Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Notes: Titles on the Line

All six conferences crown tournament champions Saturday night with the NCAA Tournament looming.

Notes: Titles on the Line
C.J. Motte leads all active NCAA goaltenders with 15 career shutouts.

By Nate Ewell

Ferris State is the “surprise” team of the WCHA Final Five field, but the Bulldogs’ quarterfinal upset of Bemidji State isn’t that shocking when you consider the program’s recent success. Head coach Bob Daniels’s senior class has played in an NCAA title game and won regular-season titles in the CCHA and WCHA. Goaltender C.J. Motte (St. Clair, Mich./Waterloo-USHL) leads the way, both as team captain and with his play. Motte, the active career leader in shutouts (15), has started every game this year and is 7-1-1 (1.21 GAA, .950 save percentage) in the last nine games.
The WCHA Final Five is on FOX Sports North

Must Read/See/Head Material

Star Tribune: Penn State leads expanding college hockey footprint
Boston Globe: Eichel learning lessons on, off the ice
USCHO.com: Get to know Jack
Mankato Free Press: Leitner, Gervais have been showmen for Mavericks
Denver Post: Star trio helping DU push the puck into postseason play
MGoBlue.com: Werenski, Larkin roommates, friends off the ice
ESPNChicago.com: Respect for Toews remains great at North Dakota
WCHA.com: Madhouse of the Rising Sun
Behind-the-Scenes Videos: Canisius and Vermont

Don’t Miss

Thursday: Hobey Baker Award finalists named
Saturday: Six conference champions crowned
Sunday: NCAA Selection Show (12 p.m., ESPNU)

Five More Storylines No One Should be Without

SLU’s all-around d-man – After sharing ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year honors last season, St. Lawrence defenseman Gavin Bayreuther (Canaan, N.H./Fargo-USHL) has posted offensive numbers that suggest a sophomore slump (16 points vs. 36 a year ago). Head coach Greg Carvel quickly notes the fallacy in that conclusion. While points may have measured Bayreuther’s play a year ago, he’s now a much more well rounded defenseman, his coach says. He’s been a big reason the Saints – picked 11th in ECAC Hockey in the preseason – are the No. 2 seed and the virtual home team this weekend in Lake Placid, 83 miles east of campus.
ECAC Hockey games are on FOX College Sports

Lowell’s Wisconsin connection – Lowell, Mass., is a long way from Lambeau Field, but you could understand if some River Hawk fans wore cheeseheads to TD Garden this weekend. UMass Lowell’s top five defensemen feature three Wisconsin natives in senior Jake Suter (Flambeau, Wis./Sioux City-USHL), sophomore Michael Kapla (Eau Claire, Wis./Sioux City-USHL) and sophomore Dylan Zink (Madison, Wis./Jamestown-NAHL). That defense corps has helped lead the River Hawks back to Boston as two-time defending Hockey East champion despite the departure of last year’s first-team All-America goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck.
Hockey East games are on NESN, NBCSN and TSN2

Latest Spartan wall – Michigan State won 11 CCHA playoff championships at Joe Louis Arena, often behind tournament MVP efforts of goaltenders like Ron Scott, Norm Foster, Jason Muzzatti, Ryan Miller (twice) and Jeff Lerg. As the Spartans return to “the Joe” for the Big Ten Tournament, they look to conference player of the year Jake Hildebrand (Butler, Pa./Cedar Rapids-USHL) to lead them. Hildebrand has the nation’s best save percentage since Christmas (.951) and led MSU – picked fifth in the preseason – to second in the conference and a first-round tournament bye.
The Big Ten Tournament is on BTN

Dutch treat – There’s only one Division I player from the Netherlands, making the path to Mercyhurst for senior Nardo Nagtzaam (Nijmegen, Netherlands/Alexandria-NAHL) about as unique as the Lakers’ path to the Atlantic Hockey semifinals. Mercyhurst trailed Bentley, 2-0, midway through the third period of their quarterfinal Game 3 before tying the score on two goals in 14 seconds – the second on an assist from Nagtzaam. He scored the winner with just 5.5 seconds remaining in regulation. Though he has battled injuries Nagtzaam has earned the chance to be on the ice in such key situations – he represented his home country in the Division I, Group B IIHF World Championship last spring and has 68 points in 94 career games for Mercyhurst.
Atlantic Hockey’s games are on Time Warner Cable in New York

Goals from Coleman – Senior Blake Coleman (Plano, Texas/Indiana-USHL/NJ) nearly carried Miami to an NCAA berth last season, scoring nine goals in the last 10 games as the RedHawks reached the NCHC title game. Now, with an NCAA bid secure, he’s on another tear as Miami seeks NCHC and NCAA hardware. Coleman has a four-game goal streak (5g-4a in that time) and seven goals in his last nine games. The former USHL Player of the Year ranks third on the team in scoring and has proven to be one of the nation’s more dangerous goal scorers in the past two seasons (see below).
The NCHC Frozen Faceoff is on CBS Sports Network

Most Goals, Last Two Seasons
50 – Cody Wydo, Robert Morris
49 – Daniel Ciampini, Union
45 – Sam Anas, Quinnipiac
42 – Bryce Gervais, Minnesota State
42 – Andrew Gladiuk, Bentley
40 – Jonny Brodzinski, St. Cloud State (LA)
40 – Jimmy Vesey, Harvard (NSH)
38 – Riley Barber, Miami (WSH)
38 – Kevin Roy, Northeastern (ANA)
37 – Ralph Cuddemi, Canisius
37 – Mario Lucia, Notre Dame (MIN)
37 – Matt Willows, New Hampshire
36 – Blake Coleman, Miami (NJ) & three others

NHL Note of the Week

Andrew Hammond, whose last year at Bowling Green came while this year’s seniors were sophomores, is 11-0-1 with the Ottawa Senators and has allowed two goals or fewer in his first 12 NHL starts. Only Frank Brimsek – who played at St. Cloud State (then St. Cloud Teachers College) in the early 1930s – has had a similar run in his first dozen NHL starts. | More on Hammond and Cam Talbot

Fries at the Bottom of the Bag

Alabama-Huntsville freshman Jack Prince (London, England/Texas-NAHL) was named to Great Britain’s national team, a 31-member roster that will be trimmed to 23 for the IIHF World Championship (Division 1B) … The Mike Richter Award has named five finalists for the 2015 honor … Find an updated list of professional signings here.