March 22, 2007
NCAA Tournament
East Regional Preview | Rochester, N.Y.

NCAA EAST REGIONAL PREVIEW

Nick Dodge, Clarkson's junior captain, leads the Golden Knights into Rochester as the East Region's top seed. He has 18 goals and 39 points to rank second among all Clarkson scorers.

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NCAA EAST REGIONAL Blue Cross Arena Friday, March 23 2:30 p.m. ET: No. 1 Clarkson vs. No. 4 Massachusetts 6 p.m. ET: No. 2 St. Cloud State vs. No. 3 Maine Saturday, March 24 6 p.m. ET: Regional Final

By Joe Gladziszewski

HOT TOPIC

Some people like to make a big deal about tournament tradition and there's probably a place for it, but saying that New Hampshire's 2007 team won't win simply because the school's past teams haven't done it doesn't make much sense. And so it is with Clarkson, St. Cloud State, and Massachusetts. These are programs that have been consistently strong this year, but lack a rich history in this tournament. (More on that in our next section.)

Maine, on the other hand, is in an opposite position. After a red-hot start, the Black Bears fizzled in January and February. They do have the most impressive history in the national tournament and have been to two of the last three Frozen Fours.

The Golden Knights, Huskies, and Minutemen are doomed if history repeats itself.

BACK STORY

Andreas Nodl is different than Mark Hartigan, Teddy Purcell isn't Paul Kariya, and Shawn Weller isn't Dave Taylor. While tournament history of a team's hockey program should be considered and is fun to discuss, it doesn't apply to what's going on this weekend in Rochester. But the facts are these:

ON A "ROLL"

Clarkson is the only team that comes into this tournament with a winning streak, as it swept four games and won the ECAC Hockey League championship in Albany. The Golden Knights won two close games at home against Harvard in a quarterfinal series, then dramatically defeated Dartmouth and Quinnipiac.

While You're There

College hockey fans and local residents will fill the Dinosaur B-B-Q restaurant, located within walking distance from the Blue Cross Arena. It's a great place, but draws overflow crowds so be prepared to exercise some patience. For a taste of the local flavor, most diners in town offer their version of the Garbage Plate, a platter that features macaroni salad, home fries, your choice of meat (hot dog, hamburger, cheeseburger, others) and is covered with diced onion, mustard, and Texas hot sauce. It tastes better than it looks. The original version is the best, at Nick Tahoe Hots, on West Main Street a short drive from the arena. We recommend stopping there Saturday afternoon before the regional final.

For Clarkson it's not just that it won, but how it won. After Dartmouth rallied to tie late in the third period of the semifinal game in Albany, Steve Zalewski scored in the final minute to send Clarkson to the finals. In the championship game, Quinnipiac held a 2-0 lead after two periods but the Knights were flying in the third period and won the game 4-2.

MR. CLUTCH

Maine freshman forward Teddy Purcell leads the Black Bears with five game-winning goals and has a flair for making game-changing plays. His explosiveness as a game-breaker gives Maine an element that serves them well when tangled in a tight, defensive playoff game.

SOMETHING TO PROVE

Maine and Massachusetts are the lowest-seeded teams in this region and are the fourth and fifth teams in the tournament from Hockey East. People are very aware of the five bids that Hockey East got in this bracket, and if Maine and UMass turn in clunkers, expect to hear lots of, "Insert-team-here would've done better and should've been in instead of those teams."

Maine enters the tournament with four losses in a row, but can prove they're tournament-worthy by beating a St. Cloud State team that lost twice at the WCHA Final Five.

ONE TO WATCH

St. Cloud State goalie Bobby Goepfert is the only Hobey Baker finalist playing in this regional, and Andreas Nodl is the Huskies' leading scorer. But we like the potential for a big weekend from junior forward Andrew Gordon. He was a First Team All-WCHA honoree, and ranks second on St. Cloud State in scoring with 22-23-45 in 39 games. Gordon's 23 goals, self-admittedly, have all come from close proximity to the net, and he stations himself at the edge of the crease while SCSU is on the power play. He's college hockey's version of Ryan Smyth.

SATURDAY STORYLINE

Should the two highest seeds advance, Clarkson and St. Cloud State will play for the third time this season. The Huskies routed the Golden Knights at the National Hockey Center in a series in November. However, those two losses capped a four-game losing streak that might have been the best thing to happen to Clarkson all season. They came back to Potsdam, rededicated themselves in practice and started to roll. Wins over Bowling Green and Miami started a fantastic stretch run. Clarkson's lost just three games since that series at St. Cloud State in mid-November and would cherish the opportunity to show the Huskies that they're a better team than the one that played in St. Cloud.