March 23, 2008
NCAA Tournament
East Regional Capsules | Albany, N.Y.

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Times Union Center
Friday, March 28

4 p.m. ET: No. 2 St. Cloud State vs. No. 3 Clarkson

7:30 p.m. ET: No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Niagara

Saturday, March 29

7 p.m. ET: Regional Final

NO. 1 SEED MICHIGAN WOLVERINES

Location: Ann Arbor, Mich.
Record: 31-5-4 (20-4-4 CCHA, first)
Qualified: CCHA tournament champions
NCAA Championships: Nine (1948, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1964, 1996, 1998)
NCAA Appearance: 30th (most recent, 2007)
Head Coach: Gordon “Red” Berenson
Key Players: Kevin Porter, F, Sr. (40 GP, 28-28—56); Chad Kolarik, F, Sr. (36 GP, 28-20—48); Mark Mitera, D, Jr. (40 GP, 2-20—22); Max Pacioretty, F, Fr. (34 GP, 14-20—34); Billy Sauer, G, Jr. (28-4-3, 1.97, .924)
What You Need to Know: The last time Michigan won the Great Lakes Invitational championship, the CCHA regular-season title, and the CCHA playoff crown was during the 1996-97 season. The Wolverines didn't win the national championship that year, losing to Boston University in the Frozen Four semifinals in Milwaukee, but forward Brendan Morrison did receive the Hobey Baker Award.
How They'll Advance: By rolling four lines and playing a puck-possession game that takes advantage of their incredible depth. The Wolverines' top line of seniors Kevin Porter, Chad Kolarik, and freshman Max Pacioretty is arguably the best in the nation, and the all-freshman unit of Carl Hagelin, Matt Rust, and Aaron Palushaj is just as dangerous. Heck, fourth-liner Tim Miller was the CCHA tournament MVP with two goals and an assist in two games at Joe Louis Arena this past weekend. Michigan is solid defensively, a rugged group led by All-American candidate Mark Mitera that will punish opposing forwards. Goaltender Billy Sauer might be the most improved player in the country.
What Might Trip Them Up: Coaches will tell you that by this time of the year, freshmen aren't freshmen anymore. Still, Michigan has a boatload of 'em – nine, to be exact – in the lineup on a regular basis. Will they be squeezing the sticks down to sawdust early? Fears of the "old" Billy Sauer returning should have subsided by now, but Wolverine fans secretly harbor that thought in their heads. And though he’s the frontrunner for the Hobey Baker Award, Kevin Porter’s disappearance in big games this season is a concern – he was scoreless in a loss and tie against Michigan State in January, and shut out in the CCHA tournament.

Most Recent Michigan Line Chart
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing	Notes
39-M. Pacioretty	11-K. Porter	24-C. Kolarik	Kolarik and Porter are tied for second nationally with 28 goals. Kolarik has scored 19 at even strength.
12-C. Hagelin	19-M. Rust	8-A. Palushaj
16-B. Winnett	29-L. Caporusso	9-T. Turnbull
26-D. Fardig	18-T. Miller	22-B. Naurato
Defense	Defense	Goalies
17-M. Mitera	4-C. Summers	36-B. Sauer	Scooter Vaughn returned to the lineup for last weekend's games at the Joe.
3-S. Vaughan	34-T. Llewellyn	31-S. Hunwick
7-C. Langlais	5-S. Kampfer	35-B. Hogan

NO. 2 SEED ST. CLOUD STATE HUSKIES

Location: St. Cloud, Minn.
Record: 19-15-5 (12-12-4 WCHA, tied for fourth)
Qualified: At-large bid
NCAA Championships: None
NCAA Appearance: Seventh (most recent, 2007)
Head Coach: Bob Motzko
Key Players: Ryan Lasch, F, So. (39 GP, 25-28—53); Garrett Roe, F, Fr. (38 GP, 18-26—44); Andreas Nodl, F, So. (39 GP, 18-26—44); Jase Weslosky, G, So. (16-12-2, 2.12, .931)
What You Need to Know: While schools like Wisconsin and Colorado College enjoy "home cooking" in the NCAA playoffs, the Huskies have never even gotten a whiff of that dish. Their six previous trips to the big show have involved trips to Sault Ste. Marie, Albany, Grand Rapids (Mich.), Ann Arbor, Worcester and Rochester (N.Y.). They head back to Albany this year, still looking forward to that first NCAA tourney game in their home time zone.
How They'll Advance: Clicking at better than 23 percent, the Huskies have the best power play in the WCHA, and the second-best of the teams still playing (Niagara's man-advantage is just a fraction better according to the numbers). In a game where goal-scoring is increasingly rare, it's entertaining to watch the Huskies play it clean early, make the other team take the first penalty, then go to work, with John Swanson on the point, Ryan Lasch, Andreas Nodl and Garrett Roe zipping the puck back and forth down low, and the back-door play being run with lethal efficiency.
What Might Trip Them Up: The Huskies entered the WCHA Final Five playing some hot hockey, and were picked by many to get to the tournament's title game. Instead their power play was held in check (1-for-7) by a defense-first Minnesota game plan. The Huskies are still an impressive 9-2-2 in their last 13 games, but a legendary 0-6 in previous trips to the NCAA tournament. They split a road series with Clarkson earlier this season, and swept the Golden Knights in St. Cloud last season. One would think that the Huskies are the deeper, more talented team and will advance to round two. But in the nightmares of hockey fans in Central Minnesota, the Knights score first, doubt starts to creep in, the Knights keep it close in the third, a puck takes a strange bounce off somebody's skate, then the ECAC Hockey fans start chanting "Oh and Sev-en…"

Most Recent St. Cloud State Line Chart
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing	Notes
26-J. Swanson	9-G. Roe	12-A. Nodl	Lasch and Roe each had three points in the regular-season series at Clarkson.
27-T. Mosey	13-N. Dey	19-R. Lasch
17-A. Marvin	10-M. Hartman	15-N. Oslund
22-B. Borgen	8-M. Olson	20-R. Peckskamp
Defense	Defense	Goalies
21-A. Brocklehurst	24-M. Stephenson	33-J. Weslosky	The Huskies have a 9-3-0 record when Raboin scores a point.
7-G. Raboin	4-C. Anderson	41-D.Dunn
28-D. Carlisle	6-B. Barta	30-B.J. O'Brien

NO. 3 SEED CLARKSON GOLDEN KNIGHTS

Location: Potsdam, N.Y.
Record: 25-8-5 (13-5-4 ECAC Hockey, first)
Qualified: At-large bid
NCAA Championships: None
NCAA Appearance: 20th (most recent, 2007)
Head Coach: George Roll
Key Players: David Leggio, G, Sr. (21-11-4, 2.23, .918); Steve Zalewski, F, Jr. (36 GP, 21-12—33); Matt Beca, F, So. (37 GP, 10-24—34); Grant Clitsome, D, Sr. (37 GP, 5-16—21)
What You Need to Know: A talented, veteran Clarkson team won the regular-season title in ECAC Hockey before being upset in the quarterfinal round by Colgate in a three-game series. There's depth up front and a number of guys that can generate chances. Goaltender David Leggio is one of the best in ECAC Hockey, a league rich in strong goaltenders.
How They'll Advance: Having two weeks to stew following the upset loss in the playoffs will leave a sour taste in their mouths and should make them hungrier for success with an at-large bid in the NCAAs. It also gave them time to unwind and heal up some of the bumps and bruises that other teams will face after a grueling two or three week run in the playoffs. Experience gained in last year's tournament, when they lost in overtime to Massachusetts in the first round, may prove beneficial this year.
What Might Trip Them Up: Clarkson's power play stunk against Colgate and cost them an opportunity to defend their league title. The Golden Knights would do well to find some magic with the extra man, but it's been a problem all season, not just a bump in the road. Coming out with jitters and nerves after not playing for an extended period of time could make for a slow start, which is not something any team can afford in a one-game elimination tournament.

Most Recent Clarkson Line Chart
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing	Notes
9-S. Freeman	32-N. Dodge	19-D. Cayer	Seven NHL draft picks are in the Clarkson lineup.
27-L. Tuohimaa	15-S. Zalewski	8-M. Beca
21-T. Marks	11-C. D'Alvise	91-S. Guthrie
77-B. DeFazio	13-D. Tuttle	17-M. Arciero
Defense	Defense	Goalies
14-G. Clitsome	2-P. Paquet	33-D. Leggio	Clitsome was First Team All-ECAC Hockey on defense.
12-T. Mason	89-B. Rufenach	1-T. Potter
5-A. Bellows	3-T. Pizzo	30-A. Wyse

NO. 4 SEED NIAGARA PURPLE EAGLES

Location: Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Record: 22-10-4 (12-6-2 CHA, second)
Qualified: College Hockey America tournament champions
NCAA Championships: None
NCAA Appearance: Third (most recent, 2004)
Head Coach: Dave Burkholder
Key Players: Vinco Rocco, F, Jr. (36 GP, 14-31—45); Matt Caruana, F, Sr. (36 GP, 16-22—38); Ted Cook, F, Jr. (36 GP, 19-12—31); Juliano Pagliero, G, Jr. (30 GP, 17-6-4, 2.26, .929)
What You Need To Know: After winning the regular-season title in 2006 and 2007 but losing in the playoffs, the Purps finished second in the league this year before sweeping Robert Morris and Bemidji State for the postseason crown. Niagara possesses the third-best scoring offense in the nation (3.53 gpg) and the country's third-best power play (23.3%).
How They’ll Advance: By keeping it simple and getting balanced offensive contributions from all three lines as they have during the second half of the season. CHA tournament MVP Cook has been on an offensive tear as of late with goals in six consecutive games. Sophomore Egor Mironov and junior Kyle Rogers need to use their size and shots to create second-chance opportunities. Pagliero (eighth in the nation with .929 save percentage) must continue playing like the all-CHA first-team netminder.
What Might Trip Them Up: The Purps need to come out of the locker room shooting the puck. They have had a tendency to get out of the gates slowly, but have been able to get away with it — Niagara has been outshot in its last four games, but won three. The Purps also need to to stay out of the penalty box since, although they are among the 15 fewest penalized teams in the nation, their penalty kill also ranks in the bottom 15.

Most Recent Niagara Line Chart
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing	Notes
12-V. Rocco	19-M.Caruana	29-K. Rogers	Cook was MVP of the College Hockey America tournament and leads Niagara with 19 goals.
22-B. Haczyk	21-C. Moran	25-T. Cook
9-P. Zanette	26-D. Ross	10-E. Mironov
23-T. Simpson	5-J. Burichin	27-N. Bostic
Defense	Defense	Goalies
6-S. Langdon	16-R. Annesley	31-J. Pagliero	Annesley is the only Niagara d-man to have dressed in all 36 games.
2-T. Anderson	7-T. Gotto	33-A. Avramenko
3-D. Sullivan	14-D. Foam	1-S. Mollison