HOT TOPIC
Welcome to the NCAA Midwest Regional, also known as the College Hockey America-CCHA Invitational or the Regional of 1,000 Questions. Take a glance at the four teams sent to Fort Wayne and you’ll find that each has hovering over it some sort of issue.
For Miami, it’s goaltending; specifically, can Hobey Baker Award candidate Cody Reichard get off the schneid following two straight subpar outings. For Michigan, it’s goaltending; specifically, how much longer can walk-on Shawn Hunwick continue to play like Frank Brimsek? For Bemidji State, it’s whether it can bounce back from a mild swoon late in the regular season and extending into the CHA playoffs, while for Alabama-Huntsville, it’s wondering if they’ll ever find a home in a conference after the CHA dissolves at the end of the season.
The beauty of the NCAA Tournament is that we’re guaranteed to answer at least one of the questions above by Sunday.
BACK STORY
The burden Miami carries into this year’s NCAA Tournament is immense. Not only have the RedHawks been at or near the top of the national rankings all season, but they’ve also got memories of the epic collapse against Boston University in last year’s NCAA title game fresh in their minds.
To a man, the RedHawks have claimed that the events of that April night in Washington D.C. are ancient history, and while they haven’t been a distraction to date, those memories are as fresh as 6 a.m. donuts. Getting a read on the psyche of this team isn’t easy. Does this group believe that anything short of a return trip to the national championship game is a disappointment?
ON A ROLL
Twenty-one minutes, four seconds: That’s the total amount of playing time Michigan junior goaltender Shawn Hunwick had under his belt when the Wolverines’ starter, Bryan Hogan, was injured in the first period of a win against Notre Dame Feb. 24 in Ann Arbor. In his first career start two days later, the Fighting Irish scored five goals in a 5-3 win in South Bend.
Hunwick hasn’t lost since, allowing a total of nine goals in six playoff starts. The guy coach Red Berenson called “Rudy” in reference to the plucky Notre Dame football walk-on who finally earned a shot at glory has a 7-2-0 record, a 1.86 goals against average, a .912 save percentage, and one shutout. One would think he’s due for an average outing; then again, maybe it’s a case of karma favoring Wolverine goaltenders for a change.
SOMETHING TO PROVE
With Miami and Michigan in the Midwest Regional, there’s no doubt that at least one representative from the CCHA in Fort Wayne this weekend. And while you probably won’t hear it from anyone associated with the team, one can be certain that Alabama-Huntsville, which was rebuffed last summer by the CCHA in its attempt to join the conference, would like to put on a show for league brass. The Chargers are the longest of long shots, but we thought the same thing about Holy Cross and Bemidji State in recent seasons.
ONE TO WATCH
Goaltender Matt Dalton grabbed most of the limelight during Bemidji State’s unlikely run to the 2009 Frozen Four. This time around, the key Beaver is junior forward Matt Read, the College Hockey America Player of the Year and the first BSU player to record 40 or more points in back-to-back seasons since the school elevated its program to Division I status
Read followed up his 15-goal, 25-assist effort in 2008-09 with 19 goals and 21 assists this season. And keep an eye on him when he’s killing penalties – Read actually has more shorthanded goals (three) than power-play scores (two). Fans with sharp memories will recall that he scored a shorthanded goal against Notre Dame in last season’s Midwest Regional first-round game in Grand Rapids.
MR. CLUTCH
When Michigan forward Aaron Palushaj decided to turn pro at the end of last season, the first question that arose in the minds of many observers was, how will this affect Louie Caporusso? The Woodbridge, Ontario product doubled his goal production from his freshman to his sophomore year, scoring 24 goals in 2008-09.
Caporusso struggled mightily, scoring just seven goals in the Wolverines’ first 30 games. But just when everyone was about to write off Caporusso as a product of Palushaj’s playmaking abilities, Louie blew up, scoring 13 goals in the Wolverines’ last 13 games and seven goals in six postseason games.
SUNDAY STORYLINE
Theoretically, Miami should waltz through the Midwest Regional en route to a second straight Frozen Four appearance. As is the case with Wisconsin in the West Regional, the RedHawks have been among the three best teams in the country since day one and boast better talent and depth than Bemidji State, Michigan, and Alabama-Huntsville.
There’s been a role reversal, however. Whereas Miami and Bemidji State had been of berths in the NCAA Tournament for a few weeks regardless of the outcomes of their respective league playoffs, Michigan and Alabama-Huntsville have been in survival mode. Now that the Wolverines and Chargers are in the NCAAs, they’re both playing with house money. Flipping the switch from somewhat-interested participant to take-no-prisoners predator isn’t a given. Still, Miami is the prohibitive favorite to advance.
