Monday, March 16, 2015

Stat Pack: Top Stoppers

Hot goalies in the playoffs, rare air for Eichel and much more in this week’s dive into NCAA hockey stats.

Stat Pack: Top Stoppers
Michigan State goaltender Jake Hildebrand has stopped more than 95% of the shots he has faced since Christmas.

In our Stat Pack feature, College Hockey Inc. highlights five obscure but telling statistics from the world of college hockey.

1. Looking for the hot goalies heading into conference championship weekend? Here are the best from the second half, and in the last month:

Best Save Percentage, Since Christmas
.951 – Jake Hildebrand, Michigan State
.946 – Keegan Asmundson, Canisius
.945 – Alex Lyon, Yale
.944 – Michael Bitzer, Bemidji State
.943 – Kyle Hayton, St. Lawrence

Best Save Percentage, Last Month
.964 – Keegan Asmundson, Canisius
.960 – Daniel Tirone, New Hampshire
.958 – Jamie Phillips, Michigan Tech (WPG)
.953 – C.J. Motte, Ferris State
.949 – Alex Vazzano, Sacred Heart
.949 – Jake Hildebrand, Michigan State
.949 – Charlie Finn, Colgate

2. Jack Eichel (N. Chelmsford, Mass./U.S. NTDP) surpassed 60 points over the weekend, just the fifth freshman to do so since Paul Kariya 22 years ago.

Most Points, Freshmen, Since 1992-93
100 – Paul Kariya, Maine, 1992-93 (18 years old, 2.56 points per game)
63 – Ryan Carter, Iona, 1998-99 (21, 1.91)
62 – Thomas Vanek, Minnesota, 2002-03 (19, 1.38)
61 – Jack Eichel, Boston University, 2014-15 (18, 1.79)
61 – Zach Parise, North Dakota, 2002-03 (18, 1.56)
61 – Darren Haydar, New Hampshire, 1998-99 (19, 1.49)

3. Discipline can be a big benefit in the playoffs, when power plays can be scarce. Here are the most well behaved teams in the nation:

Fewest Penalty Minutes per Game
7.19 – Yale
8.33 – AIC
8.41 – UMass Lowell
8.79 – Michigan State
8.89 – St. Cloud State
9.03 – Vermont
9.12 – Harvard
9.58 – Canisius

4. Four of the top five teams in shots on goal margin remain in the hunt for playoff titles:

Largest Shots on Goal Margin per Game
+12.11 – Minnesota State
+7.95 – Michigan Tech
+7.68 – Alaska
+7.57 – Miami
+6.78 – Penn State

5. Here’s a look at the conference tournament history for the 26 teams in action this weekend:

Most Conference Tournament Titles
12 – Boston University
11 – Michigan State
9 – Michigan, Wisconsin*
8 – Denver*
7 – North Dakota, Harvard
6 – Minnesota, St. Lawrence
5 – Bowling Green
3 – Mercyhurst, New Hampshire
2 – UMass Lowell*
1 – Canisius, Colgate, Miami, Minnesota State*, Ohio State, Quinnipiac, RIT, Robert Morris*, St. Cloud State
0 – Ferris State, Penn State, Vermont

Division I only; includes previous conference affiliations
* Defending champions