Jan. 12, 2005

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The Yale men's hockey team, coming off a defensive struggle with No. 2 Boston College, heads North to Durham, N.H., this Saturday to face No. 6 New Hampshire at the Whitmore Center.

The Series

They have met in regular season and tournament games and in conference playoff games since the first encounter in 1928, an 11-2 Yale win in New Haven. UNH leads the series 16-10, but the Bulldogs have taken three of the last five, including a 3-2 decision last January at Durham.

Modelski Makes 49 Saves in Loss to BC

Ned Havern scored the lone goal of the game and Cory Schneider needed just 11 saves as No. 2 ranked Boston College got past Yale 1-0 before a sellout crowd at Ingalls Rink on Tuesday. Despite the loss, Yale goalie Matt Modelski was the star of the game with a career-high 49 saves, also the most for a Bulldog goalie this year. That included 20 stops in the second period from the sophomore, and it prevented the Eagles from scoring on seven of eight power-play chances. The Eagles (12-3-3) outshot the Bulldogs 12-1 in the first period but did not solve Modelski, who saw at least two quality chances by the visitors. B.C., which outshot Yale 21-8 in the second frame, finally broke through the Modelski wall at 5:50 on the man advantage. After Eli defenseman Shawn Mole went off for a boarding call, Patrick Eaves took a blast from the left circle that was saved. An Eagle forward smacked the puck off the Yale goalie again before Havern swooped in and banged it home. The Bulldogs (2-14-1) had a number of good scoring chances, including a nasty snap shot by Joe Zappala with 20 seconds left in the middle period that Schneider got part of his stick on. With 3:50 left in the game, Robert Burns whistled a shot off the pipe that Schneider never saw. Seconds later the puck was going the other way and Modelski robbed Dave Spina, who was all alone in front of the Yale net after a perfect setup. The Bulldogs pulled Modelski with 53 seconds left and nearly got the equalizer with 34.6 seconds on the clock. A Nate Jackson put-back inside the crease was pinned by the BC goalie along the post and most of the crowd began to celebrate. The only problem was the red light did not go on and the referee did not signal a goal.

Modelski Halts Knights

Matt Modelski stopped 32 of 33 shots, including 14 in the final period, to lead the Elis to a 2-1 win over Clarkson before 3,190 at Ingalls Rink last Saturday. Modelski, who earned first-star honors by picking up his second win of the year, stopped a pair of 5-on-3 advantages and a major penalty in this defensive showdown with Golden Knights netminder Kyle McNulty (24 saves). After a scoreless first, the Bulldogs grabbed the lead when Brad Mills (5-11-16) scored an unassisted, shorthanded goal at 7:14 of the second period on a breakaway after picking up a puck along the boards in the Yale end. The Blue made it 2-0 on some great passing from Nate Jackson to David Germain and then to Robert Burns, who buried his first collegiate goal at 11:19 of the same frame. Clarkson scored on its own shorthanded goal late in the second and both goalies stood on their heads rest of the way as the visitors outshot the Bulldogs 33-26.

St. Lawrence Wins Battle of Special Teams

The Yale offense had been struggling, so goals by Mills and Jackson in the first 1:39 was exactly what the doctor ordered. The problem was that a penalty and power-play goal mountain was about to erupt and the visitors would get four of the six scored in a 6-4 St. Lawrence win. Jackson (3-3-6) finished with two goals and Christian Jensen (8-4-12) added a score and two assists. Modelski (3.83, .896, 2-3-1), who had a few amazing stops, made 39 saves as the Elis were outshot 45-30 after Yale had put nine of the game's first 11 shots on goal.

Bulldog Bites

Saturday's win avenged a loss to Clarkson at the Badger Showdown and ended a five-game (0-4-1) winless streak... Yale Hockey Youth Day is Jan. 22 at the 2 p.m. UConn game... The Yale-Harvard game at Ingalls on Jan. 29 will be broadcast live on Comcast's CN8 TV.. The Feb. 12 Cornell game is Yale Hockey Alumni Day with a morning game set for former players... Zach Mayer was injured in Friday's SLU game and was replaced in the lineup by freshman Matthew Thomey... The two power-play goals vs. SLU, which tie the season-high for Yale, were the first since the Dec. 3 Cornell game... The 13 penalties called on the Blue against the Saints tied the season-high set in the Nov. 6 Vermont game... Yale's four goals last Friday were the second-most scored in a game this season; the Elis hit the net seven times against Princeton on Nov. 27 at Ingalls... Mike Grobe, who had been out since game No. 4 with an injury, returned to the lineup on defense vs. SLU and finished +1.

Mills Gets Thrills For Teammates

Sophomore Brad Mills (Olds, Alb.), last year's team Rookie of the Year, was the only Bulldog to have goals in both games last weekend. He was also the only Bulldog with a point in both games at the Badger Showdown (2 assists). He leads the Blue with 16 points and 11 assists. Mills has points in 12 of the last 15 games including 3-7-10 during his eight-game point streak that ended on Jan. 11.

Unfit For a Tie

The 1-1 tie with Wisconsin on Dec. 31 was the first Yale draw in 98 contests. The Elis, who are 2-7-3 in OT games since 2000-01, had not been tied since a 1-1 game with Cornell on Nov. 30, 2002, at Ingalls Rink. Prior to the tournament, Yale's last three OT games had resulted in 4-3 losses in the conference playoffs.

Captain Nick

Nick Shalek (Purchase, N.Y.), who might be the first non-recruited skater to become captain of the Yale men's team, has also distinguished himself as the only Bulldog to play both up front and on the blueline. He has played 14 games up front this year and two on defense. At least Shalek does not have to be concerned about looking for a job next year; he has already signed on with the Yale Investments Office.

Yaworski Draws Notice

Freshman forward Blair Yaworski (Calgary, Alb.) is second among all ECACHL newcomers with six points on two goals and four assists in conference play. He leads the Yale freshmen with 3-4-7, but has not had a point in six games.

Zappala Recovers From Slow Start

After leading the nation with nine game-winning goals -- one shy of the NCAA record -- junior forward Joe Zappala (Medford, Mass.) did not have a point this season until the sixth game. He now has four goals and eight points over the last nine outings, including the big goal against the Badgers on Dec. 31 that helped Yale tie the No. 4 ranked team.

Modelski Has Both Wins and The Tie

Sophomore goalie Matt Modelski (3.48, .909, 2-4-1), who has had strong showings in three of his last four games, was hot again on Jan. 11 against BC. He stopped 49 of 50 shots as the Blue was outshot 50-11 and he halted six of seven power-play chances. That made two great games in a row for the Brighton, Mich., native. Facing a Knights team that had scored eight goals (Modelski did not play) against the Elis on Jan. 1 in the Badger Showdown, Modelski stopped 32 shots and all eight power-play chances in a 2-1 win on Jan. 8. He did not fair was well the night before against St. Lawrence (6 goals allowed), but seems to have won the top job for now. Modelski held No. 4 Wisconsin to one goal in 65 minutes on Dec. 31 before falling 3-2 in the shootout. Junior Josh Gartner (5.46, .866, 0-9) and Modelski had been sharing most of the starts with senior Peter Cohen (5.00, .820, 0-1) mostly coming in relief. Modelski (18 career GP), who had 36 saves in the 7-1 win over Princeton on Nov. 27, started three consecutive games for the first time in his career. Gartner (53 GP) had most of the starting duties for the last season and a half but has been out with an injury. Cohen (23 GP) played three games as a freshman, 14 as a sophomore and five last winter.

Jensen Has a Shot

Junior forward Christian Jensen (New Canaan, Conn.) is second among conference goal scorers with eight this season. Jensen, who started with one goal over the first five games, followed that with a productive run. Heading into the Badger Showdown he had six goals and eight points over seven games. Jensen, who leads the team with 63 shots on target, has two PPG and one SHG this season. He is also a midfielder on the Bulldog lacrosse team.

Shot On Goal Never a Bad Play

Yale has been outshot in 15 of the 17 games this season. The Elis put more rubber on net then Princeton in both meetings (one a win) and came close to outshooting the Badgers (27-21). The Elis have been outshot 649 to 414 this year.

Special Look

The Eli powerplay had gone scoreless since Dec. 3 until connecting for a pair of man-advantage goals on Jan. 7 in the 6-4 loss to SLU. Yale followed that with a combined 0-for-13 against Clarkson and BC and is now 10-for-96 (10.4%) on the seaosn. The Elis have outscored just one opponent (Brown) this year on the power play (2-1). Opponents have scored 35 goals in 112 (31.2%) chances with the extra man.

In Need of Nicknames

There are four Yale players named Matthew (or Matt) on the roster this winter, and a fifth if you include the fourth goalie who is not currently listed. The format of four matts is as follows: Goalie Matt Modelski (Brighton, Mich.), defensemen Matt Cohen (New York, N.Y.) and Matthew Craig (Brampton, Ont.) and forward Matthew Thomey (Harbour Grace, N.L.). No other first name is shared by more than two Bulldogs.

Blueliners Make Red

Yale defensemen, who contributed just three assists in the first eight games, accounted for three goals and 12 points over the last eight games. Sophomore Bill LeClerc lit the lamp in both games against Princeton for his first collegiate goals, while freshman Robert Page had the other goal on his first career point. Page and another blueliner, Matt Cohen, had assists at the Wisconsin tournament.

Spreading the Wealth

Sixteen Yale players have contributed points for Yale this season, including three rookies, Blair Yaworski, Robert Page and Jean-Francois Boucher. Ten of those skaters have scored goals, including sophomore Robert Burns, who lit the lamp for the first time in his career last Saturday.

Ranked Teams

Yale has games scheduled against seven teams currently ranked in the top 15 of both national polls. Boston College, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Cornell, Harvard, Vermont and Colgate are all on the Bulldog slate. The Elis are 0-4 against ranked teams this season and 0-6 vs. squads that are currently ranked.

Numbers To Avoid

The Elis, who could make a turn and find themselves moving up in the standings, are trying to avoid some dubious records this season. The record for losses in a season by a Yale team is 23 by the 1995-96 squad. The fewest wins by a Yale team in the modern era is one by the 1974-75 Elis coached by Paul Lufkin. That team went 1-21-1 and 0-19-1 in ECAC play with the only victory coming against Army, 9-2.