Weekend Rewind Nov. 28

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November 28, 2011

Now that all the dust has settled from this past weekend’s four colossal matchups at the Cardinal-Panther Classic, what have we learned?

Well truthfully…not all that much.

While these early season tournaments like the East/West Hockey Classic and the Panther-Cardinal Classic are important games, it’s tough to completely predict who is necessarily better than who considering Middlebury and Amherst are just in their second week of games and the Panthers were still missing their leading scorer from a year ago.

Clearly Elmira helped their NCAA Tournament profile should they need a Pool C bid come March with a tie against Middlebury and a win over Amherst while Plattsburgh is a bit behind the 8-ball early now. However, there is still is plenty of hockey left to be played and Plattsburgh not only have league games left with RIT (2), Elmira (2), but they’ve also got non-conference tilts with Norwich (2) and Middlebury left.

Middlebury also didn’t hurt their profile even though they finished in third place. The Panthers wrapped up the weekend with what goes down in the NCAA record book as a tie against Elmira (shootouts aren’t considered) and a win over Plattsburgh. I’d be willing to bet Midd coach Bill Mandigo would take a 3-0-1 start so far while missing his top scorer (Lauren Greer) from last year as well as graduating a First Team All-American (Alexi Bloom) between the pipes.

What I do find ironic is that the one team that didn’t have goaltending questions coming into the Cardinal-Panther Classic that I outlined in my preview for my column last week, ended up not only winning the tournament, but Elmira’s goalie Lauren Sullivan was named the tournament MVP. Sullivan pitched a 15-save shutout against No. 3 Middlebury and then followed up by stopping 26 of 27 shots to help lift the Soaring Eagles past Amherst and claim their second Cardinal-Panther Classic title in the last three years.

RIT was also in action with four exhibition games during Thanksgiving week against Ontario Canadian university clubs. The Tigers impressively won all four games, including a 3-2 win over undefeated and No. 3-ranked Wilfred Laurier. RIT once again seems to have established itself at a different level early this season. The Tigers return to the States this week to host Chatham for a pair of games and then they’ll hit their next stretch of tough games with a roadtrip out to Trinity on Dec. 10 followed by Amherst the next day. RIT then kicks off the second semester by hosting Adrian twice on Jan. 6 and 7 and then travel up to Plattsburgh on Jan. 13 and 14 for a showdown with the Cardinals.

ECAC West Weekend Recap

By Scott Biggar

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November 28, 2011

Hobart earned the gold medal over the weekend in the inaugural Cape Cod Lighthouse College Hockey Invitational Tournament with victories over Babson and Amherst. The weekend got off to a rough start Saturday when Trevor Hines scored twice in the opening nine minutes to give Babson an early 2-0 lead.
The Statesmen rallied and stayed with Babson, only trailing 3-2 as the second period wound down. The game turned when Tommy Fiorentino scored his second goal of the game with 33 seconds left in the second period and Bronson Kovacs threw in another 1:56 into the third. The pair of goals gave Hobart its first lead of the game, and the Statesmen held on for an eventual 5-3 victory.
In Sunday’s championship game, it was Hobart that came out with a jump. Greg Ciciola scored just 24 seconds into the game against Amherst and the Statesmen were off to the races. Amherst tied it early in the second period, but David Stevens and Bobby Hannah each tallied their first goals of the season to give Hobart the 3-1 victory and tournament title.
Goaltender Marty Ausserhofer was named tournament MVP after stopping 40 of 42 shots on goal in a little more than five periods of work in net. Kovacs and Fiorentino were also named to the All-Tournament team.
Neumann also swept its nonconference weekend against Cortland. Friday’s game was a close affair at the end. Neumann pushed to a 3-0 lead before Cortland came storming back with a pair of goals late in the third period. The Knights held on, though, for the 3-2 victory.
Saturday’s rematch was a shootout. Neumann roared out to a 4-0 lead just nine minutes into the contest. Then the two teams started trading goals leading to an eventual 10-5 win for the Knights.
Elmira split its weekend in arguably the toughest tournament in the nation this season. The Soaring Eagles opened up the Primelink Tournament against host Middlebury on Friday.
“I’ve been involved in the Primelink before at Potsdam, so I kind of knew how good the competition was and the organization of the tournament,” said Elmira coach Aaron Saul. “It is top notch. The way it worked out this year with the four teams in the top eleven in the country was great.”
Elmira took advantage of its opportunities midway through the first period, scoring three goals in a 1:45 span to take a 3-0 lead. Of course the Panthers weren’t done, tallying a goal late in the first and early in the second to make it a close 3-2 game.
Norwich special teams proved too much for Elmira in the championship game on Saturday. The Cadets scored three power-play goals in the first period, outshooting Elmira 18-3, and then rolled to a 5-2 win.
“The first minutes were good back and forth hockey, but we got into penalty trouble and they got a ton of shots on the power play,” said Saul.
McDonald and Martin Lee made the All-Tournament team.
Manhattanville had the least success of any ECAC West team this past week. The Valiants lost a game Tuesday against Western New England, 3-2, despite holding a 37-27 shot advantage. Luc Van Netter and Adam Young scored for Manhattanville, but it wasn’t enough.
The Valiants again built a solid 42-29 shot advantage against Williams on Sunday, but this time eked out a 1-1 tie in dramatic fashion. Van Netter tipped in a shot from the point by Dillon O’Hara directly off a faceoff with only six minutes remaining in the contest to earn the tie. Manhattanville almost won the game when Evan Michaluk threw in a rebound with just under a minute remaining in the third period, but the net was dislodged just before the puck crossed the goal line and the score was waved off.

MCHA/MIAC/NCHA wrap: Nov. 28

By Neal Jensen

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November 28, 2011

It was a week full of jaw-dropping action in the Midwest. There were some surprise upsets of some ranked teams, as No. 4 Adrian, No. 8 Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), and No. 13 St. Thomas were beaten by unranked opponents.
Adrian Thanksgiving Showcase
Wis.-Eau Claire was crowned champion of the Adrian tournament. The Blugolds defeated host Adrian and Buffalo State en route to victory.
Buffalo State used a third-period power-play goal by Trevor McKinney to beat No. 13 St. Thomas 3-2 in the opening game of the tournament Saturday.
Tyler Romasco scored the game-winner a little over two minutes into the second period as Wis.-Eau Claire held on to upset Adrian 2-1 Saturday.
Robby Philipp scored the game-winning power-play goal in the third period for St. Thomas, as it defeated Adrian 3-1 in the consolation game of the Adrian Thanksgiving Showcase tournament.
Wis.-Eau Claire won the tournament by defeating Buffalo State 3-1. Brandon Stephenson made 18 saves and only allowed two goals during the tournament.
MCHA/NCHA Showcase at Marian
St. Scholastica stole the show in Fon du Lac this weekend by winning both its games, and St. Norbert won one and tied another as teams from the NCHA did not lose to their MCHA counterparts.
St. Norbert extended its dominance over Lawrence, improving to 31-0 all time, with a 5-1 win in the first game of the MCHA/NCHA Thanksgiving Tournament at Marian University’s Blue Line Family Ice Center. Alain Joanette scored two goals for St. Norbert in Friday’s victory.
St. Scholastica rallied past Marian on the strength of three third period goals. Chris Sinclair scored the game-winner for St. Scholastica in the second game of the MCHA/NCHA Showcase.
St. Scholastica cruised to a 6-1 victory over Lawrence Saturday.
St. Norbert and Marian skated to a 5-5 overtime draw in the final game of the showcase.
Other Thanksgiving week games
St. John’s had a three-goal outburst in the second period to defeat Concordia (Wis.), 5-2, on Friday, in St. Cloud. Jascha Pettit led St. John’s with two goals.
The two teams skated to a 2-2 overtime on Saturday, November 26.
Goalie Steve Papciak recorded 21 saves as St. Olaf shutout Lake Forest 5-0 Saturday. Bryan Glenn and Derek Grogan had a goal and an assist each to lead St. Olaf offensively.
Ross Trousdale scored a power-play goal in the third period that proved to be the game-winner as St. Olaf beat Lake Forest 4-1 Sunday.
Bethel defeated Northland College 5-3 Friday. Chris Fiala scored two goals and added an assist to lead Bethel.
The following afternoon saw a reversal of fortune for Northland, as it beat Bethel, 8-4. Northland used five goals in the second period to erase a 3-0 Bethel lead. Northland scored three more in the third. Colin McIntosh registered the natural hat trick for Northland.
Derek Stauber and Pat Dalbec each scored two goals apiece to pace Wis.-Superior to a 6-1 victory over Concordia on Wednesday, November 23.
St. Mary’s earned its first win of the season by defeating MSOE 2-1 in overtime Tuesday, November 22. Bob Marx blasted a slap shot past MSOE goalie Connor Toomey three minutes into overtime to give St. Mary’s the victory.
MSOE, the No. 8 team in the USCHO.com poll, bounced back the next night and beat St. Mary’s 6-0.

ECAC Northeast/MASCAC wrap: Nov. 28

By Rachel Lenzi

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November 28, 2011

Charging Castleton
Castleton just keeps rolling. This past week, Castleton’s path stormed through the ECAC Northeast and the MASCAC. The Spartans entered last weekend’s game as the No. 3 team in the country in the latest USCHO.com Division III top 15 poll. (Disclosure: I voted them No. 1) and they’re 9-0 so far this season. Castleton has opened the season with the nation’s longest winning streak.
If we want to get into semantics, Division I Merrimack, at 9-0-1, has the nation’s longest unbeaten streak since the start of the season.
Castleton combined for 15 goals against their two nonconference opponents from the ECAC Northeast and MASCAC. Castleton defeated Plymouth State, 5-2, last Tuesday (November 22), then defeated Becker 10-0 Saturday at the Rutland (Vt.) Invitational, outshooting the Hawks 43-18 and forcing the Hawks to use three goalies in the loss: Jake Rosenthal (11 saves), who was pulled early in the second after giving up five goals, in favor of Tom Natoli (15 saves), who was pulled early in the third for Shaun Millerick (seven saves) after giving up three goals. Rosenthal, by the way, took the loss.
However, Castleton’s early-season dominance brings up this: So far, there hasn’t been a lot of dominance in the ECAC Northeast or in the MASCAC, which might be a good thing. It’s a long season — one made up of ebbs and flows for any team.
Only one team from either conference has been ranked in USCHO’s top 15 poll so far this season: Curry, the No. 15 team in the country in the preseason poll. However, the Colonels have seemed to find their form, as they’ve opened conference play 3-0.Ryan Barlock has averaged nearly a point a game in Curry’s first five games, including five points on the power play, as Curry has scored 27 goals in its first five games.
And consider Johnson and Wales. The Seahawks are 4-1-1 and 1-0-1 in conference to open the season, and have scored 32 goals in six games, including seven from Danny Kaufmann, while allowing an average of two goals a game.
Plymouth State has had the strongest start of the MASCAC teams, going 4-1-0 and 2-0 in conference play. The Panthers’ only loss this season? It came at the hands of Castleton.

SUNYAC wrap: Nov. 28

By Russell Jaslow

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November 28, 2011

Brockport goes unbeaten in tournament play
Brockport may have played in the third place game of the Skidmore Invitational, but the Golden Eagles were the only SUNYAC team not to lose a game over the various Thanksgiving weekend tournaments.
That’s because Brockport failed to advance in the first round due to a shootout, which does not count toward your record. The game against Hamilton ended in a 5-5 tie after a five-minute overtime.
After falling behind 2-0 at the end of the first period, Nick Panepinto and Adam Shoff tied it up for Brockport. Hamilton retook the lead before the second period was over.
The teams then alternated power-play goals in the third, which resulted in a 4-4 tie with 5:12 to go. Panepinto got his second and James Cody got the other. Hamilton took the lead once again with two minutes left.
Twenty-one seconds later, it looked all but over for Brockport when Marcus Farmer took a roughing penalty. With no choice, coach Brian Dickinson was forced to pull his goalie, despite being short-handed.
It paid off, as Shoff got his second of the night with 1:10 left in regulation. Each team got off two shots in overtime, but to no avail.
In order to decide who moved on to the championship game, a three-player shootout was used. Hamilton converted on its first two while Brockport missed both, ending the shootout one shot short.
Thus, Brockport played Nichols, which lost to host Skidmore, 8-2, in the third place game. The Golden Eagles won, 7-3.
Once again, the opposition opened a 2-0 lead, this time after a scoreless first period. James Cody (power play) and Troy Polina scored a minute apart late in the second period to tie the game at two.
Cody scored again, this time short-handed, at 2:08 of the third for a lead Brockport would never give up. Steve Sachman scored a power-play goal to make it 4-2.
After Hamilton got one back, Brockport scored three times in the final 2:10 of the game, with Cody getting his hat trick leading it off, followed by Polina for his second and finally Colby Spooner. Brockport outshot Nichols in that final period, 22-5.
Aaron Green made 18 saves for the win.
Other highlights
– Plattsburgh did not score a single goal in the Primelink Tournament, yet did not lose both games. That’s because they also shutout Middlebury in the Third Place game for the 0-0 tie. Josh Leis made 26 saves for the shutout. The previous day, Plattsburgh lost to Norwich, 3-0.
– Buffalo State beat St. Thomas, 3-2, in the first round of the Adrian Tournament. Jim Durham tied the game 1-1 in the first period on a short-handed goal. Matt Bessing gave the Bengals the lead early in the second, but St. Thomas tied the game 13 minutes later. Trevor McKinney scored the winner on a power play at 9:47 of the third. Ryan Malinowski made 29 saves for the junior’s first collegiate win. Buffalo State lost in the championship Game, 3-1, to Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Justin Knee scored in the third period for the Bengals’ only goal after his team was down 3-0.
– Morrisville also won the first game, but lost in the championship game. The Mustangs beat Tufts, 4-2, in the Rutland Invitational. Morrisville held a 3-0 lead after two periods on goals by Ryan Marcuz, Patrick Stillar, and Eric Geertz. The first two were on the power play. Tufts scored twice in the third, with the latter coming with an extra attacker with 48 seconds left. Stillar got it back on an empty-net goal 37 seconds later. Colin Breen made 23 saves.
– Morrisville then lost to host Castleton, 4-3, in the final. After Stillar tied the game 1-1 in the first, Matthew Beer gave his team a 2-1 lead early in the second. Castleton then scored twice before the end of the period. Beer got his second power-play goal to tie it midway through the third, but Castleton scored the winner 1:41 later.
– Cortland lost twice to Neumann, 3-2 and 10-5. In the first game, Cortland fell behind 3-0 after two periods when Adam Bevilacqua and Ryan Markell scored to make it respectable. The second day, Joey Christiano scored twice, including a short-hander, and Bevilacqua scored again.

A Thanksgiving feast

By Arlan Marttila

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November 28, 2011

In keeping with the spirit of Thanksgiving meals, several teams teams loaded up their plates with an extra serving of hockey over the past week. Some proved that their appetite was up to the task, while others found themselves unable to digest all that they’d ordered.

The ECAC offered a prime example of each. Quinnipiac, failing to impress while winning but one of its first six, has surged back into contention by constructing an 8-2-1 ledger thereafter, including a perfect three-for-three during the week. After rallying in the final seconds to tie Boston College before winning in overtime, the Bobcats rode that impetus to wins over Connecticut and Robert Morris to claim the Nutmeg Classic Championship. Meanwhile, No. 9 Harvard lost three straight at home to Dartmouth and Minnesota twice in the span of five days to significantly darken its national prospects. The Crimson don’t have long to regroup, as a rematch with the Big Green in Hanover looms on Wednesday.

A much-awaited series fizzled as a less-than-healthy Boston University squad was outclassed on the scoreboard in Ithaca, suffering a sweep at the hands of Cornell by a 10-2 aggregate. Perhaps the best ECAC action of the week was provided by Dartmouth, as on the heels of their single-goal win over Harvard, the Big Green needed overtime to subdue Hockey East’s Northeastern.

Computer-ranking regard
While the WCHA has performed well in the human polls thus far, with four teams ranked throughout and even a fifth at times, that respect pales in comparison to the tribute afforded by the KRACH ratings available on USCHO. The current KRACH slots Wisconsin first, Minnesota second, North Dakota fourth, Bemidji State sixth, Ohio State seventh, and Minnesota-Duluth eighth. Cornell occupies the third spot, and the only other interloper in the top eight is Holy Cross, meaning six of KRACH’s top seven full-time D-I teams are from one conference. The WCHA’s standing drops a bit in the other computer rankings, but not drastically. The Rutter Ranking through November 26 has WCHA teams in positions one, two, four, five, six and nine. Excepting Holy Cross, RPI puts WCHA members first, second, fourth, seventh and eighth.

My estimate is that this weekend will prove to be the ranking summit for the WCHA. The league has nearly exhausted its nonconference slate, meaning future WCHA wins must be balanced by WCHA losses. The math strongly suggests that such a field is unsustainable for another three months, but the current PairWise Ranking has five of the conference’s members in a prospective NCAA field, ignoring automatic bids. The implied tournament bracket would have Ohio State at No. 1 Wisconsin, Bemidji State at No. 2 Minnesota, North Dakota at No. 3 Cornell, and Mercyhurst at No. 4 Boston College. While I’m sure we’ll never see such a field in practice, it at least provides fodder for conspiracy theorists to chew on regarding how the selection committee might force five WCHA representatives into a single half of the bracket.

Allow me to introduce

By Nate Owen

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November 28, 2011

..myself

First, thanks to Brian Sullivan for the kind words of introduction.

I’d like to take this chance to offer a more personal greeting. I’m replacing Josh Boyd, who posted his last weekend recap right below me.

I’m certainly stepping in after a hectic weekend, one filled with close finishes and a controversial goal in a pair of showdowns between some of the best in the ECAC and Hockey East.

Just a quick side note…as a Northeastern alum, I’ve certainly witnessed some heartbreak thanks to Boston College and Boston University, so I feel for ya’ Yale and Cornell.

While I’m a newcomer to the ECAC regular season, I’m not a stranger to the postseason or USCHO. I started for the site two years ago as an arena reporter before taking on the ECAC Northeast and MASCAC columnist duties for the Division-III side of things.

I also accompanied Brian to Atlantic City last year and have had a chance to cover an ECAC team in the last two NCAA tournaments.

So, in the words of Michael Scott: I’ve seen the finished sausage. Now I get to see how its made.

But I promise that’s the most you’ll ever hear about me. I’m looking forward to teaming with Brian to bring you coverage through the year. And I plan on learning a lot myself as the season progresses.

Lastly, I’d like to be easily accessible, so feel free to drop me a line at [email protected] or @Nate_Owen41 on Twitter.

WCHA’s ranked teams suffer holiday hangover

By Brian Halverson and Tyler Buckentine

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November 28, 2011

25 Nov 11: BrockÂ NelsonÂ (North Dakota-29) Scores the game winner in the third period.The University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux host the Colorado College Tigers in a WCHA matchup at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, ND. Subway Holiday Classic. Final Score:North Dakota 7- Colorado College 6. (Brad Olson) — Brock Nelson scores the game winner in the third period of North Dakota's 7-6 win over No. 4 Colorado College on Nov. 25 (photo: Brad Olson).

Maybe it was a tryptophan overdose which made it such a tough week to be a ranked team in the WCHA. The conference’s top-ranked schools went a combined 3-5-2 including the 1-4-1 mark posted by those in the top 10.

Struggling North Dakota’s sweep of No. 4 Colorado College was perhaps the biggest eyebrow raiser of the bunch but No. 3 Minnesota’s one-point weekend at No. 20 Michigan State was yet another head-scratcher. Only No. 10 Denver’s shutout of Princeton on Friday night stood in the way of a winless weekend for WCHA teams in the top half of the rankings.

No. 18 Michigan Tech and No. 19 Nebraska-Omaha each chipped in a win to the cause but, overall, it was an underwhelming few days for those whose names are preceded by a number.

Un-ranked WCHA teams, however, fared far better against slightly stronger competition. North Dakota, Wisconsin, Alaska-Anchorage, Minnesota State, and St. Cloud State’s post-holiday performances resulted in a 5-2-3 mark. The feat was accomplished against foes entering the weekend with a winning percentage of .475 as opposed to the .451 posted by opponents of ranked teams.

Today’s poll should see a lot of movement within the WCHA’s top 20 membership with No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth (idle this past weekend) likely the biggest beneficiary.

Desperate times call for desperate measures

Singer, songwriter, author and political activist Bob Geldof once said, “Mankind at its most desperate is often at its best.” Although Geldof has likely seen very little hockey in his lifetime, his words accurately describe the happenings in Grand Forks and Mankato over the weekend.

The WCHA’s pre-Thanksgiving bottom three, North Dakota, Alaska-Anchorage, and, to a lesser degree, Minnesota State each demonstrated the power of desperation as November’s schedule came to a close.

It was evident the Sioux took the Nov. 20 shutout loss at Bemidji State to heart.

UND forward Danny Kristo was asked after the game, if he was sick of hearing how the Sioux couldn’t score goals.

“Whatever is said is said so we can’t dictate that,” Kristo said with a laugh.

All it took was 36 seconds into Friday’s game for Kristo to backhand the puck into the Colorado College net. Ten goals and six periods later, the Sioux swept the No. 4 Tigers.

Two wins against a highly-regarded team like CC is a great foundation to build off as the Sioux work to get this season going in the right direction.

UND’s schedule up to the New Year has a combined record of 15-16-7 between Alaska Anchorage, Nebraska-Omaha and Harvard so let the scoring continue for the Sioux

Harvard has the ninth-worst defense in Division I (3.38 goals allowed per game), right in front of the Seawolves (3.36) and UNO isn’t far behind in goals allowed department with 3.31 allowed per game.

This weekend’s sweep of CC could be the dawn of UND’s annual surge.

Alaska-Anchorage lugged a 1-7-0 conference record to Mankato having scored just seven goals in those eight games (0.88 goals per game). The Seawolves exploded for 10 goals in taking three of four points from the Mavericks by way of a 5-4 win followed up by a 5-5 tie.

UAA stormed out to a 5-1 lead on Saturday night after just 27:31 of play before the Mavericks demonstrated a bit of their own desperation. Minnesota State stormed back with four unanswered goals in the next 22:53 to tie the game with nearly 10 minutes to play. Although the Mavericks were unable to top off the comeback with a win, their urgent effort salvaged one point in the series.

Badgers depend a lot on Zengerle, Schultz, offensively

We saw what Wisconsin can do when Mark Zengerle and Justin Schultz blow up for 15 combined points, as they did this weekend against Mercyhurst.

Zengerle scored one goal with seven assists. Schultz had three goals and four assists. The Badgers probably won’t get that big of a weekend again from Zengerle and Schultz together, but its become obvious how vital the pair is to Wisconsin’s offense.

Every team needs players that can score a point per game. For the Badgers, they needs even more out of Zengerle and Schultz, or other guys or going to have to step up to balance the offense for Wisconsin to be successful.

The Badgers are undefeated at 6-0-1 when Schultz has a multi-point game but have only one win in nine games in which he records one point or less. Wisconsin is 4-1 when Zengerle has a multi-point game and 3-7-1 when he doesn’t.

Last but far from least . . .

A toss of the hat to Colorado College’s Rylan Schwartz for his dual-hat-trick performance in the Tigers’ pair of losses in Grand Forks.

The junior forward now ranks fourth in the nation with 13 goals in 11 games and is tied with his brother Jaden for the team lead in points with 17. Rylan has shown himself to be somewhat of a streaky scorer with 11 of his goals coming in just four of CC’s games, including another hat trick against Bemidji State on Oct. 15.

Hockey East nips ECAC by one overtime goal (and a fond farewell)

By Joshua Boyd

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November 28, 2011

Okay, Hockey East, you win this round. But just watch yourself.

That was the message this week from ECAC teams all over the country, as the ECAC Hockey fell one game behind the Hockey East Association in inter-conference match-ups (3-4 this weekend, 4-5 overall).

This was the most active weekend of the season thus far between the two premier Eastern U.S. leagues, and we’ve certainly learned that the ECAC can do more than just skate with the league that provided three straight national championship teams between 2008 and 2010.

It all started off so well on Friday, when Colgate started out by defeating Vermont, 4-1. By about 6 p.m. on Saturday night, the ECAC was up 2-0 on Hockey East thanks to a 4-2 win by Quinnipiac over Massachusetts.

Over the rest of that night, Hockey East teams put up a 3-1 mark on the ECAC. Princeton did beat Providence at the Denver Cup, but at two pro arenas, it was HEA’s turn to shine. Boston University beat Cornell, 2-1 in overtime, in front of a sold-out Madison Square Garden crowd of 18,200. Sweet showing! Anyone up for a Frozen Four in Manhattan?

A few hundred miles north in Portland, Maine, that state’s flagship university defeated Clarkson in a close one, 4-3, at the Cumberland County Civic Center – home to the Portland Pirates, AHL affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes – in front of 5,328 fans.

Boston College also beat Yale in a one-goal game (3-2) at “the Whale,” Ingalls Rink. Vermont closed out the turning of the weekend tide with a 5-3 win over Dartmouth at the Gutterson Field House. All in all, the Hockey East finished the weekend 4-3 over the ECAC.

It looks better for the ECAC if you reach back two days before Thanksgiving to add in Harvard’s barrelhouse 7-6 win over New Hampshire for a 4-4 mark. Should we do that, gang? Or should we nitpick and differentiate between pre-and post-cranberry sauce games?

New Hampshire is actually the team that tips the scale ever-so-slightly in Hockey East’s favor, winning a 2-1 overtime game on Oct. 28 to make the overall record between the conferences this year 5-4, HEA.

Harvard gets a chance to even it up Friday, when the Crimson enter the Mullins Center in Amherst to face Massachusetts.

Several other ECAC vs. Hockey East match-ups are upcoming the next few weekends in December, including Yale at Massachusetts (Dec. 7), Merrimack at Colgate (Dec. 10) and Union at Merrimack and St. Lawrence at Vermont both on Dec. 17.

That doesn’t even begin to include all the definite and possible ECAC/Hockey East match-ups in end-of-year tournaments. Oh, it’s on like Donkey Kong.

Shutouts – the must-have accessory this Christmas

Ever since Martin Brodeur made a science of stopping the 20 or so shots that would break through the dreaded (and dreadfully boring) New Jersey Trap, we have essentially lived amid The Age of the Goaltender.

A pair of 200-plus-minute shutout streaks came and went this month from both Yale’s Jeff Malcolm and Cornell’s Andy Iles.

Clarkson’s Paul Karpowich had to settle for that aforementioned 4-3 loss to Maine sandwiching a pair of mighty fine shutouts of his own. He gave a big raspberry to Malcolm and Iles as he passed them on the national shutouts leaderboard by earning his third and fourth on Nov. 19 (4-0 vs. Dartmouth) and 27 (5-0 vs. Holy Cross) for second in the country.

He made 37 saves vs. the Big Green and 27 against the Crusaders, and now the St. Louis Blues draft pick is sitting behind another NHL prospect, Colorado draft pick Kent Patterson. He’s rung up six shutouts for the Minnesota Golden Gophers this year.

While we’re on the subject of goose eggs, we have to give praise to those hard-luck Engineers of Rensselaer. After an eight-game losing streak, they’ve won two of their last three, both by shutouts. Bryce Merriam and Scott Diebold share the credit for that run, with Diebold stopping 25 shots most recently to shut out the same RIT team that beat ECAC title contender St. Lawrence, 6-5, back in October.

One game, point apiece

With the majority of the league’s teams taking a break from each other, Harvard and Dartmouth just couldn’t resist the pull of a holiday weekend league meet-up. The Crimson made the trip to Thompson Arena on Friday night and … nothing was decided in front of said venue’s largest crowd this year (4,163 stuffed people – sorry, concessioners).

The teams took a 3-3 tie, one which Doug Jones thought he could break with a point-blank backhand shot stopped by Harvard’s Steve Michalek in goal.

Due to this game, we do learn of an ever-so-slight change in the standings. Dartmouth leap-frogged Yale and Union into fourth place to at least temporarily hold down one of the first-round bye spots along with Cornell, Colgate and St. Lawrence. Cue the chorus: “It’s still early.”

Harvard also used its single point to good effect, taking Dartmouth’s place in that three-way tie for fifth place with preseason frontrunners Union and Yale.

In a league featuring 10 of 12 teams separated by four points, you can bet there’s going to be a whole lot of chaos before order is eventually restored on the eve of the playoffs.

An added note: That tie game was continued evidence that tough love is the best practice.

Ever since being slapped with a 10-minute game misconduct and a 5-minute hitting from behind major penalty on Nov. 12, Crimson star blueliner Danny Biega has found success on the straight and narrow path.

Not only has he incurred only two penalty minutes since then (for “checking” on Nov. 18), he has also lit up scoresheets with seven points in his last four games. Discipline does work.

Clash of titans

I like to leave my public pleased, so I am adding here a huzzah to the Union Dutchmen for a fine 6-3 win against Michigan. Inside the legendary Yost Ice Arena (5,022 strong), the No. 12 and No. 11 teams in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll (No. 13 and 11 in USCHO.com polls) met and it was Union that came out on top.

Daniel Carr is one of the prime movers for the Dutchmen recently, scoring six points in his last two appearances, including a goal and an assist in this game. Jeremy Welsh scored his 18th power play goal, four short of the Union school record. It was one of two goals for Welsh in the game.

Troy Grosenick turned away 33 shots in an impressive goaltending performance, as well.

Thank you!

I want to thank anyone who took a few minutes to read (and sometimes correct) my stories these last two months.

In my brief time as a USCHO columnist, I have been truly honored to be able to connect with a great and passionate group of fans and athletes that the greater media world unfortunately overlooks in favor of college football and basketball.

Being a USCHO columnist involves a huge time commitment, one that I could not manage, thus I have to leave it behind, for now at least.

I was privileged to work alongside a true ECAC Hockey walking encyclopedia in the form of Brian Sullivan, who will continue to keep everyone plugged into the league happenings, along with newcomer Nate Owen.

Thanks, also, to all the schools’ media relations personnel that helped me with information and interview set-ups along the way.

A huge bow to Editor Todd Milewski, for taking a chance on a big kid from Lowell.

Okay, I’m leaving now before I start to sound like Mickey Ward.

Weekend work-up, Nov. 27, 2011: ghosts of Michigan, Michigan State and Miami picks

By Paula C. Weston

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November 27, 2011

I have to admit that I love Thanksgiving weekend — and, no, it’s not just because I love to eat. Most years I get to spend this holiday with my BFF and her family in Columbus, Ohio, and they’ve treated me like one of their own since I met them.
I had to skip Thanksgiving last year in Columbus and this year’s holiday with the old friends did not disappoint. I was greeted like a prodigal daughter, and the talk immediately turned to college hockey … in the half hour everyone could spare before turning all of their attention to Buckeye football. (“So, Paula, what’s the feeling up there in Michigan?” Sometimes, we tolerate a lot for those we love.) There was plenty of discussion of how well — and quickly — Mark Osiecki is revamping the Ohio State program, and one of my BFF’s brothers threw a little Miami hockey talk at me on behalf of RedHawk-loving friend.
When the meal was done and the visit with the whole family was all over, we went back to my BFF’s house where she tucked her small child into bed and I worked on my picks. While I was writing, we chatted about the hockey season and I told her three things that haunted me all weekend:
1. “I’m calling Michigan to win two, but I know the Wolverines will get swept this weekend.”
Being the logical sort, she asked me why I was picking the Wolverines to win twice if I “knew” they would get swept. “Because,” I said, “they’re at home, and I don’t remember the last time they lost four games in a row at home. Besides, I’m stubbornly clinging to the Wolverine team I saw in October — and they were good.”
What happened to that team is something I would like to know. Michigan is now winless in its last six. I thought the Wolverines would come back from their disappointing trip to Ohio Nov. 11-12 buzzing to get back into the thick of it, but they were tepid in their 2-1 loss to OSU Nov. 18 they’ve been lacking something ever since. They allowed four unanswered goals after leading 1-0 at the end of one against Northeastern and they allowed four unanswered goals to begin their 6-3 loss to Union. They still have the fourth-best scoring offense in the nation, so that isn’t the problem.
By the way, the last time UM lost four in a row at home was toward the end of the 1985-86 season.
2. “The Spartans looked really rough in October, but I suspect they’ve come a long way in a little time.”
I saw the Spartans twice in person in October, and they were absolutely a work in progress. There were stretches of MSU’s 5-2 loss to OSU Oct. 21 in which both teams looked like they were playing Midget hockey, with packs of players from each side crowding the puck. Something, apparently, has changed. Since being swept by Lake Superior State Oct. 14-15, the Spartans have earned points (or won, in the case of nonconference play) every weekend. In their last eight games, the Spartans are 6-1-1. This past weekend, MSU defeated and tied No. 3 Minnesota at home, 4-3 and 4-4.
The Spartans beat the Golden Gophers Friday without the help of team captain Torey Krug and forward Greg Wolfe — both key to the MSU offense, even though Krug is a defenseman — because each was serving a one-game suspension following the dust-up at the end of MSU’s 2-1 loss to Northern Michigan Nov. 19.
3. “I’m picking Denver to beat Miami, but I think the RedHawks will bring home the Denver Cup.”
Once again, I was dazzled by the shiny, ranked WCHA opponent when making my pick — against Miami — in the final game of the Denver Cup. After all, going into the week the Pioneers were No. 10 and Miami was unranked. Fail, fail, and fail again. Since their five-game losing streak (Oct. 15-28), the RedHawks are 6-0-2 with Cody Reichard in net for all but one of those games, Friday’s 6-2 win over Providence. That was Connor Knapp’s first action since Oct. 28.
Whatever it was that the RedHawks needed to do in that span, clearly Reichard — whose save percentage climbed above .900 during that stretch — gave them the confidence to do it. In their last two weekends, the RedHawks outscored opponents 18-8, and they netted 10 goals in Denver. If Miami’s defense has solidified and its offense has returned to levels of old, the RedHawks won’t be a mid-pack CCHA team for much longer.
And this haunts me still
After I made those picks and updated the CCHA blog, my BFF and I cracked open a bottle of Michigan wine (really — they make decent wine up here) and talked and laughed the rest of the evening away, the rest of the evening being relatively short because we are neither of us young.
As I sat there, I couldn’t help wondering: Is this what guys do, too, when they get together with their BFFs after a long absence? Open the wine, talk college hockey, complain about their hair?
Discuss below, do the Twitter thing (paulacweston) or email ([email protected]). Be nice, and I’ll respond in kind.

BU, Cornell rivalry remains ‘Red Hot’

By Jim Connelly

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November 27, 2011

Plenty of turkey in my stomach (no surprise to anyone who knows me), and here we are another weekend in the books and some really interesting games in the rear-view mirror. Included in that was the still-incredible rivalry between former ECAC powers Boston University and Cornell. The third edition of the every-other-year Red Hot Hockey proved once again not just an incredible draw (18,200, a sellout of famed Madison Square Garden) but a heck of competitive event on the ice. That tops my three takeaways from this weekend in Hockey East.

1. BU and Cornell are still a Red Hot draw.

The renewal of the rivalry between the Terriers and Big Red lived up to its billing as the packed house in Manhattan saw one incredible overtime thriller. The game wasn’t without controversy, though, as Cornell thinks a quick referee’s whistle took away the winning goal in regulation. A Cornell shot was, according the reports of the game, deflected in front of the net and might as well have hit the MSG roof it took so long to come down. When it did, it hit Kieran Millan’s back and went into the goal. Upon review of the replay, it was determined that the referee, having no clue where the puck was, blew the whistle prior to the puck entering the net. BU went on to get the game-winner in OT from Ross Gaudet. Nothing like adding some controversy to such a heated rivalry.

2. Northeastern has quietly come alive.

Two victories over Providence and Vermont a week ago was a positive sign for Northeastern, which hadn’t won a game prior to that in more than a month. But the sign that the Huskies are on the upswing was a definitive victory over Michigan on the road on Friday evening. Until last weekend, Northeastern had scored four goals in a game just once (the Huskies lone win to date over New Hampshire). In each of these three victories, Northeastern has scored four or more goals, a very positive sign for first-year head coach Jim Madigan.

3. Newly-crowned No. 1 Merrimack continues to take care of business.

Yes, Merrimack’s only win of the week was a 6-0 drubbing of Alabama-Huntsvile (which also lost to Massachusetts-Lowell and New Hampshire this weekend). But having just ascended to the top spot in the USCHO.com poll for the first time ever, the decisive win was a positive sign this team isn’t letting their success go to their head.

Shakeup in the standings

By Chris Lerch

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November 27, 2011

Three things I learned from Atlantic Hockey this weekend:

Standings can change in a hurry – All of the league series saw one team taking three points or more: sweeps by Air Force over Connecticut and Canisius over American International, plus Niagara with a win and a tie against Sacred Heart, ditto Robert Morris against Army. Weekends like this make for radical changes in the standings compared to the large number of series splits and single game weekends we’ve seen in this early part of the season.

Brown would be in last place in the AHA – The Bears have faced three Atlantic Hockey teams in a row and are 0-2-1 in those game, getting shut out twice. Brown has beaten Union and Cornell this season but scored just one goal against AHA teams. The Bears tied Army 1-1 on Nov. 19 and were held scoreless by AIC (3-0 on Nov. 22) and Holy Cross (2-0 on Friday).

You can have a playoff atmosphere anytime – If you were fortunate enough to see the Army-Robert Morris contest on Saturday, you saw quite a game. Lead changes, dramatic special teams play and a total of 92 shots on goal resulted in each team coming away with a hard fought point.
“This was a very entertaining game for the fans, but it’s kind of tough for coaches,” said Army coach Brian Riley.

“We left it all on the ice tonight,” said Robert Morris coach Derek Schooley. “We didn’t have much more. I thought that was a great hockey game.

Schooley later tweeted:
“Unbelievable gme 2nite..excitement galore. Both teams left it all on the ice.fun 2 be a part of.”

That sums it up in 140 characters.

Getting my vote: Here’s how I’ll vote in tomorrow’s USCHO.com Division I men’s poll:
1. Merrimack
2. Boston College
3. Minnesota-Duluth
4. Notre Dame
5. Minnesota
6. Ferris State
7. Ohio State
8. Colorado College
9. Union
10. Lake Superior
11. Yale
12. Western Michigan
13. Denver
14. Boston University
15. Michigan
16. Colgate
17. Michigan State
18. Cornell
19. Michigan Tech
20. Miami

Second helpings

By Brian Sullivan

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November 26, 2011

A quick and friendly in-the-neighborhood visit by your favorite ECAC Hockey correspondent on this spectacular four-day weekend.

Fresh meat

First and foremost, please welcome Nate Owen to the USCHO/ECAC family. The Nutmeg Stater takes over for the short-lived Josh Boyd, who – despite being a consummate professional – simply couldn’t figure out how to extend the standard day to 38 hours, and therefore has had to relinquish his position. I’ll let Nate introduce himself with the weekend-in-review blog (look for it Monday morning, if not Sunday night), but in the meantime you may as well add him to your Twitterverse: @Nate_Owen41 is the handle, and I am – as always – @SullivanHockey.

Tuesday musings

Well thank God for Harvard’s resiliency, because otherwise Tuesday would’ve been an unmitigated disaster for the league. Cornell just barely squeaked (“squuck”?) by Niagara – at Lynah, no less. The Big Red were even out-shot, 24-23, in the 1-0 win.

Elsewhere, American International – previously 2-8-2 – blanked Bruno in Providence, 3-0. Goalie Ben Meisner’s 38-save clean sheet would’ve been a good bet for ECAC Hockey’s worst result of the month, except that Yale was simultaneously stupefied by Sacred Heart in a 7-6 loss in Bridgeport, Conn.

That score wasn’t so much reflective of a poor effort by the Bulldogs, as it was a black-and-white outing by the opposing goaltenders: SHU ‘keeper Steven Legatto stopped 47 of 53 Blue blasts, while Yale’s Nick Maricic and Jeff Malcolm put their heads together and devised a fantastic localized depressant – seven goals on 19 shots ought to do it, they figured. (Maricic, the starter, surrendered two goals on four shots; Malcolm gave up five on 15 shots. I wouldn’t exactly call either the “better” goalie that night.) Can’t even blame team discipline for that inglorious defeat, as Yale killed all four penalties assessed. (Then again, seven five-on-five goals against – by a winless AHA side – is, shall we say, concerning.)

Crimson tide turning?

But as I said, Harvard came to the rescue with a truly stunning comeback against perennial Hockey East contender New Hampshire. The Wildcats, who entered the game winless (0-4-2) on the road this season, beat the tar out of the host Crimson in the first period with four goals in the game’s first dozen minutes. Harvard responded with four of the second period’s five goals, and three of the third period’s four to take down the ‘Cats. It adds further fuel to my creeping suspicion that there is something special about this Harvard team… that it is an inherently more durable and determined squad than we have seen out of Cambridge for the past half-decade.

The 37-shot carpet-bombing the Cantabs laid on Dartmouth Friday night supports the theory; but – even if it’s true, that Harvard is for real this year – will it be able to maintain its momentum with only single games in each of the next two weeks, followed by a New Year’s deuce at North Dakota and a Capital District road trip?

(That’s a rhetorical question.)

Gallery: Colorado College at North Dakota

By Brad Olson

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November 26, 2011

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Cardinal-Panther Classic brings together top squads

By Derek Dunning

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November 25, 2011

Every year, there are two regular season tournaments that should be circled on every Division III women’s hockey fans calendar. The first already happened this year with Norwich’s East/West Hockey Classic, which featured four top-10 teams at the time in Norwich, R.I.T., Elmira, and Manhattanville. It also featured a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown, a rematch of last year’s national championship game, with RIT enacting a small amount of revenge with a 4-1 win over Norwich after the Cadets stunned the top-ranked and host Tigers in the 2011 NCAA title game last March.

The other tournament takes place this weekend, with the annual Cardinal-Panther Classic. This year’s tournament marks the seventh edition of the annual showdown between four of the East’s perennial powerhouses. The four participants also were the only four teams to win the D-III national championship until Norwich broke the mold last season.

For the last six years, Middlebury and Plattsburgh have rotated as the host site for the tournament. Elmira has also joined the two co-hosts for all six years, and will make it seven this year. Williams was the fourth team for the first four years of the tournament until being replaced by Amherst for the 2009-10 season. The Lord Jeffs are back again this year for their third go around.

This year’s tournament does feature a couple of twists however. After being played the first weekend in January the last two seasons, the tournament has switched back to November, when it took place the first four years. Also, Plattsburgh will be hosting for the second straight year, as Middlebury was unable to host this year due to their men’s squad already hosting the annual PrimeLink Great Northern ShootOut this weekend at Chip Kenyon ’85 Arena.

There have been three different champions over the past three seasons, with Amherst winning last year, Elmira in 2010, and Plattsburgh winning its third straight title in 2008-09. The Cardinals also won the previous two seasons, then went on to the win the national championship as well in each of those seasons. Middlebury has claimed the title just once, and that came in the inaugural season in 2005-06.

As usual, all four teams are ranked in the top 10 of the latest USCHO.com poll. Middlebury leads the pack at No. 3, followed by Plattsburgh at four, Amherst at seven, and Elmira at eight. The four teams are a combined 14-1-1 so far this season as well. Elmira and Plattsburgh both have six games under their belt, while Middlebury and Amherst just kicked off their seasons with two-game sweeps.

Team Capsules

No. 3 Middlebury Panthers (2-0-0)
Last games: swept Colby 3-2 (OT) and 6-0.
Leading scorers: Katie Sullivan (3-1-4), Maggie Melberg (2-1-3), Madeline Joyce (2-0-2), Heather Marrison (0-2-2), and Hannah Bielawski (0-2-2).
Goalies: Laura Pinsent (1-0-0), 1.94 goals against average, .882 save percentage, and Annabelle Jones (1-0-0), 0.00 goals against average, 1.000 save percentage, one shutout.
Keys to success: The Panthers’ depth is their key, and they’ll only be boosted by the return of last year’s leading scorer, Lauren Greer, who was still playing for the Middlebury field hockey team last weekend at the Final Four. Maggie Melberg, Sara Ugalde, and Grace Waters are all solid forwards as well, and it seems coach Bill Mandigo has brought in another strong recruiting class headlined by Katie Sullivan, who already leads the team in points.
Biggest question mark: Goaltending is going to be the biggest intangible for Middlebury this season, as the Panthers try and replace All-American Alexi Bloom between the pipes.

No. 4 Plattsburgh State Cardinals (5-0-1)
Last game: beat Bowdoin 7-0
Leading scorers: Teal Gove (5-7-12), Chelsea VanGlahn (8-3-11), Emma Rutherford (6-3-9), Jenny Kistner (3-6-9), and Jordan Caldwell (1-7-8).
Goalie: Sydney Aveson (4-0-0), 0.69 goals against average, .948 save percentage, three shutouts.
Keys to success: Chelsea Van Glahn is coming off a memorable performance, with four goals in the last 6:20 of last Saturday’s 7-0 win over Bowdoin. The sophomore is certainly riding in on a hot streak, and has found some chemistry with Jordan Caldwell, who picked up the primary assist on three of the goals. Plattsburgh lost four of its top five scorers from last year, and the lone returnee, Teal Gove, has helped shoulder the load for the Cardinals with a team-leading 12 points so far.
Biggest question mark: Once again, goaltending is a question mark, as Mandy Mackrell was the Cardinals’ clear cut No. 1 last year; she graduated last spring. So far, Sydney Aveson has put up impressive numbers with three shutouts in four starts. The Cardinals are also quite young this year, with no seniors in their top eight in scoring right now. Can their underclassmen handle the pressure?

No. 7 Amherst Lord Jeffs (2-0-0)
Last games: swept Hamilton 5-1 and 4-1
Leading scorers: Josie Fisher (2-2-4), Geneva Lloyd (2-1-3), Melissa Martin (2-0-0), Tori Salmon (1-1-2), and Ashley Salerno (0-2-2).
Goalies: Kerri Stuart (1-0-0), 1.00 goals against average, .923 save percentage, and Sinead Murphy (1-0-0), 1.00 goals against average, .938 save percentage.
Keys to success: Amherst’s game starts and stops with its transition from defense to offense by their defense. Geneva Lloyd is one of the best players in the country, and the Lord Jeffs will look to run the offense through her most of the weekend. Watch out for Stephanie Clegg on the power play, as she ranked second in the nation last year with 10 power play tallies.
Biggest question mark: Stop me if you heard this before, but goaltending is once again going to be a key point for Amherst. Head coach Jim Plumer seems content with a tandem right now, and both put up admirable performances against Hamilton last weekend in limited action. They’ll both see a lot more pucks this weekend.

No. 8 Elmira College Soaring Eagles (5-1-0)
Last games: swept Utica 2-1 and 5-2
Leading scorers: Tori Charron (5-5-10), Alex Bresler (6-3-9), Tanis Lamoureux (4-5-9), Ashley Ryan (3-4-7), and Brooke Wilgosh (1-5-6).
Goalie: Lauren Sullivan (3-1-0), 2.27 goals against average, .882 save percentage
Keys to success: The Soaring Eagles need to continue to get scoring from outside of Tori Charron, and so far that’s been happening this year. Charron scored 28 goals last year, but Elmira didn’t have any offensive standouts beside her. This year, Alex Bresler has regained her sophomore year form, when she scored 19 goals. Last year, she only had five, and she has already surpassed that with six this year. Tanis Lamoureux isn’t flashy, but she does a lot of little things right that will help you win hockey games. Ryan and Wilgosh have looked like studs so far as freshman as well.
Biggest question mark: Can Elmira win more big games this year? The Soaring Eagles had a down year by their programs standards last year. Although they had wins against Middlebury and Plattsburgh, they also had some forgettable results too. Consistency, balanced scoring, and sharp goaltending from Sullivan will be musts if Elmira wants to win two games.

Complete Tournament History:

2005-06: @ Middlebury
Plattsburgh: 3 Williams: 2
Middlebury: 4 Elmira: 3
Elmira: 3 Williams: 2
Middlebury: 4 Plattsburgh: 2
Champions — Middlebury

2006-07: @ Plattsburgh
Plattsburgh: 4 Middlebury:2
Elmira: 5 Williams: 2
Middlebury: 5 Williams: 1
Plattsburgh: 5 Elmira: 4 (OT)
Champions — Plattsburgh

2007-08: @ Middlebury
Plattsburgh: 2 Williams: 0
Middlebury: 3 Elmira: 1
Elmira: 5 Williams: 3
Plattsburgh: 3 Middlebury:2
Champions — Plattsburgh

2008-09: @ Plattsburgh
Plattsburgh: 4 Williams:2
Middlebury: 2 Elmira: 1
Elmira: 8 Williams: 2
Plattsburgh: 2 Middlebury: 2 (OT) Plattsburgh wins SO 1-0
Champions — Plattsburgh

2009-10: @ Middlebury
Amherst: 2 Plattsburgh: 1
Elmira: 3 Middlebury: 2
Plattsburgh: 4 Middlebury: 1
Elmira: 2 Amherst: 1
Champions — Elmira

2010-11: @ Plattsburgh
Amherst: 1 Plattsburgh: 1 (OT) Amherst wins SO 2-0
Elmira: 2 Middlebury: 1 (OT)
Plattsburgh: 5 Middlebury: 0
Amherst: 1 Elmira: 0
Champions — Amherst

Women’s picks: Nov. 25

By Candace Horgan

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November 25, 2011

Well, last week was our most intensive picks week. Games involving ECAC teams, especially Dartmouth, continue to plague us both, Overall, I went 16-4 last week (.800), to increase my picks percentage on the season to 67-21-9 (.737). Arlan went 14-6 (.700) last week to move 62-26-9 on the year (.685). We’re going for another round of intensive picks this week, so hopefully, we can keep picking well.

Friday-Sunday, November 25-27

St. Cloud at Wisconsin
Candace: Wisconsin keeps rolling. Who knows when the team will lose. I figure if I pick them to win every game, I’ll probably go better than 95 percent the rest of the year. Wisconsin 6-1, 6-0
Alan: SCSU should defend their home ice with a sweep — just checking who is in a post-turkey stupor. Wisconsin 5-0, 8-1

Boston University at Cornell
Candace: A rematch of last year’s NCAA semi, won by the Terriers in a shocker. BU doesn’t have Poulin yet, so it’s hard to pick them, but I’m going with a split. Cornell 4-2, Boston University 3-2
Arlan: The featured series of the first half in the East. I’d like to go split, but BU doesn’t have the horses right now. Cornell 4-2, 2-1

Harvard at Minnesota
Candace: How good are the Crimson? Are they a threat to Cornell in the ECAC? This series will tell. I’m going out on a limb and picking a split. Minnesota 3-2, Harvard 3-2
Arlan: The Gophers are outscoring opponents 58-5 at home, just 10-8 on the road, but ice is ice. Minnesota 1-0, 4-1

North Dakota at Bemidji State
Candace: Bemidji has split with everybody they maybe weren’t supposed to, and they are at home, where they do well. It’s probably not enough for a sweep. The real problem is that when each of these teams split, they tend to lose the first game, so who will win Friday? I’ll go with the Lamoureux sisters. North Dakota 4-2, Bemidji State 3-2
Arlan: Somehow, some way, the Beavers will manage to get points. North Dakota 3-1, Bemidji State 2-1

Minnesota-Duluth at Ohio State
Candace: I’m going split against my better instincts. Minnesota-Duluth 4-3, Ohio State 3-2
Arlan: I’ve been wrong on the Bulldogs more than any other team. Ohio State 5-4, UMD 4-2

Friday, November 25

Princeton at Boston College
Candace: The Eagles one real upset last year was against the Tigers over the Christmas break. I figure they’ll have that in mind in this holiday showdown. Boston College 3-2
Arlan: A showdown of teams that recently snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. BC 3-1

Saturday, November 26

Northeastern at Dartmouth
Candace: Two teams that have shown they are a step below the upper tier. Flip a coin. I figure the Big Green will want to avoid losing on home ice again at all costs. Dartmouth 2-1
Arlan: NU and DC has scoreless tie written all over it. Northeastern 1-0

Wednesday, November 30

Harvard at Dartmouth
Candace: Hmm. Regardless of what happens in Minnesota, I have a tough time seeing Harvard losing this, especially since they just lost to Dartmouth. Harvard 4-2
Arlan: I made this pick in advance of their first meeting, but really, it’s not like more information makes me any better at this. Harvard 3-2

Boston University at Northeastern
Candace: This could be similar to the Harvard game, in that the Terriers could get swept by Cornell and need a win desperately. I think they’ll get it. Boston University 3-1
Arlan: Both teams are undefeated on Wednesdays; this is the Huskies’ first Wednesday game. BU 3-2

MCHA/MIAC/NCHA picks: Nov. 25

By Neal Jensen

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November 25, 2011

Thanksgiving has turkey, stuffing and football. The day after, people will wake up early and line up outside their favorite local ice arenas waiting for college hockey Thanksgiving tournaments.
MCHA vs. NCHA Showcase at Marian
Marian will host a Thanksgiving MCHA/NCHA Showcase Friday and Saturday, as Lawrence, St. Norbert, and St. Scholastica will play four games this weekend at the Blueline Family Ice Center in Fond du Lac, Wis.
Lawrence vs. St. Norbert, 3:30 p.m. Friday
Lawrence is led offensively by Matt Hughes, who has five goals on the year, while Gustav Lindgren leads the team in points with eight. St. Norbert has never lost to an MCHA team, carrying an impressive 54-0-1 all-time record against teams in the MCHA. St. Norbert appears to have shaken off early-season road woes after sweeping Wis.-Eau Claire last weekend. Pick: St. Norbert 5-2
St. Scholastica vs. Marian, 7:00 p.m. Friday
Friday’s nightcap will feature host Marian against St. Scholastica. Marian has a 5-2-1 record against St. Scholastica, and has not lost at home in 20 of 21 games. Dakota Dubetz leads Marian in scoring with five goals and 12 points. Brett Corcoran leads St. Scholastica with six goals. Last year’s Thanksgiving game between the two schools ended with St. Scholastica winning in overtime, 6-5. Pick: Marian 4-2
Adrian Thanksgiving Tournament
Adrian will host its Thanksgiving Tournament on Saturday and Sunday at Arrington Ice Arena. The tournament features four teams from four different states.
Buffalo State vs. St. Thomas, 2:00 p.m. Saturday
St. Thomas currently leads the MIAC, is undefeated in conference play, and has a 5-1-1 overall record. St. Thomas is ranked No. 13 in the D-III USCHO.com poll. Robby Phillip and Travis Baker lead St. Thomas’ offense with eight points apiece. Tyrone Simcoe is St. Thomas’ starting goalie, and has a 2.30 GAA and .926 saves percentage. Buffalo State has a 4-3 overall record and a potent offense, scoring at least seven goals on three different occasions. Trevor McKinney and Justin Knee lead the team in scoring, each with nine points. Kevin Carr is the starting goalie. His goals against average is 2.43, with a .919 save percentage. Pick: Buffalo State 6-4
Wis.-Eau Claire vs. Adrian, 5:30 p.m. Saturday
Adrian will take on Wis.-Eau Claire in another MCHA/NCHA showdown. Adrian is No. 4, with a 6-1 record, and at home, where it did not allow a goal to Lake Forest last weekend. Zach Graham leads the team in scoring with 12 points, and Jordan Watt has six goals. Wis.-Eau Claire is a more experienced team, and should provide more of a challenge to Adrian. Jordan Singer leads the team with 10 points, and goalie Brandon Stephenson has logged a majority of time in the nets this season. His goals against average is 2.38, with a .913 save percentage. Pick: Adrian 5-3

ECAC Northeast/MASCAC picks: Nov. 25

By Rachel Lenzi

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November 25, 2011

By the time you read this, you’ll probably be working on Thanksgiving leftovers, or you might be catching up on the sleep you lost after staying up for the Black Friday deals. However, the majority of the ECAC Northeast and MASCAC teams will be preparing for weekend games and tournaments, so I’ll make my picks from six games on this week’s slate. I went 4-1 (.750) last week – Johnson and Wales tied 2-2 with Wentworth and Salem State tied 3-3 with Massachusetts-Dartmouth – and I’m 11-7 (.588) on the season.
ECAC Northeast

Salve Regina vs. Bowdoin 1 p.m. Saturday, Bowdoin/Colby Faceoff, Waterville, Me.
Less than a month into the season, Salve Regina (2-3, 1-2) has already matched its conference and overall win total from last season. The Seahawks will travel north to Maine this weekend to face a pair of NESCAC opponents, including Bowdoin, which had seven different players score goals in Tuesday’s 10-2 win over the University of New England. Pick: Bowdoin 4-2
Becker at Castleton, 6 p.m. Saturday, Rutland (Vt.) Invitational
Becker has a challenge on its hands when it faces Castleton, the No. 3 team in this week’s USCHO.com Division III top 15 poll. Castleton enters the Rutland Invitational on a seven-game winning streak, and sophomore forward Nick Lazorko has eight goals, one of four tied for the national lead in the scoring category. Pick: Castleton 5-2
Wentworth at Trinity, 4:30 p.m. Sunday
Wentworth will have a little extra ice to work with this weekend in Hartford, as the Koeppel Community Sports Center sheet is 200 feet by 90 feet, five feet wider than a regulation rink. Freshman forward Mike Domsodi leads the Leopards with five goals and four assists in six games, but also leads the team in penalty minutes — five penalties for 21 minutes. Former Trinity standout Matt Greason is in his first season of coaching at his alma mater. Pick: Trinity 2-1
MASCAC

Massachusetts-Dartmouth at Connecticut College, 4:30 p.m. Saturday
Phil Bronner leads the Corsairs with five goals in his first five games, but Bronner’s team is aiming for consistency as it enters its fourth nonconference game this season. The Corsairs must also improve on special teams – Mass.-Dartmouth is last in the MASCAC (19 for 28, 67.9 percent) in penalty killing. Pick: Mass.-Dartmouth 4-3
Amherst vs. Salem State, 2 p.m. Saturday, Cape Cod Lighthouse College Hockey Invitational, Hyannis, Mass.
When the Lord Jeffs face the Vikings, it will bring together some Division III history. Amherst coach Jack Arena and Salem State coach Bill O’Neill have combined for more than 800 wins and nearly 30 years of coaching experience. Pick: Salem State 5-4
Fitchburg State at Framingham State, 7:20 p.m. Tuesday
Framingham State hasn’t won a game since Feb. 12 — a 1-0 win over Worcester State — and the Rams are 0-4 this season. The Rams will host the Falcons, who have been outshot 202-180 by their opponents in their first six games of the season. Fitchburg goalie Bobby Leiser leads the MASCAC with a .920 saves percentage. Pick: Fitchburg State 3-1

D-III women’s poll shows RIT still No. 1

Schwartz, Di Giuseppe named to Canadian junior team camp

Weekend Rewind Nov. 28

ECAC West Weekend Recap

MCHA/MIAC/NCHA wrap: Nov. 28

ECAC Northeast/MASCAC wrap: Nov. 28

SUNYAC wrap: Nov. 28

A Thanksgiving feast

Allow me to introduce

WCHA’s ranked teams suffer holiday hangover

Hockey East nips ECAC by one overtime goal (and a fond farewell)

Weekend work-up, Nov. 27, 2011: ghosts of Michigan, Michigan State and Miami picks

BU, Cornell rivalry remains ‘Red Hot’

Shakeup in the standings

Second helpings

Fresh meat

Tuesday musings

Crimson tide turning?

Gallery: Colorado College at North Dakota

Cardinal-Panther Classic brings together top squads

Women’s picks: Nov. 25

MCHA/MIAC/NCHA picks: Nov. 25

ECAC Northeast/MASCAC picks: Nov. 25

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