Jumbos Make Big First Impression
Since they came into the NESCAC Conference back in the 2002-03 season, the Tufts University men’s ice hockey team has never opened the season with a 2-0-0 conference record. Cross that “never gonna happen” item off the list. With wins over Trinity and Wesleyan on the road this past weekend, Tufts finds itself tied with Middlebury at the top of the standings.
A big reason for the success is senior goaltender Scott Barchard, who earned NESCAC Co-Player of the Week honors for his play in both wins. Barchard stopped 57 of the 60 shots he faced over the weekend, and gave up just one even strength goal in the 4-1 and 3-2 wins.
Dylan Plummer and Kyle Gallegos had two goals apiece over the weekend, while freshman Andrew White chipped in with three assists to spur the offense for Tufts. About the only downer was an 0-for-11 power play, but this early in the season, there is a lot of time to fine tune some things.
Tufts plays at Curry in a nonleague contest on Tuesday night, and will play in the Rutland Invitational over the Thanksgiving weekend, with an opening round contest with Morrisville. A Tufts vs. Castleton final, should it happen, would be a great test for the young Jumbos.
Castleton Rolling
The Spartans are liking the friendly confines of their home arena in November, where to date they are unbeaten and overall outscoring opponents by a 33-to-11 margin. Nick Lasorko (eight goals) and Dan Bell (seven goals) are off to a great start to the season for coach Alex Todd’s team. Nonleague games close out this week with Plymouth State and then Becker College in the first round of the Rutland Invitational, which they host.
Their first road trip in quite some time finds them closing out the first semester at Norwich and St. Michael’s. Circle December 2 on your calendar, as it is the first of two games between the growing Vermont rivals this season, and first place will be on the line. The Spartans appear to be in midseason form, with a potent offense and power play, strong defense and goaltending from Erick Cinotti, and a very effective penalty killing unit. Norwich has always been the target other teams aspire to in the ECAC East, and it looks like we will get an early look at whether or not the Spartans can reach that pinnacle this season.
EA Goals
To paraphrase EA Sports, “EA Goals, They Are in the Game!”
This past weekend in NESCAC play, we saw a total of four extra attacker goals at the end of contests. Goals for Colby vs. Middlebury and Wesleyan vs. Tufts both reduced two-goal deficits, and brought the final outcomes to 3-2 finals. However, Saturday night Bowdoin scored not one, but two, extra-attacker goals with the goaltender pulled to rally from a 3-1 deficit for the overtime tie against Williams. Forward Daniel Weiniger scored at 17:32 with the extra man on the ice to pull the Polar Bears to within one goal, and Robert Toczylowski, who assisted on Weiniger’s tally, scored just over a minute later to tie the game and send it in to overtime.
Not a bad start to the opening weekend, where everyone was finally playing meaningful hockey games. I hope that is a portent of things to come for this season, as you may not want to be rushing out of the rink in any one- or two-goal games to beat the crowd. You just might miss some exciting stuff, as evidenced by this past weekend.
Not everyone is playing this Thanksgiving weekend, so enjoy the festivities, and, if you must, that sport with the funny-shaped ball. Seriously, we are off to an exciting start in the ECAC East and NESCAC conferences, and it is likely only to get better.
Pass the dressing – Drop the puck!
ECAC East/NESCAC wrap: Nov. 21
RIT is turning Canadian and Cranston reaches milestone
This past weekend marked the first time that all 49 Division III women’s hockey teams had played a game in the 2011-12 season, with the NESCAC schools finally getting underway. Middlebury and Amherst both held serve with two sweeps, and Bowdoin had a tough loss at Plattsburgh State.
We are now on to Thanksgiving week, and what is usually a relatively quieter week on the D-III women’s front is packed full of interesting games this year.
First up, top-ranked RIT is using the Thanksgiving break to get four extra games in, with a tour through the province of Ontario, Canada to play four Canadian University teams, starting today at 2:30 p.m. when the Tigers take on Western Ontario. RIT is using this road trip as it’s international trip that the NCAA allows college athletic teams to take once every four years.
Plattsburgh is one team off the top of my head that I know has done a trip like this before. The Cardinals did it twice that I found, with one coming during the 2004-05 season and then again in 2007-08. Both years Plattsburgh made the Frozen Four, and in 2008 they went all the way and won their second straight national championship.
The competition RIT will face should be on par with some of the top Division III teams, as Plattsburgh went 2-4 in its six games they played during those two trips. The Tigers will get their stiffest test in their third game when they take on unbeaten Wilfred Laurier (11-0-1), which is currently the second-ranked team in all of Canada. RIT will also play Brock and York as well.
Secondly, it would be remiss to not mention Wis.-River Falls coach Joe Cranston recording his 200th career win on Saturday with a 7-2 win over Wis.-Stevens Point. Cranston has been the only coach in the program’s 13-year history, and he has helped establish the Falcons as one of the premier programs in all of D-III women’s hockey. Cranston is just the third Division III coach to reach the 200-career win milestone, and trails only Gustavus Adolphus’ Mike Carroll and Middlebury’s Bill Mandigo.
Wis.-River Falls Sports Information Directer Jim Thies wrote an outstanding piece highlighting Cranston’s legendary career at UWRF. You can view the story here
Lastly, I got the opportunity to get back home to New York for the Thanksgiving holiday yesterday. I lucked out that Elmira was playing the back end of its two-game series with Utica yesterday at the Murray Athletic Center, so I headed over to Pine Valley to take in the tilt. The Pioneers are a team that have been a thorn in Elmira’s side lately, after they knocked EC out of the ECAC West playoffs in the first round last season. They gave them fits again on Saturday, but Elmira escaped with a 2-1 win.
Sunday’s game wasn’t going much better for Elmira, as Utica got two second period goals to take a 2-0 lead heading into the final 20 minutes. However, Elmira scored five third-period goals, including two from the relentless work ethic of Tanis Lamoreuax, en route to a 5-2 comeback victory.
The thing I’d like to make mention about the game though is something that I’ve never seen before pertaining to Utica’s jerseys. Every single player had the word “Pioneers” on the back of their jersey where you would normally see the player’s name on the name plate. I thought this was something pretty unique that Utica head coach Dave Clausen had, and whether it be a coaches’ decision or a players’ decision, hats off to all involved. Very cool concept indeed, and I wonder if there are more teams that might do something of this nature in the future.
As Kurt Russell portraying Herb Brooks in the movie Miracle said, “On my team, the name of the front of the jersey is a hell of a lot more important on the back.” Utica has taken this to the next level, and now has the team name on the back.
ECAC Northeast/MASCAC wrap: Nov. 21
For the MASCAC and the ECAC Northeast, it’s time to take a break. Somewhat of a break. The 15 teams in both leagues will play this week, both before and after Thanksgiving, but this week’s slate is made up entirely of nonconference games and tournament games. Didn’t I write about tournaments just a couple weeks ago?
Anyhow.
Both the ECAC Northeast and the MASCAC will get a day off to recover from any lingering effects of tryptophan — sometimes it’s just too easy to take advantage of that leftover turkey and trimmings, isn’t it? – then hit the road.
The MASCAC teams will face primarily regional opponents on Tuesday; for example, Westfield State hosts Amherst,as the two schools are separated by less than 30 miles. Likewise, Framingham State hosts Massachusetts-Boston, with about a 26-mile drive between the two schools. (If anything, it might mean the better for local players to get home quicker after Wednesday’s classes.)
The post-Thanksgiving weekend will bring a couple of intriguing matchups.
Salve Regina faces No. 10 Bowdoin at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Bowdoin/Colby Faceoff Classic tournament at Colby College’s Alfond Arena in Waterville, Maine. During the Thanksgiving break, Salem State might want to look over some notes from Tuesday’s Amherst-Westfield State game; the Vikings face Amherst at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Cape Cod Lighthouse College Hockey Invitational tournament in Hyannis, Mass.
The Salem State-Amherst matchup will be unique: Salem State coach Bill O’Neill and Amherst coach Jack Arena have combined for more than 800 wins, and have combined for nearly 60 years of head coaching experience.
Leaders
It’s early in the season, so take the numbers for what they’re worth, but both the MASCAC and the ECAC Northeast have a handful of national statistic leaders, through Sunday’s games:
Johnson and Wales’ Danny Kaufmann leads the nation with four power-play goals in five games, one of four players nationally with four power-play goals.
Plymouth State goalie Jack Astedt is third in the nation with a 1.4996 goals-against average.
Framingham State, so far, is the nation’s most penalized team – averaging 38 minutes in penalties a game.
SUNYAC wrap: Nov. 21
Oswego, Plattsburgh begin to nudge ahead
It’s a familiar site. Oswego and Plattsburgh, neck and neck, pulling ahead of the rest of the field. This was helped by both teams sweeping the weekend, including key wins against close pursuers. It also helped that one team which was hoping to make a serious run this year, Geneseo, crashed and burned.
The weekend started with two convincing wins by the leading duo.
Oswego outshot Fredonia, 41-17, taking a 2-0 first period lead en route to a 4-1 win. Andrew Mather (power play), Luke Moodie, Chris Brown (second period), and Ian Boots (third period) put the Lakers up 4-0 before Mike Muhs broke the shutout on a power play midway through the third. Andrew Hare make 16 saves.
Mark Friesen was pulled after letting up the fourth goal, despite making 34 saves.
Meanwhile, Plattsburgh was cruising to a 6-1 win over Brockport. After Nick Jensen and Matty MacLeod (short-handed) gave the Cardinals a 2-0 first period lead, Ryan Farnan scored a natural hat trick in a span of 5:53 in the second period. Plattsburgh poured 59 shots on Oliver Wren.
Troy Polino broke the shutout, then Jensen finished the scoring 13 seconds into the third. Mathieu Cadieux made 22 saves before Sam Foley got some playing time, making three saves.
Saturday were the key contests. Coming into the weekend, Plattsburgh was tied with Geneseo, while Oswego was one point ahead of Buffalo State. The latter circumstance remained the same, but Geneseo had already lost to Potsdam before Saturday’s game.
Plattsburgh shutout Geneseo on two second period goals by Vick Schlueter (power play) and Matty MacLeod, 2:09 apart. Cadieux kept the Ice Knights at bay with 23 saves.
Oswego needed two third period goals in a span of 31 seconds to beat Buffalo State. It started with the teams trading goals in the first and second periods, each time Oswego scoring first. First, Paul Rodrigues did it before Nick Melligan tied it on a power play. Then, Chris Brown did it on a power play before Matt Bessing tied it.
Justin Knee gave the Bengals their first lead of the night at 1:34 of the final period. Rodrigues and Tim Carr scored those quick goals in the middle of the period, and Kyle Badham notched an empty-netter to clinch the 5-3 win. Hare made 22 saves for the win, while Kevin Carr stopped 35 in the loss.
So now Oswego continues to lead the league, but is just one point ahead of Plattsburgh. Buffalo State is two points behind the Cardinals. Geneseo falls into a three-way tie for fourth, another two points behind the Bengals, along with Potsdam and Fredonia. Potsdam has a game in hand on the other two teams.
The logjam up front is starting to separate, but it remains tight in the middle of the standings.
Other Highlights
– Potsdam swept the weekend, starting out with a stunning 7-3 shellacking of Geneseo. Potsdam took a quick 2-0 first period lead. After Geneseo looked like they were going to flex its muscles, tying the game in the second, 16 seconds later the Bears went on a roll with five unanswered goals. Two were scored within 40 seconds, and two were scored within 38 seconds. Geneseo played all three goalies, while Dylan Ellis made 33 saves for the win. Adam Place and Bill Tsekos wound up with two goals each while Sy Nutkevitch got four assists.
– The next night, Potsdam used a three-goal burst to break a 1-1 tie en route to a 5-3 win over Brockport. Place scored twice again and also got two assists, while Nutkevitch also got two goals and two assists. Ellis made 37 saves.
– Buffalo State wiped out Cortland, 8-0. The Bengals scored three in the first and five in the second. Jim Durham scored twice within 54 seconds. Dave Lansdowne and Trevor McKinney also scored two goals each. Carr got the shutout with 28 saves.
– Fredonia and Cortland played to a 5-5 tie. Fredonia led 1-0 after one. Then, Cortland scored three consecutive goals only to have Fredonia score four straight, including a Jared Wynia hat trick, all in the second. Three of them were on the power play. The two-goal lead didn’t last, as the Red Dragons scored twice early in the third, the first while short-handed, to tie it. Despite eight shots and a Fredonia penalty in overtime, nobody scored.
Understanding the standings
Most sports base their standings in terms of winning percentage or games ahead or behind. Hockey’s points system can lead to the impression that one team leads another, when in truth the advantage is entirely due to having played more league games.
Hockey East is a prime example, as Providence holds a share of the lead with 11 points, even though their winning percentage of .611 is only fourth best in the conference. Boston University owns the top winning percentage at .800, but because they’ve played four fewer games than Providence and three fewer than Boston College, the Terriers trail the Friars and Eagles by three points.
The HEA race figures to unfold such that BC, BU, PC, and Northeastern wind up as the top four in some order. Using that rationale, wins over these teams figure to be good wins, and points lost to the other four teams bad losses for anyone hoping to win the league. Doing a quick check of such games and awarding points for good wins or ties and subtracting those points lost to underdog opponents, BC would be +5, with gains from wins over PC, BU, and two over NU, but a loss of a point in a tie to UNH and two for losing to Maine. The Friars are -3 on the basis of no quality wins and a loss and tie to Vermont and Maine respectively. Northeastern is right at zero; it has beaten all of the bottom teams and lost its only games to the top half, both to the Eagles. BU comes in at +4, with a win over each of BC and PC and no bad losses.
That suggests to me that BC and BU are actually the two teams in the best shape in the conference. Given that the Terriers have three games in hand over the Eagles and trail them by three in the standings, BU should have an edge. Of course, this analysis is blind to factors such as home and road games remaining, but results haven’t necessarily gone to form in that regard anyway. The Terriers are likely satisfied just to still be essentially even in the race, having played their league games without injured stars Marie-Philip Poulin and Jenelle Kohanchuk.
The ECAC race is much easier to decipher, as Cornell leads Quinnipiac by a point and has a game in hand. Harvard is essentially even with the Big Red, down two points but having a game in hand, however, the Crimson suffered a head-to-head loss to Cornell. I expect most of the drama in this league to be regarding what teams qualify for the conference tournament and which earn the right to host, particularly the former.
In the WCHA, Minnesota has the apparent lead by three points over Wisconsin, but the Badgers have two games in hand, one fewer conference loss, and an easier schedule remaining. Note that the WCHA’s games are worth three points rather than two, so margins are tighter than they may appear. The battle to claim a top-four spot and host a quarterfinal series figures to be competitive, as five teams currently have winning records. Perennial power Minnesota-Duluth is not among them, sitting at 2-5-1; the Bulldogs’ schedule eases from here, as they are half done with four of the five teams above them. There looks to be a considerable gap between the top six and bottom two again in the WCHA, so the pressure is on to finish in the top two and avoid a first-round match-up with a more dangerous opponent.
Analyzing the CHA is a snap; league play has yet to commence.
Weekend highlights
Boston College claimed both ends of a crucial home-and-home series from Northeastern, 3-1 and 4-1. Heading in opposite directions, Harvard won a pair of league games at home from Clarkson, 2-1, and St. Lawrence, 6-1, while Dartmouth was shut out by the same foes, losing 2-0 to the Saints and 1-0 to the Golden Knights. Princeton grabbed a 3-0 lead on home ice, only to stumble, 6-4, versus Colgate. Sometimes, even an expected result can be surprising, such as RPI taking a 3-2 lead over Wisconsin into the final frame before dropping, 4-3. Finally, Minnesota-Duluth continued to find the conference road rocky, splitting 4-1 and 3-4 decisions with Bemidji State.
Early NLI signing period
The fall period for signing a National Letter of Intent wrapped up on November 16, and a few programs have released a list of their signees; specifics are available on their sites. The teams that have issued a release and the number of student athletes signed are: Minnesota — six, Minnesota-Duluth — four, North Dakota — six, and St. Cloud State — two.
The WCHA weekend that was: UND seeks offense, UMD reaps offense, CC goalie battle simply intense
Just when you thought Aaron Dell was going to get some offensive support…
…the North Dakota offense lays a goose egg. Bemidji State beat the Fighting Sioux, 1-0, Sunday evening to drop UND’s record to 4-7-1 overall and 2-6-0 in the WCHA.
Dan Bakala is a good goaltender and he did earn the 26-save shutout, but another shutout is unacceptable for the Sioux and its often impatient fan base.
The five shots the Sioux put on Bakala in the first period is not going to cut it, and it kept UND from setting the tempo. Not like the game had much tempo anyway. It was a kind of a boring period to watch.
Not counting Friday’s five-goal game against BSU, the Sioux has scored five goals in five games going back to the St. Cloud State series. UND was shut out three times in that stretch.
UMD’s Brown and Oleksuk make for a good duo
People in Duluth could’ve told you that weeks ago.
Goaltender Kenny Reiter has gotten a lot of the credit for Minnesota-Duluth’s 10-game unbeaten streak. He does, after all, have three shutouts in that stretch with a .947 saves percentage.
That somewhat overshadowed the great job UMD’s offense did since the three-game losing skid at the beginning of the season.
Scott Sandelin put J.T. Brown and Travis Oleksuk together as the wings on a line centered by Jack Connolly before the Oct. 28 game against Bemidji State. Three games later, Sandelin moved Connolly off the line and put Oleksuk in the center spot.
The Oleksuk/Brown line, with new addition Caleb Herbert, has led the team in points in seven of the eight games since their merger. Oleksuk is 3-10–13 and Brown is 6-4–10 since through that stretch.
Who will be minding the net for Colorado College?
Colorado College sophomore goaltender Josh Thorimbert is making a strong case to supplant incumbent Joe Howe and embark on an extended run as the Tigers’ No. 1 netminder. After stopping 55 of 58 shots in CC’s sweep of Wisconsin over the weekend, the Sakatoon, Sask. native is 3-0 in his last three starts with a 1.67 goals against average and a .950 saves percentage.
Howe, on the other hand, has surrendered 10 goals on 45 shots in 89:54 of play since giving up just three goals on 80 shots in his first 199:34 of action to begin the season.
Although Howe maintains a 4-1-0 record, that number is deceiving for a couple of reasons. First of all, one of the Plymouth, Minn. product’s wins came in a one-period relief appearance against Bemidji State on Oct. 15. Secondly, after allowing Denver four goals on 21 shots in just over 30 minutes on Nov. 12, Thorimbert was charged with the 5-4 loss despite giving up just one goal to the Pioneers.
The guess here is that CC coach Scott Owens goes with the hot hand this week when the Tigers travel to Grand Forks to battle the Fighting Sioux; especially considering Howe’s 1-2 record, 4.48 goals against average, and .889 saves percentage against North Dakota last season.
But this is still the Joe Howe who nearly led the Tigers to the Frozen Four last season—and this UND team is not equipped with nearly the firepower of its predecessor—so we’ll pay close attention to what Owens ultimately decides with his goaltenders this holiday weekend.
On Thanksgiving rolls
Red and Blue white hot
A couple of Ivies are playing with hot biscuits ahead of the holiday, as both Cornell and Yale are riding four-game winning streaks entering Tuesday’s non-conference tilts. Each squad has a reasonable expectation to extend its winning streak to five before Turkey Day, as Cornell hosts Niagara and Yale plays Sacred Heart in Bridgeport, Conn.
The Big Red have scored almost four goals a game in their mini-streak, and have only allowed four goals outright – including consecutive 4-0 shutouts at home over Princeton and Quinnipiac last weekend. Junior defenseman Nick D’Agostino and frosh forward Brian Ferlin share the team lead with five goals in seven games apiece, and there is reason to believe that the Red will get even stingier as sophomore goalie Andy Iles tries to up his save percentage from its current .906 position. (That’ll happen when you allow 12 goals on 78 shots over three games, as Iles did to open the season.)
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs did Cornell one better, stringing together three straight shutouts in beating Colgate at home, and RPI and Union on the road. A 5-3 win over UConn marked the end of the clean-sheet run, but extended the winning streak ahead of Tuesday’s neutral-site match against 0-11-0 Sacred Heart. (A point worth noting, though: SHU head coach C.J. Marottolo used to man the bench with Keith Allain before being offered the gig in Fairfield. It’s not going well just yet, but he’ll be as familiar with Allain’s tendencies as anyone.) Junior netminder Jeff Malcolm’s .950 save rate and 1.56 goals against average are off the charts, which is good since the Yale offense has been as pedestrian as we’ve seen it in recent years: nobody in the blue & white has averaged so much as a point per game so far.
RPI-yay-yay
It’s dark and getting darker in Troy right now, and not just because the solstice is approaching. The Engineers are 2-10-0 overall and 1-4-0 in league play following last Tuesday’s 5-1 home loss to rival Union.
It’s not the goalies’ fault: junior Bryce Merriam and freshman Scott Diebold combine for a save percentage nearing .920, well above head coach Seth Appert’s previously stated standard of .910. Their combined goals against average, too, is serviceably close to 2.00.
It’s not the defense’s fault, either, as RPI is holding opponents under 28 shots per game… not extraordinary, but certainly not lethal either.
What’s left? The fact that through a dozen games, Rensselaer’s leading goal-scorers are senior Joel Malchuk, junior Nick Bailen, and freshman Ryan Haggerty, with… two goals apiece. Two goals leads the team. There is simply nothing else to say, as – for once – one statistic just about says it all.
Back in the fight
Left for dead by… well, let’s just say “the media”… only two weeks back, the Saints of St. Lawrence University have risen up and laid the smack down on the doubters with four wins in five games.
The Saints secured two shutouts and allowed eight goals over the five-game stretch, which featured wins over Rensselaer, Princeton, Quinnipiac and Harvard, with the lone defeat suffered last Friday at the hands of the Big Green.
After practically handing goals to the opposition in the opening weeks of the season (25 goals against in the first four games), SLU has slammed the door shut with only 10 goals allowed in its last six outings. Junior Kyle Flanagan is pacing the offense with six goals and 13 points in his nine appearances, but soph goalie Matt Weninger is the player who has made the biggest U-turn with a .943 save percentage in his last six starts.
Weekend work-up, Nov. 21, 2011: All alone in first, ships that are sinking, and a little reward
The most predictable thing about the 2011-12 CCHA season is that it’s going to change. Every week. Seriously.
First place, all alone. Heading into last weekend, Lake Superior State, Notre Dame and Ohio State were tied for first place. After their 3-2 win over Western Michigan Tuesday, the Fighting Irish spent a brief couple of days all alone at the top. The Lakers and Irish played nonconference games last weekend, though, giving the Buckeyes their chance — and OSU took that chance, sweeping UM in Ann Arbor, 2-1 and 6-5. The last time the Buckeyes took two games from the Wolverines in Yost Ice Arena was in 1986 — you know, when Ronald Reagan was president and Platoon won the Best Picture Oscar. The line of Alex Lippincott, Ryan Dzingel and Chris Crane combined for 11 points in Saturday’s win; Lippincott had the game winner on the power play early in the third.
Second season hopefuls. It’s not too early to worry about three teams that have cooled since hotter (or at least, warmer) starts. Both Michigan and Western Michigan — teams that played like and were voted top-five teams for the first third of the season — have each lost four games in a row, and Northern Michigan stopped an eight-game winless streak with a 2-1 win over Michigan State. For the Broncos and the Wildcats, scoring has been a problem in their slumps. In WMU’s losing streak — which extends, coincidentally back to Nov. 5, Michigan’s last win — the Broncos have been outscored 15-8, netting two goals per game. The Wildcats haven’t scored more than two goals in a single contest since a 3-3 tie versus (coincidentally) Michigan Oct. 22. The Wolverines, though, still have the fourth-best offense in the nation, tied with Minnesota-Duluth and averaging four goals per game. Even in their current four-game winless skid, Michigan has been outscored by opponents by a three-goal margin, 13-10.
More than the third time, but they’ll take the charm. Congratulations to the Nanooks, who won their first CCHA game of the season, 2-0 over visiting Ferris State on Friday. That win snapped an eight-game winless and five-game losing streak. Colton Beck’s fifth goal of the season was the game winner, Carlo Finucci’s third was the other goal and Scott Greenham made 25 saves in the win. Beck is the Nanooks’ leading scorer with 11 points, Finucci is tied for second with three other players who have 10 points each — and therein lies the issue. UAF is scoring 2.14 goals per game while giving up on average 2.64. Greenham’s save percentage is below .900, and in conference play the Nanooks are being outscored 29-17. Four of their last five losses have been by a single goal, including the 3-2 loss to FSU Saturday night.
Goals are hard to come by
Three things I learned from Atlantic Hockey this weekend:
1. Goals are hard to come by
Five of the bottom eight offenses in Division I belong to Atlantic Hockey teams. Other than the 6-5 contest between Rochester Institute of Technology and Holy Cross on Saturday, no AHA team scored more than three goals in a game last weekend. On Friday, there were a total of eight goals scored in three games. Saturday saw 22 goals scored by Atlantic Hockey teams in five games, but 11 of them were in that RIT-Holy Cross contest.
2. We’ll take the tie
As rough as the non-league play has been for Atlantic Hockey teams this season (7-38-7), Army tied Brown 1-1 on Friday and Canisius played No. 12 Lake Superior State to a 2-2 draw on Saturday. Connecticut was down by just a goal to No.9 Yale before an empty net goal sealed the win for the Bulldogs.
3. Not very special
When considering Sacred Heart’s 0-11 start to the season, here are some telling statistics. Special teams are killing the Pioneers. Scared Heart has the third-worst penalty kill in the nation, compounded by the Pioneers’ propensity to take penalties – they are 11th in Division I in PIMs per game (16.6). Connecticut was five-for-five on the power play in an 8-3 win against Sacred Heart last Wednesday.
And when it rains, it pours. The Pioneers are dead last in power play efficiency, scoring just three goals so far in 56 attempts (5.4%)
Getting my vote:
Here’s how I’ll vote in tomorrow’s USCHO.com Division I men’s poll:
1. Merrimack
2. Notre Dame
3. MInnesota
4. Colorado College
5. Boston College
6. Minnesota-Duluth
7. Yale
8. Ferris State
9. Michigan
10. Union
11. Western Michigan
12. Denver
13. Ohio State
14. Boston University
15. Lake Superior
16. Colgate
17. Michigan Tech
18. Cornell
19. Michigan State
20. Nebraska-Omaha
A team moving to the top, another on the rise, and a third in big trouble
Here are three things I think I learned from this weekend’s games.
Three, BU is back.
After Boston University’s season-opening 5-0 win over New Hampshire, I posted how impressed I was with this year’s Terriers. Though the game wasn’t as dominating as the final score indicated, they still played a very solid game and in particular, played with a maturity in protecting a lead that was missing last season.
In short order, though, BU reverted to the Jekyll-and-Hyde ways that proved so frustrating last year for its fans: a loss to Providence, BU’s first loss to an Atlantic Hockey team and then rock bottom. Rock bottom was a 7-1 shellacking at the hands of Massachusetts-Lowell.
That loss, however, may have turned around the Terriers’ season, giving them a renewed focus. While they did lose the next game to Merrimack, 3-2, they played solidly throughout, holding a one-goal lead until a late third-period Merrimack power-play goal tied it up. The Warriors’ goal in the first minute of overtime left BU with nothing to show for its efforts, but the solid play was there.
Since then, BU has gone three-for-three: shutting out Boston College, 5-0, defeating Vermont, 4-3, and then UNH, 4-1.
Maybe that 7-1 slap in the face was just what the Terriers needed.
Two, the Huskies ain’t dead yet.
Northeastern got its first win under new coach Jim Madigan in the third game of the season, an impressive 4-0 victory over UNH that evened its record at 1-1-1.
That promising start, however, quickly derailed as a seven-game winless streak — all within Hockey East — sent the Huskies plummeting in the standings. The preseason prediction of a struggle to make the playoffs appeared to be coming into fruition.
Until this past weekend.
Impressive wins over a hot Providence team, 5-2, and the back end of the “sweep” — a 4-1 victory over Vermont — have elevated the Huskies into what an optimist would call a three-way tie for fifth. In reality, the standings are no where near as rosy as that sounds. Northeastern has played far more league games (12) than anyone else. (Massachusetts has played 10 and several have played nine.) So games in hand for everyone else abound.
The fact remains, however, that the Huskies were coming close to burying themselves before it was even Thanksgiving and that’s no longer the case.
Those four points may have saved the season.
One, Vermont is in trouble.
The Catamounts have one point in the standings.
One.
The nearest team has seven points.
Seven.
Yes, there have been a bright spot or two this season. The Cats defeated top-ranked Minnesota in their second game of the year. More recently, they tied UNH, 4-4.
But unless you want to start considering a one-goal loss to Boston University last weekend and an early one-goal loss (plus an empty-netter) against Merrimack as moral victories, the Catamount canoe is taking on water.
Fast.
The Cats stand the distinct chance of being out of playoff contention before the stretch run even begins, much like Lowell last year.
It’s not too late. But the clock is ticking.
Or is that a grenade?
Women’s D-I picks: Nov. 18
Well, last week both Arlan and I did well, each going 6-1 (.857). He correctly picked Dartmouth upending Cornell, while I correctly picked Providence beating UNH. On the season, I am 51-17-9 (.720) while Arlan is 48-20-9 (.681). We’ve got a lot of games on tap for the coming week before Thanksgiving, with some intriguing weekday match-ups as well on Tuesday and Wednesday, so let’s get to it.
Friday, November 18
Northeastern at Boston College
Candace: Boston College fired 40 shots on the Northeastern goal Thursday, despite going into a defensive shell for the last 18 minutes of the third period. I like the Eagles again. Boston College 3-1
Arlan: If Northeastern plays a whole game like the last few minutes Thursday, it will be a different result. Boston College 2-1
St. Lawrence at Dartmouth
Candace: I am going to take last weekend as a sign that Dartmouth has finally worked through the inconsistencies that plagued the team in the first month. Dartmouth 4-2
Arlan: Sorry Saints, usually 3-2 is my default score, but this week I’m mixing in some 4-0 results. Dartmouth 4-0
Clarkson at Harvard
Candace: Harvard has speed, and has looked like its old self so far. Clarkson has gotten back to 2009-2010 form, but I don’t think they have enough to beat Harvard. Harvard 3-1
Arlan: Clarkson is unbeaten at home, but has struggled on the road. Harvard 2-1
Friday-Saturday, November 18-19
Minnesota State at North Dakota
Candace: I think the Sioux are too strong. The Lamoureux sisters have been tearing it up; Jocelyne has 30 points, while Monique has 27, leading the nation 1-2 in scoring, with Brianna Decker tied for second with Monique. Aside from one glitch against Minnesota-Duluth, the Sioux have looked really good. North Dakota 5-1, 4-0
Arlan: MSU’s better results have come at home; Grand Forks isn’t home. North Dakota 4-2, 5-2
Wisconsin at RPI
Candace: The Badgers keep rolling. This is a good “get back into the swing after Four Nations” series. Wisconsin 5-1, 6-0
Arlan: The Badgers blew away RPI twice in Madison last year; I don’t see a change of venue making a difference. Wisconsin 6-1, 4-0
New Hampshire at Minnesota
Candace: Aside from the come-from-behind win against Dartmouth, the Wildcats have yet to prove they are back near the upper echelon. Expect big games from Amanda Kessel and Jen Schoullis. Minnesota 5-1, 4-1
Arlan: The Wildcats and Gophers have been evenly-matched historically, but they haven’t played in five years. Minnesota 3-2, 5-0
Saturday, November 19
Clarkson at Dartmouth
Candace: See above re: Dartmouth turning a corner. I like the Big Green in a nail-biter. Dartmouth 2-1
Arlan: My magic 8-ball told me Dartmouth gets upset at home this week. Clarkson 3-2
St. Lawrence at Harvard
Candace: Harvard crushed the Saints last month in Appleton. I don’t think it will be that much of a blowout this time, but I’m picking the Crimson. Harvard 4-1
Arlan: I picked the Saints over the Crimson at Appleton Arena and remember how well that worked out. Harvard 4-0
Cornell at Quinnipiac
Candace: Though they gave up five last weekend to Dartmouth, Cornell is back to its big, bad self with the return of four players and the coach from the Four Nations Cup. Cornell 5-1
Arlan: Quinnipiac may be warming up, going 4-1-1 over the last six, but the Big Red have been hot throughout. Cornell 5-2
Connecticut at Boston University
Candace: Though they are without Poulin still, the Terriers have been winning the games they are supposed to. Boston University 4-1
Arlan: UConn finished 1-6-2 last season and is off to a 1-10-2 start; not good. BU 4-0
Saturday-Sunday, November 18-19
Bemidji State at Minnesota-Duluth
Candace: I figure that once again, the Beavers will split with a team that has historically been one of the big powers in the conference. The question is, which night? I’m going to repeat my Minnesota series pick and hope I’m right. Minnesota-Duluth 3-2, Bemidji State 3-2
Arlan: I like Bemidji State, but expect the Bulldogs to be a different team from this point forward. UMD 2-1, 4-1
Sunday, November 19
Boston University at Providence
Candace: Yes, the Friars have shown signs of righting a very inconsistent ship so far this season, going 5-1-1 since being upset by Vermont, but the last time they face a really good team, they fell to Boston College. Boston University 3-1
Arlan: Wake me when Poulin returns for BU. Providence 3-2
Tuesday-Wednesday, November 22-23
St. Lawrence at Mercyhurst
Candace: Aside from that OT blip against Minnesota State, the Lakers have seemed to do well in overcoming the loss of Agosta and Bendus. I may be overestimating them, but I’ll go with a Lakers sweep. Mercyhurst 3-1, 3-2
Arlan: Both the Saints and Lakers are playing four games in six days, after MC hardly played in a month. Wayne State effect, perhaps? Mercyhurst 5-1, SLU 2-1
Tuesday, November 22
Boston College at Quinnipiac
Candace: I figure if the Eagles can sweep Northeastern like I expect, they will use that as momentum going up against an under-performing Quinnipiac team. Boston College 3-1
Arlan: Maybe the Bobcats get rolling in the second half. BC 3-2
Wednesday, November 23
Dartmouth at Harvard
Candace: This should be an excellent game to watch. Two traditional ECAC powers, both seeming to have returned to form. I’m going with home ice. Harvard 3-2
Arlan: More unfortunate scheduling — both Dartmouth and Harvard meetings come on consecutive Wednesdays. Harvard 4-2
ECAC East/NESCAC Picks: Nov. 18
Last week was a respectable 4-4-0 (.500) slate of picks to start the season. If anything, these two conferences have shown me that it is not easy to pick a favorite, and legitimately every team has a shot every night. Finally, everybody is playing games that count, and one nice thing about the new separate formats of the two conferences is you don’t have to wait around till January, or even February, to see some of the traditional conference heavyweights taking to the ice against each other. There are some great match-ups in both leagues this week, and here is a sampling of how I think a few will play out.
Friday, November 18, 2011
New England College at Norwich
NEC, and specifically senior Niko Uola (six goals, four assists, 10 points) are off to a strong 4-1-0 start, while Norwich enters the game at 2-0-0. This match-up has usually had some playoff implications late in the season in past campaigns, but this year, round one is early and will provide a good barometer for both teams. It is the first home game for the Cadets after a sluggish opener on the road last week. Norwich 4-2.
Hamilton at Amherst
It’s the first game as a head coach for Rob Haberbusch, with his Hamilton Continentals against Jack Arena’s Amherst squad. Hamilton surprised everyone last year by climbing to the top position to end the regular season, so expectations will be high for this year. Amherst always plays well at home, and special teams usually have a lot to do with the outcome. Power play is the difference in this one. Amherst 3-2.
St. Anselm at St. Michael
It’s a battle between the two pre-eminent D-II programs that will likely be battling in March for the NE-10 title. Freshman A.J. Pieprzak is off to a fast start for the Purple Knights, with four points in his first three games, while St. A’s has only 10 goals to show in their first four games this season. For some strange reason, I don’t think this is a low scoring affair. St. A’s 5-4.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Massachusetts-Boston at Castleton
The Beacons are heading into the lion’s den, where Castleton has outscored its opponents by two touchdowns, extra points included, this season. The Spartans are locked in on home ice for the month of November, and so far have taken advantage of it. The good times continue. Castleton 5-1.
Bowdoin at Williams
With the NESCAC conference just getting under way, this is a match-up that traditionally has occurred in mid-January over the past three seasons. Both of these teams have the talent to win the conference, and the first game should have a lot of energy, as both teams love to move the puck quickly. Despite the tempo, this one is close, and the Eph’s Ryan Purdy is the difference. Williams 3-2.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Bowdoin at Middlebury
It’s unusual for a Sunday game at any point in the season, but this one is a great match-up between teams that play the same system with customized variations on the theme. Both teams have some serious firepower, and playing on the big sheet in Vermont should create lots of scoring opportunities. I would like to say this ends in a tie, but somehow one team or the other always seems to score in the waning minutes or in overtime for the win. I like the home team in this one. Middlebury 5-4.
Enjoy a full slate of games — drop the puck!
SUNYAC Picks: Nov. 18
Game of the Week
Without the benefit of a mark-your-calendar game from the preview, combined with a slew of games that will play a key role in the standings, this is a tough week to pick just one game of the week. There are a trio which are obvious contenders.
If I really had to pick one, perhaps it would be Geneseo at Plattsburgh on Saturday. Before Friday’s game, they are tied for second place along with Buffalo State, one point behind Oswego. Both these teams are the lowest-penalized teams in the conference — 7.5 penalty minutes per game for Plattsburgh, 10.8 for Geneseo. Thus, special teams will not play a factor.
Goaltending will play a factor, and despite some of their recent play, I still like Geneseo’s goaltending over Plattsburgh’s. Thus, I’m picking the Ice Knights.
Cortland going up against Buffalo State on Friday will be a key contest for the Red Dragons, as will their game against Fredonia. Grab some points from the Western New York trip, and suddenly you’re in the playoff hunt.
The game is just as important for the home teams, as they need points to keep pace with those above them. I’ll take the home teams in both games against Cortland.
Other Picks
My perfect record in conference picks was blown to smithereens thanks to last week’s crazy results. Thus, I went 4-3-1. The one nonconference selection kept me over .500. The running total for the season is 18-5-2 (.760).
I’ll take the road team in the other Western N.Y. games, with Oswego winning both. Yet, strong goaltending by Mark Friesen could allow Fredonia to pull an upset.
“How exciting is that?” Fredonia coach Jeff Meredith said. “You have the number one ranked team in the country coming into your building. That’s a great challenge. You have to take and make the most of your challenges.”
That was said before Oswego fell to No. 2 in the USCHO.com poll, but it will still be exciting for Blue Devils’ fans.
Plattsburgh will beat Brockport, and though the Golden Eagles will take a strong run at Potsdam, I think the Bears’ speed will help them prevail.
Geneseo will be going to Plattsburgh after a win in Potsdam. One surefire prediction is Geneseo will start Adrian Rubeniuk against Potsdam.
Lastly, a nonconference game is played on Tuesday, with Cortland traveling to Hamilton. Going against Cortland in a nonconference game this year is risky, but I will pick Hamilton
