This Week in the WCHA: Jan. 14, 2010

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January 14, 2010

The league race is getting clearer at the same time it’s getting even more muddled. The gap between first and last (Denver, 23 points and Michigan Tech, four points) is as large as ever. However, the race for home ice is as tight as ever. Behold:

Denver, 23 points
Minnesota-Duluth, 21 points
St. Cloud State, 20 points
Colorado College, 19 points
North Dakota, 18 points
Wisconsin, 18 points

Minnesota (13 points), Minnesota State (11 points) and Alaska-Anchorage (nine points) aren’t even completely out of it yet, though it’s starting to look worse for them each week.

Red Baron WCHA Players of the Week

Red Baron WCHA Co-Offensive Players of the Week: Mike Connolly, UMD; Jason Gregoire, UND.
Why: Connolly scored five points (two goals, three assists) to help his Bulldogs sweep Colorado College. Gregoire scored four goals (two each night) to help his Sioux sweep Minnesota State.
Also Nominated: Tyler Ruegsegger, DU; Nick Larson, UM; Garrett Roe, SCSU.

Red Baron WCHA Defensive Player of the Week: Garrett Raboin, SCSU.
Why: Was a defensive force in the Huskies’ sweep of Michigan Tech, leading his team on special teams.
Also Nominated: Patrick Wiercioch, DU; Kenny Reiter, UMD; Derrick LaPoint, UND.

Red Baron WCHA Rookie of the Week: Corban Knight, UND.
Why: Scored two goals in the Sioux’s Friday victory over Minnesota State, before suffering an injury that kept him out of Saturday’s contest.
Also Nominated: No one.

Mythical Enemies

OK, so I doubt the mythical Seawolf actually had any encounters with Pioneers (particularly those Denver’s mascot is based on).

However, after two hard-fought games in Denver last weekend, the two teams started brawling at the end of Saturday’s contest, a 3-2 DU victory. While I wasn’t there and I can’t seem to find a video of the event (YouTube fails me. There’s one video of the brawl and you can’t tell that anything is going on), I’m presuming that the emotions from a tough series boiled over (as they often do).

That, and I noticed players jawing at each other during faceoffs and breaks in action during pretty much the entire game on Friday.

Anyway, several scrums broke out on the ice, players left the benches to join in on the fun and, long story short, the two teams combined for 103 minutes in penalties after the final buzzer (61 for UAA and 42 for DU) and 129 for the whole game and, due to the melee, the teams forwent the traditional post-game handshake. The officials (referees Brian Thul and Brett Klosowoski along with assistant referees Tim Swiader and Gary Pedigo) also reportedly took about 90 minutes going over the video repeatedly before they assessed the penalties.

From the Denver Post: “[Tyler] Ruegsegger took an unwelcome center-ice curtain call after the buzzer. After several fights broke out just after the whistle, Ruegsegger was stripped of his helmet and challenged by Chris Crowell in the neutral zone.

“Crowell, a fourth-line freshman winger, was believed to be one of two UAA players to come off the bench to join in on the shenanigans after the buzzer.”

From USCHO’s own Candace Horgan’s recap: “After the final horn, a scrum erupted with all five skaters getting into shoving matches. Two Seawolves came off the bench as well, including forward Chris Crowell, who punched Ruegsegger. [Anchorage’s] Crowell and Jared Tuton, as well as [Denver’s John] Ryder and William Wrenn, were assessed game disqualification penalties.”

In fact, a total of five game disqualification penalties were assessed, including two to the aforementioned Crowell. Crowell will miss his team’s next three games, while everyone else should miss just one, if I’m reading the NCAA’s rules (page HR-44) accurately.

As for the parties involved? Seawolves coach Dave Shyiak apparently had very little to say, according to Horgan. Ruegsegger and DU coach George Gwozdecky commented some; I’ll include their quotes here:

“First time I’ve been in something like that to be honest. … It’s a little scary, but at the same time you’re in it and you have to defend yourself. Sometimes you have to get a guy so your teammates don’t get double-teamed.” — Ruegsegger

“I think that happens maybe too often. … One team is frustrated and one team is excited. The only thing you worry about is what happened later on. You have players on the ice at the end of the game, that’s not the issue. When you have players come on the ice to go to their goaltender, nasty, ugly things can erupt that we don’t want to have happen. We’re glad that didn’t happen. Initially, what I saw is you had your group of players on the ice, and probably 15 seconds later a couple of their guys came on the ice and I don’t think they’re going out on the ice to be peacemakers. That’s when I decided, OK, I’ve had enough; I’m going to make sure first of all that our guys stay, then see if we can break it up.” — Gwozdecky

Silver Lining

I know several times this season we’ve mentioned, quite frankly, how bad the Gophers have been.

Well, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Minnesota has put together a little run, going 7-2 in its last nine games. Granted, most of those wins have come over teams the Gophers should in theory beat — Michigan Tech, Harvard, Bowling Green, etc. The fact that they’re beating them, however, is a good thing, even if it’s taken near 50 shots each game.

Coach Don Lucia mentioned a few things that need to happen for the Gophers to continue to build on their success that were in the Star Tribune, namely, staying healthy.

“We have to stay healthy. We don’t have a lot of guys right now. Staying injury-free for the rest of the year is going to be really important for us,” he said. “Our power play scoring some goals is going to be important [as is] just getting to that three- or four-goal mark on a consistent basis as opposed to one or two too many times the first half of the season.”

Lucia is relatively happy with his goaltending, saying it’s been “solid,” and he’s content with Minnesota’s defensive play, “but improvement in our specialties and improvement in goal-scoring, and to continue to play well defensively will be the key.

“I see some growth right now, I really do,” he said. “We are going to the net better. We are becoming a better offensive team creating opportunities. Early in the season, we weren’t creating a whole lot of opportunities.”

Speaking of opportunities, Lucia and his Gophers will have a big one this weekend as North Dakota rolls into town, in an always exciting matchup. If the Gophers can continue working on the little things that have helped them improve, they could have the chance to show the rest of the league what they can do, even if it is against an injured Sioux squad.

Around the WCHA

MTU — The Huskies are apparently traveling to Germany this summer to play a little foreign puck. The team will play five games against various professional teams, which, I’m sure, will be a great experience for these guys. Playing hockey is awesome enough, but getting the chance to do it in another country? Always special.

Match-Ups By the Numbers

Everyone plays except for Denver, which gets one more weekend off.

Alaska-Anchorage @ Michigan Tech
Overall Records: UAA — 6-13-1 (4-11-1 WCHA). MTU — 3-18-1 (2-14-0 WCHA).
Head-to-Head: MTU leads the overall series, 24-23-10.

North Dakota @ Minnesota
Overall Records: UND — 12-6-4 (8-6-2 WCHA). UM — 11-10-1 (6-7-1 WCHA).
Head-to-Head: UM leads the overall series, 137-125-13.
Notes: UND is 4-0-1 in its last five visits to Mariucci.

Wisconsin @ Colorado College
Overall Records: UW — 12-5-3 (8-4-2 WCHA). CC — 12-7-3 (8-5-3 WCHA).
Head-to-Head: UW leads the overall series, 105-58-9.

Minnesota-Duluth @ Minnesota State
Overall Records: UMD — 14-7-1 (10-5-1 WCHA). MSU — 11-11-2 (5-10-1 WCHA).
Head-to-Head: UMD leads the overall series, 17-14-5.

St. Cloud State @ Quinnipiac
Overall Records: SCSU — 12-7-3 (9-5-2 WCHA). QU — 13-7-1 (7-6-0 ECACHL).
Head-to-Head: This is the first meeting between the two teams.

Future WCHA Team Watch

Bemidji State had last weekend off and faces conference foe Niagara this weekend. Nebraska-Omaha split with Alaska at home and next travels to Lake Superior State for a pair of games.

No. 11 BSU: 14-4-2 overall, 1-3-0 vs. WCHA
UNO: 10-9-5 overall, 1-1-1 vs. WCHA

Rolling Along

Yes, the Fighting Sioux have started to maybe put together another second-half run. However, you’re not going to hear me talk to coach Dave Hakstol about it again this year. The last two he’s said it’s just coincidence and really, the runs have been indicative of bigger things.

Still, it’ll be fun to watch if the team can do it again, particularly with all the injuries the team keeps getting hit with.

Contributing: Candace Horgan

This Week in the NCHA/MCHA: Jan 14, 2010

By Matthew Webb

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January 14, 2010

This weekâ€™s USCHO.com Division III men’s poll offered only minimal movement for NCHA and MCHA teams. The leagues still combine to feature five teams that are getting recognition.

St. Norbert remains the highest ranked of the bunch as the Green Knights moved up a tick to third following a pair of road wins over MIAC foes. St. Scholastica follows and holds at No. 5 after a pair of wins in their own right — including an impressive 4-0 road sweep over currently eighth ranked Hamline.

UW-River Falls checked in at No. 13 yet again while UW-Superior was two spots and 10 votes away from cracking the top 15.

Adrianâ€™s defeat at the hands of top ranked Oswego did not hurt the Bulldogs too badly in the eyes of the voters as the Bulldogs fell a mere two spots down to No. 11. Adrian remains the lone MCHA team to be receiving votes.

Food for Thought

This week, finally, marks the complete return to conference action for both the NCHA and MCHA as a full slate of games is on tap in both leagues. Last weekend nearly marked the conclusion of NCHA-MIAC games this regular season, and the NCHA made yet another statement on its behalf over its Minnesota rivals.

NCHA teams posted a collective 10-2-2 record over MIAC teams last weekend, and when paired with the 10-3-1 mark from a weekend earlier in the year and a smattering of other meetings, the league now holds with a definitive 23-6-3 mark in inter-conference play with the MIAC.

This will serve to help the NCHA strength of schedules as, partly due to the leagueâ€™s dominance over the MIAC, only a single NCHA team, Eau Claire at 5-7-3, currently holds a record below .500.

The NCHA league schedule is less than half complete, however, and by the end of the year there will certainly be more than one team below .500. The contention here remains that this will hurt the schedule strengths of the top NCHA teams (relative to past seasons) and has the potential to negatively impact the amount of conference squads in the running for at-large selection to the NCAA tournament.

Is that assumption correct? We still donâ€™t know, but now that the numbers are starting to pile up the merits, or lack thereof, of the 18-game league schedule relative to overall schedule strength will certainly be getting some attention here in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.

Bulldogs 0-3

For over a year the past two weekends had been some of the most anticipated in Division III hockey as finally Adrian had a chance to play top-flight competition on consecutive weekends.

It worked out even better than expected from the fansâ€™ standpoint as Adrianâ€™s opponents, Hamline and Oswego, were both in the top 10 and the Lakers were nearly unanimously recognized as the best team in the nation.

The end result was three consecutive losses for the Bulldogs, though despite the disappointing scores the experience gained and lessons learned in their first legitimate foray into the upper-echelon of Division III might very well be positives in the long run.

Adrian looked to be in a fine spot in Fridayâ€™s opener at Hamline as they outshot the Pipers 17-6 in the opening period and continued to control the tempo in the second. A Zach Graham goal with just over two minutes left in the second period staked the Bulldogs a 4-2 lead and Adrian appeared to be in.

â€œThey are a good, hard-working team,â€ said Adrian head coach Ron Fogarty, whose Bulldogs are now 10-3-0 on the season. â€œTheir forwards are very quick and opportunistic, it was a little different look for us with Beau Christian catching with his right hand, and they have some good defensemen. It was exactly what we expected and for the first 39 minutes we played a great road game.â€

The 40th minute was indeed the killer as Jay Fifield and Kyle Kurr struck for the Pipers and it was a 4-4 game with 20 minutes to play.

â€œThat was a momentum changer for that game.â€ Fogarty said. â€œIf we go into the dressing room up 4-2 going into the third we could go into maybe a little more cautious of a forecheck and it would have forced Hamline into an uncomfortable area where they would have had to try to open the game up.

â€œInstead of it being 4-2 going into the third itâ€™s tied with one team on its toes and another trying to figure out what happened.â€

The Bulldogs werenâ€™t able to figure out what happened quite quickly enough as Hamline tallies at 7:10 and 13:42 proved too much to overcome. Brad Houston scored with 2:33 to go for Adrian but it was not enough and game one was in the books as a 6-5 loss. Adrian outshot Hamline 42-23 on the night.

â€œWe knew that Hamline was a great opponent and we saw what they did in their previous games,â€ said Fogarty. â€œWe prepared for that but as we go into any game we have to keep worrying about us and trying to stop their tendencies. I thought we were well prepared going into the Hamline series.â€

â€œWeâ€™ve been in those situations before against Potsdam and Neumann and we got it to the point where we had a shot there down 6-5 but it just wasnâ€™t meant to be,â€ he added.

Saturdayâ€™s rematch didnâ€™t get off to a good start for Adrian as Hamline opened up a 3-0 lead in the first period. A late goal in the period by Eric Miller kept the Bulldogs in the game and they added two more in the second period to only trail 4-3 entering the third.

For the second night in a row the third period did not go the way the Adrian would have liked it to, however, as Hamline put up three more to pull away for the 7-3 win. The Bulldogs once again outshot the Pipers, this time by a 28-20 margin.

â€œThe last minute of each second period was the critical point,â€ Fogarty said. â€œSam Kuzyk comes down the ice, beats Christian and hits the side of the net. Goes onto Mike Towns stick with an open net and he misses it. That would have made it 4-4 with our momentum.

â€œThe last 90 seconds of each second period was huge for Hamline.â€

With the disappointing weekend behind them, Adrian could not afford to dwell on it as waiting a mere five days away was a date at Oswego, the No. 1 ranked team in the nation.

According to Fogarty, it was a defense-first focus when prepping for the Lakers, and he also acknowledged that starting goaltender Brad Fogal was going to have to step up his play from the Hamline series if the Bulldogs were going to give the Lakers a run.

â€œWe knew we had to play better and we challenged Fogal to play better,â€ he said. â€œForty three shots on goal and 13 goals going in are not going to beat any team no less one in our conference tournament. It just canâ€™t happen.â€
By all accounts, Oswego was all over Adrian early, but despite three power-play chances the Lakers were unable to crack the Bulldogsâ€™ defense in the early stages.

â€œI think we came out in the first period and got caught up in the moment and Oswego took it to us pretty good. Our penalty kill did a great job and it was on Fogalâ€™s shoulders. He was our best penalty killer of the day,â€ Fogarty said.

Fogal wasnâ€™t perfect, however, and Oswego struck twice in the final two minutes of the period to hold a 2-0 lead at the first intermission. The Lakers held a 13-7 shot advantage in the period.

â€œItâ€™s difficult,â€ he admitted. â€œAnytime you have the opportunity to play the number one team in the country and an opponent like Oswego you need to be ready to go. They were great with what they did and we werenâ€™t able to respond until after the first intermission.â€

â€œThey are a great team,â€ Fogel added. â€œThey are number one for a reason and there is nothing in the first period that any team could have done. There are a lot of times you talk to coaches and defend the play of your team, but that first period they dominated for a reason because they are a great team.â€

Adrian responded in the second period as Mike Dahlinger got the Bulldogs on the board at 18:17, but they would concede yet another last minute goal and trail 3-1 at the end of the frame. Despite still facing a two goal deficit, Adrianâ€™s play in the second was dramatically better than it was in the first.

â€œWe had a pretty good heart-to-heart talk between the first and the second periods. Worry about yourselves here because we are wasting an opportunity. There was a 40 minute game to go.â€

A penalty-filled third period saw no scoring until Dahlinger tallied again to make it 3-2 with 1:43 to go, but the Lakers tacked on two empty netters to score the 5-2 win.

While Adrian certainly did nothing to shame itself in terms of its play, the bigger story might have been the Bulldogsâ€™ lack of composure in the final period. In totality, they took eight penalties in the final period, one of which was a 5:00 checking from behind and three of which were misconducts.

â€œMost definitely it was the emotion,â€ explained Fogarty. â€œYou have to be disciplined throughout at entire game and we werenâ€™t. When you face tough times habits are going to show through and we had some bad habits show up in that game. I certainly donâ€™t want that to be the lasting impression of our program. It was definitely addressed this week and it will never happen again.

â€œGuys taking 10 minute misconducts and chirping when you still have a chance to come back is not the way championship teams perform.â€

Despite finishing at 0-3, hopefully these games brought everyone to a bit of middle ground as far as Adrian is concerned. Can the Bulldogs skate with anyone in the country? Yes. Are they susceptible to the same mistakes and vulnerabilities that can plague any other talented, yet inexperienced, team in high pressure situations? Yes. Can Adrian get by without doing all the little things right? Of course not.

With a road series at the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) this weekend kicking off the second half of a MCHA season that will ultimately end with one team representing the league in the national tournament, itâ€™s back to the drawing board at Adrian, at least in terms of attention to detail — especially on the defensive side of things.

â€œWe know we can score goals but we canâ€™t give up 18 goals in three games and our guys are aware of that,â€ Fogarty said. â€œTake note of the teams that win the national tournament. St. Norbert and their defense and the great goaltending they had, Neumann going on the road and getting great goaltending last year and playing great defensive hockey. Thatâ€™s how you win games and thatâ€™s something we need to focus on.â€

News from the Northâ€¦land

Perhaps lost in the shuffle of the NCHA battles, Adrian-Oswego, schedule strength discussion, and the soon-to-dominate-all-discussions NCAA tourney talk is the play of Northland.

The Lumberjacks are 2-11 on the season and 2-6 in MCHA play, which is good enough for a sixth place tie with Finlandia. Though they likely wonâ€™t be receiving any votes in the national poll this season, it hardly means that this isnâ€™t the best Northland team to take the ice in some time.

â€œWeâ€™re deeper and I think we are more talented in previous years,â€ said Steve Fabiili, who is in his fifth season as head coach of the Lumberjacks. â€œItâ€™s still a matter of us learning to put together a full 60 minutes. Weâ€™ll have spots of competing against teams and taking play over and then weâ€™ll go through stretches where we kind of give up a lot.

â€œWeâ€™re still relatively young, but in comparison to previous teams we are moving forward. They might be baby steps for now but we arenâ€™t moving backwards.â€

Consider some of the numbers:

Northland has already scored 35 goals this season which already surpasses the 31 it posted all of last year. Discount the Adrian series in which the Lumberjacks were outscored 20-6 and they have been outscored 30-17 in league play which, while not ideal, is far from dismal.

Northlandâ€™s 2.7 goals per game is up significantly from past seasons and the Lumberjacks have yet to be shutout this year after being held scoreless 11 times last season and seven the year before.

â€œThose are all positives,â€ Fabiili said. â€œAnd our [special teams] numbers have improved, so when you look at things outside of the wins and losses there are some positives and thatâ€™s what we need to keep striving for.â€

If this does indeed mark the beginning of a legitimate turnaround for the Northland program, why specifically is it occurring now? Fabiilliâ€™s opinion is one that makes the most sense:

â€œI think this is the first year since Iâ€™ve been here where we have more returners than newcomers. Thatâ€™s a testament to the guys that have stayed. I say the same thing to every recruit: we are rebuilding and trying to turn a program around and if you donâ€™t want to be a part of that then donâ€™t come here.â€

As far as some of the talent Fabiilli has assembled goes, freshman Kraig Wright has paced the offense with six goals and 10 assists in 13 games. Itâ€™s the first time Northland has had a point-per-game scorer since 2005-06.

The return of junior captain Chad Moore, who missed most of last season with an injury, has also proved to be a boon as Moore has posted 12 points on the season and provided invaluable upper class leadership at the same time.

Seniors Matt Tannenberg, Brian Zwawa and Joe Belanger, along with junior Shaun Newman have provided experience on the blue line, and junior netminder Daniel McIntosh is once again the go-to guy in the pipes.

The Lumberjacks very nearly made a bit of noise a few weeks ago as they led Bethel 3-1 after two periods before eventually losing 5-4 in overtime on a goal with 2.2 seconds remaining. It would have been Northlandâ€™s first nonconference win since defeating Hamline in November 2004.

â€œItâ€™s going to take more experience, not in the sense of how many [upperclassmen] we have, but more in the sense of being in close games like that,â€ said Fabiilli of the close loss. â€œWe really havenâ€™t been involved in a lot of close games, so that experience of knowing how to close out a game and not panicking when the other team might get one goal on us is what we have to learn.â€

Fabiilli is hopeful that his team can continue to take meaningful strides and apply them to the remainder of the MCHA season. As only six of eight MCHA teams qualify for the playoffs this year, he says that postseason hockey is the goal.

â€œWe definitely want to make the playoffs. We have some solid teams coming up to play and we want to come out with some solid wins and make the playoffs.â€

As of now the Lumberjacks would be in the MCHA playoffs as by virtue of an earlier season sweep of Finlandia they own the sixth place tiebreaker over the Lions. They will, however, face Finlandia two more times this year.
With some winnable games down the stretch, donâ€™t be surprised if Northland attains its goal and there ends up being some trademark orange gracing the 2010 edition of the Harris Cup playoffs.

â€œWeâ€™re not putting a number on how many wins we want or any of that,â€ Fabiilli said. â€œWe are going out there to win every game and weâ€™ll go from there.â€

This Week in MIAC: Jan. 14, 2010

By Scott Bridges

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January 14, 2010

Picking Up the Pieces

This past weekend saw the second half of the MIAC-NCHA crossover. Coming into the weekend the NCHA held the upper hand in the series, posting a 12-4-1 record. With the MIAC teams holding home ice for this weekendâ€™s 14 matchups, it looked like a good chance to close the gap and perhaps even things up.

Instead, it ended up being a rough weekend all around for the MIAC, as the league as a whole went 2-10-2 against NCHA teams. With conference play dominating the rest of the season for the nine MIAC teams, this was not how anyone wanted to resume league play.

While it may look like it was complete domination, the majority of the games were closer than the overall record would indicate. St. Maryâ€™s put a scare into both the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and UW-River Falls. Both teams outshot the Cardinals, but barely managed to eke out wins. Eau Claire needing a shorthanded empty-net goal to seal their win on Friday was dramatic enough, but what happened on Saturday blew that out of the proverbial water.

Going into the third period, St. Maryâ€™s held a 3-1 lead over River Falls, but that lead was erased in less than 90 seconds as the Falcons scored twice in 1:26 to tie the game. After a back-and-forth period, the game headed to overtime with the Cardinals on a power play.

Under one minute into the extra frame, another River Falls player took a penalty, ensuring that the Cardinals would be on the power play for all of overtime, and giving them over a minute of a 5-on-3 advantage. However, things would end in heartbreaking fashion for St. Maryâ€™s.

As the first penalty expired with Josh Calleja exiting the penalty box, he set up a breakout pass that set Sean Roadhouse free. He buried his chance and ended St. Maryâ€™s weekend with a second shorthanded goal sealing their loss.
Hamline had a 2-0-1 record against the NCHA coming into this weekend, and was the only MIAC team without a loss against their rival conference.

That changed after Fridayâ€™s game against St. Scholastica. The Saints played one of the best games of hockey Iâ€™ve seen this season en route to a 4-0 victory over the Pipers. The vast majority of the game was played evenly, with both teams matching each other on speed and skill. The Saintsâ€™ system cut down on Hamlineâ€™s time and space and did an excellent job of clogging up passing lanes.

The Pipers were still able to maintain offensive possession and apply some pressure, but Scholastica goaltender Brennan Poderzay was able to shut the door on every scoring chance. On the other side, the Saints were able to cycle the puck offensively themselves, although none of their goals would come from that pressure.

All four goals were scored on odd man rushes, and that was the difference in the game: Scholastica was able to bury their chances while Hamline was not. That one facet was enough to give an even game a 4-0 score that might lead some to believe wasnâ€™t that close.

Saturdayâ€™s matchup against UW-Superior started off better for Hamline, as they broke out to a 4-1 lead over the Yellowjackets. However, Superior was able to score three unanswered goals en route to a 4-4 tie, ending a disappointing weekend for Hamline.

The biggest bright spot for the MIAC was the play of Augsburg. The Auggies won both their games this weekend, with impressive overtime victories over UW-Stout and St. Olaf. Against the Blue Devils, Augsburg pulled their goaltender in the dying seconds of the game. Nick Guran scored his third goal of the game with 14 seconds left to tie the contest at 4-4. The Auggies didnâ€™t waste any time in the extra stanza, as they scored on the first shot of overtime to win in dramatic fashion.

On Saturday, Augsburg held a one goal lead in third period over St. Olaf, but wasnâ€™t able to hold on as the Oles scored midway through the period to knot the score. Neither team was able to score in the rest of regulation, and the Auggies were once again headed to overtime. Augsburg was given a golden opportunity halfway through the period when St. Olaf took a penalty, and then took another one less than a minute later. Kris Reinthaler scored his second goal of the season shortly afterwards, and the Auggies celebrated another sudden death victory.

Second Half Stretch

With the MIAC-NCHA crossover finished for the season, the majority of games left for the nine MIAC teams are of the conference variety. Most teams have 10 conference games left, although some have 12. These are the most important games of the season for the league as they jostle to secure a spot in the league playoffs. Unlike some leagues where every team makes the conference tournament, only the top five teams from the MIAC get a chance to extend their season.

This is an incredibly close league, with any team able to beat any other team on a given night. While this makes it difficult to foresee the future, Iâ€™m going to take this week to predict how I see the final standings shaping up.

(Editorâ€™s note: Predictions made in reverse order of current standings.)

St. Johnâ€™s Johnnies

Preseason Prediction: Eighth
Midseason Prediction: Eighth

The Johnnies are currently 1-5-0 in the conference and in last place. By all accounts itâ€™s been a disappointing season so far. If the Johnnies want to move up the standings, theyâ€™re going to have to play some of the top teams in the league, as they have yet to face Gustavus Adolphus and Hamline. However they also play the two teams directly above them, which would allow the Johnnies to move up to at least seventh place, if not higher.

The Johnnies havenâ€™t been badly outplayed in conference, with no losses by more than two goals. If they can do just a little bit more offensively or defensively, they might be able to turn the corner and win some games in the second half. This is a young team with a second year coach, and the second half of the year can be when young teams buy into a new system and start to improve. Weâ€™ll see how the team reacts in the coming weeks.

Right now, I see them finishing eighth. Their series against St. Maryâ€™s might determine which team finishes last in the conference. The Johnnies certainly have skill and play hard, but with their remaining schedule, I donâ€™t see them being able to climb as high as sixth place.

St. Maryâ€™s Cardinals

Preseason Prediction: Ninth
Midseason Prediction: Ninth

The Cardinals have shown some definite improvement this season under second year head coach Bill Moore. Last season saw the Cardinals surrendered 93 goals, by far the worst in the league. Right now theyâ€™re on pace to give up only 60. Their scoring has dipped slightly this season, but the defensive improvement far outweighs that lack of productivity.

Young teams are often prone to erratic play early in the season, as they have problems staying disciplined, playing within their system, and getting a feel for their teammates. The question facing the Cardinals is whether they can come together as a team and improve, or be overcome by this season. Given how the Cardinals have played hard through the end of their games all season, this is not a team thatâ€™s going to simply give up.

St. Maryâ€™s schedule has some winnable games down the stretch, so if they improve their play, they could very well finish in sixth place. Like I said earlier, their series against St. Johnâ€™s likely will be to determine which of the two finishes in last place. They have eight conference games before that series though, so anything can happen. Improvement as a team doesnâ€™t always show up in a win-loss record; this team is on a pace to be better than last yearâ€™s version, and even if it doesnâ€™t show up in the win column, if they can continue to play hard and improve, theyâ€™ll have nothing to be ashamed of when the season comes to a close.

St. Olaf Oles

Preseason Prediction: Third
Midseason Prediction: Fourth

St. Olafâ€™s aim for the rest of the season could be as simple as this: win some games. Last yearâ€™s regular season champion comes into the second semester with the dubious distinction of being the only team in the MIAC who has not won a conference game. Their 0-2-4 record may be enough for them to sit in seventh place, but it has to be a far cry from where the team hoped to be at this point.

To get back into the playoff picture, the Oles will have to have successful weekends (three or four points) from here on out. If they can only garner splits (two points) against teams such as Bethel, St. Thomas, or Augsburg, theyâ€™ll have a tough hill to climb to make the conference playoffs.

While they did lose some key offensive players from last seasonâ€™s team, they returned a lot of skill and speed, along with solid goaltending. Their struggles so far this season can be somewhat attributed to playing two of the top three MIAC teams so far, but at some point theyâ€™re going to win to prove they belong among the conferenceâ€™s top teams. Theyâ€™ve played hard and theyâ€™ve played well so far, but a few mental lapses have cost them some key points.

Some wins against Bethel, St. Thomas, and St. Johnâ€™s would go a long way to helping turn things around for St. Olaf. Theyâ€™ll have to put in a full 60 minutes of play to win, though, as all of those teams will be fighting for victories of their own. St. Olaf never had to face a test like this last season, as they finished in first place by a comfortable seven point margin, so it will be interesting to see how the team handles adversity. Will they be unsure of how to respond? Or will they buckle down and focus on the task at hand?

St. Thomas Tommies

Preseason Prediction: Fourth
Midseason Prediction: Seventh

The Tommies have had a rough go of things so far. Theyâ€™ve given up twice as many goals as theyâ€™ve scored, and currently are sitting in sixth place in the standings. After a four game losing streak, St. Thomas got back on track by beating and tying the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) in a nonconference matchup.

Offense has been a problem so far, with St. Thomas getting shut out three times this season. The Tommies are tied for last in the MIAC in goals scored, and to make matters worse, the two teams they are tied with have both played two fewer games.

While the Tommies are currently right in the playoff picture, pretty much every series the rest of the season is make-or-break. Losses to Bethel, St. Olaf, or Concordia (MN) could be enough to spoil the Tommiesâ€™ season. This is one team in particular thatâ€™s hard to gauge. They play hard, skate fast, and can play lights out defense. But it seems that sometimes there is something missing, whether itâ€™s someone to finish scoring chances, focus on the power play, or something else. If the Tommies can figure it out, they might be able to push their way into the playoffs.

Augsburg Auggies

Preseason Prediction: Fifth
Midseason Prediction: Third

The Auggies have had an up-and-down season so far. They won both of their games to open the season, then proceeded to get shut out in their next three. Since then, however, they are unbeaten in eight straight games, including seven wins in a row. Somehow they have done this relatively quietly, with none of these games being blowouts or coming in dominating fashion.

Regardless of how they occurred, all that matters at the end of the game is who has more goals, and Augsburgâ€™s been finding a way to make sure itâ€™s them.
The Auggies have 12 games remaining, and face all four teams head of them in the standings. Itâ€™s pretty obvious that those series will determine if
Augsburg can move up in the conference.

This team has received solid goaltending for most of the season, and if their offense can return to last yearâ€™s form, they could be challenging for one of the top spots in the standings. Right now the team has handled some adversity and is on a hot streak and finding ways to win. Weâ€™ll see if that continues as league play resumes next week.

Concordia (MN) Cobbers

Preseason Prediction: Sixth
Midseason Prediction: Fifth

Last year, the Cobbers finished dead last in the MIAC, scoring a league worst 35 goals while giving up 65. Through only six games this season, theyâ€™ve scored 16 while giving up 13, making them one of the most improved teams in the league. So far they have taken two points every conference weekend, which puts them in fourth place, and if the season ended today, they would be in the playoffs.

One of their head coachâ€™s goals for the season was to have the team play hard all game, every game. Theyâ€™ve done just that this season, and if they continue this promising trend, it will be hard for teams chasing them to catch up. Concordia has one of the leagueâ€™s toughest schedules the rest of the way, with series against Gustavus, Hamline, and Augsburg. However, if they can continue to take points when they can, they should be able to claim one of the five playoff spots.

Next weekendâ€™s series against St. Thomas will be the first test for the Cobbers. Three or four points would be a big first step to securing that playoff spot, while the Tommies will be fighting for their own playoff hopes.

Hamline Pipers

Preseason Prediction: Second
Midseason Prediction: First

The Pipers have had a great start to their season, despite this past weekendâ€™s struggles. Their schedule so far has not been easy, as instead of scheduling one of the weaker MCHA teams, they faced off against the Adrian Bulldogs. In their first two and a half years of existence, the Bulldogs had amassed a record of 63-4-1, an incredible record no matter what league a team is in. The Pipers won both games of that series in a weekend that brought them plenty of national attention.

While the first half has been a good one for Hamline, the second half will make-or-break their season. They currently sit in third place in the conference despite playing two fewer games than those ahead of them. With so many conference games left on their schedule, though, a rough second half could render their good start meaningless.

This coming weekend has the Pipers playing second place Bethel twice. A sweep by Hamline would push them up the standings and put some space between them and the lower end of the conference. Key series against Augsburg, St. Thomas, and Gustavus Adolphus also await the Pipers, all of which will be important. If Hamline can continue their hot first half, look for them to fighting for the top seed at seasonâ€™s end.

Bethel Royals

Preseason Prediction: Seventh
Midseason Prediction: Sixth

The Royals have had an interesting start to the season. They lost their first four games of the year, all nonconference tilts. In conference, though, they have a 4-2-0 record, which is good enough for second place. Outside the league, the Royals have a 2-7-0 record, giving them something of a Jekyll and Hyde appearance.

Bethel might not have a top line they can expect to score every night, but they are a hard working team that plays to the whistle — as their overtime win over Northland with 2.2 seconds left proved. However, their schedule the rest of the way is not easy. They still have to face Hamline, St. Olaf, Augsburg, and St. Thomas, all of whom will be fighting for their playoff lives. Bethel will have their hands full each and every weekend.

If they can stay near the top of the standings, it will show that they are the real deal. However, I think they may have over-achieved slightly so far this season, and if their conference record starts to look like their out-of-conference mark, they will start to slide down the standings.

Gustavus Adolphus Gusties

Preseason Prediction: First
Midseason Prediction: Second

Lost in the attention the Adrian-Hamline series received was how Gustavus Adolphusâ€™s season has been progressing. After starting off 2-2-1, the Gusties have gone 8-2-0. Theyâ€™ve already faced Bethel, St. Olaf, and St. Thomas, and mainly have lower ranked teams the rest of the season on their docket. Their two key series are this weekend against Augsburg and near the end of the season against Hamline.

If Gustavus can hold serve against the teams theyâ€™re expected to beat, that series against the Pipers could determine the regular season championship. This team is no stranger to the pressure of a stretch run, as last season they swept through the conference playoffs and into the national title game. Although they lost to Neumann in the seasonâ€™s final game, this team has to have gained confidence in themselves and their teammates by that successful run. They have plenty of speed and skill, and have the ability to score on quick transitions as well as the ability to cycle the puck and create chances through constant pressure.

This weekendâ€™s series against Augsburg will be a big test for both teams, as theyâ€™re both on hot streaks. Augsburg will be looking to climb up the standings while the Gusties will be looking to strengthen their grip as the leagueâ€™s top team.

This Week in Atlantic Hockey: Jan. 14, 2010

By Chris Lerch

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January 14, 2010

Back on Track

The top three teams in Atlantic Hockey returned to winning ways last weekend, as the the league left most of its non-conference games behind and got down to crunch time. The sight from the rear-view mirror isn’t pretty — the league has gone 8-43-5 out of conference this season, with just five non-league games left.

Home cooking was a key factor in the top teams rebounding: Mercyhurst got back on track with a 7-2, 5-3 home sweep of American International; Air Force took three of four points from Connecticut in a pair of close contents in Colorado Springs; and in Rochester, RIT continued its domination of Holy Cross with a 5-2, 2-0 sweep. The Tigers are now 14-1-1 against the Crusaders since joining Atlantic Hockey.

RIT is riding a 12-game unbeaten streak in conference play and is tied with Air Force for second place. Both teams trail first-place Mercyhurst by a point, but the Tigers have the advantage with four games in hand on both the Lakers and Falcons.

“This was a nice bounce back weekend for us,” said RIT coach Wayne Wilson. “But it’s a long 14 games to go. We talk about those four games in hand, but if you lose one, all of a sudden you’re down to three games in hand. It disappears quickly.”

Weekly Awards

Player of the Week for Jan. 11, 2010:
Brandon Coccimiglio — Mercyhurst

Coccimiglio had a five-point weekend to lead the Lakers to a sweep of American International. He had a natural hat trick an an assist in Friday’s 7-2 win, and tacked on an assist in Saturday’s 5-3 victory.

Goalie of the Week for Jan. 11, 2010:
Jared DeMichiel — RIT

The senior goaltender stopped 46 of 48 shots to help the Tigers to a sweep of Holy Cross. DeMichiel recorded his second career shutout on Saturday, stopping all 22 shots he faced. He’s currently 10-2-1, with a 1.69 goals-against average and .935 save percentage in AHA play.

Co-Rookie of the Week for Jan. 11, 2010:
Steven Legatto — Sacred Heart

Legatto wins the award for the second week in a row, although this time he has to share. The goaltender stopped 63 of 66 shots as the Pioneers took three points from Army. He stopped all 30 shots he faced on Saturday for his first career shutout.

Co-Rookie of the Week for Jan. 11, 2010:
Joe Campanelli — Bentley

The rookie from Pierrefond, Quebec, had a five-point weekend (three goals, two assists). Campanelli is second among all rookies in Atlantic Hockey with 16 points on the season.

Iron Man

Air Force goaltender Andrew Volkening played in his 111th career game on Friday, setting a school record.

“I think he’s the best player ever to play in the program,” Air Force coach Frank Serratore said. “I mean, when you see what he’s done — he’s won four championship games, he’s been the all-tournament goalie in three NCAA tournaments, he’s been the all-regional goalie. We’ve had three All-Americans in the last three years, but the last two years he’s been our team MVP.”

Canisius’ Consistant Cory Conacher

Canisius junior forward Cory Conacher extended his scoring streak to 10 games last weekend, recording four points in a split with Bentley, including the game winning goal on Saturday with 2:40 remaining in the contest. Conacher is currently second in the nation with 1.55 points per game, and first in Division I with four game-winners.

The Power is On

Holy Cross’ power play is providing almost all of its offense lately. Eleven of the Crusaders’ last 13 goals have come with the man advantage. All five of the Holy Cross goals in four games with RIT this season were on the power play.

Getting the Call

When freshman goaltender Jeff Larson left school after the first semester, Connecticut didn’t skip a beat, welcoming Garret Bartus, who arrived after the holidays from the St. Louis Bandits of the NAHL. Bartus played well last weekend, holding Air Force to four goals.

“He made some great saves tonight that kept us in the game,” UConn coach Bruce Marshall said. “We’ve been having breakdowns the last couple weeks where it’s a shot here, a missed defensive play there, but when you start getting saves, it starts allowing you to do other things.”

Vote for Hobey (sort of)

The Vote for Hobey promotion is back for another season. You can choose from a list of 70 players, including eight from Atlantic Hockey:

â€¢ Andrew Volkening, Air Force senior goaltender
â€¢ Cameron Burt, RIT sophomore forward
â€¢ Carl Hudson, Canisius senior defenseman
â€¢ Cory Conacher, Canisius junior forward
â€¢ Dan Ringwald, RIT senior defenseman
â€¢ Everett Sheen, Holy Cross junior forward
â€¢ Jacques Lamoureux, Air Force junior forward
â€¢ Jared DeMichiel, RIT senior goaltender

This is the first of two rounds of fan voting, with the eventual top vote getter getting a whopping 1 percent of the real ballots, which are cast by coaches, scouts and the media. So it’s all in fun.

Speaking of Awards…

Air Force senior Matt Fairchild has been named a recipient of the 2009 NCAA Sportsmanship Award. The NCAA created the award in 1999 to “honor student-athletes who, through their actions in the competitive arena of intercollegiate athletics, have demonstrated one or more of the ideals of sportsmanship, including fairness, civility, honesty, unselfishness, respect and responsibility”.

Fairchild was named MVP of last year’s AHA tournament, but gave the award to teammate Andrew Volkening, who had posted consecutive shutouts in the semifinals and finals of the tournament.

Different Roads

Three ex-high school teammates returned to Rochester, N.Y., last weekend, all having taken different roads to pursue their hockey dreams.

Billy Sauer, Kevin Montgomery and Bradon Nunn were all on the McQuaid Jesuit High School hockey team in 2004, winning a league title. All three were born in 1988. Sauer and Montgomery left for juniors the next season, while Nunn stayed and led his team to a state title. Sauer went on to start in net for Michigan as a 17 year old, while Montgomery was selected for the U.S. Under 18 Team and landed at Ohio State before bolting for the OHL after half a season.

Sauer and Montgomery are in the AHL, reunited on the Lake Erie Monsters. Both were drafted by Colorado.

While Sauer and Montgomery have finished their college hockey careers, Nunn is just beginning his. After four years of prep school and junior hockey, he’s a 21 year old freshman at Holy Cross. The Crusaders were in Rochester to play RIT, while the Lake Erie Monsters were in town to play the Rochester Americans.

The varied paths these players have taken illustrate the options available. Nunn is just starting college while Sauer graduated last year, yet they are the same age. College wasn’t for Montgomery, who chose major juniors instead.

All are still playing hockey, chasing the dream.

Contributing: Mark Mahan

This Week in the ECAC East-NESCAC: Jan. 14, 2010

By Tim Costello

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January 14, 2010

January is the time of year when many teams are starting to put it all together. The moving pieces of new players integrating with those returning has happened and most everyone understands their role on the team. For the most part, the non-league games are done so now itâ€™s a matter of focus and effort as every conference game means points, position in the standings, and — with head-to-head wins — possible tiebreakers looking at seeding for the conference tournaments at the end of the season. Here is a look at three teams that have either already found the answers or are starting to find them at the right time of the year.

All Aboard the Mule Train

For last yearâ€™s team from Colby College, the season was both difficult and very unusual compared with the consistent performance seen in Waterville during the tenure of head coach Jim Tortorella. Their overall record of 6-15-3 was disappointing as far as the results were concerned but there were a lot of positives that are clearly reaping benefits this season.

â€œWe would have liked better results for sure,â€ said Tortorella. â€œWhen we look at our goals for the season it is less about the results and more about the development of the players in their game and as maturing student athletes and I believe we achieved those more important goals.

â€œI think that every year is different. This year we are certainly seeing the benefits of going through what we did last year as the kids have brought a different level of work ethic that translates from practice to the games and with that the results take care of themselves.â€

Billy Crinnion leads the White Mules in scoring and has the team focused on continued success.

Three players that are leading the way for the White Mules on the ice and in the locker room are junior Billy Crinnion (six goals, nine assists, 15 points), Wil Hartigan (6-6-12), and sophomore Michael Doherty (4-6-10). Among the team leaders in scoring, the three forwards have helped develop the teamâ€™s focus on the task at hand during practice, in the locker room, and during the games.

â€œThe biggest change I see is the teamâ€™s maturity and the attention to what creates the outcomes not the discussion of results,â€ said Tortorella. â€œI go in the locker room now and hear the conversations focused on effort and work ethic and doing the little things with intensity and not discussions worrying or planning outcomes.

â€œA football coach once said to his players that they needed to play every play like it was their last play. These kids have taken that philosophy to the ice and have instilled in the team to play every shift like it was their last shift. So far the results have been pretty good.â€

Another key to the success of this yearâ€™s Colby squad has been the emergence of the freshman line employed by Tortorella. Forwards Michael Smigelski (4-3-7), Cory McGrath (2-8-10) and Nick Kondiles (3-7-10) have provided energy and set the tone in many of the Colby games this season with their enthusiasm and physical play.

The name Smigelski may be familiar to those who follow the NESCAC conference as Michaelâ€™s older brother Alex is a senior at Williams College and is enjoying a very good season for the Ephs. While Michael has chosen a different school, he is also a different player than his brother and is finding his niche on the ice for Colby.

â€œMichael or â€˜Spikeâ€™ is a big kid,â€ chided Tortorella. â€œHe is very strong and creates room for himself in tough areas on the ice. He has been a nice fit with Cory and Nick and they have continued to play well and be productive so far this season.â€

This past weekend the White Mules tied St. Michaels on Friday night 5-5 and skated to a 1-1 deadlock with unbeaten Norwich the next evening. While the outcome of the games were the same, the head coach noticed some differences in the level of play and — more importantly — how the team responded against one of the best teams in the country on Saturday night.

â€œThe best example of how this team is focused and doesnâ€™t dwell on the past or the future can be seen in our goalie Cody McKinney,â€ noted Tortorella. â€œHe is very good at staying in the now. While I know he would like to have a couple back from Friday night, he quickly adjusted and moved on mentally that Saturday was just about Saturday and Norwich and he played outstanding for us in that game.â€

McKinney did a lot of homework on his game during the summer as the coaching staff sent him home with film clips of every shot and puck touch from the prior season for his analysis and improvement. The general intent was to understand tendencies in certain situations but focused on Codyâ€™s becoming more astute about his game, his rhythm and not the robotics or mechanics that most people revert to trying to fix.

To date it is difficult to argue with the results: McKinney brings a 2.07 goals against average and .929 save percentage as a backstop to the Mules who will be on the road this week against the ECAC East schools form Maine: Southern Maine and the University of New England.

Unbeaten in their last eight games (6-0-2), Colby is looking for still more improvement and hopes to take advantage of very predictable home-and-away cadence of the next six weeks.

â€œThe structure of the season really helps,â€ said Tortorella. â€œWe have a nice stretch in January and the players can get into a routine with only games on the weekends. We know there are no easy games on the calendar so we are committed to continuing the work ethic and effort that has got us this far and we will see how far it takes us.â€

Embracing Change at Castleton

Alex Toddâ€™s teams at Castleton have developed quickly since his arrival to take over the program.

His teams have been historically known for their physical style of play and aggressive pursuit of the puck in all three zones. With last yearâ€™s graduations of the his first recruiting class, a change was in the air about how Todd saw Castleton competing in the league moving forward and the style of play he wanted to modify with his team for this season.

â€œWe really wanted to improve on our team speed,â€ said Todd. â€œWe wanted to become much more of a skating team and promote movement without the puck as opposed to the system which emphasized stationary or positional play in the past.

â€œWe didnâ€™t really change anything about our coaching style in terms of our consistent messaging and teaching to the kids on the ice about what we needed to see executed during the games but the fact was we werenâ€™t doing the things we needed to do to be successful.â€

Having started the season at 1-6-2 overall and 0-4-1 in the league, there was the obvious opportunity to express concerns or doubts about his team but Todd was confident in his teamâ€™s ability to find its own identity and wondered when it was going to â€œkick-in.â€

â€œOf course there was some frustration,â€ said Todd. â€œI was really more confused and started questioning myself relative to instruction and talent evaluation. At the end of it all I really like this group of kids and the attitude they bring to the rink every day. We really just wanted to start seeing the actions on the ice mirroring what we have been coaching and teaching and I think the turning point for the kids came after our game on New Yearâ€™s Day against Plattsburgh.â€

The Cardinal Classic saw the Spartans match up with the host team in the opening game of the tournament. The outcome was a disappointing 8-1 loss to the Cardinals in which the players realized that something had to change.

â€œWe had Trinity the next weekend to start back with the regular season,â€ Todd said. â€œWe stayed and watched Plattsburgh play Trinity in the tournament final and watched them play so much better and at a higher level against Trinity than what we saw the previous night. They beat Trinity 9-0 and played a dominant game of hockey.

â€œThe realization for our team was that as good as Plattsburgh is, they werenâ€™t at their best against us and still humiliated us because we beat ourselves. They hung four goals on us and we hung four goals on ourselves and after watching film in a long team meeting back at school, I think the light went on and the players had enough of playing poorly.â€

In addition to the skating and motion game, the Spartans have focused on tightening up the team defense.

â€œWe watched film and saw that we had a lot of team breakdowns defensively,â€ said Todd. â€œYou can ask your goalies to make two or three back-to-back saves at points in games but it canâ€™t be five or six saves in a row on rebounds and play in front of the net and yet that was what the film showed we were asking our goalies to do.

â€œWe do want to have better play in goal but with the team playing better in front and limiting the grade A and second and third chances we should see more consistent play like we have seen in the past week.â€

Last weekend the Spartans swept home games against Trinity and Wesleyan by scores of 3-1 and 5-0, respectively. A Tuesday night tie with Geneseo saw the Spartans with a significant shot advantage but with a lot of pucks not getting to the net or missing which has challenged the offensive output.

â€œWe had 40 shots on goal,â€ said Todd. On top of that we had 15 shots that missed the net and another 17 shots blocked by the opposition. Thatâ€™s a lot of opportunities that we are missing out on and we are going to have to find a way to get more pucks to the net.â€

With just 36 goals in their first 13 games, the offense could use a boost.
Over half of the teamâ€™s output has been scored by three players. Freshman Josh Harris (4-10-14) leads the team in points while senior Nick Bolduc (5-4-9) and junior Stuart Stefan (10-3-13) have been the other most prolific players at finding the back of the net.

â€œWe definitely need some other guys to step up,â€ said Todd. â€œWe have players like Cody Ayers (1-2-3) who scored last year but really hasnâ€™t got it going yet this year. Tyler Atkins (0-4-4) has had great scoring chances where he has been robbed by the goalie, hit iron or just missed. He has been snake-bitten so far but we hope that he will breakthrough and just keep on going after the first one.

â€œChase Laukuf (1-1-2) just scored his first goal and we are definitely looking for more from him. He is a big kid that likes to go to the net and play in those tough areas that a lot of players donâ€™t want to go to find some space or work for the tough goals. We have the talent and I think when we get a few bounces and some goals start going in, the confidence will be there to keep producing.â€

One of the other contributing factors to Castletonâ€™s slow start has been the lack of performance from the special teams. With opponents clicking at over 23% and the power play unit struggling at 14%, Todd has had to focus his energy on adjusting priorities and the teamâ€™s focus.

â€œI would pay any amount to play just 5-on-5 hockey,â€ said Todd. â€œI really donâ€™t want to see us on the penalty kill or on the power play. In focusing on getting our game back on track we have spent very little time on special teams so far this season but I think with our style and skating coming together we will see better performance on the special teams and we will need to work on it moving into the back half of the season as the power play and penalty kill will have a big influence on the outcome of games late in the season and certainly in the playoffs.â€

This week the Spartan players performed an exercise where they wrote down what needed to be done to maintain the level of play that they performed at this week in obtaining their first points in the league this season. Memorializing the details will help the Spartans stay focused on moving up in the standings and this week presents an opportunity to move up with games on the road against conference foes, UMass-Boston and Babson.

January is the month to make your move, get in a groove and fine tune the game for February and the playoff run. Some teams are already in the zone while others are still looking to find their proverbial â€œmojoâ€. Or, as Austin Powers would say, about finding our re-discovering his mojo: â€œThatâ€™s very groovy, baby!â€

Breaks for the student bodies are almost over for all so rinks should be rocking this week.

Drop the puck!

This Week in the CCHA: Jan. 14, 2010

By Paula C. Weston

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January 14, 2010

Sweeps Week

Robert Morris. Robert Morris! Robert Morris!!

Then there’s Ferris State and Ohio State. We’ll get to them later.

Last weekend, the then-No. 1 Miami RedHawks played a home-and-home series with the unranked Robert Morris Colonials and lost both games. In their first action in nearly a month, the RedHawks dropped the opening game on the road last Friday, 3-1. After that contest, Miami coach Enrico Blasi credited the Colonials with their preparation.

“The name of the game is execution,” said Blasi. “They did, and we didn’t.”

Two days later, back in the sumptuous Steve Cady Arena where the RedHawks were 47-16-6 all-time before the series with RMU, the Colonials beat the ‘Hawks 2-1 last Sunday. Miami outshot RMU 39-15 in that loss and 79-39 total on the weekend.

Obviously, RMU goalie Brooks Ostergard was a factor in the weekend — the same Brooks Ostergard who has the 43rd-best save percentage (.907) and goals-against average (3.43) in the country. Big kudos to Ostergard.

The fact that the RedHawks hadn’t played in a month may have had something to do with it, too, but it shouldn’t have. This is a team that played for a national championship less than a year ago and has dominated league play this season, a team that had two total losses at the end of the first half of the season, a team that has been ranked No. 1 for the whole year.

After Sunday’s loss, Blasi told The Oxford Press that the only rankings that matter are “the ones that leads into a national tournament and the one at the end of the year.” Blasi went so far as to say, “This might be a good thing.”

Really? I guess from a Miami point of view, the weekend could have exposed weaknesses that the RedHawks had not yet ascertained in the first half, a half in which they swept St. Cloud State, Northern Michigan, Michigan, Notre Dame and Ohio State.

And I guess allowing a team with the 53rd-best combined special teams in the country to score a shorthanded goal and two power-play tallies could be revealing early in the second half of the season

But, really, from the CCHA point of view, it’s not a good thing. It’s not a good thing for the RedHawks and it’s not a good thing for the league.

It is, however, excellent for Robert Morris, and my homer hat is off to the Colonials this week.

Sweeps Week, Part 2

I should be happier about the success of Ferris State this season than I am. Don’t get me wrong; I’m delighted that the Bulldogs — currently tied with Miami atop the CCHA standings, tied with Miami for second place in the PWR and the first team to reach 16 wins this season — are doing so well.

I’m just apprehensive about what this says about the league.

I am not slamming FSU. Long-time readers know that I have a real soft spot for the ‘Dogs and whenever a team that’s not one of the usual suspects establishes itself in the CCHA’s top tier, hockey becomes far more interesting.

Last weekend, the Bulldogs dismantled Notre Dame, sweeping the Fighting Irish in South Bend last Saturday and Sunday by a collective score of 9-2. The line of Justin Menke (5-3–8), Mike Embach (5-5–10) and Aaron Lewicki (6-6–12) was responsible for three goals in the 5-2 game Saturday and one Sunday. That line is the FSU second line; remember that first-liner Blair Riley is the guy with 16 goals this season.

Pat Nagle (1.61 goals-against average, .938 save percentage) had both wins on the weekend. By all accounts, the Bulldogs played a very solid, dominating weekend of hockey against the Irish.

Now, before I get to ranting, let me send kudos to the Bulldogs, who clearly deserve to be where they are in the league.

It’s “in the league,” however, that concerns me. I expected FSU to do better than a 6-1 loss to Yale in the Badger Showdown, just as I fully expected Miami to sweep Robert Morris (!) last weekend. Early in the season, voters in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll crowded the top 10 with CCHA teams. I knew then that the league probably didn’t deserve that early benefit of the doubt.

Now the CCHA has three teams in the top 10 — Miami, FSU, Michigan State — all three seemingly playing solid hockey. My apprehension is that the league isn’t as strong, top to bottom, as it has been in the last three seasons, seasons during which the CCHA got very little respect but also three consecutive seasons that ended with three different CCHA teams playing for the national championship.

I guess we’ll just have to see how it plays out nationally in a few months. For now, though, I’ll try to do what I admonish all of the coaches and players and fans who ask me about the PWR to do: enjoy the ride.

Sweeps Week, Part 3

Congratulations to the struggling Ohio State Buckeyes on their second sweep of the season. Last weekend, OSU beat Bowling Green by a collective score of 11-5 in Columbus. Nothing would make me happier than a consistently successful program in Columbus, and not for reasons that some readers would imagine.

Trust me when I say that the CCHA would be delighted. So would the Big Ten Network. So would college hockey. Do you know how many OSU grads there are wandering loose in this world? Do you appreciate the kind of name recognition that the Ohio State brand has?

When I went to Hacienda Weston in Florida to visit my family for Christmas, I accompanied my sister on a trip to a big-box store a few nights before Christmas Day. It was an interesting outing. Hacienda Weston is located between Tampa and Gainesville, inland. It’s a mundane area of the state and feels plenty Southern in ways that other places in Florida do not.

In this big-box store, we couldn’t walk more than 10 yards without encountering someone wearing an OSU logo. Yes, some of them were snowbirds or visiting snowbirds. Many, however, were Ohio transplants living year-round in Florida; some were Floridians that for reasons of their own love the Buckeyes.

(True story: Several Christmases ago, I told my family that I could walk up to any middle-aged man wearing a Block-O hat, take him gently by the shoulders and yell, “O-H,” without risking my own life. I told my family that said middle-aged man would respond with a hearty, “I-O!” So, while visiting Hacienda Weston, I did just that, not only in the local big-box store but in a local mall. The gentlemen in question were not only accommodating but beaming about it. Neither lived in Ohio. Neither minded after I explained that it was a joke. Neither minded that he had won me money.)

It’s not just Florida. They’re everywhere. I see them everywhere. Airports in cities distant from Ohio, boarding planes not bound for Ohio. Walking down the streets of non-Ohio cities all over North America, and they’re not just visiting. That place is a factory that pumps out proud Buckeyes and distributes them all over the world. Whether OSU football is winning or losing, people know of OSU football — and by extension, all things Ohio State.

The Buckeyes were viral before we knew non-viruses could be viral.

Hate them if you want to, but it’s important for the CCHA and college hockey that OSU build its program into something consistently competitive. And as pretty as the Schottenstein Center is, Buckeye hockey needs its own small dedicated arena.

They’re Legit

That would be Lake Superior State. The Lakers lost a good, close game to Michigan State last Friday before tying and taking the shootout point on Saturday.

Don’t believe me? Take it from MSU coach Rick Comley.

“They’re legit, for sure,” Comley said after Saturday’s game. See? I’m not making it up.

Comley said as much after Friday night, too, and anyone in attendance — even those not exported from the U.P. for the occasion — would have to agree.

I enjoyed the series in East Lansing far more than I could have predicted. The Lakers and Spartans play similar styles of hockey; neither team gives an opponent much space, forcing the opposition to take advantage of mistakes to get onto the scoreboard.

The difference between the teams is experience. On paper, the Spartans have 18 freshmen and sophomores; on paper, the Lakers have 15 juniors and seniors, including the 25-year-old Brad Cooper.

There is another difference, of course. MSU can recruit players that LSSU just cannot. More on that next week.

While both MSU’s Drew Palmisano and LSSU’s Brian Mahoney-Wilson were very good for the weekend, Mahoney-Wilson (2.61 GAA, .915 SV%) was fun to watch because his style is so unconventional. He’s all over the place, with enough athleticism to get him back to where he needs to go — usually.

Mahoney-Wilson prevailed in the shootout Saturday, capping a crazy game. After Torey Krug tied it for Michigan State at 17:02 in the third, I found myself rooting for no goals in overtime. I’m not a fan of the shootout, but it seemed the only fitting ending for that contest.

Speaking of the Shootout

Yes, I know you know how I feel. What I found interesting last weekend in East Lansing was each coach’s take on the shootout.

“People stay in the building and they are on their feet,” said Comley. “It’s very exciting.”

The entertainment value aside, there is something about the shootout that coaches are now beginning to be able to articulate, having spent some time with it.

For the Spartans were the “losers” in Saturday’s shootout, earning them one point for the game. The “winners,” the Lakers, earned two points.

Even though MSU did not lose the game and the tie itself is figured into national rankings, that’s not how those involved experience it. “Totally negative,” said Comley. “It feels like a loss, but it’s a tie. They get the extra point in the league standings, so it’s not like you lost the game.

“You lost the opportunity for a second league point. It’s a hard-fought tie.”

“I don’t think fans buy tickets to come to a shootout,” said LSSU head coach Jim Roque. “I don’t get excited about it, that’s for sure. For the point it’s good, but there have been too many games where you play really, really well on the road and you lose a shootout and your guys leave the rink depressed like you’ve lost the game. They didn’t lose the game; they tied the game.

“If we used it to end a season, then let’s do it, but when it really matters, we [should] get rid of it. I like what they did in the World Juniors, cut the ice and play four-on-four.”

I’m with Roque about that. He said he was surprised that he liked that in the IIHF tourney, and I was surprised, too, that I enjoyed the four-on-four OT hockey so much. Roque said, “You know you’re going to get a goal.”

And in real play, too.

More Kudos

It’s a little belated, but congratulations to both Fred Pletsch and Dave Starman for their on-camera work covering the IIHF tournament for the NHL Network. Fred was great with the side interviews, but Dave Starman was absolutely outstanding providing color while J.P. Dellacamera did the play-by-play.

Dave provided excellent analysis, good inside information, just the right mix of knowledge and banter. Great work, and I’m hoping that someone far more important than I noticed.

Touching a Nerve

My column last week about the OHL’s “Best of Both Worlds” education package — and I want so much to wrap quotes around another part of that phrase — touched nerves on both sides of the border. Well, I’m guessing that the negative e-mail about it came from Canadians, as most of it was anonymous.

(The fact that it was mildly rebuking and not openly angry or hostile also indicates that it came from Canadian readers, but I digress.)

Readers in favor of keeping NCAA-eligible kids on the college track wrote in support, naturally. Readers who favor the OHL as the alleged fast track to the NHL wrote to say that I didn’t know what I was talking about. Naturally.

As for picking on the OHL, as some implied, I have to invoke the Larry Mullen rule. The U2 drummer made a stink to the media last summer because he felt that some people in Ireland were unnecessarily picking on the rich — or the “better-off,” as he called them. The rich are so deserving of our pity. I also weep for AIG, Bank of America and Tiger Woods. Again with the digressing.

The OHL is in business for the OHL. Period. The end. What’s particularly egregious about the OHL attempting to claim that it can offer the best of both worlds — hockey and education — is that is exploiting very young men for its own financial gain. I’m referring to the collective financial gain here of people who make a lot of money in a private enterprise, a lot more money than many of these hockey players will ever make in a lifetime.

There is a lot of blame to go around here, in my mind. Unless there is a real financial hardship, the families of these players should be held accountable as well, as they are exploiting their own children for financial reasons.

Yes, I know that the college sports scene is a racket as well, especially when it comes to football. No one is sainted here. That having been said, however, the ease with which the OHL can reach into the pool of young talent — especially young American talent, and especially young talent that lives in a state with the highest unemployment rate in the U.S. — and persuade said talent to forgo a college education is disturbing on so many levels. You can guess how I feel about the ethics of it, too.

Something Goofy This Way Comes

I don’t often comment on the head shots of players that teams provide to the CCHA for promotional purposes, but I giggled when I saw the CCHA’s release this week and the photos that accompany the players who earned weekly honors.

Disclaimer: Each of these gentlemen is handsome, dressed appropriately and possesses youth that I envy. I say that not in some creepy lecherous way, but as a woman who has been teaching college longer than some of the current CCHA players have been alive. In other words, I’m not mocking them in any way.

I just found the array interesting this week.

Carl Hagelin. Boy-next-door good looks … if American boys still looked like they did in the 1950s. He’s got an aw-shucks quality to his smile in this photo that makes me want to give him his allowance so that he can take his girl to the corner shop for a malted. Of course, he’s from Sweden, so this bit of observation is completely ethnocentric on my part.

Zach Redmond. I understand that many young men today strive to achieve the kind of just-woke-up-on-the-sofa hair that Redmond has perfected in this photo. I think if hockey doesn’t work out for him, he could find a career playing the surprise bad guy — you know, the guy that the leading lady doesn’t know is the villain — on Lifetime Movie Network. Props for the hockey jersey rather than the suit and tie, even if it wasn’t a choice.

Scott Greenham. He looks like someone’s dad. Or an eighth-grade science teacher. Or both. And a face you can trust. This photo leaves me wondering if he isn’t the surprise bad guy. “Oh, he seemed so normal … .”

Devon Krogh. He’s a boy next door, too … if we were reliving the ’70s. Seriously, I think I have a few photos of classmates from St. Margaret’s School in Mattydale, N.Y., circa 1977, that look eerily similar to Krogh’s.

This particular group made me think of hockey players past and their interesting — and, hopefully, developing — senses of fashion. Where is the Dirty Hobbit when you need him, at least for reference?

Ask Jeff Petry about his green tie.

This Week in Hockey East: Jan. 14, 2010

By Jim Connelly

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January 14, 2010

Reliving Gold

The events of Frozen Fenway last week, in which Boston University upset Boston College 3-2 in front of a massive capacity crowd at the old ball grounds, somewhat overshadowed on these pages one of the most remarkable international efforts in recent memory.

The United States World Junior Championship victory may be nearly two weeks in the record book but it’s still extremely fresh in this scribe’s mind.

Though 36 years old and kindergarten age when Mike Eruzione and the United States upset the Russians to win gold in Lake Placid, this year’s World Junior Championship will likely be a more memorable experience personally. Though I have no personal connection to the team other than to say that I’ve talked to a handful of its players covering the local teams and the NHL Draft, I can’t remember feeling more emotionally attached to any international tournament.

The way in which the United States captured gold is a story for the ages. From the New Year’s Eve debacle when the Americans seemingly had a long-awaited victory over the Canadians locked up, only to surrender a two-goal lead and lose in a shootout … to nearly facing a similar fate in the gold-medal game when another late Canadian rally forced overtime … to finally ending the Canadian curse when, of all players, a defenseman (John Carlson, who had committed to play at Massachusetts before signing a pro contract this summer — oh, the Minutemen would love to have him on their team!) skated on a 3-on-1 and picked a tiny spot short side to set off the greatest American celebration since Lake Placid. All of this made this year’s edition of the World Junior Championship extremely memorable.

For Hockey East, this year’s team may have seemed like an afterthought as BC’s Chris Kreider and BU’s David Warsofsky were the only two participants. But when you consider that Kreider was an offensive force in the tournament and Warsofsky was possibly the most stable defenseman on the U.S. blue line, Hockey East’s contribution to the team was quite significant.

One additional factor made the tournament more memorable, and that was the agreement between USA Hockey and the NHL Network to broadcast all of the U.S. games live. Having the games not only shown on TV, which itself is a step forward, but having United States (not Canadian — nothing worse than listening to Pierre McGuire’s homerism on Canadian broadcasts) announcers was a major bonus and certainly built interest in the team for me and many others.

Hopefully the performance of the World Junior team will be inspiration for the U.S. Olympic team that is about to embark on its own gold medal journey next month in Vancouver. The U.S. already hit the daily double with gold medals from the Under-17 team and the World Junior club, and a trifecta would certainly be sweet.

Snow Globe Setting

It was as if the Jolly Green Giant (or should I say Monster?) picked Fenway Park up last Friday night and shook it around like a snow globe. That was the Currier & Ives-like photos that summed up the first college hockey game played at Fenway Park.

Unless you’re living under a rock, you know that BU upset BC in the men’s edition of Hockey East Frozen Fenway. The 3-2 victory before 38,472 fans made for an unforgettable evening for two teams of hockey players, their respective staffs and the fans and alumni who witnessed the game — whether in person or on TV.

“It’s something we’ll all remember as long as we live,” said BU coach Jack Parker, who along with the rest of his staff donned what looked like BU Terrier snowsuits to battled the elements, which included sub-freezing temperatures and intermittent snowfall for the 7:30 p.m. start.

The cold weather certainly didn’t take away from the enjoyment. Just ask BU’s Warsofsky, who, fresh off of a gold medal World Juniors victory, put together an unorthodox goal celebration after giving the Terriers a 1-0 lead. Warsofsky swung his hockey stick as if it were a baseball bat imitating a home-run swing of the park’s usual inhabitants.

When asked about it after the game, Warsofsky credited third-string goaltender Adam Kraus for the idea.

“He came up with it before the game, and I figured if I scored I’d go with it. I don’t know if the coaches liked it,” said Warsofsky.

“I didn’t see it,” said Parker, sitting next to the sophomore defenseman.

“Hopefully he doesn’t see it on film, either,” Warsofsky returned.

Joking aside, if there was one concern leading into the game it was the ice conditions. The Red Sox and the NHL had booked the ice for hours and days on end prior to the Hockey East games and the constant resurfacing along with literally thousands of skaters tearing up the ice made the surface rut-filled leading up to the game.

Come game time, though, it was a different story, according to Parker, who praised the NHL’s operations staff, which oversaw the ice maintenance from the temporary rink’s open in mid-December through its close last weekend.

“I was really concerned about the ice before the game started,” Parker said. “The NHL people told me don’t worry about it, and I thought that the ice was terrific. I thought that the ice was so much better [for the game] than it was at any other time we skated here. The only thing that was troublesome was that there was a little more snow than we were used to, but I don’t think it was rough.”

The success of the game already has people talking about a sequel at the hallowed grounds. That doesn’t seem overly likely as the ice surface itself belongs to the NHL, which of course used it for this year’s Winter Classic, and it wouldn’t be expected to return the event to Boston anytime soon. Other temporary surfaces surely could be purchased but the expense involved might be a bit too costly for any college league or team. And such an event is a novelty when it is done once, the appeal is massive. Repetition, though, leads to waning interest.

For one night, though, the college hockey snow globe that was on display at Fenway was an evening of perfection.

Panic Buttons

With February right around the corner, those Hockey East teams that find themselves underperforming may be ready to hit the panic button. For two of those teams, their recent play certainly will warrant some concern.

Northeastern seemed two weeks ago like it had hit its stride. An extremely impressive victory over Dartmouth, in which the offense cranked out seven goals, and an equally recognizable 2-1 win over Massachusetts-Lowell in the championship game of the Ledyard National Bank Classic had the Huskies positioned well for their return to league play.

But when last Saturday night rolled around, Northeastern laid an egg for two periods against Lowell, with this game counting in the Hockey East standings. For two periods, the Huskies appeared uninspired and fell behind, 5-2. Credit due, Northeastern rallied to tie the game and force overtime. But once in the extra session, the Huskies made a massive defensive miscue that led to Lowell’s game-winning goal.

Coach Greg Cronin was nearly inconsolable after the loss. He said that as disappointing as the slow start was, the defensive mistake in overtime that spoiled the comeback effort was even worse.

“For a team that scratches itself back in a game — and our whole identity is on defense — to have a defensive breakdown 120 feet from our net is a disgrace,” Cronin said. “We had two defenseman out there [in position] and [Lowell] nearly wound up with a 2-on-0.

“They slept. It was ridiculous to see it. You could see if happening from the bench.”

If that’s not bad enough, Cronin’s Huskies, believe it or not, played worse a night later when facing a hungry Massachusetts team. Another slow start, lack of discipline throughout and an overall poor offensive effort led to an ugly 4-1 loss.

“It’s puzzling,” Cronin said after Sunday’s loss and yet another slow start. “I don’t have an answer for it. If I did, it wouldn’t happen again.”

The Huskies are hardly the only team licking their collective wounds. Providence, which returned from a 31-day break this past Tuesday night only to put forth an ugly display, particularly offensively, in a 4-1 loss to BC, has lost six in a row and sits in last place with just five league points.

One year after missing the playoffs for the first time in the program’s history in Hockey East, the Friars seem positioned to repeat the feat. Coach Tim Army’s frustration level boiled over on Tuesday, so much so that he evicted his team from the locker room after a first period in which BC outshot the Friars, 22-1. The players were forced to make a between-period home in the lobby between the locker room and the visiting team bench at BC’s Kelley Rink.

“That was my emotions,” said Army, when asked about kicking his team out of its locker room. He admitted he had considered doing something to change up the feel between periods as the team has had slow starts to the second period, but the poor play was even more of a catalyst.

The move almost worked. Providence, which trailed 2-0 entering the second period, climbed to within a goal. But even that wasn’t acceptable to Army, who said he was disappointed with three straight power plays that ensued in which the team executed poorly. After BC added two third-period goals, the result was a 4-1 loss for Providence.

Asked if it’s time to push the panic button, Army acknowledged that the team’s playoff life is something about which he is concerned.

“I understand the reality of [the playoff situation],” Army said. “I want to insulate the players from it because we did miss the playoffs last year and I don’t want to put undue pressure on them. I just want them to play.

“I just want us to work harder and simplify things. If we play well, we’ll give ourselves a chance. We’ve got to kind of get going here and win some games, but the only way you’re going win games is if you work hard and compete.

“I was upset with the team [on Tuesday] but we’re beyond that now.”

Trivia Contest

When Dave Hendrickson and I began planning the column for this season, one thing we decided to eliminate was trivia. Though a brainchild of Dave’s, both of us realized that not only thinking up trivia questions, but fielding answers, etc., had become too much. (Personally, I never had to participate here at USCHO.com, but remember the pain of doing something similar as part of a previous column I used to write.)

When Scott Weighart filled in last week, one result was a rare sighting of a trivia question. Here’s what he asked:

“Earlier this year, former BU star Colin Wilson scored his first — and, thus far, only — NHL goal while playing for the Nashville Predators in a road game that his team ultimately lost to the Boston Bruins. But what former Hockey East player also scored his first — and, yes, only — NHL goal while playing on a visiting team that also lost against the Bruins that day … and in the same building?”

The answer was Jim Fahey, former star defenseman for Northeastern. Playing for the San Jose Sharks, Fahey scored his first and only NHL goal against the Bruins on Dec. 23, 2002.

The first of only two readers to get this one right was Ryan Ewell, who tells us that many people know him as “Chickens.” His cheer is:

“Let’s go Huskies! Why do you want a minute man when you can have husky love?”

And Finally, Not That It Has Anything to Do With Anything, But…

It’s been so long since I wrote this column that I feel like I have a million and one things to talk about. So here goes.

â€¢ The Patriots’ end-of-season disaster took me by surprise, I’ll admit it. I always thought that any Bill Belichick-coached team could contend for a title no matter what the circumstances. But this season proved that theory very wrong. I hate to say it, but I think all of the problems began with the famous fourth-and-2 play against Indianapolis. While I never faulted Big Bill for the play call (he’s a genius if it works, right?), I think that, A) his defense hated his lack of trust that they could stop the Colts from 60-70 yards away and, B) the ability of a team to stage such a massive comeback late in the game became a feasible thought in the team’s head, thus the fact it happened twice more in the regular season.

â€¢ The NHL ran a first-class event in Boston this year at the Winter Classic. The incredible, energized environment certainly made the realization of the cold disappear for a little while. And Boston’s comeback and eventual win created an electric atmosphere in the ballpark that I hadn’t seen since Big Papi’s back-to-back walk-off hits in the 2004 ALCS.

â€¢ Was impressed to see Notre Dame’s Riley Sheahan ranked fifth in the NHL Central Scouting mid-term rankings. Everything I had heard about the 2010 Draft is that it could be a down year for the college players. But if Sheahan can improve his stock value between now and April, we could be talking about a top-five pick for a player already enrolled in college.

â€¢ I don’t understand what all the scuttlebutt is about Lane Kiffin leaving Tennessee for USC. It’s business. Big business, at that. The fact that he used Tennessee as a steppingstone to a bigger, better program shouldn’t be a surprise.

â€¢ I had a number of friends tell me that they’re addicted to a guilty pleasure in life: MTV’s “Jersey Shore.” I accidentally fell upon it over the Christmas break and became addicted myself. I feel like they need a support group for this addiction. I don’t know what it is about watching such a train wreck that I can’t turn my head away.

Contributing: Scott Weighart

This Week in ECAC Hockey: Jan. 14, 2010

By Brian Sullivan

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January 14, 2010

So have you heard about this Conan O’Brien/Jay Leno/NBC mess?

Just kidding. Moving on …

Genie in a Bottle

While kicking back with your buddies at your favorite post-game establishment, a waitress you’ve never seen before sets a bottle of beer in front of you. Without saying a word, she turns around and disappears through the crowd.

The vessel looks old — you can barely make out the label through the dust — but more importantly, it’s full and ostensibly free. You pick it up to brush some of the powder from its time-worn face, when in a flash the room goes completely black around you. As you rub your eyes, trying to figure out what happened to the lights, you begin to notice that you’re all alone … standing in a dim but brightening row of seats in the arena you just left.

A voice calls from the public address system, but there is no echo. You are gradually coming to the indubitable conclusion that you’ve sprinted past your limit for the night, and then some … when the voice says:

“I am the Genie, and as a reward for your loyalty to your friends, school and bar, I am prepared to grant you three wishes … no strings attached.”

We all know that you’re going to blow them on something like hot naked Swedes begging you to canoodle with them in pools of Labatt, so forget it. I’m taking your wishes for you, and putting them to better use.

These are the three things you should be wishing for, if you’re a fan of …

Brown

1) One Instant Recruiting Cycle. Brendan Whittet is a proud and passionate Brown man, and I for one can’t wait to see what he’ll do with the program over the next few years. But here in reality, Bruno fans will have to be content with baby steps.

2) An athletics budget. I wish I could give you raw numbers that demonstrate that Brown is lagging a distant sixth among hockey-playing Ivies in money spent on athletics, but I can’t … I can only speculate. That said, such speculation is not borne of irresponsible “general impressions,” but of examples such as the widely reported low-ball salary offered for the position that Whittet ultimately accepted. Brown is fortunate to have such a devoted alumnus and legitimate leader all in the same man.

3) Brown pants and helmets to match their brown jerseys. Seriously guys, black breezers and buckets with chocolate sweaters? You might think you’re fooling people, but you’re not.

Clarkson

1) Potsdam International Airport … and/or Clarkson Airlines. The North Country is not as remote as Alaska, but it may as well be to many big-time programs around the country. Coach George Roll persuaded Colorado College to visit for a deuce last year, but apart from the Tigers, the only other out-of-state, non-conference opponent to travel border-ward in the past two years has been Alabama-Huntsville. All of Clarkson’s other non-league home games have come against upstate neighbors such as Niagara, RIT, Canisius, or even out-of-conference tilts against St. Lawrence.

2) A time machine. Let’s see if we can’t convince the likes of Shawn Weller, Nick Dodge, Steve Zalewski, David Cayer, Shea Guthrie, Grant Clitsome or David Leggio (all from the 2006-07 team) to postpone graduation for a couple of years.

3) One goal, about three years ago. Seriously, just one goal …

Colgate

1) Legalized human cloning. Get another David McIntyre into the lineup, and you may as well throw out all the old record books. (Then again, perhaps it’s already been done: Clever sophomore Austin Smith is the team’s leading scorer, after all.)

2) A one-goal handicap. In the Raiders’ seven wins thus far, they’ve scored 30 goals … over four a game. In their remaining games: Thirty-one in eight losses and four ties, for two and a half goals a game.

3) A return to a more naÃ¯ve, hateful time. “Colgate Red Raiders” rolls off the tongue; “Colgate Raiders” sounds … well, like what it is: a lame abbreviation of a classic moniker.

Cornell

1) Three goals a game. That’s the point at which Cornell will not lose this year: the Big Red are 1-4-2 when scoring fewer, but a perfect 7-0-0 otherwise. The Red are also 1-4-1 when allowing three or more, by the way.

2) Hand-Grenade Night. Because playing at Lynah isn’t intimidating enough … you tell the goalie to skate, stop, turn and bend over, you dang well know he’s going to do it tonight!

3) LSN: the Lynah Sports Network. You might laugh it off, but you know you think Cornell Hockey should have all its games televised nationwide. The Big Ten has its own network, right? Cornell’s, like, 50 times better than all those state-school clowns combined. Admit it.

Dartmouth

1) Air support. The infantry just isn’t cutting it … Adam Estoclet, Doug Jones and Scott Fleming are — surprisingly — scoring at the same pace as they were last year, but there isn’t much behind them. Forwards Matt Reber and Nick Walsh are making valiant attempts, but the offense is dismally predictable as we approach the halfway mark.

2) Last year’s goalie. Well, he was the same person as this year’s goalie, but only in name. Jody O’Neill’s stock took a nose-dive this year, as his save rate has fallen under .900 and his goals-against average is a full goal higher than last year, his rookie season.

3) A marketing slogan. Hanover is situated squarely between Durham, N.H., (New Hampshire) and Burlington, Vt. (Vermont), putting Dartmouth in a prime location to steal a big chunk of Hockey East’s fans. My suggestion? “Dartmouth Hockey: New Verhampmontshire’s Team.”

Harvard

1) Tradition. Oh, the school is about as full of that as any ordinary human being could stomach, but the hockey team’s historic cachet goes unappreciated by much of greater Boston. The Bright Hockey Center may not be as glitzy as competing venues, but it is as accessible, affordable and functional a facility as any other in the region. For an athletic institution that prides itself on its heritage nonpareil, an awful lot of Harvard kids show up looking like empty seats.

2) A team hypnotherapist. Nothing else has worked to cure the Crimson of their annual midseason swoon (10-, 13- and nine-game winless streaks in their last three years, respectively), so we may as well start trotting out the quacks.

3) Another cloning machine … but for animals. This is so that we’ll never have to face the prospect of a day without Duke, the indescribably adorable and friendly Bernese Mountain Dog who roams the Bright Hockey Center’s halls. The loyal companion of equipment manager John “Odie” O’Donnell, Duke has become a welcome fixture at the arena. Can we get him anointed with temporary mascot status, perhaps?

Princeton

1) Doctors. Lots and lots of doctors. The Tigers are more beat up than Rihanna, and the season’s not about to get any easier. It may not seem like much to a casual rink rat, but having 17 skaters on the roster instead of 18 — especially when not all 17 are even necessarily healthy themselves — can make a huge difference to the fatigue and chemistry of the team.

2) One second less …

3) George Parros Day. Everyone who sports a ‘stache gets in for free, and The Man Himself will sit in a throne of gilded teeth as pilgrims kiss his ring. Plus, ‘Stache Gear.

Quinnipiac

1) Whatever it was we just had! But lost somehow! The Bobcats entered December at 12-1-0 and earned first-place votes in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll for the first time ever. Now, however, QU is 13-7-1 and averaging barely two goals a game in its last eight. Whatever “It” was, it doesn’t seem to be the defense’s fault; the ‘Cats have allowed only 25 goals in those eight games, including seven in the skid-starting loss at Yale.

2) The Whitney War. Everyone knows that Yale and Quinnipiac are rivals, but those snobs down the street can’t see outside of their Ivy bubble. Maybe if we crush them a few dozen more times, they’ll begin to show us the hatred we so richly deserve. (And yes, I’m going to continue pushing “Whitney War” as the rivalry’s official title.)

3) Big-name visitors. True, Massachusetts and St. Cloud State have turned out to be pretty significant guests on this year’s docket, but when do we get to see the Michigans, Minnesotas, Denvers, and Boston Universities of the nation? Either lure the big-time programs, or give us that annual Northford Ice Pavilion game. For old time’s sake?

Rensselaer

1) Three and a half more seasons of Brandon Pirri and Jerry D’Amigo. These fearsome freshmen have combined for 42 points in 42 games, and — with help, of course — have opened up a lot of room for the lethal Chase Polacek.

2) A little less horn. We’re all about the goal horns, sincerely, but the volume is a little excessive at the Houston Field House. There’s already one “RPI Rule” in the NCAA books; do we really need two? Both pertaining to over-the-top horning?

3) A copyright on “Let’s Go Red.” Cornell thinks they can have it? Not if we officially claim it first, suckers. Better yet, let’s put it to an online vote … don’t worry, we’ll design the site so it’s perfectly hack-proof. No, really, we promise.

St. Lawrence

1) Misko, McBride or DeVo. Any one of those three players from last year’s graduating class (Zach Miskovic, Brock McBride or Kevin DeVergilio) would’ve fit the bill perfectly for this year’s designated sniper. The Saints are swelling with scoring, but it’s not coming from any one reliable source … just a bunch of multi-goal guys with a bundle of assists.

2) Joe Marsh Rink. The guy’s only been your coach for, what, twice as long as anybody else? He’s stood behind that bench for over a third of the program’s existence. We understand that a small school can’t just up and build a new rink simply so it can be named in Marsh’s honor, but the least you could do would be to re-name the current venue “Joe Marsh Rink at Appleton Arena”. Not that he’ll allow you to do it before he retires, of course. Or dies.

3) A lifetime supply of wood varnish. Appleton Arena looks like a rink built inside an oak tree. For people who complain about the shift toward composite materials over lumber in hockey today, go check out the Saints’ digs. Just don’t bring anything combustible … and look out for splinters!

Union

1) At least six more wins. If they’re well-timed. That’s how many Union will need to advance to its first NCAA tournament. The long-cursed Dutchmen finally got over the hump with a playoff series victory last season, but this year’s squad looks good enough to skip the traditional next step — the ECAC Hockey Championship weekend — and shoot for something bigger. They’re not getting the respect they deserve for being undefeated in conference play, but nobody ever won a thing based on respect alone; respect is part of the destination, not the vehicle.

2) Longer road trips! The Dutch are 8-2-2 away from Messa Rink so far, outscoring the opposition nearly 4-2 on the road, while the differential is significantly slimmer at home.

3) An alternate logo. I think it would be difficult to come up with a really cool, stylish Dutchman for the sweaters, but I think something outside the garnet U would be worth looking into.

Yale

1) Proof. In late November’s 1-0 loss at Vermont, the lone goal was scored late in the second period during a scrum in the Yale crease. The officials consulted the instant replay to have a look, and they ruled the play a goal. When the tape of the replay never materialized a few days after the game, Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna allegedly told Yale officials that Vermont accidentally erased it. Thus the determinate evidence of one of the Bulldogs’ biggest results of the year disappeared under extremely shady circumstances.

2) Four goals a game. The Elis are 0-4-3 when scoring fewer than four in a game; that leaves them a perfect 9-0-0 when hitting the quartet.

3) A definitive No. 1 goalie. Alec Richards was no world-beater in his time with the ‘Dogs, but he was a reliable netminder behind a stacked and confident team … you don’t need Martin Brodeur in your crease if he’s playing behind the ’83 Oilers. But in what is effectively a three-man brigade, nobody has stepped up yet to claim the starter’s role outright. If there’s a soft spot on the Bulldogs today, it’s in the team’s confidence (or lack thereof) in its goalkeeping.

Men of Troy Are On a Roll

It’s been a funny year for Rensselaer, but the team is only now starting to laugh.

At 12-10-1, the Engineers have put together two three-game winning streaks, but also a four-game string of L’s in a very up-and-down kind of season. But now, five games into a six-game road swing, the ‘Tute has won four of five and is feeling good. Consecutive 4-1 victories at Quinnipiac and Princeton have given the team some confidence after numerous gut-wrenching losses, and coach Seth Appert is looking forward to the rest of the campaign.

“I thought we were very good against Princeton; I liked the way we played that night,” Appert said. “We were hard to play against. We were physical, we were fast, and that is when we are at our best. We have a team that can really skate, and … when we play physical and we play fast … we’re a good hockey team.

“We can play with, or beat, anyone in the country; I think that’s been evidenced with some of the games we’ve won, both in and out of conference,” he said, referring to wins against New Hampshire, Boston University and Michigan. “But we’re not there yet. We don’t consistently play as fast and physical as we want to. We have to get … to where how we played at Princeton becomes a habit and an expectation every time we step on the ice.”

While the squad appears to be heating up, Appert is reluctant to say that the Engineers are playing their best hockey of the year.

“We still have work to do. We’ve been pretty resilient and we’ve responded well to adversity. We’re 4-1 in a tough stretch of road games … where we lost a lot of heartbreaking games going into that, but played well. I think we have confidence from winning some games, but while we were really good against Princeton, we were not very good against Quinnipiac.”

One giant star in the RPI constellation has been freshman D’Amigo, who has not only put up 17 points in 19 games, but also made a name for himself on the international stage with a huge series of performances at the World Junior Championship. Appert can’t wait to see what D’Amigo will be able to do at the collegiate level.

“As to what it means to our team, we’re all very proud of him,” he said. “We’re proud of his performance, of the way he represented his family and our university, and obviously our country. He gains confidence in himself, and coming back from that I think that showed on Sunday … against Princeton.”

Appert also spoke of how D’Amigo’s play could help RPI’s recruiting efforts down the line.

“Future players will see how well he played in big moments, but also how well he spoke of playing at RPI and how much that means to him. It shows what a classy kid he is, and it also shows recruits that it doesn’t matter where you play. What matters is you go where you’re comfortable and where the coaching staff is going to believe in you and develop you.”

The Engineers’ recent run will be put to the test in a big way this Saturday, as the team hikes across town to tangle with first-place Union. The Dutchmen hold a 2-1-0 edge this year in one league game (a Union triumph) and two non-conference contests. Regardless of affiliation, this is not a game to be missed: Just this year, the three tilts have featured six goals in the last four minutes of regulation and two overtime goals to boot.

Readers’ Poll

Getting back into the swing of things, I present you with a question about the league’s parity: Who is the dominant team in ECAC Hockey right now? Union’s undefeated, but not getting a lot of love from the pollsters; Cornell, Yale and Quinnipiac have had their hiccups as well.

It’s been a wild season so far, but hopefully it won’t end in the first round of the NCAA tournament this time.

Help Wanted

As a final note, if anyone is interested in writing recaps for home games at Brown, Clarkson, Colgate, Cornell, Dartmouth, Rensselaer, St. Lawrence, or Yale, please contact us. Journalism experience is mandatory. The gigs are unpaid, but hey — free hockey, and valuable experience for media majors out there as well.

This Week in the CHA: Jan. 14, 2010

By Matt Mackinder

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January 14, 2010

Maybe Pittsburgh should change its moniker from the Steel City to Upset City.

Seriously.

Just ask the Miami RedHawks, who waltzed into Mellon Arena last Friday night to play Robert Morris in the Pittsburgh College Hockey Showcase as the No. 1 team in the country.

Final score: Robert Morris 3, Miami 1.

Seriously.

But wait, it gets better.

Robert Morris ventured to Oxford, Ohio, Sunday afternoon to play Miami on its home turf. No home-ice advantage for Miami as RMU walked out 2-1 winners.

Colonials goaltender Brooks Ostergard won both games between the pipes. He’d been struggling so far this year, but picked a heck of a time to bust out, wouldn’t you say?

Still, Ostergard deflected any attention heaped on him in a mature team-first display of attitude.

“I think this game gives our whole team a sense of confidence and belief that we can skate with any team in the country,” Ostergard said on Friday night. “This game wouldn’t have been possible without the play of our defenseman and forwards. It was a whole team effort.”

Miami coach Enrico Blasi took a philosophical approach during the postgame news conference.

“Give Robert MorrisÂ a lot of credit — they did a really good job of executing on all their chances,” Blasi said. “The name of the game is execution. They did and we didn’t.”

Chris Kushneriuk scored a shorthanded goal late in the first period by burning two Miami defenders in the process.
Â
“The first thought that was in my head was just to get my feet moving so I could get some separation ahead,” Kushneriuk said. “IÂ knewÂ exactly what I was going to do and I was just able to flip it by him.”
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At 5:02 of the third period, J.C. Velasquez finished a 2-on-1 break with Cody Crichton and then Stefan Salituro scored at 6:13, giving the Colonials insurance.

After winning again Sunday, Colonials coach Derek Schooley was beaming.

“I have been saying that I like our team and we were soÂ close to putting it all together,” Schooley said. “This weekend, we put it together and now the challenge is to sustain it.”

Sunday, Nathan Longpre and Denny Urban scored to steal the Colonials’ second straight win over the seemingly invincible RedHawks.

Ostergard made 38 saves — a solid follow-up to his 39 stops on Friday night.

“I think we all believed since day one that we were a very good hockey team and it was only a matter of time before we got the result we got [last] weekend,” Ostergard said to rmucolonials.com. “It came from the coaching staff and the captains telling us to stay focused and be patient and it’ll come.”
Â
Robert Morris became the second CHA team to defeat Miami this season following Bemidji State’s 3-2 victory on Nov. 27.Â The wins also gave the Colonials their second and third wins against a ranked opponent this season and the program’s first upset of a No. 1 team.

Now the big question: Can RMU follow last weekend’s performance with two more wins this weekend and make last weekend look legit? This writer believes the Colonials are just that — legit.

“[Alabama-Huntsville] is a team that came into our building in December and tied us on Friday and beat us on Saturday,” Schooley said to NHL.com. “We have to be focused and be ready to play. We have to build off the momentum because they are a good hockey team.”

Too, if this team gets on a roll, what can stand in its way? The crane stranded at center ice Friday night tried, but to no avail. Can we take that as foreshadowing?

Check back next week in this space where we’ll detail how the military played a role in Robert Morris’ sweep. It’s a good story and just one we didn’t get to in time this week. Stay tuned.

UAH Gets Point at Clarkson

Alabama-Huntsville played Clarkson for the first time last weekend and had to settle for a single point on the road after a 3-3 tie Saturday night.

Clarkson won on Friday evening, 3-1.

Sebastian Geoffrion scored first Friday night and Cameron Talbot made 31 saves.

The next night, UAH gave up three goals in a 3Â½-minute span in the third period to trail 3-2. Talbot went to the bench in the final minute and Keenan Desmet scored to gain the point.

Brandon Roshko and Kevin Morrison also scored for the Chargers and Talbot finished with 44 stops.

Niagara Does Splits With St. Lawrence

Niagara didn’t take its 7-2 loss at home to St. Lawrence Friday night well, and redeemed itself with a 4-3 win the following night.

Bryan Haczyk, Tyler Gotto scored in the first game, while Chris Noonan started in goal and made 16 saves on 21 shots before Andrew Hare came in at the 11:33 mark of the second period and stopped 15 of 17 the rest of the way.

“We took a step backward tonight and what stings about it is the way that it happened,” Niagara coach Dave Burkholder said. “St. Lawrence out-worked us and out-hustled us tonight, plain and simple.”

Former Wayne State defenseman Jeff Caister had an assist for the Saints.

A late goal by Haczyk was the difference Saturday night.

With Niagara holding onto a 3-2 lead as the third period began, Haczyk ripped a shot from the right faceoff circle for the 4-2 lead. The Saints would come to within one on a shorthanded goal by Caister, but the Purple Eagles blocked a handful of shots in the final minutes to get the “W.”

“To respond the way we did tonight was one of the prouder moments of our season so far,” Burkholder said. “What we did tonight says a lot about our locker room and who is in it.”

David Ross, Jeff Hannan and Gotto were the other Niagara goal scorers.

Noonan made 29 saves in earning his first career home victory, coming against the same team in which he earned his first career start against back on Oct. 17.Â

The Purps are back at Dwyer Arena this weekend to host No. 11 Bemidji State.

Holy Trinity!

Gustvaus Adolphus Surging

SUNY Potsdam: A glance at a second-year program

Around the Country

A Win For Division III Hockey

Tougher Than Ever

SUNYAC Short Shots

Game of the Week

On The Periphery

Putting the Pieces Together

Killing Better

Game of the Week

MASCAC

ECAC Northeast

Loose Pucks

Chirps

Red Baron WCHA Players of the Week

Mythical Enemies

Silver Lining

Around the WCHA

Match-Ups By the Numbers

Future WCHA Team Watch

Rolling Along

Food for Thought

Bulldogs 0-3

News from the Northâ€¦land

Picking Up the Pieces

Second Half Stretch

Back on Track

Weekly Awards

Iron Man

Canisius’ Consistant Cory Conacher

The Power is On

Getting the Call

Vote for Hobey (sort of)

Speaking of Awards…

Different Roads

All Aboard the Mule Train

Embracing Change at Castleton

Sweeps Week

Sweeps Week, Part 2

Sweeps Week, Part 3

They’re Legit

Speaking of the Shootout

More Kudos

Touching a Nerve

Something Goofy This Way Comes

Reliving Gold

Snow Globe Setting

Panic Buttons

Trivia Contest

And Finally, Not That It Has Anything to Do With Anything, But…

Genie in a Bottle

Men of Troy Are On a Roll

Readers’ Poll

Help Wanted

UAH Gets Point at Clarkson

Niagara Does Splits With St. Lawrence

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