Men's Hockey | 4/6/2010 10:45:00 AM
ROCHESTER, NY - The RIT men's hockey team, ranked ninth in the latest USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll, will play the No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers in the first 2010 Frozen Four semifinal game at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. on Thursday, April 8 at 5 p.m. If RIT wins, they will play in the NCAA Division I Championship against Miami (Ohio) or Boston College on Saturday, April 10 at 7 p.m.
No. 1 Miami will face No. 3 Boston College in the second semifinal at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday. Miami, Wisconsin, and Boston College were all No. 1 seeds in their respective NCAA Regional brackets, while the Tigers were a No. 4 seed in the East Region.
The Tigers (28-11-1) enter this weekend's contests having won 12 straight games, outscoring foes 53-16 during the streak. The 28 wins are a Division I team single-season team record, and also second most in all of Division I.
The Tigers advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four for the first time after two wins in the East Regional on March 26 and March 27. On March 26, RIT upended top-seed Denver, 2-1 behind a career-best tying 39 saves from NCAA East Region Most Outstanding Player #
Jared DeMichiel (Avon, CT)#. On March 27, RIT exploded for three goals in 1:34 to snap a 1-1 second period tie and defeat third-seeded New Hampshire, 6-2. #
Tyler Brenner (Linwood, Ontario)# scored twice, while #
Andrew Favot (King City, Ontario)# dished out three assists.
DeMichiel, Brenner, #
Cameron Burt (Detroit, MI)#, #
Dan Ringwald (Oakville, Ontario)#, and #
Chris Haltigin (Oakville, Ontario)# were named to the East Regional All-Tournament Team.
DeMichiel leads all of Division I with 27 wins. He will finish the season as the national leader in wins. He is fourth nationally with a 1.98 goals against average, eighth with a .924 save percentage and fifth in winning percentage (.743). Burt now leads the team with 47 points (16-31-47). #
Andrew Favot (King City, Ontario)# is right behind with 45 points (13-32-45). Ringwald is third in the nation in scoring among defensemen with 36 points.
RIT's defense is third nationally, allowing just 2.05 goals per game. RIT's offense is fifth in the nation, averaging 3.60 goals per game. The 1.55 goal differential per game is second nationally. RIT has excellent scoring balance, with seven players scoring at least 10 goals, and 11 players with at least seven goals. RIT has 17 players with at least 10 points and nine with 10 points.
Six-time NCAA National Champion Wisconsin is making its 23rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Badgers, ranked second in the latest USA Today/USA Hockey Division I poll and fifth in the final USCHO.com Division I poll, are the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Badgers won the NCAA West Region and enter this weekend with a sparkling 27-10-4 record. The Badgers finished second in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, arguably the toughest conference in all of Division I, posting a 17-8-3 record in WCHA play.
Senior forward Michael Davies leads the Badgers and is tied for fifth nationally in scoring, with 51 points. He has 19 goals and 32 assists. Derek Stepan, a sophomore leads the team and is tied for second nationally with 40 assists. Blake Geoffrion is among the national leaders with 27 goals, 14 coming on the power-play. Brendan Smith leads all Division I defensemen with 47 points (15-32-47). The Badgers are the second highest scoring team in the nation this season, averaging 3.98 goals per game. In goal, junior Scott Gudmandson has emerged as the starter, and has a 19-4-4 record this season. He has a 2.32 goals against average, and .915 save percentage in 29 games.
Miami, the top ranked team in the latest USA Today/USA Hockey Division I USCHO.com Division I polls, is the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Redhawks won the NCAA Midwest Region and enter this weekend with a sparkling 29-7-7 record. The Redhawks won the Central Collegiate Hockey Association regular season title with a 21-2-5 mark in CCHA play.
Senior forward Jarod Palmer leads a deep Redhawks team in scoring with 45 points (18-27-45). Andy Miele is right behind with 44 points, while Carter Camper, and Tommy Wingels each have 42 points. In goal, sophomores Cody Reichard and Knapp have split time almost evenly. Reichard leads the nation with a 1.76 goals against average in 26 games, while Knapp is second nationally with a 1.85 goals against average in 19 games. Reichard is 19-4-3, while Knapp is 10-3-4. The Redhawks are the top defensive team in Division I, allowing a miniscule 1.84 goals per game.
Three-time NCAA National Champion Boston College will make its 29th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and 22nd trip to the Frozen Four. The Eagles, ranked third in the both the latest USA Today/USA Hockey Division I polls USCHO.com Division I poll, are the No. 4 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles won the NCAA Northeast Region and enter this weekend with a sparkling 27-10-3 record. The Eagles finished second in Hockey East with a 16-8-3 mark in conference play.
Cam Atkinson, a sophomore, leads the Eagles and is tied for eighth nationally in scoring, with 50 points on 27 goals and 23 assists. Brian Gibbons leads the Eagles with 30 assists and is second with 46 points. The Eagles are the third highest scoring team in the nation this season, averaging 3.98 goals per game. In goal, junior John Muse has a sparkling 17-8-2 record, with a 2.54 goals against average, and .907 save percentage.
Tickets are available at http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-hockey/champpage/m-hockey-div1-index.html. Thursday's game will be aired live on ESPN2 with Gary Thorne and Barry Melrose bringing you the action. If RIT plays on Saturday, that game will be aired live at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
Will the Tigers make history and bring the Division I National Championship back to Rochester?
