PHT’s Frozen Four preview

By Joe YerdonApr 10, 2013, 3:00 PM EDT

This year’s Frozen Four in Pittsburgh offers up one of the great storylines for all the teams involved. One way or another, someone is going to win their first national championship in hockey.

For three out of the four schools (UMass-Lowell, Quinnipiac, St. Cloud State), it’s their first trip to the Frozen Four. Yale hasn’t made the national semifinals since 1952.

Thursday’s first semifinal matchup provides quite the contrast in styles. Hockey East champions UMass-Lowell bank on dogged defending and the play of budding superstar freshman goalie Connor Hellebuyck to lead them to glory. They’ve got some scorers in Scott Wilson, a Penguins prospect, as well as Joseph Pendenza, Derek Arnold, and Riley Wetmore. Make no mistake, if Lowell is going to win it all, it’ll be because of Hellebuyck.

Yale, on the other hand, loves to push play and use their speed to their advantage. Newly acquired Flames prospect Kenny Agostino (part of the Jarome Iginla deal) leads the way for them in scoring and has great support in a pair of seniors, Andrew Miller and Antoine Laganiere. Coach Keith Allain has helped Yale to become a consistent tournament team, but he’ll need senior goalie Jeff Malcolm to bring his “A” game to take out Lowell, something he’s done already in helping the Bulldogs upset Minnesota and North Dakota.

In the late game, Quinnipiac facing St. Cloud shows off a pair of regular season champions looking to prove that winning over the long haul of the season pays dividends.

Quinnipiac has done their business all year thanks to a lineup that features 11 seniors. Making a run at the title is a heck of a way to go out with style. Goalie Eric Hartzell is a Hobey Baker finalist and the key to their season. The Bobcats have a host of talent up front in Lightning prospect Matthew Peca (not related to former Sabres/Islanders center Michael), Jets prospect Jordan Samuels-Thomas, senior Jeremy Langlois (pictured), and the super-twins Connor and Kellen Jones (the latter an Oilers prospect).

St. Cloud does things a bit differently. The bulk of their talent is made up of underclassmen with the lone exception being Hobey Baker finalist Drew LeBlanc. Junior and Kings prospect Nic Dowd has been a big time tournament player for them, but it’s a crew of freshmen that help steal the show. Jonny Brodzinski, Kalle Kossila, and Joey Benik have been big in the postseason. Senior and Flames prospect Ben Hanowski has stepped up big himself since being part of the Iginla deal.

If sophomore Ryan Farragher can keep holding things down in goal and silence the Quinnipiac attack, things are looking up for the Huskies.

Predictions: It’s impossible to pick against Connor Hellebuyck at this point. He and Lowell have been too strong. I like Lowell to take down Yale and then St. Cloud in the finals to win their first national championship.

Your definitive PHT NCAA hockey tournament preview

By Joe YerdonMar 29, 2013, 8:00 AM EDT

10 Comments

College hockey’s version of March Madness gets underway this afternoon and the 16 teams that are in the tournament, they know that one loss ends their season. How do things shake out in the four regionals? Safe to say we’ve got 12 curious games to get us through the weekend.

Here’s the quick and the dirty on the first round games as well as my idea on how things shake out as the road to Pittsburgh and the Frozen Four sets up.

Northeast Regional – Manchester, NH

1. UMass-Lowell vs. 4. Wisconsin

Lowell took down their first ever Hockey East tournament title while Wisconsin roared through the WCHA to win that conference’s tourney. For a 1-4 game, this one’s a doozy. The Badgers have the tourney history, while the Riverhawks have been rolling since December. Lowell will go as far as freshman goalie Connor Hellebuyck takes them.

Players to watch: Connor Hellebuyck (G – FR) for Lowell. Nic Kerdiles (F – FR) for Wisconsin.

2. New Hampshire vs. 3. Denver University

Both teams bowed out of their conference tournaments early. Both teams landed extended vacations before the NCAAs. Who does the break help? Who does it hinder? New Hampshire has home ice and Denver didn’t do well in 2010 when they headed east for the tournament. Hmm…

Players to watch: Kevin Goumas (F – JR) for New Hampshire. Nick Shore (F—JR) for Denver.

East Regional – Providence, RI

1. Quinnipiac vs. 4. Canisius

It’s the top seeded team in the tournament against the last seeded team. In the NCAA basketball tourney that usually means the top team wins in a walk. Not so for the hockey tourney. That said, Canisius is on a roll after winning the Atlantic Hockey tournament. Then again, they were not overly good this season. Quinnipiac lost in the semifinals of the ECAC tournament to Brown. This could wind up being the closes of the 1 vs. 4 games in this year.

Players to watch: Hobey Baker finalist Eric Hartzell (G – SR) for Quinnipiac. Kyle Gibbons (F – JR) for Canisius.

2. Boston College vs. 3. Union College

An intriguing match-up of what could’ve been last year’s national championship game had Union beaten Ferris State in the national semis. BC is the perennial vampire of the playoffs. They’re not done until you put the stake through their heart. Union is on fire having won their way through the ECAC tournament on their way to the title. The Dutchmen are a chic pick to make the Frozen Four out of this region and that’s just what Boston College (with Jerry York back behind the bench) likes to hear.

Players to watch: Hobey Baker finalist Johnny Gaudreau (F –SO) for BC. Wayne Simpson (F – SR) for Union.

Midwest Regional – Toledo, OH

1. Notre Dame vs. 4. St. Cloud State

The Fighting Irish battled their way through to win the final CCHA tournament and earn a No. 1 seed. Lucky for them they get to face the WCHA’s co-regular season champs from St. Cloud State. Some reward. Jeff Jackson’s Fighting Irish played strong throughout the playoffs while St. Cloud disappointed in the Final Five. This one’s an honest to goodness toss-up, but keep in mind that the Huskies did not fare too well out of conference this season (swept by Northern Michigan and New Hampshire, lost to Rensselaer).

Players to watch: Anders Lee (F – JR) for Notre Dame, Drew LeBlanc (F –SR) for St. Cloud.

2. Miami University vs. 3. Minnesota St. – Mankato

The Redhawks have become a fixture in the NCAAs. Unfortunately for them, they have yet to win a national title. They came up short in the CCHA tournament so they’ve got motivation to prove they’re better than that. Minnesota St. is making their first appearance in the NCAAs since 2003 and don’t look for them to take the “glad to be selected” approach. They’re a darkhorse team to come out of this region.

Players to watch: Austin Czarnik (F – SO) for Miami, Matt Leitner (F – SO) for Minnesota St.

West Regional – Grand Rapids, MI

1. Minnesota vs. 4. Yale

The Golden Gophers were a co-dominant force this season along with Quinnipiac and are the definitive No. 2 team in the tournament. Getting rewarded with a mercurial Yale squad doesn’t make life easy for them. If they run into the Bulldogs team that has goalie Jeff Malcolm stopping everything and them pushing the pace offensively, Minnesota will have their hands full. If they get the Yale team that “showed up” in the ECAC semis and consolation game, it’ll be a walk in the park as they haven’t scored a goal since the ECAC quarterfinals against St. Lawrence.

Players to watch: Erik Haula (F—JR) for Minnesota and recently traded for Jarome Iginla prospect Kenny Agostino (F –JR) for Yale.

2. North Dakota vs. Niagara

The formerly Fighting Sioux boast perhaps the best offensive one-two punch in the tournament with Hobey Baker finalist forwards Danny Kristo and Corban Knight. They’ve combined for 99 points this season alone but Niagara boasts a Hobey finalist of their own in junior goalie Carsen Chubak. You can debate the competition he’s faced but his numbers do all the talking (1.91 GAA, .938 SV%). North Dakota is capable of winning it all, but Niagara will look to give them fits.

Other players to watch: Rocco Grimaldi (F—FR) for North Dakota, Giancarlo Iuorio (F—SR; 21 goals) for Niagara.

Prediction: Keep in mind I’m terrible at predictions (but you knew that by now) but I like UMass-Lowell, Boston College, Minnesota St., and North Dakota to make it to Pittsburgh. If I go 0-for-4 on those picks, I won’t be the least bit surprised. There’s no overly dominant team with a gift-like road to the Frozen Four this year.

Tonight on NBCSN: Hockey East championship — UMass-Lowell vs. BU

By Joe YerdonMar 23, 2013, 11:30 AM EDT

No. 1 UMass-Lowell Riverhawks vs. No. 3 Boston University Terriers — 7:00 p.m. ET

UMass-Lowell won season series 3-0-0

Yesterday’s semifinals turned out to be surprising for Boston University and went according to plan for UMass-Lowell. The Terriers got down 2-0 to hated rival Boston College only to storm back with five unanswered goals to roar into the finals with a 6-3 victory. Meanwhile, the Riverhawks got the kind of test from Providence’s Jon Gillies they were expecting as he stood on his head to keep the scoring down only to break through in the third period to win 2-1.

While Lowell has a NCAA tournament berth virtually locked up, even with all of the upsets yesterday, BU needs to win to make the big dance. One of the keys they needed yesterday was a standout performance in goal from freshman Sean Maguire and they got it as he stopped 41 shots. He’ll need to do more of the same against an equally potent Lowell lineup.

For BU to get the kind of output they got yesterday could be asking a lot of them. Lowell’s freshman goalie Connor Hellebuyck did his thing again yesterday stopping 33 of 34 shots to hold down the fort. The Terriers getting to BC goalie Parker Milner is one thing, but scoring on Lowell is something they haven’t done well this year. The Terriers have just four goals in three games against Lowell with three of those coming in the teams first meeting of the season with their backup, Doug Carr, in goal.

Beating Hellebuyck will require a big effort from the guys who showed up big last night. Forwards Matt Nieto, Wade Megan, and Danny O’Regan will have to lead the way to get coach Jack Parker back in the NCAA tournament one last time before retiring. If BU can’t hold down the likes of Scott Wilson, Joseph Pendenza, Riley Wetmore, and Derek Arnold, however, it’ll be all for naught.

(Photo: Boston Globe)

Tonight on NBCSN: Hockey East semifinals — UMass-Lowell vs. Providence; BC vs. BU

By Joe YerdonMar 22, 2013, 4:31 PM EDT

No. 1 UMass-Lowell Riverhawks vs. No. 4 Providence Friars – 5:00 p.m. ET

UML won season series 2-1-0

It’s been a special year so far for UMass-Lowell, but if they want to avenge losing the Hockey East title last year, they’ll have to get through a hot Providence team first. This match-up is all about freshman goaltending. For UML, it’s Connor Hellebuyck who took the job from junior incumbent Doug Carr. Hellebuyck earned honors as the conference’s top goalie and a spot on the conference rookie team. When you put up a 1.44 GAA and stop shots at a .944 pace, you’re going to win some awards.

The same can be said of Calgary Flames prospect and Team USA WJC gold medalist netminder Jon Gillies. He also earned a spot on the conference rookie team and put up some flashy numbers of his own (2.08 GAA, .931 SV%). Where he’s hurt is he doesn’t have the same kind of offensive support Hellebuyck does. PC’s has three players with over 20 points this season while UML has two 30+ point guys and five others with 20 or more. If the Friars are going to make the finals, they’re going to need Gillies to stand on his head and hope they can sneak a few past Hellebuyck themselves.

No. 2 Boston College Eagles vs. No. 3 Boston University Terriers – 8:00 p.m. ET

BC won season series 2-1-0

These two rivals have seen enough of each other in the past, but both have a lot to play for here. BC would love nothing more than to send Jack Parker into retirement without a berth in the NCAA tournament. Should BU lose tonight, they’re likely out of the NCAAs.

The Eagles will have to do it without their own legendary coach, Jerry York, behind the bench as he’s still recovering from surgery. Luckily for them they’ve got Hockey East player of the year and Calgary Flames prospect Johnny Gaudreau as well as defensive defenseman of the year Patrick Wey to take charge. When you add in Walter Brown Award winner Steven Whitney and fellow big scorer Pat Mullane, a beaten down BU defense will have their hands full.

All that said, BU still comes in with a solid squad and one motivated by trying to take Coach Parker out on top. Freshman Danny O’Regan (San Jose) leads the way in points while senior Wade Megan (Florida) and junior Matt Nieto (San Jose) can fill the net with goals. BU is going to need their defense to stand up huge if they’re going to take home a conference title, however, and that’s one aspect of their game that’s had trouble. If they let BC get their chances, it could be a long, tough night for BU.

Back to Class: Being at the top of the conference doesn’t guarantee anything

By Joe YerdonFeb 25, 2013, 6:45 AM EDT

2 Comments

We’re taking you “Back To Class” for our roundup of the weekend’s action in college hockey. Look for more college hockey on NBCSN this Friday night as WCHA rivals Nebraska-Omaha and Wisconsin face off at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Until this past weekend happened, Merrimack College was feeling good and sitting atop Hockey East. With schools like Boston College, New Hampshire, UMass-Lowell, and Providence all in the mix for first as well, it would seem likely that Merrimack would be sitting well for a shot at the NCAA tournament.

Alas, that’s where the fun mathematics of the Pairwise Rankings (PWR) comes into play. Sure, Merrimack is near the top of one of the strongest conferences in the country (they’re now one point behind BC, UNH, and PC) but they sit tied for 23^rd in PWR. Getting in the top 16 is what helps you stand your best chances at getting a spot in the tournament and as it stands now, unless Merrimack wins the Hockey East tournament, they’ll be sitting at home.

What’s killing them is their record against teams under consideration (TUC). They’re just 6-8-2 against schools who could wind up in the NCAAs. Compare that with their equals in the HEA standings. BC is 9-4-3 and UNH is 11-7-3. Providence finds themselves in a worse spot than Merrimack as they’re a miserable 4-8-5 against TUCs. Meanwhile, UMass-Lowell sits 11^th in PWR with a 5-7-0 record against TUCs but are 18-9-2 overall this year.

What can teams like Merrimack and Providence do now to help their chances? Just win, baby. It’s the simplest of mathematics.

That’s the fun part of all this. With all the acronyms and records and varying ways of breaking things down, it just boils down to taking care of your own business and then hoping you get a little help elsewhere just in case.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… Unless your team is sitting on that PWR bubble or hoping another team doesn’t fall off/climb over the TUC cliff to royally jumble things up.

All right, don’t lose the slide rules just yet.

***

Feel-good story of the weekend: Give it up for Colgate’s Spiro Goulakos. The sophomore played in his first game back since undergoing treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma on Friday night and scored the game-winning goal to help the Raiders beat Union College 4-1.

Conferences wrapping up: Both the ECAC and CCHA wrap up their conference schedules this weekend. Atlantic Hockey, Hockey East, and the WCHA are done next week. Let’s look at who gets done this week.

Quinnipiac has the top seed in the ECAC wrapped up. RPI, St. Lawrence, Yale, Union, and Dartmouth are hoping to finish in the top-four to get first round byes. SLU faces Union on Friday and RPI on Saturday.

In the CCHA, Miami, Notre Dame, Western Michigan, Ferris State, and Ohio State all have first round byes in their tourney secured. Miami has the top seed to themselves, but WMU and Notre Dame are duking it out for second and FSU and OSU are battling for fourth.

The rest of the conference is a bit of a mess below that. Alaska is all but certain to face Michigan State in the opening round while Bowling Green, Lake Superior State, Michigan and Northern Michigan could all find ways to jumble their pairings.

(Photo: Hockey East Online)