33 Seasons, 33 Games (Part I)

In order to bid a fond farewell to the Greenberg Ice Pavilion, the orange barn Penn State hockey called home from January 16, 1981 until February 16, 2013, here is the first half of a subjective opinion of the top 33 games in the building's history. The significance of the number 33, of course, is that the rink hosted 33 seasons of games. This post will cover numbers 17 through 33, with the top 16 to come in Part II.

Unfortunately, due mostly to lack of documentation concerning Lady Icers and Ice Lions games, this list only includes contests from the Icers-to-NCAA men lineage, with sincerest apologies to all involved in the many fantastic Ice Pavilion games not involving the Icers or Nittany Lion men.

33. Penn State 5, Air Force 1 - November 10, 2012. While it won't be remembered as a fantastic game in and of itself, it did end up as the best (with no disrespect intended to Alabama-Huntsville, the only other DI team to lose in the Ice Pavilion) NCAA-era win the barn saw. Matt Skoff stopped 31 of 32 Falcons shots in the game that arguably made him the lead goaltender for the rest of the season, and Max Gardiner assisted on goals by three different scorers.

32. Penn State 3, Rhode Island 2 (SO) - February 3, 2007. Ties were eliminated in favor of the shootout in ACHA Division 1 for the 2006-2007 season, and thanks to Nate Obringer's goal, along with Chris Matteo's blanking of the Rams in the skills competition, the Icers earned their first shootout win over the defending national champions. Perhaps even more significantly, the win completed a season sweep of URI, after the Rams spoiled Joe Battista's final game as head coach with a 3-1 win in the 2006 national championship game.

31. Penn State 8, Cortland State 7 - December 4, 1981. The Icers never led until the final three minutes of the contest, but still managed to upset NCAA Division III Cortland in a defense-optional affair that stands as the Icers' first win over an NCAA team. PSU faced two-goal deficits at 4-2, 5-3, 6-4 and 7-5, but Brad Rush and Clark Dexter scored the tying and winning goals 43 seconds apart late in the third period to turn the game on its head. The line of Toby Ritner, Joe Grainda and Matt Glass combined for five goals, while Battista had three assists to become the first PSU defenseman to crack the 100-point plateau.

Clark Dexter would go on to score the winner in this wild game against Cortland

30. Eastern Michigan 4, Penn State 3 - December 2, 2000. One day after Adam Patterson stunned the Icers in overtime, the Eagles proved the win was no fluke by doing it again the next day by an identical score. Penn State, which was without star players Alon Eizenman and Josh Mandel, battled back from a 3-1 deficit only to see EMU notch the first Ice Pavilion sweep by the visiting team since Erie College pulled it off on December 10th and 11th, 1993.

29. Penn State 5, Kent State 3 - February 1, 1986. In one of the Golden Flashes' final games before elevating their program to NCAA Division I status for the following season, the Icers got revenge for two early-season blowouts at Kent and an overtime loss the previous night with a highly-physical win. Rick Tullio and Lynn Sipe both scored in the first nine minutes of the game, and after KSU struck back with two in an 18-second span, Tim Holdcroft and Davis Mulholland restored the two goal advantage in the second period. Sipe added a second goal early in the third period to seal the result.

28. Rhode Island 5, Penn State 4 (SO) - February 5, 2011. In the first season following the announcement of the NCAA transition, the Icers very nearly missed the ACHA national tournament for what would have been the only time ever, thanks to a string of inconsistent results that lasted for most of the season. With numerous players and coaches from both sides missing this contest due to the 2011 World University Games, David Macalino scored the shootout winner for the Rams, the only goal in 10 total attempts, after the teams traded goals throughout a back-and-forth 65 minutes. However, the PSU side left the series confident that the three-point weekend (following a 4-3 Icers win the previous day) was enough to make nationals. "It feels like we got two wins,” Paul Daley said. "We played really well and made good adjustments. Coach [Josh] Hand [who took over bench duties with head coach Scott Balboni at the WUG] has had a super-positive mentality with us. The bench is upbeat. It’s had a great effect."

27. Penn State 7, Michigan-Dearborn 5 - November 12, 1994. In the early and middle 1990s, Michigan-Dearborn, a former NAIA power - until the NAIA stopped sponsoring a hockey championship after 1984 - that was coached by none other than current Michigan State NCAA coach Tom Anastos from 1987 through 1990, emerged as the Icers' biggest rival (notably, it was UM-D who halted the Icers' championship hopes in 1992, the first and only time PSU hosted the ACHA national tournament). Suffice it to say, it was not a friendly rivalry. In an ending that foreshadowed a somewhat similar event five years later, the game was called with 4:31 remaining after a shoving match between Icers goalie Jeff Crispino and the Wolves' Jesse Hubenschmidt. That exchange capped a 13-penalty period for Dearborn, including game misconducts to head coach Joe Aho and assistant coach Edward Forman.

26. Penn State 5, Eastern Michigan 5 (OT) - December 3, 1999. The Icers, despite holding a 3-1 lead in part thanks to Paul Sealock and Brandon Cook both scoring their first career goals, fell victim to an EMU rally that saw Dan Maszatics and Craig Morton each score twice, with Morton's breakaway backhander standing as the equalizer. The result, combined with an Eagles win the next day, and a sweep at the Ice Pavilion the next season (see number 30), gave rise to the idea of an Eastern Michigan/Penn State-ruled ACHA that never really materialized, at least from the EMU end.

Nate Obringer was all of the offense in a 1-0 shutout of Lindenwood in 2005-2006

25. Penn State 1, Lindenwood 0 - November 18, 2005. There was no way to know it at the time, of course, but a single series at the Ice Pavilion would turn out to be the only meeting of these two ACHA titans. Since the association's 1991-1992 founding, either Penn State or Lindenwood has appeared in 17 of the 22 championships games, winning a combined seven titles. The more established dynasty came out on top of the newcomers, as Paul Mammola (this game's goalie) and Matteo (in net for a 2-0 win the next night) put together a weekend shutout of the Lions. Obringer's goal with 5:47 left in the third period of the series opener represented all of the Icers' offense - but it was all that was needed thanks to a stout defensive effort, despite the absence of senior blueliner Matt Wallace due to injury.

24. Penn State 5, Fredonia 4 - November 5, 2011. In a game played against the backdrop of the emerging Jerry Sandusky scandal - Sandusky, Tim Curley and Gary Schultz were arrested and the infamous grand jury presentment was released earlier that day - the Icers rallied from a 4-2 second-period deficit against the NCAA Division III Blue Devils, with Steve Edgeworth's power play blast tying the game early in the third period and George Saad potting the winner at 5:46.

23. Penn State 5, St. Clair College 4 - February 14, 2003. In an era when the Icers largely toyed with ACHA opposition, games against Canadian Colleges Athletic Association schools like Windsor, Ontario-based St. Clair provided a sound challenge for the dynastic PSU team. On this occasion, Curtiss Patrick's backhander with a defender draped on him with 3:03 remaining provided the margin of victory, while Bill Downey registered his 100th career point on a goal earlier in the game. Significantly, this was the final home win for a senior class that won ACHA national championships at the end of each of its seasons in blue and white.

22. Penn State 6, Canton 5 (OT) - February 14, 1982. With a fresh, new ice rink on campus, the Icers initiated a four-team in-season tournament called the Nittany Lion Invitational, which would become a staple of the team's schedule over the next 25 years. The inaugural championship game, though, remains a classic. Penn State trailed 5-3 with less than 90 seconds remaining, but much like Lynn Sipe three years later (see number 17), Glenn DeStefano singlehandedly tied the game by scoring at 18:48 and again at 19:11. Rush then scored the OT winner on a slot wrister following a Norm Jacobs faceoff win. In victory, Icers coach Jon Shellington one-upped his college coach, Canton bench boss Terry Martin.

21. Niagara College 6, Penn State 5 (2OT) - February 28, 1986. In 1985, Penn State significantly upgraded its schedule by joining the International Collegiate Hockey League, a conference that, over PSU's seven seasons of membership, would play a key role in elevating the program to new heights. The Icers' first appearance in the ICHL playoffs would provide a glimpse of the challenge to come when Niagara raced out to a 5-1 lead after two periods. PSU would rally to force overtime, but it was for naught, as the Knights ousted the second-seeded Icers in a second 10-minute extra period. The loss spoiled the idea a highly-anticipated championship-game meeting between Penn State and St. Bonaventure, which won the ICHL's regular season title.

20. Penn State 4, Buffalo State 3 - February 19, 1994. Former ICHL rival Buff State elevated to NCAA Division III in 1993-1994, but the Icers still managed to get one last shot on the Bengals thanks to Don Lamison's hat trick, as well as his crucial blocked shot in the dying moments to preserve the win. "Here's what you have to understand about the kind of player Don Lamison is," Battista said. "Not only does he have three goals and an assist, but he blocks that shot with about a minute left, and then clears it out of the zone. That says a lot about him, and those are the kind of plays that win championships."

Tim O'Brien scored twice in taking down top-ranked Illinois

19. Penn State 5, Illinois 4 - January 17, 2009. Top-ranked Illinois, which enjoyed the only perfect season in ACHA history in 2007-2008, fell twice in a row to the number three Icers for the Illini's third and fourth losses in two years. In the back half of the series, PSU jumped out to an early 3-0 lead on two goals from Tim O'Brien and another from Steve Peck. Illinois would rally to tie the game at four, but Lukas DeLorenzo potted the third-period winner after intercepting just in front of the Illini net. "I was just forechecking their defenseman and I got my stick to the other side," DeLorenzo said. "I put my stick in the lane and luckily I walked in on a breakaway."

18. Delaware 3, Penn State 2 - February 5, 2000. Around the turn of the century, the home series with the Fighting Blue Hens was always notable for its coinciding with alumni weekend, thanks in no small part to the fact that former Icers Josh Brandwene and John O'Connor were on the UD coaching staff. On this occasion Brandwene, who of course got his white hat out of storage later to become the NCAA women's coach at PSU, spoiled the ceremonies of the day and led Delaware to its first win over PSU in 30 tries, dating back to the 1978-1979 season. Travis Bradach's goal off of Mark Scally's stick with 12 seconds remaining in the second period held up as the winner, while Lance Rosenberg made 56 saves for the Hens.

Scoring dynamo Lynn Sipe provided heroics in fantastic contests against Kent State and Ohio

17. Penn State 6, Ohio 5 (OT) - January 19, 1985. By most accounts, the 1990 National Invitational Tournament meeting that saw PSU pull off a massive upset in Athens was the launching point of the Icers-Bobcats rivalry, but there's a pretty strong case to be made for this game, the third of four consecutive overtime games between the teams. Penn State trailed by two with just 23 seconds remaining, before Sipe got to work on a pretty unlikely natural hat trick (to go with another goal he had scored earlier). First, he poked home a power play rebound to pull the Icers within one. Then he deflected home a Jeff Speece clapper to tie things up. At 7:06 of the 10-minute overtime period, Sipe banked in a wrister off of OU goalie Lindsey Nonnemacher's mask. The win gave PSU the title in the fourth Nittany Lion Invitational.

ACHA D1 All-Star Game: White 10, Blue 6

ACHA recap // Box score

In a game that had all the hard hitting, intensity and disciplined defense of your typical all-star game (including a combined zero penalties), the White squad of graduating Icers senior Tim O'Brien defeated the Blue 10-6 at Adrian College's Arrington Ice Arena Saturday night.

O'Brien skated with Ohio University archrivals Michael Schultz and Tyler Pilmore and showed decent chemistry with the two (I just threw up in my mouth). This paid off at the 7:50 mark of the third period, when O'Brien scored from just in front of the blue, courtesy of some great work from the pair of Bobcats to set it up (I just threw up in my mouth again). The goal made it 7-4 White, helping to put it away after Blue had narrowed a 5-1 White lead to 5-4 early in the period.

Pitt's Justin Thomas had a four-point night for White, while first star of the game Brock Heinauer (Duquesne) and Colin Hekle (Arizona State) each had two snipes. Robert Morris (IL)'s Gehrett Sargis had two goals and an assist to pace the Blue Man Group.

There was also a skills competition prior to the game. I didn't see it, so I'll lean on the ACHA for the event winners. Not a bad night for Heinauer - named best player in the game, won the hardest shot competition, came close in the shootout.

HARDEST SHOT

Brock Heinauer (Duquesne) - 96 MPH

FASTEST SKATER

Jonathan Gulch (Ohio) - 15.06
Note: Won skateoff over Tom Ciaverilla (Adrian)

SHOOTOUT WINNER - PLAYER

Greg Jensen (Liberty) - Won in the 4th round over Michael Macari (Michigan-Dearborn), Kevin Brojek (Davenport), and Brock Heinauer (Duquesne)

SHOOTOUT WINNER - GOALIE

Mark Schacker (Arizona State) - 12 saves on 16 attempts

O'Brien Named to ACHA All-Star Game

Graduating Icers senior Tim O'Brien has been named the sole Penn State representative to the ACHA Division 1 All-Star game, slated to take place Saturday at Adrian College's Arrington Ice Arena.

O'Brien, of course, will be playing in his third all-star game, having also participated in the 2009 and 2010 events. Penn State's history in the match includes hosting the first one in 2008, as well as sending players Nick Signet (2008), Keith Jordan (2008), John Conte (2010), Teddy Hume (2010) and coach Scott Balboni (2008).

Just because information about the game is tremendously scarce, here's the ACHA announcement of it from last month.

The 4th Annual American Collegiate Hockey Association Men's Division 1 All-Star Game is set to take place at the Arrington Ice Arena, on the campus of Adrian College, in Adrian, MI on Saturday, March 19, 2011.

40 of the top Men's Division 1 players will converge on Michigan for this event.

The game is geared to highlight and attract the best ACHA Division 1 players and showcase their talents on the ice while representing their individual schools in competition. The first three all-star games were a tremendous success and have created a solid foundation to build a lasting tradition. The Adrian College community is thrilled to host such an event and is anxiously looking forward to putting on a great show.

"Adrian College is once again honored to host the All-Star game," said ACHA Men's Division 1 Head Coach Dan Phelps. "Last years event proved to be a win-win for us and all who participated. When we have the opportunity to step up and give so many great student-athletes the chance to participate in this event, we recognize this and are honored to provide our facilities as that venue. We look forward to hosting all who attend this year and providing them once again with a memorable experience here at Adrian College."

Game time is tentatively slated for 8:05 PM EST.

Tomorrow is Another Day

Tim O'Brien's two favorite things are watching Sidney Crosby and kicking ass. And Crosby's hurt.
Photo: Ian Bates

Senior weekend is here, adding some meaning to a pair of fairly meaningless games against Rutgers, specifically, the Ice Pavilion curtain calls for seniors Carey Bell, Taylor Cera, Teddy Hume, John Jay, Tim O'Brien, Marek Polidor and Chris Pronchik. This group of men has been a tremendous asset to the program, something that will undoubtedly continue to be the case as they make their way in this crazy world.

For one of them though, there's significance even beyond that to these games.

O’Brien, who has led the Icers in scoring the past three seasons, is just two points shy of hitting 200 for his illustrious career donning the white and blue sweater. The forward has been the catalyst to the Icers’ offensive attack this season, and has posted 22 goals alongside 18 assists, despite missing six games in January to represent Team USA in Turkey at the World University Games.

Not too shabby. I could go on and on about these guys, from Hume's status as one of the all-time great Icers goalies to Cera's grit to Pronchik's relentless penalty killing, but for me, the real Senior Day takes place March 9th in Newark, DE when we hoist the Murdoch Cup (right?). I'll save the teary farewells for then.

Right now, there are games to be played. For the team, it's a chance to stay sharp and tweak the systems. For me, it's a chance to get some good feelings going heading into nationals.

There is another team in these games too, believe it or not.

Way back when I thought Penn State would be stuck in the ACHA forever (August, 2010), Rutgers was the type of team I would always root for. Big school with a recognizable name, seems on the surface like they're fairly committed to their program, generally an asset to the ACHA in terms of both quality and credibility. Basically in the same vein as Penn State, Illinois, Arizona (back when they mattered), Arizona State, Iowa State, Delaware, Oklahoma and Rhode Island, except not quite as far along on the growth chart. Well, okay, maybe not Rhode Island unless you're a Lamar Odom fan, but they're a state flagship in New England, which has to count for something.

I abandoned my Plan for ACHA World Domination sometime around September 17, 2010 (I really need a nickname for that day) but still, it's nice to see that we're going to leave the thing in good hands. For all of its flaws, it's been a huge part of our program, and I'll probably always keep an eye on it.

Okay, enough of that, I'll save that post for next March.

The Scarlet Knights have certainly come a long way from the team the Icers last saw in January, 2000:

On Friday night, the Icers won their NLIT title-game berth with a dominating 12-5 victory against an overmatched No. 20 Rutgers team.

Penn State had the game well in hand from the outset, as goals by [Neal] Price, Todd Dakan, Mike Blevins, Greg Held and Paul Sealock staked the Icers out to a 5-0 late in the second. Rutgers answered on the power play before the intermission.

The third period brought an amazing outburst of scoring, 11 goals in all. Seven of those ended up in the Rutgers net, with McArdle, Sealock, Held, Dakan, Price, Brandon Cook and Alon Eizenman all finding twine for the Icers.

"The pucks just were going our way," Held said. "I think my line and the whole team played pretty well."

The only saving grace for Rutgers was the performance of goaltender Joe Azzarello. The senior managed to make 74 saves before being replaced in the third period. All in all, Penn State rifled 84 shots at Rutgers goaltenders.

"Goaltending has been one of our bright spots this season," Rutgers ice hockey coach Mike DeAngelis said. "But Penn State's just one of the best hockey programs in the country."

Somewhere between then and now, Rutgers went from being about as good as my math to being about as good as PSU's shot total that day, whatever it was. From that 1999-2000 season through 2006-2007, RU was a brutal 34-185-15, including a winless 2002-2003, and one-win seasons in 2001-2002 and 2005-2006. How an ACHA team survived a stretch like that, I'll never know.

Current coach Andy Gojdycz came to the rescue in 2006-2007, and the results have been nothing short of drastic. The program's first winning record in ten years in 2007-2008. A successful move from the ECHA to the new NECHL (where Gojdycz serves as commissioner), including regular season championships in 2008, 2009 (co-championship) and 2010. And once the NECHL autobid kicked in, Rutgers made its first-ever ACHA national championship tournament (in Division 1) last season, and hung in with Lindenwood a lot better than many teams do (8-3) before losing an OT heartbreaker to Canton for 15th place.

This season? More of the same. Actually, better than that - their 19-7-0 mark is their best winning percentage since moving to D1 in 1998-1999, and they tore through the NECHL with a 13-1-0 conference mark to earn a second consecutive ACHA autobid - they face No. 2 Davenport in the first round on March 5th - before falling to Syracuse in the conference tournament's championship game.

So in one sense, it's been a pretty successful season for the State University of New Jersey. In another, it's been a trying season, due to the passing of former captain Josh Esformes back in December.

My belated condolences go out to the Rutgers hockey community on their loss. Esformes sounds like a first-class guy from what I've read.

On the ice, the Scarlet Knights plowed through the adversity, thanks in large part to a forward group that runs two lines deep with big numbers. Super soph Jason Adams (20 goals, 45 assists) leads the way, followed closely by Matt Ruthberg (23, 29), Matthew McDonald (21, 26), Timmy Nakajima (11, 34) and Gil Schaffer (18, 25). The fist-pumping back end includes starting goalie Brandon DeLibero (3.54 GAA, 0.901 SV%) and defensemen Doug San Giacomo, TJ Fiorillo and Joe Ippolito, although non-Italians Will Bolinder and Jackson Udelsman do their part on the blue line too.

You might not expect it, but RU actually has a decent-sized track record playing PSU opponents. They opened the season with 8-3 and 8-5 losses at ESCHL champ Rhode Island, who of course, we'll be seeing next weekend. They've also played Niagara (6-5 win on October 2nd), West Chester (8-3 win on October 22nd) and Drexel (4-3 loss on January 21st). Those eight goals against URI, especially when held against the nine the Icers had in four games with the Rams, tell me they can score against anyone. Almost like a Robert Morris with a little more balance and a little more defense.

In other words, they're the perfect opponent for a weekend like this - they'll force us to be engaged, but without the pressure that comes from having anything at all on the line.

Outside Reading

VFTB's Steve Penstone dominates this space this week, as he did some fantastic work from up in Buffalo, site of the Pegula Day festivities.

It's a Great Day for Hockey - Part II - Contains video from the Pegula introductory press conference on Tuesday, as well as Steve's allotted one minute with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman - much credit is due his way for asking the "right" two questions with zero margin for error. Plus there's a picture of Rick Jeanneret, who is as clutch as they come. MAY DAY!

Miller Time - An interview with Ryan Miller that fortunately went a little better than this one. Who will be the first Penn Stater/Olympic hockey hero?

The New Era Begins in Buffalo - A dispatch from the Sabres-Thrashers game Wednesday night, complete with the pictures to prove it happened. Like this one.

Clearly, they're huge fans of mine.

Elsewhere, the official site informs us of something I did not know - PSU and Rutgers have a series history other than that 2000 game. And the Collegian fills us in on something else that may have slipped under the radar, given the events of last weekend: the ESCHL awards won by O'Brien, Matt Madrazo and George Saad.

ESCHL Championship: Rhode Island 4, Delaware 3

For the second straight day, Rhode Island used a huge second period to survive a late rally - except this time for the ESCHL playoff championship and with formidable Delaware on the opposite bench.

The Blue Hens struck first when Jason Michaud capitalized on an Alan Dionne turnover from just underneath the top of the circle 2:40 into the game. Robert Beggi answered 14:04 later, finishing a nice passing play with Devin Sheehan and Jay Dupras, to close the first period at 1-1.

Rhody's second period barrage came from David Macalino, Dionne (on a 5-on-3) and tournament MVP Shawn Tingley. Ryan McDonald stopped the bleeding with five minutes left in the second at the end of a textbook breakout, and Kevin Miller pulled UD within one early in the third, but the Blue Hens would get no closer despite controlling play for much of the late second and third periods.

While the Icers did not participate in the final - snapping PSU's run of ESCHL playoff titles at three - George Saad, Tim O'Brien and Matt Madrazo all received honors in the postgame ceremony. O'Brien was named first-team all-ESCHL, Madrazo was second-team all-tournament and Saad won the conference's Sportsmanship Award. Congratulations to the three of them, as well as to URI for adding the playoff championship to the already-won regular season crown. See you guys in Newark in two Saturdays...

The less popular angle to the Rhode Island trophy picture.

World University Games: Day 10

Men

USA Hockey recap

I know I essentially said the same thing after the quarterfinal loss to Belarus, but I really hope everyone looks beyond the defeat to the big picture of how the World University Games program, the ACHA and hockey in the US in general are trending. The future is bright - we went from bottom feeders to solidly in the second tier in the first decade. The next decade will see us take still another step. Here are the details: 

O'Brien digs DMB like every Penn Stater since 1995

ERZURUM, Turkey – Team USA scored three goals in the third period to pull within one, but the U.S. Men's National University Team dropped a 4-3 decision to Slovakia here today in its final game of the 2011 Winter World University Games. Team USA captured sixth place and finished the tournament with a 3-0-0-3 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record.

This marks the U.S. Men's National University Team's highest finish at the tournament. In past performances, Team USA has finished seventh (2009), eighth (2001, 2007), ninth (2005) and eleventh (2003).

Team USA fell behind less than three minutes into the game. Devin Sheehan (Binghamton, N.Y./University of Rhode Island) was then assessed a penalty shot at the 6:05 mark, but failed to convert.

After Slovakia built up a 3-0 lead in the middle frame, the U.S. responded with two power-play goals in the third period. Alan Dionne (North Scituate, R.I./University of Rhode Island) scored at the 8:55 mark and Tim O'Brien (Bethel Park, Pa./Penn State University) notched another power-play tally just 2:05 later to cut the deficit to 3-2.

Slovakia extended its lead to 4-2 only 27 seconds later. Dan Lassik (Garnet Valley, Pa./University of Rhode Island) then scored with 18 seconds remaining in regulation to bring the U.S. within one goal, but Slovakia held on for the victory.

Goaltender Dan Pyne (Warrington, Pa./Drexel University) made 24 saves for the U.S., while Peter Pus stopped 25 shots for Slovakia.

Penn State Update

O'Brien's goal, his third in as many games, came on the power play and gave Team USA a brief (and I mean brief - Slovakia answered 27 seconds later) glimpse at the end of the comeback tunnel at 3-2 with exactly 9:00 remaining. Michael Macari and James Telfer had the two assists. Speaking of assists, O'Brien got one of those as well, on Lassik's goal with 18 seconds left that unfortunately served mostly as window dressing. Other than that, he found himself on ice for three other goals, five of the seven scored in the game in total. The exceptions were Slovakia's first goal 2:47 into the game and the aforementioned goal 27 seconds after his, which works out to an even plus-minus. He fired two pucks on net and was 0-for-4 on his draws. O'Brien finished the tournament tied for second on Team USA with three goals (with Macari) behind only Dionne's four. The total was also good enough to tie for 23rd overall in the tournament with the gold and bronze medal games still to come.

Eric Steinour finished the game with a +1 rating by being on for that late Lassik goal while taking three shots and winning one of his two faceoffs. Unfortunately, he ended the tournament pointless, although it seems that, in looking at the available information, the coaches saw value in him logging good ice time right up until the end. 

Final PSU Stats               

        

                GP  G   A   PTS  +/-  PIM

Tim O'Brien     6   3   1   4    -1   0

Eric Steinour   6   0   0   0    -2   6

Other Games

In semifinal action, Belarus goalie Vitali Bialinski - the guy who came in and shut the door on Team USA after Tim O'Brien's goal in the quarterfinals - stopped 29 of 30 as the Belarussians advanced to the gold medal game with a 3-1 win over Kazakhstan. Pavel Razvadouski had a goal and an assist to support the winning effort...Belarus will take on their former countrymen, Russia, for the gold. Anton Lazarev's goal 1:29 into the third period proved to be the difference as the Russians took down Canada 4-2. Brandon MacLean had a goal and a helper for Team Canada.

The Czech Republic used a pair of second period goals from Pavel Kriz and Martin Spok to erase a 2-1 deficit and rally past Japan 3-2 to take 7th place.

Final Tournament Placement

1. Russia/Belarus

2. Russia/Belarus

3. Kazakhstan/Canada

4. Kazakhstan/Canada

5. Slovakia

6. USA

7. Czech Republic

8. Japan

9. Slovenia

10. Spain

11. South Korea

12. Turkey

Upcoming Schedule

February 6th

Bronze medal game:
CAN-KAZ 4:30 a.m.

Gold medal game:
BLR-RUS 8:00 a.m.

Women

USA Hockey recap

At the risk of sounding repetitive (again), the women's team is also deserving of our utmost respect and congratulations. Tying it back to what I said about the men's team above, the women are miles ahead of where the men were in 2001, and it will also be exciting to watch this side of things grow in the coming years. So despite unfortunately not coming away with the bronze, job well done. Recap:

Crawford is generally awesome

ERZURUM, Turkey – Shea Crawford (Selbyville, Del./Lindenwood University) scored the lone goal for Team USA, as the U.S. Women's National University Team fell to Slovakia, 3-1, here today in the bronze-medal game of the the 2011 Winter World University Games. Team USA finished the tournament with a 2-0-0-5 (W-OTW-OTL-L) overall record.

The 2011 Winter World University Games marked the first time the U.S. sent a women's team after women's ice hockey was added to the tournament in 2009. The U.S. Women's National University Team's fourth-place finish is the highest a U.S. team has placed at the tournament.

"It was a great game today," said Mo Stroemel, head coach of the U.S. Women's National University Team. "We've made history and hopefully paved the way for many future women's teams that will play in this tournament."

Slovakia took a 1-0 lead 9:09 into the game with the first period's lone tally. The U.S. proceeded to have two breakaway opportunities, but could not find the back of the net.

After a scoreless second period, Slovakia scored just 41 seconds into the final frame and then notched a power-play tally at the 11:45 mark.

Down 3-0 heading into the final two minutes of regulation, Crawford gave the U.S. life when she scored on the power play. After Slovakia was called for tripping at 18:16, Emily Nelson (Harper Woods, Mich./University of Michigan) and Megan Winters (Basking Ridge, N.J./Northeastern University) set up Crawford, who sent a shot on net that beat Slovakian goaltender Zuzana Tomcikova with 1:28 remaining in the period.

Thirty-nine seconds later, the U.S. sent an extra skater to the ice, but could not edge closer as Slovakia held on for the 3-1 victory.

Goaltender Katie Vaughan (South Park, Pa./Penn State University) made 18 saves for Team USA, while Tomcikova stopped 27 shots for Slovakia.

Penn State Update

Vaughan finished a strong tournament by stopping 18 of 21 in defeat - none of the three goals appear soft on paper, they all came from that prime territory between the circles and down low. Her cumulative 1.81 goals against average was the best in the tournament outside of the goalies from dominant teams Finland and Canada...Reihl was a -1 (on for the 2-0 goal 41 seconds into the third) and took one shot. Her three assists for the tournament were good enough to land her 19th on the list of highest-scoring defenders, behind teammates Megan Winters, Crawford and Christina Young and her six penalty minutes tied her for 13th overall...Denise Rohlik didn't show up on the stats for the second straight game, but also had a good tournament, as you can see below.

Final PSU Stats                        

                GP  G   A   PTS  +/-  PIM
Lindsay Reihl   7   0   3   3    -8   6
Denise Rohlik   7   1   3   4    +7   0

                GP   Record    SOG   SVS  SV%    GAA    SHO
Heather Rossi   4    0-0-0-4   151   129  0.854  6.00   0
Katie Vaughan   4    2-0-0-1   42    36   0.857  1.81   1
        
Other Games

Canada cruised to the gold medal in surprisingly easy (considering their tilt in group play) fashion, 4-1 over Finland. Finland, of course, takes home silver. Goalie Liz Knox made 20 saves on 21 shots, and Jessica Zerafa's goal 4:01 into the second period held up as the game winner. The Canadians rode roughshod over the competition all the way through, allowing only three goals and 63 shots over the entire tournament. Incidentally, Charlotte Hoium's goal (from Lindsay Reihl) in the semifinals was the only one of the three not scored by Finland and their five Olympic medalists.

In the 5th place game, Great Britain blew out Turkey 10-0. Sophie Herbert scored three of the ten, while Holly Cornford and Jennifer Bolton each added two.  

Final Tournament Placement

1. Canada

2. Finland

3. Slovakia

4. USA

5. Great Britain

6. Turkey

World University Games: Day 9

Men

USA Hockey recap

I guess taking a ton of penalties isn't quite as bad when you score almost as many shorthanded as the other team does on the power play. It wasn't easy, or pretty, but the win guarantees Team USA its highest WUG finish since the ACHA helped revive the American presence at the event in 2001. The US earned a bronze medal at the 1972 WUG using players from...I don't know, somewhere else. The NCAA, presumably. Here's the write-up: 

Lepre bagged a shorty

ERZURUM, Turkey – Paced by shorthanded goals from Michael Lepre (Chesterland, Ohio/Kent State University) and Devin Sheehan (Binghamton, N.Y./University of Rhode Island), the U.S. Men's National University Team topped Japan, 5-3, at the 2011 Winter World University Games. Eleven players recorded a point for Team USA, which advances to the fifth-place game against Slovakia tomorrow (Feb. 5) at 1 p.m. EST.

"This is a huge win for us, especially since Japan has beaten us at the last two tournaments," said Dave Debol, head coach of the U.S. Men's National University Team. "We've accomplished our goal of placing higher than we ever have before at this tournament and earning fifth place would be a great honor."

Team USA opened the scoring 6:39 into the first period, when Lepre notched a shorthanded tally. Augie Hoffmann (Lake Forest, Ill./University of Oklahoma) sent a feed to Lepre, who skated up ice on a breakaway and fired a shot from the top of the faceoff circle that beat Japanese goaltender Yuta Narisawa.

Japan tied the game at the 10:45 mark of the second period, but the U.S. gained a 2-1 edge less than five minutes later with a goal by Alan Dionne (North Scituate, R.I./University of Rhode Island).

Tim O'Brien (Bethel Park, Pa./Penn State University) then scored with just :38 remaining in the middle frame to give Team USA a two-goal cushion heading into the third period.

The U.S. took a 4-1 lead 4:38 into the third period when Sheehan scored Team USA's second shorthanded goal of the game. Japan scored twice to cut the U.S. lead to 4-3, but Kevin Kranker (Lake Orion, Mich./Oakland University) notched a power-play goal to secure the 5-3 victory.

Team USA goaltender Erik Hudson (Spokane, Wash./Iowa State University) made 36 saves in the win, while Narisawa stopped 29 shots for Japan.

Penn State Update

For the second straight game, O'Brien scored an important goal on a day where they were all pretty important. It came on a 2-on-1 with Grant Gorczyca at the 19:22 mark of the second period. In a rare act of Penn State-Ohio cooperation, Tyler Pilmore had the second assist. O'Brien was also on for Ryo Murakami's third-period goal that trimmed the US lead to 4-2, so he comes out even on the plus-minus ledger. He added two shots other than the goal and was 1-2 on faceoffs...Eric Steinour was on ice for Kranker's power play goal with 6:41 left that restored sanity after Japan had trimmed a 4-1 lead to 4-3. He had one third-period shot and a 1-1 faceoff record.

Cumulative PSU Stats               

        

                GP  G   A   PTS  +/-  PIM

Tim O'Brien     5   2   0   2    -1   0

Eric Steinour   5   0   0   0    -3   6

Other Games

In the 11th place game, Turkey managed to score for the second straight game, but it wasn't enough to match Sang Youp Lee's two first period goals as South Korea defeated Turkey 4-1...in a surprising result to anyone who's been playing close attention, Spanish goaltender Ander Alcaine Val was beaten seven times in just over 50 minutes as Slovenia cruised past Spain 8-0 in the 9th place game behind eight different goal scorers.

Ondrej Zosiak's power play goal goal with 6:18 left completed Slovakia's comeback from an early 2-0 hole and boosted them past the Czech Republic 3-2. The Slovaks were outshot 36-18, however goalie Peter Pus stopped 34 Czech attempts, including all 16 he faced in the third period. Slovakia moves on to face Team USA for 5th place, while the Czech Republic battles Japan for 7th.

Final Tournament Placement

1. Russia/Belarus/Kazakhstan/Canada

2. Russia/Belarus/Kazakhstan/Canada

3. Russia/Belarus/Kazakhstan/Canada

4. Russia/Belarus/Kazakhstan/Canada

5. Slovakia/USA

6. Slovakia/USA

7. Japan/Czech Republic

8. Japan/Czech Republic

9. Slovenia

10. Spain

11. South Korea

12. Turkey

Upcoming Schedule

February 5th

7th place game:
CZE-JPN 9:00 a.m.

5th place game:
USA-SVK 1:00 p.m.

Semifinals:
KAZ-BLR 9:30 a.m., CAN-RUS 1:00 p.m.

February 6th

Bronze medal game:
KAZ/BLR-CAN/RUS 4:30 a.m.

Gold medal game:
KAZ/BLR-CAN/RUS 8:00 a.m.

Women

USA Hockey recap

No point in wasting time - straight to the recap we go:

Reihl's assist helped bring the US within one

ERZURUM, Turkey – The U.S. Women's National University Team fell to Canada, 8-1, here today at the 2011 Winter World University Games. The U.S., which is competing in the women's tournament for the first time, will play in the bronze-medal game against Slovakia tomorrow (Feb. 5) at 2:30 a.m. EST.

After Canada took a 2-0 lead at the 12:46 mark of the first period, the U.S. responded with a goal to cut its deficit in half. Team USA led a rush into the offensive zone and Lindsay Reihl (Cheshire, Conn./Penn State University) fed the puck to Charlotte Hoium (Falcon Heights, Minn./Michigan State University), who sent a shot past Canadian goaltender Liz Knox.

Canada scored just :55 into the middle frame and notched two more goals to take a 5-1 lead into the third period.

Team USA killed four penalties in the final frame, but Canada scored three unanswered goals to seal the victory.

Goaltender Heather Rossi (Effort, Pa./Penn State University) made 48 saves for the U.S., while Knox and Beth Clause stopped six shots for Canada.

Hate to tell you, but there's also video - second half of this:



Penn State Update

Rossi started and finished the game in goal. She faced a tremendously adverse situation, with Canada outshooting the US by a staggering 56-7 count, but came out of it standing - despite the eight goals against, she actually improved her save percentage for the tournament. Rossi also took a charging penalty (successfully killed) in the third period. I'd love to see how that happened...Reihl assisted on Hoium's late first period goal that kept Team USA in the game, at least at the first intermission. However, she was also on ice for five Canadian goals (one on the power play) resulting in a -3 for the game. Reihl's three total points currently place her 16th in scoring by defenders at the tournament...neither Reihl nor Denise Rohlik recorded a shot on goal.

Cumulative PSU Stats                        

                GP  G   A   PTS  +/-  PIM
Lindsay Reihl   6   0   3   3    -7   6
Denise Rohlik   6   1   3   4    +7   0

                GP   Record    SOG   SVS  SV%    GAA    SHO
Heather Rossi   4    0-0-0-4   151   129  0.854  6.00   0
Katie Vaughan   3    2-0-0-0   21    18   0.857  1.29   1
        
Other Games

In the other semifinal matchup, Finland overpowered Slovakia 5-1 with a 42-11 shot differential. Venla Hovi scored the game-winning goal and assisted on three others to support the winning cause. The Finns are now assured of at least the silver medal and will take on Canada for the gold tomorrow at 6:00 a.m.

Final Tournament Placement

1. Canada/Finland

2. Canada/Finland

3. Slovakia/USA

4. Slovakia/USA

5. Great Britain/Turkey

6. Great Britain/Turkey

Upcoming Schedule

February 5th

Bronze medal game:
USA-SVK 2:30 a.m.

5th place game:
TUR-GBR 5:00 a.m.

Gold medal game:
FIN-CAN 6:00 a.m.

World University Games: Day 8

Men

USA Hockey recap // Box score

Heartbreaking? Absolutely. But amidst the disappointment, let's not forget how far the USA Hockey WUG program, and by extension the ACHA, has progressed even from two years ago, when beating Slovakia was a massive achievement. Or back slightly further, when even winning a single game was cause for celebration. Even though Penn State won't be part of this event next time around, I can't help but think we're leaving it in good hands.

In the meantime, Team USA still has a great shot at fifth place and a final record of 4-2-0, both of which would be bests since 2001. It starts with Japan tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. in the 5th-8th placement playoffs.

Recap:

O'Brien knows clutch, thanks to his crusty hat.

ERZURUM, Turkey – The U.S. Men's National University Team erased a two goal deficit midway through the second period, but eventually fell to Belarus, 6-3, in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Winter World University Games. The U.S. will face Japan tomorrow (Feb. 4) at 8 a.m. EST in the classification round.

"I'm very proud of every player on the team," said Dave Debol, head coach of the U.S. Men's National University Team. "I loved the effort, especially when we were down, 3-1. We never quit and came back to tie the game, but we just fell a little short today."

Belarus took an early 1-0 lead, but Team USA tied the score 12:22 into the first period. Bob Collar (Brighton, Mich./ Davenport University) sent a feed to Michael Macari (Dearborn Heights, Mich./ University of Michigan Dearborn), who fired a shot past Belarus goalie Stepan Goryachevskikh.

Belarus took a 3-1 second period lead, but the U.S. responded with two goals 1:19 apart to tie the game. Alan Dionne (North Scituate, R.I./ University of Rhode Island) scored at the 10:17 mark and Tim O'Brien (Bethel Park, Pa./ Penn State University) followed with a power-play goal to even the score heading into the final frame.

Belarus gained the 4-3 edge just 53 seconds into the third period and added two late goals to secure the 6-3 victory.

Team USA goaltender Dan Pyne (Warrington, Pa./ Drexel University) made 27 saves in the loss, while Goryachevskikh and Vitali Bialinksi combined to stop 22 shots in the win.

Here are highlights from all of the quarterfinal matchups from FISU - O'Brien's goal is included.



Penn State Update

As mentioned a couple of times, Tim O'Brien scored a pretty important goal that brought Team USA back to even at three in the second period - and earned Belarus starting goalie Goryachevskikh the hook. You can see it starting at 1:10 in the video just above - pretty goal. Outside of his power play marker, O'Brien was on for the mid-second period Belarus goal that put the US down 3-1, the third period 5-on-3 Belarus goal that proved to be the game winner and the empty netter that made the score 5-3 late. All of that adds up to a -2. He had four shots and a 1-1 faceoff record... Eric Steinour got into some kind of altercation with Belarussian defenseman Mikhail Kharamanda at 12:22 of the second period. Steinour got a roughing penalty, but Kharamanda got two of them, so well done Big Stein. He rated a -1 by being on ice for the early second period goal that briefly made the score 2-1 Belarus, had two shots on goal and was 1-1 on draws.

Cumulative PSU Stats               

        

                GP  G   A   PTS  +/-  PIM

Tim O'Brien     4   1   0   1    -1   0

Eric Steinour   4   0   0   0    -3   6

Other Games

Kazakhstan turned in a dominant effort against Japan, winning 5-1 in a game that got pretty brutal in the closing minutes (eight roughing minors handed out at the 17:58 mark of the third). Alexandr Lipin's power play goal with 19 seconds left in the second period held up as the winner...Canada earned the second semifinal slot with an also-decisive 9-1 result against Slovakia. It was once again Brandon MacLean leading the way for the neighbors to the north with a five-point effort, including two goals on the advantage...top-seeded Russia withstood a strong early challenge from the Czech Repubic and pulled away over the second half of the game to win 6-1. Also, I retract my "pretty brutal" description of KAZ-JPN above, as this one put that one to shame with 314 total penalty minutes - 272 in the last 16 minutes of the game.

These results, combined with Belarus' win over Team USA, give us semifinal pairings of Belarus-Kazakhstan and Russia-Canada.

In the 9th-12th place playoffs, Slovenia blitzed Turkey 11-1 behind pairs from Jure Miljus, Nik Lahajnar and Grega Pihler. Turkish captain Emre Elevli scored his country's first goal of the tournament (men's or women's) at 14:46 of the first period...Juan Munoz Crego scored the only goal of the shootout as Spain upended South Korea 5-4. Munoz Crego also assisted on Spain's first three goals, which does not include Alejandro Pedraz Martin's power play goal with 2:39 left to force overtime...Slovenia will now play Spain for 9th place tomorrow, while Turkey and South Korea battle for 11th.  

Final Tournament Placement

1. Russia/Belarus/Kazakhstan/Canada

2. Russia/Belarus/Kazakhstan/Canada

3. Russia/Belarus/Kazakhstan/Canada

4. Russia/Belarus/Kazakhstan/Canada

5. Slovakia/Japan/USA/Czech Republic

6. Slovakia/Japan/USA/Czech Republic

7. Slovakia/Japan/USA/Czech Republic

8. Slovakia/Japan/USA/Czech Republic

9. Slovenia/Spain

10. Slovenia/Spain

11. South Korea/Turkey

12. South Korea/Turkey

Upcoming Schedule

February 4th

11th place game:

TUR-KOR 4:00 a.m.

9th place game:

ESP-SLO 5:00 a.m.

5th-8th placement playoffs:
USA-JPN 8:00 a.m., CZE-SVK 12:00 p.m.

February 5th

7th place game:
USA/JPN-CZE/SVK 9:00 a.m.

5th place game:
USA/JPN-CZE/SVK 1:00 p.m.

Semifinals:
KAZ-BLR 9:30 a.m., CAN-RUS 1:00 p.m.

February 6th

Bronze medal game:
KAZ/BLR-CAN/RUS 4:30 a.m.

Gold medal game:
KAZ/BLR-CAN/RUS 8:00 a.m.

Women

The women's field enjoyed their final off day of the tournament ahead of tomorrow's semifinals and Saturday's gold, bronze and fifth-place games. Team USA had a practice ice time scheduled 2:00-2:45 a.m.

Cumulative PSU Stats                        

                GP  G   A   PTS  +/-  PIM
Lindsay Reihl   5   0   2   2    -4   6
Denise Rohlik   5   1   3   4    +7   0

                GP   Record    SOG   SVS  SV%    GAA    SHO
Heather Rossi   3    0-0-0-3   95    81   0.853  5.25   0
Katie Vaughan   3    2-0-0-0   21    18   0.857  1.29   1
        
Upcoming Schedule

February 4th
Semifinals:
SVK-FIN 9:00 a.m., USA-CAN 1:00 p.m.

February 5th

Bronze medal game:
SVK/FIN-USA/CAN 2:30 a.m.

5th place game:
TUR-GBR 5:00 a.m.

Gold medal game:
SVK/FIN-USA/CAN 6:00 a.m.

World University Games: Day 6

Men

USA Hockey recap // USA Hockey blog post

To the recap we go:

URI's Lassik (top) and Dionne keyed the win.

ERZURUM, Turkey – Alan Dionne (North Scituate, R.I./ University of Rhode Island) scored the game-winning goal in the third period, as the U.S. Men's National University Team topped Spain, 4-1, here today in its final preliminary-round game of the 2011 Winter World University Games. With the win, Team USA improved to 2-0-0-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) and advanced to the quarterfinal round on Thursday (Feb. 3).

"When the game was scoreless after two periods, we just kept pressing and, sure enough, the puck started going in for us," said Dave Debol, head coach of the U.S. Men's National University Team. "If you stick to your gameplan, sooner or later you are going to get opportunities."

The game remained scoreless through the first period, as Team USA killed off a 5-on-3 power-play opportunity for Spain. The U.S. then outshot Spain in the middle frame, 19-3, but the game remained tied, 0-0, after two.

Team USA opened the scoring 2:47 into the third period, when Devin Sheehan (Binghamton, N.Y./ University of Rhode Island) tipped a shot from Dan Lassik (Garnet Valley, Pa./ University of Rhode Island) into the net on the right side.

Spain tied the game at the 3:51 mark, but the U.S. answered with a goal just 15 seconds later to gain a 2-1 edge. Dionne fired a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle that beat Spanish goaltender Ander Alcaine for the eventual game-winner.

Four minutes after, Bob Collar (Brighton, Mich./ Davenport University) extended Team USA's lead to 3-1, when he stickhandled at the top of the crease and pushed the puck past Alcaine.

Kyle Krannich (Randolph, N.J./ University of Rhode Island) then scored off a backhanded shot from the right side with 7:22 remaining in regulation to secure the U.S. victory.

Team USA goaltender Dan Pyne (Warrington, Pa./ Drexel University) made 15 saves in the win, while Spanish goalie Alcaine Val stopped 49 shots in the loss.

Penn State Update

Tim O'Brien had a good game. Playing with Bob Collar and Michael Macari, two of the team's best forwards, he registered three shots on goal. One of these was a shorthanded breakaway 6:47 into the first period that was stopped by Spain goalie Ander Alcaine Val. He was on ice for Collar's third period goal that gave Team USA a cushion at 3-1...Eric Steinour also had three shots, as well as four penalty minutes. The first two were on a first period boarding call, successfully killed, and the other two were for a trip with 48 seconds left in the game, which obviously didn't hurt anything. He took five faceoffs, winning four, but rated a -1 for the game by being on for Spain's only goal, which tied the score at 1 for 15 seconds in the third.

Cumulative PSU Stats               
        
                GP  G   A   PTS  +/-  PIM
Tim O'Brien     3   0   0   0    +1   0
Eric Steinour   3   0   0   0    -2   4

Other Games

Belarus trumped Slovenia 5-1 behind a goal and an assist from both Kiryl Brykun and Mikalai Susla. The win clinched a spot in the quarterfinals - as well as one for the Czech Republic...Slovakia used two Matej Hanciak goals to help upset Kazakhstan 6-2. This result created a three-team (KAZ, SVK, USA) logjam atop Group C at the six-point mark.

Final Standings

Group A

     GP  W   OTW OTL L   PTS GF:GA
RUS  3   3   0   0   0   9   34:3
JPN  3   1   1   0   1   5   22:4
CZE  3   1   0   1   1   4   18:7
TUR  3   0   0   0   3   0    0:60

Group B

     GP  W   OTW OTL L   PTS GF:GA
BLR  3   2   1   0   0   8   16:4
CAN  3   2   0   1   0   7   14:5
SLO  3   1   0   0   2   3   11:16
KOR  3   0   0   0   3   0    5:21

Group C

     GP  W   OTW OTL L   PTS GF:GA
KAZ  3   2   0   0   1   6    9:6
SVK  3   2   0   0   1   6   17:10
USA  3   2   0   0   1   6   11:9 
ESP  3   0   0   0   3   0    2:14

So there you have it for group play. Your eight quarterfinalists are Russia, Belarus, Canada, Slovakia, Kazakhstan, USA, Japan and the Czech Republic. Slovenia, Spain, South Korea and Turkey are out of contention and will engage in a mini-playoff to decide 9th through 12th place. Check the schedule just below this for the matchups and times.

Upcoming Schedule

February 2nd
No games.

February 3rd
9th-12th playoffs:
TUR-SLO 4:00 a.m., KOR-ESP 5:00 a.m.

Quarterfinals:
SVK-CAN 8:00 a.m., JPN-KAZ 8:00 a.m., USA-BLR 12:00 p.m., CZE-RUS 12:00 p.m.

February 4th
11th place game 4:00 a.m., 9th place game 5:00 a.m., 5th-8th playoffs 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.

February 5th
7th place game 9:00 a.m., 5th place game 1:00 p.m., semifinals 9:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

February 6th
Bronze medal game 4:30 a.m., gold medal game 8:00 a.m.

Women

The entire field had the day off from games. Team USA's practice was scheduled 8:00-8:45 a.m.

Cumulative PSU Stats                        

                GP  G   A   PTS  +/-  PIM
Lindsay Reihl   4   0   1   1    -5   6
Denise Rohlik   4   1   2   3    +6   0

                GP   Record    SOG   SVS  SV%    GAA    SHO
Heather Rossi   3    0-0-0-3   95    81   0.853  5.25   0
Katie Vaughan   2    1-0-0-0   9     7    0.778  1.50   1
        
Current Standings

     GP  W   OTW OTL L   PTS GF:GA

CAN  4   3   1   0   0   11  28:1

FIN  4   3   0   1   0   10  42:3

SVK  4   3   0   0   1   9   33:4

USA  4   1   0   0   3   3   17:17  
GBR  4   1   0   0   3   3   10:28
TUR  4   0   0   0   4   0    0:77

Obviously, with no games today, the same scenarios as yesterday still hold. So here's what I said yesterday.

The picture continues to crystallize. I'm going to assume Canada squeaks one out against Turkey to give them the top seed going into the semifinals, which are Friday. Finland and Slovakia have both clinched semifinal spots as well and will battle on Wednesday to determine which is second and which is third. The US-Great Britain matchup earlier that day will determine the final team advancing to the semifinals, with the loser playing Turkey for fifth place on Saturday.

Upcoming Schedule

February 2nd
GBR-USA 5:30 a.m., SVK-FIN 9:00 a.m., TUR-CAN 1:00 p.m.

February 3rd
No games.

February 4th
Semifinals 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

February 5th

Bronze medal game 2:30 a.m., 5th place game 5:00 a.m., gold medal game 6:00 a.m.