February 21, 2011

ATHLETIC REPUBLIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK #30 DAN SULLIVAN, MAINE (Freshman Goaltender; Work, Pa.) Sullivan stopped all 49 shots that he saw in the weekend sweep at UMass-Lowell with back-to-back shutouts at Tsongas Arena. He recorded 21 saves in the 4-0 win on Friday and 28 stops in the 3-0 victory on Saturday night. 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 in the threepoint weekend at Vermont. He tallied a goal and two assists in Friday night's 6-1 win over Vermont and dished out an assist in New Hampshire's game-tying goal. Goumas was a +3 on the weekend with four shots on net. PURE HOCKEY DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK #31 KIERAN MILLAN, BOSTON UNIVERSITY (Junior Goaltender; Edmonton, Alta.) Millan recorded a 2.01 GAA and a .939 save percentage to go along with a 2-1-0 record on the week. He stopped 68 of the 69 shots he faced in a weekend sweep of Providence, including a 32-save shutout on Saturday at Schneider Arena. HOCKEY EAST TEAM OF THE WEEK NORTHEASTERN HUSKIES The Huskies went 1-1-1 vs. top ranked BC last weekend, including a three-point weekend vs. the Eagles in league play. The Huskies earned a 2-1 victory vs. BC at Matthews Arena on Saturday night, after a 7-7 tie on Friday and a 7-6 overtime loss in the Beanpot Championship Game last Monday night.

Athletic Republic Player of the Week Dan Sullivan of the University of Maine 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 Rawlings So. G NU 7. Chris Barton Sr. F MC   Chris Connolly Jr. F BU   Stephane Da Costa So. F MC

HOCKEY EAST WEEKLY TOP PERFORMERS

Alex Beaudry, PC (Jr., G, Cumberland, Ont.) Stopped 63 of 66 shots in two games against No. 15 Boston University over the weekend.

Marc Boulanger, UML (Fr., G, Olds, Alta.) Stopped 40 shots against Maine on Friday night at the Tsongas Center.

Joe Cannata, MC (Jr., G, Wakefield, Mass.) Stopped 42 of 46 shots (.912 save%) over the weekend in two wins vs. UMass.

Alex Chiasson, BU (So., F, St. Augustin, Que.) Scored two goals in the Beanpot consolation game and added an assist in Friday's 2-1 win over PC.

Adam Clendening, BU (Fr., D, Wheatfield, N.Y.) Recorded a point in all three of BU's games this week, including goals vs. Harvard and PC on Friday.

Mike Collins, MC (Fr., F, Boston, Mass.) Netted his 10th goal of the season in a 2-1 win over UMass Saturday.

Tommy Cross, BC (Jr., D, Simsbury, Conn.) Registered a team-high six points (1g,5a) in three games against Northeastern; also recorded a +4 rating.

Phil DeSimone, UNH, Sr., F, East Amherst, N.Y.) Potted three goals to lift UNH to a three-point weekend at Vermont.

Matt Di Girolamo, UNH (Jr., G, Ambler, Pa.) Stopped 61-of-64 shots (.953) in the three-point weekend at Vermont, including 40 shots on Saturday.

Brian Dumoulin, BC (So., D, Biddeford, Maine) Assisted on six of the team's 15 goals scored in three games against Northeastern.

Brian Flynn, Maine (Jr., F, Lynnfield, Mass.) Had two goals and an assist in Maine's sweep at UMass Lowell.

Jimmy Hayes, BC (Jr., F, Dorchester, Mass.) Tallied four points (2g,2a) including the Beanpot overtime gamewinner in three games vs. Northeastern.

Tanner House, Maine (Sr., F, Cochrane, Alta.) Assisted on all three of Maine's goals in 3-0 shutout of UMass Lowell on Saturday.

Chris Kreider, BC (Fr., F, Boxford, Mass.) Scored four goals in three games vs. NU. Captured Beanpot MVP honors after recording three points Monday.

Wade MacLeod, NU (Sr., F, Coquitlam, B.C.) Scored a pair of power play goals along with an assist in Friday's 7-7 draw at Conte Forum.

Tyler McNeely, NU (Sr., F, Burnaby, B.C.) Turned in a three-point effort at BC with a power play goal and two helpers in the 7-7 draw on Friday.

Stevie Moses, UNH, Jr., F, Leominster, Mass.) scored a goal and handed out three assists on the weekend.

Matt Nieto, BU (Fr., F, Long Beach, Calif.) Had a pair of two-point nights, earning two assists vs. Harvard Monday and (1g,1a) in a 2-1 win over PC Friday.

Gustav Nyquist, Maine (Jr., F, Malmo, Sweden) Had two goals in the weekend sweep at UMass Lowell.

Braden Pimm, NU (Fr., F, Fort St. John, B.C.) Registered his first-career game winner in the 2-1 victory over Boston College on Saturday.

Brodie Reid, NU (Fr., F, Delta, B.C.) Secured his first-career two-assist outing at BC and scored his eighth goal of the season in the 2-1 win vs. BC.

Jesse Todd, MC (Jr., F, Camrose, Alta.) Tallied the game-winner vs. UMass Saturday and added an assist in Friday's OT win.

CAREER FIRSTS/MILESTONES/WHO's HOT

ALEX BEAUDRY, PC (Cumberland, Ont.) Has posted a 1.98 GAA and a .944 save% in the last four games

Marc Boulanger, UML (Olds, Alta .) Has recorded 35 or more saves in five of his last six starts

Joe Cannata (Wakefield, Mass.) Notched his 38th career win, most in Merrimack's Division I history

Mike Collins, MC (Boston, Mass.) Has 12 points in his last eight games

TOMMY CROSS, BC (SIMSBURY, CONN.) Cross has registered seven points (2g,4a) in the last five games

Paul Dainton, UMass (Iqaluit, Nunvut) Now has 3,031 career saves needing just 19 to tie the UMass record (3,050; Brian Regan)

Phil DeSimone, UNH (East Amherst, N.Y.) Became the 70th Wildcat player to join the century club with 100 career points on Friday night at Vermont

Jack Downing, UVM (New Canaan, Conn.) Has seven points in the last five games (5g,2a)

BRIAN FLYNN, MAINE (LYNNFIELD, MASS.) Recorded his 100th career point on Saturday at UMass-Lowell

Brian Gibbons, BC (Braintree, Mass.) Notched his 150th point and 100th career assist, becoming the 14th BC player to record 100 assists in a career on Friday vs. NU

TANNER HOUSE, MAINE (COCHRANE, ALTA.) Tallied his 100th career point on Saturday at UML

Kieran Millan, BU (Edmonton, Alta .) Has posted a 7-2-1 record with a 1.78 GAA and .948 save% in past 10 conference games

NEW HAMPSHIRE'S PENALTY KILL Has killed off 13 straight opportunities by its opponent

Jack Parker, BOSTON UNIVERSITY Earned his 850th career victory on Saturday at Providence

PROVIDENCE PENALTY KILL In the last 15 games PC has killed off 82 of 91 penalties (90.1%)

DAN SULLIVAN, MAINE (YORK, PA.) Posted his first career shutouts over the weekend against UML

T.J. Syner, UMass (Springfield, Mass.) Has a five-game point (1g,4a) streak in place

TEAM NOTES

Boston College: Monday's Beanpot championship marked BC's 16th and fifth under head coach Jerry York. It also marked the program's third title in four years…Northeastern's shorthanded goal at 2:47 of the second period in Monday's Beanpot championship marked Boston College's first shorthanded goal against in 28 games this winter…BC entered Monday's Beanpot contest having killed all 22 power plays over their previous five games and led the nation with a 90.6 kill rate. It surrendered two power-play goals for the first time in 13 games on Monday and four power-play goals on Friday (the first time in 89 games dating back to a 5-2 loss at Boston University on Jan. 17, 2009), dropping its kill rate to 88.2 percent…The team's 7-7 tie against Northeastern on Feb. 18 marked its first draw since last March at New Hampshire. BC went 29-6-0 in 37 games between ties…The team gave up 13 goals in two games against Northeastern, its highest two-game combined total since late November 1997 when it surrendered 15 goals in consecutive games against Maine (12-5 loss) and Brown (6-3 win)…Through 11 home games this season, Boston College leads Hockey East in attendance and is averaging its highest home attendance figure (6,582 fans per game) in Kelley Rink's 23-year history .

Boston University: The Terriers are 6-0-1 in their last seven Hockey East contests and are three points away from securing home ice for the eighth straight year...Junior Corey Trivino (Toronto, Ont.) had a career-high five-game point streak snapped in Saturday's win at Providence...Junior Kieran Millan now ranks fourth all-time at BU in goaltending wins with 58, one behind John Curry '07 for third place...Ten of BU's last 11 contests have been decided by a goal or less and the Terriers are 6-4-1 during the stretch...Looking to shake its season-long struggle on the power play, BU scored a combined five man-up goals over its three games last week...Led by Charlie Coyle (East Weymouth, Mass.) with 22 points (7g,15a), the Terriers boast four of the top 10 freshman scorers in all of Hockey East... Forty-one of the Terriers' 93 goals this season have been scored in the second period...Senior Joe Pereira (West Haven, Conn.) now has more goals this season (13) than his first three years combined (12)...Alex Chiasson ranks seventh in the nation among sophomores in points per game (1.07).

Maine: Maine rookie goalie Dan Sullivan record back-to-back shutouts at UMass Lowell last weekend. They were the first two shutouts of his career…It was Maine's first back-to-back shutouts since blanking UMass Lowell and Boston College back-to-back Feb. 28 and March 5, 2004...It is the first time that a Maine goalie has posted back-to-back shutouts since Matt Lundin had back-to-back blankings on Oct. 22 and Oct, 29, 2005…It is the first time in Maine history that the Black Bears have had back-to-back road shutouts…Brian Flynn and Tanner House each recorded their 100th career points on Saturday night at UMass Lowell. Flynn's came when he assisted on Gustav Nyquist's opening goal. House's came on his second assist on the night, a goal scored by Joey Diamond (Long Beach, N.Y.). Flynn has eight goals and nine assists for 17 career point in 12 career games against UMass Lowell…Maine recorded a season-high 44 shots on Friday against the River Hawks…Maine is 11-1-1 on the season when scoring four or more goals in a game.

Massachusetts: UMass remains in 7th place in the Hockey East after a pair of losses to No. 6 Merrimack; The Minutemen are tied for 7th with Vermont (15 points each), but the Minutemen hold the season series tie-breaker…UMass overtime loss on Friday was the third OT game in the last four outings and 7th of the season…After the nine-goal loss to Merrimack two weeks ago, the last four games have either ended in a tie or have been a one-goal loss for UMass…After going 0-for-34 on the power play in the previous six games, UMass was 2-for-9 over the weekend against Merrimack…The UMass penalty kill has struggled of late allowing 9 opponent power play goals in 23 chances over the last six games…UMass was held to a season-low tying 16 shots in Saturday's 2-1 loss at Merrimack…Saturday's Merrimack game was the 8th one goal game of the season for UMass (1-7)…The loss to Merrimack on Friday was the first time the Minutemen have fallen this year when leading after the second period (5-1-0).

UMass-Lowell: The River Hawks were shutout twice in a weekend set with Maine, 4-0 and 3-0, respectively…It marked the first time UMass Lowell has been shutout in consecutive games since Oct. 21-22, 2005—a home-and-home weekend with Providence College…The River Hawks have been blanked in three games total this season, the most since 2008-09…Despite taking losses, both UMass Lowell goaltenders were stellar this weekend…Marc Boulanger made 40 saves on Friday, his second 40 save performance of the season…Boulanger has made 35 or more stops in five of his last six starts…Doug Carr turned out 35-of-38 (.921) shots on Saturday night, his first start since upsetting Merrimack on Jan. 21…River Hawk goaltenders now lead Hockey East with four 40 save games; two each by Boulanger and Carr…Saturday marked UMass Lowell's 24th loss of the season, the program's most since 1988-89 when the Chiefs went 8-24-2…The River Hawks have a home-and-home weekend with Providence on the horizon, Saturday will mark the final home game of the 2010-11 season.

Merrimack: Merrimack made it 14 wins in its last 15 games with a weekend sweep of UMass, improving to 21-5-4 on the season, 15-5-3 in Hockey East…Merrimack needs one more point to clinch home ice in the Hockey East Quarterfinals for the second time ever…The Warriors are tied for second in Hockey East with BC and tied for fourth in the Pairwise Rankings with four regular season games remaining…Fueled by wins in nine straight road games which is a school record, Merrimack has captured all seven completed season-series, with triumphs over UNH, BC, BU, UVM, UML, UMass and NU…Boasting an 11-2-1 home mark this year, Merrimack is tied with Yale for the fewest losses nationally…Merrimack also ranks second nationally in defense, fourth in offense, and third in scoring margin…Carter Madsen's (Okotoks, Alta.) overtime goal Friday at UMass gave Merrimack wins in four straight overtime games, which is a program record…Merrimack needed four goals in the final 12:22 for the comeback victory…Merrimack has defeated UMass five straight times after a pair of wins this weekend…The Warriors played in front of the seventh sellout crowd at Lawler Arena in 14 home games this season.

New Hampshire: With a 6-1 win over Vermont on Friday, New Hampshire became the first in Hockey East to clinch home-ice advantage for the Hockey East quarterfinals…The Wildcats have hosted the quarterfinals for a league-best 15-straight seasons and have not had to travel for the first round of the post season since 1995-96…Netting UNH's first goal at 10:37 of the first period Friday, senior Phil DeSimone became the 70th player in program history to reach 100 career points. DeSimone joins his linemates Mike Sislo and Paul Thompson in this prestigious club...DeSimone joins Mark Mowers as the only two New Yorker's in UNH's century club…In addition to his 100th career point, Phil DeSimone's empty-net goal at 17:59 of the third gave him his first career multi-goal game…Friday night, all three members of UNH's second line scored in UNH's 6-1 win over Vermont…The trio of Stevie Moses (1g,2a), Kevin Goumas (1g, 2a) and Mike Borisenok (1g,1a) combined for three goals and five assists on the night including Moses' game winner late in the first period… After sharing the league's top spot with Boston College for much of the second half of the season, UNH sits alone in first place of Hockey East with 35 points be virtue of a BC tie and loss to Northeastern…UNH captured a five-goal win for the first time since Jan. 9, 2010 when the 'Cats won 7-2 over Massachusetts.

Northeastern: Northeastern took three out of four points off the top team in the country this past weekend to exact some revenge after the bitter 7-6 overtime loss to Boston College in the Beanpot finals on Feb. 14. Saturday's win over the Eagles marks the first victory over the No. 1 ranked team in the country since the Huskies ousted Boston College in the season opener on Oct. 18, 2008 as Joe Vitale scored the game winner, 4-3. The triumph marked the first win over BC in five installments as the Huskies are now over .500 in Hockey East action for the first time this season (9-8-6). With Saturday's triumph, Northeastern is now guaranteed a spot in the eight-team Hockey East Tournament starting on March 11. On Friday night at Conte Forum, NU's four power play goal explosion marks the first time this season the Huskies extra-man unit turned the trick four times. The last time Northeastern scored 13 goals over a two-game stretch was in the 2003-04 season. The Huskies beat Colgate, 6-4, on Dec. 28, 2003 and followed it with a 7-5 triumph over Mercyhurst on Dec. 29, 2003. Both games were played at the RPI Tournament. Wade MacLeod is now all alone as the 23rd most prolific scorer in Northeastern history and is now five points behind Leo Dupere (64-68-132). MacLeod has registered 55 goals and 72 assists in 141 career games for a total of 127 points. Tyler McNeely is on the cusp of becoming the 46th member of Northeastern hockey history to reach the 100-point plateau. McNeely has notched 43 goals and 56 assists in 134 fixtures.

Providence College: Providence College was defeated in pair of one-goal games (2-1 and 1-0) over the weekend against No. 15 Boston University…Junior Alex Beaudry totaled 63 saves and posted a .955 save percentage in the two games…The last five meetings between the Friars and the Terriers have been one-goal contest …In all, the Friars have played in nine games that have been decided by one goal this season…The Friars also have played in 10 overtime games, including seven ties … Alex Beaudry made 32 saves at BU on Saturday to climb into eighth all-time at Providence in career saves … Beaudry now has 2183 career stops…Senior Ian O'Connor scored his career-high eighth goal of the season Friday night at BU ...Overall, the PC penalty kill has climbed to 12th nationally (84.7 %) … The 1-0 loss against BU on Saturday marked the first time that the Friars were involved in a 1-0 game since November 10, 2007 when the Friars shutout Maine in Orono.

Vermont: Vermont earned a point on the weekend, in a two-game home series against No. 8 New Hampshire...Jack Downing sent the crowd in to a frenzy 33 seconds into the contest when he scored his team leading 12th goal of the season, tossing a seemingly harmless shot on net that eluded UNH goaltender Matt DiGirolamo for an early 1-0 Vermont lead in a game televised on CBS College Sports…With that, Downing had scored a goal in four straight contests (five goals overall)…Saturday night, UVM outshot its opponent 42-32 and got a late third period goal from Matt White (2) to force overtime with the scored tied 2-2…The contest would remain a tie and Vermont now shares the seventh seed in Hockey East with Massachusetts…Tobias Nilsson-Roos got Vermont on the board in the second period, as he converted on a short-handed breakaway goal…Goaltending was the story of Saturday night, however as Rob Madore stopped 30 shots (58 on the weekend) and DiGirolamo turned aside 40 for UNH (61 on the weekend).

COMMISSIONER's CORNER by Joe Bertagna

The Hockey East post-season officially begins Saturday when the women open with quarterfinal play at two campus sites. This starts a stretch of five straight weekends of playoff hockey, bringing us through the NCAA Men's Regionals. I have worked for a hockey conference for the last 29 seasons (15 with the ECAC and 14 with Hockey East) and this just doesn't get old.

The women's race finished Sunday with four-time tournament champion UNH left out of the playoffs for the first time as the Wildcats lost the head-to-head tie-breaker to Maine. Under first year coach Maria Lewis, Maine returns to the playoffs for the first time in five years. Looking at the current men's standiings with two weeks to go, the need for understanding the tie-breaker process is staring us in the face throughout the standings.

It is likely that some Hockey East men's quarterfinals series will start on Thursday, March 10 and some on Friday, March 11. More on this later.