Could it be that the CCHA season didn’t
go as planned? Could it be that the Buckeyes bombed,
finished 10th and were bounced in the first round
of the playoffs by Ferris State? Could it be that
Michigan is 9-12-4 since Thanksgiving and finished
outside of the top two in the league standings for
the first time since slap bracelets were the coolest
wristwear on the planet?
Could it be that new coaches Jim Roque
and Jeff Jackson led Lake Superior State and Notre
Dame, respectively, from the cellar to home ice in
the playoffs (then, naturally, were the only two higher-seeded
teams to lose in the first round)? Could Nebraska-Omaha
be poised to make the NCAA Tournament with a walk-on
goalie? Could Alaska Fairbanks really have beaten
three different No. 1-ranked teams –
and finished tied for eighth in the league? Could
talented Bowling Green really have been the worst
team in the conference?
Could it be that Ferris State and Western
Michigan are in the second round of the playoffs?
Some nut out there predicted they would occupy the
last two spots in the standings. Well, he was kind
of right regarding Western, eh?
Could I have picked a more annoying
literary device to tie together this season recap?
Perhaps. While you ponder that, dig this glance back
at the season and look ahead to the rest of the CCHA
Tournament:
THE FAVORITE
With 20 conference wins, Miami seems
like the best bet to hoist the Mason Cup, even though
Michigan State is one of the hottest teams in the
country. The RedHawks have superb (yet young) goaltending
with the Charlie Effinger/Jeff Zatkoff tandem, which
is imperative to a successful playoff run. They also
can rely on strong senior leadership from Andy Greene,
Matt Davis and Co., and Davis’ sophomore brother,
Nathan, has turned into a dynamic offensive force.
Miami has three losses and three one-goal wins in
its last seven games, which could be construed as
a slide. But it already had the league wrapped up,
so we can excuse ‘em. Until the RedHawks lose when
it counts, they’re the favorites.
CCHA
Quarterfinal Matchups
No. 11
Western Michigan at
No. 1 Miami
WMU: 10-22-6 (7-16-5 CCHA)
MU: 23-7-4 (20-6-2 CCHA)
Season Series: Miami leads 2-0
Bronco Fact:
The sweep of Lake Superior State was Western’s
first playoff series victory since 1994. But
the Broncos will need two more wins to accomplish
something else they haven’t done since
that year: making it to Joe Louis Arena. RedHawk Fact: Miami is the
only team in the league with a
finalist for all six CCHA individual awards.
How WMU Wins: Another surprisingly
strong weekend by goalie Daniel Bellissimo and
the Bronco defense is a must. WMU proved it
could hang at Miami (see Jan. 20-21 series),
but now, it has to find a way to finish. How Miami Wins: Riding the
emotion of a farewell to Goggin Ice Arena should
keep Miami from being complacent. That and trying
to secure a No. 1 NCAA seed, of course. If the
RedHawks play their systems, it will be tough
to lose.
No.
9 Alaska Fairbanks at
No. 2 Michigan State
UAF: 17-14-5 (11-13-4 CCHA)
MSU: 20-10-8 (14-7-7 CCHA)
Season Series: MSU leads 3-0-1
Nanook Fact:
UAF is 7-2-1 in its last 10 games, which is
tied with MSU and Nebraska-Omaha (both 6-1-3)
for the best mark among teams still alive in
the tournament. Spartan Fact: Rick Comley has
nine players with at least nine goals this season,
but none of them has more than 13.
How UAF Wins:
The same way it did against Notre Dame –
keeping it close and low-scoring for as long
as possible, then seeing what happens. Getting
the first goal (or two) is critical against
a confident defensive team that is streaky in
terms of scoring. How MSU Wins: The Spartans
should be able to control the puck against UAF,
and keeping it buzzing around the Nanook net
can only lead to good things. Defensively, MSU
should be able to keep UAF to the outside, for
the most part, making Jeff Lerg’s job
relatively easy.
No. 7 Ferris
State at No. 3 Michigan
FSU: 17-13-8 (10-11-7CCHA) U-M: 18-13-5 (13-10-5 CCHA) Season Series: FSU leads 1-0-1
Bulldog Fact:
After the sweep of Ohio State, FSU is 8-0 all-time
in home playoff games. This, of course, means
nothing this weekend, but we thought you’d
like to know anyway. Wolverine Fact: U-M is the
most penalized team in the CCHA (22.5 minutes
per game), but also has the league’s best
power play (19.2 percent).
How FSU Wins:
Try to break Michigan’s spirit at the
first moment possible. If a knockout blow doesn’t
present itself, play sound defense and hang
around as long as possible. The averages indicate
that goals will come eventually. How U-M Wins: Goaltending,
goaltending, goaltending. If Michigan gets solid
play in the net from Billy Sauer and/or Noah
Ruden, its confidence will blossom. If softies
continue to go in, the Wolverines’ teetering
season could topple.
No.
5 Nebraska-Omaha at No. 4 Northern Michigan UNO: 20-12-6 (12-10-6 CCHA) NMU: 20-14-2 (14-12-2) Season Series: UNO leads 2-0
Maverick Fact:
Scott Parse became UNO’s all-time leading
scorer with a goal and an assist in last weekend’s
sweep of Bowling Green. His 145 points in not
quite three full seasons surpass the 144 posted
by David Brisson from 1999-2003. Wildcat Fact: Want balance?
There is no more than a two-point separation
between the Wildcats’ top seven scorers.
How UNO Wins:
By replicating its effort from last month’s
sweep of Northern. That was a major byproduct
of their majestic confidence at the time. The
good vibes were doused against Western Michigan
but perhaps rekindled against Bowling Green
last week. How NMU Wins: We can see this
series being high-scoring (at least by the standard
of 1-0 and 2-1 playoff games), so having Bill
Zaniboni win his goaltending duel against Jerad
Kaufmann would give NMU a leg up. Otherwise,
just roll four lines and trust that the home
crowd and Olympic-size ice eventually will swing
in your favor.
THE GATE CRASHER
Just two weeks ago, Nebraska-Omaha was
a lock to get a first-round CCHA bye and be in contention
for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Then the
Bronco poop hit the fan. But these are the same players
and coaches who were the toasts of college hockey
a fortnight ago. It only makes sense that if they
were that good then, they’re still that good now.
Maybe they’re even better upon realizing how quickly
things can sour without A+ efforts. It will be tough
to go into Northern Michigan this weekend, but the
Mavericks swept the homestanding Wildcats one month
ago. If UNO gets to Detroit, anything can happen.
Especially with that dangerous offense.
INCH’S ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
G – Jeff Lerg, Michigan
State: Cases could be made for a half-dozen
goalies, but MSU’s ho-hum season turned around when
Lerg established himself as the starter. The freshman
has the best blend of statistics, workload, consistency
and team success in the conference. He ranks third
in goals-against average (1.98), save percentage (.926)
and winning percentage (.682) in the CCHA.
D – Andy Greene, Miami:
The best player on the best team in the league, Greene
scored nine goals (including three game winners) and
added 18 assists in his senior campaign. Nobody can
boast of better defensive-zone coverage, either. He’s
a plus-17.
D – Nathan Oystrick, Northern
Michigan: The smooth-skating senior captain
is the heart and soul of the Wildcats, not to mention
a dangerous two-way defenseman. Oystrick popped in
nine goals to complement his 16 assists.
F – T.J. Hensick, Michigan:
The league’s slickest playmaker ranks third in assists
(33) and tied for fourth in points (47). The junior
improved his defense this season, but must do the
same with his leadership skills if he returns to Ann
Arbor next season.
F – Scott Parse, Nebraska-Omaha:
Parse leads the nation in points by seven over Ryan
Potulny (61-54), and in assists with 41. The junior’s
1.61 points per game also are unparalleled, and he
is one of just four 20-goal scorers in the conference.
F – Brent Walton, Western
Michigan: The senior finished second in the
league with 24 goals - and he didn’t have much help
in getting there. Only one Bronco besides him cracked
the 20-point plateau. Walton also tied for the league
lead with five game-winning goals among Western’s
10 victories.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Enrico Blasi, Miami. A few teams overachieved
this season, but only one ran away with the conference.
The RedHawks were picked sixth in the conference by
the coaches and seventh by the media (fifth by INCH),
but clinched the title with two full weekends left
to play. Blasi deserves credit for keeping his players
focused on the immediate moment rather than dreaming
about the big picture, which can be tough to do with
a team not used to overwhelming success. Nobody preaches
the one-game-at-a-time mantra like Blasi, and, apparently,
nobody teaches it like him, either.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Scott Parse, Nebraska-Omaha junior forward.
We admit that Miami defenseman Andy Greene just as
easily could take this honor, but Parse’s superb season
is just so numerically evident. He’s the only 60-point
scorer in the nation. He has made stars out of his
two linemates, Bill Thomas and Bryan Marshall. He
leads the conference in plus/minus at plus-27. He’s
the propeller that has made UNO the top-scoring team
in the CCHA at 3.71 goals per game. It was troubling
that he went quiet recently (one goal in his last
six games) as the Mavericks fell out of a first-round
bye, but in a way, that shows just how valuable he
is to the team.
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Jeff Lerg, Michigan State goalie. With
all due respect to Jack Johnson, who should be a terrific
professional, Lerg is the best rookie in the CCHA
right now. The 5-foot-6 water bug is calm and poised
in the net and has made a positive out of his lack
of size with uber-quick moves and reflexes. Admittedly,
he benefited by becoming MSU’s No. 1 goalie at roughly
the same time the roster got healthy, but you have
to be pretty good to keep Dominic Vicari stapled to
the bench down the stretch. Lerg won the job with
a 6-0-0 run right after New Year’s, then kept it with
consistency that hasn’t been seen in an East Lansing
crease since the days of Ryan Miller.
BREAKTHROUGH PLAYER
Greg Rallo, Ferris State senior forward,
by a nose over Miami’s Ryan Jones. Rallo was our “Surprise
Individual” at midseason, and he maintained his production
through the second half. He finished eighth in the
league in scoring with 37 points (16 goals, 21 assists)
after registering just seven goals in each of the
past two seasons and never reaching the 30-point mark.
Rallo also performed admirably as team captain this
year, leading the young Bulldogs to a tied-for-sixth-place
finish when most folks (including us) had them pegged
for the bottom And for the cherry on top, he penned
the
best essay by a student-athlete that we read this
season.
