THE FAVORITE
As if their impressively stingy blue line and ruthless straight-to-the-net style weren’t imposing enough for conference opponents, Notre Dame topped off their second CCHA regular season title in three years with the announcement that a much-anticipated replacement for the less-than impressive Joyce Center is in the works for the 2011-12 season, showing that hockey is finally getting its due at a school with one of the richest sports traditions in the nation.
Christian Hanson and Notre Dame showed they can win in all venues.
The Fighting Irish never really looked back this year, comfortably leading the league due to consistent play regardless of venue - showing that a great team with a strong plan doesn’t have to worry about heading on the road, where Notre Dame was a very impressive 14-2-1 away from the Joyce Center.
Now, heading into the playoffs, the team has it all - an offense that has continually found the back of the net at key times, a defense that suffocated almost every foe it faced and one thing that few other teams can boast as much of: playoff experience.
While Michigan has been one of the nation’s hottest teams in the second half, Miami certainly has the talent to skate with anyone it may face in the CCHA playoffs, and a relentless Alaska defense and streaky Ohio State offense can’t be forgotten, it will be tough to stop this Fighting Irish team from reaching any goal it puts its collective mind to.
THE GATE CRASHER
Although there were signs of improvement during the second half of last year in Fairbanks, it seemed impossible that Alaska could overcome yet another coaching change when Dallas Ferguson became the program’s third coach in three seasons.
The Nanooks, however, surprised just about everyone when they finished the regular season with the nation’s top defense.
Ferguson, an Alaska alumus and former assistant coach, was able to count on netminder Chad Johnson and his defensive corps all year long to make up for a sub-par offense that ranked 54th in the nation.
Whether or not this success can continue deep into the playoffs remains to be seen, as the lack of viable offense - 1.94 goals per game to be precise - might hurt them against stronger teams that fare decently against the Nanooks defense.
INCH’S ALL-CCHA TEAM
F - Carter Camper, Miami
Camper not only puts up solid offensive numbers, but he is a catalyst for success on the power play and has emerged as a leader on a team that may otherwise have suffered from a leadership void with numerous significant leaders having graduated.
Aaron Palushaj led Michigan with 32 assists.
F - Aaron Palushaj, Michigan
While linemate Louie Caporusso also merits mention, Palushaj had an outstanding sophomore season where he showcased his all-around game and helped lead Michigan to a second-half resurgence. Palushaj spread the puck around with 10 goals and 32 assists and led his team with a plus-21 rating.
F-Patrick Galivan, Western Michigan
Galivan was the most prolific scorer in the CCHA this season, compiling an 18-28-46 line and helping his team to home ice in the first round of the league playoffs. Coach Jim Culhane knows that his team needs to play with a lot of energy and play a 200-foot game and Galivan has been a great catalyst for this style.
D - Erik Gustafsson, Northern Michigan
Gustafsson has become one of the CCHA’s most formidable blue liners with his combination of top-notch play at his home end and a nose for finding his teammates in the right spots on offense. The native of Sweden led CCHA defensemen with 25 points.
D - Ian Cole, Notre Dame
It’s hard to pick just one player from the Fighting Irish blue line, as they’re all big, stifling on defense and can contribute on offense, but Cole has been a dominant player night in and night out. Not only did he contribute 22 points on offense, but he provided a very valuable physical presence and played with an effective edge.
G - Chad Johnson, Alaska
Johnson was steady for Alaska all year long and was the backbone of the defense that least the nation.The senior went just 12-13-5 but allowed just 1.70 goals per game and compiled a .937 save percentage while mentoring freshman backup Scott Greenham - who put up equally impressive numbers - all the while.
COACH OF THE YEAR
As the CCHA does seemingly every year, the league produced numerous worthy candidates for this honor. Dallas Ferguson helped his team overcome the shock of so many coaching changes, John Markell squeezed every bit he could out of a feisty young Ohio State team and Red Berenson again put Michigan in position to make some noise in the postseason. Add in Walt Kyle’s second half turnaround and Jim Culhane’s victory of home ice for Western Michigan and it was a great year for most coaches in the league. Notre Dame’s Jeff Jackson, however, separated himself from the pack by keeping his team consistent and hungry all year long while avoiding the Frozen Four hangover.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
It wasn’t nearly as clear-cut of last year, when eventual Hobey Baker Award winner Kevin Porter took home this honor easily, but Miami’s Carter Camper is a deserving recipient of this honor.
Camper has perpetually been near the top of the league’s scoring race since he arrived in Oxford last year and knows how to score goals when they count the most. Of the 19 goals that made up half of his 19-19-38 line this season, 11 of his markers came on the power play and four of them were game winners.
While the offensive numbers speak for themselves, Camper also helped take a Miami team with two freshman goaltenders on his shoulders, helping to provide confidence that had previously come through departed standouts Ryan Jones, Nathan Davis and Alec Martinez.
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
With so many underclassmen in the Ohio State locker room, the Buckeyes needed some of the young players to step up and freshman Zac Dalpe did that.
When Dalpe was a younger teenager, he had the talent but was severely undersized and the Buckeyes were the only ones to take a serious look at him while the OHL overlooked him. Dalpe rewarded them with a growth spurt and then a very impressive rookie season that saw him notch 25 points on 13 goals and 12 assists.
BREAKTHROUGH PLAYER
Before Notre Dame’s run to the Frozen Four last year, senior Christian Hanson was probably better known for his father’s role in Slapshot than his own game. Hanson took great strides at the end of last year and it paid off this year as he rose from an afterthought on a stacked Fighting Irish roster to a soon-to-be much sought after unrestricted free agent when he graduates this spring.
Coach Jeff Jackson has said that his team does its best when it’s not playing around the perimeter and trying to be pretty, and Hanson’s markers are often the epitome of a dirty goal scorer. His net crashing paid off with a 16-14-30 line and an admirable plus-10 rating.
