February 28, 2011

ATHLETIC REPUBLIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK #10 DAVID VALLORANI, UMASS-LOWELL (Junior Forward; Hamilton, Ont.) Vallorani scored six points (3g,3a) in the River Hawks three points weekend vs. Providence, including Saturday's game-winning marker, to go along six shots on goal and a +3 rating against the Friars. PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK #27 KEVIN GOUMAS, NEW HAMPSHIRE (Freshman Forward; Lake Worth, Fla.) Goumas registered a goal and three assists on the weekend for the Wildcats. He tallied the game-tying goal in the third period to help UNH capture a 2-2 tie with Northeastern on Friday night and handed out a career-high three assists on Saturday night in a 6-3 win over Northeastern. Goumas was a +3 on the weekend with seven shots on net. PURE HOCKEY DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK #30 DAN SULLIVAN, MAINE (Freshman Goaltender; York, Pa.) Sullivan picked up two victories vs. No. 4 Merrimack with a 0.50 GAA and a .971 save percentage. He recorded his third straight shutout with a 4-0 win over the Warriors on Friday and followed that up by allowing just one goal in Maine's 7-1 win on Saturday night. Sullivan set a school record by extending his consecutive scoreless streak to 202:48 on Saturday before allowing a goal. HOCKEY EAST TEAM OF THE WEEK MAINE BLACK BEARS The Black Bears outscored Merrimack by an 11-1 score in the series sweep over the weekend at Alfond Arena. Maine went a perfect 12-for-12 on the penalty kill and converted on six of 14 (42.9%) power play opportunites. The Black Bears outshot the Warriors by a combined, 70-34, in the two-game set.

Athletic Republic Player of the Week David Vallorani of UMass Lowell ARMY ROTC THREE STARS AWARD At the conclusion of each Hockey East game, the " Army ROTC Three Stars of The Game" are selected. Here are the 2010-2011 season leaders to date: Rk. Name Cl. Pos. School 1. Paul Thompson Sr. F UNH 2. Kieran Millan Jr. G BU 3. Cam Atkinson Jr. F BC 4. John Muse Sr. G BC 5. Wade MacLeod Sr. F NU 6. Chris Connolly Jr. F BU   Chris Rawlings So. G NU

HOCKEY EAST WEEKLY TOP PERFORMERS

Barry Almeida, BC (Jr., F, Springfield, Mass.) Scored one goal in each of two wins over Massachusetts.

Cam Atkinson, BC (Jr., F, Greenwich, Conn.) Tallied a career-high three assists in the team's 4-3 win at Massachusetts on Friday.

Matt Bergland, PC (Jr., F, Faribault, Minn.) Scored a goal in each game against UMass Lowell this past weekend.

Mike Borisenok, UNH, Jr., F, Watervliet, N.Y.) Registered a goal and two assists over the weekend.

Doug Carr, UML (Fr., G, Hanover, Mass.) Turned away 66-of-71 shots (.930) while back stopping UML to a win and tie with Providence.

Adam Clendening, BU (Fr., D, Wheatfield, N.Y.) Tallied a goal, two assists and +3 rating to help BU earn three out of four points in their series vs. Vermont

Drew Daniels, NU (So., D, Suffern, N.Y.) Turned in his first point streak of the season with a goal and an assist, respectively, in the UNH series.

Matt Di Girolamo, UNH (Jr., G, Ambler, Pa.) Stopped 59-of-64 shots (.922), including 33 shots Saturday to give UNH a three-point weekend vs. NU.

Jeff Dimmen, Maine (Sr., D, Colorado Springs, Colo.) Had two goals and two assists on the weekend as Maine swept #4 Merrimack.

Sahir Gill, BU (Fr., F, Terrace, B.C.) Recorded a goal and two assists in the Terriers' weekend series with Vermont

Brian Flynn, Maine (Jr., F, Lynnfield, Mass.) Had two goals and two assists in weekend sweep of Merrimack.

Wade MacLeod, NU (Sr., F, Coquitlam, B.C.) Scored his 17th and 18th goals of the season, both by way of the power play.

Kieran Millan, BU (Jr., G, Edmonton, Alta.) Extended his unbeaten streak in league play to nine games with a combined 65 saves in BU's win and tie vs. UVM.

Stevie Moses, UNH (Jr., F, Leominster, Mass.) Tallied a pair of goals and two assists in UNH's 6-3 win vs. NU. Posted nine shots on net with a +3 rating.

Pat Mullane, BC (So., F, Wallingford, Conn.) Netted the decisive goal on the power play in Saturday's win vs. UMass. Went 28-for-36 (78%) on faceoffs.

John Muse, BC (Sr., G, East Falmouth, Mass.) Recorded 38 saves (on 42 shots) in earning two wins over UMass.

Gustav Nyquist, Maine (Jr., F, Malmo, Sweden) Scored a goal and added three assists in Maine's weekend sweep of Merrimack.

Joseph Pendenza, UML (Fr., F, Wilmington, Mass.) Recorded three tallies in the three-point weekend with the Friars.

Paul Thompson, UNH (Sr., F, Derry, N.H.) Scored a pair of goals in UNH's 6-3 win over Northeastern. Thompson has six multi-goal efforts this season.

Josh Van Dyk, Maine (Sr., D, Woodstock, Ont.) Scored two goals and added two assists in weekend sweep of #4 Merrimack.

CAREER FIRSTS/MILESTONES/WHO's HOT

Adam Clendening, BU (Wheatfield , N.Y.) Has six points (3g,3a) during current five-game point streak

Paul Dainton, UMass (Iqaluit, Nunvut) Set the UMass career records for saves (3,097) and minutes played (6,799) last weekend, he is second in GAA and save% to only Jon Quick

MATT DI GIROLAMO, UNH (AMBLER, PA.) The junior netminder posted a 2.40 GAA and has now allowed two goals or fewer in 16 league games

Maury Edwards, UML (Rocky Rapids, Alta .) Posted his 50th career assist vs. the Friars on Saturday

Daniel Furlong, UML (Stoneham, Mass.) Scored his first collegiate point, an assist, against PC.

Kevin Goumas, UNH (Lake Worth, FLA.) Has eight points (2g,4a) in the last four games

Joel Hanley, UMass (Keswick, Ont.) Has six points (2g,4a) in the last five games, he ranks sixth in Hockey East Defenseman scoring for the season with 3g, 15a

Lance Herrington, UVM (Bow, N.H.) Scored his first career goal against No. 15 BU Friday

Tyler McNeely, NU (Burnaby, B.C.) Registered his 100th career point on Wade MacLeod's power play goal on Saturday against UNH on Saturday

Joseph Pendenza, UML (Wilmington, Mass.) Became the first UML rookie since Kory Falite in 2006-07 to reach double-digit goals (10)

Karl Stollery , MC (Camrose, Alta .) Appeared in his 100th career game Friday

T.J. Syner, UMass (Springfield, Mass.) Has a 7-game point streak in place (2g,5a)

Rem Vanderbeek, PC (Warren, N.J.) Recorded his first career point vs. UMass Lowell Friday

David Vallorani, UML (Hamilton , Ont.) Recorded his 50th career assist vs. Providence Saturday

Josh Van Dyk (Woodstock, Ont.) Had a goal in each game over the weekend Merrimack. Van Dyk had just one goal in his first 134 career games

TEAM NOTES

Boston College: Boston College played before its second straight sellout and fourth in the last six home games in Saturday's 2-1 win over UMass...Through 12 home games this season, Boston College leads Hockey East in attendance and improved its average home attendance figure to 6,691 fans per game, the highest average in Kelley Rink's 23-year history…BC has won nine straight over Massachusetts and improved to 20-4-1 inside the Mullins Center and 24-5-2 inside Conte Forum against the Minutemen...Brian Gibbons tallied two points in the win and has tallied at least one point in 27 (of 32) games this winter…BC's victories marked win Nos. 95 and 96 for the team's senior class…Joe Whitney assisted twice in two games and now has 97 career assists…Sophomore defenseman Brian Dumoulin notched his 49th career point and classmate Pat Mullane tallied his 48th career point over the weekend…Barry Almeida, who also netted a power-play goal in Friday's 4-3 win in Amherst, Mass., scored in consecutive games for the first time since last year's Hockey East Tournament when he scored three times in two quarterfinal wins over the Minutemen…John Muse enters the final weekend of regular-season competition ranked second on the school's all-time saves list with 3,522. He is 83 saves from Greg Taylor's (1993-97) school record (3,605).

Boston University: The Terriers enter the final weekend of the regular season on a league-best nine-game unbeaten streak (7-0-2) in Hockey East play…Twelve of BU's last 14 games have been decided by a goal or less…The Terriers need just one point to secure home ice for the league quarterfinals and can finish as high as second in the conference standings… BU now has eight ties on the year, one away from the school record set in 2003-04 and matched in 2005- 06…Freshman Sahir Gill snapped a 20-game goalless streak when he opened the scoring in Friday's 3-3 draw against Vermont…Freshman Adam Clendening leads all Hockey East rookies in assists with 18…The Terriers' freshman class has accumulated 100 points (29g, 71a) this season, accounting for 38 percent of the team's scoring…Forty-four of BU's 99 goals this season have come in the second period…The Terriers have combined to score seven power-play goals over the past five games…Brian Strait made his debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday to become the eighth player from BU's 2009 NCAA championship team to reach the NHL ranks…BU's two seniors (Adam Kraus, Joe Pereira) will be honored at the Terriers' regular-season finale on Saturday (March 5) at Agganis Arena.

Maine: Maine swept #4 Merrimack 4-0 and 7-1 on the weekend to extend its winning streak to a season-high five games…The Black Bears tied a school record with their third straight shutout on Friday night…Just once before in Maine history has the team recorded three straight shutouts…Rookie goalie Dan Sullivan (York, Pa.) set the school record for consecutive scoreless minutes at 202:48, breaking the old mark of 193:45 set by former standout Jimmy Howard…Maine's top line of Brian Flynn, Tanner House (Cochrane, Alta.) and Gustav Nyquist has 136 career goals and 208 assists for 344 career points…Maine and Merrimack combined for 81 penalties for 301 minutes in the two-game weekend series…The two teams had 33 penalties for 149 minutes in the third period on Friday…Maine scored a season-high four power play goals against Merrimack on Saturday night and were 6-for-14 with the man-advantage on the weekend…Maine limited Merrimack to just 15 shots on goal in the game on Friday night…Brian Flynn notched his team-leading fourth game-winning goal of the season on Saturday night…Maine is 13-1-1 on the season when scoring four or more goals and 12-1-1 when scoring first…Maine seniors combined to score five goals and dish out eight assists for 13 points on senior weekend.

Massachusetts: UMass sits in 8th place in the Hockey East standings – two points ahead of Providence and one point behind Vermont…Providence won the season series against UMass, while the Minutemen won the season series against Vermont…UMass has played four straight games decided by one goal and six straight decided by one or fewer goals…UMass is 1-9 this season in 1-goal games…After going 0-for-33 on the power play in the previous six games, UMass is 4-for-19 with the extra-man in the last four games…UMass is outscored 41-to-29 in the second period after allowing three Boston College goals in that period on Saturday…UMass will host Maine next Friday and Saturday – the Minutemen swept Maine last season in Orono to secure the 7th spot in the Hockey East playoffs.

UMass-Lowell: The River Hawks picked up three points with a 7-2 win and a 3-3 tie against Providence College this weekend…It marked the first time this season UMass Lowell has secured three or more points in a Hockey East weekend…The River Hawks won the season series with the Friars (2-0-1)…UML is 4-1-4 in its last nine games with Providence…Freshman Joseph Pendenza scored three goals, giving him five tallies in three career games against Providence…Pendenza now has 10 goals, making him the first UML skater to record double-digit tallies as a rookie since Kory Falite in 2006-07…The River Hawks have four players with double-digit goals— Riley Wetmore, David Vallorani, Matt Ferreira and Pendenza—the most since 2007-08…Both Maury Edwards and Vallorani reached the 50 career assists plateau on Saturday…Vallorani was electric this weekend, scoring three goals and three assists, including the game-winner on Saturday night…After being shutout twice by Maine, UML scored 10 goals against the Friars, the most in a weekend series by the River Hawks this season…UML will head to Vermont next weekend to wrap up the 2010-11 season.

Merrimack: Merrimack saw its nine-game road winning streak and its eightgame winning streak snapped as #16 Maine became the first Hockey East team to capture a season-series from the Warriors this season behind a weekend sweep in Orono…This is the first time all year the Warriors have lost two in a row…It also marked the first time Merrimack was swept in a weekend series by a Hockey East team since UNH in February of the 2008-09 season...Merrimack needs one win, two ties, or a loss by Maine next weekend to clinch home ice in the Hockey East Quarterfinals…The Warriors trail BU by one point for third and BC by four for second but hold the tiebreaker over both teams…Earlier in the week, Merrimack received its first-ever first-place vote in the USCHO poll while earning a #4 overall ranking…Freshman Sam Marotta (Bridgewater, Mass.), who played the third period in both games, finally allowed his first collegiate goal, snapping a streak of 66:53 over six games…Merrimack closes out the regular season with a series against Providence beginning Friday at Lawler Arena in what will be the eighth sellout in 15 home games this season.

New Hampshire: UNH enters the final weekend of the regular season in first place in the league standings...The 'Cats can clinch its ninth regular-season title with a single win or two ties in the weekend home-and-home series with No. 2 Boston College. New Hampshire is looking to defend its regular-season crown and capture its fourth league regular-season title in the last five seasons…For the second-straight weekend, UNH took three of a possible four points…Freshman Kevin Goumas continues to be on a tear for the Wildcats with a goal and three assists this weekend. He tallied the game-tying goal in the third period to help UNH capture a 2-2 tie with Northeastern on Friday night and handed out a career-high three assists on Saturday night in a 6-3 win over Northeastern. Goumas has two goals and six assists in the last four games…The 'Cats captured its 19th win of the season surpassing its win total from a year ago…Paul Thompson scored a pair of goals Saturday night against Northeastern. It was the sixth time Thompson has multi-goal efforts and 16 times he had multi-point efforts. Thompson's 41 points in league play is seven more than his closest competition in Hockey East…UNH scored six goals or more for the five times this season and on three occasions in the month of February.

Northeastern: No matter what happens to Northeastern in the regularseason series finale, the Huskies have locked themselves into the No. 6 seed for the 2011 Hockey East playoffs. Northeastern's eight draw of the season marks the most ties the Huskies have posted in a season in school history. On Saturday at Matthews Arena, Tyler McNeely became the 46th player in Northeastern history to score 100 career points. The Burnaby, B.C. native registered 43 goals and 57 assists in 136 career games. Wade MacLeod capped off his fantastic February with consecutive power play tallies in the UNH series and caps the month with five goals and seven assists for a 12-point total. Four of MacLeod's five goals have come via the power play in February as the assistant captain is currently tied with New Hampshire's Paul Thompson for the power play points lead, averaging 0.66 per game. Newcomer Brodie Reid touched upon his second four-game point streak with an assist on MacLeod's power play goal on Friday. Classmate Cody Ferriero potted his second goal of the season, overcoming a 32-game draught as the rookie scored Northeastern's first goal of the season back on Oct. 8 at Providence. If both Merrimack sweeps PC and BU sweeps the Huskies, Northeastern will meet up with the Terriers in the first round of the Hockey East Playoffs.

Providence College: Providence College played UMass Lowell to a 3-3 overtime tie Friday night at Schneider Arena…It marked Providence's school record 11th overtime game this season…The Friars also set a school mark with their eighth tie…Five of Providence's last 12 games have gone into overtime…Senior Matt Germain recorded his second two-goal game this season and the third of his career Friday night, while junior Andy Balysky tallied a career-high two assists…Junior goalie Alex Beaudry is 62 saves away from matching his career mark that he set last season with 906 saves…The 906 stops also ranks him fifth all-time in PC's single-season saves list…Sophomore Tim Schaller, who had five points (2g,3a) as a rookie, has 18 points (4g,14a) this season…Senior Ben Farrer's 13 points this season are more than what he had in his first three seasons at PC…The Friars will close out the regular season with a home-an-home series vs. Merrimack, the Friars posted a 2-0 win at Schneider Arena on Alex Beaudry's first career shutout on Nov. 5 in the first meeting of the season series.

Vermont: Vermont picked up a point on the weekend, earning a 3-3 tie Friday night scoring three unanswered goals in the third period to erase a 3-0 deficit at Agganis Arena and move its unbeaten streak on Terrier ice to five games…Anders Franzon, Drew MacKenzie and Lance Herrington all tallied goals for the Cats…MacKenzie had six points in as many games after the third period tally…Ben Albertson, Brett Leonard, Chris McCarthy, Connor Brickley, H.T. Lenz and Sebastian Stalberg all picked up assists in the third period rally…Rob Madore stopped 43 shots in net for the Catamounts who slid into the seventh spot in Hockey East standings with the point…Saturday night, Madore kept the Catamounts in the game early, stuffing a trio of BU breakaways in the opening period and turning aside 31 shots total on the night, but the Terriers were able to hold onto the lead this time, 3-1 over UVM…Kieran Millan had 27 saves in net for BU and was five seconds away from a shutout, but Tobias Nilsson-Roos was able to muscle home a puck that was loose in front of the net for his fifth goal of the season…Stalberg and Josh Burrows picked up assists on the play…Prior to Saturday's game vs. UML, the Cats will honor Burrows, Dan Lawson, Jack Downing, Kevan Miller and Kyle Medvec for senior night.

COMMISSIONER's CORNER by Joe Bertagna

In one of these previous notes, we explained how our tie-breaking criteria work. With one weekend to go, we do have a few tricky scenarios. Observe:

Boston University thought it has clinched home ice because it seemed its only challenger was Maine and they would win the tie-breaker with the Black Bears at 34 points (the best Maine can get). But if BU is tied with both Maine and Merrimack at 34 points (BU loses two, Maine wins two, and Merrimack gets a single point), the three-way tie goes to #3 Maine, followed by #4 Merrimack and #5 BU. The difference: in head-to-head play, Maine and Merrimack are 2-2-2 while BU is 1-1-4, and the number of "wins" provides the difference.

More complicated are the potential three-way ties at the other end of the standings. There are three different ways UMass, Vermont and Providence could be tied with 17 points. The "differences" lie in how the teams get there (via different combinations of wins and ties). In two scenarios, the order is UMass, Vermont, Providence, and in one, it goes Vermont, Providence, UMass. How can this be? It turns on number of wins as well as record against Top Teams. Trust me on this.