Archive for December, 2014

Three Things I Think: Big Ten, Dec. 31

Wednesday, December 31st, 2014

This is the New Year’s Eve edition of Three Things I Think, which means it’s been a year since I started covering Big Ten hockey.

A full year, an inaugural tournament and a bunch of stories later, I can say I’ve really enjoyed covering this conference.

But back to hockey. A very depleted Michigan team missing Dylan Larkin, Tyler Motte, Zach Werenski and J.T. Compher stunned Michigan Tech and took down Michigan State to win the 50th Great Lakes Invitational. Wolverine coach Red Berenson told me before the tournament that all they needed was a No. 1 goalkeeper – and Steve Racine was exactly that.

Penn State saw Zach Saar and Taylor Holstrom return to the lineup, but might have some holiday sleepiness to shake off. The Nittany Lions fell to Robert Morris and Western Michigan at the Three Rivers Classic, as Colgate took the tournament.

The New Year will most likely bring us just one Big Ten team in the NCAA tournament, and a much less exciting Big Ten tournament.

Yes, just one Big Ten team. The conference has failed in out-of-conference play, and playing well in the second half might not be enough to earn Michigan an at-large bid. It might not even be enough for Penn State. Unless one of those two teams wins the Big Ten tournament (my money’s on Penn State).

Now that it’s been a year of coverage and stories like Hudson Fasching’s, I wanted to thank you all for following along. It’s hard to believe 2014 is already over.

(After the jump: Big Ten New Year’s Resolutions, Zach Hyman is good, and it’s the best time of the year.(more…)

Big Ten: A Look Into Corsi, Week 11

Wednesday, December 31st, 2014

College hockey eased back into the season with holiday tournaments. Penn State struggled at the Three Rivers Classic, losing both games, while Michigan translated a depleted roster into a Great Lakes Invitational championship.

Here are this week’s Corsi stats: (more…)

The Takeaway: Yale Stymies Holy Cross in 3-0 Win

Tuesday, December 30th, 2014

Worcester, Mass. – For Yale, it could have been a trap game and one of those weird results that often litter the beginning of the second half. But on this night, the Bulldogs held and dominated Atlantic Hockey foe, Holy Cross. The first period was all Yale and they were rewarded for it. Trent Ruffolo opened the scoring for the Elis at 11 minutes 23 seconds, backhanding a rebound home. Yale outshot Holy Cross 19-7 in the first period and took the 1-0 lead to the locker room.

Holy Cross played better in the second period, but penalties proved costly. The Crusaders’, Tommy Dwyer took a five minute major midway through the period. Yale capitalized halfway through the power-play to take a 2-0 lead. Later in the period another ill-advised cross-check to the boards gave Yale another power-play. The Elis again capitalized off the stick of Mike Doherty. Yale led 3-0 into the second intermission. The Bulldogs held serve in the third period for the win and Alex Lyon picked up his first shutout of the season. Holy Cross senior netminder, Matt Ginn, made 37 saves in the loss, while Rob O Gara picked up two points in the win. Yale improved its record to 7-3-2, while Holy Cross dropped to 7-6-4 on the year. (more…)

Weekend Preview: Big Ten, Dec. 28

Sunday, December 28th, 2014

We ease back from the holiday break with a few tournaments, as Michigan and Michigan State will play in the 50th Great Lakes Invitational. Penn State kicks off the second half of its season against Robert Morris in the Three Rivers Classic.

Minnesota, Ohio State and Wisconsin are idle this week. That’s good news for Minnesota, as the Gophers are missing Ryan Collins, Leon Bristedt and Hudson Fasching. The trio made the cut for their respect World Junior Championship rosters, while Ohio State’s Janik Moser will skate for Germany.

Also on the U.S. roster are Michigan’s Dylan Larkin, Tyler Motte, J.T. Compher and Zach Werenski, making this weekend even more difficult for Michigan.

Michigan Tech and Ferris State will join Michigan and Michigan State in the GLI. Michigan Tech will probably win the tournament.

At the Three Rivers Classic, Colgate and Western Michigan will join the two Pennsylvania teams.

The WJC kicked off on Friday, and the U.S. defeated Finland in the shootout.

(more…)

ECAC Midseason Review and Awards

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2014

It seemed like just yesterday that I was sitting on a conference call talking with the league coaches in preseason. Of course Seth Appert, as he usually does, gave us the best quote of the day when he said, “The coaches and media are normally wrong with their preseason polls.”  He of course was correct and we all knew that he was correct to begin with, but we still do them to give everyone an idea of where the conference is and who the favorites are.

Heading into the second half, Harvard and Quinnipiac top the standings but any team from 1-10 is in contention for the league. Brown has been the biggest disappointment so far but one could think they are due to pick up a bunch of wins. The top ten in the league are separated by just six points, which should make for phenomenal stretch run. There are some teams at the top half that I think will fall (Clarkson, RPI, SLU), while some may be poised to rise (Dartmouth, Gate, Union, and Cornell). Of course I say that because I have seen most of the teams in the league and have seen them multiple times.

If the NCAA tournament were to start now, the ECAC would have two teams in the tournament. Harvard sits second in the Pairwise rankings, while Yale sits in 15th. Quinnipiac, Dartmouth and Colgate are all in the running. Those three make a group of five ECAC teams in the top 20 in the country, in terms of the Pairwise rankings. That should bode well going forward but there are still a bunch of huge non-conference games in the coming weeks. (more…)

Big Ten: Midseason Awards

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2014

The teams skated into the midseason break with Penn State on top of the conference. Big Ten play has been minimal so far, but the Nittany Lions are 3-1-0 in their four games. The Gophers are 1-0-1, which puts them tied for third – despite having the conference’s best overall record.

A few teams have still been inconsistent, although things are looking better for Michigan.

And at the bottom of the conference is Wisconsin. It just keeps getting worse for the Badgers, who lost one of their few healthy defenseman a couple of weeks ago.

The teams are off for the midseason break, so here are some midseason awards: (more…)

Big Ten: A Look Into Corsi, Midseason

Monday, December 22nd, 2014

Since there were no games this weekend, I calculated midseason Corsi for all Big Ten teams, including home Corsi, away Corsi, and Corsi in Big Ten competition.

For 5-on-5 play, only Wisconsin and Ohio State had Corsi numbers less than 50 percent in the first half. Wisconsin’s was the worst, at 41.11 percent. Penn State had the highest home Corsi with one of 62.33 percent in 5-on-5 play. Michigan’s 5-on-5 away Corsi of 59.66 percent was the highest, while its Big Ten Corsi of 52.16 percent was also the highest.

Minnesota’s worst 5-on-5 Corsi came during Big Ten play, but the Gophers have hovered around 50 percent possession so far this season. Ohio State fared better at puck possession at home than on the road, where they held a 5-on-5 Corsi of 45.92 percent. The Wolverines, who had the best Corsi numbers of all Big Ten teams, had the highest Corsi on the road, with one of 59.66 percent.

Here are the Corsi numbers: (more…)

NCHC Weekend Preview, Dec. 20-21

Friday, December 19th, 2014

In the only official NCAA Division I games scheduled for this weekend, reigning CHN Team of the Week Nebraska-Omaha (10-4-2, 6-3-1-1 NCHC), winners of three straight after sweeping St. Cloud State a week ago, hosts Alabama-Huntsville (3-13-2, 2-10-0 WCHA) in a two game series. Huntsville’s done well when scoring three goals this season (3-1-1 in those game), but unfortunately for them, the Chargers haven’t done that very often, scoring two goals or less in each of their last five games, all losses. Obviously, they’re faced with a tough road task against a Mavericks team whose resurgence this year has been buoyed by senior Ryan Massa in net and a youth movement up front, with freshmen Jake Randolph, Tyler Vesel, and Avery Peterson among the top scoring rookies in the NCHC and sophomores Jake Guentzel and Austin Ortega (34 points combined) both in the top 30 in scoring nationally.

Since Omaha has the busiest December schedule of any team in the country (eight games when many teams have only two), I’d expect UNO coach Dean Blais to use this weekend as an opportunity to give backup goaltender Kirk Thompson, assuming he’s healthy, some time between the pipes. The sophomore played well in a win at Ohio State in early November. Ranked No. 2 in the current Pairwise, UNO can’t afford a slip-up against a team that objectively it should be able to sweep. I wouldn’t expect a holiday letdown under Blais, but UNO will have to continue to focus on improving its penalty kill, which after allowing two goals on six St. Cloud power play chances last week has given up at least one PPG in five straight games.

In 141 games since the start of the 2010-11 season, UAH has won only 12 times. A sweep this weekend for UNO would give the Mavericks a dozen wins this season already. Prediction: UNO sweeps.

Thoughts on Eichel, Demko Major Junior Rumors

Thursday, December 18th, 2014

It felt foolish even having to ask the question yesterday of some within the BU hockey program, but it was once again necessary after yet another firestorm of rumors out of Canada that Jack Eichel was “jumping ship” to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League after the World Junior Championships concluded.

The response, by the way, after some laughter, was a definitive “no.”

No one at BU is worried about Eichel, yet rumors persist. SportNet’s Junior Hockey Podcast tweeted yesterday that there were “rumors” that Eichel was going to sign with Saint John after the tournament. Host Jeff Marek – who I respect, but he’s way off on this – made an argument for why, in his mind, Eichel should leave college hockey. It’s the old “he’ll play a more pro schedule” argument that we’ve heard a million times.

More games doesn’t make Eichel, or anyone else, a better player. For most 18-year-old stars making the jump to the NHL, which I’d expect Eichel to do after this season, skill isn’t the issue, it’s strength. Playing a 60 or 70-game schedule allows for very little time in the weight room. Playing two games per week at BU, along with a lot more practice time, allows Eichel the chance to get in strength and conditioning work with BU strength coach Anthony Morando, a disciple of the great Mike Boyle.

(more…)

Three Things I Think: NCHC, Dec. 16

Tuesday, December 16th, 2014

We’re heading to a quiet stretch in the schedule, following a weekend where CHN Team of the Week Nebraska-Omaha made a big statement with its sweep of St. Cloud State. Western Michigan also performed well, taking an overtime win and a shootout win over a desperate Colorado College team still looking for its first NCHC win of the season.

Instead of looking at UNO’s or WMU’s reasons for success, here’s a closer look at three teams who suffered defeat this past Saturday night.

Kaskisuo pulled

Sure, the Finnish freshman didn’t have the best start on Saturday evening against Michigan Tech, allowing two goals on four shots in the first five minutes of the contest, especially as the second goal came as the result of a weak rebound that followed a mis-play by the netminder. Still, it may have surprised some that UMD coach Scott Sandelin pulled his star goaltender, who had been awarded multiple weekly and national accolades throughout his 14 consecutive starts from the upstart Bulldogs. Kaskisuo was pulled in favor of junior Matt McNeely, who earned a shutout win over Notre Dame at the start of the season. McNeely played regularly as a freshman and only sporadically as a sophomore before giving way to Kaskisuo this year. It was a great decision by Sandelin on Saturday to switch to McNeely for many reasons — above all, it prevents Kaskisuo from being too comfortable as the designated No. 1 starter, reinforcing the need to be sharp at all times and to avoid the sometimes natural letdown the night after a big road win (UMD, of course, beat Michigan Tech a night earlier). McNeely is also a veteran who was able to weather the storm until the Bulldogs tied the game in the third period. Michigan Tech did win late, on Mike Neville’s game winner — his first goal of the season — with less than 20 seconds to play, but the decision to pull Kaskisuo, to wake up a sluggish team on the road, is the type of calculated decision that could pay dividends later in the season.

St. Cloud’s struggles

The memory of St. Cloud’s (6-9-1 overall, 2-5-1 NCHC) back to back wins over Union and Minnesota seems a lot more distant than the reality that those wins came less than two months ago. Now, the Huskies have lost three straight, and four of five, coming off a sweep in Omaha. Yes, the offense has been surprisingly (given the talent) erratic, but more concerning has been the defensive play of St. Cloud’s top lines. On Saturday, like Friday, St. Cloud led heading into the second period and again gave up the lead en route to a 5-3 loss. Saturday was an up-and-down night for the Huskies’ line of Jimmy Murray, David Morley, and Patrick Russell, a line that’s second in scoring on the team and that tied the game on Saturday at 3-3 in the third period. However, the trio was on the ice for four of Omaha’s five goals, in many cases missing defensive opportunities to limit goal-scoring opportunities. Many of St. Cloud’s forwards — particularly their top six — are exceedingly talented. This year, for whatever reason, they’ve given up a ton of goals. Leading scorer Jonny Brodzinski, for instance, has 3 even-strength goals but is a minus-7. Brodzinski also has seven power play goals, and indeed the Huskies have played well in man-advantage situations. The key to turning things around seems to be a need to improve their defensive effort and efficiency in front of goaltender Charlie Lindgren.

DU line change

Friday, Denver earned one of its biggest wins of the season, a 4-1 win over North Dakota in a game where, simply, the Pioneers showed just a bit more poise than UND in what was a physical series all weekend. UND returned that favor on Saturday, then used a couple of creative stretch plays to defeat Denver 3-1 and split the weekend series. Friday, three of Denver’s four goals came from defensemen, and coach Jim Montgomery changed up his top two lines for Saturday, switching Danton Heinen and Ty Loney’s spots on the right wing and thus breaking up the top line of Heinen/Daniel Doremus/Trevor Moore — the top three scorers this season for the Pioneers. Certainly, it seemed like a brilliant move by Montgomery, a surprise change that could give the North Dakota coaching staff more to think about with its defensive pairings and matchups on the road. But neither line produced a point on Saturday, in part because of a more physical and defense-oriented game overall. Also, it was the new Heinen line (paired with Quentin Shore and Zac Larraza) that got caught in a bad second period line change, allowing a quick transition play for North Dakota that culminated in Nick Schmaltz converting a 2-on-1 rush. So, the move may not have worked quite as planned, but it was a bold decision by Montgomery, as we rarely see major lineup changes the night following a big win. Perhaps Montgomery realizes that some periodic changes may help prevent the offense from becoming too stagnant, a problem that the Pioneers have had in the past (though not this year). DU continues to have the luxury of offensive-minded defensemen who can provide goals even when the forwards struggle; four of Denver’s 5 goals this weekend came from the blueline.

Coming soon: On Friday, we’ll preview the only NCHC games (and in fact, the only NCAA Division I games, period) of the upcoming weekend, when Nebraska-Omaha hosts Alabama-Huntsville for a two-game nonconference series.