{"id":30388,"date":"2009-03-05T21:25:30","date_gmt":"2009-03-06T03:25:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uscho.com\/2009\/03\/05\/this-week-in-the-cha-march-5-2009\/"},"modified":"2010-08-17T19:57:24","modified_gmt":"2010-08-18T00:57:24","slug":"this-week-in-the-cha-march-5-2009","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uscho.com\/2009\/03\/05\/this-week-in-the-cha-march-5-2009\/","title":{"rendered":"This Week in the CHA: March 5, 2009"},"content":{"rendered":"
Even though there is still one week left in the regular season, the CHA tournament pairings are already set for next weekend in Bemidji.<\/p>\n
Entering last weekend with a four-point lead over second-place Niagara, Bemidji State needed a loss by the Purple Eagles to clinch at least a share of the regular-season conference championship and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming league tournament.<\/p>\n
Although Robert Morris didn’t pull off a victory at NU, it did skate to a pair of draws with NU, which together are worth two points — the equivalent of a win. <\/p>\n
With one week and four points remaining in the regular season, the best Niagara could now do is tie BSU atop the standings. But after a series sweep over the Purple Eagles in western New York two weekends ago, the Beavers own a 4-2 edge in the season series and would take the No. 1 seed on a tiebreaker.<\/p>\n
Next Friday in Bemidji, here’s what we’ve got: No. 2 Niagara vs. No. 3 Robert Morris in the first semifinal, while the top-seeded Beavers will host No. 4 Alabama-Huntsville in the second contest.<\/p>\n
The championship game happens next Saturday night after the third-place game that afternoon.<\/p>\n
BSU has aspirations to use home-ice advantage to its fullest extent.<\/p>\n
“Winning championships is important to us — important to the players, the coaches, the alumni and the community,” said Bemidji State assistant coach Ted Belisle to the Bemidji Pioneer<\/i>. “We won the regular-season title, which I believe is the toughest one to win. It shows we were consistent throughout the season — we took care of business on the road and played well at home.<\/p>\n
“Kudos to our guys. We have one banner to hang — now we need to work on the second one. That starts (this) weekend with a tough series against Robert Morris.”<\/p>\n
Drop the puck, already!<\/p>\n
Two games. Two ties. <\/p>\n
Not as uncommon as one might think, but last weekend’s series between Niagara and Robert Morris in suburban Pittsburgh also produced a rare 0-0 tie in the second game.<\/p>\n
The zip-zip game was a first for the Purple Eagles and a second-time event for the Colonials.<\/p>\n
Adam Avramenko picked up his first career shutout, while stopping a career-high 34 shots. <\/p>\n
“I was really happy with how well we played defensively,” Niagara head coach Dave Burkholder said. “Avramenko was stellar in net and did a good job moving the puck, which is one of his strengths.”<\/p>\n
Niagara’s best chance to score came at about the halfway mark of the second period when Egor Mironov curled in front of the net and ripped a wrist shot over the shoulder of Colonials netminder Brooks Ostergard, only to have the puck taste iron.<\/p>\n
Ostergard, who has both shutouts this year for Robert Morris, also had 34 saves.<\/p>\n