March 28, 2011

ATHLETIC REPUBLIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK #19 MIKE SISLO, NEW HAMPSHIRE (Senior Forward; Superior, Wis.) Sislo was named to the All-Tournament team at the NCAA Northeast Regional, Sislo scored goals in each of UNH's games over the weekend. He netted the game-winning goal on Saturday against top-seeded Miami and potted the team's long goal in a 2-1 loss to Notre Dame on Sunday. Sislo tallied four shots on net on the weekend. PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK #27 KEVIN GOUMAS, NEW HAMPSHIRE (Freshman Forward; Lake Worth, Fla.) Goumas scored a pair goals in UNH's 3-1 win over Miami on Saturday. He tallied nine shots on net and was a +1 on the weekend in Manchester. PURE HOCKEY DEFENSIVE PLAYER/WEEK #30 MATT DI GIROLAMO, NEW HAMPSHIRE (Junior Goaltender; Ambler, Pa.) Di Girolamo stopped 57 of 60 shots (.950 save percentage) this weekend at the NCAA Northeast Regional. He turned away 21 shots in a 3-1 win over Miami on Saturday and stopped 36 shots on Sunday against Notre Dame. Di Girolamo, who finished as the program's single-season saves record holder, held a 1.50 GAA over the weekend. HOCKEY EAST TEAM OF THE WEEK NEW HAMPHISRE WILDCATS The Wildcats upset No. 1 seed Miami in the Northeast Regional semifinal on Saturday by a 3-1 score and then fell to No. 3 seed Notre Dame in the Regional Final on Sunday night at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H.

Athletic Republic Players of the Week Mike Sislo of New Hampshire ARMY ROTC THREE STARS AWARD At the conclusion of each Hockey East game, the " Army ROTC Three Stars of The Game" are selected. Congratulations to UNH's Paul Thompson for winning this year's Army ROTC Three Stars Award. Here are the final 2010-2011 season leaders: Rk. Name Cl. Pos. School 1. Paul Thompson Sr. F UNH 2. Kieran Millan Jr. G BU 3. Cam Atkinson Jr. F BC 4. Wade MacLeod Sr. F NU 5. Brian Gibbons Sr. F BC 5. Chris Connolly Jr. F BU   Chris Rawlings So. G NU

HOCKEY EAST WEEKLY TOP PERFORMERS

Cam Atkinson, BC (Jr., F, Greenwich, Conn.) Scored once – his team-leading 31st goal of the season – in BC's 8-4 loss to Colorado College in the NCAA West Regional semifinal.

Rhett Bly, MC (Fr., F, Regina ,Sask.) Netted a goal, his first since January 21, in the NCAA Tournament.

Ryan Flanigan, MC (Jr., F, Rochester, N.Y.) Tallied a short-handed goal and an assist, finishing the playoffs with a goal in each of Merrimack's five games.

Blake Kessel, UNH (Jr., D, Verona, Wis.) Was named to the Northeast Regional All-Tournament Team and recorded an assist on Mike Sislo's game-winning goal on Saturday vs. Miami in the Northeast Regional Semifinals.

CAREER FIRSTS/MILESTONES/WHO's HOT

Ryan Flanigan, MC (Rochester, N.Y.) Had goals in five straight and 13 points in seven games

Merrimack College Appeared in first-ever Hockey East Championship and selected to first NCAA Tournament since 1988

TEAM NOTES

Boston College: BC's win streak in NCAA Tournament was snapped at eight games dating back to April 7, 2007 – a 3-1 loss to Michigan State in the national championship game in St. Louis…The Eagles fell to 28-9 in the NCAA Tournament under coach Jerry York, suffering their first opening-round loss under York. BC is 9-1 in the tournament's first round under York…The team gave up a season-high eight goals against Colorado College, the most scored against the Eagles since an 8-4 loss at UMass-Lowell on Jan. 12, 2002…The Eagles attempted 43 shots and hit a season-high five pipes against Colorado College…Captain Joe Whitney concluded his career with 142 points and 102 assists. He tied Marty McGinnis (1988-91) for 28th in points and Jeff Farkas (1996-2000) and Joe Mullen (1975-79) for 11th in assists. Brian Gibbons totaled 109 assists and 165 points in his four-year career, finishing tied with Brian Gionta (1997-2001) for ninth all-time in assists and 15th in points…Boston College's 30 wins in 2010-11 represent the third-most victories in a season in school history.

Merrimack: Appearing in its first NCAA Tournament game since joining Hockey East and its first since 1988, Merrimack dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to Notre Dame…While the season ended on a sour note, Merrimack reached new heights this season in front of a school record 10 sellout crowds at a renovated Lawler Arena. The Warriors were virtually unbeatable at home, going 13-2-1 while earning home ice in the playoffs for just the second time ever behind a school record 25 wins, which included season-series victories in the regular season over every Hockey East team except Providence and Maine. They then swept Maine in the HEA Quarterfinals before downing UNH 4-1 in the semifinals to reach their first-ever Hockey East Championship behind the largest fan base inside the TD Garden…The Warriors led 3-1, succumbing a two-goal lead for the first time all season. Merrimack was 33-0-2 in their last 35 games when leading after two periods prior to Saturday's loss…Ryan Flanigan netted a short-handed goal and added an assist, finishing the playoffs with goals in each game while tallying 13 in his last seven games.

New Hampshire: UNH closed out the season with a 2-1 loss to Notre Dame in the NCAA Northeast Regional final...The 'Cats, who finished the season with a 22-11-6 record, are the only team in the nation with NCAA wins in each of the last three seasons...On Saturday, UNH ended Miami's season and snapped the top-seeded RedHawks 13-game unbeaten streak with a 3-1 win...In that win, freshman Kevin Goumas scored a pair of goals including a critical insurance goal...The Wildcats blocked 20 shots in that win marking the fourth time UNH accomplished that feat...Matt Di Girolamo became the program's all-time single season saves record holder. His 1,145 saves surpassed Mike Ayers 1,139 from the 2002-03 season...Mike Sislo finished his career with five postseason goals and eight points in seven contests.

COMMISSIONER's CORNER by Joe Bertagna

The weekend was a tough one for those of us wearing the Hockey East logo. Part of this, of course, is because we have been so spoiled for so long thanks to the efforts of so many teams who have advanced to the Frozen Four and performed so well there. As North Dakota assistant coach Cary Eades said to me this morning, "You guys can't win it every year." No, but we can certainly try.

While no one was prepared for Friday's result in St. Louis, we remain proud of Boston College, our regular season and tournament champion. Their recent run in the post-season is not only one-ofa- kind in Hockey East but nationally as well. Equally painful was Saturday's Merrimack loss in Manchester in a game they seemed poised to put away so many times. But the Warriors, perhaps more than any of our teams, should hold their heads high. Theirs was the most compelling story of the year and they would have been dangerous in St. Paul. And then there was the near-perfect performance put forth by UNH against a very good Miami team on Saturday afternoon. It is too bad that so many people focus only on titles and trophies. UNH performed better than expected all year and, in the end, went farther than any other Hockey East team. Much of their fan base never seems to fully appreciate what Coach Umile and his staff accomplish year after year. Saturday's triumph over the Redhawks was perhaps the best display of coaching we saw all year.

So now the staff goes to St. Paul, prepared to be as gracious as we can be. We have been spoiled but this was not our year. We will accept that and look forward the final three games of another great college hockey season. May the best team win.