The calendar has flipped to 2017, leaving behind a year in which both hockey programs found a great deal of success. Both teams earned a berth in the championship weekend before falling to strong opponents in close games. The men won 19 games in 2016 while the women won 23, really good marks for both teams, and in the first half of the 2016-17 season, the programs have amassed 25 wins. With the second half of the season now upon us, the wins become more important, and harder to earn, as ECAC tournament time approaches, and spots in the national tournament on the line. For the men, the season continues with a big matchup against Vermont at the Gutt tomorrow, a game in which a pair of Saints will make their first appearances. Sam Kauppila didn't appear in a game during the first half, while 6'4", 210 scorer Alex Gilmour, a late commitment, has joined the team for the second half.
UVM, much like two seasons ago, had a great first half, which included taking home the title in the Friendship Four, but stumbled to close out 2016, being swept by Union. They rebounded with a solid sweep of Bentley and carry 12-6-2 record into the matchup and are ranked 13th in the USCHO poll. They aren't a team that can be taken lightly, given that they've won three of the last four match-ups with SLU, and provide a chance to get off on the right foot in the push for a championship.
The Saints are sitting just inside the PairWise bubble at 16th, but given that Atlantic Hockey rarely gets a team within the top 16, that league's auto-bid basically means that 15th or better is required to get to the big dance without an ECAC championship. The WCHA is also a bit worrisome, as they not a single team in the top 16 of the PairWise, though Bemidji State was inside the bubble earlier and could conceivably get back in, but if they fail to win their conference tournament, that moves the bubble number to 14. The Saints have some moving to do to guarantee their fate, but this is all speculation and an ECAC championship wipes away all of the guessing.
UVM is 12th in the PairWise, making this an important game. With easy match-ups against Canisius coming, a win puts SLU in a great spot to move up in the PairWise and inch back towards a spot on the big dance floor. The Catamounts are dangerous in their top six, especially with "Super" Mario Puskarich, Ross Colton, their leading scorer with 15 points in 19 games, but their depth is lackluster. Most of their success has come from the play of Stefanos Lekkas, their rookie netminder who's posted a 10-2-3 record with a 2.06 GAA and a .926 save percentage.
What stands out to me the most is the size of this Vermont team. Of their regular starters, excluding goalies, only two players are taller than 6'0", and they clock in at 6'1" and 6'2". The Saints, especially on the backend, are a much bigger team than UVM, and can use this to their advantage in puck battles, especially in their own zone. Defenders can use their size and skating ability to neutralize the UVM forecheck by beating them to the puck and outmuscling them.
SLU isn't quite as big among the forward corps, but players like Woody, Carson Gicewicz, Alex Dahl and Taggart Caorriveau can use their size to win puck battles in the offensive zone and wear down the Catamount defense. The addition of Gilmour will also help the depth and forecheck for the Saints. Guys like Joe Sullivan, Ryan Lough and Mike Marnell may not be the biggest guys on the ice, but they can take a beating and dish it out themselves, and I've seen them outmuscle guys much bigger than 6'0", 192-pound Rob Hamilton, the tallest player on the UVM blueline. The Saints like to get the puck in deep, retrieve it and set up their offense through the point, and forwards should have little trouble beating Vermont in the corners.
Statistically, the teams are relatively comparable, each scoring close to 3.5 goals per game while allowing less than 2.5. UVM owns the edge in both special teams categories, though by just 2 percentage points in the penalty kill department. The power play has looked better of late for the Saints, so we can expect that number to rise (knock on wood).
A win tomorrow can kick start the Saints second half, which starts with seven straight road games. After Canisius, the Saints head to Brown and Yale before wrapping up the road trip with match-ups against Colgate and Cornell. Every single one of those games in winnable, but they'll face stiff tests against Yale and Cornell especially, meaning getting off on the right foot is important. Taking care of business in Burlington can set the tone for a run to Lake Placid, and beyond, something this team is more than capable of doing.
UVM, much like two seasons ago, had a great first half, which included taking home the title in the Friendship Four, but stumbled to close out 2016, being swept by Union. They rebounded with a solid sweep of Bentley and carry 12-6-2 record into the matchup and are ranked 13th in the USCHO poll. They aren't a team that can be taken lightly, given that they've won three of the last four match-ups with SLU, and provide a chance to get off on the right foot in the push for a championship.
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| Two point outings for Mike Marnell, Brian Ward, and Tommy Thompson helped SLU to a 4-1 win last season at Appleton over UVM (Jack Lyons) |
The Saints are sitting just inside the PairWise bubble at 16th, but given that Atlantic Hockey rarely gets a team within the top 16, that league's auto-bid basically means that 15th or better is required to get to the big dance without an ECAC championship. The WCHA is also a bit worrisome, as they not a single team in the top 16 of the PairWise, though Bemidji State was inside the bubble earlier and could conceivably get back in, but if they fail to win their conference tournament, that moves the bubble number to 14. The Saints have some moving to do to guarantee their fate, but this is all speculation and an ECAC championship wipes away all of the guessing.
UVM is 12th in the PairWise, making this an important game. With easy match-ups against Canisius coming, a win puts SLU in a great spot to move up in the PairWise and inch back towards a spot on the big dance floor. The Catamounts are dangerous in their top six, especially with "Super" Mario Puskarich, Ross Colton, their leading scorer with 15 points in 19 games, but their depth is lackluster. Most of their success has come from the play of Stefanos Lekkas, their rookie netminder who's posted a 10-2-3 record with a 2.06 GAA and a .926 save percentage.
What stands out to me the most is the size of this Vermont team. Of their regular starters, excluding goalies, only two players are taller than 6'0", and they clock in at 6'1" and 6'2". The Saints, especially on the backend, are a much bigger team than UVM, and can use this to their advantage in puck battles, especially in their own zone. Defenders can use their size and skating ability to neutralize the UVM forecheck by beating them to the puck and outmuscling them.
SLU isn't quite as big among the forward corps, but players like Woody, Carson Gicewicz, Alex Dahl and Taggart Caorriveau can use their size to win puck battles in the offensive zone and wear down the Catamount defense. The addition of Gilmour will also help the depth and forecheck for the Saints. Guys like Joe Sullivan, Ryan Lough and Mike Marnell may not be the biggest guys on the ice, but they can take a beating and dish it out themselves, and I've seen them outmuscle guys much bigger than 6'0", 192-pound Rob Hamilton, the tallest player on the UVM blueline. The Saints like to get the puck in deep, retrieve it and set up their offense through the point, and forwards should have little trouble beating Vermont in the corners.
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| Joe Sullivan's willingness to battle makes him the perfect candidate for a big game against UVM (Jack Lyons) |
A win tomorrow can kick start the Saints second half, which starts with seven straight road games. After Canisius, the Saints head to Brown and Yale before wrapping up the road trip with match-ups against Colgate and Cornell. Every single one of those games in winnable, but they'll face stiff tests against Yale and Cornell especially, meaning getting off on the right foot is important. Taking care of business in Burlington can set the tone for a run to Lake Placid, and beyond, something this team is more than capable of doing.
Just a little correction -- Western Michigan is in the NCHC, not the WCHA, so the tournament picture actually looks even worse than you described. The top WCHA team right now is Bemidji at #21, so it's looking very likely that both the #16 and #15 teams won't make it this year. We really want to be at least #12 to feel pretty safe.
ReplyDeleteSorry, meant to say that we really want to be at least #13.
Deleteyou are correct, my brain is fried over break
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