December 18, 2008
2008-09 Hockey East Midseason Review

By Jeff Howe

SURPRISE TEAM

Maine has come back strong on the heels of the Black Bears' second absence from postseason play during their history in Hockey East. As has been written here countless times before, Maine lost its top-seven scorers from last season, including freshman Andrew Sweetland, and junior goalie Ben Bishop left for the pros, too. It was the second year in a row the program had been rocked by roster turnover, and judging by how well the Black Bears fared last season, hopes were grim for this campaign. Even the league's coaches, who seemed to favor tradition while voting Maine fourth in the 2007-08 preseason poll, had Maine predicted to finish ninth this season. Scott Darling, as you'll read below, has been a huge reason for Maine's success. The Black Bears (10-5-1, 5-4-1 HEA) were in sixth place in Hockey East, two points behind second, when the first half wrapped up.

SURPRISE INDIVIDUALS

Per usual, New Hampshire came into the season knowing it needed to replace the production from its high scoring forwards who departed last spring. Everyone knew sophomore James van Riemsdyk was money in the bank in that regard, but others needed to step up in place of Matt Fornataro and Mike Radja, who combined for 37 goals and 52 assists in 2007-08. Enter sophomore forward Mike Sislo, who had three goals and five assists while playing all 38 games last season, and his eight points were the 17th most on the Wildcats. This season, though, Sislo leads UNH with 11 goals, and his 14 points are tied for second.

WHAT HAPPENED TO ...

As we predicted in the season preview, Providence was going to fall off from its fifth-place finish from 2007-08. With the losses of Tyler Sims, Jon Rheault and Cody Wild combined with its rocky stretch in the second half — finishing 1-7-2 and getting swept out of the playoffs by Boston College — it was apparent the Friars would be in for a tough season. But zero Hockey East wins heading into 2009? No one has been winless in league play heading into the New Year since UMass Lowell four seasons ago. Providence is ninth in Hockey East in scoring offense (2.19 goals per game), last in the country in scoring defense (4.19 goals allowed per game), ninth in Hockey East in power play (12.3 percent) and last in Hockey East (second to last in the nation) in penalty kill (74.0 percent). And for a quirky stat: The Friars have allowed 28 second-period goals, the same amount Maine has surrendered all season.

BEST NEW FACE

Scott Darling leads Hockey East in goals-against average and save percentage.

Maine freshman goalie Scott Darling is putting together one of the finest seasons between the pipes in the country, and he's been the primary reason for Maine's ascent back to legitimacy. He leads Hockey East with a 1.41 goals-against average and .944 save percentage, and at 8-3-1, his winning percentage (.708) is third in the league. While the Black Bears are trying to find themselves offensively — they're scoring 2.38 goals per game, eighth in Hockey East — Darling is providing the room for error.

BIGGEST UPSET

Merrimack entered its Nov. 29 matchup against New Hampshire with a 2-22-2 all-time record at the Whittemore Center and 2-35-5 against the Wildcats since 1995. After Bobby Butler put UNH ahead, 3-2, at 6:46 of the third period, things appeared to be heading toward another ho-hum victory for the Wildcats against the Warriors. Apparently, though, that's when the planet got knocked slightly off its axis. Rob Ricci tied it 51 seconds later, and Jesse Todd scored the winner at 10:53 to give Merrimack its first victory in Durham in five seasons.

TOUGHEST ROAD OUT

Northeastern seems to have traversed all corners of the college hockey globe. It opened the season with a 1-0-1 trip to Alaska before visiting Providence, hosting Boston College and heading to Maine for a pair. Somehow, the Huskies were 5-0-1 after that stretch. Follow that with a home-and-home against New Hampshire, mix in a trip to Vermont, another contest with UNH and a stroll over to Agganis Arena, and the Huskies (11-3-2, 8-2-1 HEA) lay claim to Hockey East's toughest first half.

TOUGHEST ROAD IN

Maine and UMass Lowell have similar schedules down the stretch, but Maine claims the tiebreaker due to travel time. The Black Bears visit Boston College for a pair Jan. 24-25, host Lowell and UMass, play rival New Hampshire in Durham and Manchester, host Boston University for two, get on the bus for nearly six hours to Amherst to play UMass twice, return home for two against Vermont and close out the season with a pair at Lowell. The Black Bears won't be in Orono for consecutive weekends for the rest of the season.

MUST-SEE SERIES

Joe Vitale and Northeastern have some big games ahead in the second half as they seek a return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1994.

Boston College and Northeastern meet for a home-and-home during the last weekend of the regular season, and there's a very good chance the regular-season title will be on the line for one team, if not both. And due to how tight the standings are — plus INCH's prediction that at least six teams will have a chance to win the Hockey East regular-season crown with two weekends to play — a sweep could put one team on the road for the first round of the playoffs. Since failing to escape from the first round could end a team's chance at the NCAA tournament, the road won't be a welcomed place, especially if that team draws a trip to Vermont. Anytime bragging rights are about fifth on the list of objectives when these two Boston schools meet, you know it's a must-see series.

BIGGEST QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Can Maine return to prominence? It's obviously happening sooner than expected. After its darkest season in a decade, the national power has gotten back to a familiar recipe: great defense backed by a strong goalie. It's still way to early to tell if Maine has what it takes to return to the NCAA tournament (and our guess is the Black Bears are still a ways away), but Maine will be back in the Hockey East playoffs at the very least.

What will happen with Boston University's goaltending situation? To his admission, not even Jack Parker knew what would come of his goaltending situation before the season began, and you can believe him by the rotation he used. Freshmen Kieran Millan and Grant Rollheiser alternated starts in the Terriers' first 12 games, but Millan was in net during BU's final four contests before the December break, including a win and a tie against Boston College. It's not that Rollheiser (3-3-0, .885, 2.52) has done anything wrong, but Millan (8-1-1, .922, 1.79) has emerged as a top-notch starter. The recent stretch indicates Parker finally has his man after what looked like a two-month tryout.

BIGGEST QUESTION REMAINING

Boston College and Boston University will lock down the top-two spots in the standings, but who will emerge out of the next group of teams? This becomes a two-parter. As tight as the league standings have been — four points separate second place from eighth — neither Boston College nor Boston University have proven they can separate themselves from the pack. And after BC finished fourth in Hockey East last season before its run to the postseason championship and national title, it's tough to tell whether or not the Eagles are just waiting until March to turn it on. As for the second part, Northeastern hasn't just proven it can emerge out of “the next group,” the first-place Huskies have the same four-point difference between them and second that there is between second and eighth. Obviously, they've got to prove they can keep it together after the Beanpot, which doomed them last season.