March 27, 2008
NCAA Tournament
Northeast Regional Preview | Worcester, Mass.

NCAA EAST REGIONAL PREVIEW

Nathan Gerbe returned to form at last week's Hockey East championships in Boston. Another strong weekend from BC's superstar could carry the Eagles to the Frozen Four for the third straight year.

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NCAA NORTHEAST REGIONAL DCU Center Saturday, March 29 4 p.m. ET: No. 1 Miami vs. No. 4 Air Force 7:30 p.m. ET: No. 2 Boston College vs. No. 3 Minnesota Sunday, March 30 4:30 p.m. ET: Regional Final

By Jeff Howe, Joe Gladziszewski, and Ken McMillan

HOT TOPIC

Miami coach Rico Blasi has never been one to get too excited about his team getting shipped east for the NCAA tournament. Count this as being another one of those years. The RedHawks are the regional's top seed, but they'll face a significant hurdle with a potential second-day matchup against second-seeded Boston College. The Eagles have won five straight and swept through the Hockey East tournament in impressive fashion. And even though BC fans haven't been known to overwhelm neutral buildings with their presence, the Eagles are the only local team in Worcester and will command much of the support as a result. Thus, Blasi's squad may have to overcome something of a road effect.

BACK STORY

This whole Miami-BC thing is getting a little bit out of hand. The Eagles have bounced Miami from the NCAA Tournament in the last two years, both by shutouts. In 2007 in Manchester, Boston College won the regional final 4-0. In 2006 at this very same DCU Center, Boston College posted a 5-0 win over Miami in the first round.

DCU Center has been a friendly regional site for the Eagles over the years. This year marks the 10th regional to be held in Worcester dating back to 1993. Boston College has been placed in Worcester three times, and has advanced to the Frozen Four twice, including in 2001 when they eventually went on to the national championship.

ON A ROLL

Boston College's success is directly related to Nathan Gerbe's ability to spark the offense. After a quiet February – when Gerbe said he tried to do too much on the ice and saw his production suffer as a result the junior forward has lit it up in March. He's got five goals and six assists during BC's five-game winning streak, including a 4-5–9 line during the Hockey East tournament, and Gerbe is trying to make a late push to steal Kevin Porter's Hobey Baker Award. If the Eagles advance through Worcester, it'll have a lot to do with Gerbe.

Air Force junior forward Brent Olson carries a six-game point-scoring streak (five goals, four assists) into the regional semifinals. Two weeks ago, Olson was named the MVP of the Atlantic Hockey tournament – he had two goals in the semifinal win over RIT and a goal and two assists in the double OT win over Mercyhurst in the final. Olson was named INCH’s breakthrough player in Atlantic Hockey for his 18 goals and 20 assists – he had a goal and 12 assists in his first two seasons at Air Force.

MR. CLUTCH

We'll hand out this title after Saturday's early semifinal once and for all, but two freshmen goalies have proven to be clutch for their teams down the stretch. Boston College's John Muse and Minnesota's Alex Kangas have been consistent and reliable down the stretch and led their respective teams deep into their conference tournaments. Muse played well on back-to-back nights, allowing the Eagles to rally for a triple-overtime win over New Hampshire in the semifinal and keeping BC in the game during a slow start in the final against Vermont. Kangas was stellar in three straight games at the WCHA Final Five, making 94 saves over the course of three games, and allowing just five goals. He was named as the tournament's Most Valuable Player despite the Gophers losing in the championship game to Denver.

SOMETHING TO PROVE

The Miami RedHawks are making their sixth NCAA Tournament trip in program history, but have never been a top seed within a regional. Last year in Manchester the RedHawks earned their first-ever win in the national tournament with an upset victory over top-seeded New Hampshire. This time around, it's a different role. Miami is the team to beat and earning a trip to the Frozen Four would solidify this season as the best in school history. The RedHawks have amassed 32 wins, spent much of the regular season at or near the top of the national rankings, all despite missing captain and leader Nathan Davis for much of the season. There's depth, talent, and experience on this roster. How they respond to being the favorites is yet to be seen.

ONE TO WATCH

It looks like 2007 Hobey Baker finalist Eric Ehn of Air Force could be back in the lineup for Saturday's regional semifinal. Ehn, a senior forward, broke his left fibula and suffered ligament damage when he crashed skates-first into the end boards during a Jan. 19 matchup with Colorado College, and has missed the last 14 games. The Falcons had some immediate struggles with line switching but have since re-discovered their offense, scoring at least three goals in 10 of their last 12 games, so you have to wonder if coach Frank Serratore wants to shuffle his lineup again to accommodate an injured star. Ehn skated with a red jersey – indicating an injured player – in Monday’s practice and donned a normal practice sweater the next three days. Media reports from Colorado said Ehn looked good with his skating, but did not take the hits he would see in game action. Serratore said if Ehn plays, don’t expect him to be the fast-skating, hard-hitting All-American from last season; rather, a defensive bonus and key face-off man.

SUNDAY STORYLINE

If the top two seeds advance - and we're hard-pressed to believe they won't -- there will be a familiar matchup on Sunday. Boston College has seen Miami in March almost as often as it sees Boston University in February and North Dakota in April. As recent history indicates, that's a site the Eagles would welcome once again. BC has sent the RedHawks packing each of the last two seasons. The Eagles thumped Miami, 5-0, in the Worcester semifinal in 2006 and then dropped Blasi's bunch, 4-0, in the Manchester final last year. Much of each squad's important players are back in uniform this year, and that could create for an interesting atmosphere with a trip to Denver on the line.