The 2014 NCAA Ice Hockey Tournament is set to kick off tomorrow at 2 p.m. with Union (N.Y.) taking on Vermont in the Northeast Regional hosted by Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, CT. Here are some of my thoughts on some of the tournament's match ups and teams.
In the Wild West..... (WEST
REGIONAL)
Watch out for Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish, fresh off of a final four run in the Hockey East
Tournament, are expected to make a run at the 'Frozen Four' this
season, even with No. 1 seeded Minnesota in their region.
It's very possible that it can happen.
Notre Dame, before being beaten 4-1 by UMass-Lowell in the Hockey
East Semifinals, took three out of four games from Boston College,
something you don't see very often. One of the nation's hottest
teams, they are 7-2-1 heading into Saturday's game.
The Golden Domers have a plethora of offensive weapons, headed by
T.J. Tynan (8 goals, 29 assists), Vince Hinostroza (8 goals 24
assists), Bryan Rust (16 goals, 15 assists), and Mario Lucia (16
goals, 14 assists).
Defensively, the Irish are a very tough nut to crack. Backstopped by
goaltender Steven Summerhays (21-13-2, .925 save%, 2.00 GAA), Notre
Dame boasts the fifth best defense in the country, giving up just 2.1
goals per game.
In their way in the first round are the St. Cloud State Huskies.
Notre Dame, who was the number one seed in the Midwest Region last
year, were dismantled by the Huskies in the first round 5-1. The
Irish haven't seen the 'Frozen Four' since 2011 when they were
defeated by eventual national champion Minnesota-Duluth.
In a very wide open tournament, the West Region looks to be the most
difficult to win. Minnesota (the overall number one seed) is the
heavy favorite over Robert Morris. If both Notre Dame and Minnesota
win their first round games. The two teams will be in a heavyweight
fight for the ages for the chance to head to the 'Frozen Four'.
Down in the Queen City....
(MIDWEST REGIONAL)
UPSET ALERT
I'm taking a good, long look at the match up between number four
seeded North Dakota and the first seeded Big Ten Tournament Champion
Wisconsin, and I sense an upset in the making.
Both teams have similar styles of play and this game could very well
go either way.
North Dakota, who was upset by Miami in the National Collegiate
Hockey Conference Tournament, beat Western Michigan 5-0 in the third
place game.
Rocco Grimaldi (14 goals, 22 assists), Michael Parks (11 goals, 17
assists), and Drake Caggiula (11 goals, 12 assists) are the main guns
up front for the seven-time national champion program.
On the other end of the ice for the Badgers, Mark Zengerle (10 goals
33 assists), Nic Kerdiles (15 goals, 22 assists), Michael Mersh (22
goals, 13 assists), and Tyler Barnes (13 goals, 14 assists) look to
light the lamp a few times themselves.
Wisconsin is subject to scrutiny regarding their games on the road
this season. The Badgers come into Friday's contest with a 5-8-1 road
record including bad losses away from the Kohl Center against Boston
University, Miami, and a Michigan State Spartan team that had various
struggles all year.
Not that they had any control over who they played in Saint Paul last
weekend in the inaugural Big Ten Tournament, Wisconsin squeaked past
a tired Penn State 2-1 in the semifinals and beat an exhausted Ohio
State Buckeye team in overtime in the championship that was playing
their third game in three days. Wisconsin was also trailing in that
game by two goals with under seven minutes remaining in the game
before storming back with two goals in less than a minute to tie the
game at four, before eventually winning in overtime. Out of those
five road wins, two of them came against a Penn State team that
struggled all season long.
One thing is for sure. Don't expect a lot of goals in this contest.
North Dakota's Zane Gothberg and Wisconsin's Joel Rumpel are two of
the best goalies in the nation. Gothberg (.923 save%, 2.05 GAA) comes
into Friday's game with a 18-9-3 record while Rumpel (.930 save%,
2.03 GAA) has a 21-5-1 record.
Out East..... (EAST REGIONAL)
UNION'S REGION TO LOSE
While every other region looks as if each game is going to be a
battle for 60 minutes, the east looks a little weaker.
Union, the ECAC tournament champs and the favorite to come out on top
of the East Region, are coming into the tournament with a record of
28-6-4.
The Dutchmen are firing on all cylinders both offensively and
defensively. Union boasts the second ranked offense in the country
(3.68 goals per game), as well as the fourth ranked defense (2.08
goals against).
Daniel Carr (22 goals, 23 assists) leads the Union attack with a
great supporting cast of players including Daniel Ciampini (19 goals,
16 assists), playmaker Mat Bodie (4 goals, 28 assists), and Mike
Vecchione (12 goals, 19 assists).
Colin Stevens has been a brick wall in the net for the Dutchmen. The
junior from Niskayuna, NY, has a 24-4-2 record with .931 save
percentage and is giving up just 1.96 goals per game.
In their first contest on Friday, the Dutchmen face a very balanced
Vermont Catamount team. Behind Chris McCarthy (16 goals, 24 assists)
and Hockey East Rookie of the Year Mario Puskarich (19 goals, 16
assists), Vermont is a team that has an uncanny ability to hang
around great teams. In the first weekend of November, UVM split the
series with Notre Dame at Gutterson Fieldhouse. Back in mid-February,
the 'Cats played Boston College tight for two games, losing by scores
of 4-3 and 5-3. The Catamounts played UMass-Lowell in five of their
last six games. Each game was a one goal contest and the 'Cats came
out on top twice.
Vermont will look to do the same against Union.
In the Northeast Region....
(NORTHEAST REGIONAL)
Can Denver Pull off the Upset?
Arguably the most anticipated match up of the first round, Denver,
winners of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Tournament,
takes on national powerhouse Boston College. And before you say
anything, I know, I know. Boston College is great. They've been to
the national championship game five out of the last eight years. They
have “Johnny Hockey”. They have legendary head coach Jerry York.
I get it.
There's no questioning the prowess that Boston College possesses.
They're the only team in the country averaging more than four goals a
game. They have the nation's leading scorer in Johnny Gaudreau (32
goals, 37 assists). Kevin Hayes (24 goals, 32 assists) and Bill
Arnold (12 goals, 36 assists) are also in the top ten in the nation
in points. Despite that, Notre Dame was able to slow down the
high-powered Eagle offense, limiting them to two goals or less in
three out of the four games that the two teams played against each
other at the end of the season (the Irish took three out of four of
those games).
The Eagles were stopped before they could even start their
championship run last season. Boston College was throttled 5-1 by
Union in the first round of the tournament.
Defensively, both teams are essentially dead even. Denver is sixth in
the country (giving up 2.24 goals a game) while Boston College is
eighth (giving up 2.27 goals a game).
The Pioneers, winners of seven national titles, are making their
seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. Denver is 1-6 in its
last five appearances since winning back to back titles in 2004 and
2005.
The contest between the Eagles and the Pioneers will be just the second time they've met in the NCAA tournament. Denver beat BC 10-4 on March 15, 1973 in the national semifinals and also
posted a 4-1 victory in the national semifinals on March 14, 1968. Denver holds the all-time series lead 14-11.
Saturday will be the first meeting since October 14, 2011 at Kelly Rink in Newton, MA. Denver took that game by a 4-2 final.
Denver's first-year head coach Jim Montgomery will need a solid game plan to defeat Boston College. After winning the the Anderson Trophy and the Clark Cup, as well as being named GM of the Year with the United States Hockey League's Dubuque Fighting Saints, he will need the same output from his players this year in order to make a run at the Pioneers' eighth title.
Denver has a very balanced scoring output, meaning they have several players capable of burying the puck at any given time.
Trevor Moore sits on top of the Pioneer stat chart, pocketing 13 goals this season to go along with 18 assists.
But if Denver wins Saturday, it's going to have to come through the defense and netminder Sam Brittain. The senior from Alberta, Calgary has started 38 of his team's 41 games this season. He is 19-13-6 and he has an excellent .932 save percentage accompanied with a 2.11 goals against average.
In what is the most wide open tournament in recent years, each game will without a doubt be worth watching.
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