St. Norbert Captures National Championship

The St. Norbert Green Knights captured their second straight NCAA D-III National Championship Saturday night after defeating Oswego 4-1 in Lake Placid, NY. The Green Knights punishing defense and spectacular goaltending propelled them to a dominated victory over the Lakers. St. Norbert forward Cody Keefer recorded a hat trick in the game and goalie David Jacobson was named the MVP after recording 29 saves and playing outstanding throughout the entire tournament. Congratulations to St. Norbert on a spectacular season.

Oswego & St. Norbert Advance to National Championship

The Oswego State Lakers and the St. Norbert Green Knights will square off for a national tittle on Saturday night. St. Norbert dominated Norwich in a 4-1 victory that sent them to the championship game. Oswego defeated Amherst 2-1 in a thrilling overtime victory to advance.

Both teams matchup well with great defense and goaltending. As we saw yesterday both teams will wait for and captialize on an opportunity when it presents itself. Tonight's championship has all the makings for a classic. The puck drops at 7pm tonight at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, NY. Follow us on twitter @LeroySportsCrew for all the updates leading up to, during, and after the game.

LeRoy Heads to Lake Placid

The LeRoy Crew will travel to Lake Placid, NY to cover the 2012 NCAA D-III Men's Frozen Four. For the lastest updates on and off the ice follow us on our new created twitter page @LeRoySportsCrew.

NCAA D-III Tournament: Frozen Four Preview

The NCAA Division III Frozen Four starts tomorrow night in Lake Placid, New York.  The first game takes place at 3:00 tomorrow afternoon and will pit Norwich against St. Norbert in a rematch from two years ago that saw Norwich topple the Green Knights in overtime at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid. The second game will feature the Oswego State Lakers facing off against Amherst at 7:30.

Oswego State Lakers
Overall Record: 22-3-2
NCAA History: 13th Appearance (2007 National Champion)
Scoring Offense: 4.67 gpg
Scoring Defense: 1.81 gpg
Power Play: 26.8%
Penalty Kill: 86.0%
Penalties: 16.7 min per game
Leading Scorer: Jon Whitelaw (40 Pts)
Goaltender: Andrew Hare (.929 SV% & 1.77 GAA)
Road to Frozen Four: Defeated Elmira 5-0 in NCAA Quarterfinal

Amherst Lord Jeffs
Overall Record: 23-3-1
NCAA History: 4th Appearance
Scoring Offense: 3.89 gpg
Scoring Defense: 1.67 gpg
Power Play: 27.6%
Penalty Kill: 86.7%
Penalties: 10.33 min per game
Leading Scorer: Mike Moher (28 Pts)
Goaltender: Jonathan La Rose (.942 SV% & 1.56 GAA)
Road to Frozen Four: Defeated Plattsburgh 3-1 in NCAA Quarterfinal

This is the first matchup between the Lakers and Jeffs in years.  With that being said, these two teams are definitely unfamiliar with each other.  The first period of the game could be a little messy as the two teams get to know each other on the ice.  Both teams have been ranked in the top five in almost every poll available since the beginning of the season, and it should be a good game.  Amherst is strong defensively and their goalie La Rose has been a stud all season long, but hasn't gotten much recognition for it.  However, Oswego is a far-superior team offensively.

Oswego definitely holds an advantage in experience.  This is their 13th NCAA appearance and third frozen four in a row, although they've lost the last two.  Amherst on the other has only been to four NCAA tourneys and has never won a championship.  As far as mental preparation is concerned, Oswego should have a clear advantage.  It also helps that they played at Herb Brooks Arena only two years ago and are familiar with the Placid ice.

We like Oswego due to their high-octane offense and speed as well as their recent experience in the NCAAs.  Aside from mental lapses and bad mistakes, Oswego doesn't have any disadvantages in this game.  They might not get ahead by a lot, but they should control most of the game.  We like Oswego by one or two goals.

St. Norbert Green Knights
Overall Record: 17-5-5
NCAA History: 13th Appearance (2008 & 2011 National Champions)
Scoring Offense: 3.81 gpg
Scoring Defense: 2.22 gpg
Power Play: 22.8%
Penalty Kill: 88.8%
Penalties: 15.96 min per game
Leading Scorer: Johan Ryd (36 Pts)
Goaltender: David Jacobson (.931 SV% & 1.64 GAA)
Road to Frozen Four: Defeated St. Thomas 3-1 in NCAA First Round. Defeated Gustavus Adolphus 4-1 in NCAA Quarterfinals

Norwich Cadets
Overall Record: 23-2-2
NCAA History: 12th Appearance (2000, 2003, & 2010 National Champions)
Scoring Offense: 4.81 gpg
Scoring Defense: 1.74 gpg
Power Play: 30.5%
Penalty Kill: 80.5%
Penalties: 10.33 min per game
Leading Scorer: Pier-Olivier Cotnoir (40 Pts)
Goaltender: Parker Carroll (.884 SV% & 2.02 GAA)
Road to Frozen Four: Defeated Wentworth 3-0 in NCAA Quarterfinal

This one looks like it's going to go to Norwich.  They've been ranked as one of the top teams all year, went into the NCAAs as the number one team in the nation and have been playing some of their best hockey of the year in the past couple of weeks.  But that's only on paper.  In person, Norwich is much stronger both offensively and defensively.  However, St. Norbert goalie Jacobsen is a stud and Carroll has really struggled this season.  The advantage here definitely goes to the Green Knights.  If the Cadets lose this game it will happen in between the pipes. We still like Norwich by two or three goals though.

NCAA Quarterfinal: Elmira at Oswego Preview

The Oswego State Lakers will host Elmira in the Quarterfinal round of the 2012 NCAA D-III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament Saturday night. Both Oswego and Elmira received at-large bids into the tournament and a first round bye into the quarterfinals. Oswego enters the game as the No. 2 team in the nation and No. 2 seed in the East with a record of 23-3-2. The Lakers were upset at home last Saturday in the SUNYAC Championship game by rival Plattsburgh State 3-2. Elmira enters the match-up ranked 11th in the nation and the No. 5 seed in the East with a record of 15-8-3. The Soaring Eagles were knocked out of the ECAC West tournament in the semifinals by Neumann in OT 5-4. Here's a quick preview of both teams.

Oswego State Lakers
Overall Record: 22-3-2
NCAA History: 13th Appearance (2007 National Champion)
Scoring Offense: 4.67 gpg
Scoring Defense: 1.81 gpg
Power Play: 26.8%
Penalty Kill: 86.0%
Penalties: 16.7 min per game
Leading Scorer: Jon Whitelaw (40 Pts)
Goaltender: Andrew Hare (.929 SV% & 1.77 GAA)

Elmira Soaring Eagles  
Overall Record: 15-8-3
NCAA History: 18th Appearance
Scoring Offense: 3.73 gpg
Scoring Defense: 2.88 gpg
Power Play: 17.0%
Penalty Kill: 79%
Penalties: 16.7 min per game
Leading Scorer: Kevin Willer (33 Pts)
Goaltender: Darren McDonald (.892 SV% & 3.01 GAA)

Our Pick
Oswego has the clear advantage in all major categories (Offense, Defense, Special Teams, & Goaltending). Oswego and Elmira met twice earlier this season in a home-and-home series. Oswego swept the series winning 7-3 and 6-2. The Lakers play very well at home, especially in the NCAAs winning their previous three home quarterfinal games against Norwich and Bowdoin (2). Plus, Elmira hasn't beating Oswego in the Campus Center Ice Arena since 2007. However, the typical Oswego environment their accustom to isn't expected to be out in full force. The students begin their Spring Break this afternoon and are kicked out of the dorms Saturday morning. Most will not stick around for the Saturday night game. The key to the game for Oswego will be to play clean and play smart. If Oswego doesn't overlook this round and doesn't beat themselves they should win easily. We like Oswego by at least three goals.

The puck drops Saturday night at 7:00pm in the Campus Center Ice Arena. According to Oswego State Athletics there are plenty of tickets still available for the game. If you are unable to make it up to Oswego the game will be streamed live online via the athletics page or can always be heard on WNYO.

St. Norbert, Gustavus Adolphus, & Wentworth Advance in NCAA Tournament

St. Norbert, Gustavus Adolphus, and Wentworth will advance to the elite eight in the 2012 NCAA D-III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. St. Norbert rallied back from a first period deficit to defeat St. Thomas 3-1. Gustavus Adolphus out shot MSOE to win 3-1. And Wentworth got it going in the third period to defeat Plymouth State 3-1. Gustavus Adolphus will travel to St. Norbert on Saturday in the quarterfinal round to finish out the western bracket. While Wentworth will travel to Norwich to face the number one seed in the East.

NCAA D-III Tournament: First Round Action

The 2012 NCAA D-III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament begins tonight with three first round match-ups. In the West, defending national champion St. Norbert will host at-large contender St. Thomas and MICA champion Gustavus Adolphus will host MCHA champion Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). Then in the East, MASCAC champion Plymouth State will host ECAC Northeast champion Wentworth. All games will take place at 7:00pm. Here's a quick look at all the teams playing tonight and our picks.

St. Thomas at St. Norbert:
St. Norbert Green Knights
Overall Record: 17-5-5
NCAA History: 13th Appearance (2008 & 2011 National Champions)
Scoring Offense: 3.81 gpg
Scoring Defense: 2.22 gpg
Power Play: 22.8%
Penalty Kill: 88.8%
Penalties: 15.96 min per gameKey Player: F-Johan Ryd (36 Pts)
Key Player: G-David Jacobson (.931 SV% & 1.64 GAA)

St. Thomas Tommies
Power Play: 19.8%
Overall Record: 18-5-2
NCAA History: 15th Appearance
Scoring Offense: 3.40 gpg
Scoring Defense: 2.28 gpg
Power Play: 24.6%
Penalty Kill: 88.3%
Penalties 12.64 mins per game
Key Player: F-Riley Horgan (32 Pts)
Key Player: G-Drew Fielding (.921 SV% & 1.99 GAA)

Our Pick: This is clearly the most competitive game of the night. It should be close but we think St. Norbert's leadership and goaltending will give them a one or two goal edge.

MSOE at Gustavus Adolphus:
Gustavus Adolphus Gusties
Overall Record: 16-6-5
NCAA History: 6th Appearance
Scoring Offense: 3.11 gpg
Scoring Defense: 2.30 gpg
Penalty Kill: 80.2%
Penalties: 12.81 min per game
Key Player: F-Ross Ring-Jarvi (29 Pts)
Key Player: G-John McLean (.924 SV% & 2.12 GAA)

Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders
Overall Record: 22-6-1
NCAA History: First Appearance
Scoring Offense: 4.24 gpg
Scoring Defense: 2.14 gpg
Power Play: 20.3%
Penalty Kill: 85.2%
Penalties: 19.28 min per game
Key Player: F-Jordan Keizer (45 Pts)
Key Player: G-Connor Toomey (.926 SV% & 1.98 GAA)

Our Pick: This game could go either way but the Gusties have been here before and know how to win a big game. MSOE has some impressive scorers but they take alot of penalties and don't have great special teams. We like Gustavus.

Wentworth at Plymouth State:
Plymouth State Panthers
Overall Record: 17-6-3
NCAA History: First Appearance
Scoring Offense: 3.38 gpg
Scoring Defense: 2.38 gpg
Power Play: 21.5%
Penalty Kill: 85.6%
Penalties: 18.42 min per game
Key Player: F-Kyle Greco (36 Pts)
Key Player: G-Jack Astedt (.914 SV% & 2.29 GAA)

Wentworth Institute of Technology Leopards
Overall Record: 20-6-1
NCAA History: 6th Appearance
Scoring Offense: 3.85 gpg
Scoring Defense: 2.52 gpg
Power Play: 23.1%
Penalty Kill: 83.7%
Penalties: 15.7 min per game
Key Player: F-Mike Domsodi (34 Pts)
Key Player: G-Alex Peck (.919 SV% & 2.03 GAA)

Our Pick: This is by far the worst game of the entire tournament featuring the weakest two teams in the field. Wentworth has already beaten Plymouth twice this season at Plymouth. We expect Wentworth to win easy and move on to be Norwich's punching bag next week.

At Large bids in, Bracket and Rankings Announced

The first eight teams were easy.  All of the conferences had automatic qualifiers for the champions.  Those teams were Norwich (ECAC East), Wentworth (ECAC Northeast), Plymouth State (MASCAC), Milwaukee School of Engineering (MCHA), Gustavus Adolphus (MIAC), Amherst (NESCAC), St. Norbert (NCHA), and Plattsburgh (SUNYAC).  The three remaining teams in the 11-team field were to be selected as at-large bids.  Looking at the latest set of rankings, those shouldn't have been hard to figure out.

Oswego ended the regular-season run ranked number one in the nation.  They lost that distinction when they were defeated in the SUNYAC Championship Game by Plattsburgh, but they were still an easy choice for the first at-large bid.  Looking at the rest of the rankings, it appeared pretty easy to pick them as well.  The committee apparently wanted to take one team out of the East and one out of the West, and in that case the rankings are clear:  Adrian at number six (West), and Castleton at number seven (East). 

But alas, that's not what happened.  Adrian was snubbed in favor of St. Thomas, who were ranked eighth and were still a solid pick, albeit undeserving.  But then Castleton was snubbed in favor of Elmira, ranked 13th.  13th?  How the hell did Elmira get a bid?  Once again the NCAA selecting committee has proven itself as incompetent at the worst level.  Just to prove a point, every Oswego State Lakers hockey fan was sitting on pins and needles all day yesterday until the selections were announced at 9:30, and that was the number one team in the nation until then, because of the randomness, biases, and general incompetency of the NCAA selection committee.

I suppose it is important to note that Norwich has a representative on the selection committee, and that person (Michael McShane) probably did everything in his power to keep other ECAC East teams out of the NCAA Tournament.  And that's right folks, Castleton plays in the ECAC East and has basically emerged as Norwich's biggest and most relevant rival over the past two seasons.  Having said that, I don't really have an explanation for St. Thomas over Adrian.  The Bulldogs got screwed.

The first round of the playoffs begin on March 7, but the Lakers - despite their at-large status - have been byed into the quarterfinals where they will face Elmira (that's right) at the Campus Center Ice Arena in Oswego, New York on March 10.  It's amazing to me that not only did Elmira get an at-large bid that they didn't deserve, they got ranked highly enough by the NCAA to get a bye into the quarterfinals.

All of the relevant information on the NCAA Tournament can be seen here.  In addition, the schedule and results can be viewed here as the tournament progresses.  The quarterfinal results (quarterfinals take place on March 10) can be viewed here as the road to the Frozen Four continues.

Lakers lose Heartbreaker to Plattsburgh; Season now in Jeopardy

The Lakers lost a heart-breaker in the SUNYAC Championship game last night to the Plattsburgh Cardinals in a game that could end their season.  Oswego went into the game sitting in a strong first place in the SUNYAC and had breezed through the playoffs up until last night.  Plattsburgh was in a strong second place and had had trouble in the playoffs, getting taken to triple overtime last week at home against Buff State.

In a game that matched two strong defensive teams with two excellent D-I transfer goalies and great penalty kills, the first period went by scoreless.  Oswego got the scoring started at 9:15 in the second period when Jon Whitelaw scored on a five-on-three power play from an assist by Paul Rodrigues.  Plattsburgh struck back at 18:49 in the second when Jared Docking scored on a power play with assists from Nick Jensen and Paul Puglisi.

Tied at one in the third, Plattsburgh took a lead at 4:33 on a goal by Mike Grace with an assist from Matt MacLeod.  The Cardinals sealed the deal at 8:26 in the third on a second goal by Jensen with an assist from Kyle Kudroch.  Oswego started a comeback only seven seconds later when Kyle Badham scored on an unassisted goal at 8:33, but were stifled by Platty's defense the rest of the way.

Plattsburgh out-shot Oswego 27 to 17.  Mathieu Cadieux went 15 for 17 in the net for Plattsburgh while Andrew Hare went 24 for 27 in the net for the Lakers.  Both teams demonstrated a characteristically-strong penalty kill, and Oswego essentially lost the game when they went one-for-five on power plays against the Cardinals, and their only power-play-goal came on a five-on-three power play.  Plattsburgh only had two power plays and scored on one of them. 

With the win and the SUNYAC crown Plattsburgh receives an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament which will culminate in the Frozen Four at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York on March 16 and 17.  They are in line to be ranked as the number two or three team in the East bracket. 

Oswego will now have to rely on an at-large bid from the NCAA if they have any hopes of continuing their season in the NCAA tournament.  Currently ranked number one in the nation, that bid should be all-but ensured, but the keywords in that statement are "all" and "but."  The number-one ranked team usually makes it into the tournament but stranger things have happened and you can never trust the at-large bid selecting committee.  Last season Castleton was ranked in prime position to receive an at-large bid but were snubbed in favor of Neumann, who were ranked seven positions lower than the Spartans at the time.  In addition, the well-known Oswego bias on the NCAA selecting committee could prevent them from receiving a bid into the tourney.

NCAA at-large bids, playoff rankings, and brackets will be announced tonight at 9:30.

NCAA Quarterfinal Preview: Bowdoin vs. Oswego

The Oswego State Lakers will host the Bowdoin Polar Bears in a rematch of last year’s NCAA Division III Hockey quarterfinal round on Saturday, March 12 at 7pm in the Campus Center Ice Arena.  Bowdoin advanced in the tournament after defeated Neumann, 2-1 Wednesday night.  Oswego enters the game after being idol for two weeks and receiving an at large bid into the NCAAs.

Last year, Oswego defeated Bowdoin, 9-2, the NCAA quarterfinal game to advance to the NCAA Frozen Four in Lake Placid.  The winner of tonight’s game will once again cash their ticket to the Frozen Four and face the winner of the Adrian/Elmira game in Minneapolis, MN.

The game can be seen online via the Oswego Athletics page. Here’s a brief look at the match between Bowdoin and Oswego, courtesy of uscho.com.

Bowdoin Polar Bears
Tournament Qualification: NESCAC Automatic Qualifier
NCAA Tournament Profile: fourth NCAA tournament appearance, last appearance — 2010 (quarterfinal round loss to Oswego, 9–2)
Best NCAA Finish: quarterfinalists — 2000, 2010
Road to NCAA Championship: win, 5–2, vs. Williams, (NESCAC championship game), win, 3–1, vs. Colby, (NESCAC semifinals), win 4–3 (OT), vs. Amherst, (NESCAC quarterfinals)


Team Stats
Overall Record: 18–7–1, 11–7–1 NESCAC (Fifth)
SOG: 34.8 per game
Opponents’ SOG: 30.7 per game
Power Play: 32.2 percent
Penalty Kill: 87.1 percent
Offense: 4.07 goals per game
Defense: 3.13 goals per game


Scoring Leaders
Daniel Weiniger, (So.) — 20 goals, 22 assists, 42 points
Kyle shearer-Hardy (Sr.) — 9 goals, 27 assists, 36 points
Jeff Fanning (Sr.) — 20 goals, 7 assists, 27 points
Colin Downey (Fr.) — 10 goals, 15 assists, 25 points


Goaltender
Steve Messina (Fr.) — 2.95 goals against average, .893 save percentage

Oswego State Lakers
League: SUNYAC
Record: 22–4–0
NCAA History: 12th appearance, one national championship (2007)

Conference Playoffs: Semifinals — lost to Fredonia, 2–1 (OT)

Team Stats 

Scoring Offense: 4.02 g/gm
Scoring Defense: 1.85 g/gm
Scoring Margin: +59 (2.27 g/gm)
Power Play: 25.7 percent
Penalty Kill: 85.9 percent
Penalties: 14.2 pim/gm


Team Leaders
Goals: Ian Boots (14)
Assists: Ian Boots (23)
Points: Ian Boots (37)
Power-play Goals: Justin Fox (8)
Short-handed Goals: Owen Kelly (2)
GAA: Paul Beckwith (1.78)
Save Pct.: Paul Beckwith (.935)

Bowdoin, Hamline & Norwich Advance to NCAA Hockey Quarterfinals

Oswego will face Bowdoin in a rematch of last year's NCAA Quarterfinal game at 7pm on Sat. 3/12 in the Campus Center Ice Arena. Game preview coming Friday.

 Bracket via www.ncaa.com

And Now We Wait…

Oswego State Laker fans will be scanning the web Sunday night (Selection Sunday) in anticipation of the D-III NCAA Hockey Tournament bracket release. Oswego will have to rely on an At Large Bid into the tournament due to a heartbreaking 2-1 OT loss vs. Fredonia in the SUNYAC Playoffs. The Lakers are in great shape to get an at large bid, ranked number one in the nation most of the season, and now sitting second in the latest USCHO Poll. But there are no guarantees, the selection committee has snubbed us before, it is not outside the realm of possibilities.

Let’s take a brief look at this year’s selection committee: Bruce Delventhal, Plattsburgh (chair); Timothy Bald, St. Norbert; Michael McShane, Norwich; and Mark Ostapina, Milwaukee School of Engineering.  Already we see a potential bias (i.e. Plattsburgh), and clearly this is not an impartial panel, all four schools they represent are ranked inside the top ten.  


I am confident that the committee will make the correct decision and put Oswego into the dance. Their seeding however is up in the air and will depend of conference championship outcomes this weekend. I predict a tournament field similar to last season, four teams from the West and seven from the East. Here are my thoughts on who’s in, out, or on the bubble.

Pool A (Automatic Qualifiers):

ECAC East: Norwich

ECAC Northeast: Curry

MCHA: Adrian

MIAC: Hamline

NCHA: St. Norbert

NESCAC: Williams

SUNYAC: Fredonia

Pool B (Conferences without an Auto Qualifier):

ECAC West: Elmira

Pool C (At Large Bids):

1.    Oswego: Should be a lock.

2.    Castleton: Currently ranked 4^th, it’s looking good.

3.    Milwaukee School of Engineering: Should have an edge over Wisconsin-Superior.

On the Bubble:

1.    Plattsburgh: Must win SUNYAC to get in.

2.    Bowdoin: Must win NESCAC to get in.

3.    Neumann: Must win ECAC West, still may have a chance, but it would be a shame.

4.    Wisconsin-Superior: Must win NCHA to get in.

Write them off:

1.    Geneseo: Done, the SUNYAC won't get three teams in.

2.    Utica: And Done, sorry Utica Townies you'll have to find somewhere else to drink.