You want your team to do well? Then pay up or shut up.<\/p>\n
It all started with the Nov. 15 column. In it, I wrote about BU’s Cardiac Kids, who had been winning the close ones while compiling a 6-0-1 record. Following that praise, the Terriers stumbled to a 6-5-1 mark going into last weekend.<\/p>\n
Such was the beginning of a hex that yours truly now casts on the lead subject of every column (save those missives featuring the midyear report card and individual honors, which had no lead subject). <\/p>\n
Witness: <\/p>\n
Nov. 29: I asked and half-answered whether New Hampshire was “The Best Team in Hockey East?” Result: Clarkson upsets UNH.<\/i><\/p>\n
Dec. 6: I drooled over Cam McCormick’s amazing 0.60 goals against average and .970 save percentage. Result: Since then he’s “slumped” to marks of 1.10 and .952.<\/i><\/p>\n
Jan. 10: “Eagles Risin'” highlighted Boston College’s 10-2-1 hot streak. Result: BC hasn’t won since and is now on a four-game losing streak.<\/i><\/p>\n
Jan. 17: “How ‘Bout Them Hawks!” applauded UMass-Lowell’s rise to No. 1 in Hockey East, No. 2 in the Pairwise Rankings and No. 3 in the polls. Result: The River Hawks get swept by Northeastern.<\/i><\/p>\n
With my anti-King-Midas powers growing harder to conceal the last few weeks, several UNH fans have written to me in concern. They are worried that I might sabotage their league-leading Wildcats.<\/p>\n
They should be worried. <\/p>\n
Heh, heh, heh.<\/p>\n
How much are your Wildcats worth to you, UNH fans? I sense a lead story on Darren Haydar.<\/p>\n
Heh, heh, heh.<\/p>\n
Or maybe Haydar and<\/i> his fellow Hobey Baker Award candidate, Colin Hemingway.<\/p>\n
Heh, heh, heh.<\/p>\n
You, too, BU fans. I stuck a fork in the Terriers months ago and they’re only now recovering. It happened then. It can happen again.<\/p>\n
Heh, heh, heh.<\/p>\n
How much is it worth to you?<\/p>\n
Go get your credit cards and pick up the phone. Call 1-900-IMATWIT and tell them that you are making a voluntary donation to the Dave Hendrickson Retirement Fund.<\/p>\n
Heh, heh, heh.<\/p>\n
Man, I just love<\/i> the spirit of college hockey fans.<\/p>\nFifth With A Bullet<\/h4>\n
Without a doubt, the team making the biggest leap forward in the standings of late has been the Northeastern Huskies. Not too long ago they were a point out of the cellar. Now they are fifth in Hockey East and narrowly missed making the nation’s Top 15.<\/p>\n
They are 9-3-1 in their last 13 games, but what really catches the eye is that they’re 4-0-1 in their last five, all games against Top 15 teams. Their most recent pair of triumphs came at the expense of UMass-Lowell, which had entered the weekend ranked third in the country only to be swept.<\/p>\n
“We’re getting some balance,” says coach Bruce Crowder. “We’re getting some good play out of a lot of people. That’s what you need in this league. When you look at the line of Brian Tudrick, Leon Hayward and Trevor Reschny, they’ve scored some important goals — [Tudrick with one on Friday and Hayward with one each night against Lowell] — and they’ve done a good job of checking the better lines on the other teams.<\/p>\n
“We had two freshmen — [Jason Guerriero and Jared Mudryk] — who scored big goals for us on Friday and [another one, Jaron Herriman on] Sunday. Jim Fahey continues to play well, as does Mike Ryan, and Keni Gibson has given us some pretty solid goaltending right now.”<\/p>\n
Not coincidentally, the 9-3-1 streak began when Gibson took over between the pipes on Nov. 23. Back problems had limited the freshman to only one previous game, but he’s started every one since, allowing more than two goals only three times and more than three goals only once. <\/p>\n
Of course, those kind of defensive results are also a credit to the defensemen as well as the overall team dedication to playing well in its own end. Holding opponents to only two goals or less most of the time will win a lot of games.<\/p>\n
“That’s a great surprise,” says Crowder, “considering that we’re playing four freshmen D, of which two are pure freshmen: Bryan Nathe and Donny Grover. I look at a kid like Timmy Judy and he’s playing fantastic, [even strength], power play and penalty killing. Pairing him up with Fahey, he’s had a good start to his college career. And Jon Awe has been the big surprise in that element.”<\/p>\n
The offense, which hadn’t been great, but rather good enough during the early part of the 9-3-1 streak, posted nine goals plus an empty-netter on the weekend against a Lowell team whose strength has been its defense.<\/p>\n
“I just think that we’re doing some things and the kids are making plays,” says Crowder. “Even Sunday night’s game, I think we hit three goalposts in the second period. The kids are going pretty good right now.”<\/p>\n
Having taken on the league’s iron in recent weeks, Northeastern will now play four league games against teams with losing records. Unfortunately, this part of the schedule has often been the Waterloo for previous Husky squads that seemed equally capable of knocking off the top in Hockey East one week and then losing to the cellar-dweller the next.<\/p>\n
How will they avoid getting full of themselves and stumbling during this stretch that begins with a home-and-home series this weekend against UMass-Amherst?<\/p>\n
“It’s a new cliche we’ve come up with as a staff: one game at a time,” deadpans Crowder. “Amherst, hey we lost to them, [4-2 on Nov. 3]. As far as I’m concerned, we haven’t shown that we beat Amherst and they’ve obviously shown that they can beat us. <\/p>\n
“We’re going to have our hands full with them. They’re coming off a couple tough weekends and they’re trying to turn things around themselves. <\/p>\n
“[But] I like the mental makeup of this team and the camaraderie. It’s something that I haven’t seen in a while and we’re hoping that that can carry us a ways.”<\/p>\n
Fox Sports New England (and its predecessor Sports Channel New England) have broadcast Hockey East games for the past four-and-a-half years dating back to the 1997-98 season. <\/p>\n
In that time only two<\/i> league teams have compiled a winning record in front of the FSNE cameras.<\/p>\n
Take a minute and make your guesses as to the two schools. One answer won’t surprise you, but the other certainly should.<\/p>\n
(Fine print: This includes only the league’s TV package with FSNE. It does not include this year’s BU package nor NCAA games the cable outlet has picked up.)<\/p>\n
Made your guesses? No peeking unless you have.<\/p>\n
The first column includes all games on Sports Channel New England. The second has the FSNE regular season games, the third the FSNE broadcasts of the quarterfinal playoff games and the fourth the semifinal and championship games at the FleetCenter.<\/p>\n
Seasons 1997-98 to 2001-02 (through Jan. 22, 2002)<\/p>\n
SCNE FSNE FSNE FSNE Overall
RegSeas Quarter Fleet
BC 0-1-1 10-3-1 4-0-0 7-1-0 21- 5-2
BU 1-1-0 4-9-2 1-3-0 0-1-0 6-14-2
ME 0-1-1 2-5-1 0-0-0 3-3-0 5- 9-2
UMA 0-0-0 0-2-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0- 2-0
UML 0-0-0 3-1-1 1-2-0 0-2-0 4- 5-1
MC 0-0-0 0-0-1 1-2-0 0-1-0 1- 3-1
UNH 1-0-0 3-8-1 1-1-0 1-2-0 6-11-1
NU 1-0-0 7-1-0 0-1-0 0-0-0 8- 2-0
PC 0-0-0 2-2-1 2-1-0 1-2-0 5- 5-1<\/pre>\nGiven Boston College’s dominance during the period in question, the Eagles’ exceptional record is no surprise. What is stunning, however, is that the other top performer hasn’t been BU or UNH or Maine. It’s Northeastern! Apparently, when the spotlight is on, the Huskies shine.<\/p>\n
Who’da thunk it?<\/p>\n
Ironically, this Sunday night’s broadcast — part of a rare FSNE Hockey East doubleheader — pits BU (6-14-2) against UNH (6-11-1).<\/p>\n
McCormick vs. Miller, Redux <\/h4>\n