MADISON – The Kohl Center errupted when the Wisconsin Badgers finished off the first round of the WCHA playoffs by defeating the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs 4-1 in Saturday night’s showdown.

The Badgers sounded the horn for the first goal of the night from Jefferson Dahl just under three minutes into the game, followed by another tally from Michael Mersch.  UMD Bulldog Justin Crandall kept the scoreboard active by cutting Wisconsin’s lead in half, 2-1, all within the first five minutes of the game.  Wisconsin’s Kevin Schulze tallied another goal for the Badgers in the first period to send the home team into the locker room with a 3-1 lead.  The second period failed to produce scoring from either team, but Tyler Barnes recorded his 11th goal of the year in the third period, capping off the weekend with a 4-1 win.

With the sweep of Minnesota-Duluth, Wisconsin will play either Colorado College or Denver in the first round of the WCHA Final Five tournament in St. Paul, Minnesota.  The Badgers join the Gophers, who have already swept Bemidji State in teams that will participate in the 2013 Final Five.

(more…)

MADISON – The Wisconsin Badgers take the first game with a physical 3-1 victory over Minnesota Duluth.

UMD’s Dan DeLisle was able to add the first tally to the scoreboard, even though the Badgers controlled the first five minutes of play.  Wisconsin answered with two goals in the second period by Nic Kerdiles and John Ramage, followed by a full-ice, empty-net goal by Mark Zengerle to seal the deal for the Badgers in the 3-1 win. (more…)

After missing much of the Final Five last season because of a family vacation, I am exceedingly happy to be back for its entirety this year. Afterall, there is only one of these left after this season before we can expect major changes — not only in the teams, but in the look and feel as well as the locale of this tournament starting in 2014.

If you are not in town and want to follow along, please follow me on Twitter @MyersHockey. I will be providing updates from here all weekend long.

If you’re interested and haven’t yet found my WCHA Final Five preview, please check it out here.

(more…)

With the conclusion of the Denver-Wisconsin series tonight in the Mile High City, next weekend’s WCHA Final Five is officially set: Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth, Denver, North Dakota, St. Cloud State and Michigan Tech.

First, a few thoughts on this weekend: The number of series that lasted only two games was very surprising to me, especially considering how competitive these games were.

- Alaska-Anchorage had Minnesota on the ropes Saturday night, leading 3-1 in the second period. But a series of penalties allowed Minnesota to gain momentum and eventually the dam broke, as the Gophers rallied with six straight goals. That sweep wasn’t a surprise.

(more…)

Part 2 today of my look at the WCHA Playoffs and who these teams would LIKE to play. Should have explained yesterday, but these opinions are based on realistic match-ups for the playoffs. Yeah, St. Cloud State would love to play Alaska-Anchorage (as everyone else probably would), but it’s not going to happen.

Without further ado, here is the top-half of the league, and who they’d like to play:

T4 — North Dakota: The Fighting Sioux have a big series at Denver this weekend, and a pair of wins would vault UND ahead of DU in the standings. At 27 points, North Dakota is just three points out of third place.

Who they want: Bemidji State

The Beavers beat North Dakota 1-0 earlier this season to score their first win over North Dakota. Ever. Safe to say, history resides on the side of the Fighting Sioux in this one.

T4 — Nebraska-Omaha: The Mavericks are hoping to stay within striking distance of Denver this weekend, because UNO hosts the Pioneers next weekend to wrap up the season. Although Omaha is tied with North Dakota in the standings, UNO has to be hoping for a split in the UND-DU series. If it happens, Omaha needs to take care of business against Minnesota.

Who they want: St. Cloud State

The Mavericks took 3 of 4 points against the Huskies in Omaha earlier this season and went 3-0-1 against them last season. Personally, I don’t think the Mavs care who they play, as long as it’s not Bemidji State. For some reason, the Beavers present UNO with a host of problems when they play, and I doubt the Mavericks would enjoy the constant questions in the lead up to that series.

T4 — Colorado College: The Tigers have been an average team virtually all season. After a 4-0 start, CC is just 12-12-2 overall and just a game over .500 in conference play. At 5-7 on the road in WCHA play, maintaining home ice is critically important and provides the Tigers with a distinct advantage.

Who they want: Wisconsin

CC is extremely familiar with the Badgers — the Tigers beat Wisconsin in three games in the first round last year. CC swept Wisconsin in their lone meeting this season at World Arena and are 5-2 against UW over the last two seasons. Plus, Wisconsin has just one road win this season, and a trip to Colorado Springs is probably the second most tedious in the league for the boys from Madison.

1-3 — Minnesota, Minnesota Duluth, Denver: All three of these teams are in a similar spot in terms of who they want to play… obviously only one will get them. Third place Denver and league-leading Minnesota are separated by four points with UMD stuck right in the middle, meaning plenty of shuffling can still take place among the top-3 teams.

Who they want: Alaska-Anchorage

The Seawolves style of play can present problems for any team, but it’s pretty safe to say all three teams would love the opportunity to take on Anchorage, a team that’s a lengthy plane ride away and has won just three times since Thanksgiving. These three teams are a combined 7-1-0 against UAA this season, with the lone Seawolf victory coming against UMD in Anchorage just a couple of weeks ago. I’m sure the Gophers would love the opportunity to avenge last season’s embarrassing playoff ouster at the hands of the Seawolves.

The WCHA has caught a bunch of grief for being a pretty weak conference nationally this season. And generally, it has been.

But as I write this, the WCHA would have four teams in the NCAA Tournament if it started tomorrow (Minnesota Duluth, Denver, Minnesota and North Dakota).  Four teams is the same number Hockey East would have in. Only the CCHA, with five, would have more. Obviously, there is a lot of hockey yet to be played. A whole bunch can change between now and Selection Sunday. Heck, a whole lot can, and will, change between now and this time tomorrow night.

(more…)

I hope everyone had a great holiday season, and I’m excited for what promises to be another great second half of action in the WCHA.

I will jump back into the power rankings prior to next weekend, but I did want to stress how important the nonconference action this weekend should not be overlooked.

Because there are no WCHA games on the schedule, many will look at this weekend’s games and think “who cares?” Well, you shouldn’t care — if all you care about is winning the MacNaughton Cup. January means it’s time to start looking at those Pairwise Rankings a little closer, and for those of you who haven’t checked them out yet, you can find them here.

I am, by no means, a Pairwise expert — very few are. But I can tell you this with certainty: Only two WCHA teams are in good NCAA Tournament position as we head into the second half, as Minnesota Duluth (No.2) and Minnesota (tied for 4th) are the only two locks as of right now. Colorado College is square on the bubble, and would likely be one of the last one or two at-large teams in.

(more…)

I am proud to say I cover hockey. However, I am a fan of the sport first.

I’ve been a UMD season-ticket holder since 2003. I remember sitting in front of the television and yelling to the point of nearly losing my voice as the Bulldogs skated to the 2004 Frozen Four, and then took a two-goal lead in the national semifinal against Denver.

As you are probably aware, not much has gone right for UMD since. They were on their way to a win over St. Cloud State in the first round of the 2007 playoffs, but then Bobby Goepfert stood on his head for four overtimes over two nights. His team was pretty thoroughly outplayed, but part of playing the game is scoring goals, and UMD just couldn’t on those nights. St. Cloud won the series, and UMD was sent to the golf course prematurely, only to find when they got there that the two best players on that 2006-2007 team (Matt Niskanen and Mason Raymond) had signed pro contracts.

Last year’s team was strong defensively, but couldn’t score goals. MacGregor Sharp led the team with 17 points. Andrew Carroll led in goals with eight. It doomed them to an eighth-place finish and a two-game playoff loss to Denver.

With how the regular-season ended, no one saw this coming. The Bulldogs went 0-3-2 down the stretch, with two straight losses to Alaska-Anchorage providing a painful farewell for seven UMD seniors. In retrospect, one of the worst home weekends in a long time may have been a blessing in disguise. UMD deserved to lose those games, and they knew it. Instead of moping or resigning themselves to a one-and-done playoff fate, this Bulldog team used the adversity as a coming-together point.

Since they didn’t know they had to fly to Colorado Springs until the close of play Saturday, they had to set up a rather arduous travel schedule. Fly to Minneapolis and then Denver Wednesday evening, and bus from Denver to Colorado Springs. It was early Thursday morning before they arrived. Instead of being tired after such a difficult late-season trip, UMD looked fresh and prepared Friday. A 4-1 win Friday was followed by a 3-1 triumph Saturday.

By now, you know full well what happened over the weekend in St. Paul. It was the kind of history that you don’t get to see every year, and it was a performance for the ages. In a way, it was fitting, because this team made a commitment to themselves after that Anchorage series, and they’ve played near-perfect hockey since.

The most amazing statistic is that they have yet to trail in the playoffs. In fact, the only time any UMD playoff game this year has been tied has been 0-0. Once UMD has taken the lead, they’ve held it. You can credit Alex Stalock all you want, but the 18 guys in front of him deserve their props, too.

One of my worries about UMD going to Colorado College is that they struggled (3-5-3) on the big sheet during the regular season. They allowed too many goals in most of those games, including four in one at Anchorage, six at St. Cloud State, and five at Minnesota. The defense took a few hits in those games, but they have protected Stalock wondrously in the first five playoff games.

Princeton brings speed, skill, and goaltending to the table Friday night. UMD can’t be looking forward to a potential rematch Saturday with Denver (neither can Denver, for that matter, or it could be Miami vs Princeton in front of 550 friends and family at Mariucci). But they haven’t looked forward to anything yet. They’ve focused on the task at hand, even on Saturday night in the WCHA Final Five championship, when they led 3-0, fans were ready to party, and it would have been easy to lapse. Instead of giving up a lame goal late in the game, UMD only let Denver attempt six shots the whole period (five were blocked).

No matter what, the thousands of Minnesotans who will show up at Mariucci Arena Friday night need to appreciate what this UMD team has done. They not only made history, but they’ve shown that from adversity can come special achievements.

That this group of kids banded together and stormed into the NCAA Tournament is the stuff of stories 20 years from now. Expectations are growing in Duluth, but let’s hope the fans also bring a sense of perspective to the rink Friday. The ride this team has taken us on the last two weeks is one that won’t be forgotten anytime soon, and we thank you for it.

It’s easy for non-Cornell fans to look at Mike Schafer’s one-game suspension tonight — following his Friday rant about the officiating — and call it a “tirade,” or accuse him of “whining,” etc… But that’s only because they don’t understand.

Schafer, yesterday, criticized the officiating for changing the way it was calling the game in the postseason — not calling it tight enough with the interference, as has been the directive for years. And, he said, this doesn’t help the ECAC in the national scene. Schafer has a history of making these kinds of pointed comments, but if you’ve seen him in action, you know that he is far, far from the type of coach that pisses and moans behind the  bench all game — and he is not the kind of coach that berates officials all game, and so on.

When Schafer makes these kinds of comments, he a) knows exactly what he’s doing; b) is very measured in his comments – he is not flying off the handle; c) is willingly taking the risk of getting suspended; and d) is telling the truth.

And, apparently, it’s effective. Saturday’s game resulted in a couple dozen power plays, and Cornell won 4-0. But that’s not here or there. What’s important is that he was right. Well, let me take that back … I wasn’t there. But I did see the Princeton-Union game Friday, and with ECAC Director of Officals Paul Stewart there, I did make a comment during the game that I felt a lot more was being let go — both ways — than usual. From what I’ve heard, same was true in Ithaca. So, assuming that was the case in Ithaca too, then Schafer is right.

But let me digress for a second. I had to laugh when I read Schafer’s comment about him making similar remarks seven years ago, about hitting from behind penalties. He was right then too. But I laugh because I remember it clearly — I was doing radio for Cornell at the time. I remember Schafer specifically waited for me to get off the radio so that I could be there to record his comments. He wanted to make sure that everything he said went online verbatim. He wasn’t flying off the handle, far from it. If he was, he wouldn’t have been cool enough to wait that long. He knew exactly what he was doing.

So I could picture the same thing taking place last night — and that’s why I know he doesn’t just rant half-baked. It’s purposeful. And in 2003, the league did crack down more on hitting from behind. In fact, I ran an article that year explaining how hitting from behind calls — throughout the league — had gone up dramatically in the months after Schafer’s comments compared to before it.

Now, back to the comments themselves. His point about calling the game differently, and how it affects the league in the national sense, is dead on. The league is never going to say this, but it wants its top teams to go through to Albany — because this means more ECAC teams will make the NCAAs, and get better seeds. To do that, it has to make sure it sticks to the officiating standards that have been set in recent years in relation to interference, and not back off just because it’s the playoffs. It might be old school to say “let them play” in the playoffs, but that is exactly the wrong approach that we need anywhere in college hockey.

The goal is not to have a waltz to the penalty box all night — because, that may increase scoring, but it doesn’t increase the quality of the game. The goal is to call the penalties so that the players won’t take the penalties in the future.  That opens the game up, and allows the more skilled teams to be more effective.

So we’ll see what kind of effect Schafer’s comments have. But so far, it’s nothing but positive for everyone, it seems to me.

Mike McMahon is blogging live from the TD Banknorth Garden at the 23rd Annual Hockey East Championships. Boston College takes on top-seeded New Hampshire for an apparent No. 1 Seed in the NCAA Tournament (now that St. Cloud State lost). Puck drops at 7:00 p.m.

Refresh for updates (all times EDT)

9:26 p.m. – The celebration is on as the Eagles win it.

2) Boston College – 5
1) New Hampshire – 2
FINAL

9:25 p.m. – BC gets the empty netter and will be Hockey East Champions

UNH 2, BC 5
17.7, 3rd

9:22 p.m. – After Dick Umile and the UNH bench were screaming for a good 25-30 seconds, Kevin Regan finally realized that they wanted him at the bench. Regan is pulled and the Wildcats just took a timeout.

UNH 2, BC 4
1:13, 3rd

9:21 p.m. – The penalty to Boyle is over and the sides are even again.

UNH 2, BC 4
1:55, 3rd

9:20 p.m. – Trevor Smith just fed Jerry Pollastrone in front and the latter had a beautiful tip but the puck sailed just high over the crossbar.

UNH 2, BC 4
2:45, 3rd

9:17 p.m. – Much like Michael Jackon’s “Thriller” video, UNH has completely come back from the dead. You could actually see them rise from the grave. Now arguably BC’s best defender, Brian Boyle, gets the gate for tripping and UNH will enjoy a power play with the chance to come within a goal.

UNH 2, BC 4
4:20, 3rd

9:15 p.m. – It’s been an amazing last minute here at the Garden. UNH has two GREAT chances to come within a goal with Schneider making two terrific saves. Then BC transitions into a two-on-one where Regan kicks out his left pad to make the save, and then as the puck sat in the crease all alone, he scrambles and pounces on it before BC can get to it.

UNH 2, BC 4
4:53, 3rd

9:14 p.m. – The Wildcats just took the shot lead for the first time tonight, 34-32.

UNH 2, BC 4
6:21, 3rd

9:09 p.m. – I spoke too soon … this is starting to get interesting. Trevor Smith tallies the first goal of the weekend for the Wildcats’ top-six forwards and all of a sudden we have a two-goal game with still plenty of time left. UNH has climbed out of the grave after being outplayed and outworked for the first 50 minutes of the game. STAY TUNED!

UNH 2, BC 4
8:10, 3rd

9:07 p.m. – UNH is starting to pour on the pressure, but it’s likely too little too late. Shots are 32-30 in favor of the Eagles, and there are lines starting to form at the exits that mainly consist of jerseys in white and blue.

UNH 1, BC 4
8:55, 3rd

9:06 p.m. – The Wildcats get on the board with sort of a flukey goal that bounced off a few people, including the skate of Brian Boyle, before fluttering its way over the shoulder of Cory Schneider. Bobby Butler gets credit for his second of the weekend, and once again UNH’s top two lines have been held off the scoresheet all weekend.

UNH 1, BC 4
10:17, 3rd 

9:04 p.m. – I give credit to the UNH band. They are still dancing away despite their team getting their lunch handed to them.

9:01 p.m. – Boston College takes a 4-0 lead after Brian Boyle feeds Nathan Gerbe for the one-timer on a four-on-zero … that’s right, I said four-on-zero. This one is in the bag.

UNH 0, BC 4
13:28, 3rd

8:53 p.m. – Puck has dropped in the third

UNH 0, BC 3
17:29, 3rd

8:34 p.m. – The second period is in the books and the Eagles are in control of this one leading 3-0. Shots are 27-22 in favor of BC. Unless UNH picks it up big time, the Eagles are going to run away with this one.

UNH 0, BC 3
End of 2nd

8:31 p.m. – Can you say, “Boston College Eagles, 2007 Hockey East Champions?” Kevin Regan was playing a puck in the corner and BC’s Nathan Gerbe applied some pressure and tipped the puck in front where Brock Bradford was in shock as the puck landed on his stick and no one was in the net. Needless to say, Bradford put the puck in with ease.

UNH 0, BC 3
55.8, 2nd

8:26 p.m. – UNH will have yet another chance to get back into this game. Tim Filangieri goes off after he absolutely levels a UNH player from behind into the glass (unsure which UNH’er took the brunt of the beating).

UNH 0, BC 2
3:25, 2nd

8:15p – Well there has yet to be a stampede of Eagle fans arriving late after the Eagles’ basketball counterparts got bounced by Georgetown. The student section grew a bit larger, but maybe by 15-20, that’s it. UNH fans still seem to control the building – but BC is controlling the game.

UNH 0, BC 2
9:14, 2nd

8:05p – BC’s going on the PP. Shawn Vinz gets the gate for obstruction tripping.

8:00p – The internet hasn’t been the greatest tonight – at least not on my laptop. Anyway, we are underway in the second period and BC now holds 2-0 lead and a 19-14 shot-advantage.

7:38p – Well we have ourselves some open ice. After Matt Greene and Greg Collins both went off for roughing, Chris Murray just took down BC’s Nathan Gerbe by his face mask. They each got hitting after the whistle, so it’s still four-on-four hockey.

UNH 0, BC 1
2:20, 1st

7:32p – The Wildcats are certainly having their chances. As Danny Rossman was slicing behing the net, he pushed a pass in front to Brad Flaishans for the point-blank one-timer, but the puck his Cory Schneider in the chest.

7:25p – The Eagles strike first! Matt Green goes high glove and over the shoulder of Kevin Regan. Mike Brennan and Brian Boyle get the assists. It’s Greene’s fifth tally of the year.

UNH 0, BC 1
8:25, 1st

7:19p – Just a thought … Maybe the BC fans are all waiting until the basketball team gets done playing Georgetown in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The Eagles are currently down 48-44 to the Hoyas with 7:05 left in the game. We’ll see if there are any late arrivals.

UNH 0, BC 0
11:00, 1st

7:15p – Bobby Butler just had a golden chance (he scored last night’s game-winner) when Thomas Fortney fed him in front. Shots aare 8-4 BC.

UNH 0, BC 0
13:16, 1st

7:12p – Last night’s paid attendance at the Garden was around 15,000 with about 12,000 actually braving the elements and showing up. Tonight it looks like there are another 12,000 or so in the seats (The building holds 17,565 for hockey). The lower bowl is about 85% – 90% full, while the balcony is only about half filled on the ends and corners. There are still people filtering in however.

UNH 0, BC 0
14:59, 1st

7:09p – Brock Bradford just had the Eagle’s first scoring chance of the night, wristing the puck towards Kevin Regan. The UNH goaltender flashed the glove and made the stop.

UNH 0, BC 0
17:01, 1st

7:03p – The puck has dropped and we are underway. The trend that started in warmups has continued – UNH fans are outnumbering BC’s by a large margin – at least the UNH fans are louder.

6:55p – The North End of Boston is home to the Italians, and the South End of Boston is home to the Irish. Well the TD Banknorth Garden is located right outside of the North End, yet the Irish are out in force on this St. Patrick’s Day title game. I’ve counted at least three Ireland flags since I came in the building – not to mention the sea of green outside on the sidewalks. Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, right?

6:43p -  At least going by the sound of the crowd during warmups and the pre-game intro by legendary PA announcer Jim Prior, UNH fans outnumber BC fans a lot to a little. We still have approx. 17 minutes until faceoff.

6:27p – BREAKING NEWS: Despite being stuck on I-95 last night, the UNH trumpets have made their way down from Durham and are in the building! The UNH band is occupying the same section 304 that BU’s did last night. The BC band is on the opposite side of the arena, section 319.

6:10 p – The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the Hockey East tournament will square off in less than an hour here at the TD Banknorth Garden. Here are the lineups, first for the Eagles:

Nathan Gerbe – Ben Smith – Brock Bradford
Joe Rooney – Dan Bertram – Benn Ferriero
Matt Price – Matt Greene – Pat Gannon
Kyle Kucharski – Matt Lombardi – Andrew Orpik

Brian Boyle – Mike Brennan
Tim Filangieri – Brett Motherwell
Tim Kunes – Brian O’Hanley

Cory Schneider
Joe Pearce

Now for the Wildcats of New Hampshire:

Jacob Micflikier – Mike Radja – Josh Ciocco
Jerry Pollastrone – Trevor Smith – Matt Fornataro
Greg Collins – Thomas Fortney – Bobby Butler
Greg Collins – Peter LeBlanc – Shawn Vinz

Craig Switzer – Brad Flaishans
Jamie Fritsch – Chris Murray
Kevin Kapstad – Joe Charlebois

Kevin Regan
Brian Foster

11:45p Well this one is all over and it ends a long night at the TD Banknorth Garden. The Eagles are your winners and will go on to face top-seeded New Hampshire in the championship Saturday night.

BU – 2
BC – 6
FINAL

Goodnight from the Garden … We’ll see you tomorrow.

11:40p Nathan Gerbe wants to make sure that the Eagles win by at least four goals. He puts the puck past a very nonchalant Karson Gillespie.

BC 6, BU 2
3:19, 3rd

11:36p Well the Terriers decided to score again. Bryan Ewing nets his ninth of the year going low-glove on Cory Schneider. Not only are there no longer anyone in the stands, but everyone in the press box has turned their attention to the BC women who are in double-overtime and currently tied with Minnesota-Duluth in the Women’s NCAA Tournament.

BC 5, BU 2
5:23, 3rd

11:34p In a great exchange of chants (this is getting more exciting than the game!) BU students rolled with the “Where’s your Beanpot” seeing as BU owns the tournament. The Eagle faithful were quick to respond with, “Where’s your goalie?” referring to the now pulled John Curry.

Oh, and the score: BC 5, BU 1
6:35, 3rd

11:30p Well the BU and BC student sections are currently engaged in an epic “battle of the chants’. Considering that they combine for about 75 of the 200 or so left at the Garden, you can hear them loud and clear. We have the general “Safety School” and “We can’t hear you”. BU students were also pulling out a “Cowboy Up” referring to the catch-phrase that former Red Sox first basemen Kevin Millar made famous during the club’s World Series run in 2004. BC responded with something inaudible (sounded like half of the section was yelling one thing, and half the other), but it sounded like, “We just ate your peanuts”. Take that for what you will.

BC 5, BU 1
8:09, 3rd

11:23p How about that, Karson Gillespie is in net for BU, and the only reason that I noticed is because he just gave up a goal. Joe Rooney gets the credit, and whatever BU fans were left are not gone. It’s officially a “friends and family only” crowd.

BC 5, BU 1
10:05, 3rd

11:18p The game is seemingly out of hand for the Terriers at this point – but don’t tell that to their bench. BU has sent many Eagles’ bodies flying through the air the last few minutes. Don’t worry though, the Eagles have returned the favor mroe often than not which has made for an exciting 2:00 or so.

BC 4, BU 1
14:34, 3rd

11:13p Brian Boyle almost made it 5-1 pinching in from the blueline and hitting a post.

BC 4, BU 1
15:49, 3rd

11:09p Could we see a monumental comeback? Matt Gilroy just fed a pass in front that nobody was able to get a stick on. However as the puck glided towards the blueline, Brandon Yip blasted it past Schneider. The hill is still likely too steep to climb – especially considering that it’s been snowing since 11:00 this morning in Boston and it’s likely icey.

BC 4, BU 1
18:35, 3rd

11:05p Well we are about to enter the third period, but this one is no longer a contest as BC solidly in control with a 4-0 lead over their rival Terriers. Shots are even 21-21, but BC’s were more of the “quality” variety coming in close on BU ‘tender John Curry. The video screen at the TD Banknorth Garden is showing clips of fans sleeping in the stands. The late start to game two combined with it being somewhat unexciting has seen 3/4 of the fans in the building hit the exits. The few that remain are BC students and people that fell asleep, therefore did not leave.

BC 4, BU 0
Start of the 3rd

10:49p  The Eagles are pouring it on as heard BU fans are already starting to head to the exists on this snowy night in Boston. Brock Bradford nets his second of the game. I’m not lying when I tell you that literally half of the building just got up and left.

BC 4, BU 0
28.4, 2nd

10:35p Make it 3-0 Boston College. Freshman Ben Smith, who is on the top line because of Boyle’s move to defense, just slammed home a loose puck that was at the top of Curry’s crease and the Eagles are starting to pull away.
BU had controlled the early part of the period, but the Eagles have started to generate some offense of their own.

BC 3, BU 0
5:33, 2nd

10:32p BC will enjoy a 2:00 power play as Eric Gryba of BU goes off for tripping.

BC 2, BU 0
7:45, 2nd

10:21p Brandon Yip, Tom Morrow, and Ryan Weston just had a nice three-on-two chance, but Yip’s shot was smothered by Schneider.

BC 2, BU 0
14:54, 2nd

10:19p The Terriers are starting to apply some pressure on Cory Schneider outshooting BC 4-1 through 4:22 of the second period.

BC 2, BU 0
15:38, 2nd

9:58p BU will enjoy a power play as the second period starts because Matt Price went off for tripping at the 19:58 mark. Despite the shots being 8-8, the first period was obviously all Boston College as they hold the 2-0 lead. Of course, we finally have band music here at the Garden as we go from no bands to two.
Now it’s time for the annual Hockey East Mascot Game!

BC 2, BU 0
End of 1st

9:56p Pete MacArthur is back taking a regular shift with the top-line.

BC 2, BU 0
12.0, 1st

9:46p Benn Ferriero gives the Eagles the 2-0 lead after Brian Boyle – who is playing defense tonight – found him on the backdoor right outside the crease.

BC 2, BU 0
4:45, 1st

9:37p  BU’s Pete MacArthur just went down with an apparent injury. He looked alright coming off the ice so it is unclear to what part of the body it is. We’ll see if he misses a shift. He has gone down the runway into the BU locker room – for now anyway.

9:32p BC takes the lead! Brock Bradford is the goal-scorer. Benn Ferriero sent a cross-ice pass that was deflected in front but that didn’t stop Bradford from blasting the one-timer past BU netminder John Curry.

BC 1, BU 0
11:48, 1st

9:08p After what turned out to be a great game one, the Terriers and Eagles will see if they can one-up UNH and UMass. Here are the lines, first for the Eagles:
Nathan Gerbe – Ben Smith – Brock Bradford
Joe Rooney – Dan Bertram – Benn Ferriero
Matt Price – Matt Greene – Pat Gannon
Kyle Kucharski – Matt Lombardi – Andrew Orpik

Brian Boyle – Mike Brennan
Tim Filangieri – Brett Motherwell
Brian O’Hanley – Carl Sneep

Cory Schneider
Joe Pearce

Now for the Terriers:

Kenny Roche – Jason Lawrence – Bryan Ewing
Pete MacArthur – Chris Higgins – Eric Thomassian
Ryan Weston – Luke Popko – Brandon Yip
Brian McGuirk – John McCarthy – Dan McGoff

Sean Sullivan – Matt Gilroy
Tom Morrow – Eric Gryba
Kevin Kielt – Brian Strait

John Curry
Brett Bennett
Karson Gillespie

8:29P UNH WINS IT! The Wildcats are piling onto each other in the right corner and they will go onto the finals, as UMass consoles Jon Quick. A bad turnover in front for UMass as Brett Watson coughed it up in the slot and UNH’s Bobby Butler scooped it up and blasted it Quick!

UNH 3, UMA 2
FINAL, 2OT

8:27p The teams are back on the ice, now let’s see if one of them can put one in the net this time around.

8:12p We have finished up the first of who knows how many overtimes with the score remaining 2-2. The Minutemen outshot the Wildcats yet again in the period – this time 13-10. They now hold the overall lead 45-40.
The BC band has now entered the building as well, and both band sections look bored out of their minds waiting for this one to end, however it has been a very exciting 40 minutes.
Remember, the last time that UMass played at the TD Banknorth Garden, they had the three-overtime thriller with Maine with the Black Bears the eventual winner in the 2003 final.
The good news (for me at least) is that at this rate, the snow outside might be melted by the time I leave the building.

UNH 2, UMA 2
End of 1OT

8:10p Chris Capraro picked up a loose puck at the blueline and pulled a BEAUTIFUL toe-drag into the slot - went stick side on Regan but once again the junior makes the big save.

UNH 2, UMA 2
1:35, OT

8:08p – We have now gone 43:03 without a goal. The last tally was UNH’s Danny Rossman at 13:57 of the second period.

UNH 2, UMA 2
2:26, OT

8:07p Jerry Pollastrone just hammered Massachusetts’ Scott Crowder and flipped him into the UNH bench.

8:03p Matt Anderson just had two quick chances but Regan was there again to make the saves. The latter a nice kick stop with the puck sitting above the crease.

UNH 2, UMA 2
5:57, OT

7:59p Josh Ciocco just came in on a two-on-one with Jacob Micflikier. Instead he passing he opted to shoot and Jon Quick made a stellar save! Seconds later Will Ortiz flies in on a breakaway but it was Kevin Regan who made the stop as the puck bounced off his glove!

UNH 2, UMA 2
8:21, OT

7:56p UNH just had their best chance of the OT when Jerry Pollastrone dropped off a pass for Trevor Smith who flipped a back-hander over the shoulder of Jon Quick and over the cage.

UNH 2, UMA 2
9:53, OT

7:51p UMass continues to control the scoring chances outshooting UNH 5-1 so far in the overtime period.

UNH 2, UMA 2
13:22, OT

7:48p Our first band of the night has entered the building. The Boston University squad has taken ownership of section 304 in the Garden balcony. They have to sit quietly until UNH and UMA finish their skating.

UNH 2, UMA 2
14:33, OT

7:41p The teams are back out on the ice for the first overtime.

7:26p We head to overtime in the first game of the night. UMass outshot the Wildcats 12-10 in the third period, and holds a 32-30 advantage in the game. Both goaltenders have played very well when called upon. The building is starting to fill up and is almost full. Let’s put it this way, there are many more people here than there have been for any Boston Bruins game all season!

UNH 2, UMA 2
End of 3rd

7:24p Umass just had a GOLDEN chance with 44.4 left on the clock in the third. P.J. Fenton sent the puck in front of Kevin Regan and Brett Watson one-timed it from point blank range but Regan saved the game (for now).

UNH 2, UMA 2
44.4, 3rd

7:21p UNH’s Bobby Butler goes off for a hook, but UMass’ David Leaderer also goes off for a dive at the same time. We have four-on-four hockey for the next two minutes.

UNH 2, UMA 2
2:47, 3rd

7:18p Just 33 seconds later, UNH’s Jerry Pollastrone had a pretty good chance of his own snapping a wrister from the left circle, but Jon Quick gloved it. We are getting to crunch time now and every shot could decide the game.

UNH 2, UMA 2
4:12, 3rd

7:17p UMass just had the best scoring chance of the period thus far as Matt Burto flew in on the left wing side and nearly beat Kevin Regan over the left shoulder. Shots are 11-6 in favor of UMass in the period.

UNH 2, UMA 2
5:11, 3rd

7:12p Still waiting for someone to break the tie here at the TD Banknorth Garden. The BC and BU fans are starting to make their way to their seats, and every BC fan shown on the new “Garden HD” is getting promptly booed (and loudly too!).

UNH 2, UMA 2
7:29, 3rd

7:01p We’ve been underway for a bit here in the third period, however nothing exciting is happening. Shots are tied 3-3 in the third period and there has been no power plays or any legitimate scoring chances for either side.

UNH 2, UMA 2
14:04, 3rd

6:41p We find ourselves tied 2-2 at the end of two periods. UMass outshot the Wildcats 11-9 in the period after being outshot by the same amount through one period. The TD Banknorth Garden is really starting to fill now, which is surprising considering the blizzard going on outside. There is an obvious “student section” for UMass, however I am hard pressed to find one for UNH. The Wildcat fans seem to be spread out which might be why the UMass fans seem to outnumber them.

UNH 2, UMA 2
End of 2nd

6:32p The UMass penalty kill stands strong not allowing a single UNH shot on the UNH power play.

UNH 2, UMA 2
2:10, 2nd

6:29p The ‘Cats will now have the chance to take the lead going on the power play as UMass’ Will Ortiz will go off for “contact to the head roughing”.

UNH 2, UMA 2
3:57, 2nd

6:27p Well the Wildcats’ fans certainly just woke up. Shawn Vinz did a great job keeping the puck in at the blue line spinning and slapping it to keep it in the zone. That’s when freshman Danny Rossman scored his FIRST CAREER GOAL to tie-up the game again, 2-2. Rossman is a Massachusetts native (Boxford, MA) who played his junior hockey in the EJHL with the Valley Jr. Warriors. He previously had 0-3-3 totals in 17 games this season.

UNH 2, UMA 2
5:19, 2nd

6:21p In a rare happening, we have ourselves a “band-less” Hockey East game here at the Garden. UNH’s tubas and trumpets didn’t make the trek down I-95 from Durham because of the weather, so it’s all speaker music all the time during stoppages (with the kiss cam mixed in here and there). And how about this for irony, there are more Minutemen fans in the stands than UNH – well at least the UMass faithful are louder! 

6:18p UMass dominates while on the power play collecting fours shots – however Kevin Regan stood tall in the UNH net stopping all of them.

UNH 1, UMA 2
10:19, 2nd

6:15p It took 27:32, but we finally have our first penalty of the game. Craig Switzer (UNH) goes off for boarding after he throws UMass’ Brett Watson into the dashers. The Minutemen are on the power play.

UNH 1, UMA 2
12:28, 2nd

6:00p WOW! Just 16 seconds into the second period Chris Capraro walks out in front uncontested and gives the Minutemen the 2-1 lead. The UMass fans in the building are going bananas!

UNH 1, UMA 2
19:44, 2nd

5:44p We are at the end of the first period where the Minutemen and Wildcats are tied at 1-1. UNH at one point held an 11-4 shot-advantage before the Minutemen tallied the last five shots of the period to finish the total at 11-9. It is a decent crowd considering the snow storm going on outside. The lower bowl is about half-full and the balcony about a third full. I know that our friends in Albany are having the same storm troubles. The crowd may grow a bit larger as people get out of work and we get closer to the “Boston Battle” in game two.

UNH 1, UMA 1
End of 1st

5:41p Umass got the equalizer from sophomore Alex Berry. As the puck sat along the left boards, Berry fired it in towards Kevin Regan and it flew past the junior netminder to tie the game.

UNH 1, UMA 1
1:30, 1st

5:31p Jacob Micflikier, Mike Radja, and Josh Ciocco just broke in on a three-on-two but UMass defender Mike Kostka was there to breakup a pass and end the threat. UNH currently holds a 10-4 shot advantage.

UNH 1, UMA 0
6:19, 1st

5:24p Trevor Smith almost gave the Wildcats a 2-0 lead but Jon Quick was there going into a full-split to make the stop.

UNH 1, UMA 0
9:45, 1st

5:21p UMass just had its best scoring chance of the night thus far. Cory Quirk was allowed to walk into the slot and fire a wrister on Regan that hit him in the shoulder. The puck bounced back in front of the net where a scrum ensued and referee Tim Benedetto blew the play dead. A split-second after the whistle Quirk took a shot on Regan (the puck was never tied up obviously) and the scrum in front of the net escalated. No penalties were called.

UNH 1, UMA 0
11:06, 1st

5:14p Wildcat defenseman Joe Charlebois just leveled UMass’ Will Ortiz. Since the Wildcats took the lead minutes ago, UMass seems to be sitting back a bit.

UNH 1, UMA 0
14:15, 1st

5:12p So much for the feeling out period. UNH takes the early 1-0 lead when Bobby Butler fed Thomas Fortney in front. Fortney then dropped a pass back to Greg Collins who went five-hole on UMass ‘tender Jon Quick. The puck trickled through Quick’s legs but Collins followed up by burying the rebound.

UNH 1, UMA 0
16:31, 1st

5:08p The teams have traded some minor chances early, but we are still in the midst of a “feeling out period”.

UNH 0, UMA 0
17:36 1st

4:34p Time to take a look at the starting lineups for tonight’s first contest. First the “visiting” Minutemen:

Chris Capraro – Cory Quirk – Matt Burto
P.J. Fenton – Brett Watson – Alex Berry
Kevin Jarman – Jordan Virtue – Will Ortiz
Scott Crowder – Matt Anderson – Chris Davis

Mark Matheson – Mike Kostka
David Leaderer – Justin Braun
Topher Bevis – John Wessbecker

Jon Quick
Dan Meyers

Now for the top-seeded Wildcats:

Jacob Micflikier – Mike Radja – Josh Ciocco
Jerry Pollastrone – Trevor Smith – Matt Fornataro
Greg Collins – Thomas Fortney – Bobby Butler
Danny Rossman – Peter LeBlanc – Shawn Vinz
Nick Krates

Craig Switzer – Brad Flaishans
Jamie Fritsch – Chris Murray
Kevin Kapstad – Joe Charlebois

Kevin Regan
Brian Foster