{"id":25317,"date":"2002-11-28T21:09:35","date_gmt":"2002-11-29T03:09:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uscho.com\/2002\/11\/28\/this-week-in-the-maac-nov-28-2002\/"},"modified":"2010-08-17T19:55:19","modified_gmt":"2010-08-18T00:55:19","slug":"this-week-in-the-maac-nov-28-2002","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2002\/11\/28\/this-week-in-the-maac-nov-28-2002\/","title":{"rendered":"This Week in the MAAC: Nov. 28, 2002"},"content":{"rendered":"
We’ve once again arrived at that time of year where I can take advantage of the Thanksgiving holiday to help me find content for this often insomnia-curing column. So as has become a tradition, here’s this year’s version of the list of things that people around the MAAC hockey league can be thankful for.<\/p>\n
After years of tireless work, the NCAA finally recognized McDonald’s and the college hockey community’s efforts to expand one of the NCAA’s fastest-growing and most profitable sports. Now if McDonald can only convince the powers that be at the national polls to expand, then he’ll only be a Quinnipiac national championship away from dying in peace.<\/p>\n
But folks who worried about Holden can rest assured he is more than stable this season. Back-to-back 2-1 road losses this week at Northeastern and at No. 7 Maine proved Holden’s worth. Having seen about 15 teams from various leagues play this season, I can say that Holden is the best netminder I’ve seen. And I guarantee he’s licking his chops to get back to the NCAA tournament.<\/p>\n
Well, it appears the call for a tender is answered in rookie Tony Quesada. Boasting a 7-2-0 record, Quesada will likely be called upon through the second half of the year to carry a Crusader team that is proving itself solid as a competitor for the league title.<\/p>\n
This year, Iona entered the game against Mercyhurst without a single win to its credit. The Gaels left with one, though, knocking off the Lakers in overtime and shellshocking the preseason favorite. One word of wisdom: watch out for Iona come March. The 0-9-1 start does not reflect the ability of this team, and when it gels, come playoff time, the Gaels will be the most dangerous team in the famous one-and-done playoff format.<\/p>\n
Though for Hunt to truly be happy this Thanksgiving, he might need the guarantee that his club can start winning. The Stags have become victim of what seems like one-goal loss after one-goal loss, and if something doesn’t change in that cycle soon, they could be replacing perennial cellar-dweller Bentley at the bottom of the MAAC.<\/p>\n
Both would likely appreciate the same thing: consistency. While each team has shown glimmers of brilliance, best highlighted in Army’s 3-1 win over Quinnipiac last Friday night, the teams’ inability to put together a consistent trail of wins might serve costly later in the season. Both teams do share one thing: decent goaltending. But in a league where goaltending is the deepest position on the roster, each club will need to dig a bit further to get the wins to reach postseason play. <\/p>\n
With the league hosting its first-ever national championship this year in Buffalo, the fact that the event has been sold out since last spring will allow the MAAC, along with co-hosts Canisius and Niagara, to focus on making the event itself the highlight of the college hockey year. Ensor is particularly happy to have the Frozen Four this year distract a little bit of the attention that usually would be paid to increasing the league’s scholarship issues.<\/p>\n
But that’s a conversation for another day…<\/p>\n
So as our look around the MAAC Thanksgiving table concludes, let me take this opportunity to wish all of my readers a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving and holiday season!<\/p>\n
Though this is an abbreviated version of the regular MAAC column, I’d be remiss is I didn’t recognize this week’s league award winners:<\/p>\n
ITECH MAAC Hockey League Player of the Week: D.J. Miller, Connecticut Senior, F, Mount Lebanon, Penn.<\/b><\/p>\n
Miller netted a hat trick in UConn’s 3-2 win over second-place Holy Cross on Friday night to snap the Crusaders’ seven-game win streak. Miller netted the first two goals, including one on the power play, in the very first and last minutes of the second period. The eventual game-winner was scored 3:32 seconds into the third stanza to give the Huskies their second straight win and third victory of the season. Miller has six goals and eight points this season.<\/p>\n
ITECH MAAC Hockey League Goalie of the Week: Eddy Ferhi, Sacred Heart Senior, G, Charenton, France<\/b><\/p>\n
Ferhi made 44 saves in a defensive-oriented weekend. He shutout AIC in a rare scoreless tie. The next evening, Ferhi made 20 saves, holding AIC to just two goals. Ferhi has a 1.75 goals against average in league play and a 2.07 GAA overall. Both stats place him top of the league. Ferhi also holds a .920 save percentage in league matches and a .927 save percentage overall, second in the league in each.<\/p>\n
ITECH MAAC Hockey League Rookie of the Week: Brad Roberts, Army Freshman,G, Cassville, N.Y.<\/b><\/p>\n
Roberts made 53 saves and posted a .981 save percentage against MAAC-leading Quinnipiac Friday night, the most by a goalie in a MAAC contest this season, a Tate Rink record and an Army home-game record. His effort was the second-best in a single game in the NCAA this season. The 53 saves is also a career-high for the freshman netminder. Army’s win over the Bobcats ended Quinnipiac’s five-game win streak and nine-game unbeaten string. Roberts posts a 2.79 GAA in league play and a 2.81 GAA overall, tied for fourth in the league. Roberts also has a .915 save percentage in conference play and overall.<\/p>\n
As we return to the regular column next week, we’ll be taking a look at Quinnipiac. The Bobcats may not be plastering the college hockey world with upsets, but their recent back-to-back 2-1 road losses to Northeastern and Maine prove that this club cannot be taken likely. Next week we’ll examine just how good it really is.<\/p>\n
We’ll also be recapping the MAAC’s first-ever trip to the Colorado powers of CC and Denver when Mercyhurst returns from the high altitude.<\/p>\n
All this, and plenty more, to look forward to one week from now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As the holiday season commences, Jim Connelly offers his traditional look at a MAAC Thanksgiving, as well as the league’s weekly awards and a preview of next week’s coverage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":140328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n