Where: The Utica Memorial Auditorium Utica, NY
When: 8:30 PM Saturday March 9, 2013
Audio/Video: Video Audio Live Stats
Overall Stats (National Rank) Statistical Leaders Offense: 4.50 G/GM (4) Louie Educate (F, So) (17-18-35)
Defense: 2.19 G/GM (13) Ridge Garbutt (F, Jr.) (9-17-26)
Power Play: 23/125-18.40% (44) Jon Gaffney (F, Jr.) (13-12-25)
Penalty Kill: 97/113 - 85.8% (31) Nick Therrien (G, Sr. ) 2.13 GAA
Offense: 4.32 G/GM (5) Ollie Koo (D/F, Jr.) (15-18-33)
Defense: 2.50 G/GM (21) Dan Weiniger (F, Sr.) (17-12-29)
Power Play: 34/125 - 27.20% (6) Harry Matheson (F, Jr.) (12-16-28)
Penalty Kill: 115/139 - 80.8% (26) Max Fenkell (G, So) 2.03 GAA
The Lowdown: Spring Break at...Lake Placid?
The Bowdoin College Polar Bears will meet the Utica College Pioneers tonight in the Quarterfinal round of the NCAA D-III men's ice hockey tournament at the historic Utica Memorial Auditorium. The winner goes to Lake Placid for a semifinal game of the Final Four on March 15th. The Championship game is played the following day on March 16th.
The Bowdoin College Polar Bears won the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) qualifying tournament to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA D-III men's ice hockey tournament. The first seed Polar Bears overcame a 3-2 third period deficit against eighth seed Hamilton to win the quarterfinal round and earned the right to host the semifinals and finals the following weekend. In the semis against Middlebury and finals against Williams, the Polar Bears took 2-0 first period leads and never trailed in either contest. After having their 2011 'CAC crown vacated due to a hazing incident, it was the first official NESCAC men's hockey title for Bowdoin. The PBs then discarded Umass-Dartmouth, 5-2, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to earn a trip to Utica.
The Utica College Pioneers earned one of the three Pool C (at-large) bids to the tournament and were granted a bye into the quarterfinal round. The Pioneers conference, the ECAC-West, has only six teams and thus does not have an AQ bid for the tourney. Despite losing in the semi-finals of their conference tournament to Manhattanville, Utica's strong season earned them a spot in the field of 11. This is the first game for Utica in 20 days and the first game against a team not named Manhattanville in exactly a month, as the Pioneers closed out their regular season with two regular season wins against the Valiants before the conference tournament loss.
This is the fifth tournament appearance for the Polar Bears and the first ever tournament appearance in the 12 year history of Pioneers NCAA hockey. Bowdoin has fallen in the quarterfinal round all three times this century (2002,2010,2011). In their most recent trip in 2011, they beat Neumann at The Sid in the first round before traveling to Oswego, where they lost in a 7-5 shootout to the Lakers.
Bowdoin's coach Terry Meagher is just two wins away from #500 for his career, but that isn't on his mind. When asked about it after the win over Williams in the NESCAC finals, Meagher quipped, "You talk that stuff you just make me feel old." Utica coach Gary Heenan, who has been the headman for the entirety of the school's NCAA existence, played hockey at Hamilton from 1994-97. Prior to getting the head coaching job at Utica in 2000, he spent a year as an assistant for the Continentals. Both Meagher and Heenan have lead their teams to school records in wins this season.
Key(s) to the game: X Factors/Intangibles/etc.
1. The Aud There's a whole host of X factors, or intangibles, or whatever term you prefer to use, for this game. For starters, much has been made about the start time and playing surface of the game and who this favors. Four high school playoff games will be played at the Aud prior to the start of the NCAA tourney game, leading to concerns for the quality of ice that was already suspect to some. The late start time of 8:30 might also be even later if some of the HS games go to OT.
There's also the X factor of the crowd. At a seated capacity of 4,000, The Aud is the largest auditorium in D-3 Hockey and features a very fervent fanbase that should fill the arena. Considering this is the most important game in program history, the crowd should be extra boisterious.
2. Schedule This is the first time these two programs will meet. But it won't be the first game of the week for the Polar Bears. With the NESCAC tournament and the first round of the NCAAs, this will be the fourth game in eight days for Bowdoin. Utica, on the other hand, hasn't played since February 23rd and hasn't played anyone other than Manhattanvile since 2/9. Does Bowdoin's busy schedule give them momentum or make them tired? Will Utica's layoff make them rested or rusty? We'll find out on the ice. The potentially very choppy ice.
It is also the beginning of Spring Break for Bowdoin, which means professors reined hell on students this past week with midterms at the academically rigorous institution. Will the stress of being a student-athlete affect the Polar Bear skaters? They will say no, but who knows. Here's a tweet from Bowdoin freshman Matt Rubinoff.
exams for over half the team a day before NCAA quarters #studious #bowdoinB
— Matthew Rubinoff (@Rubi9311) March 8, 2013
3. Experience This is the first tournament game in school history for Utica. Any coach or player will say it that it doesn't affect them, but will the pressure be a negative for the Pioneers? For Bowdoin's junior core, this is their third NCAA game and for the seniors, it is their fourth. Experience can often give an edge to a team come playoff time, albeit an immeasurable one that doesn't show up in the box score.
4. Goaldtending As Colby Assistant Chris Hall said when he previewed this game for us, this time of year generally comes down to goaltending and experience. Utica is set with Therrien and the Polar Bears have solid netminders in Messina and Fenkell, the only question being which one will start. Fenkell has the better stats this year, but Messina has experience, having won two of his three NCAA tournament games, including Wednesday's win over UMD. Much has been made about the decision process for choosing the goaltender for the PBs in the postseason. You can hear Coach Meagher talk about here.
Players to watch
Louie Educate (F, So) One of the most explosive scorers in the country (and he's just a sophomore), Educate is a difference maker when he scores, leading the Pioneers to an 11-1 record when he lights the lamp.
Dan Weiniger (F, Sr.) After the NESCAC finals, Coach Meagher noted that Weiniger had played in five final fours (NESCAC, prep school) in five years, implying that he was an impact player come crunch time. Weiniger had three assists against Oswego in 2011 but hasn't scored in the NCAA tournament yet. Is this the game he does?
Additional Reading
Benet Pols ECAC-West PrimerChris Hall's Preview
Bowdoin Preview
Utica Preview
Bangor Daily News Preview
Utica Observer Dispatch Preview
History of the Utica Memorial Auditorium
This week Stompin' Tom Connors passed away. Connors wrote the famous tune "The Hockey Song" which any player on the ice or fan in the stand at the Aud tonight will recognize. In honor of Stompin' Tom, we present "The Hockey Song" with lyrics.
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