Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Notes: CC’s Inspirational Leader

Turnarounds, milestones and draft eligible stars highlight this week’s NCAA hockey notes.

Notes: CC's Inspirational Leader
Hunter Fejes has 7 goals in his last 9 games; his previous career high for goals in a season was 8.

By Nate Ewell

Colorado College is 5-4-0 since Nov. 27, impressive especially since the last six of those games have been on the road. Considering the Tigers’ record was 0-13-0 before this stretch, it’s downright remarkable. Senior Hunter Fejes (Anchorage, Alaska/Shattuck St. Mary’s/ARI) has fueled the run with a team-leading 7 goals in that time. The Arizona draft pick – one of two NHL picks on the CC roster – is an inspirational story himself, having survived a car accident at age 10 that took his mother’s life. Fejes and the Tigers conclude an eight-game road stretch with two games at North Dakota this weekend. | The Gazette: Losing mother at young age prepares Fejes for any challenge | Saturday’s game is on FOX College Sports

#JY1K Watch – Already the winningest coach in college hockey history, Boston College’s Jerry York enters this weekend just one win shy of 1,000 for his career. The No. 4/5 Eagles are at Massachusetts (Fri.) and home vs. Connecticut (Sat.). Boston Globe: BC’s York on brink of a grand achievement

Must Read/See/Hear Material

The Players’ Tribune: A School Known to All
Grand Forks Herald: Enjoy the present with this UND team
Grand Forks Herald: Perseverance works for Cam Johnson
Hartford Courant: Pecknold’s commitment drives Quinnipiac to No. 1
The Pipeline Show: Kyle Connor
Ithaca Journal: Cornell’s Tschantz with a chance to make an impact
Buffalo News: McLaughlin happy to be back in area
NCHCHockey.com: Europeans expanding NCHC’s borders
BGSUHockey.com: Falcons’ McDonald having solid first season

Five More Storylines No One Should be Without

Lively Snively – The co-leading scorer at Yale, freshman Joe Snively (Herndon, Va./Sioux City-USHL), has made an immediate impact at the college level thanks in part to his patience in getting there. Snively, who turned 20 on New Year’s Day, could have joined the Bulldogs last season but opted for another year in the USHL, where he put up 27 goals and 64 points in 55 games for Sioux City. His offensive touch has carried over to the college game, and the 5-foot-9, 165-pound Snively has led Yale on a six-game unbeaten streak entering this weekend’s series at Clarkson and St. Lawrence.

Points Per Game, NHL Draft-Eligible Players
0.95 – Dylan Gambrell, Denver
0.90 – Luke Kunin, Wisconsin
0.82 – Joe Snively, Yale
0.81 – Brandon Fortunato, Boston University
0.81 – Bobby Nardella, Notre Dame

Draft watch at UW – Wisconsin freshman Luke Kunin (Chesterfield, Mo./U.S. NTDP) enters this weekend’s rivalry series with Minnesota on a three-game goal-scoring streak (3g-4a) and earning acclaim from NHL Central Scouting. The likely first-round 2016 NHL Draft pick is listed 16th among North American skaters and second only to BU’s Charlie McAvoy (Long Beach, N.Y./U.S. NTDP) among current NCAA players. Kunin, 18, leads the Badgers in goals (9) and shares the team lead in points (18). More: Draft Rankings Highlight NCAA | Friday’s game is on BTN; Saturday’s is on American Sports Network

Second coming at Canisius – Canisius’s offense has come to life in the last two weeks (3.75 goals per game vs. 2.05 previously) and a familiar name is leading the way. Junior Shane Conacher (Burlington, Ont./St. Michael’s-OJHL) – younger brother of the program’s all-time leading Division I scorer, Cory – has 16 goals and 33 points on the year, including 5 goals and 8 points in the last 4 games. Shane is tied for fifth nationally in points and ranks seventh in goals; his 5 game-winners are tied for second. He is on a pace to challenge Cory’s school Division I record of 53 points in a season, set as a junior in 2009-10.

Kozun’s goals – Sophomore Tad Kozun (Nipawin, Sask./Nipawin-SJHL) is enjoying a breakout year for Alaska Anchorage, as his 10 goals are double any teammate’s total and 4 more than he scored all of last season. The former SJHL goal-scoring champion had two younger brothers who played goal to practice his shot on on growing up: Taran (21) and Austyn (20). Taran played in the WHL and is currently a rookie with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies. Tad and the Seawolves are 6-8-2 in the WCHA entering this weekend’s series at second-place Bowling Green.

Another star in net for PC – Defending NCAA champion Providence stands among the nation’s best teams again and one of the team’s strengths – again – is goaltending. Junior Nick Ellis (Millersville, Md./Des Moines-USHL), who spent two seasons as understudy to All-American Jon Gillies, has a .928 save percentage and nine games with 30-plus saves. Goals figure to be at a premium this weekend as Ellis and the Friars face senior goaltender Kevin Boyle (Manalapan, N.J./Westside-BCHL) and UMass Lowell in a top-10 showdown.

NHL Note of the Week

The NHL’s co-leaders in game-winning goals – Joe Pavelski (Wisconsin) and Jonathan Toews (North Dakota) – overlapped one year in college, 2005-06. That season Toews’s linemate, T.J. Oshie, led the NCAA in game-winning goals (9), while Pavelski led the NCAA champion Badgers with 6.

Fries at the Bottom of the Bag

Army West Point travels to Kingston, Ontario, Saturday to face Royal Military College in their annual rivalry game … Notre Dame boasts the nation’s longest active unbeaten streak (7-0-3), while six teams have streaks of six games … Union and Rensselaer meet in the annual Mayor’s Cup game in Albany, N.Y., on Saturday … Fan voting for the Hobey Baker Award is open now on Facebook.