The NCAA Division 3 hockey tournament has become a numbers game.
1 – that’s how many times Endicott has been beaten in its last 25 games
3 – that’s how many of the eight remaining teams hail from the Commonwealth Coast Conference
11 – that’s how many national championships the remaining teams in the bracket have collectively won (Wisconsin-Stevens Point 6, Norwich 4, Adrian 1)
Eight teams find themselves one win away from next weekend’s Frozen Four. With four teams from New England still playing, let’s look ahead to Saturday’s key quarterfinals and make some picks.
Norwich at Endicott (7 p.m.)
It was only Jones’ fourth career goal but it stayed true to how Norwich knows it needs to play this season against strong teams: get bodies in front of the goalie and put pucks on net.
“It was pretty special,” said Jones. “I think the only time I did that was playing mini sticks as a kid.”
Now the Cadets (20-6-1) get their shot at Endicott, a team they beat, 3-0, way back in late October. Figure on this one being another low-scoring affair between two of the top three defensive teams in the country.
Like Norwich with Drennen Atherton, Endicott (22-2-2) has enjoyed terrific goaltending from their tandem of Atticus Kelly and Ryan Wilson (Shelton, Conn.).
“Having those two guys come in and play to the level that they’ve played at is an unbelievable achievement,” said senior defenseman Matt Giroux (Bedford, N.H.). “They’ve been awesome.”
Junior forward Andrew Kurapov, the Player of the Year in the CCC, leads a deep corps of forwards with 13 goals and 30 points this season.
Prediction: Endicott 3, Norwich 1
Curry at Hobart (7 p.m.)
With goalie Reid Cooper stopping 37 shots – and getting raised by Bowdoin’s Alex Kozic, who stopped 48 – the game wound into sudden death. That’s when Kent found linemate Zhukov open in the slot, and Zhukov wristed a shot in for a 1-0 win, the first ever for Curry in the NCAAs.
"I couldn't be more proud of the guys for battling all night, and Zhukov for finishing it off,” said Cooper.
The Colonels (22-5-1) face a big test Saturday going up against NEHC champion Hobart (26-2), the stingiest team in Division 3 hockey that’s allowing a paltry 1.18 goals per game.
Luke Aguaro (19-16-35) and Jonah Alexander (15-19-34) lead a top-10 offense. The two teams to beat Hobart this season were Norwich in a low-scoring game (2-1) and Elmira in a shootout (7-5).
Prediction: Hobart 4, Curry 2
University of New England at Utica (7 p.m.)
Of course it’s not the same Utica. This current edition owns the No. 2 scoring offense in the country at 5.75 goals per game (though inflated by the softer opposition it faced in the UCHC) and is ranked No. 1 in the nation.
The Pioneers (25-2-1) have not lost since they dropped a weekend series to then-No. 1 Adrian – on the last weekend of October.
For UNE (20-6-2), the formula would seem to be similar to what it did at Plymouth: Limit Utica’s chances, get some key saves from Girard and take advantage of opportunities to strike.
Prediction: Utica 4, UNE 3
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