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Understanding The Process

By Adam Wodon
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Over 100 letters have already passed through the desk of St. Lawrence coach Joe Marsh. And in various ways, they all say the same thing: how lousy a job Marsh did as chairman of the NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey tournament committee.

Many have come from Minnesota, and most haven’t been quite that diplomatic.

“I’m pretty much guaranteed I can’t run for governor of Minnesota,” Marsh said. “I’ve got a stack of stuff that [USA Today’s Jon] Barkan sent me from the Internet. I’ve been up to my ears.”

Gopher fans — and even their head coach, Doug Woog — are upset because Minnesota, despite being fourth overall in the criteria that ranks the teams, is set up to play No. 1 Michigan in the second round.

Minnesotans are crying foul; some go so far as to claim conspiracy, or at least an anti-Minnesota bias.

None of it comes close to the truth.

Minnesota is in its current position for one simple reason: the overriding philosophy that tells the committee to avoid first- and second-round matchups against teams from the same conference. This mandate was passed down from the coaches, after discussions over the years at the American Hockey Coaches Association conventions.

By the same token, Cornell fans are up in arms: “How can we be out West?” they say. Or, “We’re a sixth seed? We get no respect.” But again, the process was followed as an exact science, and Cornell’s seeding has nothing to do with respect.

In the case of Minnesota, and everyone else, it comes down to simple numbers. The mistake that many make is in believing that the seedings are a wholly subjective process, or in being concerned too much with what number seed a team gets. That number is often irrelevant, because of the flip-flopping necessary to avoid those intra-conference matchups.

That philosophy was instituted after coaches came to the conclusion that it was unfair to bye teams. For example, why should No. 2 North Dakota, a team that just defeated Minnesota in St. Paul to earn the bye, have to play a conference rival again to make the Final Four? The same philosophy holds no matter which teams are involved.

There’s also been a misconception, even among media and fans trying to be knowledgeable, about the exact method used by the committee.

“We had our team doctor telling me how it works,” Marsh said. “I said, ‘Doc, with all due respect, I’m on the committee. I’ve been on it for four years.’ So these are our own people that think I’m an idiot. It’s so frustrating.”

One thing that upset Gophers seem to be forgetting is that the team they are playing, Michigan State, is the lowest-seeded team in the tournament. The fact that the Spartans are team with a history doesn’t mean anything. By the numbers, Minnesota is getting the easiest first-round draw. Perhaps it can be argued that the Spartans are actually better than other teams, but that’s just an opinion, and opinion doesn’t come into play for the committee. Not one bit.

“I’m trying to explain that to Doug,” said Marsh. “They’re a traditionally strong team — they’re Michigan State. [But] what if we threw Wisconsin in there, and, ‘[Whoa] it’s Wisconsin.’ We’ve got to just take the numbers.

“I mean, I think it’s safe to say Michigan’s probably the best team; you don’t have to go out on a limb there. But at the same time, if we’re going to protect not having the conference matchups, that’s the way we’ve got to do it. That was what coaches expressed they wanted. That’s the reason Minnesota is there. The only two things that are subjective (are) that, and the protection of the gate.”

The Process

To get a better idea of how the process works, let’s break down this year’s draw:

When the committee gets into the room, they are presented with printouts showing every team compared to every other team based on five criteria:

  • Ratings Percentage Index (RPI)
  • Record vs. Teams Under Consideration
  • Record in the last 20 games
  • Record vs. Common Opponents
  • Head-to-Head record between the two teams

    • The RPI is a weighted winning percentage that helps factor in strength of schedule. It’s comprised of 35 percent won-loss percentage, 50 percent opponents’ won-loss percentage, and 15 percent opponents’ opponents won-loss percentage. A “Team Under Consideration” is anyone .500 or better.

    So the first step is to determine the 12 teams in the tournament. Five were automatics due to winning conference tournaments, regular-season championships, or both: Boston University, Clarkson, Michigan, North Dakota and Cornell.

    The other teams are determined by looking at the Teams Under Consideration, and comparing them to each other using the criteria outlined above. Schools like Minnesota, Miami, New Hampshire and Vermont were obvious choices once the committee could easily see those teams were beating all the rest under consideration.

    The committee then took all the “bubble teams,” like Michigan State, St. Cloud, Denver, RPI, Princeton and Colorado College, and compared them all to each other. In doing so, Michigan State, Colorado College and Denver rose above the rest.

    So, with the field of 12 set, the teams broke down like this:

    West                 East
    Colorado College     Boston University
    Denver               Clarkson
    Miami                Cornell
    Michigan             New Hampshire
    Michigan State       Vermont
    Minnesota
    North Dakota

    Next comes the process of seeding the teams. By virtue of winning the conference and regular-season title, Michigan, North Dakota and Boston University received automatic byes. The coaches voted to implement this rule a couple of years ago.

    The final bye went to Clarkson, which clearly beat out the remaining teams in the East. The committee won’t give a team which is geographically outside a region a bye unless there is an overwhelmingly compelling reason do so, and in this case, there wasn’t.

    Now, however, you have uneven regions, because seven Western teams qualified. Therefore, the lowest-seeded team in the West — in this case Michigan State — was moved East to make it six-and-six.

    Policy then dictates that two non-bye teams from each region be switched to the other. The committee first attempts to take the bottom two from each region, but if that would negatively impact attendance in a severe way, or create intra-conference matchups, different teams can be moved. This occurred last year, when Mass-Lowell was moved West.

    In this case, moving the bottom two worked out perfectly, especially since doing so sent Michigan State back West, where the committee was going to ensure it was anyway.

    “It just worked out that way, but also it’s sort of serendipitous in that you would want Michigan State in the West anyway to protect the gate [attendance in Grand Rapids, Mich., site of the West Regional],” Marsh said.

    There was some debate in the East, however. Some members of the committee thought it was a no-brainer to keep Vermont and New Hampshire in the East, no matter the numbers, because of their huge draws. But Marsh didn’t want to be too hasty. He said he owed it to Cornell to check the numbers, because the Big Red bring a large contingent in their own right.

    “I wasn’t comfortable as the chairman to say, ‘We’ll just do it carte blanche,’ because they’re the two biggest draws,” Marsh said. “I said I really would rather us go with the numbers, because Cornell has a great following, very loyal alums, a lot of alums that will go [to the tournament games].

    “I said if it was another team that doesn’t have the following, then maybe, but I thought Cornell deserved the benefit of the doubt in terms of their ability to draw. So I said, ‘Let’s look at the numbers.’ And we really spent a lot of time with this.”

    Cornell edged Vermont in the criteria, while Vermont defeated New Hampshire and UNH defeated Cornell. So with the teams even in that sense, the RPI was used to break the tie, and Cornell was the odd team out.

    Another conspiracy theory foiled.

    In the case of CC and Denver, they were the bottom two teams [after moving MSU], they weren’t going to be big draws in Grand Rapids, and moving them avoided a number of possible intra-conference scenarios. It was a no-brainer in every way.

    So, taking into account the switch in regions, and then comparing each team to every other, we get these seedings in each region:

    West              East
    1. Michigan       1. Clarkson
    2. North Dakota   2. Boston University
    3. Minnesota      3. Vermont
    4. Miami          4. New Hampshire
    5. Cornell        5. Colorado College
    6. Michigan St.   6. Denver

    Here is where some people got confused, especially those who have become familiar with U.S. College Hockey Online’s Pairwise Rankings. Some of the above is a slight contradiction to the straight numbers presented by the PWR. While some believed that the committee would use the Pairwise Rankings exactly in determining the seedings (even if it was called something else), that’s not entirely true.

    For example, the Pairwise Rankings take every team and compare them to every other team, using the five criteria up above, and count how many “wins” a team gets. In this case, that would have placed New Hampshire ahead of Vermont, Denver ahead of CC and Cornell ahead of Miami.

    But this isn’t exactly what the committee does. While, in essence, it is totalling up wins to see which teams are grouped near which other teams, when it comes down to seeding two (or more) teams, the head-to-head comparison is used. In each of the above three cases, the team with fewer overall Pairwise wins won the individual comparison.

    “When you get down to where you’re taking one team over the other, it’s that team versus the other team,” Marsh said.

    “The critical factor here is, it’s not that alone. If you just look at the Pairwise Ranking and say UNH is ahead of Vermont and that’s it — well, you haven’t gone far enough. You have to take New Hampshire versus Vermont individually, five criteria, plug it in and the winner goes.

    “The Pairwise thing is fine, it’s accurate, but it’s not being applied fully. You have to take just those two teams.”

    Those pesky intra-conference matchups

    That cleared up, then comes the fun part, a source of great controversy for many. Once the teams are in the proper regions, now they have to be seeded in a way that avoids intra-conference games at the Regionals as much as possible.

    The East is set — no conflicts there. In the West, however, the potential second-round matchup between North Dakota and Minnesota was staring the committee in the face.

    It should be noted that the possibility of just one conflict is pretty lucky. In the past, a lot more juggling was needed to avoid those matchups. It should also be noted that the policy of avoiding intra-conference matchups is NOT written in the championships manual, but it is something that is discussed at the coaches’ convention, and the consensus has been to try and avoid then.

    “We’ve kicked that around a lot,” Marsh said. “I don’t remember it being any kind of an edict. We talked about how we better formalize this sort of thing. But it was definitely discussed on the floor of the coaches’ convention, and the coaches are the ones that gave us this input.”

    That being clear, the committee’s first order of business was to flip-flop No. 3 Minnesota with No. 4 Miami. The result, which would force Minnesota to face No. 1 Michigan in the second round, may be unfortunate, but not part of a scheme to get the Gophers.

    “They’re deeming that they’re being punished. [But] they’re playing the lowest-seeded tournament team,” Marsh said.

    Nevertheless, even rational fans will complain about the absurdity of trying so hard to avoid those intra-conference matchups, accusing the committee of being clueless, but not realizing that the mandate to avoid those matchups comes from the coaches themselves. The committee, in essence, is following orders.

    “The coaches know this,” Marsh said.

    The idea behind avoiding intra-conference matchups is a protection to the bye team. Why should North Dakota, the argument goes, have to play Minnesota again, a team it just beat out in the regular season, and defeated practically on the road, in overtime, to take the conference tournament?

    Some say the margin between the Sioux and Minnesota was so small, that it shouldn’t hurt Minnesota so badly. It’s an irrelevant point, however. The other side can say that Minnesota is the only non-bye team in the region not to gain at least a tie against Michigan this season (losing in overtime in their only meeting), but that’s an equally irrelevant point.

    The philosophy of avoiding intra-conference games applies no matter which schools are involved. If that’s a policy that a lot of fans don’t agree with, or even a lot of coaches don’t agree with, then they can get together and decide to change it. But for now, the committee is following established guidelines long known to be used.

    “I talked to [an upset Woog on Tuesday],” said Marsh. “That’s how we explained it. He would’ve liked to have gone to the East, but the numbers don’t suggest that. We can’t just arbitrarily say, ‘Who would you rather play, Doug?’

    “He’s saying, ‘CC’s got a much easier draw.’ Well, the numbers don’t say that at all.”

    So, how much consideration was given to moving Minnesota to the East?

    “None,” said Marsh.

    “Why couldn’t you say, well, New Hampshire, they’ve gotta play CC, wouldn’t they rather play Michigan State? I don’t know. We’re just doing it by the numbers and the criteria, and boy, it seemed to be cut and dried.

    “We’re just using the numbers next to the school’s name, not the school’s name.”

    Back to business

    Getting back to the regional pairings, after flip-flopping Miami and Minnesota, you’re left with a Michigan State-Miami first-round matchup. That’s even worse than the previous situation.

    To avoid that, the committee simply did another flip-flop, switching No. 6 Michigan State with No. 5 Cornell. Though it wasn’t necessarily intentional, that restored the original Minnesota-Michigan State matchup and produced the following final draw:

    West              East
    1. Michigan       1. Clarkson
    2. North Dakota   2. Boston University
    3. Miami          3. Vermont
    4. Minnesota      4. New Hampshire
    5. Michigan State 5. Colorado College
    6. Cornell        6. Denver

    Of course, Cornell fans then began to complain, charging the committee with a lack of respect for the team. “A sixth seed?” they said.

    But, now, with the process laid out, one can clearly see how Cornell came to be a sixth seed, despite being ranked better than four other teams in the tournament on the Pairwise Rankings. In the end, the number six is somewhat irrelevant, and should not be considered a slam at the Red. It made no difference whether Cornell was seeded fifth or sixth; it would have played the same team.

    Cornell was moved West because of losing the tiebreaker with New Hampshire and Vermont; it was given a five seed originally because it lost the head-to-head comparison with Miami; and it was dropped to sixth so Michigan State wouldn’t face Miami in the first round.

    It’s that simple. No conspiracy, no lack of respect, no witchcraft, no doubt.

    “It just fell into place,” said Marsh, the longtime coach at St. Lawrence.

    “Did I have any preconceived or hidden agendas? Geez, I’d just like to be playing in [the tournament] once in a while. And I’m talking to people just pissed off that they’re there, and I’d love to play. We’re a million miles away from playing.”

    Preview: NCAA East Regional

    By Dave Hendrickson, Jayson Moy and Steve Page, with Scott Brown
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    Despite losing the ECAC tournament final to Cornell, the regular-season champion Clarkson Golden Knights earned the top seed in the East, and the consequent bye. Cornell, though, was sent out West, leaving room for two WCHA teams to join the action in Massachusetts.

    Colorado College and Denver will take on New Hampshire and Vermont, respectively. The Wildcats come into the tourney just a bit downcast, after losing the Hockey East final to Boston University. Vermont, meanwhile, was knocked out of the ECAC playoffs in the first round by Princeton, and should therefore be well-rested for this weekend.

    Waiting for the winner of the Vermont-Denver contest are the Terriers, who earned the automatic bye awarded to a team that wins its conference regular-season and tournament titles.

    The East Regional runs this Friday and Saturday, with the West Regional starting a day later. All East games are at the Worcester Centrum, in Worcester, MA.

    The East Regional is being broadcast live in many areas; check your local television listings to find the appropriate outlet in your region. U.S. College Hockey Online will transmit further TV information as it becomes available.

    The numerical designators below indicate a team’s East Regional seeding, and records include all games.

    No. 4 New Hampshire (28-10-0) vs. #5 Colorado College (23-14-4)
    Friday, Mar. 21, 5 p.m. EST

    First the good news. UNH coach Dick Umile has been cleared to return to the bench this weekend “as long as I don’t jump around too much.” Umile has been sidelined since a Mar. 8 heart attack.

    Now the bad news. New Hampshire shut out Boston College 4-0 before falling to BU 4-2 for a frustrating fourth straight time.

    “We played as hard as we could; we gave 100 percent,” said a disappointed Mark Mowers, who was named to the All-Tournament team. “I’m going to personally try to get these guys’ heads up for the tournament.

    “It is emotional. It is disappointing. We wanted to win a championship. I think the guys know that they played well. I don’t think it will be that hard to get them going again.”

    Those quick to label New Hampshire as a team unable to win under tournament pressure should recall that UNH played two tournaments earlier this year and won both against strong competition. The Wildcats beat Vermont and Maine to take the Governors’ Cup in November and then beat Wisconsin and Colorado College after Christmas at the Badger Showdown.

    The NCAA tournament, however, functions at a higher level than holiday tournaments, and New Hampshire will need to prove itself once again this weekend.

    The Wildcats’ recent NCAA history has been disappointing. Two years ago, they came off a two-week layoff and lost to Denver, 9-2. The year before, they shut out host RPI, but fell to Harvard, 7-1.

    UNH is hardly the first team, though, that has had to struggle before figuring out how to put it all together in the playoffs. BU endured their 9-2 embarrassment in 1994 at the hands of Lake Superior State, but came back the following year to win the national championship. Maine and Michigan spent many years rated number one in the country only to come up short in the playoffs. Eventually, they put it all together, too.

    Perhaps after playing second banana in the standings to BU throughout the 90’s, UNH developed a collective mental block when facing the Terriers. But perhaps that’s also psychobabble parading as analysis.

    Either way, UNH won’t have to overcome that hurdle this year until a potential national championship game pits the two Hockey East foes. But since there’s still that Western team in maize and blue with the never-ending fight song, that’s not likely to happen.

    Pivotal to New Hampshire’s success this weekend will be their defense and goaltending. As Eric Boguniecki pointed out heading into the Hockey East title game, “Offensively, every night we’re going to play well. Some nights we get our chances but don’t put them in, but most nights we’re going to score…. Defense is going to determine who wins.”

    “That’s the bottom line. We have to step up our game defensively because the offense will always be there for us.”

    That offense is led by Mowers, Boguniecki and Jason Krog, who were all named to the All-Hockey East team. Tom Nolan and Eric Nickulas were also strong contenders for the team. Mike Souza earned a berth on the All-Rookie team. Rob Gagnon, thought to be out this weekend, could return.

    Their defense is a point of concern, however. Eric Fitzgerald’s shoulder injury has not improved and he is out for the season. Rookie Jayme Filipowicz, a strong contender for the All-Rookie team, missed the playoff title game after being injured in the semifinals against Boston College. He had been considered out for this weekend, but has been fitted for a brace and could play.

    Although the Wildcats can absorb injuries up front, their depth on the blue line is much more limited. Tim Murray and Steve O’Brien filled Ironman roles, but at some point fatigue can prove decisive — if not in the third period of the Friday game, then potentially on Saturday if they advance.

    Goaltending, of course, will also prove pivotal. Netminder Sean Matile set a new Hockey East record, blanking teams for 95 minutes and 11 seconds of tournament play until BU scored in the first period. Had UNH beaten BU, he likely would have supplanted Michel Larocque on the All-Tournament team to go with his All-Rookie team honors.

    The path to the “Frozen Four” begins against Colorado College, who UNH met and beat 4-3 in the Badger Showdown.

    “It’s a good matchup,” said Umile. “Both teams play a similar style. They’ve got some good forwards and they’re strong on defense. I just think we match up well.”

    Umile won’t try to match lines against Hobey Baker finalist Brian Swanson.

    “He’s a proven, big-time player that can do a lot,” said Umile. “But they’re going to have to pay attention to our forwards and we’re going to have to pay attention to theirs.

    “It will come down to defense and specialty situations. It’s playoff hockey. You’re probably looking at a 3-2 [or] 4-3 hockey game.”

    If the Wildcats advance to face Clarkson, they would be facing a team that beat them 5-2, and has only two 2-1 losses in 20 games since Jan. 4.

    “Mark Morris has just done a great job with his team,” said Umile. “He always does. They’ve put together quite a winning streak. They’re a real good team. They’ve got a little bit of everything. They’ve got size, they’ve got scoring, they’ve got skill, and they’ve got goaltending. So they’re a real solid team.”

    Umile plans the same approach to Clarkson’s Hobey Baker candidate Todd White as with Swanson of CC: don’t try to match lines, but pay extra attention to the big gun.

    “Todd White is a terrific hockey player,” said Umile. “You’ve just got to pay attention when he’s out there. It’s a challenge as a hockey player when you’re out there against guys like him.”

    The Wildcats’ first-round adversary, Colorado College, knows New Hampshire well: as mentioned above, the Tigers traded leads with the Wildcats in the Dec. 28 championship game of the Badger Showdown before falling 4-3.

    CC coach Don Lucia says the Tigers are playing their best defense of the season right now, and that’s a must against the high-scoring Wildcats.

    “They have an outstanding team,” Lucia said. “They have the best group of forwards we’ve seen all year long. We have to hold that scoring down. We can’t get in a shootout with them, because we don’t have the same amount of bullets. If you give up more than three goals at this time of the year, it’s pretty hard to win.”

    He says the Tigers have the potential to slow the Wildcats.

    Senior goaltender Judd Lambert, who regained the starting role when freshman Jason Cugnet injured a knee in practice before the first round of the WCHA playoffs, has been torrid. After surrendering three goals to Wisconsin in the first game of their playoff series, he blanked the Badgers in the NCAA’s longest-ever game, which lasted six and a half periods.

    He allowed just two goals in CC’s WCHA Final Five win over Denver, watched as Cugnet surrendered five goals in the semifinal loss to North Dakota, then returned to the ice to blank St. Cloud in the third-place contest. That translates to a 4-0-0 record, a 0.97 goals-against average and a save percentage of .963.

    “We’re playing as well as we have all season,” Lucia said. “It all starts with Judd. He’s playing what is arguably the best hockey of his career. That’s the key this time of the year. He’s the type of goaltender [who] can carry us. I couldn’t be happier for him. He’s had a great career here. Now, he’s playing his best at the most important time of his career.”

    Lambert is 9-1-0 in postseason play in his career, and gets plenty of help from the likes of senior defenseman Eric Rud, the WCHA’s Defensive Player of the Year.

    “Defensively, we’ve never played better all season,” Lucia said. “We’re playing more patiently, more cautiously, maybe even more conservatively. I’m proud of them for being where they are now. They’ve been young, and we’ve had injuries.

    “The big thing right now is we’re getting contributions from the third and fourth lines. Aaron Karpan has five goals all of a sudden. It’s a big thing when you can get your third and fourth lines chipping in with some goals.”

    Freshman forward Toby Petersen is one example, scoring six goals and adding seven assists in his last 12 games. Aaron Karpan, another freshman forward, has five goals in as many games. That’s good support for sophomore center Brian Swanson, who shared the WCHA scoring lead with Minnesota defenseman Mike Crowley.

    Lucia said the Tigers are taking a different tack this year. They finished fourth in the WCHA’s regular season after becoming the first team in league history to win three consecutive titles. CC reached the NCAA championship game last year before dropping a 3-2 overtime decision to Michigan.

    “We’re the underdog this year,” Lucia said. “not the favorite. In every game we play from here on out, we’re the underdog.

    “It’s a real accomplishment to get into the NCAA tournament. As long as we play like we did (last) Thursday and Saturday, we’ll be able to accept whatever happens.

    “All we’re worried about is New Hampshire. They’re the co-champs of Hockey East. If we’re fortunate enough to win that, Clarkson has won the ECAC, and they’ve won 18 of 20 games. We’ve got a very difficult draw.”

    Steve’s Pick: Lucia is correct: the Tigers are playing great defense. And now, their youth works for them instead of against them — they don’t know they’re not supposed to win. So win they do, shading New Hampshire, then eliminating Clarkson in a display of power.

    Dave’s Pick: New Hampshire 5-3 over Colorado College; then on Saturday, UNH earns a trip to Milwaukee with a 3-2 thriller.

    No. 3 Vermont (22-10-3) vs. #6 Denver (23-12-4)
    Friday, Mar. 21, 8:30 p.m. EST

    Jim Mullin is healthy, the Pioneers have their NCAA bid in hand, and coach George Gwozdecky is pleased with the pairings.

    The Pioneers’ senior goaltender, who separated a shoulder near the end of the regular season, is finally healthy. That could make a difference with two games in as many days, and with a freshman — Stephen Wagner — as the other goaltender. Wagner is good, but nevertheless, he is still a freshman.

    Gwozdecky said it’s all good news after Colorado College bounced the Pioneers out of the WCHA tournament.

    “Our disappointing game and loss to CC was not what we wanted to have happen,” Gwozdecky said. “We spent three days kinda fidgeting. I thought CC did a great job. That was a tremendous three-game performance.”

    That was then. This is now.

    “The way I look at it is, we have a second chance to prove that last Thursday was not the team we are,” Gwozdecky said. “Now, we have that chance against a nonleague opponent. We’re in a bracket with no opponents from our league. That’s healthy and refreshing. That’s a real good thing to happen.”

    So is the play of the Pioneers, who have won seven of their last eight games. Left wing Paul Comrie, who was ill last week and didn’t arrive in St. Paul until minutes before the start of the CC game, is healthy. He leads the Pioneers in points with 46 on 21 goals and 25 assists. Also, senior center Erik Andersson is hot, having scored eight points in his last five games.

    The Pioneers bring balance, with eight players scoring 20 or more points. Everybody will be on board, with the exception of Todd Kidd, who is serving the second of a three-game suspension, the result of his third disqualification of the season.

    “Jim Mullin is fine; he’s going to play on Friday night,” Gwozdecky said. “He’s healthy, he’s eager, and he wants the chance. If we get through Friday, we’ll evaluate and see where we sit on Saturday.

    “Other than Todd Kidd, who’s out with the suspension, we’re healthy again. Paul Comrie rushing from the airport to the rink 10 minutes before warmup wasn’t good for his line last week. He’s healthy this week. We have no major problems to report.”

    However, Gwozdecky says the Pioneers do have a major opponent in Vermont.

    “We know they’re very explosive offensively, with Perrin and St. Louis. They get a tremendous amount of recognition and media coverage. Their other players don’t get as much notice. But they’ve been able to win when those two top talents get shut down. Tim Thomas is a big-time goaltender. He’s the kind of guy who can carry a team to a national championship. They like a skating game. They’re going to be a tremendously difficult opponent for us.”

    There will have been a whole week of inactivity (besides practice) for the Catamounts when they hit the ice on Friday against Denver. The Cats lost their quarterfinal series to Princeton, and awaited their fate with regard to the NCAAs.

    Strong performances in the beginning of the season and an 8-2 non-conference record helped reassure the Cats that they were going to be playing this weekend. They are, but in order for the Cats to succeed, the French Connection — Martin St. Louis and Eric Perrin must as well. There were 118 points between the two this year; that scoring should continue in the NCAA tournament.

    Where the Cats must need help is from their other lines.

    “There are some kids that have not helped St. Louis and Perrin in the offensive department this year, and now they are starting to,” said head coach Mike Gilligan. “If we can get some more scoring from the second, third, and fourth lines…”

    “The third and fourth lines got a lot of time (against Brown, Harvard, and Princeton). (Stephane) Piche and (J.C.) Ruid had real strong weekends as well.”

    The Cats have 19 returnees from the squad that went to the Final Four last year, and that can only be a plus. “Our experience has helped in that regard,” said Gilligan of playoff hockey. “These guys are more emotionally prepared this time of the year than all season.”

    This year it is a little tougher for the Cats, who have to win two games to get to the Final Four. Last year, they had a first-round bye.

    Jayson’s Pick: This is the first-ever meeting between these two teams. The scrambling forwards of Vermont might be too much, and Vermont’s non-conference record shows that teams playing Vermont on a non-regular basis have trouble. The Cats move on. Vermont 5, Denver 2.

    Steve’s Pick: Denver has been a great home team this season, but just so-so on the road. Look for more of the same at Worcester. Vermont handles the Pioneers, then stuns Boston U. en route to a second straight Final Four appearance.

    No. 1 Clarkson (27-9-0) vs. New Hampshire/Colorado College winner
    Saturday, Mar. 22, 5 p.m. EST

    Despite losing the ECAC Championship Game to Cornell, the Golden Knights were still seeded number one in the East Regional.

    A lot of that has to do with the fact that the Golden Knights lost only three games in the calendar year of 1997, including a 12-game winning streak going into the ECAC championship game.

    Coming into the first Saturday of 1997, the Knights were 8-8-0 and trailing by two goals against Cornell. They turned it on, won the game 5-2, and have hardly stopped since.

    “It may have been a blessing in disguise that we lost those games early,” said head coach Mark Morris. “We’ve had to fight to get to where we are.”

    When you look for the key contributors, you can start with Hobey Baker finalist Todd White. White has 73 points on the season — 37 goals and 36 assists.

    “Todd White has led the way,” said Morris, adding that “Chris Clark has come of age [and] Dan Murphy has been solid in net.”

    Clark is a pleasant surprise for the Knights; his 23 goals were second on the team to White. Following White and Clark is Jean-Francois Houle, with 19 goals. Noted more for his defensive prowess, he turned on the scoring this year.

    “Things just fell into place,” Morris said. “Some of the younger guys have learned the way we play defense, and our execution on the penalty kill and power play has been strong.” The Knights led the ECAC this year in those departments.

    The third and fourth lines have to play a key role if Clarkson is to advance.

    “We have to continue to play solid hockey and get other guys into the scoring,” said Morris. “We did a strong job with our younger guys, they’re forming solid third and fourth lines. Our third and fourth lines got us out of some jams in the second half of the season.”

    Those players include Phillipe Roy, who was shifted from defense to forward, Carl Drakensjo and Dana Mulvihill.

    The loss in the ECAC Championship Game does not seem to faze the Golden Knights.

    “We’re grateful we have another opportunity to jump into NCAA competition,” said Morris. “This might have been a real good lesson for us. We came out flat in the first two periods, and we came on strong in the third period.

    “Sometimes I think you have to mess up to get ahead. You don’t really learn until you lose or fall short of your goals.”

    “This stings right now, but this team has had a sensational year. I don’t want this to be a black mark on our season. If anything I want to take this and use it as a tool to learn, and for mental toughness.

    “I’m extremely proud of our club and we hope to take it to the next level. We’re a program that’s been nipping at the heels of a lot of good teams, and we’re looking forward to Worcester.”

    Clarkson, which gets a bye, plays the winner of the game between New Hampshire and Colorado College. That bye is a big plus for a team in the NCAA tournament.

    “We can gear up for one game and get to the Final Four,” said Morris. “I’ve experienced it before, once with St. Lawrence in 1988 (as an assistant coach), and again in 1991 with our talented crew of Hugo Belanger, Scott Thomas and Mike Casselman. A few fellows that had a great stretch run.

    “It’s a great feeling knowing that you’re knocking heads with the best programs in the country. We’ll lick our wounds from this weekend and we’ll get right back on track and see if we can have the type of season that we want. We might be NCAA champions, even though the ECAC championship got away from us.”

    Jayson’s Pick: If, indeed, it’s UNH that the Knights face, you’ve got two teams that can definitely put big numbers up. The Knights got the jump on UNH the first time these two played, and never looked back. But playoff hockey is more defensively-oriented, and it will come down to which squad can control its opponent’s offense. The defense of Clarkson sends the Knights into the Final Four. Clarkson 4, UNH 3.

    No. 2 Boston University (24-8-6) vs. Vermont-Denver winner
    Saturday, Mar. 22, 8:30 p.m. EST

    Boston University secured an automatic bye when they edged UMass-Lowell 3-2 and then beat New Hampshire for the fourth time in as many tries, 4-2. The wins earned BU an unprecedented fifth Lamoriello Cup.

    “We were real happy with our effort,” said BU coach Jack Parker, who recorded his 31st regular-season or post-season title with the win. “We were real happy with our team defense, real happy to get a championship in both the Hockey East regular season and now the Hockey East playoffs.

    “And it’s nice to get a bye in the national tournament. The great thing about the bye is that not only do you get a chance to rest, but you also get a chance to watch the two teams you might play.”

    The ability to scout the two teams on Friday night could prove especially important if Denver knocks off Vermont. BU lost to Vermont 4-2 in the second game of the season, but hasn’t seen Denver this year. According to Parker, all the tapes in the world don’t compare to being able to watch a team in person from a scouting perspective.

    Parker credits Maine’s late-season sweep of the Terriers, 3-0 and 7-2, with getting his team back on track for the playoffs.

    “I think those two games really turned us around in a lot of ways,” he said. “First of all, we were kind of undermanned up there, so it wasn’t as if we didn’t have something to hang our hats on, but we learned a lot about ourselves. We weren’t playing as hard as we had to. They showed us how hard we have to play.

    “We also learned that we had to change. When we got back we changed our forecheck and our defensive zone coverage a little bit and that really helped us too, especially our forecheck. For the first time in a while we had four lines so we were able to go to a more aggressive forecheck. There’s no question that helped us down the stretch.”

    Four Terriers earned All-Tournament team honors: forward Shawn Bates, defensemen Chris Kelleher and Shane Johnson, and goaltender Michel Larocque. Larocque, who played both semifinal and final games, was named tournament MVP.

    Bates scored the game-winner against Lowell on a knee that sidelined him for the rest of that game and hampered him against UNH. According to Bates, though, he’ll be 100 percent by Saturday.

    BU’s defense, perhaps the best in the nation, was the story of the tournament, Bates’s gritty performance notwithstanding, and will likely prove decisive this weekend.

    “It was great to see Shane get recognition by making the All-Tournament team,” said Parker, who had been using Johnson at forward until Tommi Degerman’s return from a knee injury. “He’s as unsung a player as anyone would ever have.

    “Our motto has been Desire, Determination, and the Will to Win, and that’s written across his forehead. That guy does everything you have to do and always steps up in the bigger games to make sure that we win a hockey game. And he isn’t concerned about who gets credit for it either.”

    Kelleher, paired with All-American Jon Coleman, has been overshadowed by his more renowned partner, but is finally gaining recognition. His teammates, however, have noticed for some time his effectiveness.

    “If there’s a kid who’s the most underrated player in the country it’s Chris Kelleher,” said Coleman. “He didn’t make the Hockey East All-Star team but he had a really great year. He’s the one who has carried us this year, especially when I got hurt.

    “And Tom Poti, Jeff Kealty, and Dan Ronan are really coming into their own right now. They’re getting experience in the big games. The thing that has really helped us is that we’ve played a lot of 2-2 games in the third period that we’ve been able to pull out. That’s big for the defense because that means we’re able to stay poised and stay in control.”

    Poti earned a berth on the Hockey East All-Rookie team and at times can outshine his more experienced blue line brethren. “Tommy has really helped to boost our second power play,” said Coleman. “He gives us a second dimension with the big play every so often.”

    Although Poti was BU’s only representative on the All-Rookie team, his often-overlooked freshmen teammates provided all three Terrier goals in the title game. Dan LaCouture, Degerman, and Chris “Hero” Heron all scored while New Hampshire held Hobey Baker candidate Chris Drury in check.

    “You look at other schools like BC and they say they’ve got the best freshman class,” said LaCouture, who hopes to follow his older brother Dave’s route through Worcester and Milwaukee to a national championship. Dave LaCouture performed the feat in 1993 with the Maine Black Bears. “I think our freshman class this year has gone a little unnoticed.”

    LaCouture’s words ring true. His own departure from school in the first semester for personal reasons, combined with Degerman not arriving until January and then missing several weeks with an injury, have resulted in the rookies seldom playing together. As a group, however, Poti, LaCouture, Degerman, and Heron compare favorably to many freshman classes that have received more ink.

    Larocque, a sophomore, is now The Man in the BU nets, supplanting Tom Noble. Ironically, Noble was chosen the the All-Hockey East team while Larocque earned honors for having the lowest goals against average.

    “Last year Tommy got the award that I got this year for the best average,” said Larocque. “He didn’t make All-Hockey East and I thought he deserved it last year. I didn’t make it this year, but I got one honor for the top average so I’m happy with that.”

    Although Parker diplomatically declined to confirm that Larocque will be in the BU nets this weekend — claiming that the decision won’t be made until practice this week — he noted that it will be very difficult not to name Larocque for his first NCAA start.

    “Last year I didn’t get to play at all,” said Larocque. “I really didn’t feel a part of the team because I wasn’t playing. I’m really happy to be part of the team this year. I’ve got great confidence in my defense and they have confidence in me, I think.”

    This weekend marks BU’s eighth straight NCAA tournament invitation. In the previous seven years, they advanced to the “Frozen Four” all but once, moving on to the championship game three times.

    “If we play Vermont, I think the keys will be power plays and penalty kills,” said Parker, who hopes to add to his 1978 and 1995 national championships. “Special teams played a big role the last time we played them. And trying to solve Tim Thomas will be big for us. Trying to solve our defense and get through to our goaltender will be a big factor for them.”

    Parker doesn’t expect to match lines against St. Louis and Perrin. With the last change, he’ll avoid his fourth line against Vermont’s French Connection, but has confidence that all his lines will pay the necessary defensive attention.

    “I don’t know that much about Denver,” he added referring to BU’s other possible foe. “Both of those teams have played well [over the entire season], Vermont not so well the last couple of weeks while Denver played pretty well the last couple of weeks.”

    Dave’s Pick: BU 3-2, over either Vermont or Denver.

    Jayson’s Pick: Vermont took this matchup earlier in the season with sound goaltending and good defense. Both teams have some great forwards, and it will come down to their getting free and scoring. This should be a classic, but Vermont — after beating Denver in the first round — moves on in a squeaker. Vermont 3, BU 2.

    Umile Returns To Bench

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    University of New Hampshire coach Dick Umile has been cleared to return to the bench on Friday when the Wildcats open the NCAA East Regional Tournament.

    Umile suffered a heart attack in the early morning hours of Mar. 8, after his team played its opening round game in the Hockey East tournament. against UMass-Amherst. Assistant coaches Brian McCloskey and Chris Serino have run the team in his absence.

    “I’m feeling really good,” said Umile from the UNH men’s hockey office just after being cleared by his doctor. “As long as I don’t jump around and get too active I’ll be able to coach this weekend. I’ll just have to lay low.”

    Umile, named Hockey East Coach of the Year, leads his team against Colorado College in a 5 p.m. game on Friday. If UNH wins, they will advance to a quarterfinal game against Clarkson.

    ECAC Awards Announced

    USCHO Staff Report
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    Regular-season champion Clarkson boasts two of the six ECAC First Team All-Stars, it was announced today.

    One of them, ECAC scoring champion Todd White, was selected Player of the Year by league head coaches. White was also the only unanimous First Team selection this year. He is the first Clarkson player to win the scoring title and the first to be named Player of the Year since Steve Cruickshank accomplished those feats in 1981-82.

    The Golden Knights had three All-Stars; senior defenseman Matt Pagnutti made the First Team and junior goalie Dan Murphy was a second-team selection. In all, eight different schools produced the twelve All-Stars, with Vermont and Union having a player on each squad.

    There are seven seniors and five juniors among the 12 players recognized. The only underclassman on the First Team is Union goalie Trevor Koenig.

    The ECAC Rookie of the Year is Harvard freshman goaltender J.R. Prestifilippo. He played every minute in all 22 ECAC games for the Crimson, and is the first HU player to win the award.

    The ECC/KOHO Coach of the Year is Stan Moore of Union. The first-year coach guided the Dutchmen to a school record for Division I wins and a best-ever fifth-place finish in the regular-season standings.

    This year’s winner of the Dryden Award, given to the top ECAC goaltender, is Trevor Koenig of Union. Koenig led all ECAC goalies wih a 2.19 GAA in 19 ECAC league games, and established a league record for consecutive shutout minutes with 198:44.

    The All-ECAC First and Second Teams are as follows:

    First Team

     Trevor Koenig, Union       Jr   Goalie
     Matt Pagnutti, Clarkson    Sr   Defenseman
     Steve Wilson, Cornell      Sr   Defenseman
     Mike Harder, Colgate       Sr   Forward
     Todd White, Clarkson       Sr   Forward
     Martin St. Louis, Vermont  Sr   Forward

    Second Team

     Dan Murphy, Clarkson       Jr    Goalie
     Ray Giroux, Yale           Jr    Defenseman
     Andrew Will, Union         Sr    Defenseman
     Paul DiFrancesco, SLU      Jr    Forward
     Eric Healey, RPI           Jr    Forward
     Eric Perrin, Vermont       Sr    Forward

    Receiving honorable mention were goalies Jason Elliot of Cornell and Tim Thomas of Vermont; defensemen Jimmy Andersson of Brown, John Dance of Colgate, Ashlin Halfnight and Jeremiah McCarthy of Harvard, Jon Sorg of Vermont and Chad Wilson of Cornell; and forwards Chris Clark and J.F. Houle of Clarkson, Kyle Knopp of Cornell and David Whitworth of Dartmouth.

    WCHA Awards Announced

    USCHO Staff Report
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    Junior defenseman Mike Crowley of Minnesota was named the 1996-97 WCHA Player of the Year in balloting conducted among league coaches, media, sports information directors and team captains.

    Crowley, who was also named to the All-WCHA First Team for the second year, is the first defenseman honored with the Player of the Year award since Minnesota-Duluth’s Tom Kurvers. Crowley tied for the league lead in scoring this season, the first blueliner to do so since Gopher Lou Nanne, in 1962-63.

    The Rookie of the Year award went to UMD goaltender Brant Nicklin, who carried virtually all of his team’s minutes in net. He heads up the All-Rookie team, which also includes Toby Peterson of Colorado College; Dave Spehar and Ben Clymer of Minnesota; Bud Smith of Northern Michigan; and Curtis Doell of UMD.

    Defensive Player of the Year, for the second straight season, was senior defenseman Eric Rud of Colorado College.

    WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year was senior forward-defenseman Petri Gunther of Denver, who carries a 3.95 grade point average as a computer science major. Gunther is the first DU hockey player to be invited to join Phi Beta Kappa, the national honor society.

    North Dakota’s Dean Blais was named WCHA Coach of the Year for leading his Sioux to their first conference title in ten years. The Sioux finished fourth in the WCHA last season.

    The All-WCHA First Team is as follows:

    Name             Pos   Team               Pts
    Brian Swanson     F    Colorado College   346
    Jason Blake       F    North Dakota       253
    David Hoogsteen   F    North Dakota       215
    Mike Crowley      D    Minnesota          332
    Curtis Murphy     D    North Dakota       258
    Steve DeBus       G    Minnesota          178

    Named to the second team were Dave Paradise and Matt Cullen of St. Cloud; Mike Peluso and Rick Mrozik of Minnesota-Duluth; Eric Rud of Colorado College; and Kirk Daubenspeck of Wisconsin.

    On the third team were Scaha Molin of St. Cloud; Ryan Kraft of Minnesota; Andre Savage of Michigan Tech; Dane Litke of North Dakota; Calvin Elfring of Colorado College; and Jim Mullin of Denver.

    This Week in the CCHA: March 14, 1997

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    CCHA Playoffs: Championships CCHA Playoffs: Championships by Paula C. Weston

    The states of Michigan and Ohio are equally represented in this year’s CCHA Championship Tournament. It’s no surprise that Michigan, Michigan State, and Miami advanced to the semifinals, but Bowling Green had to win two on the road to earn the right to travel north of the border. In the first semifinal game of the CCHA Championship Tournament, the Bowling Green Falcons take on the defending NCAA National Champion University of Michigan Wolverines. "It’s supposed to be this way," says Bowling Green head coach Buddy Powers. "It’s not supposed to get easier." The Falcons ended their regular season with a 10-12-5 record in the CCHA, and a 15-15-5 record overall. Last weekend, the Falcons upset the Lake Superior State Lakers, sweeping the series in two games, remaining undefeated against the Lakers in five matchups this season. But Lake Superior is not Michigan. "I think in contrast to Buddy’s team," says Michigan head coach Red Berenson, "our early-season projections were pretty much fulfilled." Pretty much. With just three losses all season, 21 CCHA wins, and 32 victories overall, the Wolverines were without question the best college hockey team in the country. The two teams meeting in the late semifinal game were responsible for all three of the losses Michigan suffered this season. In its final game of the regular season, Miami beat Michigan 4-2. The victory propelled Miami into the playoffs, where the team-soon-to-be-formerly-known-as-the-Redskins swept Ohio State. Miami meets a tough Michigan State team that faced more than a few highs and lows during the season. The Spartans won their season series against Michigan, but lost games against Notre Dame, Alaska-Fairbanks, and the season series against Ohio State. "We’re going down [to Detroit] with the idea in mind that we’re capable of winning," says Michigan State head coach Ron Mason. His sentiments are, doubtless, echoed by Red Berenson, Buddy Powers, and Mark Mazzoleni.

    Bowling Green (15-17-5, 10-12-5 CCHA) vs. Michigan (32-3-4, 21-3-3 CCHA) Friday, 5 p.m. ET, Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI "If you advance, you play the tougher teams." Those words, spoken by Bowling Green head coach Buddy Powers, were never truer than in the context of this first-round game at The Joe. The Falcons began their season brilliantly, winning their first six games, including two conference road games at Lake Superior. Beginning with their seventh game of the season, though, the Falcons spiraled downward in the standings and struggled with injury after injury. Since going 2-10-2 in November and December, the Falcons have had 9-5-3 in 1997. Two of those ties came against teams playing this weekend in Detroit — Michigan State and Miami, but one of the ties during the bleak months came against Michigan. "That was so long ago," says Powers. Now, Bowling Green’s reward for resiliency is a first-round game with a team many expect to repeat as national champions. "The bottom line is that in this league, anyone who was thinking of any kind of success was going to have to go through Michigan," says Powers. "It’s a one-game showdown. We’ve had excellent leadership from our seniors. The team as a whole played well." Powers knows how the Wolverines are able to turn up their play a notch when they have to come from behind or break a tie. Michigan has done that against many teams this season, including the Falcons. "That’s the thing we have to overcome, or negate, or whatever," says Powers. "We have to contain them when they just decide that they’re taking over the game. "We’ll have to play the game out the best we can. The guys have got to play. Our job is to try to knock them off." That won’t be easy. Aside from a phenomenal record, phenomenal talent, and phenomenal playoff experience, the Wolverines like Joe Louis Arena, which seems to return the feeling. Michigan’s overall record at the Joe is 44-18-1, including the last nine Great Lakes Invitational titles. Their record in the GLI is 25-10-1. In addition, the Wolverines are 7-3 in regular season games at Joe Louis (all but one against Michigan State), and there they are 7-5 in CCHA playoff games, 2-0 in NCAA Tournament games, and 1-0 in regular season non-conference games. And, remember, Detroit is a brief bus ride away from where a few thousand screaming Michigan fans root for their team on home ice. Michigan defeated Alaska-Fairbanks in the first round of the playoffs in two games, by a combined score of 19-1. "The games were not as tough as they typically might be," says Michigan head coach Red Berenson. "That could certainly get us into a state of overconfidence. I hope that doesn’t happen." Overconfidence — combined with a flawless game from a very talented Bowling Green team — is probably the only thing that can bring down this particular Wolverine squad. The Wolverines have played so well this season that merely trailing Miami at home brought a flurry of questions from reporters after the game. This is a team that hasn’t had much experience losing. "We’ve been a team that’s gone through the season with a few losses, but we look forward to the playoffs," says Berenson, sounding as though those few losses are puzzles the team has yet to figure out. "I think the team hasn’t had much of that [having to come from behind] this year, yet we have survived some games where we came back to tie or to win. Our team expects to win, as all good teams should." Berenson has the grace to at least acknowledge the level of competition at this year’s tournament. "We realize that there are at least three other teams in the league who, on any given night, can play as well as we can." Many fans are hoping for an all-Michigan championship game. The Spartans were the only team this season to take a series from Michigan, and they won one of those games at Joe Louis. "Those were games [Michigan losses to MSU] where the goalies were a factor," says Berenson. "In those games, we were either not taking advantage of our chances, or we were not getting a lot of chances…. I think you see that in the games against Michigan State." Of course, talk of a Michigan-MSU matchup is a little premature. "Right now," says Berenson, "we’re not worried about Michigan State, because we don’t know if we’re going to play them. "Our team would like to play Michigan State because that would mean we’re in the final game, and that would be a challenge." Michigan will have to work to beat Bowling Green, but the Wolverines should advance to that final. Whether Berenson and the Wolverines get the much-anticipated battle with Michigan State is another story. PICK: Michigan 5-2 Michigan State (22-11-4, 16-7-4 CCHA) vs. Miami (27-10-1, 19-7-1 CCHA) Friday, 8:30 p.m. ET, Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI This playoff game is a hockey lover’s dream. Miami’s story-book season has been good for college hockey fans in general, as well as Miami fans. A team that no one expected to excel, in a little town in the southwest corner of Ohio — Ohio! — has emerged as a solid contender for the CCHA title. It took this Miami team many games to earn the national respect it deserves. "Our team has probably been one that’s very happy with what’s transpired this year," says Miami head coach Mark Mazzoleni. "Never once did we lose more than two consecutive games, and (those were) on the road. "Watching our team, we’ve played on a pretty consistent level of emotion our whole year. We haven’t had a lot of highs and a lot of lows." In answer to those people who think that this Miami team is a fluke, Mazzoleni says, "I think our ranking is deserved." Although Miami is, in Mazzoleni’s terms, a "relatively young team," the team has been able to build a sense of unity that has been able to sustain through a tough season. "One thing that has helped us this year is balance," says Mazzoleni. Mazzoleni also points to the leadership of senior forwards Barry Schutte and Tom White. "They have really been behind what we as a coaching staff have wanted to do this year." Miami has benefitted from outstanding play from several other players, including soph sensation Randy Robitaille — who reached his 100th career point in a Miami uniform in the second playoff game against Ohio State. "Randy has been as good a forward as I’ve ever seen in college hockey," says Mazzoleni. Robitaille is so good, so explosive, that other Miami players are often overshadowed. "Danny [Boyle] is a dynamic offensive defenseman who creates opportunities. Trevor Prior has been solid." Miami’s improvement in recent years can be linked, in part, to recruiting. "I think one thing that we’ve done over the last couple of years is that we’ve increased our skill level," says Mazzoleni. It’s hard to argue with a man whose team includes not only Robitaille, Boyle, and Prior, but Tim Leahy, Adan Copeland, Marc Tropper, Adam Lord, and such outstanding freshmen as Josh Mizerek. Michigan State assistant coach Tom Newton believes in Miami’s talent. "They’re an excellent hockey team. They have great balance," says Newton. "They’re a high-energy team, and they pursue the puck at every zone." The Spartans are another team that has had to fight for a little respect this season. Early on, fans expressed displeasure with the play of Spartan goaltender Chad Alban, who nonetheless proved to everyone by the end of the year that he’s one of the best. With more than 2,000 minutes in net for Michigan State, Alban’s record of 22-9-4 is nothing to sneeze at. His overall GAA is 2.64, and his save percentage hovers just beneath .900 "Early in the year, he wasn’t getting breaks around the net," says Michigan State head coach Ron Mason. "Any goaltender knows the bounces have to go your way. We stayed right with him, because he still played very well with the puck and the stick. Eventually your luck changes a little bit. He hasn’t changed anything that he’s done, but over a long season, goaltenders are going to go through spells. In the last little while, he’s playing with great skill." The Spartans also lost to teams fans and critics thought they should have beaten — Notre Dame, Ohio State, Alaska-Fairbanks. But the regular season is over, and no one knows better than Mason that the only thing that counts right now is the game at hand. "I think our team is as good mentally as it can be," says Mason. He calls the hard-played games last weekend against Western Michigan "good preparation for us." This pairing is all the more exciting because Michigan State took the season series from Miami. Mazzoleni says he knows how the Spartans got the better of his team twice this season. "In the games against State," says Mazzoleni, "we turned the puck over 44 times. That’s the most number of odd-man rushes we’ve given up this year. "Another big key for us against State is our goaltending. Have to match alban in net." Newton agrees that goaltending will was a big factor in the regular-season meeting between Miami and Michigan State. "It was a very intense, close-checking series that really had some outstanding goaltending on both ends of the rink. For all intents and purposes, they were one-goal games." "In the game in Miami," says Mason, "we were able to exploit some areas that you normally don’t [get to do] with that team. I agree with Mark that the game in Munn came down to goaltending. We’re used to close games. I’ll look to goaltending and defense to win it." Defense will be key for Michigan State. In order to win this game, the Spartans will have to contain a team with explosive potential, second only to Michigan in the CCHA. "Basically," says Mason, "all you have to do is look at the statistics to see that we’re a better defensive team than we are an offensive team. If we do play well defensively, we do have some people who can score up front. In some games and some series, the combination has been outstanding. "I’ve said all along, they’re as good as anyone. We have to play as well as we can in order to be successful." In order for Michigan State to beat Miami, that combination of offense and defense will have to click, and click fast. Miami has the power to take this game early and put it away. PICK: Miami 4-2 Championship game (projected): Miami (27-10-1, 19-7-1 CCHA) vs. Michigan (32-3-4, 21-3-3 CCHA) Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI It’s tempting to sum up the entire CCHA Championship Tournament with this statement: Michigan wins. However trite that sounds, it is unlikely that anyone will upset the Wolverines. Taking nothing away from Miami (or Bowling Green or Michigan State, for that matter), Michigan is a true powerhouse, with nine seniors who already have one national championship under their collective belts. Eleven members of this team have been drafted. Returning goaltender Marty Turco was the goalie of record for a national championship team as a sophomore. This is some daunting combination. Unless you’re the team that ended its season by beating the Wolverines 4-2 at home. Miami played Michigan hard in two games at Yost. Miami lost, 5-3, after leading for two periods, and then made Michigan work for its 3-0 victory the next night. Few teams have played this particular Michigan team as tough as Miami has. This game will come down to the experience of the players. As good as Miami is, Michigan has won more playoff games than Miami has played. PICK:Michigan 3-2

    Paula C. Weston is the CCHA Correspondent for U.S. College Hockey Online.

    Copyright 1997 Paula C. Weston . All Rights Reserved.

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    This Week in the WCHA: March 14, 1997

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    WCHA Playoffs: Final Five by Steve Page

    When the Western Collegiate Hockey Association expanded from nine to 10 teams in 1992-93, league officials decided to invite everybody to their tournament.

    Nice gesture, but now five teams reach the conference’s Final Four (which is, consequently, the Final Five instead). To solve the dilemma of having an odd number of teams, the WCHA decided to stage a Thursday pigtail game between the fourth- and fifth-seeded remaining teams.

    That’s where Colorado College and Denver come in. Since each of the top five regular-season finishers all swept their bottom-half opponents in last week’s first round, CC comes in as the fourth seed; DU is number five. They open the Final Five at 7:05 p.m. CT Thursday.

    It’s a long haul for the winner, which advances to meet the top seed — North Dakota. That’s one of two Friday semifinals. The other semi pits the second seed, Minnesota, against number-three St. Cloud State.

    The championship and third-place games are played Saturday, at the 16,000-seat St. Paul Civic Center.

    North Dakota won the regular-season tiebreaker with Minnesota by outscoring the Golden Gophers 20-19 in their four meetings. So the Fighting Sioux have locked up one berth in the 12-team NCAA tournament.

    Minnesota and Denver, third and ninth in the Pairwise Rankings, respectively, also appear headed for the big show. That puts the onus on St. Cloud State and Colorado College to either put up or shut up. Though CC is rated 13th, everybody behind No. 6 Maine moves up a spot because the Black Bears are ineligible for post-season play. CC has eight power-rating points, one behind Cornell. St. Cloud is one power point behind the Tigers.

    Nobody has a decided edge among the Final Five. North Dakota is 8-7-1 against the field, Minnesota is 7-6-1, St. Cloud is 6-7-1, Colorado College is 7-7-2 and Denver is 5-6-1.

    Play-in Game: No. 4 Colorado College (21-13-4) vs. No. 5 Denver (23-11-4) Thursday, 7:05 p.m. CT, St. Paul Civic Center, St. Paul, MN

    Regular season: Nov. 8: Colorado College 6, @ Denver 2 Nov. 10: Denver 2, @ Colorado College 3 Feb. 14: Denver 3, @ Colorado College 4 Feb. 15: Colorado College 1, @ Denver 6

    Colorado College coach Don Lucia says his team is still trying to recover from its game with Wisconsin last Saturday — and Sunday. In case you didn’t hear, T.J. Tanberg scored on a rebound at 9:30 of the fourth 20-minute, sudden-death overtime to give CC an amazing win over the Badgers, in the longest game in NCAA Division I history at 129 minutes, 30 seconds

    The marathon broke the previous record of 102:09, established Dec. 21, 1968, when North Dakota outlasted Minnesota, 5-4, and it featured plenty of everything but goals.

    UW goaltender Kirk Daubenspeck stopped a WCHA-record 75 shots; CC netminder Judd Lambert finished with 60 saves. There were six — count ’em, six — intermissions, though the concession stands at the Air Force Academy’s Cadet Ice Arena closed at the end of the third period.

    The game finally ended at 12:58 a.m. MT, some 5 hours and 23 minutes after it started.

    ”The kids [were] still real sore Monday,” CC coach Don Lucia said. ”I really believe if we would have had to come back and play Sunday night, we would have no chance Thursday.

    ”We’re already behind the 8-ball right now, physically. When you overextend yourself like that, it’s like running a marathon, then trying to come back in five days and run another marathon. We’re trying to combat that physically and physiologically. It’s not what we can do on the ice, but what we can do off the ice, to get them back to normal before Thursday.”

    Lucia said the Tigers’ hopes rest on their ability to step it up yet another notch this week.

    ”Now we’re really playing for something,” he said of battling the Pioneers in St. Paul. ”We’ve never actually played each other in the playoffs. There’s more at stake for us than for Denver. They’re pretty well assured a spot; we’re 50-50. The better we can do this weekend, [the better] our chances.”

    Lucia said unless his team wins the WCHA tournament, much depends on what happens elsewhere.

    ”We could win two games, and that would not be enough if there are upsets in the other league playoffs,” he said. ”We need Michigan, Michigan State and Miami to win in the CCHA. We need Clarkson in the ECAC. We need BU or New Hampshire to win in Hockey East.

    "You can look and see there are certain teams already in the playoffs. Denver would have been in last year, had Cornell not won the ECAC playoffs.

    ”The only way we know we’re in is if we win three games this weekend. That’s a tall order.”

    DU coach George Gwozdecky fears the Tigers may be up to the task.

    ”I think this difficult win Saturday night will do more good for them than bad,” he said. ”With all that emotional pressure, you need great mental strength to overcome something like that. I think a lot of people may not realize that.”

    Gwozdecky realizes that CC took the first three games from his Pioneers before Denver won the fourth.

    ”They’re very explosive,” he said of the Tigers. ”In our four games this year, they’ve been a tremendous offensive team. They’ve given us a lot of problems at times. I don’t expect anything different this time around. They have good balance in all four lines, strong goaltending, good defense, they’re well- coached, and they’re disciplined.”

    And they have freshman goaltender Jason Cugnet back from a knee injury. Sophomore center Brian Swanson, who shared the WCHA scoring championship with Minnesota defenseman Mike Crowley, returned from a deep thigh bruise to play in Saturday’s marathon.

    Lucia said he’s just glad the teams aren’t playing in the DU Arena, where the Pioneers finished unbeaten in their last 15 games (12-0-3).

    ”That’s a real key, playing them at a neutral site,” he said. ”We don’t have to go to the DU Arena.

    ”They have a veteran team. They only have one or two freshmen in their lineup. They’re as veteran as anybody in the tournament. Denver is the team I picked to win the league. I couldn’t have more respect than I do for Denver.

    ”It’s a road game, so I’m sure both teams will play pretty close to the vest. It should be a low- scoring game that will probably be decided in the third period. You’ve got to get comfortable playing in low-scoring games.”

    Gwozdecky said the Pioneers have one thought in mind: win it all.

    ”Our goal is to win the playoff championship,” he said. ”We would like to take the selection matter out of the hands of the playoff committee and put it in our own hands. That’s something we’ve been trying to do this last month. That’s why we’re heading to St. Paul this week. We’re not thinking about ‘If we could win one game, or two games.’ We’re trying to take care of this ourselves.”

    He said that it will be a new experience, playing CC at a neutral site.

    ”It’s going to be such a different approach both teams will be taking. You don’t have the home team, hometown media, the home fans. It’ll be different from what teams are used to. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were 5,000, 6,000 people in the building. I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but it will be different. There’s a lot more at stake than territorial pride, so to speak.”

    Denver will play without defenseman Todd Kidd, who was ejected last Saturday for spearing. It was his third DQ of the season, meaning he’ll miss the Pioneers’ next three games.

    ”We’ve been playing seven defensemen anyway, and the seventh has become a forward lately, so that shouldn’t be too much of a problem,” Gwozdecky said.

    The Pioneers advanced with a 5-4, 7-3 home sweep of Minnesota-Duluth. ”Saturday night might have been one of our most complete games of the year,” he said. ”We executed extremely well. We’re playing our best hockey right now.”

    Pick: Denver. The Pioneers are hot, and CC is sure to come out a bit flat. The Tigers may not recover in time.

    Semifinal game: No. 1 North Dakota (23-11-4) vs. CC-Denver winner Friday, 2:05 p.m. CT, St. Paul Civic Center, St. Paul, MN

    Editor’s note: As of Tuesday, there was some question as to whether the UND vs. CC-DU semifinal would precede or follow the UM-SCSU semifinal. The time shown above is therefore tentative.

    Regular season: Dec. 6: Colorado College 5, @ North Dakota 5 Dec. 7: Colorado College 2, @ North Dakota 7 Jan. 25: North Dakota 3, @ Colorado College 0 Jan. 26: North Dakota 3, @ Colorado College 8

    North Dakota coach Dean Blais says he almost feels sorry for whoever survives Thursday’s game between CC and Denver. But after all, this is some of the challenge of the regular season.

    ”It’s kinda tough to play back-to-back games, but it’s a huge advantage for us,” Blais said.

    ”We had a real physical series with Michigan Tech,” he said of last week’s 4-1, 3-0 sweep. ”We have a lot of bumps and bruises, but we should be OK. We had a real physical series with Michigan Tech. The real pleasing thing is that we only allowed one goal against them in two games. At this time of the year, you’ve got to be more concerned about your goals against than about scoring a lot.”

    This has been a season of superlatives for the Sioux. Their 26 wins are the most since 28 in 1989- 90. Their five shutouts this season are a school record. And they’ve played great defense, as evidence by the fact they’re 30-3-1 in games where they’ve allowed three or fewer goals. They’ve owned the third period, outscoring their opponents 61-39.

    Blais said whichever team survives Thursday would nonetheless offer a major challenge.

    ”Colorado College is solid in all positions. Judd Lambert was one of the top goalies in the league last year. Brian Swanson and Toby Petersen are as good as any forwards in the league.

    ”Denver’s playing real well right now. They’ve got a lot of talent. Last year, they took third in the league, then got upset in the playoffs by St. Cloud State and didn’t make it to the Final Five. They have nine seniors, and they have pretty good goaltending. Their senior leadership has meant a lot the last two months.

    ”That’s how tough the league is, when Denver and CC are squaring off for [the] four and five [berths].”

    Pick: North Dakota. The Fighting Sioux will be rested and ready, no matter which team advances to meet them.

    Semifinal game: No. 2 Minnesota (26-11-1) vs. No. 3 St. Cloud State (23-11-4) Friday, 7:05 p.m. CT, St. Paul Civic Center, St. Paul, MN

    Editor’s note: As of Tuesday, there was some question as to whether the UND vs. CC-DU semifinal would precede or follow the UM-SCSU semifinal. The time shown above is therefore tentative.

    Regular season: Dec. 14: Minnesota 4, @ St. Cloud State 1 Dec. 15: St. Cloud State 4, @ Minnesota 3 (OT) Jan. 17: Minnesota 2, @ St. Cloud State 5 Jan. 18: St. Cloud State 4, @ Minnesota 6

    Minnesota coach Doug Woog says even though this game will be played not that far from the UM campus, he expects an all-out battle from St. Cloud.

    ”They’ve got some firepower,” he said of the Huskies. ”They have good people up front. Their strength is their forwards (and) all four lines can skate. They’ve got some guys.

    ”Some of their better kids are Minnesota kids, so that’s a rivalry in itself.

    ”They’ve got as good a chance of winning the thing as anybody. I would put us in that category as well.”

    Woog should. The Gophers have won three of the last four WCHA tournaments, and have qualified for the conference playoffs every year since the inception of the current format in 1988. The last two titles came at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

    ”Actually, we’ve had better success in Milwaukee,” Woog said with a laugh. ”While this is not our rink, it is nice to not have to travel.”

    St. Cloud coach Craig Dahl doesn’t believe the Gophers have an edge in the Civic Center.

    ”It’s good for our fans,” Dahl said. ”We have a lot of fans in the Twin Cities area. And we’re only 55 miles away, so our fans can get down there and get tickets. So I think that’s going to be good. It’s not really their home ice, anyway.”

    Of the Huskies and Gophers splitting their four regular-season games, Dahl said, ”They’ve been some battles. I guess this is the rubber match. We’ll see what happens. I figured one way or the other, we’ll play them. So we’re going to have to take care of business.

    ”We match up pretty good. Obviously, their power play has really been potent, so that will be a big factor in the game.”

    Dahl says he’s not a big fan of the Pairwise Rankings, and that his team will play accordingly.

    ”That pairwise rating, I think, penalizes teams that finish higher in a league, because you play teams that are below you in the standings,” he said. ”So we have to win at least one game.”

    Like North Dakota, St. Cloud has had one of those most excellent seasons.

    The Huskies’ third-place, regular-season finish was their highest ever, and their 23 victories are the most in their Division I history, as are their 18 conference wins. They don’t wilt in the third period, as evidenced by their 19-1-0 record when leading after 40 minutes.

    Dahl said last week’s 5-2, 3-2 sweep of Northern Michigan prepared the Huskies for this week.

    ”Northern played really well. That’s good,” he said. ”We needed to have a good, tough game like that, and win. We’re going to have games like that in the Final Five. So I’m pretty happy.”

    Pick: Minnesota. The Gophers are indeed golden in the WCHA tournament.

    Third-Place Game: North Dakota-Colorado College/Denver loser vs. Minnesota-St. Cloud loser Saturday, 2:05 p.m. CT, St. Paul Civic Center, St. Paul, MN

    Championship Game: North Dakota-Colorado College/Denver winner vs. Minnesota-St. Cloud winner Saturday, 7:05 p.m. CT, St. Paul Civic Center, St. Paul, MN

    After two hectic days of competition, look for North Dakota and Minnesota to face off in the finale, with Denver and St. Cloud battling for third.

    The third-place game could be a dandy, with St. Cloud fighting for its life, as far as play in the NCAA tournament goes. Denver should regain its form and stop the pressing Huskies.

    Pick: Denver, by at least two goals.

    The championship game should be spirited for a while. But since both the Sioux and Gophers are NCAA-bound, look for them to take no unnecessary chances in the finale. North Dakota has been something less than impressive the last couple weeks.

    Pick: Minnesota by a goal, plus maybe an empty-netter at the end to complete its tournament sweep.

    Steve Page is the WCHA Correspondent for U.S. College Hockey Online.

    Copyright 1997 Steve Page. All Rights Reserved.

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    This Week in Hockey East: March 14, 1997

    By
    -

    Hockey East Preview: "Ice Wars" by Dave Hendrickson

    "Ice Wars," Hockey East’s title for this weekend’s semifinal and championship games, will see two surprise entrants. Everyone expected regular-season co-champions Boston University and New Hampshire to advance, but Boston College and UMass-Lowell became the first two schools to not only upset a higher seed, but to sweep.

    In fact, sweeps were the story around college hockey last weekend; of the 17 nationwide contests, only the ECAC’s Vermont-Princeton matchup went to a third game.

    Unfortunately, the most startling news came from UNH, where head coach Dick Umile suffered a heart attack. After further treatment at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass., he has returned home and hopes to be a spectator at this weekend’s games. College hockey fans everywhere are pulling for Umile, one of the true gentlemen of the sport.

    (Rankings shown below are the Pairwise Rankings, the criteria used by the NCAA for tournament selection.)

    Last week’s record in picks: 5-3 Season record in picks: 125-74

    No. 6 seed vs. No. 1 seed UMass-Lowell (15-20-1, 9-14-1 HE) vs. No. 10 Boston University (22-8-6, 16-4-4 HE) Friday, 5 p.m., FleetCenter, Boston, MA NESN Saturday, 5 p.m, Consolation Game, FleetCenter, Boston, MA Saturday, 8 p.m, Championship Game, FleetCenter, Boston, MA NESN

    Regular season: Jan. 24: @UMass-Lowell 3 Boston University 1 Feb. 14: Boston University 6 @UMass-Lowell 1 Feb. 15: @Boston University 5 @UMass-Lowell 5

    In recent years, the BU Terriers have enjoyed the benefits of an opening-round bye in the NCAA regionals. This year, sitting at 10th in the NCAA pairwise criteria,, they run the risk of losing that advantage and dropping to a number-three — or lower — seed.

    A team that wins both its conference’s regular-season and tournament crowns, however, receives an automatic bye regardless of its ranking position. Although BU and UNH shared the regular season title, BU won the playoff tiebreaker, and as a result could still grab the bye over higher-rated teams with a fifth Hockey East title.

    They began that quest with a sweep of Northeastern

    6-2 and

    7-1. Dan LaCouture scored two goals and added three assists, earning him co-Rookie of the Week honors with BC’s Blake Bellefeuille. With Jon Coleman nursing a sore shoulder that has bothered him since January, Chris Kelleher moved to the fore as he has so often this season, picking up three assists.

    "Chris Kelleher has given us an unbelievable year," said BU coach Jack Parker. "He should be All-Hockey East, All-American or something."

    The Terriers now take on a UMass-Lowell squad that has given them a surprising amount of difficulty.

    "We’ll have our hands full," said Parker. "We were 1-1-1 with them during the regular season. They played extremely well against us and they’re obviously playing really well now after going down and beating Providence twice.

    "They present a lot of problems because they get great goaltending. Fillion has played great; we’ve seen him play fabulous. They’re a real good transition team with a lot more offense than people want to give them credit for. And they do a great job on special teams. They’ve got an explosive power play and they’re terrific killing penalties.

    "Those are the things that usually win games: how you play in your zone, how good your goaltender is, and how you are on special teams. In the short term those are always big things and they’re real good at those, so we’re looking for a real tight matchup."

    Although many figure that regular season co-champs BU and UNH are a fait accompli for the title game, Parker isn’t thinking too much about that matchup which his Terriers swept during the regular season.

    "I would love to be able to play UNH in a fourth game because that would probably mean that we got to the finals," he said. "I would hope we wouldn’t be playing in a consolation game. But they’ll have their hands full with Boston College and we’ll have our hands full with UMass-Lowell. Neither one of us is an absolute shoo-in to get to the finals."

    While everyone expected BU to beat Northeastern, few expected the same from UMass-Lowell against Providence. The River Hawks entered the playoffs 0-9-1 in their last 10, and had experienced only one lead in their last eight games. Their power play, once near the top of the league, had fallen on hard times. In their 10-game winless streak, they’d been held to two goals or fewer eight times.

    To make matters worse, they were facing a Providence team that had not only been hot down the stretch but had smoked the River Hawks head-to-head in three February games.

    So what happened? Lowell swept the Friars,

    6-2 and

    6-5.

    Go figure.

    "I was very proud of them," said UMass-Lowell coach Tim Whitehead. "Especially how we played without one of our captains, Ryan Sandholm, and one of our defensemen, Wil Tormey. The guys really stepped up like they have all year in those type of situations and picked up for those guys. That was one of the things I was most proud of. The guys that filled in for those two did an excellent job."

    Neither player is expected back this weekend, so repeat relief performances will be needed.

    "We tried to play strong team defense and keep things simple," continued Whitehead. "We didn’t do anything fancy. We just played together with everyone on the same page."

    "Lowell played very well," said Providence coach Paul Pooley in defeat. "They did what they had to and you have to give them a lot of credit. They were really physical with us, and I think that was the deciding factor."

    Whitehead, in response, noted, "We work hard on our off-ice training, but we’re a very young team so I think we can certainly get stronger than we are. But that’s something we take very seriously."

    Pooley sees the physical angle as an important facet of Lowell’s play against BU.

    "The one thing Lowell can do is be very physical," said Pooley. "In the playoffs, the intensity goes up and the game changes. They let you play hockey, as opposed to being in the penalty box all night. I think that’s the type of game that Lowell can get into and be successful at because they’re strong, they work hard and they played the game to a T on Friday and Saturday night."

    Like BU, Lowell is advancing to the tournament semifinals for the fifth straight year, tops in the league. They do not, however, pose a team of grizzled veterans. The River Hawks have played up to 10 freshmen this year, which could result in errors stemming from playoff inexperience.

    "We’ll have the 10 freshmen who won’t have been there," said Whitehead, "but all the other guys have been there since we’ve made it every time the last four years. It’s up to our upperclassmen to make sure that our freshman aren’t taken in too much by the moment and stay focused. Our upperclassmen have done a great job all year so I don’t think this weekend should be a problem."

    PICK: BU has taken these playoff matchups the last three years. It’s looking like four. BU 5-3.

    The title game remains virtually too close to call, but BU’s superior defense wins out over UNH’s superior offense, 4-3. (If Lowell wins the semifinal game, look for either BC or UNH to take the title.)

    No. 5 seed vs. No. 2 seed Boston College (15-18-3, 9-12-3 HE) vs. No. 7 New Hampshire (27-9-0, 18-6-0 HE) Friday, 8 p.m., FleetCenter, Boston, MA NESN Saturday, 5 p.m, Consolation Game, FleetCenter, Boston, MA Saturday, 8 p.m, Championship Game, FleetCenter, Boston, MA NESN

    Regular season: Nov. 22: @New Hampshire 8 Boston College 3 Nov. 23: New Hampshire 4 @Boston College 2 Jan. 25: New Hampshire 5 @Boston College 2

    New Hampshire swept UMass-Amherst

    5-1 and

    8-2, while all eyes remained on Coach Umile.

    The Wildcats had stumbled into the playoffs, losing three of their last four.

    "We had a long layoff there," said assistant coach Chris Serino, referring to 10 straight days without a game. "I think just now we’re getting back into synch after that layoff. It’s tough to go [that many] days without playing at this point and time in the season. You can only practice so much. I think we’re starting to get back into synch right now."

    Back in synch, that is, only to find that your coach has suffered a heart attack. The team opened their Saturday night game against UMass-Amherst a bit slowly, after hearing the news at the team breakfast.

    "I’m not making excuses, but this has been a very long day for us today," said assistant coach Chris Serino after the game. Serino, along with fellow assistant Brian McCloskey, filled in for Umile.

    "To kids, a head coach is kind of invincible. And then all of a sudden that invincible object wasn’t invincible anymore, and that had a major affect on our kids. I saw it in their eyes when I told them this morning, and I was worried about what would happen tonight.

    "But our two senior [captains] Tim Murray and Eric Boguniecki gave us great leadership. Our players played under what might not seem like real adverse conditions but they were.

    "There’s not a coach in the country that cares more about his players than [Umile] does, and these kids know that…. It was like the head of a family going down. That’s what happened to us tonight. It wasn’t easy.

    "It was an emotional strain and it’s a credit to these kids for what they did."

    After failing to make the FleetCenter the last two years, the Wildcats are excited about a return to "The Dance."

    "It’s always exciting to go there," said Serino. "I’m not going to tell you it’s just another [game]. It’s an exciting thing for our players. Our kids work awfully hard to get there. [Some people said some negative things about our players after the brawl at Providence but that] was not a reflection of our team. We’ve got good kids here that work hard every day.

    "They’re good citizens; they do a lot for the community as well as for the hockey program, so all our coaches are really happy for them. They put a lot of effort into this program and now they’re getting what they deserve."

    Although the FleetCenter offers a considerably smaller ice surface than UNH’s Olympic-sized home ice at the Whittemore Center, New Hampshire’s home and away records are comparable (14-5 at home, 13-4 away) despite losing their last three on the road.

    "I don’t think the ice surface is going to make much of a difference in the game," said Serino. "If you want to win a national championship, after your last [quarterfinal game], you go on the road. If you’ve got a good hockey team, you adapt to any place you play. We’ve got a good hockey team. We can play in a small rink. We can play in a big rink. It doesn’t matter. If we play well, we’re capable of beating any team in the country. I mean that, and I think our players believe that."

    This weekend holds special significance for UNH’s national championship aspirations. Winning the tournament will push the Wildcats past Vermont in the Pairwise Rankings, and give them a bye in the regionals. If in doing so they knock off Boston University in the finals, it will also bolster their collective psyches. The flip side, of course, is that a fourth loss to BU would amount to a harsh sendoff into the NCAAs.

    In the semifinals, the ‘Cats will take on Boston College, who surprised Merrimack

    7-6 and

    5-3.

    "They’ve got a young, talented team," said UNH’s Jason Krog of the Eagles. "They’ve got a lot of speed up front. Young guys like Reasoner and Farkas can create a lot of offense. But I think if we play our game and have all systems going on four lines, I don’t think they can play with us."

    Krog’s confidence in his team is well-founded, according to BC coach Jerry York, whose team was swept by the Wildcats in the regular season.

    "New Hampshire has swept a lot of teams this year, so we’re not unusual in that category," said York. "They’re certainly one of the premier programs in the country. They’re an excellent hockey team and a team that could win the national championship. They have strong goaltending, an excellent defenseman in Tim Murray, who leads their core of defense, and a plethora of outstanding forwards.

    "We’re approaching this weekend that if we win both games, we’ll go to the national tournament. That’s a tremendous motivating force for us. As you look around to recent basketball playoffs, teams have done the unexpected.

    "BU and New Hampshire are certainly the class of our league, but in any weekend series Lowell and ourselves have to feel that if we get hot, that reward of the nationals is right there for us."

    Specialty teams are often the deciding factor in the playoffs which may or may not work to Boston College’s advantage. All season long they’ve boasted one of the league’s top power plays (25.3 percent overall, second in the league), but their penalty killing has struggled. The "PK" provided encouraging results, however, against Merrimack.

    "Our ability to kill penalties was key," said York. "[Merrimack] was one for 15, (while) during the season we were almost dead last. We have just not done a good job in that area." Combined with the short-handed goal they scored against the Warriors, their penalty-kill may have turned the corner.

    BC also depends more on its freshmen and sophomores than any other team in the league. As such, they might be expected to have playoff jitters since BC’s last appearance at a Hockey East semifinal was in 1992, before any of the current players arrived at Chestnut Hill. According to freshman Jeff Farkas, though, the Eagles won’t succumb to playoff pressure.

    "The Beanpot got us ready [for the playoffs]," said Farkas. "Playing BU in the finals in front of 17,000 people made us aware that we can play at this level."

    York seconded that emotion.

    "The way we look at it, there’s absolutely no pressure on our team. We’re going there with the idea that we want to be successful and get a national bid so everything for us is [upside]. This is a weekend that could top off our season and extend it, so we’re excited about it. We need to stay in it early, get some big saves from Greg Taylor early and capitalize on some chances. We’re pretty excited about where we are."

    PICK: UNH could get caught if they’re peeking ahead to BU in the finals, but look for them to take this one, 5-4.

    The title game remains virtually too close to call, but BU’s superior defense wins out over UNH’s superior offense, 4-3. (If BC wins the semifinal game, look for them to beat UMass-Lowell, but lose to BU.)

    (The loser of this semifinal game should win the consolation matchup.)

    Thanks to Eric A. Wong for his contributions to this preview.

    Dave Hendrickson is the Hockey East Correspondent for U.S. College Hockey Online.

    Copyright 1997 Dave Hendrickson . All Rights Reserved.

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    This Week in the ECAC: March 14, 1997

    By
    -

    ECAC Playoffs: Final Four by Jayson Moy

    In the voice of the one and only Jim McKay …

    "It’s time to go to the Adirondack Mountains, and the cozy town of Lake Placid. Here we will see an intense drama unfold when four teams do battle for the little cup known as the Scotty M. Whitelaw Trophy.

    "Here we find three of the last four ECAC tournament champions — Cornell, RPI and Clarkson — and a team that was in the championship game two years ago: Princeton.

    "The battle begins in earnest on Friday afternoon. On the line is not only the trophy, but an automatic bid to the Big Dance."

    ECAC Semifinal No. 1 No. 6 Princeton (18-10-4, 11-8-3 ECAC) vs. No. 1 Clarkson (26-8-0, 17-5-0 ECAC) Friday, 4 p.m., 1980 Olympic Ice Arena, Lake Placid, N.Y.

    Regular Season November 8: @ Clarkson 5, Princeton 2 February 14: Clarkson 2, @ Princeton 1 (OT)

    "We’ve got some unfinished business," said Clarkson head coach Mark Morris.

    Two weeks ago it was the regular-season ECAC title that was unfinished; this week it’s the ECAC Tournament Championship. Clarkson won the first ECAC tourney championship, held at Lake Placid in 1993, but have not fared well since.

    In 1994, the Golden Knights lost in the semis to RPI, settling for a win in the consolation game. In 1995, it was the same, but this time the semifinal loss was to Princeton. Last year, they lost in the semis to Cornell, and also lost the consolation game.

    That is, the situation in Lake Placid has gone downhill for the Knights ever since the first time they were there.

    Each season, Clarkson makes a strong run in the second half, only to disappoint. But this year, that run is even better: just one loss (to Vermont) since January 3, moving Clarkson all the way up to number-two in the nation in the final Around the Rinks/USCHO poll.

    In the past, it’s always been about the superstars. But this year, Clarkson is doing it with defense, Todd White’s 34 goals notwithstanding.

    "You’re not going to win hockey games if you don’t have solid goaltending and play well in your won end," Morris said, "And I think the key to our success this year has been being patient. It’s the same kind of hockey Princeton is playing right now. In their own zone, they’re playing like men."

    Princeton’s only trip to Lake Placid came two years ago, and it lost to RPI in the championship game. That was the Tigers’ only Final Four appearance ever — until this year.

    Princeton’s 18 wins so far ties a school record set in 1995, and the Tigers are a better team top to bottom — and healthier — than the one that got to the final game two years ago.

    There’s a good goaltending match brewing, between Dan Murphy of Clarkson and Erasmo Saltarelli of Princeton.

    Murphy allowed only three goals last weekend, and that was plenty good because the Knights put up the offense to support him.

    Saltarelli played the better part of three games against Vermont, and was named the ECAC Player of the Week, primarily for his outstanding play in game three. He made 18 saves in the third period of that contest, helping Princeton hold on and advance.

    Saltarelli alternated in net at the beginning of the year, but has now started seven straight games. His longtime friend and teammate, captain J.P. O’Connor, says Saltarelli has become the backbone of the team.

    "I’ve been playing with Erasmo a long time," said O’Connor. "The more important a game, the more pressure on him, the more people heckling him in the stands, the better he is. That’s just the way it goes. The more playing time he gets, the stronger he gets. Over the last three or four games he’s just demonstrated (it)."

    Princeton continues to get offense from a lot of places when it needs it. Team goal-scoring leader Scott Bertoli (15) returned for Princeton last weekend after sitting out with a groin injury, and had two goals and two assists.

    Jean Verdon added two goals within one minute on Friday against Vermont, breaking a 1-1 tie. Verdon, however, hurt his shoulder Saturday, and missed Sunday’s game. His status is questionable.

    But the forward depth is what impresses with Princeton. The Tigers don’t lose a step by inserting role players like freshman Brad Meredith and sophomore Brian Horst — two more players who buy into the Tigers’ smart, aggressive forechecking system.

    "Don Cahoon has gotten his guys to play hard and he’s maximized their talent," said Morris, who attended Sunday’s decisive quarterfinal game three between Vermont and Princeton, and was impressed with the way the Tigers handled the nationally-ranked Catamounts.

    "Their staff does a great job recruiting a lot of players and developing them. Some of them were borderline scholarship kids that were a litle bit tempting, but not enough to jump right out and offer them a full scholarship.

    "But they’re playing like full scholarhip players (now). They’re moving the puck smartly, they’re banging people, they’re playing with a purpose. And that’s what playoff hockey is all about. They’re pretty dangerous.

    "They’ve won all the battles around the net (against Vermont). They won every one-on-one battle along the boards. They’re just not the same team we played a couple of weeks ago. They are so sharp; I’ve never seen them this sharp before. I haven’t seen a team playing as well as they’re playing right now."

    When you talk Clarkson offense, you have to talk Todd White. White added five points to his impressive Hobey Baker resume in the series over Yale.

    You also have to mention Jean-Francois Houle and Chris Clark. Houle’s 51 points this season have been unexpected, and Clark put two power-play goals on the board this weekend.

    "Dan Murphy has been solid," said Morris about his team. "We’re also happy with our defensive pairs. They seem to be playing in sync. I’m happy with the offense, because outside of Todd White, we don’t have a superstar."

    PICK: Clarkson is on a roll — no one will dispute that. But the last four years at Lake Placid have not been kind to the Golden Knights. Can Princeton defeat Clarkson for the second time in three years here? The speedy forwards of Princeton make it tougher for the Golden Knights, especially on the larger ice surface. I feel an upset coming on … Princeton 4 Clarkson 3

    ECAC Semifinal No. 2 No. 4 RPI (19-11-4, 12-7-3 ECAC) vs. No. 2 Cornell (19-8-4, 14-6-2 ECAC) Friday, 7 p.m., 1980 Olympic Ice Arena, Lake Placid, N.Y.

    Regular Season December 6: RPI 4, @ Cornell 2 February 22: Cornell 5, @ RPI 2

    That two teams picked to finish in the middle of the pack are now in the semifinals at Lake Placid is a testimony to the coaching prowess of Mike Schafer and Dan Fridgen.

    Each coach won an ECAC Tournament in his first year: Fridgen two seasons ago, and Schafer last time. And they’ve shown that was no fluke. Both will merit consideration for the ECAC Coach of the Year, though this game is probably a little more important to both of them.

    Playing both games last weekend for the Engineers, Joel Laing defeated Union twice and was named the ECAC Rookie of the Week.

    "It’s a situation where you have a hot goaltender, and you want to ride him and not change the karma," Fridgen said.

    "He played real well against Princeton (March 1)," Fridgen added. "He came up and he made the big saves when we needed him to. It was a little bit of a concern for me knowing that he hadn’t had back-to-back [starts] on any weekend during the season."

    For the Big Red, there should be little doubt who will be in goal. Jason Elliot was the ECAC Tournament MVP last year, and allowed only three goals against Harvard on the weekend.

    Don’t expect much to change for the Big Red or the Engineers. Both teams will just go out and play the same game that they have been playing all season long.

    "You don’t have to change the philosophy of what you do," said Schafer. "You have to force turnovers and play defense. You have to stick to your own philosophy and wait patiently."

    "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it," added Fridgen. "Every game is a new game, and we don’t see ourselves changing now. I think if we can do anything, we can play better. There’s a game to play, and you can’t be fat and happy about it. You have to play 60 more solid minutes."

    Cornell is returning, and looking to repeat. The Big Red have 16 players back from last year’s championship squad, although a core of top-scoring seniors graduated — players like P.C. Drouin, Brad Chartrand and Mike Sancimino.

    RPI is looking for its second championship in three years, but returns only five players from the last title team. It’s a matchup of youth and experience on Friday.

    "It’s going to be real exciting," said Laing about Lake Placid. "One-game shots are real exciting. I can’t expect anything more."

    "We’ve won it (in 1995), and we want the younger guys to have that feeling," said RPI forward Eric Healey. "We’re going to have a lot of fun when we get up there, (but) we’ll play to win."

    PICK:Red signals war, and this game will be one. Both teams have proven that they can play defense and win. Who does it better? It will boil down to balanced scoring. Cornell 3 RPI 2

    Consolation Game (Saturday, 1 p.m.)

    Should be a feisty one between RPI and Clarkson. Clarkson makes it 3-0 over RPI this year. Clarkson 5 RPI 3

    Championship Game (Saturday, 4 p.m.)

    This is a tough defensive battle, so expect a low score. It comes down to goaltending, and Jason Elliot has the experience from last year to help him through. Cornell repeats. Cornell 2 Princeton 1

    Correction: In a recent feature story about St. Lawrence, it was incorrectly stated that Saints forwards Joel Prpic and Paul DiFrancesco were suspended by head coach Joe Marsh last year for disciplinary reasons.

    Prpic was in fact suspended, but by the school, for a variety of reasons culminating with a fight in downtown Canton.

    DiFrancesco was not involved in any way.

    Forward Derek Ladouceur did miss the same game as Prpic, but it was because of injuries sustained in the fight, and not due to a suspension of any kind.

    USCHO regrets the error, and apologizes to DiFrancesco and St. Lawrence.

    In pointing out the error, St. Lawrence head coach Joe Marsh said of DiFrancesco, "He’s one of the greatest individuals we’ve ever had here.

    "He is on the all-time team as a kid who’s beyond reproach."

    Jayson Moy is the ECAC Correspondent for U.S. College Hockey Online.

    Copyright 1997 Jayson Moy . All Rights Reserved.

    Return to Feature Articles Return to News and Recaps Return to U.S. College Hockey Online

    NCAA Tourney Analysis

    By Keith Instone (with Scott Brown)
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    Editor’s note: This analysis was compiled before the Colorado College-Denver game Thursday evening, and does not account for that result.

    This analysis is based on an examination of the Pairwise Ranking, the computer ranking system used by the NCAA tournament selection committee. The PWR compares each tourney-eligible team in Division I which has a .500 or better overall record with every other such team.

    Each such comparison is worth one PWR point, and is decided based upon five numerical criteria. The best possible score is therefore earned by winning the comparison with every other team: currently, this is held by Michigan, with 20 out of 20 possible PWR points. The lowest possible score is 0, for a team which wins no comparisons.

    We can project the 12 NCAA tourney bids via detailed looks at each criteria of comparison between all of these teams, the so-called “teams under consideration.” The key is figuring out which comparisons might change as a result of future games, and which won’t no matter what.

    For example, some comparisons are very lopsided, such as Minnesota over Michigan State. This one is currently 4-1, and there is no chance of MSU reversing it. The Gophers’ advantage is simply too great.

    On the other hand, some other team-vs-team comparisons are very close, so that a slight adjustment in one or more of the five comparison criteria — RPI rating, record versus teams under consideration, record in last 20 games, head-to-head record, and record vs. common opponents — could turn the comparison the other way.

    Figuring out when a comparison might change is based on several years of experience in tracking these things. I could be wrong on some of my guesses, of course, but I try to be very conservative in my claims.

    Four teams already have bids: Michigan, North Dakota, Clarkson and BU are in, thanks to the automatic bid the NCAA awards to the regular-season champions of the four major conferences. In addition, any team still in conference playoffs could earn an automatic bid by winning its league tourney.

    All that we can analyze now is who would (and would not) get any at-large bids after the autos have been decided. In the worst case for at-large teams (the case where no regular-season champion wins its conference tournament) there will be only four out of the 12 original NCAA tourney slots open for them.

    In the absolute worst case for a team fighting for an at-large bid, all four remaining auto bids would go to teams that otherwise rank below them. The important thing to remember for teams trying to get an at-large bid is that they are guaranteed to have lost at least one game this weekend. That’s why they’re at-larges, and not tourney champs (exception: Vermont, which is no longer in the ECAC playoffs and therefore cannot win or lose any more games at all).

    That is, if you win all of your games this weekend, you get an auto-bid and do not have to worry about your criteria for getting selected. So, at-large candidates will tend to fall a bit from their current rankings. Whoever falls the least will probably get the bids.

    Minnesota, New Hampshire and Miami all survive the absolute worst-case scenarios. In this situation, Miami and UNH will lose at most six criteria comparisons (and win 14). If four lower-ranked teams pull upsets, they still beat 10 remaining teams — and you only need to beat eight of them (since Maine is tournament-ineligible).

    That is, 21 teams under consideration, minus 12 bids minus one for Maine equals eight. That’s the number of teams you have to beat to get in. Minnesota is 13-7 at worst, so they are OK too. Call these three teams “locks” for the tournament.

    Vermont and Denver are not quite locks, but are “virtual locks.” If these teams lose all of the close criteria comparisons that they have, they could end up beating 12 and losing to eight of the teams under consideration.

    If four upsets happen in the four conference tourneys — such as Bowling Green, Boston College, Princeton and Colorado College, then there would be eight autobids, the three locks above and only one spot left for either UVM or DU. It is impossible to tell which of these two would get the 12th spot. If one regular-season winner or a lock team wins a league playoff, then both will get in, so it is very (very) unlikley that either will miss the big dance.

    MSU, Cornell and CC are clearly the “bubble” teams. MSU and Cornell could fall as far as eight criteria comparison wins and 12 losses, which is still good enough to get in. These two teams can probably only get bumped by lower-ranked teams getting auto bids.

    CC is a bit worse off, possibly going 7-13, so the Tigers could simply get caught by a team currently beneath them in the rankings.

    Said another way, for any of these bubble teams to get an at-large bid, the previous nine teams must have already been selected (since these three are way behind them). That only leaves three spots, so if a very-lowly ranked team gets an auto bid, or if one of the immediately lower teams can catch them on the criteria, any of these can get booted from the field.

    It is too hard to tell which of the three bubble teams would get bumped, but CC is the most likely to drop down.

    “In the hunt” teams are those that would not qualify today, but could get an at-large bid if things went well for them. St. Cloud is one of these, since it could win its comparisons with MSU and CC (but not Cornell) and become 9-11. If SCSU does climb up for an at-large bid, it is not clear which of the three bubble teams would get bumped, as that depends on the criteria comparisons between the three teams, most of which are volatile. But SCSU would most likely bump CC.

    No one else is in the hunt, however. Princeton can overcome SCSU on the criteria, but not any of the bubble teams, so the most comparisons it could win would be seven (and you will need eight). RPI can catch MSU and Princeton on the criteria, but not SCSU or CC, so the highest it can climb is also 7-13.

    BGSU and the lower teams under consideration that are not playing cannot even come close to moving up for an at-large bid. BC and Mass-Lowell cannot even finish at .500, so their only hope is to win out in the play-offs.

    Of course, this does not mean Princeton and BGSU cannot get into the tourney: they just need to win their conference championships to do so. They will not get an at-large bid, however.

    Seeding is not worth worrying about yet. After Friday’s results, the placement of teams within the regions will become much clearer. Then we can run actual scenarios of potential results and compute all of possible outcomes.

    After all is said and done, listen to “Around the Rinks” to hear my post-mortem analysis.

    CHUSA Names WCHA Players’ All-Star Team

    USCHO Staff Report
    -

    College Hockey U.S.A. named its WCHA Players’ All-Star team for the 1996-97 season this week.

    Each WCHA school was sent 20 ballots for players to pick the best in the league. Players are not allowed to vote for their teammates.

    This is the 24th year of the poll, which was formerly run by WDAZ-TV in Grand Forks, North Dakota before CHUSA took it over five years ago.

    FIRST TEAM

    Brian Swanson       SO   F    Colorado College
    Jason Blake         SO   F    North Dakota
    Matt Cullen         SO   F    St. Cloud State
    Mike Crowley        JR   D    Minnesota
    Eric Rud            SR   D    Colorado College
    Kirk Daubenspeck    SR   G    Wisconsin

    SECOND TEAM

    Dave Hoogsteen      SO   F    North Dakota
    Mike Peluso         JR   F    Minnesota-Duluth
    David Vallieres     SR   F    Alaska-Anchorage
    Curtis Murphy       JR   D    North Dakota
    Rick Mrozik         JR   D    Minnesota-Duluth
    Doug Tesky          SO   G    Alaska-Anchorage

    ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Brant Nicklin, freshman goaltender for Minnesota-Duluth.

    CCHA All-League Teams Announced

    USCHO Staff Report
    -

    Returning honorees Brendan Morrison of Michigan and Andy Roach of Ferris State and top vote-getter Randy Robitaille of Miami head up the All-CCHA First Team, announced by the league March 9. The team consists of the three highest vote-getting forwards, the two highest defensemen, and the top goalie.

    This is the third time Morrison has received first-team accolades, making him only the fifth CCHA player to be so honored. Roach, who led all defensemen with 75 points in all-star balloting, is a two-time first-teamer.

    The complete All-CCHA First Team is:

    Player (School), Pos               Points
    Randy Robitaille (Miami), F          90
    Brendan Morrison (Michigan), F       85
    John Madden (Michigan), F            85
    Andy Roach (Ferris State), D         75
    Dan Boyle (Miami), D                 72
    Marty Turco (Michigan), G            52

    The second team, consisting of the next three forwards, two defensemen and one goalie, includes forwards Sean Berens of Michigan State and Joe Blaznek and Jason Sessa of Lake Superior State; defensemen Joe Corvo of Western Michigan and Harold Schock of Michigan; and goaltender Trevor Prior of Miami.

    Garnering honorable mentions were John Grahame of Lake Superior State; Tyler Harlton, Mike York and Chad Alban of Michigan State; and Curtis Fry and Mike Johnson of Bowling Green.

    ECAC Announces All-Rookie Team

    USCHO Staff Report
    -

    The voting is in for the ECAC All-Rookie Team. The league’s head coaches nominated no fewer than 25 players for consideration for the team; voting, conducted to determine the top six qualifiers, identified six players above the pack — four forwards, one defenseman and one goaltender.

    The All-Rookie Team is as follows:

    Player               School        Pos    1996-97 ECAC Stats
    Dominque Auger       Princeton      D      22 GP, 3-12--15
    Ryan Campbell        Union          F      20 GP, 7- 5--12
    Peter Gardiner       Rensselaer     F      22 GP, 6-13--19
    Jeff Hamilton        Yale           F      22 GP, 7-11--18
    Ryan Moynihan        Cornell        F      22 GP, 4-13--17
    J.R. Prestifilippo   Harvard        G    .902 SV%, 2.90 GAA

    Included among the All-Rookie Team is the ECAC Rookie of the Year, who will be named and honored at the ECAC Awards Banquet on Thursday, March 13, at the Holiday Inn in Lake Placid.

    The remaining ECAC awards, including the league’s all-star teams and the Player, Rookie, Goalie and Coach of the Year, will also be announced at the banquet.

    Umile Suffers Heart Attack

    By
    -

    New Hampshire head men’s hockey coach Richard Umile was taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital at approximately 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning after suffering a heart attack at his home in Portsmouth.

    According to Nursing Supervisor Nancy Bruce, Umile was listed in fair condition as of 10 a.m. on Saturday.

    “The athletic department was shocked to hear the news about Dick,” said UNH athletic director Dr. Judith Ray. “Coach Umile is a very important part of our athletic department team and we wish him a very quick recovery.”

    On Friday night (March 7) Umile led his Wildcats to a 5-1 victory over UMass-Amherst in the quarterfinal round of the Hockey East championships.

    “Our thoughts and prayers are with him and we are very concerned about his well-being,” said senior co-captain Tim Murray. “We want to rally behind this and it would be nice to win this one for him. He has done so much for us over the years.”

    At this time, only immediate family is permitted to visit Umile. He will be moved on Sunday to the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Massachusetts.

    “I sincerely hope Coach Umile has a quick recovery,” said UMass-Amherst coach Joe Mallen. “Dick is one of the finest gentlemen in the league. I’m proud to be associated with a guy like him.”

    This Week in the ECAC: March 7, 1997

    By
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    ECAC Playoffs: Quarterfinals by Jayson Moy

    We’re down to eight teams left in the hunt for the Whitelaw Trophy, three of which have never won it — Princeton, Union and Yale. In fact, of the three, only sixth-seeded Princeton has made it as far as the championship game (a 5-1 loss in 1995 to RPI).

    Tuesday’s preliminary-round games ended the seasons of two more teams, St. Lawrence and Colgate. Thus, the Bulldogs of Yale head to Clarkson, and the Crimson of Harvard to Cornell.

    Here we go …

    No. 5 Union (18-11-3, 11-8-3 ECAC) at No. 4 RPI (17-11-4, 12-7-3 ECAC) Friday, 7:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday (if necessary), 7 p.m., Houston Fieldhouse, Troy, N.Y.

    Regular Season Nov. 16: Union 2 RPI 0 at Knickerbocker Arena, Non-League Game Jan. 17: RPI 5 Union 2 at RPI Jan. 25: RPI 3 Union 3 OT at Union

    The Capital District rivalry continues this weekend at the RPI Fieldhouse. These will be the fourth, fifth and possibly sixth meetings this year between the two rivals, which are just ten miles apart.

    "It’s deja vu," said Union forward Chris Ford.

    "That’s fine with me," said RPI coach Dan Fridgen when told of his team’s quarterfinal opponent after Saturday’s win over Princeton. "We’re playing at home, and that’s better than a lot of other scenarios. One of our goals at the beginning of the year was to get home ice for the ECAC playoffs. It’s great to achieve a goal that we set out to do."

    The exact same scenario was in place three years ago, when RPI was the third seed. It was the Dutchmen’s very first ECAC playoffs since joining the league in 1991, and the first game of that series also marked the first Union ECAC playoff win.

    "I don’t think anyone even realized the ramifications of winning that first game," said Union forward John Sicinski. "We were green, and we didn’t realize how close we were to making it to Lake Placid."

    That green team is now an experienced one; the Dutchmen have 13 seniors on their squad, and are in the quarterfinals for the first time since that year.

    "We’ve got 13 guys who played in that series three years ago," said Union forward Ryan Donovan. "There’s a lot of experience that could very well help this time around. We’re looking forward to the challenge."

    "There’s a lot of experience and a lot of excitement," said Union captain and Co-Defensive Defenseman of the Year in the ECAC Andrew Will. "Guys aren’t going to get caught up in all the hoopla this time around. We’re going to have more level heads about it."

    While it is true that Union has 13 seniors, there isn’t much playoff experience on the squad. In addition to the quarterfinal round three years ago, there has been only a prelim-round loss to Princeton two years ago. The Dutchmen did not make the playoffs last season.

    RPI doesn’t have much playoff experience, either. Five players do have the benefit of winning an ECAC Championship two years ago, but the team is comprised mostly of freshmen and sophomores, and last year’s team was swept in the quarterfinals by Vermont.

    Defense is a high point for the Dutchmen. They finished with an ECAC goals-against of 2.45, tied with Clarkson for the league lead. Goalie Trevor Koenig is the nation’s leader with a GAA of 1.99 nationally, and 2.19 in the ECAC. He has a save percentage of .934 in ECAC games (.931 overall).

    "The whole team has been playing great defense all year," said Will. "It takes a lot of help from a lot of guys."

    Not to be outdone, RPI’s defense is a silent but effective group.

    "I think, overall, our defensemen have played solidly, and have really done the job for us this season," said RPI coach Dan Fridgen. "As a matter of fact, we did something new this year with our defensemen, as far as strategy, and they adjusted to it very well. Each of the six guys brings something different to the table."

    In goal for RPI are the freshman duo of Scott Prekaski and Joel Laing. The two have combined for a wonderful season, helping concerns over the loss of Mike Tamburro, the 1995 ECAC Tournament MVP, fall by the wayside. Expect the two to split the series’ first two games.

    Offensively, the Engineers have the edge. RPI had 20 more goals during the ECAC season than Union did, anchored by its top line of Eric Healey, Alain St. Hilaire and Matt Garver — the fifth-, 13th- and 11th-leading scorers in the ECAC, respectively.

    For Union, John Sicinski leads with 31 points and Brent Ozarowski has 29. Don’t forget Ryan Campbell with 10 goals, Chris Ford’s seven, and Jamie Antoine’s power-play prowess.

    These two have met three times already, with a record of 1-1-1. But don’t expect them to use that as a gauge for this series.

    "The past is the past," said Fridgen. "You’re only as good as your last game."

    "I feel that every team is different every single game," said Union head coach Stan Moore. "The team you played before is certainly different now."

    "We’re even on the season series, so its going to be a battle," said RPI defenseman Chris Aldous, whose game-winner Saturday against Princeton gave the Engineers this home-ice advantage.

    PICK: Will both teams get caught up in the rivalry? It’s just another series to a lot of the guys on the ice, and what it will come down to is whether RPI can solve Koenig, and whether Union can hold RPI down in the third period.

    RPI in three, 2-3, 3-1, 5-2

    No. 6 Princeton (16-9-4, 11-8-3 ECAC) at No. 3 Vermont (21-8-3, 13-6-3 ECAC) Friday, 7:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday (if necessary), 7 p.m., Gutterson Fieldhouse, Burlington, Vt.

    Regular Season Jan. 10: Vermont 3 Princeton 2 at Princeton Feb. 22: Princeton 2 Vermont 0 at Vermont

    Princeton head coach Don Cahoon pretty much summed up the playoffs. "You play well, you go on. You don’t play well, and you’re all done."

    Princeton had home-ice advantage within its reach Saturday, after storming back to tie RPI, 2-2, in its own building. It would have been a first for the up-and-coming program. But after five-plus strong games, the Tigers let down in the third, thanks mostly to an RPI goal with one second left in the second period, giving the Engineers the 3-2 win.

    Cahoon was frustrated, but remained philosophical about having to go up to Vermont, the nation’s eighth-ranked team in the latest Around the Rinks/USCHO poll.

    "If we’re going to go to the next round, we’re going to have to beat a good team, regardless of where we played them or who we played," he said. "Vermont is a good team. If we’re a good enough team to be in Lake Placid, we’ll find a way to get there. We just wanted to make it a little more difficult for ourselves."

    Many observers handed Vermont the ECAC regular-season title before the season started, coming off last year’s Final Four appearance. But it didn’t quite work out that way.

    "The most important part was getting home ice," said Vermont head coach Mike Gilligan. "We had a chance for second, but things didn’t work out, so we got third, which is pretty pleasing."

    The series will take place in the noisy Gutterson Fieldhouse, which gives the Catamounts an advantage. But the last time the two teams met, on Vermont’s Senior Day, Princeton shut out the Cats 2-0.

    "It has to give the guys confidence," said Cahoon about the win. "In the back of your mind, you hope it stays there, but essentially you have to start all over again."

    "You definitely want to remember that," said Gilligan about his team’s loss. "We can use that to our advantage. That’s still fresh in our memories."

    Experience can also play a factor in the playoffs. The Cats return 20 players from last year’s Final Four squad. The Tigers return 10 players from the team that made the ECAC Championship game two years ago.

    "Our experience has helped in that regard," said Gilligan of playoff hockey. "These guys are more emotionally prepared this time of the year than all season."

    But how will this weekend’s game’s shape up between the two?

    "We’re going to have to play solid hockey all around the rink," said Cahoon. "We’ll hope to check [Martin St. Louis (right) and Eric Perrin (left)] down as much as we can.

    "[Vermont] has balanced their lines a little more. And in turn, they’ve balanced their offense a little more."

    "We had a couple of kids knocked out physically against Harvard (last Saturday)," said Gilligan. "The third and fourth lines got a lot of time. (Stephane) Piche and (J.C.) Ruid had real strong weekends as well. There are some kids who have not helped St. Louis and Perrin in the offensive department this year, and now they are starting to help them.

    "[Princeton] comes right after you. They’ve got good speed at the forward position, and we’ve got to knock them off the puck as soon as we can."

    Cahoon should have forward Scott Bertoli, the ECAC’s 12th-leading scorer, back in action after sitting most of Saturday’s game versus RPI with a groin injury.

    "We decided to rest him on Saturday," said Cahoon on Bertoli. "He dressed on Saturday, but didn’t really see the ice. Maybe I shouldn’t have dressed him, but I sat him because I chose to look at it on a long-term basis."

    The goaltending matchup should also be a good one. Expect to see Tim Thomas and Erasmo Saltarelli, two of the top five ECAC goaltenders, in net. After alternating most of the year, Saltarelli has started four straight games for the Tigers.

    If there is a second goalie for Princeton, it’s likely to be freshman Craig Bradley, who is 4-0-1 this season, including big wins over Dartmouth and Colgate.

    "I don’t know if he’ll have to carry the whole weight," said Cahoon of Saltarelli. "He’s played very well, and he’ll be the main contributor in net.

    "It will go as the series goes. If it goes to three games, I won’t be playing one goalie."

    Saltarelli has played the lion’s share of the games down the stretch, six of the last seven, and seven of the last nine. He finished the ECAC season with a 2.59 GAA and a .902 save percentage.

    Thomas, of course, has played almost every minute since coming to Vermont in 1993-94.

    "I don’t think there’s a better goalie than ours," said Gilligan of Thomas.

    Thomas admitted that he was thinking about his future early in the season, but during the stretch run, he has done a great job. He finished the season with a 2.57 GAA and .922 save percentage.

    PICK: This is a tough series. The ferocious forecheck and speed of Princeton will attempt to keep the Cats at bay. Expect a lot of hitting, and when the offense shakes loose, there will be some beautiful plays. Also expect a low-scoring series, thanks to two outstanding goaltenders. Experience will be a key factor.

    Vermont in three games, 3-2, 1-3, 4-2

    No. 8 Harvard (11-17-2, 9-10-2 ECAC) at No. 2 Cornell (17-8-4, 14-6-2 ECAC) Friday, 7:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday (if necessary), 7 p.m., Lynah Rink, Ithaca, N.Y.

    Regular Season Nov. 9: Cornell 3 Harvard 2 at Harvard Feb. 14: Cornell 2 Harvard 1 at Cornell

    The Crimson of Harvard have a one-game winning streak in the ECAC playoffs after a 4-2 victory over St. Lawrence on Tuesday night.

    "We regrouped, and it’s a solid win — after the first period anyways," said head coach Ronn Tomassoni, whose teams are not used to playing a prelim game. "We have to play 60 minutes, absolutely. We can’t go up to Clarkson or Cornell and expect to win a series. I’ll tell you, the fact of the matter is, we can beat either team, but we have to play 60 minutes each time we play.

    "At this time of the year, the competition is now going to get tougher. You have to play 60 minutes [of hockey] if you want to win a championship. We kind of dodged a bullet (Tuesday), no question about it."

    Now the Crimson face Cornell, the team that beat them for the ECAC Championship last year in Lake Placid.

    "We wanted to play Cornell, definitely, over Clarkson," said Harvard forward Rob Millar. "We owe them a lot. Last year they knocked us out 2-1. They’ve beaten us by one goal in the last four games we’ve played them."

    The Crimson are the hated rivals at Lynah Rink, for fans, players and the Pep Band. It’s a huge rivalry, and it looms large on the Crimson.

    "Now that we’re playing Cornell, we’ll probably have enough crowd for the whole playoffs," said freshman goaltender J.R. Prestifilippo.

    "Cornell, it’s a great place to play," said Harvard captain Ashlin Halfnight. "I love going up there. It’s the type of thing where we have some payback to do up there."

    Cornell’s recent dominance over Harvard is a far cry from the way it was in the decade before (other than a quarterfinal win in 1990). And Cornell’s crowd is legendary, but it sees Harvard as THE rival. It has gotten nasty recently at Harvard games, but Cornell coach Mike Schafer has helped tone things down slightly this year.

    "It’s a great place to play and it’s a great atmosphere," said Tomassoni. "Last year, when we went up there, I thought it went a little above and beyond, they were actually throwing at us. I don’t think anyone should be abused where they got blood and fish guts on their jersey, and a jersey that’s going to stay in their hotel room for another night. I don’t think anyone has to be subjected to that kind of treatment.

    "I’m not trying to discourage enthusiasm by any means. Like I said, it’s always been a great place to play, it’s an exciting place to play, and there’s nothing better when you hear nothing up in Ithaca, New York.

    "It’s pretty difficult not to get pumped up there. In my opinion, Gutterson rivals it, but I don’t think there’s any better place to play than Lynah."

    But let’s not forget about the opposition, the Big Red themselves.

    Jason Elliot has a GAA of 2.70 and a save percentage of .912 in league play. Expect to see him in net for the series; after all he was the ECAC Tournament MVP last year in the Big Red’s run.

    For the Crimson, Prestifilippo has been the go-to guy in the nets.

    "J.R. has been the rock," said Tomassoni. "He has been simply outstanding. He’s only a freshman, but he has not played like a freshman. He’s been consistent — he’s given us the opportunity to win every game, regardless of how we’ve played. He’s also a tremendous competitor, mature beyond his years, and as tough a kid mentally as I’ve coached."

    Harvard has picked up the offense lately, scoring 14 goals in three games. This is almost one goal more per game than the Crimson scored in the first 20 ECAC games.

    Cornell on offense has such balanced scoring that only one member of the Big Red makes the list of ECAC leading scorers — Kyle Knopp. Knopp has 23 points, 12 of them goals, on a team that has 80 ECAC goals.

    "From now on here, you don’t win, you go home," said Tomassoni. "This team, if they get it in their mind, in my opinion they can win a championship, and that’s just not saying it to motivate them, I believe it in my heart."

    Besides the fans at Lynah, the rink itself might make a difference according to Millar.

    "The ice is hard. That’s good for our speed," he said. "We match up really well against them. We think that we’re due and we’re looking for two wins there this weekend. We expect that. Right now we’re only one of two teams that are 1-0, we have the momentum."

    PICK: There have been four straight one-goal games in this series. The two teams have a great rivalry, and it’s further intensified by the crowd at Lynah. Probably low-scoring here, but to whose advantage does that work? The team that has the lead will be tough to beat.

    Cornell in three, 2-4, 4-2, 4-1

    No. 10 Yale (10-17-3, 6-13-2 ECAC) at No. 1 Clarkson (24-8-0, 17-5-0 ECAC) Friday, 7:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday (if necessary), 7 p.m., Cheel Arena, Potsdam, N.Y.

    Regular Season Nov. 9: Yale 5 Clarkson 2 at Clarkson Feb. 15: Clarkson 2 Yale 0 at Yale

    Let’s start off with one ominous fact that bodes in Clarkson’s favor and not in Yale’s: Clarkson has not lost at Cheel Arena in the playoffs — ever.

    The Golden Knights are 9-0 since Cheel opened in the 1991 season in the ECAC playoffs. In fact, their first wins were a two-game quarterfinal sweep of Yale.

    Meanwhile, after Tuesday’s win, Yale still hasn’t lost in the ECAC playoffs since 1993. Of course, the Bulldogs haven’t participated in the playoffs since then, so the postseason is new to this entire group. Tuesday’s win was the Bulldogs’ first in the postseason since 1991 at Brown.

    The last win in the quarterfinal round was back in 1987 against … you guessed it: Clarkson.

    "You have to give the kids an awful lot of credit," said head coach Tim Taylor. "We’ve been playing great defense and Alex Westlund was excellent against Colgate."

    Freshman Cory Shea’s first-period goal and 46 saves by Westlund propelled the Bulldogs to Potsdam. Yale has now won three of its last five, and lost the other two by just one goal apiece. The Bulldogs are getting on track at the right time of the year.

    "We know they’re hot," said Clarkson head coach Mark Morris. "There is no doubt that they’re the underdog. We know to respect them enough that right now, they can knock anyone off. A lot of their success has come from their defense and Alex Westlund.

    "He’s been hot, and when we last played them he kept us off the boards until there were five minutes to go in the game. Timmy’s [Taylor] got them playing some solid defense."

    "We’ve learned how to do the little things," said Taylor. "We’re getting pretty good at protecting our goaltender. If we can keep the games close, we’ll have a chance.

    "We have to play a defensive position," he added. "The stats don’t lie. We’re last in goals scored in our league. This year we have young forwards, and their offense will improve with age."

    Clarkson’s defense is not too shabby either. The Golden Knights tied Union for the fewest goals allowed in ECAC competition, and goaltender Dan Murphy is a rock in net. He finished the season with a 2.28 GAA and a .919 save percentage.

    The Golden Knights are an experienced playoff team as well, making the NCAA tournament the last two years, and the ECAC Final Four seven straight seasons.

    "I like to think that experience makes a difference," said Morris. "But every year is a new experience for everyone. And every time you assume, you fall short, so we have to stay focused."

    "I’ve always been skeptical about experience," said Taylor, offering a different perspective. "Our team is young and has not been in the playoffs, but five weeks ago we were well out of the playoffs fighting for our lives. In those five weeks we’ve gotten into the playoff picture, and we got a playoff spot. We’ve been in the playoffs for the last five weeks."

    Offense is the story for the Golden Knights. They led the ECAC in goals scored in league play, and have the ECAC’s scoring champ in senior Todd White.

    "It will be one key," said Taylor of stopping White. "We have to stay on top of him and try to shut him out. He’s effective at all aspects of the game. Offense, defense, power play or penalty kill, there isn’t one facet of the game that he does not excel at."

    "He (White), along with two of the other seniors in J.F. Houle and Matt Pagnutti, have been extremely steady," said Morris. "They have consistently put up the numbers, and night in and night out they’ve made a difference. Our record shows that they have shown up week in and week out. And as our newcomers got into our system, it has helped."

    One other factor that might play a part in this series is fatigue. Yale will play its fourth and fifth games in eight days this weekend.

    "The travel is a concern," said Taylor. "The kids are just not used to the travel. It’s my job as the coach to make sure that the kids do not get fatigued. We got off the bus on (Wednesday) morning at 4 a.m., and now we’re getting ready to leave for a seven-hour bus ride to Upstate New York (Thursday).

    "In the meantime, Clarkson’s been sitting at home for a week, and are just waiting for us."

    "I would like to think that it’s our advantage," said Morris. "They had to play Tuesday night, and it has to bear on their energy level."

    PICK: Yale is playing with confidence and young legs. Clarkson has the experience, and is playing at home. Clarkson didn’t finish in first place to get knocked out in the quarterfinals.

    Clarkson in two, 5-2 and 6-3

    It’s off to the Adirondacks and the cozy confines of the 1980 Olympic Ice Arena next weekend, when the ECAC Final Four battle for the right for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and the Scotty Whitelaw Trophy.

    All games from Lake Placid can be heard on AudioNet, so if you can’t get to the arena, or to an area that’s carrying the TV feed, tune in via the Internet. Around the Rinks host, and four-year Princeton play-by-play announcer Adam Wodon is on the call, while Harvard color announcer Geoff Howell provides the commentary.

    These are original broadcasts, not re-feeds from local radio. This is true, national, Inter-Network coverage.

    Contributors to this article: Rebecca A. Blaeser of the Harvard Crimson Eric A. Wong, game reporter for USCHO Ken Schott of The Daily Gazette Bob Weiner of The Daily Gazette

    Some pictures provided by: Kyle Rose of Cornell Yale University Athletics

    Jayson Moy is the ECAC Correspondent for U.S. College Hockey Online.

    Copyright 1997 Jayson Moy . All Rights Reserved.

    Return to Feature Articles Return to News and Recaps Return to U.S. College Hockey Online

    Mankato Sets Full Division I Schedule for 97-98

    USCHO Staff Report
    -

    Mankato State announced its schedule for the 1997-98 hockey season this week, including 14 games against members of the WCHA, as the school looks to fully upgrade to Division I.

    All 34 games on the Mankato State schedule are against Division I opponents. This season, Mankato’s schedule featured 17 games against Division I programs and the Mavericks went 7-9-1 in those games. Mankato State finished the 1996-97 season with a 17-14-3 record.

    Mankato State will play two games each with Michigan State and Ferris State of the CCHA, as well as hosting a pair against Union of the ECAC, and eight games against fellow Division I Independents Air Force, Niagara and Nebraska-Omaha.

    Eight of the teams on Mankato State’s 1997-98 schedule either are ranked, have been ranked or have received votes to be ranked during this season. Those teams are North Dakota, Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth, Colorado College, Denver, St. Cloud State, Michigan State and Union.

    This Week in Hockey East: March 7, 1997

    By
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    Hockey East Playoffs: Quarterfinals by Dave Hendrickson

    The second season begins with New Hampshire and Boston University the heavy favorites, based on their regular-season dominance. Providence, however, could be poised for some serious playoff deja vu and Merrimack is playing as well as anyone in the tournament.

    Darkhorses Boston College, UMass-Lowell, UMass-Amherst and Northeastern will be looking to get to the FleetCenter and then roll the dice.

    Hockey East Final Standings

    Last week’s record in picks: 5-2 Season record in picks: 120-71

    No. 1 seed vs. No. 8 seed Northeastern (8-23-3, 3-19-2 HE) at No. 7 Boston University (20-8-6, 16-4-4 HE) Friday, Saturday, Sunday (if necessary) 7 p.m., Walter Brown Arena, Boston, MA NESN

    Boston University took two games at home to gain a share of the Hockey East crown and grab the top seed. First, the Terriers knocked off a resurgent Merrimack squad, 2-1. Then, in one of the most highly-touted games of the year, they beat UNH 5-1. After that game, coach Jack Parker explained how the Terriers held the third-highest scoring team in the nation to only one goal.

    "We used our first two lines against their first two lines all the time," said Parker, who had the last change at home. "I think Chris Drury is one of the best defensive players in college hockey besides being a great offensive player. Shane Johnson is a defenseman playing left wing on that line so he gives it a lot more oomph defensively. [And on our other top line, Shawn] Bates gave us a fabulous game defensively."

    Michel Larocque (of Gibraltar) again played a strong game between the pipes. Larocque has emerged from Tom Noble’s shadow to become one of the top goalies in the league in just his sophomore year. His recent strong performances forced Parker to abandon his usual rotation and play Larocque against both Merrimack and UNH. Larocque responded, saving 48 of 50 shots on the weekend, earning him Hockey East Player of the Week honors.

    Although the Terriers have consistently played strong defense this year, the offense has experienced peaks and valleys. "A couple guys are snakebitten, " said Parker, pointing in particular to Mike Sylvia and Bates. "I think they’ve all played hard all year, but the puck has jumped in the net for Drury, but for the rest of them it comes and goes sometimes.

    "It’s amazing how consistently Sylvia plays and yet his consistency doesn’t show on the scoresheet. Sometimes he gets on fire and gets a few points and then all of a sudden, even though he’s playing just as well and and getting opportunities, the puck just isn’t going in the net for him."

    Sylvia had a big breakaway goal, however, to open the UNH game. After tallies by Johnson and Jeff Kealty, Chris Kelleher’s missile from the blue line proved the back-breaker.

    "Chris Kelleher is one of the best-kept secrets in Hockey East," said Parker. "Jon Coleman gets a lot of ink and a lot of talk but Chris Kelleher is having a heck of a season for us and he had a heck of a game."

    Typically, when BU has struggled, it has been lack of up front depth that has hurt them. They’ve played many games with only nine forwards, and recently resorted to double-shifting Chris Drury. That move, however, transformed one of the top players in the game into a tired mere mortal.

    As a result, the play of a newly-formed fourth line consisting of Pete Donatelli, Bobby Hanson, and Greg Quebec gave the Terriers other three lines a big boost. Donatelli, who seems tentative on lines with the bigger stars, played aggressively against UNH.

    "That line played great," said Parker. "They kept our legs for us and they gave us some real good opportunities, especially Pete Donatelli. I thought he played a great game.

    "If we can stay healthy and not lose anyone else, we can have four lines again. The way the fourth line has played, we’re really happy with that. Billy Pierce has done a great job moving to third line center after the departure of Brendan Walsh.

    "I thought Dan LaCouture played great. He really gave that line [with Pierce and Matt Wright] some speed and some quickness. He set up a goal and played extremely well."

    With the way that Parker was generously handing out plaudits, the zamboni driver perhaps was wondering, "What am I, chopped liver?" Even so, Parker’s pats on the back are deserved for a team that sustained considerable losses but still won their fourth straight regular season championship, a Hockey East record.

    The measuring stick for Terrier teams, however, is the post-season, which they will open against Northeastern. Had BU not beaten UNH, they would instead be playing UMass-Amherst.

    "The last time we played them, we beat them 5-4 here in a real battle," said Parker. "They are a bigger rivalry of ours than UMass so it gets us [digging in] our heels a little bit because we don’t want Northeastern to come in and beat us. We’ll have our hands full with them. I’m sure that [Bruce Crowder] will have something up his sleeve to try to change things around."

    Noble, supplanted by Larocque last weekend, will open the series in the Terrier crease. Tommi Degerman, who has missed the last few weeks with a knee injury, is not expected to play.

    Northeastern gave BC a tough time before losing 7-5 on Friday, and then closed out the season with a 4-2 win over UMass-Lowell. The win had a distinctive freshman flavor for the rebuilding Huskies, with Marc Robitaille recording 39 saves and Todd Barclay tallying two goals. Scott Campbell, a junior, added two goals and three assists on the weekend to seize the team scoring lead. The Huskies are finally scoring goals, averaging five a game in their last three, despite being held to under three over the entire season.

    "I thought we played pretty strong on the weekend," said coach Bruce Crowder. "Even in the loss to BC we didn’t quit. We made it a one-goal game before BC got an open-netter. I like the commitment in the kids and their work ethic.

    "Then it was nice to finish up the regular season with a win. Hopefully that’s going to help us in the playoffs."

    One unexpected scoring source of late has been Eric Goclowski, a walk-on who scored his first goal and added two assists against BC. In his last three games, Goclowski has totaled six of his seven career points.

    "He’s one of those kids who was always sitting in the wings and you wondered whether you should give him a shot or not," said Crowder. "We did give him some opportunities throughout the year, but then he had a good weekend against Merrimack two weeks ago and he also played well against BC. He’s making the most of his opportunities. He’s one of those kids who had paid the price and was tired of sitting. Now he’s trying to make the most out of his playing time."

    Even though BU swept the series with Northeastern, including an 8-1 debacle early in the season, a strong performance in a 5-4 loss in January gives hope to the Husky cause.

    "All in all, I think we match up," said NU coach Bruce Crowder. "If I had to have my pick whether I was going to play UNH or BU, I think BU would be a little better, because we’ve just had some closer games with them. So it becomes more of an encouraging factor for us.

    "UNH absolutely took it to us for three games in a row. At least [against] BU, we played them pretty strong the last time in there. At least there’s some of that confidence there that will be with the team in practice this week.

    "But it’s really a David and Goliath thing. Obviously they’re the number one seed and we’re the eighth. Except for the Maine situation, we really shouldn’t be in the playoffs. We’ll just get our kids ready to go, get them playing the best that they can and who knows what will happen."

    When asked how specifically he might prepare for BU, the ever-quotable Crowder quipped, "Probably through video, and [any] other thing we can find on them. I’ll go to the different synagogues and churches."

    PICK:It wouldn’t be a total shock to see this one go three games, despite the mismatch on paper. Northeastern may be the best 3-19-2 team in memory. That said, look for BU, 5-4 and 6-3.

    No. 2 seed vs. No. 7 seed UMass-Amherst (12-21-0, 7-17-0 HE) at No. 6 New Hampshire (25-9-0, 18-6-0 HE) Friday, Saturday, Sunday (if necessary) 7 p.m., Whittemore Center, Durham, NH

    UNH beat Providence 7-5 on Friday to give itself the chance to take full ownership of its first regular season Hockey East crown. A win or a tie against BU would do the trick. Instead the Wildcats lost 5-1, settling for a half-share of the title and second seed in the playoffs.

    If tying a game is kissing your sister, then losing half the league title in a head-to-head 5-1 loss is kissing your Aunt Edna, the one who reeks of bad breath and cheap perfume.

    "Obviously we lost the game in the second period," said UNH coach Dick Umile. "There was just a two- or three-minute stretch that they took the game away from us. I thought the game was up for grabs except for that stretch.

    "I don’t think they shut us down offensively just because we didn’t score goals. I thought [Larocque] played well and… we just didn’t put it in the net.

    "We were disappointed after the game. We talked about it Monday prior to practice. But the bottom line is that we shared the regular season championship. The head-to-head competition only affects where you’re seeded. Now we just hope to move on to the FleetCenter and have the opportunity to win the Hockey East championship."

    The Wildcats, who appeared to be revving up for the playoffs with a seven-game win streak, now must look to rebound after losing three of their last four. With the top offense in the league and the second best defensive ranking, UNH can still put together a championship season.

    "In the playoffs it’s always important to play good defense and do well in specialty situations," said Umile. "Those are the key components. We also want to control the number of shots and do what we do well." Anyone who has watched the Wildcats this year will know what they do very well: fill the net, early and often.

    After a three-game win streak in mid-January, the Minutemen have hit tough times, dropping nine of their last 10 contests. They’ve had the misfortune to face Maine at the worst possible time, drawing one of the nation’s hottest teams three of the last four games. This past weekend, the Black Bears again took no prisoners, beating UMass 10-3.

    "The Maine team I saw was as good as any we played in the league all year," said Minuteman coach Joe Mallen. "If they went into the playoffs they could do a lot of damage in our league.

    "The top three teams in the league — BU, Maine and UNH — have posted some lopsided scores against us, but I feel that [against the rest] we’ve been very competitive all year long. A couple games against Maine and UNH got away from us, but so be it.

    Right now I feel that our team can pull itself together and get ready to play. We played a heck of a game against BC a week ago. You can’t go too high with the highs and too low with the lows…. No matter what, we’ve got a chance to crank it up and try to make it to the FleetCenter. We’re going to go out and give it our best."

    Earlier in the season, the Minutemen almost beat the Wildcats in back-to-back games at home, losing 1-0 and 5-4 in overtime. More recently, however, they dropped a 10-0 embarrassment in the UNH barn where this weekend’s games will be played. Mallen hopes to put games like that one and the ones against Maine behind them.

    "Like everybody says at this time of year, it’s 0-0 going into the playoffs and the records are all the same," he said. "We’ve certainly rode the highs and lows, but we’ve done some great things this season. It’s two out of three, let’s wind it up and watch it go."

    PICK:UNH 7-3 and 6-3.

    No. 3 seed vs. No. 6 seed UMass-Lowell (13-20-1, 9-14-1 HE) at Providence (15-18-1, 12-11-1 HE) Friday, Saturday, Sunday (if necessary) 7 p.m., Schneider Arena, Providence, RI

    Providence closed out the regular season with a 7-5 loss to UNH. However, the Friars still finished February with a 6-2-0 record.

    "We’ve got to execute, play defensively and understand who we are," said PC coach Paul Pooley. "There’s nothing wrong with the New Jersey Devils or the Florida Panthers. We’re not the Edmonton Oilers, we’re not the UNH Wildcats, we’re the Friars and we’ve got to play the way we’re capable of playing. We’ve got to realize that simplicity is best for us and not the really fancy stuff.

    "Up ice, we didn’t give up many bad breaks, two-on-one and three-on-two. It was just down low defensively that we broke down a little bit. But give UNH credit. That’s where one-on-one skill comes in and they can do that."

    The Friars now face UMass-Lowell, who they have controlled in all three of their recent games, outscoring the River Hawks by a cumulative 19-5 score.

    "It doesn’t mean a thing," said PC coach Paul Pooley. "Absolutely nothing…. You throw the regular season out the window. Start all over.

    "At playoff time it’s always the people that execute what they want to do that win, no matter what system they use. If your team executes what you want to do, all other things being equal, especially goaltending and specialty teams, then you have an opportunity to win. The team that wins the one-on-one battles and makes the right decisions at the right time wins hockey games. It’s more mental than physical, I believe."

    The Friars, often viewed as a one-dimensional, defense-only team, averaged 5.6 goals a game in February and rank third in scoring among tourney teams. Russ Guzior scored another two goals against UNH. The senior, who couldn’t throw the puck in the Atlantic for parts of the year, now leads the team in scoring with 38 points.

    In recent weekends, Pooley has gone with every possible combination of Dan Dennis and Mark Kane in the nets, some weekends giving both games to the hot hand, and other times splitting the games. Dan Dennis, a preseason All-Hockey East pick who has had an inconsistent year, appeared to have won the job back until the UNH game.

    Although he settled down in the second and third periods, he opened poorly. Giving up seven goals, even to UNH, is not the way for a goaltender to hold onto his job. Pooley will be evaluating the two during practice this week to determine who gets the call.

    UMass-Lowell makes for a near-exact counterpoint to Providence. The River Hawks dropped a 4-2 contest to Northeastern, falling to 0-9-1 in their last 10 games. Defenseman Mike Nicholishen finally snapped a Lowell streak of over 478 minutes without a lead when he scored at the 14 minute mark of the first, but Northeastern came back to tie it up and never trailed again.

    "Both programs are rebuilding and from that sense we can kind of empathize with each other," said UML coach Tim Whitehead. "Obviously I wanted to win the game, but at least we lost to Bruce’s team. We tried a lot of things over the month of February, and the good news is that February is over."

    With the no-lead streak behind them, Lowell will be looking to keep a much more positive streak going. They’ll be looking to make their fifth straight appearance in the Hockey East semifinals. Only BU can match that same consistency in the last four years.

    "We’ve got a big challenge ahead of us with the defending champions," said Whitehead. "They’ve got a great, strong, balanced team. At the same time anything can happen. It’s a clean slate for the playoffs…. We know we’re the youngest team in the league, but we’re going to be focused. We’re going to be the underdogs going in. I don’t mind that role."

    PICK:Providence 6-2 and 5-2.

    No. 4 seed vs. No. 5 seed Boston College (13-18-3, 9-12-3 HE) at Merrimack (15-17-2, 11-11-2 HE) Thursday, Friday, Saturday (if necessary), 7 p.m., Volpe Center, North Andover, MA

    Merrimack went into last weekend needing a single point to clinch its first-ever Division I playoff home ice. The Warriors almost got it against BU, losing 2-1 on Friday.

    "Both teams went hard all night, but we made a couple mistakes and you can’t afford to do that against a team as talented as they are because they’ll capitalize," said MC coach Ron Anderson. "We had some chances but [Larocque] played very well for them."

    Then, with home ice in the balance, Merrimack jumped out to a 4-0 lead only to see BC claw back, first to 4-2, and then, with the goalie lifted, to 4-3. The Warriors pulled out the win, however, to grab home ice.

    "BC has a lot of talent," said Anderson. "We were holding on at the end. I thought we played well early, but they really came on and took it to us later in the game."

    Even though Merrimack swept the season’s series against BC, 5-2, 11-5, and 4-3, Anderson feels that the two teams were closer than the sweep would indicate.

    "The [5-2] game at their place, they outplayed us badly," he said. "We just won on the scoreboard. This weekend the game was pretty even. The only one that got away was the [11-5] second game of the series. So I don’t think we’ve outplayed them badly at all.

    "We have to continue to stay on our game defensively because they’re so talented offensively. You can’t let Reasoner, Bellefeuille, Farkas and those guys get away from you. We have to make sure we stay focused and play hard, honest defense and make sure that we don’t need a lot of goals to win."

    Boston College beat Northeastern 7-5 to set up the winner-take-all battle for home ice with Merrimack. Unfortunately for the Eagles, the winner was Merrimack.

    "Certainly we were excited about beating Northeastern in a close game on Friday night," said BC coach Jerry York. "That meant a series sweep of all three games for us. Despite Northeastern’s record they’ve been a difficult team for us to play against.

    "But just the opposite happened the next night. We lost a 4-3 game to lose that series 3-0 to Merrimack. We woke up late in the game, down 4-0, got it to 4-3 with 43 seconds left and actually had a chance to send it into OT."

    Although some coaches, most notably BU’s Jack Parker, feel that a sweep can give the psychological advantage to the vanquished, York laughed and said, "I’d rather have won all three and gotten home ice."

    York would like to see the Eagles pick up their scoring pace, something they achieved on Friday night against Northeastern. Blake Bellefeuille, who York shifted off Marty Reasoner’s wing to center another line, notched his first hat trick, earning his third Hockey East Rookie of the Week honor for the feat.

    "He’s a natural center," said York. "Over the course of the year you have different needs and I thought we needed to have him with Marty. But now he’s become a seasoned veteran late in his freshman year and we feel he can carry a line by himself. So he’s at center, the pivotal position on a line, and he’s ready for that. He’s had a remarkable freshman year. We’re really excited to have him where he is now, going into the playoffs."

    Bellefeuille scored two of his three goals while short-handed, crediting a more aggressive penalty kill.

    "We’d like to score [more short-handed] goals," said York. "We’ve given up a lot of them and teams are vulnerable, just because of that that ‘we’re on the power play’ feeling. But you still need to execute and Blake did a great job with the two short-handed goals.

    "We’ve been very impressed with [Merrimack’s] play. In [Darrel] Scoville and [John] Jakopin, they have two of the top defensemen in our conference. Certainly Legault has played very well against us, too. We’re going into it realizing that we can win the series, but also realizing it’s going to be a difficult task."

    PICK: Does the fearless scribe pick BC over Merrimack a fourth time, after a regular-season strikeout? It’s tough to teach an old dog, especially a stubborn one, new tricks, but this one buys into Merrimack Magic. BC 4-3, Merrimack 3-2, and Merrimack 5-4.

    Dave Hendrickson is the Hockey East Correspondent for U.S. College Hockey Online.

    Copyright 1997 Dave Hendrickson . All Rights Reserved.

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    This Week in the CCHA: March 7, 1997

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    CCHA Playoffs: Quarterfinals CCHA Playoffs: Quarterfinals by Paula C. Weston

    You’ve heard the cliches: It’s all even in the playoffs. Everyone’s at zero-zero. Anything can happen. Equality? A level playing field? If you’re a fan of the CCHA, you know these phrases mean nothing — and everything. Two of the four CCHA playoff series are almost-sure bets to go three games. Bowling Green travels to Lake Superior, a team the Falcons swept in regular season play; Western Michigan visits Michigan State for a physical, even matchup between in-state rivals.

    The only series that’s almost guaranteed to be a two-game affair is the Nanooks-Wolverines series in Ann Arbor. While Alaska-Fairbanks finished the season playing very good hockey, the games are in Ann Arbor, and this is Michigan. Which teams will advance to the Joe? Is it predetermined that the top four will go? Is the Championship predetermined? As the CCHA playoffs begin, possibility hangs as heavy as the fog in the tiny OSU Ice Rink on a 70-degree day. The suspense is palpable. A crystal ball would be useful. (Note: in what follows, the numerical designator denotes a team’s CCHA playoff seed — e.g., "No. 3 Michigan State.") No. 5 Bowling Green (15-15-5, 10-12-5 CCHA) at No. 4 Lake Superior (19-12-5, 15-8-4 CCHA) Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (if necessary), 7 p.m., Taffy Abel Arena, Sault Ste. Marie, MI At the beginning of the season, the Falcons had hoped to build on last season’s 18-11-1 conference record and fifth-place finish in the CCHA. Bowling Green’s league record was once again good enough for a share of fifth place, but the Falcons have more league losses than wins, and their overall record is an even .500. Toward the end of the season, when it was apparent that Bowling Green would be traveling for the playoffs, head coach Buddy Powers talked about the disappointment of an injury-laden season. Toward the end, Powers said, it was all too clear that the Falcons would finish with a record that could ensure a short post-season if the team didn’t take the CCHA Championship. With that in mind, the Falcons head to the Soo. "I think everything’s at zero," says Powers. "We’re all trying to get to Joe Louis Arena." Although Bowling Green is the road team and the Lakers have the advantage in conference wins, BG may actually have an edge in this series. The Falcons beat the Lakers three times this season, and are 4-2-0 against Lake Superior for the last two seasons. The last home loss the Lakers experienced was at the hands of the Falcons back in October, and Laker head coach Scott Borek says his team remembers. "They don’t have to be 100 percent to beat us," says Borek. "They have our number." Indeed, the Falcons haven’t been a hundred percent since their first loss of the season, to Michigan State, Nov. 1. (During the months of November and December, the Falcons were 2-10-2.) Among the injured have been some of the top BG guns, like Kelly Perrault and Curtis Fry. "Fry sat out Saturday," says Powers, and Adam Edinger "played in regular five-on-five situations" against Michigan State last weekend. "He got a regular workout," says Powers.

    Powers expects every able-bodied — or even semi-able-bodied — Falcon to suit up for the Lake series. "Any player who wants to don a sweater will." "They’re a team that’s very dangerous, because they’ve been through a lot this season," says Borek of BGSU. "It probably affects their edge. They’ll have a much better edge going into this series. We can’t afford a slow start against Bowling Green. "The one positive is that when we’re playing them we have a ton of respect for them." It sounds like the respect is mutual. "We’ve got a bit of a mountain to get past with these guys," says Powers of Lake. "If anything, we’ve given them fuel by beating them three times this season. It’s a difficult task, and this is the time of year when you want difficult tasks." Borek says he can see this series going to three games. "It very easily could. It depends on how the team that loses on Friday responds. There’s every potential for this to go to three." All depends on which fire burns brightest in which belly. With solid goaltending from Bob Petrie, Bowling Green has emerged from its early season slumber to claw its way into fifth place. The potential exists for either team — but not both — to receive an invitation from the NCAA. "The bottom line our league," says Borek, "is that Lake has to get to Joe Louis Arena to be considered for the NCAA. We’ll need to get to the final game, at least, to be considered." For Bowling Green, winning the CCHA Championship is the only ticket to the NCAA playoffs. PICK: Bowling Green in three. No. 6 Western Michigan (14-6-5, 10-12-5 CCHA) at No. 3 Michigan State (20-11-4, 16-7-4 CCHA) Friday 7 p.m., Saturday 4 p.m., Sunday 7 p.m. (if necessary), Munn Ice Arena, East Lansing, MI Michigan State head coach Ron Mason is a master of understatement, and Mason claims that having home ice advantage will matter very little in this series. "Our road and home records have always been good; we play well in both spots," says Mason. "Of course, I’d much rather be playing at home than on the road. "You can come from behind easier at home," he allows. Western Michigan assistant coach Jim Culhane isn’t fooled. "Obviously, it’s going to be a tough place for us to play," he says. "They have such a strong tradition of winning, especially at Munn. It’s going to be a difficult environment for us to play in." Culhane says that "[keeping the] crowd quiet by playing our best early" is one strategy that the Broncos will try to employ. Last season, Western Michigan finished with a share of third place in the CCHA with a 21-6-3 league record. Bowling Green prevented them from going to The Joe, but the Broncos received an at-large bid in the NCAA Eastern Regionals. Clarkson ended their post-season, beating the Broncos 6-1. The sudden loss of goaltender Marc Maglarditi before the start of this season threw the Broncos off until sophomore Matt Barnes found his feet. Barnes is largely responsible for Western’s remarkable record of only four home losses this season. With a save percentage of .882 in his 1,624 minutes in net, Barnes has proven to be one of the more consistent goaltenders in the CCHA. Barnes faces Spartan goaltender Chad Alban, whose save percentage is .899. But the bigger difference between the two is in goals against. Barnes has allowed an average of 3.4 goals against per league game — a figure that has dropped steadily throughout the season — but Alban, with a GAA of 2.65, is one of the few CCHA goaltenders who can claim a figure lower than three. Coaches from both teams expect tough games. "I expect the Broncos to work hard," says Mason. "I expect them to play the way they always play, with a tough defensive style. It’s a good matchup for us. We’d just as soon play them as anyone." "Both teams are going to play very hard," says Culhane. "The big thing is going to be special teams. If we can stay disciplined and not take a lot of penalties, we’ll be in those games." Although Mason says the Spartans aren’t looking beyond this weekend’s games, he says he knows that Michigan State needs to get past this weekend to be considered for the NCAA tournament. "We have to get to Joe Louis to give ourselves a chance for the NCAA," says Mason. "We frittered away some games out East [early, against Boston College and Northeastern] that cost us." Culhane knows the only way the Broncos will advance to NCAA tournament play is with a CCHA title. "There’s no question," he says. "But you don’t look ahead. Your first step is Munn. "Our kids work very hard. They’ve had four losses at home all year. We have to play with that emotion and confidence away from Lawson." There’s no doubt that the Broncos will be playing with emotion and confidence–but so will the Spartans. PICK: Michigan State in three. No. 7 Ohio State (12-23-2, 9-16-2 CCHA) at No. 2 Miami (25-10-1, 19-7-1 CCHA) Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (if necessary), 7 p.m., Goggin Ice Arena, Oxford, OH This series pits two teams whose stories are finishing far differently from what everyone expected at the beginning of the season. Miami took second place in the CCHA, while Ohio State made the playoffs. Each team considers its season a success. Ohio State hasn’t advanced past the first round of the CCHA playoffs since the 1986-87 season. Ohio State has seen accomplishments this season that it hasn’t seen in years — a seven-game unbeaten streak, a player with 20 goals. The Buckeyes ended their season with a loss against Michigan, a game in which they led the Wolverines for two periods. Can all this give the Buckeyes the confidence to think about upsetting Miami? "They’ve beaten us three times, twice very convincingly," says Buckeye head coach John Markell. "Naturally, we’re aware of that. "Nothing less 100 percent will beat Miami." The Buckeyes were definitely less than that in their first two games against Miami this season. In both games, the Buckeyes lost by six goals. In the first game, Miami scored six goals in the first period; in the second, it was five goals for Miami in the first. The Buckeyes lost those two games while seriously outshooting Miami. The third game, in Oxford, was decidedly different. Ohio State led Miami for two periods in that game. "We have tremendous respect for them," says Miami head coach Mark Mazzoleni. "They gave us everything we could handle last time they were here." Still, Miami seems to own this Buckeye team, in large part because of goaltending. Two of those losses were recorded by Buckeye freshman goaltender Ray Aho. Aho says he feels the need to "redeem" himself in Goggin. During the recent Buckeye unbeaten streak, Aho was 4-0-1, with a GAA of 3.0 exactly. He was also twice named CCHA Defensive Player of the Week during the streak. Markell says Aho’s confidence has helped the team play more confidently in front of him. "We feel pretty good about our defense," says Markell. "We’re boxing out a lot better."

    Aho has had help from fellow walk-on Ryan Skaleski. At 6’3" and 210 pounds, "he gives us a strength factor," says Markell. If the Buckeyes continue to play well, it could almost be like meeting a new team for Miami. "They haven’t seen us play since we’ve been playing as well as we have," says Markell. Markell talks about containing Miami players like Randy Robitaille and Dan Boyle, but he says it’s Ohio State that his players are most concerned with. "We have to put some of our chances in the net. We’ve outshot them before, but you don’t win a game by outshooting opponents. You have to outscore opponents." Miami is riding a season-ending high, having beaten Michigan 4-2 during Miami’s last game of the regular season. Mazzoleni calls last weekend’s wins (including a Friday win over Western Michigan) "very emotional." Mazzoleni says that his team is very relaxed going into the playoffs. "I don’t think there’s pressure at all. Our focus over these last six games of the season has been just to get to Joe Louis. That doesn’t change." Miami will probably get a bid to the NCAA tournament even if Ohio State pulls off an upset. But Miami probably won’t need to worry about that. "Hopefully," says Markell, "they’ll make mistakes we can capitalize on." Hopefully, but unlikely. PICK: Miami in three. No. 8 Alaska-Fairbanks (14-20-1, 8-18-1 CCHA) at No. 1 Michigan (30-3-4, 21-3-3 CCHA) Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (if necessary), 7 p.m., Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, MI For any other team in the CCHA, facing the defending NCAA Champions in the first round of conference playoffs would be seriously depressing. Not so for the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks. "We’re playing really well right now," says a cheerful UAF head coach Dave Laurion. "It’s a big step for our program. It’s our first legitimate time in the playoffs. "We just have to play hard and play smart. We can only control our own performance. "I think our guys understand that this is just a good opportunity. There’s no pressure on us to win. Everyone in the stands and everyone across college hockey expects Michigan to win in two. The pressure is on us to play our best, but not to win." The Nanooks have earned that kind of relaxed attitude. After dropping their first seven games of the season and their first 11 home games, the Nanooks have recovered to play respectable hockey. Four straight non-conference wins gave the Nanooks the confidence to take a game from the resurgent Bowling Green Falcons in Bowling Green late in the season. "That was a turning point," says Laurion. "After we beat Bowling Green, our guys knew we could play." In order to make the playoffs, Alaska-Fairbanks needed to take at least five points in their season-ending three-game home series with Ferris State. With a little emotional lift from injured player Erik Drygas, the Nanooks did what they needed to do. Drygas has been rehabilitating in Colorado from a pre-season spinal injury, and his return for the Ferris series allowed him to swap stories about rehab and hockey with his teammates. "I think it helped to relax the players," says Laurion. Once his teammates had the chance to see Drygas in person, after so many months of separation, "there weren’t any unknowns any more." The Nanooks have steadily improved their play all season. One big improvement is the play of freshman goaltender Chris Marvel, who was just named to the CCHA All-Rookie Team. In spite of the improvements, it is highly doubtful that UAF can defeat the mighty Michigan team. It would be a feat nothing short of biblical. "They’re a better team now obviously," says Michigan head coach Red Berenson. "They’ve got a lot of confidence. They’re coming in on a high, making it into the playoffs in the last game of the regular season." Berenson says that although his team is the heavy favorite, the Wolverines will be taking nothing for granted. "We know we’re going to have to be on our toes. They’re the underdog, but we expect close games from them. "We know that we’ve had a better season. We also know this is a new season. We’ll make that clear to our players." Most people in college hockey expect this series to be done in two games. "I’m pretty confident that if we stick to our game plan and there are no surprises," says Berenson, "we’ll win first game." If Michigan wins the first game, the series will be over Saturday night. PICK: Michigan in two.

    Paula C. Weston is the CCHA Correspondent for U.S. College Hockey Online.

    Copyright 1997 Paula C. Weston . All Rights Reserved.

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    This Week in the WCHA: March 7, 1997

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    WCHA Playoffs: First Round by Steve Page

    Every coach in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association is in agreement on this: gaining home-ice advantage for the first round of the conference playoffs was their primary goal all season. So this weekend, it’s the have-nots traveling to the haves.

    Final WCHA Standings

    The victors in the best-of-three series advance to the March 13-15 WCHA Final Five at the St. Paul Civic Center. With all the parity in the league this year, home ice could be the deciding factor in every series.

    (Note: in what follows, the numerical designator — e.g., "No. 3 St. Cloud State" — indicate the team’s WCHA playoff seed.)

    No. 10 Michigan Tech (8-25-4, 5-23-4 WCHA) at No. 1 North Dakota (24-10-2, 21-10-1 WCHA) Friday-Saturday, 7:35 p.m. CT, Sunday 7:05 p.m. CT (if necessary), Engelstad Arena, Grand Forks, ND

    North Dakota, despite falling twice at Denver last weekend and settling for a tie for the regular-season title with Minnesota, returns home as a heavy favorite over the Huskies. The Fighting Sioux swept all four games — 7-3 and 4-3 in Houghton in October, and 4-2 and 7-2 at home on Feb. 7-8.

    North Dakota coach Dean Blais says his team should be ready for the challenge from a team that has nothing to lose.

    ”They’ve not had a lot of success this year,” Blais said of the Huskies. ”One of the reasons they’ve not had a great year is a recruiting thing — they had a couple kids who didn’t come back. They’ve run through some tough times.

    ”But they’ve responded real well to (first-year head coach) Tim Watters. And now they’ve got nothing to lose.”

    That, says Watters, is just the attitude the Huskies are showing. ”We’ve been waiting for this all year long,” he said. ”We’re excited about the playoffs. We’ve had success in the past in the playoffs. We can correct a lot of things over a lousy season if we do well this weekend.”

    Three seasons ago, Michigan Tech gave hopes to underdogs all around the league. After finishing last, the Huskies traveled to league champion Colorado College, and stunned the Tigers in three games, part of the reason why CC didn’t get an invitation to the NCAA tournament.

    That upset caused the NCAA to change the way it selects teams, as it now protects the regular-season champion as well as the tournament champion from each league.

    ”We’ve been talking about it a little bit,” Watters said. ”The team has been playing very, very disciplined hockey lately. We’re not taking needless penalties, which I’m very pleased about.”

    Watters wasn’t overly thrilled with last Friday’ 5-3 loss at St. Cloud, in which the hosts rallied for four goals in the final frame. Watters was ejected at game’s end for villifying the officials.

    ”We played one of our best hockey games for about 50 minutes,” he said. ”We have to play that way for 60 minutes each night against North Dakota.”

    The Huskies will play without senior defenseman Travis VanTighem, out with an injury.

    They’re a very good hockey club,” Watters said of the Sioux. ”We’re definitely going to have to be at our best to be competitive with them. There’s no question it’s going to be real difficult series.

    ”In bits and pieces, we’ve played some good hockey of late. If we put it together for 60 minutes, well have some success.”

    That, said Blais, is the tack the Sioux are taking.

    ”We can’t worry about what they’ve done,” he said of the Huskies. ”We’ve just got to go out and play. We played well in the second game at Denver (a 5-0 loss). We outshot them (32-24). We didn’t roll over and die. If we have as good an effort as we did then, we’ll be OK.”

    Pick: North Dakota in two games.

    No. 9 Alaska Anchorage (9-21-4, 7-21-4 WCHA) at No. 2 Minnesota (24-11-1, 21-10-1 WCHA) Friday, Saturday and Sunday (if necessary), 7:05 p.m. CT, Mariucci Arena, Minneapolis, MN

    Minnesota, averaging nearly four goals per game, hosts Alaska Anchorage, which has scored one goal in its last four games. Minnesota is hot, having taken three of four points at Colorado College two weeks ago, then sweeping Wisconsin last weekend to gain a share of the regular-season title.

    The Golden Gophers lost the regular-season tiebreaker to North Dakota, so are the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. They recorded a 4-1, 6-2 sweep of the Seawolves in their only series this year, Jan. 3-4 in Anchorage.

    Minnesota coach Doug Woog says the test is to break through the Seawolves’ tough defense.

    ”They don’t give you any space to do anything,” Woog said. ”They play you so tight. It’s a difficult circumstance to do anything. They play great team defense. They don’t take penalties. They don’t give anything away.”

    First-year Seawolves coach Dean Talafous said that’s the plan.

    ”We have played good defense,” he said. ”All we can do is do our best. Until they change the rules of the game, you still play with five guys, one shift at time. You’ve still got a chance, if you just play your game.”

    Woog says the playoff-tested Gophers will be ready to do just that, even after celebrating tying for the WCHA regular-season championship on the final night of the season.

    ”The harder you play, the more positive results you get,” he said. ”We don’t have any reason to let down. We had three goals. We’ve gotten one accomplished. Now, we’ll focus on the next one. We’re playing at home, with a chance to go to the Civic Center.

    ”We have been consistent. We feel confident that we will move on.”

    Woog said the Gophers are wary of the consequences of not playing well.

    ”You saw what can happen at CC three years ago,” he said. ”Michigan Tech came out there and stuffed them. You just never know. We’re all zero and zero. I know it’s an old cliche, but it’s the way it is. You earn home-ice advantage, and that’s all you have.”

    Yeah, but for the Gophers, that’s a sizeable advantage. Take last Saturday’s game against Wisconsin, for example. UM had trailed the Badgers 2-1, and led only 3-2 when it was announced North Dakota was losing in Denver.

    ”Our crowd hadn’t been that loud since we moved into the new building,” he said of Mariucci Arena. ”We scored, and the place erupted.”

    Talafous said his players will learn from the Mariucci experience, win or lose.

    ”I think it’s a real advantage for our program to play in the WCHA and the ranked teams that play in it,” he said. ”It brings out best in you. It forces you to bring your game up a level, to figure out how to win. We need to get to that championship level, but first, we’ve got to experience it. If you play hard, you learn a lot, and you move closer to that goal.”

    Pick: Minnesota in two.

    No. 8 Northern Michigan (13-22-3, 9-21-2 WCHA) at No. 3 St. Cloud State 21-11-4, 18-10-4 WCHA) Friday, Saturday and Sunday (if necessary), 7:00 p.m. CT, National Hockey Center, St. Cloud, MN

    The teams met just two times this season, and St. Cloud made the most of its home-ice advantage, posting 8-4, 3-1 victories on Dec. 6-7.

    St. Cloud is coming off a 5-3, 8-2 home sweep of Michigan Tech; Northern Michigan gained three points in its home series with Minnesota-Duluth. But Northern may have to play without veteran goaltender Dieter Kochan, who continues to recover from an injury suffered two weeks ago.

    St. Cloud coach Craig Dahl says his team is ready to make the most of its No. 3 seed.

    ”Finishing in the top three is real important,” he said. ”It helps you for seeding for the Final Five. That’s probably the most important thing. Holy buckets! You do anything you can do to avoid that game,” he said of the pigtail game between the two lowest-seeded teams among the Final Five. ”That’s why we wanted to finish third. It’s just a matter of us taking care of business now.”

    Dahl expects a tough go with the Wildcats.

    ”I’m sure they’re excited, after beating and tying Duluth up there,” he said. ”We just came off a loss and tie to Duluth (Feb. 21-22). I guarantee you, we’d better be ready to play, because I know Northern will be ready.”

    Northern Michigan coach Rick Comley won’t argue that point.

    ”We don’t have a lot of experience going in,” Comley said. ”We’ll dress 10 freshmen. But that’s what we’ve been going with. We’ve played pretty well the last month, with two one-goal losses at Minnesota, and the split with North Dakota.”

    Comley is hoping he has Kochan back in the nets.

    ”He’s improving,” Comley said Wednesday. ”He skated today and yesterday. He was able to do more today, but he’s still very limited. We’re going to take him with us, but he’s very questionable. But we still have three days yet.”

    Comley expects a rugged test. ”I think St. Cloud has the best top five in the league,” he said. ”I think the players they put out on the power play are the best in the league. The key will be keeping them off the power play. If you give them six or seven chances, they’re going to beat you.

    ”I think we have a chance. But I think we would have a chance against anybody.”

    Pick: St. Cloud in three.

    No. 7 Wisconsin (15-19-2, 15-15-2 WCHA) at No. 4 Colorado College (19-13-4, 17-11-4 WCHA) Friday-Saturday, 7:35 p.m. MT, Sunday 7:05 p.m. MT (if necessary), Cadet Ice Arena, Colorado Springs, CO

    Colorado College gained three of four points against Alaska Anchorage on the final weekend of play to hang onto the fourth seed and home ice, which could be critical.

    The Tigers swept the Badgers 7-3, 5-4 at home on Nov. 16-17, then split by 2-5, 6-2 scores in Madison on Feb. 7-8. This is the first playoff trip to Colorado Springs for Wisconsin, which hasn’t won a game since its last victory over the Tigers.

    This series could hinge on goaltending. Wisconsin senior Kirk Daubenspeck can be spectacular, as he was in stopping 58 shots in a 4-3 loss at Minnesota last Friday. CC freshman Jason Cugnet is the reigning WCHA Defensive Player of the Week after giving up just one goal in last week’s 2-0 win and 1-1 tie at Anchorage.

    But Cugnet sprained his left knee in practice Monday, and may be finished for the season. Since New Year’s Eve, he is 4-0-2 with a 1.91 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.

    In his stead, CC will go with senior Judd Lambert, who has been inconsistent this season. Lambert, 11-10-1 in the WCHA and 13-11-1 overall, has played reasonably well, but has lost six of his last seven games.

    ”Judd is a proven playoff guy,” CC coach Don Lucia said. ”He has the experience. I had planned to split them anyway. I would say Jason is maybe more doubtful than questionable for this weekend. We’ll start Judd on Friday and see how Jason is on Saturday.”

    Lambert began the season as the starter, but Cugnet sparkled in his opportunities, and the two began splitting time. Cugnet started both games last weekend.

    Lucia is aware of Daubenspeck’s ability to keep Wisconsin in any game. ”He’s capable of doing that,” Lucia said. ”We’re just going to go out and play. Whatever happens, happens. You just have to play to the best of your abilities from here on out.”

    Wisconsin coach Jeff Sauer was also impressed with Daubenspeck, but said there were some extenuating circumstances.

    ”We played in the Target Center, which is a small rink,” Sauer said. ”I knew he was going to get a lot of shots, because Minnesota shoots a lot." The Gophers held a 25-1 advantage in shots on goal in the first period, and outshot Wisconsin 62-23 for the game. Wisconsin was leading Saturday’s game 2-1 after two perids, when the Gophers were informed that North Dakota was losing to Denver. ”They just took it from there,” he said of Minnesota’s 7-3 comeback victory.

    Sauer knows the odds are stacked against his team.

    ”We’re not healthy, but hopefully, we can do some damage,” he said. ”I’m pleased with our attitude. The guys are real positive. We’ll see what we can do. We had to go to North Dakota last year, and we did a pretty good job there.” The Badgers eliminated the Sioux with 6-5, 5-4 overtime victories.

    Sauer said the Badgers will give what they have left. ”We have really not ben healthy down the stretch,” he said. ”We could be fairly healthy, but we have four (injured) guys who don’t know if they’re going to make the trip or not.”

    Of the Tigers, Sauer said, ”I would think CC has got to be disappointed where they finished. If they do beat us, they’ve got to play an extra game next week.

    ”Both of us are just trying to get to St. Paul and see what happens. I feel both teams have got to win this weekend to have a chance to get to the NCAAs.”

    Lucia said the Tigers should be in good spirits after gaining three points at Anchorage. ”I thought it was a good weekend for us,” he said. ”We only gave up one goal. Most importantly, we went up in fourth and came out in fourth.”

    While CC has not been swept all season, the Tigers have not swept an opponent in the season’s second half. ”Now is the time for everybody to be on their game,” Lucia said. ”We can’t have passengers this weekend. In the playoffs, you have to play great defense. the power-play opportunities go down, so playing five-on-five becomes a bigger factor. You have to eliminate mistakes and make teams work for goals.”

    Lucia said the faster-starting team would have an advantage.

    ”You play all year to play at home,” he said. ”The first game is real critical in these best-of-threes. We have to play our best hockey of the season right now.”

    Pick: CC in three.

    No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth (18-14-4, 15-13-4 WCHA) at No. 5 Denver (21-11-4, 17-11-4 WCHA) Friday, Saturday and Sunday (if necessary), 7:05 p.m. MT, DU Arena, Denver, CO

    This is another series where home ice has been critical. DU registered a home sweep by 6-3, 5-1 scores on Dec. 13-14; UMD returned the favor in Duluth, winning by 7-4, 3-2 on Feb. 7-8.

    This is also the Pioneers’ last series in the arena, which will be razed after this series to make room for a new multi-sport facility. While that is being constructed, the Pioneers will play their games next season at McNichols Arena and the Denver Coliseum.

    Denver coach George Gwozdecky is mighty glad the Pioneers are at home.

    ”This has been a very competitive series,” he said. ”I think that we’re pretty happy to get the home-ice advantage, not just because of this series, but because of the way we’ve played at home all year. We’re unbeaten in our last 13 home games (10-0-3). That tells you what our team is like at home.

    And the Bulldogs are not at home.

    ”They played us extremely physical when we were up in Duluth a month ago,” Gwozdecky said. ”They’ve got people who can really put the puck in the net. Guys like Mike Peluso, Brad Federenko, Adam Roy and Ken Dzikowski are four guys who have been a thorn in our side.

    "Rick Mrozik is one of the best defensive players in league. Brant Nicklin is a good goaltender, and they have good special teams. They are a team that when they are really on their game, they’re really, really good.”

    Duluth coach Mike Sertich has the same respect for the Pioneers.

    ”They’re a good hockey team,” he said of the Pioneers. ”They’re disciplined, they’re very well-coached, they’re veteran. They’re an obstacle, no question about that. In our first trip out to Denver, we did not play well. We got bumped off the puck a lot. The last time, we played pretty well, and we snuck out with two wins.”

    Both teams may be somewhat short-handed. The Bulldogs have lost defenseman Laird Lidster and forward Colin Anderson to injury. Denver goaltender Jim Mullin is questionable after dislocating a shoulder last Friday, and Pioneer winger Antti Laaksonen won’t play Friday, the result of being ejected for spearing in last Saturday’s game.

    ”We got beat up pretty good,” Sertich said of last week’s physical series. ”There are some things you can’t avoid, and injuries are one of them. You’ve just got to do what you’ve got to do.”

    Sertich expects this series to be a good one.

    ”I think we match up pretty well with them,” he said. ”I don’t think there’s much disparity between the top seven. Who’s playing the best hockey now is what matters.”

    Gwozdecky said he wants Mullin back, but not until he’s ready.

    ”He feels, as our medical staff does, that he’ll be ready to play Friday,” Gwozdecky said. ”But I do it a little differently. I’m preparing in my own mind people who are ready to play. He’s got experience in important games.

    "But I feel very confident in our other two goaltenders (freshmen Steve Wagner, who blanked North Dakota last Saturday, and junior Ben Henrich). If we advance to the Final Five, we’re going to need two healthy goaltenders. Wagner’s playing really well. So I’m really encouraging our medical staff, and Jim, to make sure he’s physically and mentally ready to play — not just ‘I really want to play.’ ”

    Of Laaksonen’s absence, Gwozdecky said, ”If you take a quality player such as Antti out of the lineup, it’s going to have an effect. But I don’t think it will be as big as last year. If this was last year, I would be a lot more concerned, because the line of Laaksonen, (Erik) Andersson and (Brent) Cary really carried us.

    "That hasn’t been the case this year. We’ve had other guys who have played well. Guys like Paul Comrie and Anders Bjork.”

    Pick: Denver in two.

    Steve Page is the WCHA Correspondent for U.S. College Hockey Online.

    Copyright 1997 Steve Page. All Rights Reserved.

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    This Week in the ECAC: March 4, 1997

    By
    -

    ECAC Preview: Preliminary Round by Jayson Moy

    "Let’s get ready to rummmmmmmbleeeeeeeeeeee…….." — noted ring announcer Michael Buffer

    The ECAC regular season is over, and it’s time to hit the playoffs with both feet running (or if you prefer, both blades skating). It all starts on Tuesday night in Hamilton, N.Y., and Cambridge, Mass.

    The ECAC playoffs are little peculiar in that ten teams are in. The top six get byes to the quarterfinal round that starts Friday at the top four teams’ rinks.

    The teams that finished seventh through tenth play on Tuesday in the preliminary round. This year, those four are Colgate, Harvard, St. Lawrence and Yale.

    (A look at the final regular-season ECAC Standings)

    The lowest seed to win Tuesday will face top-seeded Clarkson in the best-of-three quarterfinals, starting Friday. The other winner will play Cornell.

    But first, there are two intriguing games to deal with (note — in the following, the numerical designator identifies a team’s ECAC playoff seed):

    No. 10 Yale (9-17-3, 6-14-2 ECAC) at No. 7 Colgate (16-13-3, 10-9-3 ECAC) Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., Starr Rink, Hamilton, N.Y.

    Regular Season Nov. 23: Colgate 4 Yale 3 OT at Yale Jan. 31: Colgate 5 Yale 2 at Colgate

    The Yale Bulldogs finished the regular season with good news and bad news. The bad news was that they lost to Union in overtime. The good news is a lot more: the Bulldogs made the playoffs for the first time since 1992-93, finishing the season with a 2-2-0 run.

    "That’s great, and it feels especially great for the seniors," said freshman forward Jeff Hamilton. "They wear their hearts on their sleeves every night, and it’s great for them to make the playoffs one more time."

    "The bottom line is that these kids have been playing pretty darn good hockey," said coach Tim Taylor. "Going back to the Harvard game (Feb. 7), they’ve been playing well. Even in the losses, we’ve played real well. It’s a fitting tribute to them that they made the playoffs."

    Taylor left the team for the Olympics in 1994 and the program took a dive in a hurry. But Ingalls Rink is rejuvenated — even by a modest step like getting into the playoffs as the final seed — and Taylor hopes to return to the team’s success of 1992, when it finished fourth.

    "There’s no reason why we can’t," Taylor said. "It’s a long, slow rebuilding process, because we really took a big dip (after 1993). This year, we’ve made some progess, (especially) in goals against.

    "(Making the playoffs) was always one of our first goals. It was our top focus all year long. In getting the 10th spot, we’ve achieved that. There was a lot of emotion in our building Saturday."

    Since the Harvard game (a 3-2 loss), Yale has wins over RPI and Dartmouth, a tie to St. Lawrence, and two overtime losses. That is, Taylor has a hot team. And, earlier this season, Yale beat Clarkson and tied Boston University.

    Colgate seems to be a sleeping giant, but goaltending has been the problem. Last year’s second-team All-ECAC pick, Dan Brenzavich, hasn’t been getting it done, so coach Don Vaughn started turning to freshman Shep Harder, and he earned Rookie of the Week honors two weeks ago.

    "We just have to go out and play," said Vaughn, in discussing his team’s seventh-place position after two years in the upper echelon.

    At least the potentially-explosive offense seems to be reappearing, though Yale can frustrate similar teams. Everyone knows that the Colgate offense is there, led by Mike Harder. Joining the fray will be Dave DeBusschere, Rob Mara and Tim Loftsgard.

    "They’ve got some question marks in the pipes," Taylor said. "I don’t know if it’s a confidence problem. The thing about Colgate is they are pretty explosive offensively. They’ll be jacked up to play.

    "We have to stop Mike Harder. We’ve been good at neutralizing other teams’ top guns. But we’re on the road, so matchups are tougher."

    Yale would have preferred a matchup with eighth-seeded Harvard. In fact, Taylor was so anxious to play the Crimson, he pulled the goalie in overtime against Union on Saturday, needing a win to move into ninth place. Union scored, and therefore beat out Princeton for the fifth seed, and Taylor is aware he probably isn’t popular in New Jersey.

    "I wasn’t thinking of them (Princeton)," Taylor said. "This is a tough trip. We had a chance to finish ninth, going up in standings a bit.

    "Harvard, logistically, is a much easier game for us. We have a chance of heading back up (to Clarkson) if we win. It’s gonna be tough.

    "We match up better with Harvard. They’re struggling offensively, we’re not high-powered. I think all of our guys would prefer Harvard, because of the rivalry, and (the loss on) Feb. 7 is still fresh in our minds."

    But the Bulldogs play Colgate, so they’re hoping for another long trip to Clarkson — since that will mean they have won.

    PICK: This has the makings of an offensive show. At one point in time, that would have been offense from one side — Colgate. But lately, Yale has gotten the scoring going, so expect to see some goals in this one. Unfortunately for Yale, the Colgate offense is a notch higher, and the experience will help the Red Raiders. Colgate heads to Ithaca for a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal matchup, when the Red Raiders were spanked in two games. Colgate 6 Yale 4

    No. 9 St. Lawrence (10-19-5, 5-12-5 ECAC) at No. 8 Harvard (10-17-2, 9-11-2 ECAC) Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., Bright Hockey Center, Cambridge, Mass.

    Regular Season Dec. 6 : Harvard 3 St. Lawrence 3 OT at Harvard Feb. 22 : St. Lawrence 6 Harvard 3 at St. Lawrence

    St. Lawrence almost wound up going to Hamilton for this game, but instead, the Saints are off to Cambridge after Yale couldn’t hold its lead over Union.

    This is the second straight year the two teams will meet in the playoffs. Last year, Harvard, as the sixth seed, traveled to St. Lawrence for the quarterfinals and won the series in three games.

    "We’ve played seven times in the last two years," said St. Lawrence assistant coach Paul Flanagan. "I look back at last year’s series, and Harvard was certainly the older club. Their seniors showed the leadership in that series. They had a fresh outlook on the season.

    "Maybe we’re looking for the same," he added. "We’ve been telling the guys that it’s a clean slate. And this year, we’re the veteran team. Even though it’s just one game, we can get it done."

    These two teams met just ten days ago in Cambridge, and St. Lawrence skated to a 6-3 win.

    "It gives us some confidence," said Flanagan about the recent win. "We came off a game where we did not play well (against Brown), and we came out and played a great game.

    "It’s two teams which are very similar," he added. "I don’t think any team is a favorite or an underdog, (although) maybe we’re the underdog because we’re on the road.

    "And maybe it’s a plus that we’re on the road. Maybe it will take some of the pressure off of us since we’re not at home."

    The Crimson knew they were going to play on Tuesday night before last weekend began. The only thing left was whether the Crimson would get to play at Bright. A strong showing against Dartmouth on Friday resulted in a 6-3 win and a home game.

    The momentum carried over to Saturday, but the Crimson could not hold on to a lead and lost to Vermont 5-4.

    "I thought that we played a great game [against Dartmouth]," said Harvard coach Ronn Tomassoni. "[But] I also thought that we played a heck of a lot better [versus Vermont]."

    The general feeling from Tomassoni is that it’s a brand new season, and anything can happen.

    "Right now we harp on the fact that it is a clean slate, a clean bill," he said. "Everyone is zero-zero and the scoring stats are zero-zero across the board. It’s a breath of fresh air, and it’s the start of a whole new season. We think that we have as good a chance of winning this thing as anyone else."

    Much has been made of Harvard’s offensive troubles throughout the season, but this past weekend, the Crimson put some numbers on the board. They totaled 10 goals scored, the most in a Crimson weekend this season.

    "We’re scoring some goals now, too," said Tomassoni. "That has got to give us some confidence going into the playoffs.

    "We are going to be strengthened on Tuesday by the fact that we get another pretty good player back in the lineup in Trevor Allman. I think that that is going to give us a little impetus. I also look out there and see the performance of a Mark Moore: playing as well as he has played, that definitely bodes well for us."

    Don’t forget about J.R. Prestifilippo in goal for the Crimson. The freshman has already set a record for most minutes played as a freshman at Harvard, and his presence makes the Crimson’s future brighter.

    PICK: The two teams met just ten days ago, and St. Lawrence won that one. This time, it’s at Harvard. Does that make a difference? Harvard got the offense going on the last weekend of the season — a good sign for the Crimson.

    On the other hand, St. Lawrence hung in for two periods against Cornell, and the same against Colgate. St. Lawrence will take an early lead, and it’s up to Harvard to come back. St. Lawrence plays at Cheel this weekend. St. Lawrence 5 Harvard 3

    Later this week, look for the ECAC Quarterfinal Preview.

    Special thanks to those who contributed to this article: Adam Wodon, host of "Around the Rinks" Rebecca A. Blaeser of the Harvard Crimson

    Jayson Moy is the ECAC Correspondent for US College Hockey Online.

    Copyright 1997 Jayson Moy . All Rights Reserved.

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