January
19, 2007 Close
Games and Combat Leave Lasting Impression
By
Warren Kozireski
The feature series of the week was Robert
Morris at Alabama-Huntsville and it definitely lived up
to its billing with a pair of one-goal tilts (not including
an empty-netter), but was tarnished with two fights breaking
out in the final minute Saturday.
CHA
Notebook
Goalie
Layne Sedevie and Bemidji State will play a home-and-home
series with North Dakota this weekend.
The Chargers' Troy Maney and RMU's Dave Cowan
received game disqualifications for fighting, but we're
not quite sure how the stripes missed the other bout featuring
the Colonials' Brett Hopfe and UAH defenseman Matt Montes.
Well, not exactly missed. Each was given a
double minor for roughing and a ten minute misconduct, but
from the video phone footage on at least one website, those
were punches being tossed. So where was the second set of
DQs?
In a season where every team in the conference
has distinguished itself with strong results in non-conference
action, these on-ice actions are an embarrassment. Blame
the refs, blame the intensity of the games, blame the chance
that both were trying to send a message in the event they
meet in the postseason. It's still not supposed to happen
in college hockey.
By the way, only one non five-on-five goal
was scored in the Colonials 3-2 win Friday and it was still
even strength at four-on-four. Robert Morris' did a nice
job in their own end limiting the Chargers to just six shots
on goal in the third.
Special teams also were limited in the rematch,
won by UAH 3-1. Three unanswered goals with two in the last
half of the third earned the Chargers the split.
Not surprisingly goalie Joe Tuset, fresh off
two wins in his last three games, earned both starts in
goal for Robert Morris.
"Joe played well against Merrimack and
Notre Dame and won the first game Friday, so we went back
to him," said Colonial head coach Derek Schooley. "No
mind games here…sometimes you just need to ride the
hot hand."
SEEN AND HEARD IN CHA
Wayne State Beats Ferris State: Wayne
State picked up its fourth non-conference win on Jared Katz'
overtime winner Friday and were tied with the Ferris State
Bulldogs through two periods Saturday before giving up four
unanswered third period goals to settle for the split.
Matt Krug tied the first game in the final
minute with the goalie pulled to send the game into overtime.
In the second game with the game tied 2-2,
the Warriors couldn't take advantage of a five minute power
play and allowed a shorthanded effort late in the man advantage.
Katz scored his second of the weekend late in the second
to again tie the score, but the home team couldn't take
that momentum into the third.
Spelling Test: Niagara probably
can't spell Ruegsegger, but they might be seeing the Pioneer
in their sleep this week. The Denver freshman scored the
overtime winner on the power play with just seven seconds
remaining Friday and added two more goals the next to seal
the non-conference sweep and end the Purple Eagles winning
streak at five games.
The Purps were out-shot 97-40 over the two
games.
Bemidji State Takes On Sioux:
This weekend will probably be the first time a Bemidji State
team has played North Dakota as a higher ranked team, as
the Beavers and Sioux will play a home-and-home. Depending
on what poll you stare at, NoDak is even with, slightly
ahead of, or behind the Beavers.
Bemidji State has never beaten the Fighting
Sioux in nine previous meetings — coming closest with
a 3-3 tie in 2005 — and have been outscored a combined
43-18 in the series. Blaine Jarvis has three points lifetime
in head-to-head matches while Matt Pope and Travis Winter
have two each.
Aside from the last two exhibition games against
the U.S. National Team, these are the last non-conference
games on the schedule for the dam builders.
FRIES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BAG
Great Weekend Getaway
Robert
Morris at Wayne State (Fri.-Sat.) Third place Robert Morris plays their two
conference games-in-hand on fourth place UAH. A Colonial
sweep would extend their lead over the Chargers to
six points with eight CHA games remaining.
While You’re There: Add to
your frustration with the dog you left home by going
to the AKC Dog Show Saturday, starting at 8 a.m. at
the Fairgrounds.
Stick
Salute
Wayne State freshman
forward Jared Katz for his first collegiate
game-winner in overtime to beat Ferris State.
Hope you have a mantel someday.
Bench
Minor
To Robert
Morris' Brett Hopfe and Dave Cowan along with Alabama-Huntsville's
Troy Maney and Matt Montes. Don't care who
started it.
• Depth will be challenged for both
Robert Morris in conference action at Wayne State and UAH
at Western Michigan Friday and Saturday with players sitting
out due to game disqualifications and/or team rule violations.
• Wayne State has scored 13 of their
21 goals in conference action in the second period.
• Forward Chris Margott is due back
in the line-up this weekend for Robert Morris after missing
the last four.
• Niagara enters the weekend with a
4-0 all-time record against Quinnipiac.
• Robert Morris is 42nd in the nation
scoring with 2.65 goals per game, but leads the conference
with 41.5 percent of its goals coming on the power play.
Niagara is a close second at 41 percent. Bemidji State is
25th overall at 3.05 goals per game, but is last in CHA
with just 31 percent of its offense coming on the power
play.
• This will the second weekend off this
month and third of the last five for UAH.
A variety
of sources were utilized in the compilation of this report. Warren Kozireski can be reached at warrenkozireski@yahoo.com.
