Notes From a Beat Writer

One last note about the move

2009-01-17T15:13:00.001-05:00

As you can see from the post below this blog has moved to an address on the Watertown Daily Times Web site.

The only thing that will be different from what was here is right now there is no capability for user comments.

BUT, that doesn't mean I don't want to hear your opinions. Anyone who emails me (and my address is linked on the new blog) I will try to get your opinions posted onto the blog at some point. I'll probably wait until I hear a handful of thoughts and then will make a post titled something like 'Notes from the Readers' where I share them with everyone.

And if you do read the blog please share views. It's nice to know that people actually read it and also what they think and what things they may want to see added to it in the future.

Thanks,

Cap

Moving Day

2009-01-16T14:53:00.002-05:00

This blog is moving to a new address, which is on the Watertown Daily Times main site and will have a new title.
It will, essentially, be the same blog as before, it's just more convenient to have it linked directly to the newspaper.
Any comments feel free to email me: ccarey@wdt.net

The new address:

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/section/knightstales

How I'd Change ECAC Hockey

2009-01-14T11:29:00.003-05:00

Last weekend's nonconference games against SLU were, in part, due to the fact that both schools have a hard time finding nonconference opponents this late in the season.
That's because every other conference plays more games than ECAC Hockey.
Here's a breakdown of how many conference games the other leagues play:
Atlantic Hockey 28
CCHA 28
CHA 20 (had only five teams last year, however)
ECAC Hockey 22
Hockey East 27
WCHA 28

As you can see, ECAC Hockey is well behind its peers. Part of this is due to the Ivy League teams, which limit the number of total games in a year they wish to play for academic reasons.

Here is how I'd solve this problem in a way I think appeals to both factors, split the conference into two divisions: Ivy and non-Ivy (I'd name the non-Ivy after a retired or deceased famous coach who was at a non-Ivy school)

So the conference would look like this:
Ivy Division (Cornell, Dartmouth, Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Brown)
Other Division (SLU, Clarkson, Colgate, Union, RPI, Quinnipiac)

As for the schedule, for the Ivy teams it would remain the same, two games against each other and two games against the other division. For the new division, they'd add one extra game against each of the other five teams, with the home site rotating each year. So if Clarkson played two home games against Colgate one year, the next year they'd have two games at Colgate.

How would the playoffs work?
I'd just seed them similar to now, but the top two teams in each conference would get the first-round byes. You have two options here. You can pit No. 3 Ivy vs. No. 6 non-Ivy, etc, or you can keep the playoffs strictly to divisions and send two Ivy's and two non-Ivy's to Albany.

Anyway, that's what I'd do to fix the scheduling issues and bring the ECAC more up to par with it's peers. I welcome comments on this from others.

SLU 2, Clarkson 1

2009-01-11T12:17:00.005-05:00

Clarkson played much better Sunday in a 2-1 loss to rival SLU. The Golden Knights were frustrated by a few shots that clinged off the post but did appear to outplay SLU in the first two period. SLU had a solid third period, however, and denied Clarkson on the power play twice to hold on for the win.

Here were the keys to the game for Clarkson:

1. Payback. Will Clarkson come out angry after being embarrased last night and play with fire and passion, especially early? Clarkson did play much better. It was not a win, but they were not blown out.

2. Where's the offense? Another game with less than three goals as Clarkson falls to 0-10-3 this year in those situations. Make that 0-11-3.

3. Play ahead. Clarkson has scored the first goal only six times in 19 games this season. Another interesting stat about this season is Clarkson has led in a game only 15.2 percent of the time, but has been trailing 51.4 percent of the time. Last year those numbers were 33 and 26.7 respectively. Again, Clarkson never led in this game, trailed for most of it.

4. Control the puck. Shots against are way up for Clarkson's defense this season and SLU picked up 41 last night, including a 33-7 edge after two periods. After Saturday's game, Clarkson coach George Roll attributed SLU's number of shots to the fact that Clarkson was not able to gain control of the puck and pressure the Saints. Much better job in Sunday's game on this.

5. Goaltending. One positive in last night's game was the play of backup Richie LaVeau after Paul Karpowich was pulled early in the second period. LaVeau stopped 24 of 25 shots and both goalies have save percentages over .900. Whoever plays today, Clarkson will need a big game from its goalie. Solid play from Karpowich Sunday.

SLU 5, Clarkson 1

2009-01-10T10:15:00.004-05:00

Clarkson had one of its worst games of the season Saturday, losing 5-1 in a nonconference game to rival St. Lawrence University in Appleton Arena.

Here were the five keys to the game for Clarkson:

1. Score three goals: When Clarkson scores three goals, or more, it is 3-2-1 this year. When the Golden Knights get two goals, or less, they are 0-9-3. Clarkson only scored once after going five periods without a goal, including last weekend's game at Ohio State.

2. Special teams: Both teams have killed penalties at the same rate - Clarkson 85.5 percent and SLU 85.6. The Saints have had the better power play so far this season (15.3 to 11.7). Key guys for each team: SLU's Brock McBride has four power-play goals and Clarkson's Lauri Tuohimaa has three. Neither team really excelled on special teams, and it wasn't a factor because it was already 3-0 before either team had their first power play. SLU's third goal, however, was scored with an extra attacker because a Clarkson penalty was coming and goalie Kain Tisi had left the ice.

3. Score first: In the last 10 Clarkson/SLU games at Appleton Arena, the team that scored first has won seven times. Not only did Clarkson not score first, SLU scored three goals in the first eight minutes.

4. Which goalie will be better?: Clarkson freshman Paul Karpowich, who was also recruited by SLU, is coming off a steller weekend at the Ohio Hockey Classic and has a .908 save percentage. SLU's Alex Petizian has bounced back from a subpar sophomore year and has a .916 save percentage. Karpowich had a rough game, though not all the goals could be blamed on him. SLU went with Kain Tisi in goal, though he was hardly challenged, having to make only 13 saves.

5. Conquer Appleton: Clarkson has struggled at Appleton Arena, dropping two straight games and losing six of their last seven contests in the building. The Golden Knights catch one break tonight as SLU's students are still on winter break. The crowd was down for a Clarkson game at Appleton (2,800) but the Golden Knights didn't take advantage.

Timeout with the Times

2009-01-09T12:07:00.001-05:00

This week's edition with Brandon DeFazio

Rivalry Weekend: Part I

2009-01-08T10:23:00.002-05:00

Here is this week's edition of Clarkson notes.

Bonus material
KARPOWICH HONORED
Freshman goalie Paul Karpowich has come up big this season whenever he's faced one of the top teams in the nation. After helping lead Clarkson to a pair of ties against top-ranked Colorado College early in the season he made 40 saves last Friday to lead the Golden Knights to a 4-2 win over second-ranked Miami (Ohio).
Karpowich was also solid the following night against Ohio State in a 2-0 Clarkson loss and was named the ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Week.
"The team made it really easy for me, everything was from the outside," Karpowich said.
More important that beating a No. 2 team would be, the win over Miami also snapped a school-record, 11-game winless streak (0-9-2).
"That's always nice," Karpowich said. "We were in a pretty bad skid there."
The next big challenge for the freshman, who was drafted by the NHL's St. Louis Blues last summer, is rival St. Lawrence University, Clarkson's opponent for a pair of nonconference games this weekend.
"I've never seen (a Clarkson/SLU game) before," Karpowich said. "You hear stories about how wild they get."

Updated Home/Road Index

2009-01-05T21:08:00.002-05:00

*For those new to this, this stat is based on the premise you have to win all home games and pull off a few road wins. At end of year every team will have exactly 22 points more than they have in this index. You get two points for a road win, one for a road tie, you lose one point for a home tie and two points for a home loss. Home wins and road losses are worth zero points*
One other note: Dartmouth has benefitted in this standing by playing seven of its first nine conference games on the road. Since you can only earn points in road games that means the Big Green has only four more conference games left to pick up points.

Dartmouth +8
Princeton +6
Cornell +4
Quinnipiac +3
Yale +2
Harvard +2
St. Lawrence -3
Brown -4
Rensselaer -4
Union -4
Clarkson -5
Colgate -5

Ohio State 2, Clarkson 0

2009-01-03T18:10:00.004-05:00

A sluggish first period proved costly for Clarkson tonight in a 2-0 loss to Ohio State in the championship game of the Ohio Hockey Classic.

Here were the five things to watch:
1. Can Clarkson pull off a second straight upset? The Golden Knights beat second-ranked Miami (Ohio) 4-2 in a semifinal Friday night. Ohio State (12-6-1) is not as good on paper as Miami, but still has some impressive numbers. The Buckeyes have won seven straight games, have only allowed four goals in their last three games and has scored 26 goals in their last four. Ohio State also has seven NHL draft picks on the roster (Clarkson has eight). Well, as stated above, Clarkson got off to a bad start and never fully recovered.

2. Will the offense stay hot? Clarkson had its best goal output (4) since it scored six goals on opening night against RIT. The answer to this has to be a big no, it was the first time all year the team was shut out.

3. Beat another hot goalie. Both Miami (Ohio) goalies had impressive numbers going into last night's game and Ohio State has combined to stop 91.3 percent of opposing shots, led by sophomore Dustin Carlson, who has played in 16 games and has a .929 save percentage. See the above comment!

4. Defense. Clarkson needs to improve on the number of shots it allows. Freshman goalie Paul Karpowich was a key factor in Clarkson's win last night, but he was tested by way too many quality shots. Clarkson actually showed improvement in this category. The Buckeyes scored only one goal while Paul Karpowich was on the ice and while they had 34 shots, 15 of those came in the first period.

5. Score first. Clarkson is 2-3-1 when it scores first this year, which isn't that impressive until you consider that the team is 1-7-3 when the opposition scores first. Considering this game is being played on the road against a quality opponent, scoring first and taking the crowd noise out of the game could be a factor. In this game, scoring first really meant something!

Clarkson snaps winless streak vs. No. 2 Miami

2009-01-02T14:51:00.008-05:00

Clarkson snapped a school-record, 11-game winless streak (0-9-2) with a 4-2 upset of No. 2 Miami (Ohio) in a semifinal game of the Ohio Hockey Classic in Columbus. The Golden Knights will play either Ohio State or Army in the championship game Saturday.

A few trivia items
*Clarkson is 1-0-2 this season against teams ranked either 1 or 2 nationally and 1-9-2 against the rest of the nation.
*Former Clarkson assistant Jason Lammers is on the Buckeyes coaching staff.
*Clarkson has now gone undefeated in 51 games (47-0-4) when it leads after two periods.

Here were the five things to watch with post-game comments

1. Score first..Clarkson has led after the first period of a game just twice this season and has been outscored 21-10 in the opening period so far this season. The last time Clarkson scored the first goal in a game was Nov. 15 at Dartmouth (a 5-1 loss).
Clarkson achieved this early with a goal from Shea Guthrie (see the note below) just 99 seconds into the contest. Two goals in the first four minutes of the third period also gave the Golden Knights a confidence boost.

2. Get the big three going..Clarkson's top line so far this season has been sophomores Scott Freeman, Lauri Tuohimaa and Brandon DeFazio. The big three I'm referring to here are three players Clarkson expected to see among its leading scorers heading into the season - Chris D'Alvise, Matt Beca and Shea Guthrie. D'Alvise had a productive first weekend of the season but has just six goals and one assist so far. Beca has three goals and two assists and Guthrie has one goal and two assists. It's not known, at this time, if they'll be on the same line, but Clarkson will need these three players to return to past scoring levels to snap out of this funk.
At least one of the big three got going tonight as Guthrie scored the first goal of the game and picked up another assist.

3. Win faceoffs.. Clarkson has missed its senior class from last season in many areas, but it especially has missed Nick Dodge in the faceoff circle. As a team, the Golden Knights have won just 48 percent of faceoffs this season, perhaps one reason why the team is struggling to score goals. Chris D'Alvise has excelled with a 56.7 percent win clip, but nobody else on the squad is over 50 percent.
This didn't go very well for Clarkson, which went 23-40 in tonight's game, but it didn't cost the team.

4. Special teams.. This is almost always one of my five keys but in this game it's going to be a real challenge for Clarkson to come out on top. The Golden Knights have gone 2 for 23 on the power play in their last four games and are just 10 of 91 for the season, ranking 50th in the nation at 11 percent. Miami, on the other hand, has killed 93.8 percent of its penalties.
Clarkson's kill has been better than its power play, at 85.4 percent. But Miami has converted on 20.9 percent of its power-play chances. If Miami wins the special teams area today the winless streak could reach 12.
Statistically this was a draw, as each team scored two goals. But given the stats coming into the game, Clarkson matching Miami in this category was really a plus for the Golden Knights.

5. Defense.. Clarkson may be without senior Phil Paquet again today. He has been struggling with a bad ankle since the Colorado College series. The Golden Knights are allowing 30.7 shots per game and Miami, led by Carter Camper (11 goals-15 assists) can put up goals if you give them that many opportunities. Clarkson has used freshmen Paul Karpowich and Richie LaVeau as goalies in the last three games and the duo has had a 90 percent or higher save percentage in two of the last three. Clarkson also has to cut down on the number of close-range shots it allows, a problem it has had in a handful of recent games.
Not seeing the game (heard it on radio) I can't really comment on how the defense played. However, it did sound like Miami had several shots close in and finished with 42 for the game, including 20 in the third period. Karpowich was up to the challenge, stopping 40 of 42 shots.

Clarkson vs. Colgate

2008-12-06T11:32:00.003-05:00

(to view game story check our website tomorrow morning)

Two teams that were in desperate need of a win today had to settle for a tie. Clarkson and Colgate, which each had eight-game winless streaks, skated to a 3-3 tie.

Here were thefive things to watch and how Clarkson did in each category:

* Continue Starr Rink dominance - Clarkson is 6-1-1 in its last 8 games in Colgate's building, although they have not enjoyed as much success against the Raiders in Cheel Arena. That's one odd thing about this series: (At least it wasn't a loss and 6-1-2 in the last nine games at someone else's rink is pretty impressive).

* Lead! - Clarkson has been outscored 32-15 in the first two periods so far this season. Today's game seems like one where it will be vital for either team to take a lead. Clarkson has led after the first period just twice this season and has only had the lead after two once, in the season opener. Colgate is 0-5 when the opposition scores first and the Raiders have been outscored 25-12 in the last two periods of games and overtime this year: (Clarkson did better than they've done in recent games in this area, it was 3-3 after two. But Clarkson never held the lead in this game and has seemed to play from behind almost all the time in the last month).

* Special teams - Both teams have struggled in this category this season, though Colgate has fared a little better on the power play. Whoever wins this category today just may win the game: (Clarkson had a slight edge here with two power-play goals compared to Colgate's one).

* Offense - in the past, Colgate/Clarkson games have always been low-scoring affairs. Clarkson has struggled to score goals of late, but if there was ever a team you could snap out of a slump against it appears to be the Raiders. Colgate has given up 14 goals in the last three games, including five against SLU Friday: (Chris D'Alvise came up with two goals and Clarkson put shots on net which led to some nice goals, especially Lauri Tuohimaa's redirection of a shot by Julien Cayer for the first goal).

*Goaltending and defense - Clarkson will be missing leader Phil Paquet again today after he reinjured his ankle Friday night. But the Golden Knights need to step up on defense and assist goalie Paul Karpowich with shots he can stop. Karpowich has had a very impressive freshman season, but the team as a whole has saved 90 percent of shots just once in the last seven games and in two of the last seven games Clarkson's goalies have had save percentages below 80 percent. That's not all the goalie's fault, some shots they've had no chance, but Clarkson needs to find a way to cut down the opposition's quality scoring chances: (Mixed results here. It's hard to really judge the defense with Tyrell Mason and Mark Borowiecki each missing the game, but all three of Colgate's goals were plays were the player was able to get right outside of the crease. Clarkson gave up 15 shots in the first period but then settled down and allowed only 13 in the next two. Colgate had five shots in overtime, but that was more because they started the period on a power play and the momentum stayed their way).

REMINDER: I will not be posting on this blog again until Jan. 2 prior to the first game of the Ohio State game.

Merry Christmas!

Clarkson vs. Cornell

2008-12-05T18:21:00.004-05:00

Clarkson's winless streak was extended to eight games (0-7-1) after Cornell picked up a 4-1 win over the Golden Knights in Lynah Rink Friday night. The Big Red's defense was impressive, holding Clarkson to just 14 shots on goal.

Here were the five key things to watch in the game (I posted these before the game this time, now updating how Clarkson did in each category)

* Play a solid first two periods - Clarkson has led just once after the second period all year, in the season opener, and has been outscored 29-15 in the first two periods: This didn't happen as Cornell scored two goals in the first and then added another in the third to build a 3-0 lead heading into the final period.

* Special teams - Clarkson went 3-for-8 on the power play last weekend, but Cornell is 4-0 if it scores a power-play goal: It wasn't Clarkson's night on special teams either. Clarkson went 0 for 4 on the power play and had three power plays in the second period, yet picked up just two total shots on goal that period. Cornell went 1 for 4 on the power play.

* Deal with Lynah - Clarkson won 4-2 last year at Cornell, but is just 4-13 in the last 10 years at Lynah Rink, including three postseason series: Make that 4-14 now.

* Wake up the offense - Clarkson is averaging just 2.3 goals-per-game: No real offense to speak of in this game, but Cornell will slow down a lot of teams. The Big Red aren't a team you want to face when you are in an offensive slump.

* Will Scott Freeman and Bryan Rufenach stay hot? Freeman has scored in four straight games and Rufenach has picked up four points (2 goals-2 assists) in the last three games: Freeman had just one shot, but again, none of Clarkson's forwards were really able to do much against Cornell's defense, except goal-scorer Jon Marshall and Shea Guthrie, who had four shots on goal. Rufenach had one shot on goal and according to the radio broadcast had a solid game.

Photo Albums

2008-12-05T11:10:00.002-05:00

Our website has links to some photo albums of recent Clarkson games.

Here is a link to extra shots from the Canisius game.

Here is a link to extra shots from the Princeton game.

Here is a link to extra shots from the Yale game.

Timeout with the Times

2008-12-04T20:49:00.003-05:00

Here is today's question and answer session with Tim Marks..

Here are the answers that didn't make the cut:

WDT: You had a hat trick last year against Dartmouth. What was that game like
for you and did you ever expect to get a hat trick in your career?
Marks: It was definitely one of the highlights of my hockey career, it was just one of those games where everything I happened to get on net found its way its way in. I always knew that I had the ability to score goals but a hat trick is tough in college hockey let alone the ECAC where all the games are such low scoring, Im not going to say I expected it but I always knew that it was possible.

WDT: Your first year here you won a league tournament championship and both
years here you've been in the NCAA Tournament. Things are starting a little
slower this year. How are you and your teammates handling the early
adversity?
Marks: I think for the most part everyone is handling it well, in more than a couple games we could have easily been up but found ourselves down and that is just the way the our luck is going right now we just have to continue to work hard everyday and get better everyday because at the end of the season I truly believe that you will see us there and we will be a better team for this slump we are in right now.

WDT: One of your coaches, J.F. Houle, used to play at Clarkson. If you were to
come back here 10 years from now which one of your current teammates could
you see as a Clarkson assistant and why?
Marks: I am going to say Tyrell Mason. Mase definitely has the coach like mentality he is our captain right now as was houley when he played and he is a hard-nosed intense guy who wants to get better everyday and tries to make everyone around him better as well.

WDT: How often did you get to attend Clarkson or SLU games as a kid and do you
have any favorite memories or favorite players?
Marks: Well I know I am probably going to hear about it but I watched alot more SLU games as a kid than I did Clarkson games, we used to come 4 or 5 times a year with the teams I played on or just by oursleves. I am going to say one of my favorite players was Willie Mitchell though I remember him scoring from behind center ice in the ECAC semi-finals on TV when I was in the hospital with appendicitis.

WDT: What would you like to tell people from Watertown about Division I hockey
and what do you feel they may be missing if they never make the one-hour
drive to catch a game?
Marks: First off the speed and finesse of the game is something that people do not realize about hockey until you watch it in person especially college hockey, everyone on the ice can skate and thats what our game is all about speed. Second of all the atmosphere is what really gets alot of people that watch there first college hockey games and at cheel its a little something more, at times its hard to hear yourself think on the ice the students and are fans are so supportive and thats probably the best thing in my mind about playing college hockey and especially at Clarkson.

WDT:You had to leave home fairly early to go play junior hockey in Canada. Was
that tough or was it a pretty easy decision to make?
Marks: It really wasn't that hard of a decision to make ever since I started playing hockey at a competive level I knew it was what I wanted to do and in order to continue to get to the highest possible level of hockey I can get to it was something that I had to do.

Christmas Vacation

2008-12-04T10:04:00.004-05:00

Just a note for the readers of this blog..I will be out of town starting Sunday the 7th until New Year's. There will be updates on Friday and Saturday's games, but to read Saturday's game story you'll have to check our website (watertowndailytimes.com)on Sunday.
There will be no updates during the two games at Bowling Green, but you can read stories on those games on our website.
I will be back with posts starting with the first game of the Ohio State Tournament on Jan. 2.
Merry Christmas everyone!

Clarkson Notes

2008-12-04T10:02:00.001-05:00

Here is this week's edition of Clarkson notes..

We also did a 'Timeout with the Times' with Tim Marks. It should be on our website sometime today, but tomorrow I'll post the answers he gave that we had to cut for space reasons.

A 2-2 tie

2008-11-30T13:53:00.003-05:00

photo courtesy of Clarksonathletics.com

Clarkson rallied and came up with a late power-play goal to earn a 2-2 tie with Canisius on Saturday. The tie snapped a six-game losing streak just one game shy of tying the school record for a single-season losing streak (seven set in the 1943-44 season).

Here were my five things to watch for prior to the game:

Special teams - another win for Clarkson in this category as the power-play continues to show signs of coming around. Clarkson tied the game with a power-play goal from Lauri Tuohimaa and went 1-for-3 while killing two penalties and allowing Canisius only one power-play shot.

Defense - again, more improvement as Clarkson held the Golden Griffins to just 17 shots for the game and only five combined shots in the second and third periods.

Offense - this is still a concern as Clarkson continues to struggle to score goals. Shea Guthrie did get his first goal of the season and it wouldn't surprise me if that leads to more goals this weekend for him. Clarkson did have chances, taking 36 shots, and hit a few posts.

LaVeau - Freshman Richie LaVeau earned his first playing time and played well, stopping 15 of 17 shots. He stopped one breakaway.

Get a lead - again Clarkson struggled in this category. The team has not led after two periods since the season-opener against RIT and it seems like forever since the last time Clarkson scored the first goal of a game. I believe it was in the loss at Dartmouth a few weeks ago.

BONUS COMMENTS
Canisius coach Dave Smith on whether this series will continue. He said Clarkson is not going there next year but will play at Canisius two years from now and added, "We'd really like to play a lot of the New York state schools. It's good for us. We want to play schools like Clarkson, St. Lawrence and Colgate, all those."

13.8 seconds away

2008-11-29T11:51:00.003-05:00

It was another tough night for the Clarkson hockey team Friday. This time the end of a five-game losing streak was just 13.8 seconds away before Canisius rallied for an extra-attacker goal and then won the game 4-3 with a goal in overtime.
Clarkson also added to its injury list as Brandon DeFazio suffered a separated shoulder during the game. It's not known how long he'll be out.

Here were my five points prior to the game and how Clarkson did:

Special teams - For the first time in quite a while Clarkson actually won this category. The Golden Knights went 2-for-4 on the power play against a Canisius team that recently set a school record with 38 straight kills. Clarkson also killed 7 of 8 penalties, including a five-minute major to Chris D'Alvise in the second period.

Improve the defense - again, despite the four goals, Clarkson did a good job at this end of the ice, allowing the Golden Griffins only 24 shots. In the first two periods Canisius had only three shots near the net, but in the third they picked up five, including the game-tying goal.

Work ethic - this was off and on. The team was definitely not outplayed, but there were visible spurts where you could see more effort than at other points. What comes to mind is after Clarkson got the 3-2 lead in the third and was rallying, you could see some extra speed in the skates as they tried to get that fourth goal.

Offense - this remains a concern, despite three goals. Bryan Rufenach had a solid offensive day, scoring a power-play goal and picking up an assist and Matt Beca appears ready to return to form, scoring the game-tying goal in the third. How DeFazio's injury affects what had been Clarkson's best line (Scott Freeman, DeFazio and Lauri Tuohimaa) remains to be seen.

Build a lead - again, Clarkson did play from behind for most of this contest. The team has led after the first period just twice all year and has not lead a game after two periods since the season-opener against RIT.

Clarkson Notes

2008-11-26T16:28:00.003-05:00

Our paper does not publish on Thursday, Thanksgiving, so we will have no Clarkson notes this week.

I have a few items I'll post here, instead.

*CONSIDER 1999*
After two straight NCAA Tournament appearances it might be natural for Clarkson fans to panic a bit, seeing the team with a 2-6-2 overall record 10 games into a season.
While it is likely that repeating as ECAC Hockey regular-season champions is unlikely, given that five of the losses are in conference play, Clarkson has set a precedent in the past of showing you can overcome a bad start to have a pretty good year.
Consider the 1998-99 squad. That team, too, was coming off two very successful years. The 1997 team was No. 2 in the nation at the end of the regular season and the program had played in back-to-back ECAC title games, although it lost both.
But the 1999 squad, led by sophomores Erik Cole, Willie Mitchell and Kent Huskins, got off to a horrible start. The team lost its first four games (two at home to Northern Michigan and two at North Dakota). It beat Yale in the conference opener, then dropped two more games, losing at home to Princeton then losing 3-1 at St. Lawrence.
So where did that team go after its 1-6 start? Clarkson finished with a 25-11-1 overall record, an ECAC regular season and tournament championship and a spot in the NCAA quarterfinals, where it lost to eventual national champion Maine.
*RANDOM NOTES ABOUT THIS WEEKEND*
-Phil Paquet, who has been injured since the Nov. 24 game against Colorado College, was supposed to begin skating this week but I'd imagine he wouldn't be used for at least one more week.
-Clarkson has an 8-0 record at Cheel Arena against Atlantic Hockey Foes.
-Canisius is a Catholic school in Buffalo. The Golden Griffins are 5-5-2 and are tied for second in Atlantic Hockey with a 4-3-1 record. The only common foe the teams have had is Niagara, which defeated both.
-Clarkson is just 1-3-2 at Cheel Arena so far this season.
-Clarkson has not had a lead at the end of the first period yet this season.
-Coach George Roll could win his 100th game at Clarkson with a weekend sweep.
-These will be the last games at Cheel Arena for Clarkson until the ESPNU game against St. Lawrence University on Jan. 11.

Pro Hockey Notes

2008-11-24T09:34:00.002-05:00

Feature on Mike Sullivan, playing his first year in Germany

Princeton Loss

2008-11-23T15:00:00.002-05:00

Sorry for delay in getting this up, just about now getting over a really nasty flu bug that kind of wiped me out.

Princeton picked up just its third overall win at Cheel Arena with an impressive 4-2 outing Saturday.

Here were the 5 key points prior to the game:

Special teams: Clarkson only had two power-play opportunities and was scoreless on both. Princeton had six power-play chances, scoring one with an empty-net goal in the final minute.

Good first period: Clarkson had been outscored 12-7 in first periods this year and fell in another hole when Princeton's Mark Magnowski scored 6:28 into the contest. Worse, the Golden Knights were outshot 19-4 in the opening 20 minutes.

Improve defense - this didn't happen as the Tigers sent 47 shots on Paul Karpowich.

Reclaim home ice - enough said.

Get Guthrie going - only one shot, but still feel like he's due for a breakout game.

Brandon DeFazio on this coming weekend's series vs. Canisius, "We're definitely not going to take them lightly. We are looking for wins, no matter who it is."

Home/Road Index

2008-11-22T22:22:00.003-05:00

*updated through this weekend.. Two points for road win, one point for road tie, no points for home win or road loss, -1 point for home tie, -2 points for home loss... teams will finish with exactly 22 more points than they have in this stat at end of year*

Princeton 8
Dartmouth 6
Cornell 4
Quinnipiac 3
Yale 2
Harvard 2
Brown 0
Colgate -2
St. Lawrence -5
Clarkson -6
Union -6
Rensselaer -6

Quinnipiac 4, Clarkson 2

2008-11-22T00:18:00.006-05:00

Story of Friday's 4-2 loss to Quinnipiac.

Here were the 5 key points
*Build a lead - once again, Clarkson played from behind. The only time Clarkson has led all year after two periods was the season opener.

*Special teams - modest improvement. Clarkson scored a shorthanded goal and went 1 for 4 on the power play, but failed to convert on a five-minute major when it was 3-0 in the second period, including two minutes of a two-man advantage.

*Improved defense - Clarkson gave up 31 shots and two turnovers led to the first two Bobcat goals.

*Guthrie - picked up his first point of the year with an assist. Have a feeling this guy is due for a breakout game soon.

*Bud Fisher - avenged his horrible outing at Cheel last year, when he gave up 4 goals on 10 shots in the first period by stopping 22 of 24 shots Friday

TV weekend games

2008-11-20T11:38:00.002-05:00

FRIDAY
7:30 p.m. Michigan at Miami (Ohio), NHL Network
9:30 p.m. Minnesota at Denver, Fox Sports Pacific

SATURDAY
9 p.m. Minnesota at Denver, Fox Sports Atlantic

SUNDAY
4 p.m. Binghamton Senators (Weller) at Syracuse Crunch (Clitsome), Time Warner Sports

Clarkson Notes

2008-11-18T19:14:00.009-05:00

This week's Clarkson notes:

Here's one bonus item (statistical)..

I was curious what Clarkson's 1-3 start might mean to its chances of repeating as ECAC Hockey regular-season champion. Clarkson would need to go 14-1-3 the rest of the year to match last year's 15-4-3 record which won the title.

Looking over the last 10 ECAC Hockey champions, I discovered the average point total needed to win the league was 34 points. For Clarkson to achieve that they'd have to go 16-2 the rest of the way.

The last two years 33 points has been enough to win the league title. Two times, in 2005-06 and 2003-04, it only took 30 points to win the league. Clarkson would have to go 14-4 the rest of the way to finish with 30 points.

The big question for Clarkson will be if the league has a dominant team that blows away the competition this year. Four times in the last decade a conference team has finished with 36 points or more, led by Cornell's 39 (19-2-1) in 2002-03. If 36 points is needed to win the title, Clarkson has to go 17-1. The most points Clarkson can earn if it goes undefeated is 38.

Here's the conference records of the last 10 champions
2008 - Clarkson 15-4-3 33
2007 - St. Lawrence 16-5-1 33
2006 - Dartmouth/Colgate 14-6-2 30
2005 - Cornell 18-2-2 38
2004 - Colgate 14-6-2 30
2003 - Cornell 19-2-1 39
2002 - Cornell 17-3-2 36
2001 Clarkson 15-5-2 32
*2000 St. Lawrence 16-3-1 33
1999 Clarkson 18-4 36

*there were two less games played in 2000 because Vermont stopped play early in the season after a hazing scandal*

One stat that caught my attention, besides the point totals, was despite all the turmoil Clarkson has been through in the last decade, including a complete rebuilding of the program, it still is tied with Cornell for the most regular-season titles in the last decade, with three.

Updated Home/Road Index

2008-11-15T22:56:00.003-05:00

*see earlier posts for breakdown of this alternate view of conference standings*

Cornell 4
Dartmouth 4
Princeton 4
Yale 2
Brown 1
Colgate 1
Harvard 0
Quinnipiac -1
St. Lawrence -1
Clarkson -2
Union -6
RPI -6

Another 5-1 loss

2008-11-15T21:36:00.003-05:00

Clarkson had another rough night Saturday, losing 5-1 to Dartmouth.

Here were 5 things I thought would be keys to this game:

*Will any other line besides the Scott Freeman/Lauri Tuohimaa/Brandon DeFazio line step up? This was answered over the weekend as coach George Roll said he was impressed by the line of Jake Morley, Tim Marks and Dan Tuttle. Morley scored his first career goal Saturday.
"We talked to the three of them before the weekend," Roll said. "I think they compliment one another, they are physical and they were strong along the wall both nights. When they play physical and in-your-face, they create a lot of opportunities for one another."

*Special teams - another rough night here. Clarkson was 0-for-4 on the power play and is now 4-for-54 on the season. The Golden Knights took only two penalties, but gave up a power-play goal and also allowed a shorthanded goal.

*Will Karpowich bounce back? - I thought this point might be moot when Tim Potter started Saturday's game, but he was pulled after Dartmouth's fourth goal. Karpowich, after giving up five goals Friday, recovered and stopped 13 of 14 shots in relief.

*Score the first goal - Since the start of last year Dartmouth had been 4-12-2 when the other team scored first. That stat turned out not to matter Saturday.

*Lead after two - Clarkson has now gone seven straight games without having a lead heading into the third period. The only time all season Clarkson led after two was the season-opener against RIT. Clarkson has a 50-game unbeaten streak (46-0-4) when it leads after two periods.

New Look

2008-11-15T09:26:00.002-05:00

photo courtesy of Clarksonathletics.com

The women's team beat Harvard 2-0 Friday night and wore their new alternate uniforms. The men will be wearing the same jerseys at some point this season.

Harvard 5, Clarkson 1

2008-11-14T22:02:00.003-05:00

It was a rough night for Clarkson as the Golden Knights fell in an early 3-0 hole and then lost junior Matt Beca to an injury in a 5-1 loss to Harvard in an ECAC Hockey contest at the Bright Hockey Center.
After the game Clarkson coach George Roll said Beca would not play tonight against Dartmouth and he was not sure of his status past that point. Clarkson is 1-4-2 in its last seven games at Thompson Arena.

Here were five key points I had jotted down before the game:

*Crunch time - Clarkson had a six-game win streak against Harvard, but three of the wins saw the game tied with four minutes left. ((This point turned out to be moot once Clarkson fell behind early))

*Special teams - This continues to be an issue for the Golden Knights. Clarkson was 4 of 44 on the power play coming in and went 0 for 6 Friday night. Even worse, the Golden Knights gave up two power-play goals for a second straight game as Harvard went 2 for 5. This was the one area Roll was disappointed in, saying, "We had some breakdowns on the penalty kill, that's what I'm frustrated with."

* Defense - Clarkson had been outshot in four of its first six games and was 1-2-1 in those contests. Despite giving up five goals, Clarkson didn't really play a bad defensive game Friday. The Golden Knights actually outshot Harvard 24-23, but did give up 11 shots on goal in the third period.

* Have a good first two - Clarkson, believe it or not, has only led after the second period one time all season, and that came in the opening game against RIT. This, clearly, did not go Clarkson's way Friday as the Golden Knights were in a 4-1 hole heading into the third period.

* Avoid penalties - Clarkson was averaging 9.5 a game coming in and did take just five on Friday. But two penalties on aggressive hits by Mark Borowiecki and Tim Marks wound up leading to Harvard goals.

It's early, but...

2008-11-13T22:26:00.001-05:00

Cornell is already off to a great start in the home/road index with a 2-0-1 start to ECAC Hockey play (all in road contests) after tonight's 4-1 win at Colgate.
The Big Red are at plus-five. Clarkson won the league last year with a total of plus-11.

On the flip side, Quinnipiac is already in deep trouble with an 0-2-1 home start. The Bobcats are at minus-five. That means just to get back to zero Quinnipiac will need two road wins and one road tie without having any slipups at home.

Comments

2008-11-13T14:12:00.005-05:00

I do like to get feedback so I've taken down the thing that required me to read every comment first in order to get posted.
That said, please understand I don't want this to turn into a gossip or bash board so as long as there are no problems with comments people make I will keep this setting the way it is now.
Also, feel free to email me with ideas or suggestions for this blog. If there are things you want to see that aren't featured I'm open to hearing them, though I can't guarantee everything would be implemented.
My email address is ccarey@wdt.net

Better Know a Knight

2008-11-13T10:13:00.004-05:00

photo courtesy of Clarksonathletics.com

We started a new feature this year, every week we alternate with Clarkson and St. Lawrence players, asking them a few questions. This is not posted online so I'll post this week's here. It features Chris D'Alvise.

Class: Senior
Position: Forward
Height, weight: 5-10, 175 pounds
Hometown: Missassauga, Ontario
Major: Entrepreneurship
Favorite movies: Count of Monte Cristo, Fubar, The Last Samurai

WDT: You were the Most Outstanding Player of the 2007 ECAC Hockey
Tournament, what was that whole experience like and how did it feel to not
just win a league title, but also earn an award like that?
D'Alvise: It was definately the highlight of my hockey career because we
accomplished something that we had set out to do eight months earlier. Also
the way in which we were able to come back from a two-goal deficit (against
Quinnipiac) made it that much more special. I was probably most happy for
our seniors, who helped bring the program back to a national level, because
they had to endure those tough years and it was nice to see them go out on
top. I was honored to receive the award because it could have gone to a
number of people that weekend.

WDT: You may be the biggest sports fan on the team, do you remember how old
you were when you started getting interested in sports and what are the
sports you most enjoy watching?
D'Alvise: I was five years old when my dad (Dan) started bringing me to
Toronto Argonauts (CFL) games. That year they won the Grey Cup and I became
hooked. The Leafs started making a push for the Stanley Cup and the Blue
Jays won back to back World Series the following two years. I most enjoy
watching NFL football because of the intensity that the players and fans
bring to the game.

WDT: If you were not a hockey player, but could be an athlete, college or
pro,in any other sport, what sport would you like to play and what position
and team or school would you want to play for?
D'Alvise: Running back for the Buffalo Bills.

WDT: Your dad played on the 1980 Canadian Olympic team. Have you ever
gotten a chance to see film or video of him from his playing days and what
kind of role has he played in your own hockey career?
D'Alvise: I watched highlights of when they faced off with Russia in the
quarterfinals and it was amazing the passion that they played with knowing
that they were playing not only for a medal, but for their country as well.
My dad has helped my career immensely whether it be giving me a playing tip
or simply calming me down and putting the game in perspective for me.

WDT: I've heard you, Shea Guthrie and Matt Beca name your sticks. When did
you start doing that, why do you like to do it and would you share their
names?
D'Alvise: Shea and I began doing it our sophomore year for a little humor
and Matt Beca has since jumped on board. Beca currrently names his sticks
after soccer players and Shea....well, its Shea, he's unpredictable.

WDT: You and Shea Guthrie have played on the same line for almost all the
games of your career. What is it about you two that have made you so
effective as linemates?
D'Alvise: We are good friends off the ice and I think that translates well
on the ice because we communicate well and neither of us will take it
personal if the other gives some criticism.

WDT: Who is going to win the Grey Cup and why?
D'Alvise: Calgary Stampeders. They are the CFL version of the New York
Giants, strong defense and an offense that can run over you or pick you
apart with the passing game.

WDT: You've stayed pretty healthy during your career, how are you doing
having to sit out possibly a few games with your current injury? What do
you do when you can't play to try to stay involved in the game or is that
really impossible?
D'Alvise: I've noticed I'm more nervous when im not playing and it stinks
not being able to play, but I try to watch individual guys on our team and
learn from their strengths to try to better myself as well as watching what
the opposition does in order to help our guys out during the intermissions.

WDT: What have you liked best about playing at Clarkson?
D'Alvise: The people that I have met, the friendships I have gained, and
the atmosphere on a Friday and Saturday night at Cheel Arena.

Clarkson Notes

2008-11-13T10:05:00.003-05:00

with friends like these.....(photo courtesy of Clarksonathletics.com)

Here is our latest edition of Clarkson notes.

Some bonus material
BECA'S BUDDIES
Some hometown friends of Clarkson junior Matt Beca paid a visit to Cheel Arena last Saturday and had a little fun with the Mississauga, Ontario, native during pre-game warmups.
One held up a sign against the glass as Clarkson was preparing for Saturday's game (see above photo - last in stats, No. 1 in our hearts - Matt Beca) mocking Beca's early-season stats, which to that point had included just one goal.
"I knew they were going to do something and I was expecting something like that," Beca said. "I thought it was pretty funny."
Beca did score Clarkson's first goal in the game and was asked if his friends would try to take credit for that, that maybe their sign had motivated him.
"They tried too, but I didn't let them," Beca said.
GUTHRIE HONORED
Clarkson senior Shea Guthrie has an "A" sewn on his jersey for the first time since he played for the St. George's (Prep) School in Rhode Island.
Guthrie, who missed the first four games of the season with a hand injury, found out late last week that the coaching staff had decided to name him one of the team's assistant captains.
Clarkson coach George Roll had said they were impressed with his work ethic, especially in areas like the weight room.
"I was pretty excited," Guthrie said. "It's a real honor. It shows the coach sees I'm working hard. It's something you always want to happen."

Chris Clark Video

2008-11-12T11:41:00.002-05:00

How Chris Clark (Clarkson class of 1998) spent Veteran's Day courtesy of NHL.com

College Hockey on TV

2008-11-12T02:03:00.002-05:00

This week's schedule

THURSDAY
7 p.m. Time Warner 26 Cornell at Colgate

FRIDAY
8 p.m. NHL Network Alaska-Anchorage at North Dakota

SATURDAY
2 p.m. Fox Sports Atlantic Michigan Tech at Minnesota

SUNDAY
noon NHL Network Miami (Ohio) at Michigan State (tape)
2 p.m. Fox Sports Central Michigan Tech at Minnesota

Stat of the Week

2008-11-10T15:34:00.002-05:00

This will be explored more in depth in this week's Clarkson Notes but I went through media guides and counted games missed due to injury in every season George Roll has been head coach.
The following chart will list the season, then no. of games missed to injury, then no. of games played. The final number is the average number of players, per-game, missing due to injury:

08-09 10 6 1.67
07-08 31 39 0.79
06-07 31 39 0.79
05-06 14 38 0.37
04-05 30 39 0.77
03-04 48 41 1.17

Also noteworthy: Most of the past long-term injuries were not to key players on those squads, but rather to third or fourth-line forwards or defensemen who weren't part of the top pairings. Last year Phil Paquet missed 12 games, that was about the only time you find a player of that category. Scott Freeman was the top forward to miss playing time last year, missing seven games.
So far this season Paquet has missed three games and Mark Borowiecki, who would be classified as one of the top three defensemen, has missed two. Shea Guthrie, one of the top offensive players has missed four and Chris D'Alvise, another top forward, missed Saturday's game.

You Tube Video

2008-11-09T13:51:00.002-05:00

I found this the other night, appears to be the work of a film student, some clips of good hits from the Colorado College series:

The Conference of Presidents

2008-11-08T23:24:00.003-05:00

ECAC Hockey may get the short thrift when people count numbers of national champions, etc, but one area the ECAC dominates is most U.S. presidents among alumni.. In total, 15 of the 44 U.S. presidents, including president-elect Barack Obama attended schools with ECAC Hockey teams, either as undergraduate students, or law or business students.
Here's the breakdown

Harvard (John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, John Kennedy, Rutherford B. Hayes, Barack Obama, George W. Bush)

Princeton (John Kennedy (later transferred to Harvard), James Madison, Woodrow Wilson)

Union (Chester A. Arthur)

Yale (William Taft, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton)

Updated Home/Road Index Standings

2008-11-08T23:13:00.001-05:00

Dartmouth 4
Cornell 3
Colgate, Yale 2
Brown 1
Harvard 0
St. Lawrence -1
Clarkson, Union, RPI, Princeton -2
Quinnipiac -3

Yale Snaps Clarkson's Streak

2008-11-08T22:44:00.003-05:00

Clarkson's streak of 21 unbeaten ECAC Hockey home games was snapped Saturday when Yale picked up a 3-2 win over the Golden Knights in Cheel Arena.

Here were a few key points I had made up before the game:

*Saturday night wins - Last year Clarkson was 8-0-1 at home in the second game of a weekend and 10-3-2 overall. But so far this season Clarkson is not fairing as well on Saturdays, with an 0-2-1 record, not including last weekend's exhibition loss to Carleton.

*Special teams improvement - Clarkson had a rough night on special teams, despite scoring a power-play goal. The Golden Knights were 1 of 10 on the power play, but did take 11 shots. But Clarkson gave up two power-play goals to Yale.

*Cut down penalties - Clarkson is averaging 9.6 a game and took another nine tonight.

* Strong third periods - Entering Saturday's game Clarkson had outscored the opposition 5-2 in the third period, but the Golden Knights were outscored 2-1 Saturday and outshot 14-7 in the final 20 minutes.

* Get Beca involved - like freshman Nick Tremblay Friday, Clarkson needed to get Matt Beca involved in the offense more. He had just one goal this season heading into Saturday's game, but did score the first goal of the contest.

BONUS QUOTES

Yale coach Keith Allain, a former St. Louis Blues goalie coach, on Clarkson's Paul Karpowich, a Blues draft pick:
"I think he's really good. I was talking to a St. Louis scout last week and they told me how happy they are with him. They feel they got a steal."

Clarkson coach George Roll on Yale and if they could possibly be similar to Princeton last year, a team picked low in preseason polls who makes some noise:
"They have good team speed and go to the net hard. If they get goaltending, they are extremely quick and move the puck well."

Roll on what he liked Saturday:
"I thought we worked hard. I thought our competitive-level was better and we battled a lot more than last night. Obviously our power-play has to be better and I take responsibility for that."

Roll and Tyrell Mason on the upcoming road trip to Harvard/Dartmouth:
Roll, "It might be good. Sometimes it's good to get on the road and get refocused as a team. It's two tough places to play, but we'll be up for the challenge."
Mason, "I think it will be good to go on the road and get in the mindset that we have to outwork our opponents every night. When you don't have the home crowd you have to generate your own momentum."

Home/Road Index

2008-11-08T13:52:00.002-05:00

One feature I'll put on the blog this year is an alternate way to view the conference standings. I call it the Home/Road Index. The premise is simple: you are supposed to win your home games and winning on the road is a bonus.
Here's how it works...When a team is at home for a conference game all it can do is lose points. If you lose a home game, you lose two points, if you tie a home game, you lose one point. Conversely, if you win a road game, you earn two points, if you tie a road game, you earn one point and if you lose a road game it costs you nothing.
This stat will prove accurate by season's end, as teams will have exactly 22 less points in the home/road index than they had in the conference standings...
For example, here is last year's standings with home/road index points first, followed by real conference points:

CLARKSON +11 33
PRINCETON +6 28
HARVARD +5 27
UNION +3 25

Anyway, you get the picture...using the home/road index the standings will appear different 'until' all the games are played, but it gives you an idea who really is on top. This weekend is too early to really get a picture, since it's the opening weekend, and teams at home, like Clarkson and SLU, cannot do anything but lose points.

But, just to show you how it works, here's the standings after the first night of the season for most teams:
Cornell, Colgate, Dartmouth +2
Clarkson, SLU, RPI, Yale, Brown, Harvard 0
Union, Princeton, Quinnipiac -2

This will start to be more interesting once games begin, but wanted to use today as a way to introduce the stat.

Clarkson Wins Opener

2008-11-07T22:46:00.006-05:00

(photo courtesy of Clarksonathletics.com)

Clarkson opened defense of its ECAC Hockey regular-season title with a 3-1 win over Brown Friday night. The game was similar to many of the contests Clarkson played last season when it won the title with a 15-4-3 conference record.
Of the 22 games Clarkson played in the conference last year, 14 were decided by one goal or less, or two if an empty-net goal was needed to seal a win. Clarkson was 9-2-3 in those contests.

Prior to the game I jotted down five things to watch and here's what they were and how Clarkson did..(they are ranked in no particular order)

* Improve the power play which was 3 of 24 coming in -- Clarkson didn't really do well in this category Friday. The Golden Knights went 0-for-10 on the power play and had only three shots on goal in man-up situations.

* cut down opposing shots, team was averaging 35.8 prior -- Clarkson improved here, giving up just 25 shots tonight, including only four in the second period.

* cut down penalties, averaging 9.8 per game -- Clarkson was about the same here, taking nine penalties tonight, but they did take one less than Brown.

* Get Nick Tremblay going (no points heading into Friday) -- This also happened as the freshman, who had 51 goals in junior hockey last year, scored what proved to be the game-winning goal early in the third period.

* Outshoot the Bears -- Heading into Saturday's game Clarkson had been outshot by almost every opponent but did finish with a slim 27-25 edge Friday.

BONUS QUOTES
Brown coach Roger Grillo on opening the season with a north country road trip:
"You have to play it some time, so it doesn't matter when you play it."

Clarkson coach George Roll on freshmen Louke Oakley and Tremblay scoring first career goals:
"(Tremblay) has been squeezing the stick a little bit. It's nice for both him and Oakes. They all have that ability to score goals, that's why they are here."

On goalie Paul Karpowich, "I thought he was outstanding. He made a couple big saves late in the third. For a freshman, he's awfully calm."

On senior Shea Guthrie being named assistant captain:
"It's been a difficult stretch for him with the injury, but he's provided a lot of leadership off the ice. He's earned that from the coaches."

Tremblay on what a first goal can do:
"It relaxes me a lot. The first one is so hard to get. Once it gets going, it's easier after that."
On ECAC Hockey play, "It's really, really defensive. It's hard to get the shots on net."

Tyrell Mason on another close win in conference play:
"I think in the first two periods we were a little slow out there and played into their game. We had less penalties in the third, so that helps. The league is really tight. If you don't come out to work hard any team can win."

Oakley on difference in college and junior hockey:
"The speed. It's very fast. It's almost like a pro game and any little mistake can cost a game."
On Clarkson's third-period win: "It shows a lot of character for us to come back in the third period."

Weekly Clarkson Notes

2008-11-06T11:31:00.002-05:00

Our first edition of Clarkson notes ran today.

Here's some extra stuff:

A closer look at Brown - Brown was 6-21-4 last year and went 6-13-3 in ECAC Hockey games. The Bears lost their leading scorer in Jeff Prough and were picked 12th in the preseason polls by just about every organization or group that made picks.
Brown is hoping to get off to a stronger start this season after playing 11 of its first 13 games on the road last year. So far, counting a 1-0 exhibition win against Trois-Rivieres, Brown has scored just five goals in three games and given up 10.
One thing which may help offset the loss of Prough to graduation is the return of junior defenseman Jeremy Russell. Russell won't replace Prough's offense, of course, but he was a valuable member of the team in the 06-07 season and missed all of last year to an injury. Brown's defense could use the help as well as it allowed an average of 3.48 goals-per game in ECAC Hockey contests, the worst in the league.

A closer look at Yale - The Bulldogs are a program on the rise under new coach Keith Allain, a former coach of Clarkson All-American Craig Conroy's in the NHL. Yale was 16-14-4 last year and finished tied for sixth in ECAC Hockey with a 9-9-4 record. The coaches and media both picked Yale to finish seventh, while US College Hockey Online has them picked third.
One reason for Yale's success last year was goalie Billy Blase, who had a .910 save percentage and a 2.51 goals-against average.
Yale's only game prior to this weekend was a 6-3 win over Brown in a nonconference contest last weekend. The Bulldogs also picked up a 3-1 win in an exhibition game over Ontario IT.

Odds and Ends
*Clarkson did lose its last two ECAC Hockey playoff games to Colgate in Cheel Arena last year, but the Golden Knights went 10-0-1 at home in regular-season conference contests. Clarkson also went 5-0-4 at home down the stretch in the 06-07 season, so Clarkson has a 20-game unbeaten streak on home ice in ECAC Hockey regular-season games (15-0-5).
*Despite missing one game due to a suspension, senior Chris D'Alvise still leads the team in shots with 13. Equally impressive is D'Alvise has scored on 30.8 percent of his shots this season. Julien Cayer, who also missed a game due to injury, is tied with Matt Beca for second on the team with 10 shots. Both players have one goal.
Overall Clarkson has been outshot 143-116 so far this season, but the Golden Knights have scored on 10.3 percent of their shots while opponents have scored on just 7.7 percent.
*Brandon DeFazio is the early leader in the plus-minus category at plus-four. Matt Beca and Mark Borowiecki rank at plus-three while Phil Paquet is at plus-two.
*Sophomore Scott Freeman has scored at least one point in every game so far this season and leads the team with one goal and five assists. Lauri Tuohimaa has a goal in all but one game and DeFazio has picked up a point in every game but one as well.

College Hockey on TV

2008-11-05T11:22:00.002-05:00

*Our first edition of the weekly Clarkson notes runs tomorrow..I'll link that and offer a few bonus items*

FRIDAY
4 p.m. ESPNU: Cornell at Princeton
7 p.m. NHL Network: Ferris State at Miami (Ohio)
7 p.m. ESPN Classic: Notre Dame at Boston College
8 p.m. Fox Sports Central: New Hampshire at Minnesota

SATURDAY
7 p.m. Fox Sports Atlantic: New Hampshire at Minnesota

SUNDAY
noon NHL Network: Nebraska-Omaha at Western Michigan (tape)
4 p.m. ESPNU: Boston College at Maine

A 60-Year Wait

2008-11-01T22:49:00.005-04:00

Carleton (Ontario) University picked up its first win over Clarkson since the 1948-49 season with a 5-3 win in an exhibition contest at Cheel Arena Saturday night.
The Golden Knights sat out six regulars and three players saw their first action of the season, including freshman goalie Richie LaVeau.

Here are some bonus quotes from Saturday's game:

Former Clarkson interim coach Fred Parker on his return:
"I was talking with people before the game and that (season) is so far gone. George is a great guy and they are doing a great job here."
On playing more exhibitions against Clarkson in future:
"I'd like to. Ottawa and Clarkson have a great connection."

Carleton's Justin Caruana, who scored twice, on the difference in Saturday's game with Canadian College hockey:
"It's a bit different. The Americans have less clutching and grabbing than in Canadian hockey."
On winning for Parker, "We knew it was big coming back here for him. In the back of our mind we wanted to get a win for him and make him feel good."

Clarkson coach George Roll on how practice impacted Saturday's game:
"We had a bad week of practice and this is the result of that. We just didn't have a crisp week and it showed tonight."
On freshman Jake Morley, "I thought he played strong along the wall and really controlled the play."

Morley on playing on a line with fellow freshmen Julien Cayer and Nick Tremblay:
"We played pretty hard. I played with Cayer (at Northwood Prep) so it was nice playing along with him."

INJURY UPDATE
Phil Paquet said he could be back as soon as three weeks and Shea Guthrie said he expects to play next weekend when Clarkson opens the ECAC Hockey portion of its schedule...

More from Guthrie:
"I'm excited. It's been a long month or so. It's definitely tough. You come in and want to have a good start to the season."
On coming back for first ECAC Hockey games, "It makes it a worthwhile game for me to come back. (Colorado College) wasn't a league game and tonight was only an exhibition."

More than Hockey

2008-10-31T10:44:00.002-04:00

Interesting video interview from NHL.com with ECAC Hockey Director of Officials Paul Stewart:

Part one

Part two

This Weekend's TV Games

2008-10-29T21:37:00.003-04:00

*see previous disclaimer, based on what's available via Time Warner cable in north country*

FRIDAY
7 p.m. FS Atlantic, Niagara at Maine
8 p.m. FS Pacific, Minnesota State at Minnesota
8:30 p.m. NHL Network, Wisconsin at North Dakota
9:30 p.m. FS Central, Colorado College at Denver

SATURDAY
8:30 p.m. FS Central, Minnesota vs. Minnesota State

SUNDAY
7 p.m. ESPNU, Denver at Colorado College

Clarkson Notes

2008-10-28T16:08:00.003-04:00

*photo courtesy of clarksonathletics.com*

The last time Fred Parker coached a game in Cheel Arena marked the end of what was probably the worst season in the history of the Clarkson University men's hockey program.
Parker will return to the building Saturday night as the coach of Clarkson's opponent, Carleton (Ontario) University for an exhibition game at 7 p.m.
He joined Clarkson's coaching staff as an assistant prior to the 2002-03 season with the goal of helping the program recruit the Central Ontario Junior Hockey League. He had been a longtime junior coach when hired by former Clarkson coach Mark Morris.
But three games into that season Morris was fired after a well-known incident in practice with former Clarkson player Zach Schwan.
Less than a month into a new job, and still making a daily commute from Ottawa, Ontario, Parker suddenly found himself thrust into a head coaching position, trying to keep a season together and recruit players, not even knowing if he himself would return.
Parker has now built Carleton into a power in Canadian college hockey as his program was ranked No. 8 in a recent national poll.
"He came into a very difficult situation and did an outstanding job," Clarkson athletic director Steve Yianoukos said. "He had excellent communication skills with the players. It was a tough year for everybody involved and he helped stabilize it. He was very-well liked when he was here."
*KARPOWICH HONORED AGAIN*
For the second straight week Clarkson freshman goalie Paul Karpowich was named the ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week. Karpowich was sharp against top-ranked Colorado College last weekend, allowing just three goals in 130 minutes.
*D'ALVISE BECOMES TOP FACE-OFF MAN*
After going 172-196 (.467) on faceoffs last season, senior Chris D'Alvise has gotten off to a strong start in that category this year.
Through three games, D'Alvise leads the team with a 55-31 record (.639) and got the better of Colorado College's top player, Chad Rau, in Saturday's contest. Rau went 21-10 on Friday, while D'Alvise sat out a one-game suspension. In Saturday's game he was just 19-17.
"He was good, but I figured him out in the third period though," D'Alvise said.
*ODDS AND ENDS*
Because Saturday's game does not count expect to see some players who have not played yet this season, including freshman goalie Richie LaVeau, who played at Lake Placid's Northwood Prep School last season. He was a teammate of current freshmen Julien Cayer and Jake Morley and had a .919 save percentage and 2.30 goals-against average while helping the team to a 33-7-2 season.

Yet another tie

2008-10-26T11:41:00.003-04:00

Saturday's second game against top-ranked Colorado College ended in another tie, this time a 2-2 score.

Clarkson showed that is has the ability to play with any team in the country as it appeared the Golden Knights controlled the play late in the game, outshooting Colorado College 21-11 in the final period and overtime.
The game was marred by penalties, which is mentioned in the article.

Stats of interest:
After going 30-50 on faceoffs Friday night, Clarkson was 45-39 Saturday, largely due to the return of Chris D'Alvise from his one-game suspension. D'Alvise went 19-12 and freshman Corey Tamblyn was 9-4. Tim Marks was 9-7. After going 21-12 on Friday, CC's Chad Rau was 19-17 Saturday.
D'Alvise and Tyrell Mason led Clarkson with six shots. Adam Bellows and Matt Beca each had four. Rau, who could be a Hobey Baker Award finalist, led the Tigers with 9.

Extra quotes:
CC coach Scott Owens on the possibility of more games against Clarkson in the future, despite the cross-country trip: "I like the Clarkson program. I have a lot of respect for the tradition. It's a long trip for both of us, but I would like to continue it."
Clarkson comments on the wide-open style of play seen Saturday against a WCHA foe, as contrasted to the style often seen in ECAC Hockey games:
Coach George Roll, "That's the style we want to play. I thought we were very good in transition. Both teams were very similar in their intensity."
Chris D'Alvise, "It's better for myself, personally. We are more of a physical team and they are more crafty. It's easier for me to wheel and deal."
Scott Freeman on the weekend, "I think we're happy with our effort for the whole weekend, coming back for a tie is a good feeling."
D'Alvise on watching Friday's game while sitting out the one-game for a spearing penalty, "Yesterday was tough watching, but I had to pay the price for a stupid action."
Tyrell Mason on freshman goalie Paul Karpowich, who was the equal of CC All-American Richard Bachman, "He looks really confident in the net. He looks solid and he's not shaky."

Clarkson ties No. 1

2008-10-24T23:13:00.004-04:00

Friday's home opener at Cheel Arena ended in a 1-1 tie with top-ranked Colorado College.
Clarkson was outshot 34-23 but played even with the Tigers throughout the game. Neither team appeared to have more good scoring chances than the other.
Few assorted notes:
Colorado College improved to 33-for-33 on penalty kills this season.
Missing top faceoff man Chris D'Alvise to a one-game suspension, the Golden Knights struggled at the circle and went 30-50. Two players did well in the circle, however. Freshman Louke Oakley went 6-1 and junior Matt Beca was 5-2. Colorado College's Chad Rau was 21-10.
Colorado College's Brian Connelly had seven shots on goal to lead all players and Rau and Mike Testwuide each had five. Mark Borowiecki and Nick Tremblay each lead Clarkson with 3 shots.

Leftover quotes:
Colorado College coach Scott Owens:
"I thought (Clarkson's) young guys played well. I expected their freshmen might need more seasoning, but they played well."

Clarkson coach George Roll:
"We don't want to be satisfied with a tie."

Clarkson goalie Paul Karpowich on his home debut:
"I think I was more relaxed (than last week). I knew what to expect. Tonight (the fans) were on my side."

Clarkson forward Brandon DeFazio on playing CC on standard ice (85 feet wide) as opposed to CC's World Arena (100 feet wide) where Clarkson was outscored 11-3 in two games last year:
"It's a huge difference, especially for our team. Their game is speed and with a big surface that plays to all their benefits."

Clarkson sophomore Lauri Tuohimaa on his start (3 goals) and how he feels compared to last year:
"I can't complain. To be honest today I only had one shot and that went in, so it's been a lot of luck. ... I feel much more confident on the ice and I'm a little more experienced. Last year I didn't know what to expect."

College Hockey on TV

2008-10-23T12:55:00.002-04:00

Here is a listing of games on TV this weekend (note...this is based on what's offered on Time Warner Cable digital in the north country, but most of these are 'national' stations anyone with cable or satellite receives).

FRIDAY
NOT college hockey but Time Warner 26 is showing two Clarkson alums going head-to-head at 7:30 p.m. ... Binghamton Senators (Shawn Weller) at Syracuse Crunch (Grant Clitsome).
ESPNU 7:30 Vermont at Boston College
Fox College Sports Central 8 p.m. Minnesota at Wisconsin
Fox College Sports Atlantic 9:30 p.m. Ohio State at Denver

SUNDAY
ESPNU 7:30 New Hampshire at SLU

Weekly Notes

2008-10-23T12:41:00.002-04:00

We will begin running a weekly Clarkson hockey notes column at watertowndailytimes.com the week ECAC Hockey play begins.
Until that point I will post a few items noteworthy here. These are in no particular order of importance, just some random thoughts:
* Chris D'Alvise had an excellent weekend, at least if you disregard the last three seconds of Saturday's 4-3 loss at Niagara. By now everyone knows he had the three assists and one goal in the 6-4 win over RIT on Friday. But he also looks like the clear leader to replace Nick Dodge in being Clarkson's top faceoff player. Overall for the weekend D'Alvise was 36-19 on faceoffs, a .654 win percentage. No one else on the team had a .500 or better percentage so that could come into play in Friday's home opener, which D'Alvise will sit out.
* Julien Cayer had an impressive debut. He missed Friday's game with an injury, but he scored a goal in his first college game Saturday, went 5-5 on faceoffs and he led the team in shots with seven.
* In one statistical oddity, Clarkson had almost identical shooting nights last weekend. Against RIT the shots by period were 7-11-7 and against Niagara 8-11-8. Even the shots Clarkson allowed were similar, just reversed. Against RIT it was 10-12-17 and against Niagara it was 17-12-11. Even more odd, the two periods Clarkson allowed 17 shots it gave up just one goal in each.
* Colorado College will be the first No. 1 team to play the Clarkson men at Cheel Arena. They are not the first No. 1 team to play against a Clarkson team in Cheel Arena, however. The SLU women's team was No. 1 when it lost to Clarkson in the 2005-06 season.
* Tigers coach Scott Owens was the only coach I've ever seen who enters the rink from the Zamboni door when Clarkson hosted the Tigers for two games in the 2003-04 season. It makes sense given that coaches were dress shoes and the ice is slippery at that stage. I recall he comes in from the zamboni door and walks along the boards to the rink.
* Colorado College has five NHL draft choices on its squad: forward Chad Rau (Toronto), forward Bill Sweatt (Chicago), forward Scott McCulloch (Chicago), defenseman Kris Fredheim (Vancouver) and goalie Richard Bachman (Dallas).
* Finally....Colorado College has some interesting special teams stats after four games...With all the offensive talent the Tigers have, they are just 4-for-29 on the power play this season. But CC has killed all 28 penalties so far this season.

A Rough Night

2008-10-19T11:26:00.003-04:00

Clarkson dropped Saturday's game 4-3 to Niagara. One positive is it was later learned that Phil Paquet was not disqualified for Friday's home opener against Colorado College.
There were penalties given to him and to Chris D'Alvise with just three seconds remaining in the game and when I spoke with coach George Roll after the game he had thought both players had been given game disqualifications.
D'Alvise, who had an excellent weekend up to that point, will miss Friday's game.
For Saturday's box click here.

Stat of the Night

2008-10-17T21:49:00.004-04:00

Clarkson won its season opener, beating the Rochester Institute of Technology 6-4 on Friday night, coming back from a 2-0 deficit after one period. Clarkson scored four goals in the second period to build a 4-3 lead heading into the third period.

The win means Clarkson now has a 50-game unbeaten streak when it leads a contest after two periods (46-0-4). Clarkson was 14-0-1 last year when it led after two, 18-0-2 the year before and 12-0-1 the season before that.

The last time Clarkson lost a game when it had a lead after two periods was March 5, 2005, in the second game of a best-of-three ECAC Hockey League first-round series at Union. Clarkson led 1-0 heading into the third period of that game and went on to lose 2-1 in overtime. Clarkson won game three in overtime, after leading at the end of two periods, to start the current streak.

Leftovers

2008-10-16T15:42:00.003-04:00

Our men's season preview ran today.

Here are some additional things said that I didn't have room for in the article:

I talked to Phil Paquet about his improvement in taking less penalties. He had 63 penalties minutes last year after picking up numbers in the 100's his first two years. He missed some time with an injury last year, but did show improvement in getting less 'majors' than in the past. Here was what he said when I asked him if any one person had helped him in that area:
"George (Roll) really helped me with that. He was patient with me, especially my freshman year. I had a lot of penalties that were emotionally tough. Sometimes at practice we'd practice stuff and he'd tell me, "Don't go in there too aggressive". Sometimes he'd be talking about a penalty I had the day before, or maybe on a Monday come back to the rink and go over video."

I also asked Paquet if he thinks some penalties may be given based on a reputation built up from the first two years:
"I think by now it could be reputation, they kind of know you. It's your own risk if you go in the corner with me. But I don't feel in college hockey, in general, you can really intimidate players. I can't drop my gloves. My intention is never to be an intimidating factor. I am, through my play, but it's not my intention."

As for Mason, I asked him what type of leader he would be and if he had any good role models to learn from:
"I just want to try and lead by example. I don't put a lot of faith in people who say one thing and do another. I want to earn the respect from my teammates by working hard each day and trying to better myself on and off the ice. Nick Dodge and Chris Brekelmans were each very different types of captains. Nick was by example and Breks wasn't afraid to put you in your place. I want to try and pull the best out of my teammates and ultimately get the most out of our team. There will be times to step up and say something and other times to go out and get the job done on the ice to try and make a statement that way."

I also asked Mason about what makes Clarkson's defensive unit so successful:
"I think our coaches have done a great job bringing in guys who are willing to learn and have good character. Specifically on defense the traits that have made us so successful are our size and our speed. Our team is filled with D who have great skating ability and I think it has a lot to do with our system play."

Additional game on TV

2008-10-15T19:41:00.002-04:00

Clarkson will have one of its road games shown on SNY, the channel that covers the New York Mets.
RPI is going to televise five of its home games this year on an Albany Time Warner channel. But the game against Clarkson, on Feb. 27, will also be carried on SNY.
Clarkson also has a home game against SLU on Jan. 11 which will be televised nationally on ESPNU.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind...

2008-10-13T15:54:00.001-04:00

Most Division I men's college hockey teams started their season last weekend, or played an exhibition game.
Clarkson has yet to play and opens this weekend with nonconference games at RIT and Niagara.
The Golden Knights were ranked No. 11, nationally, in the first USA Today poll, but slipped to No. 13 last week and now have moved down to No. 14, all without even playing yet.

Reunions

2008-10-08T18:54:00.003-04:00

Several former Clarkson players and coaches will be returning to Potsdam this season.
The Golden Knights have an exhibition game on Nov. 1 at Cheel Arena against Canadian school Carleton University, which is coached by former interim-Clarkson coach Fred Parker. Former Clarkson assistant Casey Jones will also be back with his new team, Cornell.
SUNY Potsdam will also face a trio of teams led by former Clarkson players or coaches this season.
The Bears open the season with home games on Oct. 24-25 against Adrian, which is led by former Clarkson assistant Ron Fogarty.
Two former players also bring teams to play at SUNY Potsdam this year. Phil Roy, now the coach at Neumann, plays against the Bears on Jan. 8 and Brasher Falls native Chris Bernard, now coaching Western New England, has a pair of games at SUNY Potsdam on Jan. 16-17.

Cheel Arena Upgrades

2008-10-07T15:59:00.003-04:00

The home opener against Colorado College is still a few weeks away, but some small changes have been made at Cheel Arena.
The display case of Clarkson NHL jerseys has been moved from the lobby to inside the arena, near the concession stand.
Clarkson also has installed two movie screens in opposite corners of the rink which will show the same footage from the B2 network, which broadcasts games over the internet.

Welcome

2008-10-03T13:52:00.002-04:00

Hello...my name is Cap Carey and I am a sportswriter for the Watertown Daily Times. I cover the Clarkson University men's hockey team and have done so since the 1996-97 season.
This blog is intended to supplement items that run in my newspaper watertowndailytimes.com.
Be sure to check that site the days after home games for game stories and also, once ECAC Hockey play begins, every Thursday there will be a Clarkson Notes column. The first one should run the Thursday prior to the opening week of ECAC Hockey competition.
We also cover road games, but usually do not travel with the team until the postseason. But I do call coach George Roll on his cell phone after every away game to get comments for the story.
You may email me with questions/comments at ccarey@wdt.net.

Notes From a Beat Writer

One last note about the move

Moving Day

How I'd Change ECAC Hockey

SLU 2, Clarkson 1

SLU 5, Clarkson 1

Timeout with the Times

Rivalry Weekend: Part I

Updated Home/Road Index

Ohio State 2, Clarkson 0

Clarkson snaps winless streak vs. No. 2 Miami

Clarkson vs. Colgate

Clarkson vs. Cornell

Photo Albums

Timeout with the Times

Christmas Vacation

Clarkson Notes

A 2-2 tie

13.8 seconds away

Clarkson Notes

Pro Hockey Notes

Princeton Loss

Home/Road Index

Quinnipiac 4, Clarkson 2

TV weekend games

Clarkson Notes

Updated Home/Road Index

Another 5-1 loss

New Look

Harvard 5, Clarkson 1

It's early, but...

*Comments*

Better Know a Knight

Clarkson Notes

Chris Clark Video

College Hockey on TV

Stat of the Week

You Tube Video

The Conference of Presidents

Updated Home/Road Index Standings

Yale Snaps Clarkson's Streak

Home/Road Index

Clarkson Wins Opener

Weekly Clarkson Notes

College Hockey on TV

A 60-Year Wait

More than Hockey

This Weekend's TV Games

Clarkson Notes

Yet another tie

Clarkson ties No. 1

College Hockey on TV

Weekly Notes

A Rough Night

Stat of the Night

Leftovers

Additional game on TV

Out of Sight, Out of Mind...

Reunions

Cheel Arena Upgrades

Welcome

Comments