{"id":594,"date":"2011-12-18T23:49:41","date_gmt":"2011-12-19T05:49:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uscho.com\/hockey-east-blog\/?p=594"},"modified":"2011-12-18T23:49:41","modified_gmt":"2011-12-19T05:49:41","slug":"even-with-just-two-games-i-still-learned-three-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uscho.com\/2011\/12\/18\/even-with-just-two-games-i-still-learned-three-things\/","title":{"rendered":"Even with just two games, I still learned three things"},"content":{"rendered":"

Or at least I think so.<\/p>\n

3. The bloom is off the rose for Merrimack.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just a few short weeks ago, the Warriors were the number one team in the country, the last to have their record still unsullied by a loss.<\/p>\n

I suspect that of those who sang the praises of this team — and I’d consider myself to have been a pretty loud tenor in that chorus — very few thought it would remain number one. The Warriors were very good, but not that<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

So we enjoyed it while it lasted.<\/p>\n

Now it’s over.<\/p>\n

Since that top ranking, Merrimack has lost three of its last five games, going 1-3-1. In that stretch, the Warriors have been held to just one goal in all but the win over last-place Vermont.<\/p>\n

Merrimack coach Mark Dennehy told USCHO’s Jim Connelly, “It’s the ebb and flow of the season.”<\/p>\n

Well, yes to at least some extent. The Warriors aren’t as good as they looked while going undefeated and rising in the rankings; they aren’t as bad as they’ve looked over the last five games, falling in the rankings.<\/p>\n

The question will be exactly where in the middle of those two extremes this exciting team finishes.<\/p>\n

2. Boston University has taken a broadside without playing a single game.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Terriers looked to be heading into the holiday break on a perfect note, picking up four points in wins over New Hampshire and Maine, giving them seven wins in their last eight games. The four-point week put them within a point of first place.<\/p>\n

Since then, however, Corey Trivino has been arrested and permanently bounced from the team. His 13 goals and 17 points led the team.<\/p>\n

Following that stunner, Charlie Coyle, last year’s Hockey East Rookie of the Year, left to play major junior hockey.<\/p>\n

The Terriers should still be a very good hockey team, but those are two major holes to fill mid-season. We’ll have to see if this drops them into that “good but not great” category. And if it temporarily does, will they recover to again be a force by the postseason?<\/p>\n

1. Hockey East might post a losing record against the ECAC.<\/strong><\/p>\n

While Hockey East’s nonconference success against the CCHA and WCHA has fluctuated up and down — last year was a down year in which the good guys won barely more than a third of the time — Hockey East has dominated the ECAC. Over the last 19 years, Hockey East has posted a winning record against its Eastern brethren every year except 1996-97.<\/p>\n

That dominance is now in danger. With Merrimack’s loss to Union and Vermont’s to St. Lawrence, that nonconference record now stands tied at 6-6-0.<\/p>\n

Bear in mind that what’s at stake here is more than chest-thumping. If a league does poorly outside of its conference, that’s potentially going to affect how many of its teams make the NCAA tournament.<\/p>\n

So keep an eye on the upcoming holiday tournaments and how well the Hockey East teams other than your own fare.  A selection berth may hang in the balance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Or at least I think so. 3. The bloom is off the rose for Merrimack. Just a few short weeks ago, the Warriors were the number one team in the country, the last to have their record still unsullied by a loss. I suspect that of those who sang the praises of this team — and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":140328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1425],"tags":[1236,1490],"coauthors":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEven with just two games, I still learned three things - College Hockey | USCHO.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Or at least I think so. 3. The bloom is off the rose for Merrimack. 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