Hockey East teams face rough roads to Frozen Four

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

The Hockey East conference has had a representative in the national championship game in 16 of the last 20 seasons and each of the last four. Can one of the three teams in this year's field make it? The paths of each team are not easy, but if there's one thing a couple of them have, it's history on their side.

But before we get into that, let's just take the time to go over some general Hockey East history within the tournament and let's see if you can make an argument it being the toughest conference in college hockey. All of these facts are according to Hockey East.

• At least two Hockey East teams have qualified for the Frozen Four 13 times since the league formed in the 1984-85 season. The second-highest number of times that has happened for a conference in that span is five (WCHA, CCHA).
• Since 1993, 17 of the 34 teams that have advanced to the national championship game have been Hockey East teams and twice both teams vying for the title were from the conference. Since the formation of Hockey East, only one other conference has been able to do it once (WCHA).
• Over the last 12 seasons, Hockey East has dominated in terms of Frozen Four qualifiers with 20. The WCHA is second with 14.
  

We'll let those facts just speak for themselves. But with that said, are any of the teams in this year's field at all strong enough to make it to Ford Field for this year's Frozen Four?

Boston College: Northeast Regional (DCU Center - Worcester, Mass.)

History: BC holds an impressive 31-20 (.608) record in what we'll call from here on out at the Hockey East Era (1985-Present). No team in the conference has made more tournament appearances and only one Hockey East team has made more Frozen Four appearances than the Eagles, who sit at 18 and 10, respectively. The Eagles have gone to six title games in that time and have won two of them. They are the only Hockey East team to win more than one national championship in the 2000's. BC won the whole thing in its last tournament appearance in 2008 before missing the tourney altogether last year.

This year: Boston College has the shortest trip to its regional game, needing to just drive down the Pike about 30 minutes to Worcester. But that just might be the easiest part of the whole trip. Boston College is ranked third in the USCHO Poll and also in their bracket are No. 4 North Dakota, No. 8 Yale. It's the only bracket that has more than one team that received first-place votes in the poll.

The Eagles, who are the first seed in the Northeast Regional, will take on Alaska, who scooted in as the last at-large team. But make no mistake, the Nanooks are not to be looked past. Boston College is third in the nation in goals per game, but Alaska has done a pretty good job of keeping the puck out of the net, ranking ninth overall. Some think the travel might have an adverse affect on the Alaska squad, but seeing as the team has to travel to Michigan, Ohio and Indiana just to play a lot of its league games, it shouldn't be much more of a problem than any regular-season game. The problem for the Nanooks will be the fact that they have had difficulty scoring this season and the tandem of Parker Milner and John Muse has been one of the best in the nation behind a terrific defense.

Should the Eagles get past Alaska in the first round, either North Dakota or Yale will stand between them and the Frozen Four.

The Boston College-North Dakota history in the tournament has been well-documented. The two teams met in the 2000 and 2001 NCAA championships, each taking one apiece. Since then, the Sioux and the Eagles have met up in the tournament four times, all in consecutive seasons from 2005 to 2008. In 2005, North Dakota topped the BC in the quarterfinals, but the Eagles have had the last laugh(s), beating the Sioux for a spot in the title game the next three years. And, of course, we can't forget the regular season game in 2007 in which the ice at Conte Arena started to melt after a power outage and the game was called after two periods because there was too much fog. This year, North Dakota comes into the tournament as one of the hottest teams in the nation, winning 12 of their last 13 games, including the WCHA Final Five (beating the nation's 11th, 1st and 6th-ranked teams consecutively). Goalie Brad Eidsness is eighth in the nation in terms of goals against average with an impressive 2.09 mark over nearly 2,330 minutes this season.

Should the Eagles take on Yale, they will be facing oneof the most dynamic scorers in the nation in Broc Little. In fact, Yale is the top-scoring team in college hockey overall, averaging more than four goals per game. Especially impressive is Yale's power play, which converts on nearly one quarter of all of its opportunities. The Bulldogs are missing their best play in Sean Backman, which has to be a major concern, but the rest of the team has proven itself to have more than enough firepower to compete. On top of that, the Bulldogs live up to their name with physical play, which could come into play against a smaller team like Boston College.

New Hampshire: East Regional (Times Union Center - Albany, NY)

History: UNH has made 16 appearances, including the second-longest active streak in college hockey with nine consecutive tournament bids. Honestly, it could be said that this team more than any other has squandered its chances in the tournament with an unimpressive 11-15 mark in the playoffs, but they have been to four Frozen Fours and two title games. Last year very easily could have been another appearance for the 'Cats, who outplayed Boston University for most of the game, only to have a puck go off the Jerry Pollastrone's glove as he attempted to stop a shot and into the net in a game even BU coach Jack Parker said his team was "very, very fortunate" to have won.


This year: In Albany, New Hampshire may face two teams that will hold distinct home ice advantages in RIT and Cornell. And let's not forget No. 2 overall Denver, who at several points this season held the top spot.

Cornell will be the Wildcats' first-round opponent in a battle of two contrasting styles. Cornell is defensive-minded all the way and it shows in their stats. They boast what some consider the best goalie in the nation in Ben Scrivens, whose 1.78 GAA is tops in the country. As a result, Cornell is tied with top-ranked Miami for first in the Division I in team defense (1.85 goals/game). UNH, on the other end of the spectrum, relies on outgunning opponents, ranking 11th in the nation in team scoring, led by Hobey Baker hopeful Bobby Butler, who is second in the country in goals scored.

Should the 'Cats move on to play Denver, they run into a team that still feels like it has something to prove after losing two WCHA tournament games. Denver is a very ballanced team with good offense and a better defense. Bruins draft pick Joe Colborne is the man to watch with the game on the line as he is tied for first with eight game-winning goals this year. It would also be an interesting storyline of two Florida Panthers draft picks between the pipes in Brian Foster and Marc Cheverie. Cheverie is second in the nation in winning percentage behind BC's Parker Milner, but keep in mind Cheverie has played 32 games (24-5-3) to Milner's 13 (10-2-1).

If the 'Cats next opponents be RIT, they would be facing a true Cinderella story. RIT was ranked 25th in the PairWise Rankings and was a far cry from an at-large bid, but won the AHA, so none of that mattered. The Tigers are in the first national tournament in the school's history and carry with them a 10-game winning streak. Should they be able to beat No. 2 Denver, the momentum would definitely be on their side. RIT has been a pretty explosive offensive team and their team defense has been subperb with Jared DeMichael (2.00 GAA) between the pipes. Granted, some stats might be skewed a bit by the fact they play in a weak conference, but the fact of the matter is RIT is a balanced team, something UNH has had some difficulty with this season.

Vermont: West Regional (Xcel Energy Center - St. Paul, Minn.)

History: Vermont has only been a part of Hockey East since the 2005-06 season, but have already become a viable threat as part of the league, going to the Frozen Four last year in its first appearance as a Hockey East team. They beat Yale, then Air Force in a double-overtime game and then were victimized by a tough-luck goal in a loss to BU after outplaying the Terriers pretty much all game, preventing them from moving on to the title game. The Catamounts, who were part of the ECAC before joining Hockey East, have been to five tournaments altogether and have made it to the frozen four in two of them.

This year: As the No. 4 seed in the West, Vermont takes on maybe the softest of the top seeds in Wisconsin. The Badgers are certainly a great team, but some consider North Dakota or even Cornell to be better squads. Wisonsin lost to St. Cloud State in the Frozen Five, but salvaged the tournament with a win over Denver, otherwise the Badgers surely would have lost a No. 1 seeding. If there's one thing Wisconsin knows how to do, it's score. In a year when the WCHA has been very tough, the Badgers ranked first in the league and second in the nation in scoring offense. Scoring has been a problem for Vermont this year, ranking in the bottom half of th3 country in that respect, so the Catamounts may end up relying heavily on Rob Madore, who has had a habit of coming up with big perfomances in the postseason.

Should the Catamounts advance, it could be the team that beat the Badgers in the Final Five that they face next. St. Cloud State has been in the top-10 in the polls for the better part of the season. While not an elite team in any area, St. Cloud is proficient in all of them and has hung with what might be the most difficult conference schedule this year. The one place where St. Cloud is deficient is on the penalty kill, but likewise, Vermont is one of the worst in the country in that department.

Northern Michigan is another team that isn't overly impressive in any area, but gave itself a major boost by making it to the CCHA final. What would make this matchup interesting is in making it to the final, the Wildcats knocked Ferris State out of tournament consideration in the process and was one of the reasons UVM ended up in the tournament at all. As one of the better defensive teams in the nation, Northern Michigan could prove a challenge to a UVM team that just plain doesn't score many goals. Even a couple of goals could end up in a win and a ticket to the Frozen Four for the Wildcats.

College hockey needs better selection system

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

No doubt about it, college hockey needs a new system to figure out who, in fact, makes the tournament and how those teams are placed after the field is selected.

A total of 16 teams make the national tournament with six conferences receiving automatic bids for winning their respective conference tournaments. The remaining 10 slots are filled by at large teams, which are determined by a computer calculated system that weighs several factors in its process of deciding which teams will compete for the national title.

I have absolutely no problem with the NCAA using a computer system in its decision-making process. Computers don’t have biases. They don’t pick favorites and don’t have short memories.
The problem I have is with the specific system used. The biggest problem with the current system is it treats every game equally, whether it be in-conference, out-of-conference, or a conference tournament.

If the college hockey season was longer and had more out-of-conference games on the schedule, this type of system would work. However, a team plays usually around 36 games in a college hockey season and in a league like Hockey East, for example, 27 of those games are league games. And those number don't include conference tournaments.

So in a sport that has its teams play 75 percent or more of their games in-conference, then why are those conference games not worth more? New Hampshire, for example, won the Hockey East regular-season crown, but largely because it had a rough start in games against quality opponents like Wisconsin, Miami (both No. 1 seeds in their respective brackets) and Cornell, it needed help from the favorites in other conference tournaments and the AHA in order to get in.

Vermont got in by virtue of a strong out-of conference schedule even thought they ended up eighth in the conference. Granted, they also beat UNH in the best-of-three quarterfinal with UNH before losing in the semis to eventual champion Boston College. But what about Boston University and Maine? While neither did stupendous against OOC foes, they had a better stretch over the long haul and finished third and fourth in the conference. BU made it just as far in the conference tournament and Maine took BC to overtime in a 7-6 loss in the conference championship game. Shouldn’t that count for something?

The real contradiction lies in the practice of having conference tournament games count the same as regular-season games - the fact that six conferences get automatic bids for winning the tournament. Basically, it’s like saying that all the games in the season (regular or postseason) are worth the same, except for one. The glaring example is Alabama-Huntsville, which won 12 games all season, but won a four-team conference tournament, so they got in.

If conference games and non-conference games count the same and all other tournament games are worth the same, why should one more be any more valuable? If you want to have conference championships worth a shot at the whole shebang, shouldn’t the games that lead up to that game hold at least a little extra clout?

But even if the computer system currently in place remains the system in the future, should the selection committee not follow the data the computer relays to the members when they are seeding the tournament?

While the committee claims it uses a computer system to keep the integrity of the tournament, this tournament layout suggests the committee cares less about integrity and more about selling tickets.

Take the Midwest Regional, for example. Fort Wayne, IN has had a terrible time selling tickets. So, in order to boost ticket sales, the committee compromised the integrity of the bracket by stacking it with Midwest teams. Miami was sure to either go to the Midwest or the West in St. Paul, MN, but being the top seed, got placed in the Midwest to draw a crowd. They will play the last-seeded Alabama-Huntsville and No. 8 Bemidji State is also on that bracket, which is fine, but No. 12 Michigan also being in that bracket makes little sense other than making sure to keep local recognizable teams in the Midwest to boost interest. It also helps that Michigan is one of the hottest teams in college hockey right now.

The Northeast could be the bracket of death. No. 4 Boston College, No. 5 North Dakota, No. 9 Yale and No. 13 Alaska are all in the same bracket. The NCAA loves seeing BC and North Dakota as favorites in games that if won would pit the two against each other. Every time the Sioux and the Eagles share the same ice in the tournament (and it’s happened five times since 2000) it is memorable.

The Sioux won a 4-2 affair to capture the national title in 2000, but the following year, BC got even with a 3-2 overtime win. In 2005, North Dakota knocked off BC in the regional, 6-3. In 2006, the Eagles won a 6-5 national semifinal, a game that shouldn’t have been as close as it was with the Sioux scoring twice (one shorthanded goal and one with 12 second left) in the last five minutes of the game to make it interesting. BC again downed North Dakota in another tight game the following year, 6-4. Both years they ended up losing in the finals to Wisconsin and Michigan State, respectively. In 2008, BC finally got over the hump and won the national championship, and again had to go through North Dakota to make it happen, beating the Sioux handily, 6-1, in the semifinals.

But Yale is the Ivy League school everyone is forgetting about after Barry Melrose spent 10 minutes slobbering all over Cornell and its goalkeeper. Having Yale in that bracket may make some sense in terms of rankings, but obviously is favorable for the NCAA in terms of selling tickets, as folks are sure to come up from Connecticut to Worcester to see a potential BC-Yale showdown.

Denver, who lost not one, but two WCHA tournament games, also faces a difficult field in the East Regional in Albany and could play two upstate New York schools (RIT and Cornell, should the Badgers and Cornell both advance past the first roud) that are bound to bring in some serious gate and give those teams a severe home-ice feel and UNH fans also travel well.

But again, the NCAA can rely on some history here in order to sell tickets. UNH and Cornell have some history, playing a pair of epic games in the early 2000’s, including a Frozen Four tilt won by UNH. There is also sure to be a news article or two about how UNH is looking for revenge in the Big Red’s back yard after Cornell beat the Wildcats, 5-2, at the Whit early this year.

Check back a little bit later and I'll further break down each of the three Hockey East teams' road to the Frozen Four.

Do you believe in the Celtics?

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Now is the time for the Celtics to start finding their groove as a team.

It's one thing to beat on the weak in the NBA, but this club needs to show they can beat the elite clubs.

If you have to play a 7-game playoff series against Cleveland, Orlando or even Atlanta, do you give the Celts the edge? No way.

It pains me to say this, but I don't see the Celts beating the Cavs or Magic in a playoff series. The Hawks, perhaps, but that young and athletic team could very easily send the C's packing.

So what's wrong with Boston?

Age has to be a factor with this club, but injuries are the biggest concern.

I honestly feel like Kevin Garnett makes this team go. When he's on, the C's are a machine. When he's missing or hobbling around because of that bum knee, the C's struggle. He's the heartbeat of the C's, bottom line.

Garnett needs to get healthy. You can't make me drink that silly juice about KG being completely healthy. There's no way in hell he's 100 percent. He gimps around the court at times, and he's always tugging at the knee brace. No way he's even close to the force on offense and defense that he was a couple years ago. Perhaps his elite days are a thing of the past? It's sad if that's the case.

Ray Allen can still flat-out shoot the ball from long range, and Paul Pierce can take over a game when he needs to. Pierce is a big-game player; he'll elevate his game in the playoffs and take every crucial shot this team needs him to take.

But it just can't be Pierce and Allen, and occasionally KG, pulling all the weight.

All good teams have other players that deliver.

Rajon Rondo is a silky-smooth point guard, but he scares me every time he shoots. Granted, he's gotten better with the jumper, but he's not even close to being a weapon on the outside. Drive, drive, drive to the bucket Rajon, and keep dishing out the assists.

Nate Robinson is a spark plug off the bench with that second unit. He was a nice pickup. Rasheed Wallace, despite shooting way too many 3s, isn't a problem with me, either. He's got his fair share of haters, but I think Wallace is the type of veteran that knows his intensity and game need to be cranked up a lot more in the postseason.

Kendrick Perkins, start cleaning up your game and please be more consistent.

This whole team needs to get focused on the home stretch of games, and be clicking when the playoffs begin.

It's going to take a full team effort to really do damage in the playoffs.

Is this team the best? No, but if they can get hot, look out. They have the guns to win it all, but they've also shown throughout the year they are not consistent enough to be considered a favorite.

But don't be that guy that counts them out just yet!

Patriots looking for help at TE

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is watching the offseason take shape, and he's got to be hoping his club will add some more weapons.

Tight end is a major area of concern since former first-round pick Benjamin Watson (he just never developed like we all would have hoped) signed a deal with the hapless Cleveland Browns, and Chris Baker was surprisingly released.

So there's really no quality depth at the position. If I said Rob Myers and Robbie Agnone, would you know who I'm talking about? It's OK, even the biggest diehard Pats fans have never heard of the two guys who are currently on the roster.

Yes, we need help.

In steps veteran Alge Crumpler, who has one of the best names ever in football.

Crumpler is close to signing, according to various reports floating around the Internet.

Crumpler was once one of the premier tight ends in the game -- both catching the pigskin and sealing the edge by being an outstanding blocker.

Remember when Crumpler was an absolute beast? Check these stats out while Crumpler was in his prime: 2004 (48 receptions, 774 yards, 6 TDs), 2005 (65-877-5), 206 (56-780-8).

But unfortunately, he's not that type of player anymore. Crumpler has only 51 catches, 479 yards and 2 TDs, the last two years combined.

But the 32-year-old should have some gas left in the tank.

The 6-foot-2, 262-pounder can still catch, so perhaps he could really shine as a red zone target and third down security blanket for Brady. That would really help, considering Watson could get open but always had an issue with drops.

But Crumpler's biggest asset is in the blocking department. He got a lot of credit last season when Tennessee's Chris Johnson rushed for over 2,000 yards, and Crumpler was responsible for the dirty work on the outside.

Crumpler could be a quick fix, but he's not the longterm answer, obviously. You can bet your bottom dollar that Bill Belichick and Co. will be drafting a TE at some point. Don't be shocked if it's in the first or second round, too, unless they can pull off a trade with Chicago for TE Greg Olsen.

In any case, expect the Pats to do more than just ink Crumpler. They will get younger one way or the other (trade or draft).

Until then, here's to hoping Crumpler can be a productive player in New England.

It's all about March Sadness

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

They call it March Madness, and some call it March Sadness.

It's NCAA college basketball tournament time. You may not follow the college game all season, but it's hard not to have your own bracket team at your office or on Yahoo! Anyone can play and there's no real science to picking each game (but it's wise if you never select a No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed).

Fans just love to see the upset -- a No. 5 over a No. 12, a No. 15 over a No. 2, and so on. But while many enjoy the Cinderella stories, I'm not really an underdog type of fan.

I like the March Sadness part, and it usually gets me pumped to see a mid-major team get hammered by a national power. As far as I'm concerned, there's no way a low seed -- Murray State, UC Santa Barbara, etc. -- should ever win, never mind people thinking they can actually be a giant killer and win the whole tournament, or even make the Final Four.

Like I said, I like the favorites. I know I'm in the minority on this, but I'm not into the Little Engine That Could.

It doesn't float my boat, I would rather see those lesser known and less talented teams sink.

It's all about the top seeds for me -- Kansas, Duke, Kentucky and Syracuse.

I'm going out on a limb this year and I'm picking No. 1 Kansas to win it all. What, did you think I'd be stupid and pick a team like Morgan State?

Interested to find out if you're jacked up for the tournament, and if you like underdogs and who's your pick to win it all.

Let the Sadness (cue the tears) continue.

BC establishes dominance in HEA quarterfinals

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

So I decided to be hip and trendy with a pretty graphic to go along with my predictions for the Hockey East tournament in my last posting. It would have worked out perfectly, too, if UNH hadn't forgotten how to score in games two and three of its series with Vermont. Instead, the reseeding that takes place before the semifinal round makes my pretty bracket graphic worthless. Even with UMass-Lowell losing, the bracket set up still would have held up. So without any fanfare or pictures or anything, here are the recaps of this weekend's series and what lies ahead.

No. 1 New Hampshire vs. No. 8 Vermont
Predicted results: UNH wins series, 2-1 (W, 3-1; L, 4-3 OT; W, 4-2)
Actual results: UVM wins series, 2-1 (L, 7-4; W, 1-0; W, 1-0 OT)
After seeing the score of Friday night's game, my fiance Eileen commented that UNH might have used all of its goals for the series in one game. Turns out she was right. The Wildcats came back froma 4-2 deficit in that game, but scored five unanswered goals as they continued a trend of dramatic, resounding comebacks. But in the next two games, UNH was unable to muster a single goal, displaying the same streakiness they exhibited all season. Hats off to Rob Madore, who rebounded after giving up six goals on 15 shots on Friday to post back-to-back shutouts. Hat off as well to losing keeper Brian Foster, who earned his scholarship money this postseason. Say what you will about his playoff record, but this was not his fault. UVM outshot UNH in every game and 111-77 for the series. Foster made stops on 105 of those shots, including 50 in the series-deciding OT game on Sunday, good for a .946 save percentage.

No. 4 Maine vs. No. 5 UMass-Lowell
Predicted results: UMass-Lowell wins series, 2-0 (W, 5-2; W, 4-3)
Actual resutls: Maine wins series, 2-1 (L, 2-1; W, 2-0; W, 3-2 OT)
While we're on the subject of standout goalie performances, let's talk about Maine senior backup Dave Wilson. Before this series, Wilson had played in just eight games and started just two. Not exactly the resume you want your goalie going into the playoffs to have. But Wilson sparkled against the River Hawks, not allowing more than two goals in a game and posting the only shutout by a Black Bears goalie all season. With the series loss, that 800-pound gorilla that resides on the Lowell's back in regards to winning at Maine has decided to put on an addition and put in a pool.

No. 3 Boston University vs. No. 6 Merrimack
Predicted results: BU wins series, 2-1 (L, 4-3; W, 5-1; W, 3-2)
Actual results: BU wins series, 2-1 (W, 3-2; L, 3-2 OT; W, 3-0)
As expected, Merrimack did not go quietly. But they also were unable to maintain a lead. The Warriors got and gave up three leads in the first two games and the first one turned out to be costly. Merrimack went up, 2-0 early in the second period of game one, but then (maybe at least partially because goalie Joe Cannata almost had his head taken off by his own player's stick) gave up three unanswered goals in a loss. Twice in game two they held one-goal advantages, but BU was able to knot it up both times before Merrimack eventually came away with the victory in overtime. BU's special teams won game three for the Terriers with two power play goals, while killing seven Merrimack man-advantages.

No. 2 Boston College vs. No. 7 UMass
Predicted results: BC wins series, 2-0 (W, 4-1; W, 3-1)
Actual results: BC wins series, 2-0 (W, 6-5; W, 5-2)
The Eagles were the only team to sweep a quarterfinal series as they continued their domination of UMass. The Minutemen put up a fight in the first game because, as my fiance says, "We're BC. We like to give up leads." BC held three-goal advantages twice in the second period at 5-2 and 6-3 and held the latter going into the third, but UMass got two past Parker Milner in the third to make it interesting. John Muse started game two in the place of Milner and was again unimpressive (16 saves on 18 shots), but got the win as it was BC this time tht came on strong in the third, scoring three unanswered goals (one empty-netter) after being tied through two periods. Cam Atkinson continues to play well for the Eagles, recording a hat-trick, plus an assist in game one. Springfield native Barry Almeida had three points in game two and four in the series.

So now comes the reseeding. Because UNH was knocked out, No. 2 Boston College is the highest seed and therefore will play the lowest seed, which in this case is No. 8 Vermont. No. 3 BU, being the second-highest seed, takes on No. 4 Maine. It's all really too bad, because if UNH had beaten UVM, it would have set up some great semifinal drama with the two biggest rivalries in Hockey East taking the ice at the Fleet (I will never call it the Garden. There was, is and always will be only one Garden) in UNH vs. Maine and BC vs. BU. But I digress. Let's take a look at the matchups.

No. 2 Boston College at No. 8 Vermont
Vermont put itself back in the national tournament discussion with the win over UNH, but it still probably isn't enough at this point. The Catamounts probably need to win the tournament altogether to get in. It is possible that if every other conference tourney plays out according to seeding that UVM could squeak in, but that's in an ideal world and there are probably more scenarios that would keep the Catamounts out than would keep them in. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let's not forget that BC stands in their way. BC actually lost the season series with UVM, 2-1, but the two teams haven't faced each other since mid-November and since then BC has become one of the best teams in the nation. UVM proved in the UNH series that they are a team that can shut down even strong offensive teams (UNH was third in the league in scoring behind Maine and BC, who were tied for first). But BC is a much more balanced team than UNH and surely won't be giving up 51 shots in a game. The interesting thing to watch is which goalie Jerry York will go with. York has recently put his faith in Parker Milner, but didn't give Milner the start in game two. Was that because he knew game two was not a do-or-die game, or because he saw his freshman keeper get rattled after turning what should have been a fairly decisive win into a nail-biter? My money's on Milner starting.
Projected result: BC wins, 4-2

No. 3 Boston University vs. No. 4 Maine
In order for either of these teams to make it beyond the conference tournament and join the field of 16, they probably will have to win it outright. Neither have a strong enough body of work, plus there is one fewer spots in the tournament because Bemidji State did everyone a disservice by not winning the CHA tournament, giving the CHA an undeserved two spots. Can Dave Wilson work similar magic against the Terriers that he worked against the River Hawks? Probably not. Against a team like Lowell, which has more than its share of problems, Wilson stood a chance. But BU put up 12 goals in two games against the Black Bears about a month ago against now-suspended starter Scott Darling, including chasing Darling out of a televised game. They had their hands full withy fiesty Merrimack, but the Terriers were able to erase deficits and were never out of control in any game. Plus, what could be better for Hockey East than to see another meaningful game between BU and BC?
Projected result: BU wins, 5-3

Breaking down brackets, Hockey East style

By Chris Maza

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

With all the talk about brackets going on, I thought I'd join in the fun, though not in the classic March Madness sense. The Hockey East tournament starts up tomorrow and I'm here to break down how this tourney will shape up.

First, lets' take a look at my bracket:

First, let's take a look at the Quarterfinal matchups. I did this at the beginning of the week, but let's go into a little more detail.

No. 1 New Hampshire vs. No. 8 Vermont

UNH won the season series against UVM, 2-0-1, and has not lost to a Hockey East team at home in 18-straight contests (14-0-4) dating back to last season. That said, the Catamounts took the Wildcats to overtime in both ends of the series at the Whit on February 19 and 20. Vermont needs to win this series to have any shot at the national tournament and the only reason they have any shot at all is because they have early-season wins over top-ranked Denver, No. 6 Yale and No. 14 Minnesota-Duluth. Since then things haven't gone well as they have gone 5-6-5 since beating M-D in the Catamont Cup in the beginning of January. UNH still has a shot to get in without going deep in the tournament, but winning this series would go a long way towards guaranteeing a spot.

Projected results: UNH wins series, 2-1 (W, 3-1; L, 4-3 OT; W, 4-2)

No. 4 Maine at No. 5 UMass-Lowell

Lowell was in an absolute tailspin, picking up just six of a possible 20 points at one point, but salvaged the season with a 3-0-2 record over the remaining games. Maine went from a team that had a shot at the No. 2 seed to a team that was really lucky to capture home ice after going 2-6-0 over the Black Bears' last eight games. The two teams actually both ended the regular season tied with Boston University with 28 points, but Maine and BU won the conference wins tiebreaker vs. Lowell, 13-12, and BU won the head-to-head tiebreaker with Maine, giving the teams their seeding. Maine holds the head-to-head advantage over Lowell, but the Bears have problems, mostly stemming from goaltending. Scott Darling was suspended after missing the final two games of the regular season and there are reports he's getting treated for alcohol-related issues. His replacement didn't fare well in the two contests against UMass at home, getting chased in both, allowing four goals on 17 shots in the first and two goals on five shots in the second.

Projected results: UMass-Lowell wins series, 2-0 (W, 5-2; W, 4-3)

No. 3 Boston University vs. No. 6 Merrimack

Merrimack had an impressive end of the season, going 6-2-2 over its last 10 games and all but the last two were meaningful games against teams fighting for the postseason. What was most impressive was the 3-1-1 mark on the road over that span. Before that, Merrimack had been dismal on the road with an 0-12-0 record. But has Merrimack really turned the corner? Probably not. And facing BU at the Aganis Arena, where the Terriers are 8-3-2 is probably where the ride ends for the Warriors.

Projected results: BU wins series, 2-1 (L, 4-3; W, 5-1; W, 3-2)

No. 2 Boston College vs. No. 7 UMass

The Eagles are the only team in the conference to record 20 wins this year and while they fell short of winning the regular season title, they are the best team in Hockey East, ranked fourth in the nation. Throw on top of that the fact that they have completely dominated the Mass Attack this season, going 3-0-0, and things don't look good for the Minutemen. The wins include a 7-1 drubbing at the Mullins Center that could have been far worse. I can attest to that. I was there. I was also there for the 3-1 win the Eagles had over the Minutemen and again, it could have been far worse. Bottom line, UMass has one of the best scorers in the country, but little else. Boston College has more speed, better stick handling, better goaltending and defense and is just plain more talented.

Projected results: BC wins series, 2-0 (W, 4-1; W, 3-1)

That will pit UMass-Lowell against UNH against each other and will open another chapter in the story of the Battle of Comm. Ave in the Semifinals.

No. 1 UNH vs. No. 5 UMass-Lowell

This is where things can get bad for the Wildcats. UNH was a sub-.500 team away from their Olympic-sized ice sheet in Durham, going 7-9-2. UNH plays a wide-open style of hockey and when the play is more bunched, the team has a hard time. Lowell and UNH skated to a 1-1-1 mark during the regular season. It's an interesting matchup that pits one of the best scoring teams in Hockey East against the top team in scoring defense.

Projected result: UNH wins, 4-2

No. 2 Boston College vs. No. 3 Boston University

What can be said about this rivalry that hasn't already been said? Pretty much everything is pretty well documented. They split the season series, 2-2-0. The Eagles and Terriers split the first two games, then BU captured the Frozen Fenway game by a score of 3-2 after dominating most of the game and BC captured the Beanpot. 4-3, in a game it dominated most of the way. BU's style of play makes them a formidable opponent for the Eagles, who rely on their defense to create offense. BC's transition game is what makes them tough, especially against attacking teams like UMass and UNH. But teams like BU that like to control the zone and use their defensemen to cycle the puck instead of just attacking the net find more success against the Eagles. Still, BC has been one of the best teams in the nation and the power play could be a major part of this game. BU has racked up the second-most penalty minutes in the league and Boston College has the best special teams in Hockey East.

Projected result: Boston College wins, 2-1

That brings us back to where we were a week ago - with UNH and BC playing for a Hockey East title.

No. 1 UNH vs. No. 2 Boston College

BC has dominated the play between the two squads. The record for the three-game regular-season series is in favor of the Eagles just 0-1-2 with a one-point difference in points scored, but both ties required third-period comebacks by the Wildcats, including a 3-goal effort to capture the regular season crown. Still, it should be interesting with two young teams (four seniors on each side) vying for the title.

Projected result: Boston College wins, 5-3