Quinnipiac gaining recognition
You can spot what seems to be a classic case of schizophrenia at Quinnipiac, the Atlantic Hockey school that began the year at 6-10-3, only to reel off a 13-2-0 run. The symptoms don't stop there; the Bobcats have a defenseman leading the team in scoring, and are going in search of a conference title they'll never get the opportunity to defend.
But there's no reason to have coach Rand Pecknold committed. He couldn't be happier with his team entering its conference quarterfinal against Army Saturday night. "I'm very proud of how the guys have responded the last two months," he said. "We're playing with a lot of confidence right now."
The Bobcats' stretch run saw them pull away from the pack in Atlantic Hockey and claim the league's regular-season title. Now they'll seek the tournament title and NCAA Tournament automatic bid that comes with it, before leaving Atlantic Hockey next year to join the ECAC Hockey League.
"I don't think it changes anything, not from our standpoint," he said. "We're just trying to win hockey games and win a championship."
He's got quality players leading the way. The aforementioned defenseman leading the team in scoring, sophomore Reid Cashman, also won the league's scoring title, and did so convincingly. No other Atlantic Hockey player is within six points of Cashman's 13-29--42 totals.
While Cashman is probably the favorite to earn Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year honors, the Rookie award could stay with the Bobcats as well. Forward Ben Nelson led all freshmen in conference scoring (27 points in 20 games), despite missing the first 11 games of his career due to injury.
"[Cashman] is just a great offensive defenseman," Pecknold said. "He's got great vision, poise with the puck, and he can shoot it.
"[Nelson] plays center, but he's a prototypical power forward," he added. "He has a great release on his shot, and he's not afraid to work in high-traffic areas. He'll do whatever it takes to score."
Nelson's return and Quinnipiac's rise didn't coincide perfectly, but once he got his legs under him, he provided a significant boost. The Bobcats now boast two terrific scoring lines, with senior Matt Craig – last year's leading scorer – centering one and Nelson on the other.
Even with the regular-season title in tow, there's no room for error. Quinnipiac won't get an NCAA bid if it doesn't win the Atlantic Hockey tournament and each round is a one-game affair.
One way the league's format could help the Bobcats is that they would host the semifinals and championship game at home if they win this Saturday. And if they capture the trophy there, it will never have a chance to leave.
Honors Watch
| Weekend watch |
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Every weekend includes a series or two that must be watched. Of course, the preferred viewing is in a seat inside the arena. Can't make it in person, turn on the TV. Plans for the evening? Break out the TiVo. Game we'd pay to watch on satellite CHA Championship Sun., 8 p.m. ET, CSTV The NCAA Tournament's first bid is awarded to this title game winner, which figures to be either Bemidji State or Alabama-Huntsville. Bemidji has the benefit of playing near home, in Grand Rapids, Minn., but lost its leader, Andrew Murray, to a broken collarbone suffered last weekend. That could open the door for Alabama-Huntsville and its dynamic first line to step in and make its first NCAA appearance. Series we'd pay to watch in person  
Dartmouth at VermontFri., Sat., and (if nec.) Sun. If you like to see goals, this is the series for you. In three meetings during the regular season, the teams scored 22 times. Not only are they playing for a chance to go to Albany, but both teams' NCAA hopes are on the line. |
Atlantic Hockey: Quinnipiac's Reid Cashman (see above) has done it all for the regular season champs.
CCHA: Michigan's T.J. Hensick conducts the league's most dangerous offense. Already a great passer, he finished the regular season with 22 goals – no one in the CCHA had more.
CHA: When a league's top two career scorers are still active, it's tough to pick a player of the year. The edge here goes to Jared Ross, the son of Alabama-Huntsville coach Doug Ross, over Niagara's Barret Ehgoetz. Bemidji State forward Andrew Murray deserves a look, too.
ECACHL: In the conference that's home to the best goaltending in the nation, it's no surprise that Player of the Year will go to a guy with a catching glove and big pads. Dave McKee at Cornell likely gets the nod, although a case can certainly be made for Harvard's Dov Grumet-Morris.
Hockey East: Patrick Eaves is among college hockey's most dangerous all-around players, and he led Boston College to the league title. His consistency – he was held off the scoresheet only nine times all year – only adds to his value to the Eagles as a threat to score every time he takes the ice.
WCHA: About the only competition Colorado College's Marty Sertich has for this honor is his wing, Brett Sterling. The pair of Tigers terrorized opponents this year; they'll both be first-team All-WCHA choices and, most likely, Hobey Baker Award finalists.
News and notes
A trying season at Michigan State took another downturn last weekend, as defenseman A.J. Thelen – a second-team All-American last year and a first-round pick of the Minnesota Wild – was dismissed from the team. Thelen had a trying sophomore season, with no goals and 11 assists, and was a healthy scratch for last Friday's Spartans win over Notre Dame. He told reporters he was given his walking papers after coach Rick Comley learned that Thelen, who is under 21, went drinking after that game; Comley contends that no single incident led to the dismissal.
| Future watch |
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Shawn Weller was a heralded recruit coming into Clarkson, but the Ottawa Senators pick had to wait while some NCAA paperwork cleared before he could suit up. Once he got on the ice, he scored two goals in his first game.There was no sign at that point that he would go 30 games between goals. Weller ended that drought in dramatic fashion on Sunday, scoring the game-winner to help Clarkson advance past Union in a wild three-game series that saw every game go into OT. "He really earned that goal," Clarkson head coach George Roll told the Schenectady Daily Gazette. "All weekend, I don't want to say he was our best player, but he was pretty consistent, right at the top. He was such a force physically out there, and finished every hit. He's banged up, but it was only fitting he got the winner. I'm really happy for Shawn." |
• The postseason is supposed to be unpredictable, but not when it comes to Boston University and Providence. The two teams meet in the Hockey East quarterfinals for the fifth time in seven years.
• All six conferences award their NCAA Tournament automatic bids to their tournament winner, making these next two weeks crucial in determining the 16-team field. Two series this weekend, in particular, will bear watching: UMass Lowell at Maine and Dartmouth at Vermont. The two 4-vs.-5 series in Hockey East and the ECACHL, respectively, could settle tournament bids, with the winner moving on and the loser headed home.
• Wisconsin's home playoff series against Alaska Anchorage moves from the Kohl Center – which has been home to one of the best home-ice advantages in the game this year – to the old Dane County Coliseum this weekend while the Wisconsin state high school girls basketball tournament takes up residency at the Kohl.
• Clarkson's visit to Cornell this weekend rekindles bad memories for the Lynah Faithful, who saw their Big Red lose to the Golden Knights at home in the quarterfinals last year. This is a different Cornell team, however; the Big Red are 13-0-1 at home this year, compared to 7-7-5 last season.
ESPN.com's college hockey notebook is compiled by the staff of insidecollegehockey.com, an ESPN.com associate.
