2009-10 NCAA.com Division I Men's Hockey Blog
December 2009 Archives
The holiday tournament season is off to a surprising start, as both winners of Tuesday's high-profile matchups, UMass and Colorado College, went on to lose in the finals of their tournaments. Congratulations to the Bentley Falcons, champions of the Toyota UConn Hockey Classic after shocking UMass in one of the biggest wins in program history, and to the Maine Black Bears, winners of the Florida College Classic after knocking off the Tigers.
Now, with those tournaments in the books, we look ahead to the weekend, and three more big games with national implications, all of them at tournaments hosted by WCHA schools.
Jan. 2: No. 5 Boston College at No. 2 Denver (Denver Cup, Denver, Colo.)
The Eagles return to the Mile High City for the first time since the 2008 Frozen Four, when the Eagles beat Notre Dame to win their third NCAA title at the Pepsi Center, but in a way, this matchup has its roots in the 2005-06 season, when Princeton spoiled a projected BC-DU title game at the Denver Cup by upsetting the Pioneers, then the reigning NCAA champions. This year, the Denver Cup has predetermined matchups, guaranteeing that the Eagles and Pioneers will meet on Sunday (BC will face St. Lawrence on New Year's Day, while the Pioneers will meet Nebraska-Omaha).
BC comes to Magness Arena with the No. 6 scoring offense in the country, despite the fact that top scorer Brian Gibbons (5g, 11a) ranks only 48th individually in points per game. The Eagles boast seven players with 10 or more points in their 15 games, including a major scoring threat from the blueline in Carl Sneep (6g, 8a), who ranks eighth among the nation's defensemen in points per game. Junior goaltender John Muse has yet to recapture the form of his freshman year, when he backstopped BC's title run with a .921 save percentage and 2.21 goals-against average, but even with a 2.70 GAA and .893 SV%, he's getting the job done, as BC is in the top 10 in the country in scoring margin.
Denver, meanwhile, has been cutting it close this season, with seven of the Pioneers' 11 wins coming by a single goal. That's put pressure on goaltender Marc Cheverie to be outstanding in net, and he has answered the call with a .928 SV% and four shutouts. More often than not, that's been good enough for the Pioneers offense, which also presents a balanced attack led by senior forwards Rhett Rakhshani (11g, 9a) and Tyler Ruegsegger (9g, 11a), with juniors Jesse Martin (8g, 5a) and Kyle Ostrow (7g, 3a) and sophomore Joe Colborne (6g, 8a) also finding the back of the net on a regular basis. Sophomore defenseman Patrick Wiercioch (2g, 10a) is still a major offensive presence from the blueline, but not at the point-per-game rate he maintained for most of last season, when he was second among all defensemen and first among all rookies in points per game.
Overall, neither team looks to have a particular advantage on special teams - and neither team takes too many penalties - so look for this one to be decided 5-on-5.
Jan 2: No. 9 Yale vs. No. 11 Ferris State (Badger Showdown, Madison, Wis.)
Call it the "Battle of the Bulldogs," as a Yale team that's built steadily under Keith Allain faces a Ferris State squad that's enjoying a breakthrough season under Bob Daniels after just two winning seasons in the six years since Chris Kunitz led FSU to the NCAA tournament in 2003.
Daniels' Bulldogs come to the Kohl Center as the proud owners of the nation's longest unbeaten streak (8-0-2), and they've done it with defense. Junior Pat Nagle and sophomore Taylor Nelson have formed a top-notch goaltending tandem, with both ranking among the top five goaltenders in the nation in both save percentage and goals-against average, while the Bulldogs make up for being the second-most penalized team in the country by having the nation's top penalty kill (91.2%). Meanwhile, up front, senior forward Blair Riley, the CCHA's Player of the Month for November, leads the way with 21 points (14g, 7a), giving him a hand in nearly a third of the Bulldogs' 62 goals. Freshmen Matthew Kirzinger and Travis Ouellette have added some scoring punch as well with six goals apiece, while senior Cody Chupp has been a major threat on the power play, contributing all five of his goals this season with the man advantage.
Ferris' mighty defense will be tested at the Badger Showdown by the nation's most potent scoring offense. With 10 goals, junior forward Broc Little leads a dynamic scoring attack that also gets major contributions from sophomore Brian O'Neill (6g, 10a) and senior forward Sean Backman (8g, 6a). Senior defenseman Thomas Dignard has provided a strong offensive presence on the blueline with four goals and seven assists in his nine appearances this season, ranking second among all defensemen in points per game.
Surprisingly, Yale's power play has not been a source of much of the offense, so look for the Ferris State defense to be tested throughout the game. A bigger concern would be the Ferris State extra-man unit, the 12th most-efficient in the country, as Yale's penalty kill has struggled this season, stopping just 76.4% of opponents' man-advantage opportunities. Luckily for Yale, penalties have not been a problem this season, as Allain's team averages just 11.3 minutes per game. The burden will be on Yale to avoid retaliation penalties when Ferris gets rough.
Jan. 3: No. 9 Yale or No. 11 Ferris State at No. 7 Wisconsin
On Sunday, one of the two packs of Bulldogs visiting Madison this weekend will face the host Badgers. Which team it is depends on the outcomes of the Battle of the Bulldogs on Friday, as well as Wisconsin's matchup with Merrimack.
Wisconsin will be slightly shorthanded against the Warriors and the Bulldogs this weekend, as top-scoring forward Derek Stepan (5g, 17a) and defensemen John Ramage (2g, 5a, +12) and Jake Gardiner (1g, 2a, +9) are competing in the World Junior Championship for Team USA. However, Mike Eaves still has his top goal-scorer, Blake Geoffrion (14g, 4a), along with Hobey Baker Award front-runner Brendan Smith (8g, 18a) patrolling the blueline. In addition, the Wisconsin defense is traditionally strong, with captain Ryan McDonagh (2g, 8a, +9) leading a blueline corps that also includes Smith, Cody Goloubef (3g, 6a, +13), while juniors Scott Gudmanson and Brett Bennett have performed well while sharing goaltending duties. With just 2.11 goals per game allowed, Wisconsin has the No. 5 defense in the country.
The kind of game it is will obviously depend a great deal on who the Badgers wind up facing, but here's a few thoughts:
- The Badgers are the fourth most penalized team in the country, which would again put the burden on Yale not to get sucked into retaliation penalties, while a Ferris-Wisconsin matchup would place a lot of importance on the special teams battle.
- The missing Wisconsin defensemen would probably have a greater impact against Yale, whose offense is more balanced than Ferris'. Ferris State has a clear offensive leader in Riley, while Yale has more different weapons to be concerned with.
- Finally, goaltending is an advantage for Ferris, while Yale's goaltenders have gotten the job done in solid, if unspectacular fashion. With a key playmaker gone in Stepan, Mike Eaves may want the weaker goaltending in Yale, as the Badgers would take their chances against a more balanced Yale offense in exchange for a less threatening challenge at the other end of the ice.
Those are the matchups to keep an eye on this weekend at the holiday tournaments. Enjoy the hockey, and Happy New Year!
Tuesday marks the first day of Division I college hockey action since the holiday break, and as the annual holiday tournaments get underway, a pair of marquee matchups, perhaps the best of the entire holiday tournament season.
No. 3 Colorado College vs. No. 4 Cornell (Florida College Classic, Estero, Fla.)
Under head coach Mike Schafer, the Big Red has built its reputation on goaltending and defense, but as Cornell prepares to co-host its annual tournament with Maine at the home of the ECHL's Florida Everblades, the Big Red boast the No. 8 offense in the country (3.64 goals per game). Nearly half of that can be chalked up to the Big Red's top-ranked power-play, which is connecting at a 32.1 percent clip and has produced 17 of Cornell's 40 goals. Seniors Blake Gallagher and Colin Greening lead the charge, and are No. 2 and No.8 in the nation in points per game, respectively. Gallagher is the nation's goals-per-game leader with 10 goals in 11 games to go with seven assists, but set-up man Greening commands respect in his own right with five goals to go with his 11 assists. Meanwhile, the famed Cornell defense is still intact, as the Big Red ranks fifth in the nation in both scoring defense (2.09 g/g) and penalty kill (89.7), and goaltender Ben Scrivens is fifth in the country in save percentage (.929) and sixth in goals-against average (1.98).
Meanwhile, the Tigers are enjoying one of their best seasons in years, trailing only No. 2 Denver in the WCHA standings after going 11-4-3 in the first half of the season. Freshman goaltender Joe Howe has established himself well in the CC net, the rock of an impressive Tigers defense (2.28 g/g, 85.9% PK). On offense, balance has been the story of the day, as leading scorer Bill Sweatt (9g, 11a, 1.11 PPG) is 44th in the nation in scoring average, but he's getting plenty of help from leading goal-scorer Mike Testwuide (12g, 2a), along with freshman Rylan Schwartz (4g, 11a) and setup specialist Stephen Schultz (2g, 15a). The balance is particularly evident on the Tigers' fifth-ranked power play (26.0%), where Schwartz, Testwuide, and Sweatt have four goals each, and senior defenseman Nate Prosser has delivered all three of his goals.
This matchup will have huge implications at tournament time, as a Cornell win will be very helpful in comparisons against WCHA teams, while the Tigers would benefit from a win in comparisons against ECAC Hockey programs. Both teams have great power plays, so it will be key for both teams to avoid unnecessary penalties. Also, the Tigers will need to adjust to the NHL-size ice sheet in Florida, as opposed to the Olympic-size rink they play on at World Arena. Look for Cornell to try to take advantage of the closer quarters and eliminate opportunities for the Tigers to use their speed, as they did in the 2006 NCAA Midwest Regional in Green Bay, where the Big Red eliminated the Tigers before going on to lose to eventual NCAA champ Wisconsin.
No. 15 Massachusetts vs. No. 18 Union (Toyota UConn Hockey Classic, Storrs, Conn.)
In terms of national rankings, this is likely the best matchup in the history of the Huskies' annual holiday tournament. UConn rarely attracts marquee programs, but a breakout season for the Dutchmen combined with a strong season from the Minutemen means a real treat for the fans in Storrs.
UMass comes in boasting the nation's scoring and assists leader in junior forward James Marcou (5g, 21a, 1.73 PPG), and his main beneficiary, sophomore Casey Wellman (13g, 9a), the nation's No. 6 scorer with 1.47 PPG. Wellman and Marcou lead a UMass offense that is tied with Boston College for fifth in the nation (3.67 g/g), and a power play that ranks third in the country at 27.5 percent. The defense is not quite as distinguished, but goaltender Paul Dainton has been solid with a .922 save percentage and a 2.61 goals-against average.
Union, meanwhile, is coming off its first ECAC Hockey playoff series win under Nate Leaman last season, and has continued to build, currently tied with Colgate for third in ECAC hockey and on the nation's second-longest unbeaten streak (5-0-4). Forwards Mario Valery-Trabucco (10g, 11a, 1.40 PPG) and Jason Walters (7g, 10a, 1.13 PPG) are making the most of their senior year, while their classmate Mike Schreiber is adding his own scoring punch from the blueline, and sophomore Kelly Zajac (brother of North Dakota's Darcy Zajac and the New Jersey Devils' Travis Zajac) has established himself as a primary threat on the power play. In net, freshman Keith Kinkaid has split time with junior Corey Milan, with Kinkaid getting the lion's share of the work in conference play, and putting up better numbers (.908 SV%, 2.58 GAA).
Union will need to stay out of the penalty box, as only St. Lawrence, Ohio State and Michigan Tech have been worse on the penalty kill this season, which has the potential a deadly combination with the mighty UMass power play.
Fun Fact: Only Union (4-0-3 ECACH) and Bemidji State (8-0-0 CHA) are undefeated in conference play this season.
ALSO ON THE HORIZON
We'll check these out later in the week, but here are three more big games to keep an eye on during the holiday tournament season.
The Badger Showdown features a great preliminary matchup between No. 9 Yale and No. 11 Ferris State on Jan. 2. One of those teams will then face host No. 7 Wisconsin the next day. Presumably, it'll be the winner, but Merrimack (led by freshman sensation Stephane Da Costa) hopes to have a say. Either way, look for two huge matchups at the Kohl Center in Madison.
No. 2 Denver took no chances in scheduling the Denver Cup, scheduling a Jan. 2 matchup against No. 5 Boston College, regardless of what happens in the Jan. 1 games (Denver vs. Nebraska-Omaha, BC vs. St. Lawrence). The Pioneers expected to play BC in the 2005 Denver Cup, but Princeton pulled off a shocker with a 4-1 win over the then-reigning NCAA champions.
What surprises will this year's holiday tournaments present? We'll just have to wait and see.
Ben Youds and Minnesota State earned a road sweep against No. 4 Bemidji State
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There were three marquee series pitting ranked teams against each other in the WCHA last weekend - and all of them delivered riveting hockey. The most competitive of those matchups took place in Grand Forks in front of crowds greater than 11,500 each night and pitted third-ranked North Dakota against No. 11 Wisconsin. On Friday, the Fighting Sioux had a 30-22 edge in shots, but needed a third-period power-play goal from Danny Kristo to salvage a 3-3 draw. UND put 10 more shots on goal than the Badgers the next night, but Wisconsin scored three times with a man advantage en route to a 4-3 win.
WCHA leader and second-ranked Denver earned a road split against 12th-ranked Minnesota Duluth. On Friday, the Bulldogs had a 5-on-3 advantage for over a minute, down a goal late in the game, but couldn't net the equalizer, as DU went on to a 3-2 win. On Saturday, UMD was able to net three goals in the third period after the teams had battled to a draw through the first two, en route to a 6-3 triumph. Duluth's unrelated sophomore Connollys led the attack, with center Jack scoring twice and adding an assist, while winger Mike had three helpers.
No. 6 Colorado College and 17th-ranked St. Cloud State played an offensive showcase on Friday night that saw the teams combine to put 82 shots on goal. CC scored the game's first three goals, but St. Cloud would eventually rally and earn a 4-4 draw to extend the Tigers' winless streak to four games. But Colorado College would rite the ship on Saturday and earn a 4-1 win in the series finale.
The biggest upsets of the weekend both came in a series between a current WCHA member and a school that will join the league next season. Unranked Minnesota State hit the road and registered a sweep of fourth-ranked Bemidji State. On Friday, the Mavericks broke open a 1-1 game with four unanswered goals in the third period - including a pair from Jerad Stewart - for a 5-1 victory. The Beavers controlled the game on Saturday, finishing with a 31-14 advantage in shots, but Minnesota State was still able to pull out a 3-2 win over the Beavers - who came into the weekend with a record of 13-2-1.
Top-ranked Miami kept rolling in a home-and-home series with Ohio State. Junior forward Tommy Wingels notched four goals and an assist on Friday, and sophomore Cody Reichard stopped all 17 shots he faced in a 6-0 victory by the RedHawks - their third consecutive shutout. On Saturday, the Buckeyes held a two-goal advantage heading into the third period, but Miami would score four times in the final stanza for a 4-2 triumph.
Three ranked teams were able to salvage only splits in series against unranked squads over the weekend. No. 9 UMass Lowell beat Princeton 4-1 on Friday, but then lost 3-2 the next night. No. 16 Alaska edged Nebraska-Omaha by a 4-3 tally before falling 5-3 to the Mavericks. Elsewhere in the CCHA, Michigan topped 18th-ranked Notre Dame 4-1 on Friday before the Fighting Irish got a shutout from freshman Mike Johnson in a 2-0 decision on Sunday.
Most teams will now take a break from action for a few weeks, as there are only six games across the country (none of those involve any ranked teams) from now until the holiday tournaments kick off on Tuesday, Dec. 29. So for now - Happy Holidays, hockey fans!
Bryan Hogan and Michigan beat Wisconsin and Minnesota in the College Hockey Showcase
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
It was a tough weekend for the nation's top teams, as none of the top eight escaped last week with a pair of victories. Top-ranked Miami faced two of its stiffest tests of the season. On Friday, the RedHawks were shut out for the first two periods, but got a pair of goals from junior forward Carter Camper in the third to tie the score against sixth-ranked Bemidji State - only to see senior forward Chris McKelvie jam home a rebound goal with less than three minutes remaining to give the Beavers a 3-2 victory. Junior defenseman Ryan Adams was plus-3 for BSU.
The Beavers could not finish off their weekend prefectly, though, as Ohio State got an overtime goal from Kyle Reed on Saturday to take a 2-1 decision over Bemidji. Miami faced the host school, No. 4 North Dakota, of the Subway Holiday Classic that same night and needed a pair of goals in the third to salvage a 5-5 draw against the Fighting Sioux. Freshman forward Danny Kristo had a pair of goals and an assist for UND, and MU freshman Reilly Smith matched that output and also finished with a plus-3 rating. All four games in the event drew over 11,000 fans each.
Elsewhere in the top five, No. 2 Denver got a pair of goals from junior forward Jesse Martin on Friday in a 5-3 win over St. Cloud State, but junior forward Tony Mosey had two goals the next night to lead the Huskies to a 3-2 upset. After rising to third in the national poll, UMass Lowell was winless in a pair of games last week. The second was a 3-1 defeat at Maine on Friday that saw junior forward Tanner House score a pair of goals for the Black Bears (who, incidentally, beat St. Lawrence 10-1 on Saturday). Fifth-ranked Colorado College got a shutout from freshman Joe Howe in a 5-0 pounding of Alaska Anchorage on Friday that ran the Tigers' winning streak to six. But on Saturday, CC needed a goal in the final minute of regulation to force overtime, and UAA freshman center Daniel Naslund scored a rebound goal in the extra session to give the Seawolves a 3-2 triumph.
The College Hockey Showcase in East Lansing produced some good hockey between four perennial powers. In the end, eighth-ranked host Michigan State was beaten twice - and has now lost three straight (following an eight-game unbeaten streak) - while unranked Michigan was the only team with two wins. On Friday, Wisconsin sophomore forward had a goal and four assists to lead the 15th-ranked Badgers to a 7-3 triumph against the Spartans. Goaltending was the story the next night, as MSU's Drew Palmisano stopped 40 shots and Minnesota's Kent Patterson made 37 saves in the Gophers' 2-1 win. Bryan Hogan helped Michigan post a 6-0 shutout of Minnesota on Friday, and the Wolverines knocked off the Badgers by a 3-2 score in their second game.
In other matchups of ranked teams, ninth-ranked Quinnipiac topped No. 10 Massachusetts in overtime by a 5-4 score, as senior Brandon Wong scored at 18:50 in the third to tie it (after UMass used four straight goals to take the lead) and then potted the game-winner in the extra session. Also, 18th-ranked Vermont edged No. 11 Yale 1-0 on Monday in a defensive battle that saw UVM senior Mike Spillane notch the shutout.
WHAT'S IN STORE
With just two weeks left until most teams take a holiday sabbatical, we have a truly outstanding slate of games on tap this weekend. In fact, there will be a total of 11 games between nationally-ranked squds, with four of those pitting top-10 teams against each other and all of the top-four schools facing stiff tests. The marquee series of the weekend will be a WCHA home-and-home between the conference's current co-leaders: No. 2 Denver and No. 6 Colorado College. They will play on Friday at 7:37 p.m. MT in Colorado Springs and on Saturday at 7:07 p.m. in Denver. Both games will be televised by FSN Rocky Mountain. CC has held the upper hand in the series of late, taking the Gold Pan trophy in each of the last three years - though last season three of the four games ended in ties. The Tigers are unbeaten in their last six (3-0-3) against DU.
There are some other intriguing matchups, as well. The two highest-scoring teams in the nation - No. 4 Quinnipiac (4.31 goals per game) and No. 10 Yale (4.10) - will play on Friday in New Haven, while the goaltenders who are No. 1 and 2 in Division I in goals-against average - freshman Mike Johnson (1.35) from No. 14 Notre Dame and top-ranked Miami's Cody Reichard (1.59) - will have their teams face each other for two. Below is a complete listing of the matchups of ranked teams.
WEEKEND SCOREBOARD WATCH
Matchups Between Ranked Teams - All Times Eastern
Friday
No. 4 Quinnipiac at No. 10 Yale, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 15 Boston College at No. 9 Massachusetts, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 18 Nebraska-Omaha at No. 17 Ferris State, 7:05 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 14 Notre Dame at No. 1 Miami, 7:35 p.m. - TV: ONN/Comcast | Live Stats
No. 3 North Dakota at No. 12 Minnesota Duluth, 8:07 p.m. - TV: Charter Communications | Live Stats
No. 2 Denver at No. 6 Colorado College, 9:37 p.m. - TV: FSN | Live Stats
Saturday
No. 18 Nebraska-Omaha at No. 17 Ferris State, 7:05 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 9 Massachusetts at No. 8 UMass Lowell, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 14 Notre Dame at No. 1 Miami, 7:05 p.m. - TV: ONN/Comcast | Live Stats
No. 3 North Dakota at No. 12 Minnesota Duluth, 8:07 p.m. - TV: Charter Communications | Live Stats
No. 6 Colorado College at No. 2 Denver, 9:07 p.m. - TV: FSN | Live Stats
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elliot Olshansky
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