October 11, 2010

ATHLETIC REPUBLIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK #5 DAVID WARSOFSKY, BOSTON U. (Junior Defenseman; Marshfield, Mass.) Warsofsky Recorded five points (2g,3a) and a +4 rating on the weekend to lead the Terriers to the Ice Breaker title with wins over No. 13 Wisconsin and Notre Dame. He posted three points (1g,2a) in the opener on Friday vs. the Badgers. Notched a total of seven shots on goal at the tournament for the Terriers. PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK #28 SAHIR GILL, BOSTON U. (Freshman Forward; Terrace, B.C.) Gill tallied five points in the Ice Breaker, including a four-point (1g, 3a), +4 effort in the 5-4 victory over Notre Dame in the title game on Sunday afternoon at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. PURE HOCKEY DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK #1 JOHN MUSE, BOSTON COLLEGE (Senior Goaltender; East Falmouth, Mass.) Muse stopped all 35 shots face to record ninth career shutout in 2-0 win vs. Northeastern in front of a sellout crowd at Matthews Arena on Saturday night. He totaled 16 saves in the second period and helped the Eagles go a perfect 6-for-6 on the penalty kill. HOCKEY EAST TEAM OF THE WEEK BOSTON UNIVERSITY The Terriers won the Ice Breaker title for the third time in the tournament's history, after winning in 2002 and most recently in 2008. The Terriers defeated WCHA foe Wisconsin on Friday night by a 4-3 score and edged Notre Dame in the Championship Game on Sunday, 5-4. Boston University scored nine goals on the weekend at the Scottrade Center and went 3-for-9 on the man advantage.

Athletic Republic Player of the Week David Warsofsky of Boston University

HOCKEY EAST WEEKLY TOP PERFORMERS

Mike Borisenok, UNH (Jr., F, Watervliet, N.Y.) Tallied a goal and an assist in UNH's 6-3 win over Miami University.

Scott Campbell, UML (Sr., F, Navaan, Ont.) Notched two points (1g,1a) in UML's season opener at Maine.

Joe Cannata, MC (Jr., G, Wakefield, Mass.) Stopped 38 shots and tallied a power-play assist in a 4-4 tie with Niagara.

Charlie Coyle, BU (Fr., F, East Weymouth, Mass.) Recorded a goal and an assist in his collegiate debut against No. 13 Wisconsin.

Stephane Da Costa, MC (So., F, Paris, France) Netted a goal and an assist in a 4-4 tie with Niagara.

Phil DeSimone, UNH (Sr., F, East Amherst, N.Y.) Had a goal and two assists factoring in all three goals in UNH's season opener.

Joey Diamond (So., F, Long Beach, N.Y.) Tallied two goals and two assists in Maine's 8-2 win over UMass Lowell.

Ben Farrer, PC (Sr., F, Calgary, Alta.) Scored the game winner in a 3-2 season-opening win over Northeastern on Friday.

Cody Ferriero, NU (Fr., F, Essex, Mass.) Scored a goal in his first collegiate contest on Friday night at Providence.

Connor Hardowa, UNH (So., D, Edmonton, Alta.) Tallied his first collegiate goal on Friday night.

Tanner House, Maine (Sr., F, Cochrane, Alta.) Scored three goals in a pair of games against UMass Lowell and UConn.

John Henrion, UNH So., F, Holden, Mass.) Registered a goal and an assist over the weekend in a split with Miami.

Michael Marcou, UMass (Jr., D, Kings Park, N.Y.) Scored a goal and added two assists in a pair of losses at #15 Minnesota.

Joe Pereira, BU (Sr., F, West Haven, Conn.) Scored three goals in the Ice Breaker, including the game-winner in Friday's win over Wisconsin

Michael Pereira, UMass (Fr., F, West Haven, Conn.) Had a multi-point night in his first career game with a goal and an assist vs. Minnesota .

Shawn Sirman, Maine (So., G, Blezard Valley, Ont.) Made 18 saves in Friday's win (1.19 GAA and a .947 save percentage).

Wahsontiiio Stacey, UVM (Sr., F, Kahnawake, Que.) Recorded a hat trick in Friday's loss against No. 9 Denver

T.J. Syner, UMass (Jr., F, Springfield, Mass.) Scored a pair of goals in the weekend set at #15 Minnesota.

Steven Whitney, BC (So., F, Reading, Mass.) Broke a scoreless draw with 7:19 remaining in the team's 2-0 win at Northeastern.

CAREER FIRSTS/MILESTONES/WHO's HOT

Joe Cannata, MC (Wakefield, Mass.) Picked up his second career assist and first power-play helper at Niagara

Paul Dainton, UMass (Genelle, B.C.) Had 39 saves in the opening two games moving him into 3rd all-time at UMass for career saves (2,386). He needs 205 to move into 2nd all-time and 665 to take over first place

Matt DiGirolamo, UNH (AMBLER, PA.) Stopped career highs in back-to-back nights with 35 saves on Friday and 36 stops on Saturday

Randy Guzior, NU (LEMONT, ILL.) Skated in his 100th contest as a Husky at Providence

Connor Hardowa, UNH (EDMONTON, ALTA.) Potted his first collegiate goal on Friday night at Miami

Jordan Heywood, MC (Regina, SK) Tallied his first collegiate assist at Niagara

Anthony Raiola, UMass (Victoria, Minn.) Made his first career appearance at Minnesota on Oct. 9 where he scored his first career goal in front of his hometown fans

Darren Rowe, UMass (Simi Valley, Calif.) Scored a goal and added an assist in the first two games of the year after posting just 3 assists total last season

Head Coach Tim Whitehead, Maine Won his 200th career game at the helm of the Black Bears on Friday night against UMass Lowelll. He has a record of 200-126-37 at Maine

TEAM NOTES

Boston College: By earning a 2-0 season-opening win at Northeastern on Oct. 9, the Eagles snapped a three-game losing streak at Matthews Arena, capturing its first victory since March 8, 2008. BC also opened the season with a shutout for the first time since the 2002-03 opener at Massachusetts (Oct. 13) and improved to 12-5 in season-opening games under Jerry York…Senior goaltender John Muse ended the 2009-10 season with a 20-save shutout performance against Wisconsin in Detroit, Mich., on April 10 and began the 2010-11 with a 35-save shutout effort at Northeastern. The 35 saves marked his most saves since a 4-3 loss at Denver on Jan. 2, 2010, a span of 17 games…Three freshmen forwards made their collegiate debuts at Northeastern – Bill Arnold of Needham, Patrick Brown of Bloomfield Hills, Mich. and Kevin Hayes of Dorchester.

Boston University: The Terriers opened the season in impressive fashion, posting wins over No. 13 Wisconsin and Notre Dame to claim the Ice Breaker title for the third time in program history…BU also won the season-opening tournament in 2002 and 2008…Sophomore Sean Escobedo scored his first career goal with 1:07 left in regulation to lift the Terriers to a 5-4 victory over the Irish in the title game…With the win over the Badgers, BU has now defeated the last three WCHA teams it has faced (Denver, North Dakota in 2008-09).Freshman Charlie Coyle (East Weymouth, Mass.) scored his first career goal and added an assist in the 4-3 win over Wisconsin...Twenty-four of the Terriers' last 43 games have been decided by a single goal and BU is 16-8 in those contests...After scoring five goals all of last season, senior Joe Pereira (West Haven, Conn.) tallied three at the Ice Breaker, including the game-winner against the Badgers...All three of the Terriers' all-time wins against Notre Dame have come in the championship game of an in-season tournament.

Maine: Maine opened the 2010-2011 season with a win for the first time since the 2006-07 season…The eight goals in the season-opener is the most since Maine tallied eight against Lake Superior State University to start the 2002-03 season…Fifteen different Maine players tallied at least one point in the season-opener in Maine's 8-2 win over UMass Lowell…Maine scored two shorthanded goals in the span of 1:06 on Saturday night against UConn…Maine has more shorthanded goals (2) than power play goals (1) on the season… Maine tallied a goal in the first 1:30 of each period on Friday against UMass Lowell…Robby Dee (Plymouth, Minn.) scored Maine's first goal of the 2010-2011 season just 69 seconds into the contest on Friday…Maine scored four goals over the first 13:36 to take a 4-0 lead and never look back… Maine travels to Michigan State next weekend for a rare Thursday/Friday series.

Massachusetts: A total of 11 freshmen made their collegiate debuts for the Minutemen (out of a 30-player roster) at Minnesota over the weekend…Six of UMass' 14 points came from rookies (3g, 3a) in the series…Despite 24 1st period shots, UMass was held scoreless in both first periods scoring four 2nd period goals and three 3rd period goals over the weekend…UMass will next face Boston University where the Minutemen are 4-2-1 against the Terriers in the first half of the season since 2002…UMass starts the season 0-2-0 for the first time since 2000-01 when the Minutemen opened the season at Wisconsin.

UMass-Lowell: The River Hawks fell at #7 Maine, 8-2, in their 2010- 11 season opener…Typically slow starters, UML is now 3-5-2 in season openers under coach Blaise MacDonald…Friday marked the first time UML's opener was against a Hockey East opponent since 2007-08 when the River Hawks tied Massachusetts, 2-2…Senior captain Scott Campbell (Navan, Ont.) scored a goal and assist in the loss…Campbell, a two-time River Hawk scoring champion (2008-2010), tallied an assist in last season's opener against St. Lawrence. Campbell now stands just 16 points shy of becoming the program's 40th member of the 100 career point club…Freshman Derek Arnold (Foxboro, Mass.) tallied a point in his collegiate debut, assisting on Campbell's goal…With the opening loss behind them, the River Hawks will head to New York for a pair of games versus Niagara and RIT.

Merrimack: Merrimack opened its season with a 4-4 tie at Niagara, marking the first season-opening tie since drawing with Union to open the 2002-03 season…Eleven different players notched points, including Stephane Da Costa (Paris, France), who recorded the only multi-point game for the Warriors with a power-play goal and assist…Joe Cannata (Wakefield, MA) turned aside 38 saves and picked up a power-play assist on Da Costa's goal…Merrimack notched three goals in a 2:48 span late in the second period to take a 4-3 lead with nine different players getting points on those goals…With the tie, the Warriors improved to 6-2-2 in its last eight season openers…The special teams, which ranked third nationall in the combined rating last season, led the way, killing all seven penalty kills while tallying one power-play goal in three chances…Merrimack received votes in the USCHO Poll and the USA Today Preseason Poll for the first time ever…They open the renovated Lawler Arena against UConn on Saturday. New chair back seats behind the home bench and a student section, along with a new press box and new entranceway will be unveiled as part of Homecoming Weekend.

New Hampshire: UNH used a five goal second period to capture a 6-3 win over Miami on Saturday night. It marked the first time since Oct. 17, 2009 New Hampshire scored five goals in a period. The Wildcats did so in the second period against Miami at the Whitt... Matt DiGirolamo posted career-highs in back-to-back games with 35 and 36 saves, respectively...The Wildcats have already matched their non-conference win output from a year ago, they captured their first and only non-conference win of 2009-10 on January 16, 2010...UNH successfully killed off 11 of 12 power plays on the weekend including eight of eight on Saturday night and five of five in the third period...UNH opens its home slate on Saturday against Michigan. The trip marks just the third time the Wolverines have played at UNH and their first trip to Whittemore Center. Michigan and UNH split a two game series on 11/2 and 11/3 of 1984...Twelve different New Hampshire players registered a point over the weekend against Miami.

Northeastern: Northeastern opened its season with a pair of Hockey East contests for the first time since 2006-07 when the Huskies opened at Boston College and Vermont. This weekend, the Huskies were topped, 3-2, at Providence followed by a hard-fought 2-0 loss to Boston College in front of a sellout crowd of 4,666 at Mathews Arena. NU battled the reigning champ and perennial #1 Eagles down to the middle of the third, but a late-empty net goal squashed any chances of a Northeastern comeback. In NU's opener at Providence, the Huskies received a boost from their newcomers as rookies Cody Ferriero and Brodie Reid each potted their first collegiate goals in their Northeastern debut. Ferriero's marker came in powerplay fashion. Senior Wade MacLeod earned his 93rd career point and is now all alone as the Huskies' 50th highest scorer of all-time (39-54-93). Sophomore goaltender Chris Rawlings made 59 saves in a combined effort this past weekend, surrendering only 2.02 goals in his first two starts of 2010-11. The Huskies host their first non-conference game of the season next Friday when NU ushers in RPI on Friday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m.

Providence College: Providence College posted its second consecutive season-opening win with a 3-2 triumph over Northeastern on Friday…The victory also marked PC's first over NU since January 26, 2008…The Friars also recorded their first league-opening triumph since October 21, 2005 when they defeated UMass Lowell…Providence will play five consecutive road games before returning to home ice on October 30.

Vermont: The Catamounts are 13-4-2 in their last 19 games against opponents outside of Hockey East…Senior Wahsontiio Stacey (Kahnawake, Que.) recorded a hat trick in Friday's loss to No. 9 Denver…It was the first hat trick for a Catamount since Brayden Irwin '10 had one in a 9-2 win against Northeastern at Gutterson Fieldhouse on Jan. 16 last season…Senior defenseman Dan Lawson (Prairie Grove, Ill.) scored Vermont's lone goal in a 1-1 tie against the Pioneers on Saturday…Last season Lawson didn't score his first goal until the final game of the year against Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament…Freshman defenseman Nick Bruneteau (Omaha, Neb.) and senior forward Josh Burrows (Prairie Grove, Ill.) both had a pair of assists on Friday…Vermont out shot Denver 59-49 in the two games…Vermont is off until Oct. 23 when it hosts Merrimack in the Hockey East opener for both teams.

COMMISSIONER'S CORNER

This past weekend, I made my first road trip of the young season, visiting the University of Maine for two games. It was a pleasant trip up in 65-degree weather, catching a glimpse of early foliage before settling into the Alfond Arena press box for Hockey East Opening Night on Friday. Maine lived up to the pre-season expectations as it took a commanding 4-0 first period lead over the visiting Lowell River Hawks en route to an 8-2 victory.

The next day, on John Lennon's 70th birthday, I caught an impressive goaltending display as Maine's Brittany Ott set a school record with 69 saves against the #1 team in the country. Mercyhurst took a 5-2 win but Ott, who stopped a phenomenal 34 of 35 shots in the second period, stole the show. Alfond Arena is a bit brighter these days, thanks to some new lighting and a new paint job on parts of the ceiling. There was a great crowd on Friday night, many of whom stood in line after the game to purchase tickets for upcoming Black Bear games. I have always thought certain conferences had flagship programs that needed to be successful in a given year for theconference to be successful. Maine is one of those programs for Hockey East. And it certainly looks like there will be much to cheer at Alfond well into 2011. - Joe Bertagna