CCHA Weekly Release, March 8
March 8, 2010 12:38 PM
CCHA NEWS AND NOTES
Alaska- The Nanooks, who swept Western Michigan in a first-round playoff series, head to Northern Michigan owning the longest undefeated streak in the nation at 10 games (8-0-2) that started with a home-ice win over Michigan State on Feb. 5.
Bowling Green- Eleven different Falcons saw their first post-season action this weekend against the UNO Mavericks. In addition, two Falcons scored their first playoff points (Jordan Samuels-Thomas and Brennan Vargas) and two scored their first post-season goals (Tomas Petruska and Brennan Vargas).
Ferris State- The Bulldogs, who host Nebraska-Omaha in the second round, are meeting the Mavericks in the playoffs for a second straight year. The Mavs swept a first-round series, 3-0 and 5-2, last season at Qwest Center, but dropped a pair of regular-season games this season in Big Rapids, Mich., 2-0 and 3-1.
Lake Superior- The Lakers, who went 8-2-2 in December and January, were swept at Michigan in the first round of the playoffs, 5-2 and 6-0, to finish the season on a seven-game losing streak during which they were outscored, 27-5.
Miami- The RedHawks are entering the CCHA Tournament as the No. 1 seed for the third time in program history. In both prior instances, 1993 and 2006, the RedHawks lost in the title game.
Michigan- The Wolverines have had at least one player reach the 40-point plateau in 28 consecutive seasons. Junior forward Carl Hagelin achieved the feat with his two-goal performance on March 6. The Swede leads Michigan with 41 points on 16 goals and 25 assists.
Michigan State- This is the first time the the Spartans and Michigan will meet in a best-of-three series since 1987. MSU swept the Wolverines in quarterfinals that year and in 1986.
Nebraska-Omaha-The Mavericks won their fifth consecutive, first-round playoff series, sweeping Bowling Green two-games-to-none. They recorded back-to-back 6-1 wins over the Falcons to advance to a second-round series at Ferris State.
Northern Michigan- The Wildcats host Alaska in a second-round playoff series featuring the league’s only two teams that play on Olympic-sized ice sheets. Three of their four regular-season meetings went to a shootout with Alaska winning twice and NMU collecting shootout and regulation-time wins.
Notre Dame- The eight goals given up by the Irish in Saturday’s season-ending 8-2 loss at Ohio State were the most they’ve surrendered in a game since Nov. 4. 2005 in an 8-5 loss to Michigan. The Buckeyes’ four, first-period goals were a season high against the Irish in one period.
Ohio State- Junior forward Hunter Bishop had a hat trick and added two assists for five points Saturday, the first five-point night for a Buckeye since Hugo Boisvert at Cornell Jan. 16, 1999. It was the first hat trick since Corey Elkins’ three-goal night in game two of the CCHA playoffs first round last season in the OSU Ice Rink.
Western Michigan- Former head coach Jim Culhane finishes his head coaching career at Western Michigan with a 158-222-48 record after the Broncos were swept, 4-0 and 4-1, in their first-round playoff series at Alaska.
CCHA- For the first time since the CCHA adopted its current playoff format in 2006, all four first-round playoff series ended in sweeps for the home team. In 2006, all four series ended in sweeps but No. 9 seed Alaska swept No. 8 seed Notre Dame in South Bend and No. 11 seed Western Michigan swept No. 6 seed Lake Superior in Sault. Ste. Marie.