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Thanksgiving Tournament Preview

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The looming Thanksgiving holiday and resultant short work week means that the standard weekly columns are on hiatus this week. Just because that’s the case, however, doesn’t mean the hockey is going to stop as there will be a bountiful horn of on-ice action this weekend — all of the non-conference variety.

Within the MCHA and NCHA, Lake Forest plays host to St. Olaf for two, while Marian travels to take on the University of Wisconsin-Superior and UW-Stevens Point.

Additionally, MCHA and NCHA teams will be participants in three different holiday tournaments as UW-Stout heads to Northfield, Vt. for the renowned Primelink Shootout; St. Norbert, St. Scholastica and Lawrence play host to Salem State at the Western Thanksgiving Showcase in Duluth; and Adrian hosts teams from both regions in the Hackett Builders Tournament.

With that much action going on, why not offer up a brief preview of the three tournaments?

(Editor’s note: All game times are local)

Primelink Shootout

When: Friday and Saturday, Nov. 27th and 28th
Where: Kreitzberg Arena, Northfield, Vt.
Who: No. 3 Plattsburgh (6-1-0), No. 7 UW-Stout (4-2-2), No. 9 Middlebury (1-0-1), No. 10 Norwich (2-0-0)
Schedule: 11/27 — Plattsburgh v. Middlebury, 3:00 p.m.; Stout @ Norwich, 6:00 p.m.
11/28 — Third Place Game, 3:00 p.m.; Championship Game, 6:00 p.m.

About the Tournament: Without a doubt the premier Thanksgiving weekend tournament in the nation, the Primelink once again features a stellar field as all four participants are currently ranked in the top 10 nationally. Established in 1998, Plattsburgh, Norwich and Middlebury currently rotate hosting rights and the fourth team has varied since SUNY-Potsdam was dropped from the regular rotation in 2007.

Since 1999, the Primelink champion has won the national title three times and qualified for the NCAA tournament all but twice. Since its inception, seven of the 10 tournament champions have made it to at least the NCAA semifinals. Additionally, last season marked the first time since 1994 one of the three regular Primelink participants failed to appear in the national championship game.

Western schools have rounded out the field since 2006, with St. John’s participating in 2007 and St. Thomas making the trip a year ago. Both posted 0-2 marks but have been competitive: none of the losses were by more than two goals.

This year, 4-2-2 and seventh ranked UW-Stout becomes the first NCHA team to participate in the Primelink. Fresh off their first title game appearance in school history, the Blue Devils enter the national fray for the second time in eight months.

About Stout: Since dropping back-to-back home games to St. Norbert, the Blue Devils are undefeated in their last six. After downing St. Thomas and St. Mary’s at home, they tied twice at St. Scholastica and garnered a home sweep over Stevens Point a week ago. The prolific forward line of Scott Motz (5 goals, six assists, 11 points), Derek Hanson (3-8-11) and Joel Gaulrapp (4-6-10) has paced the attack thus far. Freshman goaltender Tom Lescovich has seen action in eight games this season and is 4-2-2 with a 2.35 goals against average and .929 save percentage

About Norwich: The host Cadets are five time winners of the Primelink and earned their most recent title in 2006. They opened up their season a week ago with conference wins over the University of New England and Southern Maine. Ten freshmen saw the ice for the Cadets last weekend and were led by forward Matt McCann’s three points; five tallied at least two points. Sophomore forward Owen Carpino also posted a three point weekend. Senior goaltender Ryan Klingensmith picked up both wins last week, stopping 39 of 44 shots in the process.

About Middlebury: The defending Primelink champions, the Panthers have won the tourney five times and enter the weekend at 1-0-1 this season. They opened their campaign last weekend with a tie at Tufts and a win at Connecticut College. Like Norwich, Middlebury is also somewhat inexperienced as only five upperclassmen saw ice time a week ago. Freshman forward Mathieu Dubuc (3-1-4) and junior forward Ken Suchoski (2-1-3) lead the team in scoring. Sophomore netminder John Yanchek started both games, saving 54 of the 60 shots he faced.

About Plattsburgh: The third ranked Cardinals lost some key players from last year’s juggernaut, but are off to a 6-1 start nonetheless. Their lone blemish is a 5-2 loss to currently second ranked Oswego. Junior forwards Eric Satim (5-8-13) and Dylan Clarke (4-9-13) have been the Cardinals’ main offensive contributors, while time in goal has been split between freshmen Ryan Williams (4-0-0, 1.25, .946) and Josh Leis (2-1-0, 2.01, .889). The Cardinals have twice claimed the Primelink crown with their most recent title coming in 2007.

Western Thanksgiving Showcase

When: Friday and Saturday, Nov. 27th and 28th
Where: Mars-Lakeview Arena, Duluth, Minn.
Who: No. 1 St. Norbert (8-0-1), No. 8 St. Scholastica (3-1-2), Lawrence (6-1-0), and Salem State (3-0-0)
Schedule: 11/27 — St. Norbert v. Lawrence, 3:35 p.m.; St. Scholastica v. Salem State, 7:05 p.m.
11/28 — St. Norbert v. Salem State, 3:35 p.m.; St. Scholastica v. Lawrence, 7:05 p.m.

About the Showcase: After being hosted by St. Norbert in its inaugural year, hosting rights head to St. Scholastica this season and will be held by Lawrence next year.

MASCAC representative Salem State enters the field this season, replacing Oswego from a year ago.

Though the Showcase is not a true tournament as all four pairings are pre-determined, St. Scholastica was the “winner” last season as the Saints were the lone team to register two wins. The Saints scored a 4-3 overtime win over Lawrence in their Friday opener and downed Oswego 5-4 on Saturday. Interestingly, all nine goals in the Oswego game were scored in the second period.

The Lakers earned a 4-3 win over St. Norbert in last season’s Friday night main event, but the Green Knights rebounded to score a 4-0 win over Lawrence on Saturday.

About St. Norbert: The top-ranked and undefeated Green Knights enter the weekend allowing only 1.44 goals per game, tops in the nation among teams that have played more than two games. Junior goaltender B.J. O’Brien has seen action in nine games thus far and is 8-0-1 with a 1.37 goals against average and .933 save percentage. Senior forwards Shane Wheeler (9-8-17) and Matt Boyd (5-7-12), along with freshman Cody Keefer (7-7-14) and junior defenseman Nick Tabisz (4-7-11) lead the Green Knights in scoring. St. Norbert’s meeting with Salem State will be the first in school history.

About Lawrence: The upstart Vikings are 6-1 on the season with their lone blemish being a 6-2 loss to UW-Superior two weeks ago. Junior goaltender Evan Johnson has garnered every decision this season, and posted a 3.03 goals against average and .899 save percentage in the process. Senior forward Marc Howe (9-5-14) and sophomore forward Ben DiMarco (8-6-14) lead the team in scoring, while sophomore forwards Matt Hughes (4-4-8) and Sam Johnson (4-4-8) have also made significant dents in the scoresheet. The Vikings have already defeated a NCHA team this season as they scored a 3-2 win over UW-Eau Claire to open the season.

About St. Scholastica: The eighth ranked host Saints are coming off a bye week and sit at 3-1-2 on the season. They most recently played to a pair of home ties against conference foe UW-Stout. Junior forward Riley Riddell (3-1-4) and sophomore forward Jeremy Dawes (2-2-4) lead the team in scoring. Goaltending duties have been split between sophomore Brennan Poderzay (2-1-0, 2.19, .924) and senior Zach Kleiman (1-0-2, 2.00, .919) and it’s unclear who will get the call this weekend. Like St. Norbert, St. Scholastica has never faced Salem State.

About Salem State: The Vikings venture to the Twin Ports holding a perfect 3-0 mark with all three victories coming in MASCAC conference affairs. In their last outing they won in overtime, 4-3, at Fitchburg State. Junior James Lacour has seen exclusive action between the pipes for the Vikings this season and he has responded, posting a stat line of 3-0-0, 2.30, and .921. Sophomore forwards Matt Johnson and Justin Roy lead the scoring with three points apiece, while five others have dotted the scoresheet twice. Friday’s meeting with St. Scholastica will mark Salem State’s first competition against non-eastern opponents since they dropped a 6-2 decision at Air Force in 1999.

Hackett Builders Tournament

When: Friday and Saturday, Nov. 27th and 28th
Where: Arrington Ice Arena, Adrian, Mich.
Who: No. 5 Adrian (6-0-0), St. John’s (3-4-1), Concordia-Moorhead (1-5-2), Buffalo State (1-7-1)
Schedule: 11/27 — Concordia v. Buffalo State, 3:00 p.m.; Adrian v. St. John’s, 7:00 p.m.
11/28 — St. John’s v. Buffalo State, 3:00 p.m.; Adrian v. Concordia, 7:00 p.m.

About the Tournament: The first season of the Hackett Builders’ Tournament hosted by Adrian features the host Bulldogs, two MIAC teams and a SUNYAC team.

Conceived to bring teams from multiple conferences together for a single event, St. John’s makes the trip to Adrian after hosting the Bulldogs last year, while Buffalo State is on the docket after initial schedule plans with Adrian fell through in a prior season. Concordia-Moorhead also accepted an invitation and rounds out the field.

Like the Western Showcase, it is not a true tournament as all four games are pre-determined. In this year’s edition, Adrian and Buffalo State will each play both teams from the MIAC.

About Concordia: The Cobbers opened the season 1-5 but are coming off a 9-3 victory over Northland and a pair of ties against last season’s MIAC regular season champion, St. Olaf. Sophomore forward Nick Thielen (5-9-14) leads the Cobbers in scoring, while freshman Pat Dietz (5-6-11) and sophomores Marc Harrie (4-5-9) and Jared Collen (4-2-6) have also been significant contributors. Freshman goaltender Jacob Vatnsdal has started every game but one for the Cobbers and is 2-3-2 with a 2.74 GAA and .914 save pct. Friday’s meeting with Buffalo State will be the Cobbers first against an Eastern opponent since they took on St. Mike’s and Neumann in December of 2007

About Buffalo State: The Bengals stand at 1-7-1 and are losers of five straight. Their last competition against western opposition came in early 2006 and featured an 8-1 setback to St. Norbert and a 6-2 win over Marian. Sophomore Alan Fritch is the Bengals top goaltender, posting 1-6-1, 4.65, .872 in eight starts. Junior forward Nick Petriello (5-4-9) has paced the offense thus far while senior D’arcy Thomas (3-3-6) and junior Joel Sheppard have also factored prominently into the scoring. Interestingly, of the three teams visiting Adrian this weekend, the Bengals have the shortest road trip despite officially playing in the East Region.

About Adrian: The host Bulldogs are a perfect 6-0-0 on the year and have posted an astounding 54 goals in the six contests. Already featuring six players who have scored 11 or more points, junior forwards Mike Dahlinger (5-14-19), Sam Kuzyk (8-7-15), and Brad Houston (7-8-15) lead the way. Freshman forward Zach Graham (4-9-13) and junior defenseman Jeremy Klaver (4-8-12) round out the double-digit scorers. Junior netminder Brad Fogal is also 6-0-0 on the season while allowing 2.17 goals per game. The Bulldogs faced St. John’s a year ago and scored a 5-2 win. They have never faced Concordia or Buffalo State.

About St. John’s: The 3-4-1 Johnnies opened the year 2-0-1 before losing four straight, but they resumed their winning ways last Saturday as they downed rival St. Thomas 3-0. A trio of forwards in senior Karl Gilbert (4-3-7), sophomore Grant Ellena (2-5-7) and junior Mike Wallgren (1-6-7) has led the Johnnies’ attack thus far. Senior Stu Van Ess (2-2-1, 1.59, .944) and sophomore Tony Civello (1-2-0, 2.20, .938) have split time between the pipes thus far. Despite being a shade below .500 on the season, the Johnnies’ team defense is ranked third in the MIAC and has allowed only 2.25 goals per game.

This Week in ECAC Hockey: Nov. 25, 2009

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I know there is a lot of Thanksgiving-related material these days, but don’t be a spoil-sport if you’re Canadian: You already had your Thanksgiving. Cut us a little slack; things move slower down here.

Home Work

We are all blessed, at least in some small way, to be part of a league that values the “student” as much as the “-athlete”. It allows us to appreciate our players that much more, knowing — by and large — that they’re a better brand of competitor: one that puts forth an effort in multiple arenas, and I don’t just mean home and away.

We are reminded of this strength-of-character yet again around the holidays, as ECAC Hockey programs do their part to serve their respective communities.

The Union Dutchmen chipped in on Monday, serving an early Thanksgiving dinner at the Schenectady YMCA for the fifth consecutive year. While the rest of the student body is already home on break, the Dutch made time to set up, serve and sweep in the name of local pride … all before preparing for Lake Superior State on Friday.

Dartmouth made a splash, taking its good deeds to prime time. In an episode set to air at 9 p.m. Eastern this Sunday on ABC, the Big Green men’s and women’s programs take leading rolls in the Emmy Award-winning “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

Back in late September, the teams helped rebuild the home of the Marshall family of Lyme, N.H. Children Cameron, Beau and Olivia have all taken the ice at Thompson Arena at one time or another, participating in hockey camps and events, and the hockey teams at Dartmouth College decided it was time to help a few of their own.

From the Dartmouth press release:

“Six years ago, Jay and Elena Marshall bought the perfect home: a home they could live in forever that would easily expand as their family grew. But before they had a chance to build their first addition, an onslaught of problems from carbon monoxide leaks to mold and rotting wood brought the dreams for their home to a halt. Before they could begin tackling the growing list of problems, their 9-year-old son, Cameron, was diagnosed with leukemia. Despite the mounting medical bills and the fear of having to leave their home due to the dangers it presents to Cameron’s recovery, the Marshall family came together and rallied their community behind their son’s “Be Positive” campaign. The “Be Positive” campaign, named after Cameron’s blood type, has already brought in around $40,000 for the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth and leukemia awareness, including $3,500 Cameron raised on his own.”

The Marshalls have new fans in the Big Green locker rooms, and … well, I’m guessing that the Big Green have a few new fans of their own.

Back in Action

As a freshman at Brown, Devin Timberlake scored three goals and totaled 11 points in 32 games. With Jeremy Russell, he was one of only two rookies to see time in every contest that year. Thirty-one games and 17 points later, he became the only member of his class to have participated in all 63 games that the Bears had played in his two years at Brown.

Then last season, his appearances suddenly dropped to 10.

Over the summer, there was concern that those would be his final 10.

“One day after the Minnesota tournament last year, I was on the ice in practice, and it just went,” Timberlake said of his back, which had been bothering him consistently all year long. “I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t go to class. I couldn’t do anything.”

"Every day, when I wake up, I’m going to have back pain. I’m going to have to rehab. It’s never going to be like it was before … wear and tear will get to it over time. It’s definitely set me back, but I’m not the kind of person to let it keep me down."

— Brown’s Devin Timberlake

Originally borne of a summer weightlifting injury, Timberlake’s herniated disc hampered him enough in the first semester of his junior year as to keep him out of four of the Bears’ first 14 games. His back finally gave out for good during an early-morning skate in the first week of 2009, merely hours after skating to a 1-1 tie against Western Michigan.

“This time I knew there was no rehabbing,” said the 24-year-old senior out of Port Alberni, B.C. “I had to do something drastic.”

With many thanks to Brown’s sports medicine staff, Timberlake described being encouraged to get surgery by the supportive and knowledgeable cadre of athletic trainers and physical therapists who had worked with him throughout his first two and a half years at school.

“I hadn’t walked in five or six weeks,” and had to get around with crutches, he said. “Push came to shove, and I had to do something.”

Timberlake knew that his hockey career was in jeopardy no matter what he did.

“It crosses your mind — any time you go into surgery, it’s not a pleasant time — but the Brown medical staff was really reassuring,” he said. “They recommended a doctor, said he was really good, and he was.”

After only one night in the hospital, Timberlake was fit enough to walk out the next day under his own power.

“I didn’t exactly stroll out, but I walked,” he laughed.

Now, fewer than 11 months removed from an injury that cost him the ability to walk for nearly a month and a half, Timberlake is back on the ice and looking ahead to what he hopes are a few more years of productive, high-level hockey.

“The reason to come to Brown is to get this amazing degree, and I’ll always have that in my back pocket,” he said, “but if you’re given the opportunity to be a professional athlete, well, I have to take that,” he explained, adding that he doesn’t consider his current status to be any worse than that of any other life-long hockey player his age.

“Every day, when I wake up, I’m going to have back pain,” he stated. “I’m going to have to rehab. It’s never going to be like it was before … wear and tear will get to it over time.

“It’s definitely set me back, but I’m not the kind of person to let it keep me down.”

Readers’ Poll

Quick results from last week, according to Ye Masses: Don’t boo your own team, ever … and Cornell’s Colin Greening is a favorite among our amateur GMs.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving, everyone … drive safe, and don’t confuse the sparkling cider with the sparkling rosé when filling the kids’ glasses.

As amusing as that would be.

This Week in the CHA: Nov. 25, 2009

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First and foremost, Happy Thanksgiving!

As is the norm for this space on this date every year since 2005, it’s time to look at the teams that make up College Hockey America and make note of what each team is thankful for on this Turkey Day Eve.

First off, each team needs to look in their respective mirrors and realize that Division I college hockey is, in the grand scheme of things, a very small, tight-knit fraternity. Be thankful you all have the chance to play this great game at such a high level.

Be thankful for all four coaches — all class acts and very media-friendly.

Be thankful for all the behind-the-scenes people — ADs, equipment managers, trainers, Zamboni drivers, people like that who make the game happen.

Alabama-Huntsville

Be thankful for this season. Be thankful for reversed decisions because if utopia exists within college hockey, you’ll be CCHA-bound in two years. Be thankful for warm winters — a huge recruiting tool. Be thankful for saveUAHhockey.com and all your supporters out there in the south and across the country.

Bemidji State

Be thankful for the talent you have this season. Be thankful for the WCHA saying “yes” in admitting you for next season. Be thankful for being one of two teams in the country with 10 wins. Be thankful for the new barn you’ll have soon enough. Be thankful for Beaver Nation. And be thankful for Matt Read, as he could be the next Matt Dalton and find NHL greenery.

Niagara

Be thankful that the season is longer than the first six weeks and more wins are to come. Be thankful for the best jerseys and color scheme in the CHA. Be thankful for campus being located in one of the most beautiful parts of New York. Be thankful for three goalies that can all bring it. Be thankful for sunny days after rainy days.

Robert Morris

Be thankful for the tough schedule you’ve played so far. It will only make you stronger in the long run. Be thankful for Brooks Ostergard keeping you in many of your games. Be thankful for players like Denny Urban and Nathan Longpre and the emergence of Chris Kushneriuk. Be thankful for being a young program with a bright future.

Personally, I’m thankful for the most supportive wife on God’s green Earth, Stephanie, and the two most perfect kids in our 4-year-old, Ethan, and 2-year-old, Wyatt. Oh, and our crazed, neurotic dog, Eddie. I’m also thankful for the wonderful families I am a part of, the delicious feast we’ll all gorge ourselves on Thursday, meatballs included, and the joys that the impending holiday season bring.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Beavers Sweep UAH Convincingly

Bemidji State hosted UAH for their last-ever trip to Bemidji and took four points from the Chargers, outscoring UAH 12-4 in the process.

Brad Hunt's hat trick last Saturday was Bemidji State's first by a defenseman since March 13, 2004 (photo: BSU Photo Services).

Brad Hunt’s hat trick last Saturday was Bemidji State’s first by a defenseman since March 13, 2004 (photo: BSU Photo Services).

In Friday night’s 6-1 win, Jordan George had a goal and two assists to lead the attack and Dan Bakala made 25 saves for the win. Ian Lowe chipped in a goal and a helper as well.

Brennan Barker was the lone Charger to beat Bakala. Cameron Talbot (who also assisted on Barker’s goal) made 17 saves before giving way to Blake MacNicol early in the third period. MacNicol finished with four stops.

Saturday night, Brad Hunt tallied four points to lead the Beavers to a 6-3 victory over Huntsville. The defenseman’s three-goal, one-assist night was the first hat trick by a BSU blueliner since March 13, 2004, when John Haider did it.

Mathieu Dugas made 28 saves in goal for BSU, while MacNicol and Talbot combined for 21 at the other end.

Andrew Coburn, Cale Tanaka and Kevin Morrison scored for UAH.

Robert Morris Battles, CC Takes Both

Taking on another ranked team, Robert Morris never gave up at then-No. 7 Colorado College, but dropped both to the Tigers.

Ostergard made a career-high 46 saves in Friday night’s loss that saw Mike Testwuide score at 15:20 of the third period to give CC a 4-3 win.

Scott Kobialko scored two goals for RMU and Trevor Lewis, making up for his missed penalty shot 1:46 into the game, also scored.

In Saturday night’s contest, the Tigers took a 4-1 win over the Colonials.

J.C. Velasquez scored RMU’s lone goal, while Ostergard and Eric Levine combined for 36 saves.

“We played hard on Friday night, but a few costly mistakes hurt us,” said RMU coach Derek Schooley. “We got excellent performances from Trevor Lewis and Scott Kobialko and Brooks Ostergard was very good in net. On Saturday, we played even with the Tigers for the second and third periods, but a poor start really hurt us. We never stopped competing and battling all weekend long.”

Next up for the Colonials is a home game Wednesday against Niagara.

“We had an excellent series two weekends ago and this game will be no different,” Schooley said. “They were finally rewarded last week with a win over RPI, so they are playing with more confidence. We want to go into Thanksgiving break on a positive note. We are finally excited to start being able to stay close to home until after the New Year. We have had a tremendous amount of travel and hopefully this has prepared us for CHA play. ”

BSU Picks Up Another From NAHL

Bemidji State keeps loading up top-flight prospects for its first season in the WCHA next year and added another this week in Marquette Rangers forward Garrett Ladd.

Ladd, the team’s captain from Fenton, Mich., leads the Rangers in scoring through 18 games this season with 22 points on eight goals and 14 helpers.  Ladd is also ranked in the top 20 in overall North American Hockey League scoring.  

“I’m excited about the chance the coaching staff at Bemidji is giving me,” said Ladd.  “Like all of us who play juniors, it’s been a lifelong dream of mine and my family to play D-I hockey, and I’m going to make the most of this great opportunity.”

For his career in Marquette, the 20-year-old Ladd has 34 goals and 65 assists for 99 points in just over two full seasons.

“Garrett is the type of player that every coach loves to coach,” said Rangers head coach Kenny Miller.  “Garrett competes in every way possible, both on and off the ice. He’s a tireless worker and he deserves this opportunity.”

Ladd is also the first Michigan native to sign with BSU since the program achieved Division I status 10 years ago.

“As an organization, we couldn’t be happier for Garrett and his family,” Miller added. “His hard work these past three seasons, both on and off the ice, have really paid off for him. Not only is Bemidji State getting a top recruit as a player, they’re getting an even better young man.”

He Said It

“I know that in my role as a senior, as a senior captain, I had to step up and play a bigger role and be a leader on this team. I just started taking it day by day. Control what you control. I’ve just worked hard and when you do that, you get rewarded.” — NU forward Ryan Olidis, to the Niagara Gazette

Turning Over A New Leaf

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You’ve got three guesses. Pick the team. In Hockey East contests, it ranks No. 1 in scoring, No. 1 on the power play and No. 2 on the penalty kill. (The numbers are similar in overall games.) It can claim a perfect 6-0 record at home.

Go ahead, write down your picks.

No peeking.

OK, here’s some more information. So far this year it has a 2-1 record against teams in the last year’s Frozen Four and split a two-game set against another recent national champion.

Is that a frown I see on your face?

Getting out an eraser?

OK, so you don’t own an eraser. You don’t make mistakes. But you’re scribbling out those choices now, aren’t you?

Now try this one on for size.

Five years ago, this team suffered through a 1-22-1 Hockey East record.

Whoa!

Gotcha, didn’t I?

Yup, we’re talking about the Merrimack Warriors. They’re 6-5-0 overall and 3-3-0 within Hockey East. But that doesn’t begin to tell the story. Their .500 league record has been earned while making their way through a gauntlet of Hockey East powers: a 5-2 win over Vermont, a national semifinalist last year; a split with 2008 national champion Boston College; a split with 2009 national champion Boston University; and a loss to the current No. 3 team in the country, Massachusetts-Lowell.

“That’s the challenge for everyone in Hockey East, isn’t it?” Merrimack coach Mark Dennehy says. “Every team and every coach and every player in the league has it. You’re going to be tested on every night. You could be playing against last year’s national champion or last year’s Frozen Four team or Northeastern who won 28 games last year or a storied Maine program.

“When I took this job, that’s the challenge that I relished most. In recruiting a lot of these players, that’s what they wanted to be a part of. They want that every weekend. Really, there are no nights off in this league and I think this year that’s the case more so than ever.

“For us to be able to have the type of success that we’ve had so far is great. No. 1, for our players. No. 2, for our students. And No. 3, for our alums. I don’t know when the last time this program beat BC and BU back-to-back, if it ever happened at all. That’s a tribute to the young men that we have in this program.”

When it comes to paying dues, this program has paid and paid and paid. Its record within Hockey East over the past five years reads like this: 1-22-1, 3-19-5, 3-22-2, 6-18-3 and 5-19-3. Small wonder, then, that it hasn’t just been fans and alums who have extended early season congratulations to Dennehy.

“You know what’s funny?” he says. “I’m convinced everyone wants us to succeed. Even some of our opponents in the league have reached out and shown congratulations, knowing the depths of where we were in 2005. To emerge from that to where we are now, we’re a team that’s hard not to root for.

“We play David to most team’s Goliath every weekend in this league. But there’s reason why Merrimack belongs in Hockey East. Most people forget that David won the fight. So we do enjoy that role.

“It really rounds out Hockey East. There’s a place for the school with a 20,000-student undergraduate population and there’s a place in this league for the small Catholic college with 2,000 students.”

Arguably, this year’s early success has at least some roots in the agonizing 14 one-goal losses last season.

“That definitely plays a part,” Dennehy says. “We knew that we were going in the right direction. There are no moral victories, but after putting yourself in that position enough times you learn where the game changes, where the game is in the balance. We lost them every which way, don’t get me wrong, but putting yourselves in that position night in and night out definitely prepares you [for turning things around].

Merrimack celebrates a goal in its 5-3 victory over Boston College on Nov. 1 (photo: Melissa Wade).

Merrimack celebrates a goal in its 5-3 victory over Boston College on Nov. 1 (photo: Melissa Wade).

“At every point in a game, there is a moment when one team is sure they are going to win and the other team is not sure. Last year, we were on the wrong end of that, but we usually got to that point later in the game than it had been in the past.

“We’re prepared now and I think we’re starting to put in a belief system, based on the fact that we were in as many one-goal games as we were last year and based on the fact that we believe we’re better this year. Seventy percent of our scoring last year came from our freshmen and sophomores, and that group is now sophomores and juniors. Then you add the freshman class that we added this year and there’s a belief.

“Even though a week ago we lost at BU, 6-3, trailing 5-2 going into the third, there wasn’t a guy that went on the ice for the third period who didn’t believe that we could creep back into that game. The score ended 6-4, but we got it to 5-4 and then they got an empty-netter. That wouldn’t have happened a year ago. It would probably have ended up 7-2 or 6-2.

“Our guys are starting to believe and I think the struggles that we went through last year, losing all those one-goal games, have a lot to do with it.”

Perhaps even more stunning than the Warriors’ success is how they’re doing it. In seasons past, if they won, they did so primarily in the defensive zone. Year after year, they finished at the bottom of the league’s offensive rankings, posting the following stark goals-per-game averages within Hockey East: 1.71, 1.59, 1.04, 1.78 and finally last season’s breath-of-fresh-air, we’re-not-last-in-offense, 2.11.

This year, the former 97-pound offensive weaklings have sprouted bulging, well-oiled muscles and are now kicking the sand in former bullies’ faces. The Warriors rank first in Hockey East scoring with 4.33 goals per game and roll out the league’s top power play, a group that has converted at a 31.2 percent rate. Since the second game of the season, no team has held Merrimack under three goals.

Last year’s top line of Chris Barton, Jessie Todd and J.C. Robitaille, who between them total 13 goals, has been augmented by a second line of freshmen Stephane Da Costa (he of five goals in his first game) and Brandon Brodhag along with sophomore Jeff Velleca. The latter trio already accounts for 16 goals despite missing early games.

“It’s amazing to me how much different this year’s team is from the four teams I coached here previously,” Dennehy says. “You don’t have to go back too far. In 2006-2007, we played in 34 games overall and scored 37 goals. In our first 10 games this year, we had 40.

“We have a lot more balance. Scoring is a lot easier for us than it has been because of our power play and because of our depth. We feel as if we have three lines now that can score at any moment. We have not had that type of scoring balance since I’ve been here.”

Which isn’t to say Dennehy will be content to win shootout wars the rest of the season.

“[Because in past years we didn’t score much], we had to play desperate in our own zone,” he says. “We were a very tough team to play 5-on-5 and we have to get back to that a little bit. We can’t score goals at will; no one in this league can. So now we’ve got to tighten it up and work a lot harder in our own zone and eventually win more 3-2 games and fewer 6-3 games.”

Although the tightening has yet to happen in the five-on-five defense, the penalty kill ranks second in Hockey East games and third overall. The only concern is how often it gets to show its prowess. Among all its other firsts, Merrimack also leads Hockey East in overall penalty minutes (17 per game).

“The penalty kill has been pretty good,” Dennehy says. “It starts and ends with the goaltender and we have two pretty good ones in Joe Cannata and Andrew Braithwaite.

“What we need to do is be smarter 5-on-5 and not take so many penalties. Penalty kill is an interesting situation. Even when you have a good one, you don’t want to tempt fate by taking too many. I don’t think there’s been a game — maybe one — where we’ve gotten more power plays than we’ve had to kill. We have to do a better job in that area, for sure, but we know when we need to kill them, we’re capable.”

Merrimack can keep its momentum going with the next two games at home, where it is a perfect 6-0, but then must go on the road for seven straight games. The Warriors have yet to export their success to other teams’ rinks, but there’s a big asterisk that goes with that negative shutout.

“Our away record has a lot to do with who we’ve played,” Dennehy says. “We played two games at North Dakota, then at BU, at BC and at Lowell. I would put that up against anyone’s away schedule in the country.

“And we didn’t play poorly in all those games. I’m thinking of the 3-2 loss at North Dakota. We played really well. [Even in the 6-3 loss] at Lowell last weekend, we played pretty well for large stretches of that game but Lowell was very opportunistic. So I think our away record has more to do with our opponents.”

And as for defending home ice at the J. Thom Lawler Arena …

“You know, people talk about defending home ice,” Dennehy says. “We attack home ice. We don’t defend it.

“We recognize that a lot of teams in our league don’t like coming to our building and we’re fine with that. The only people we want to be comfortable are the players on our team, the students and the fans. Beyond that, we’re very content with teams not being comfortable in our arena. We always thought it could be a home-ice advantage. We’re a blue-collar team with a blue-collar rink.

“So we don’t defend it, we attack.”

Which is how Dennehy intends to approach the rest of the season. There will be no resting on laurels that are a mere seven weeks old.

“You’re only as good,” Dennehy says, “as your last game.”

D-III Turkey Tourneys

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If you like college hockey tournaments, there’s much to be thankful for this weekend. One of the many cool things about D-III hockey is the large number of holiday tournaments taking place (Division I has just three tourneys this weekend). Here’s a rundown of the action, which includes a pair of Western Tourneys. Pack the Turkey sandwiches and catch some if you can:

Primelink Great Northern Shootout

When: November 27 & 28

Who: Norwich (host), Middlebury Norwich, Plattsburgh, UW-Stout

Outlook: Year in and year out, the best D-III tournament with three traditional powers plus a guest. All four teams are ranked in the top ten – it doesn’t get much better. I expect a Plattsburgh-Stout final with the Cards coming out on top.

Adrian Tournament

When: November 27 & 28

Who: Adrian (host), St. John’s, Concordia (MN), Buffalo State

Outlook: The Bulldogs have had trouble getting non-conference games, so a tournament seems the logical solution. Hopefully this will turn into an annual event. I like the hosts to come out on top.

St. Scholastica Tournament

When November 27 & 28

Who: St. Scholstica (host), Salem State, Lawrence, St. Norbert.

Outlook: The three western teams all played at St. Norbert last Thanksgiving. This year St. Scholastica hosts, and I’m picking both the Saint schools (Scholastica and Norbert) to win both their games in this preset format.

Bowdoin/Colby Faceoff Classic

When: November 28 & 29

Who: Bowdoin (host), Colby (host), Salve Regina, US Under 18 Team

Outlook: The two Maine schools will take turn hosting Salve Regina and the US Under 18 Team. I like Team USA to win both its games.

PAL Stovepipe Tournament

When: November 28 & 29

Who: Southern New Hampshire (host), Stonehill, UMass-Boston, Penn State

Outlook: Club powerhouse Penn State adds a nice twist to this tournament. I’m picking Mass-Boston to beat the Nittany Lions in the finals.

Spurrier Tournament

When: November 28 & 29

Who: Wesleyan (host), Trinity, Conn College, Amherst

Outlook: This is the fourth straight year for this tournament, which has rotated among the four schools and returns to Wesleyan. I like Amherst to defeat Trinity in the finals.

Skidmore Invitational

When: November 28 & 29

Who: Skidmore (host), Brockport, University of New England, Nichols

Outlook: New kids on the block UNE make their first tournament appearance. I’m picking Nichols over Brockport in the finals.

Rutland/Herald Invitational

When: November 29 & 30

Who: Castleton (host), Neumann, Tufts, Becker

Outlook: Two-time champs Neumann come back to defend their title. Oh, and they have a national title as well. I’m picking the Knights to three-peat win a win over host Castleton in the finals.

This Week in Atlantic Hockey: Nov. 25, 2009

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Your Typical Thanksgiving Column

It’s time once again for a Thanksgiving Tradition (does four years make a tradition?): the Atlantic Hockey version of Thanks … and No Thanks. Let’s take a look at what each team is thankful for this year … and what each team could do without.

Air Force

Thanks: AFA’s penalty kill tops the nation, killing 61 of 66 opponent power plays so far, and scoring a pair of shorthanded goals as well. The Falcon power play is ranked 10th nationally at 23.2 percent, giving the Falcons the top combined special teams rating in the league.

No Thanks: Air Force opened the season 0-4 after bolting to a 13-0 start last season. Since then, however, the Falcons are 6-1-3 and unbeaten in their last seven contests (4-0-3).

Army

Thanks: The Black Knights’ first line of Cody Omilusik, Owen Meyer and Eric Sefchik have been iron men this season, logging tons of ice time and accounting for 13 of Army’s 30 goals so far. Omilusik had a hat-trick last Friday despite needing stitches during the game.

No Thanks: Army has gotten off to a slow start in games so far, getting outscored 17-9 in the first period.

AIC

Thanks: Some freshmen have made an immediate impact for AIC. Adam Pleskach is leading the team with seven goals, while classmate Richard Leitner is tied for second on the team in scoring with five points. Rookie goaltender Ben Meisner has a save percentage of .933 and two shutouts so far.

No Thanks: The Yellow Jackets, who opened the season with two shutouts in their first two home games, were hammered on home ice by Canisius last weekend, 7-0 and 4-0. AIC had allowed 25 goals through its first nine games, but gave up 11 last weekend.

Bentley

Thanks: The Falcons have liked the second period the best so far this season, scoring 13 of their 31 goals in the middle stanza.

No Thanks: Bentley is in the middle of a stretch of five games in nine days, so it looks like turkey sandwiches on the bus for the Falcons. Bentley is 2-1 so far with a split with Army and a come-from-behind win at Brown. Next up: a trip to the RPI Holiday Tournament this weekend.

Canisius

Thanks: The Golden Griffins have the stellar goaltending tandem of senior Andrew Loewen and sophomore Dan Morrison. They’ve combined for four shutouts so far this season, including one each last weekend.

No Thanks: Canisius will play seven of its final 10 games of the season on the road. The Griffs will play just five home games after the holidays.

Connecticut

Thanks: Freshman Jeff Larson, who came straight out of AAA midgets last season, had a baptism by fire at RIT, allowing 13 goals in a pair of games. After that, Larson allowed just 12 goals total over his next five games, and has made a whopping 375 saves so far this season.

No Thanks: The Huskies have managed just two wins so far this season, and are averaging only 1.69 goals a game, last in the nation.

Holy Cross

Thanks: The Hart Center has been kind to the Crusaders over the years but not so far (0-2-2), at least until Tuesday, when Holy Cross recorded its first home win of the season, a 5-0 victory over Connecticut.

No Thanks: Those five goals scored on Tuesday were the most so far by the Crusaders, who have been shut out twice and limited to one goal four other times. A power play conversion rate of 9.5 percent isn’t helping.

Mercyhurst

Thanks: The Lakers have been struggling this season, losing a few games they probably should have won. I expected a breakout for Mercyhurst two weeks ago, their first weekend homestand. But the Lakers were swept by RIT in a pair of one-goal games. But last weekend, Mercyhurst dominated Holy Cross 5-1 and 4-1 on home ice. Could it be a turning point? Mercyhurst sill has six games left before Christmas, including a pair at Air Force.

No Thanks: Even three shorthanded goals by Mike Gurtler last Friday can’t make up for the fact that Mercyhurst is averaging a league-high 18 penalty minutes a game.

RIT

Thanks: The Tigers have won eight straight games, the longest current winning streak in the nation, and are getting some votes in the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Division I poll. The last five wins have been by a single goal or with a late ENG.

No Thanks: RIT is in first place in the AHA, a point ahead of Air Force. The difference would be three points if not for a single tick of the clock. RIT lost to the Falcons 3-2 on Oct. 24, thanks to a Matt Fairchild goal with 0.3 seconds left in overtime. That goal was worth a two-point swing in the standings.

Sacred Heart

Thanks: The Pioneers started the season in limbo due to the sudden departure of long-time coach Shaun Hannah. But C.J. Marottolo looks like a good fit, and the team used the adversity to become a closely-knit group that remains optimistic despite the Pioneers’ slow start.

No Thanks: It wasn’t a pretty homecoming on Tuesday for Marottolo, an assistant at Yale for the past 13 seasons. The Bulldogs scored five times in the first nine minutes of the game and coasted to an 8-2 win.

Weekly Awards

Player of the Week for Nov. 23, 2009:
Mike Gurtler — Mercyhurst

Gurtler became the seventh player in Division I history to score three shorthanded goals in a single game last Friday, to lead the Lakers to a 5-1 win over Holy Cross.

Goalies of the Week for Nov. 23, 2009:
Dan Morrison — Canisius

Morrison posted his second straight shutout and third of the season, stopping all 36 shots in a 7-0 win at AIC on Friday.

Andrew Loewen — Canisius

Not to be outdone, Loewen recorded 32 saves in a 4-0 victory over AIC on Saturday. It was Loewen’s sixth career shutout, the most in the school’s D-I era.

Rookie of the Week for Nov. 23, 2009:
Brett Hartung — Bentley

The freshman from Tallahassee, Fla., had three goals last weekend to help the Falcons to a split with Army. Hartung’s four goals are tied for second on the team.

This Week in the WCHA: Nov. 25, 2009

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Not as deep or as long this week, due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

The point spread between first and last in the league is now down to nine (13 points for first; four for last).

Red Baron WCHA Players of the Week

Red Baron WCHA Co-Offensive Players of the Week: Joe Colborne, DU; Jerad Stewart, MSU, M.
Why: Colborne scored two goals and had two assists to help his Pioneers sweep the visiting Fighting Sioux. Stewart scored a career-high five points (4g, 1a) in MSU, M’s 8-2 victory over the Seawolves.
Also Nominated: Bill Sweatt, CC; Jack Connolly, UMD.

Red Baron WCHA Defensive Player of the Week: Marc Cheverie, DU.
Why: Returned from injury to help his Pioneers sweep North Dakota, pitched one shutout and did not allow an even-strength goal all series.
Also Nominated: Kris Fredheim, CC; Brad Eidsness, UND.

Red Baron WCHA Rookie of the Week: Mike Lee, SCSU.
Why: Stopped 38 of 39 shots in the Huskies’ win over Wisconsin.
Also Nominated: Andrew Hamburg, CC; Drew Shore, DU; Danny Kristo, UND.

Living Up to the Hype

I caught all of Friday’s North Dakota-Denver game and most of Saturday’s game and in my opinion, the games lived up to the No. 2-vs.-No. 3 hype.

Despite Friday night being a 1-0 game, it was an exciting 1-0 game, filled with chances, typical Pioneer-Sioux tussling, two goaltenders playing outstanding and the loudest I’ve heard Magness Arena (due to both Denver AND North Dakota fans, the latter of which had a strong presence, in typical Sioux fashion). Saturday was a special teams game, with over half the game played with one of the teams on a man-advantage of some sort. Both nights had goals reviewed and disallowed.

The stories from the weekend were many, the biggest probably being the return of Cheverie from injury, pitching a shutout in his first game back and then staying strong to hold on for the DU sweep. It was the first time UND had been swept in just under three years.

The games also showed how much the Sioux miss a player some people were referring to as the best in college hockey at the beginning of the year in Chay Genoway. Genoway’s status, by the way, is still uncertain. According to the team, his status has not changed from “out indefinitely.”

Other thoughts from the weekend include, “wow, Denver’s fast,” “imagine if both these teams were at full strength (which, by Saturday, meant, imagine if Genoway was playing)” and “it’s going to be fun when these two teams meet up again in Grand Forks.”

Around the WCHA

Thanks in part to some recent injuries due to hits to the head, the NCAA is re-emphasizing its position on contact to the head penalties. League commissioner Bruce McLeod had a teleconference call with the coaches Wednesday to make sure they understand the new emphasis.

Though there already is a zero-tolerance policy on contact to the head, oftentimes hits don’t get called — for example, the Seawolves elbow that broke Minnesota’s Nick Leddy’s jaw. According to the new emphasis, any contact to the head in any situation, incidental or not, accidental or not, will warrant at least a two-minute penalty; actual severity will be up to the referee’s discretion.

MSU, M: The Mavericks got hit with a big injury this past Friday night, losing junior forward Andrew Sackrison to a broken leg. Sackrison doesn’t think the injury will keep him out the entire season, however, but that will still remain to be seen.

Match-Ups By the Numbers

There’s a lot of hockey on the plate for this weekend — three conference series, UND in the Subway Holiday Classic and Minnesota and Wisconsin in the College Hockey Showcase.

Alaska Anchorage @ #5 Colorado College
Overall Records: UAA — 5-9-0 (3-7-0 WCHA). CC — 9-2-1 (6-1-1 WCHA).
Head-to-Head: CC leads the overall series, 48-12-3.

St. Cloud State @ #2 Denver
Overall Records: SCSU — 5-5-2 (4-3-1 WCHA). DU — 8-3-1 (6-1-1 WCHA).
Head-to-Head: DU leads the overall series, 36-20-4.

Michigan Tech @ Minnesota State
Overall Records: MTU — 3-7-0 (2-6-0 WCHA). MSU, M — 4-7-1 (2-7-1 WCHA).
Head-to-Head: MSU, M leads the overall series, 20-12-3.

North Dakota vs. Ohio State, #1 Miami
Overall Records: UND — 7-4-1 (5-4-1 WCHA). OSU — 5-8-1 (4-5-1-1 CCHA). MU — 9-1-4 (6-1-3-1 CCHA).
Head-to-Head: UND leads the overall series with both teams, 2-0.

Minnesota @ Michigan, #8 Michigan State
Overall Records: Minnesota — 4-7-1 (3-6-1 WCHA). Michigan — 5-7-0 (3-5-0-0 CCHA). MSU — 9-3-2 (6-2-2-0 CCHA).
Head-to-Head: UMTC leads both overall series; over UM, 127-116-14 and over MSU 100-41-11.

#15 Wisconsin @ #8 Michigan State, Michigan
Overall Records: UW — 7-4-1 (5-4-1 WCHA). MSU — 9-3-2 (6-2-2-0 CCHA). UM — 5-7-0 (3-5-0-0 CCHA).
Head-to-Head: MSU leads the overall series, 45-40-3 and UM leads the overall series, 63-51-7.

Future WCHA Team Watch

Bemidji State swept conference foe Alabama-Huntsville last weekend and next faces Miami and Ohio State in the Subway Holiday Classic up in Grand Forks, N.D. Nebraska-Omaha, on the other hand, got swept by Northern Michigan. Up next for the Mavericks is Western Michigan in Omaha.

#6 BSU: 10-1-1 overall, 1-1-0 vs. WCHA
#19 UNO: 5-4-3 overall, 0-0-0 vs. WCHA

Giving Thanks

In a year that’s been topsy-turvy for most of us, I’ve got a few things to be thankful for:

• Having three jobs while many others still have none. Granted, none of them pays a whole heck of a lot, but I enjoy each one.

• My family, who support me in so many various ways.

• Circumstances that have shown me who will be there for me, no matter what happens.

• My wonderful fiancé, who is always there for me.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

This Week in Hockey East: Nov. 25, 2009

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From the Penthouse to the Outhouse

Boston University fans lived charmed lives last season, watching their Terriers win championship after championship, including the big enchilada in dramatic fashion.

So far this year, however, those fans are paying for it. After finishing in every first place possible one season ago, the Terriers now find themselves in last place within Hockey East. Technically, they share that position with Providence, which also has a mere five points, but there’s a key difference. The Friars hold three games in hand over BU.

In fact, every team in the league except for Boston College (currently tied for first place) holds at least one game in hand over BU. Providence and Merrimack hold three such games and the two Massachusetts state schools hold two.

There are holes teams dig themselves into. And then there are HOLES.

BU, at 2-6-1 in the league and 4-7-1 overall, is in the latter.

“We’ve already buried ourselves pretty far in the standings,” BU coach Jack Parker said recently. “We’ve got to put more than a few games together to get out of where we’re at. We’ve really put ourselves in hole here as far as Hockey East and everything else is concerned.”

Arguably, the preseason pick for BU to repeat as Hockey East champions failed to sufficiently account for the graduations and early pro signings from last season’s title winners. You don’t lose Matt Gilroy, Brian Strait, and your entire top two lines except for Nick Bonino — that’s a total of 258 points as well as two stellar defensive blueliners — without taking a step back.

Still, the thought was that as a perennial powerhouse, BU would do what perennial powerhouses always do: have youngsters ready to fill the void and recruit more youngsters to keep that pipeline going.

What has gone wrong?

Some slow starts. One-goal losses. And injuries and illness up the wazoo, most notably to key players like Bonino, Chris Connolly and David Warsofsky.

“For us to be preseason favorite in the league was a bit of a stretch considering what we lost,” Parker said. “That was some polish from the national championship last year. We started off with some of our key guys not playing well early and then we got all the injuries. The injuries really made a mess out of it for a while for us. We had guys out with the flu and guys out with [injuries].

“What goes around comes around. I think last year Strait missed five games and [Chris] Higgins missed four or maybe five. I don’t remember too many others. This year was a mess [in terms of missed games] right off the bat.

“The good part about it is, if we can keep our head above water while we get everybody back [and in playing shape], we’ve had some guys who’ve had to step up and play different positions. [They] might not have had the opportunity if everyone was playing.

“I certainly don’t like the way that we’re so buried in the league, but at the same time it’s given us a chance to see some guys we wouldn’t have gotten to see.”

In many ways, the freshmen have been the least of BU’s problems. As a group, they’ve played well and proven that they deserve more playing time. The problem has been with the holdovers from last year’s national championship. Whether due to injury, illness, or a lack of focus, the group collectively hasn’t delivered as expected.

Last weekend’s disappointing home-and-home series with UNH was a case in point. Both teams entered the Friday night game with similar and uncharacteristic records: UNH at 3-6-2 and BU at 3-6-0. UNH, however, had won its games in Hockey East while going winless out of conference, and as a result, was within striking distance of first place, a distance the Wildcats closed with a 4-2 win.

BU, by contrast, entered the weekend in ninth place with a 2-5-0 record, and promptly dropped to 2-6-0.

In the third period on Friday, UNH played Roadrunner to BU’s Coyote.

“It thought we played OK in the beginning, pretty well in the second, and ran out of gas in the third,” Parker said. “The difference in the speed of the game between BU and UNH in the third period was like night and day.

“I was disappointed with how un-thorough we were and how slow we looked as the game progressed. We turned pucks over at blue lines. We had opportunities to make some plays and fumbled them. We were forcing pucks and just hanging on too long sometimes. Eighty percent of our forwards had tough nights.

“UNH outbattled us. All in all, not a good showing.”

Earlier in the season, after Bonino went out, the team struggled with faceoffs, losing 85 percent of them over the first two periods in a loss to Lowell. Against UNH on Friday, the percentages shifted into BU’s favor, but UNH capitalized at the right time, scoring two crucial faceoff goals.

“We’ve been very good at faceoffs lately,” Parker said after the loss. “In fact, one guy was 13-for-17, one guy was 14-for-16, one guy was 5-for-9 and one guy was 11-for-17.

“But we lost a couple of them that were absolutely brutal. It looked like the referee threw it back to [the UNH shooter].”

The power play, which has been middle-of-the-road all year when it was expected to be great, struggled.

“We can’t seem to recognize that when people are taking away [Kevin] Shattenkirk and [Colby] Cohen on the point on the power play, we’ve got to get the puck down low,” Parker said. “We keep forcing it up top and we’re playing 3-on-3 up top instead of 3-on-1 down low. We’re not doing a good job on our power-play recognition as well as not moving the puck.

“It’s not because of Shattenkirk and Cohen. They had all kinds of pressure on them and made great plays with guys all over them at the blue line.”

Worst of all, the Terriers continued a bad trend of taking critical penalties while already a man down. In Friday’s pivotal game, a two-man disadvantage led to the game winner.

“It’s a pathetic problem,” Parker said. “They don’t get the message. It’s not that important to them to fight hard and be tenacious without being stupid.”

One night later, BU sorely needed to rebound and at least hold serve back at Agganis Arena. You want more when you’re in ninth place, but once you lose the opening game, holding serve becomes mandatory.

The good news was that the Terriers played much better, a very encouraging sign; the bad news was that they managed only a tie, giving them only a single point on the weekend.

“The difference between last night’s game and tonight’s for both teams was like night and day,” Parker said. “I thought both teams played really well tonight. I think we needed the win more than they did, so they’re probably really happy to get three points on the weekend. We only got one, so that really hurts us. That was the only negative thing about the game for me.”

BU’s record stood at 3-7-1 overall and 2-6-1 in Hockey East. The Terriers remained in ninth place and would get caught by Providence three days later.

Ninth place?

For a team picked, perhaps optimistically, to finish first, but seemingly a rock solid pick to at least take home ice?

Ninth place about to become last?

“You get what you deserve,” Parker said. “I think our record is indicative of who we are at this point. It wasn’t as if there were many nights when we dominated teams and couldn’t get a ‘W’ or our goalie stunk and we didn’t get a ‘W’.

“There were many nights where guys just didn’t show up [and] play hard enough. We’ve played a lot of 3-2 games, games we were in, but we weren’t nearly as competitive [as we needed to be.] We’ve played two 60-minute competitive games this year, and how many have we played overall? Eleven?

“We played very, very well over at Northeastern from start to finish [in a 1-0 loss back on Nov. 6]. I thought that was our best game of the year. We dominated the game up and down the ice but couldn’t put it by the goaltender. Tonight, I thought we played really well.”

Progress, but not enough points.

On Tuesday, the Terriers faced Harvard in their traditional pre-Thanksgiving matchup. With no impact on the Hockey East standngs at stake, however, the contest hardly seemed like a potential turning point.

Instead, we may all look back on BU’s thrilling win as the point where the Terriers, having bottomed out, turned their season around. Reminding some of their stunning comeback over Miami in last year’s national championship game, they rallied to tie the game with 19.5 seconds left on a Zach Cohen goal and won it at 2:42 of overtime with Connolly’s game-winner.

Even though the win — a huge boost to the team’s psyche — did nothing for BU’s position in the Hockey East standings, the manner in which the Terriers played gave reason for great optimism. Those players who’d been injured or sick with the flu that had run rampant in the BU locker room showed a return to form. They’d gotten their legs back.

Even more importantly, the team’s focus was as intense as in that previous season-best game, the 1-0 loss to Northeastern.

“I was looking for a ‘W,’ obviously, but I was more interested in our intensity, how fast we’d play and how smart we’d play,” Parker said. “We had speed and smarts tonight, that’s for sure.

“This is the best game we’ve had since the Northeastern game. We were pretty good against UNH [on Saturday] but we weren’t anywhere near as intense and as thorough as we were tonight. Against Northeastern we played great and we lost 1-0. On this night we played really well and we won.

“The team made us [coaches] feel a lot better about focusing and ‘getting real’ here. Because we haven’t been ready to play a lot of games or made the effort we have to make to win games.

“Attitude is everything and our attitude hasn’t been real good. Our attitude was fabulous tonight. Before the game, you could tell this team was ready to play.”

A brief upturn? Or the start of a steep climb after bottoming out?

Don’t bet against the Terriers.

The First-Place Wildcats

A couple weeks ago, New Hampshire’s fate, at least on the surface, didn’t look so promising. The Wildcats’ overall record had just fallen to 2-6-2 after an agonizing loss to UMass, one in which the Minutemen scored with 11 seconds remaining to force overtime and then got the game-winner two minutes later.

The shift for UNH from two sure points to zero … bupkiss … a goose egg … was like a fist to the gut. The Wildcats had really needed those points.

Three games later, however, UNH now holds a share of first place in Hockey East with its 4-2-2 league record. A win over Massachusetts to salvage a split of their home-and-home series followed by taking three of four points from BU has made a huge difference.

In the what-if category, Wildcat fans can now rightfully point out that their boys are just 11 seconds away from having a dominating 5-1-2 record in Hockey East. So much for the ulcers that were developing in the Granite State while UNH went through its 0-4-1 stretch, dropping to 2-6-2. With five league points in the last three league games, all is well.

Especially since three of those came over a rival as tough as BU has been in recent years.

“We’ve been looking to play a 60-minute game and I thought we played one tonight from start to finish,” UNH coach Dick Umile said after the Friday night win. “We had good speed and quickness and specialty teams. We had some power play [goals] and killed penalties. A good team effort. We’re playing much better defensively.”

The rematch at BU on Saturday probably served justice in that it ended as a tie, but left both teams wishing they’d grabbed the extra point.

“There was pretty good action going back and forth, and both teams had a chance to win it,” Umile said. “I told my team that they competed hard, and we’ll take three points for the weekend and move on.”

Admittedly, UNH’s overall record remains below .500 (4-6-3), but that’s based on going 0-4-1 against nonconference foes with a collective 23-10-6 record, most notably two games (a win and a tie) against top-ranked Miami and two more at No. 15 Wisconsin (a weekend to forget).

“It’s been a crazy season,” Umile said. “We’ve played a tough schedule non-league, but it makes you a better team. We got our butts kicked out in Wisconsin. We played well against Miami and we opened our season at RPI and they’re obviously a good team.

“It all adds up to us getting better as a team. It’s early. We have a long way to go.”

UNH has tightened up its defensive play overall and has dramatically improved its penalty kill. After opening November with a brutal weekend in which BC went 4-for-5 on the power play and Lowell followed that with a 3-for-6 performance, the Wildcats held opposing power plays scoreless until BU’s third-period strike broke a streak that had reached nine chances over four games.

“We didn’t kill off many in the BC game so there was nowhere to go but up,” Umile said with uncharacteristic wryness. “We had to be better after that performance.

“But we’re doing a good job with it.

Junior forward Paul Thompson added: “Special teams are a huge part of the game now. If we’re scoring power-play goals and the penalty kill is doing the job, we’re going to be on the top of most games.”

And as always, the Wildcats can score, often in bunches.

“I think they’re the best initial-rush team in our league,” BU’s Parker said. “They’re really good speed-wise coming through center ice; they really put a lot of pressure on you. They don’t dominate you down low like other teams can, but they can really get opportunities on the initial rush.”

The Trouble With Heroes

Don’t forget to check out The Trouble With Heroes, an anthology of original stories looking at “the other side” of mythical and historical heroes. My own snarky story, “Beloved,” has garnered some kind words:

“Out of everything of yours that I’ve read, this is my favorite.”

and…

“It’s a great short story!”

and

“Now that I’ve read the opening, I’ve got to keep going.”

(Not all of those quotes come from family members.) And of course, observing a reader’s laughter speaks even louder volumes.

Check out the book in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section (perhaps under new releases) under the editor’s name, Denise Little, or order it through Amazon or any other online bookstore.

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

While waiting for Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez to return their respective trophies for Coach of the Year and Rookie of the Year (bestowed by the New York media after two weeks), let’s look at the Patriots’ fourth-and-2 call.

I loved it even though it didn’t work. If faced with the same choice in the game to decide who’s going to the Super Bowl, I hope Bill Belichick makes the same call. I’m a percentages guy and I thought the Pats’ defense stood little chance of stopping Peyton Manning. Putting the game in Tom Brady’s hands gave New England the best chance of winning.

Or didn’t you hear what Manning told his team in the huddle when they got the ball 30 yards away from the game-winning touchdown?

“Let’s not score too fast.”

Confidence? Sure. But also an accurate assessment of a defense in tatters.

If it’s a question of not scoring too fast from 30 yards away, is it really a longshot for Manning to get his team to score from 70? With all that time?

Harder? Sure. But I’ll take my chances with Brady, Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Kevin Faulk.

Of course, it let the bloodthirsty nattering nabobs of negativity (hello, Ron Borges and Shank Shaughnessy) run roughshod over Belichick but my guess is that he couldn’t possibly care less what the bloodthirsty think.

More frustrating for me were the words of my favorite football writer, SI’s Peter King. He referred to Belichick as Grady Little and said the call “smacked of I’m-smarter-than-they-are hubris.” King then went on to use percentages to supposedly back up his argument, percentages that actually proved Belichick made the right decision (and presumably is much, much smarter than King and deserves all that hubris).

Not to mention that the percentages King used were stacked in the wrong direction. He estimated the odds of Manning scoring from 70 yards away with two minutes left and a timeout as 35 percent. What game was he watching? On two of the previous three Colts possessions, they drove 79 yards, once in six plays and the other in five. In the other possession, Manning threw an interception.

I put the Colts’ chances of scoring a touchdown if the Pats had punted at 70 percent at least. Maybe 75 percent.

Did the Pats have at least a 30 percent chance of getting the first down with the ball in Brady’s hands? Of course. (And that doesn’t even factor in the low, but not zero, probability of the Pats stopping Manning and company from 30 yards out.)

I’m glad I have Belichick running the Pats and not all the math-challenged nitwits out there who blindly accept conventional wisdom and love to prove how tough they are in second-guessing a coach.

Peter King and the bloodthirsty throng proved how tough they are.

They also proved how bad they are at math.

Thanks to Scott Weighart.

This Week in the CCHA: Nov. 25, 2009

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Thankful? You Betcha!

As Wisconsin and Minnesota will be visiting the Wolverine State this week, that opening seems entirely appropriate.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! The holiday shortens the week, which shortens the column, so it seems the perfect time to take a look back on the early going this season and express gratitude for some of what has transpired so far.

College Hockey Teaches Us that Solutions Can Be Simple

In 37 games last season, Ferris State senior Blair Riley netted seven goals. In 14 games this season, he has 14 — equaling his career-high total of 2007-08.

After his hat trick in last Friday’s 8-1 Bulldog rout of Ohio State, Riley gave the reason for his recent success: “I’m shooting the puck a lot more this year.”

Ah. Thanks for that explanation.

The Bulldog coaching staff has another reason for Riley’s success: his linemates, Cody Chupp and Casey Haines. Chupp (4-10–14) is three goals shy of the total number he netted in 33 games last year, seven shy of his best year (2007-08). Haines (3-8–11) has netted half the goals he did in 38 games last season, his career best. All three are seniors.

Riley is currently fourth nationally for goals scored per game and two of his 14 are shorthanders.

The Miami Junior Class

What do Carter Camper, Pat Cannone, Vincent LoVerde, Andy Miele, Justin Vaive and Tommy Wingels have in common? Aside from establishing themselves as household names in the CCHA, they’re part of Miami’s uber-talented junior class. I’d put this group of talent up against any other class in the nation, on any team, on any day, in any rink.

This is not a group that plays flashy hockey; these guys anchor a team known for steady hockey. Between them, forwards Camper, Cannone, Miele, Vaive and Wingels have nearly half of Miami’s 41 goals (18). Miele (5-10–15) leads the RedHawks in points and is tied for goals.

Yes, the team with just one loss has no one who has scored more than five goals in 14 games. Obviously, that speaks more to what this team possesses rather than what it lacks.

Because this class’s excellence is difficult to quantify and Miami is solid through and through, these guys don’t get the ink they deserve. Camper is small, speedy, clean and sees the ice as well as anyone playing the college game. Cannone is a clutch player. Miele has the puck-touch. Vaive is an excellent defensive forward. LoVerde stays close to home, as a good defenseman should.

These gents contribute to an overall team defensive effort that makes Miami the second-toughest team in the country to score against, allowing just 1.71 goals per game, second only to Bemidji State.

(And can’t we all be thankful for Bemidji State, while we’re at it?)

The CCHA Continues to Produce Good Goaltending

Good goaltending has been a staple of the CCHA for many years, so being grateful for that is nothing new. This year, however, has provided us with some newcomers to watch, which makes it even more interesting.

As I said, the Miami RedHawks seem to have mastered the overall team effort, and their defense is second to none in the league. While the entire team buys into a system that lends itself to good puck protection and excellent defensive play, the last line of defense for Miami is among the best in the country.

In case you’ve overlooked these guys, here’s a list of CCHA goaltenders who should be turning heads. A fella’s goals-against average is all fine and dandy, but it’s his save percentage that tells a better story. The number following the save percentage is the goalie’s rank nationally in that category.

• Mike Johnson, Notre Dame (.943/2)

• Cody Reichard, Miami (.936/4)

• Pat Nagle, Ferris State (.933/7)

• Drew Palmisano, Michigan State (.932/8)

• Brad Phillips, Notre Dame (.931/9)

• Reid Ellingson, Northern Michigan (.931/10)

• Riley Gill, Western Michigan (.931/12)

• Taylor Nelson, Ferris State (.930/13)

Half of these guys are familiar to CCHA fans, but the others — Mike? Reid? — are establishing themselves this season.

The fact that Notre Dame and Ferris State have two goalies that can share the net so well shouldn’t at all diminish the accomplishments of said goalies. The fact that Riley Gill plays for Western Michigan, the team currently in CCHA basement, makes every other team in the league take the last-place team seriously — and makes the outcomes of such meetings unpredictable.

There are other guys around the league playing good hockey in net, too — Alaska’s Scott Greenham (.920) and Lake Superior’s Brian Mahoney-Wilson (.911) — which keeps everything very, very interesting.

College Hockey Can Still Deliver a Good, Old-Fashioned Whoopin’

Ferris State beat Ohio State 8-1 last Friday, scoring three in the first, four in the second, one in the third for good measure.

Northern Michigan beat Nebraska-Omaha 5-1 the same night, scoring one in the first and two each in the second and third.

While I’m not demeaning either team on the losing ends of these equations, there is something satisfying about witnessing games in which one team is so completely in control that the other team never has a chance. Of course, it’s a better experience for you if you’re a fan of the winning squad, but such domination — as when Miami trounced Michigan 5-1 Nov. 7 — reveals so much about each team that if you’re a fan of sport, you appreciate the game.

Friday’s 8-1 FSU win over OSU exposed the Buckeyes’ general lack of preparation approaching weekends this season; Ohio State has two Friday-night wins.

“We were out-competed in every facet of the game,” said OSU coach John Markell after that loss in Big Rapids, and that says it all.

In Marquette last weekend, the Wildcats did more than just thump the Mavericks Friday night; NMU swept UNO by a collective score of 11-4, exposing a preexisting problem for the Mavericks: a sometimes porous defense combined with inconsistency in net. This has been the downfall of Maverick hockey for the past couple of seasons, but the early more solid goaltending by John Faulkner and Jeremie Dupont allowed us to forget this momentarily.

When Miami completed its two-game sweep of Michigan Nov. 7 in a game in which the RedHawks thoroughly dominated the Wolverines, two UM weaknesses were exposed: a lack of scoring ability on an otherwise talented club and a complete lack of discipline. As that game progressed, the Wolverines took stupid penalty after stupid penalty while the RedHawks remained cool. In all, UM was assessed 65 minutes in that game.

In a league where coaches routinely preach at the altar of parity, such outcomes are even more satisfying. That they are so infrequent makes them more so. And, yes, I know that validates the altar of parity.

The Spartans Surface

I cannot tell you how much fun it is to watch Spartan hockey this season.

Michigan State’s 9-3-2 record is proving that last year, the Season of Glass Shoulders, was the exception, not the rule. After all, this is a program that won a national championship just three short seasons ago.

Coach Rick Comley has said repeatedly this season that he’s recruited for what he needs this year. He needed bigger, stronger, older players — and he has them. The team that has returned from the abysmal 10-win season of 2008-09 is seasoned, and the guys he brought in are mostly non-traditional freshmen.

The result is a mix of talent and experience that gets better each weekend. I’ll wager that the Spartans learned a lesson at the hands of Notre Dame last weekend when MSU captured just one point against the Fighting Irish.

“We lost to a good team,” Comley told the Lansing State-Journal. “I don’t make any more of it than that.”

The Bulldogs Do, Too

It’s always a better party when Ferris State decides to show up. Well, it’s always a better party when anyone who isn’t among the usual suspects decides to show up, and that’s what the Bulldogs bring to this season so far.

Ferris State’s 12th-best scoring offense nationally (3.57 goals per game), sixth-best (1.97 goals against) scoring defense, fourth-best power play (25.6) and penalty kill (89.9) help legitimize a Bulldog team that went into Steve Cady Arena and came out with four points by virtue of two ties and two shootout “wins” against the No. 1 team in the country.

The Bulldogs followed that performance with the domination of Ohio State at home last weekend — that 8-1 win and three unanswered third-period goals to send the game to overtime before Haines’ game-winner with 22 seconds left in OT — to finally gain enough respect to break into the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Division I Men’s Poll. (They’re at No. 17, but I voted them No. 8 and had them No. 11 the week before.)

The Bulldogs distinguish themselves nationally in another category, too; they top the nation in penalty minutes, averaging 21.6 per game.

Now that’s a party.

Miscellaneous Gratifying CCHA Stuff

Here’s an altogether incomplete list of things that I’ve liked so far about this CCHA season.

• The Falcon way with the Wolverines … in Yost Ice Arena … for now. Last week, Bowling Green and Michigan split a series, with BGSU winning in Ann Arbor 4-2 Friday night. That was the second consecutive game in which the Falcons beat the Wolverines in Yost. The last time the teams had met prior to Friday’s match was BG’s 3-0 win over UM in Ann Arbor Jan. 16.

• Attention-getting freshmen. These include BG’s Jordan Samuels-Thomas (5-7–12), FSU’s Matthew Kirzinger (5-8–13), MSU’s Derek Grant (6-7–13) and Chris Forfar (4-1–5), Notre Dame’s Ryan Sheahan (3-6–9) and Kyle Palmieri (4-2– 6), and WMU’s Trevor Elias (3-5– 8). And that’s just the forwards.

• Being careful of what you wish for. It was rumored that few tears were shed when Aaron Palushaj left the UM program early for the pros. Notice how Louie Caporusso has been struggling to score this season, as have the rest of the Wolverines. Michigan has a world-class program that attracts world-class players … who leave early. I don’t wish the negatives of having such a good program upon Michigan, but this does illustrate the need for better protection of young talent at NCAA schools — and, no, I don’t know how schools can accomplish that. But, hey, where’s Robbie Czarnik?

• Guys poised to make the most of their senior seasons. Alaska’s Dion Knelsen, Bowling Green’s Tommy Dee, that senior trio at Ferris State, Lake State’s Brad Cooper, Miami’s Jarod Palmer, Nebraska’s Jeric Agosta, Northern’s Ray Kaunisto, Notre Dame’s Kyle Lawson Western’s Jared Katz.

• Clean chants. I don’t know why it tickles me, but when the Notre Dame student section says, “You can’t do that!” when an opposing player goes to the penalty box, I can’t help but laughing. Maybe it’s the stab at originality. Maybe I’m just glad my mom wouldn’t be offended.

• Lessons learned from mistakes. Players sitting in the penalty box at the end of overtime will not leave the penalty box until the shootout is complete.

So much goodness to gobble up — and so much season left in which to do so.

Some Not-So-Early Number Crunching

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Every now and then, when I sit down to write a blog entry for the Hobey Watch, I can’t help but think, “isn’t it a bit early for this?”

Granted, those thoughts are on their last legs at this point in the season – one more month, and it’s no longer too early for anything, really – but I decided to sit down with some numbers and figure out whether it really is too early to evaluate potential candidates for the Hobey Baker Award.

Tuesday night, with all the pre-Thanksgiving action in the books, I decided to look at the statistics through Thanksgiving for the Hobey Hat Trick members from the last five seasons (if you want to know why I didn’t do more than that, either in terms of years or finalists, sit down and caluclate a couple of goals-against averages, and then get back to me).

Here’s the stats, broken down by position:

FORWARDS

Marty Sertich (2004-05):  10 GP, 8G, 8A, 16P

Brett Sterling (2004-05): 10 GP, 9G, 6A, 15P

Chris Collins (2005-06): 9 GP, 9G, 4A, 13P

Eric Ehn (2006-07): 14 GP, 14G, 14A, 28P

Ryan Duncan (2006-07): 12 GP, 8G, 5A, 13P

Kevin Porter (2007-08): 12 GP, 13G, 5A, 18P

Ryan Jones (2007-08): 12 GP, 9G, 3A, 12P

Nathan Gerbe (2007-08): 10GP, 5G, 4A, 9A

Colin Wilson (2008-09): 12GP, 5G, 13A, 18P

DEFENSEMEN

Matt Carle (2005-06): 12 GP, 5G, 8A, 13P

Matt Gilroy (2008-09): 12GP, 1G, 7A, 8P

GOALIES

David McKee (2004-05): 8 GP, 4-2-2, .941 SV%, 1.38 GAA

Brian Elliott (2005-06): 12 GP, 9-1-2, .943 SV%, 1.40 GAA

David Brown (2006-07): 11 GP, 8-2-1, .913 SV%, 2.15 GAA

Brad Thiessen (2008-09): 13GP, 9-2-2, .940 SV%, 1.90 GAA

So, it’s all very nice to look at, but what does it tell us? I mean, besides the fact that Eric Ehn got off to one hell of a start in 2006-07?

Well, for starters, of the forwards in the Hobey Hat Trick over the last five years, only one averaged less than a point a game at Thanksgiving (Nathan Gerbe). That may be bad news for Garrett Roe of St. Cloud, whom I’d tabbed as a guy to watch, and has 10 points in 11 games. Certainly nothing to sneeze at, but he has a ways to go to get himself into serious Hobey contention.

Tyler Ruegsegger of Denver is also in that “danger zone,” with .92 PPG, but to be fair, Patrick Weircoch still strikes me as the primary Hobey contender on that team where skaters are concerned. His .91 PPG through 11 games is a bit off from Matt Carle’s 1.08 PPG at Thanksgiving in his Hobey year, but it’s hardly unreasonable to expect him to pick up his scoring pace. 

I would be remiss, however, if I did not pay some attention to the Pioneers’ goaltender, Marc Cheverie,  who made quite the return to DU’s lineup last weekend against North Dakota after being injured at the end of October. I watched the Friday game at one of the few Buffalo Wild Wings in the New York metropolitan area, and while I was sorry not to see Chay Genoway on the ice for North Dakota (especially with all I’ve heard about him), I was certainly impressed at the way Cheverie didn’t miss a beat in his return (you may remember that the same could not be said of Brian Elliott when he was injured in his Hat Trick season).

Cheverie’s 58 saves on 60 shots in a weekend sweep – including a 34-save 1-0 shutout in his first game back – leave him with a national best save percentage of .961 and a NCAA-leading GAA of 1.19, better by far than any of the goalies who have made the Hobey Hat Trick in the last five years…and it’s even better than Ryan Miller’s numbers through Thanksgiving in his Hobey year of 2000-2001. When he sat down for turkey before the College Hockey Showcase in 2000, Miller had a 1.29 goals-against average and a .953 save percentage. Unreal – and better than any of the goalies who’ve made the Hat Trick in the last five years – but not quite as good as Cheverie.

If he can keep this up…who knows?

Meanwhile, one goalie who seems to be well out of contention at this point in the season after high expectations coming in is Zane Kalemba of Princeton. In fairness, Kalemba’s .904 save percentage isn’t so far from David Brown’s .913 at this point as to eliminate him completely, but with a goals-against average over 3 and Cheverie going great guns for Denver, it’ll take a dramatic improvement for Kalemba over the coming weeks to get back in the race.

Finally, Ryan McDonagh of Wisconsin is right on the line where defensemen are concerned, with a .67 PPG average, exactly what Matt Gilroy had at this time one year ago. Of course, the real story on the Badger blueline is Brendan Smith, with 13 points in 11 games, and there’s plenty of other high-scoring rearguards to keep tabs on (Genoway, Nick Schaus, Blake Kessel, etc.), but based on recent history, it’s too early to write off almost anybody who could have been considered a Hobey candidate coming into the season.

So, coming back to the original question: Is it too early to look at Hobey front-runners? In the sense that there’s still potential for someone to charge into the conversation, yes, but given how rare that’s been in the last few years, it’s not quite so early after all.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Tuesday Morning Quarterback: Nov. 24, 2009

By Jim Connelly and Todd D. Milewski
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Todd: Well, Jim, we’ve reached roughly the quarter pole in the college hockey season, and I’m starting to wonder whether some programs are beginning to move into higher levels of the Division I ranks, while others are slipping, at least temporarily. Quinnipiac and Bemidji State both already have 10 wins this season, and in the Bobcats’ case, the most recent came at No. 5 Cornell — there are plenty who will tell you that winning against a good Cornell team at Lynah is no easy task. On the other hand, looking at Boston University (3-7-1) and Michigan (5-7), you might start to wonder whether these teams are going to be able to turn it around in time to have a decent season. Are we looking at a major shift in college hockey’s power structure here?

Jim: We touched upon this a little bit last week, but as each week wears on, you have to begin to believe that this power shift could be a reality. Out in the WCHA, you had Minnesota-Duluth sweeping Minnesota, to send the Gophers to 4-7-1 on the season. New Hampshire might sit atop the Hockey East standings, but the Wildcats are 4-6-3 on the season, and that’s after taking three of four points from BU last weekend. On the other side, you mentioned Bemidji State and Quinnipiac, but you also have names like Massachusetts (8-2-0), Massachusetts-Lowell (8-2-1), Alaska (8-3-1) and RIT (8-5-0), all of which aren’t associated with the top tier of Division I hockey but quick out of the gates this season. I think some of these programs might drop off and other traditional powerhouses might rebound. But right now, our major storyline of this season continues to be the Davids overtaking the Goliaths.

Todd: I think a lot of people are expecting what might be considered a natural settling of things — that the traditional powers will come around and the less-heralded programs will fall off. I’m not so sure. I’m not saying that Bemidji, Quinnipiac, UMass, Lowell, Alaska and RIT are all going to make the NCAA tournament, but I think over the last couple of seasons we’ve started to chip away at the old facade that they’re not capable of making a run. Quinnipiac continues to be an interesting story early this season. The Bobcats are 10-1, and they’re leading the nation in offense, averaging more than four goals per game so far. This is a program that hasn’t had a losing season since moving to Division I in 1999, and I’m thinking the start to this season has done quite a bit for the program’s national reputation.

Jim: I agree that Quinnipiac is very interesting. I’ve kept watching them throughout this early season wondering how legitimate they are. I sometimes have a tough time putting ECAC teams into perspective, and Quinnpiac isn’t an exception to that. Thus far, they’ve faced Ohio State and Robert Morris out of conference, not exactly powerhouses this season. But ECAC teams define themselves through their league schedule and thus far, the Bobcats are perfect in league. This weekend might be the biggest test of the year as QU plays Princeton (which had high preseason expectations) and a white-hot UMass team that continues to climb the poll. I think that Bemidji State is in a similar position and this weekend’s tournament in North Dakota will be a huge test. Unfortunately, the tournament uses pre-determined pairings and the host Sioux won’t face the Beavers. But Bemidji will lock horns with Miami, which should be a fantastic game.

Todd: I’m glad to see that tournament is taking place now instead of after Christmas. Sure, the post-Thanksgiving crowds may not be great, but many of the crowds for post-Christmas tournaments aren’t stellar, either. And now, teams are in the middle of their seasons rather than trying to pick things up after the holiday break. And there’s no crossover with the World Juniors, so the best players should still be around. North Dakota couldn’t have picked a much better field with which to bring back its tournament, either. Speaking of the Sioux, they left Denver with a pair of one-goal losses last weekend in what turned out to be a correctly hyped series. Pioneers goaltender Marc Cheverie was impressive again in returning from a deep leg cut suffered when he was skated on three weeks earlier. With numbers like 6-0, 1.19 and .961, he has to be considered for the mythical Player of the First Quarter Award. Anyone you’d like to nominate?

Jim: Two names that I’ll put on the radar screen: Jack Connolly at Minnesota-Duluth (no relation, of course) and James Marcou at UMass. I saw Connolly play on tape this weekend where he had three goals against Minnesota. He really stood out. He’s leading the nation in scoring right now. Marcou is the real deal. USCHO.com’s Dave Starman and I were talking this Saturday night and he compares Marcou to Nathan Gerbe, though maybe lacking the edge that made Gerbe a pint-sized all star. Marcou’s hot start is a major reason that the Minutemen are turning heads in the early going. You mentioned goaltending because of Cheverie’s numbers thus far. My mind thinking in opposites mode turns back to the league I see the most, Hockey East. At this point in the season, there isn’t a single team in Hockey East where goaltending stands out (Lowell’s Carter Hutton is the top goaltender, but his numbers rank him 15th nationally). That after last season where BU, Northeastern, New Hampshire and Lowell all had standout netminders. Just an interesting observation.

Todd: It stands to reason, then, that Denver, Minnesota-Duluth and Massachusetts all are doing pretty well early in the season. One player might not make or break a team, but in those teams’ case, it seems like having a dominant player is doing some good things. UMD put together a memorable postseason run last season but was highly inconsistent in the months that preceded March. If the Bulldogs can avoid that trap this season, they could get well past the point where they need a big finish to make the NCAA tournament. You mentioned Quinnipiac and Bemidji’s upcoming weekends; anything else to look out for?

Jim: Well, for starters, Tuesday night we have the pre-Beanpot matchup between Harvard and BU — two teams headed in the wrong direction to start the season, but always a heated affair. Northern Michigan played solidly last weekend against Nebraska-Omaha and this week will take on another nationally ranked team when it travels to Fairbanks to play Alaska. The aforementioned Holiday Classic in North Dakota with the Sioux, Bemidji State, Ohio State and Miami will be an early season barnburner. And, not to highlight the Terriers too often, but the Red Hot Hockey game at Madison Square Garden between Cornell and BU is the renewal of one of the best college hockey rivalries of all time. For the two of us, I’ll pass along Happy Thanksgiving to our readers, and we’ll be back a week from now with two full months of hockey in the book. Until then …

A First: Quinnipiac in Poll’s Top 10

USCHO Staff Report
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Welcome to the top 10, Quinnipiac. And that’s not the only bit of history in this week’s USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Division I Men’s Poll.

The Bobcats made the program’s first appearance in the Division I top 10 on Monday, checking in at No. 9 after improving to 10-1.

Related link: Full rankings

They improved four spots after beating new No. 20 Colgate and then-No. 5 Cornell, both on the road, last weekend.

Miami still holds the top spot in the poll after a win and a tie at Western Michigan put the RedHawks at 9-1-4. The rest of the top five: Denver, Massachusetts-Lowell, North Dakota and Colorado College.

Another noteworthy event in this week’s poll: Michigan is unranked for the first time since Nov. 24, 1997, when the poll ranked only the top 10 teams. Then again, in 1997-98, the Wolverines rebounded nicely — they won the national championship.

They dropped out of the rankings this week after splitting a series with Bowling Green and moving their record to 5-7.

Quinnipiac and Bemidji State are the only teams with 10 wins already this season, and the Beavers moved up two spots this week to No. 6. That also is a program best in Division I for Bemidji State.

After sweeping Minnesota at Mariucci Arena last weekend, Minnesota-Duluth was the biggest upward mover, jumping six spots to 14th.

Nebraska-Omaha fell seven spots to No. 19 after a pair of losses at Northern Michigan.

Ferris State and Colgate joined the rankings at Nos. 17 and 20, respectively, while Princeton joined Michigan among those falling out.

This week’s list of games between ranked opponents starts at the top, where Miami will play No. 6 Bemidji State on Friday and No. 3 North Dakota on Saturday in the Subway Hockey Classic in Grand Forks, N.D.

Other games: No. 20 Colgate at No. 7 Cornell and No. 10 Massachusetts at No. 18 Vermont on Tuesday; No. 15 Wisconsin at No. 8 Michigan State on Friday; and No. 10 Massachusetts at No. 9 Quinnipiac on Saturday.

Thrice is Nice: Green Knights Again D-III Royalty

By Nicholas Jon Wood
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For the third consecutive week, the St. Norbert Green Knights lord over the rest of Division III hockey.

In improving to 8-0-1 overall with a road sweep of the then-sixth ranked University of Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons, the Green Knights acquired an additional first place vote, receiving 17 of a possible 20 top nods.

Second ranked Oswego, 8-1-0 on the season, trail No. 1 St. Norbert by 17 points. Sixteen votes behind the Lakers sit the Plattsburgh Cardinals.

Interestingly, like last week, neither of these two highly rated teams received any first place votes.

Also similar to the last poll, Manhattanville (one first place vote) and Adrian (two top tallies) remain undefeated and continue to rank fourth and fifth in the country.

This week’s biggest rise up the rankings belongs — fittingly enough — to the Elmira Soaring Eagles. Having won seven of the first nine contests, they rose five spots to sixth after sweeping arch-rival Hobart (3-2, 2-0) in Geneva, New York.

Currently seventh, UW-Stout moved up two positions after taking three points from in-state rival Stevens Point.

Idle St. Scholastica remained at No. 8 while Middlebury — who tied Tufts before defeating Connecticut College in its first two games of the season — slipped a spot to ninth.

The Norwich Cadets fared much better. And they were rewarded with a two spot jump to No. 10 after defeating the cleverly named Nor’Easters and Huskies from Southern Maine on back-to-back nights.

Landing with a thud at No. 11 were the Falcons from River Falls. Their sweep at the hands of top ranked St. Norbert failed to elicit any sympathy from the voters.

They did look kindly on host UW-Superior taking three points from Eau Claire as they elevated the Yellowjackets three spots to No. 12.

Spots 13 through 15 featured three new squads with Trinity entering the poll at No. 13 and Bowdoin and Hamline each tying with 25 points to share the No. 15 spot.

Amherst, previously No. 10, fell four spots.

Neumann and Hobart — who combined to lose all four games between them — dropped out of the top 15.

What I Think: Week 7

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Week 7 already? College hockey season is already a quarter done? And what do we know? Probably not as much as we think we know, but here goes anyway:

* We have our first teams to 10 victories on the season, and if you had Quinnipiac and Bemidji State in that exacta box, pick up your big winnings at the window, please.

At 10-1, the Bobcats have the nation’s best record, just ahead of the 10-1-1 Beavers. Bemidji is first in the Ratings Percentage Index; Quinnipiac is fourth.

If you took a poll (as a couple of organizations, including USCHO, do each week), most would say the two best teams in the country right now are Miami and Denver. But I’d love to see the RedHawks, the Pioneers, Bemidji and Quinnipiac in a tournament right around now. I don’t think the results would be as cut-and-dried as you might think.

* Speaking of tournaments right around now, big ups for North Dakota moving its holiday tournament to a different holiday. The Subway Holiday Classic is back after a five-year hiatus, and the field this weekend includes Miami, Bemidji State and Ohio State.

Post-Christmas tournaments are so 1990s, anyway.

* Will I miss the College Hockey Showcase if this, indeed, is among the final times it is contested in its current form? Maybe a little. There was a time when putting Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Michigan State together on the same weekend was a highlight of the season.

It just doesn’t mean the same these days, though. Attendance hasn’t been great. The atmosphere at the arenas, which lack a significant portion of the student sections because of the holiday, is below average.

And this season, the combined record of the teams is 25-21-4, with Michigan State propping that number up.

All in all, it’s probably time to find better ways to use these non-conference games.

* The hyping of the Denver-North Dakota series did not appear to be unwarranted. The Pioneers took a 1-0 victory Friday night in Marc Cheverie’s return to the DU goal after having his leg cut by a skate three weeks ago. North Dakota jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the series finale, only to have Denver score three times in the second period and withstand a video review of a disputed Sioux goal in the final minute for a 3-2 win.

Why do I get the feeling we’re going to be talking about how close these games were when March rolls around and it’s time to count points in the final standings?

* Yes, Minnesota-Duluth got a big break to beat Minnesota on Saturday night, with the winning goal coming off a Gophers defenseman’s skate with just over two minutes remaining.

But I think there’s more to these Bulldogs than just good fortune. And I think they could be better than last year’s team, even without guys named Sharp and Stalock.

* Here’s my top 20 this week:

1. Miami

2. Denver

3. Massachusetts-Lowell

4. Colorado College

5. North Dakota

6. Michigan State

7. Cornell

8. Bemidji State

9. Quinnipiac

10. Notre Dame

11. Massachusetts

12. Ferris State

13. Alaska

14. Vermont

15. Minnesota-Duluth

16. Boston College

17. Yale

18. Wisconsin

19. St. Cloud State

20. Nebraska-Omaha

Report: Former NHLPA Chief Kelly Hired to Run College Hockey Inc.

USCHO Staff Report
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Paul Kelly, the former executive director of the NHL Players Association, has been hired as the executive director of a newly formed group designed to promote Division I hockey, USA Today reported.

Kelly will run College Hockey Inc., an organization formed by the Hockey Commissioners Association to help NCAA hockey’s profile as it competes with Canadian major juniors and the professsional ranks for top players.

He will be introduced in his new position on Tuesday, USA Today reported.

Kelly was removed as the NHLPA’s executive director on Aug. 31. He held the job for less than two years.

Before he joined the NHLPA, Kelly was an attorney in Boston and previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts.

ECAC East Season Preview

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The interlocking schedule between the ECAC East and NESCAC conferences takes on a different look this year with the departure of the Salem State Vikings and long-time head coach Bill O’Neill to the newly formed Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC). Replacing the Vikings are the Nor’easters from the University of New England, who under head coach Brad Holt will begin their first season as a varsity program.

What won’t be much different is the high level of play and tight race for playoff position that we have seen over the past several years, including league championship wins by Babson from a sixth and seventh seed in two of the last four seasons. Last year, the Beavers beat eighth seeded UMass-Boston in overtime to win the title and advance to the NCAA tournament.

You might think this is about parity. Well, that may be partially true in the sense that yes, any team can win in any given game. But do not confuse parity with mediocrity. This league has superb hockey teams from top to bottom, on both sides of the interlocking schedule, which makes it very challenging to produce wins every weekend. There are no nights off for any team and you better bring your best game if you want to be competing for a championship come March.

The past couple of seasons have found the teams separated by just one or two points, with tiebreakers determining the seeding positions. This year expect more of the same. Here is my shot at how they will all finish in the ECAC East.

Norwich Cadets

2008-2009 Overall Record: 13-8-4
2008-2009 League Record: 11-5-3
2008-2009 League Finish: First
2009-2010 Coaches’ Pick: First
2009-2010 USCHO Prediction: First

Team Overview: “We have everyone back on defense,” said head coach Mike McShane. “We were pretty solid back there last year and if we can get a little better it should help us in those games where scoring is tough or you run into one of those hot goaltenders that a lot of teams seem to have now. I really like this group as they are working hard and seem to have a good atmosphere around the rink and in the locker room. Everyone is excited to get going as part of Norwich’s celebration of 100 years of ice hockey at the school.”

Special Teams: Sniper Nikita Kashirsky has graduated so the power play for the Cadets will be more about creating traffic and leveraging puck movement to create goals from the point or down low. Expect the penalty kill to be strong with the defensive unit intact and the return of goaltender Ryan Klingensmith.

Cadet forward DJ Fimiani has Norwich thinking about some unfinished business from last season (photo: Tim Costello).

Cadet forward DJ Fimiani has Norwich thinking about some unfinished business from last season (photo: Tim Costello).

Player to Watch: Captain Tyler Stitt will set the tone for the Cadets, and his leadership has already garnered the attention of his coach who likes what he sees on-and- off the ice. Fellow senior DJ Fimiani will be expected to build on his eight goals and 11 assists from last season and support a balanced offensive attack for Norwich.

Summary: If defense and goaltending win hockey games then clearly the Cadets are well-positioned to be successful this season. An early season tribute to the centennial of Norwich hockey and the national championship teams of 2000 and 2003 may stir some feelings of some unfinished business from last season. The Cadets have always hosted in March and this year should be no exception.

New England College Pilgrims

2008-2009 Overall Record: 15-10-2
2008-2009 League Record: 9-8-2
2008-2009 League Finish: Fourth
2009-2010 Coaches’ Pick: Third
2009-2010 USCHO Prediction: Second

Team Overview: “We have a nice group coming back.” said head coach Tom Carroll. “You never really know how all of the pieces are going to fit together but we have a veteran group of guys who have been around for a couple of years and have helped the younger players get acclimated to college hockey and how we play at New England College.”

Special Teams: Expect to see skilled forwards continue to excel on the Pilgrims’ special teams. Leading scorer Mark Ehl is back for his senior season and expects to exceed last year’s 10 goal and 17 assist output. Backstopping the Pilgrims is goaltender Aaron Harvey, who has proven to be a very consistent player for NEC. Harvey earned the number one billing by posting a 2.49 goals against average and an impressive .914 save percentage.

Player to Watch: Senior defenseman Trevor Turner (4-14-18) has been a leader on this team since he first stepped foot on the ice as a freshman. This will be Turner’s third year as captain of the Pilgrims, a rarity for most teams, at any level. Turner is solid on both ends of the ice and distributes the puck well in transitioning to the offensive zone. Don’t expect a lot of goals from this blueliner, but he has tallied over 40 assists in the past two seasons.

Summary: The Pilgrims only play 10 home games this season, so being a good road team is going to be an important factor in the team’s success. NEC always seems to be there at the end of the year in one of the top four playoff spots. This year should be no different; and if the younger players can come up to speed quickly like the experienced guys, Tom Carroll’s squad could be playing for some hardware come March

Castleton State Spartans

2008-2009 Overall Record: 15-9-2
2008-2009 League Record: 11-6-2
2008-2009 League Finish: Second
2009-2010 Coaches’ Pick: Second
2009-2010 USCHO Prediction: Third

Team Overview: “Last year’s group were the first seniors that I had brought into the program,” stated head coach Alex Todd. “There is a natural change in the atmosphere with a lot of new kids coming in this season and players who didn’t have to be leaders last year moving into new roles on this team. It is an exciting time and we are looking forward to competing hard every night. We have improved our overall team speed and will be playing a little different style with this group.”

Special Teams: Defenseman Omar Pacha led the Spartans in power-play goals last season with six. Expect some of the new look forwards to contribute to improving on last year’s 18.3% success rate. Goalie Seth McNary grew into the number one position last year after competing with two seniors. This season he will be pushed by two new freshmen. When McNary is on, his size and movement make it very difficult for teams to score in any situation so expect the penalty kill to put up solid numbers.

Player To Watch: Senior forward Steve Culbertson (10-18-28) is the top returning point getter from last year’s team. If he can duplicate those totals, he should easily eclipse the 100 point mark for his career at Castleton. His offense will be a much need commodity for the Spartans.

Summary: Just one point separated Castleton from cross-state rival Norwich for the top spot in the regular season. There are lots of new pieces on this year’s Spartan squad, so turning that youthful exuberance into focused play and strong results will be the challenge for captain Nick Westcott and his head coach. This program has come a long way quickly but still has yet to make the league finals so there is no lack of motivation for Castleton players this season.

Babson Beavers

2008-2009 Overall Record: 17-6-3
2008-2009 League Record: 13-4-2
2008-2009 League Finish: Seventh
2009-2010 Coaches’ Pick: Fourth
2009-2010 USCHO Prediction: Fourth

Team Overview: “The group that just graduated certainly had a lot of success here with the program,” stated head coach Jamie Rice. “We lost several of our top players that were big pieces in last year’s title run. That said we have some younger guys that played an equally big part in our success and will now be looked upon to lead our team with many new players and get everyone pulling in the same direction.”

Special Teams: Babson’s power-play production was an exceptional 22% last season with a balanced distribution among several players. The Beavers have never been a one dimensional team, so look for junior Terry Woods, senior Chris Wood, senior Shane Farrell and senior Casey Fazekas to add to their goal totals this season.

Babson senior Jason Schneider leads the Beavers as they look to repeat as conference champs (photo: Tim Costello).

Babson senior Jason Schneider leads the Beavers as they look to repeat as conference champs (photo: Tim Costello).

Players to Watch: Senior Jason Schneider (11-22-33) is the team’s leading scorer and he will have some help this year with some added talent to the roster. Goalie Andrew Peabody moved into the number one role late last season and backstopped the team into the NCAA tournament. His .906 save percentage was solid, as was his 2.42 goals against average.

Summary: With two conference championships under his belt, Rice knows how to get his team playing its best hockey at the right time of the season. There may be some younger and less experienced players on this roster, but Babson has demonstrated the ability to compete every game and improve their level of play when it matters most. Don’t underestimate the defending champs.

UMass-Boston Beacons

2008-2009 Overall Record: 10-16-2
2008-2009 League Record: 4-14-1
2008-2009 League Finish: Tenth
2009-2010 Coaches’ Pick: Eighth
2009-2010 USCHO Prediction: Fifth

Team Overview: “We want to compete with the best in this league and really improve our regular season results,” said Beacon head coach Peter Belisle. “We had a tough regular season last year where we lost a ton of one goal games and had some kids that never got into their groove until late in the season. We can definitely build off of last year’s playoff run and this team knows what it is going to take if we are going to be near the top in this league.

Special Teams: Senior goaltender Ryan Donovan has been outstanding in his first three seasons for UMass-Boston. Last year he started out slow, so look for the four year starter to be focused from the first drop of the puck in helping the Beacons to improve on their 73.4% penalty kill rate..

Sophomore defenseman Wayne Sands is focused on the Beacons returning to the conference title game (photo: Tim Costello).

Sophomore defenseman Wayne Sands is focused on the Beacons returning to the conference title game (photo: Tim Costello).

Player to Watch: Eric Tufman, who played on the winning U.S. team at the World Jewish Games this summer, will look to rebound offensively from a down season that saw him post 10 goals and 16 assists as a follow up to a 37 point season as a freshman. Sophomore Wayne Sands was a pleasant surprise in both ends of the ice last season. The defenseman quarterbacked the power play and posted 10 goals and six assists in his first season.

Summary: There are not the wholesale roster changes that UMass-Boston has had in the previous seasons. This core group has really matured and is looking to make a statement beyond last year’s overtime loss in the conference championship. There is a strong group of seniors that can show the way and if the core players play up to their talent, Belisle may be playing in another big game come spring.

Skidmore Thoroughbreds

2008-2009 Overall Record: 13-10-3
2008-2009 League Record: 8-8-3
2008-2009 League Finish: Sixth
2009-2010 Coaches’ Pick: Sixth
2009-2010 USCHO Prediction: Sixth

Team Overview: “We didn’t lose a ton from last year’s team,” said head coach Neil Sinclair. “We have a great core group back with some talented forwards, some solid young defensemen and good goaltenders. We will be looking to continue to push the puck offensively utilizing our speed but also striving to be more consistent with our overall game and results.”

Special Teams: With opponents scoring 27% of the time on the man advantage, the penalty kill has to be a top priority for Sinclair’s squad. Look for sophomore Nick Dupuis (0-13-13) to be the trigger man on the man advantage for the Thoroughbreds as they try and improve on last year’s 12.5% success rate with the man advantage.

Player to Watch: Sophomore Colin Bessey was last year’s ECAC Rookie Goalie of the Year. He was a big part of Skidmore’s success last season, posting a 2.68 goals against average and .919 save percentage. Forward Hunter Thayer (9-10-19) will be expected to provide a lot of offense along with senior Matt Czerkowicz and junior Alex Mykolenko.

Summary: This team has some good skilled players up front, on defense and in goal. The defensive corps will be made up of freshmen and sophomores so how quickly they gain experience will be a key to Sinclair’s goal of being more consistent. This team played well when it counted most last year so look for the experience and motivation to keep this group focused on improving last year’s finish.

Southern Maine Huskies

2008-2009 Overall Record: 11-12-2
2008-2009 League Record: 8-8-3
2008-2009 League Finish: Fifth
2009-2010 Coaches’ Pick: Sixth
2009-2010 USCHO Prediction: Fifth

Team Overview: “We are going to have a lot of new faces this year,” noted head coach Jeff Beaney. “We have a group of key performers back from last year and if they can help the younger guys come along quickly we can be very competitive in this league. We’ll have an idea of where we are pretty quickly as our first few games include the likes of Norwich, Williams and Middlebury.”

Special Teams: About 25% of the Huskies goals last season were scored on the power play with defenseman Paul Conter (8-18-26) leading the way with five goals. While the goal total was good the success rate should improve from last year’s 16.4%. The Huskies will also need to improve the penalty kill from last season’s 73.5%. Look for top netminder Koray Celik to backstop a better man-down unit this season.

Players to Watch: Senior forward Chris Travis (15-8-23) will be a key contributor upfront for the Huskies this season. Combined with junior Zack Joy (14-10-24), the Huskies will need to see last year’s goal production from these two in support of the younger players gaining college experience.

Summary: Southern Maine has a new travel partner this year which may make the second game of the weekend doubleheader more challenging depending upon the competitiveness of the UNE team joining the league. The Huskies have always been right in it and this year they will need some veteran leadership and consistent goaltending to help them play for a home-ice berth at the end of the season.

St. Anselm Hawks

2008-2009 Overall Record: 10-15-1
2008-2009 League Record: 6-12-1
2008-2009 League Finish: Eighth
2009-2010 Coaches’ Pick: Seventh
2009-2010 USCHO Prediction: Eighth

Team Overview: “We are very young,” admitted Hawks assistant coach Mike Curtis. “We will have 14 freshmen on the roster and a lot of depth at forward with four of our top six scorers returning. Our team is basically made up of juniors and freshman so we need continued development from the upperclassmen while the freshmen get up to speed on what college hockey is all about. We are expecting the enthusiasm of the incoming group will get our returning players motivated for success so we can get back the level this team was at just a couple of seasons ago.”

Special Teams: Penalty killing will need to improve as the Hawks gave up all most as many goals to opponents as they scored themselves with the man advantage. The power play was very effective and Coleman Noonan (five power play goals), Paul Snell (five) and Nick Wheeler (six) all return to support the offensive effort for the Hawks.

Player to Watch: Goaltender Alex Wyse started 13 games for the Hawks last season, after transferring from D-I Clarkson. A save percentage of .874 and goals against average of 4.51 are statistics that Wyse will need to improve upon in order for the Hawks to compete each night against the teams in this league, especially as a young defensive corps gains experience early in the season.

Summary: This team is still young but has some strong performers from a year ago to build on particularly with the forwards and goal scoring capabilities. Consistent goaltending will be a key early on as will a rapid adjustment to the college game by the freshmen. While they aren’t eligible as a D-II school for the league playoffs, the Hawks want to prove they can compete with the league’s best as they prepare for a run at the NE-10 title in March.

St. Michael’s Purple Knights

2007-2008 Overall Record: 11-15-1
2007-2008 League Record: 4-14-1
2007-2008 League Finish: Ninth
2008-2009 Coaches’ Pick: Ninth
2008-2009 USCHO Prediction: Ninth

Team Overview: “There are a lot of unknowns with this year’s team,” said head coach Chris Davidson. “We lost a lot scoring up front and a very consistent goaltender in Tyler Bilton. We will be counting on a lot of new faces to play a very disciplined style, particularly in the defensive end to support our new goaltenders. We have some very good leadership and expect that will help us keep the young guys focused on crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s and paying attention to the details of the game that we will need to compete in this league.”

Special Teams: The power play will be looking to replace over half of last year’s goals following the graduation of Chris Healey and Ryan Mero. A healthy Alex Higgins up front should help the Purple Knights’ production. The penalty will have to get significantly better as opposing teams scored with the man advantage better than 21% of the time; a problem for a team looking for offense early in the season.

Player to Watch: Senior defenseman and captain Dave Vorozilchak (4-10-14) will be needed to be a force at both ends of the ice and really provide strong leadership for a young team looking to find itself early in the season.

Summary: There are a lot of new components for this year’s team that need to be figured out including the offense and goaltending. Like St. Anselm’s, the Purple Knights definitely want to compete in the conference and show they can play with the best the league has to offer while preparing for their own D-II championship at the end of the season in the NE-10 conference. If St. Mike’s can find some scoring and goaltending becomes a strength for this team, they could be hoisting the NE-10 trophy again this season.

University of New England

2008-2009 Overall Record: 14-4-1 (Club Schedule)
2008-2009 League Record: 0-0-0 (Did Not Play)
2008-2009 League Finish: Did Not Play
2009-2010 Coaches’ Pick: Tenth
2009-2010 USCHO Prediction: Tenth

Team Overview: This is the inaugural season for the Nor’easters from the University of New England under head coach Brad Holt. “We have had two good recruiting years as we have played a club hockey schedule the past few seasons and have had time to get ready for the transition to the ECAC East,” said an excited Holt. “While we have two good recruiting classes with some good players from the prep and junior ranks, all the teams we are competing with have four good recruiting classes so we need to be patient and play or style of hockey with our personnel to help us be successful.”

Special Teams: UNE got a taste of the D-III level last week when they played Salve Regina from the ECAC Northeast. Despite outshooting the Seahawks by a wide margin, they lost a close 3-2 game and went just 1-for-7 on the power play. Special teams will be an important piece of the puzzle for Holt’s squad and they will have a much better barometer when they open the regular season Friday night against Norwich at home.

Player to Watch: Junior forward Jack Nolin is the real deal for the Nor’easters and will be relied upon to be productive in all situations on the ice. The rest of the roster is largely made up of freshmen and sophomores with very limited experience but anxious to be a part of building the program at UNE. Holt likes to play a “run and gun” style with lots of pucks to the net and stretching the defense so it will be interesting to see how this group of players acclimate themselves to the level of play in the ECAC East.

Summary: The Nor’easters aren’t worried about the wins and losses as much as they are about being competitive and being successful in reaching key goals as a team. Holt has been successful everywhere he has been and if the first recruiting classes can compete hard against top flight competition early on, UNE can quickly build a successful program in the way that Castleton, UMass-Boston and Skidmore have done with new coaches over the past several seasons.

It’s here: the start of what will surely be an extremely competitive and roller-coaster like season. Everyone is anxious to play for real and this weekend kicks-off the pursuit of the ECAC East title. Hope you are all ready!

Drop the puck!

NESCAC Season Preview

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We are still more than a month away from Christmas and all of the good New England hockey fans have been patiently waiting for their conference season to begin after enduring daily looks at the box scores from every other league in the Northeast, including the newly formed MASCAC conference.

The wait is over: Friday night begins what will likely be the most hotly contested and tight race in the NESCAC conference in years. And considering how close the standings have been — and how playoff positions have shifted right up until the final day of the season for the last five seasons in a row — that is a noteworthy statement.

In keeping with the holiday theme, many coaches are very thankful that the season is getting underway as nearly three weeks of practicing has teams with the fever (not Swine flu) to play a real game against somebody, anywhere! There are lots of new faces in the league this year, so coaches are anxious to see what the pieces look like on the ice and start the process that will improve the level of play from November right through February. And beyond.

The theme from all of the coaches has been optimism, as one would expect with everyone sitting with a 0-0-0 record right now. Most are happy with what they have seen over the multiple practice sessions as well as liking the all important team chemistry that brings the new and old players together in the new puzzle that starts every season.

“I really don’t believe things will be much different than the past few seasons,” said Connecticut College head coach Jim Ward. “It may be the most competitive season we have seen with virtually everyone having the ability to finish near the top of the standing. Everyone wants to get off to a good start early, earn some points and find the consistency needed to be competitive every night. It will be a lot fun and it all starts with some great conference games this weekend.”

So, here we go again. Get ready for the rollercoaster action to begin starting on Friday night; it’s going to be a very exciting season. This year like most others will really challenge anyone’s prognostication abilities — but here’s my best effort at figuring it all out.

Amherst Lord Jeffs

2008-2009 Overall Record: 22-5-1
2008-2009 League Record: 16-2-1
2008-2009 League Finish: First
2009-2010 USCHO Prediction: First

All-American goalie Cole Anderson returns to lead Amherst in search of back-to-back NESCAC titles (photo: Tim Costello).

All-American goalie Cole Anderson returns to lead Amherst in search of back-to-back NESCAC titles (photo: Tim Costello).

Team Overview: “You can’t expect to replace a player like Jeff Landers with just one guy so we will be looking for the entire group, particularly upfront, to find those goals and points that he produced last year,” said head coach Jack Arena. “We are young on the defensive side but also have Cole [Anderson] back which should help cover up for a few mistakes while things get settled.”

Special Teams: The Lord Jeffs have built a reputation for an excellent power play and penalty kill rankings as last year’s numbers will attest to. This season will be no different as Arena will be looking for production from a number of people, including captain Keith Nelson who takes over as the leader on the power-play unit hoping to improve on his 26 points from last season.

Players to Watch: Junior goalie Cole Anderson (1.51 goals against average, .954 save percentage), along with his teammate Jonathan LaRose, were nothing short of spectacular last year and gave Amherst the best goaltending tandem in the country. LaRose has left school, so the burden will fall to Anderson to backstop an inexperienced defense early. If he can come anywhere close to last year’s numbers, Amherst will be in position to repeat last year’s title run.

Summary: Last season saw the Lord Jeffs win their first NESCAC championship based on great goaltending, strong defense and timely scoring. This year’s formula for success will need to see an uptic in offense from a talented group of forwards — including Ted Vickers, Mark Colp and Eddie Effinger — that can take some pressure off the defense.

Middlebury Panthers

2008-2009 Overall Record: 19-7-1
2008-2009 League Record: 14-4-1
2008-2009 League Finish: Second
2009-2010 USCHO Prediction: Second

Team Overview: “I really like what I have seen from this group, starting out in practice this month,” head coach Bill Beaney said. “We won’t score as many goals as we did last season and based on personnel will have a more traditional Middlebury look focused on being solid in the defensive end of the ice. We have a lot of new players this year and we are excited about what they can do on the ice.”

Senior captain John Sullivan leads a young Panther squad looking to play in their 11th consecutive NESCAC title game (photo: Tim Costello).

Senior captain John Sullivan leads a young Panther squad looking to play in their 11th consecutive NESCAC title game (photo: Tim Costello).

Special Teams: Captain John Sullivan and freshman phenom Martin Drolet return as the top scorers from last year’s team and will be expected to continue to produce numbers on the power play along with Charles Nerbak and Ken Suchoski.

Player to Watch: Sophomore goalie John Yanchek hopes to build on a solid freshman season that saw him go 12-1-0 with a 2.56 GAA. A return to the 3-2 forecheck system will help Middlebury continue the team’s reputation for solid goaltending and tight defensive play.

Summary: The Panthers lost several key players to graduation but have added some talent to build on their reputation for aggressive defense, team speed and opportunistic offense. Scoring goals may be a challenge for this team but if the back-end is solid, they won’t need much to continue the program’s winning ways.

Williams Ephs

2008-2009 Overall Record: 15-9-2
2008-2009 League Record: 12-5-2
2007-2008 League Finish: Third
2008-2009 USCHO Prediction: Third

Team Overview: “I really like our team,” said head coach Bill Kangas. “We have some key players back from last season which should help us and the experience some of our young guys had filling in for some of injured players last season should help us with our balance upfront. We have two solid goaltenders and three good lines so we should be able to compete every night.

Special Teams: The special teams will really need a boost on the power play and the return of a healthy Alex Smigelski should help the Eph’ production. Limited to only 17 games last season, Smigelski had eight goals and five assists. Look for those numbers to improve with a full season of opportunities.

Players to Watch: Sophomore defenseman Justin Troiani returns to lead the defense for Williams. Last season, he was a key on both ends of the ice, chipping in six goals and five assists from the blueline.

Williams goaltender Ryan Purdy will backstop the Ephs towards their first conference title (photo: Tim Costello).

Williams goaltender Ryan Purdy will backstop the Ephs towards their first conference title (photo: Tim Costello).

Summary: Williams enjoyed a solid campaign last year and returns a solid nucleus of players to challenge the conference elite. To succeed, the goaltending tandem of Ryan Purdy and Marc Pulde will need to build on last year’s solid numbers while the offense will need to provide balanced production.

Connecticut College Camels

2008-2009 Overall Record: 13-9-3
2008-2009 League Record: 9-7-3
2008-2009 League Finish: Fifth
2009-2010 USCHO Prediction: Fourth

Team Overview: “We are certainly more experienced and every group the past three seasons has continued to improve and do something the previous team had not achieved,” observed head coach Jim Ward. “I really like the skill of these kids and expect that we will continue our trend of achieving more as a team as compared with the previous season. We have high expectations and believe we can play with the consistency needed to compete at the top of this league.”

Special Teams: Special teams will be a key focal point for the Camels, who hope to better their 77% kill rate on the opposition’s power play and bump up their own 15.7 efficiency rate with the man advantage. Look for forwards Ryan Riffe and Julien Boutet to improve on their individual totals of four goals apiece on the power play.

Player to Watch: While Ward would like to see this team to increase shots on opponents’ goalies and heighten their scoring opportunities, he would also prefer to see the shots against reduced to help out senior netminder Greg Parker, who has demonstrated over his first three seasons that he is one of the league’s best goaltenders. Parker will be expected to continue his strong play for the Camels and build on his outstanding career statistics.

Summary: This team returns a speedy and talented group of forwards from last year’s team that just missed out on securing a home ice in the playoffs. If the Camels find consistency early in the season — better offensive output and solid netminding — the Camels fighting for home-ice advantage.

Bowdoin Polar Bears

2008-2009 Overall Record: 11-12-2
2008-2009 League Record: 8-9-2
2008-2009 League Finish: Sixth
2009-2010 USCHO Prediction: Fifth

Team Overview: “Last season I thought if we improved our goaltending and overall save percentage to around .900 we would be right there in the hunt,” said Bowdoin head coach Terry Meagher. “This year I would like to see that number around .915 and we need to produce some more goals, especially from players who have had some success scoring points in the past.”

Special Teams: Senior Mike Corbelle scored six of his 10 goals last season on the power play. Look for some other contributions from the Polar Bears with the man advantage, as they try to improve upon last season’s 21.7% success rate.

Players to Watch: Senior forward and captain Colin MacCormack really got his game going late in the season, producing nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points. Meagher has been impressed with MacCormack’s leadership and hopes some of the other upper classmen return to form this season. In particular, Senior forward Ryan Blossom will be looking to improve on his 8-8-16 totals from last season.

Summary: The Polar Bears have a ton of talent and a young group of players that gained a lot of experience last season on the power play, penalty kill and support roles which should translate to a balanced line-up this season. The new Sid Watson Arena opened in mid-season last year so this is the first full campaign for the team playing in their new rink. If Bowdoin scores more goals, they will be looking at playing a home playoff game in their new arena.

Trinity Bantams

2008-2009 Overall Record: 16-9-0
2008-2009 League Record: 12-7-0
2008-2009 League Finish: Fourth
2009-2010 USCHO Prediction: Sixth

Team Overview: “Our strength starts with Wes [Vesprini] in goal,” said Trinity head coach Dave Cataruzolo. “Our real question is going to be about who steps up defensively where we have a lot of new faces and lack experience. With so many new faces on the roster this season the team has a new feel so we will need to focus on playing our style and good defense.”

Special Teams: The power play was pretty effective last season, but graduation took away more than 50% of the Banrtams’ goal scoring with the man advantage. Look for junior Adam Houli and sophomore Paul Jaskot to lead the attack and add to last season’s double digit goal totals.

Player to Watch: With defense a clear focus for the Bantams, junior goalie Wes Vesprini is going to need some help out front. Blueliners Regnar Alksnis and sophomore Mike DeMayo are expected to be factors on both ends of the ice for Trinity.

Summary: Newcomers abound on this roster so all of the moving pieces may take some time to figure out. Trinity plays a disciplined style and strong goaltending should have them in every game while some of the young players grow accustomed to the much faster college game. If the young players contribute and some experienced players like Egor Petrov and Richard Hollstein take their games to the next level, Trinity may sneak up on a few teams at the most important time of the year.

Hamilton Continentals

2008-2009 Overall Record: 9-15-1
2008-2009 League Record: 8-11-0
2008-2009 League Finish: Seventh
2009-2010 USCHO Prediction: Seventh

Team Overview: “I really like our depth up front and in goal,” stated second year head coach Norm Bazin. “I think we have improved our team speed and level of competitiveness which will be important keys to our desire to push the pace and play aggressive transition hockey. We are inexperienced on the blueline so we will see how that develops now that we start getting some real game action this weekend.”

Special Teams: Nearly 50% of the team’s power-play goals last season were scored by forwards Chris Lorenc and Joe Buicko, who each tallied seven times. Both players return this year as the leading scorers from last season and will be expected to continue to produce points in all situations.

Player to Watch: The departure of defenseman and captain Kyle Roulston has been a loss both on the ice and in the locker room. This year’s captain Joe Buicko will be expected to pick up the leadership role as well as lead by example on the ice as the Continentals will be looking to improve on last year’s jump back into the NESCAC playoff picture

Summary: It’s year two for Bazin and his first recruiting class has been added to this year’s roster. The team understands the system and expectations and will now need a core group of freshmen and sophomores to develop quickly on defense in order for this team to exceed last year’s much improved record. The Continentals are not going to sneak up on anyone, but they have the talent to make sure playing against them is never easy.

Colby White Mules

2008-2009 Overall Record: 6-15-3
2008-2009 League Record: 4-13-2
2008-2009 League Finish: Tenth
2009-2010 USCHO Prediction: Eighth

Team Overview: “We lost a number of one goal games last season and certainly did not have the success we are used to on the power play for example,” recalled head coach Jim Tortorella. “We struggled to score goals in all situations but the opportunities and effort was there so we can build on some things with the group of returning players we have that will grow from last year’s experience. Our style is about taking care of the defensive end first so if do that well we will continue to be competitive in this league.”

Special Teams: The power play has always been a strength for Colby, but last year the productivity dropped to just 13.4 %, with forward Michael Doherty accounting for five tallies. Look for these numbers to improve this year with help from junior Billy Crinnion and senior Michael Belliveau.

Players to Watch: Junior goalie Cody McKinney has a career .910 save percentage and has played in 42 games in his first two seasons for Colby. While last year’s goals against average was up, McKinney is still one of the league’s best and if he gets some support offensively, can make a couple of goals stand up for a victory.

Summary: As in the past, defense and goaltending will be the foundation of Colby’s success. If the offense comes to life early and the three newcomers make contributions, look out for the White Mules come February, when Tortorella’s crew is usually playing its best hockey.

Tufts Jumbos

2008-2009 Overall Record: 11-12-2
2008-2009 League Record: 7-10-2
2008-2009 League Finish: Eighth
2008-2010 USCHO Prediction: Ninth

Team Overview: “I am really excited about this team,” admitted Tufts head coach Brian Murphy. “In the past we have had two or three guys that could take over a game but this year we have solid depth from the goal out and guys that have improved a lot over where they were at the end of last season. This is the best group we have had here and I am looking forward to a good season and competing with this team every night starting this weekend.”

Special Teams: The Tufts power-play unit will need to improve on their 16.9 percent success rate and also cut down on the seven shorthanded goals scored against the Jumbos. Goalie Scott Barchard will look to be the team’s best penalty killer and match last season’s impressive .927 save percentage.

Player to Watch: Junior Tom DeRosa, who transferred to Tufts from Division I Merrimack College, lived up to expectations last season in leading the Jumbos in scoring. This season, he is anticipated to build on last year’s numbers, which included a team leading line of 15-13-28 and five power play and game-winning goals.

Summary: This is clearly the deepest team Murphy has had at Tufts. If they can get balanced scoring and consistent play from Scott Barchard, the Jumbos could be in the playoff mix yet again — and from there anything could happen.

Wesleyan Cardinals

2008-2009 Overall Record: 4-17-2
2008-2009 League Record: 4-13-2
2008-2009 League Finish: Ninth
2009-2010 USCHO Prediction Tenth

Team Overview: “We have a lot of new faces around here this season,” said head coach Chris Potter. “Clearly we have struggled to score goals over the past several seasons including last season and we will need to find ways to create more opportunities. We have some inexperience in some areas that will need to develop and prove itself out but there is great potential here if we can focus on playing our style and our game from the outset.”

Special Teams: Both special teams need some improvement for the Cardinals to take the pressure off 5-on-5 play. Having scored just 43 goals as a team last season, Wesleyan will need to limit the opponent’s man advantage opportunities and exceed last year’s 17 power-play goal output.

Player to Watch: Goalie Tim Archibald enters the season as the number one netminder but has seen action in just 13 total games, including five last season. His .902 save percentage last year was more than respectable, but he will have to prove he can be consistent while playing two games each weekend.

Summary: The Cardinals have a lot of question marks entering the season and will be looking for answers from players both old and new. It may take awhile for the chemistry and assembly of all the moving parts to come together, but if the offense can produce and the goaltending play consistently, Wesleyan may not be looking from the bottom up.

The offseason is finally over. The weeks of tryouts and preseason practices are finally complete. The game uniforms are clean and ready.

Drop the puck!

This Week in MIAC: Nov. 19, 2009

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Weekend Roundup

If anyone had any doubts as to how wide open the MIAC is this season, the opening weekend of conference play dispelled them. Only one team managed to win both games this weekend and of the eight games played only two were decided by more than two goals.

Bethel topped St. John’s 5-3 on Friday in a close game. The Royals scored three third period goals, including an empty netter, to close out their first win of the season.

Before the season, Bethel coach Joel Johnson said his team would be relying more on a scoring by committee approach. His team followed through with that on Friday as four different players lit the lamp for the Royals in their first home game.

On Saturday, the series shifted to St. John’s, where the Johnnies held a sizeable shot advantage throughout the game. Despite being outgunned 23-13 through two periods, the Royals held a 2-1 lead. Although the third period was filled with action, the only scoring would come on an empty netter to seal the 3-1 win for Bethel, giving them sole possession of first place. Fittingly, three different players scored for the Royals in the game.

Augsburg faced off against St. Thomas on Friday hoping to end their two game shutout sweep, which the Auggies faced against NCHA opponents UW-Eau Claire and UW-River Falls. However, the Tommies would spoil Augsburg’s home opener with a 3-0 defeat.

St. Thomas scored a goal in each period, and never really let Augsburg get into the game, despite shots being relatively even. The Auggies went 0-4 on the power play, continuing what has to be a disappointing trend for the team.

On Saturday the scoreless streak, as well as the disappointment on the power play, would evaporate. The Auggies came out playing hard and physical, and at the end of the second period, they held a 3-0 lead on the strength of three power-play goals. The third period though, would see the Tommies come roaring back in front of their home crowd, and eventually tie the game in the final minute. That late goal would propel St. Thomas into a tie for second place in the league after their three point weekend. Conversely, it would also knock the Auggies into a tie for sixth place with one point.

St. Mary’s traveled to Concordia (MN) in a meeting of two young teams. Both St. Mary’s coach Bill Moore and Concordia’s coach Chris Howe have tried to focus on getting their teams to put out a full effort for 60 minutes, as well as to be more consistent in their play.

On Friday, St. Mary’s would outshoot Concordia heavily, but while the Cardinals may have controlled play, the Cobbers took advantage of their chances and were able to skate away with a 6-3 victory. This marked the most goals scored by Concordia against D-III competition since the 2006-2007 season.

This game was a wild affair, with two power-play goals for each team and a shorthanded goal thrown in for good measure. Despite all the special teams play, there were 13 combined penalties in the game, good for 26 minutes.

On Saturday, the story would be almost the exact opposite. Concordia would be the team controlling play, outshooting the Cardinals 43-30, yet it would be St. Mary’s scoring two quick goals in the third period to open up a 3-0 lead. Concordia would get a goal back halfway through the period, but that would be it for the scoring as St. Mary’s would earn the 3-1 win. While no goals were scored on the power play this time, the teams ended up committing 22 penalties for 63 minutes.

St. Olaf and Gustavus Adolphus faced off for what looked to be the marquee matchup coming into the weekend. Friday was a game of two halves, with the Gusties starting off strong, and coming up with leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2, only to see St. Olaf battle back each time. After a furious charge in the third period, the Oles would tie the game at 3-3 late in regulation. Neither team would be able to score in overtime, and the game ended in a tie.

While fans of both teams might be left wondering what would have happened if the Gusties had been able to keep up their pressure for three periods instead of two — or if the Oles had been able to control play early on instead of mostly in the third period — the game ended up being evenly played on the ice, and fittingly the score reflected that.

Saturday’s game at Gustavus ended up being a wild one. Gustavus would control shots on goal, leading 25-13 after two periods, and 30-19 for the game, but Gustavus would be the one facing deficits of 2-1 and 3-2 early on, with David Martinson scoring each time to tie the game up,

In the third period, Martinson stole the show, scoring four minutes in to give the Gusties a 4-3 lead, and scoring shorthanded a few minutes later to make it 5-4. After the Oles scored to close it to 5-4, the Gusties would be able to hold them off the rest of the way to come out of the weekend with fourth place, and tied with St. Thomas for second place in the MIAC.

Coming Up Next

This coming weekend again sees eight of the nine MIAC teams playing conference games. With an odd number of league members, one school misses out on conference games each weekend. This weekend sees Augsburg instead has two games scheduled against MCHA opponent Concordia (WI).

Hamline was the last team out this past weekend, and the Pipers jump into their conference schedule with a home-and-home series against St. Mary’s. Hamline was the only MIAC team not to lose against the NCHA when the two conferences faced off two weeks ago, winning 6-3 at UW Stevens Point, and skating to a 1-1 tie at St. Norbert, the nation’s top team according to the USCHO DIII Poll.

The Cardinals will need to find some consistency if they want to come out of this weekend with a win. Hamline can move the puck well and, if given room to skate, can be relentless in turning defensive breakouts into odd man rushes.

After spending last weekend at home, Concordia (MN) heads to the road for two games at St. Olaf. This will be a tough test for the Cobbers, as they face off against last season’s MIAC regular season champions.

The Oles are a balanced team that is smart with the puck, goes from defense to offense quickly, and doesn’t have many weaknesses. Concordia will have to work hard for both games to be able to stop St. Olaf’s attack, and they’ll have to work to create their own chances, as the Oles are not a team that shoots themselves in the foot.

These two teams met at the MIAC Showcase during the season’s opening weekend, although it did not count towards the conference standings. St. Olaf came away with a 5-2 win in that game, scoring two shorthanded goals in the second period to basically put the game away. The Cobbers didn’t go quietly though, scoring twice in the final frame to cut it to 4-2 before an empty netter ended things.

While the Cobbers will likely try to come out playing harder and smarter this time around, the Oles are a tough team anywhere they play, let alone at home. Last season they went undefeated in their own barn, scoring almost twice as many goals as they gave up.

When Bethel and Gustavus Adolphus met in the MIAC Showcase, it was a mismatch on paper. The Gusties went to the NCAA championship game last season while the Royals finished seventh in the MIAC, missing out on the playoffs by three points. Yet in the third period, it was the Royals who were up 3-1 behind two power-play goals. In the end though, Gustavus was able to score three straight times to escape with a 4-3 victory.

If the Royals learned that they need to play hard for the full game in order to come away with a victory, they have a chance to get some points this weekend. But if the Gusties learned that they also need to play hard, and not overlook any opponents, then their speed and quick puck movement may be more than Bethel can handle.

This weekend’s biggest matchup is a classic rivalry game as St. Thomas and St. John’s play faceoff. When these teams met in the MIAC Showcase, they finished with a 1-1 tie. St. John’s led until late in the third period, when the Tommies were able to convert on their eighth power-play chance to tie it up.

St. Thomas will be looking to build on their three point weekend against Augsburg, while St. Johns will be looking to move past their weekend sweep at the hands of Bethel. Another sweep will dig a big hole for the Johnnies to get out of in order to make the playoffs, while another big weekend of the Tommies could see them move into first place.

Turkey Time

With Thanksgiving coming up, my next column will not be until the first week in December. So, before finishing up here, it’s time to take a look at what the MIAC will be up to while you’re hopefully spending time with friends and family…and lots of turkey.

Some teams will be taking the week off. After their upcoming games against Concordia (WI), Augsburg takes the weekend off. Like Augsburg, Gustavus Adolphus and St. Mary’s will be off until December after their games this weekend.

While Bethel also takes off Thanksgiving weekend, the Royals start early when they host UW River Falls on Tuesday, Dec. 1, before jumping back into conference games the following weekend.

If you’re up for some hockey before the holiday, you’re in luck as Hamline hosts UW-Eau Claire the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Eau Claire has looked impressive against the MIAC so far, shutting out Augsburg and beating Gustavus Adolphus 3-1 earlier in the season. Hamline will be putting their undefeated record against NCHA opponents on the line in this one.

If you’re looking to get out and work off some of the stuffing and biscuits after Thanksgiving, you do have some MIAC options open. Four teams will be playing the weekend following Thanksgiving, although only one will be at home.

St. Thomas hosts UW-Superior in the only game that will be played in Minnesota that weekend. The Yellowjackets were the NCHA’s regular season champions last season, and after a rough start to the season seem to have gotten the rust off, outscoring their last three opponents by an average of four goals.

St. Olaf plays two games that weekend, but will head to Illinois to play against Lake Forest. This is Lake Forest’s first year in the MCHA, following their 5-20-2 season in the NCHA last year. When they played last year, St. Olaf won 7-1 while putting 63 shots on net.

The most intriguing MIAC action after Thanksgiving unfortunately occurs over 600 miles from the Twin Cities, as both Concordia (MN) and St. John’s head to Michigan for Adrian College’s Thanksgiving Tournament. Concordia has an especially busy week, as they host Northland the previous Monday before hitting the road.

While it is labeled a tournament, it does not have a true tournament format. Instead of the winners of Friday’s games playing on Saturday, the event has fixed matchups for both days, with both Concordia and St. John’s playing fifth ranked Adrian and Buffalo State.

Buffalo State is currently 1-5-1, and will face fellow SUNYAC foes Plattsburgh (ranked third nationally) and Potsdam this weekend. They will play Concordia on the Friday following Thanksgiving before playing St. John’s on Saturday. The Johnnies have a very tough game facing them on Friday. Adrian is 4-0 this season, which is only the third season their hockey team has been in existence. However, in that short time, they have amassed an amazing record of 57-4-1. Their only loss last season was against Neumann, the eventual national champions.

This tournament will give these MIAC teams a chance to face some competition they normally wouldn’t be likely to face, as well as a chance to gauge themselves against one of the western region’s elite teams.

If you happen to be in Michigan for the holiday, I highly recommend you check out this tournament if you have the chance. Adrian has had very few chances to face competition against the MIAC or NCHA, so it will be interesting to see how they fare. Besides, it’s Thanksgiving hockey, it should definitely be more fun than watching the Lions or Raiders from your couch.

Hopefully you have a great Thanksgiving no matter what you end up doing, and I’ll see you back here the first week in December.

This Week in D-III Women’s Hockey: November 20, 2009

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The Champs are Back in Town

It’s been a long seven-and-a-half-month wait for Jim Plumer and the Amherst Lady Jeffs after winning last year’s NCAA championship in thrilling fashion with a 4-3 overtime victory over Elmira. However, this Saturday the wait is finally over as the Lady Jeffs hit the ice for the first time in the 2009-2010 season with a pair of NESCAC league games against Wesleyan.

Due to league rules, the NESCAC teams have been unable to start play until this weekend. However this year, the NESCAC isn’t at quite as big of disadvantage because of the NCAA implementing the Oct. 15 flat start date for D-III hockey schools this season. In previous years, some schools would have played close to 10 games by the time the NESCAC schools played their first.

Amherst returns as the number-one-ranked team in the latest USCHO.com poll as the Lady Jeffs garnered 13 first-place votes to easily out-distance second-ranked Elmira.

While the Lady Jeffs will be starting the season at number one, they did lose a solid group of five players that were instrumental in turning the Amherst program from a laughingstock into a perennial national powerhouse. Gone are dynamic forwards Tarasai Karega, Lindsey Harrington, and Anna MacLean as well as two of the Jeffs biggest leaders on the defensive end in Julie Radziewicz and all-everything goaltender Krystyn Elek.

Although Elek was only a junior, she opted to forgo her senior season and focus on academics in her final year at Amherst.

“We’ve known that Krystyn wasn’t planning on playing hockey this year since May,” Plumer said. “The four seniors along with Krystyn made a huge impact on our program and really helped us turn the corner. They brought our program to another level and certainly left their legacy. However, we’re ready to embrace the challenge of defending our title and I honestly think this year is the most focused group we’ve had since I’ve been here. All the returning players realize the opportunities they have to fill holes and now will have a chance to shine after waiting in the wings.”

This year’s Lady Jeff roster features 21 players, including 18 returners from last season’s National Champions squad. Junior forward Courtney Hanlon returns as last year’s scoring leader with 19 goals and 14 assists. Seniors Kate Dennett and Michelle McGann tallied 25 and 19 points respectively to both rank in the top six for Amherst scorers last season. Sophomore Emily Vitale will also look to fill the void left by Karega and Harrington as she will look to improve upon her seven goals and 15 assists last season.

“We return five of our six d-men from last season, which has really been the foundation of our team,” Plumer said. “We’re looking for big things out of Kristen Dier and Randi Zukas to lead that defense unit. Kate Dennett and Courtney Hanlon will play huge roles for us. Dennett will forever be defined as clutch after her performance in the National Championship game last year.”

As far as newcomers this season, Plumer said he expects all three freshmen to make an impact for the Lady Jeffs this season.

“Geneva Lloyd is a freshman defenseman that has looked great in practice so far,” Plumer said. “She’s going to fit in perfectly with our mobile puck-moving defenseman style. Megan Doyen is a fast little forward that plays a lot like Lindsey Harrington and she took on Lindsey’s number 24 too. Kaitlyn McInnis has been only with us on the ice a few times as she was finishing up the field hockey season. She’s going to be a big strong power forward and a presence on the ice when she finally gets up to speed after missing a lot of ice time because of field hockey.”

As far as the rest of the league goes, Plumer expects Amherst to face tough challenges from many of its NESCAC foes.

“Everybody has gotten better this year,” Plumer said. “Middlebury has a great freshman class and they are going to be a lot better than they were last year and that was a team that made and hosted the Frozen Four. I think Bowdoin is ready to make a move back up to where they used to be and Hamilton could be a team to watch out for as they got a great freshman goalie coming in that will compliment an already very good offense.”

First up for the Lady Jeffs on their title defense will be a trip to Middletown, Conn., to take on the Wesleyan Cardinals.

“This year is going to be an interesting year as we’re the odd team out and have no travel partner this year in the NESCAC,” Plumer said. “It makes the season a lot different playing a team twice in a row instead of two games in two nights against different teams. Last year, Wesleyan played us as tough defensively as anybody. They have a new coach this year in Doug Mandigo (Middlebury head coach, Bill Mandigo’s brother) so we’re not really sure what to expect. We’re just really excited to finally play again.”

Two Showdowns, Two Regions

Not to get lost in the fact that the NESCAC teams will finally be hitting the ice this weekend, both the east and west regions have two terrific two-game series on tap this weekend. In the east, Plattsburgh and Elmira renew their rivalry with just a combined five games between the two teams this season. This is the earliest in the season these two bitter rivals have met since 2001 when the Soaring Eagles and Cardinals split a two game series.

In the west, Wisconsin-Superior travels to defending NCHA champion and O’Brien Cup winner Wisconsin-River Falls for a pivotal early season showdown for both schools. The Yellowjackets are coming off a big upset win over third-ranked Gustavus Adolphus. River Falls returns all of last year’s squad that made it all the way to the final four before bowing out to Elmira in the national semifinals.

Elmira and Plattsburgh have both now completed two full four year cycles and after Elmira got the upper hand on the Cardinals in the first four years, sweeping all four ECAC West Tournament crowns as well as two national titles. The Cardinals rebounded the second four years with two national titles of their own. The all-time series stands at 13-13-3.

Gone are the star names of past Soaring Eagle greats: Laura Hurd, Edith Racine, LeAnne Denman, Jackie O’Neil, Kayla Coady, Allison Cubberley, and Jamie Huntley. On the Plattsburgh side of things names such as Liz Gibson, Lynn Taylor, Carolyn Roy, Jenn Clarke, Erin O’Brien, Danielle Blanchard, Breanne Doyle, and Claire O’Connor.

Who will be the next batch of players to etch their names into the history books of this storied rivalry? More importantly, which way will the pendulum swing for the next four years? We’ll all get our first glimpse this weekend as the two teams collide at the Ronald B. Stafford Ice Arena on Saturday and Sunday.

This Week in D-I Women’s Hockey: November 20, 2009

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Ragging the puck while waiting for the Qwest Tour to hit the Granite State …

Ten Years of Title-hunting

Taking note that Minnesota-Duluth will be celebrating its 10th anniversary in womens’ hockey this weekend – “A Decade of Dominance” – when Minnesota State hits the Iron Range. Talk about an illustrious program. What Shannon Miller has built in Duluth has been innovative and always entertaining. I remember watching Swedish forward Erika Holst warming up before a game, some years back, and thinking, “that slap shot could really hurt somebody”. It was Duluth that really paved the way for Europeans to come Stateside to play womens hockey, and also paved the road westward …

Early Signings

Taking note of the early signing announcements that are trickling out: UMD signed five players on the first sign­ing date of the class of 2010, and with the addition of the five Bulldogs currently centralized with their respective national teams ahead of the Olympics (Kim Mar­tin, Elin Holmlov, Haley Irwin, Jocelyne Larocque and Pernilla Winberg), UMD is looking strong for next year.

The Bulldogs new signees include for­ward Dana Gallop (Grand Rapids, Min­n.), forward Jamie Kenyon (Sparta, Wisc.), forward Jenna McParland (Schreiber, Ont.), forward Brienna Gillanders (Kyle, Sask.), and defenseman Noora Jaakkola (Toijala, Finland). Gallop is a Miss Hockey finalist, and also has U-18 experience – as does Kenyon. Jaakkola looks to be as tough to play against as her name is to spell.

Wayne State coach Jim Fetter inked four players to replace the team’s graduating quartet. Katie Gaskin (Pickering, Ont.) and Cari Coen (Torrance, Calif.) will help bolster the back line, while a pair of Little Caesar’s teammates – forward Rachel Hardwick (Algonac, Mich.) and goalie Lisa Marshall (Powhatan, Va.) – will also head to Motown.

“I feel that these players bring quickness and hockey sense,” said Fetter. “We had addressed speed as an (area) that we needed to improve.”

Perhaps the most intriguing of the incoming classes will assemble next fall at University of Minnesota. Bethany Brausen (Little Canada, Minn.), Sarah Davis (Paradise, N.L.), Baylee Gillanders (Kyle, Sask.), Amanda Kessel (Madison, Wis.), Kelly Terry (Whitby, Ont.) and Elizabeth Turgeon (Cherry Hills Village, Colo) all have signed National Letters of Intent.

The name that jumps out from that bunch, of course, is Kessel’s, who like her brothers Phil and Blake, decided to forgo the chance to play in her own back yard at Wisconsin. Instead, she’ll become a Gopher.

“Minnesota was my gut feeling and I knew it would be the right fit for me,” said Kessel, a forward like older brother Phil. “I feel Minnesota will help me achieve my dreams of winning a collegiate national championship and playing in the Olympics. The facilities are unbelievable along with the coaches and the team. I am thrilled to be a Gopher.”

Kessel has played at Shattuck-St. Mary’s the past three years.

Another Minnesota recruit with hockey genes is Turgeon, the daughter of former NHL pivot Pierre Turgeon, who played 19 seasons in the big league. Elizabeth is another former member of the U-18’s, and has been skating with the Colorado Selects for the past few seasons.

Gophers coach Brad Frost was understandably pleased to have landed Turgeon, a gifted scorer like her dad.

“Liz has deep hockey roots,” Frost said. “She has grown up around the game and is a big, strong forward who can put the puck in the net. She sees the ice well and works extremely hard both on and off the ice. Liz played on the United States U-18 team that won gold in 2008 and has made a huge impact with her Colorado Select team. She is a very likable and mature person who will fit in great with our team both on the ice and in the classroom.”

More on next fall’s freshman invasion coming soon.

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SUNYAC tabs Fredonia’s Sudbrink as conference men’s hockey scholar-athlete of the year for ’24-25 season

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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