Two important things happened tonight. The most important is that the squad got an extremely meaningful 2 points that helped solidify themselves above the group of teams below them in the conference standings. UAA's 14 points also puts them just 2 points below three team currently tied for 5th place (CC, Minnesota, Wisconsin).
The second was that the squad got their first sweep of the season. Rob Gunderson keyed the win tonight with lots of good saves. When he wasn't making a big save the guys in front of him were clearing the puck (sometimes at the very last second ... but nevertheless) from danger.
Craig Parkinson banged home his second pretty power play goal of the weekend off a sweet Tommy Grant pass at 4:41 of the 1st period. Alex Gellert sealed the win just 32 seconds into the 3rd period when he found himself stationed high in the slot facing a gaping net. He made no mistake.
The game looked a lot like Friday night's game and UAA generated a fair share of scoring chances but was just never able to quite finish. CC made it interesting after scoring their lone goal. They applied all sorts of pressure and forced the Seawolves into survival mode.
A weak sauce cross checking penalty against Wes McLeod (he cross checked the glass) with under 3 minutes gave the Black Bears a power play and a litany of scoring opportunities. But as it had been throughout the game, Rob Gunderson either made a terrific save or the D cleared the puck.
All in all it was an excellent weekend. The sweep provides a well deserved frosting for the fan cake. The regular and dedicated Seawolves fans got something they don't get as often as they deserve it. Yay for all of us.
Jon Campion and Todd Anderson were the referees this weekend. They whistled a ridiculous twelve penalties against UAA on the weekend versus only seven against CC. Brad Gorham got tagged with a major for contact to the head on what sure appeared to be an average check. That's most unfortunate as I believe he'll be unavailable for action in one extra game due to receiving his third major penalty of the season.
UAA now hits the road for the next two series versus DU and then da Gophs. It'll be just as important on the next two weekends to get points in order to maintain position in the standings. Both of those series will be big challenges so we're all going to find out pretty fast here in the 2nd half what sort of team we really have.
19 comments:
I just watched the replay of Gorham's hit, and it did look like he got the player in the head, or the neck. Kind of a bad hit, and there is no excuse for this kind of play from him. He has 55 penalty minutes in 11 games, you do the math. There are a lot of majors in there.
I say sit him out and let him learn a valuable lesson. Clean it up Brad.
Now that I got that off my chest, way to go Seawolves. Excellent job by the penalty killers, and Gundy you were awesome!!
Thanks for hanging out Donald. I enjoyed my short stay. It was also nice to meet a few of your other readers. Good luck the rest of the regular season.
A great night of Seawolf hockey! And it couldn't have happened at a better time. I brought 25 Seawolf newbies to the game tonight (teammates and parents from my daughter's bantam hockey team - Aces fans). I've been talking up the Seawolves all season and finally got them to join me for a game. I promised some really good hockey and the Seawolves delivered! Hooray!! I'm pretty sure we'll get some return customers.
One of the Aces fans thought that the Aces played the 'Wolves about 10 years ago and beat them pretty handily. Any truth to that rumor? Is so, any chance of a rematch or would that violate WCHA or NCAA rules?
Great Weekend!!! I have a hunch that UAA will be the College Hockey News' team of the week :) Can't wait to drive to Denver and see UAA play next weekend!
Ah BBEF, bummer that we were in the midst of a cold snap the weekend you were here! :(
Way to go Seawolves! Gundy, you rock!!
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Teledancer, that sounds like silly Aces fan scuttlebutt. AFAIK the Aces and Seawolves have never played each other, unless you count the Mississippi Sea Wolves of the ECHL, which might be what they're thinking of.
A UAA Seawolves vs. Alaska Aces game (or indeed two game series) is a possibility. I spoke with Dr. Cobb tonight about exactly such an event. There'll be more to come on that here on the blog at the end of the season.
I told Cobb I'd make the case for it here on the blog but I'll save that for after the season has ended. Don't expect it to happen next season. But I'm pretty determined to see it happen so I'll be working on some folks.
UM & UND had some emotions running high
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Fight-Video-NCAA-benches-clear-between-North-Da;_ylt=AjZeOAla.lnnor2_lURQwSR7vLYF?urn=nhl-308024
Thanks Jimjamesak and DD. While I'm waiting for that game to happen I've been researching statistical ways to demonstrate to my Aces fans friends that the WCHA is a better league than the ECHL.
I've been thinking that future NHLers playing in the league might make a convincing comparison, especially players who go directly to the NHL, but so far I haven't found any apples to apples comparisons.
Here's what I've found so far:
ECHL players in NHL
http://www.echl.com/fahey-becomes-445th-echl-player-to-reach-nhl-p166654
WCHA players drafted into NHL
http://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/12376/wcha201011_season_preview
WCHL players in 2010 Winters Olympics
http://www.wcha.com/men/presarch/2010/20100216a.php
Can anybody help me find some data that will help make the point?
Thanks, Teledancer
DD,
It seems like an ACES vs Seawolves discussion might make a good article/thread in and of itself, rather than tacked on to a game summary like this one, but I don't know how to start one, or even if I can.
The Gorham hit was going to be a great hit until the CC kid turned his back and ducked last minute. Gorham had no time to pull out of the hit and so the gutless move drew a "hit to the head" penalty. You'll never see one of the UAA players turn their backs because they are tough and know how to take a hit and they know it's a dumb move because you can end up hurt. The higher ups are turning college hockey into womens no hit hockey. It's embarrassing! And I say no way sitting him out to "teach him a lesson." He is not a child, he is a tough hockey player who hits and one of the best D-Men on the team. The rest of the team will gladly kill off stupid calls like that and go right back to crushing the other team.
It didn't look like the CC guy turned at the last minute. No one called him a "child", but his penalty minutes say it all and there should be consequences. He could have cost his team the win last night.
55 penalty minutes on 11 penalties? Enough said.
Gorham is turning into a liability with his penalties. Had it cost us the game, we'd have more people screaming. Play the guys who don't take those kind of penalties.
No Gorham was never called a child but you folks are calling for like child-like punishment for him by sitting him to "teach him a lesson." Thats like putting him in time out. Why sit one of our best D-men when they only have one extra true D-man available?! He is playing tough and hitting which I love to see because that's what it takes in hockey. Like I said before, the hit was a good one when it all started but that kid, like many in our league and college hockey, turned or ducked to get away from hit because he is soft and turned it into a bad hit. You fans can all sit up there and say oh he should have stopped but it happens so fast and once you commit to a hit you finish it. Kids these days don't learn how to take a hit, they learn to turn or flop to draw a penalty. I say for him and everyone else on the UAA team to keep hitting and hitting hard. Those 5 min majors of his are BS and not a "liability."
So you'll live with these undisciplined types of penalties? I guess you don't mind living with the consequences either, like continuing losing year after year. I say, clean it up, sit the guys who can't play the "new style" of college hockey and move on.
Even Shyiak said on his post game interview that Gorhams hit WAS a penalty. He said they know the refs are making those calls and the players need to play within those guidelines.
Semantics, anon, semantics. You can say "teach him a lesson", "send him a message", or "make a point" - they all mean the same thing. And coaches bench players for those reasons ALL THE TIME. Personally, I'd like to see Darwitz given a chance.
Gorham is the player who was tagged with the penalty that cost UAA the game against SCSU - when the Huskies player was taken off the ice on a stretcher.
Am I saying it was a dirty hit? No, in fact even Woody said it was clean. However, Brad is getting a reputation, and I think the refs have his number. They might be calling penalties on him that they would let go on another player. And that, my friend, IS a liability. Nobody else on the team seems to have this problem.
"Having his number ..." is the phrase that first came to my mind when the call was made. Brad's first contact to the head penalty up in FBX was bogus but all a referee knows coming into a series is that #15 already has two contact to the head calls. So you know they're looking for it.
It's unfortunate but Brad should know now it's reality. No doubt he'll take more care in the future.
Saw the Gorham hit from row 15 directly above it, though I’ve seen no replay. I thought it a penalty by my understanding the rule definition, and especially so, as I understand the intent of the “emphasis” about protecting heads and necks, and play involving the walls. In no way did it look like anything but what sometimes unintentionally happens in hockey.
Beard
Both players were going hard at 90 degrees to the boards for a loose puck along the glass, Gorham half a step behind. The Tiger started to scrub-of some of his momentum by turning to his left, with Gorham intending to deliver a hard check with his forearm to the upper lest side of the CC player’s body as both players got to the puck at almost the same time.
It looked to me that the Tiger partially lost his edge, further lowering his head below the glass just Gorham hit him with his forearm. I think it really was difficult to fault Gorham, and the refs conferred with the linesmen who likely had better angles.
On this series’ games, I was impressed on how UAA was able to deal with the CC pressure on the puck during their penalty kills. The ’Wolfs were able to accurately move the puck with good pace or make a move off the wall much better than they have in the past. It enabled them to spend time controlling play in the offensive zone, rather than frittering their PPs retrieving the puck. Very aggressively pressuring the disc on PKs has been the successful tactic used aginst UAA for years, and years.
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