Three Stars: November 12-18

While Heather Rossi (30) is out of eligibility and Allie Rothman (20) will join her by the time it happens (if it happens), it's possible that we haven't seen the last of the heated PSU-URI women's rivalry.

3. Zamboni driver Chuck VanDyke earns respect
(The Daily Collegian)

Hey, it's Chuck. No further explanation needed.

2. @Buccigross
(Twitter)

While John Buccigross and Tim Horton's are easily the two most overrated things in the hockey world, I'm a big fan of this tweet:

#cawlidgehawkey players come from 39 states. Top 7 Minnesota 182 Michigan – 131 Mass– 103 NY – 86 PA – 69 Illinois – 66 California – 59

Yep, the Big Three, New York (which I believe should apply for provisional membership in a Big Four for reasons beyond player counts), then Pennsylvania.

1. College Hockey: Atlantic Hockey Association expansion talks targeting pair of New England schools
(SB Nation Boston)

Arguably the biggest news in college hockey this week was the discovery that Atlantic Hockey has held at least preliminary discussions with four schools about joining. One, somewhat obviously, is NCAA Division I independent Alabama-Huntsville. The others are ACHA D1ers Rhode Island and Navy, and NCAA DIII's St. Anselm.

Other than the nostalgia involved with two former ESCHL rivals of the Icers potentially making the jump, there's actually a very significant Penn State tie-in, related to the presence of women's programs at a couple of the schools, and their likely conference destination should this all play out.

"We have met and the ball is in their court right now," said conference commissioner Bob DeGregorio [about St. Anselm]. "They would make a great addition to the league. They have a great facility and tradition. The women’s program would also be a great addition to [College Hockey America]."

URI, based in Kingston, has formed a committee to look at costs associated with moving both genders of hockey to the Division I level and is interested in the move, despite understanding the commitment that would be needed financially. The Rams currently run one of the finest American Collegiate Hockey Association club teams in the nation and would a very formidable contender.

Tip of the hat to Joshua Kummins, the only writer (of those I read) to pick up on the women's angle to the story. While his focus is New England (see the "Boston" part of "SB Nation Boston"), it should be noted that Navy could also elevate a women's program. UAH, on the other hand, already has its men's program in DI, is (I'm assuming) Title IX compliant, and can barely afford to keep things going as is. So...yeah, they probably won't be adding a women's program and joining the CHA.

Of course, then there's the whole Maryland/Rutgers thing...see you next week for that, if the rumors are in fact true.

Best of the Rest

11 Edina Seniors Ink College Letters of Intent
(Edina Patch)

Something pretty cool about this photo from an NLI signing event at Edina High School in Minnesota last Wednesday: not only is new women's hockey signee Sarah Nielsen included (far left), but so is Nittany Lions basketball recruit Graham Woodward (the other PSU shirt, obviously).

Hockey People are Just a Different Breed
(statecollege.com)

Joe Battista's column once again took a hockey angle and once again is a solid read. Also, Rob Freaking Shaner.

Alaska losing scholarship in ’13 and ’14 due to NCAA infractions
(USCHO)

Fairbanks self-reported and self-punished on a not-all-that-serious infraction that wasn't even specific to hockey. So...nothing to see here? Not so fast.

The issue, it's reported, is still open with the NCAA, so look for Mark Emmert to pin the whole thing on Guy Gadowsky, due to the coach's previous tenure at UAF. While Gadowsky left for Princeton in 2004, three years before the period in question, it takes 15 seconds to look that up on the internet and the NCAA doesn't conduct investigations anymore. The result: Penn State hockey will be hit with a postseason ban and a loss of scholarships.

Western Collegiate Hockey League To Begin Play In 2013-2014 With Six Teams
(achahockey.org)

Scheduling is always an issue for the ACHA teams based in the western United States, so it's nice to see the D1s out there band together now that there are enough of them to do so. Arizona, Arizona State, Oklahoma and Central Oklahoma will join newly-promoted Colorado and Colorado State in the WCHL next year.

I was going to drop in a #nofilter, but it looks like Mr. Insana used one.

rinsana11
(Instagram)

As the parade of people who aren't me continues through the PIA, I'll dial back the bitter and share what they share whenever it pops up.

Comment Corner: College hockey at the quarter pole
(Jamestown Sun)

A writer based in North Dakota said:

The fledgling Penn State men’s hockey program also deserves some credit. Playing this year as an independent and preparing to join the new Big 10 Hockey Conference next season, PSU has put together a 6-3 record while playing a decent schedule.

What's the news there? Re-read the first six words of the entry.

Stopping Predators - Its All of Our Responsibilities
(juniorhockey.com)

The name of Jerry Sandusky is all to familiar to the public following the trail and downfall of one of the most respected football programs in America. Sandusky's predatory behavior has forever changed the way we think about Penn State and Joe Paterno. Organizations like Penn State and their administration were so intent and embarrassed about what allegations of sexual inappropriate behavior would do to their programs that they either looked the other way or even shielded Sandusky. The program and reputations are tarnished.

Thoughts, Coach Serratore?

Two CHA Newcomers Meet This Weekend At Lindenwood Ice Arena
(lindenwoodlions.com)

For all of their scorekeeping and broadcast production issues over the weekend, I was a big fan of Lindenwood's game notes ahead of the series with the women's team.

Lindenwood and Penn State are meeting for the first time as NCAA members. The two teams met six times during their time in the ACHA, and Lindenwood won all six contests.

How did the Penn State side handle that information?

The Nittany Lions and Lindenwood meet for the first time in women's hockey

This would be hilarious, but for the fact that it really isn't.

The contrasts between PSU and Lindenwood are striking in that department, despite the similarities in the transitions of the two programs. LU's ACHA results are available on their official website. Their media guide has an all-time game-by-game for the ACHA years, ACHA record holders, ACHA All-Americans, team photos of their ACHA national champions and, for their current players who played in the ACHA, an appropriate level of biographical information for those seasons.

In Penn State's version, the "club team" - remember when we used to hate that label? - is grudgingly mentioned on the player pages of those who played for the Lady Icers (curiously, under the heading "Before Penn State," as if the ACHA doesn't even count as playing for Penn State). And really, it only appears at all because it's impossible to explain what Lindsay Reihl's been doing for the three years previous to the current season without including it. Once the Lady Icers have graduated, I wouldn't be surprised if they take every media guide mention with them.

Who's to blame? I wish I knew, so that I could yell at them directly. In the meantime, all I can do is keep complaining while hoping it resonates with someone who has the ability to do something about it.

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

Nationals Day 1: First Round

Oakland press release // Box score

The thirteenth-seeded Oakland Grizzlies used dominant special teams to dispose of an outclassed Mercyhurst in the opening match of the ACHA national championship tournament.

Following a strong first few minutes from the Lakers, OU turned an early shorthanded situation into momentum. Shortly after Alexander Hoffman's boarding penalty expired, Oakland gained a power play, and Jordan McDonald cashed it in for the opening goal. McDonald again factored into the scoring six minutes later when he pulled the puck from the boards to feed Billy Balent, who whipped out a filthy toe drag/bury combo to make it 2-0 at the break. From there, things got a little out of hand.

The second period saw the Grizzlies explode for five goals including a rocket on the power play by defenseman Dustin Hopfner.

Not to be outdone forward Adam Novack would fire a rebound shot into a wide open Lakers net for another power play goal.

MacDonald and Novack would also add a goal each for the Grizzlies later in the second period.

Midway through the second period forward Ethan Range would extend the Grizzlies lead to 5-0. Range would also score the lone Grizzlies goal in the third period.

In all, Oakland was 4-of-9 on the power play. The Grizzlies will now face No. 4 Arizona State Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m.

Davenport press release // Box score

A game Drexel squad gave defending national champion Davenport all they could handle before falling 4-1. After the Dragons dominated play through the first 16 minutes, the Panthers flipped on a switch while killing a late Jeff Slusser cross-checking penalty. Shortly after, with only 17 seconds left in the stanza, Ben Dykstra one-timed Brock Carlston's feed home from the high slot to complete the drastic momentum swing.

The score remained 1-0 until 5:00 into the second period, when Norm Farr was awarded - and converted - a penalty shot to make it 2-0. Farr had broken in on Drexel goalie Dan Pyne alone, but Dragons defenseman Mike Antoni came back and took his legs out (whether he successfully played the puck first to make the penalty shot a bad call is a matter of some debate, especially with Drexel partisans). Ross Denczi sliced the Panther lead in half off of a centering feed from Kyle Zoldy later in the middle period, but the Dragons would get to closer, as Dysktra added a second goal with 3:56 left to seal the win before an empty-netter closed the scoring.

Here are the thoughts of Davenport head coach Phil Sweeney:

"We had to do what we had to do to win the game. It wasn't the prettiest thing in the world but it's the national tournament and you're going to have games were the puck bounces over the stick or guys have breakdowns. To their credit, Drexel played us tough. They played their system, had odd-man rushes and [goalie Phil] Graveline came up big when he needed to."

Davenport, the 14th seed, will square off with No. 3 Delaware Saturday at 2:00 p.m.

Box score

Arguably the most anticipated game of the first round failed to live up to that billing as West Virginia cruised to a shockingly easy 5-1 win over Rutgers. The Mountaineers move on to the second round, where they'll play Penn State Saturday at 5:00 p.m.

Really, the only reason the score wasn't more one-sided was the efforts of RU goalie Brandon DeLibero. He stopped 15 of 16 West Virginia shots in the first period to keep the Scarlet Knights temporarily engaged and 32 of 37 overall. The Eers placed themselves firmly in control with two goals 1:36 apart early in the second from Christian Lewton and Sam Jarrett. Jarrett added a second goal in the third period, and Conor Frei also tallied to thwart any notion of a Rutgers comeback. The Knights' extremely potent top line, despite a second-period Matthew McDonald goal, was largely shut down by a nice defensive effort, and RU was unable to find a secondary attack.

Box score

If the Rutgers-West Virginia game was disappointingly non-competitive, this tilt more than made up for it. I mean, what else would you expect from a matchup of a team that lost to Penn State 13-1 one week ago (part of a 13 game losing streak overall) and one that beat the Icers in January?

Thanks largely to the efforts of Golden Flashes goalie Justin Wisniewski, who stopped 63 of 65 shots playing in his hometown of Strongsville, OH, the expected blowout became an unlikely classic. He and Central Oklahoma netminder Tory Caldwell traded saves through a scoreless first two periods. But when the ice tilted towards Wisniewski as the game went on and Broncho defenseman Tyler Benson walked into the high slot and roofed one over him with 15:50 left in the game, it looked like the end for the Flashes. The story, though, was just beginning.

In the extremely late stages of the third period, and during a scramble in front of the UCO goal, Caldwell pushed his net off and was busted for doing so a single second away from victory. Penalty shot, Kent State. Jeremy Melbye calmly buried it, forcing overtime, and forcing me to delete my queued-up final score tweet.

UCO dominated play for the first five minutes of the extra session, but KSU somehow rediscovered their legs and evened things out for a wild stretch of prime chances in each direction for the next seven. With 4:13 left though, Melbye - the hero of the recent past via his penalty shot - became a goat. His turnover deep in the KSU end went right on the stick of UCO's Patrick Higgins, who teed up teammate Corey Allen to blast home the winner and send Central Oklahoma to the second round, where they'll play No. 2 Lindenwood Saturday at 8:00 p.m.

Saturday Tournament Schedule

5. Liberty vs. 12. Adrian, 10:00 a.m., East Rink
4. Arizona State vs. 13. Oakland, 11:00 a.m., West Rink
6. Ohio vs. 11. Illinois, 1:00 p.m., East Rink
3. Delaware vs. 14. Davenport, 2:00 p.m., West Rink
8. Iowa State vs. 9. Oklahoma, 4:00 p.m., East Rink
1. Penn State vs. 17. West Virginia, 5:00 p.m., West Rink
7. Minot State vs. 10. Robert Morris, 7:00 p.m., East Rink
2. Lindenwood vs. 15. Central Oklahoma, 8:00 p.m., West Rink

Final Tournament Placement

17. Rutgers
18. Kent State
19. Drexel
20. Mercyhurst

Leading Tournament Scorers

                  Team   GP   G    A   Pts.
Jordan McDonald   OAK    1    2    1    3
Jacob DeSano      OAK    1    0    3    3
Adam Novack       OAK    1    2    0    2
Ethan Range       OAK    1    2    0    2
Sam Jarrett       WVU    1    2    0    2
Ben Dykstra       DAV    1    2    0    2
Dustin Hopfner    OAK    1    1    1    2
Christian Lewton  WVU    1    1    1    2
Brandon Johnson   OAK    1    0    2    2
Alexander Hoffman OAK    1    0    2    2
Frank Matyok      OAK    1    0    2    2

Leading Tournament Goalies

                  Team   GP  Rec.   SH   SV   Pct.  GAA
Matt Toter        OAK    1   1-0-0  18   18   1.00  0.00
Tory Caldwell     UCO    1   1-0-0  31   30   .968  0.79
Phil Graveline    DAV    1   1-0-0  42   41   .976  1.00
Rob Borcky        WVU    1   1-0-0  26   25   .962  1.00
Justin Wisniewski KSU    1   0-0-1  65   63   .969  1.59

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.

End of the Road (Part I)

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

At some point within nine days of today, the Icers will be no more. Stop and let that one sink in for a moment.

In an instance of less-than-perfect symmetry, the Icers' history will not end at the Ice Pavilion or even arenas Bird, Brad Boss or Fred Rust. Instead, the site will be a venue in which Penn State has never played - the Hoover Arena in Strongsville, OH, site of the 2012 ACHA Division 1 national championship tournament. Following one of the tournament's games (hopefully, the last one), PSU will exit the ice, along with the ACHA, and the NCAA era will officially be underway.

So let's learn a little bit about the showcase that will serve as the Icers' official farewell. Who else will be competing, you ask? With the field expanded to 20 teams this season, it's probably easier to talk about who won't. Of teams which played for the title in 2009, 2010 or 2011, it's a pretty brief list, most of which is based in the Keystone State: Penn State Berks, Canton, Duquesne, Real Robert Morris, Slippery Rock, Stony Brook, West Chester and, of course, Rhode Island, the only certifiable big fish of the group. Also not present, thankfully: consolation games.

Just about every other ACHA Division 1 program that matters will be there. Those seeded 13th through 20th will play each other on Friday, with the winners meeting the top 12 for a round of 16 on Saturday. Saturday's victors advance to Sunday's quarterfinals, and following an off day Monday, the semifinals and championship game will be on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In a manner similar to last year (Part I, Part II), I'm going to frame my tournament preview around predictions, although I'll split this one into three due to the enlarged field. Last year, I got the final four correct. This year, I'll try to not screw it up from that point. For this first post, we'll get warmed up with Friday's largely dispensable first round, featuring a few teams that would not be here under the old system.

13. Oakland (21-15-2) vs. 20. Mercyhurst (19-10-2)

Friday, 11:30 a.m.
West Rink

National Championships: Oakland: 2007, Mercyhurst: none
Last Tournament Appearance: Oakland: 2011 (8th), Mercyhurst: 2006 (16th)
Oakland: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics
Mercyhurst: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics

Straight away, Mercyhurst has never won an ACHA tournament game of consequence, and I don't see that changing this year in their first appearance in six years. Many of you saw them at the Ice Pavilion a few weeks ago, and while they can be dangerous generating turnovers on the forecheck, the ECHL champs were clearly unable to compete with a Penn State, or for that matter...

Oakland on the other hand, despite being fairly new to Division 1 (after a nice run in D2, including a pair of national titles) have become well entrenched. They Will McMahoned the Icers to a championship in their first season at the level and have since established themselves as a solid program that makes the show most years, even if they haven't come close to duplicating the success of five years ago. This season's team is probably on that same type of trajectory despite being the regular season champs of a tough GLCHL that includes defending champ Davenport and Adrian. Here's OU coach Jeremy Bachusz on what to expect from top scorers Anthony Colizza and Billy Balent, along with the rest of his team.

"We're a puck possession team in the offensive zone. That is what we do best when we are able to establish our forecheck. Defensively we have been working on trying to transition the puck out of our zone a lot faster then we have and try not to bring the puck back in because that is where we get ourselves into trouble. We have definitely been stressing that throughout this second half here in trying to get our guys moving forward out of our defensive zone."

Pick: Oakland, 6-1

14. Davenport (21-19-0) vs. 19. Drexel (22-11-0)

Friday, 2:30 p.m.
West Rink

National Championships: Davenport: 2011, Drexel: none
Last Tournament Appearance: Davenport: 2011 (1st), Drexel: 2003 (9th)
Davenport: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics
Drexel: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics

Remember that time Davenport won the ACHA Divsion 1 national championship? It was last year, but it seems much longer ago in light of the Panthers' uncharacteristic struggles this year, which include a loss to Michigan-Dearborn. Seriously, who loses to Michigan-Dearborn in 2012?

It's really quite easy to explain: the team has been decimated by departures. Only defensemen Adam Gillikin, Jonathon Frank, Phil Tesoriero and Bo Jacobs, forwards Phil Wendecker, Ben Dykstra and Jeff Slusser and goalie Phil Graveline remain from the overtime win over Lindenwood in last year's title match. Even coach Paul Lowden quit to focus on his duties as athletic director at the school, leaving former assistant Phil Sweeney in charge. Not surprisingly, it's the carryover players (plus freshman forward Mason Bollinger) doing most of the heavy lifting for DU this season.

Drexel? I'd love to talk more about you, especially since this is your first nationals trip since the Icers' last championship (2003) but you haven't updated your website since last year. You also lost to the Ice Lions this season. Get under the bus.

Pick: Davenport, 7-1

16. Rutgers (17-6-4) vs. 17. West Virginia (23-14-0)

Friday, 5:30 p.m.
West Rink

National Championships: Rutgers: none, West Virginia: none
Last Tournament Appearance: Rutgers: 2011 (16th), West Virginia: 2008 (14th)
Rutgers: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics
West Virginia: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics

This is unequivocally the game to watch on Friday, for the simple reason that the winner will advance to play the Icers. It also doesn't hurt that it may be the most competitive of the bunch, between two programs that are most likely on their way up the ladder. I like the Mountaineers goalie, Rob Borcky, and feel like he's one of the better mid-major tendys out there. Rutgers counters with a great top line of Matthew McDonald, Jason Adams and John Beatrice.

I'll be honest though: it rubs me the wrong way that the Scarlet Knights have been nationals-bound since November, when they clinched the NECHL regular season title to go with the league's autobid. Unless dealing with the 1976-1977 Montreal Canadiens (rest assured, this Rutgers team is not those Habs), that's so early that it's suspect. Given the lowly stature of RU's league and schedule, they've really had very little incentive to win - once they got in, they were going to be seeded somewhere between 15 and 20 regardless of how they played the last three months. West Virginia, on the other hand, went 12-2-0 in the CMHA and didn't wrap things up until a three-game weekend sweep of Duquesne, Slippery Rock and Pittsburgh February 10-12. I'm going to go with the team that has needed to win games this calendar year, the one that has Lady Icer Kate Christoffersen's brother on the team (senior defenseman Matt), and the one that lost to the Icers by fewer goals in the regular season.

Pick: West Virginia, 5-3.

15. Central Oklahoma  (15-22-1) vs. 18. Kent State (16-21-1)

Friday, 8:30 p.m.
West Rink

National Championships: Central Oklahoma: none, Kent State: none
Last Tournament Appearance: Central Oklahoma: 2010 (4th), Kent State: 2010 (11th)
Central Oklahoma: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics
Kent State: Roster // Schedule/Results // Statistics

Central Oklahoma, as Penn State knows all too well, is a quality program capable of an upset. The reason? Despite their geographic isolation from most of the rest of the ACHA, they battle test themselves. Don't be fooled by the record - UCO has played the top five 12 times this season, and came away with two wins (the shootout win over PSU on January 6th joined a shootout win over Arizona State on October 28th). Certainly, the Bronchos will be huge underdogs if they advance to play Lindenwood, but if they do happen to sneak one out, it will be a little less surprising than an upset in most 2-15 matchups. Defense is a little bit of a concern with a team goals against well north of three, but Donald Geary (below) tends to make up for that. His 19 goals far and away lead a team that only has two players with a double-digit number in that category.

Despite Kent State's status as Akron's (my other school, for those who don't know by now) archrival in everything besides ACHA hockey, I sincerely like the Golden Flashes. With the exception of games against Penn State, I root for them every time out, which will include this game. Since I live in the area, I've been known to pop over and watch them from time to time when it doesn't conflict with the Icers or Akron's ACHA D2 team. All of that said, they have no business being in this tournament and the honorable course may have been to decline their host autobid, as similarly train-wrecky John Carroll did in 2009. Evidence? Sure. They're on a 13-game losing streak. In 23 games this season against tournament teams, they've been competitive three times. Of course, one of those times was a 4-3 win over UCO at the D1 showcase back in October. Still, pass. Andrew Gazdak and Justin Phenney will be vital if KSU is to prove me wrong.

Pick: Central Oklahoma, 6-2.

Tomorrow, I'll toss Oakland, Davenport, West Virginia and Central Oklahoma into the second round with the top twelve to predict how that will shake out.