{"id":30344,"date":"2009-02-19T21:46:07","date_gmt":"2009-02-20T03:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uscho.com\/2009\/02\/19\/this-week-in-the-cha-feb-19-2009\/"},"modified":"2010-08-17T19:57:23","modified_gmt":"2010-08-18T00:57:23","slug":"this-week-in-the-cha-feb-19-2009","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uscho.com\/2009\/02\/19\/this-week-in-the-cha-feb-19-2009\/","title":{"rendered":"This Week in the CHA: Feb. 19, 2009"},"content":{"rendered":"
Three weeks to go until the CHA community converges on Bemidji, Minn.<\/p>\n
Three weeks until we find out the CHA representative in the NCAA tournament as the league’s autobid is used for probably the last time.<\/p>\n
Three weeks until more banter begins about the futures of Bemidji State and Alabama-Huntsville.<\/p>\n
Three weeks until “next season” can be replaced by “the CHA’s final season.”<\/p>\n
It’s hard to believe, but tournament time is just around the corner. <\/p>\n
And as of right now, it’s easy to say Niagara and Bemidji State are the favorites, but looking at last weekend, it’s not necessarily a safe bet to pick the Purple Eagles or the Beavers. <\/p>\n
Robert Morris is the lone CHA team never to win the league tournament and seeing how the Colonials took three of four points from BSU last weekend, they seriously justified themselves as a team that can turn heads when it matters.<\/p>\n
“I was very pleased with our team’s effort this past weekend,” RMU head coach Derek Schooley said. “Brooks Ostergard really stepped up his play and was very good. It was good to see a goalie step up and make a difference in the game. Chris Margott was a difference-maker. He played hard, competed and contributed offensively. Our young team followed his lead. It was another step in the right direction. We need to keep this positive feeling going forward down the stretch.”<\/p>\n
Something else that matters is Niagara and Bemidji State meeting this weekend in western New York for a first-place showdown.<\/p>\n
“We know our backs are against the wall, but I’m proud of where we are,” BSU head coach Tom Serratore told the Bemidji Pioneer<\/i>. “It seems like we’ve been on the road forever. By the time the season is done we’ll have played 10 CHA games on the road and eight at home. We’ll see what happens the rest of the way.”<\/p>\nColonials Stun Bemidji State<\/h4>\n
RMU skated away with a win and a tie last weekend on home ice against the first-place Beavers.<\/p>\n
Shocking? Sure.<\/p>\n
An upset? Any coach will say any team can beat any other team on any given night in the CHA, so no, not an upset.<\/p>\n
A wake-up call? Yes, for both BSU and the Colonials. And for that matter, Niagara and UAH, too.<\/p>\n
Robert Morris snapped a five-game losing streak with a 3-0 shutout of Bemidji State Saturday night as Ostergard, a freshman, earned his first career win.<\/p>\n
Margott, Jason Towsley and Ron Cramer scored for RMU in the win to back Ostergard’s 32 stops. Nathan Longpre added two assists as well.<\/p>\n
“The difference tonight was our goaltending,” Schooley told USCHO after the game. “It gives you a lot of confidence when your goalie plays like that. I’m very happy for him and very pleased with his (Ostergard’s) effort.”<\/p>\n
Matt Dalton made 25 saves for Bemidji State.<\/p>\n
On Sunday afternoon, RMU came from behind to settle for a 3-3 tie.<\/p>\n
Ryan Cramer, Travis Winter and Chris McKelvie scored for the Beavers, who held a 3-1 lead midway through the second period.<\/p>\n
Brandon Marino recorded a pair of assists for BSU.<\/p>\n
Margott, Chris Kushneriuk and Longpre, whose goal at 14:41 of the second period tied the game at 3-all, tallied for the Colonials.<\/p>\n
Ostergard made 32 stops again, while Dalton turned aside 35 shots.<\/p>\n