Weekend Preview: Regional Action on Tap
ALBANY, N.Y. -- ECAC Men’s Hockey Tournament Champion
Yale, along with Cleary Cup winner Union and nationally-ranked
Rensselaer take to the ice this weekend in 2011 NCAA Men’s
Ice Hockey Regional action. The Bulldogs earned a No. 1 seed in the
East Regional, the Dutchmen claimed the No. 2 spot in the East,
while the Engineers were tagged with a No. 4 seed in the Midwest
Regional.
At No. 3/3 Yale vs. No. 20 Air Force: Coming
off last weekend's ECAC Men’s Hockey Tournament Championship
win in Atlantic City, Yale has secured the No. 1 overall seed in
the 2011 NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs will face Air Force
(20-11-6) in the NCAA East Regional at Webster Bank's Arena at
Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn., this Friday at 6:30 p.m. The two
teams met twice during the regular-season with each time earning a
victory. Yale owns a 9-4 lead in a series that began in 1989 and
has a 66-34 advantage in goals. However, the last four meetings
have been split. Yale owns a 9-4 lead in a series that began in
1989 and has a 66-34 advantage in goals. However, the last four
meetings have been split. Yale lost its first game of the 2010-11
post season and then won four straight by a combined score of 19-2.
Friday's game is Yale's seventh NCAA Tournament contest, and the
Bulldogs are 2-4 in those games. Air Force earned its fourth
Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) Championship in the last five
years by beating RIT 1-0 last Saturday at Rochester's Blue Cross
Arena. The Bulldogs have outshot 31 of 34 opponents (by 338
combined) this year after having the advantage in 26 of the 34
games last year. Air Force has won eight straight and is 11-2-3 in
the last 16 games. Air Force is making its fourth trip in the last
five years to NCAA Tournament.
At No. 8/8 Union vs. No. 3/3
Minnesota-Duluth: Union has earned one of 11
at-large bids in the 2011 NCAA Hockey Tournament and will face
Minnesota-Duluth in first-round action in the East Regional at
Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn., on Friday,
March 25 at 3 p.m. Union's NCAA berth is its first since moving up
to Division I before the 1991-92 season. Friday's meeting will mark
the eighth time in Union's 20-year Division I history that Union
and Minnesota-Duluth will meet, but the first time since 2003.
Minnesota-Duluth leads 6-0-1 overall as well as in Division I
action. The Bulldogs, which earned an at-large berth to the NCAA
Tournament, have a record of 22-10-6 (15-8-5 WCHA). The Dutchmen
and Bulldogs played four of the same foes during the course of the
2010-11 season, including the University of Alaska Anchorage (UMD
was 2-0-0; Union was 1-0-0), Bemidji State University (1-1-1;
0-1-0), Clarkson University (2-0-0; 2-0-0) and the University of
Minnesota (1-1-2; 1-0-0). The Dutchmen, with the nation’s
leading power play unit, are 51-for-164 with the man advantage
(31.1%) this season. They have scored a power-play goal in 31 of 39
games this season, with a record of 23-5-3 in those contests.
Union’s defense has held its opponents to two or fewer goals
23 times this season, placing the team first in the country with a
2.10 goals-against average.
At No. 15/16 Rensselaer vs. No. 1/1 North
Dakota: Rensselaer has earned an at-large berth and
will play in the NCAA Tournament which will decide the Division I
national champion. The Engineers will make their first appearance
in the 16-team event since 1995 when they face North Dakota
Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at the Resch Center in Green Bay, WI. This is
the ninth time in school history – and first under fifth-year
head coach Seth Appert – that RPI has qualified for the NCAA
Tournament. RPI, which last played on March 7 in the ECAC Hockey
first round, averages 2.97 goals per game, while holding the
opposition to 2.27. The Engineers are fourth in the nation in
goals-against per game. The Engineers have played North Dakota in
the NCAA Tournament just once, losing a first round series, 2 games
to 0 in 1984. Overall they have played the Fighting Sioux eight
times, posting a 1-7-0 record, but have not met since the 1989-90
season. UND will compete in the NCAA tournament for the 25th time
in program history. UND enters the NCAA tournament on a season-long
13-game unbeaten streak (12-0-1).
