Team Notes: Bulldogs Host Crucial League Weekend
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Yale men's hockey
team, coming off a two-point road weekend, is home this weekend to
host the North Country set at Ingalls Rink. The Bulldogs drop the
puck with St. Lawrence (8-15-3, 4-9-1 ECAC) on Friday and Clarkson
(12-11-5, 6-5-3) on Saturday in a pair of 7 p.m. games that can be
seen live on yalebulldogs.com. Tickets are available for both
nights.
VS. ST. LAWRENCE
Yale and St. Lawrence split the last two regular-season series and
are 3-3-2 over the last eight. Overall, the Blue has a 5-4-2 lead
in the last two-plus years including a three-game playoff series at
New Haven last March. The Saints have a 55-28-9 overall lead and a
7-6-2 advantage on Yale in ECAC playoff games, though the Elis are
5-3-2 in quarterfinal series.
YALE TIES SLU
The Bulldogs erased a 3-1 deficit to earn a 3-3 OT tie at Canton
last month. Yale had a 36-30 edge in shots and got goals
from Andrew
Miller (2 points), Clinton
Bourbonais and Kevin
Peel. Jeff
Malcolm made 26 saves in the Blue net.
VS CLARKSON
The Elis have played Clarkson 105 times since 1929-30 and the
Knights own a 69-32-4 lead. Yale has taken four of the last five
meetings, but Clarkson won at home last month.
KNIGHTS TAKE OT GAME
Sam Labrecque's shot from the point on a power play in overtime
sailed through traffic and found the net at 3:59 to give Clarkson a
5-4 win over Yale last month at Cheel Arena. The Golden Knights
scored three times on five power plays against Malcolm (23 saves),
but the Elis went 1-for-6 despite having the advantage in shots
(42-28). Tommy
Fallen,Antoine
Laganiere, Bourbonais and Brian
O'Neill scored for Yale.
COMEBACK WIN
Kenny
Agostino's second goal of the game with 34.8 seconds left in
the third period capped a wild, come-from-behind, 5-4, Yale men's
ECAC Hockey victory over Dartmouth. The Bulldogs, who trailed by
three in the first period, scored the game's last four goals to
stun the Big Green before a packed house at Thompson Arena. The Big
Green had a 4-1 lead after a period, but the Blue scored four
straight over the last 40 minutes. Kevin
Limbert, Fallen and Jesse
Root had the other goals, while Nick
Maricic stopped 29 saves. Agostino's game-winner was set
up by a 30-foot high, blueline to blueline pass from
defenseman Colin
Dueck.
CLOSE TO GETTING 2 LAST WEEK
The Bulldogs fell 4-3 at Harvard last Friday when the Crimson
scored with 1:19 left in regulation. The visitors erased a 1-0
deficit with two straight tallies before the first intermission but
never had another lead. Brian O'Neill and a pair off
blueliners, Nick
Jaskowiak and Gus
Young, found the net for Yale while Jeff Malcolm had 31
saves.
LAST WEEKEND
Yale, which scored eight times and allowed as many, outshot its
opponents 75-68 despite scoring once on three advantages. The Elis
killed off six of seven penalties while using two different
goalies. Saturday's win at Hanover was just the second time this
year Yale has come from behind in the third period to take the
contest.
SAINTS
Since the tie with Yale last month, the Saints have lost four
straight, including road games at RPI and Union last week. Junior F
Kyle Flanagan (10-16-26) leads SLU on the scoreboard, Matt Weninger
(3.18, .896, 7-12-3) has most of the work in goal.
KNIGHTS
Clarkson has won three of its last four including a split last
weekend on the road with Union (5-2 L) and RPI (3-2 W). Senior F
and Boston Bruins' draft pick Nick Tremblay leads the team with 13
goals, while Louke Oakley (12) had four points against Yale last
month. Goalie Paul Karpowich (2.21, .928, 12-9-5) is ninth in the
nation and second in the ECAC in save percentage.
BULLDOG BITES
Yale gave up the game's first goal both times last weekend and has
done so in 13 games (4-7-2) this year… The Elis have
outscored opponents in first and third periods while outshooting
them in every frame… The last time Yale erased a three-goal
deficit to win was last February at Princeton, a 5-4 decision. The
last time the Elis came back from two or more down in the third
period to win was a 5-4 game (4-1 in third) with Clarkson in
February 2010 at home.
RANKS
Yale ranks 10th in scoring offense (3.33) and 41st in defense
(2.95) in division I. The Bulldog penalty-kill is fifth (87.4) in
the country, and the Elis are the seventh least penalized team. The
Elis' power play unit is sixth (23.9).
MILLER TIME
Junior F Andrew Miller (90 gp, 21-81-102) ranks sixth in Division
I with .95 assists per game and is 25th in points (1.15). He is one
of college hockey's premier offensive catalysts. Miller, not
known for his goal scoring, leads the team with 19 helpers and is
5th on the school's career list. He is best at creating space,
setting up teammates and winning draws. Miller, a 2010-11
first-team All-ECAC pick, was voted "best passer" by his teammates
the last two seasons while he had 12-33-45 in 2010-11. He was No. 4
in the nation with .97 assists per game (tops in ECAC). More
impressive is that 22 of his 33 assists were primary ones. His
team-high 33 helpers (2nd best at Yale and five behind Mark
Kaufmann '93) were a sophomore school record while 45 points were
second on the team. He probably had his best offensive weekend as a
collegian on Feb. 25-26 when he hit the net three times against
Colgate/Cornell combined. Miller (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), was
12th in the nation with 1.29 points per contest and registered the
most (34 as a freshman) points by a Yale rookie since Tom Walsh set
the bar with 41 in 1984-85. The speedy forward was the 2008-09 USA
Junior Player of the Year and 2007 Michigan High School Mr. Hockey.
In 2009-10 he was second among conference rookies with one point
per game, which also put him fourth in the country for newcomers.
He ranked eighth in Division I that year with .85 assists per
outing.
CAPTAIN O'NEILL
Yale's captain, Brian O'Neill (124 gp, 61-81-142), leads the squad
with 13 goals and 25 points. He is 10th on Yale's career goals
chart and fifth in points. O'Neill ranks 12th in the nation and
fourth in the ECAC (.62) in goals per game, he is 20th (1.19) in
points in the nation this year. He was a 2010-11 first-team
All-ECAC selection and has led the team in scoring the last two
seasons. O'Neill had a career-high four goals (most by a Bulldog
since 2003) this year against Bentley. His four tallies against the
Falcons on Jan. 1, 2012, were on consecutive scores. That eclipsed
his hat trick at Clarkson on Feb. 12, 2011. He ranked 15th
nationally with 1.29 points per game last year. He began 2010-11
with a 3-2-5 weekend in the two wins including 2-1-3 and the GWG
against Dartmouth on Oct. 30. The year before, he led the Elis with
29 assists and 45 points while ranking seventh in the country with
1.32 PPG. O'Neill (Yardley, Pa.) made the 2008-09 CHN and ECAC
Hockey All-Rookie teams after going 12-14-26.
MALCOLM IN MIDDLE
Junior Jeff Malcolm has started all but two games this season in
the Yale net. He had a shutout streak of three (Colgate, RPI,
Union) games and 226:39 minutes (parts of 5 games) in November and
was named ECAC Hockey Goalie of the Week after stopping all 72
shots in wins at No. 8 Union and RPI on Nov. 11-12. The three
straight SHOs tied the school record set by Ryan Rondeau '11 last
winter. His scoreless streak fell short of the 240:53 by Rondeau.
His career record is 14-13-2 with a 2.87 GAA and three
shutouts.
MARICIC WEATHERS GREEN STORM
Junior Nick Maricic (Alta Loma, Calif.) made 16 saves and saw 20
shots in the first period at Dartmouth on Jan. 27, but he blanked
the Big Green the rest of the way to earn the win in a 5-4 contest
with 29 saves. He got his first start of the year on Jan. 20
against Union and stopped 33 shots in the 3-1 loss. Maricic, who
has played in three games this year, owns a 2.970 career GAA and an
.888 SP. Freshman Connor
Wilson (Cary, NC) is looking for his first opportunity. He
stopped 11 of 12 shots in one period of work against the exhibition
against the Russian Red Stars on Dec. 28.
BLUE LINE
There are seven defensemen on the Yale roster: two seniors, a
junior, a sophomore and three freshmen. Newcomer Tommy Fallen (
Plymouth, Minn.) leads the Yale blueliners with 4-11-15 (.71
points, 23rd among Division I defensemen). Senior Kevin Peel
(Onoway, Alb.) is second with three goals and seven points,
followed by Matt
Killian (Basking Ridge, NJ) with 1-4-5. Senior Nick
Jaskowiak (Bloomington, Minn.), junior Colin Dueck (Calgary, Alb.)
and sophomore Gus Young (Dedham, Mass.) are the other regulars on
defense.
AGOSTINO
Yale sophomore forward Kenny Agostino (Flanders, NJ), who came
within a step of making the U.S. National Junior Team this winter,
is the top scoring Eli sophomore with 8-10-18 after netting two
goals at Dartmouth. His best game this year was 2-2-4 vs. UConn.
Agostino became the first Yale newcomer in 30 years to record five
points in one game on Jan. 2, 2011. He notched three goals and two
assists against Holy Cross and became the school's first freshman
to tally five points since former Olympian and NHL star Bob Brooke
'83 established the school rookie record against Dartmouth in 1980.
Yale's rookie of the year last winter after scoring 11 goals and 25
points, Agostino was the HCA National Rookie of the Month for
January (8-4-12), the first Bulldog to receive that award. He was
ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week on Jan. 23 (3 goals vs.
Clarkson/SLU), becoming the only Bulldog to earn conference rookie
honors in 2010-11. The former Delbarton School star had a goal and
three assists before the holiday break, and 10 goals and 11 assists
after. He ranked 11th nationally among rookies with .86 points per
game.
ROLLER COASTER CAREER
Senior forward Dan Otto battled injuries for three years that
prevented from playing in a regular season game, until this season.
He finally cracked the lineup on opening night and played in the
first 12 games. Otto lifted his team's spirits to new heights when
he scored two goals in a November win at Union. However, on Dec. 8
at UMass, Otto suffered season-ending concussion that has likely
ended his career. The Lake Zurich, Ill., native has been around the
rink to support his teammates and hopes to finish school next
December.
ROLLER COASTER SEASON
Yale's highs in 2011-12 included four straight wins, three
straight shutouts and multiple weeks as a top 10 ranked team. Some
of the lows have not been experienced in a number of years. The
Jan. 20-21 weekend was the first time Yale had been swept at home
in the ECAC since January 2008. The four-game skid (Clarkson,
Union, RPI, Harvard) was the most since that season, while the two
goals scored by the Elis combined against Union/RPI were the fewest
by a Bulldog team for an ECAC set since February of 2005.
BEHIND THE BENCH
Assistant coach Dan Muse is in his third season season under Keith
Allain. He joined the Bulldog staff when C.J. Marottolo left to
take the top job at Sacred Heart. Former University of New
Hampshire star Eric Lind has been with Allain every season at Yale.
There is one new face on the Yale bench this season, Dennis "Red"
Gendron, who replaced Kyle Wallack as the Bulldogs' associate head
coach. Gendron, an assistant at the University of Massachusetts the
last six seasons and a former University of Maine coach from 1990
to 1993, helped the Black Bears win a 1993 NCAA Championship.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Bulldogs head to Cornell and Colgate next weekend for a pair
of 7 p.m. games. They return home the following weekend for their
last regular season games at the Whale against Dartmouth and
Harvard on Alumni Weekend.
ACCOMPLISHED LEADERS
The current Yale roster is comprised of leaders and scholars. Here
are some examples.
22 were captains of hockey teams before coming to New
Haven
13 captained another sports team
17 won a scholar-athlete award
14 graduated in top 10 percent of their senior class
SURVEY SAYS
The Yale players were surveyed about each other, and here are the
results:
Best Passer:
Andrew Miller (Jr, F)
Fastest on Skates: Brian
O'Neill (Sr, F)
Hardest Shot:
Antoine Laganiere (Jr, F)
Best Forechecker: Chad
Ziegler (Sr, F)
Strongest:
Josh
Balch (Jr, F)
Most Likely to become a coach: Josh Balch
Best Singer:
Colin Dueck (Jr, D)
Most Unique Hobby: Brian
O'Neill (model airplanes)
Best Sense of Humor: Charles
Brockett (Sr, F)
Biggest Appetite: Charles
Brockett
Best Dresser:
Andrew Miller
Want your sister to date: Anthony
Day (Fr, F)
GEOGRAPHIC BALANCE
The Yale roster includes players from 13 different states and
three provinces. New York and Minnesota are represented by three
players from each state while Alberta brings in four players.
FROM WHENCE THEY CAME
The United States Hockey League contributed 10 players to the
Bulldog roster. There are four from the British Columbia Hockey
League, one from the Atlantic Junior Hockey League and another from
the Eastern Junior Hockey League. Ten Yale student-athletes came
directly from prep schools.
BULLDOGS IN THE PROS
There are 23 former Yale hockey players skating professionally,
including eight from the class of 2011. Broc Little has 23-24-47 in
39 games in Sweden. Chris Higgins has 10-16-26 in 44 gp for
Vancouver, while Brad Mills has played 24 games for the NJ Devils.
Here are the Bulldog pros, youngest to oldest:
Chris Cahill '11 (Cincinnati Cyclones, ECHL)
Denny Kearney '11 (Trenton Titans, ECHL)
Broc Little '11 (HockeyAllsvenskan, VIK Västerås HK,
Sweden)
Jimmy Martin '11 (Florida Everblades, ECHL)
Brendon Mason '11 (Nybro Vikings, Sweden)
Mike Matczak '11 (Kalamazoo Wings, ECHL)
Ryan Rondeau '11 (Laredo Buck, CHL)
Ken Trentowski '11 (Brooklyn Aviators, FHL)
Sean Backman '10 (Bridgeport Sound Tigers, AHL)
Ryan Donald '10 (Florida Everblades, ECHL)
Mark Arcobello '10 (Oklahoma City Barons, AHL)
Billy Blase '10 (Neuilly-sur-Marne, France)
Tom Dignard (Belfast Giants, EIHL)
Alec Richards '09 (Rockford Icehogs, AHL)
Brennan Turner '09 (Dundee Stars, EIHL)
David Meckler '09 (Manchester Monarchs, AHL)
Blair Yaworski '08 (Utah Grizzlies, ECHL)
Jean-Francois Boucher (Saint-George COOL-FM, LNAH)
Matt Cohen '07 (Fife Flyers, EIHL)
Brad Mills '07 (New Jersey Devils, NHL)
Chris Higgins '05 (Vancouver Canucks, NHL)
Joe Callahan '05 (Hamilton Bulldogs, AHL)
Ray Giroux '98 (ChelyabinskTraktor, KL)
CURRENT NHL CONNECTIONS
Three players on the current Yale roster have been drafted by NHL
teams: Gus Young (Colorado, 7th, 184, 2009); Kenny Agostino
(Pittsburgh, 5th, 140, 2010);Brad
Peltz (Ottawa, 7th, 190, 2009).
9 GRADS
It's not fair to compare recent Yale teams to the 2011-12
Bulldogs, who lost nine standout class of 2011 players. Eight of
the graduates are skating professionally. The current squad isn't
lacking talent, but nobody re-loads with equal force after losing
nine seniors from a championship team. There are six seniors seeing
regular duty. Four of the five sophomores and five of the six
juniors have been in almost every game while five freshmen have
been needed to fill the largest void.
YALE HOCKEY BROADCASTS
Pay-per-view broadcasts of Yale hockey regular season home games
are available on yalebulldogs.com. The Yale Athletic Department
production is almost entirely student run: Sam Dorward '13 is the
producer; Tom Stokes '12 and Patrick Ouziel '13 are the
cameramen; Evan Ellis '12, the Voice of Yale Hockey, and Max
Valenstein '13 are the broadcasters.
HARBOR YARD
Yale and Fairfield hosted the 2009 and 2011 NCAA East Regional
Tournaments in Bridgeport at Webster Bank's Arena at Harbor Yard,
and the Bulldogs participated in both. The 2012 East Regional is
slated for the Yard, which has hosted numerous NCAA events.
INGALLS
Yale hockey celebrated the re-dedication of Ingalls Rink (3,500
capacity) on Jan. 16, 2010. The rink built in 1958 has been
modernized while adding 13,000 square feet of operational
space. The additions include locker rooms and space for strength
& conditioning (including skating treadmill), student-athlete
study area, medical & training, officials, video, coaches,
equipment, reception and more. There are new historical displays,
concession stands and bathrooms for the building nicknamed the
"Whale" because of its humpback-shaped roof.
WHALE OF A TIME
The Whale (Ingalls Rink) has been a tough place for visitors in
recent years. Yale, which enjoyed its first undefeated (15-0-1,
only Division I team to do that) regular season at Ingalls last
winter, finished 17-1-1 at home (5-5 this year). That is the most
wins ever in New Haven for a Yale team (The Blue went unbeaten at
New Haven in 1928-29). The Bulldogs are 45-14-3 over the last
three-plus seasons at the Whale and 12-10-3 in home ECAC playoff
games all time.
SOLD OUT
Ingalls Rink was sold out for the last 12 games of the 2010-11
regular season and six (Cornell, Colgate, BC, QU, PU, Union) times
this year. There are tickets available this weekend, but only G.A.
and S.R.O. tickets remain for contests with Harvard and
Dartmouth.
ATTENTION MEDIA
Here are some important things to know if you are covering the
Bulldogs or just working a game at Ingalls. Interviews: Yale head
coach Keith Allain and select players are available on a
semi-regular basis each week at Ingalls Rink, typically Thursdays
at 2:30 p.m. If you would like to attend these informal media
sessions, please contact Sports Publicity Director Steve Conn.
Post-game:interviews with Yale personnel are conducted in one of
the youth locker rooms at ice level on the home side of the
building. Let Steve Conn know who you would like to speak with
immediately after the game. Media Gate List: Attendants stationed
at the front and back of the rink have a media gate list to check
off your name. Parking: The same list is used for PARKING in the
garage (entrance off Prospect Street) behind the rink.
filed by Steve Conn, Yale Sports Publicity Director
