Game Gab - Nightly Post-Game Analysis
Come here after the games for analysis and insights from CHN Staff members, including columnist Adam Wodon. And then talk about it in our blog.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Denver 3, Alaska-Anchorage 2
CHN: Rhett Rakhshani scored twice (6) to support Adam Murray's first start in goal since Denver found out it would lose Marc Cheverie -- the national player of the month for October -- for about six weeks. Murray starred in his return to hometown Anchorage with several big saves. He came up big in the third period by thwarting a UAA breakaway by Nick Haddad, stopping a 5-on-3 UAA advantage for 42 seconds and holding off a 6-on-4 advantage late in the third period.
Wisconsin 4, Minnesota 2
CHN: Blake Geoffrion scored twice, and Brett Bennett needed only 16 saves as the reigning Team of the Week Wisconsin disposed of rival Minnesota in Game 1 of the weekend. Minnesota, playing its first game since learning that senior Jay Barriball would be lost for the season with a knee injury, dropped to 2-4-1. "The thing that hurt us more than anything tonight was turning some pucks over," Gophers coach Don Lucia told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "We talked about that. They ended up scoring goals two, three and four as a direct result of us not making a good play with the puck."
North Dakota 4, Michigan Tech 2
CHN: Evan Trupp scored a highlight-reel goal, among four different goal scorers on the night. For Trupp it's the continuation of a strong start. “It wasn’t just the goal,” UND coach Dave Hakstol told the Grand Forks Herald. “He was at a different level tonight. He was so elusive when he had the puck. When he didn’t have it, he found a way to get it back. He stripped a lot of guys of pucks tonight. When you thought he was beat on a play, he’d make a play to get the puck. He was very dynamic tonight.”
Bentley 3, Air Force 3
CHN: Air Force led early, lost it, and rallied for the tie. “After we got the early lead, we fell behind and it could have easily been a loss,” Falcons head coach Frank Serratore said. “We had poor game management and gave up a lot of out-numbered situations tonight. We have to become a better team and develop an identity. We need to be a difficult team to play against defensively. We had to work so hard for our goals and we gave them some easy opportunities.”
Northern Michigan 1, Ohio State 0
CHN: Mark Olver scored 22 seconds into the game, and that was it -- in a game that featured few penalties as well. Dustin Carlson -- who is now 0-5 -- was more the hard-luck loser in this game compared to some others. Meanwhile, Reid Ellingson continues to impress. CHN recently chronicled the ]Northern Michigan goaltending situation here, but suffice to say, it's been a big surprise the Ellingson is the man -- and he's needed to be, because of Brian Stewart's struggles.
Nebraska-Omaha 3, Michigan State 3
CHN: Nick Sucharski tied it in the third for the Spartans. UNO won the shootout to improve to 4-1-3, but Michigan State at 7-2-1 is writing a really great early-season story so far. I don't think many people expected the Spartans to bounce back from last year's rough season as fast as they did, but so far, their play has been exemplary, and they are even finding the offense. ... UNO coach Dean Blais was similarly pleased with his team, though -- moreso than last week's shootout loss to Bowling Green: “We really were better in pretty much every area tonight,” Blais told the Omaha World Herald. “We played a much more intense game tonight, and the way we competed gave us a chance to be successful. There was probably justice in what we got last night and also justice in what we got tonight.”
Notre Dame 3, Alaska 2
CHN: It was the first loss of the season for Alaska and freshman goalie Scott Greenham (5-1-1), despite a 37-17 shot edge. Mike Johnson earned his third win, against no defeats, for the Irish, who were outshot 16-3 in a scoreless third period.
Cornell 5, Dartmouth 1
CHN: Cornell goes 4-for-7 on the power play in an extremely chippy game, getting two from Blake Gallagher along the way. At 2-0. Cornell is the only unbeaten, untied team left in the nation. Among the chippiness, the Big Red took offense to a hit by the Big Green's Adam Estoclet on Locke Jillson in the second period. The hit to the head left Jillson face down on the ice for a few minutes. He was helped off and didn't return. "Our guys were pretty fired up on the bench about it," Cornell coach Mike Schafer told the Ithaca Journal. "To see the passion we had on the bench for one of their teammates getting hurt is understandable. I'm just glad it didn't cost us. ... I'm sure the league will take a look at it." Jillson's status is unknown for Saturday's game against Harvard.
Colgate 5, Harvard 4
CHN: Colgate was down 4-1 in the third, when All-American David McIntyre opened the floodgates, scoring 31 seconds into the third period, his first goal of the season. Austin Smith added two (he now has six on the young season), Robbie Bourdon scored with 4:04 left to cap the comeback against Kyle Richter and the Crimson.
Quinnipiac 4, Clarkson 2
CHN: Senior assistant captain Mike Atkinson had a hat trick, as Quinnipiac opened the ECAC season with a win, and improved to 5-1 overall. “It’s nice to get league wins and put points up early,” Bobcats head coach Rand Pecknold said. “But what’s more important is winning at home. If we establish that, we’ll be in good shape. This was a good college hockey game. I don’t think it was a great one. We were lucky to get two points tonight, but Dan Clarke played well and Mike Atkinson’s hat trick was great.” Atkinson scored two shorthanded goals, one in the second period and one in the third, to give Quinnipiac a 3-2 lead. He added an empty-net goal with less than 20 seconds to play. “I take a lot of pride in playing on the penalty-kill unit," Atkinson said. “I take it very personal actually. It’s a job for me and everyone on the PK. We don’t get to play during the power play, so it’s a great opportunity to make a difference.”
Rensselaer 5, Yale 2
CHN: RPI continues its strong start -- it certainly looks much improved over recent years, and is doing a good job riding the momentum of last year's nice finish. The Engineers pulled away in the third to secure the win. “We did (bury chances) but we got rewarded for going to the net hard,” RPI coach Seth Appert told the Troy Record. “(Several) goals were at or around the net. Patty Cullen scored, Jerry (D'Amigo) scored, Scotty Halpern scored (from close range) from going to the net but also stopping at the net, instead of going a skate-by; getting rebounds, getting tips and screens. So I think our players were rewarded for having good habits to their game.”
Boston College 4, New Hampshire 4
CHN: New Hampshire scored three unanswered goals in the third period, including Bobby Butler's tying goal with 53 seconds left, as the Wildcats managed an improbable tie at the Whittemore Center. Carl Sneep scored twice in the first period for BC, as all three of the Eagles' goals in the period came on the power play. But UNH rallied, helping to eliminate some of the bad taste from last weekend's pair of thumpings at the hands of Wisconsin in Madison. "There was a difference," UNH coach Dick Umile told SeacoastOnline.com. "Five-on-five out at Wisconsin we couldn't get out of our own end. Tonight it was the power plays. ... But obviously it wasn't a great situation, being behind three-zip, especially at home."
Northeastern 1, Boston University 0
CHN: No Brad Thiessen? No problem for Northeastern -- at least for this game. Twenty-one year-old freshman Chris Rawlings stopped 43 shots -- everything BU threw his way, including seven power plays -- to get the win. It drops BU to 2-4. Wade McLeod's third-period goal was the only scoring. See ]separate article on Rawlings and the game. The final 4:30 of the game was played shorthanded after Northeastern's Mike Hewkin was called for a 5-minute major and game misconduct for hitting after the whistle. But Rawlings even stood up to that.
Miami 3, Michigan 1
CHN: Despite losing some key players to graduation -- as teams always do -- and the aftermath of a devastating loss in last year's NCAA championship game, Miami has come out of the gate this year flying. And despite just 13 shots on goal Friday, the RedHawks won in Ann Arbor, 3-1 over the Wolverines in the opener of the weekend series. Jarod Palmer scored twice in the first period, and Cody Reichard improved to 6-0-1 with 27 saves. "To score that early was huge for us," Miami coach Enrico Blasi said. "They are a great team and came after us in the second, but we buckled down. Jarod is a senior so I knew he would come ready to play and Cody has been (like) that for the better part of two years. It was a good win and we will have another battle tomorrow night." Overall, Miami is 7-1-1, and is justifying its No. 1 ranking. The game got rough in the third period, setting up a Saturday grudge match.
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