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~ BU, Merrimack come away with ties; PC sweeps at UAH; BC, Vermont split series ~
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ATHLETIC REPUBLIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK |
#39 JOEY DIAMOND, MAINE
(Sophomore Forward; Long Beach, N.Y.) |
| Diamond scored two goals and added an assist in Maine's weekend sweep of Northeastern.
He scored the game-winning goal on the power play on Friday night midway through the third
period and tallied an assist on the first goal of the game. Diamond scored a goal at 4:19 of
the third period on Saturday to knot the score at 2-2. He was named the first star of the game
in each contest. He finished the weekend with eight shots on net. |
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PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK |
#23 CONNOR BRICKLEY, VERMONT
(Freshman Forward; Everett, Mass.) |
| Brickley scored the game-winning goal and had an assist in Saturday's 5-3 win against No. 6
Boston College at Gutterson Fieldhouse. He finished the weekwend with five
shots on goal for the Catamounts. |
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PURE HOCKEY DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK |
#35 JOE CANNATA, MERRIMACK
(Junior Goaltender; Wakefield, Mass.) |
| Cannata stopped 58 of 62 shots (.935 save%) earning two ties against #1 Boston University
over the weekend, including a 32-save effort in the 1-1 tie on Friday at Agganis Arena. |
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HOCKEY EAST TEAM OF THE WEEK |
| PROVIDENCE COLLEGE FRIARS |
| The Friars earned a pair of non-conference road victories over the weekend at Alabama-
Huntsville. PC opened the weekend with a 3-1 win Friday and followed that up with a 4-2
triumph on Saturday. The Friars outshot the Chargers, 77-50, for the weekend, including a 45-24 advantage
on Friday night. Kyle MacKinnon scored all three goals in PC's fifth win of the season in the series finale. |
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Athletic Republic Player of the Week Joey Diamond of Maine |
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 Spencer Abbott, Maine (Jr., F, Hamilton, Ont.) Scored two goals and added an assist in Maine's weekend sweep of Northeastern.
Cam Atkinson, BC (Jr., F, Greenwich, Conn.) Registered one goal in each game of a two-game split at Vermont.
Mike Collins, MC (Fr., F, Boston, Mass.) Scored his first two collegiate goals, one in each game over the weekend against #1 BU.
Chris Connolly, BU (Jr., F, Duluth, Minn.) Tallied a goal and an assist in the third period of Saturday's 3-3 draw at Merrimack
Paul Dainton, UMass (Sr., G, Genelle, B.C.) Made a career-high 43 saves at New Hampshire to force a 3-3 tie on Saturday.
Phil DeSimone, UNH, (Sr., F, East Amherst, N.Y.) Amassed a goal and three assists over the weekend for the Wildcats.
Matt DiGirolamo, UNH (Jr., G, Ambler, Pa.) Stopped 51 shots in the three-point weekend with UMass, including 19-save shutout Friday.
Justin Gates, PC (Jr., G, Cranston, R.I.) Stopped 23 of 24 shots in a 3-1 road victory against Alabama-Huntsville on Friday.
Matt Germain, PC (Sr., F, Rockland, Mass.) Had one goal and a career-high three assists in a 4-2 win over Alabama-Huntsville on Saturday.
Jimmy Hayes, BC (Jr., F, Dorchester, Mass.) Scored two third-period goals in the team's 5-3 loss at Vermont on Saturday.
Chris Kreider, BC (So., F, Boxford, Mass.) Tallied a team-high three points (1g,2a) in BC's two-game split at Vermont.
Kyle MacKinnon, PC (Sr., F, Walnut, Calif.) Scored a hat trick in PC's 3-1 at Alabama-Huntsville on Friday.
Wade MacLeod, NU (Sr., F, Coquitlam, B.C.) Registered his 26th-career multi-point game with a goal and an assist at Maine Saturday.
Tyler McNeely, NU (Sr., F, Burnaby, B.C.) Notched his 16th-career multi-point outing with a goal and a helped on Saturday night at Maine
Kieran Millan, BU (Jr., G, Edmonton, Alta.) Turned aside 69 of the 73 shots (.945 save percentage) he faced against Merrimack.
John Muse, BC (Sr., G, East Falmouth, Mass.) Recorded 38 saves in a 3-2 win at Vermont on Friday.
Chris Rawlings, NU (So., G, North Delta, B.C.) Combined for 66 saves on the weekend at Maine.
Mike Sislo, UNH (Sr., F, Superior, Wis.) Registered a pair of goals and an assist over the weekend for the 'Cats.
Sebastian Stålberg, UVM (So., F, Gothenburg, Sweden) Scored a goal and had three assists in a weekend split against Boston College.
Dan Sullivan, Maine (Fr., G, York. Pa.) Picked up a pair of wins over Northeastern on the weekend, making 17 saves in each game.
Paul Thompson, UNH (Sr., F, Derry, N.H.) Assisted on five of UNH's six goals over the weekend verse Massachusetts over the weekend.
Corey Trivino (Jr, F, Toronto, Ont.) Had a goal and an assist in the third period of Saturday's 3-3 draw at Merrimack
Bill Arnold, BC (Needham, Mass.)
Scored his first collegiate goal at 3:53 of the opening period in
BC's 3-2 win over Vermont on Friday
Mike Collins, MC (Boston, Mass.)
Scored his first two collegiate goals, one in each game vs. No. 1 BU
Paul Dainton, UMass (GENELLE, B.C.)
Had a career-high 43 saves on Nov. 13 at UNH on Saturday
Senior Robby Dee (Plymouth, Minn.)
Played in his 100th career game on Saturday against Northeastern
Matt DiGirolamo, UNH (AMBLER, PA.)
recorded his first collegiate shutout on Friday night vs. UMass
Branden Gracel, UMass (Calgary, AlTA.)
scored his first career goal at New Hampshire on Nov. 13
H.T. Lenz, VERMONT (Vienna, Va.)
Scored the first goal of his career in Saturday's win against BC
Wade MacLeod, NU (Coquitlam, B.C.)
Rests at 99-career points and looks to become the 48th skater in
Northeastern history to hit the 100-point plateau
Merrimack College's penalty kill
Has killed off its last 23 minor penalties and ranks #1 in the country
Michael Pereira, UMass (West Haven, Conn.)
Has four goals and one assist in the last five games played
Steven Shamanski, PC (Carberry, Man.)
Recorded his first career point with an assist on Saturday
Dan Sullivan, MAINE (York, Pa.)
Has allowed just two goals in each of his last five starts
UNH's penalty kill
Was a perfect 10-10 over the weekend vs. the Minutemen
UNH's line of Paul Thompson (GILFORD, N.H.), Phil DeSimone (East Amherst, N.Y.), Mike Sislo (Superior, Wis.)
Factored in all six goals over the weekend for UNH
with three goals and nine assists
Boston College: Sophomore center Pat Mullane (Wallingford, Conn.)
won 20-of-25 faceoffs over the two-game series at Vermont…Freshman
defenseman Isaac MacLeod (Nelson, B.C.) notched a pair of primary assists
at Vermont and is tied for the team lead among BC defensemen in
scoring…Junior forward Tommy Atkinson (Greenwich, Conn.) saw action
in each game at Vermont…BC's power play went a combined 2-for-6
in the two-game series split in Burlington, Vt…After the weekend split,
Boston College's senior class is 7-4-2 in 13 meetings against Vermont in
the last four seasons…BC's 3-2 victory over the Catamounts on Friday,
Nov. 12 marked its first at Gutterson Fieldhouse since Nov. 13, 2005.
The Eagles went 0-4-2 in its last six games in Burlington, Vt…BC is 25-
12-4 in the 41-game all-time series between the teams and is 17-7-3
under Jerry York…BC and Vermont will conclude the three-game league
series in Chestnut Hill, Mass., on Sunday, Nov. 28 at 4 p.m.
Boston University: The Terriers are on a nation-best 10-game
unbeaten streak (6-0-4) and will head into Friday's game against a New
Hampshire that owns the second-longest current streak at eight games
(5-0-3)…The Terriers were successful on 32 straight penalty kills before
Merrimack scored on both of its power-play chances in the first period
of Saturday's tie…BU has still killed off 46 of its opponents' last 49
power plays…The Terriers have now had a stretch of three straight ties
in three of the last five seasons (2006-07, 2008-09, 2010-11) after
never doing so in their first 85 seasons…Freshman Sahir Gill (Terrace,
B.C.) ranks tied for fourth in the country in plus/minus with a +10 rating…
Sophomore Alex Chiasson (St. Augustin, Que.) has tallied nine
points (3g, 6a) in eight games this season and junior Chris Connolly
has seven points (4g, 3a) in his last five contests...BU's power play is
mired in a 1-for-36 drought…Junior goaltender Kieran Millan ranks tied
for sixth in the nation in save percentage at. 938 despite allowing three
goals on Saturday.
Maine: Maine completed a weekend sweep of Northeastern winning
each game 4-2…Joey Diamond and Spencer Abbott each had two goals
and an assist to lead Maine on the weekend…The Black Bears extend
their unbeaten streak to six games… Maine overcame one goal deficits
on four different occasions on the weekend…Maine outscored Northeastern
5-0 in the third period this weekend…Maine rookie goalie Dan
Sullivan (York, Pa.) has started five straight games for the Black Bears…In
each of those five games, Sullivan has allowed just two goals…Each of
Maine's game-winning goals on the season has been scored by a different
player...Maine senior forward Robby Dee (Plymouth, Minn.) played in his
100th career game on Saturday night against Northeastern. He becomes
the fourth current Black Bear to reach the milestone…Maine has allowed
just two goals in six of its 10 games this season…Maine has outshot its
opponents in all 10 games this season…The Black Bears are averaging
37 shots per game, while allowing 24…The Black Bears are 5-0-1 at
Alfond Arena this season…Maine held Northeastern scoreless on five
power play opportunities on Saturday night…The Black Bears now travel
to Boston College for a rare Friday/Sunday series. The contest will be a
rematch of the 2010 Hockey East Championship Game.
Massachusetts: UMass lost back-to-back games by more than one
goal for the first time this season (Army, 2-5; UNH, 0-3) before bouncing
back for a 3-3 tie at New Hampshire (Nov. 13)…Six of UMass' 9
games have been decided by one goal or less…The 84 shots faced
at New Hampshire this weekend was the most in any two-game set
this year…Special teams have been a tough spot for UMass recently
with the power play converting just 1-of-25 (4.0%) and the penalty kill
going 15-of-23 (65.2%)…All told this year, 13 of the 33 goals allowed
this year have been on opponent power plays (39.4%)…UMass has no
games this week before playing a largely non-traditional schedule over
the next three weeks: Tues., Nov. 23 vs. Vermont; Sat., Nov. 27 vs.
Quinnipiac; Sat., Dec. 4 vs. UMass Lowell (1:30 PM); Sunday, Dec. 12
at Maine (4 PM).
UMass-Lowell: The River Hawks (2-6-2, 2-6-0 Hockey East) had the
weekend off to rest after playing five games in nine days…UMass Lowell
gears up for a home-and-home series with Merrimack…The River Hawks
lead the all-time series with Merrimack, 67-38-8…That record reflects
the occasional dominance UMass Lowell has had in the series, including
the program's longest win-streak against a Hockey East opponent, 10
games from Mar. 4, 1994 to Nov. 8, 1996…When hosting the Warriors,
the River Hawks are 37-15-3 overall and 13-4-2 in the Tsongas Center…In
recent history, UML is 21-3-5 in its last 29 games against Merrimack
and undefeated in the last four home contests.
Merrimack: In the seventh and eighth meetings between Merrimack
and BU in the last year, the Warriors skated to a pair of ties against #1
Boston University, earning its first points against the top-ranked team
in the country since March of 1998, when the Warriors knocked off #1
BU in the HEA Quarters…They have now earned points against the #1
(BU) and #2 (BC) nationally-ranked teams in the country this year…The
Warriors also notched points in consecutive games against the Terriers
for the first time since 2000…Merrimack's penalty kill, ranked first in
the country, killed all 13 BU power plays in the weekend series and has
killed off 23 straight power plays…They ranks first in Hockey East and
third nationally in combined special teams…The Warriors improved to
17-5-3 in its last 25 home games and 2-0-1 this year at Lawler Rink.
Saturday's game was the second straight home sellout…Merrimack
already has skated to four ties this season, most since posting five ties
in 2005-06…Joe Cannata (2.11 GAA, .936 SV%) ranks third in Hockey
East in each category…Merrimack takes on UMass Lowell in a homeand-
home series beginning Friday at the Tsongas Arena.
New Hampshire: UNH extended its unbeaten streak to eight games
at 5-0-3. It marks the team's longest unbeaten streak since February
2008...The 'Cats hold the nation's second-longest unbeaten streak,
second only to this weekend's opponent Boston University (6-0-4)… New
Hampshire's top line of Sislo (2g,1a), DeSimone (1g,3a) and Thompson
(5a) were involved in all six goals over the weekend. The trio combined
for 12 points with three goals and nine assists over the weekend…UNH's
power play scored three power play goals in the second period on Friday
night. It was the first time since Jan. 16 the 'Cats scored three power
play goals in a game. It also marks the first time since a Hockey East
quarterfinal game against Northeastern on March 10, 2005, the 'Cats
scored three power play goals in the same period…Matt DiGirolamo
registered his first career shutout on Friday night marking the first time
in over a season the 'Cats posted a shutout. The last shutout came
on Feb. 28, 2009 against Merrimack, a 1-0 win by Brian Foster…The
Wildcats penalty kill was a perfect 10-10 over the weekend…Blake
Kessel continues to have a knack for scoring big goals as he scored
the game's equalizer with 42 seconds remaining in regulation.
Northeastern: Northeastern fell on some hard luck at the University
of Maine this past weekend, getting swept after holding leads on three
separate occasions, combined. The Huskies opened the scoring in
both contests and on the backend, Northeastern held its first lead of
the season heading into the third period. Unfortunately for the Huskies,
the Black Bears' offense turned on a switch and pumped in three goals
in a span of eight minutes to complete the sweep. The Huskies top line
in captain Tyler McNeely, assistant captain Wade MacLeod and Steve
Silva have continued to be the crux for NU's offense. Northeastern's
first line accounted for both goals on Saturday and all three earned an
assist, as well. Wade MacLeod registered his team-leading 26th-career
multi-point game (1-1-2) on Saturday while Tyler McNeely turned in his
16th-career multi-point outing (1-1-2). MacLeod needs just one more
point to become the Huskies 48th skater in Northeastern history to
reach the 100-point plateau for their career (43-56-99). Sophomore
netminder Chris Rawlings, despite slipping to 1-6-2 on the year, combined
for 66 saves over the weekend.
Providence College: Providence College is on a six-game
unbeaten streak (4-0-2), the longest such streak since the 2005-06
season…Providence recorded its first two road wins this season with a
weekend sweep at Alabama-Huntsville…The Friars recorded a seasonhigh
45 shots against the Chargers on Friday…Senior Kyle MacKinnon
posted his second-career hat trick in PC's win at Alabama-Huntsville on
Friday, while senior Ian O'Connor (Londonderry, N.H.) had a career-high
three assists and Ben Farrer (Calgary, Alberta) totaled a career-best
two assists. MacKinnon has seven-career multiple-goal games, including
two this season…The Friar first line accounted for eight points on
Friday…Senior Matt Germain (Rockland, Mass.) totaled a career-high
four points (1 g, 3 a) against UAH on Saturday…Sophomore Tim
Schaller's (Merrimack, N.H.) short-handed goal on Saturday marked the
first short-handed goal by Providence since October 25, 2008…The
Friars have 12 different goal scorers this season, including nine with
two goals or more.
Vermont: Vermont is 5-1-2 in its last eight games at home against
the Boston College…The Catamounts picked up their first win of the
season in a 5-3 decision against the Eagles on Saturday…Sophomore
Sebastian Stålberg netted his first goal of the season and picked up
three assists on the weekend…Senior Wahsontiio Stacey (Kahnawake,
Que.) has a team leading six goals and is ranked tied for 12th in the
country in that category. He is tied for 14th in the country in power-play
goals with three on the season…Vermont as a team is ranked fourth
in the country for least penalty minutes per game (8.8)…Sophomore
Chris McCarthy (Collegeville, Pa.) picked up a pair of goals and an
assist on the weekend...McCarthy has four career goals against the
Eagles…Vermont is off until they travel to Massachusetts on Tuesday,
Nov. 23 at 7pm…The Catamounts went 1-2-0 against UMass last
season and are 9-6-3 against the Minutemen in the Kevin Sneddon
era…Junior goaltender Rob Madore (Pittsburgh, Pa.) is 3-1-1 against
UMass in five career starts.
I attended a meeting of USA Hockey's Playing Rules Committee
this past weekend in Chicago. As a member of the committee, I had the
pleasure of studying just over 100 rules proposals along with 16 other
committee members representing a cross section of hockey interests
across the country. USA Hockey uses a two-year book, as does the
NCAA, but the two-year cycles do not coincide. The NCAA book is new,
covering the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. The proposals that survive
the current process within USA Hockey will be part of a book that will
cover the 2011-12 and 2013 seasons. The National Federation of High
Schools issues an annual set of rules while the International Ice Hockey
Federation goes by a four-year book.
One of the proposals sure to attract discussion within amateur
hockey circles is one that would delay the start of "checking" in youth
hockey to bantam age. (Currently, it begins in pee wee hockey). USA
Hockey's Player Development Committee recommends this change to
promote skill development. When watching squirt level players practice,
where there is no checking, as compared to pee wees, where there currently
is, the squirts play the game and work on their skating and puck
handling. The pee wees can be seen bracing for checks or preparing
to hit someone, often at the expense of skill development. There is also
a safety concern for the 11-year old (young pee wee player) and their
ability to deal with the stepped-up contact. This recommendation comes
from a committee that not only includes medical professionals, but also
includes the likes of former NHL greats Mile Milbury and Al MacInnis.
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