Last Impressions, Part I

-

March 10, 2010

Well, the regular season is officially over, and in just over a week, we’ll learn who the finalists are for the Hobey Baker Award. I’ll be checking in with my predictions the day before the announcement, but there are still some games to be played before we get to that point, and I have a feeling they could affect how things stand heading into the announcement. Here are a few players who are facing a big weekend on both the team AND individual levels.

Gustav Nyquist, Maine: A top four finish in Hockey East is certainly a welcome development as Maine recovers from a couple of rough seasons, and as the leading scorer in the nation, Nyquist is a key figure in that resurgence. That said, however, the Black Bears’ season-ending sweep at the hands of UMass and late-season performance in general haven’t been particularly inspiring, and as things currently stand, I think Nyquist is a shoo-in finalist but fairly unlikely to advance to the Hobey Hat Trick. This weekend’s games against UMass-Lowell are key to Nyquist’s Hobey status. If he plays big and the Black Bears win, he’s got a shot to play his way into the Hat Trick at the Hockey East championship (and maybe even an NCAA regional). If they lose, he’s a finalist and no more.

Broc Little, Yale: The nation’s leader in goals per game could get a little more attention this weekend in the Bulldogs’ ECAC Hockey quarterfinal game against Brown, with teammate and fellow All-ECAC First Team member Sean Backman likely out for the season. I feel like Little will be a finalist anyway, but a strong performance against Brown could solidify his standing.

Mark Olver, Northern Michigan: This weekend’s NMU-Alaska series may eliminate one of these teams from NCAA tournament consideration, and if it’s NMU, Olver’s candidacy could take a hit. Between the late charge, NMU’s remote location, and what hasn’t been considered a strong year for the CCHA for most of the season (Miami has more losses to CHA teams than it has in conference), a Wildcat loss could leave Olver out of sight, out of mind, allowing someone else to jump up and snag his spot. Of course, there’s a simple way to deal with that: beat the Nanooks.

(Side note: should I have included Scott Greenham on my Hobey finalist analysis last week? His numbers may not be what Chad “Dos Nueve” Johnson’s were last year – and he wears 29 with the Rangers, so that’s what I’ve been calling him – but he’s certainly a central figure in the Nanooks’ run at an NCAA tournament berth. Hmmm…something to think about.)

Blake Geoffrion and Michael Davies, Wisconsin: You could almost put four Badgers in among the 10 Hobey finalists this year in Geoffrion, Davies, Derek Stepan and, of course, Brendan Smith. All four have had outstanding statistical years for a team that has to be considered a favorite to advance to the Frozen Four. That said, “almost” doesn’t count here, and it’s much more likely that there will be two Badgers in the mix this season. One will be Smith, who’s among the overall national scoring leaders as a defenseman, and has been there for the Badgers when it’s counted, over and over again. The other will be one of the Badgers’ two senior forwards. My gut says Geoffrion, based on his gaudy goal total, but the last week before the voting may make a difference, depending on who does what in this weekend’s playoff series against Alaska-Anchorage.

Marc Cheverie, Denver: The Pioneers netminder is a mortal lock as a finalist for the Hobey, and I think he’s pretty likely to make it into the hat trick. That said, it’s a key weekend for him (and the Pioneer defense that backs him up), since WCHA first-round foe Michigan Tech presents Cheverie with the best chance he’ll have to lower his GAA, raise his save percentage, and possibly add a shutout or two. Right now, I don’t think he wins the award, but if he improves his numbers at the Huskies’ expense – which won’t be a walk in the park; DU coach George Gwozdecky is right to praise MTU’s toughness – it could change the picture a little.

Ben Scrivens, Cornell: In my view, Scrivens’ Hobey finalist candidacy is a little unsteady, as I could see him being penalized for a system that is conducive to gaudy goaltending numbers (oddly enough, I never hear this complaint about Boston College forwards, although no BC forward has won the Hobey under Jerry York…but we’ve been through that). A strong performance against Harvard this weekend could move the Big Red netminder further beyond reproach. A “system failure” against the Crimson, and Scrivens could be toast.

Nick Johnson, Sacred Heart and Cory Conacher, Canisius – For starters, I highly recommen you read Ben Kirst’s feature article on Conacher. All this time I’ve considered him as a possible Hobey finalist – and to borrow a popular phrase from the Oscars, the nomination would be his win – I had no idea about his Type I Diabetes, which certainly makes his accomplishments on the ice this season even more impressive than they already were. That said, I think Johnson has a slight edge on Conacher by virtue of playing for a more successful team, and by being a bit bigger in the clutch (according to the measurements I took last month). A strong performance one way or the other, though, might tip the scales. I’m starting to waver a little bit on the relative merits of these two Atlantic Hockey stars, and I might not be the only one.

So, if you’re thinking Hobey this weekend – but really, with rivalries like Michigan-Michigan State, Harvard-Cornell, Minnesota-North Dakota and Army-Air Force, will you? – these are the guys to watch.

NCAA D-III First Round: St. Norbert vs. Adrian

By Matthew Webb

-

March 10, 2010

St. Norbert (21-3-3 Overall, 14-2-2 in the NCHA)

After a year hiatus, St. Norbert returns to the NCAA tournament for the 11th time in the past 14 seasons, and first since winning the 2008 national championship.

The Green Knights rolled to the NCHA Peters Cup title with a pair of 7-1 playoff wins over UW-Stevens Point in the semifinals and the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in the finals. It marked the eighth time overall and sixth in the past eight seasons the Green Knights have claimed the NCHA postseason crown.

Despite being the top seed in the West Region, St. Norbert will face Adrian on Wednesday in a first round game rather than being awarded a spot straight to the quarterfinals. Itâ€™s the first time in the history of the Division III tournament the top West seed will not open play in the quarterfinals. At first glance, Green Knights head coach Tim Coghlin wasnâ€™t sure what to make of the situation.

â€œI donâ€™t really know,â€ said Coghlin, who is a jaw dropping 218-34-22 in his last eight plus seasons. â€œIn the 20 years Iâ€™ve been doing this weâ€™ve never played in one of these games on a Wednesday. It looks odd to see four teams in our region where it would seem to make sense to have two quarterfinals, so to have all four playing on Wednesday does look like a bit of an odd schedule.

â€œAt the end of the day, however, if youâ€™re going to be successful you just play whoever is next and I think thatâ€™s the mentality weâ€™ve tried to drive home down the stretch. You canâ€™t control who or when you play, you just have to control how you play.â€

The meeting with Adrian will mark new ground for both teams as this will be the first meeting ever between the schools.

â€œIâ€™ve never seen them even,â€ Coghlin said. â€œClearly theyâ€™ve got guys who can put the puck in the net and at the same time, clearly, if anyone feels like they have something to prove certainly they feel that way, too, after having not been asked to the big dance for two consecutive yearsâ€

Despite not having seen the Bulldogs in person, Coghlin remains aware of what they will bring to the table upon rolling into the Cornerstone.

â€œThose top two lines seem to put up an awful lot of points. They have some things working in their favor and they are not going to come in an under-confident group. I donâ€™t think coming into the Cornerstone is going to faze them one bit.â€

As far as the St. Norbert itself goes, they enter the tournament on a downright tear and are riding a 10 game unbeaten streak since dropping a 5-1 contest at UW-Eau Claire on January 16. Since that loss the Green Knights have failed to concede more than one goal in a game. As it was with the 2008 championship squad, stifling defense has been the prevailing theme, and itâ€™s one Coghlin appears pleased with.

â€œThatâ€™s a hallmark of our teams every year and some teams buy into it harder than others,â€ he said. â€œWith this yearâ€™s team the lights just sort of went on a little bit after that lull and weâ€™ve played much better defensively. I donâ€™t think we are doing anything spectacular but we are making other teams earn their stripes.â€

The St. Norbert offense has been equally as impressive down the stretch, having posted 24 goals in their last four contests. Whatâ€™s even scarier is that it has been incredibly difficult to predict where the goals might come from as they have nine players with over 18 points but none with more than 28. In similar fashion, the Green Knights wield nine players with at least eight goals on the year, but none have tallied more than 13.

â€œWe had played well the week before coming off the bye and basically weâ€™re as healthy as we can be,â€ Coghlin said. â€œWeâ€™re playing a very complete game right now and thatâ€™s good, but I still think we have a better 60 minutes in us and thatâ€™s what we keep striving for.â€

The matchup with Adrian is one many Division III faithful have been clamoring about for the better part of three years and itâ€™s finally upon us — and itâ€™s in the NCAA tournament. Itâ€™s the hockey version of the immovable object versus the unstoppable force and was, perhaps, put most eloquently by Coghlin himself:

â€œAt this time of the year itâ€™s about who is playing their game the best and whether you can impose your will on the opposition. Weâ€™ve been pretty successful with that and we do get the home game which we are glad about, so weâ€™ll have to wait and see.â€

Adrian (24-3-0 overall, 20-0-0 in the MCHA)

Finally, the time has come. A MCHA team will finally be duly represented in the NCAA tournament as Adrian battled through the Harris Cup playoffs last weekend to claim the leagueâ€™s first ever automatic qualification bid into the tournament. It marked the third playoff title in as many years for the Bulldogs, but this time it doesnâ€™t mark the end of the road for the MCHA champion.

â€œIt was great to win the MCHA playoffs knowing there is a tangible goal at the end and weâ€™re excited now to move onto the NCAA tournament,â€ said Bulldogs head coach Ron Fogarty, who is 77-7-1 in his third season.

Despite being overwhelming favorites and playing at home, the Bulldogs squeaked out a pair of one goal wins over Lawrence and Marian to claim its spot in the field. In the title contest against Marian, Adrian rallied from a 2-1 deficit after two periods to score a dramatic 3-2 win on a goal with only 44 seconds remaining.

â€œWe knew the games were going to be tighter,â€ Fogarty said. â€œBoth Marian and Lawrence played great and those are the types of games you need heading into the tournament. We were getting banged up and knocked around a little bit by both of them and it forced us to be very particular and detail oriented.â€

All-time MCHA leading scorer Shawn Skelly hopes to pace the Bulldogs in their first ever NCAA appearance (photo: Matthew Webb).

While the NCAA tournament bid is all that Adrian has asked for, and finally earned, for the past three years, things now get much tougher as they face the dominant West Region force in St. Norbert, on the road. Despite not having ever faced the Green Knights before, Fogarty isnâ€™t completely unaware of what they have to offer.

â€œThey have a great tradition and have numerous NCAA tournament appearances so in a way they arenâ€™t an unknown,â€ he said.

â€œThey are a well-coached team that is excellent defensively and will use that to create transition. They will work it down low in your zone, work it to the net and crash from there. They are a great skating team that is going to put pressure on the puck at both ends of the ice so the lack of time they give us something we better be ready for.â€

While it was a bit of surprise to see St. Norbert slated into an opening round Wednesday contest, itâ€™s somewhere most expected the Bulldogs to be. As such, the Bulldogs are not concerned about the short turnaround.

â€œItâ€™s a new season and the players are ready to play,â€ Fogarty said. â€œThey donâ€™t need to practice four or five days in a row right now so while a longer break might help in the case of a minor injury or something, these guys on both sides are ready to go.â€

One of the biggest bonuses for the Bulldogs heading into the weekend might ironically be the three losses suffered at the hands of Hamline and Oswego earlier this season. As Oswego has set itself apart as a true national elite this season, Adrian hopes the experience against one elite team will help against another such as St. Norbert.

â€œWe now know what those types of teams do and how good they actually are,â€ Fogarty said. â€œThe one thing about those teams, and this is true with St. Norbert, is that they are so deep. There is no such thing as a fourth line. Everyone is good so itâ€™s going to be wave after wave from them and thatâ€™s what we have to prepare for.â€

No one will deny that the MCHA, for now, remains one of the weaker leagues in the nation, but the Bulldogs have thrown up numbers that are impressive nonetheless. They boast five players with 40 or more points on the year and 11 who have 20 or more.

â€œWe need to go into the game focusing on what it is that weâ€™ve done to be successful,â€ Fogarty said. â€œWe tried to change some things around in the middle of the season and it didnâ€™t work so well. Weâ€™re a high tempo kind of team, those are the kind of players we have on our team, and thatâ€™s the way we need to play.â€

Despite the offensive prowess, the question remains as to how much it is bolstered by playing in the MCHA, which is widely considered, for better or worse, to be one of the weaker leagues in the country. That question could be answered, to an extent, against St. Norbert as the Green Knights will feature a depth and team defense the likes of which Adrian may have yet to encounter.

â€œIn a single game I think it could be a slight factor, but as the game gets going weâ€™ll shorten the bench if we have to,â€ Fogarty said. â€œItâ€™s one game and potentially the last of the season. We need our gunners to play the best and for them to do that they need to be on the ice, so I think our top six guys are going to play a lot.â€

Adding to the fascinating complexity of this matchup is that, for a rare change, the Bulldogs enter as a clear underdog in the eyes of many — a role they are not accustomed to in their 20 game league schedule.

â€œItâ€™s something that I think takes a lot of pressure off our guys now,â€ Fogarty said. â€œI think you saw some of that pressure get to us last weekend, but now itâ€™s just go play our game and what happens, happens. All we can do is play to our potential.â€

NCAA D-III First Round: Gustavus Adolphus vs. St. Thomas

By Scott Bridges

-

March 10, 2010

Typically when a team is knocked out of the playoffs, there is some disappointment, shock, and disbelief. Oftentimes a team says theyâ€™re using those emotions to dig deeper and come back even stronger in the next season. Typically the fans and players have to wait until the next season to have a shot at revenge.

Not this time.

Last Wednesday, St. Thomas traveled down to St. Peter to take on Gustavus Adolphus for the MIAC championship, with the Tommies emerging victorious 2-1 in overtime. Just seven days later, St. Thomas will again make the trip to St. Peter, this time for the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

Gustavus Adolphus (19-6-2 overall, 12-2-2 in MIAC)

After winning last seasonâ€™s MIAC playoffs and making a run to the national title game, hopes in St. Peter were high for the Gusties. However, the team struggled out of the gate, going 3-3-1 in their first seven games, and it looked like it might be a rough season despite returning the lionâ€™s share of players from the previous year.

Since then, though, the Gusties have picked up their play and never looked back. After that opening stretch, Gustavus has gone 16-3-1, and saw them rise up the MIAC standings until they clinched the regular season championship.

The biggest change has been defensively, as the Gusties gave up 26 goals in those first seven games, and have given up only 40 in the 20 games since then, cutting their goals against average nearly in half. Over that period, Gustavus has averaged four goals per game while giving up only two.

That scoring margin, if carried out for the entire season, would have been good for sixth in the nation, showing that for roughly three-quarters of the season, the Gusties have been playing some of the best hockey in the nation.

Their style is characterized by a high flying end-to-end pace, but they donâ€™t rely solely on transition chances to score. Their forecheck can be an absolute nightmare for opposing teams, and the Gusties also have the size and strength to cycle the puck and keep it in the offensive zone for long stretches of time.

Gustavusâ€™ style of play can dominate teams, and leave their opponents chasing the puck for most of the game. Throughout the season, Gustavus has averaged 38.7 shots on goal compared to 25.5 for their opponents. Even in their six losses, the Gusties outshot their opponents by an average of 4.3 shots per game.

Since November, the Gusties have not lost a game in which theyâ€™ve scored at least two goals, and in their three losses, they havenâ€™t given up more than three goals. The key for the Gusties then, is to bury their chances. They play solid defense, giving up four or more goals only three times in their last 20 games. If a game turns into a shootout, this favors Gustavus over virtually every other team in the country.

One problem with Gustavusâ€™s style is that if a team plays passively against them, making sure they always have enough defenders back, the Gusties may get plenty of shots, but theyâ€™ll be more likely to be from the outside instead of a 2-on-1 flying down the ice.

Against St. Thomas, Gustavus was coming off a D-III record four overtime game in the semifinals just four days previous. By the time the third period came around, the Gusties were looking a lot slower than they had at the start of the game.

Every time they brought the puck up ice, the Tommies had defenders back, and every time St. Thomas responded with a rush of their own, Gustavus looked sluggish forcing the puck carrier into the corner. Whether this was an effect of the mammoth overtime game, or in St. Thomasâ€™ defensive plan tiring out their opponents is tough to gauge.

Gustavus will have to score on their chances to win this game. They had several chances in the first period of the MIAC Championship to expand their lead and pull away, but could not finish, and ended the period with a 1-0 lead despite a 17-7 advantage in shots.

If the Tommie defense can weather the early storm, they will have a good shot to control the pace later on, giving them their best chance to win. If the Gusties bury their chances and keep going full speed until the game, it will be hard for St. Thomas to catch up. If both teams come out playing at the top of their game, this could easily be headed for overtime, a common occurrence when MIAC teams meet in the playoffs this season.

St. Thomas (13-10-4 overall, 8-6-2 in MIAC)

Iâ€™ll say it right off the bat: St Thomas had a disappointing year. By their standards, finishing in third place with a record barely above .500 is not something theyâ€™re commonly accustomed to, what with their 28 winning seasons in a row, and 27 MIAC titles overall.

That said, this time of year is called the second season for a good reason. It doesnâ€™t matter how good of a regular season you had or what your record is up to this point; all that matters is how youâ€™re playing right now, in this particular game. RIT was undefeated going into the national championship game in 2001, but it didnâ€™t do them any favors as they were unceremoniously defeated to ruin their season.

What matters now is who has gotten better over the course of the year, is playing the best hockey, and elevating their game to the necessary level. The sign of a well coached team, St. Thomas has steadily improved their play over the course of the year, and really turned it on towards the end of the regular season.

After coming out of Concordia with only one point, St. Thomasâ€™ season was on life support, and they were staring at eight upcoming conference games knowing they would need to win most of them if they wanted to make the playoffs.

After splitting with Hamline, the Tommies went on a tear, winning five of their final six games. The team knew what it needed to do to continue playing, and played at a level capable of achieving their goals. Counting the playoffs, they have now won seven of their last eight games.

Over that stretch, the Tommies have scored at least four goals in all but two of those games. Those two games: a 5-2 loss against St. Olaf and the 2-1 victory over Gustavus Adolphus in the MIAC title game. In order to keep their season alive, St. Thomas is going to have to find a way to keep their offense dangerous without sacrificing on defense.

St. Thomas runs a style that is effective, yet not flashy. They do an incredible job disrupting their opponentsâ€™ flow, as well as falling back to play on defense. As soon as a Tommie gets a stick on the puck in their defensive zone, odds are good that it will be brought out and up ice quickly. They do a great job playing defense as a team, keeping shots to the outside, tying up sticks, and clearing rebounds quickly.

When senior goaltender Joe Schraeder is able to clearly see shots coming his way, he can be very tough to beat. He made several key saves against Gustavus last week, and will surely be relied upon again this week.

â€œThis is possibly the proudest Iâ€™ve been of any group of guys,â€ said head coach Terry Skrypek after the MIAC title game. â€œThe way they battled back, came together at the end of the season, and ended up with the championship here.â€

If the Tommies play the same way again this time, they very may well see themselves advancing to the quarterfinals. It may sound clichÃ©, but whichever team executes most effectively, buries their chances, and finishes on special teams, that team will likely to be the one coming out on top.

Nothing would really surprise me in this game. This will be the fourth time these two have met, with the Gusties winning the first two games by a combined score of 11-1, before losing the MIAC title game 2-1 in overtime. The Gusties had the best season overall while St. Thomas is playing their best hockey at the right time. Itâ€™s somewhat fitting that the rematch comes so soon, with Gustavus burned by their title game loss and St. Thomas confident in their ability to compete with anyone.

The only thing certain about this game is that whoever loses will have a long time to wait for another chance like this.

NCAA D-III First Round: Elmira vs. Curry

By Scott Biggar and Nate Owen

-

March 10, 2010

Elmira Soaring Eagles (18-8-1 overall, 11-4 in the ECAC West)

The last few days have been an emotional roller coaster for the Elmira Soaring Eagles. Leading 3-2 on Saturday in the ECAC West championship game, Elmira saw Manhattanville tie the game with one second left in regulation and then lost when the Valiants scored midway through the overtime period.

The weight of coming so close to the league title crushed down on the Soaring Eagles players as they watched Manhattanville celebrate on their home ice. After the game, Elmira believed their hope for an NCAA tournament bid had also evaporated as the Valiants bus carried away the trophy. Elmira had begun to mentally prepare to wrap up the season when the phone rang Sunday evening.

â€œIt was quite the surprise [on Sunday],â€ said Elmira head coach Aaron Saul. â€œWe went out and had some dinner with our captains and seniors to say thanks. Then we got the phone call and were excited to say the least. I was very surprised not to see Manhattanville [in the NCAA tournament] as well.â€

Since the ECAC West doesnâ€™t have an auto-bid, the NCAA considered the entire season in evaluating whom to award the Pool B bid to. By the narrowest of margins, the ledger tilted in Elmiraâ€™s favor over Manhattanville and now the Soaring Eagles host a first round NCAA game against ECAC Northeast champion Curry on Wednesday.

â€œIn life you donâ€™t always get a second chance,â€ said Saul. â€œWe need to elevate our game now and the guys are pretty excited to do that.â€

Motivation is easy to come by for Elmira, as they know firsthand just how much a season ending loss can sting.

â€œSaturday wasnâ€™t a good feeling,â€ said Saul. â€œNot winning that game, and the feeling the guys had after that game, is something that they donâ€™t want to experience again. It is really going to help us for the rest of the run.â€

Elmira and Curry last met on Jan. 9, 2004 at the same Thunderdomes where the game will be played this Wednesday. That season, Elmira was in the midst of a mediocre campaign while Curry was flying high. Curry outshot the Soaring Eagles 43-25 in that game, but Elmira battled back for a 2-2 tie, the first blemish on Curryâ€™s perfect 10-0 record to that point in the season.

Both teams have changed quite a bit since then and there are no easy games in the NCAA playoffs.

â€œWe know Curry is very good in their league,â€ said Saul. â€œThey have some really skilled forwards, a good power play, and a hell of a senior goaltender, so we are going to have our work cut out for us.â€

At this point in the season, coaches hope that their players have absorbed all of the drills, plays, and learning moments that have occurred during the games. After battling through a long ECAC West season, a very difficult out of conference schedule, and the emotions of the past few days, Elmira will need to dig deep to make a run in the NCAA tournament.

â€œWeâ€™ve played some outstandingly competitive games down the stretch,â€ said Saul. â€œThe results werenâ€™t always a win, but those games have been great hockey. The ECAC West has prepared us for this game on Wednesday because the games have been so tight. We have elevated our play. We are well prepared because we have played such tough games down the stretch.â€

Curry Colonels (19-8-1 overall, 10-3-1 in the ECAC Northeast)

When looking at its opponent in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, Curry can’t help but wonder what might have been.

The Colonels will travel to Pine Valley, New York to face Elmira, the ECAC West regular season champions who finished the season with a record of 18-8-1.

Curry secured its first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2005 by knocking off pesky sixth seed Johnson & Wales, 5-4, in the ECAC Northeast championship game.

Elmira wasn’t so lucky, falling to second seeded Manhattanville in the ECAC West final. But they were still able to earn a spot in the tournament and will host the Colonels Wednesday at 7 p.m.

“We’ve got a little familiarity with the dome up there,” Curry head coach Rob Davies said. “Obviously they have home ice and that’s something that they’re familiar with that will work in their advantage this time of year.”

Curry and Elmira haven’t met since Jan. 9, 2004, when the two teams skated to a 2-2 tie in Elmira’s barn.

But the Colonels have faced a trio of the Soaring Eagles’ conference mates this year, beating Manhattanville and Utica, while losing to Hobart.

“We played three of the ECAC West teams this season,” Davies said. “There’s a certain style in that league that we might be familiar with.”

The Colonels allowed the fewest goals in ECAC Northeast play and second fewest overall behind Wentworth.

Curry is backboned by a trio of goaltenders who have been involved in a time split all season. Seniors Steven Jakiel and Zachary Cardella, along with freshman Robert Dawson, have all seen action, with Jakiel holding the edge in playing time.

It was Dawson who got the start in the ECAC Northeast championship game, allowing two goals on five shots against Johnson & Wales before giving way to Jakiel.

But Davies said he won’t decide who will get the nod until the team’s morning skate on game day.

“I’m not 100 percent sure,” he said. “There’s a very good chance we’ll go with Steve Jakiel. He’s played very well, especially in non-conference games.”

With a wealth of goaltenders to choose from, Curry’s well balanced offense shouldn’t be overlooked.

They ranked second in the ECAC Northeast behind Wentworth in both league and overall scoring, and boast four skaters with 10-plus goals, while another four each have eight, including defenseman Ryan Barlock, who leads the team with 18 assists. Forward Payden Benning posted 19 goals and 35 points in 26 games, leading Curry in both categories.

Benning is the Colonel’s deadliest scorer on the power play, leading the team with seven goals with the man advantage. But it was his timely passing that figured in two of Curry’s three power-play goals against Johnson & Wales. Davies expects special teams to be a crucial part of this matchup as well.

“In playoff hockey specials teams is one of the crucial aspects,” he said. “You want to win that part of the game as far as denying them on the PK and chipping in on the power play. But you want to play solid 5-on-5 and not give up anything anytime it’s one game and the winner moves on.”

Regardless of the situation, Davies said he is looking for a sharper mental edge out of his team.

“We can’t take shifts off regardless of where the puck is. We have to compete on the puck but away from the puck as well, and be cerebral enough to see what’s going on around us.”

MASCAC Championship

With a 2-1 overtime win over top-seeded Fitchburg State on Saturday, Salem State ensured that it would be one of the few Division III teams to end the season on a wining note. The Vikings won the first ever MASCAC championship, but the league does not yet have an autobid to the NCAA tournament. Each team scored in the third period before Mike Genovese’s tally 58 seconds into overtime broke the stalemate.

Tuesday Morning Quarterback: March 9, 2010

By Jim Connelly and Todd D. Milewski

-

March 9, 2010

Todd: Well, Jim, the playoffs are under way, and in 10 matchups last weekend we had one minor upset and one pretty major one. In Atlantic Hockey, No. 9 Connecticut beat No. 8 Bentley on the road Saturday to earn a spot in the league’s quarterfinals. But the big news was Brown, seeded 11th in the ECAC Hockey playoffs, upending Rensselaer, which tied for fifth and had the sixth seed, in three games. To me, it’s a fairly big feather in first-year Brown coach Brendan Whittet’s hat and a pretty stunning way for RPI, a decent if not spectacular team all season, to go out. Your thoughts?

Jim: I think we should also throw Harvard’s road sweep of Princeton — which earned just the eighth and ninth wins of the season for the Crimson — as somewhat of an upset. But obviously, hats off to Brown and coach Whittet. Having to win a three-game series when the home team had all the momentum going into the deciding game is something worthy of plenty of praise. As for RPI, not only has a decent season now come to an end for the Engineers, but also for junior forward Chase Polacek. With no more hockey remaining, the senior’s chances of making much noise in the Hobey Baker race become incredibly diminished.

Todd: Polacek was one the players I expected to get into the top 10 when it’s announced next Thursday, but I can’t see him doing much more than that now. In Sunday’s series-deciding game, he had seven shots on goal but didn’t figure into the scoring — something of a rarity this season. I want to get into the Hockey East standings drama of the weekend, but I just don’t know where to start, other than that Northeastern was the odd team out, joining Providence on the league playoffs sidelines. How tremendously disappointing that finish must be for the Huskies, who were 25-12-4 and made the NCAA tournament last season.

Jim: I think the ending of the Hockey East season was extremely crazy. While Northeastern was a major shocker, particularly given the great season it had a year ago and how well it played in stretches this season, the biggest surprise to me was actually Boston University. The Terriers were left for dead by many this year when they sat in ninth place around the holiday break. Reading Jack Parker’s quotes after Saturday’s game, HE was shocked his team finished tied for third AND will be the third seed in the playoffs. Something else interesting that came out of the final weekend in Hockey East was a decision made by Boston College coach Jerry York. Tied at 3 in overtime on Friday, York knew that to have any chance to win the regular season title, his club would have to win. Still, York decided not to pull the goalie in overtime. The result was a tie and UNH clinching the title. Asked about it after Saturday’s game, York was adamant that it was more important to keep his club’s positioning in the PairWise Rankings that it was to win the regular season championship.

Todd: I was following the end of that BC game, and I was of the same mind as York at the time. When you’re in the race for a No. 1 seed, you need to avoid losses. And while the Hockey East title is an important step, when you put it up against potential seeding for the national tournament, I think the decision was a safe one. Others may have gambled a little bit more, but if you gamble and lose in that situation, you open yourself up for an awful lot of criticism. You wonder, however, whether some of the players were hoping to go for it on Friday and are now a little disappointed that they didn’t, considering that the Eagles won on Saturday. Jerry York is a good enough coach, though, that I’m sure he explained everything to his players.

Jim: From what Jerry told me after the game, his staff had made the decision on Tuesday and discussed it with the team. It doesn’t surprise me, though. Boston College wants to win national championships more than anything. Though NESN analyst Craig Janney, a Boston College alum, ripped York for the move. Guess you can’t please everyone. So the finish was less dramatic in the WCHA, but what can we expect from the playoffs out west?

Todd: I think you can expect a barnburner in North Dakota, where the Sioux will host Minnesota. The first-round matchup is a fan’s dream and a league’s nightmare. It means that only one of the teams that typically bring the most fans to the Final Five will end up in St. Paul. And we have Michigan State hosting Michigan in a CCHA quarterfinal series, and don’t think that won’t be a little heated. Both of those series are games we typically see on the final weekend of conference play, but with Minnesota and Michigan down this season, that timeline got bumped up. Which Hockey East series do you think has the most potential for an upset?

Jim: Seriously, I think every single series has the potential for an upset. Maine’s top goaltender Scott Darling has been suspended indefinitely and there’s no telling if he’ll be around for the Black Bears’ series against Lowell. Merrimack hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2004 and will give BU fits. Massachusetts may have been swept by BC, probably the hottest team going into the playoffs, in the regular season series, but the Minutemen just swept Maine in order to make the playoffs. Finally, UNH, despite winning the league, could face the toughest task. The Wildcats play Vermont, a team that finished eighth but is still in contention for an NCAA berth. A few weeks back, Vermont took UNH to overtime both nights and dominated much of the series. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised to see seeds 5 through 8 at the Garden.

Todd: To me, that’s what makes whatever Hockey East teams make it into the NCAA tournament such intriguing national title possibilities. Sure, Miami and Denver have been atop the rankings for most of the season and the WCHA and CCHA have had a lot of representation in the polls, but Hockey East teams have had to scrap every night this season to get to this point. You do wonder, however, whether that takes a toll at some point when it comes to one-game eliminations.

Jim: I know I’m biased, but what you mention is the real reason I consider any Hockey East team a legitimate threat in the NCAA tournament. These teams have been playing playoff-like games for a month. Very little will rattle the eventual conference champion. I don’t know if you can say that for a team that had a cakewalk throughout much of the season and its conference tournament. That’s all a few weeks away, though. For now, we can just put our feet up, relax and enjoy quarterfinal hockey. Until next week …

Diabetes no Drag for Hobey Baker Candidate Conacher

By Ben Kirst

-

March 9, 2010

Cory Conacher wants to be an accountant.

That’s right, the Hobey Baker Award nominee and Canisius junior winger who averaged 1.53 points per game during the 2009-10 regular season — that’s second in NCAA Men’s Division I hockey — has grand designs on a future of spreadsheets, periodicity and GAAP.

Conacher’s fondness for functions should come as no surprise. His entire life has been wrapped up in numbers: He’s had to play bigger than his size (5-foot-8, 175 pounds), older than his age (at 17, he was the youngest freshman in D-I hockey), and outside of his comfort zone (the pass-first playmaker has 20 goals this season, one more than the combined total of his previous two campaigns).

Oh, and there’s the diabetes. At the age of 8, Conacher was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, requiring him to measure his days in insulin doses and glucose levels for the rest of his life.

“When I first found out,” Conacher said after a recent Golden Griffins practice at the Buffalo State Ice Arena, “I didn’t know much about it. I tried to take it as it was nothing. I tried to just accept it, just fight it, and live life like a normal 8-year-old kid.”

Cory Conacher has reached the 20-goal plateau as a junior, and the Canisius winger is being mentioned as a Hobey Baker Award candidate (photo: Canisius Athletics).

This is not a story about Conacher’s bravery. It’s not a story about the mountains he’s overcome. It is not a sad story about his limitations or the things he has missed because, well, he’s not missing much.

Just ask the goaltenders around Atlantic Hockey.

“It’s part of his life,” Canisius coach Dave Smith said, “but it doesn’t define who he is.”

So who is Cory Conacher? He’s a Burlington, Ontario, native who made his name racking up 62 points in 48 games for the hometown Cougars in the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League. He’s a devoted son whose decision to play at Canisius was influenced by the fact that Buffalo was just a 70-minute shot down the QEW, allowing his family to see him play more often. He’s the type of player who racked up 23 assists as a sophomore but transformed himself into a 20-goal scorer when his coach told him to shoot more.

Conacher is no slouch in the classroom, either. He was named to the Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team in each of his first two seasons.

“He’s a great young man. He’s what parents want their children to be,” Smith said. “He’s fun, he works hard, [and] he does what you ask him. He’s passionate about the game of hockey — and I just was talking to him again, and he said, ‘Hey, I’d really like to get my accounting degree.’ He’s got all the fundamentals that great kids have. He’s just a joy to be around.”

Yet the diabetes can’t be ignored. Type 1 diabetes is a chronic disease, a condition caused when an individual’s pancreas is unable to produce insulin. This hormone is used by the body to regulate glucose, or blood sugar. Type 1 diabetes — also known as juvenile diabetes because it is often diagnosed in children — was essentially a death sentence until treatment was developed at the University of Toronto in the early 1920s.

Athletes are capable of performing at a very high level with type 1 diabetes, as evidenced by Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, former Mr. Universe Doug Burns, Olympic medalist Gary Hall Jr., and, well, high-scoring Division I hockey winger Cory Conacher — but aren’t they tied to needles and machines and the fear of a breakdown at any given moment?

In Conacher’s case, absolutely not. He wears a small device called an insulin pump, a portable regulator the size of an MP3 player with a small needle at the end of a short plastic tube. The tube fits into a subcutaneous port in Conacher’s skin, and the pump allows him to manage his blood sugar levels without the constant needlework.

"I just really want to play hockey for the rest of my life."

— Cory Conacher

“I’ll wake up, have a good breakfast, check my blood sugar [and] make sure I was fit throughout the night,” Conacher said. “If I have to make any adjustments in the morning, I’ll do that. … If something’s not right in my pump, then I’ll just have to do a little change. So I have breakfast, and once I have my breakfast, I’ll pump to counteract the sugar with the insulin, and then throughout the day, I’ll test my sugar at lunch again, and before practice, and then after practice, and at dinner, and again before I go to bed.”

When Conacher was initially recruited by the Golden Griffins, Smith was surprised when he discovered the young forward was a diabetic — surprised, but not staggered. Smith was already familiar with type 1 diabetes and the particular set of challenges presented by the disease.

“My sister-in-law is a diabetic, a type 1 diabetic, and she’s on the insulin pump,” Smith said. “When I talked to Cory after a [OPJHL] game, I saw what’s called his port, and I just said, ‘Are you diabetic?’ He said yeah, how did you know? And it’s because he came out without a shirt on, and I saw it. I was very comfortable with it. I don’t know if that made him more comfortable or less comfortable, but it wasn’t a big deal.”

When Smith took the reins of Canisius hockey in 2005, the program was at a crossroads. Longtime coach Brian Cavanaugh had been dismissed the previous season following reports of a possible player mutiny. The Golden Griffins proceeded to struggle to just 22 wins from 2005 to 2008.

Smith’s squad, however, began to blossom in 2008-09, posting a 15-16-1 record — the team’s best showing since 2000-01 — and continued the improvement this season with a 15-14-5 regular season mark.

Smith has built the program around stalwarts such as forwards Jason Weeks and Josh Heidinger, each of whom will leave Canisius with prominent places in the school record book; Carl Hudson, a Hobey Baker nominee and one of the finest offensive defensemen in the nation; and the tandem of Conacher and Vincent Scarsella, a duo with 146 points since the start of the 2008-09 season.

“I think that we want to keep recruiting difference-makers and people who can help us win,” Smith said. “I don’t think you can win a game 0-0. We’d like to be balanced and strong offensively and strong defensively.”

As for Conacher — all that accountant stuff may be true. When Cory Conacher, an undrafted prospect, thinks rationally about life after hockey, maybe he does yearn for the white-collar lifestyle. His dad is an accountant. It’s a nice career. No shame in being the neighborhood accountant.

More likely, though, the number-crunching will have to wait. Conacher’s brutal summer training regime, and the forearms to the head, the sticks to the back, the extra taunts and elbows in the corner are not being absorbed so he can hang up the skates young. The Certified General Accountants Association of Canada and the American Accounting Association need to take a number — the game will likely keep Conacher out of the office for the foreseeable future.

“First of all, I want to finish my career at Canisius,” Conacher said. “That’s one of my main goals. And hopefully win an Atlantic Hockey championship with the guys we have right now. In the future, I would like to play either AHL or NHL or somewhere in North America, and if that doesn’t work out, my consideration is to go to Europe somewhere. I know some people back home who have been to Europe and it’s a really nice experience — that would be nice.”

Despite the short stature, the college logo on his sweater and the fact that the movie “Die Hard” is older than he is, Conacher is still just a kid. When you see him fly down the right wing and unleash that heavy shot from the circle in a hummingbird blur, snapping the net while the goalie is still squaring his shoulders, it’s easy to forget he’s only 20 years old.

But the kid has a plan, and the plan is simple.

“I just really want to play hockey for the rest of my life,” he said.

Bracketology: March 9, 2010

By Jayson Moy

-

March 9, 2010

It’s time once again to do what we like to call Bracketology — college hockey style. It’s our weekly look at how I believe the NCAA Ice Hockey Championship Committee will use the PairWise to determine the NCAA tournament bracket.

Just remember that this is not a prediction. This is a possible look into what the Committee might be thinking.

If you’re new to Bracketology, click here for the background.

Here is the top 16 of the current PairWise Rankings (PWR), and the Atlantic Hockey Champion (through all games of March 9):

1 Denver
2 Miami
3 Wisconsin
4 Boston College
5t North Dakota
5t Bemidji State
7t Alaska
7t St. Cloud State
9 Yale
10t New Hampshire
10t Cornell
12 Michigan State
13 Ferris State
14 Northern Michigan
15 Minn.-Duluth
16t Nebraska-Omaha
16t Vermont
16t Mass.-Lowell
16t Massachusetts
— Atlantic Hockey Champion

Step One

From the committee’s report, choose the 16 teams in the tournament.

We break ties in the PWR by looking at the individual comparisons among the tied teams, and add in any current league leaders that are not currently in the top 16. The only team that is not is the Atlantic Hockey Champion. Of course, there might be other league champions not in the Top 16, but we know this is one definite.

From there, we can start looking at the bubble in a more detailed fashion.

The bubbles consist of North Dakota and Bemidji State at 5, Alaska and St. Cloud State at 7, New Hampshire and Cornell at 10.

Looking at the head-to-head PairWise comparisons and the RPI we break all of our ties.

Therefore the 16 teams in the tournament, in rank order, are:

1 Denver
2 Miami
3 Wisconsin
4 Boston College
5 North Dakota
6 Bemidji State
7 Alaska
8 St. Cloud State
9 Yale
10 New Hampshire
11 Cornell
12 Michigan State
13 Ferris State
14 Northern Michigan
15 Minnesota-Duluth
16 AHA Champion

Step Two

Now it’s time to assign the seeds.

No. 1 Seeds — Denver, Miami, Wisconsin, Boston College
No. 2 Seeds — North Dakota, Bemidji State, Alaska, St. Cloud State
No. 3 Seeds — Yale, New Hampshire, Cornell, Michigan State
No. 4 Seeds — Ferris State, Northern Michigan, Minnesota-Duluth, AHA Champion

Step Three

Place the No. 1 seeds in regionals. Following the guidelines, there are no host teams in this grouping, so that rule does not need to be enforced.

We now place the other No. 1 seeds based on proximity to the regional sites.

No. 1 Denver is placed in the West Regional in St. Paul, Minn.
No. 2 Miami is placed in the Midwest Regional in Fort Wayne, Ind.
No. 3 Wisconsin is placed in the East Regional in Albany, N.Y.
No. 4 Boston College is placed in the Northeast Regional in Worcester, Mass.

Step Four

Now we place the other 12 teams so as to avoid intra-conference matchups if possible.

Begin by filling in each bracket by banding groups. Remember that teams are not assigned to the regional closest to their campus sites by ranking order within the banding (unless you are a host school, in which case you must be assigned to your home regional).

If this is the case, as it was last year, then the committee should seed so that the quarterfinals are seeded such that the four regional championships are played by No. 1 vs. No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7, No. 3 vs. No. 6 and No. 4 vs. No. 5.

So therefore:

No. 2 Seeds

No. 8 St. Cloud is placed in No. 1 Denver’s Regional, the West Regional.
No. 7 Alaska is placed in No. 2 Miami’s Regional, the Midwest Regional.
No. 6 Bemidji State is placed in No. 3 Wisconsin’s Regional, the East Regional.
No. 5 North Dakota is placed in No. 4 Boston College’s Regional, the Northeast Regional.

No. 3 Seeds

Our bracketing system has one regional containing seeds 1, 8, 9, and 16, another with 2, 7, 10, 15, another with 3, 6, 11, 14 and another with 4, 5, 12 and 13.

Therefore:

No. 9 Yale is placed in No. 8 St. Cloud’s Regional, the West Regional.
No. 10 New Hampshire is placed in No. 7 Alaska’s Regional, the Midwest Regional.
No. 11 Cornell is placed in No. 6 Bemidji State’s Regional, the East Regional.
No. 12 Michigan State is placed in No. 5 North Dakota’s Regional, the Northeast Regional.

No. 4 Seeds

One more time, taking No. 16 vs. No. 1, No. 15 vs. No. 2, etc.

No. 16 AHA Champion is sent to No. 1 Denver’s Regional, the West Regional.
No. 15 Minnesota-Duluth is sent to No. 2 Miami’s Regional, the Midwest Regional.
No. 14 Northern Michigan is sent to No. 3 Wisconsin’s Regional, the East Regional.
No. 13 Ferris State is sent to No. 4 Boston College’s Regional, the Northeast Regional.

The brackets as we have set them up:

Northeast Regional:

Ferris State vs. Boston College
Michigan State vs. North Dakota

Midwest Regional:

Minnesota-Duluth vs. Miami
New Hampshire vs. Alaska

East Regional:

Northern Michigan vs. Wisconsin
Cornell vs. Bemidji State

West Regional:

AHA Champion vs. Denver
Yale vs. St. Cloud State

Our first concern is avoiding intra-conference matchups. We have none.

Do we like the way this looks?

Actually, it seems perfect given the teams that are there. And there’s no juggling around.

It’s the perfect bracket.

If this is how it winds up, the committee will be done in five minutes.

I wish I could create some excitement or controversy by switching this or switching that. But I can’t. It’s plain and simple right now, and falls exactly where attendance is best, where geography is best, and all other factors.

So I won’t even try to throw a curve ball at you in what the committee might think.

Check the Bracketology Blog for other items and we’ll see you here next week for the next Bracketology.

Final Totem: Norwich Ends the Regular Season Atop D-III

By Nicholas Jon Wood

-

March 8, 2010

Dissension is in the ranks.

In the last poll of the Division III season, Norwich claimed the top spot for the third straight week. But after receiving 16 of the 20 available first place votes just seven days ago, that number dipped to 13, with Oswego (four) and St. Norbert (three) each adding two and one top tally, respectively, to
their totals.

This despite the fact that the Cadets — now winners of seven straight and a remarkable 23-1-4 on the season — captured the ECAC East crown with victories over New England College (3-1) in the semis and Babson (4-1) to secure the automatic NCAA berth.

Oswegoâ€™s dominant performance in the SUNYAC championship game probably played a part in the voting. Though the Lakers got outshot 38-23, they doubled up the Cardinals, 6-3, to secure the automatic NCAA bid. Likewise in the NCHA, St. Norbert walloped the No. 12 University of Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons, 7-1.

Middleburyâ€™s NESCAC championship — they bested Trinity 3-2 in the semifinal before taking down the white-hot Bowdoin Polar Bears, 3-2, in the title tilt — ushered them up a spot to fourth. Plattsburgh fell one position to fifth.

The Polar Bears ascended a spot to sixth, switching places with MIAC title game loser Gustavus Adolphus.

Manhattanvilleâ€™s ECAC West crown shot the Valiants up three spots to eighth, where they were followed by Elmira (down a spot from last week) and the MCHA champion Adrian Bulldogs, who get their first shot at a national title on Wednesday when they travel to take on St. Norbert in DePere, Wis.

Their season long over, St. Scholastica dropped two spots to No. 11; NCHA title game loser UW-River Falls remained at No. 12.

Teams 13 through 15 were all idle; that didnâ€™t stop voters from flip-flopping Amherst (now No. 14) and Hamline in the rankings.

Conference (and NCAA-bound) champs Curry and St. Thomas both received 20 votes — nine less than Hamline — while Marian, Wentworth, Augsburg, Hamilton, Trinity, and New England College also received votes in the final poll.

Maine Suspends Goaltender Darling Ahead of Playoffs

USCHO Staff Report

-

March 8, 2010

Maine has suspended goaltender Scott Darling for an indefinite period of time, just days before the start of the Hockey East playoffs.

Darling was suspended Saturday for a violation of team rules, The Associated Press and other news outlets reported Monday. The sophomore did not play in either of last weekend’s games in a regular season-closing series against Massachusetts.

University spokesperson Laura Reed told the AP that Darling had previously been suspended for two games at the start of this season and for one game last season.

Darling, a sixth-round pick of the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2007 NHL entry draft, has a 15-6-3 record this season with a 3.10 goals against average and a .895 save percentage.

Freshman Shawn Sirman started both games last weekend, but he was replaced by senior Dave Wilson in both Black Bears losses.

Quoting an anonymous source, WLBZ-TV of Bangor, Maine, reported that Darling is seeking treatment for alcohol-related issues.

Maine athletic director Blake James told the TV station that Darling’s suspension was not for a violation of the department’s student-athlete code of conduct.

“It’s something between [coach] Tim [Whitehead] and Scott,” James told WLBZ-TV. “Again, that’s something that I’ll continue to communicate with Coach Whitehead on, and when the time comes, I’m sure Coach Whitehead will update everyone with the situation.”

After finishing tied for third place in Hockey East and claiming the fourth seed, Maine opens a best-of-three playoff series against Massachusetts-Lowell at home on Friday.

Alaska’s Taranto a Unanimous CCHA Rookie Pick

USCHO Staff Report

-

March 8, 2010

Alaska forward Andy Taranto was the only unanimous selection to the CCHA All-Rookie Team.

Taranto was selected as the league’s rookie of the month twice and put up 12 goals and 31 points in CCHA play.

He’s joined on the rookie team by Nebraska-Omaha forward Terry Broadhurst, Michigan forward Chris Brown, Michigan State defenseman Torey Krug, Miami defenseman Joe Hartman and Notre Dame goaltender Mike Johnson.

Voting was done by the league’s head coaches.

North Dakota Regains Spot in Poll’s Top 5

USCHO Staff Report

-

March 8, 2010

The patented North Dakota second-half surge might look a little different this year, but the Sioux are definitely peaking toward the end of the season again.

After five weeks outside the top five of the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll, North Dakota is back in, checking in Monday at No. 5 and with a seven-game winning streak intact headed into the WCHA playoffs.

Related link: USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll: March 8, 2010

Under coach Dave Hakstol, the Sioux have made it a habit to pull things together after the holiday break and be a formidable team by the end of the season. When they started 7-1-1 this season, that formula was looking different. Same when they went 1-5 in a six-game stretch in January and February.

But since that down period, North Dakota is 7-0, with series sweeps of Minnesota-Duluth, Colorado College and Michigan Tech.

Denver and Miami nearly split the first-place votes this week after the Pioneers briefly lost the No. 1 spot in the PairWise Rankings following a 2-1 loss to Colorado College last Friday.

But they rebounded with a 7-3 victory the next day and took 26 of the poll’s 50 first-place votes to maintain the top spot according to the panel of voters. Miami and Wisconsin stayed second and third, respectively, and Boston College moved up a spot to fourth.

Yale (no change), St. Cloud State (down three), Bemidji State (no change), Cornell (no change) and Michigan State (up one) round out the top 10.

Massachusetts-Lowell regained a spot in the top 20, unseating Maine. The River Hawks play at the Black Bears in a best-of-three Hockey East quarterfinal series starting Friday.

There are four best-of-three conference playoff series between ranked teams this weekend, all starting Friday:

• No. 11 New Hampshire hosts No. 19 Vermont in Hockey East;

• No. 16 Northern Michigan hosts No. 12 Alaska in the CCHA;

• No. 13 Ferris State hosts No. 18 Nebraska-Omaha in the CCHA;

• and No. 14 Minnesota-Duluth hosts No. 15 Colorado College in the WCHA.

First Team

Second Team

First Team

Second Team

All-Rookie Team

St. Norbert (21-3-3 Overall, 14-2-2 in the NCHA)

Adrian (24-3-0 overall, 20-0-0 in the MCHA)

Gustavus Adolphus (19-6-2 overall, 12-2-2 in MIAC)

St. Thomas (13-10-4 overall, 8-6-2 in MIAC)

Elmira Soaring Eagles (18-8-1 overall, 11-4 in the ECAC West)

Curry Colonels (19-8-1 overall, 10-3-1 in the ECAC Northeast)

MASCAC Championship

Step One

Step Two

Step Three

Step Four

Officiating

Speeding through the MASCAC

Weekly and Yearly Honors

Chirps

Latest Stories from around USCHO