Those of you with preschool-aged children are probably familiar with “The Wonder Pets,” the Nickelodeon series chronicling the adventures of three classroom pets who save baby animals from peril in their down time. One of the Wonder Pets is Ming-Ming, a fluffy little duckling best known for assessing perilous situations and singing, “This … is … serious!”

We could use a little Ming-Ming this weekend, because it’s about to get REAL serious in college hockey. The conference races, with teams tangled together in the standings like bubble gum in a pony tail. And while it is serious business for teams from coast to coast, it’s seriously thrilling for college hockey fans; this may be the most unpredictable collection of conference races we’ve seen in years. We’re certain the teams below will do their best to contribute to the chaos.

Minnesota vs. Denver (Fri.-Sat.)

Nick Bjugstad and Minnesota hope to skate away with the WCHA regular-season title; first, they'll have to contend with teams such as this weekend's opponent, Denver.

The Gophers are the nation’s top-ranked team and the Pioneers are coming off a loss and tie against Colorado College, so it feels as if these teams are trending in opposite directions. Widen that view; you’ll see that post-Christmas, DU is 7-2-1 while the Gophers are 5-4-0. As we’ve mentioned previously, the Pioneers are getting healthier—goaltender Sam Brittain could start both games this weekend—but forward Beau Bennett (out 14 games and counting with a wrist injury) and defenseman David Makowski (out eight games with an upper-body injury) aren’t ready to go. And while we tend to think of Minnesota as an offensive juggernaut, the Gophers have really scratched and clawed their way to top of the WCHA standings—10 of their last 13 games have been decided by one goal.

Yale at Colgate (Friday)
Yale at Cornell (Saturday)

This season hasn’t gone as planned for preseason favorites Yale, but it can all be remedied by a late-season run. The Bulldogs aren’t focused on what the standings look like from week-to-week, but on improving the way they’re playing headed into the ECAC Hockey tournament. It’s a real test this weekend, as they’ll visit second-place Colgate on Friday and then head to Lynah Rink on Saturday. Even though Yale is building from within, some long-range goals are still within reach. A strong finish over the last six games of the regular season could have them in a top-four spot in the standings, guaranteeing Yale a weekend off followed by a quarterfinal series on home ice. Five of the Bulldogs’ last six games are against teams ahead of them in the standings, so they control their own destiny.

Merrimack at UMass Lowell (Friday)
Maine at UMass Lowell (Saturday)

While Boston University and Boston College fans are all Beanpot-ty this weekend, surprising UMass Lowell has a chance to slip ahead of the Terriers into first place in Hockey East. So, too, could Merrimack. But probably not both, because the River Hawks and Warriors play at Tsongas Arena Friday and the loser is likely relegated to third place in the league come Sunday. These games against Merrimack and Maine might represent UMass Lowell’s best chance to gain the upper hand in Hockey East—the River Hawks are 8-1-0 against conference foes at home, but just 5-5-0 in league road games and they close the regular season with home-and-home series with Boston University, Merrimack, and Providence.

Michigan vs. Michigan State (Friday at East Lansing, Saturday at Detroit)

With just a single game separating the Wolverines and Spartans in the CCHA standings, the latest installment of hockey’s version of the Great Lakes State’s most heated rivalry has a lot of the line – A sweep would propel the winner into legitimate contention for the regular season title and the loser onto the NCAA Tournament bubble. The Wolverines come into the series hot, having lost just a single game since Dec. 3, while the Spartans look to build on last weekend’s road sweep at Ohio State, and both schools would love nothing more than to take a big step towards conference glory while casting doubt on their least favorite sibling’s ticket to the NCAAs.

Also: It’s Winter Carnival time at Michigan Tech, which means elaborate snow sculptures, no classes, extended periods of recreating, and a couple of hockey games. Even without the hoopla, the Huskies’ series with Nebraska-Omaha is significant—Tech, UNO, and North Dakota enter the weekend in a three-way tie for fifth in the WCHA standings. … While we’re on the topic, North Dakota travels to Minnesota Duluth for a series with the Bulldogs. One plus about playing for the Fightings: if you’re on the bus, you’re in the lineup. Freshman forward Brendan O’Donnell this week was shelved for the remainder of the season, so NoDak must make do with a lineup of 18 healthy skaters. … The CCHA race is as clear as the final season of “Lost”, so odds are the Notre Dame-Ferris State home-and-home series and the Ohio State-Western Michigan series will further muddy the waters. The Buckeyes are 0-6-4 since Jan. 7. … Atlantic Hockey scoffs at the CCHA standings jumble. Participants in this week’s AHA shell game are first-place Air Force, which travels to fourth-place Niagara, and third-place Mercyhurst and fifth-place Robert Morris, combatants in a home-and-home set that starts in Erie Friday.

Inevitably at this point of the season, for fans, players and coaches alike, the mind begins to drift toward March and playoff hockey. It’s only natural, as every game carries increased importance as teams jockey for position for the Hockey East tournament, which begins just four weeks from today.

A one-game-at-a-time approach has worked well for coach Norm Bazin and UMass Lowell.

So you’ll have to excuse UMass Lowell head coach Norm Bazin if he doesn’t quite get caught up in the hysteria of playoff hockey just yet. The first-year head coach has his team just one point out of first place in the league standings with a game in hand over league-leading Boston University, but the only thing on his mind right now is Friday’s game at home against Merrimack.

“Our team does well when concentrating on the next game, and the next game only,” Bazin said. “When we look at the big picture, it doesn’t bode well for us. We’ve got an inexperienced group, in age and youthfulness, and we do pretty well when the next game is the focus.”

For certain, Bazin has kept his troops focused on the task at hand for much of the season. After posting a 2-3-0 mark in October, the River Hawks have gone 16-4-0 since. Still, looking deeper at the schedule illustrates Bazin’s thoughts about focusing on the next game only. In each of the four losses since the first of November, one might reach the conclusion that the River Hawks might have been looking past their opponent, losing to New Hampshire, Northeastern, Vermont and Providence – all teams in the bottom half of the league’s standings.

While the River Hawks may be looking at the final eight games of the league season one at a time, it’s clear the road into the playoffs will present numerous challenges. Six of the final eight games are against teams in the top half of the standings, with just three points separating first from fifth place.

Bazin has had his team thinking of the season in three parts, with the third part — the final 10 games of the year — beginning last weekend with Lowell’s series at home against Vermont. The River Hawks captured the sweep in 3-1 and 6-4 victories, but not without some nerve-wracking moments. In the opener, the Catamounts scored the game’s first goal before Lowell rallied with two in the second period and one in the third. Saturday’s game saw a 5-2 third-period lead nearly evaporate as Vermont scored a pair of extra attacker goals 50 seconds apart before Josh Holmstrom capped the contest with a late empty net goal.

“We’re concentrating on 60-minute efforts,” Bazin said. “We want our guys to play in the moment — when we get away from that, we lose focus. It’s crucial for our young guys to keep playing in the moment, and we have to find a way to keep our guys grounded. We realize it’s not too far down – Vermont was a very good club, and those games could have gone either way.”

The River Hawks are well aware of just how narrow the gap between first and last place is in Hockey East; after all, it was just last season that UMass-Lowell was where the Catamounts now are, in last place in the league, and watching the playoffs from home.

Lowell’s change from last season to this has come on two fronts. Offensively, the River Hawks are benefiting from balanced scoring, with seven players already over the 20-point mark on the season. Last year, just two players — David Vallorani and Riley Wetmore — surpassed the 20-point mark for the entire season. Additionally, along with the balanced point totals, just two players — freshman Scott Wilson and sophomore Derek Arnold — have more than 10 goals on the year, with both players recording 13.

“It’s very important for our team to have scoring by committee,” Bazin said. “Any of those seven guys can lead our team in scoring for a given weekend. It bodes well for our team-first attitude, focusing on our team and not on individuals.”

While UMass Lowell has gotten offensive production from a number of sources, it’s been sophomore Doug Carr between the pipes who has kept the River Hawks steady this season. Carr’s numbers are very solid, posting a .923 save percentage and a 1.88 goals-against average. More impressive has been his consistency, as Carr has recorded just three shutouts on the year.

“He’s somebody who’s been very strong, somebody who’s been consistent, which is the key word when describing goaltenders,” Bazin said. “He’s had a great start to the season, and we’re anxious to see what the stretch drive brings. It’s a long season, full of potholes, and he’s done well to navigate through them so far. We’re cautiously optimistic that he can be a reflection of the team over the stretch run.

“We feel we’ve been able to accomplish things by scoring by committee, getting good leadership and goaltending and special teams, and just finding ways to play the same way both away and at home,” he added. “Our home arena has been very good to us. We’ve gotten great fan support at home in front of our fans, and that’s given us an edge. These are all factors that have allowed us to have an aggressive approach.”

While Bazin tries to keep his team focused on the next opponent, the fact of the matter is that the next six games will determine not only where the River Hawks finish the regular season, but also whether or not they will have an opportunity to continue in the national tournament. Quite a leap from a team with just five wins a year ago.

FRIES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BAG

• Hockey East can certainly make a case as the best offensive league in the country. Half of the league’s teams are ranked in the top 14 nationally in scoring offense, led by UMass-Lowell (3rd), Maine (4th) and Boston University (5th).

• Boston College appears to be heating up at the right time. The Eagles have 14 goals in their last three games, all wins, including a 7-1 victory over Northeastern in last Monday’s Beanpot semifinal. The Eagles are at Vermont tonight before facing Boston University on Monday in the 60th Beanpot championship.

• Massachusetts, currently lying in ninth place, has its work cut out for it to attempt to climb into a playoff spot. The Minutemen have yet to win a game on the road this season, going 0-9-2 in road games. Four of UMass’ eight remaining games are on the road, including two at Maine and one each at Boston University and Merrimack.

• Parity has truly found its way into Hockey East. Last season, only six teams finished the season with double digit wins. This season, eight teams are already there, with a ninth — Massachusetts — needing one more win to join that group.

SHAWN HUNWICK
Michigan
Sr. | G | Sterling Heights, Mich.

His Statistics: 2 GP, 2-0-0, shutout, 53 saves, 1 GA in series sweep of Miami

His Impact: Some will make a claim that Hunwick is the best goalie in the country, and he made a case for that distinction this weekend in a key CCHA series at Yost Ice Arena against Miami. Hunwick’s 24-save effort in the series opener boosted Michigan to a 4-1 win. He blanked the RedHawks one night later with 29 saves, including one of the controversial variety when a shot on a Miami breakaway was reviewed on video and ruled not to have crossed the goal line.

The bigger picture is that Michigan has risen near the top of the CCHA standings with some stellar play over the last two months. The Wolverines are 10-1-2 in their last 13 games. Hunwick has played in 12 of those and has a 1.34 goals-against average and .957 save percentage during that stretch.

His Runners-Up: Spencer Abbott, Maine; J.T. Brown, Minnesota Duluth; Shayne Gostisbehere, Union; Jason Torf, Air Force

Midway through the second period of Friday’s 6-3 win at Ohio State, Michigan State defenseman A.J. Sturges scored his first goal of the season, cutting a two-goal Buckeye lead in half. Not only was the goal significant in that it sparked a Spartan comeback from a 3-1 first-period deficit, but it was also a milestone for Sturges, who in the fall of 2008 was severely beaten in an off-campus fight.

Sturges, a Madison, Wis., native, sustained a fractured skull and concussion and missed the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons due to his injuries. He spent most of last season getting back into game shape, appearing in one contest.

This season, Sturges has played in 10 games. His goal this past weekend was the second of his Spartan career—his first was Nov. 10, 2007, in a win against Mercyhurst at Munn Ice Arena. For some timeframe perspective, a guy named Justin Abdelkader also scored in that game. Good on you, A.J. Making it back on the ice was remarkable, and getting a goal is pure frosting.

Michigan’s impressive sweep of Miami was blemished when the two teams racked up 72 minutes in penalties in the final 3:20 of the Wolverines’ 3-0 win Saturday. Included in that total are fighting majors assessed to Miami’s Will Weber and Michigan’s Chris Brown that carry with them an automatic one-game suspension. For Weber, that means sitting out against Alabama-Huntsville Friday. Brown has to miss the Wolverines’ match at Michigan State that same night. Disadvantage, Michigan.

It’s clear that the frustration was building on both sides. The Wolverines felt the RedHawks were repeatedly running goaltender Shawn Hunwick with no consequence. The longer Hunwick kept the RedHawks off the board, meanwhile, the more Miami stewed.

We understand the regular season is a grind, points are hard to come by, and the cramped quarters of the CCHA standings make the weekly battles that much more ferocious. We’re not pointing fingers here; rather, we’re advocating that everyone play with a little more poise. It avoids situations that give the college game a bad look and ultimately hurt teams down the road.

What Happened?: It was a night of comebacks on Friday as three ranked teams turned early deficits into victories. The most dramatic comeback was achieved by Maine, as the Black Bears trailed Alabama-Huntsville 3-0 after two periods. Maine scored three times in the third period, including the tying goal in the last minute of the period, and then won 4-3 in overtime. Both Michigan State and Harvard fell behind 3-1 after one period in road games. The Spartans ended up defeating Ohio State and Harvard toppled Quinnipiac by identical 6-3 finals.

What We’re Watching: Is Michigan Tech the streakiest-scoring—and goal-allowing—team in college hockey? Based on recent results, the Huskies are in the midst of a trend that may warrant a closer look. After a little poking around, here’s what caught our eye:

Jan. 13 vs. Alaska Anchorage: The Seawolves score the game’s first goal. The Huskies then reel off five straight en route to a 6-2 win.

Jan. 14 vs. Alaska Anchorage: Tech scores three times in the game’s first 10 minutes. UAA scores the next four to take a 4-3 lead with 15:19 left in regulation, but the Huskies score the last three to win, 6-4.

Jan. 21 at Northern Michigan: The Wildcats score two goals in a 42-second span of the first period, but the Huskies score two power-play goals less than two minutes apart in the second. Alas, NMU scores three unanswered goals for a 5-2 victory.

Jan. 27 at Minnesota Duluth: Top-ranked UMD scores four goals in a 10-minute span of the first period. Tech counters by scoring four times over a 20-minute stretch of the second and third periods, salvaging a 4-4 tie.

Jan. 28 at Minnesota Duluth: The Huskies score four goals in the first period on their way to a 5-0 whitewash of the Bullodgs. That’s nine straight unanswered goals for MTU.

Feb. 3 at Minnesota State: The Mavs score three goals over a six-minute arc of the first period; the Huskies respond by tying the game with three straight of their own. Minnesota State earns a 5-3 win with two third-period goals.

Feb. 4 at Minnesota State: The hosts take a 1-0 lead less than two minutes into the game, but Tech takes command by scoring six first-period goals and cruise to a 7-3 win.

What the …?: On a lot of nights, especially when television isn’t a part of the equation, college hockey fans can count on getting from the first-period puck drop to the final buzzer in about two hours and 15 minutes. That wasn’t the case at Princeton’s Baker Rink when the Tigers and visiting Dartmouth tussled for three hours and 19 minutes. Not that it was all related to the on-ice activity, although the game did end 3-3 after a scoreless overtime. An hour delay took place near the midpoint of the third period when a shot from Dartmouth’s Jesse Beamish hit the glass and shattered it. Earlier in the day, two other planes of glass were broken during the team’s pre-game skates – one by each team.

@fergy2004 Ryan

Do I want the patriots or giants to win to help the Sioux in the pairwise?

• Yup, it’s that time of the year. And they prefer to be called University of North Dakota.

While this weekend’s slate of Hockey East games contains several key matchups, plenty of attention is already being cast toward Monday, when the 60th edition of the Beanpot will be contested at the TD Garden in downtown Boston. And despite being the new guy on the block in terms of serving as a head coach in the event for the first time, Northeastern head coach Jim Madigan is certainly no stranger to the event, arguably having seen the event from more different angles than any of his coaching counterparts.

Madigan played at Northeastern from 1981 to 1985 and won two Beanpots during that span. He was also behind the bench as an assistant coach for the Huskies’ last win in the tournament in 1988, and has been in the Northeastern administration since 1993. Through the years, Madigan has had a front-row seat in watching the tournament’s evolution.

Jim Madigan won two Beanpot titles as a Northeastern player; This month, Steve Quailer and the Huskies will try to get him his first as a coach.

“One of the biggest changes in the Beanpot has just been the venue itself,” Madigan said. “The old Garden was great, but it was time to get a new building, and the Bruins did a great job with the current Garden. But with the old one, you could really touch everyone inside the venue; it had more of an intimate feeling about it, just because of the way it was built.

“Athletically, in the ’80s, when you had different teams winning, it was great,” Madigan added. “When two teams haven’t had success, it takes away from the flavor of it a little bit – it’s healthier when other teams are winning the tournament. But it’s still that same cachet event that carries significance in the city, from hockey fans to businesses to the schools to the alumni and administration. It’s still very popular, and has a huge appeal in the city, and it’s still difficult to get tickets for.”

Another part of the tournament’s evolution has come with the makeup of the teams. Years ago, when the four Boston-area schools had rosters composed mainly of local players, the casual fan often knew the players for years, having followed their career through youth hockey, then to the high school and prep school ranks, and into college. Similarly, the players grew up playing with and against each other, breeding a level of familiarity and a sense of getting bragging rights over friends and neighbors.

Today, the teams recruit players from far and wide; indeed, among the three Hockey East schools in the tournament, only 20 players call Massachusetts home. Yet, as Madigan points out, a different kind of familiarity exists among players and between the teams and the the passionate fans who fill the Garden.

“Recruiting has spread out nationally, and while the players might not be from the same area anymore, they’re all familiar with each other,” Madigan said. “They play with and against each other at national team programs, national team camps, the USHL… they’ve played against each other enough and still know each other, so they still have that desire to beat their friends at the other schools. They’re representing their school, and that means an awful lot.

“As far as the fans, school pride overrides; our alumni follow Northeastern,” he added. “Because of the internet and websites that do a good job of covering hockey, our alumni follow players who verbally commit to our program earlier and earlier, and they know the kids earlier. Our hardcore fans are watching our future players on video, and calling after having watched players who have verbally committed. They still follow the players, but in a different way — they’re not watching them in high school and prep schools at a tournament at the Garden, but through a different forum and a different venue.”

While the tournament may have its detractors, especially outside of New England, the fact remains that it’s still an integral part of the tradition that makes college hockey what it is.

“I think the appeal is still there, and the reason why is because of the teams themselves,” Madigan said. “Every year, you have some of the top teams in the country playing, and the results go toward playing in the stretch drive. They’re also important when you’re playing toward the national picture, so it has that significance. The players want to win this not only for themselves, but also your part of the city, and also create a memory for the rest of their lives. For the players and the alumni, it still carries that same importance.”

As far as his club is concerned, Madigan first has his team focused on Friday night’s matchup with Massachusetts, trying to continue momentum after last weekend’s sweep at Vermont. Northeastern currently holds a precarious one-point lead over New Hampshire for the eighth and final spot in the playoffs, with eight league games remaining for the Huskies and nine for the Wildcats.

But once the final horn sounds after game with the Minutemen, the attention shifts to Monday night’s matchup with Boston College, without focusing on snapping the school’s Beanpot drought.

“We don’t want our guys to wear the burden of not having won it,” Madigan said. “Last year’s kids played their hearts out; they played for their current team, for their school.

“This time of year, the focus is on the last month of the schedule,” he continued. “Everyone’s playing for playoff contention, whether they’re trying to get into the tournament or to improve their seed. The Beanpot aligns well with the run to the playoffs and playoff hockey. Every game is sudden death in the Beanpot, just as it is for us right now — we have to win to solidify a playoff spot.

“The Beanpot, though, shouldn’t need any additional motivation. If I have to motivate a player on Monday night, then I’ve got the wrong player.”

The Hobey Baker Memorial Award is presented to a deserving recipient on the day before the last college hockey game of the season. But that doesn’t mean that college hockey fans, players, and media members don’t think about it all season. Inside College Hockey’s Hobey Tracker looks at our picks for the top three candidates and other players worthy of discussion.

Justin Schultz
Wisconsin | Jr. | D
To Date: 26 GP, 12-26–38, 5 PPG, GWG, +15 rating

The Skinny: Dare we say that Schultz, the country’s leading scorer among defensemen and the sixth-best scorer overall, is mired in a bit of a slump? In seven games since erupting for two goals and two assists in a Jan. 6 win against RIT, Schultz has just one goal and five assists, well below his scoring clip of nearly 1.5 points per game. One could argue Schultz’s recent drop in production is enough to move him out of the Big Board’s top spot, but then again, we’re carping about a blueliner who averages a point and a half per game. Throw in a plus-minus rating of +15 (sixth among NCAA defensemen) and his paltry 10 penalty minutes in 26 games, and you’ve got a pretty impressive resume.

Austin Smith
Colgate | Sr. | F
To Date: 26 GP, 26-15–41, 6 SHG, 4 PPG, 5 GWG, +21 rating

The Skinny: Smith moves up one spot this week on the Big Board following a momentum-building weekend for the Raiders in which their leading actor gave an award-worthy performance. Colgate was mired in a six-game winless slide (Smith still got seven points in that stretch) but broke through with two wins against then-first-place Cornell. Smith was a huge factor all night and assisted on the Raiders’ first goal in a 2-1 win on the road. He then scored twice at home as Colgate scored four in the last 20 minutes to complete a 5-3 comeback win. Smith’s first goal knotted the score at 1-1, and his second tied the score 3-3 in the third period. It was a short-handed goal, his sixth of the season, which leads the country.

Jack Connolly
Minnesota Duluth | Sr. | F
To Date: 26 GP, 15-25–40, 5 PPG, 2 GWG, +16 rating

The Skinny: Not since the second game of the season, way back on Oct. 8, had Jack Connolly been kept off the scoresheet. Then it happened on consecutive nights as Michigan Tech went to Duluth and got a tie and a win on the road, and became the only team other than Notre Dame to hold Connolly without a point in a game this season. Connolly also had a minus-3 rating in the series, and Michigan Tech scored nine straight goals on the weekend after Duluth built a 4-0 lead on Friday night. While our Big Board flip-flop between Smith and Connolly has a lot to do with recent performance, it’s a really close call between all three of the top candidates at this point.

A deeper look at a Hobey hopeful and an issue (or issues) surrounding his candidacy.

Doug Carr, UMass Lowell: Since first-year head coach Norm Bazin anointed Carr the full-time starter in early November, the River Hawks have been nearly unstoppable. The Hanover, Mass., native has a 15-4-0 record on the year, putting UMass Lowell, which won five games last season, on track for an NCAA Tournament berth. He’s fifth in the nation in goals-against average (1.82) and save percentage (.935), and only Minnesota Duluth’s Kenny Reiter and Minnesota’s Kent Patterson have more wins. Assuming the River Hawks continue on their current trajectory—especially with games against Boston University, Maine, and Merrimack on the horizon—Carr will be strong candidate for one of the 10 Hobey finalist spots.

Shane Madolora, RIT: Last season, Madolora kicked his game into high gear during the second half of the season, and it appears he’s doing the same this season. In his last six starts, including last weekend’s win and tie against Mercyhurst that moved the Tigers into first place in Atlantic Hockey, Madolora is 5-0-1 with a 0.66 goals against average and a .975 save percentage. He enters this weekend’s series at Air Force ranked third nationally in both goals-against average (1.78) and save percentage (.937); his numbers would likely be more impressive had he not missed five games early in the season after running into an issue with the NCAA Clearinghouse.

DAN SULLIVAN
Maine
So. | G | York, Pa.

His Statistics: Sullivan stopped 28 of the 30 shots he faced in the Black Bears’ 4-2 win at Boston University Friday, then made a career-high 38 saves to lead Maine to a 3-1 triumph Saturday and a series sweep of the host Terriers.

His Impact: The charging Black Bears are 11-2-1 since Thanksgiving and—fresh off sweeps of perennial Hockey East heavyweights Boston College and Boston University—enter February with as much momentum as any team in the country.

Sullivan’s consistency in goal is one reason for Maine’s surge. His 38 saves in Saturday’s 3-1 win against BU marked the fourth time in his last five starts he’s made 30-plus saves; in his last five appearances, Sullivan is 4-0-1 with a 2.33 goals against average and a .921 save percentage. Among Hockey East goalies, only UMass Lowell’s Doug Carr has more wins than Sullivan.

His Runners Up: Garrett Bartus, Connecticut; Cody Ferriero, Northeastern; Derek Graham, Ferris State; Luke Salazar, Denver; Joe Wilson, Colgate

Congratulations to ex-Wisconsin goaltender Brian Elliott, who preceded his first NHL All-Star Game appearance over the past weekend by signing a two-year contract extension with the St. Louis Blues, the team that picked him off the scrap heap for little more than the league minimum in the offseason, for a reported $3.6 million. Elliott won the battle for Ottawa’s starting gig prior to the start of the 2010-11 season but struggled, lost the job, and was dealt to Colorado. At the break, the Blues are two points behind Detroit in the Central Division standings thanks in large measure to the goaltending platoon of Elliott and Jaroslav Halak—St. Louis has allowed 102 goals in 49 games, second fewest in the league.

We understand that student media generally serves a very specific audience, primarily composed of its peers, which is why it’s not the best move for a college newspaper staffer to call out student peers on the sports pages. A columnist for the Cornell Daily Sun put a strongly-worded rip-job together following the Big Red’s men’s hockey losses against Colgate over the weekend, and wasn’t afraid to name names. The bigger problem was that he named the wrong one by assigning culpability for Colgate’s game-changing short-handed goal to Cornell senior forward Sean Collins, when two defensemen actually coughed the puck up on the play.

What Happened: The American Hockey League held its annual all-star classic Sunday and Monday in Atlantic City and many former collegians participated. Recent college alumni included the likes of Cory Conacher from Canisius and ex-Miami teammates Andy Miele and Carter Camper. Some of the league’s elder statesmen also came from the college ranks including Krys Kolanos, Clay Wilson and Darren Haydar. Former Maine goalie Ben Bishop earned MVP honors after stopping 10 of 11 shots in the third period and all four shootout attempts to lead the Western Conference to an 8-7 shootout victory. A total of 26 players who played at least one year of college hockey took part among the 48 players overall.

What We’re Watching: Ferris State extended its unbeaten streak to eight with two wins against Michigan State this past weekend, climbing to first place in the CCHA standings. The Bulldogs close the regular season with four tricky series (at Northern Michigan, vs. Bowling Green, home-and-home with Notre Dame and Western Michigan), significant because staying in the top four of the league standings and retaining a home-ice spot for the CCHA playoff quarterfinals is more important for Ferris than any other team in the league. The Bulldogs are a sterling 11-1-2 at home this season and a mediocre 6-7-1 away from Big Rapids. In those seven losses—six on the road and one at a neutral site—FSU has scored a total of five goals and has been shut out on four occasions.

What the …?: Through 20 games of Harvard’s season, they’ve posted a record of 6-6-8. Yup, that’s eight ties in 20 games for the Crimson with just six wins and six losses. With that kind of ledger, it’s bound to create some statistical oddities. How about this? At this point in the year, only four teams have fewer wins – Vermont (5), American International (5), Army (3) and Sacred Heart (2). But on the other side, only two teams have fewer losses – Minnesota Duluth (5) and Merrimack (5).

@Akillorn19 Alex Killorn

Guess I got caught picking my nose on national tv. Whatever, where I come from they call that a #powermove

• When you score two goals on national TV against an ancient rival, extra-curricular activities can be overlooked. The real power moves came in the Harvard senior’s two-goal performance against Yale – the first was a wraparound goal and the second came when he drove the net and scored the game-winning goal. By the way, if you haven’t seen Killorn play, check out the early game at the Beanpot on Monday. He’s worth the price of admission and worth setting your video recorder to see.

It’s kind of a slow weekend in the sports world with the big events being the NHL All-Star Game (somewhat watchable), the NFL Pro Bowl (hardly watchable), and a full slate of NBA action (completely unwatchable). The same could be said for the coming weekend in college hockey with only one big-time clash (Maine at Boston University) on the docket. But there are a few other series that warrant a closer look. One worth watching is a battle between the top two teams in Atlantic Hockey as Mercyhurst visits RIT.

Matt Nieto leads Boston University in scoring with 23 points in 20 games.

Maine at Boston University (Fri.-Sat.): Outside of Minnesota Duluth, no one’s been better than the Black Bears and Terriers over the last two months. Hockey East-leading BU is 12-2-0 since its Nov. 13 shutout of Boston College and Maine, the league’s fourth-place team, is 9-2-1 since Thanksgiving. This series represents the last big hurdle for both teams in what remains of the regular season; the Terriers’ toughest remaining games are a single game at Merrimack and a home-and-home series with UMass Lowell, while the Black Bears’ biggest remaining test is a single game at Lowell. This could be a goal-filled weekend at Agganis Arena what with the Black Bears and Terriers both among the top six in the country in scoring offense and power-play success rate. Enhancing the teams’ power-play potency this weekend is the fact that Boston University and Maine just happen to be the two most penalized teams in the nation.

Colgate vs. Cornell (Friday at Cornell, Saturday at Colgate): These travel partners will play a seldom-seen ECAC Hockey home-and-home weekend beginning Friday night at Lynah Rink in a nationally-televised game. These teams spent most of the first half of the year at or near the top of the league standings. Lately, fortunes have changed a little bit. Colgate is 0-for-2012, with five losses and a tie since the turn of the New Year. A once seemingly impregnable Cornell  team on home ice that achieved five straight shutouts at Lynah Rink was beaten for five aggregate goals last weekend by Dartmouth and Harvard. The return-game Saturday night at Starr Rink in Hamilton always draws a full house. The Raiders need a big weekend to get turned back in the proper direction, and Cornell can maintain its hold on first place by taking care of business against its local rival.

Mercyhurst at RIT (Fri.-Sat.): The top two teams in what is a ridiculously tight Atlantic Hockey race (nine clubs within seven points of first place entering the weekend), the Lakers and Tigers have been on a roll over the last two months—since Dec. 1, Mercyhurst is 8-2-2 and RIT is 9-4-0. The similarities pretty much end there. The Lakers have leaned on the country’s 13th-ranked scoring offense (3.19 goals per game) and sixth-best power play (23.6 percent); the Tigers have the nation’s third-best scoring defense (2.04 goals allowed per game) and 16th-best penalty kill (84.6 percent). Bolstered by the strong play of goalie Shane Madolora, RIT has allowed one or fewer goals in eight of its last 13 games, but with eight of its last 12 matches decided by one goal or ending in a tie, Mercyhurst is accustomed to playing in tight games.

Wisconsin at North Dakota (Fri.-Sat.): A sweep by either the Badgers or NoDak probably puts the final nail in the coffin of the losing team’s NCAA Tournament hopes. That we’re even talking about either team making the NCAAs speaks volumes about the rampant above-average-ism in college hockey this season. That said, both North Dakota and Wisconsin are in good shape considering extenuating circumstances. The painfully young Badgers (a combined four juniors and seniors) are 7-2-1 since Thanksgiving. North Dakota isn’t painfully young, just painfu. With five players on the shelf nursing various injuries, North Dakota has been dressing 17 players and two goalies as of late. Still, the team is 9-3-1 since Turkey Day.

Also: It’s typically been one of the marquee matchups in Hockey East, but it’s fair to say there’s a little shine off this weekend’s Boston College-New Hampshire home-and-home series. Since starting the season by winning eight of their first nine, the Eagles are 7-9-1. The Wildcats have lost eight of their last 12 games. … Denver travels to Alaska Anchorage for a WCHA series. The Pioneers could regain the services of goaltender Sam Brittain and defenseman John Ryder, both of whom have been sidelined with injuries. Brittain has yet to play this season. … Miami is surging, but the NCAA criteria computations inexplicably love Northern Michigan, the CCHA’s ninth-place team. Those two teams meet in Oxford this weekend. … Michigan State hasn’t played a true road game since Dec. 9 and the Spartans’ last road series was a mid-November trip to Northern Michigan. They’re at Ferris State this weekend; the Bulldogs, 4-0-2 in their last six games, have a 9-1-2 mark in Big Rapids this season.

A lot can change in two months. Just eight weeks ago, Maine was in a tie for eighth place in Hockey East, sporting a disappointing 3-5-1 league mark and a 3-6-2 record overall. Fast forward to today, and the Black Bears are back in the hunt for home ice in the league playoffs. Thanks in large part to a 9-1-2 record since Thanksgiving, Maine has clawed its way to fourth in the league standings, just one point behind second-place Merrimack and Boston College.

Brian Flynn, with 35, is one point shy of his point total from all of last season.

Maine’s run has been fueled by consistency on both ends of the ice. Over the 12-game stretch, Maine has won every game in which it has scored three goals or more; the three times that the Black Bears failed to reach that mark have resulted in the two losses and a tie. Coinciding with the offensive consistency has been solid play at the other end of the ice, as sophomore Dan Sullivan has established himself as the team’s number one goaltender, getting the starting nod in each of the 12 games during the streak.

The Black Bears also avoided the pitfall that many teams suffer from — the holiday hangover. Maine claimed its fifth Florida College Classic between Christmas and New Year’s, and carried the momentum from that tournament into wins against Vermont and New Hampshire in the first week of January.

“It’s always nice to win tournaments to give you confidence,” said senior captain Brian Flynn. “We had two good games in Florida, then one against Vermont and then the game against UNH at Fenway — we took those four games as a block and said, we need to win three of those; well, we won all four, which has just helped build our confidence.

“In the past, we’ve struggled after the break, so we had a talk about that before we left, and you can see the guys worked hard, skating and lifting over the break, and we’re benefitting from that right now,” Flynn added.

Maine’s upward movement has been due primarily to its prolific offense, led by Hockey East’s top three individual scorers — Flynn, Spencer Abbott and Joey Diamond. The trio comprise the league’s most dangerous scoring line, accounting for 42 of the team’s 80 goals on the year, establishing Flynn and Abbott as two of Hockey East’s strongest candidates for the Hobey Baker Award. Maine also possesses the league’s top power-play unit, converting on 29.7 percent of its chances with the man advantage.

“There’s not that many lines around the country that have played every game together,” Flynn said. “We’ve had a couple of nights where one of the three of us is having a good night, and the others benefit from being on the same line. We’re extremely comfortable at this point, with no signs of slowing down.”

That level of comfort was on display last weekend as the Black Bears took both games from Boston College at home, winning a tight 4-3 contest in overtime before breaking open another close matchup with three goals — two of them of the empty-net variety — in the final three minutes of regulation.

“That was huge — we’ve struggled against BC since I’ve been here, and that’s the first series we won against them in four years,” Flynn said. “It’s a big boost, they’re always at the top of the league and the nation, and I think it’s a good measuring stick for where we are right now. Of course, last week was at home and in front of our crowd, so this week, being on the road will be more of a challenge.”

That challenge Flynn spoke of involves taking on league-leading Boston University in a two-game set in Boston this weekend. The two teams have already met once this season, a 5-1 Terrier victory on Dec. 10 in Orono. In that game, Boston University potted five unanswered goals, including a pair on the power play, to claim the win.

Maine also was without Flynn for the second half of that game after he was assessed a major and game misconduct midway through the second period. At the time of the penalty, Maine led, 1-0, and Flynn feels that staying out of the penalty box will be critical for the Black Bears to find success this weekend.

“We’ll have to be extremely responsible with the puck,” he said. “They’ve got guys who can put the puck in the net and burn us, so we have to chip pucks in deep and make them go 200 feet all night, and not give up any odd-man rushes. Staying out of the box will be a big help, but we’re sure they’re saying that as well, that our power play is clicking right now.”

Fries at the Bottom of the Bag

- Maine’s not alone in trending upward in Hockey East; the Black Bears’ opponent this weekend, Boston University, has won five straight and is 7-1 in its last eight games. The Terriers have opened up a four-point lead on second-place Merrimack and Boston College.

- The other series to watch this weekend is a home-and-home between the two Massachusetts state schools. Massachusetts has won three straight, and is 5-1-2 in its last eight games. The Minutemen have been a completely different team this season at home and on the road; Massachusetts is 7-0-3 at home and 0-7-2 on the road. They’ll take on UMass Lowell, first in Amherst before moving to Lowell on Saturday. Lowell is 4-2 in its last six games, but dropped a 1-0 decision to Providence on Tuesday.

- Boston College has been heading in the opposite direction. The Eagles are just 7-9-1 overall since November 1, canceling out their 7-1 start to the season. BC takes on New Hampshire in a home-and-home series this weekend, with the Wildcats clinging to eighth place in the league standings.

Reilly Smith

REILLY SMITH
Miami
Jr. | F | Mimico, Ontario

His Statistics: Four goals in the RedHawks’ sweep of visiting Western Michigan, including all three goals (one of them short-handed) in Friday’s 3-1 win and the game-winner in Saturday’s 4-0 shutout.

His Impact: Since a disastrous October in which it won two of its eight games, Miami has climbed to within two points of first-place Ohio State in the CCHA standings by going 12-4-2 since Nov. 1. Smith has played a huge role in the RedHawks’ revival, scoring 14 goals and 20 points in those 18 games. His four goals this weekend give him 18 for the season—in all of college hockey, only Colgate’s Austin Smith (24) and Minnesota’s Nick Bjugstad (20) have more.

Smith and the RedHawks have a tough, but favorable, schedule from here on out with seven of their 10 remaining games at home, including a potentially huge home-and-home series with Ohio State to close the regular season. The only road series left on Miami’s slate is an equally important trip to Ann Arbor Feb. 3-4 to face Michigan.

His Runners Up: Shane Madolora, RIT; Mike Mangene, Maine; Bryce Merriam, Rensselaer; Justin Schultz, Wisconsin

While we chose Reilly Smith as the INCH National Player of the Week, it wasn’t an easy decision. The efforts of all the runner-up candidates made this the most difficult choice of the year, so we’ll take this time to salute them in greater detail. The goalies were at the top of their games, as RIT and RPI went to New England states and came home after four-point weekends. RIT’s Shane Madolora (62 saves) and RPI’s Bryce Merriam (81 saves) each had a shutout and allowed one goal in the other game. Matt Mangene of Maine led the Black Bears to a sweep of Boston College by scoring the overtime-winner in Friday’s victory and adding a hat trick in Saturday’s win. Wisconsin defenseman Justin Schultz had another big weekend to boost his Hobey candidacy with five points and a plus-seven rating in two wins against Alaska Anchorage.

Over the last several weeks, people have had the opportunity to login and vote for their favorite players or other deserving candidates in the first phase of the Vote For Hobey. With that, has come some campaigning and balloting updates (and even misinformed articles) from different factions in support of players. We’re all for the enthusiasm, but the bottom line is that it really doesn’t matter at all in determining the top-10 Hobey finalists, let alone the winner. At this stage of voting, 58 coaches receive ballots. Additionally, the fan vote accounts for one percent of the total results – roughly a little more than half of one coach’s vote.

What Happened: Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson was understandably peeved after the CCHA denied the Fighting Irish’s appeal of its suspension of forward Riley Sheahan, causing the standout junior to miss Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Michigan. The league iced Sheahan for what it termed an “illegal hit” in the second period of Notre Dame’s Jan. 13 loss to Western Michigan.

Thing is, had the officials working that game made the correct call, it’s unlikely Sheahan gets suspended. Referees Keith Sergott and Matthew Miller saw the hit, but wrongly assessed the major penalty and game misconduct to Notre Dame’s Jeff Costello—hence the CCHA’s revisionist justice nearly a week later.

“It was more about the process. It wasn’t so much about the call,” Jackson told the Notre Dame Observer. “I hope they take a hard look at the official that involved and give him the same kind of suspension.”

What We’re Watching: We’re watching college hockey on TV—lots of it. With the proliferation of national and regional sports outlets and DirecTV, it’s the golden age of televised college pucks. But we’ve got a simple request for game analysts: less is more. Just because you’re on television for two to three hours at a time, you don’t have to try to cram everything you know about the game into that time frame. Tell us what we need to know, and move on.

What the …?: Saw some brief reports Monday from the Canadian Press about an AHL suspension to former New Hampshire defenseman Garrett Stafford. He’ll sit out one game for the Hamilton Bulldogs due to his actions in Saturday’s outdoor game against the Toronto Marlies. Stafford’s transgression? He apparently threw a water bottle at the Marlies’ bench.

@BruceCiskie Bruce Ciskie

Not surprised to see UMD lose a couple first-place votes. There are voters who use the Pairwise now that it has enough data to be valid.

• If this is indeed the case, and we have no reason to believe it’s not true, then what value do those voters bring to the polling process? Many fans like to clamor that the PairWise is the only thing that matters for NCAA Tournament selection and the polls are meaningless. That’s true … on one day of the year. The PairWise is designed to measure teams based on the entire season’s body of work and there’s a lot of hockey left to be played. To view it as a ranking system is flat-out wrong. The benefit of voter-driven polls and compiling the INCH Power Rankings is that actual hockey coaches and media who closely follow the games can make their case based on what they’ve seen by watching teams all season long. Besides, do you really want to rely on a comparison system that currently deems CCHA ninth-place team Northern Michigan more worthy of an NCAA Tournament spot than WCHA leader Minnesota or ECAC Hockey leader Cornell?

It’s really hard to miss, even as the fastest of skaters streaks down the ice — a bright blue speck on an otherwise pristine scarlet and white sweater. It stands out, just as it’s supposed to, in order to catch your eye. “It” is a bright blue patch in the shape of a puzzle piece on the left shoulder of the Boston University men’s hockey team’s sweaters, illustrating that team’s involvement with Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy program and the charity of choice for the Terriers hockey program since 2004.

A small blue patch on BU's sweaters represents a cause that means a lot to the team.

College athletes in general typically do an outstanding job of giving back to their local communities, and hockey teams are no exception. Many teams hold food and toy drives around the holidays, players go to area schools to tutor and read to children, and teams hold events to raise funds and awareness for various causes. College hockey even provides an annual award to recognize one player for their community service efforts.

Just as college players giving back to the community is not unique to Boston University, neither are specialty uniforms, most of which wind up being auctioned off to raise money for a particular cause. Even just last season, the Colgate women’s hockey team wore a special uniform on Jan. 28 in their game against Rensselaer that featured the autism symbol puzzle pieces along the bottom and on the inside of the sleeves.

In nearly every case, though, a special charity jersey was only worn for a limited engagement. In discussions between the Boston University hockey program and Autism Speaks representatives before the season to explore options for the team to increase their involvement, the Colgate women’s hockey sweater for autism was brought up. Since autism is a disorder that affects boys far more than it affects girls, the question was posed as to how the men’s team could help to raise awareness, and that evolved into the placement of the puzzle piece on the shoulder of their home and road sweaters.

What makes the Terriers different is that they elected to wear the puzzle-piece patch for the remainder of the season, rather than a one-off sweater that would make limited appearances. Few teams have ever worn a sweater that raises awareness for a charity cause for a lengthy period of time, with a notable exception of the professional soccer club FC Barcelona that paid to bear the logo for UNICEF on their jerseys for a five-year period that ended last summer.

“This is just a cause we feel is something important, that we appreciate and take very seriously,” said senior captain Chris Connolly of the team’s work for those with the disorder. “We’re very happy to support them — they’re big fans of what we do on the ice. We take the patch seriously; any way we can support them, we’ll do it.”

The Terriers’ involvement with autism extends far beyond merely raising awareness. Players have taken to helping at the Greater Boston Walk Now for Autism Speaks, originally starting with attending the walk, but getting increasingly involved with volunteering at the event, working stations and helping to set up and break down the event. The players have also worked directly with those with autism, inviting children to join them in watching a women’s hockey game near the end of the season.

“I thought it was great that we were doing it,” added fellow senior Kevin Gilroy. “Nobody really knows much about or pays much attention to autism, and we thought it was a great idea. After the first game with the patch, people were asking us what the puzzle piece was for, and it brings them in, gets them curious about it, so they look it up and end up getting involved with it.”

The patch first appeared on the Terriers’ sweaters prior to the Dec. 2 win against cross-town rival Boston College. Since the patch appeared, Boston University has gone 6-2, compared to the 7-4-1 mark the Terriers sported before the placement of the patch. The Terriers also have a track record with uniform patches — Boston University last wore a season-long patch on their shoulder during the 2008-09 season, wearing a patch bearing the initials of Scott Cashman, a former player who passed away shortly before the season. The Terriers went on to win the national title that season.

“The guys know what the logo stands for, and it’s a good little emblem to have on your shoulder,” Connolly said. “It’s a good reminder that there are more important things in life than playing hockey, and that we’re fortunate to be able to put that jersey on.”

FRIES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BAG

• When UMass-Lowell hosts Northeastern Friday night at the Tsongas Center, the Huskies won’t be the only dogs in the building. Lowell is hosting a Pucks and Paws Night, with fans encouraged to bring their own dogs to the rink. Don’t have a pup? The Lowell Humane Society will also have pups available for adoption on site.

• New Hampshire’s Stevie Moses had a five-goal week last week in wins over Providence and Dartmouth to catapult him into the league goal-scoring lead with 16. Moses’ five goals were the only tallies for the Wildcats in the two games as New Hampshire snapped a five-game losing skid.

• You can’t fault Northeastern for wanting to turn back the clock to December. After finishing out 2011 with a 7-0-1 mark in their last eight games, the Huskies have started out 2012 with a pair of losses to slip back under the .500 mark for the year.