

Michigan enters the 2010 NCAA tournament as the nation’s most experienced team (photo: Melissa Wade).

As of the start of the NCAA tournament, Michigan and Bemidji are alone atop the experience mountain, at 10.24 and 9.96 points per player, respectively. Third-place Denver is exactly a point behind BSU, followed by Yale, UNH and Miami. Robert Morris is just barely edging last-place Michigan Tech, 2.14 to 2.12.

Some puzzling finds: Air Force and Notre Dame are eighth and ninth, but North Dakota is way down at 13th, St. Cloud State is 15th, Wisconsin 16th, and Alabama-Huntsville is 23rd. Two other current NCAA contenders fall outside the top 16 right now too, in Northern Michigan (19) and Alaska (25).

The defending national champs are golfing already, but still hold the 14th spot in the experience rankings.

Additional Twist

Just for grins, I also decided to calculate which teams had accumulated the most experience despite the youngest rosters. Your leaders? A familiar quartet, but scrambled a bit: BSU, Michigan, Miami and UNH topped the heap, with a significant break (for this measure) between Miami and UNH … but further down the list, there was another big disparity between No. 16 Colorado College and No. 17 Wisconsin.

Bringing It Home

So what’s the take-home message here? Is experience something that really matters going into a game, or is it just another way of tallying feathers (and near-feathers) in one’s cap?

To be sure, this isn’t the most comprehensive analysis that could’ve been done … but it certainly wasn’t a half-hearted attempt, either. There are many other factors that could be taken into account here — age, junior/prep experiences and achievements, games played rather than seasons, quality of opponents, etc. — but this is the data I have to work with and I don’t think it’s a bad first try.

Overall, it seems that experience is positively correlated with success, but which affects which is difficult to say. BU won it all last year — and in an ice-in-their-veins manner, I might add — despite barely cracking the Top 10. Miami was 60 seconds from the national title despite never having played in a Frozen Four before. And again, how do you explain Bemidji State? Or Alabama-Huntsville?

I think that the number of oddities in this investigation suggests that experience is overrated and clichéd; a valuable-but-not-critical aspect to victory that is called upon too often by those who want something to say but have nothing to say.

May the best teams win — not just the oldest.

Click here to see a spreadsheet of the raw data used in this analysis.

1...1,0761,0771,078...1,531Page 1,077 of 1,531

Latest Stories from around USCHO

‘A proud day’ as former Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey captain Brodt tabbed new head coach for St. Scholastica

USCHO Staff -

Denver sophomore blueliner, recent Wild signee Buium tabbed USCHO Player of the Year for ’24-25 season

USCHO Staff -

Western Michigan’s Ferschweiler leads Broncos to national championship, named unanimous USCHO Coach of the Year for 2024-25 campaign

USCHO Staff -

After 48-point freshman season with Boston University, Hutson adds to accolades with 2024-25 USCHO Rookie of the Year honor

USCHO Staff -

Wisconsin’s Simms, McNaughton, Minnesota’s Primerano take home final women’s hockey HCA monthly honors for ’24-25 season

USCHO Staff -

Final HCA men’s hockey monthly honors for ’24-25 season go to Western Michigan’s Washe, BU’s Hutson, Denver’s Davis, Bentley’s Hasley, Minnesota State’s Tracy

USCHO Staff -

Norwich grad Dawes named new men’s hockey coach for Cadets, leaves Stevenson after nine seasons behind Mustangs bench

USCHO Staff -

Trio of All-USCHO teams announced for 2024-25 NCAA Division I men’s college hockey season

USCHO Staff -

NHL’s Devils sign Boston University forward Lachance, who gives up last two years of NCAA eligibility

USCHO Staff -

Minnesota men’s hockey coach Motzko, who ‘knows what it takes to have success,’ named head coach of 2026 U.S. National Junior Team

USCHO Staff -

Kaplan inks NHL deal with Philadelphia, leaves Boston University after junior season

USCHO Staff -

After pair of seasons, national championship with Western Michigan, Bump leaves Broncos for NHL contract with Flyers

USCHO Staff -
©1996-2025 USCHO.com – U.S. College Hockey Online