Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Notes: Huskies Soaring Since Trip

Visit to Northern Ireland helped spark nation’s best second-half record.

Notes: Huskies Soaring Since Trip
Northeastern’s eight-game unbeaten streak (7-0-1) is tied with Providence for the longest active streak in the nation.

By Nate Ewell

Huskies’ overseas turnaround – Northeastern, the nation’s best team since mid-December, can point to the development of freshman goaltender Ryan Ruck (Coto de Caza, Calif./Des Moines-USHL) or the return from injury of senior Kevin Roy (Lac-Beauport, Quebec/Lincoln-USHL/ANA) as turning points in the season. Most significant, according to head coach Jim Madigan, wasn’t an individual performance but the team’s trip to Northern Ireland over Thanksgiving. That saw the Huskies snap a 0-10-2 stretch and begin their climb to a sleeper in the Hockey East playoffs that begin this weekend. | Watch: Huskies in Belfast

Best Record Since Dec. 19
.882 – Northeastern (14-1-2)
.844 – Denver (12-1-3)
.824 – Yale (13-2-2)
.800 – Michigan (11-2-2)
.781 – Quinnipiac (10-1-5)


Must Read/See/Hear Material

The Players’ Tribune: The Senior
Boston Globe: Stevens brothers a dynamic connection for Northeastern
New Haven Register: Quinnipiac’s Garteig, St. Denis still winning big together
Star Tribune: Michigan’s ‘Red Baron’ still gunning for goals
BGSUHockey.com: Improved mental approach playing big dividends for Nell
St. Cloud Times: Jackson loves basketball, hockey, commentary
Daily Collegian: Gallacher finds a home with UMass hockey
Watertown Daily Times: Clarkson’s Powers sees increased production
GoHolyCross.com: 2016 Pink the Rink


Five More Storylines No One Should be Without

Local pride on the line – Among the most compelling playoff matchups this weekend is the Buffalo-area rivalry between Niagara and Canisius set for HarborCenter. Each team has a wealth of local talent including freshmen on both sides who were teammates last season on the Buffalo Jr. Sabres. Canisius’s Joshua Gabriel (Lancaster, N.Y./Buffalo-OJHL) and Daniel LaFontaine (Lloyd Harbor, N.Y./Buffalo-OJHL) and Niagara’s Ryan Kuhn (Wheatfield, N.Y./Buffalo-OJHL) will be among the familiar faces hoping to end the others’ season this weekend.

Mankato’s sharpshooter – The WCHA title will come down to the final weekend of the regular season, with Minnesota State holding a two-point edge in the race for a second straight title. The resurgence of senior Bryce Gervais (Battleford, Sask./Penticton-BCHL) has helped spark the Mavericks down the stretch, with half of his 14 goals coming in the last 9 games. Gervais – who was the nation’s fourth-leading career goal scorer entering the season – was a 22% shooter last season, but scored on just 7.5% of his shots through Jan. 22. Since then he has scored on 22.6% of his shots and he has had at least one shot in every game this year.

Twins hope to extend Colgate season – Colgate closed Starr Rink in style with a sweep last weekend and enters the ECAC playoffs at Dartmouth as a potentially dangerous underdog. The Raiders are led by a five-member senior class looking to extend their college careers, headlined by twins Tyson and Tylor Spink (Williamstown, Ont./Cornwall-CCHL). That duo scored 3 of the 4 Colgate goals last weekend and has 28% of the team’s goals and points on the year.

Local fuels UMD – Minnesota Duluth hosts Miami for what could be the first of two straight weekends as home-ice advantage is on the line. Sophmore Karson Kuhlman (Esko, Minn./Dubuque-USHL) helped give the Bulldogs a one-point edge in the standings on the RedHawks with his best weekend of the season last week. A local product – Kuhlman grew up just a few exits down I-35 from Duluth – he has developed more of a 200-foot game as a sophomore while among UMD’s top six scorers.

Instant impact at PSU – Scoring in junior hockey doesn’t always translate to the NCAA level, but when you’re scoring to the tune of 81 goals in two years, it’s a good sign of things to come. It has certainly worked for Penn State freshman Andrew Sturtz (Buffalo, N.Y./Carleton Place-CCHL), a former CCHL MVP who leads the Nittany Lions with 15 goals and a +17 rating. The 5-foot-8, 185-pound Sturtz has settled in on Penn State’s top line with David Glen (Fort Saskatchewan, Alta./Spruce Grove-AJHL) and David Goodwin (Des Peres, Mo./Cedar Rapids-USHL) and helped replace the offense lost when last year’s leading scorer, Casey Bailey, signed an NHL contract.


NHL Note of the Week

Following the NHL trade deadline, here are the NHL rosters with the most NCAA alums (including injured reserve, as of March 2):

14 – Pittsburgh
12 – Minnesota
10 – Montreal, New Jersey
9 – Anaheim, Carolina, Detroit


Fries at the Bottom of the Bag

Denver linemates Danton Heinen (Langley, B.C./Surrey-BCHL/BOS) and Dylan Gambrell (Bonney Lake, Wash./Dubuque-USHL) were named player and rookie of the month, respectively, by the Hockey Commissioners’ Association for February … Zac Lynch (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bay State-EJHL) has tied former teammate Cody Wydo for the Robert Morris career scoring record (150 points). Lynch is the top career scorer among all active players.