(As seen in the Huntington News)
Since the end of the 2008-09 men’s hockey season, some Northeastern hockey fans have questioned the team’s chances for success in the upcoming season after losing nine players including All-American goaltender Brad Thiessen, who was signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins in April.
Some of those questions may have been answered June 24 when head coach Greg Cronin officially announced his biggest recruiting class ever for the upcoming season.
Nine new Huskies will join the team, which tied the school record for wins last season with 25 and reached the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1994.
“I think at this point we can be more specific in our positional priorities and can recruit to the identity we’ve created over the last four years,” Cronin said in a statement. “This class represents the first wave that will reinforce what we’ve already established here at Northeastern.”
Cronin has shown marked improvement every year as coach of the Huskies. In 2005-06, his first at Northeastern, the team finished with three wins. Since then, Cronin has modeled his team to his liking with each recruiting class that comes in. The win total jumped to 13 in 2006-07, then to 16 in 2007-08, and to the school record 25 in 2008-09.
Headlining this new class are twin brothers Drew and Justin Daniels from Suffern, N.Y. The brothers were both picked in the 2008 NHL draft by the San Jose Sharks. Justin was taken in the third round and Drew was selected in the seventh. Both played last year for the Sioux City, S.D., Musketeers of the United States Hockey League (USHL).
Another big addition is goaltender Chris Rawlings. Originally from North Delta, British Columbia, Rawlings grew up 25 miles away from Thiessen's hometown of Aldergrove, B.C.
Listed at 6 feet, 5 inches and 210 pounds, Rawlings played last season with the Cowichan Valley Capitals of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). He led the Caps to a 35-15-1 record while posting a goals against an average mark of 2.83 and a save percentage of .915, which led the BCHL. Rawlings was named the BCHL Most Valuable Player at the end of the season.
Jake Newton, a 6 foot, 3 inch, 205-pound defenseman from San Jacinto, Calif., spent his last two seasons with the Lincoln (Nebraska) Stars of the USHL and racked up 10 goals and 28 assists in 59 games in the 2008-09 season. He finished the season with a plus-minus rating of plus-16. Lincoln also finished atop the USHL West Division with a record of 37-17-6, and Newton played in the 2009 USHL All-Star game.
In addition to Newton, the Huskies have two more defensemen joining the team, one of which is Winnipeg (Ontario) native Drew Ellement. At 6 feet, 1 inch and 200 pounds, Ellement will give the Huskies more size and depth on defense, Cronin said. Last season, Ellement played in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) and scored 13 goals alongside 28 assists for the Portage (Manitoba) Terriers in 63 games. Of his 41 points, 19 came on the power-play as Ellement scored eight power-play goals and chipped in 11 power-play assists. During the playoffs Ellement scored 17 goals and had five assists in 13 games. During the Anavet Cup finals, Ellement added four points.
Chris Student, a bit smaller at 5 feet, 9 inches and 170 pounds, will also join the team on defense this year. From Edina, Minn., Student also played last season in the USHL with the Waterloo (Iowa) Black Hawks. He scored two goals, had 14 assists, and finished at plus-28 on the season, the eighth-best mark in the USHL and the third highest of any defenseman.
Bryan Mountain, the Huskies’ other goalie recruit, hails from Brynmawr, Penn., and played alongside Ellement for the Portage Terriers. As the starter, he led the team to a league-best 32-9-1 record, finishing the regular season with a 2.66 goals-against-average and a .911 save percentage. Mountain has been able to keep the puck out of the net when it counted the most, posting a 2.46 GAA and a .914 save percentage in the playoffs.
The Huskies managed to get a local in the international group. Robbie Vrolyk, a 5 foot, 8 inch, 162-pound forward from Boylston, will be making the trip back to the Boston area after spending his last three seasons with the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede. Over the three seasons, Vrolyk racked up 81 points and in both of the last two years, Vrolyk has scored over 30 points. In 2009, he scored 24 goals and had nine assists as Sioux Falls finished with a 28-28-4 record.
Garrett Vermeersch, a 6 foot, 180-pound forward from Macomb, Mich., has played the previous two seasons in the USHL with the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders in 2007-08 and the Lincoln Stars in 2008-09. A teammate of Newton’s during the 2008-09 season with the Stars, Vermeersch scored 17 goals with 28 assists in 56 games. Of his 45 points, 18 came on the power play.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Beginning the Offseason
2008-2009 was a season that included much success for the Huskies. Although it ended on a tough loss in the NCAA tournament to the Cornell Big Red, the Huskies need to keep their heads up and focus on improving themselves for next season.
With new recruits coming in, things have the opportunity to stay the same around here for awhile.
However, there will also be some very key losses that the Huskies are going to have to get over.
Joe Vitale
Joe served as the captain of the team for the last two seasons, only the eighth player in NU history to serve for multiple seasons. Upon the completion of the season, Joe signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team that had originally drafted him before he even played a game with NU. Although his career is certainly not over as he will hopefully get his shot at the NHL, the Huskies are now without one of the greatest leaders to ever wear the NU sweater. Vitale was here through everything and always stood by what it means to be a Husky. The next step for Joe is going to be proving himself in the AHL. He has been playing with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the last couple weeks and the team is in the AHL playoffs. In 5 regular season games, Vitale had 2 goals and 2 assists but he has not registered a point in 7 playoff games thus far.
Brad Thiessen
How do you replace a guy that played every minute of every game?? The answer is simple: you don't. There is no possible way to replace a guy that was THE BEST goalie in the nation. When he was named an All-American and a Hobey Baker Hat Trick finalist, he solidified himself as the best out there. Now Thiessen also belongs to the Penguins and is currently helping the team prepare for a bigtime series with the Washington Captials.
So what do the Huskies do? Work on things that weren't as good as your goaltender. Those things are 1) the power play and 2) the defense in front of the backstop. If the team can score more on the power play opportunities that they are sure to generate through their hard work when they are at even strengh, it will make things easier on the new guy (whoever that may be). Same thing goes for the d-men. If you give opponents less opportunities to score, things will be easier on the goalie.
Thiessen will go down as one of the best ever at NU but instead of being remembered for leadership like Vitale will be, Thiessen's legacy will largly be surrounding the NCAA tournament bid that the Huskies earned last season, their first in over a decade.
Ryan Ginand
Another guy who made a big impact in his years as a Husky, Ginand led the team scoring 20 goals last season. The scoring is easier to replace than the goaltending of Thiessen but still a pretty big loss. Ginand's wide open, end-to-end style of play is something that might be missed by fans but probably not by coach Cronin.
I think soon to be sophomores Steve Qualier and Alex Tuckerman should be able to replace Ginand's scoring. But Ginand was a Massachusetts native who really enjoyed everything about Boston and understood the greatness of the Beanpot. It's a shame that the Huskies couldn't win one for him.
Louis Liotti
A solid stay at home defenseman who was a true leader among the group of blue liners on the team. Liotti seemed to never miss a game and really was an iron man of sorts back there who was dependable.
Rob Rassey
NU is going to miss Rassey next year but for different reasons than they might miss a guy like Ginand. He had a great work ethic and bought into the system to the point where he was going to do whatever was asked of him, no matter what that entailed. Although he didn't score that much and didn't have the most skill on the ice, Rassey was willing to work as hard as anyone else for the good of the team. Just a classy guy all around who always made the most with what was in front of him.
When the recruits coming in next season are officially established, I will post whatever info I have on them at that time (sometime later in the offseason).
With new recruits coming in, things have the opportunity to stay the same around here for awhile.
However, there will also be some very key losses that the Huskies are going to have to get over.
Joe Vitale
Joe served as the captain of the team for the last two seasons, only the eighth player in NU history to serve for multiple seasons. Upon the completion of the season, Joe signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team that had originally drafted him before he even played a game with NU. Although his career is certainly not over as he will hopefully get his shot at the NHL, the Huskies are now without one of the greatest leaders to ever wear the NU sweater. Vitale was here through everything and always stood by what it means to be a Husky. The next step for Joe is going to be proving himself in the AHL. He has been playing with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the last couple weeks and the team is in the AHL playoffs. In 5 regular season games, Vitale had 2 goals and 2 assists but he has not registered a point in 7 playoff games thus far.
Brad Thiessen
How do you replace a guy that played every minute of every game?? The answer is simple: you don't. There is no possible way to replace a guy that was THE BEST goalie in the nation. When he was named an All-American and a Hobey Baker Hat Trick finalist, he solidified himself as the best out there. Now Thiessen also belongs to the Penguins and is currently helping the team prepare for a bigtime series with the Washington Captials.
So what do the Huskies do? Work on things that weren't as good as your goaltender. Those things are 1) the power play and 2) the defense in front of the backstop. If the team can score more on the power play opportunities that they are sure to generate through their hard work when they are at even strengh, it will make things easier on the new guy (whoever that may be). Same thing goes for the d-men. If you give opponents less opportunities to score, things will be easier on the goalie.
Thiessen will go down as one of the best ever at NU but instead of being remembered for leadership like Vitale will be, Thiessen's legacy will largly be surrounding the NCAA tournament bid that the Huskies earned last season, their first in over a decade.
Ryan Ginand
Another guy who made a big impact in his years as a Husky, Ginand led the team scoring 20 goals last season. The scoring is easier to replace than the goaltending of Thiessen but still a pretty big loss. Ginand's wide open, end-to-end style of play is something that might be missed by fans but probably not by coach Cronin.
I think soon to be sophomores Steve Qualier and Alex Tuckerman should be able to replace Ginand's scoring. But Ginand was a Massachusetts native who really enjoyed everything about Boston and understood the greatness of the Beanpot. It's a shame that the Huskies couldn't win one for him.
Louis Liotti
A solid stay at home defenseman who was a true leader among the group of blue liners on the team. Liotti seemed to never miss a game and really was an iron man of sorts back there who was dependable.
Rob Rassey
NU is going to miss Rassey next year but for different reasons than they might miss a guy like Ginand. He had a great work ethic and bought into the system to the point where he was going to do whatever was asked of him, no matter what that entailed. Although he didn't score that much and didn't have the most skill on the ice, Rassey was willing to work as hard as anyone else for the good of the team. Just a classy guy all around who always made the most with what was in front of him.
When the recruits coming in next season are officially established, I will post whatever info I have on them at that time (sometime later in the offseason).
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Cornell Wins
On a goal with 17 seconds remaining in the game, Cornell ends the Huskies season.
More to come soon.
Final Score: Cornell 3, Northeastern 2
More to come soon.
Final Score: Cornell 3, Northeastern 2
And There It Is...The Equalizer
On every play now, Cornell is crashing the net, looking for any way to get the puck in the net.
"A garbage goal is still a goal"
5:41 left to play and there is still plenty of time for the Big Red if they keep playing like this.
Now with 5:11 left in the game, Alex Tuckerman commits a bad penalty. He will go to the box for 2 minutes. The infraction was hitting from behind.
This undoubtedly spells trouble for the Dogs.
Sure enough, a blast from the point gets through Thiessen and we have a tie game with 3:56 to play.
Goal was scored by Colin Greening for the Big Red.
Assisted by Evan Barlow and Brandon Nash
"A garbage goal is still a goal"
5:41 left to play and there is still plenty of time for the Big Red if they keep playing like this.
Now with 5:11 left in the game, Alex Tuckerman commits a bad penalty. He will go to the box for 2 minutes. The infraction was hitting from behind.
This undoubtedly spells trouble for the Dogs.
Sure enough, a blast from the point gets through Thiessen and we have a tie game with 3:56 to play.
Goal was scored by Colin Greening for the Big Red.
Assisted by Evan Barlow and Brandon Nash
7:13 Left Now
Cornell is definitely out skating NU and getting a ton of chances and momentum.
But the luck turns against them before they can make their chances count as they get called for a penalty. Hitting from behind is given to Sean Collins.
NU is on the power play and looking for insurance.
A minute in, they only have 1 shot on net.
The penalty gets killed off without any more chances for the Huskies.
This is going to give even more momentum to Cornell.
Right away, they race right to the net and create havoc.
Thiessen is absolutely standing on his head now to keep the Huskies in the lead.
7:13 to go.
But the luck turns against them before they can make their chances count as they get called for a penalty. Hitting from behind is given to Sean Collins.
NU is on the power play and looking for insurance.
A minute in, they only have 1 shot on net.
The penalty gets killed off without any more chances for the Huskies.
This is going to give even more momentum to Cornell.
Right away, they race right to the net and create havoc.
Thiessen is absolutely standing on his head now to keep the Huskies in the lead.
7:13 to go.
With 13:23 left on the clock, Thiessen makes another outstanding save to keep NU in the lead.
However, before the Huskies can clear the zone, Louis Liotti gets called for cross checking.
Cornell with a big PP here. Still plenty of time to play.
Huskies are having trouble clearing the zone and just got bailed out by a hand pass which was called on Cornell.
The penalty is killed off but Cornell is dominating the play right now.
Huskies still lead 2-1. 11:06 to play.
However, before the Huskies can clear the zone, Louis Liotti gets called for cross checking.
Cornell with a big PP here. Still plenty of time to play.
Huskies are having trouble clearing the zone and just got bailed out by a hand pass which was called on Cornell.
The penalty is killed off but Cornell is dominating the play right now.
Huskies still lead 2-1. 11:06 to play.
Anyone's Game
To start the third period, Cornell is on the PP for 1:50 as Tyler McNeely sits in the box.
Penalty to Cornell's Brendan Nash for tripping. That will finish off the Big Red PP and put the teams 4 on 4 for 1:20.
Great chance in front for David Strathman and Scrivens makes the saves.
NU now gets a PP for roughly :30 seconds as McNeely comes out of the box.
Cornell kills it off and everyone is at even strength with 17:20 to play.
Penalty to Cornell's Brendan Nash for tripping. That will finish off the Big Red PP and put the teams 4 on 4 for 1:20.
Great chance in front for David Strathman and Scrivens makes the saves.
NU now gets a PP for roughly :30 seconds as McNeely comes out of the box.
Cornell kills it off and everyone is at even strength with 17:20 to play.
Cornell Gets On The Board
Well this reminds me of the last game that the Huskies played.
NU had a 2-0 lead and at the end of the second period, they let up a goal to get UMass Lowell back into it.
Now, Cornell does the same thing and scores a goal with 2:02 left in the second period to cut the game to 2-1. The puck was shot and deflected off a chest in front before going past Thiessen.
Before the period ends, penalty to Tyler McNeely of the Huskies. 2 minutes for slashing. The call was made with just 9.4 seconds left in the period.
At the end of the second period, the Huskies are clinging to a 2-1 lead.
NU had a 2-0 lead and at the end of the second period, they let up a goal to get UMass Lowell back into it.
Now, Cornell does the same thing and scores a goal with 2:02 left in the second period to cut the game to 2-1. The puck was shot and deflected off a chest in front before going past Thiessen.
Before the period ends, penalty to Tyler McNeely of the Huskies. 2 minutes for slashing. The call was made with just 9.4 seconds left in the period.
At the end of the second period, the Huskies are clinging to a 2-1 lead.
Cornell Taking Penalties
More than halfway through the game now..
Ginand is flying around the ice! Creating turnovers and taking shots on net.
Penalty now to Cornell. Riley Nash goes off this time for slashing.
NU is doing a good job of rushing the puck up the ice and creating chsnces while moving into the zone. Unlike the last few weeks, they are looking to shoot and not just to cycle.
With just :05 seconds remaining in the Huskies PP, another call on Cornell. This time to defensemean Keir Ross. 2 minutes for hitting from behind. 6:15 to go in the second.
Cornell gets the first man back on and clears the zone.
And now Cornell kills everything off and is back at full strength with 4 minutes to play in the period.
Huskies still leading 2-0.
Ginand is flying around the ice! Creating turnovers and taking shots on net.
Penalty now to Cornell. Riley Nash goes off this time for slashing.
NU is doing a good job of rushing the puck up the ice and creating chsnces while moving into the zone. Unlike the last few weeks, they are looking to shoot and not just to cycle.
With just :05 seconds remaining in the Huskies PP, another call on Cornell. This time to defensemean Keir Ross. 2 minutes for hitting from behind. 6:15 to go in the second.
Cornell gets the first man back on and clears the zone.
And now Cornell kills everything off and is back at full strength with 4 minutes to play in the period.
Huskies still leading 2-0.
Start of the Second Period - Huskies Lead 2-0!
Five minutes in, both teams have had some good shifts but no great chances for either side.
(Side note related to my last side note: UNH has come back to take down the North Dakota Sioux 6-5 in OT. A great win for Hockey East and another classic for the NCAA tournament. Word is that the WIldcats scored with 1 second left to bring the game to overtime. Let's hope BU loses to Ohio State in the next game for that region ;-)
Cornell penalty to Sean Whitney, 2 minutes in the box.
The announcer said Wade MacLeod and the dog house proceeded to chant: "WRONG TEAM!! WRONG TEAM!!"
Huskies don't convert on the PP but Joe Vitale had a great chance in front.
Even strength now.
Donovan makes a great pass through neutral ice to find Steve Silva all alone on a breakaway. He moves in on Scrivens and beats him top right side over the glove.
Huskies lead 2-0 with 10 min to play in the second.
(Side note related to my last side note: UNH has come back to take down the North Dakota Sioux 6-5 in OT. A great win for Hockey East and another classic for the NCAA tournament. Word is that the WIldcats scored with 1 second left to bring the game to overtime. Let's hope BU loses to Ohio State in the next game for that region ;-)
Cornell penalty to Sean Whitney, 2 minutes in the box.
The announcer said Wade MacLeod and the dog house proceeded to chant: "WRONG TEAM!! WRONG TEAM!!"
Huskies don't convert on the PP but Joe Vitale had a great chance in front.
Even strength now.
Donovan makes a great pass through neutral ice to find Steve Silva all alone on a breakaway. He moves in on Scrivens and beats him top right side over the glove.
Huskies lead 2-0 with 10 min to play in the second.
Injury Update
Leading scorer for the Huskies Wade MacLeod has sustained an injury. It doesnt seem too serious but he did miss some action in the first period.
More updates to come as the second period gets underway...
More updates to come as the second period gets underway...
Some Action! - Huskies Lead 1-0 At The End of 1st
With :41 seconds left in the Huskies power play, penalty called to Tyler McNeely. Same penalty - 2 minutes for contact to the head with an elbow.
And now :06 seconds later, penalty called on Cornell. This one to Michael Kennedy for contact to the head with a high stick.
All of a sudden, NU with a 4 on 3.
They get a couple good shots at it and are able to keep control of the puck in the Cornell zone.
As the first Cornell player is coming out of the box, Liotti takes a shot from the point, it hits a couple bodies in front and deflects in.
Huskies lead 1-0 and they get the goal with 39.9 seconds remaining in the first period.
The goal is credited to Liotti and the assists are given to Silva and JP Maley.
At the end of the first period, the Huskies lead 1-0.
And now :06 seconds later, penalty called on Cornell. This one to Michael Kennedy for contact to the head with a high stick.
All of a sudden, NU with a 4 on 3.
They get a couple good shots at it and are able to keep control of the puck in the Cornell zone.
As the first Cornell player is coming out of the box, Liotti takes a shot from the point, it hits a couple bodies in front and deflects in.
Huskies lead 1-0 and they get the goal with 39.9 seconds remaining in the first period.
The goal is credited to Liotti and the assists are given to Silva and JP Maley.
At the end of the first period, the Huskies lead 1-0.
First Penalties
Huskies with their best shift of the game. It was the McCauley-Rassey-McNeely line.
They held the puck in the Cornell zone for a good minute or two.
Penalty called on Greg Costa for interference after he threw a big hit. First time for either team on the PP.
Great penalty kill for the Huskies. Almost no opportunities for Cornell on the man advantage.
NU then gets some momentum and fires a couple shots. Their best chance hit the post.
But the pressure draws a penalty on Cornell's Justin Krueger. He gets 2 minutes for contact to the head with an elbow.
With 2:44 left in the period, the Huskies are going on the power play.
They held the puck in the Cornell zone for a good minute or two.
Penalty called on Greg Costa for interference after he threw a big hit. First time for either team on the PP.
Great penalty kill for the Huskies. Almost no opportunities for Cornell on the man advantage.
NU then gets some momentum and fires a couple shots. Their best chance hit the post.
But the pressure draws a penalty on Cornell's Justin Krueger. He gets 2 minutes for contact to the head with an elbow.
With 2:44 left in the period, the Huskies are going on the power play.
Goaltending Battle
While the Huskies are getting some shots, they have not been able to get anywhere near the front of the net or Cornell goalie Ben Scrivens.
Finally a great chance in front for the Huskies. McCauley fed a great pass from the corner in front for Rassey who got a good shot off but Scrivens makes a great glove save.
-Scivens looks like he is really seeing the puck well as he has made some impressive saves so far.
(Side note: This ND-UNH game in Manchester looks great! ND up 5-4 right now halfway through the third period)
As for here in Michigan, it has definitely been a battle of the goaltenders thus far.
0-0, 7:14 to go in the first period.
Finally a great chance in front for the Huskies. McCauley fed a great pass from the corner in front for Rassey who got a good shot off but Scrivens makes a great glove save.
-Scivens looks like he is really seeing the puck well as he has made some impressive saves so far.
(Side note: This ND-UNH game in Manchester looks great! ND up 5-4 right now halfway through the third period)
As for here in Michigan, it has definitely been a battle of the goaltenders thus far.
0-0, 7:14 to go in the first period.
...
As I think most expected, the game has developed a very slow and choppy feel to it.
Both of these teams just seem to be warming up, but Cornell has definitely had the better of the chances.
Cornell with a huge 2 on 1 opportunity- NU dodges another bullet.
Now NU starting to throw their weight around a little bit.
Still relatively uneventful first period, 0-0 with 11:02 to go.
Both of these teams just seem to be warming up, but Cornell has definitely had the better of the chances.
Cornell with a huge 2 on 1 opportunity- NU dodges another bullet.
Now NU starting to throw their weight around a little bit.
Still relatively uneventful first period, 0-0 with 11:02 to go.
And The Puck Drops...
Northeastern vs. Cornell Big Red - 3/28/09 - Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI
Place is not full by any means..and pretty quiet too.
Cornell gets the first shot on net and Thiessen handles it easily. Good for him to get into the game early.
In the first few minutes, Cornell had total domination of the game and had a couple chances to score in front, but NU is starting to put their game together.
5 minutes in, 0-0.
Place is not full by any means..and pretty quiet too.
Cornell gets the first shot on net and Thiessen handles it easily. Good for him to get into the game early.
In the first few minutes, Cornell had total domination of the game and had a couple chances to score in front, but NU is starting to put their game together.
5 minutes in, 0-0.
First Look From Van Andel
While the teams are warming up for the game, I figured I'd update everyone on the lines for both teams.
NU:
Wade MacLeod - Joe Vitale - Kyle Kraemer
Ryan Ginand - Steve Silva - Chris Donovan
Dennis McCauley - Rob Rassey - Tyler McNeely
Alex Tuckerman - Greg Costa - Steve Quailer
Cornell:
Patrick Kennedy - Riley Nash - Evan Barlow
Colin Greenberg - Michael Kennedy - Locke Jillson
Sean Collins - Tyler Mugford - Jordan Kary
Joe Scali - Derek Punches - Dan Nicholls
First reaction for NU,
GREG COSTA IS IN THERE BABY!
I was pushing for him to make the lineup for the last couple of days and I guess Cronin thought the same thing.
I feel bad for Mike McLaughlin but I hope for his sake that he can get into an NCAA tourney game somewhere along the line in his career.
Also, a lot of people were calling for Vitale-McLeod-McNeely to be reunited but that didn't happen. It remains to be seen how everything will work out but one thing is for sure: 28 minutes till gametime!
NU:
Wade MacLeod - Joe Vitale - Kyle Kraemer
Ryan Ginand - Steve Silva - Chris Donovan
Dennis McCauley - Rob Rassey - Tyler McNeely
Alex Tuckerman - Greg Costa - Steve Quailer
Cornell:
Patrick Kennedy - Riley Nash - Evan Barlow
Colin Greenberg - Michael Kennedy - Locke Jillson
Sean Collins - Tyler Mugford - Jordan Kary
Joe Scali - Derek Punches - Dan Nicholls
First reaction for NU,
GREG COSTA IS IN THERE BABY!
I was pushing for him to make the lineup for the last couple of days and I guess Cronin thought the same thing.
I feel bad for Mike McLaughlin but I hope for his sake that he can get into an NCAA tourney game somewhere along the line in his career.
Also, a lot of people were calling for Vitale-McLeod-McNeely to be reunited but that didn't happen. It remains to be seen how everything will work out but one thing is for sure: 28 minutes till gametime!
Made It!
Well after two very early morning flights and cab rides, I have finally arrived at the Courtyard Marriott in Grand Rapids. The hotel seems to be a buzz, with representatives from all four teams hanging out and getting ready for the games.
SO happy I was not on the NU bus, which got in after midnight last night. A 17 hour ride.
As for the games, we are 4 hours away!
Here are some players to watch and X-factors when looking at the Cornell-NU game.
For the Huskies:
#39 - Goalie - Brad Thiessen- Hobey Baker Finalist, Hockey East Player of the Year, one of the top goaltender's in the nation. Brad will need to be at his best today as he has been all year for the Huskies.
#3 - Forward - Ryan Ginand- Leading goal scorer for the Huskies with 20 goals. Ginand is a playmaker on skates, he has the ability to create scoring by himself and no matter whether he shoots or passes, he is a catalyst for the team. If he can get things going out there today, the offense will come for NU. They have been struggling for goals as of late and he is essential to the offense.
X-Factor- #22 - Forward - Greg Costa- Not the most likely choice for an x-factor I know. Thiessen may be the real x-factor but I wanted to get creative. COSTA NEEDS TO BE IN THE LINEUP. This season his scoring line is 8-8-16 in 38 games played. But even more than his scoring, his forechecking and ability to create turnovers is so essential to the Huskies game. If the Big Red hear him coming, they might not worry about the puck as much and that's where NU has lived for a large part of the second half of the season.
For the Big Red:
#30 - Goalie - Ben Scrivens- Much like Thiessen he has been the key to Cornell's success all season. With a 1.76 GAA, it's tough to get one by him. Cornell as a whole will probably try to keep this one tight checking and low scoring.
#14 - Forward - Riley Nash- Leading the team in scoring, this kid can fly. He has 34 points on the season and like Ginand for the Huskies, is the key for the Big Red's offense. If he gets going, Cornell might be able to open up a lead.
X-Factor- #3 - Defense - Jared Seminoff- Playing every game this season for Cornell, Seminoff is going to be integral to their defensive play. One of the smaller guys on the team at 5'10'', he has to make sure that NU's big forwards like Joe Vitale, Steve Quailer, and Dennis McCauley don't get past him too easily.
That's all for now. I'll post another update when I get to the arena shortly..
SO happy I was not on the NU bus, which got in after midnight last night. A 17 hour ride.
As for the games, we are 4 hours away!
Here are some players to watch and X-factors when looking at the Cornell-NU game.
For the Huskies:
#39 - Goalie - Brad Thiessen- Hobey Baker Finalist, Hockey East Player of the Year, one of the top goaltender's in the nation. Brad will need to be at his best today as he has been all year for the Huskies.
#3 - Forward - Ryan Ginand- Leading goal scorer for the Huskies with 20 goals. Ginand is a playmaker on skates, he has the ability to create scoring by himself and no matter whether he shoots or passes, he is a catalyst for the team. If he can get things going out there today, the offense will come for NU. They have been struggling for goals as of late and he is essential to the offense.
X-Factor- #22 - Forward - Greg Costa- Not the most likely choice for an x-factor I know. Thiessen may be the real x-factor but I wanted to get creative. COSTA NEEDS TO BE IN THE LINEUP. This season his scoring line is 8-8-16 in 38 games played. But even more than his scoring, his forechecking and ability to create turnovers is so essential to the Huskies game. If the Big Red hear him coming, they might not worry about the puck as much and that's where NU has lived for a large part of the second half of the season.
For the Big Red:
#30 - Goalie - Ben Scrivens- Much like Thiessen he has been the key to Cornell's success all season. With a 1.76 GAA, it's tough to get one by him. Cornell as a whole will probably try to keep this one tight checking and low scoring.
#14 - Forward - Riley Nash- Leading the team in scoring, this kid can fly. He has 34 points on the season and like Ginand for the Huskies, is the key for the Big Red's offense. If he gets going, Cornell might be able to open up a lead.
X-Factor- #3 - Defense - Jared Seminoff- Playing every game this season for Cornell, Seminoff is going to be integral to their defensive play. One of the smaller guys on the team at 5'10'', he has to make sure that NU's big forwards like Joe Vitale, Steve Quailer, and Dennis McCauley don't get past him too easily.
That's all for now. I'll post another update when I get to the arena shortly..
Thursday, March 26, 2009
To Grand Rapids!
Hey everyone,
I decided to start a live blog for this weekend's NCAA tournament games. Specifically, I will be covering the regional in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the home of the Western Michigan Broncos- Van Andel Arena.
In this regional there are 4 teams that will play three games over the course of two days. All of the action will start this Saturday with Cornell playing Northeastern at 4 p.m. and Bemijdi State facing off against Notre Dame at 8 p.m.
The regional finals will be the next day (Sunday) at 8 p.m. and the winning team will get a spot in the frozen four next weekend in Washington D.C.
Hopefully, I will be live blogging all of these games.
I will also cover the games for collegehockeynews.com and of course, the Huntington News. Upon the completion of these games, be sure to head to huntington-news.com or collegehockeynews.com to check out my stories about Midwest Regional play.
I decided to start a live blog for this weekend's NCAA tournament games. Specifically, I will be covering the regional in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the home of the Western Michigan Broncos- Van Andel Arena.
In this regional there are 4 teams that will play three games over the course of two days. All of the action will start this Saturday with Cornell playing Northeastern at 4 p.m. and Bemijdi State facing off against Notre Dame at 8 p.m.
The regional finals will be the next day (Sunday) at 8 p.m. and the winning team will get a spot in the frozen four next weekend in Washington D.C.
Hopefully, I will be live blogging all of these games.
I will also cover the games for collegehockeynews.com and of course, the Huntington News. Upon the completion of these games, be sure to head to huntington-news.com or collegehockeynews.com to check out my stories about Midwest Regional play.
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