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American International getting rewarded for its resilience

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In the second period of American International’s game at Bentley on Saturday, Yellow Jackets coach Gary Wright caught a puck to the head and had to be attended to by the team’s trainer.

“It was a deflection from about 15 feet away,” Wright said. “It came at me so fast. I guess I’m getting old. Maybe I should wear a helmet on the bench.”

Wright wound up with some stitches as a result, but that wasn’t the strangest thing that happened in the game.

The teams were tied 3-3 through regulation with the ninth and 10th seeds in the Atlantic Hockey playoffs at stake. A tie would give Bentley ninth place. AIC needed a win or it would finish 10th.

Both teams pulled their goalie at different points in the final 30 seconds of overtime, with the Yellow Jackets winning the game on an empty-net goal with a second to play.

“It was a unique situation in a unique game,” Wright said. “It wasn’t about the higher seed. People might pay attention to that, but they do remember where you finished in the standings. We have had some not-so-great years and to climb a little bit was important. We wanted to climb as high as possible. The guys were playing so well, coming back from two goals down. We wanted to go for the win.”

The last time the Yellow Jackets finished in ninth place, Atlantic Hockey had just nine teams. AIC finished in the basement of the standings each of the first eight seasons of AHA play before a 10th-place finish last season. The win on Saturday gave Wright’s team its best finish ever in Atlantic Hockey play. The Yellow Jackets’ 12 wins match its best total in a season of Division I play.

Especially encouraging for AIC is its record in the final 10 games of the regular season: 7-1-2. A three-point weekend at Air Force in early February started the turnaround, but Wright said the seeds were planted a month before.

“We’ve played really well from New Year’s on,” he said. “We had some bad losses prior to that. But then it started to come together and we didn’t have much to show for it until Air Force. That weekend was clearly significant, no question. But we had been building toward that.”

The Yellow Jackets are cashing in on a crew of experienced forwards. Senior Adam Pleskach leads the team in goals (15) and points (32), followed by junior Blake Peake (23 points), junior Jon Puskar (22 points) and senior Richard Leitner (20 points). But the team MVP is goaltender Ben Meisner, who made 96 saves on 101 shots in three wins last week. He’s been averaging over 35 saves per game this season.

Meisner has 3,631 career saves, placing him 12th in NCAA history. He trails former Boston College goaltender John Muse by 66 saves for 11th place.

“He’s really been dialed in,” Wright said. “The play of our defensive corps has been sound, and we’ve been more potent offensively. We’ve been winning low-scoring games. I can’t point to one area [of improvement]. It’s been a matter of confidence.”

Wright said he’s happy for his players who have been able to experience the fun of getting on a roll in the past month.

“The kids have been outstanding, win or lose,” Wright said. “But it’s obviously more fun when you’re winning. They’ve shown resilience considering the adversity we’ve had in terms of wins and losses, so it’s nice to see them get rewarded.”

The Yellow Jackets travel to Rochester Institute of Technology for a first-round playoff series. The Tigers are reeling after their lowest finish since joining the league in 2006. Wright’s team has all the momentum, but he’s not looking past Game 1 on Friday.

“[RIT is] a program of high notoriety,” he said. “They’ve had great success and consistency. It’s a great college hockey experience going there. Just by reputation and experience you consider them a very challenging opponent. What we’ve done recently has been a great run. We’ve put ourselves in a position to approach the playoffs with a different dynamic that maybe we’ve had before.”

Breaking down the first round

Four teams will end their seasons this weekend; four will move on to the quarterfinals. Here’s what’s in store for each of the best-of-three, opening-round series.

No. 12 Sacred Heart at No. 5 Robert Morris

How they got here: A little over three weeks ago, the Pioneers were 0-26-2 and staring into the abyss of a winless season. But they’ve gone 2-2-2 since then. The Colonials have played .500 hockey after their big win in the Three Rivers Classic Tournament in December, but finished undefeated in their final five games.

Outlook: Robert Morris is in the middle of the pack in almost every statistical category, but it’s been enough to play consistent hockey all season. The Colonials lost back-to-back games only once, and it wasn’t over the same weekend. Sacred Heart is playing its best hockey of the season right now. If the Pioneers can somehow get to a third game, anything can happen.

No. 11 Army at No. 6 Mercyhurst

How they got here: Both teams are slumping heading into the postseason. Army hasn’t won a game since Jan. 4; Mercyhurst since Feb. 5.

Outlook: Mercyhurst has the third-best offense in the league while Army has the second-worst defense. Army needs the fresh start that the playoffs provide and has to find an offense that has disappeared in the second half of the season. The Black Knights rarely get outworked but they have to be better defensively against a Lakers squad that likes to run and gun.

No. 10 Bentley at No. 7 Canisius

How they got here: Bentley has been in freefall since the end of January, dropping from third in the standings to 10th, its final and lowest position of the season. Canisius pulled out of a February swoon with a first-ever sweep of RIT to end the season, grabbing seventh place and home ice in the first round.

Outlook: Bentley’s power play, once one of the best in the country, has been struggling and will be put to the test against Canisius’ top-ranked penalty kill (an AHA-best 91.5 percent). The Golden Griffins have had trouble scoring goals all season but put up 10 in their series with RIT. Home ice may be the difference as both teams have played around .500 at home but have struggled on the road.

No. 9 American International at No. 8 Rochester Institute of Technology

How they got here: American International had its best month as a Division I program in February, losing only once in its final 10 games. RIT finished below fourth place for the first time in its seven-year membership in the AHA.

Outlook: Home ice is no advantage for RIT this season. The Tigers are an unheard-of 5-8-2 at Ritter Arena, including 5-6-1 in league play. As the playoffs often do, this may come down to goaltending and special teams. RIT leads the league in power play efficiency, but AIC is right behind and tops the AHA in combined special teams. AIC took Robert Morris to overtime in Game 3 of its first-round series last season and is in position to do that one better unless the Tigers can build off of their extensive postseason experience. The RIT seniors went to the Frozen Four in 2010 and have never experienced a playoff run that didn’t at least end in the AHA championship game.

Players of the week

From the home office in Haverhill, Mass.:

Atlantic Hockey co-players of the week:
Adam McKenzie, Air Force
Kyle Gibbons, Canisius

McKenzie, a junior defenseman from Petaluma, Calif., had a five-point weekend to help the Falcons to a sweep of Niagara. He had an assist on Friday and a career-best goal and three assists on Saturday.

Gibbons, also a junior, also racked up five points in a sweep of RIT. He had two assists on Friday and a goal and a pair of helpers on Saturday.

Atlantic Hockey co-goalies of the week:
Jason Torf, Air Force
Matt Ginn, Holy Cross

Torf stopped 36 of 39 shots last weekend in a sweep of Niagara. He’s allowed fewer than three goals in 11 of his last 12 starts.

Ginn went 3-0-0 in a win over Sacred Heart and a sweep of Army, including his first shutout of the season last Friday. He made 69 saves on 74 shots in all.

Atlantic Hockey rookie of the week:
Karl Beckman, Holy Cross

Beckman is the second straight Holy Cross player to win the award. He had a pair of goals and an assist in three games, all wins for the Crusaders.

Men of the month

Atlantic Hockey player of the month for February:
Brant Harris, Connecticut

Harris helped the Huskies to a 6-2 record in February with 14 points (six goals and eight assists). He leads the team in goals with 14.

Other players nominated: Kyle De Laurell, Air Force; Shayne Stockton, Holy Cross; Ryan Misiak, Mercyhurst; Ryan Murphy, Niagara; Matt Garbowsky, RIT; Cody Wydo, Robert Morris; Eric Delong, Sacred Heart; Ben Ketchum, Sacred Heart.

Atlantic Hockey goalie of the month for February:
Ben Meisner, American International

Meisner led AIC to its most successful month in its Division I era, posting a 5-1-2 record with a 1.59 goals against average and a .955 save percentage.

Other goalies nominated: Jason Torf, Air Force; Matt Grogan, Connecticut; Carsen Chubak, Niagara; Jordan Ruby, RIT.

Atlantic Hockey rookie of the month for February:
Karl Beckman, Holy Cross

Beckman had a team-leading eight assists in February. On the season, he has two goals and 12 assists.

Other rookies nominated: Dan Schuler, RIT; Zak Lynch, Robert Morris.

The sweep was sweet

Because of their long history dating back several decades to their respective club and Division III eras, Canisius and RIT disagree on how many times the teams have officially met. Canisius says 61; RIT says 74. But everyone can agree that last weekend’s sweep of the Tigers was the first time the Golden Griffins have been able to accomplish that.

It’s the first time since the 1993-94 season that Canisius defeated RIT twice in a row, and for good measure last weekend’s sweep made it three straight for the Golden Griffins, who also defeated the Tigers on Nov. 10.

It was just the third time since joining Atlantic Hockey in 2006 that the Tigers have been swept in a weekend series. The other two were at the hands of Air Force.

Getting hot at the right time

Last week we looked at players who were riding hot streaks going into the final games of the season. As the playoffs open, who’s got momentum? And who doesn’t?

On a roll:

• American International: 7-1-3 in its last 10 games; 3-1-1 in its last five.

• Air Force: 5-2-3 in its last 10 games; 4-1 in its last five.

• Connecticut: 7-2-1 in its last 10 games; 4-0-1 in its last five.

• Holy Cross: 6-3-1 in its last 10 games; 4-0-1 in its last five.

• Robert Morris: 5-3-2 in its last 10 games; 3-0-2 in its last five.

Treading water:

• Niagara: 6-4 in its last 10 games; 2-3 in its last five.

• RIT: 5-5 in its last 10 games; 2-3 in its last five.

• Canisius: 3-7 in its last 10 games; 2-3 in its last five.

Limping toward the finish:

• Mercyhurst: 2-5-3 in its last 10 games; 0-3-2 in its last five.

• Sacred Heart: 2-6-2 in its last 10 games; 1-2-2 in its last five.

• Bentley: 1-7-2 in its last 10 games; 0-3-2 in its last five.

• Army: 0-8-2 in its last 10 games; 0-5 in its last five.

Cloudy crystal ball

With the regular season in the books, let’s take a look back to see how the coaches (via the preseason poll) and myself ended up in our predictions:

TeamActual finishCoaches pollUSCHO season preview
Niagara121
Air Force212
Holy Cross368
Connecticut477
Robert Morris586
Mercyhurst634
Canisius799
RIT8T45
AIC91111
Bentley10T43
Army111010
Sacred Heart121212

I did a slightly better job than the coaches, off by an average of 2.17 spots. The league poll missed by 2.42 places per team. The big surprises were Connecticut, Holy Cross and Robert Morris, each team finishing three places ahead of the official preseason predictions. Bentley had the largest disparity, ending in 10th place after being picked to tie for fourth.

Why it would be a good thing for Massachusetts-Lowell to win the Hockey East title

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When a Hockey East team plays a school from outside the league, I always hope the Hockey East team wins. But when two league teams are playing, I play no favorites.

That said, I’m hoping Massachusetts-Lowell takes the regular season title this weekend. No offense to my good friends at all the other schools in contention, but I think seeing the River Hawks on top would be the best thing for the league.

Why?

12-8-8-3-0.

What’s that?

It’s the number of regular season titles won (or shared) by Boston College (12), New Hampshire (8), Boston University (8), Maine (3) and everyone else (0).

It’s that zero number that had me hoping, going into last weekend, that either Lowell, Providence, or Merrimack emerged from the pack to take it all.

No offense to New Hampshire. I love the program, but let me ask you, Wildcats fans. Will you really appreciate a ninth title with anything close to the intensity of how River Hawks fans will feel about their first?

I think you know the answer.

In fact, I think you know that even if you’re a glass-half-full type, you know that many of your fellow UNH fans would look at another regular season title with a jaundiced ice and say, “Who cares? I want playoff titles!”

(Or have I merely had the misfortune of working with the only UNH fans who feel that not only is the glass half empty, it’s cracked and the beverage tastes like sour milk?)

No offense, as well, to Boston College. I love that program, too. But folks, you’ve enjoyed three national championships in the last five years. You’ve won the last three Hockey East tournaments, five of the last six, not to mention those 12 regular season titles. Maybe it’s time for more than crumbs to fall off your table.

Why Lowell instead of Providence?

Only because the River Hawks are in charge of their own destiny. If they win out, the title is theirs.

If Providence wins out, the title probably goes to New Hampshire (one point ahead of the Friars) or BC (which could share in the title but would take the No. 1 seed due to winning the tiebreaker).

So with all due respect to each and every Hockey East team this weekend, this writer will be hoping for a River Hawks sweep.

For the good of the league.

To put an end to that zero.

I guess they really don’t look at this stuff

Fans and Hockey East writers — (to my mind, the best writers are also fans at least to some extent) — have tortured many a neuron over the past few weeks examining all the possibilities as the league’s race has tightened and tightened.

Team X loses the tiebreaker to Team Y, but look at Team Y’s remaining opponents! Team X will almost certainly finish higher because it should take at least three points from Team Z this weekend, while Team Y is doubtful to even split.

The discussions over the probabilities and likely final positions have been great fun.

To hear coaches talk, however, they don’t even think about such things. Not at all.

Probabilities? Let me improve my probability of shutting down my next opponent’s top line.

You’ve seen the comments in this column. Or perhaps you read Merrimack coach Mark Dennehy’s response to a question about whether being three points out after Friday’s loss with so many teams clustered at the top meant the end of his team’s chances at a regular season title.

“If I knew that,” Dennehy said, “I’d be retired tomorrow because I’d have the Mega-Millions number. I love math, but [to try to figure that], my head would explode.”

Witty? Sure. Coach-speak? Perhaps.

One night later, Providence coach Nate Leaman responded in similar fashion when asked to comment on his team’s pivotal win, one that left it with a shot at the title while a loss might have meant not even home ice for the playoffs.

“To be honest, I didn’t even know that,” Leaman said.

(Yes, the question was mine and I’d provide the detailed analysis that went into it but fear I’d put you all to sleep.)

I must admit that I’ve wondered if these coaches don’t look at the standings, the matchups and the probabilities at least a little while remaining 98 percent focused on the task at hand.

Arguably, Northeastern coach Jim Madigan should have used the most basic of all this information on Saturday night in Orono. His Huskies had to get a win to maintain any chance of making the playoffs. A tie would do them no good. Yet the Huskies goaltender remained rooted in the crease even late into overtime, when seemingly an extra attacker in an all-out effort to salvage a playoff berth was called for.

(Admittedly, I wasn’t in Orono, so there may not have been an ideal moment to pull Bryan Mountain, especially after Northeastern took a penalty with 21 seconds remaining. But it’s my understanding there were opportunities, if nothing else than in the closing seconds when Josh Manson couldn’t convert the potential game-winning shot from the doorstep.)

But it didn’t happen.

Coaches apparently just think differently than the rest of us, keeping blinders on that would distract from anything except winning the next game.

Postscript: For the record, I don’t consider Boston College coach Jerry York’s decision to forgo a shot at the Hockey East regular season crown three years ago to be comparable to Madigan’s or an exception to the “blinders” rule.

For those who missed it or have forgotten, BC went into the final weekend needing to sweep New Hampshire to tie the Wildcats for the regular season title.

When the Friday night game went into overtime, the question became, would York pull his goalie in the final minute to get a shot at that crown? York declined to the amazement of some, allowing UNH to clinch that night, because he didn’t want to hurt the Eagles’ position in the PairWise Rankings by allowing an empty-netter to turn a tie into a loss.

York’s decision proved to be a stroke of genius — even after BC won the following night to set up the ultimate, “What if?” — because the Eagles went on to win the Hockey East tournament and as the No. 4 overall seed in the NCAAs (meaning a No. 1 seed in a regional), took home the big enchilada.

Why wasn’t York’s decision the same as Madigan’s? Madigan had nothing to lose; York’s eye was on the bigger prize.

Why wasn’t York’s decision comparable to this year’s coaches and their apparent blinders? Again, York was tactically addressing the bigger prize whereas when Leaman and Dennehy were focusing only on winning the next game; they were losing nothing tactically.

But can we agree that they’re missing on some of the fun?

Who’ll win coach of the year?

The votes won’t go in until after this weekend, but based on scuttlebutt around the rinks, it seems that speculating on who will win this year’s coach of the year award has become a popular pastime.

As of two weeks ago, Merrimack coach Mark Dennehy looked like an imposing candidate. At the time, the Warriors stood first in the league. Quite an accomplishment for a team projected to finish eighth.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: What Dennehy has accomplished with that program is nothing short of remarkable. The year before he arrived, the Warriors went 1-22-1 in Hockey East. For those not likely to become Rhodes Scholars, that’s three points for an entire season.

It took a few years, but once Merrimack escaped the cellar, it hasn’t gone back. It takes something special to transform a perennial doormat to a contender.

While Dennehy was recognized as co-coach of the year with New Hampshire’s Dick Umile two years ago, I’d like to think some season Dennehy gets the honor all to himself.

But it probably isn’t going to be this year after losses to Boston College and Boston University and then two more to Massachusetts-Lowell blew out the Warriors’ title hopes.

Boston University’s Jekyll-and-Hyde season isn’t the type likely to produce coaching awards, which leaves the four teams still alive to finish first in the league.

You can make a great case for York. This season he became the all-time winningest coach in college hockey, and with the Eagles near the top of the league and national rankings, it’s hard to argue against his candidacy. Perhaps he wins in a landslide because of that career milestone, surpassing Ron Mason, along with all his other legendary accomplishments.

Working against York is that in his 19 years in Hockey East, during which he’s won nine league titles and four national championships, he’s been named coach of the year only twice. (Can you name the years? See the answers below.) So with all that success and those few awards, is the voting likely to change this year?

Providence coach Nate Leaman makes another strong case, having transformed a program that missed the playoffs three straight years to one still in the running for first place. I’m always impressed by coaches who achieve the huge turnaround.

Having coached a bit in my day, I know how elite athletes like to go where they’ll win. It’s tough sledding to recruit the players you need to compete with the perennial powerhouses when you’ve missed three straight playoffs. It’s also tough to change that culture.

I suspect Providence and Leaman are a year away as the Friars field 10 freshmen in the lineup. I don’t think they’ll emerge on top from their matchup with Lowell this weekend. But if they do, it’ll be hard to argue against a two-year turnaround like that.

Umile seems to be a top candidate every year. He’s once again guided his team to within striking distance, just a point out of first while holding the tiebreaker against the team in front of it. The Wildcats have remained near the top of the standings and national rankings for virtually all season.

He’s won the award six times. If UNH passes Lowell and grabs first place this weekend, why not seven?

Then there’s Lowell coach Norm Bazin, whose steadying hand kept his team together during a rocky 4-7-1 start, allowing a 17-2-1 monster rebound into first place. The River Hawks face a tough obstacle to stay there in the form of Providence, but if they can pull it off, why should Bazin be denied as coach of the year?

Other than the other strong candidates, the biggest factor may be history. Bazin earned the award last year with his stunning single-year turnaround of the River Hawks from last to second place.

Only once in the history of the league has a coach won the honor in back-to-back seasons. (Can you name the coach and the years? See the answers below.)

Does that factor deny Bazin even if he leads Lowell to its first-ever title in Hockey East? It’s hard to imagine.

Fortunately, the voting doesn’t happen until after this weekend, when the coaches can take in all the results and reward whomever they consider most noteworthy.

A strong case can be made for all.

Personally, I’d put my money on either York or Bazin. A coach doesn’t become No. 1 in all-time wins every day and neither does a program experience its first league title.

As for the answers to the questions posed above:

• York was named Hockey East coach of the year in 2004 and 2011. Ironically, his Eagles failed to win national titles in both of those years and in 2004, failed to reach the Garden for the Hockey East semifinals after being upset by BU. Perhaps York is in no hurry to win the award for a third time.

• BU coach Jack Parker is the only back-to-back winner of the award, earning the honor in 2005 and 2006.

A scheduling note

Due to a scheduling conflict, Lowell’s quarterfinal playoff series will be Thursday, Friday and Sunday (if necessary) instead of the usual Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Two weeks out, and attendance, bracket integrity fall in line

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It’s time once again to do what we like to call Bracketology, college hockey style. It’s our weekly look at how I believe the NCAA tournament will wind up come selection time.

It’s a look into what are the possible thought processes behind selecting and seeding the NCAA tournament teams.

We’ll keep bringing you a new one every week until we make our final picks before the field is announced.

If you want to skip the inner workings and get to the results of the analysis, then click here.

Here are the facts:

• Sixteen teams are selected to participate in the national tournament.

• There are four regional sites (East — Providence, R.I.; Northeast — Manchester, N.H.; Midwest — Toledo, Ohio; West — Grand Rapids, Mich.)

• A host institution which is invited to the tournament plays in the regional for which it is the host, and cannot be moved. There are four host institutions this year: Brown in Providence, New Hampshire in Manchester, Bowling Green in Toledo and Michigan in Grand Rapids.

Here are the NCAA’s guidelines on the matter, per a meeting of the championship committee:

In setting up the tournament, the committee begins with a list of priorities to ensure a successful tournament on all fronts including competitive equity, financial success and likelihood of playoff-type atmosphere at each regional site. For the model, the following is a basic set of priorities:

• The top four teams as ranked by the committee are the four No. 1 seeds and will be placed in the bracket so that if all four teams advance to the Men’s Frozen Four, the No. 1 seed will play the No. 4 seed and the No. 2 seed will play the No. 3 seed in the semifinals.

• Host institutions that qualify will be placed at home.

• No. 1 seeds are placed as close to home as possible in order of their ranking 1-4.

• Conference matchups in first round are avoided, unless five or more teams from one conference are selected, then the integrity of the bracket will be preserved.

• Once the five automatic qualifiers and 11 at-large teams are selected, the next step is to develop four groups from the committee’s ranking of 1-16. The top four teams are the No. 1 seeds. The next four are targeted as No. 2 seeds. The next four are No. 3 seeds and the last four are No. 4 seeds. These groupings will be referred to as “bands.”

Given these facts, here is the top 16 of the current PairWise Rankings (PWR), and the conference leaders (through all games of March 5, 2013):

1 Quinnipiac
2 Minnesota
3 Miami
4t Massachusetts-Lowell
4t New Hampshire
4t Boston College
7 North Dakota
8t Minnesota State
8t Denver
10t St. Cloud State
10t Western Michigan
12 Yale
13 Niagara
14t Notre Dame
14t Rensselaer
16 Alaska

Here are the current conference leaders based on winning percentage:

Atlantic Hockey: Niagara
CCHA: Miami
ECAC Hockey: Quinnipiac
Hockey East: Massachusetts-Lowell
WCHA: St. Cloud State

Notes

• Bracketology assumes that the season has ended and there are no more games to be played. i.e., the NCAA tournament starts tomorrow.

• Before the conference playoffs start, I’ll use winning percentage, not points accumulated, to determine who the current leader in each conference is. Once the playoffs start, I’ll use the top remaining seed. This team is my assumed conference tournament champion.

Step one

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

We break ties in the PWR by looking at how the teams rank in the Ratings Percentage Index, and add in any current league leaders that are not currently in the top 16. There are none.

From there, we can start looking at the ties and bubbles in a more detailed fashion.

The ties and bubbles consist of Massachusetts-Lowell, New Hampshire and Boston College at 4; Minnesota State and Denver at 8; St. Cloud State and Western Michigan at 10; and Notre Dame and Rensselaer at 14.

We break all of our ties based upon the RPI.

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

1 Quinnipiac
2 Minnesota
3 Miami
4 Massachusetts-Lowell
5 New Hampshire
6 Boston College
7 North Dakota
8 Minnesota State
9 Denver
10 St. Cloud State
11 Western Michigan
12 Yale
13 Niagara
14 Notre Dame
15 Rensselaer
16 Alaska

Step two

Now it’s time to assign the seeds.

No. 1 seeds — Quinnipiac, Minnesota, Miami, Massachusetts-Lowell
No. 2 seeds — New Hampshire, Boston College, North Dakota, Minnesota State
No. 3 seeds — Denver, St Cloud State, Western Michigan, Yale
No. 4 seeds — Niagara, Notre Dame, Rensselaer, Alaska

Step three

Place the No. 1 seeds in regionals.

No. 1 Quinnipiac is placed in the East Regional in Providence.
No. 2 Minnesota is placed in the West Regional in Grand Rapids.
No. 3 Miami is placed in the Midwest Regional in Toledo.
No. 4 Massachusetts-Lowell is placed in the Northeast Regional in Manchester.

Step four

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

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

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

But, we must assign New Hampshire, a host school, first.

So therefore:

No. 2 seeds

No. 5 New Hampshire is placed in No. 4 Massachusetts-Lowell’s regional, the Northeast Regional.
No. 8 Minnesota State is placed in No. 1 Quinnipiac’s regional, the East Regional.
No. 7 North Dakota is placed in No. 2 Minnesota’s regional, the West Regional.
No. 6 Boston College is placed in No. 3 Miami’s regional, the Midwest Regional.

No. 3 seeds

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

No. 9 Denver is placed in No. 8 Minnesota State’s regional, the East Regional.
No. 10 St. Cloud State is placed in No. 7 North Dakota’s regional, the West Regional.
No. 11 Western Michigan is placed in No. 6 Boston College’s regional, the Midwest Regional.
No. 12 Yale is placed in No. 5 New Hampshire’s regional, the Northeast Regional.

No. 4 seeds

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

No. 16 Alaska is sent to No. 1 Quinnipiac’s regional, the East Regional.
No. 15 Rensselaer is sent to No. 2 Minnesota’s regional, the West Regional.
No. 14 Notre Dame is sent to No. 3 Miami’s regional, the Midwest Regional.
No. 13 Niagara is sent to No. 4 Massachusetts-Lowell’s regional, the Northeast Regional.

The brackets as we have set them up:

West Regional (Grand Rapids):
15 Rensselaer vs. 2 Minnesota
10 St. Cloud State vs. 7 North Dakota

Midwest Regional (Toledo):
14 Notre Dame vs. 3 Miami
11 Western Michigan vs. 6 Boston College

Northeast Regional (Manchester):
13 Niagara vs. 4 Massachusetts-Lowell
12 Yale vs. 5 New Hampshire

East Regional (Providence):
16 Alaska vs. 1 Quinnipiac
9 Denver vs. 8 Minnesota State

Our first concern is avoiding intra-conference matchups. We have St. Cloud State vs. North Dakota, Notre Dame vs. Miami and Denver vs. Minnesota State.

Let’s take care of Notre Dame vs. Miami first. What’s the best way to arrange this bracketing? Let’s go back to our method of looking at all the possible matchups between the first band and the fourth band.

We protect the overall No. 1 seed, thus we keep the matchup of Alaska vs. Quinnipiac.

And in addition, we keep the No. 1 seeds where they fall for geography. Thus, we can only move around the fourth band.

Looking at the three teams left, Niagara, Notre Dame and Rensselaer, it seems to make sense to me to send these teams to the closest geographic sites.

Thus Niagara goes to Toledo, Notre Dame to Grand Rapids and Rensselaer to Manchester. Here, the matchups become Niagara vs. Miami, Notre Dame vs. Minnesota and Rensselaer vs. Massachusetts-Lowell. That all works very nicely.

So we make that move.

West Regional (Grand Rapids):
14 Notre Dame vs. 2 Minnesota
10 St. Cloud State vs. 7 North Dakota

Midwest Regional (Toledo):
13 Niagara vs. 3 Miami
11 Western Michigan vs. 6 Boston College

Northeast Regional (Manchester):
15 Rensselaer vs. 4 Massachusetts-Lowell
12 Yale vs. 5 New Hampshire

East Regional (Providence):
16 Alaska vs. 1 Quinnipiac
9 Denver vs. 8 Minnesota State

Now it’s time to take care of the matchups in the second and third bands.

Once again we have two WCHA teams in the second band and two WCHA teams in the third band. Thus, our matchups are:

North Dakota/Minnesota State vs. Western Michigan/Yale
New Hampshire/Boston College vs. Denver/St. Cloud State

Like last week, let’s take a look at attendance issues at the same time.

We want to place Western Michigan in Grand Rapids. Thus we put Western Michigan in Grand Rapids and find bracket integrity. That means we have North Dakota vs. Western Michigan in Grand Rapids.

Next, we need to keep New Hampshire in Manchester. Thus, we also would like to keep Boston College in Providence.

If we use bracket integrity, then we have New Hampshire vs. St. Cloud State in Manchester and, in turn, Boston College vs. Denver in Providence.

That leaves us Minnesota State vs. Yale in Toledo.

Our brackets are now:

West Regional (Grand Rapids):
14 Notre Dame vs. 2 Minnesota
11 Western Michigan vs. 7 North Dakota

Midwest Regional (Toledo):
13 Niagara vs. 3 Miami
12 Yale vs. 8 Minnesota State

Northeast Regional (Manchester):
15 Rensselaer vs. 4 Massachusetts-Lowell
10 St. Cloud State vs. 5 New Hampshire

East Regional (Providence):
16 Alaska vs. 1 Quinnipiac
9 Denver vs. 6 Boston College

It’s a little jumbled, but given our rules, that’s about the best that I can do.

So that is it. My bracket for the week.

See you here next week for the next Bracketology.

Here’s a summary of everything that we have covered.

This week’s brackets

Grand Rapids
14 Notre Dame vs. 2 Minnesota
11 Western Michigan vs. 7 North Dakota

Toledo
13 Niagara vs. 3 Miami
12 Yale vs. 8 Minnesota State

Manchester
15 Rensselaer vs. 4 Massachusetts-Lowell
10 St. Cloud State vs. 5 New Hampshire

Providence
16 Alaska vs. 1 Quinnipiac
9 Denver vs. 6 Boston College

Conference breakdowns

WCHA — 5
CCHA — 4
ECAC — 3
HEA — 3
AHA — 1

On the move

In: Rensselaer, Alaska
Out: Dartmouth, Providence

Attendance woes?

I like it.

Last week’s brackets

Grand Rapids
14 Notre Dame vs. 2 Minnesota
10 Western Michigan vs. 5 North Dakota

Toledo
15 Yale vs. 3 Miami
11 St. Cloud State vs. 8 Niagara

Manchester
13 Dartmouth vs. 4 New Hampshire
12 Denver vs. 6 Boston College

Providence
16 Providence vs. 1 Quinnipiac
9 Massachusetts-Lowell vs. 7 Minnesota State

Tidbits

Three of the conferences are now into the playoffs. Is there any impact among the playoff games being played this weekend?

Robert Morris is the only TUC in the Atlantic Hockey playoffs that’s playing this weekend. Two losses to Sacred Heart would kill the Colonials’ RPI, perhaps knocking them out of the TUC range. Mercyhurst will not get to TUC status with two wins this weekend, but if they can move to next weekend, the Lakers may get their shot.

In the CCHA, Alaska has a lot to lose with a loss or two to Michigan State. Elimination from the CCHA tournament would pretty much doom Alaska’s at-large bid.

Northern Michigan’s series with Michigan is also important. With a .5006 RPI, two losses will drop NMU from TUC status. What’s the impact? The Wildcats are 0-2 against Notre Dame, 0-2 vs. Western Michigan, 1-2-1 vs. Alaska, 1-1 vs. Nebraska-Omaha, 2-0 vs. Wisconsin, 2-0 vs. St. Cloud State. It would affect Notre Dame, Western Michigan and Alaska negatively and Wisconsin and St. Cloud State positively. Notre Dame is 7-9-3 against TUCs so losing two wins there would be painful.

In ECAC Hockey, there are some good matchups. At .5003 in the RPI, Brown is hanging on. Advancement to the quarterfinal round may keep Brown as a TUC, benefiting teams such as Dartmouth (0-2), Rensselaer (0-1-1) and Union (0-1-1). Also, Cornell has an RPI of .5008. Having Cornell stay a TUC helps whom? Yale (0-2) for sure. Rensselaer? At 1-1, the Engineers would see Brown stay a TUC than Cornell. Union? Union would rather have the Big Red out of TUC range because it is 0-2 against Cornell. Dartmouth is 0-1-1 against Cornell. Denver is also 2-0 against Cornell, so Denver is rooting for the Big Red.

Dartmouth, without saying, must win to stay alive for a bid. St. Lawrence also must continue to win. Colgate is sitting at .4963 in the RPI, so two wins this weekend for Colgate against St. Lawrence might bring Colgate into the TUC range again.

There are no “bubble” matchups this weekend in Hockey East, but all the favored teams cannot afford a misstep.

In the WCHA, North Dakota vs. Minnesota State is a big matchup, and Wisconsin will try to move up against St. Cloud State.

D-III picks: March 6 (Dan Hickling)

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First Round – Wednesday, March 6 (Campus sites)
Wentworth at Babson
Babson pulled off a stunner by upending top-ranked Norwich in the ECAC East title game. The Beavers’ postseason run will continue, for one more game, anyway. Babson 5-3
Massachusetts-Dartmouth at Bowdoin
Bowdoin is a serious national title contender, and although the Corsairs barreled down the home stretch with a full head of steam, the Polar Bears are simply too strong. Bowdoin 4-2
St. John’s at Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Wis.-Eau Claire stumbled against St. Norbert in last week’s NHCA title game, and will likely not fall prey to an ambush by the Johnnies, who are making their first NCAA appearance in eight seasons. Wis.-Eau Claire 3-0
Quarterfinal Round – Saturday, March 9 (Campus sites)
Oswego at Adrian
This could be a shootout considering that the teams were 1-2 in the Nation in scoring (Adrian 5.00 gpg, Oswego 4.93). The Bulldogs possess the country’s top power play (32 percent), but Oswego gives up just over three power plays per game. This one will likely come down to special teams. Oswego 5-4
Babson at Norwich
The Cadets would love nothing better than to get another crack at Babson, although this time Norwich will have bigger fish to fry. Norwich 5-2
Wis.-Eau Claire at St. Norbert
Another intraconference brawl spilling into the NCAAs. There are no secrets left between the two, who would be meeting for the fifth time this year (Eau Claire leads 2-1-0). This time, Blugolds goalie Brandon Stephenson will flash the form that earned him NHCA Player of the Year honors. Wis.-Eau Claire 2-0
Bowdoin at Utica
Utica, the D-III attendance leader at over 3,000 per game, will have strong crowd support for its first-ever NCAA appearance, but that alone won’t get it done against the Polar Bears. Bowdoin 3-2

D-III picks: March 6 (Katie Carito)

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First Round – Wednesday, March 6 (Campus sites)
Wentworth at Babson
Wentworth is 7-2-1 in the last 10 games, including the ECAC Northeast Championship. Babson took the ECAC East Championship against Norwich by a score of 2-1. Babson 3-2
St. John’s at Wisconsin-Eau Claire
St. John’s is on a six-game win streak. Wisconsin-Eau Claire has outscored its opponents 108-61. Wis.-Eau Claire did suffer a loss in the conference championship to St. Norbert. Wisconsin-Eau Claire 4-1
Massachusetts-Dartmouth at Bowdoin
Mass.-Dartmouth won the MASCAC Championship, 2-1, over Plymouth State. The Polar Bears have only lost three games this season. Bowdoin 5-2
Quarterfinal Round – Saturday, March 9 (Campus sites)
Oswego at Adrian
Oswego is 23-4-0 this season. Adrian boasts a 23-1-3 overall record heading into the game this Saturday, including a six-game winning streak in which they have outscored their opponents 31-10. Both teams have over 130 goals this season, with 133 and 135 respectively. Adrian 4-3
Babson at Norwich
Babson took the ECAC Championship from Norwich, and is 1-0-1 with the Cadets this season. I’m not sure they’ll be able to do it another time. Norwich 3-2
Wisconsin-Eau Claire at St. Norbert
The defending national champion Green Knights are on a seven-game win streak, while keeping opponents to 48 goals all season. St. Norbert 3-1
Bowdoin at Utica
Utica had a less-than-stellar end of the season with a 2-1 loss to Manhattanville in the ECAC West semifinal, and will have more than two weeks off without a game going into the tournament. We’ll see if the rest did them any good. Utica 2-1

D-III picks: March 6 (Roman Uschak)

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First Round – Wednesday, March 6 (Campus sites)
Wentworth at Babson
The host Beavers went 6-0-1 in their last seven games, including a victory over Norwich in the ECAC East title game. The visiting Leopards were 6-0-2 and topped Salve Regina for the ECAC Northeast championship. Home ice might be the difference in this one. Babson 3-2
St. John’s (Minn.) at Wisconsin-Eau Claire
The Johnnies won their last six games and earned their first MIAC crown since 2005. They also lost to the Blugolds, 5-1, on Jan. 4 in Eau Claire after falling behind by three goals, and will be back in Wisconsin on Wednesday. Wisconsin-Eau Claire 4-2
Mass-Dartmouth at Bowdoin
The visiting Corsairs are on an eight-game unbeaten tear, including the MASCAC title, but also played to seven ties this season. The host Polar Bears were 12-2-1 at home this year and won the NESCAC, and also led their conference with 76 total goals. Bowdoin 4-3
Quarterfinal Round – Saturday, March 9 (Campus sites)
Babson at Norwich
The Cadets will be looking to upend the visiting Beavers after suffering two losses to Babson already this season, including the ECAC East championship. Averaging just over four goals per game should help Norwich avoid a third strike this season to the same opponent. Norwich 4-3
Oswego State at Adrian
Both teams are coming off conference championships. The host Bulldogs went 14-1-1 at home this year, and were 4-0 in one-goal games in claiming the MCHA. Oswego won the SUNYAC and went 9-2 overall in road contests, and have also been to three straight Frozen Fours. Oswego 4-3
Wisconsin-Eau Claire at St. Norbert
The Green Knights are two-time defending Division III national champions, and are second in the nation for fewest goals allowed per game and penalty-killing percentage, third in power play percentage, and sixth in goals scored per game. They were also 13-3-1 at home, but were just 0-2 when hosting the Blugolds. Could be an upset, but … St. Norbert 5-4
Bowdoin at Utica
The Pioneers are in the NCAAs for the first time ever in school history, and will have 3,000-plus strong cheering them on at the Aud. Utica is also averaging 4.50 goals per game, while Bowdoin is allowing just 2.52 goals per outing. Something’s got to give. Utica 2-1

D-III Picks: March 6 (Carmine Vetrano)

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First Round – Wednesday, March 6 (Campus sites)
Wentworth Leopards at Babson Beavers
Have to like what Babson has done during the ECAC East tourney. A hot team, with confidence, heading into the first round and playing at home. Babson 4-2
St. John’s Johnnies at Wis.-Eau Claire Blugolds
The MIAC champs, St. John’s, battle Eau Claire, an at-large bid, which fell to St. Norbert in the NCHA final. The Blugolds look to rebound from this one. Wis.-Eau Claire 3-1
Mass.-Dartmouth Corsairs at Bowdoin Polar Bears
Both of these teams come off winning their respected conferences. Bowdoin dominated all season long, while the Corsairs peaked at the right time. Polar Bears in this one.  Bowdoin 5-2
Quarterfinal Round – Saturday, March 9 (Campus sites)
Babson Beavers at Norwich Cadets
Can the Beavers do it twice? I don’t think so. Too much experience in Norwich, as it looks to get back to the tile game.  Norwich 4-1
Oswego State Lakers at Adrian Bulldogs
In some cases, this could be a possible match-up in the NCAA title game, but it’s not, and one powerhouse is going home early.  Have to go with the Lakers. Oswego State 3-2
Wisconsin Eau-Claire Blugolds at St. Norbert Green Knights
Round two between these programs. I think the Green Knights continue to roll after Eau-Claire comes off a hard-fought win over St. John’s.  St. Norbert 4-2
Bowdoin Polar Bears at Utica Pioneers
Another interesting match-up, as Utica gets in after it lost in the semifinals of the ECAC West tourney.  The Polar Bears match up well, but does home ice come into play? I’ll take a shot at this one, as 145 goals were scored between both teams. Bowdoin 5-4

D-III picks: March 6 (Tim Costello)

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First Round – Wednesday, March 6 (Campus sites)
Wentworth at Babson   
Shaun Jameson has been great for the Leopards all season but Zeke Testa is on one of those magical runs as a goaltender and that’s enough for the Beavers at home. Babson 4-2
 
Massachusetts-Dartmouth at Bowdoin  
Bowdoin has too much speed and balance for the Corsairs who get a great effort from Ryan Williams in goal but just fall short. Bowdoin 3-2
 
St. John’s at Wisconsin Eau-Claire
Just because a quarterfinal match-up with St. Norbert again will be a special game. Wis.-Eau Claire 4-1
 
Quarterfinal Round – Saturday, March 9 (Campus sites)
Babson at Norwich
A fourth meeting against a team that deprived them of their conference title on home ice is a lot of motivation for a team that wants to reclaim its national ranking in the tournament that means the most. Great seniors on both sides makes this a terrific hockey game. Norwich 2-1
 
Oswego at Adrian
The Bulldogs are for real, but so are the Lakers, who are a familiar fixture in the Frozen Four. The road trip will be a worthwhile one for the New Yorkers. Oswego 4-3
 
Wisconsin Eau-Claire at St. Norbert
In overtime just to add some spice, the defending champs are out and the semifinals are wide open. Wis.-Eau Claire 3-2
 
Bowdoin at Utica
Fans of great offense get their money’s worth in this one. Despite the quality of goaltending, the offenses are potent and the outcome is decided late in regulation. Bowdoin 5-4

D-III picks: March 6 (Tim Sullivan)

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First Round – Wednesday, March 6 (Campus sites)
Wentworth at Babson
The Leopards are on the road, but have more depth and a proud body of work to show not only the Beavers, but the rest of the tournament as well. Wentworth 4-3
Massachusetts-Dartmouth at Bowdoin
The Polar Bears are an impressive 22-3-2, and didn’t go the extra mile to earn that record to see it slip away in the opening round. Bowdoin 3-1
St. John’s at Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Two losses in their last four games — to St. Scholastica and St. Norbert — might not bode well for Wisconsin-Eau Claire. If there is such a thing as carryover momentum from the regular-season, the Blugolds don’t have it. St. John’s 3-2
Quarterfinal Round – Saturday, March 9 (Campus sites)
Oswego State at Adrian
Oswego State is battle-tested, and will not be fazed by a tough road atmosphere. You’re talking about a team that went 23-4. Something tells me the Lakers will be ready. Oswego State 4-3
Wentworth at Norwich
Easy to go against a favorite after a loss, especially one like Norwich’s 2-1 defeat to Babson in the ECAC East title game, but the Cadets orchestrated an 11-game unbeaten streak leading up to that loss, and the talent that produced that run should surface here. Norwich 2-1
St. John’s at St. Norbert
The Green Knights, at 23-5-1, have one of the top winning percentages in Division III (.810), and have had time to prepare. You want your team playing its best headed into postseason play, and St. Norbert has won seven in a row, including a run to the conference crown. St. Norbert 3-1
Bowdoin at Utica
Leaning on an inspired Pioneers squad to take the ice with some vim, vigor, and vitality after a puzzling end to the season. Utica’s last two games have not been textbook — a 4-4 tie to Manhattanville, then a 2-1 loss to the same team in the ECAC West title game — but with some time, the Pioneers should bounce back. Utica 4-1

D-III picks: March 6 (Brian Lester)

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It’s hard to believe it’s already NCAA tournament time, but for 11 Division III teams, the chase for the national championship begins this week.
Three games are on the schedule for tonight, and I will be taking aim at making predictions for the first two rounds. I didn’t do too bad making picks in the regular season for Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference games. We’ll see how effective my crystal ball is as I make my postseason predictions.
First Round – Wednesday, March 6 (Campus sites)
Babson vs. Wentworth
Babson is coming off its fifth ECAC East Championship and is in the NCAA tourney for the first time since 2009. The Beavers will need goalie Zeke Testa, the ECAC East tournament MVP, to step up to be successful tonight. He made 39 saves in a 2-1 championship win. Wentworth reached the tournament a year ago, and that experience could be the difference. The Leopards won the ECAC Northeast title, and Shaun Jameson (22 assists) could play a key role in their success. Both teams have momentum but Babson is at home. Babson 3-2
Wisconsin-Eau Claire vs. St. John’s
This will be a homecoming game for St. John’s goalie Saxton Soley, who has had a phenomenal freshman year and was Mr. Hockey in Wisconsin at Eau Claire High School in 2011. You know he is going to be on top of his game for this one, and if the Johnnies can continue their current offensive pace — they have outscored opponents 49-21 since a 5-1 loss to the Blugolds on Jan. 4 — they could be poised for an upset. The Blugolds are in the tournament for the first time since 1989, and Jordan Singer (20 goals) will be one to watch for Eau Claire. He needs to have a big game for Eau Claire to win. I’m going with an upset by the MIAC team. St. John’s 4-3
Bowdoin vs. Massachusetts-Dartmouth
Bowdoin tied the single-season mark for wins in a season with 22, and the Polar Bears are making their third trip to the tournament in the last four years. Dartmouth won only 12 games, and is playing in the tourney for the fourth time. The Polar Bears seem to have the edge. They have won three consecutive games, and are playing on their home ice. Five players have scored at least 10 goals, including 17 from Daniel Weiniger, and if they can be balanced tonight, they should be in good shape. The Corsairs are 1-3 in NCAA tourney play, but have won their last three games. I give the edge to the Polar Bears. Bowdoin 3-1
Quarterfinal Round – Saturday, March 9 (Campus sites)
 
Adrian vs. Oswego State
The Bulldogs begin tournament play Saturday, and are coming off a win in the Harris Cup. Adrian has a 17-game unbeaten streak, and shouldn’t have a problem keeping that going at home this weekend. Oswego won the SUNYAC title and has won 23 games as well, but with the Bulldogs playing at home and seemingly in contention for a national title, I give the edge to Adrian. Adrian 5-3
Bowdoin vs. Utica
Utica will play the winner of the Bowdoin-Mass.-Dartmouth game, and will be the host for the game on Saturday. The Pioneers have the advantage of a bye, and won a program-best 20 games this year. Bowdoin will have a tough time winning this game on the road. Utica 5-3
St. John’s vs. St. Norbert
St. Norbert is the two-time defending champion, and should be in good shape regardless of who it plays. The Green Knights, who will take on either Eau Claire or St. John’s, are making their 14th trip to the tournament, and their experience is going to be tough to top. They average 4.1 goals per game, and will roll. St. Norbert 6-3
Babson vs. Norwich
Norwich will host the winner of the Babson-Wentworth game, and is making its fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Cadets won 23 games, and are looking for their first national title since 2010 and their fourth national title overall. Norwich has scored 109 goals this year, and has allowed only 44. Norwich 5-2

St. Norbert back on top

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St. Norbert with Peter's Cup (Rick_Mickelson)

Just when you think the St. Norbert men’s hockey team is letting their guard down, the NCAA Division III powerhouse reaffirms itself as one of the most resilient programs in the country.

On Saturday, in a battle with Wisconsin-Eau Claire for the NCHA tournament title, St. Norbert blanked the favored Blugolds, 3-0, on the road. Saturday’s victory was the Green Knights’ first this season against Wis.-Eau Claire, and it gave them a first-round bye for the NCAA D-III playoffs, which begin tonight.

On Saturday, St. Norbert (23-5-1) will host the winner of tonight’s St. John’s/Wis.-Eau Claire tournament opener in Eau Claire.

During the regular season, the Green Knights went 0-2-1 against the Blugolds; however, as St. Norbert coach Tim Coghlin pointed out, every game was close.

“The first game, they won 5-3 and scored on an empty-netter; that game could have gone either way,” Coghlin said. “The second game, (a tie) could have gone either way. And then when we went into Eau Claire about a month ago, it was an interesting time because everything was on the line. If we would have won that game, we would have been in charge of the NCHA. But they beat us 3-0 in a well-played game that was more evenly-played than the score would indicate. Now, a month later, with everything on the line, we beat them 3-0 in a game that could have gone either way. We’ve played a lot of meaningful games where it’s meant a lot to win. It’s been a more evenly-played series than the scores would indicate.”

Coghlin believes the Green Knights have improved steadily in the past month, which could be scary for the rest of the D-III field. Since losing to St. Scholastica on Feb. 1, the Green Knights have rolled off seven consecutive wins.

“We are executing at a higher level, and we are competing better defensively, and we’re creating more offensively through hard-nosed defensive play,” Coghlin said. “In the first half of the year, I thought we relied heavily on special teams and power play, and it worked out well getting the ‘Ws’ that we did. Now, you’re looking at a more difficult time to score goals, and you have to manufacture goals.”

During Saturday’s win, the Green Knights received two goals from Chris Rial, a versatile defensive sophomore from Las Vegas. Rial, 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds, came to St. Norbert after a brief stint as a walk-on at the University of Minnesota.

“He scored a huge goal in the national tournament last year, so he was very opportunistic in what he had; he had some chances and made some plays,” Coghlin said. “It’s that time of year where it’s difficult to score goals. I just like that our compete level is back where we think it needs to be to continue to get better.”

Goalie David Jacobson, another standout sophomore, stopped 32 shots en route to his sixth shutout of the season.

“He had to make a few quality stops in the first period, but down the road, he didn’t have as many quality stops as (Blugolds goalie) Brandon Stephenson had,” Coghlin said. “He’s a tough kid who competes hard every day; it doesn’t matter if you’re playing pond hockey or playing for the Peter’s Cup, you’re going to get the same commitment from him. and that’s what we saw last year when we went on our big run.”

If Wis.-Eau Claire tops St. John’s tonight, the Blugolds will have another shot at the Green Knights in the D-III quarterfinal round in De Pere, Wis. While St. Norbert almost never falls at home, the Blugolds did defeat the Green Knights on their home ice in November.

“Saturday’s a single-game elimination, which our program, since 2003, has seen a lot of single-elimination play,” Coghlin said.

Through the past decade, the Green Knights have been extremely efficient at winning when the season is on the line. Can the two-time defending national champs return to the Frozen Four? We’ll find out on Saturday.

Hockey East hands one-game suspensions to Merrimack’s Bigos, BC’s Silk

USCHO Staff Report
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Hockey East announced Wednesday a pair of one-game suspensions to Merrimack senior defenseman Kyle Bigos and Boston College freshman forward Brendan Silk.

Bigos received his second game misconduct on March 4 against Massachusetts-Lowell and then a third in the form of league supplemental discipline. He is eligible to return to the Warriors’ lineup on Saturday, March 9 at Massachusetts.

Silk will sit after an illegal hit to the head of a Providence player on March 2 and can re-join the Eagles on Saturday, March 9 at Vermont. No penalty was called on the play.

Wentworth uses midseason slump as motivation heading into game with Babson

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The Wentworth Institute of Technology Leopards defeated the visiting Curry College Colonels 3-1 on Sunday, January 20, 2013, at Matthews Arena in Boston, Massachusetts. (Melissa Wade)

R.J. Tolan persevered through a season of ups, downs, and all-arounds for Wentworth.

Easily the preseason pick to win the ECAC Northeast, the ultra-talented Leopards struggled at times for offense, among other things, and there was many a time that their coach struggled to define his team along the way.

“As a coach, I should probably be better with words in these types of situations,” Tolan said. “I just know the kind of team we have, and I know when the time comes to go out and get the job done, my team can do it better than I can talk about it.”

The Leopards, ultimately, made Tolan’s words hold up. A late-season surge, and a dominant ECAC Northeast tournament later, and Wentworth is back in the NCAA tournament, and the early-season inconsistency — from Dec. 6 to Jan. 15, WIT went just 2-4 — is nothing more than a memory now. WIT will meet Babson on the road on Wednesday, as it tries to secure an opening-round win for the second time in as many seasons.

“We learned a lot from last year; we know what it takes to win at this time of year, and at this level,” Tolan said. “For us, it’s always a matter of going out and doing it. Not to think about it so much, as to just go out and play.”

The Leopards will get a chance to do that against the Beavers, who went 17-6-5 overall, but 7-1-1 out of the ECAC East. So, without question, Babson will be unfazed by Wentworth’s momentum, depth, or drive.

“When we have success, it’s about us, and how we perform … how or if we play up to our ability,” Tolan said. “If we do that, then we can live with the results.”

The Leopards have had no problem doing that of late. Dating back to Jan. 30, WIT has not lost a game, and dating back to the regular-season finale, it has won three in a row by a combined count of 12-4. Wentworth is also 8-1-0 when leading after one period, and 13-0-1 when leading after two periods. So if Babson, which was ranked in both polls Feb. 26, wants to rattle the Leopards, they’d be best to jump on them early.

What separated WIT from the rest of the conference at crunch time was the Leopards’ depth this season. Tolan can throw layers and layers of lines at you, and over the course of the season, that luxury wore down the rest of the league. Wentworth had three players reach 20 points, and seven others landed in double digits in scoring.

This is just the third meeting all-time between these two proud Massachusetts programs. Babson won both previous contests.

Wentworth: By the Numbers

Tournament Qualification: ECAC Northeast Champions — automatic bid
NCAA Tournament Profile: Sixth NCAA Tournament appearance
Last Appearance: 2012 (Second round loss to Norwich, 3-0).
Best NCAA Finish: 2012 (Second round loss to Norwich, 3-0).
Road to NCAA Tournament
W, 3-1, vs. Salve Regina (ECAC Northeast Tournament final).
W, 4-1, vs. Johnson and Wales (ECAC Northeast Tournament semifinals).

Team Statistics
ECAC Northeast Regular Season: 10-2-2, (First).
Overall Record: 16-8-3.
SOG: 32.1 per game.
Opponents’ SOG: 26.6 per game.
Power Play: 21.4 percent.
Penalty Kill: 80.8 percent.
Offense: 3.15 goals per game.
Defense: 2.15 goals per game.

Individual Leaders
Shaun Jameson — 5 goals, 22 assists, 27 points
Kevin Crowe — 10 goals, 11 assists, 21 points
Mike Cox — 5 goals, 16 assists, 21 points
Mike Domsodi — 6 goals, 12 assists, 18 points
Joel Miller — 1.83 goals-against average, .930 save percentage
Alex Peck —- 2.56 goals-against average, .902 save percentage

Oswego quietly confident as it readies for Adrian

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Oswego (Dan Hickling)

Most coaches can push buttons. The best coaches know when to keep their hands to themselves. Count Oswego bench boss Ed Gosek among the latter.

Gosek, who has one Frozen Four championship ring on his finger, realized late in the season that whatever emotional tweaks his No. 3 Lakers might have needed could be applied by themselves. His deft touch wasn’t needed.

Little wonder then, that Oswego is roaring into Saturday’s NCAA tournament tilt with No. 6 Adrian on the strength of an 11-1 roll, capped by a convincing 4-0 SUNYAC championship game win over arch-rival Plattsburgh.

“It started in the locker room,” said Gosek, whose 52nd birthday was highlighted Saturday by that decisive win over the Cardinals. “(We have) leadership with (captain Jon) Whitelaw and (assistant captain Chris Brown) ‘Brownie.’  We decided weeks ago to pass the torch to them. We need them to be good leaders, and we need the rest of the team to be good followers. They’re giving the right message, and it’s being received.”

That message, simply put, is “finish the job.”

Oswego, the lone SUNYAC entry in the tournament, and its 14 seniors, has a little bit of unfinished business to attend to after falling in last year’s Frozen Four title game to St. Norbert.

“It was a long summer,” said senior goaltender Andrew Hare, who posted six shutouts this season. “It was definitely the worst feeling ever. We definitely know what it takes to win.”

High-scoring senior winger Luke Moodie (22-19-41) echoed the sentiment.

“A lot of us have been there,” said Moodie, who said the best approach is to stick to the same things that have been so successful for the Lakers. “We’re going to approach (this week) the same way. Practice hard all week. We’re going to prepare the same way we do for every game. If we play our game, we’re going to be successful.”

Senior forward Tyler Leimbrock, whose first-period goal against Plattsburgh proved to be all the scoring the Lakers needed, said that his club has the confidence and talent to compete with anybody.

“We have the tools,” he said. “If we have performance like this (against Plattsburgh), there’s no stopping us. With Andrew Hare playing like that, we’re going to be tough to beat.”

All clubs hope to be at their best at the most crucial moment of the season. The Lakers are more than just hopeful about it. They know it, and can point to their recent success to prove the point.

“That’s the best part,” said Hare. “We had little ups and downs during the year, but we never really got negative about it. We’re getting hot at the right time, and hopefully we’ll keep on doing it.”

Wednesday Women: Round one

By Candace Horgan and Arlan Marttila
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(Tim Brule)

Candace: One round is in the books, and while most of the favorites prevailed, there were some upsets, and there were also a few where the favorite really struggled in advancing. Ohio State upset Minnesota-Duluth, Boston College needed overtime to get past Maine, and Cornell escaped Colgate with two come-from-behind wins. For me, I think that last one is the most surprising. I did pick Minnesota-Duluth, but the Bulldogs and Buckeyes split their season series. Boston College had swept Maine in the regular season, but we all know that Brittany Ott is a fantastic goalie, and a hot goalie can go a long way in evening things in a one-and-done like in Hockey East. For Cornell to need to come from behind in both games was a real surprise. What did you think of the first weekend of postseason action?

Arlan: At various points in the weekend while the games were underway, there were some scores that were shocking. By the end of the weekend, events had normalized, and I don’t think any of the three series that produced upsets were that much of a surprise. Nothing happened that shifted the balance of power. We weren’t expecting any of the teams that lost at home to make a long tournament run.

Your “hot goalie” comment likely applies even outside of Hockey East. Obviously at this point, every round consists of a single game, but even in some of the best-of-three series, a top goaltender can rule. Carmen MacDonald came up huge for St. Lawrence. Lindenwood’s Nicole Hensley gave new meaning to the phrase “standing on her head.” Her NCAA record of 90 saves in Friday’s game may never be topped, and that it came in her third game in four days makes it all the more remarkable.

As for the Cornell series, we had seen during the season that Colgate was a team that had the potential to give someone problems if the Raiders made the playoffs. They had beaten Clarkson and had a tie and one-goal loss versus St. Lawrence. However, Cornell had outscored them 18-2 during the season, so that didn’t seem to be a favorable match-up. On one hand, the Big Red can be encouraged that they managed stirring comebacks both days. That probably gives them an extra boost that they wouldn’t have gained in the momentum column from a pair of lopsided wins. Brianne Jenner continues to spark Cornell and fill the role previously handled by Rebecca Johnston. But it has to be a bit concerning that it came down to needing to pull the goalie in consecutive games. Every week, it is a different set of teams that are playing well in the ECAC, and nobody has really demonstrated that they can string wins together against the top teams.

Candace: Agreed. The ECAC has seemed to have more volatility than in years past. There are several strong teams, but it hasn’t been the case of one or two dominant ones and then the rest, the way it currently seems to be in Hockey East, the CHA, and even the WCHA, where you have three dominant teams. On the other hand, that unpredictability makes things a lot more interesting to watch. Harvard, for instance, had struggled the previous weekend in tying St. Lawrence and losing to Clarkson, and Dartmouth had seemed to be on an upswing, yet Harvard easily handled the Big Green in two games. In fact, the Crimson were the only team in the ECAC to win without a struggle, getting two shutouts. The other three series had at least one overtime game.

You talked about Nicole Hensley, and I had picked Lindenwood to possibly upset Robert Morris. For a while Friday night, it looked like my stab in the dark may have proved accurate. I followed the game on a live blog, and not only did Hensley make 90 saves, but several were top notch. Now the Colonials advance to play CHA top dog Mercyhurst, the only conference team Robert Morris had a winning record against besides Penn State. You have to wonder how Mike Sisti and the Lakers feel about that. It’s one of those things were it’s possible to put too much pressure on yourself. Robert Morris can skate freely, and the Colonials may be in the Lakers’ heads. In the other CHA semi, I do wonder if RIT’s experience as last year’s D-III national champion might help them get past Syracuse.

Arlan: The Tigers do have the edge in postseason experience. That was even more true for RIT against Penn State, but the teams wound up playing two one-goal games, the second ending in OT. The RIT and PSU series was another postseason case where a stingy goaltender, Nicole Paniccia, made an outcome closer than dictated by other factors. I doubt that the Tigers will get as many looks against Kallie Billadeau, so they’ll need to finish a little better to advance. Syracuse comes into the semifinals with the best of both worlds — well rested due to having a bye, but not rusty after playing a midweek series.

Mercyhurst may have exorcised a few demons where RMU is concerned when the teams last met and the Lakers dominated, 9-1. I’d say that there is zero chance that they come into this game unprepared for the Colonials. Meanwhile, RMU has won four games over the last two weekends, twice as many victories as it enjoyed in previous weeks in 2013. Yes, those wins were against the bottom teams in the league, but Robert Morris needs to look for positives where it can at this point. Another plus for the Colonials would have to be that as much as this season has been a head-scratcher, at least they are still above .500 at 15-14-3, although they were six games above over the holiday break.

The Lakers are in the strange position of likely reaching the NCAA tournament no matter how they fare this weekend, but they really don’t control their fate to any great extent. They may lose and advance or win the CHA and get left out. In that respect, Mercyhurst is just playing for a trophy this weekend like the other three teams. If that title should escape the Lakers again this year, which team could you envision winning it?

Candace: I could actually envision anybody winning the CHA at this point, but it depends on the match-ups. RIT has had the most difficulty with Mercyhurst, never getting close to beating the Lakers, so if those two are in the final, I’d expect the Lakers to come out on top. If Robert Morris defeats the Lakers, I’d probably favor either Syracuse or RIT to win the final. Regarding the Lakers missing the NCAA tournament, I guess it’s possible, but I think a few things would have to happen that to me seem unlikely. Namely, St. Lawrence would have to repeat as ECAC champ and Northeastern would have to win Hockey East. Otherwise, I don’t see any way for it to happen. I can’t see Ohio State beating Minnesota, and whichever team between Wisconsin and North Dakota wins the WCHA semi, even were they to then go on and beat Minnesota in the WCHA final, I don’t think it would shift either ahead of Mercyhurst in the PairWise, although I guess I could be wrong. Is there something there that I’m not seeing?

Arlan: Only that if anyone other than Minnesota wins the WCHA tournament, then that team holds an automatic bid and no longer needs to pass Mercyhurst in the PairWise to get in over the Lakers. So if Wisconsin and Northeastern won titles, for example, the Mercyhurst bubble likely pops. It definitely helps the Lakers if the higher seeds do well in the conference tournaments, because it most likely would require two winners from outside of the current top eight to ruin Selection Sunday for Sisti’s team and deny them a ninth straight NCAA appearance.

I found it interesting that for all of the parity along the way this season, the composition of the conference tournament fields at this stage looks a lot like it did a year ago. RIT has replaced Niagara in the CHA semis, but the Purple Eagles were doomed months ago. Hockey East has the same four teams that ventured to Hyannis last March. Ohio State replaces UMD in the WCHA field, while Clarkson supplants Quinnipiac. That’s not a lot of turnover. Perhaps we will see a bit more next season in an Olympic year.

In terms of flux in the NCAA field, at least one of Wisconsin or North Dakota will miss out this time, and either Clarkson or Harvard will be added — most likely both. St. Lawrence is the other team most at risk for not being back. I said last week in our discussion that it didn’t look like the Saints had a run in them, but now that they are just two wins away, can MacDonald and company stay on a roll and prove me wrong again?

Candace: At this point, I’m going to say no. I just think it’s too tall an order. The Saints have a horrible record this year against Cornell, Clarkson, and Harvard. I guess they could be Colgate 2.0, as they were outscored 15-3 in three games against the Big Red this year. Perhaps they’ll take Cornell by surprise, but I expect the Big Red to be a little more on their guard this year after losing in the final last season to St. Lawrence on two goals in the final two minutes of the game. Even should St. Lawrence pull off the upset in the semis, I think they would lose to either Harvard or Clarkson in the final.

I think it will be interesting to see how the conference tournaments play out this year with almost the same teams back in it. Last year in Hockey East, Northeastern fell short to Providence, while Boston University crushed Boston College. The pairings are different this year, with the Terriers, who have been quietly chugging along and winning, albeit in uninspiring fashion, facing Providence, while Boston College gets a chance to avenge its Beanpot loss to Northeastern. Since you don’t participate in postseason picks, first, are you thinking St. Lawrence has another run, and how do you think Hockey East might shake out?

Arlan: You mentioned St. Lawrence scoring twice in the final two minutes last year; the Saints are perfecting their technique, scoring twice in the final 32 seconds to force overtime on Saturday, the game they eventually lost. We talked about ECAC teams having difficulty sustaining a strong performance from game to game. I felt that Harvard and SLU played the best hockey in the league in the quarters, so I guess that means they have no chance in the coming round. Anyway, I’m the wrong guy to ask about that league, because I thought Dartmouth was the team most poised to pull an upset, and the Big Green just never fired. All I know is that between Amanda Colin’s triple-overtime game winner and Jamie Lee Rattray’s falling-down goal, the ECAC is home to some of the prettiest goals.

If the Hockey East Tournament was set in a Hollywood movie, then because Providence’s 0-9 mark against the remaining teams must be foreshadowing something, the Friars would be the likely beneficiary of a plot twist and would go on to win. Since this is allegedly real life, I expect the Friars to drop behind by a few goals versus the Terriers, and their latest Zenyata-style comeback will fall just short. Sticking with the horse-racing theme, Northeastern would be the “wise guy” horse that all of the insiders would start to bet. They’ve been the best team since the Beanpot, but a similar plot was unfolding last season, and just like that, the Huskies’ season was kaput.  I think that the Eagles are playing possum. No, that’s a bad metaphor. What’s the bird that pretends to have a broken wing and leads the predator away from the nest? Huskies! It’s a trick, head back to the Eagles’ nest, and not the one in Wisconsin.

The bottom line in Hockey East is that BC should win. They have the most talent. Last year, I thought that goaltending was the Achilles’ heel, but now I can’t fault Corinne Boyles at all. Haley Skarupa looks to be back in form, and I think she and Alex Carpenter form the best one-two tandem in the East. This year, it really will be the most obvious suspect, and Boston College will win the championship, but they’ll need a minimum of one overtime period to do so. Take it to the bank — or one of those check-cashing places. That reminds me that I still owe you a six-pack, so I’ll get right on it while you explain to the readers what will really happen.

Candace: Hah, we’ll see. I think any number of things could happen. While I favor Boston College, the Eagles sometimes get in a rut where they are gripping their sticks too tightly or something, or maybe over-thinking it. For two weeks in a row, the Eagles put up a ton of shots on net, yet struggled to score. Ott made 72 stops. BC still has a potent offense, and if it gets untracked, I like them in a rematch against Northeastern. That Beanpot game was a close one. Regardless of whether the Huskies get another upset or Boston College gets revenge, I expect Boston University to be waiting for them. It will likely be a close game between BU and Providence, as two of the three were during the regular season, but the Terriers are a very solid team. I’ll be interested to see how the final PairWise standings shake out at the top. There’s currently a three-way tie for the final home ice spot, but that will change the moment the final whistle blows on the Harvard-Clarkson game, since those are two of the teams involved. Harvard currently holds a minute edge over the Terriers and Golden Knights. I’m also wondering whether Boston College can overtake Cornell again for second, which doesn’t mean much in terms of home ice, but could in terms of which teams move on to the Frozen Four in Minneapolis.

I mentioned Minnesota still being a favorite in the WCHA earlier. Another place they are a favorite is in the Patty Kazmaier Award race, as four Gophers, Amanda Kessel, Hannah Brandt, Noora Räty, and Megan Bozek, were in the final 10 list. Those four were joined by last year’s winner, Brianna Decker of Wisconsin, last year’s final three nominee Jocelyne Lamoureux of North Dakota, Brianne Jenner of Cornell, Jillian Dempsey of Harvard, and a pair of sophomores, Boston College’s Alex Carpenter and Northeastern’s Kendall Coyne. What’s your initial take on the final 10?

Arlan: There will always be some super players that don’t fit on the list, and I think that is the case again. Goalies like Erica Howe and Alex Rigsby, and skaters like Christine Bestland, Monique Lamoureux, and Kelly Babstock, are no less worthy because they were not named. Awards tend to favor high-scoring forwards in general, and that’s the case this year, with eight of 10 being forwards. But overall, I thought that it was a nice list, and the Committee did a good job. In recent years, the vote has tilted a bit to favor WCHA players, but we may be getting to an end of that cycle, because four of the six finalists from that league are seniors. The ECAC and Hockey East got two apiece, while the CHA was bypassed. One problem for the CHA this year is that it is a challenge for voters to compare the seasons of players from that conference when it has three new teams.

I don’t have any insight into what the committee will do from here. A few weeks ago, I thought that Kessel was in the best position, because she was on pace for a possible 120-point season. Then she got “dinged up,” as Minnesota coach Brad Frost put it, and has skated less than a handful of shifts over her team’s last four games. It’s hard to score from the bench or the stands. Meanwhile, the race has tightened up just among her teammates, as Räty set NCAA records for shutouts in a career and season and Bozek and Brandt set program records for points in a season by a defenseman and rookie, respectively. Both Jenner and Jocelyne Lamoureux have accelerated their production. Jenner pulled Cornell out of the fire against Colgate, and Lamoureux was in the middle of the rout of Minnesota State. If somebody has a huge final weekend at her conference tournament, that could influence the final three and ultimate winner.

Do you have other opinions on the 10 finalists or how the Kazmaier Award is shaping up?

Candace: Well, seeing as I am on the Committee this year, I do have some idea. First, you should know that the Committee doesn’t select the final 10; that is done by the Division I coaches. The coaches nominate players, and if two or more coaches nominate a player, that player is on the ballot. Then the coaches submit their votes for the top 10. After the final 10 are announced, the Committee schedules a call to discuss the finalists, with the idea that it will help with the selection. You should also know that the voting for the final three is done before the conference tournaments are over, and in fact, the final three will be announced this Thursday, March 7. We’ll have a story on USCHO about it, so be sure to look for it.

Mass.-Dartmouth looks to carry momentum against Bowdoin

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Ryan Williams of Mass.-Dartmouth (Tim Brule)

This one is a little bit sweeter.

The Massachusetts-Dartmouth Corsairs have punched their ticket to the NCAA D-III men’s ice hockey tournament after defeating Plymouth State in the MASCAC championship, 2-1, this past Saturday. This is the second title in four year for the Corsairs; however, their first title did not give the program an automatic berth to the tournament, but this one did.

Massachusetts-Dartmouth is coming off a pretty remarkable run this year. After hovering around .500 most of the campaign, the Corsairs turned up the heat and took second place in the regular season standings. With that, they eared an auto-bid to the semifinal game that saw them matched up against last year’s runner up, Salem State. The Corsairs needed three extra periods, as they finally defeated Salem State, 5-4, in triple overtime.

Waiting for Mass.-Dartmouth were the defending champs, the Plymouth State Panthers.  This one was a close one, but the Corsairs didn’t need the extra time to decided it.  It was sophomore defenseman Stephen Ginand netting the eventual game-winner in the third to give the Corsairs the tile and ticket to the dance.

Massachusetts Dartmouth Corsairs vs. Bowdoin Polar Bears
2012-13 NCAA First-Round Game
Wednesday, March 6 at 7:00 p.m.
Sid J Watson Arena, Bowdoin State

Why Mass.-Dartmouth will win: The Corsairs are coming off a run that can see them feed off that heading into the first round of the NCAA tournament. Bowdoin though, handled the NESCAC pretty much the entire season, and has an offense that can find the back of the net like no other (four goals per game average). The Polar Bears are also looking to go far in this tournament, especially with the roster and talent they have. However, the Polar Bears seem to give up some goals time to time, and average just a bit shy of three goals against per game.

For Mass.-Dartmouth, they need to keep this train going, and not be worried or focused on the high-octane offense in Bowdoin.  The Corsairs have to stay out of the box and limit the chances the Polar Bears get on the man-advantage, since they move the puck so well. Going back to the win against Plymouth State, they kept the Panthers off the board and got superb goaltending from senior goalie Ryan Williams, who stopped 37 shots.

Look for Williams to carry this team if they want to go deep into this tournament.

Best of luck to both teams!

Massachusetts-Dartmouth: By the Numbers

Tournament Qualification: MASCAC Champions — automatic qualifier
NCAA Tournament Profile: Fourth NCAA Tournament appearance
Last Appearance: 2008
Road to NCAA Tournament
W, 5-4 (3 OT), vs. Salem State, (MASCAC semifinals game)
W, 2-1 at Plymouth State, (MASCAC championship game)

Team Statistics
ECAC East Regular Season: 9-3-6 (Second)
Overall Record: 12-7-7
Power Play: 21.2 percent
Penalty Kill: 83.1 percent
Offense: 3.05 goals per game
Defense: 2.45 goals per game

Individual Leaders
DaveMcDonald —- 12 goals, 12 assists, 24 points
Phil Bronner —- 15 goals, 6 assists, 21 points
Shaun Walters —- 8 goals, 11 assists, 19 points
Nick Marquis —- 8 goals, 8 assists, 16 points
Zach Helper —- 2 goals, 11 assists, 13 points
Ryan Williams —- 2.48 goals-against average, .923 save percentage

The CCHA is going away, but its history will have a final resting place

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Congratulations to the Miami RedHawks, the last regular season champions of the CCHA! Ever!

After losing 3-0 to Ohio State at home Friday, the RedHawks rebounded with a < a href=”http://www.uscho.com/recaps/2013/03/02/miami-wins-fourth-ccha-title-on-senior-night-doubling-ohio-state-4-2/”>4-2 win over the Buckeyes on Saturday. It was a victory that was never really in question; the RedHawks were ahead 4-0 at the 15:50 mark of the third period.

“I don’t want to be sentimental at this point in the season,” Miami coach Enrico Blasi said after the game, “because there’s still so much hockey to be played, but it’s a big deal. We can say that we won the last one.

“I’m sad that the CCHA’s going away, but everyone had to make a decision for the best interest of their programs, including Ohio State and Miami. It just so happens that we have to put an end to it.”

We have to put an end to it. Indeed, sadly.

My favorite quote of the night was something senior Curtis McKenzie said. “The trophy’s ours forever now,” he said. Technically, no. (See below.)

Metaphorically, I’ll give you that.

McKenzie’s classmate and team captain, Steven Spinell, said what really needed to be said.

“Of course it’s a huge honor to win the league championship,” Spinell said, “but we have bigger aspirations to come here.”

I wouldn’t be surprised if Spinell’s words weren’t a bit prophetic. I hear Pittsburgh is nice in early April.

A tale of three commissioners

It’s only Tuesday as I write this, and already it’s been a long, strange week. I didn’t realize that this week’s column would be all about the commissioners — three of them, anyway — but sometimes the stories unfold in surprising ways.

The current guy at the helm

The last regular-season weekend of play brought us one week closer to the end of the CCHA for good. Commissioner Fred Pletsch said that it’s difficult to think about the eventuality because this is the busiest time of year for the conference.

“March 25,” Pletsch said, “I’ll be looking for a job.”

I caught up with Pletsch as he was driving to Oxford, Ohio, to deliver the regular season trophy to the RedHawks.

“We’ll let them have it for a year,” joked Pletsch, who had read what McKenzie said after Saturday’s win.

That unnamed trophy along with two others eventually will reside permanently at Bowling Green. When the CCHA ends, it’s not just a matter of the league going away; the CCHA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation and as such, its assets must be accounted for when it is dissolved.

To satisfy the state of Michigan’s terms of nonprofit dissolution, some of the corporation’s records must be stored for a period of up to 10 years. That’s where Bowling Green comes in.

“Bowling Green, as an original charter member of the CCHA, has volunteered to do that,” Pletsch said. “Their plan is to create a CCHA display.”

In addition to storing documents that need to hang around for legal reasons, Bowling Green has agreed to take some of the CCHA’s artifacts. While the university hasn’t solidified where it will house the display, some of what will be enshrined already has been identified.

In addition to the regular-season trophy, BGSU will also keep and display the Mason Cup and the Bill Beagan Trophy. The Mason Cup is named after legendary Michigan State coach Ron Mason and is awarded to the CCHA playoff champions; the Bill Beagan Trophy is named after the man who served as league commissioner from 1985 to 1998 and is given to the playoff tournament MVP.

“I’ve also offered them the 45-foot mural of the history of the CCHA,” Pletsch said. Those familiar with the league’s annual Fan Fest in Detroit have probably seen the mural. Pletsch said that the league is getting the final panel for the mural made and that panel will depict where each of the 11 current CCHA teams will go after this season ends.

The Mason Cup that will reside at BGSU — the one that teams have received since 2002 — is a replica of the original. According to Pletsch, that original was “smashed to bits” one night in 2001. The story of the trophy’s undoing is told by Ron Mason himself in the video of the history of the CCHA that the league is making, a video that will be shown at the league’s Celebrate the Legacy party in the COBO Center in Detroit the Saturday night of the CCHA tournament. Said Pletsch of Mason, “He doesn’t admit that there was alcohol involved.”

The original Mason Cup will go to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. The Hall of Fame has actively pursued CCHA artifacts for a display it intends to build that will include a video of the telecast of the final championship game.

“They’re actually going to have a representative at the championship,” Pletsch said. “They want the stick from the kid who scores the final goal and the game-winning puck.”

The league has more than just paperwork and artifacts with which to contend. The CCHA has a reserve fund that is worth in excess of $1 million. That money is in place to handle unexpected expenses and, once the corporation is dissolved, will be given equally to each of the league’s member schools.

“I’m expecting that’s how it works,” Pletsch said. “All the assets have to be distributed.”

You want a piece of the CCHA for yourself? Don’t worry. There will be plenty available throughout the CCHA championship tournament weekend in Detroit. Pletsch said that the league has everything from a 30-foot banner of former Michigan State goaltender Jeff Lerg to CCHA watches from the mid-1990s.

“We’re always finding things” while going through the offices, Pletsch said.

Me, I hope to find a replacement for my original CCHA sweatshirt, the one that I finally ripped beyond repair and stopped wearing about five years ago. Or another CCHA backpack, since mine is ripped.

I guess coming apart at the seams is another unexpected theme this week.

The gent known as The Commish

One of my favorite CCHA stories ever is one about former Lake Superior State coach Frank Anzalone, told by former commissioner Bill Beagan. Well, it’s not so much the story, but the punch line is worth it.

The CCHA coaches were at an annual meeting in Ann Arbor, when the league offices were located there. The specifics of the discussion are irrelevant. In the meeting, though, coaches from around the league were offering assistance to Anzalone, whose reputation for being difficult is widespread. I prefer to think of Anzalone as misunderstood. Incidentally, so does Anzalone.

Anyway, coaches were offering assistance and Anzalone was stubbornly refusing it. The punch line comes from Beagan himself, who in frustration told Anzalone, “Frank, you’re the only man I know who’d like to die in his own arms.”

I don’t know if that line is a completely accurate portrait of Anzalone, but I do know that it’s pure, vintage Beagan.

This week, The Commish emailed me a letter that he’d previously emailed to John Tuohey of FSN Detroit. To be honest, I’d received the letter last week via a third party, but this time Beagan it emailed to me as well.

It is not a happy letter. Not at all.

In it, Beagan likened the CCHA to the RMS Titanic and its commissioner at the time of the announcement of the formation of the Big Ten hockey conference, Michigan State coach Tom Anastos, to Captain Edward Smith. Beagan’s take on the end of the league is that it didn’t have to happen, that had some planning and foresight occurred the CCHA would remain intact — much like the Titanic could have avoided disaster had Smith heeded warnings about icebergs.

Beagan ended his letter with this: “Sadly, and unlike the RMS Titanic, there will be no movies, books, folk songs or memorials established to memorialize the once-proud CCHA, only an obituary which should read: ‘It didn’t have to happen.'”

I can understand Beagan’s disappointment, certainly. As commissioner of the CCHA, Beagan did much to heighten the profile of college hockey during his tenure from 1985 to 1998, especially in terms of recognizing the importance of televising the game. He did a lot, too, to promote college hockey as a legitimate path to the NHL.

As I have written repeatedly, I am saddened by the end of the CCHA. Unlike Beagan, however, I do not see Anastos as someone to be vilified. While I said at the time that I was a bit jolted by the timing of Anastos’ resignation as CCHA commissioner, I cannot fault the man for doing what he thought was best for himself, his family and even his alma mater. Tom Anastos is not the villain in the story of the ending of the CCHA.

In fact, there is no villain. I hate to disagree with my old friend The Commish — a man of whom I am personally very fond and one who has earned my unending respect — but sometimes things just happen. When Penn State announced its decision to join the ranks of Division I hockey, that forced Big Ten hockey into existence. While I wasn’t happy with the speed of Miami’s departure from the CCHA nor with Western Michigan’s immediate solicitation of other conferences, I did then and do still respect each program’s right to be self determining, as much as any Division I team can be.

During the months following the announcement of Big Ten hockey, Pletsch was criticized for what people perceived to be his inaction in regard to keeping the CCHA together. I talked with Pletsch several times during that period, and from our discussions, it was clear that the fate of the league lay with its member teams. Not to pile on the RedHawks, but once Miami decided to leave the conference, the conference was destabilized; people associated with individual programs needed to make decisions best for those individual programs. From what I can tell, every program did what it could to make the best of the situation.

Most of Beagan’s letter is about how planning could have saved the CCHA in some form, but I’m not sure at all that anything could have done so. The league doesn’t exist in hockey vacuum and there are factors beyond what the average fan can see that affected everything about the break-up of the CCHA — and everything about its decision to deny Alabama-Huntsville admission prior to that, and I do not see the two as unrelated.

Beagan isn’t the average fan. His disappointment is understandable. The CCHA was his baby for a long time and he helped it grow into something formidable in the world of hockey.

Beagan was the commissioner of the CCHA, but he wasn’t the commissioner of the CCHA when Big Ten hockey arrived. As mighty a man as he is, I don’t believe that even the great Bill Beagan could have saved the CCHA.

That other guy in between

While covering the Western Michigan-Michigan State game Saturday night, my good friend and hockey writer extraordinaire, Neil Koepke, told me about an interesting rumor that was making the rounds in East Lansing. As many as 20 fans, Koepke said, approached him while he was on the concourse during the game and asked him if it was true that Anastos intended to step down as coach at Michigan State to become the new commissioner of Big Ten hockey.

Um, what?

Koepke brought this up in the postgame news conference, which gave everyone a big laugh. First of all, there will be no commissioner of Big Ten hockey. The Big Ten itself has a commissioner, Jim Delany. He will have someone working under him, I’m sure, who oversees hockey, but there will be no Big Ten hockey commissioner.

Second … um, what? There is no earthly reason for Anastos to leave his job. When he heard the rumor, he jokingly asked, “How much does it pay?” He also mused about the greater control over scheduling he’d have.

Anastos isn’t going anywhere. As for that rumor, Koepke said that the concerned MSU fans who brought this to his attention claimed they’d heard it on the radio.

Officially speaking

There were some interesting doings regarding officiating around the CCHA last weekend. In the overtime period of the 1-1 tie between Ferris State and Michigan Saturday night, the Bulldogs had seven men on the ice at one point, the extra attacker in place of goaltender CJ Motte and, well, an extra extra attacker.

The officials missed the too-many-men call, but there was no harm done — and there would have been no harm done even if FSU had “scored.” Pletsch told me that director of officials Steve Piotrowski assured him that a goal in that situation would’ve been disallowed after review.

Yes, Michigan’s chance of securing home ice in the first round of the CCHA playoffs was on the line in that overtime. Yes, Michigan should have earned more points earlier in the season so as not to have to depend on the last regular season game for the points it needed to secure home ice in the first round of the CCHA playoffs.

Down the road on Saturday night, late in the third period of Michigan State’s gritty 1-0 win over Western Michigan, the Broncos were fighting for position among the top three teams in the league. Before the last game of the season, WMU was two points behind first-place Miami. Every point mattered, without question.

With 1:40 remaining in regulation, Dennis Brown fired from near the MSU blue line and the puck went into the net. His teammate, Dane Walters, was in the crease as the puck crossed the line. I watched this video repeatedly. Walters was in the crease. He was not pushed there by a Spartans player. The goal was disallowed and it was the right call.

Yes, the Broncos had a beef about the fact that the call wasn’t reviewed. Yes, the Broncos should have scored more goals earlier in the game so as not to have to rely on the power play with goaltender Frank Slubowski pulled for a two-man advantage to score on the league’s last-place team. And — yes, like the Wolverines — the Broncos had opportunities earlier in the season to earn more points.

When officiating is an issue, complain. When it’s a non-issue — and when your team hasn’t done enough itself to steer its own destiny — don’t.

And speaking of officials, one of the lingering questions I have as the CCHA prepares to dissolve is about the on-ice officials. What’s going to happen to them? No one has been contacted about officiating anywhere next season, which in a way is understandable because the realignment requires some rethinking about geography and officials’ league affiliations.

I did talk to Pletsch about this during our chat on his drive to Oxford. Piotrowski has been tabbed by the Big Ten to be the coordinator of men’s ice hockey officials for the conference, but Piotrowski can take only so many guys with him. “With six teams in the Big Ten,” Pletsch said, “he’s not going to need as big a staff.”

So what about the rest of the guys? Well, there’s great overlap of conference territory in Michigan and Ohio, states in which many of the CCHA’s on-ice officials live. There are rules regulating how many games an official can work within a given league before he becomes affiliated with that league. I wonder how college hockey will adapt to its new landscape regarding on-ice officials.

The officials wonder too, I’m sure. These are guys with lives. I do hope that decisions are made quickly after the current season ends so that the CCHA guys in stripes know where they’ll be skating next season.

Players of the week

This week’s honors are dominated by the young.

Rookie of the week: Michigan goaltender Steve Racine, who had 46 saves in a series against Ferris State, a 4-1 win and 1-1 tie. Racine also stopped all three shots he faced in the shootout, helping the Wolverines earn that extra point. Racine’s season-long numbers are not an indication of how well he’s playing lately; he’s 3-0-1 in his last four contests with a .926 save percentage in that span. It’s the first POTW award for Racine.

Offensive player of the week: Notre Dame freshman forward Mario Lucia. Lucia had two goals an assist in the Irish’s sweep of Bowling Green. Friday night’s marker was the winner, his first of the season. Lucia has 12 goals in 27 games.

Defenseman of the week: Ohio State freshman Craig Dalrymple, who had a goal and two assists in the Buckeyes’ split with Miami. He also blocked six shots against the RedHawks in the series.

Goaltender of the week: Northern Michigan’s Jared Coreau, a junior and the only non-rookie in this week’s honors. Coreau stopped 82 shots in NMU’s split with Lake Superior State, including 50 in Friday’s 3-1 win.

My ballot

1. Minnesota
2. Boston College
3. St. Cloud State
4. Miami
5. New Hampshire
6. Quinnipiac
7. North Dakota
8. Western Michigan
9. Yale
10. Minnesota State
11. Denver
12. Nebraska-Omaha
13. Notre Dame
14. Massachusetts-Lowell
15. Niagara
16. Wisconsin
17. Rensselaer
18. Dartmouth
19. Providence
20. Alaska

More hardware next week

There are more Girl Reporter Awards coming. I’m still researching.

Dartmouth gets veteran play out of a young roster

By
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In what had been predicted to be a stop-and-start kind of campaign for Dartmouth, all lights appear to be Green entering the postseason.

“Our team is playing really, really hard, and I think this is going to be the healthiest we’ve been in a while,” coach Bob Gaudet said. “For a young, young team — probably not a younger team in the country — to be picked 10th in our league [by the media], to be picked seventh in our league [by the coaches] and to finish in fifth, barely out of a bye, I’m pleased with the way the team is playing.”

Pundits couldn’t be blamed for tabbing Dartmouth so low before the season began. Even now, if you saw only class year and games played, you probably would imagine the Big Green to be a big mess: Only four seniors have suited up for Gaudet this season, and they have summed just 67 games.

Fortunately, the kids came up big this year. Junior Eric Robinson and sophomore Tyler Sikura shared the team lead with 10 goals apiece; Sikura also chipped in 18 helpers to lead the team in scoring. Rookies have accounted for 14 of Dartmouth’s 80 goals to date, and sophomores 34. It’s a youth movement, for sure.

“There’s times I look on the ice and we have four freshmen and a sophomore,” Gaudet said. “I like this team a lot, and I have a lot of faith in this hockey team.”

The Green stumbled in their final weekend of the season, tying Princeton and falling to Quinnipiac in Hanover. The team had been 10-3 (7-2 in ECAC) at Thompson Arena entering Friday’s action, but the results cost the squad a shot at an always-desirable bye week.

“I thought we played a really good game against Princeton, and I thought they played really well,” Gaudet said. “Then we’re in a 2-1 game with Quinnipiac halfway through the third, they made a couple plays. They’re a really good team.”

The Green were outshot both nights, and though much credit is due to the Tigers and Bobcats, Gaudet is confident that his side can do better.

“Sometimes you’ll have the shot totals go your way and sometimes you won’t, and a big part of that is that some of your best defense is your offense,” Gaudet said. “We have to be a little bit more willing to shoot the puck ourselves. That creates a little bit of a frenzy in the offensive zone, which gives you zone time, which boosts your shot totals and keeps the opposition shot totals a little further down.”

Gaudet was mum on this weekend’s starting goalie, but is excited at the prospects of getting a number of players back in the lineup after missing time with injuries.

Senior Dustin Walsh is one of the recently healed, and Gaudet said the Green’s leading active goal-scorer was “feeling pretty good” last weekend. The coach has his fingers crossed for the return of freshman forward Tim O’Brien as well, though he did note that freshman Jack Barre and sophomore Brandon McNally are “out indefinitely.”

With Ivy archrival, travel partner, and spring chicken Harvard making the haul to Hanover this weekend, Gaudet and the Green are looking forward to another opportunity to prove the doubters wrong.

Evolution of the Tigers

When center Andrew Calof’s extra-attacker, overtime winner blew by Harvard’s Raphael Girard last Saturday, Calof became the first Princeton junior since 1991 to earn 100 points. That’s a long time.

The win also secured the Tigers a home-ice spot for the sixth time in seven years. That’s a long time, too.

The opponent — Cornell — is on the road in the first round for the first time since 1998-99. That’s a long time. And Cornell’s opponent in that series 14 years ago? Princeton.

There’s a lot of history here, and plenty more unmentioned. The Ivies love their illustrious pasts, and Princeton is no different. But the one piece of history the Tigers would love to revisit is the outcome of that first-round series in the late winter of 1999: Princeton beats Cornell 10-9 on aggregate.

What was an historic but half-empty Hobey Baker Rink not so long ago is now the third-toughest ticket in the country, by capacity. The Tigers are drawing 105 more fans per game than they have seats, packing the venue in support of the Garden State’s only D-I men’s hockey program. With attendance steadily climbing over the past half-decade, Baker is now a premier attraction in central Jersey.

“Anyone would tell you they’d rather play at home than on the road, so it means a lot,” coach Bob Prier said. “Baker Rink was [filled] beyond capacity all year, so it’s a nice home-ice advantage for us. It’s one of the largest advantages you can have in college hockey.”

The Tigers swept the Big Red for the first time in five years this season, and Prier likes the look of his squad going forward.

“We’ve played well in our last three games — we’ve come out of them 1-1-1 … and we’ve controlled most of the play here in our last three games,” Prier said. “We’re starting to play with a lot more confidence, controlling the puck a little bit more. We’ve got some good depth now so things are looking good for us.”

Last weekend’s gritty 2-2 tie at Dartmouth and 2-1 OT win at Harvard continued to set the postseason tone for Princeton, which has played six one-goal games (or ties) in its last seven outings.

“We’re fortunate that we played well this weekend on the road, and we’ll just have to continue playing that way,” Prier said. “We are in playoff mode, certainly. Last weekend, those were important games for us to try to attain home ice. We played playoff-type hockey, I believe the other teams played playoff-type hockey as well, so it was a nice test for us.

“They were low-scoring games, which is probably what we’re going to see throughout the playoffs. They were three really hard-fought points. Guys are certainly in the right mind-set. I think we have just as good a chance as anyone to go the distance.”

A big reason why the Tigers will sleep in familiar dens this weekend is the play of senior goalie Mike Condon. The keeper boasts a .925 save percentage and a 2.42 goals against average in 22 games this season, and is saving nearly 94 percent of shots faced since mid-November, 16 games ago.

“Mike’s certainly taken over that starting position. Throughout the second part of the season he’s played really, really well, so yes, he’s certainly our No. 1 goalie right now,” Prier said. “He’s playing as well as he has in [my two years here], right now.”

In fact, Condon has put up career bests in minutes, save percentage, goals against average and wins. If he could lead the Tigers to their first series win in four years, too? Now that’s the kind of history Princeton likes to see.

More to come

Be on the lookout for our comprehensive series predictions in the ECAC Blog on Friday morning, as Nate Owen and I gear up for our own prodigious postseason run.

Amherst’s Lloyd repeats as NESCAC’s top women’s player

USCHO Staff Report
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Amherst senior defenseman Geneva Lloyd has been named the NESCAC player of the year for the second straight season after a 13-goal, 27-point season to lead the Lord Jeffs in scoring.

Also, Bowdoin forward Rachel Kennedy earned top rookie honors with 15 goals and 14 assists for 29 points, while Bowdoin coach Marissa O’Neil was named the top coach in the NESCAC.

2012-13 First Team All-NESCAC

Player's NamePositionClassSchool
Kayte HoltzFSr.Bowdoin
Rachel KennedyFFr.Bowdoin
Tori SalmonFSo.Amherst
Geneva LloydDSr.Amherst
Madison StyrbickiDSr.Middlebury
Alexa PujolGJr.Trinity

2012-13 Second Team All-NESCAC

Player's NamePositionClassSchool
Hannah BielawskiFSo.Middlebury
Lauren GreerFSr.Middlebury
Jordan SchildhausFSo.Wesleyan
Katie ZimmermanFSr.Hamilton
Ashley SalernoDJr.Amherst
Samantha WeinsteinDSr.Williams
Kayla LessardGSr.Bowdoin

Wesleyan’s Buehler named NESCAC men’s player of the year

USCHO Staff Report
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With 20 goals and 20 assists this season to lead all NESCAC scorers, Keith Buehler was named the conference’s player of the year.

Buehler was also named First Team All-NESCAC, the only First Team selection from 2012 to earn the honor again in 2013.

In addition, Middlebury forward Matt Silcoff earned rookie of the year after tying for the team lead with 11 goals and 23 points, including 15 multi-point games.

Trinity coach Matt Greason took home coach of the year laurels.

2012-13 First Team All-NESCAC

Player's NamePositionClassSchool
Keith BuehlerFJr.Wesleyan
Nick CravenFSr.Wesleyan
Daniel WeinigerFSr.Bowdoin
Brandon HewDSr.Amherst
Timothy McGarryDSr.Bowdoin
Ben CoulthardGJr.Trinity

2012-13 Second Team All-NESCAC

Player's NamePositionClassSchool
Johnny Van SiclenFSr.Amherst
Ollie KooFJr.Bowdoin
Nick LanzaFJr.Colby
Marko BrelihDFr.Hamilton
Robbie DonahoeDJr.Middlebury
Sean DoughertyGSo.Williams
1...806807808...1,503Page 807 of 1,503

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