A near miss on the empty net after a steal, and thats game. Maine advances to the Frozen Four 3 to 1!!

Now under three to go. No goalie pull yet. But now a UMass PP with ninety second remaining and we’re going for any extra attacker coming out of the timeout.

A little under seven to go here in Rochester. UMass having a horrible time trying to move the puck out of their zone for the past two minutes. Still 3-1.

Note to Maine Pep Band. Smashmouth was not even good in its original form. I disagree with your decision. Shots now 27 to 25 in favor of UMass with about ten to go.

Maine heads to the PP now and now a 5 on 3 and any opportunity for Maine to go two up….. And they do! Max Duffy makes it 3-1 with thirteen to go.

Nothing doing in the third so far four minutes in except a wild Maine opportunity that almost scored moments ago.

End of 2, 2-1 UMaine.

Bishop coming up huge for Maine on another PK but UMass finally tallies a goal, and a solid one at that with 1:46 left in the 2nd to make it 2-1 Maine. Goal by Fenton.

UMass with some 5 on 3 time now. Final now, BC 4 – SLU 1. As the two man advantage ends UMass is having a hard time finding the zone. Bishop almost killed one of his own fans throwing the puck out of play. I’m surprised the NCAA hasn’t instituted the delay of game penalty that the NHL has. I suspect that most NCAA arenas have less protection than NHL rinks and it removes the tossing the puck out to get a change ploys.

3300 or so here tonight. A Cheel Arena type number. Maybe a little less than Maine is used to playing in front of.

Quite the day so far around the NCAA. Minnesota storming back from two goals down in the third to beat Air Force and stave off messagw board banter for another year. UNH loses to Miami today completing the sweep of ‘Greatest Teams to Never Win an NCAA Title.’

While I write that… Boom! Another goal for Maine! This time off the goalies head by Mike Hamilton. He fist pumped, I’m not sure that goal was ‘fist-pumpable.’

Wow, UMass picked it up on shots, up 8 to 0 this period. Yet on Maine’s first shot it’s a goal! Maine is up 1 to 0 on a goal from Tyler with 14:37 left in the second.

Both teams underway here for the second period and UMass comes out firing on the PP which is killed. Wow Bishop got totally turned around but the puck stays out. Speaking of Bishop the man is a giant for a goalie, also some Maine fans feel that he is ‘Ben-Believable.’

The period ends with both teams tied at zero. A lot of action, 13 to 5 in favor of UMaine.

Just a heads up to all of you looking for Nick Tahou’s on Lyell to get a famed Garbage Plate either before or even after the game, it has been renamed to Steve T’s Potatoes and Hots. Same spectacular food, just a different name due to a rumored family dispute.

After arriving late to the Blue Cross Arena, I’m not surprised to find UMass and Maine knotted at 0-0, more than midway through the first. I AM surprised at the full half of the arena filled with Minutemen and Black Bear fans, any excellent turnout. Maine’s band is here and sounds good as well. Maine with a ton of pressure, but UMass kills a lengthy 5 on 3. Fun hockey so far.

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For those tuning in, this is a live blog from the NCAA West Regional in Denver, Colo., for the Minnesota/Air Force game. 

4:06pm MST – Falcons got a standing ovation from the crowd and also acknowledged the crowd after listening to their band play some song – will try to find out what that was … ETA: Song was just a more somber verse of their fight song. Thanks to Milo Bryant of the Colorado Springs Gazette for that information.

4:03pm MST – Final, Gophers 4, Falcons 3. That was one hell of a game and I’m going to drop my impartiality here and say that I really wish Air Force could have pulled that one off. Final shots 37-31 in favor of Minnesota. 

4:02pm MST – 39.5 seconds left and Air Force ices it, forcing them to put Volkening back in net.

3:57pm MST – Air Force cheering section has apparently dwindled down to just the actual Air Force fans, which is really not what the team needs right now. With 2:08 remaining in the third, coach Frank Serratore decides to take his time-out … and pull Volkening.  

3:50pm MST – The Gophers may have taken the lead, but that one I bet is going to be reviewed – puck took some weird bounces … and it’s a Gopher goal – Minnesota takes their first lead of this game, 4-3, with four and a half to play. Goal ends up being credited to Mike Carman. 

3:47pm MST – Tie game – Jim O’Brien deflects an Erik Johnson shot stick-side past Volkening.

3:45pm MST – That goal really gave the Gophers the momentum – the play has hardly left the Falcons’ zone since – 6:01 to play in the third.

3:43pm MST – Seven seconds later, the Gophers make the exact same play, this time with Stoa scoring to cut the Falcons lead to one – 3-2 Air Force. 

3:41pm MST – 8:27 left in the third, Volkening makes a save on Ryan Stoa on the backdoor on a pass across from Kyle Okposo. Let’s call that one save of the game #2. 

3:39pm MST – Frank Schiavone with the save – shot comes on net and d-man Schiavone just happened to be there to take it in the gut. Still, he got a cross-checking penalty called on him from a bit earlier at 10:02. 

3:37pm MST – Figures, Air Force scores and the internet spazzes again. 

3:31pm MST – Brett Nylander skated down the right side and put in a wrap-around on Briggs to give Air Force a 3-1 lead at 5:32 of the third period. Assists go to Fairchild and Schiavone. 

3:26pm MST – University of Wisconsin jersey spotted as well – have half the WCHA represented here. 

3:21pm MST – More signs that this game is even: AF 1-4 on the PP, Minnesota 0-3.

And we’re underway to start the third and (hopefully) final frame of this one …

3:15pm MST – At the end of two, Air Force leads in shots 26-24 and is winning the face-offs 18-17 … oh, and they lead 2-1 as well. Since I covered Air Force for a local hockey magazine this year (Denver native), I will admit that it is reeeeeally hard for me to stay impartial during this game.

Oh, and I’d like to add one of the reasons I love college hockey: you see this at the Frozen Four to a much greater degree, but you spot jerseys from all sorts of other college teams at these games. Despite the usual suspects (Minn., UND, Mich., AF) and the obvious (Denver and CC), I’ve also seen Boston University (a Drury one, no less), Alaska (Fairbanks), UAA and the University of Maine represented … as well as Holy Cross (hmm, I wonder why …).

Attendance: 11,161 – much better than anyone predicted. 

3:04pm MST – Air Force takes advantage of the 5-on-3 to take the late lead with 36.7 seconds left. Andrew Ramsey camped out backdoor on Briggs to get the rebound off of Mike Phillipich’s shot through traffic. Falcons, 2-1 … and will still have a :41 second power play to start the third. Michael Mayra was added an assist as well.

3:01pm MST – Air Force gets its first power play of the second period with just under two to play – Bostrom goes in the box for interference. Then, 40 seconds later, Tony Lucia (Don’s son) goes in for the same reason to make it a 5-on-3 for the Falcons.

2:59pm MST – A sign of how even this game is – shots (23) and face-offs (16) are dead even here … as well as the score (1-1).

2:56pm MST – We have a loud “Air” … “Force” cheer going on in the arena – the “home” team getting some support from the visitors from North Dakota and Michigan as well as their local fans. 

2:55pm MST – While the Gophers have taken more control of this game (shots: 22-20 MN), Air Force is definitely still in it, with about 5:30 to play in the second.

2:50pm MST – Josh Frider with a short-handed spin-o-rama move on Briggs – didn’t score, but was cool to see.

2:49pm MST – The Air Force band does the “Superman” theme so much better than the BU band (BU alum here). The Gophers have also officially hit 20 shots on net. 

2:47pm MST – Are things starting to unravel for the Falcons? Charbonneau goes in the penalty box for holding the stick at 11:23. 

2:45pm MST – Just realized that a familiar face (for me) is doing this game – Scott Hansen from Hockey East. 

2:41pm MST – Air Force almost goes up two-nothing with a give-and-go in front of the Gopher net, but then the Gophers go right back the other way, three-on-one, and Barriball puts in a shot that squeaked through Volkening’s five-hole. Assist to Vanelli at 9:00 of the second.

2:40pm MST – Volkening doing a cartwheel in the crease on the Gopher power play – save of the game right there.

2:38pm MST – Internet is wacky here … we were six minutes into the second without a Gopher shot, but that has since changed since Josh Schaffer went off for holding. 

2:32pm MST – 2:30 into the second and so far Minnesota hasn’t had a shot on net, while Air Force has had four.

2:27pm MST – Lost internet here in the press box, but continuing to blog – second period is underway here at Pepsi Center, with Air Force controlling play thus far.

2:11pm MST – Air Force leads 1-0 at the end of the first period. Frank Serratore was right, too – the Air Force cheering section is wherever there aren’t Minnesota Golden Gopher fans.

Shots 11-9 Air Force; once again, the Falcons are holding their opponents to a nominal amount of shots. 

2:08pm MST – Mike Carman goes off for hooking at 18:05. Air Force had a goal-mouth pass across go behind Briggs as their first power play chance, but there was no angle there. Air Force is definitely controlling the play now, while it was Minnesota’s game the first half of this period. 

2:04pm MST – Blake Wheeler collided with teammate Evan Kaufmann and went off clutching his arm – not a good sign for the Gophers. Still, no sign of athletic trainer-assistance, so maybe he’s okay. 

2:00pm MST – That goal gave Air Force a lot of confidence – they are putting more offensive pressure on the Gophers. Still, the game action is relatively back and forth. 

Michael Mayra’s head is also not screwed on straight, as he has had a lot of defensive lapses for the Falcons. (6:29 remaining in the first, by the way)

1:54pm MST – Remember how I said the Falcons didn’t look that outmatched? On the penalty kill, they do a bit. Still, they were able to kill off Hajner’s penalty.

Hajner, fresh out of the penalty box, skates down the left side and wrists one past Kellen Briggs short-side under his right arm. 1-0 Air Force, at 9:57 of the 1st period, from Matt Fairchild.

Almost the entire arena cheered for that one, by the way.

1:50pm MST – Air Force has made some defensive lapses in their own zone, but nothing has yet come out of them. Other than that, the Falcons don’t look quite as outmatched as you’d think against the Gophers.

Also, Air Force takes their first penalty – Jeff Hajner, two minutes for interference at 7:33. 

1:47pm MST – Gophers successfully kill the penalty. 

1:44pm MST – Jay Barriball takes the game’s first penalty, giving Air Force the early power play. Barriball, Tripping, 3:59. 

1:42pm MST –  Just saw that Miami won … this year has been upset central which, of course, bodes well for the boys in blue. Air Force has actually gotten some good chances, however.

 Of course, Volkening has also had to make some great saves as well.

1:39pm MST – Predictably so, Minnesota comes out strong, controlling the play.

1:35pm MST – One thing I’ve always found cool about the Air Force team is that they stand ramrod straight during the National Anthem. I also noticed that the Gophers followed their lead and were barely rocking back and forth on their skates.

Air Force also went all out, sending their band as well as some of their cheer teams along (something I haven’t seen at any of their other games this year). 

1:30pm MST – Hi all, Theresa Spisak here live from Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo., ready for the West Regional game against the No. 1-ranked University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and the No. 4-ranked Air Force Academy Fighting Falcons.

 Line-ups Gophers:

Stoa-Okposo-Kaufmann
Gordon-Wheeler-Barriball
Lucia-Carman-Flynn
Anderson-O’Brien-Bostrom
Goligoski-Vannelli
Peltier-Johnson
Schack-Fischer
Briggs

Line-up Falcons:

Ramsey-Ehn-Phillipich
Print-Schaffer-Hajner
Frider-Zacour-Reese
Medenwaldt-Nylander-Fairchild
Flynn-Devoney
Schiavone-Charbonneau
Gineo-Mayra
Volkening

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5:27p – Another puck spits out from behind the Clarkson net, the initial save is made but put home by UMass for the game winner with 12:20 left in the 1st OT. UMass wins it 1-0 for their first NCAA win, and for Clarkson a very disappointing end to a very solid season. Congratulations to the Minutemen!

5:26p – A foot sends the puck flying in front of the UMass net and Clarkson is unable to put it home. UMass throws the puck out from behind the Clarkson net now but a defenseman gets his body in front of it and the net comes off. 12:51 left in the 1st OT.

5:21p – Word out of the Internets is that Notre Dame is up 1-0 on Alabama-Huntsville. First two and half minutes go buy with a few shots but nothing high quality. After creating a bunch of traffic in front Clarkson can’t put home a big chance. Five minutes already gone in the 1st OT.

5:15p – Heeeeeeeeeere we go! 1st OT here in Rochesrter. Clarkson v. UMass!

5:00p – Into overtime!

4:59p – UMass rips a shot and the puck comes off the board, back through the crease and in front of Leggio who isn’t able to corral it. Melee ensues but we’re still tied with 1:10 to go in the 3rd. Clarkson misses a big chance. UMass with a couple now! Puck is frozen in the Clarkson end with 5.3 left.. And now a UMass time out.. Highly doubt the extra attacker for UMass with this much time yet, but we’ll see.

4:51p – UMass now with a great chance turned away by Leggio. Another icing by Clarkson… great plays continue to be followed by bad giveaways. Three to go here in Rochester. Still 0-0.

4:45p – Clarkson with one of its best opportunities of the games just misses. Pucks are starting to find Clarkson sticks, and fortunately for UMass fans also Jon Quick. About 6:00 to go and the crowd is now very much into it.

4:41p – The crowd is slowly getting ready to go into pins & needles mode with 8:00 left to play and a scoreless tie continuing. Both teams are extremely nervous misfires, giveaways and now an icing by the Knights. 7:35 remains.

4:35p – UMass kills it, then comes tantalizingly close to another penalty.

4:32p – Breakway opportunity doesn’t get a shot off for UMass. 4th line for Clarkson is now out there creating some trouble again. Clarkson now gets to go onto the power play. 14:12 remaining in the 3rd after the charging penalty. Clarkson rips two solid shots immediately and then Fenton coast to coast for UMass but is stopped.

4:27p – Some more back and forth. Hard to find different ways to describe it. Both teams getting some close chances, both goalies turning back shots. UMass getting the better of the recent exchange. Leggio’s saves are coming off big from the stick, not sure if he is intentionally trying to steer the puck or not. Quick is needed to keep an eye on both Clarkson and UMass as a puck was almost deflected in off the defenseman.

4:25p – UMass on the PP right off the bat as Grant Clitsome takes a big penalty right off the bat. Big chance for UMass but to no avail. Clarkson with a SH opportunity and we’ve got more back and forth hockey here. A big kill for Clarkson and another big big save by Leggio. 17:23 left in the 3rd.

4:19p – A quick jersey roll call so far: Clarkson, UMass, St. Cloud and Maine obviously. Also Boston University, Boston College, Cornell, a solid RIT contingent, Wisconsin, St.Lawrence, and not one but a couple of UAA Seawolves in the crowd. Here they come onto the ice for the third period. My gut tells me the first goal wins here. Good news for both teams, they’ll not be getting any matching minors to start the third. It’s been a pretty clean game so far.

4:03p – Suddenly it’s 23-18 shots in favor of Clarkson as they’re starting to find the net at least. Still UMass’ six shots have all pretty much been high quality scoring chances. End of 2 here in Rochester. Still scoreless with Clarkson and UMass.

3:55p – Not too shockingly all the penalties wiped and nothing doing. 3:52 left in the second. Clarkson wins a face-off and fires the puck just wide. Big pressure suddenly as UMass returns the offense with some of its own. UMass just misses a home run pass, and now Leggio making a remarkable save to keep the game knotted at zero. 1:53 remaining in the 2nd. Now Quick saving UMass! Suddenly a very entertaining five minutes of hockey.

3:51p – UMass good set-up and pressure on their power play. They get a solid shot off, but Leggio makes the save and the Knights whip it down the ice. Big trouble here now for Clarkson though as the Knights are now down 5 on 3 for 0:29. A huge opportunity now for the Minutemen. Leggio standing tall in net as the Knights kill off the first penalty. 1:28 to go in the second one. UMass now takes a penalty. HUGE for Clarkson as the teams go 4 on 4 now.

3:46p – A missed empty net for the Knights and UMass promptly responds with a breakaway and a misfire. Now a penalty on Clarkson. 7:54 left in the 2nd. A little bit of energy in the crowd now. We are all getting a little drowsy up there.

3:42p – Crowd eerily quiet during this PP. UMass kills it.

3:37p – Bouncing puck dumped in handcuffs Jon Quick to some “ooohs” but still not much doing until Clarkson throws two consecutive shots on net. Clarkson is now going on the PP after a Knight is dumped in front of the net. 12:38 left in a fast-moving 2nd. Clarkson leading on shots 4-0 in this period.

3:32p – BIG opportunity out in front for Clarkson’s Mike Sullivan but he can’t pull the trigger as a UMass player smothers the puck. Outside of that, a very slow start to the second period. 15:45 already left in the 2nd. Not much cooking on either side.

A couple of random thoughts, I had hoped to get lots of jersey pictures here in Rochester especially of some local teams, but sadly not many youngsters have made it to the arena for this early game. It would be nice if the NCAA could change the start times to accomodate the youngsters that have to be in school until 2:30 so they could see the next level of hockey.

3:27p – Game back on. Some matching minors dished out before the period began after some extracirriculars in front of the UMass bench. 18:06 remaining in the second.

3:07p – END OF 1. Clarkson 0 – UMass 0.

3:07p – Whistles slowing the game down quite a bit now. 2:30 left in the first. Clarkson looking like they’re dumping the puck a bit and sending the fast forwards in after it. If one catches it it could be trouble, but in the mean time it means they’re spending a lot of time in their own defensive zone where a giveaway could be bad. 2 on 1 now for UMass and the defenseman gets back to help Leggio who makes a big save. D’Alvise then with a chance of his own but stoned by Quick. 20 seconds left and some shenanigans in from of Jon Quick after he makes a save. Shots now 9-4 in favor of UMass.

3:00p – A couple quick opportunities but nothing doing yet for the Knights. PP killed by UMass as we’re back to 5 on 5. 3:43 to go in the first.

2:57p – Brett Hull on the Jumbotron here getting no cheers from the Rochester crowd.. obviously. Tripping penalty on UMass gives one of the top power plays in the country the opportunity to hit the ice. 6:33 left in the 1st.

2:50p – 11:00 minutes in and Clarkson gets their first shot on goal.

2:46p – Zalewski almost puts home a short-handed wrap around! UMass now passing very cleanly in their zone as they establish the man-advantage. Still, the Clarkson forecheck is now coming up huge generating some offense short handed again and killing off the penalty. Clarkson now starting to put pressure on, UMass has had a hard time getting the puck out of their zone in the past two minutes. 11:47 to go in the 1st.

2:40p – A couple early opportunities for both teams as they begin to test each other out. UMass seeming to have some decent success moving the puck out of their defensive zone efficiently, they’re starting to find the open man at the blue line and have put a few shots on Leggio already. UMass with a huge opportunity but a misfire right next to the net. UMass coming dangerously close to scoring several times, UMass is finding the numbers in their favor, and now a power play for them. 15:36 left in the 1st.

2:33 – And we’re underway here in Rochester!

2:25p – Eight to go before gametime our Internet keeps cutting in and out so to the Blackberry we go. A very big Clarkson contingent here for the opener.

It’s 1:58p here at the Blue Cross Arena as the #1 Clarkson Golden Knights and the #4 UMass Minutemen have hit the ice for pre-game warms ups. Keep an eye on CHN Blog all day for the latest NCAA Updates as we get them!

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With games approaching quickly here is a brief overview of the Rochester Area and a list of things to see and do while you’re in town.

We’ll start with the Blue Cross Arena.

Getting there:

FROM THE EAST

NYS Thruway to exit 45 (Victor)

Take 490 WEST and exit at Clinton Avenue

Turn Left at Broad Street (third light)

The Arena is on the corner of Broad and Exchange Streets.

FROM THE WEST

NYS Thruway to exit 47 (LeRoy)

Take 490 East to the Inner Loop exit #13

Take Plymouth Ave. exit #13 and turn right onto Plymouth

Turn Left at Broad Street (third light)

The Arena is on the corner of Broad and Exchange Streets.

FROM THE SOUTH

390 North

Take 490 East to the Inner Loop exit

Take Plymouth Ave. exit and turn right onto Plymouth

Turn Left at Broad Street (third light)

The Arena is on the corner of Broad and Exchange Streets.

Parking:

There is a parking garage across Exchange Street, event parking usually runs in the 10-20$ range. If you get there early there is street parking and $10 lots on Court Street. You can also take you chances with street parking on Exchange, but this has a tendency to fill up quick and it can be a bit of a walk.

Tickets:

Weekend packages are going for $71 for all three games. Unfortunately you have use Ticketmaster right now. The box office will have individual game tickets on sale starting Wednesday for $38 a game. Again, you have to go through Ticketmaster.

Game Times:

Clarkson plays Massachusetts at 2:30 PM EDT on Friday. St. Cloud takes on Maine at 6:00 PM EDT. The winners face off Saturday at 6:00 PM EDT. According to the tickets there is NO RE-ENTRY. In our opinion, this sucks big time, but it’s how arenas make their money.

After the Game:

1 – Blue Cross Arena
2 – Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
3 – Manhattan Square Park
4 – The Old Toad
5 – East and Alexander

As you leave the Blue Cross Arena (1) cross the Court Street bridge and you can’t miss the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (2). Much bigger than the original in Syracuse, be sure to expect a big crowd in here before, during and after the games.  A large bar with a good beer selection and ribs that might be the best this side of St. Louis.

Continuing on Court St. on the right hand side will be Manhattan Square Park (3), featuring an outdoor skating rink.  Temps are slated to be in the mid 50’s this weekend so bring your skates and take a couple laps.

Moving further east down Court as it turns into Broad Street, cross over the inter-loop and head one block further east and find yourself at The Old Toad (4).  An authentic British Pub that hires British exchange students as servers and features some of the best beers on tap in the city.  Odds are high you’ll find the author of this post in there after the games.

A left hand turn at the Old Toad brings you to the corner of East and Alexander and what many consider to be the highlight of Rochester night life.  Clubs and bars line the street and a left hand turn down East for two blocks will bring you to the Little Theater.  Rochester’s main independent movie house.   A right hand turn down East will take you to the George Eastman house and the Rochester Museum and Science Center and Strasenburgh Planetarium.

Hopefully this will start your trip to the Flower City off on the right foot, enjoy your stay and see you at the rink.

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Albany NY – ECAC Hockey commissioner Steve Hagwell released today the new logo and new league name of the conference formerly known as the ECACHL, and formerly formerly known as the ECAC. To avoid confusion the league also named a new spokes model:

Hagwell commented on the new logo:

“The new logo uses the same blue and red look combined with a profile shot of Rodney Dangerfield in his prime. The font, Comic Sans, is a strong traditional typeface that is laid back and not serious, while the bold style of the letters and the introduction of the tagline give the mark a feel good feel.”

When asked if the league was persuing a new catchphrase, Hagwell said an team of comedians, bloggers, and one student representive from each school was asked to send in a list of what they thought would be the best new catch phrase.  The league whittled the list to the top ten and will have player of the year, Drew Bagnall shoot pucks with each slogan written on them at goaltender of the year David Leggio.  Which ever ones beat Leggio will be kept and set up for another round, when the last puck is left, the slogan will be decreed.  Here is the list of 10:

ECAC Hockey: You must have been something, before electricity.

ECAC Hockey: When we came out the doctor slapped our Dad.

ECAC Hockey: Now with less Vermont.

ECAC Hockey: If Albany doesn’t work, we’ll just go to Lynah.

ECAC Hockey: We refuse to recognize the rebel conference of Hockey East.

ECAC Hockey: Did you catch our game last night?  It was on TV!  It wasn’t?  What did they show?  Pre-Season baseball?  The Diamondbacks? Did Johnson pitch alright?

ECAC Hockey: Pay attention, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is lacing ’em up tonight.

ECAC Hockey: Want to make 14 dollars, the hard way?

ECAC Hockey: Score a goal, win a CAR!!!!

ECAC Hockey: Dropping the L will make our players 14% more aerodynamic.

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The field of 16 was announced this afternoon, and there weren’t any surprises as far as we were concerned. But let’s take a quick look at a couple of the issues that did come up and how they were resolved. (Adam will likely have his own analysis soon as well.)

The big issue was how the committee was going to break the tie for 11th place in the pairwise. Adam and I agreed that the recent precedent was to break those ties with RPI, not the comparisons among the individual teams, and so we ended up ordering those three teams as follows: #11 St. Lawrence, #12 Maine, #13 UMass. Note that this drops UMass into the band of No. 4 seeds in the tournament — the #13-16 teams.

Indeed, that’s what the committee did. If they had used the comparisons, UMass would have been #11, St. Lawrence #12, and Maine #13. The impact is on which team is a No. 3 seed and which is a No. 4 seed. SLU is a No. 3 seed either way.

As a result, UMass, as a No. 4 seed, ends up facing No. 1 seed Clarkson in the East Regional. And Maine faces St. Cloud. (There’s more detail — UMass should have faced UNH, but was switched with Miami to avoid the intra-conference matchup, and the same for Maine, which was switched with SLU to avoid BC. But you can read about that in the bracket prediction article mentioned above.)

Note that the tie for 8th between Michigan and Michigan State — also big, because one would be a No. 2 seed and one a No. 3 seed — would go to Michigan whichever method was used, RPI or the head-to-head comparison.

Another issue was where the four No. 1 seeds would go. Northeast host UNH was going to Manchester, which left the other three. Normally, the No. 1 seeds are to be placed in the closest regional to them in order of seeding. That would have meant Minnesota to Grand Rapids, then Notre Dame to Rochester, and Clarkson to Denver.

However, that just doesn’t make sense for a number of reasons which should be clear. Fortunately, the committee was able to take a small degree of latitude and shift the teams to what we got — Minnesota in Denver, Notre Dame in Grand Rapids, and Clarkson in Rochester. That was made possible by a few factors, including Minnesota needing to fly either way, and West host Denver not making the tournament.

We did think the committee would make that move too, and they did.

The third major issue we discussed was whether or not Air Force would be kept in Denver. On this one Adam and I differed. One of us felt the committee would go right by the numbers — since they were going to do so in breaking the #11 tie — and match up #1 overall Minnesota with #16 overall Alabama-Huntsville, along with sending #15 Air Force to Grand Rapids to face #2 Notre Dame. The other one felt the committee would keep Air Force close to home since they were SO close and would not need to fly, there wasn’t much difference “by the numbers” (both teams were not teams under consideration and were well down the list in RPI), and because like the No. 1 seeds situation, it just “made sense”. This was a toss-up and while we ultimately went by the numbers, I will say I personally like the way it worked out better with Air Force making its first ever tourney appearance in its backyard.

Overall, we were as close as you could get without being 100% on the money. But as we’ve been saying, that’s really a reflection of how refined and predictable the process has become, even down to recognizing the cases where the committee could and would make slight deviations for the better of the tournament as a whole. To be honest, I don’t look at the whole thing until the night before the selection, because things can change so much even in a day. But the process is so refined that in about 15 minutes we have the brackets drawn up, the issues identified and the predictions made.

Best of luck to all the teams and here’s to an exciting tournament!

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10:31 p.m. — That’s it folks. Check out the main site — www.collegehockeynews.com — for a new breakdown article soon, and analysis from there.

10:30 p.m. — Note … in the Minnesota scenario below … it depends how the committee breaks the 3-way tie at 11 … I have done it according to the way they’ve done it in recent years … by RPI. In older years, the committee used to compare the individual comparisons between the teams to figure it out — in which case UMass would be 11. See the main site from here on in for more

10:28 p.m. — Preliminarily … if Minnesota wins …

DENVER
1 Minnesota – 16 UAH
8 Mich – 10 No Dak (to avoid MSU)
GRAND RAPIDS
2 Notre Dame – 15 Air Force
7 BU – 9 MSU
ROCHESTER
3 Clarkson – 13 UMass (to avoid UNH)
6 SCSU – 12 Maine (to avoid BC)
MANCHESTER
4 UNH – 14 Miami
5 BC – 11 SLU

If North Dakota wins…

GRAND RAPIDS
1 Notre Dame – 16 UAH
8 Mich – 9 BU
DENVER
2 Minnesota – 15 Air Force
7 NoDak – 10 MSU
ROCHESTER
3 Clarkson – 14 UMass
6 SCSU – 12 Maine (to avoid BC)
MANCHESTER
4 UNH – 13 Miami
5 BC – 11 St. Lawrence

10:23 p.m. — Rejoicement in Amherst and Oxford. UMass is in the NCAAs for the first time. Clarkson will get a No. 1 seed and it looks like will play in Rochester as hoped. Stay tuned for the rest.
10:12 p.m. — The Q crumbles – now shorthanded … and North Dakota ties it in St. Paul. Hold on to your seatbelts.

10:10 p.m. — WOW Clarkson … 3-2 – three straight. Miami and UMass rejoice.

10:10 p.m. — Had to step away for a CSTV appearance there. With 4 scenarios still out there and little time to go in depth, I’m not sure I clarified things.

9:36 p.m. — OK, BC and Notre Dame’s wins start to clear the picture. If Quinnipiac holds on, it’s Miami or UMass for the final spot — If NoDak wins it’s Miami … if Minnesota wins it’s Massachusetts.

9:10 p.m. — Congratulations Air Force Academy on the AH championship and a first-ever NCAA bid for that program, and any service academy. The Falcons will be the No. 15 seed overall. Ala.-Huntsville is 16. Either Quinnipiac, Mass or Miami will be 14.
8:52 p.m. — If things hold … Miami is in if North Dakota wins WCHA … Massachusetts is in if Minnesota wins WCHA. … Both are in if Clarkson comes back.

8:43 p.m. — Let’s assume the teams with leads keep them … That’s Air Force and QU at 2-0, and BC at 3-0. … If North Dakota and Michigan win … QU would bump UMass out of the final spot. Same if Notre Dame wins CCHA instead of Michigan.

8:39 p.m. — The Bobcats are seriously pi**ing off a lot of people right now, taking a 2-0 lead into the second period. They just scored a PPG with 6 seconds left in the first. Their band is also pi**ing people off … playing the same “theme” song as Clarkson’s band is famous for. Very disconcerting.

8:09 p.m. — Quinnipiac scores 32 seconds into the game. Seeing QU AD Jack MacDonald in a yellow sweater, reacting, is classic. Clarkson crowd chanting … sounds like “Dis-co-teque” — Oh, it’s “Let’s Go Tech.” … Good atmosphere in Albany. … Miami and UMass sweat.

7:32 p.m. — Post-game press conferences over in Albany … Poor Bob Gaudet looks like someone shot his dog. One of these days ………… Meanwhile, forgot to mention that a Quinnipiac loss and UMass is fine too. … Championship games under way … here we go … wheeeeeeeeee….

6:41 p.m. — UMass is still teetering too. It needs Army to beat Air Force, or Minnesota to defeat North Dakota.

6:36 p.m. — And St. Lawrence wins. Goodbye Dartmouth. Goodbye Denver … for real. I have the world of respect for every member of both team’s coaching staffs and programs, and it was hard to know what to root for in that ECAC consolation game. But we’re supposed to stay objective anyway, right? … St. Lawrence is in. Now Miami waits to see what happens with Quinnipiac.

6:12 p.m. — Denver can still make it. Air Force, BC, North Dakota, Clarkson and Dartmouth need to win.

5:40 p.m. — In the words of Al Michaels … “Now we’ve got bedlam.” … In the ECAC, the goals are coming like crazy. 3-3. A lengthy review just took place, but we don’t know why yet. … Meanwhile, out West, Wisconsin pulled off a miracle of sorts … winning with 9 seconds left in OT. OK, that’s not really a miracle, but it is for two teams that were hanging on that game: Clarkson and Denver. The scenarios that gave Denver a bid are now eliminated with Wisconsin’s win. And that win is HUGE for Clarkson in terms of securing a No. 1 seed in Rochester. So we have a game that was meaningless to Wisconsin having HUGE implications for two teams. Go figure. Don’t you love this?

5:26 p.m. — Kevin DeVirgilio scores SLU’s first goal of the weekend. Whoa – wait … 2 goals in 46 seconds and SLU is tied with Dartmouth. Mike McKenzie. If SLU wins, it guarantees 2 ECAC bids. If Dartmouth wins, the league may get only one.

5:23 p.m. — Just ran a scenario that gets BC to a No. 2 overall seed, and drops Minnesota to No. 3.

5:19 p.m. — FYI, playing around more with You Are the Committee, and different bonuses, it looks like any reasonable bonus and Maine is definitely in at this point, unlike the comment I made in last night’s down and dirty Bracket ABCs.

5:14 p.m. — Wisconsin ties it. Clarkson rejoices. SCSU goalie Bobby Goepfert is banged up – he took a shot up high. Still in the game. Maybe it equalizes the Elliott effect.

5:02 p.m. — Some thoughts from out West … Mike Eaves is not playing Brian Elliott today. Apparently, he doesn’t agree with the announcers on the broadcast who think Wisconsin still has a shot at the NCAAs with the win. Clarkson is not a big fan of Eaves right now, though — since Clarkson wants Wisconsin to win in order to bump SCSU out of a No. 1 seed spot. SCSU is leading 3-2.

5 p.m. — One period over in Albany, Dartmouth just took the lead. Dartmouth needs a lot of help with a win, while SLU doesn’t.

4 p.m. — The press room in Albany is abuzz with Dartmouth, Clarkson and St. Lawrence types, all trying to figure out their chances. In Clarkson’s case, they REALLY, REALLY want to play in Rochester. They need St. Cloud State to lose and New Hampshire to win in order to make that a reality.

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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

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