Nationals Day 3: PSU 6 vs. Oklahoma 3/Quarterfinals

Penn State press release // Box score

Black Shoe Diaries recap

For those who didn't see Sunday evening's quarterfinal between Penn State and Oklahoma, an easy way to relate it might be to compare it with the February 4th meeting between the same two teams. Match the first 35 minutes of this one to the first 55 of that one, then the next six to the last five and it's a convenient and quick explanation. The Icers were down and out, but charged back with pointed emphasis.

Some games, though, defy simple explanation. This was one.

A sluggish start was punished late in the first period, when Chad Hudson beat goalie P.J. Musico. Just three minutes later, Blake Martin recovered an errant pass near the Icers' blue line. He managed to keep it in the zone and feed Jesse Bryant down low. Bryant then went high for a 2-0 Sooners lead into the first intermission.

While Bryce Johnson did pull the Icers within one on a gritty rebound goal, it didn't go unanswered. With Chris Cerutti off on a cross-checking call, some great movement on the OU power play ended when Martin passed from the left point to Hudson, stationed underneath the right circle. The Texas native finished off the goal, and Penn State was once again on the ropes.

There was 8:45 left in the second period at the point of Hudson's second, and for decades, hockey scholars all over the world have struggled to explain what happened next: Seemingly out of nowhere, the Icers started clicking. In a big way. An Oklahoma team that had done a masterful job of smothering PSU to that point was suddenly under siege. The payoff came first when Michael Longo took it himself on a 2-on-1 and barely squeezed a shot through OU goalie Nick Holmes at the 16:34 mark, then with 38 seconds left when Johnson calmly collected a loose puck off of a scramble in front and potted his second dirty goal of the proceedings. Just minutes after many in the large crowd commenced consideration of their season eulogies (guilty), the game was tied at the second intermission.

A bizarre twist helped bring the Icers the rest of the way to victory. As time expired in the second period, Holmes head-butted PSU's Justin Kirchhevel, who had wandered into the OU end to compare chirps with the netminder. Kirch, as anyone would, fought back. The altercation drew a major penalty for Holmes and a double minor for the Icers' leading scorer. So the beginning of the third period brought a rare sight: a goalie in the penalty box, as required by rule for a major penalty (but not for a minor). Holmes' backup, Colin Fernandes, was forced into the game cold and rudely greeted by Tommy Olczyk and Dom Morrone, both of whom scored on Fernandes in his first 1:01 manning the crease while assisting on the other's goal. The Sooners actually killed off the one-minute PSU power play resulting from the Holmes-Kirchhevel incident, but the damage had already been done. A Longo empty-netter provided the final margin.

Penn State advances to the semifinals to meet 13th-seeded Oakland, Tuesday at 5:00 p.m.

Other Games

Oakland press release // Box score

In a penalty-laden affair between Michigan-based GLCHL rivals, Oakland topped Adrian behind a pair of goals from Frank Matyok. The junior opened the scoring off of a faceoff 4:28 into the game, then scored on a power play point blast that somehow got through Matt Anderson about 10 minutes later. That second goal was significant because it began a three-goal Grizzlies swing that turned a 2-2 first-period tie into a 5-2 Oakland lead late in a second period that featured ten minor infractions, six against OU.

Adrian did score the last two goals of the game, including Darrell Boldon's on the man advantage with 29 seconds left, but the comeback remained uncompleted. Oakland was already the only one of the eight teams that played in Friday's first round to make the quarterfinals, and now they're a round beyond that.

"We are doing this together." Matyok stated. "Nobody in the league thought we would be here. We knew it all along this team started in the beginning of the year that we can make it this far by believing in each other and hard work."

Billy Balent assisted on the Grizzlies' final goal.

Ohio press release // Box score

Mark Zeszut's goal nine minutes into a second overtime lifted Delaware to an exhilarating win over the Ohio Bobcats. But before the game became known for its length, its defining characteristic was quick responses.

Less than two minutes after UD's Kevin Miller tied the at one in the second period with a sharp-angle snipe on the power play, Zander Dover restored Ohio's lead on a deflection goal. Michael Piet made the game even again on a one-timer from Andre Menard, but the Bobcats' Michael Schultz (who finishes his career three points in back of the school's all-time scoring leader, current head coach Dan Morris) got it back on the next shift. Delaware finally became the answerer instead of the answered when Chris Galgano's second attempt from up high found its way through a crowd to the back of the net 1:12 after Schultz's goal. Finally, in the third period, Chris Volonnino scored to force overtime 1:37 after Josh Fodor had given OU its final lead of the game.

The period and a half of overtime included four successful penalty kills (two by each team), and plenty of other heart-stopping moments. Then this happened:



While there are still three games remaining in this year's championships, as things stand right now, Delaware has won the consensus "best game of the tournament" two years in a row. Last year's Hens won a quarterfinal game with Adrian 5-4 after Brandon Weiner scored twice in the final minute of regulation to force overtime, where Kevin Miller won it in the second extra period.

Lindenwood press release // Box score

A second-period barrage from the second-seeded Lindenwood Lions proved too much for a late Minot State comeback in Sunday's closing quarterfinal match. In extending their winning streak to 20 games, LU stopped the Beavers' run at 20.

What started as a close battle in the first turned into an offensive showcase for the Lions in the second as they used their speed and crisp passing to score five goals, including two on the power play. The first of those power play goals came from Meletti with 15:56 left in the period with help from Joe Bostic and Steve Brancheau. Neeco Belanger lit the lamp at even strength just over two minutes later off of a feed from Colin Long, and Bostic scored 71 seconds after that on a pass from Cam Chinnery. With 9:04 left in the second, Niklas Bunnstedt buried the puck for the fourth goal of the period for the Lions assisted by Brancheau. Things would get chippy in the latter half of the second which resulted in a five-on-three power play opportunity for Lindenwood. Gorczyca took advantage as he scored with 7:18 left. Long assisted on the play which gave the Lions a 6-1 lead at the second intermission.

With a comfortable five goal lead, the Lions went into a defensive mode, but the strategy almost backfired as the Beavers started chipping away, scoring three unanswered goals in the final period to pull within two of Lindenwood. In the end, the margin was enough for the Lions as they added an empty net goal from Long with three seconds remaining to make the final score 7-4.

Tuesday Tournament Schedule

1. Penn State vs. 13. Oakland, 5:00 p.m., West Rink
2. Lindenwood vs. 3. Delaware, 8:00 p.m., West Rink

Final Tournament Placement

5. Ohio
6. Minot State
7. Oklahoma
8. Adrian
9. Arizona State
10. Liberty
11. Iowa State
12. Robert Morris (IL)
13. Illinois
14. Davenport
15. Central Oklahoma
16. West Virginia
17. Rutgers
18. Kent State
19. Drexel
20. Mercyhurst

Leading Tournament Scorers

                  Team   GP   G    A   Pts.
Bryce Johnson     PSU    2    2    4    6
Frank Matyok      OAK    3    2    4    6
Spencer Bonomo    ADR    2    4    1    5
Michael Longo     PSU    2    3    2    5
Dustin Hopfner    OAK    3    2    3    5
Chad Hudson       OKL    2    3    1    4
Adam Novack       OAK    3    3    1    4
Neeco Belanger    LIN    2    2    2    4
Colin Long        LIN    2    2    2    4
Travis McKinney   OKL    2    2    2    4
Jordan McDonald   OAK    3    2    2    4
Jordan Spear      ADR    2    1    3    4
Taylor Holstrom   PSU    2    1    3    4
Craig Martin      OKL    2    1    3    4
Darrell Boldon    ADR    2    1    3    4
Jason Michaud     DEL    2    1    3    4
Brandon Johnson   OAK    3    1    3    4

Leading Tournament Goalies

                  Team   GP  Rec.   SH   SV   Pct.  GAA
Matt Madrazo      PSU    1   1-0-0  26   25   .962  1.00
Justin Wisniewski KSU    1   0-0-1  65   63   .969  1.59
Matt Toter        OAK    3   3-0-0  97   91   .938  1.87
S.J. Broadt       DEL    2   2-0-0  --   --   .---  2.01
Phil Graveline    DAV    2   1-1-0  83   79   .952  2.02
Nick Clarke       ILL    1   0-1-0  30   28   .933  2.43
Mark Schacker     ASU    1   0-0-1  36   33   .917  2.48
Rob Borcky        WVU    2   1-1-0  74   69   .932  2.50
Tory Caldwell     UCO    2   1-1-0  72   66   .917  2.65
Nick Holmes       OKL    2   1-0-0  50   45   .900  2.68
Linus Ahgren      LIN    2   2-0-0  53   47   .887  3.00
P.J. Musico       PSU    1   1-0-0  23   20   .870  3.00

Nationals Day 2: PSU 4 vs. WVU 1/Second Round

Penn State press release // Box score

Black Shoe Diaries tournament thread

If history is any indication, we may be in for something special over the next few days.

Before dismissing the Icers' much-tougher-than-expected 4-1 win over West Virginia as your choice of a) underachievement, b) overachievement or c) how hockey goes sometimes, consider the following nationals openers from PSU history:

• March 1, 2000: The Icers need third-period goals from Ryan Wick and Alon Eizenman to put away Illinois 5-2, back when the Illini were decidedly south of "feared."
• March 1, 2001: In a similar type of game, second-seeded PSU let Kent State hang around until late Justin DePretis and Bobby Pate goals.
• February 27, 2002: In the biggest on-paper mismatch of that year's tournament, 12th-seeded Drexel takes top-seeded PSU to the limit before falling 2-1.
• February 26, 2003: Despite an 8-3 final score, the Icers struggle with heavy underdog Eastern Michigan, leading only 4-2 in the third period at one point.

After less-than-inspiring starts, each of those tournaments ended the same way - with one of the Icers' last four national championships. In this tournament's Icers debut, PSU struggled with a team it had beaten by a combined 14-1 in two January meetings. Perhaps by the time the show has run its course, March 3, 2012 will join the above list.

A strong early Penn State push in this second-round tilt with West Virginia abruptly ended with Tod Camara's power play goal for a 1-0 WVU lead with 7:59 remaining in the opening period, when he chipped Ken Bickell's point shot past Matt Madrazo. The Icers had dominated territorially until the too many men penalty that led to the advantage, and the Mountaineers, enlivened by the unlikely lead, started to find their legs and didn't seem particularly dissuaded by Michael Longo's power play goal off of a scramble in front of Mountaineer goalie Rob Borcky with just eight seconds remaining in the first period.

West Virginia did a masterful job all game long of waiting back and keeping the Icers' transition game in check, which has sort of become the book on how to play Penn State this year (blame Ohio for writing said book back in October). Borcky was also very good, stopping whatever got through.

However, it just took one mistake to undo two periods of a well-executed game plan. A muffed shot by the Mountaineers just under five minutes into the third period was astutely retrieved by Bryce Johnson, who started an odd man rush. A charging Brandon Russo was the beneficiary of Johnson's feed, and he buried to give the Icers the lead for the first time. The former St. Cloud State Husky was quite proud of the moment on Twitter following the game.

Another WVU mistake was punished, and some PSU insurance was gained, with 6:55 left in the game when Taylor Holstrom scored just seven seconds after Ken Bickell took a hooking penalty. Shortly after, Justin Kirchhevel matched Johnson in sauce slinging on the rush, with Mike McDonagh on the receiving end to deflect home the match's final goal.

With the win, the Icers move on to the quarterfinals, where No. 9 Oklahoma awaits at 5:00 p.m. Sunday.

Other Games

Adrian press release // Box score

Goaltender Matt Anderson, a stout Adrian penalty kill and a second-period barrage keyed a 6-3 Bulldogs win over Liberty in the opening game of the second round.

Even after AC built a 4-1 lead late in that middle period, the margin was jeopardized by a 2:38 5-on-3 advantage for the Flames. Not only did Adrian kill it off, but Tristan Musser found a fresh-out-of-the-box Alex Norman for a shorthanded breakaway goal that was enough to withstand an abbreviated Flames rally in the third. From the Adrian recap:

#12 seed Adrian took down the #5 seed Flames with a five-goal second period which put the game away. Liberty had a 1-0 lead after one period after Jake Hannon scored at 7:34. The Bulldogs then got to work in the second. Spencer Bonomo scored the first of his three goals on the day at 17:49 and then Ryan Bachman gave AC a 2-1 lead at 13:40.

Adrian's Jordan Spear scored at 8:53 followed by Bonomo again at 6:47 and then a short-handed goal by Alex Norman with eight seconds left in the period. Spear led Adrian with four points including a goal and three assists.

Rick Turner's power play goal at 11:42 of the third made it 5-2 and then Ryley Egan scored at 6:28 to cut the lead to 5-3. Adrian put it away with 5:45 left as Bonomo's hat trick gave the Bulldogs a first-round win. Darrell Boldon also had three assists for the Bulldogs. Matt Anderson stopped 43-of-46 shots for a .935 save percentage for Adrian.

Anderson and two of his fellow PKers during the late second period 5-on-3.

Oakland press release // Box score

Adam Novack buried the winner with 7:19 left in overtime to complete the biggest upset of the tournament so far, as 13th-seeded Oakland took down No. 4 Arizona State - one of the tournament favorites - 3-2. Said Novack of his golden goal:

"The Sun Devil player broke his stick. I tied the guy up on the wall and Macker (teammate Jordan MacDonald) come up with the puck. We were going two on two and we were going neck and neck with the defenseman and I was able to get wide of him and Mac (MacDonald) threw a nice pass. The goalie slid with me and I went back short side over his blocker."

The extra-period drama was only possible because of goalie Matt Toter's heroics to keep the Sun Devils at bay. Fresh off of a shutout of Mercyhurst in the opening round, Toter turned away 49 of 51 Sun Devil attempts, including every single one of them after the first period ended. Brandon Johnson and Dustin Hopfner scored in the second period for the Grizzlies to erase an early 2-0 hole and (eventually) force overtime.

The intensite of the ASU bench during the overtime period was ultimately unrewarded.

Ohio press release // Box score

Ohio twice jumped out to three-goal leads, and twice survived subsequent Illinois rallies, as the Bobcats eliminated their CSCHL rivals to advance to the quarterfinals. Tyler Pilmore, Nick Rostek and Jonathan Pietramala represented the first OU barrage. Each scored in the first 10:38 of the game, sending Illini starting goalie Dan Rooney to the bench in favor of Nick Clarke.

At the onset of the second, Illinois came out with a more inspired effort. Another Schultz, Derek, who also wears number 10, broke the scoring drought for the Fighting Illini, sending one past the right blocker of Fedor Dushkin.

Later in the second, an unlikely strike from Matt Welch found twine to bring the Illini to within one. It was Welch’s fourth score on the year. On their heels, the Bobcats buckled down for a run that built their lead up once again.

Zack Barbis fired top shelf after splitting the Illini defense to put the lead at 4-2. Later in the frame, another skater got his fourth goal of the year. This time, it was John Luciana, who fired left side past Rooney to build Ohio’s lead back to three goals.

Illinois again trimmed the lead to one in the third period thanks to a pair of power play goals, but could get no closer, thanks in part to a boarding penalty while attempting to get Clarke off for an extra skater. The call negated the extra Illinois attacker, and OU held on for the win.

Davenport press release // Box score

A pair of third-period goals from Ryan McDonald and Chris Volonnino snapped a 1-1 tie and propelled the third-seeded Blue Hens through to the quarterfinals over the defending national champions.

With the Panthers' Blake Dameroux in the box for tripping, UD defenseman Jason Michaud blasted a point shot wide off the end boards, allowing Christian Tasker to retrieve it and feed McDonald in front for the eventual game winner. The insurance came just under five minutes later when Volonnino powered Nick LePore's drop pass past Davenport goalie Phil Graveline. Well before that, the teams had traded opening period goals, as Michaud dented the scoresheet first, followed 1:54 later by DU's Zack Blumke finishing Phil Wendecker's centering pass.

Delaware's win wasn't an ordinary dethroning of defending champs. While the Panthers won the D1 title last season in their first year at that level, they also won D2 titles in 2008, 2009 and 2010. This defeat, then, was DU's first at an ACHA national championship tournament since the 2007 D2 national championship game.

Box score

Most tournament games between eighth and ninth seeds are close. This one was not. Oklahoma obliterated Iowa State behind a four-point effort from Travis McKinney and three more from Craig Martin.

McKinney notched half of his points in the first 3:20 of the game as the Sooners buried ISU early. His power play goal opened the scoring, and he set up Broderick Browne at even strength 1:28 later. Oklahoma chased Cyclone goalie Paul Karus before the first period ended on another man-advantage tally, this time from Troy Puente. Karus' replacement, Jared Anderson, wasn't treated any better as the Sooners rattled off second period goals from Martin, McKinney, Chad Hudson and Alex Jacobs to put the game completely out of reach. In all, OU was 4-of-6 on the power play after converting on the first four attempts.

Goaltender Nick Holmes stopped 19 of 21 for the Sooners in a largely stress-free outing.

Holmes spent much of the game observing action at the other end.

Box score

Seventh-seeded Minot State rallied from an early 2-0 hole against Robert Morris (IL) to win going away.

While Donald Iverson's first-period answer 1:35 after RMU scored their second was important, even more so was a dominant second period that saw the Beavers put four past Eagle goalie Andy DiCristofaro. Danny Urban tied the game on a rebound goal at the 7:07 mark, and markers from Cam McGeough, Josh Rutherford (on the power play) and Michael Jordan in the last 3:15 of the middle period put Minot firmly in control of things.

Robert Morris did make things a little interesting late. With the Beavers laying back and trying to kill off the entire third period, Tony Domico deflected Ryan O'Connell's point shot past Wyatt Waselenchuk to cut the MSU lead to two with 9:20 left. The Eagles kept good pressure on throughout much of the period but were unable to add a fourth goal before Jordan added insurance in the final minute of play to effectively end the tilt.

Lindenwood press release // Box score

The Lindenwood Lions used bursts of offense early and late to topple an upset-minded Central Oklahoma.

When LU's Steve Brancheau and Joe Bostic scored in the first 1:38 of the game, it looked like UCO - which was coming off of a hard-earned OT win against Kent State in the opening round - might be blown out. Colin Long's power play goal for a 3-0 Lindy lead seemed to confirm that line of thinking.

But the Bronchos, as Icers fans know all too well, have an ability to hang with heavily-favored teams. Shane Khalaf answered Long on the very next shift to cut the lead to 3-1 after one period. Late in the second, UCO's Peter Kressner located his team's leading scorer, Donald Geary, coming off of the bench. Geary received Kressner's stretch pass and cashed in the resulting breakaway with a backhand between the pads of Linus Ahgren.

However, before the enormous upset could properly materialize, a bizarre twist doomed it. With 8:44 left, Lindenwood's Neeco Belanger shot on the Broncho net from center. What started as a harmless looking half dump-half shot took a tricky bounce in front and eluded UCO goalie Tory Caldwell for a back-breaking goal. Belanger added another three minutes later for the final margin.

Sunday Tournament Schedule

12. Adrian vs. 13. Oakland, 11:00 a.m., West Rink
3. Delaware vs. 6. Ohio, 2:00 p.m., West Rink
1. Penn State vs. 9. Oklahoma, 5:00 p.m., West Rink
2. Lindenwood vs. 7. Minot State, 8:00 p.m., West Rink

Final Tournament Placement

9. Arizona State
10. Liberty
11. Iowa State
12. Robert Morris (IL)
13. Illinois
14. Davenport
15. Central Oklahoma
16. West Virginia
17. Rutgers
18. Kent State
19. Drexel
20. Mercyhurst

Leading Tournament Scorers

                  Team   GP   G    A   Pts.
Travis McKinney   OKL    1    2    2    4
Jordan McDonald   OAK    2    2    2    4
Jordan Spear      ADR    1    1    3    4
Daniel Lamb       MSU    1    0    4    4
Spencer Bonomo    ADR    1    3    0    3
Adam Novack       OAK    2    3    0    3
Michael Jordan    MSU    1    2    1    3
Neeco Belanger    LIN    1    2    1    3
Dustin Hopfner    OAK    2    2    1    3
Craig Martin      OKL    1    1    2    3
Brandon Johnson   OAK    2    1    2    3
Darrell Boldon    ADR    1    0    3    3
Mike Evans        ILL    1    0    3    3
Frank Matyok      OAK    2    0    3    3
Jacob DeSano      OAK    2    0    3    3

Leading Tournament Goalies

                  Team   GP  Rec.   SH   SV   Pct.  GAA
Matt Toter        OAK    2   2-0-0  69   67   .971  0.90
Matt Madrazo      PSU    1   1-0-0  26   25   .962  1.00
S.J. Broadt       DEL    1   1-0-0  --   --   .---  1.00
Justin Wisniewski KSU    1   0-0-1  65   63   .969  1.59
Linus Ahgren      LIN    1   1-0-0  31   29   .935  2.00
Nick Holmes       OKL    1   1-0-0  21   19   .905  2.00
Phil Graveline    DAV    2   1-1-0  83   79   .952  2.02
Nick Clarke       ILL    1   0-1-0  30   28   .933  2.43
Mark Schacker     ASU    1   0-0-1  36   33   .917  2.48
Rob Borcky        WVU    2   1-1-0  74   69   .932  2.50
Tory Caldwell     UCO    2   1-1-0  72   66   .917  2.65
Matt Anderson     ADR    1   1-0-0  46   43   .935  3.00
Wyatt Waselenchuk MSU    1   1-0-0  27   24   .889  3.00

End of the Road (Part III)

Part 3 of a three-part series previewing the ACHA Division 1 national championship tournament (Part 1, Part 2).

For this final installment, let's take it home from the quarterfinals to the team that will hoist the Murdoch Cup.

Quarterfinals

4. Arizona State (28-5-1) vs. 12. Adrian (25-13-1)

Sunday, 11:00 a.m.
West Rink

National Championships: Arizona State: none, Adrian: none
Last Tournament Appearance: Arizona State: 2011 (10th), Adrian: 2011 (5th)
Arizona State: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics
Adrian: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics

Adrian is certainly a nice looking team, but I'm just not convinced they have enough to stay with the Sun Devils. In fact, I think they feel a lot like the team ASU beat in the previous round to get here, Oakland - both are GLCHL teams that are good offensively (if occasionally unbalanced), but with some questions in their own end. The Bulldogs have the added disadvantage of needing to go through a tough, physical Liberty team to get to this point.

I can't think of anything new to say about Arizona State. Well, there is one thing: they're excellent at highlight videos.

Adrian's not horrible at it either. Interestingly, both prominently feature blowtorchings of Arizona. So apologies to the official TYT Arizona guy, I guess. But seriously, ASU has beaten archrival UofA 24 consecutive times out, so one has to expect a little of that.

The unanimous decision on both the video and the hockey team go to ASU.

Pick: Arizona State, 5-1.

3. Delaware (30-3-1) vs. 6. Ohio (26-13-1)

Sunday, 2:00 p.m.
West Rink

National Championships: Delaware: none, Ohio: 1995-1997, 2004
Last Tournament Appearance: Delaware: 2011 (4th), Ohio: 2011 (3nd)
Delaware: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics
Ohio: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics

For discussion of Ohio, let's defer to coach Dan Morris and broadcaster Justin Sampson, since they probably know the team better than I do. The video largely focuses on OU's set-in-stone second round tilt with Illinois, but it was posted after I already had that game done, so you get it here.

That difference between being the second seed and the third seed might turn out to be huge for Delaware, and not in a good way. If the brackets play out as they're seeded - for the games pertinent to the coming point, I've predicted that they will - second-seeded Lindenwood will draw Central Oklahoma and Minot State, while the second-ranked (key difference) Blue Hens get defending champ Davenport and Ohio. Just on the smell check, the latter strikes me as a much tougher road to the semifinals.

Looking behind the curtain of the Blue Hens' record, many of those 30 wins came rather unimpressively: 3-2 (SO) against Rutgers, 6-4, 3-2 and 4-2 against West Virginia, 3-2 against Stony Brook, 5-4 against the Robert Morris not in the tournament, 5-3 against Lebanon Valley and 3-1 against West Chester. Is that the sign of an underachieving team that gets bored with walkover games or one that's maybe a little overrated to begin with? It's tough to tell, because UD has fewer top-end wins than one might expect - four wins against Liberty and that home victory against a shorthanded Penn State team on November 18th are about it.

Well, okay, I forgot one. UD did also dispatch of Ohio 6-1 on October 9th at the ACHA Showcase. They are a fantastic team - deep, experienced defense, boatloads of talent - but my gut tells me that they're not going to be able to overcome the loss of goalie S.J. Broadt against a better team than they would have faced as the second seed. Ohio gives two goalies (Fedor Dushkin and Brendan Madden) significant minutes, but either is capable of stealing one.

Pick: Ohio, 3-2.

1. Penn State (27-3-1) vs. 9. Oklahoma (25-12-2)

Sunday, 5:00 p.m.
West Rink

National Championships: Penn State: 1998, 2000-2003, Oklahoma: none
Last Tournament Appearance: Penn State: 2011 (11th), Oklahoma: 2011 (7th)
Penn State: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics
Oklahoma: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics

Penn State has been considered the favorite in the ACHA for most (probably all, actually) of this season, and with good reason. The Icers added four players who transferred from NCAA Division I programs (Nate Jensen, Taylor Holstrom, Bryce Johnson and Justin Kirchhevel), two others who played in the USHL (Tommy Olczyk and Brandon Russo), and several who have reasonable hopes of playing for next year's NCAA team to what was already a good group of returning players. Oh, and there's also a DI staff with a proven track record at that level running the show. The returns have been great for the most part, and accordingly, PSU has held the ACHA's top rank since October 21st. Particularly important has been the team's depth, especially at forward, which allows Guy Gadowsky to throw substantially different lineups out from one game to the next. If you want a bunch of statistics proving the Icers' dominance throughout the season, this column is a good place to start.

Are there concerns for the Icers? I think so. Defensively, PSU has been hit with a lot of injuries this year, testing the unit's resilience. Steve Edgeworth, Dan Loucks and Russo, along with goaltender Matt Madrazo, have been among the recently banged up. Really, the Icers are always a key injury away from being in a sticky spot on the back end. The power play has been a season-long (really, a two-season-long) struggle as well. Overall, it's hit at 24 percent, but that number drops to 21 percent when only counting games against tournament teams, and even more drastically to 15 percent against the top 12. In a tight tournament game against a talented team like, say, Oklahoma, PSU might be on the advantage late in a tied game. Will the power play deliver?

Olczyk collected two assists in the last five minutes of regulation against Oklahoma on February 4th - both at even strength.

It most decidedly did not in the Icers' last game against the Sooners on February 4th. Through eight chances and zero conversions, OU held a 3-0 lead until PSU exploded for three goals in the last five minutes of regulation to force overtime, where George Saad eventually won it. With a combined 2-for-5 effort in the other two meetings, the Icers won both handily - 3-0 at Oklahoma and 7-2 at the Ice Pavilion. If this matchup happens, I believe it will be the toughest test for PSU until the (spoiler alert) finals. Largely due to their talent level and newly-discovered discipline (in a relative sense), the Sooners might be the only team outside of the top five or six that can consistently punish mental mistakes and/or a low compete level. Penn State will need to bring their best game, but will win a close one, in slightly less dramatic fashion than that last game between the teams.

Pick: Penn State, 4-2.

2. Lindenwood (30-5-0) vs. 7. Minot State (25-6-2)

Sunday, 8:00 p.m.
West Rink

National Championships: Lindenwood: 2009, 2010, Minot State: none
Last Tournament Appearance: Lindenwood: 2011 (2nd), Minot State: 2011 (9th)
Lindenwood: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics
Minot State: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics

For all of their status within the ACHA, and despite that second seed, I think Lindenwood's been a little shortchanged this year in terms of public opinion. It's easy to forget now, but at the end of November, "what's wrong with Lindenwood and Davenport?" was one of the season's prevailing storylines. DU was 7-8-0, while Lindy had just come off being swept by Oklahoma (their second and third losses to the Sooners) and had previously been taken to the limit by the Ice Lions, Penn State's D2 team.

Davenport has remained in a season-long haze of mediocrity, but the Lions turned down the suck in a hurry. The swing point may have been December 2nd, when Lindenwood went into Ames, IA and blew a 3-1 lead against Iowa State, allowing the Cyclones to force overtime late. Grant Gorczyca's shootout decider recovered the W for LU, and Kirk Croswell stopped 29 of 30 the next night to gain a tough sweep, 2-1. Those were the first two victories of a still-active 18-game streak. Gorczyca and defenseman Bret Morrell were both first-team All-American last year, while former USHLer Colin Long, another d-man, was a second-teamer (next to PSU's Steve Thurston, incidentally) two years ago. Junior forward Jeremy Meletti, Necco Belanger, a junior who missed most of last season for disciplinary reasons and former Motor City Metal Jackets (NAHL) teammates Steve Brancheau and Peppi Sipila add even more punch.

Minot struggled to keep up with Brancheau and company in the early stages of the season.

The season series went to the Lions via a season-opening 3-2, 7-4 home sweep. LU is a better team now than they were then. My sense is that it all adds up to a head-turning win for a program that's somehow been a little under the radar.

Pick: Lindenwood, 6-1.

Semifinals

1. Penn State (27-3-1) vs. 6. Ohio (26-13-1)

Tuesday, 5:00 or 8:00 p.m.
West Rink

National Championships: Penn State: 1998, 2000-2003, Ohio: 1995-1997, 2004
Last Tournament Appearance: Penn State: 2011 (11th), Ohio: 2011 (3nd)
Penn State: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics
Ohio: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics

This tournament wouldn't feel quite right without a Penn State-Ohio game. The only thing better would be one for the championship, but that possibility falls under "extremely remote," thanks to the Bobcats' low seed (teams are re-seeded for the semifinals, so someone lower than sixth would have to make it to this round for OU to avoid pairing with PSU). As it is, I had to give Ohio the upset nod over Delaware.

Just to give some of the historical background we've all heard by now, the two titans have met seven times at nationals in the ACHA era.

• February 26, 1992: Behind Chris Cervellero's hat trick, the Icers thump OU 7-1 in the opening game of the inaugural ACHA tournament at the Ice Pavilion.
• March 4, 1995: The Bobcats win their first national championship in Tucson, AZ with Mike Lee's 4-0 blanking of PSU.
• March 7, 1998: Rob Shaner scored three times and added an assist, helping Penn State to return the favor with a 5-1 title game win at Iowa State. The PSU victory snapped an OU run of three consecutive championships.
• March 3, 2003: The Icers win another national championship against Ohio, this time 5-0 on OU's home ice at Bird Arena.
• March 7, 2004: In a second PSU-OU championship match played at ISU, the Bobcats get revenge to the tune of 5-4. Much like the previous championship game played in Ames, this one also snapped a string of consecutive titles - Penn State's four in a row.
• March 5, 2005: Penn State wins a semifinal against Ohio 3-1, but for the first time since 1994, a team other than those two, Illinois, claims the national title.
• March 15, 2009: Frank Berry's overtime goal propels PSU to a 3-2 quarterfinal win. Ohio had rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force a fourth period. For more on that one, check out this post, or just watch the video immediately below.

If this game happens the Icers, who won all four regular season meetings, will match 2008-2009's best-ever 5-0 record against the Bobcats for the same reasons that allowed them to win the first four. OU might prove out of their pay grade here and therefore lucky to draw Delaware in the previous round.

Pick: Penn State, 5-2.

2. Lindenwood (30-5-0) vs. 4. Arizona State (28-5-1)

Tuesday, 5:00 or 8:00 p.m.
West Rink

National Championships: Lindenwood: 2009, 2010, Arizona State: none
Last Tournament Appearance: Lindenwood: 2011 (2nd), Arizona State: 2011 (10th)
Lindenwood: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics
Arizona State: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics

Other than pointing out that these teams split a series in Tempe, AZ back in October (4-1 ASU, 2-1 LU), there's not really a whole lot to add to what has already been said. Much as in Lindenwood's season-altering series with Iowa State discussed above, goaltending was the difference in the Lions' win. Croswell stopped all but one of his 33 shots - by the way, he's not even the regular starter, Kent Henry has chewed up most of the team's minutes in goal this year. Croswell just finds big games and plays well when called on. Defense also won out in the ASU half of the weekend (the score includes an empty-netter), with Mark Schacker turning aside 39 of 40 and Ben Findlay's pair of goals providing just enough offense (there's more of that Sun Devil depth, as I didn't mention Findlay in yesterday's post name-dropping some of the Sun Devils' scorers).

These are two fantastic teams, and if things play out a little differently (an Oklahoma/Iowa State upset of the Icers and Delaware not losing to Ohio being the two most obvious ways), I could easily see this as the national championship game. Regardless of how this matchup happens, Lindenwood has just a little too much horsepower for ASU.

Pick: Lindenwood, 3-2.

Championship Game

1. Penn State (27-3-1) vs. 2. Lindenwood (30-5-0)

Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
West Rink

National Championships: Penn State: 1998, 2000-2003, Lindenwood: 2009, 2010
Last Tournament Appearance: Penn State: 2011 (11th), Lindenwood: 2011 (2nd)
Penn State: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics
Lindenwood: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics

Last year in Delaware, one of the tournament's themes was the emergence of new powers Lindenwood and Davenport in the ACHA. Sure, the Lions were already the two-time defending champions, but they beat traditional powers Illinois and Iowa State to win. Last year, LU and DU (a first-year D1 program) emphatically pushed the old guard aside, first with the Panthers' destruction of Rhode Island in the second round (after URI had beaten PSU the day before), then with the two schools notching semifinal wins over Ohio and Delaware to meet in the championship game.

I mention that just to set up the fact that in Penn State (and its unique situation, I should acknowledge that - the program was nowhere close to this caliber last season), the group with pre-2005 history has a shot at revenge. And really, is there a more perfect way for this to end beyond PSU-OU which, as discussed, is pretty unlikely? The Icers played in ten consecutive championship games from 1998-2007, winning five of them to cement their place as the most storied program in ACHA history. Right after that streak ended, Lindenwood's began. The Lions lost to Illinois in the 2008 final, won their two Murdoch Cups, then fell in overtime to the Panthers last year. This year, they'll make it five straight finals, but Penn State will win a sixth championship since the ACHA's founding and an eighth overall on the way out the door. It's the way it has to end.

Pick: Penn State, 4-3 (OT).

End of the Road (Part II)

Part 2 of a three-part series previewing the ACHA Division 1 national championship tournament (Part 1).

In yesterday's post addressing Friday's first round, I predicted that Oakland, Davenport, West Virginia and Central Oklahoma will advance. How will they fare against the top twelve seeds in a sixteen-team second round? Let's find out.

5. Liberty (23-8-4) vs. 12. Adrian (25-13-1)

Saturday, 10:00 a.m.
East Rink

National Championships: Liberty: none, Adrian: none
Last Tournament Appearance: Liberty: 2010 (10th), Adrian: 2011 (5th)
Liberty: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics
Adrian: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics

The first second-round matchup to be played might be the most intriguing, because it involves two teams that are capable of beating just about any team in the country. Penn State saw that characteristic in Liberty firsthand back in December, while Adrian has a win over No. 4 Arizona State and a one-goal loss to second-seeded Lindenwood on their resume. Of course, both teams have had a look at the reverse scenario as well - AC has lost to Eastern Michigan (in a shootout), while the Flames lost to Stony Brook.

Adrian, the GLCHL tournament champs, scores a ton of goals - nearly five per game - and a lot of them have something to do with Ryan Bachman, a sophomore from the Chicago area who is the fourth-leading scorer in the entire ACHA and tops among those at the tournament.

Ryan Bachman probably doesn't support Michelle Bachman as much as Liberty.

Liberty scores quite a few goals themselves, many coming off of a physical forecheck, and can answer the Bulldogs' star power with Brent Boschman, who sits just behind Bachman on the points leaderboard. Those players were prominent when Bulldogs and Flames met for two in Lynchburg back in October, with Boschman's three points fueling a 6-2 LU win before Bachman's side got revenge to the tune of 4-3 the next day.

For this one I'm expecting scoring, and I'm expecting a late Adrian power play goal to advance to the quarterfinals. I feel like the Bulldogs are a little underseeded, they're coming in on a roll, and they'll certainly be motivated after how their season ended last year in Delaware.

Pick: Adrian, 6-5.

4. Arizona State (28-5-1) vs. 13. Oakland (21-15-2)

Saturday, 11:00 a.m.
West Rink

National Championships: Arizona State: none, Oakland: 2007
Last Tournament Appearance: Arizona State: 2011 (10th), Oakland: 2011 (8th)
Arizona State: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics
Oakland: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics

Because of their geographic isolation, many of you might not be aware of this, but Arizona State is good. Very good. National championship good. Consider their record against the top six seeds this season: 5-1-0, a mark that includes wins over each except themselves (naturally) and Penn State (PSU, incidentally, is a similarly good 6-2-0 against Ohio, Liberty and Delaware). Largely because of that, they cruise into Strongsville with the highest seed in program history.

Senior Mark Schacker, an ACHA all-star last season, gives ASU a solid foundation in net. Here's video of some of his teammates from a 7-3 win against Central Oklahoma this year.

I think the thing that strikes me there is that the guys stepping in that game weren't top scorers Dan Styrna or Kale Dolinski, but secondary guys Dave Jantzie and Patrick Rogan. Another mark of a great team. And lest you think that the Sun Devils are feasting on a parade of opponents on long road trips to Tempe, they're 9-2-1 outside of their home state, including wins over tournament teams Adrian, Liberty, Delaware, Davenport, Kent State (yeah, I know) and UCO.

In the end, too much talent for Oakland to handle, and I don't believe the Grizzlies' goalie rotation of Matt Toter and Corey Hrischuk is good enough to steal one.

Pick: Arizona State, 5-1.

6. Ohio (26-13-1) vs. 11. Illinois (16-16-1)

Saturday, 1:00 p.m.
East Rink

National Championships: Ohio: 1995-1997, 2004, Illinois: 2005, 2008
Last Tournament Appearance: Ohio: 2011 (3rd), Illinois: 2010 (6th)
Ohio: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics
Illinois: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics

If you're a fan of the "classic" ACHA, then this is the game for you. Two tradition-laden programs that are both on the exclusive list of those with multiple national championships (Penn State, North Dakota State and Lindenwood are the only others). Ohio has four, which is a big part of why they're generally regarded as the second most successful program ever. Illinois has only half that many to its credit, but they do have one thing OU doesn't: that 38-0-0 2008 team is the only one in ACHA history with a perfect record.

There's more that makes this game appealing, of course. The two teams are bitter CSCHL rivals. Furthermore, Illini coach Chad Cassel, who has built one of the ACHA's great programs since taking over in Champaign, is retiring after the season.

"I been doing this for 16 years,” Cassel said. "It’s been a lot of fun, but it’s time. I feel like I got one more good run in me here in the national tournament."

I'm not so sure that he does. I shouldn't need to explain Ohio to any Icers fan, but just in case: Michael Schultz, Tyler Pilmore, Brett Agnew, Nick Rostek. Expect to see those guys on the scoresheet a lot, and expect to be impressed by the team's defensive forwards as well. I mentioned that the Bobcats and Illini share a conference, so I'm sure you're wondering how their games went this year.

Specifically, 4-1 and 5-1 wins for OU at Bird Arena in early January. While Illinois will certainly play hard for their coach, that and neutral ice aren't worth a four-goal swing.

Pick: Ohio, 4-2.

3. Delaware (30-3-1) vs. 14. Davenport (21-19-0)

Saturday, 2:00 p.m.
West Rink

National Championships: Delaware: none, Davenport: 2011
Last Tournament Appearance: Delaware: 2011 (4th), Davenport: 2011 (1st)
Delaware: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics
Davenport: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics

I'm concerned about Delaware, for a few reasons.

For starters, they got a raw deal from a certain segment of poll voters and the ACHA rulebook. After finishing second in the final regular season rankings, they were bumped down to the third seed by a ridiculous ACHA rule that counts the votes of every coach for purposes of deciding who makes the tournament but only those of qualifying coaches to determine seeding. So the Blue Hens have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder, and rightfully so, since the coaches in Strongsville don't regard them as highly as the larger Division 1 group.

What sounds like a technicality becomes much more significant when you consider that while second-seeded Lindenwood draws UCO or Kent State in the second round, UD might get the defending champs. Sure Davenport's not quite the same Davenport, but they do need to be considered capable of taking down the Hens - or just about anyone.

Delaware's also coming into this thing a little bit wobbly. After winning the ESCHL regular season championship, they were dispatched 7-2 by Rhode Island in the league playoffs. Backup goalie Nick Casella played in that game, and rumors that starter S.J. Broadt (one of the ACHA's best) has a broken foot are out there. All of it points to UD being extremely ripe for an upset. And really, you shouldn't be surprised if it happens. In fact, my first instinct was to call for it here, but after further contemplation, I think the Hens have talent and depth up front (Ryan McDonald, Christian Tasker, Kevin Miller, Andre Menard, and on and on...) to carry the day here regardless of the goaltender.

Pick: Delaware, 5-4.

8. Iowa State (28-9-5) vs. 9. Oklahoma (25-12-2)

Saturday, 4:00 p.m.
East Rink

National Championships: Iowa State: 1992, 1999, Oklahoma: none
Last Tournament Appearance: Iowa State: 2010 (2nd), Oklahoma: 2011 (7th)
Iowa State: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics
Oklahoma: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics

After missing this tournament for the first time in program history, Al Murdoch's team had a nice bounceback year. Long-time ACHA followers know what that means:

Yep, the Cyclone Hockey Cheer Squad will be back at nationals. I'll let each of you form your own opinions as to whether that's a good thing or not. Whatever your take on hockey cheerleaders generally or these hockey cheerleaders specifically, I've always found it a little awkward when they're up in front of a sparse and non-responsive crowd, as happens when two light-traveling teams play each other.

More to the point of the on-ice product, ISU has spurned the tradition of Glenn Detulleo (he's still playing pro hockey, by the way) and are decidedly a defense-first team, just as they were when they made their surprise run to the 2010 national championship game. Back then, it was goalie Erik Hudson leading the way. This year's team 2.50 goals against average is largely due to Paul Karus, Hudson's understudy in 2010, but now the starter. Don't be fooled into thinking it's strictly a goaltending effort though - ISU has eight defensemen who played in either the NAHL or a Canadian Jr. A league. Among the highlights of this group's efforts: a 1-0 shutout of the Sooners on September 30th and a 2-1 win at Arizona State on November 5th. Jon Feavel scored the only goal of that Oklahoma game, and he's one to watch up front, as is J.P. Kascsak.

Regular TYT readers know that I consider Oklahoma one of the most talented teams in the ACHA, as they boast several former NAHLers of their own. Goalie Nick Holmes, a UCO transfer, is a stud, and Blake Martin, formerly of NCAA Division I Nebraska-Omaha, carries the mail up front. Shane Vorndran, who played a season and a half at ACHA Mercyhurst, is another of OU's top scorers. Yeah, they attract a lot of transfers too. Generally, the one-line assessment on the Sooners is that they're a team with a high ceiling, but one that can't stay out of the box. Martin was the poster child for that statement last year with a team-leading 143 penalty minutes in 38 games, but he's cut 70 percent from that number this year and the rest of the team is much improved as well.

While this will be one of the better games of the day, one that could go either way, I think Oklahoma's balance and a good game from Holmes get it done.

Pick: Oklahoma, 3-2.

1. Penn State (27-3-1) vs. 17. West Virginia (23-14-0)

Saturday, 5:00 p.m.
West Rink

National Championships: Penn State: 1998, 2000-2003, West Virginia: none
Last Tournament Appearance: Penn State: 2011 (11th), West Virginia: 2008 (14th)
Penn State: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics
West Virginia: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics

Pepper Jack, are you serious?

(Sorry, I'll save the serious analysis for the teams the Icers haven't beaten 8-0 and 6-1 this year. Or 13-2 and 9-0 if it's Rutgers in this game.)

Pick: Penn State, 8-2.

7. Minot State (25-6-2) vs. 10. Robert Morris (IL) (26-6-2)

Saturday, 7:00 p.m.
East Rink

National Championships: Minot State: none, Robert Morris: none
Last Tournament Appearance: Minot State: 2011 (9th), Robert Morris: 2011 (12th)
Minot State: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics
Robert Morris: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics

Back when Minot wore a giant M on the front of their home sweaters, there was a very obvious comparison.

Of course, there's one glaring difference between the Beavers and Russell Crowe's band of misfits: when the New York Rangers come calling, Minot doesn't always show up to play. I've always thought this was a product of the Beavers' schedule, which tends to be a little sparse by necessity of geography. This year, they only played 19 games against other ACHA D1 teams, filling out most of the rest of their dates with nearby junior colleges. Often at the ACHA tournament, MSU would come out on fire, then drastically fade out within a couple of games. Last year that fade happened over the course of a single game, as Oakland appeared to strengthen late before upsetting the Beavers in overtime in the first round.

Before you assume that I'm going to go against Minot on that theory though, consider that outstanding goalie Wyatt Waselenchuk, leading scorer Josh Rutherford and their teammates may have already proven capable of the task in front of them. From January 26th through 29th, the Beavers played four games at Oklahoma and Central Oklahoma, and won all of them by a combined 15-2 score. I don't care who or what you are, or where you play, that's impressive.

Robert Morris has a pretty nice resume themselves (as tends to be the case with good teams coming from the always-tough CSCHL), and part of it includes going up to Minot in October and earning a split via a 4-3 shootout win. Goaltender Andy DiCristofaro sports a 1.83 goals against average, and he and his defense have proven they can shut down the best when on their game - see single goals allowed in games against Ohio and Adrian and two against in a game with Oklahoma for reference. Much like the Iowa State-Oklahoma game, I see a low-scoring affair that can go either way, but I'm giving this one to coach Wade Regier's side.

Pick: Minot State, 2-1.

2. Lindenwood (30-5-0) vs. 15. Central Oklahoma (15-22-1)

Saturday, 8:00 p.m.
West Rink

National Championships: Lindenwood: 2009, 2010, Central Oklahoma: none
Last Tournament Appearance: Lindenwood: 2011 (2nd), Central Oklahoma: 2010 (4th)
Lindenwood: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics
Central Oklahoma: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics

The Lions, as usual, come into the tournament as definite championship contenders - though probably not as the prohibitive favorites of the last several years. That's not to say that they're not extremely formidable with only four losses this season (three of which were to Oklahoma). All of those defeats have one thing in common: they happened a while ago. Rick Zombo's gang has reeled off 18 consecutive wins, including, most recently, a 6-4 win over Ohio at Bird Arena in the CSCHL championship game.

It was everything you would want a conference championship to be as both the Lions and Bobcats battled back and forth for most of the game. Lindenwood jumped out to an early lead as Steve Brancheau lit the lamp off a feed from Nick Carey just over two minutes into the first, but Ohio tied it with a power play goal midway through the period and then took a 2-1 lead to the first intermission with another goal with 8:17 left.

The Lions wasted no time in the second as Grant Gorczyca tied the game just 27 seconds into the period. Colin Long and Peppi Sipila assisted on the play. With 9:11 left, Lindenwood edged in front with a goal from Neeco Belanger assisted by Tobias Dahlstrom and Barclay Berner, but the Bobcats battled back to tie the game at 3-3 as they scored with only eight seconds remaining.

Defense prevailed through the first seven minutes of the third as neither team was able to find the back of the net, but Lindenwood capitalized with the man advantage when Brancheau scored on the power play from Tyler Bowman and Joe Bostic at the 12:45 left in the period. The key play of the game came two minutes later when Ohio was looking to tie the game on its own power play, but the Lions turned the tables when Niklas Bunnstedt broke free on a pass from Bostic and scored a short-handed goal with 10:36 left to give Lindenwood a 5-3 lead. The Lions extended that lead to three on the second goal from Gorczyca, assisted by Sipila and Bowman with 9:07 remaining. The Bobcats did get their fourth goal late in the third, but it wasn't enough as the Lions prevailed with the 6-4 win.

The Lions weren't a one-trick pony either, as they also plowed through the CSCHL (which includes OU, Iowa State, Robert Morris (IL), Illinois, Kent State and Indiana) unbeaten. Incidentally, in the out-of-conference portion of the schedule, LU's record includes 4-0-0 against UCO, and only one of those games was closer than a three-goal margin. So yeah, I'm advancing Lindenwood. There's just too much there for a largely one-trick Bronchos squad.

Pick: Lindenwood, 5-1.

In tomorrow's finale, we'll go all the way from the quarterfinals through to the Murdoch Cup with the eight remaining teams: Adrian, Arizona State, Ohio, Delaware, Oklahoma, Penn State, Minot State and Lindenwood.