Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Notes: Clarkson’s OT Hero

Defenseman de Haas’s heroics set up North Country showdown, plus more as playoffs hit full swing.


Notes: Clarkson's OT Hero
James de Haas is an alternate captain for Clarkson as a junior.

By Nate Ewell

Clarkson’s OT hero – One of college hockey’s top rivalries takes place in a playoff setting this weekend after Clarkson advanced to face St. Lawrence thanks to a pair of overtime goals from junior defenseman James de Haas (Mississauga, Ont./Penticton-BCHL/DET). The goals were the fourth and fifth of the season for de Haas, who has proven to be a reliable defenseman in his own end with – clearly – timely offensive ability. He is one of three NHL draft picks on the Golden Knight blue line, a group that limited St. Lawrence to 49 shots and 4 goals in two regular-season meetings.


Must Read/See/Hear Material

Grand Forks Herald: UND seniors recall crazy freshman year in Walsh Hall
Boston Globe: Make way for Greenway
Valley News: Big Green senior Barre puts it all together
BGSUHockey.com: Time management and a teammate’s skates benefit Baylis
The Pipeline Show: BU’s Charlie McAvoy
American Sports Network: Penn State creating the blueprint for starting up big-time hockey
Merrimack Athletics: Playoffs All-Access
BostonBruins.com: Donato taking it all in stride

Five More Storylines No One Should be Without

SCSU’s sharpshooter – St. Cloud State’s deep offensive attack features seven players with 12-plus goals, the most in the nation. Leading the way is senior Joey Benik (Andover, Minn./Penticton-BCHL), a sharpshooter who set the Minnesota state high school record with 65 goals in a season. He honed that scoring skill against his twin brother, Andy, who played goal when the two were at St. Francis HS.

Most Players, 12+ Goals
7 – St. Cloud State
5 – Boston College
4 – Michigan, Providence, Robert Morris

Doherty does it all for BC – On a roster filled with first-round picks and other top NHL prospects, unheralded Boston College captain Teddy Doherty (Hopkinton, Mass./Dubuque-USHL) continues to lead the team in multiple ways. Doherty shares the team lead among defensemen with 22 points (11 of them goals), but the versatile senior has spent significant time at forward in the past two seasons. He is one of only two seniors regularly in the Eagle lineup, and head coach Jerry York regularly credits Doherty’s leadership for the success of the Hockey East regular-season champions.

Rookies shine at UW – Wisconsin has a likely first-round NHL pick in Luke Kunin (Chesterfield, Mo./U.S. NTDP), but another freshman – now in his second year of draft eligibility – could prove to be a shrewd pick. Center Seamus Malone (Naperville, Ill./Dubuque-USHL) has put up impressive numbers on the Badgers’ second line, with 25 points entering this weekend’s rivalry series with Minnesota.

Leading NHL-Draft Eligible Scorers
42 points – Dylan Gambrell, Denver
36 – Nolan Stevens, Northeastern
32 – Tage Thompson, Connecticut
28 – Luke Kunin, Wisconsin
28 – Mikey Eyssimont, St. Cloud State
27 – Joe Snively, Yale
25 – Seamus Malone, Wisconsin

Mr. Speaker – RIT begins its defense of the Atlantic Hockey championship on the road at Mercyhurst this weekend. Senior Alexander Kuqali (Pittsburgh, Pa./Sioux City-USHL) should play his 150th career game for the Tigers this weekend (he enters at 148), but the team’s co-captain hasn’t just been busy on the ice during his college career. Kuqali also holds a part-time job as an accountant in RIT’s dining services department, and he recently added a new role. The school’s Saunders College of Business has named Kuqali its commencement speaker for this spring. | Democrat & Chronicle: Kuqali defined by work ethic

Ferris’s fuel – Ferris State junior Gerald Mayhew (Wyandotte, Mich./Cedar Rapids-USHL) continues to develop his game and the state’s former Mr. Hockey award winner leads the Bulldogs into this weekend’s playoff series vs. Northern Michigan. Mayhew had two points in last Friday’s 3-1 win that gave Ferris State home-ice advantage this weekend. Mayhew – whose offensive production has climbed each year on campus – leads the Bulldogs in goals (11), assists (20), points (31) and shots (121).


NHL Note of the Week

Nick Lappin (Brown/New Jersey) and Andrew Poturalski (New Hampshire/Carolina) are the first two NHL signings of the year following their college seasons. Track all pro signings here.


Fries at the Bottom of the Bag

St. Cloud State set a school record with four shorthanded goals Saturday night vs. Colorado College. Penn State leads the nation with 12 SHG … Minnesota enters the final weekend of Big Ten regular-season play with a 4-point advantage in its quest to win a fifth straight regular-season conference championship (WCHA and Big Ten). Boston University (1994-98) is the only school to win five straight regular-season conference titles … Lake Superior State radio voice Bill Crawford joins Bernie Corbett for Hockey on Campus this weekend to celebrate 50 years of Laker hockey.