Jayson Moy’s Bracketology<\/a>, is a mere tiebreaker away from getting in. Considering their 1-5-0 start, the Black Bears have to like where they stand.<\/p>\n“We definitely have our sights set on returning to the NCAA tournament,” Whitehead says. “That’s always our goal here and we think that this year it’s a realistic goal. <\/p>\n
“It’s going to be challenging. We’ve had an unusual number of injuries so that’s going to be tough for us. But we feel now that we’ve learned to play without key guys in the lineup so we can compete for the tournament. <\/p>\n
“But one of the best ways to reach your goal is to focus one step at a time and that’s what we’re going to continue to do each week. This week’s step is a big one.”<\/p>\n
Ah, yes. The Black Bears host New Hampshire this weekend for a two-game set that has titanic implications on the playoff race. The Wildcats are threatening to run away with the regular season title. A sweep, however, would not only make it a race until most likely the last weekend but would also almost certainly push Maine inside the NCAA tournament bubble.<\/p>\n
“We have great respect for our opponents coming in,” Whitehead says. “They’re a very talented team at all three positions. They’ve got six forwards that are real sharp shooters. Blake Kessel is as good as they get on defense and obviously [Brian] Foster is strong in net. So we know we’ve got our hands full with them. <\/p>\n
“But we’re at home, so that’s a big plus. We’ve been very strong at home and will have a great crowd. <\/p>\n
“It’s obviously a great rivalry. Not as old as the BU-BC rivalry but certainly just as competitive and exciting. So it will be like our own mini-Beanpot up here with a sellout crowd and great excitement.”<\/p>\n
Tops Within The League In PWR<\/h4>\n The Massachusetts Minutemen have performed like a Timex watch this year. They’ve taken a few lickings, but they’ve kept on ticking.<\/p>\n
Admittedly, they’ve laid a few eggs. Losses of 7-3 and 6-2 at Boston University. A 7-2 loss at UNH.<\/p>\n
But taking the season as a whole, the Minutemen are in great shape. Tied for second place in Hockey East. Tops among league teams in the PairWise.<\/p>\n
“I think in large [part] we’ve continued to move forward,” coach Don “Toot” Cahoon says. “There’s been some stumbling along the way. Not every game has been a great outing, but certainly the team has demonstrated the ability to be able to withstand some struggles and be able to move itself forward to better itself and improve itself. <\/p>\n
“Our very good players are having very good years. That bodes well because you need your best players to be your best players. <\/p>\n
“The goaltending situation, which is always crucial down the stretch, is better than it’s ever been. I’ve got two guys — [Paul Dainton and Dan Meyers] — that are making a contribution, so that bodes well. <\/p>\n
“Having said that, every game’s a new event. Some days are better than others. We’re no different than everybody else. We just have to take it one day at a time.”<\/p>\n
When Cahoon refers to his very good players having very good years, all eyes fall on UMass’s one-two offensive punch, James Marcou and Casey Wellman. Marcou (8-32–40) ranks tops in Hockey East overall scoring with Wellman (19-16–35) fourth. It’s a combination many teams’ coaches and fans look on with envy.<\/p>\n
<\/embed><\/object><\/html><\/p>\n“If you go back and look at the great lines that have played in college hockey, it’s usually more than just one terrific player on the line,” Cahoon says. “It’s a couple of guys that really complement each other and bring out the best in each other. <\/p>\n
“In our situation, we even have a third player in T.J. Syner, who is not the point producer that Marcou and Wellman are, but he’s every bit as good a hockey player and he skates extremely well. That line really brings out the best of all those guys. <\/p>\n
“Wellman is a pure scorer and a shooter. He has real quick feet and gets himself into position to get scoring opportunities. Marcou is uncanny with his ability to create and make plays and then execute and find people in the most difficult of circumstances. It shows itself regularly; it’s not happening by accident.<\/p>\n
“Quite honestly, you don’t teach what they do. Hopefully you try to bring the best out of them by putting them out there at the right times and giving them ample opportunity to showcase their skills. But they’re pretty special players.”<\/p>\n
Cahoon’s one-day-at-a-time approach definitely applies to UMass’ position in the PairWise, tied with Ferris State for seventh place and tops among Hockey East teams, ahead of such perennial stalwarts as UNH and Boston College.<\/p>\n
“It’s fleeting,” Cahoon says. “A weekend can change all of that so we don’t give it a lot of thought even though there is an awareness [of it]. Clearly we’re pleased to be in the mix, but we have to take care of the business of playing the games. Otherwise, you can fall out of the mix in a hurry with a bad weekend or two.”<\/p>\n
Potential bad weekends could be looming like thunderclouds on the horizon. After playing at home the next two Fridays, UMass finishes the season with five of its six games on the road. Fortunately, the Minutemen have nearly matched their home record of 8-4-0, dropping only to 7-5-0 on the road, the aforementioned lopsided losses to BU and UNH notwithstanding.<\/p>\n
“The one thing that we wanted to emphasize early in the year was, ‘Let’s take advantage of the number of home games we have, let’s be prepared for each one and take advantage of the home crowd makeup,'” Cahoon says. “So we got off to a good start. Then we realized when we started playing on the road that we were going to be doing this in the second a half of the year a whole lot more than we would be at home. <\/p>\n
“So I think our guys are just trying to keep it between the glass. They’re diligent and they are not intimidated at playing in other barns. <\/p>\n
“Some days are better than others. The games at BU on January second and then the game the following weekend at UNH weren’t good outings. So we have to keep a real tight lid on it and keep a narrow focus and be able to just play between the glass and do the things that good teams do. <\/p>\n
“I don’t think there’s any prescribed method except not getting carried away and tying to consume the whole game in one shift or two. You just have to take it shift by shift.”<\/p>\n
And Finally, Not That It Has Anything To Do With Anything, But …<\/h4>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u00a2 Pardon me if I get a sense of smug satisfaction that Johnny (Judas) Damon and his hired henchman Scott Boras overplayed their hand and are now left out in the Yankees cold.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2 Count me as one of those who think that with the change in their respective home ballparks, Adrian Beltre will hit more home runs next year than Jason Bay.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2 Count me also as one who considers the Red Sox as the No. 2, or at worst No. 3, team in baseball on paper. Yet recently a columnist opined that the Sox were not legitimate World Series contenders. Geez, I wonder why some claim that our local sporting press is so negative.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2 That said, the addition of Peter Abraham to the Globe looks like a good one. Objective reporting with none of the negative hysteria.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2 Can someone explain to me why the Bruins would even think about a deal for Ilya Kovalchuk? I don’t get it. He’d be a great addition, of course, but you make a rent-a-player deal if that puts you over the top as a significant Stanley Cup contender. You don’t sacrifice future draft picks and prospects for a few months of a star if you’re struggling to make the playoffs. <\/p>\n
\nThanks to Diana Giunta and Scott Weighart for providing quotes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
None of That Talk Here’s some news that should make fans of seven Hockey East teams stand up and cheer. There will be no Beanpot talk in this column. Thank you. Thank you. You can be seated now. Oh, you’re too kind. Please be seated. Thank you. Hey, the Tournament-Which-Shall-Not-Be-Named is great fun and generates […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":140328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
This Week in Hockey East: Feb. 4, 2010 - College Hockey | USCHO.com<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n