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Roman Augustoviz spends Minnesota's winters covering college hockey, specifically the Gophers, and other University of Minnesota sports. During the summer, he writes about the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx, with a dose of U sports sprinkled in. Follow him on Twitter @RomanStrib.
U.S. advances to WJC quarterfinals with 9-3 rout of Slovakia
Posted by: Roman Augustoviz under Men's hockey Updated: December 31, 2012 - 1:05 PM
Johnny Gaudreau and Vince Trocheck each scored two goals and had an assist as the U.S. beat Slovakia 9-3 on Monday to stay alive for a medal in the World Junior Championships.
The U.S. team is now 2-2 in the WJC and advance to the quarterfinals as the third seed out of Group B. It will play the Czech Republic out of Group A on Wednesday.
Gaudreau is a sophomore at Boston College and his Eagles could have used him on Sunday night. They lost 8-1 to the Gophers in the Mariucci Classic. Gophers freshman defenseman Mike Reilly, also playing for the U.S. team, ad a goal, too, against the Slovaks.
Mario Lucia, the son of Gophers coach Don Lucia, had an assist for the U.S. Mario is a freshman at Notre Dame, the Gophers' next opponent on Tuesday of next week.
Both Reilly and Lucia were a plus-1 for the game.
The U.S. team led 5-2 after one period, 8-2 after two and outshot Slovakia 40-29.
"A lot of guys that haven't been scoring found the net tonight, like John Gaudreau and Vince Trocheck," said Phil Housley, head coach of the U.S. team, according to a USA Hockey news release. "Our power play was sharp tonight as was our penalty kill. Still, we need to improve our discipline and stay out of the penalty box as we look ahead to the quarterfinals."
U.S. loses another 2-1 game in World Juniors, this time to Canada
Posted by: Roman Augustoviz under Men's hockey Updated: December 30, 2012 - 12:48 PMI watched most of the first and second period of the U.S. team's 2-1 loss to Canada in the middle of the night.
The Canadians took a 2-0 lead in the first period when first Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and then Ryan Strome got good looks from low in the slot without anybody bothering them. N-H scored at 7:13, the other Ryan at 14:44.
U.S. goalie John Gibson played well and was named the player of the game for his team. He had 30 stops. Unfortunately, the player of the game for Canada was also the goalie, Malcolm Subban. He turned away 36 pucks.
The U.S.'s only goal came on a power play in the third period. Defenseman Jacob Trouba got the goal in the third period -- his third of the tournament. He has a goal in each U.S. game.
Gophers defenseman Mike Reilly had the second assist. He made the first pass on a rush. The U.S. was 1-for-5 on the power play, Canada 0-for-4.
Now the situation is this: the U.S. finishes Group B play on Monday against Slovakia and it has to win to advance to the medal round. Otherwise, it is the consolation bracket for the second year in a row.
Gophers should remember Boston College well
Posted by: Roman Augustoviz under Gophers, Men's hockey Updated: December 30, 2012 - 4:41 AMDo you remember the last time the Gophers and Boston College played? I do.
It was April 5th, in Tampa. I was sitting high up in the press area, elbow to elbow. The Gophers were playing well. They outshot BC 31-25, but were unable to score. I was thinking they were wasting their chance to win the game.
BC took a 2-0 lead late into the second period, then scored twice. It was 4-0 into the third. Oh-oh.
Gophers goalie Kent Patterson didn't finish the season especially strong. He needed to be super in the Frozen Four against the Eagles. He wasn't.
And BC won its 18th game in a row and the next night its 19th to win its third NCAA title in five years. The Eagles look like a team heading to another Frozen Four this season. They are ranked No. 1 and beat Alabama-Huntsville 5-2 on Friday in the Mariucci Classic to give coach Jerry York his record 925th win -- most of any college hockey coach in Division I.
But ronight they play the Gophers again. Should be a full house. BC is ranked No. 1 in the nation, the Gophers No. 4. To fire up the juices for the game, here is my account of the NCAA semifinal which ran in the Star Tribune:
TAMPA, FLA. - This loss hurt. A lot.
The Gophers returned to the national spotlight Thursday for the first time since 2005, which was their last appearance in the Frozen Four.
And they had the misfortune of running into college hockey's hottest team and goalie. Boston College won its 18th game in a row, rolling over the Gophers 6- 1 in the second national semifinal.
The matchup of two tradition-rich programs with nine national titles and 43 Frozen Fours between them looked intriguing and drew an announced crowd of 18,605 to the Tampa Bay Times Forum. Many left early. It was 4-0 BC after the Eagles scored twice within two minutes late in the second period.
"When you give a team like BC with such high offense two-on-ones and open nets, it is eventually going to break you down mentally," Gophers forward Jake Hansen said.
Hansen scored the Gophers' only goal early in the third period to make it 4- 1, but the hope-crushing Eagles answered 22 seconds later.
"We didn't quit," Hansen said, "but when you get down 6- 1 like that, it really just wears on you. It just hurts so bad."
Boston College, coached by Jerry York -- who will become the winningest coach all-time in college hockey next season -- expects to win Frozen Four games. This was York's 912th victory.
The Eagles won national titles in 2008 and 2010 and the top seed this year is one victory away from a third big, shiny trophy in five years. Boston College, in its 23rd Frozen Four, will play Ferris State, a first-timer, on Saturday for the championship. The Bulldogs, who had a late empty-netter, edged Union College 3- 1 in the first semifinal.
The Eagles (32-10- 1) took a 2-0 lead on goals by Steven Whitney in the opening period and by Kevin Hayes on a power-play early in the second period.
Then they took control when Chris Kreider and Paul Carey -- with 17 ticks left on the clock -- scored at the end of the period.
Hansen ruined Milner's bid for a third consecutive shutout with a goal from the blue paint at 1:26 of the third period.
Rally time?
Nope.
Carey's second goal of the game 22 seconds later made it 5- 1. Defenseman Brian Dumoulin's power-play goal was BC's last stake to the heart.
"We've been in basically every game we played in," Gophers coach Don Lucia said. "And I thought we were even in the game tonight, then late in the second period they scored those two quick goals and it was 4-0.
"That's a pretty tall mountain to come back [from]. But up until that point, I thought we deserved a little better."
Thursday's result was a disappointing end to a turnaround season for the Gophers. After finishing seventh twice and fifth twice in the WCHA the past four seasons, the Gophers won the regular-season conference title and advanced to their first Frozen Four since 2005.
They arrived in Florida on a promising 9-2 roll and ran into a team nobody has beaten since Jan. 20.
"One team is happy at the end of the year," Lucia said. "That's it. Everybody else is disappointed.
"It is always a bitter pill when you lose your last game, but that doesn't take away how much enjoyment we all had during the course of this season."
BOSTON COLLEGE 6, GOPHERS 1
GAME RECAP
STAR TRIBUNE'S THREE STARS
Parker Milner, Boston College: The junior goalie from Pittsburgh made several amazing saves and wound up with a total of 30.
Paul Carey, Boston College: The forward scored two goals, a backbreaker with 17 seconds left in the second period to make it 4-0 and the Eagles' fifth goal, 22 seconds after the Gophers' lone goal.
Steven Whitney, Boston College: The 5-7 junior right winger had the Eagles' first goal and had an assist on the game-winner.
Turning point
Junior Chris Kreider's goal at 17 minutes, 45 seconds of the middle period gave BC a 3-0 lead. game over. Milner has not given up more than two goals in the past 17 games.
By the numbers
18 Games Boston College has won in a row.
7 Seniors who were on the trip to Tampa with the Gophers.
BC vs. Alabama-Huntsville like Goliath vs. David, but don't expect upset
Posted by: Roman Augustoviz under Gophers, Men's hockey Updated: December 29, 2012 - 2:42 PMBetter hurry, there is less than two hours left to see history at Mariucci Arena.
No. 1-rated Boston College played the University of Alabama-Huntsville at 4 p.m. Saturday in the first game of the Mariucci Classic. And barring all the Eagles being stricken with the flu or them showing up a half-hour late for the game -- and the Chargers starting on time -- this should be a laugher.
UAH is probably the worst team in the country, BC is considered the best in the polls. So Eagles could Jerry York should get his 925th victory and become the all-time winningest college hockey coach. If it's closer than five goals, UAH will have a moral victory.
The Chargers are college hockey's version of the Washington Generals, the team that always loses to the Harlem Globetrotters. UAH has three wins, but two are against Division III Finlandia. Never hear of them? Me neither.
Last season the school told the team the program would be folded for this season -- and several key players left. Then it was resurrected and the team had to scramble to get games again. That is why it has only TWO homes games this season.
It is playing 20 other games against Division I foes on the road or at neutral sites. A big part of UAH's problem is that it is an independent and nobody wants a school not close to anybody in its conference.
BC is at the opposite end of the college hockey spectrum. York's Eagles have won three of the past five NCAA titles, including last season when they beat the maroon and gold 6-1 in the Frozen Fout semifinals in Tampa.
The Eagles are only 1-1-1 in their last three games -- a major slump for BC -- so that is why York is going for a milestone in a warm-up game to the Gophers vs. Air Force at 7 p.m. It is the mismatch of the season, no doubt.
It could get out of hand. Wonder if they have running time in the third period?
Mike Russo's story on the Mariucci Classic is here.
The Boston Globe story on BC is here.
But on to my predictions in games involving WCHA teams:
Air Force vs. Gophers at Mariucci, 7 p.m.: Both teams are well-rested after long breaks. The Don wants to see more from his top forwards and the Gophers could be looking past this game to BC. Shame on them if they are. The Falcons are loaded with Minnesotans and will make it interesting for a while. But ... Gophers win.
Ferris State vs. UMD in Estero, Fla., 3 p.m.: The Bulldogs got beat by Maine 1-0 on Friday, now they play a team that was in tne NCAA title game a year ago. UMD has been playing better lately and will bounce back ... Dogs win
Minnesota State Mankato vs. Brown, 3 p.m.: Mavs have won seven of eight. They are the surprise team of the WCHA so far. ... Mavs win
Michigan vs. Michigan Tech, 6 p.m.: Neither of these teams are living up to their expectations. But the Wolverines should be able toi exploit Tech's problems in the net. ... Michigan wins
Boston University at Denver, 8 p.m.: The Pioneers have not won a game in ages, it seems. They are in total free-fall. BU is one of the better teams in Hockey East and beat BC not long ago. ... Terriers win
One score is already in and the WCHA continues to take a beating over the holidays. Quinnipiac beat Nebraska Omaha 5-4. That makes the WCHA 1-3-0 since Thursday. Ouch.
The PairWise rankings, as far as the WCHA is concerned, could look ugly if this keeps up over the weekend.
As of this minute, North Dakota is No. 10, the Gophers No. 12 and St. Cloud State No. 14 in the PairWise ratings, which mimic how the NCAA fills out its postseason field. So if the NCAA tournament was starting right now, only the Final Five champion, UND and the Gophers would be in for sure and the Huskies probably in.
And no WCHA would get a No. 1 seed.
Co-captains lead St. Cloud State to win over RPI
Posted by: Roman Augustoviz under Men's hockey, St. Cloud State Updated: December 29, 2012 - 12:33 AMNo. 16-rated St. Cloud State edged Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 2-1 on Friday at the National Hockey Center for a split of their nonconference series.
Ben Hanowski and Drew LeBlanc, the Huskies senior co-captains, each scored a goal in the second period.
Hanowski's goal came on a power play at 12 minutes, 54 seconds and tied the score at 1-1. He tipped in a shot by teammate LeBlanc. It was Hanowski's sixth goal of the season and his 96th career point at SCSU.
LeBlanc, who leads the nation with 22 assists, scored the game-winning goal at 19:37 of the second period. He has six goals now, too. He also has an NCAA-best 28 points and his career point total (125 points) is 11th place on the Huskies' all-time points list.
LeBlanc also owns a nine-game points streak going into the Northern Michigan series on Jan. 4-5 in St. Cloud.
The Huskies (12-8-0), first in the WCHA, lost 4-3 to RPI (5-7-4) on Thursday.
The Engineers, who had won four in a row against SCSU dating back to 2002, took a 1-0 lead in the third minute of play on Matt Tinordi's first goal.
SCSU outshot the Engineers 25-15, which included limiting RPI to just four shots in the third period.The Huskies have outshot their opponent in eight consecutive games and not given up a power-play goal in seven games. RPI was 0-for-2 with a man advantage.
MINNESOTA ST. MANKATO LOSES FORWARD
Junior forward Corey Leivermann of Minnesota State Mankato has decided to leave school and transfer.
Leivermann, a 2008 graduate of Mankato West, was the first native of Mankato to play for the Mavericks, but the problem was he didn't play much.
As a freshman he played in 19 goals and had three goals and four assists for seven points. Last season he had one goal in 21 games. And this season he only played in the first two games against Alabama-Huntsville, a Division I weakling.
The 5-11, 175-pound Leivermann tweeted to a Mankato Free Press reporter that he will transfer to Gustavus Adolphus in nearby St. Peter, Minn. He will be eligible at the Division III program there immediately.
“We appreciate and recognize Corey's contributions to Maverick Hockey during the past two and half years,” Mavericks coach Mike Hastings said, according to a school news release. “We wish him the best as he moves forward in his future endeavors.”
* The Gophers and Bemidji State also lost players at the holiday break. Defensemen Blake Thompson left the Gophers and the Beavers lost a freshman goalie from Sweden.
U.S. WINS IN U17 CHALLENGE PRELIM
Jack Eichel scored two goals and had an assists as the U.S. team rallied to beat Canada's Team Pacific 6-2 in a preliminary game before the Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Drummondville, Quebec. The U.S. team opens the tournament against Canada Ontario on Saturday.
Team Pacific took a 2-0 lead in the opening period. Defenseman Jack Glover, who has committed to the Gophers, started the U.S. rally with a goal at 5:16 of the second period. The U.S. team also scored four other goals in the middle period. Forward Alex Poganski, who has committed to North Dakota but attends St. Cloud Cathedral now, has one of those goals.
The U.S. team outshot the Canadians 36-17.
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