NCAA FROZEN FOUR: Semifinals preview (Thursday 4/11)

The NCAA’s Frozen Four takes center stage at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Semifinal 1

UMass Lowell 28-10-2 vs. Yale 20-12-3
Semifinal 3:30 p.m. (CT) ESPN2 (209 DirecTV/144 Dish)

UMass-Lowell’s offense is ranked #21 nationally and #3 defense.
Yale’s offense is ranked #26 nationally and #27 defense.

UMass River Hawks Fun Facts: On December 1, 2012, the UMass Lowell River Hawks were swept by the UNH Wildcats and the River Hawks looked like a team that was going nowhere with a 4-7-1 record. On December 8, 2012, the River Hawks started an incredible run, going unbeaten in 11 games (10-0-1). UMass Lowell went 24-3-1 then rest of the way, winning the Hockey East regular-season and tournament championship. Since December, UMass Lowell has been one of the best teams in the country.

Yale Bulldogs Fun Facts: The Yale Bulldogs was the last team to make the NCAA tourney. If the Michigan Wolverines had beaten Notre Dame and made the NCAA tourney, Yale would have stayed home. WCHA Dominance, Yale was 4-0 against the WCHA this season beating Colorado College Denver University and North Dakota.  Three of those games went to overtime.

Players to watch

River Hawks Forwards: Scott Wilson (16g-21a—37pts), Joseph Pendenza (14g-23a—37pts), Derek Arnold (13g-16a—29pts), Riley Wetmore (15g-11a—26pts), Josh Holmstrom (12g-12a—24pts). Defense: Chad Ruhwedel (7g-16a—23pts), Christian Folin (6g-15a—21pts), Joe Houk (0g-11a—11pts). Goalie: Connor Hellebuyck, 20-2-0, 1.31 GAA, .953 save percentage.

Bulldogs Forwards: Kenny Agostino (17g-23a—40pts), Andrew Miller (16g-21a—37pts), Antoine Laganiere (14g-13a—27pts). Defense: Tommy Fallen (7g-16a—23pts), Ryan Obuchowski (3g-9a-12pts), Gus Young (2g-6a—8pts). Goalies Jeff Malcolm 18-6-2, 2.35 GAA, .916 save percentage.

UMass Lowell River Hawks Official athletics page

Yale Bulldogs Official athletics page

Semifinal 2

Quinnipiac 29-7-5 vs. St. Cloud State 25-15-1
Semifinal 7:00 p.m. (CT) ESPN2 (209 DirecTV/144 Dish)
St. Cloud’s offense is ranked #2 nationally and #15 defense.
Quinnipiac’s offense ranked #18 nationally and #1 defense.

Saint Cloud State Huskies Fun stats: Saint Cloud State’s Drew LeBlanc (13g-37a—50pts) is the highest scoring players left in the NCAA tourney.  Saint Cloud State freshman Jonny Brodzinski’s 22 goals lead the nation for rookies.

Quinnipiac Bobcats Fun Facts: This season the Quinnipiac Bobcats never lost more than two games in a row and they only did this one time. Also, the Bobcats never lost more than three games during a month (March).

Players to watch

Quinnipiac Bobcats forwards:  Mathew Peca (15g-15a—30), Jeremy Langlois (12g-18a—30pts), Jordan Samuels-Thomas (16g-11a—27pts), Kellen Jones (12g-14a—26pts), Connor Jones (12g-14a—26pts). Defense: Mike Dalhuisen (8g-8a—16pts), Loren Barron (3g-13a—16pts), Zach Davies (2g-13a—15pts). Goaltender: Eric Hartzell 29-6-5, 1.55 GAA, .933 save percentage.

Huskies Forwards: Drew LeBlanc (13g-37a—50pts), Nic Dowd(14g-25a—39pts), Jonny Brodzinski (22g-11a—33pts), Kalle Kossila (15g-18a—33pts), Ben Hanowski (17g-14a—31pts). Defense:  Nick Jensen 4g-27a—31pts), Andrew Prochno (5g-23a—28tps), Ethan Prow (3g-12a—15pts). Goalie: Ryan Faragher 24-13-1, 2.22 GAA, .916 save percentage.

Quinnipiac Bobcats Official athletics page

Saint Cloud Official athletics page

Cross-posted at The Hockey Writers - Combine.

Related articles

• NCAA FROZEN FOUR: Semifinals preview (Thursday 4/11) (thehockeywriters.com)
• FROZEN FOUR Semifinals preview (Thursday 4/11) (getrealhockey.com)

Busted Bracket

Well I got one of the four teams right, and in retrospect, B.C. didn't have an easy path to the NCAA tourney like many of us thought at the beginning of the regionals. I wonder how many other people's brackets look like this? When it's all said and done, there will be four teams that have never been to the Frozen Four.

DU's Nick Shore hit to the head of UNH Kevin Goumas

In all of my day's of watching hockey, on any level, I have never seen anything like this. If you watch the video you will see that neither on-ice officials had their arm up on the play.

In other words, there was no penalty called on the play. However, after the officials went to the UNH players box and talked to the UNH coach Dick Umile, they officials then went to the penalty box reviewed the play and called a penalty on Nick Shore.

So the line on Shore was a five minute major for contact to the head and a game misconduct for his hit to the head of UNH forward Kevin Goumas. Seems reasonable to some right, it's not in the NCAA Hockey Rule book.

The line from Manchester is that the linesman or assistant ref made the call, but does anyone see his hand in the air either. I don't think so. No where on the video, is there any evidence of any one wearing stripes making a call on the play.

@coachstarman If you go back and watch the video, none of the refs had their arms in the air on the play. ndgoon.blogspot.com/2013/03/dus-ni…
— Eric J. Burton (@goon48) March 30, 2013

UND vs. Niagara Lines West Region

UND vs. Niagara Lines West Region

UND’s Forward lines

21 Brendan O’Donnell – 10 Corban Knight (A) – 7 Danny Kristo (A)

9 Drake Caggiula– 27 Carter Rowney (A) –19 Rocco Grimaldi

29 Bryn Chyzyk – 16 Mark MacMillan – 15 Michael Parks

13 Connor Gaarder – 28 Steph Pattyn – 17 Colten St. Clair

UND Defense Parings

2 Andrew MacWilliam (C) – 18 Dillon Simpson

4 Derek Forbort – 24 Jordan Schmaltz

5 Nick Mattson – 20 Joe Gleason

UND Goalies

31 Zane Gothberg

33 Clarke Saunders

35 Tate Maris

Not in lineup: 25 Mitch MacMillian, 8 Dan Senkbeil, 22 Andrew Panzarella, 11 Derek Rodwell, 26 Coltyn Sanderson.

This kind of makes my case: NCAA Hockey

@sunayas RT @blountstrib:Gophers-Yale NCAA hockey, and there is no one here. Can't be more than 500 peopletwitter.com/BlountStrib/st…
— Nathan Fournier (@jrhockeywriter) March 29, 2013

Hum, kind of the reason I talked about this subject here and here, this past week. Kind of makes my case doesn't it? I am sure that the John wouldn't be empty today.

Good to see there are so many people in Grand Rapids, said no one. Ever
— Matt Dresens (@TheBUHockeyBlog) March 29, 2013

Dear @ncaaicehockey horrible regional attendance! Here's a hint: St Paul, Grand Forks, Omaha, Denver. Any of those will make you $$.
— Jeremy Roads (@JRoadsreal) March 29, 2013

Looking at the stands in Grand Rapids and all I can think of is @uscho #Bracketology Blog "Attendance woes? I like it."
— Avaak (@avaak22) March 29, 2013

Judging by the attendance....Friday afternoon games should be the new norm...
— Zack Wohl (@zwohl) March 29, 2013

Plenty of good seats available, if you're just driving around Grand Rapids looking for something to do.
— Bruce Ciskie (@BruceCiskie) March 29, 2013

UND: NCAA West Region Semifinal

This weekend, the University of North Dakota travels to the NCAA West Region, in Grand Rapids, Michigan to play Niagara at Van Andel Arena, March 29, 2013.

Matchup: #14 Niagara (23-9-5, No. 3 seed) versus North Dakota #7 (21-11-7, No. 2 Seed)

Dates: March 29, 2013

Times: March 29: 4:30 p.m. (CT).

Radio: UND 96.1 (KQHT-FM) – The Fox

Webcast: none

TV: ESPNU DirecTV (208)/Dish Network (141)

Series History: All-Time: UND leads the series 4-0-0 (1.000). In Grand Forks, ND UND leads, 2-0-0 (1.000). Neutral site, UND leads 2-0-0 (1.000). NCAA tourney, UND leads 1-0-0 (1.000).  

Players to Watch:

North Dakota: Forwards: Danny Kristo (25g-26a—51pts), Corbin Knight (15g-33a—48pts), Rocco Grimaldi (13g-22a—35pts), Mark MacMillan (13g-12a—25pts), Carter Rowney (10g-17a—27pts). Defense: Dillon Simpson (5g-19a—24pts), Joe Gleason (5g-13a—18pts), Nick Mattson (3g-12a—15pts), Derek Forbort (4g-11a—15pts), Jordan Schmaltz (3g-9a—12pts) Andrew MacWilliam (1g-10a—11pts). Goaltenders: Clarke Saunders 13-8-4, 2.26 GAA, .916 save percentage, Zane Gothberg 8-4-3, 2.55 GAA, .918 save percentage.

Niagara Purple Eagles: Ryan Murphy (15g-21a—36pts), Giancarlo Iuorio (21g-31a—34pts), Marc Zanette (10g-18a—28pts), Patrick Divjak (8g-14a—22pts), Ryan Rashid (9g-11a—20pts) Defense: Kevin Ryan (1g-23a—24pts) C.J. Chartrain (2g-11a—13pts), Goalies: Carsen Chubak 23-6-5, 1.91 GAA, .938 save percentage.

UND Officials Web Page

Niagara Official Web Page

Cross-posted at the Hockey Writers Combine

My NCAA Bracket

Mine looks the same every year so, go ahead and post your picks as well.

Related articles

• The Brackets are set, UND going to Grand Rapids (ndgoon.blogspot.com)

UND AD Brian Faison selected to NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The NCAA announced today that University of North Dakota Director of Athletics Brian Faison will represent the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) as one of three new members selected to serve on the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee.

Faison, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Athletics Director Jim Knowlton, and Minnesota associate athletics director Tom McGinnis each begin their 4-year appointments on Sept. 1, 2013. The appointment runs until Sept. 1, 2017.

“We couldn’t be happier with the selection of these three individuals,” said Kristin Fasbender, NCAA associate director of championships and alliances and operations manager for the Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship. “They all bring a wealth of knowledge and experience, and will be tremendous assets to Division I men’s ice hockey.”

The Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee is in charge of oversight of all aspects of the championship, which includes team selection, seeding and bracketing. Also, managing any administrative issues on site at all rounds of the championships, which includes any misconduct issues (reprimands, fines, suspensions). The committee serves as on-site representative at the regionals and make up the games committee at the Frozen Four. The committee also selects the regional and Frozen Four championship sites.

“Brian will be an excellent representative for the NCHC, and for all of college hockey, as he moves into his position as a committee member for NCAA hockey,” said UND Head Men’s Hockey Coach Dave Hakstol.

The Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee is made up of one person from each hockey-playing conference and currently consists of: Rick Goeb, director of athletics, Bemidji State University; Tom Nevala, senior associate athletics director, University of Notre Dame; Rand Pecknold, head coach, Quinnipiac University; Kevin Sneddon, head coach, University of Vermont and Col. William Walker, deputy director of athletics, United States Air Force Academy.

Faison is currently in his fifth year as athletics director at UND.

John Ramage on Seth Ambroz

Good clean hard check by the Wisconsin Badgers defenseman John Ramage on Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Seth Ambroz. Ambroz appeared to be a bit shook up from the Ramage hit, but was able to make it back to the game.

Ambroz--> RT @pgabriel15 He got crunched by Ramage behind the net. Couldn't tell exactly, but he was in pain
— Andy Johnson (@AndyJohnsonB5Q) February 17, 2013

Weekend Match-Ups (by Donn)

I can’t believe how tightly packed the standings are, this late in the season.  Only 6 points separate the top 7 teams.  With CC, DU, ND, and SCSU, on their last bye weeks of the year, the other teams have a chance to gain some ground, and move up the standings.  The Huskies have the inside track on the McNaughton Cup, but don’t have too much room for error with six other teams breathing down their neck.  

WCHA STANDINGS 2012-2013

Team………………………W-L-T………Points

1. St. Cloud St……………15-6-1…….….31
2. North Dakota.………….11-5-6………..28
3. Minnesota……………...11-5-4……..…26
3. Nebraska-Omaha…......12-8-2…....…..26
5. Denver…………..……..10-7-5..….......25
5. Minnesota State……….12-9-1.…...….25
5. Wisconsin…....…………9-6-7………...25
8. Colorado College ……..8-10-4..…..….20
9. Minnesota-Duluth….…..8-11-3……….19
10. Michigan Tech………..6-12-4…..……16
11. Bemidji State……..…..4-13-5......……13
12. Alaska-Anchorage…....2-16-6.....……10

WCHA Games

Minnesota-Duluth @ Bemidji St.

Last weekend the Bulldogs were swept by the MSUM Mavericks in Duluth (4-2, 5-1) and the Beavers got a point from the Badgers (2-2ot, 3-2) in Madison.

The Bulldogs have fallen on hard times, and they have lost five in a row.  But the vet might have what these dogs need, a bone, a big meaty, juicy bone, to chew on.  And that bone comes in the form of a Beaver, from Bemidji.  Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they have the UM and UNO left on the league schedule after this weekend. (They get another bone in between there, when they host Huntsville.)  The Beavers are now officially stuck in the bottom half and will travel in the first round of the playoffs. BSU has not won a game in 2013, their last win was December 15^th versus Denver.  That is winless in 12 games, which includes three ties.  If the Beavers don’t get a win this weekend, they might not win in 2013.  They have two more series after this, at North Dakota, and then they host Minnesota.  SPLIT

Michigan Tech @ #9 Minnesota State

Last weekend the Huskies split with the Seawolves (5-4L, 6-1W) in Houghton and the Mavericks swept the Bulldogs (4-2, 5-1) in Duluth.  On Tuesday the Huskies erupted and put a snowman on the scoreboard against Upper Peninsula foe Northern Michigan, a 8-2 victory for the Huskies.

The Huskies have shown signs of life the last three weekends, going 3-2-1 in their WCHA games.  The Mavericks are winners of four of their last five games.  The Mavs are looking to keep up their winning ways and move up the standings with a pair of wins this weekend at the Verizon Center in Mankato.  MSUM can’t look past this weekend; they need to focus on trampling the Huskies in a stampede of goals.  This is what I’m predicting in this series.  MAVERICKS SWEEP

#16 Nebraska-Omaha @ Alaska-Anchorage  

Last weekend the Mavericks were swept by NoDak (2-1, 5-2) in Omaha and the Seawolves split with the MTU Huskies (5-4W, 6-1L) in Houghton.

The Mavericks need to put last weekend in the past and move on, and move on big, with a big trip to Anchorage.  Omaha has a, we’ll call it, a favorable schedule, after UAA, they host Wisconsin and end the regular season at Duluth.  The Seawolves pick up their second league win last weekend, their first was on December 1^st against SCSU.  The Anchorage faithfully can say that the Seawolves are playing their best hockey of the year currently, going 1-1-2 in their last four games.  Perhaps the Seawolves are gaining some confidence at the right time of the season?  If they can score like they have been as of late they could get another win this weekend.  But the Mavs boast a pretty good bunch of goal scores on their team, so UAA will need some defense and solid goal tending to get some more points.  MAVERICKS 3-PTS

#2 Minnesota @ #18 Wisconsin (Fri/Sun)

Last weekend the Gophers split with the SCSU Huskies (4-2W, 4-3L) in St. Cloud and the Badgers took three points from the Beavers (2-2ot, 3-2) in Madison.

I’m sure the Badgers are looking at the weekend with two goals in mind.  One get a pair of wins, to help them get a good grip on a home spot, and two, cost their rivals a chance at the last McNaughton Cup.  The Badgers have cooled off some the last few weekend going 1-1-2 in their last four WCHA games. However, most of the Badgers wins have come against the teams below them in the standings, and now they are playing a team ahead of them.  The Gophers are 2-2-0 in their last four WCHA games, which are their only two losses since December started.  Sunday’s game will be played outside at Chicago’s Soldier Field, let’s hope they don’t have ice problems like UND-UNO did last Saturday.  If Wisconsin can keep the score low and stay out of the box, they could get themselves some valuable points this weekend.  SPLIT

BYE WEEK

Colorado College
#11 Denver
#7 North Dakota
#8 St. Could State 

This weekend’s NCAA Division one television schedule (2/15 – 2/17)

Big Ten Network (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

ere is this weekend’s National College Hockey television schedule. There is a full slate of college hockey on television again this weekend. Check your television guide for times in your local area. As with any schedules, channels will change and have in the past.

This weekend, there will also be three college hockey games that will be available in Canada, so, for college hockey fans north of the border, you should check your local television guides as well.

For college hockey fans that are looking for college hockey to watch on television this weekend, because their favorite team is on a bye week, there are many games to choose from, again this weekend.

This weekend, there will also be two more outdoor hockey games on Sunday, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. This will be a double header, and it’s being billed as the Hockey City Classic. If you have you have the sports pack on DirecTV, you can watch the game between Miami and Notre Dame at 1:00 p.m. CT and then at 3:30 p.m. CT you can watch the Badgers and the Gophers on the Big Ten Network, which is on most premium sports cable television packages.

Fri.	Feb. 15		Northern Michigan at Michigan State	BTN	6:30 p.m.	610 / 439 (C)
Fri.	Feb. 15		Boston University at Maine	NBC Sports Net.	6:30 p.m.	603 / 159
Fri.	Feb. 15		Notre Dame at Miami	CBS Sports Net.	6:30 p.m.	613 / 158 (C)
Fri.	Feb. 15		Minnesota at Wisconsin	FS North	7:00 p.m.	668/669 / 436
Sat.	Feb. 16		Bowling Green at Ferris State	FS Detroit	6:00 p.m.	663 / 430
Sat.	Feb. 16		Boston University at Maine	NESN	6:00 p.m.	628 / 434
Sat.	Feb. 16		Northern Michigan at Michigan State	FS Detroit	6:00 p.m.	663 / 430
Sun.	Feb. 17		Notre Dame vs. Miami (Soldier Field)	FS Detroit	12:00 p.m.	610 / 439 (C)
Sun.	Feb. 17		Minnesota vs Wisconsin (Soldier Field)	BTN	3:30 p.m.	663 / 430

*NESN = New England Sports Network, FCS = Fox College Sports, FSN+ = Fox Sports North-Plus, NBCSN = NBC Sports Network, DirecTV requires the “Sports Pack” to view the Regional sports Networks, (C) Denotes games available in Canada. All times are Central Standard Time.

Cross Posted at the Hockey Writers Combine... 

How some of us voted in the WCHA Web Media Poll

Each week, 12 of us participate in the WCHA Web Media Poll put on by the Tech Hockey Guide.

Matthew Semisch, Radio Free Omaha
1. Minnesota
2. St. Cloud State
3. North Dakota
4. Nebraska-Omaha
5. Denver
6. Wisconsin
7. Minnesota State
8. Minnesota Duluth
9. Michigan Tech
10. Colorado College
11. Bemidji State
12. Alaska Anchorage

                

Troy Mills, The Beaver Pond
1. St. Cloud State
2. Minnesota
3. North Dakota
4.  Denver
5. Nebraska-Omaha
6. Wisconsin
7. Minnesota State
8. Colorado College
9. Minnesota Duluth
10. Michigan Tech
11. Bemidji State
12. Alaska Anchorage

Tim Braun, Tech Hockey Guide
1. Minnesota
2. Saint Cloud State
3. North Dakota
4. Nebraska-Omaha
5. Denver
6. Minnesota State
7. Wisconsin
8. Minnesota Duluth
9. Michigan Tech
10. Colorado College
11. Bemidji State
12. Alaska Anchorage

Eric J. Burton, Goon’s World.
1. Minnesota
2. Saint Cloud State
3. North Dakota
4. Nebraska-Omaha
5. Denver
6. Minnesota State
7. Wisconsin
8. Colorado College
9. Minnesota Duluth
10. Michigan Tech
11. Bemidji State
12. Alaska Anchorage

Andy Johnson, Bucky’s Fifth Quarter
1. Minnesota
2. Saint Cloud
3. North Dakota
4. Denver
5. Nebraska-Omaha
6. Wisconsin
7. Minnesota State
8. Minnesota Duluth
9. Colorado College
10. Michigan Tech
11. Bemidji State
12. Alaska Anchorage

This weekend's NCAA Division one television schedule

Here is this weekend’s National College Hockey television schedule. There is a full slate of college hockey on television again this weekend. Check your television guide for times in your local area.

This weekend, there will also be two college hockey games that will be available in Canada, fans north of the border, should check your local television guides as well.

In the state of Minnesota and North Dakota, fans of the University of North Dakota hockey team will be able to watch the Mutual of Omaha Battles on Ice between the Nebraska-Omaha and North Dakota on the Midco Sports Network at 4:00 p.m. (CT).

Maverick fans in the Omaha, Nebraska area will be able to watch the outdoor game on Cox Communications. As of right now, temperatures at game time should be in the mid to upper-40s with a light rain. 

	Date			Network	Time	Channel
Fri.	Feb. 8		North Dakota at Nebraska-Omaha	NBC Sports Net.	6:30 p.m.	603 / 159
Fri.	Feb. 8		Michigan at Notre Dame	CBS Sports Net.	6:30 p.m.	613 / 158 (C)
Fri.	Feb. 8		Minnesota at St. Cloud State	FSN +	7:30 p.m.	657/444
Fri.	Feb. 8		Colorado College at Denver	ROOT Sports	8:30 p.m.	683 / 414
Sat.	Feb. 9		North Dakota at Nebraska-Omaha	Midco/Cox	4:07 p.m.	Check listing
Sat.	Feb. 9		Massachusetts at Merrimack	NESN	3:00 p.m.	628/434
Sat.	Feb. 9		Minnesota at St. Cloud State	FSN +	7:00 p.m.	657/444
Sun.	Feb. 10		Providence at New Hampshire	CBS Sports Net.	4:00 p.m.	613 / 158 (C)
Mon	Feb. 11		Harvard vs. Boston University	NESN	3.30 p.m.	628/434
Mon	Feb. 11		Boston College vs. North Eastern	NESN	6:30 p.m.	628/434

*NESN = New England Sports Network, FCS = Fox College Sports, FSN+ = Fox Sports North-Plus, NBCSN = NBC Sports Network, DirecTV requires the “Sports Pack” to view the Regional sports Networks, *Cox = Cox Communications, *Midco = Midcontinent Sports Network (Grand Forks, North Dakota), (C) Denotes games available in Canada. All times are Central Standard Time.

Cross Posted at the Hockey Writers - Combine...

USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll; UND stays at 7

February 04, 2013

	Team	(First Place Votes)	Record	Points	Last Poll
1	Minnesota	(30)	18- 4-4	978	1
2	Quinnipiac	(20)	19- 3-4	967	2
3	Miami		17- 6-5	876	4
4	New Hampshire		16- 7-2	804	3
5	Boston College		15- 7-2	798	5
6	Western Michigan		17- 6-5	770	6
7	North Dakota		14- 8-6	659	7
8	St. Cloud State		17-10-1	603	12
9	Denver		15- 8-4	596	10
10	Yale		13- 6-3	587	8
11	Minnesota State		16- 9-3	421	15
11	Notre Dame		16-11-1	421	9
13	Boston University		13-10-1	412	11
14	Nebraska-Omaha		16-10-2	352	14
15	Niagara		17- 4-5	328	17
16	Massachusetts-Lowell		14- 9-2	280	13
17	Dartmouth		11- 8-3	190	16
18	Union		13- 8-5	168	18
19	Wisconsin		11- 9-6	97	19
20	Merrimack		12-10-5	61	NR
Others receiving votes: Alaska 46, Colgate 46, Ferris State 17, Providence 13, Ohio State 4, St. Lawrence 2, Bowling Green 1, Holy Cross 1, Northern Michigan 1.