NCAA Hockey: Comprehensive Tournament Preview
By Rohan Yaradi
West Regionals
Location: Fargo, ND
Dates: March 29-30
(1) St. Cloud State Huskies
How they got here: At-Large Bid (NCHC Runner-Ups)
NCAA Ranking: #1
Player to watch: Patrick Newell (Sr – F)
For the second year in a row, the first overall seed in the NCAA Hockey Tournament belongs to the St. Cloud State University Huskies. They are looking to improve after being upset in the first round last year by Air Force.
St. Cloud State was one of the top teams in the country all season long, en route to winning the tough NCHC for the regular season. They nearly took the NCHC tournament as well, falling in double overtime in the finals to Minnesota-Duluth.
The Huskies are led by their potent offense, whose 155 goals is the most of any team in the tournament. They are also an elite possession team, controlling 56% of shot attempts at even strength despite playing in perhaps the toughest conference in the country.
Key to that offense is Patrick Newell, the senior up front who led the team in goals and points this season. He is one of the ten finalists for the Hobey Baker award for NCAA Hockey MVP, along with teammate defenseman Jimmy Schuldt.
The only weakness for the team is in net, where starting goaltender David Hrenak only posted a .908 save percentage this season. However, given how strong the Huskies are offensively, they can likely overcome any issues he may have.
(2) Denver Pioneers
How they got here: At-Large Bid (3rd NCHC)
NCAA Ranking: #6
Player to watch: Devin Cooley (So – G)
The 2017 NCAA Hockey champions are back, and looking for their ninth national title in their first season without former head coach Jim Montgomery, who now coaches the Dallas Stars. They were eliminated last year in the second round by Ohio State, their first-round opponents this year.
Like St. Cloud State, Denver also had the misfortune of having to run the gauntlet in the NCHC, but they did not fare nearly as well. After an average regular season, however, they took third in the NCHC tournament, earning them their berth in the NCAA tournament.
The Pioneers are one of the better teams in the country defensively, although much of that can be attributed to the great goaltending they received from Filip Larsson and projected starter Devin Cooley. Both keepers posted save percentages of over .930 in nearly 20 games played apiece.
Offensively, the team is almost painfully average. They finished 26th out of 60 teams in goals scored, and 24th out of 60 teams in shot attempts percentage. This is a far cry from the offensive juggernauts they used to have under Montgomery.
Perhaps some of their struggles can be attributed to the difficulty of playing in the NCHC, but that would be of little solace to their fans given a win of the first round would mean a likely meeting with conference rivals St. Cloud State in round two.
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(3) Ohio State Buckeyes
How they got here: At-Large Bid (Big Ten Semifinalists)
NCAA Ranking: #9
Player to watch: Tommy Nappier (So – G)
After reaching the Frozen Four last season, the Ohio State University Buckeyes are looking to win their first NCAA Hockey championship this year. The regular season Big Ten champions reached the conference tournament semifinals before losing to Penn State.
Ohio State is built very similarly to their first-round opponents Denver, in that they do not really have an elite forward but have a clear standout goaltender in sophomore Tommy Nappier. They are slightly better than the Pioneers possession-wise, but expect this game to be a goalie duel.
Things may look fairly bleak, then, for the Buckeyes, but they are actually a better team in terms of the advanced stats than they were last season. They could make another deep run if everything clicks and Nappier continues to play well.
(4) American International Yellow Jackets
How they got here: Atlantic Hockey Champions
NCAA Ranking: #18
Player to watch: Blake Christensen (Jr – F)
Last year, the lowest overall seed to make the NCAA Hockey tournament was Air Force University, the Atlantic Hockey conference champions. Like this year’s Atlantic Hockey champs, American International College, not much was expected of them until they upset St. Cloud State.
American International was the best squad in their conference all season long, winning both the regular season and postseason titles to receive the automatic national tournament berth. Unfortunately, they may be a bit overmatched against non-conference opposition.
Their best player by far is forward Blake Christensen, who was the only member of the team to post a point-per-game season. Otherwise, they do not really have any standouts or advantages, and their goaltending has been shoddy all season long.
So, Air Force’s miracle upset of top-seeded St. Cloud State should be used as inspiration for the Yellow Jackets, who have the same formidable task facing them this year. However, just like in the Stanley Cup playoffs, anything can happen come tournament time.