By Nate Ewell
Note of the Week
Just win, Mavericks – The nation’s longest winning streak belongs to a team nearly omitted from the national polls – Minnesota State, which has won six straight, checks in at No. 20 in the USCHO rankings. The Mavericks and first-year head coach Mike Hastings return to his old stomping grounds this weekend, facing Nebraska-Omaha and many of the players he recruited as an assistant coach at UNO. Hastings is one of only two new head coaches in college hockey this year and has his team in the mix of the WCHA race headed into this weekend’s series with No. 13 UNO.
Must Read/See/Hear Material
Mavericks headed to Omaha for 2-game series – Mankato Free Press
Mike Hastings on NHL Network Radio (.mp3)
With NHL lockout, college hockey gets more coverage – Grand Forks Herald
Matheson shines at Boston College – Montreal Gazette
All-rookie line just part of success Colgate seeing from freshmen – USCHO.com
Cichy enjoying new opportunity – College Hockey News
Five More Notes No One Should Be Without
Levine lifting RMU – Robert Morris is on a roll, thanks in large part to the play of senor goaltender Eric Levine. The team is 2-0-2 since Levine returned from injury and 5-2-2 on the year when he plays. The next two games for the Colonials – who hosted a record crowd at home Saturday against Ohio State – are against in-state foe Penn State, first in Happy Valley this Saturday and then after Christmas at the Three Rivers Classic in Pittsburgh. Levine, who ranks fifth nationally with a .941 save percentage, will be key as the Colonials try to defeat another Big Ten opponent.
U.P. superiority – Coming off a 2-1 win against Michigan Tech, Northern Michigan meets another Upper Peninsula opponent this weekend in a series with Lake Superior State. The Wildcats welcomed Matt Thurber back into the lineup against MTU, and he still shares the team lead in scoring despite missing five games. NMU is 4-2-2 when the senior transfer from Wisconsin gets on the scoresheet.
Knights’ PK – After an 0-4-3 start Clarkson seems to have righted the ship, going 4-3-1 since including a 3-3-1 ECAC Hockey record. The tipping point seems to lie in quieting opponents’ power plays: in those four wins, Clarkson’s penalty kill is 94.7% successful, while in the three losses, it’s 53.3%. The continued improvement of freshman goaltender Greg Lewis should help – he has a .923 save percentage in his last six games.
Tournament time – With a limited schedule this weekend and no games next weekend, here’s a quick look at the most intriguing holiday tournament fields that will welcome college hockey fans back from the holiday break:
Spread out scoring – A quick look at the top point scorers in the NCAA show the balance in college hockey. Nine schools are represented among the top 11 scorers, with Colorado College (Rylan Schwartz and William Rapuzzi) and St. Lawrence (Kyle Flanagan and Greg Carey) the only teams with two. Not surprising, nine of the 11 players are juniors or seniors, with sophomores Johnny Gaudreau (BC) and Austin Czarnik (Miami) the only exceptions.