Around the Rest of Hockey This Weekend

Hockey Least:

Always glad to see a UHN loss but looks like they'll be hosting and present at Manchester anyway.

BU couldn't find the net against BC last night and this time they lost. First SO by BC over BU since the Eisenhower administration.

Howard lowers his GAA again. I know they like to alternate goalies but my red and white glasses are seeing a coach not choosing to start a guy wth a GAA lower than Lenny on purpose. I know it's not but still.

UMass downs Lowell to advance to Boston. Thought Lowell would have taken at least one from UMass

CHA:

If that was Findlay's last win as a program, what a way to go out - 9 goals.

Atlantic Hockey:

There actually playing all four QF games on the same rink today and the first QF game started at 10 this morning. That's kind of like drinking a beer in the morning - good on St. Pat's Day and Slope Day but otherwise just wrong. Army the host was the first team knocked out of the AHA tournament.

WCHA:

Couple of upsets with Mankato State taking down Minnesota-Duluth and Alaska Anchorage, after going 0-22 in the history of the WCHA playoffs taking down Wisconsin at the Kohl Center in the most well attended game of the night for their first playoff win. Got to suck to always fly somewhere only to lose

CCHA:

No big surprises but glad to see that Northern Michigan who's just trying to get downstate to Detroit for the Super Six next weekend and wound up having to fly to Alaska for the playoffs beat A-Fairbanks.

We're pretty much unchanged in PWR and upsets are interesting in the first round but get more serious for bubble teams on championship weekend.

Sorry Age, I read the do-not-edit your first post too late.

[Q]Howard lowers his GAA again. I know they like to alternate goalies but my red and white glasses are seeing a coach not choosing to start a guy wth a GAA lower than Lenny on purpose. [/Q]

Howard's GAA is currently 1.17, but even though LeNeveu finished with a 1.20, he had a 1.14 going into the playoffs, as I recall (and a couple goals each from Harvard and Mankato, and 3 from UNH raised that to 1.20). So basically, Howard's GAA at this point in the season is worse than Lenny's at this point last season, and as Maine goes deeper into the playoffs, there WILL be more goals allowed.

but he won't play all of the games, like Lenny did.

[Q]atb9 Wrote:

but he won't play all of the games, like Lenny did.
[/Q]

Well, Lenny didn't play all the games last season either (recall that Marr subbed in for Everblades and the North Country), but still, he did play the great majority of the games, which Howard did not for his team this year.

Unlike two years ago, Lenny did play every game. It is unlikely Howard will play anywhere as many games as Dave did.

[Q]Will Wrote:

atb9 Wrote:

but he won't play all of the games, like Lenny did.


Well, Lenny didn't play all the games last season either (recall that Marr subbed in for Everblades and the North Country), but still, he did play the great majority of the games, which Howard did not for his team this year.
[/Q]

But Lenny played all post-season games last year. We don't know if Howard will. If Howard plays Maine's first game both of the next two weekends, he will likely face the easier of the two opponents. Howard has split time with Doyle all season long.

[Q]Howard has split time with Doyle all season long. [/Q]

And Whitehead will continue with the rotation through the playoffs. Maine has a history of doing this, if I'm not mistaken (Snow/Dunham in 1993....and the other two the last time they won the national title, but I forget their names...)

You got it, Al. That's what I meant. I'm an engineer so my communication skills aren't 100% yet...

The example was Lenny gave up goals against tough opponents during the playoff run which resulted in his GAA being raised. Howard, even if he gives up a few goals, won't play as many top notch games during the postseason as Lenny did. I don't think Howard is even the #1 goalie at Maine since Doyle has played more games (but something tells me Howard was injured around WJC time). But the HE people will say that Howard played better opponents than Lenny did even if Howard played less games.

Imagine Cornell meeting Maine in the playoffs and having the chance to push Howard's GAA average up above 1.20.

My quick calculation says if Howard gives up 2 goals in his next start, that's 21 goals allowed in 1032:19 (approx 17.2 games) or 1.22GA. 3GA would push him to 1.28.

Well, we still have most of Marinaro's records intact, the yards-per-game ones. Obviously not total yardage, now when teams play 11 games times 4 years.

Not sure where to post this but Matt has been making the u-wire a lot this year...congrats!

[sports.yahoo.com]

[Q]Tom Pasniewski 98 Wrote:

That's kind of like drinking a beer in the morning - good on St. Pat's Day and Slope Day but otherwise just wrong.[/Q]
How about Mardi Gras? (Actually, I was drinking cocktails instead of beer with unpleasant consequences. )

UNH beats PC
BU beats BC
Maine barely wins another close one against Merrimack

HE Tournament:
Maine vs. BU
UMass vs. UNH

John - You're spending too much time looking at the ice in your drinks instead of the ice on the playing surface

Regarding Howard, he theoretically faces an easier opponent in Boston University if the trend holds but I'm not so sure everybody would agree the way they took out BC and our friend Matty.

It's tough to fathom BC a number one seed losing five of six going into the NCAA's but the numbers say they are. Not bad to be a one seed and have an unintended 'bye' week going into the national tournament.

BUs Jack Parker began the season 12 wins ahead of BU's Jerry York for career wins (680 to 668). Few probably expected York to jump Parker this season but he did but with their elimination, he can't reach 700 this season. York is at 695 and Parker 692 after last night's win. Should be a fun race to see which two Beantown hockey icons get to 700 first next season.

With the regionals in their backyard and the FF down the road, UHN has a short road to travel this year but here's hoping Cornell and UHN's paths cross again, he says not woofing and knowing our recent history - just it will be in the national spotlight if we do meet again.

Alright, screw Howard, Let's Go McKee!! Screw UHN, Clarkson SUCKS!

[Q]Tom Pasniewski 98 Wrote:

Alright, screw Howard, Let's Go McKee!! Screw UHN, Clarkson SUCKS! [/Q]

Don't forget, Harvard sucks. Can't say that enough.

[Q]Will Wrote:
Don't forget, Harvard sucks. Can't say that enough.
[/Q]

But they aren't sucking as much lately. I'm gonna be ill if they pull off another run like 2002.

[Q]nyc94 Wrote:

Will Wrote:
Don't forget, Harvard sucks. Can't say that enough.


But they aren't sucking as much lately. I'm gonna be ill if they pull off another run like 2002.

[/Q]

I have a hunch that only one team can stop them, and that team better get by Clarkson tonight.

Anybody want to take a gander at what the hell happened to Marsters last night? McKee gives up five and Marsters gives up five and gets pulled?

Harvard and Cornell can not meet till the championship game and that's the way it should be. If 'that team beats Clarkson tonight', in the semi's we would play:

The winner of tonight's RPI-Dartmouth game if Colgate beats St. Lawrence. Harvard would play Colgate

OR

St. Lawrence if they beat Colgate. Harvard would play the RPI-Dartmouth winner.

I'd like the latter. St. Lawrence needed two OT's to beat Yale and hasn't shown much offense against Colgate and if Silverthorn can stop them so can McKee.

So many of the game recaps mention the do or die mentality that led to some of the upsets so far this weekend in other conferences like in BU's case. With no ECAC team in the top 14, everybody should bring a do-or-die mentality. It's bad for the ECAC but makes for great games. Nickerson is the exception - he brings a do-AND-die mentality to the games.

It's been a while since I've heard Swanee - that diiiiiiiieeeeeee just keeps getting longer and longer. Let the diiiiieeeeee die. Crisp and short. Loud Lynah and Silent Lynah - great transition. Oh who am I kidding - that's been talked about already and all hope has been lost.

[Q]Tom Pasniewski 98 Wrote:

Anybody want to take a gander at what the hell happened to Marsters last night? McKee gives up five and Marsters gives up five and gets pulled?

[/Q]

I'm guessing he was pulled once it was hopeless to rest and get his head straight for tonight. Good move by Fridgen.

[Q]Tom Pasniewski 98 Wrote:
With the regionals in their backyard and the FF down the road, UHN has a short road to travel this year but here's hoping Cornell and UHN's paths cross again, he says not woofing and knowing our recent history - just it will be in the national spotlight if we do meet again.[/Q]
I can tell you first hand that UNH is a defensive meltdown waiting to happen, if/when they get knocked out it will more than likely be by a large margin, i.e. Maine two years ago.

Does anyone know if the BU-Maine game will be televised?

And as far as the ECAC tourney goes, I'm casting my vote for Colgate.

Wait, you mean there's still college hockey this year?

[Q]Jordan 04 Wrote:

Wait, you mean there's still college hockey this year? [/Q]

It would be Howard's turn in the rotation against BU, right?

[Q]dss28 Wrote:

[q]Jordan 04 Wrote:

Wait, you mean there's still college hockey this year? [/q]

It would be Howard's turn in the rotation against BU, right?
[/Q]Man, I wish it were a midseason BC playing against him, not a lucky-to-be-here BU. Here's hoping BU lights him up anyway.

NESN will be televising the Hockey East tournament live on Friday. My listings for Boston and Comcast indicate that both ECAC semifinal games will be live on CN8.

I've got to go with BU in the semi's to raise Howard's GAA. He should be starting.

Dartmouth made a big jump in the Pairwise after Sunday's games. I'm pulling for them to beat Colgate in the finals in the outside hopes of getting two ECAC teams in as slim as that might be plus I have to pull for the Ivy over the non-Ivy.

As much as I like the underdog, they don't help getting two ECAC teams in. But seeing as that hope is just about lost, why not route for Alaska-Anchorage. They get the best foresight of the weekend award. Seeing as they were 0-22 all-time in WCHA playoff games before this weekend and knowing that they would not win back-to-back games and sweep Wisconsin on Wisconsin's home ice, they intentionally started their second goalie with lower numbers after winning Game 1, basically handing Game 2 of the series to Wisconsin in order to rest their firt goalie King, for a guaranteed Game 3 which they won.

Plus UAA draws Colorado College and a CC loss to UAA can only help trying to get a second ECAC team in as long as UAA doesn't win the whole thing. Same with BU - beat Maine but don't win Hockey East.