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| The River Hawks celebrate their OT victory yesterday |
Record
24-12-1 (17-9-1, Hockey East)
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance
1996
How They Got Here
Finished 2nd in Hockey East with 35 points... Lost two out of three to Providence in the Hockey East Quarterfinals... Earned victories over Boston University (twice), Maine (twice), and Boston College in the regular season... Finished 12th in the PWR... Beat Miami 4-3 in overtime in the East Regional Semifinals
Top Scorers
Riley Wetmore, Jr., Forward ---- 37GP, 14G, 25A, 39PTS
Scott Wilson, Fr., Forward ---- 36GP, 16G, 23A, 39PTS
Derek Arnold, So., Forward ---- 37GP, 17G, 19A, 36PTS
Matt Ferreira, Sr., Forward ---- 36GP, 13G, 18A, 31PTS
David Vallorani, Sr., Forward ---- 37GP, 10G, 20A, 30PTS
[Complete Team Statistics]
Goaltending
Doug Carr, So. ---- 32GP, 22-9-1, 2.10GAA, .929SV%
Brian Robbins, Fr. ---- 4GP, 1-3-0, 4.25GAA, .860SV%
Marc Boulanger, So. ---- 4GP, 1-0-0, 2.56GAA, .878SV%
Team Stats
3.35 Goals per Game (8th nationally)
2.43 Goals Allowed per Game (13th)
21.5% Power-Play Conversion Rate (t-11th)
80.9% Penalty Kill Rate (36th)
Why Union will win
The River Hawks had to battle hard in the third period and had to play a little overtime, meaning they could be tired tomorrow. Union will be well rested as they played the earlier game on Friday. This will be a battle between two of the nation's top netminders, so expect a low-scoring game with special teams playing a big role. I think the Dutchmen have the advantage in the special teams department, since Lowell's PK doesn't rank too highly. These two teams seem very similar in many ways, so I wouldn't be surprised if this game went an extra frame or two.
Other notes
Lowell's head coach Norm Bazin is also a first year head coach. He played four seasons at Lowell from 1990-91 to 1993-94 where he amassed 58 points in 134 games. Bazin then became an assistant for the River Hawks from 1997-98 to 1999-00 before becoming the assistant at Colorado College for eight seasons. He was the head coach of DIII Hamilton for three seasons before accepting his current position.
The River Hawks were one of the hottest teams in the nation in the earlier half of the season, but cooled off heading into the NCAA's. In their previous 10 games heading into Bridgeport, Lowell went 4-5-1, with only one of those wins coming against a team in the tournament field.
Union and Lowell has three common opponents this season, with the River Hawks going 3-0-0 in those games. They swept a home-and-home with New Hampshire in early December, and topped RPI 7-2 in the UConn Hockey Classic right before New Year's. The Dutchmen lost to the Wildcats in overtime at the end of October, but won all five meetings with the Engineers this season.
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| The Bulldogs celebrate vs. Denver |
Record
24-11-5 (16-7-5-1, CCHA)
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance
2003
How They Got Here
Finished 1st in CCHA with 54 points... Lost two out of three to Bowling Green in the CCHA Quarterfinals... Earned victories over Miami (twice) and Michigan State (twice) in the regular season... Finished 6th in the PWR... Beat Denver 2-1 in the Midwest Regional Semifinals
Top Scorers
Jordie Johnston, Sr., Forward ---- 40GP, 19G, 15A, 34PTS
Matthew Kirzinger, Jr., Forward ---- 39GP, 10G, 23A, 33PTS
Kyle Bonis, Jr., Forward ---- 40GP, 18G, 11A, 29PTS
Chad Billins, Sr., Defense ---- 40GP, 7G, 22A, 29PTS
[Complete Team Statistics]
Goaltending
Taylor Nelson, Sr. ---- 28GP, 19-6-3, 2.13GAA, .922SV%
C.J. Motte, Fr. ---- 12GP, 5-5-2, 1.98GAA, .925SV%
Team Stats
2.95 Goals per Game (21st nationally)
2.20 Goals Allowed per Game (t-7th)
19.15% Power-Play Conversion Rate (25th)
85.3% Penalty Kill Rate (6th)
Why Cornell will win
Once again, the Big Red have their work cut out for them. Like Michigan, the Bulldogs are very good defensively, so Cornell will have to be opportunistic on their chances, just like when Joakim Ryan scored shorthanded last night. If they are going to win, they will have to win a one-goal, low scoring affair. It's also imperative that Andy Iles plays as well as he did last night. Without his performance, I don't see the Big Red upsetting the Wolverines last night. I think it's very possible that Cornell limits Ferris to less than three goals, but it might be difficult to score against a team that's great defensively and on the penalty kill.
Other notes
Head Coach Bob Daniels has been coaching the Bulldogs since the 1989-90 season, but has been the bench boss since the 1992-93 season. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach in the CCHA for two seasons with University of Illinois-Chicago.
Leading scorer Jordie Johnston accumulated 10 goals, 11 assists, and 21 points in his first three seasons at Ferris, but has surpassed all those totals in his senior season.
In the beginning of the season, Nelson and Motte were splitting time in between the pipes, but Nelson has taken over the reigns. Motte has only played three times in 2012.
The Bulldogs have played three ECAC teams this year, and have won all six games against those opponents. They swept St. Lawrence to open the season in Canton by the scores of 4-2 and 5-1, and then beat RPI 4-0 and 2-0 the following weekend back home. Colgate also visited Ferris, but dropped both games in early January. In those two games, Austin Smith collected a goal and an assist.
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