JonEJet Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 Go Friars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFSIKH Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 Huskies choked. You know BU will win today. BTW - why does every other team play back to back and BU/Prov gets to take a break in between? BU has a deal with the devil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Bit Special Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 = Congrats to BU on winning the regular season title... Postseason Matchups (3 game series, hopefully starting friday) Maine at BU UMass at Northeastern BC at UNH Lowell at VT 4 great matchups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Bit Special Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 In meaningless college hockey news, Bemidji St wins the regular season title. BSU plays Alabama Huntsville and Niagara will face Robert Morris in 1 game elimination on friday with the championship ("The Battle for the Bid") on saturday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afosomf Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 In meaningless college hockey news, Bemidji St wins the regular season title. BSU plays Alabama Huntsville and Niagara will face Robert Morris in 1 game elimination on friday with the championship ("The Battle for the Bid") on saturday. LOL the real NU spit the bit a while ago ever since the new league announcement..they blow NU basketball has a chance to go to dance if they win 2nite and tomorrow vs Siena Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Bit Special Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 http://www.hockeyeastonline.com/men/presarch/200903/mar8hea.php WAKEFIELD, Mass. - The Hockey East Association has announced the field for the upcoming 25th annual Hockey East Tournament, which begins on Friday, March 13 on the campus sites (best of three series) of the top four seeded teams. All series begin on Friday and are best of three series in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs. All quarterfinal games will begin at 7 p.m., except for the NESN game on Saturday night, which begins at 7:30 p.m (UMass at NU). No. 1 seed Boston University (27-5-4, 18-5-4 HEA) will host No. 8 Maine (12-20-4, 7-17-3 HEA) at Agganis Arena in Boston. The Terriers won the season series with the Black Bears, 2-0-1. The teams last met in the playoffs in March of 2004 in the HEA semifinals (Maine shutout BU, 1-0). The Terriers clinched their eighth Hockey East regular-season title in school history on Sunday afternoon with a 3-0 shutout of Providence. BU enters the tournament unbeaten in its last 16 games (13-0-3) No. 2 seed Northeastern (23-9-4, 18-6-3 HEA) will entertain No. 7 seed Massachusetts (15-18-3, 10-14-3 HEA) at Matthews Arena in Boston. NESN will broadcast Game 2 of the series live on Saturday night with a special start time of 7:30. The Minutemen won the season series, 2-1-0. The two teams have never met in the Hockey East playoffs. No. 3 seed New Hampshire (19-10-5, 15-8-4 HEA) will match up against No. 6 Boston College (16-13-5, 11-11-5) at the Whittemore Center in Durham, N.H. UNH took the season series with the Eagles, 2-1-0. BC has won three of the last four Hockey East Tournament titles. No. 4 seed Vermont (20-9-5, 15-8-4 HEA) plays host to No. 5 seed UMass-Lowell (17-15-2, 14-11-2 HEA) at Gutterson Fieldhouse in Burlington, Vt. The season series was a deadlock at 1-1-1. These two teams also meet for the first time in league tournament play. Hockey East Tournament games will be available for viewing by a worldwide audience through B2 Networks and will be aired through www.hockeyeastonline. com as well as www.b2tv.com. Fans wanting to watch hockey games via B2 Networks will need a high-speed Internet connection and a current version of Microsoft Windows Media Player. Games will be sold on an individual basis for $8 (US). The Hockey East Tournament pass for viewing all games broadcast by B2 Networks will be $40, which includes every game except the Saturday night NESN game (UMass at NU). (Note: Direct link to B2 for purchasing game and tournament passes will be posted later in the week) The winners of each quarterfinal series will advance to the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston for the 25th annual Hockey East Championships on Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21. The semifinals will be played Friday at 5 and 8 p.m. and the title game will be played on Saturday night at 7 p.m. in Boston. All three games will be broadcast live on NESN. The Hockey East Association is a 10-team, Division-I college hockey conference, with offices based in Wakefield, Mass. Founded in 1983, the league has won five NCAA championships in the past 14 years. The conference also sponsors an eight-team women Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Bit Special Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 FYI: Northeastern tickets are on sale now at their website. http://www.gonu.com/mhockey/ I will be going Friday (with Gainzo! and friends) and Saturday (with other friends) so if anyone who is a NU fan wants to meet up please let me know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afosomf Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 FYI: Northeastern tickets are on sale now at their website. http://www.gonu.com/mhockey/ I will be going Friday (with Gainzo! and friends) and Saturday (with other friends) so if anyone who is a NU fan wants to meet up please let me know! you guys are going all the way to Minn to see NU play chapeau!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gainzo Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Regardless of what happens this weekend it has been an excellent season for Lowell. 1). Winning the season series against BC, UMass, Maine, Merrimack and Providence. 2). Sweeping Maine for the 1st time ever in Hockey East. 3). Averaging over 4,600 fans at home. 4). Going 9-4-2 to finish the season after losing 6 straight games from December 6th through January 10th. The best thing is that Lowell only loses 3 players to graduation this year. My picks for the quarterfinals: BU over Maine (It wont be close). UMass over Northeastern (Unless Theissen stands on his head). UNH over BC (I think BC has only won once or twice since the whitt opened). UVM over Lowell (I think this will go 3 games, but I just can't see Lowell getting it done twice on the road ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gainzo Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 In meaningless college hockey news, Bemidji St wins the regular season title. BSU plays Alabama Huntsville and Niagara will face Robert Morris in 1 game elimination on friday with the championship ("The Battle for the Bid") on saturday. Thank goodness the CHA is going away next year. I had no idea a 4 team league had a tournament to decide who gets their arses kicked in the NCAA's. What a joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GangGreen Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 = Congrats to BU on winning the regular season title... Postseason Matchups (3 game series, hopefully starting friday) Maine at BU UMass at Northeastern BC at UNH Lowell at VT 4 great matchups. Hey, we can't win them all. I was rooting for my hometown team BC, but I'm obviously happy with BU winning it because they're my hometown team too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonEJet Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 My picks for the quarterfinals: BU over Maine (It wont be close). UMass over Northeastern (Unless Theissen stands on his head). UNH over BC (I think BC has only won once or twice since the whitt opened). UVM over Lowell (I think this will go 3 games, but I just can't see Lowell getting it done twice on the road ). Lol I think we have a new jinx here on JN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garb Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Hey, we can't win them all. I was rooting for my hometown team BC, but I'm obviously happy with BU winning it because they're my hometown team too. Any Bostonian - regardless of their current address - understands that rooting for BU hockey makes you a member of the Taliban. Just sayin'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFSIKH Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Thank goodness the CHA is going away next year. I had no idea a 4 team league had a tournament to decide who gets their arses kicked in the NCAA's. What a joke. Why did they even play a league schedule? 18 games to decide positioning for a single game elimination tournament. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afosomf Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Any Bostonian - regardless of their current address - understands that rooting for BU hockey makes you a member of the Taliban. Just sayin'. Outside of MIT and Harvard BU may be best school in mass...why the hate? you should be proud of these local schools Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Bit Special Posted March 11, 2009 Author Share Posted March 11, 2009 Outside of MIT and Harvard BU may be best school in mass...why the hate? you should be proud of these local schools Why does anyone hate a school? Because they are a rival. I dont care about their academics or what type of school they are... Jack Parker is an ass hat and I hate him and his team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afosomf Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Why does anyone hate a school? Because they are a rival. I dont care about their academics or what type of school they are... Jack Parker is an ass hat and I hate him and his team. seems like everyone hates a winnah why do ma$shole fans root for patsies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Bit Special Posted March 11, 2009 Author Share Posted March 11, 2009 seems like everyone hates a winnah why do ma$shole fans root for patsies Thats all they have. But there are a ton of colleges in new england, so there are plenty of opportunities to hate. There is no one major school that all the rednecks root for like in other areas of the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFSIKH Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Thats all they have. But there are a ton of colleges in new england, so there are plenty of opportunities to hate. There is no one major school that all the rednecks root for like in other areas of the country. That is very true. I follow BC football and basketball, but hate their hockey team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garb Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Outside of MIT and Harvard BU may be best school in mass...why the hate? you should be proud of these local schools First of all, although I loathe to say it, BC is a better school than BU. BU isnt even in the top five. Harvard MIT Wellesly Williams Tufts Smith Brandeis Boston College Babson College then MAYBE BU and that's a BIG maybe....there are a gazillion schools in Mass with stellar academics. Holy Cross, Mt. Holyoke, Simmons, Bentley, etc. Shoot, even my poor Huskies U is a good school. Screw BU! All they have is a good hockey team, an asshat coach with an ego the size of Manhattan, slutty chicks and an alum named Howard Stern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
war ensemble Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Outside of MIT and Harvard BU may be best school in mass...why the hate? you should be proud of these local schools It's penis envy. By the way, that alum named Martin Luther King, Jr. just might offset Howard Stern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gainzo Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 That is very true. I follow BC football and basketball, but hate their hockey team. I'm the same way with BC. BU on the other hand is the most hated school when it comes to College Hockey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Bit Special Posted March 12, 2009 Author Share Posted March 12, 2009 First of all, although I loathe to say it, BC is a better school than BU. BU isnt even in the top five. Harvard MIT Wellesly Williams Tufts Smith Brandeis Boston College Babson College then MAYBE BU and that's a BIG maybe....there are a gazillion schools in Mass with stellar academics. Holy Cross, Mt. Holyoke, Simmons, Bentley, etc. Shoot, even my poor Huskies U is a good school. Screw BU! All they have is a good hockey team, an asshat coach with an ego the size of Manhattan, slutty chicks and an alum named Howard Stern. there is nothing wrong with slutty college chicks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFSIKH Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 I'm the same way with BC. BU on the other hand is the most hated school when it comes to College Hockey. I agree. I hated them when they were able to fund a football team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Bit Special Posted March 12, 2009 Author Share Posted March 12, 2009 It's penis envy. By the way, that alum named Martin Luther King, Jr. just might offset Howard Stern. Impossible. Jack Parker doesnt have a d!ck. He just is one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFSIKH Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Impossible. Jack Parker doesnt have a d!ck. He just is one. Jack Parker > Ron Jeremy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gainzo Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 From today's Lowell Sun. River Hawks soar into post-season By Chaz Scoggins, chaz@lowellsun.com LOWELL -- If Jack Parker, the coach of Hockey East regular-season champion and top-ranked Boston University, is accurate with his prediction, UMass Lowell should be headed to Boston Garden for the Lamoriello Trophy Tournament semifinals for the first time in seven years. "Whoever wins any of these series has to have good goaltending and good special teams," Parker said earlier this week as he assessed the four first-round series. Both the Terriers and the River Hawks, who finished fifth in the standings, seem to fit Parker's criteria perfectly. BU and UML finished one or two in the league in every important category but one. The River Hawks finished third in team defense behind BU and Northeastern. BU and UML were one-two in offense and power-play efficiency. UML was the top penalty-killing team in the league (89.1), and BU was second. While the top-seeded Terriers will take on eighth-seeded Maine at home in their best-of-three quarterfinal round series, the River Hawks will have to beat fourth-seeded Vermont on the road, beginning tomorrow night. All three games, if necessary, begin at 7 p.m. and can be heard on 91.5 FM. Inconsistent goal-scoring and a string of one-goal losses in December and January prevented the River Hawks from finishing higher in the standings and getting home ice for the first round. But they went 8-3-2 in their last 13 games. "We have been streaky scoring goals. But our defense has been solid, and we finished Advertisement the season pretty strong after a six-game losing streak," said UML coach Blaise MacDonald. "A lot of those games were on the road, which builds confidence for us." The River Hawks took three of four points from Vermont in Burlington three weeks ago. Vermont coach Kevin Sneddon knows his seventh-ranked Catamounts are in for a struggle against the unranked River Hawks. "We had a very difficult time against Lowell this year," Sneddon admitted. "Their strength is they believe in their systems and don't make a lot of mistakes. "If you're a transition team that capitalizes on mistakes, you're going to get pretty frustrated. And their goaltending stood up really tall against us." While goalies Nevin Hamilton and Carter Hutton were ranked third and fourth in Hockey East, respectively, UML defensemen are also offensive catalysts. River Hawks defensemen have tallied 89 points in 34 games, and only BU's defensive corps has scored more. Sophomore defenseman Maury Edwards is UML's leading scorer with 27 points, including 10 goals. He was the top-scoring defenseman in the league and eighth overall. Exaggerating only slightly, Sneddon has said that Edwards possesses "the hardest shot of any man alive." The River Hawks take a 15-13-2 record into the series. Vermont is 20-9-5. Edwards (10-17-27), sophomore Scott Campbell (11-13-24) and freshman David Vallorani (8-16-24) are UML's leading scorers. Hutton (2.05, .916) and Hamilton (2.23, .924) have been splitting netminding duties. Hutton has two shutouts in his last three starts, including a 1-0 victory over the Catamounts. Viktor Stalberg (22-18-40), Peter Lenes (13-16-29) and Brian Roloff (10-17-27) top the Vermont scoring list. Stalberg finished third in the HEA scoring race and led the league with 19 goals. Rob Madore (2.30, .915) handles most of the net work for the Catamounts. This will be the first time the River Hawks and Catamounts have met in a post-season game since Vermont scuttled Lowell Tech 7-0 in the ECAC Division II playoffs back in 1972. The River Hawks are 51-47-4 all-time in post-season play but are just 1-10 in the first-round of the Lamoriello Trophy Tournament over the last five years. Second-seeded Northeastern hosts seventh-seeded UMass Amherst, and third-seeded New Hampshire entertains sixth-seeded Boston College in the other first-round series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gainzo Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 As much as Jeff Howe gets on his knees to blow all things UMass hockey (Toot, Toot!) this is an excellent piece on Hockey East. A 25-Year Success Story: Hockey East By Jeff Howe Hockey East wasn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Bit Special Posted March 13, 2009 Author Share Posted March 13, 2009 http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/mens_hockey/articles/2009/03/13/hockey_east_quarterfinal_thumbnails/ NO. 1 BOSTON UNIVERSITY VS. NO. 8 MAINE When, where: Tonight, 7, at Agganis Arena. Records: BU 27-5-4; Maine 12-20-4. Goals: BU, Jason Lawrence 21, Brandon Yip 16, Nick Bonino 15; M, Brian Flynn 12, Gustav Nyquist 10, Tanner House 9. Assists: BU, Colin Wilson 32, Bonino 27, Chris Higgins 26; M, Nyquist 18, Flynn 13, House 11, Christopher Hahn 11. Goaltending: BU, Kieran Millan (21-1-3, 1.77 GAA), Grant Rollheiser (6-4-1, 2.13); M, Scott Darling (9-12-3, 2.63), Dave Wilson (3-8-1, 2.82). Head to head: BU leads the season series, 2-0-1. Miscellany: BU is 13-0-3 in its last 16 games . . . The Terriers led the conference in scoring offense (3.97 goals per game) and defense (1.92 GAA) . . . Nyquist is sixth among freshmen with 17 points during conference play. [url=http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/mens_hockey/articles/2009/03/13/hockey_east_quarterfinal_thumbnails/#commentAnchor] NO. 2 NORTHEASTERN VS. NO. 7 UMASS-AMHERST When, where: Tonight, 7, at Matthews Arena. Records: Northeastern 23-9-4; UMass 15-18-3. Goals: N, Ryan Ginand 19, Wade MacLeod 13, Steve Quailer 9; UM, James Marcou 14, Casey Wellman 11, Alex Berry 11, Cory Quirk 11. Assists: N, MacLeod 19, Joe Vitale 19, Steve Silva 15, David Strathman 15; UM, Marcou 30, Wellman 22, Berry 18. Goaltending: N, Brad Thiessen (23-9-4, 2.12); UM, Paul Dainton (11-12-1, 2.48), Dan Meyers (4-6-2, 2.65). Head to head: UMass leads the season series, 2-1. Miscellany: Marcou tied for first with 35 points in conference . . . Ginand tied for third with 14 goals in Hockey East games . . . Wellman led all freshmen with 25 points in Hockey East action. NO. 3 NEW HAMPSHIRE VS. NO. 6 BOSTON COLLEGE When, where: Tonight, 7, at Whittemore Center, Durham, N.H. Records: UNH 19-10-5; BC 16-13-5. Goals: UNH, Mike Sislo 18, James van Riemsdyk 15, Peter LeBlanc 12; BC, Brock Bradford 23, Kyle Kucharski 10, Brian Gibbons 9. Assists: UNH, van Riemsdyk 22, Kevin Kapstad 21, Bobby Butler 19; BC, Bradford 17, Gibbons 17, Benn Ferriero 17. Goaltending: UNH, Brian Foster (18-8-4, 2.60), Matt DiGirolamo (1-2-1, 4.66); BC, John Muse (16-13-5, 2.78). Head to head: UNH leads the season series, 2-1. Miscellany: Van Riemsdyk scored two goals in UNH's 4-2 victory Feb. 21 at Conte Forum . . . Bradford's 31 points in conference action ranked fourth . . . UNH has won six of its last seven. NO. 4 VERMONT VS. No. 5 UMASS-LOWELL When, where: Tonight, 7, at Gutterson Fieldhouse, Burlington, Vt. Records: Vermont 20-9-5; UMass-Lowell 17-15-2. Goals: V, Viktor Stalberg 22, Peter Lenes 13, Brian Roloff 10, Justin Milo 10; UML, Kory Falite 14, Scott Campbell 11, Maury Edwards 10. Assists: V, Dean Strong 19, Stalberg 18, Roloff 17; UML, Jeremy Dehner 20, Edwards 17, Nick Schaus 16, David Vallorani 16. Goaltending: V, Rob Madore (13-7-4, 2.30), Mike Spillane (7-2-1, 2.88); UML, Nevin Hamilton (9-6-1, 2.23), Carter Hutton (7-8-1, 2.05). Head to head: The teams tied the season series, 1-1-1. Miscellany: Stalberg's 19 goals were tops in conference play . . . Hutton made 21 saves to earn a shutout in the last meeting, a 1-0 UMass-Lowell win Feb. 21 in Burlington . . . Falite has four game-winning goals in 20 conference games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Bit Special Posted March 13, 2009 Author Share Posted March 13, 2009 http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/mens_hockey/articles/2009/03/13/decided_advantage/ Until Wilson chooses to leave for the pros, he gives Terriers the edge Without the NHL draft to think about, sophomore Colin Wilson has flourished, leading Hockey East in scoring with 46 points. (Jon Colin Wilson wasn't quite finished enjoying his status as the seventh overall selection in the NHL draft by the Nashville Predators last June when he began thinking about his immediate future. The Boston University coaching staff felt strongly that Wilson should return for his sophomore season, and the Predators agreed. But that doesn't mean there wasn't plenty of deliberation by the then-18-year-old center. Wilson decided to return, and he's one of the major reasons the Terriers are the top-ranked team in the nation and the No. 1 seed in the best-of-three Hockey East quarterfinals, which begin tonight as BU takes on No. 8 seed Maine at Agganis Arena. "After the draft, it was a couple of days after, I thought that BU would be the best choice," said Wilson, who leads the conference in scoring (14-32 -46). "It took awhile to make my decision just because there was no need to rush it, nobody was really pressuring me, and so I just wanted to make sure it was the right decision. Obviously, it was a great decision. The team has been really good this year and being ranked No. 1 for a while, we've got a great team. We have a lot of key players with a lot of skill who all want to win and I think their best hockey is yet to come. Everyone is going to be playing a lot harder because the main goal is to win the national championship." Wilson has strong hockey bloodlines. His father, Carey, played in the NHL for 10 seasons and his grandfather, Jerry, played briefly for the Montreal Canadiens and later became the Winnipeg Jets' team doctor. Coincidentally, Nashville assistant general manager Paul Fenton, a Springfield native and former BU player, played with Carey Wilson for part of one season with the Calgary Flames and has watched Colin grow into an impressive on-ice presence. "I talk to him quite frequently," Fenton said of the 6-foot-2-inch, 215-pound Wilson. "His maturity has come twofold as far as the way he approaches each game, the way he perceives himself as a top-line player now in Hockey East. It's a maturity thing, it's a comfort level. Our vision is for him to be a top power forward at the NHL level. His intensity, his approach to the game, his professionalism in the way that he trains both on and off the ice are beyond his years. He's played a great role for them to be ranked No. 1 this year." Wilson, who wears No. 33, as did his father, feels the Terriers are far more hungry this season than they were a year ago, and it should serve them well in the postseason. "I think we're a little bit more committed and everybody's a little bit more motivated to win the national championship at the same time," he said. "When you get into an atmosphere where I personally just have to worry about having a winning season, helping out the team, it's certainly a lot different than last year when I had to worry about making the [united States] world junior team and being in the draft. With the guys knowing, too, that I have pretty much just that one goal in mind of winning also helps them be a little bit more comfortable around me." BU coach Jack Parker said Wilson, who was Hockey East's rookie of the year last season, has developed into a more consistent player. "He's had some slips and some droughts in his effort, and therefore his scoring, but they weren't nearly as long as they were at some times last year," said Parker. "That consistency has paid off in terms of him being recognized as one of the best players in our league. There's a reason why we have a really good power play, and he's one of them. He does a good job killing penalties, but his forte is on the offensive end. The major difference between last year and this year is growing up. He's more mature. There's not as much pressure on him as there was last year as far as the draft and all that stuff. I think he's much more comfortable here this year." Parker said no matter how many college seasons Wilson plays, he will be judged on the number of titles he helps the Terriers win. "The players who are really considered great players at BU are not the guys who put up a lot of numbers, but the guys who put up a lot of numbers and won a championship," said Parker. "Chris Drury was a great player here but he won a national championship. He won Hockey East championships, he won something big in March and April. The same thing holds true for Mike Grier and Jack O'Callahan. The difference between Joe Sakic and Joe Thornton is Stanley Cups, not points. "It remains to be seen what [Wilson] can do for us, and it's not just [Wilson's] job. It remains to be seen what this team can do for itself to become one of the best BU teams ever. If that's the case, then [Wilson] will be considered one of the best BU players ever." Parker half-jokingly said earlier this season that BU fans had better enjoy watching Wilson play because he won't be here next season. Fenton said it's not a fait accompli that Wilson will turn pro after the Terriers conclude their postseason run. "We've had a history of not rushing our guys and we believe that when they're playing in a good program and they're in a good situation, when we think it's going to help them both mentally and physically to be able to develop another year, our recommendation is always to err on the side of caution," said Fenton. "With us, there's no rush. With the new way the [collective bargaining agreement] is and with seven years of pro service before you lose these guys to free agency, our standpoint is we want them to come in and contribute when they're ready to contribute and not nurture them along so you have to baby-step them in order to have them be productive for your team. Each kid is an individual case but we want these kids coming in when they're ready." Fenton said the Predators want Wilson to focus on BU and not worry about his future. "We're just letting Colin play the rest of the year and see where it takes him," he said. "One of my good friends at BU has offered me money at times to leave him there for four years, but I don't think it's going to happen, that he'll be there for four years. Could he be there for three? That's a decision that his parents make and he'll make and his adviser [Neil Sheehy] makes. They're going to ask us for our opinion, and of course the BU people will have some say in there as well. No decision has been made as far as I'm concerned where he's going to be next year." "I think they'll probably come at him pretty hard, and we'll have some input," said Parker. "I think he can verify whatever decision he makes. I think he'll be a really good NHL player. He wants to be, he's got the mentality for it. He's got the body for it and the head for it and he's got a lot of skill. He's a can't-miss NHL player." Only not just yet. Because there is unfinished business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Bit Special Posted March 13, 2009 Author Share Posted March 13, 2009 http://www.bu.edu/today/2009/03/12/mens-hockey-terriers-face-against-maine The Boston University men's ice hockey Terriers host eighth-seeded Maine in the best-of-three Hockey East quarterfinal series, which begins tonight, March 13, at 7 p.m. at Agganis Arena. The Terriers went 2-0-1 against the Black Bears this season. The top-ranked BU team captured the Hockey East regular-season crown on March 8, the final day of the season, with a 3-0 shutout of Providence at Agganis Arena. Grant Rollheiser (CGS'10) made 16 saves to record his first collegiate shutout. The last time the Terriers faced the Black Bears was on February 14, in Orono, Maine. Nick Bonino (CAS'11) scored with 4:09 left in regulation to help top-ranked BU complete a rally from a two-goal deficit and tie the game. The 2-2 overtime draw snapped the Terriers' nine-game winning streak. The Terriers outshot the Black Bears, 36-21, including an 11-3 advantage in the third period. Both teams went 0-for-6 on the power play. Maine was unable to take advantage of a 1:30 5-on-3 advantage midway through the second, while the Terriers came up empty on a third-period 5-on-3 that lasted for 1:36 during the stretch that they trailed 2-1. The second game of the Hockey East quarterfinals is Saturday, March 14, at 7:30 p.m., and the third game, if necessary, is on Sunday, March 15, at 7 p.m., both at Agganis Arena. Students with a Sports Pass receive free tickets. All other tickets are $26 (or $18 for faculty, staff, and students who do not have a Sports Pass). Click here for tickets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Bit Special Posted March 13, 2009 Author Share Posted March 13, 2009 http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Allen+Lessels%27+College+Hockey%3A+Desperate%2C+and+in+the+house&articleId=3be758a2-991e-41cc-a12d-c4cdce4368f5 DURHAM – They are the defending national champions. They have won the last two Hockey East tournament titles and have played in the final game of the college hockey season in each of the past three Aprils. And the Boston College Eagles are one desperate hockey team as they arrive in town for a best-of-three series in the Hockey East quarterfinals, starting tonight at the Whittemore Center. Tickets for the series are available. "It would be awful nice to knock them out, for once," said UNH senior defenseman Kevin Kapstad. The Eagles, 16-13-5, need to win this series, at the very least, to keep their season going. The only sure way they can get a spot in the NCAA tournament and have a chance to defend their national title is by winning the Hockey East tournament. The Whit will be full of defending national champions this weekend. Minnesota-Duluth -- which won the women's title last March -- plays the UNH women tomorrow at 1 in an NCAA tournament quarterfinal game. The UNH men, 19-10-5 and the No. 3 seed in the Hockey East tournament, are in good position for an at-large spot in NCAAs if they don't win the league tournament. But the Wildcats want to advance to next weekend's Hockey East semifinals in Boston to remove any doubt. ►Click here to visit Allen Lessels' 'Tracking the 'Cats' blog Ending BC's season, Kapstad noted, would be an added bonus. Last year, Boston College beat UNH, 5-4, in triple overtime in a Hockey East semifinal game and UNH lost its next game to Notre Dame, 7-3, in the first round of the NCAA tournament. BC eventually won the national championship with a 4-1 win over Notre Dame. The year before, the Eagles beat UNH, 5-1, in the Hockey East championship game and UNH lost its next game to Miami, 2-1, in the first round of the NCAA tournament. BC beat Miami in the next round and eventually lost in the NCAA title game. The Wildcats are looking to turn the tables. "We're at the Whittemore Center and we don't like losing here," Kapstad said. "Hopefully we can take full advantage of the situation." Taking better advantage of any power-play chances they get would help. The Wildcats have struggled to score on the power play much of the season. They have not scored a power play goal in their last five games -- covering 21 power plays -- and have four power-play goals in their last 13 games. "It's a challenge, but it's not frustrating," said associate head coach Scott Borek, who works with the power-play units. "It's not rocket science. We've got to get the puck behind the goalie and we've got to try and do it once a game on the power play." UNH has 22 power-play goals in 34 games this season. A goal-a-game is the target, but Borek and the coaches also chart whether the power play creates momentum. In last week's split at Vermont, the Wildcats were 0-for-8 on the power play. The good news was they did generate momentum with the man advantage and on Friday night scored one goal two seconds after a power play ended, another three seconds after. "It's all about momentum and confidence," Borek said. - - - - -Payback is a factor in the women's game between UNH and Minnesota-Duluth, too. Last year, the teams met in the NCAA semifinals and UNH outshot the Bulldogs 43-15, but fell 3-2 in a game at Duluth. The Bulldogs went on to win their fourth national title with a 4-0 win over Wisconsin. UNH, the No. 4 seed, is 24-5-5 and has won 15 straight games. UM-D is 25-8-4. Junior goalie Kim Martin, who was named the best goalie of the 2006 Olympics while leading Sweden to the silver medal, had 43 saves in the win over UNH last year. Martin has been injured and hasn't played since Jan. 16, but has been practicing this week and is listed as day-to-day by the team. Senior goalie Johanna Ellison has played well in relief of Martin and has a .934 save percentage and goals-against average of 1.51. - - - - -The Dartmouth women won the ECAC title with a 6-1 win over Rensselaer last weekend and earned a trip to Madison for a first-round NCAA tournament date with No. 1 seed Wisconsin tomorrow afternoon. Dartmouth is 20-9-4 for the season. The Badgers are 31-2-5 and their only losses were to Minnesota-Duluth and Minnesota. One of the Big Green's biggest tasks will be to contend with a hometown player. Hilary Knight, a Wisconsin sophomore out of Hanover and Choate Rosemary School, leads the nation in goals. She has 40 goals and 31 assists for 71 points. The next-highest Badger has 25 goals. Allen Lessels covers college hockey for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. He may be reached at alessels@unionleader.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Bit Special Posted March 13, 2009 Author Share Posted March 13, 2009 http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/sports/stories/6061166.html ORONO -- The challenge can't get any bigger than this weekend for the University of Maine men's ice hockey team. The Black Bears open the best-of-three Hockey East quarterfinals tonight at Boston University -- a team that has set the standard in college hockey this season. The Terriers have been ranked No. 1 in both national polls for all but one week since the beginning of February and enter the playoffs unbeaten in their last 16 games (13-0-3). Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday night; Game 3, if necessary, on Sunday evening. "They are very strong at all three positions, goaltending, defense and forward, and their special teams are so strong," Maine coach Tim Whitehead said. "But we have to clear the slate. It's a new season and it might be a short one if we can't clear the slate quickly. "Anything can happen if we work hard and stay focused. Crazy things do tend to happen in the playoffs and that's our mindset." Maine is winless in its last eight games. By the final weekend of the regular season, the Black Bears were locked into the eighth (and final) seed for the playoffs by virtue of a 4-0-2 record against Merrimack and Providence, the bottom feeders in the Hockey East standings. "If we have our second half fresh in our minds, it's not going to be very beneficial for us," said Chris Hahn, one of Maine's assistant captains. "You can't just turn on the switch so we have to make some improvements and learn from our mistakes. But you need to go in with a fresh mind set." In years past, the Black Bears have been part of the league's elite -- in 25 Hockey East seasons, Maine has been a top-four team 18 times -- but this year is the first time since 1994 that the Black Bears have been the eighth seed in the league playoffs. The Black Bears are well aware of the new label that's been affixed to them: long shot. "The biggest challenge for us is, try not to worry about too much," Maine center Tanner House said. "We're the underdogs, kind of, coming into this series. We have to play hard but have fun and enjoy the experience." BU coach Jack Parker, in his 36th year of coaching BU, put the match-up into some perspective. "We've been a one team that got beat by an eight team, and we have been an eight team that's beaten a one team," said Parker, whose team took the season series from Maine 2-0-1. "So we know exactly what can happen in that round. "The good part is that the last time we played Maine, they tied us 2-2 (on Feb. 14) in what was a well-played, tough contest for us and for them -- a really good college hockey game." The Terriers have the nation's top offense (3.97 goals a game) and will face a Maine squad that has struggled to score. Maine has only 77 goals for this season and in its final eight regular season-games, the Black Bears scored only 16 goals on 210 shots, and face Hockey East's top defense, also the fourth-best defense in the country, which has allowed 69 goals in 36 games. BU leads Hockey East in seven statistical categories and boasts the nation's best power play (24.3 percent), as well as the nation's fourth-best penalty kill (88.5 percent), behind Miami-Ohio (91.1), Minnesota and Notre Dame (both at 88.8). "Obviously, we don't score a lot of goals so we're going to keep it to a low-scoring, physical game," Hahn said. "Officiating can be a little different in the playoffs, you get more 5-on-5 match-ups than you do in the regular season. If there's going to be a lot of penalties, it's going to be huge, and even if there is a few penalties, that one power-play goal or that big kill in the third period could be the deciding factor." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Bit Special Posted March 13, 2009 Author Share Posted March 13, 2009 http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/college/hockey/view/2009_03_13_Feeling_at_home_is_key:_Visitors_tune_out_fans/srvc=home&position=also Weathering the storm when a home team comes out flying in front of a partisan crowd is an important issue for any visiting team. Such will be the case tonight when the 25th Hockey East tournament opens with best-of-three quarterfinal series on campus sites of the top four seeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Bit Special Posted March 13, 2009 Author Share Posted March 13, 2009 http://www.uscho.com/news/id,16857/ThisWeekinHockeyEastMarch122009.html The Second Season Begins It Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.