For the first two weeks of my College Hockey Slap Schotts blog, I have given you my outlooks on how Union and RPI will do this season.
Now, I?ll take a look at the rest of the league with some quick thoughts.
Brown
It?s going to be another tough year for Brown. The Bears were hurt in the offseason when recruits Kevin Roy, a forward and Anaheim Ducks draft pick, and his brother Derick, a goalie, reneged on their commitment and went to Northeastern. Kevin Roy was expected to help out the offense, along with sophomore forwards Ryan Jacobson (12-9-21) and Matt Lorit (4-13-17).
Derick Roy could have had a shot at getting significant playing time. Junior Marco DeFilippo is the only goalie returning, and he has played just 13 career games.
Still, Brown coach Brendan Whittet will have this team playing tough. Just ask Union. The Dutchmen lost both meetings to the Bears last season.
Clarkson
If you judge the Golden Knights? first three games, including their preseason game against Carelton, goaltending could be an issue. Clarkson gave up six goals against Carelton, though, to be fair, it was the Knights? first competitive game of the season, and allowed 10 in a pair of losses to Colorado College over the weekend. The Knights have two freshmen netminders (Andrew Hunt and Greg Lewis) and a senior Cody Rosen, who played in five games his first three seasons.
Freshman forward Pat Megannety had a good start with two goals and an assist. Junior forward Allan McPherson had a goal and two assists.
If Clarkson doesn?t have one of the goalie emerge, it could be a long season in Potsdam.
Colgate
Colgate lost its top two scorers last season. Austin Smith and Chris Wagner combined for 53 goals and 108 points. It?s going to be up to seniors Robbie Bourdon, Kurtis Bartliff and Billy Rivellini and sophomore Joe Wilson to pick up the slack.
The Raiders scored 10 goals against Niagara last Tuesday, but then managed just one in two games at Miami (Ohio) over the weekend.
Cornell
You know that the Big Red will always be tough to play against. They are solid in goal with junior Andy Iles. Senior forward Greg Miller led the team in scoring last season. Losing ECACH Rookie of the Year Brian Ferlin late in the season hurt Cornell. If Ferlin stays healthy, he could be the team?s top scorer.
Dartmouth
Much like Clarkson, Dartmouth will have two freshman goalies and a returning goalie who has played little. The freshmen are Charles Grant and James Kruger. Junior Cab Morris is the returnee, but he played in only seven games in his first two seasons.
There is some good scorers. Sophomore forward Tyler Sikura tied for the team lead in scoring with 11 goals and 14 assists. Junior forward Eric Robinson led the Big Green with 12 goals. Sophomore forward Brandon McNally was one of the top freshman players last season with 10 goals and eight assists.
Harvard
The Crimson were fit to be tied last season. They set an NCAA record with 11 ties. Still, Harvard managed to finish third in the standings and reach the ECACH tournament final.
Harvard has the potential to turn the ties into wins. Senior defenseman Danny Biega (10-25-35) is the top returning scorer. Senior forwards Marshall Everson and Alex Fallstrom each scored 13 goals last season.
Sophomore Steve Michalek carried the load in goal early in the season, and junior Raphael Girard was solid late in the year, so Harvard is in good shape there.
Princeton
The Tigers have their top four goal scorers back. Junior forward Andrew Calof had 17, senior forward Rob Kleebaum scored 13 and junior forward Jack Berger and senior defenseman had 10 each. After that, Princeton doesn?t have too much. If the Tigers can?t get some more offensive support, it could be a tough season.
Quinnipiac
The Bobcats could be one of the top teams in the league. They have the scoring ? eight of the 11 players who had double digits in points. Senior goalie Eric Hartzell had a 2.20 GAA last year.
So, what is the problem? I believe it?s a lack of consistency. The Bobcats had Colgate on the ropes in last year?s ECACH tournament quarterfinal after winning Game 1, but lost the next two games. This weekend, they beat Robert Morris, 4-0, on Saturday, and then lost the rematch by the same score Sunday.
If Quinnipiac can find that consistency, it could be a dangerous team.
St. Lawrence
The Joe Marsh era is officially over after the legendary coach retired after sitting out last season because of health issues. Greg Carvel, who shared the head coaching duties with Mike Hurlbut, is the head coach. It won?t be easy replacing a legend, but having a year under his belt will help.
The Saints got off to a good start over the weekend, splitting a two-game series at ninth-ranked Western Michigan. They have capable scorers in junior forward Greg Carey (15-22-37), senior forward Kyle Flanagan (14-23-37), sophomore forward Chris Martin (10-16-26) and senior defenseman George Hughes (4-20-24). But junior goalie Matt Weninger (3.09 GAA last season) needs to be better.
Yale
Yale was just an average team last season ? .500 in the league and .500 overall. Expect more of the same this season. After senior forwards Andrew Miller (7-29-36) and Antoine Laganiere (19-14-33) and junior forward, Kenny Agostino (14-20-34), there?s not much. They will miss leading scorer Brian O?Neill (21-25-46), who graduated.
Goaltending will be an issue. Seniors Jeff Malcolm (10-11-2, 2.77 GAA) and Nick Maricic (6-5-1, 2.99 GAA) need to step up their play. They need to steal some games for the Bulldogs.
Union Coaches Show season debut Tuesday
The first "Union College Hockey Coach's Corner Live from The Van Dyck" show of the season is Tuesday at 6 p.m. The 30-minute show will be on WPTR-AM (1240) and WABY-AM (1160). It will also be on www.teamline.cc.
Dutchmen assistant coach Joe Dumais and captain Mat Bodie will discuss the team with Union play-by-play announcer Matt DuBrey. Fans attending will also have a chance to win prizes. This week's prizes include two tickets to "Spencer's Theatre of Illusion," which will be at Proctors at 8 p.m. Friday, and two tickets to the Union men's hockey game against Penn State Nov. 24 at 7 p.m. at Messa Rink.
Referee arrested
WCHA referee Peter Friesema probably won?t be officiating game anytime soon. Friesema was arrested early Sunday morning after alledgedly saying his friend?s bag had a bomb in it while they were checking their bags at Ted Stevens International Airport.
Friesema, who lives in Colorado, was in Anchorage officiating games in the Kendall Hockey Classic at Alaska Anchorage. He is being held in an Anchorage jail, and will be there for a while. The Anchorage Daily News said a hearing has been set for Nov. 26.
On Monday, the WCHA suspended him Friesema indefinitely.
Coaching milestones
There were two coaching milestones reached Friday.
New Hampshire?s Dick Umile got his 500th career victory when the Wildcats beat St. Cloud State, 5-3. Colorado College?s Scott Owens earned his 300th career win when the Tigers beat Clarkson, 5-4.
Penn State debuts
Penn Sate made its Division I debut over the weekend, and the Nittany Lions had two very exciting games against American International.
On Friday, 1,300 fans jammed Greenberg Ice Pavilion for the game, and they saw a thriller. The Nittany Lions fired 63 shots on AIC goalie Ben Meisner. But Meisner stopped 61 shots, and John Puskar scored with 21 seconds left in overtime to give the Yellow Jackets a 3-2 win.
Still, it was an exciting night for Penn State.
?The fans were unbelievable,? Taylor Holstrom, who scored one of Penn State?s goals, told the Centre Daily Times. ?It was pretty awesome. They had the chants going the whole game, and you couldn?t ask for anything more.?
Guy Gadowsky, who left Princeton to become Penn State?s first Division I coach, was thrilled.
?I felt really alive,? Gadowsky said. ?There?s a lot of little details and a lot of work and a lot of correspondence that goes into when you start something like this, and this was just so much fun. I really felt alive, and to come to the rink and to see the student section and they?re going nuts, I loved it.?
The two teams played Saturday, this time in at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., home of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and the Nittany Lions earned their first Division I win with a 4-3 overtime victory. David Glen scored his second goal of the game 38 seconds into OT.
Dutchmen move up in polls
Union?s two-game sweep of Bowling Green over the weekend has helped it move up in the USCHO.com/NCAA top-20 and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine top-15 hockey polls.
The Dutchmen went from 10th to eighth after their 5-3 and 4-1 wins over the Falcons. Union even received a first-place vote. I vote in the poll, but I didn?t give the Dutchmen the first-place vote. Union received 606 points.
Minnesota is the new top-ranked team after Boston College lost to Northeastern on Saturday.
In the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll, Union moved up from ninth to seventh. The Dutchmen also got a first-place vote and 276 points. I don't have a vote in that poll.
USCHO.com/NCAA poll
Team (First Place Votes) Record Points Last Poll
1 Minnesota (46) 2- 0-0 991 2
2 North Dakota (1) 0- 0-0 894 4
3 Boston College (2) 0- 1-0 878 1
4 Miami 2- 0-0 751 8
5 Michigan 1- 1-0 726 3
6 Cornell 0- 0-0 714 5
7 Denver 0- 0-0 690 7
8 Union (1) 2- 1-0 606 10
9 Notre Dame 2- 0-0 583 14
10 Massachusetts-Lowell 0- 0-1 576 6
11 Boston University 1- 0-0 549 12
12 Western Michigan 1- 1-0 422 9
13 Minnesota-Duluth 1- 1-0 308 13
14 Northeastern 2- 0-0 283 NR
15 New Hampshire 2- 0-0 273 NR
16 Ferris State 0- 1-1 218 11
17 Harvard 0- 0-0 213 17
17 Northern Michigan 2- 0-0 213 NR
19 Colorado College 2- 0-0 194 NR
20 Quinnipiac 2- 1-0 74 18
Others receiving votes: Air Force 47, Wisconsin 47, Maine 40, RPI 40, Ohio State 39, Nebraska-Omaha 37, Merrimack 33, Michigan State 17, Rochester Institute of Technology 12, St. Cloud State 9, Lake Superior 7, St. Lawrence 6, Providence 4, Minnesota State 3, Yale 3.
USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine 2012-13 Men?s College Hockey Poll
(First-place votes in parentheses)
Rank School Last Week?s Ranking 2012-13 Record Weeks in Top 15
1 Minnesota, 507 (30) 1 2-0-0 3
2 North Dakota, 439 (1) 4 0-0-0 3
3 Boston College, 421 (1) 2 0-1-0 3
4 Miami (Ohio), 343 8 2-0-0 3
5 Cornell, 328 5 0-0-0 3
6 Michigan, 316 3 1-1-0 3
7 Union, 276 (1) 9 2-1-0 3
8 Denver, 273 10 0-0-0 3
9 UMass Lowell, 241 6 0-0-1 3
10 Notre Dame, 215 13 2-0-0 3
11 Boston University, 178 14 1-0-0 3
12 Western Michigan, 153 7 1-1-0 3
13 Minnesota Duluth, 75 12 1-1-0 3
14 Ferris State, 53 11 0-1-1 3
15 Northern Michigan, 52 NR 2-0-0 1
Others receiving votes: Northeastern, 49; New Hampshire, 45; Colorado College, 38; Harvard, 34; Quinnipiac, 19; Maine, 11; Ohio State, 8; Nebraska-Omaha, 3; Air Force, 2, RIT, 1.
My vote
I have a vote in the USCHO.com poll. Here is how I voted:
1) Minnesota
2) Miami
3) Michigan
4) Boston College
5) North Dakota
6) Union
7) Cornell
8) Denver
9) Western Michigan
10) UMass-Lowell
11) Boston U.
12) Notre Dame
13) Harvard
14) New Hampshire
15) Minn. Duluth
16) Colorado College
17) Northeastern
18) Northern Michigan
19) RPI
20) Quinnipiac
Daily Gazette Stick Salutes
Time for my first weekly awards of the season.
Player of the Week ? Jacob Laliberte, RPI
The sophomore center scored three goals in helping the Engineers to a win and a tie against Ferris State. Laliberte scored a power-play goal that sealed RPI?s 3-1 victory Friday, and then had both goals, including the tying tally, in Saturday?s 2-2 draw.
Goalie of the Week ? Scott Diebold, RPI
The sophomore was the surprise starter for Friday?s game, and was outstanding. He made 30 save to spark the Engineers? win. They will be talking about his sliding-across-the-crease stop on Travis Ouellette early in the third period to preserve RPI?s 2-1 lead.
Rookie of the Week ? Sebastien Gingras, Union
The freshman defenseman scored two power-play goals Friday, including the go-ahead tally in the second period that sent the Dutchmen to a 5-3 win over Bowling Green.
Team of the Week ? RPI
The Engineers go 1-0-1 against the NCAA Frozen Four runners-up. A very good way to start the season.
If you have any comments, post them below, or e-mail them to me at schott@dailygazette.com. You can follow me on Twitter (@slapschotts) Also, please become a fan of two Facebook pages ? The Daily Gazette On Ice, and my "Slap Schotts" college hockey segment page.
Good Monday! Good Hockey!
chanukah chanukah david archuleta david archuleta hobbit trailer greenhill nj plane crash
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.