Inside College Hockey | 2004 East Regional Preview

March 24, 2004
NCAA Tournament
East Regional Preview | Albany, N.Y.

NCAA
EAST REGIONAL PREVIEW

Todd Jackson leads Maine with 20 goals on the year.

NCAA Tournament Bracket
National TV Schedule

Regional Roundups
East: Capsules
Northeast: Preview | Capsules
Midwest: Preview | Capsules
West: Preview | Capsules

Pepsi Arena
Friday, March 26

5 p.m. EST: No. 1 Maine vs. No. 4 Harvard

8:30 p.m. EST: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Wisconsin

Saturday, March 27

6 p.m. EST: Regional Final

By Joe Gladziszewski

HOT TOPIC

Not often when teams from different conferences get together do personal storylines such as the ones we'll enjoy in Albany become so prevalent, especially in the Harvard-Maine contest. Maine junior forward Ben Murphy will line up against Harvard sophomore forward Dan Murphy in Friday's early game. The brothers played together at Cushing Academy before heading off to different colleges. They've never played against each other before, making it a difficult night on their parents, who are being very diplomatic.

"I have a nice beige number I've already picked out for the game,'' Ellen Murphy, the mom, told the Boston Herald. "No blue, and no crimson.''

Also of note in the Harvard-Maine game, are strong ties between Harvard assistant coach Gene Reilly and the Black Bears. Reilly was an assistant under former Maine coach Shawn Walsh, and served as interim head coach for three games while Walsh was undergoing cancer treatments during the 2000-01 season.

Reilly admitted to "bleeding Maine blue" and told the Bangor Daily News, "If we lose, there isn't a better team I'd rather lose to."

Then, of course, there's the possible Saturday matchup between Harvard and Wisconsin. Crimson coach Mark Mazzoleni is a native of Green Bay and would be pitted against the flagship hockey program from his home state.

Wisconsin freshman Robbie Earl

BACK STORY

The Wisconsin Badgers are back. For two straight years, the Badgers have been forced to enjoy the NCAA Tournament as spectators, and were absent from the national rankings since October of 2001. That’s all changed this year. Wisconsin finished third in the WCHA regular-season standings and impressively swept North Dakota in early February. The Badgers rely on great goaltending from junior Bernd Brückler, the third-best known of three Austrians in college hockey. Minnesota's Thomas Vanek and former UMass star Thomas Pöck are the others.

ON A ROLL

Maine's Jimmy Howard is the "it" player of this year's tournament. His performance down the stretch, continuing through the Hockey East playoffs and thrilling triple-overtime championship game win, drew the nation's attention. Check the numbers. The sophomore from Odgensburg, N.Y. has a goals-against average of 1.05, and has stopped 95.8 percent of the shots fired his way.

Collectively, these four teams bring more momentum into the NCAAs than any other regional group. Maine, Ohio State, and Harvard won their respective league tournaments last weekend. Wisconsin closed its regular season with a 5-1-2 stretch before being upset by Alaska Anchorage in the WCHA playoffs.

MR. CLUTCH

Trailing by two goals after the first period of the ECAC Championship game, Harvard junior center Tom Cavanagh almost single-handedly erased the deficit. He scored twice in the second period and the Crimson went on to defeat Clarkson with a last-minute goal. One week earlier, Cavanagh's overtime goal in the second game of a quarterfinal series eliminated Brown and sent Harvard to Albany for the ECAC's championship weekend. He has nine points in six playoff games.

While You're There

You can't miss the huge Fan Fest exhibits directly in front of the Pepsi Arena on South Pearl Street. Check that out before the game. Afterward, head on down South Pearl Street and celebrate your team’s victory at some fine establishments. Big House Brewing Company, Bayou Cafe, and Jillian's are three of INCH's favorites.

MSG Network is carrying Saturday's early games from Manchester, and Fox Sports New York will join the late Saturday game from Colorado Springs in progress at 9:30 p.m. Both regional sports networks are available on Albany cable systems.

SOMETHING TO PROVE

For just the second time in modern tournament history, the ECAC has only one representative in the NCAAs. The perception around the nation is that this is a league on the decline, despite Cornell's Frozen Four appearance one year ago. In what is certainly the most dangerous opening game for any of the four top-seeded teams, Harvard can make a statement with a win over Maine.

ONE TO WATCH

Senior defenseman Doug Andress has been a staple on the Ohio State blue line all season long. He was named as the CCHA's Best Defensive Defenseman, and earned honorable mention all-league honors this year. Andress also contributes to the Buckeye offense. He ranks fifth nationally in points-per-game by defensemen and had a pair of three-point games in the CCHA Super Six playoffs, including two goals and an assist in the championship win over Michigan.

SATURDAY STORYLINE?

Should Maine get past Harvard, it sets up a matchup against either Ohio State or Wisconsin. In the opening week of the year, the Black Bears served notice that they'd be a force this season with wins over Minnesota and Wisconsin. Ohio State handed Maine just one of the Black Bears' seven losses during the year, with a 4-2 triumph in the semifinals of the Everblades College Classic.