Hobey Hat Trick

This years Hobey Hat Trick has been announced. Wisconsin's Blake Geoffrion, New Hampshire's Bobby Butler, and Maine's Gustav Nyquist make up the final three. The award will be announced on Friday, April 9th at Ford Field in Detroit, MI during the Frozen Four.

Bobby Butler is the national goal scoring leader, with 29, and is second in points (53) to Gustav Nyquist's 61 points this season. Geoffrion is currently sitting at 48 points on 27 goals and 21 assists.

The other finalists were: Northern Michigan forward Mark Olver, Rensselaer forward Chase Polacek, Denver forward Rhett Rakhshani, Wisconsin defenseman Brendan Smith, Denver goaltender Marc Cheverie, Cornell goaltender Ben Scrivens and Miami goaltender Cody Reichard.

Typically, the person who makes it the furthest into the postseason, and continues to score during it, is the winner of this award. Based purely on the numbers, I don't think Geoffrion is top-three material, but the committee saw otherwise. It's this thinking that is making me believe the Geoffrion will probably win the Hobey. Stranger things have happened though, and it could very easily go to either of the other candidates as they're very deserving.

Omaha locks up Blais until 2014-15 season

UNO has locked up Dean Blais until the 2014-15 season by extending his current contract an additional two years. The new deal will pay him at his current salary of $250,000 per year. In his first year at UNO, Blais compiled a 20-16-6 and gave the team its first 20 win season since 2004-05.

“Me and my wife Jackie came here less than 10 months ago and weren’t sure what Omaha was all about,” Blais said. “We didn’t know what kind of community this would be, but we found out this is going to be our home. Instead of renting an apartment, we’ll now hopefully buy a house. We just love the athletic staff — all the coaches — so this is going to be our home.”

There has been much speculation on college hockey message boards that Blais will be targeted to coach the Gophers after the next season is over. Joel Maturi has said more than once that The Don's job is not in jeopardy. He has also denied claims that he contacted Blais to gauge his interest in a job at the U.

Contract extensions don't always mean anything, so it's still possible that he could be targeted for the job at Minnesota if it were to become available... I doubt it at this point. We'll see how next year goes...

Colborne leaves Denver for the Bruins

Joe Colborne has signed a three year entry level contract with the Boston Bruins of the NHL. He will be joining their AHL affiliate in Providence. Colborne had 22 goals and 19 assists this season and was a third-team all-WCHA pick. He was the 16th overall pick in the 2008 draft. Joe had two years of eligibility left with Denver.

Denver Head Coach George Gwozdecky on Colborne, " Joe did a great job representing the Denver hockey program on the ice and in the classroom. He developed into an all-WCHA forward this season and played a major role in our team success the past two seasons. We are certainly proud of Joe and wish him and his family all the best.”

Denver and Mankato Departures?

Today, sophomore defenseman Patrick Wiercioch allegedly signed a contract with the Ottawa Senators. Reports of his signing have not been confirmed. Wiercioch had six goals and 21 assists for 27 points this season. Despite playing in three more games this season, Wiercioch had a bit of a sophomore slump. Last season, Wiercioch scored 12 goals and 23 assists for 35 points.

Published reports have also said Joe Colborne may be signing a contract with Boston this week. Other reports say that a contract has been offered, but it is up to him to sign it.

It has also been reported that Mankato freshman forward Tyler Pitlick is considering leaving school early to play in the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers, who hold his rights. Sources close to Pitlick are saying that there is only a ten percent chance that he'll be returning to Mankato.

The field is set

The Frozen Four field is finally set. On Saturday night, RIT became the first Atlantic Hockey team to punch its ticket to the Frozen Four with their stunning 6-2 win over New Hampshire. I don't think anyone saw that coming.

Yesterday, the Northeast and Midwest finals were played and Boston College and Miami came out on top in two very different games. In the Northeast final, BC defeated Yale by a 9-7 score. It's interesting to note that Yale was down 9-4 in the third period and still managed to fight their way back to make it a hockey game. Miami and Michigan, on the other hand, played to a 3-2 2OT final that ended on a rather weak goal given up by Michigan.

The match-ups are as follows:

Semifinal 1:
RIT vs. Wisconsin, Thursday, April 8, 5:00 ET (ESPN2)

Semifinal 2:
Boston College vs. Miami, Thursday, April 8, 8:30 ET (ESPN2)

As the weeks progress I'll have more information on each team and what they need to do to win the Frozen Four.

Saturday's Regional Semifinals

From the Associated Press:

Northeast Regional
Yale 3, North Dakota 2
WORCESTER, Mass. — Denny Kearney had two goals, Mark Arcobello also scored, and Ryan Rondeau made 34 saves to help Yale beat North Dakota 3-2 on Saturday in the NCAA Northeast Regional semifinals.

Yale (21-9-3) will face top-seeded Boston College today for a berth in the Frozen Four at Ford Field in Detroit.

Kearney and Arcobello scored in a 4:57 span in the second period to give Yale a 3-0 lead. Brett Hextall and Matt Frattin scored early in the third period for North Dakota (25-13-5).

Boston College 3, Alaska-Fairbanks 1

WORCESTER, Mass. — Pat Mullane scored the tiebreaking goal 3:46 into the third period, and Matt Price was awarded a goal when he was hauled down breaking toward an empty net with 12 seconds left, lifting Boston College (26-10-3) over Alaska-Fairbanks.

Midwest Regional
Miami (Ohio) 2, Alabama-Huntsville 1
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Curtis McKenzie and Cameron Schilling scored power-play goals for top-seeded Miami of Ohio (28-7-7).

Michigan 5, Bemidji State 1
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Carl Hagelin scored a pair of third-period goals and walk-on Shawn Hunwick made 26 saves to lead third-seeded Michigan (26-17-1) past No. 2 seed Bemidji State (23-10-4).
The Wolverines will face league-rival Miami in the regional final.

Badgers take down Huskies, advance to the Frozen Four

The University of Wisconsin Badgers defeated the St. Cloud State University Huskies 5-3 on Saturday night in NCAA tournament play at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. It was a game dominated by the Badgers, and left little doubt in the minds of the fans who was the better team tonight.

Period one saw Wisconsin jump out to a 1-0 lead 2:31 into the game on a John Mitchell goal. Eleven minutes later, they struck again on a Blake Geoffrion goal. 1:30 later, the Huskies Jared Festler put one home to bring the score within one for the Huskies, but the Badgers struck again less than a minute later to retake their two goal lead. The third goal chased SCSU goalie Mike Lee from the net and saw Dan Dunn come in in relief.

There was no scoring in the second period. Both team scored a pair of goals in the third period. St. Cloud's Jared Festler scored his second of the game, shorthanded, at the 4:16 mark. The Badgers got it back just under three minutes later on John Mitchell's second of the game. Tony Mosey scored on a bad angle shot at the 17:10 mark of the third to get the Huskies back within a goal, but UW's Aaron Bendickson added an empty netter at 18:52 to end the scoring for both teams.

The Huskies were 0-for-7 on the power play and the Badgers were 0-for-6. Scott Gudmandson had 26 saves on 29 shots for the Badgers. The Huskies Mike Lee stopped 8 of 11 and Dan Dunn stopped 31 of 32.

The Badgers will face RIT on Thursday, April 8 at Ford Field in Detroit, MI. The time of the game is TBD.

Box Score

A note on the refing this weekend: I, and everyone around me, thought that the refs were absolutely terrible this weekend. Never in my life have I seen such inconsistency in their calls, and I'm not just talking about calls against the Huskies. The refs were equally terrible for all teams involved. I thought the WCHA refs were bad, but they're nothing compared to the incompetent fools we had to put up with this weekend. I honestly don't know how these people have jobs doing what they do.

I'll have more on the regionals and the Frozen Four match-ups on Monday morning. I need to take a day to unwind and get over the end of my teams season. See you Monday!

Huskies get first NCAA win, take on Badgers in Regional Final

The St. Cloud State University Huskies defeated the Northern Michigan University Wildcats on Friday night with a 4-3 2OT victory at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. Last nights victory marked the first win in 8 trips to the NCAA tournament for the Huskies and propelled them to a spot where they could compete for a trip to the Frozen Four.

The Huskies got off to a hot start in the game, scoring the first two goals of the game to give the Huskies their largest lead ever in an NCAA tourney game. The Huskies Drew LeBlanc found a wide open Travis Novak streaking down the slot to put the Huskies up 1-0 8:14 into the game. The Huskies struck again four minutes later on a Ryan Lasch power play goal to give the Huskies their first two goal lead of the game. Less than two minutes later, NMU scored a PPG of their own to get back with in one, and that's how the first period ended.

The second period was pretty well dominated by NMU after they got blitzed by SCSU in the first, but no scoring occurred until Garrett Roe sniped a shot into the near corner on the power play to put the Huskies up 3-1. Less than four minutes later, Roe committed a turnover in his defensive zone and Northern's Ray Kaunisto scored to bring them within two goals to close the game.

Period three was mostly dominated by NMU as they desperately were trying to tie the game to send it into overtime. Finally, at the 16:11 mark of the period they did. Northern's Erik Spady took a shot from the blue line and got a lucky deflection off of the skate of SCSU's Taylor Johnson to put the puck into the top near corner of the net and tie the game at three. The Huskies then went into to overdrive to win the game in regulation and had three opportunities to end the game. They just couldn't seem to get a handle on the puck.

The first overtime started out pretty even, but as it wore on the Huskies got stronger and dominated the play. The posted 22 shots in the first OT compared to Northern's 12, but neither team was able to score. The Huskies had one power play in the middle of the OT they were unable to score on and were fortunate enough to draw another penalty with less than a minute remaining in the first OT.

Then, :23 into the second OT, on the PP, the Huskies did it. The got setup on the PP and started working the puck around. LeBlanc and Roe were playing "catch" with the puck and Roe ended up down in the corner where he sent a perfect pass, through sticks and skates, on the blade of Tony Mosey who redirected the puck five-hole on Stewart to seal the victory for the Huskies.

All-in-all, it was a fun game to watch as a casual observer, but as a Husky fan it was a nightmare. I think most of us were thinking "here we go again..." I know I couldn't bear to lose another game in this tournament, and I'm thankful we didn't have to. The monkey is officially off of the Huskies back in the tourney. It's time to take care of business tonight!

Box Score

Badgers defeat Vermont, RIT and New Hampshire upset

The University of Wisconsin Badgers defeat the University of Vermont Catamounts 3-2 on Saturday night at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. The game finished after 11:00 pm due to the overtime game before. The game was up and down, hard hitting, and a pleasure to watch. With the exception of the second period, it was a pretty even match-up.

Period one saw the Badgers get out to a 1-0 lead 5:51 into the game on a Justin Schultz shot on the PP. Less than two minutes later, Vermont's Dan Lawson went barrelling into the goalie, a Wisconsin player on his back, with the puck shot into the goalie. The entire scrum ended up in the net, puck and all. The refs then went and reviewed the play, where it was determined that the puck had crossed the goal line before the whistle blew, thus tying the game at one. Nine minutes later, the Catamounts buried a shot while on the PP to get their first, and only, lead of the game.

Period two was total domination by the Badgers. They outshot Vermont 16-3 and outscored them 2-0. The first goal of the second period was scored by Michael Davies on the PP. It was an amazing sniper shot to the near corner. He had a couple of inches to shoot at and put it just under the crossbar to tie the game at two. Goal three also came on the power play. Justin Schultz shot the puck from the blue line and Blake Geoffrion got a stick on it to redirect it into the cage and put the Badgers up for good.

The third period didn't see any scoring, but it was for lack of effort on both teams. The shots were pretty even, 14-12 in favor of UW, but it seemed like the Catamounts had the best opportunities. Often, the puck would be lying in the slot only to have a UW player get a stick on it, or the Gudmandson would gobble it up with his big glove. It was a fun, up and down, third period. OT would've been fun, but I was very happy when the game ended as it had already been a long day.

Box Score

RIT upsets Denver

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Cameron Burt scored a power-play goal with 7:24 left in the third period and Rochester Institute won its first NCAA Division I tournament game, upsetting top-seeded Denver 2-1 in the East Regional semifinals Friday.

The Tigers (27-11-1) will play New Hampshire, a 6-2 winner over Cornell, on Saturday for a berth in the Frozen Four.

Freshman defenseman Chris Tanev also scored for RIT, and senior goaltender Jared DeMichiel stopped 39 shots as the Tigers extended their win streak to 11 games, longest in the country this season.

Joe Colborne had the goal for Denver (27-10-4), the top seed in the East which ended the season with three consecutive losses.

RIT, the Atlantic Hockey Association champion, is in its fifth season as a D-I program.

Box Score

New Hampshire tops Cornell

ALBANY, N.Y. — Bobby Butler and Paul Thompson each had two goals and an assist, and Mike Sislo also scored twice in New Hampshire's 6-2 victory over Cornell (21-9-4) on Friday night in the NCAA East Regional semifinals.

The Wildcats (18-13-7) will face Rochester Institute of Technology, a 2-1 winner over Denver, on Saturday for a spot in the Frozen Four.

Butler and Sislo scored on consecutive shots 26 seconds apart late in the second period to take a 2-1 lead.

They were the first goals allowed by Cornell's Ben Scrivens in more than three games, ending his shutout streak at 267 minutes, 11 seconds.

Brian Foster made 24 saves for New Hampshire.

Box Score

TV Coverage (Updated)

All of the games from the regionals and their TV coverage is listed below. All games on ESPN360.com are up for syndication in their local markets. I'll try and keep you updated on the channels they'll be on in those markets, if they're picked up.

*Note on ESPN360: If you internet provider doesn't have an agreement with ESPN to carry the 360 service, you're out of luck. I know, it's maddening when something so simple becomes so complicated. The good news is, all of the games on ESPN360 will be tape delayed on ESPNU at some point. If you're looking for a place in the Twin Cities to watch the ESPN360 games, Joe Senser's in Roseville and Bloomington will be carrying the games.

East Regional (Albany, NY):
(1) Denver vs. (4) RIT, Friday, March 26, 3:00 ET - ESPNU HD
(2) Cornell vs. (3) New Hampshire, Friday, March 26, 6:30 ET - ESPNU HD
Regional Final, Saturday, March 27, 6:30 ET - ESPNU HD

West Regional (St. Paul, MN):
(1) Wisconsin vs. (4) Vermont, Friday, March 26, 8:00 CT - ESPNU HD
(2) St. Cloud State vs. (3) Northern Michigan, Friday, March 26, 4:30 CT - ESPN360.com, tape delay 10:30 pm CT ESPNU
Regional Final, Saturday, March 27, 8:00 CT - ESPNU HD

Midwest Regional (Fort Wayne, IN):
(1) Miami vs. (4) Alabama-Huntsville, Saturday, March 27, 4:00 ET - ESPNU
(2) Bemidji State vs. (3) Michigan, Saturday, March 27, 7:30 ET - Fox Sports North, ESPN360.com, tape delay 11:30 pm ET ESPNU
Regional Final, Sunday, March 28, 8:00 ET - ESPNU

Northeast Regional (Worcester, MA):
(1) Boston College vs. (4) Alaska, Saturday, March 27, 1:30 ET - ESPN360.com, tape delay 9:30 am ET Sunday ESPNU
(2) North Dakota vs. (3) Yale, Saturday, March 27, 5:00 ET - Fox Sports North, ESPN360.com, tape delay noon ET Sunday ESPNU
Regional Final, Sunday, March 28, 5:30 ET - ESPNU

Match-ups by the Numbers

Sorry this took so long, but I was working and haven't had much access to a computer lately. I've posted each match-up below with the pertinent numbers for each team so you can see how your favorite team matches-up with its first round opponent in the tourney.

I have the WCHA teams at the top, and the other match-ups below them. I've included links to each match-up below.

East Regional (Albany, NY):
(1) Denver vs. (4) RIT, Friday, March 26, 3:00 ET
(2) Cornell vs. (3) New Hampshire, Friday, March 26, 6:30 ET

West Regional (St. Paul, MN):
(1) Wisconsin vs. (4) Vermont, Friday, March 26, 8:00 CT
(2) St. Cloud State vs. (3) Northern Michigan, Friday, March 26, 4:30 CT

Midwest Regional (Fort Wayne, IN):
(1) Miami vs. (4) Alabama-Huntsville, Saturday, March 27, 4:00 ET
(2) Bemidji State vs. (3) Michigan, Saturday, March 27, 7:30 ET

Northeast Regional (Worcester, MA):
(1) Boston College vs. (4) Alaska, Saturday, March 27, 1:30 ET
(2) North Dakota vs. (3) Yale, Saturday, March 27, 5:00 ET

Northern Michigan University vs. St. Cloud State University

Records		#2 St. Cloud	#3 NMU
	Overall	23-13-5	20-12-8
	Conference	15-9-4	13-9-6
	Scoring First	10-4-2	17-5-7
	Opp. Scores First	13-9-3	3-7-1
	When Outshooting	9-1-2	8-0-4
	When Outshot	14-12-3	11-12-4
	1-Goal Games	9-2	9-6
	Home	12-4-5	12-4-3
	Away	10-8-0	6-7-5
	Neutral	1-1-0	2-1-0
	Overtime	1-2-5	3-0-8
When Leading...
	After 1	13-3-2	10-3-1
	After 2	11-3-1	12-1-2
When Trailing...
	After 1	1-5-3	4-6-2
	After 2	6-6-2	1-8-4
When Tied...
	After 1	9-5-0	6-3-5
	After 2	6-4-2	7-3-2
Power Play		18.8%	19.9%
Penalty Kill		80.0%	83.8%
Scoring Offense		3.20	3.02
Scoring Defense		2.78	2.50
Shots Taken		27.7	26.8
Shots Allowed		32.2	32.7
PIM per Game		14.46	15.62
Top Forwards
Ryan Lasch, Sr		19-27-46	19-29-48	Mark Oliver, Jr
Garrett Roe, Jr		19-27-46	16-22-38	Greger Hanson, Jr
Tony Mosey, Jr		12-26-38	11-22-33	Justin Florek, So
Top Defensemen
Garrett Raboin, Sr		8-15-23	3-28-31	Erik Gustafsson, Jr
Oliver Lauridsen, So		6-6-12	4-11-15	TJ Miller, Sr
Top Goalie
Dan Dunn, Jr		12-4-2, 2.63, .912	18-10-7, 2.40, .927	Brian Stewart, Sr

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Rochester Institute of Technology vs. University of Denver

Records		#1 Denver	#4 RIT
	Overall	27-9-4	26-11-1
	Conference	19-5-4	22-5-1
	Scoring First	16-2-2	14-5-0
	Opp. Scores First	11-7-2	12-6-1
	When Outshooting	13-5-3	22-7-1
	When Outshot	11-4-1	4-4-0
	1-Goal Games	12-4	8-7
	Home	15-3-3	15-3-0
	Away	12-4-1	9-8-1
	Neutral	0-2-0	2-0-0
	Overtime	2-0-4	3-1-1
When Leading...
	After 1	13-0-1	16-2-0
	After 2	17-1-1	16-3-1
When Trailing...
	After 1	4-7-0	1-7-0
	After 2	6-5-0	3-6-0
When Tied...
	After 1	10-2-3	9-2-1
	After 2	4-3-3	7-2-0
Power Play		19.9%	21.5%
Penalty Kill		86.8%	84.8%
Scoring Offense		3.30	3.58
Scoring Defense		2.42	2.08
Shots Taken		32.0	35.1
Shots Allowed		30.8	26.3
PIM per Game		13.47	14.71
Top Forwards
Rhett Rakhshani, Sr		21-29-50	15-30-45	Cameron Burt, So
Joe Colborne, So		21-19-40	13-28-41	Andrew Favot, Jr
Tyler Ruegsegger, Sr		16-24-40	12-11-23	Tyler Brenner, So
Top Defensemen
Patrick Wiercoich, So		6-20-26	11-23-34	Dan Ringwald, Sr
Matt Donovan, Fr		4-14-21	9-18-27	Chris Tanev, Fr
Top Goalie
Marc Cheverie		24-5-3, 2.08, .932	25-9-1, 2.00, .922	Jared DeMichiel, Sr

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University of Vermont vs. University of Wisconsin

Records		#1 Wisconsin	#4 Vermont
	Overall	25-10-4	17-14-7
	Conference	17-8-3	9-11-7
	Scoring First	11-5-2	9-5-3
	Opp. Scores First	14-5-2	8-9-4
	When Outshooting	21-8-1	8-6-2
	When Outshot	4-2-3	9-7-5
	1-Goal Games	6-4	8-3
	Home	15-3-3	10-5-3
	Away	8-6-1	7-8-4
	Neutral	2-1-0	0-1-0
	Overtime	0-0-4	1-1-7
When Leading...
	After 1	15-2-1	11-3-2
	After 2	21-0-1	9-2-2
When Trailing...
	After 1	3-5-3	1-5-2
	After 2	1-9-1	2-9-3
When Tied...
	After 1	7-3-0	5-6-3
	After 2	3-1-2	6-3-2
Power Play		20.1%	16.0%
Penalty Kill		85.3%	81.1%
Scoring Offense		3.97	2.92
Scoring Defense		2.56	2.87
Shots Taken		37.6	29.0
Shots Allowed		26.6	28.8
PIM per Game		18.05	11.74
Top Forwards
Michael Davies, Sr		18-32-50	15-19-34	Brayden Irwin, Sr
Derek Stepan, So		10-38-48	11-17-28	Colin Vock, Sr
Blake Geoffrion, Sr		25-18-43	8-18-26	Brian Roloff, Sr
Top Defensemen
Brendan Smith, Jr		15-30-45	5-10-15	Kyle Medvec, Jr
Justin Schultz, Fr		4-14-18	2-9-11	Patrick Cullity, Sr
Top Goalie
Scott Gudmandson, Jr		17-4-4, 2.31, .915	13-12-7, 2.65, .907	Rob Madore, So

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Yale University vs. University of North Dakota

Records		#2 North Dakota	#3 Yale
	Overall	25-12-5	20-9-3
	Conference	15-10-3	15-5-2
	Scoring First	15-4-4	13-3-3
	Opp. Scores First	10-8-1	7-6-0
	When Outshooting	23-8-3	18-6-2
	When Outshot	2-2-2	2-3-1
	1-Goal Games	6-8	5-6
	Home	13-5-3	11-4-1
	Away	8-7-1	8-5-2
	Neutral	4-0-1	1-0-0
	Overtime	1-1-5	3-1-3
When Leading...
	After 1	15-5-1	9-1-1
	After 2	16-2-4	10-1-1
When Trailing...
	After 1	3-4-2	4-4-1
	After 2	2-7-1	4-6-2
When Tied...
	After 1	7-3-2	7-4-1
	After 2	7-3-0	6-2-0
Power Play		21.0%	23.5%
Penalty Kill		86.9%	81.8%
Scoring Offense		3.29	4.09
Scoring Defense		2.10	2.94
Shots Taken		33.8	40.3
Shots Allowed		24.1	26.2
PIM per Game		18.36	12.94
Top Forwards
Chris VandeVelde, Sr		16-25-41	26-14-40	Broc Little, Jr
Jason Gregoire, So		20-17-37	14-25-39	Brian O'Neill, So
Danny Kristo, Fr		15-21-36	21-14-35	Sean Backman, Sr
Top Defensemen
Derrick LaPoint, Jr		2-20-22	6-20-26	Thomas Dignard, Sr
Jake Marto, Jr		5-13-18	2-15-17	Jimmy Martin, Jr
Top Goalie
Brad Eidsness, So		24-9-4, 2.09, .915	7-2-0, 2.37, .901	Billy Blase, Sr

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University of Michigan vs. Bemidji State University

Records		#2 Bemidji	#3 Michigan
	Overall	23-9-4	25-17-1
	Conference	14-3-1	14-13-1
	Scoring First	14-3-2	14-9-1
	Opp. Scores First	9-6-2	11-8-0
	When Outshooting	11-4-2	22-12-1
	When Outshot	12-4-2	3-4-0
	1-Goal Games	8-4	8-7
	Home	12-3-0	12-5-1
	Away	10-5-3	9-10-0
	Neutral	1-1-1	4-2-0
	Overtime	3-1-4	0-0-1
When Leading...
	After 1	17-2-2	18-1-0
	After 2	12-0-0	16-3-0
When Trailing...
	After 1	0-5-0	2-11-1
	After 2	3-7-2	2-7-0
When Tied...
	After 1	6-2-2	5-5-0
	After 2	8-2-2	7-7-1
Power Play		19.0%	19.6%
Penalty Kill		84.8%	86.5%
Scoring Offense		3.53	3.28
Scoring Defense		2.28	2.28
Shots Taken		28.8	33.7
Shots Allowed		27.4	23.1
PIM per Game		12.25	16.19
Top Forwards
Matt Read, Jr		19-21-40	17-30-47	Carl Hagelin, Jr
Jordan George, Fr		13-21-34	20-21-41	Louie Caporusso, Jr
Ian Lowe, Jr		20-10-30	13-25-38	Matt Rust, Jr
Top Defensemen
Brad Hunt, So		7-26-33	3-19-22	Steve Kampfer, Sr
Brady Wacker, Fr		1-9-10	4-14-18	Chad Langlais, Jr
Top Goalie
Dan Bakala, So		19-7-3, 2.27, .919	7-2-0, 1.86, .912	Shawn Hunwick, Jr

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University of New Hampshire vs. Cornell University

Records		#2 Cornell	#3 UNH
	Overall	21-8-4	17-13-7
	Conference	14-5-3	15-6-6
	Scoring First	6-5-2	11-7-4
	Opp. Scores First	15-3-2	6-6-3
	When Outshooting	15-2-1	9-3-3
	When Outshot	6-6-3	8-10-4
	1-Goal Games	4-4	6-6
	Home	12-3-1	10-4-5
	Away	7-3-2	6-9-2
	Neutral	2-2-1	1-0-0
	Overtime	1-1-4	3-2-7
When Leading...
	After 1	10-3-2	8-2-1
	After 2	11-1-0	8-4-1
When Trailing...
	After 1	1-4-0	4-4-5
	After 2	2-3-2	0-5-3
When Tied...
	After 1	10-1-2	5-7-1
	After 2	8-4-2	9-4-3
Power Play		20.9%	16.9%
Penalty Kill		87.8%	82.2%
Scoring Offense		3.18	3.32
Scoring Defense		1.85	3.08
Shots Taken		28.2	29.9
Shots Allowed		28.6	33.5
PIM per Game		12.21	9.65
Top Forwards
Blake Gallagher, Sr		18-19-37	27-23-50	Bobby Butler, Sr
Colin Greening, Sr		15-20-35	17-19-36	Paul Thompson, Jr
Riley Nash, Jr		12-22-34	14-20-34	Peter LeBlanc, Sr
Top Defensemen
Brendon Nash, Sr		2-17-19	9-26-35	Blake Kessel, So
Nick D'Agostino, Fr		4-14-18	3-12-15	Damon Kipp, So
Top Goalie
Ben Scrivens, Sr		21-8-4, 1.77, .937	16-13-7, 2.95, .910	Brian Foster, Sr

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University of Alaska vs. Boston College

Records		#1 Boston College	#4 Alaska
	Overall	25-10-3	18-11-9
	Conference	16-8-3	11-9-8
	Scoring First	16-5-2	10-3-3
	Opp. Scores First	9-5-1	8-8-6
	When Outshooting	17-7-3	8-7-4
	When Outshot	8-3-0	10-3-5
	1-Goal Games	11-5	4-5
	Home	14-2-0	11-3-5
	Away	7-6-3	5-8-4
	Neutral	4-2-0	2-0-0
	Overtime	2-1-3	2-0-9
When Leading...
	After 1	15-2-2	7-1-4
	After 2	18-1-1	10-2-2
When Trailing...
	After 1	2-5-0	1-8-1
	After 2	2-7-1	4-4-4
When Tied...
	After 1	8-3-1	10-2-4
	After 2	5-2-1	4-5-3
Power Play		21.4%	19.3%
Penalty Kill		85.0%	83.8%
Scoring Offense		3.87	2.82
Scoring Defense		2.50	2.37
Shots Taken		33.1	29.1
Shots Allowed		26.5	27.3
PIM per Game		12.53	10.05
Top Forwards
Cam Atkinson, So		24-22-46	19-23-42	Dion Knelson, Sr
Brian Gibbons, Jr		15-29-44	17-24-41	Andy Taranto, Fr
Joe Whitney, Jr		14-21-35	11-14-25	Dustin Sather, Jr
Top Defensemen
Carl Sneep, Sr		10-16-26	6-17-23	Joe Sova, So
Brian Dumoulin, Fr		1-18-19	6-15-21	Aaron Gens, So
Top Goalie
John Muse, Jr		15-8-2, 2.42, .909	18-11-9, 2.20, .918	Scott Greenham, So

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University of Alabama-Hunstville vs. Miami University

Records		#1 Miami	#4 Huntsville
	Overall	25-9-7	12-17-3
	Conference	19-4-5	6-10-2
	Scoring First	17-2-4	9-8-2
	Opp. Scores First	10-5-3	3-9-1
	When Outshooting	22-5-6	3-6-0
	When Outshot	3-2-1	9-11-3
	1-Goal Games	10-4	8-8
	Home	13-5-2	3-8-1
	Away	11-2-5	7-9-2
	Neutral	1-2-0	2-0-0
	Overtime	1-2-7	2-2-3
When Leading...
	After 1	12-0-1	3-3-1
	After 2	16-2-1	7-2-2
When Trailing...
	After 1	3-5-1	3-10-1
	After 2	2-3-3	3-6-0
When Tied...
	After 1	12-2-5	6-4-1
	After 2	9-2-3	2-9-1
Power Play		17.7%	14.7%
Penalty Kill		86.9%	87.1%
Scoring Offense		3.44	2.25
Scoring Defense		1.85	2.72
Shots Taken		32.5	25.4
Shots Allowed		24.0	34.5
PIM per Game		19.93	12.69
Top Forwards
Jarod Palmer, Sr		18-27-45	8-14-22	Cody Campbell, So
Andy Miele, Jr		15-29-44	7-15-22	Andrew Coburn, Jr
Tommy Wingels, Jr		17-26-43	5-13-18	Matti Jarvinen, Fr
Top Defensemen
Chris Wideman, So		5-17-22	2-10-12	Brandon Roshko, Sr
Cameron Schilling, So		3-15-18	3-8-11	Davide Nicoletti, Sr
Top Goalie
Cody Reichard, So		18-4-3, 1.79, .924	12-17-3, 2.62, .924	Cameron Talbot, Jr

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Interactive Bracket

The NCAA has setup an interactive hockey tournament bracket similar to the basketball bracket. You can click on any match-up and get team records and game times, or you can sign-in/-up and fill out your bracket to compete with others.

Duluth's Bordson and Anchorage's Baldwin Head to the Pros...

UMD junior forward Rob Bordson has given up his final year of college eligibility and signed with the Anaheim Ducks. Bordson had 12 goals and 28 assists for 40 points on the year. He was one of four 40 point scorers for the Bulldogs this season. Rob signed a max-level two-year contract with the Ducks. He is expected to be with the Ducks until the end of the regular season as he is not eligible for the playoffs. Bordson said, "I had a pretty busy day and some tough decisions, but at the end of the day I've always wanted to play professional hockey. It was a tough decision leaving my hometown and college, but it was too good of an offer to pass up. Nothing would have been guaranteed for next year. I think it was time to move on and take that next step in my career. ... It was definitely very difficult. I love everyone at UMD. They were very professional about it, very supportive. They were very helpful. It was tough leaving them. Everyone wants to be a professional hockey player. I think it was the time to do it." This was a career year for Bordson with the Dogs. He had one goal and six assists in his previous two years with Duluth.

UAA freshman defenseman Lee Baldwin has left school early and signed with the NHL's New York Rangers. Baldwin had 1 goal and 9 assists for 10 points on the season.

SCSU is in the tourney...but will they win?

As every WCHA fan knows, SCSU has never won a game in the National Tourney. In fact, their 0-8 in their attempts. In they're most recent appearance, in 2008, they took on Clarkson in Albany, NY where they took their first lead ever in tourney play. That lead lasted all of ten minutes before Clarkson tied the score at one. They put the game winning goal in with fifteen minutes to play in the game, and the Huskies couldn't get the equalizer. St. Cloud had had success against Clarkson that season in a split at Clarkson. Unfortunately, their familiarity with Golden Nights didn't prove to be useful.

This year, the Huskies drew Northern Michigan, a team they haven't played since the 2005-2006 season in a pair of games at Northern. There are no current Huskies that have played Northern Michigan, so both teams aren't familiar with one another. St. Cloud should have a leg up on Wildcat's, as the game will be played at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. The Huskies will have a "home ice" advantage for this game. Not only because they have the last change, but because the crowd should undecidedly be in the Huskies favor.

I'm hoping they'll finally be able the get the proverbial monkey off their backs that have plagued them in the tourney. They have a match-up that is very even. In looking at the team comparison's, they're very equal. The keys for the Huskies are getting out to an early lead and special teams. On paper, the teams look pretty even, with a slight advantage to NMU in scoring defense and an advantage to SCSU in scoring offense.

It should be a good game. I'll have more on this match-up, and the rest of the WCHA teams, as the week progresses.

Garrett Roe update: Bob Motzko told Kevin Allenspach that there was no way Roe was playing in last night's championship game against the Sioux. When asked about whether or not he'll play next weekend, Motzko said, "There's no question he'll play next week, unless there's a setback. Your emotions are high when any of your players get injured. We were trying to figure it out (Saturday). But he'll see the proper people and, from what we know right now, he'll be back next weekend."

That is great news for the Huskies. Roe is one of the most dynamic players for the Huskies. His speed and skill are at the top of the national pool of players. His penalty killing abilities would've been nice last night during the Sioux's 5-on-3 power play. His play making ability was sorely missed in the third period last night. With that said, the Huskies did show a lot of heart in the third last night, and played, what I think, is one of their best, if not the best, periods of the season.

New Final Five Format Revealed

The WCHA announced its new format for the Final Five, which will start next March. There will be six first-round best-of-three series where the winners will advance to St. Paul. The top two seeds will get byes to the semifinals, which will be held on Friday afternoon at 2:00 and Friday evening at 7:00. There will be two play-in games on Thursday. The first game will be at 4:00 and the second will be at 7:30. The third place game will no longer be played. The Wild will have a 1:00 game on Saturday afternoon, this year. The championship game will still be played at 7:00. The Wild have said they will offer some of the remaining tickets to Final Five season ticket holders.

The name of the tourney no longer reflects the amount of teams in the tourney, but now represents the number of games that will be played. The WCHA has also kept the "Minnesota rule" in effect to ensure that the Gophers play in the Friday night semifinal, if they make it that far.