March 25, 2005

#2 Michigan vs. #3 Wisconsin; Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan: 2004-05 Season Results: Michigan: 30-7-3 (23-3-2, 1st CCHA Reg. Season) Wisconsin: 23-13-4 (16-9-3, T-3rd WCHA Reg. Season)

Conference Tournament Results: Michigan: The Wolverines swept Notre Dame by scores of 10-1 and 1-0 (ot) advancing to the CCHA Super 6. Once there, they beat Alaska Fairbanks, 3-1, and took home the Mason Cup and an NCAA automatic bid, as CCHA Champions, with a 4-2 victory over Ohio State.

Wisconsin: The Badgers snuck past the Seawolves of Alaska Anchorage in three games, winning the first 5-1, dropping the second by a score of 2-1, before taking the series with a 2-1 Sunday night victory. Wisconsin fell to North Dakota, 3-2, in the WCHA Final Five play-in game to finish the tournament in fifth-place.

First-Round Preview: Michigan is making its 15th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and its 29th overall. The Wolverines own a 59-50-7 series advantage over their first-round opponent, the University of Wisconsin, including a 2-2-0 mark in NCAA Tournament games. The two teams met earlier this year during the College Hockey Showcase with the Badgers pulling out a 3-1 win in Madison. UM enters the Midwest Regional on the heels of a 10-game winning streak and has not lost in 13 contests, going 11-0-2 in that span. Friday night's contest will feature two of the more balanced teams in the nation; both teams rank in the top-20 nationally for team offense and team defense. The key match-up will be how Wisconsin's defense, tied for sixth nationally allowing just 2.17 goals per game, will deal with a Wolverine offense that leads the nation in scoring average at 4.28.

Key Player Match-Ups: Sophomore T.J. Hensick and junior Jeff Tambellini lead Michigan up front; Hensick is a Hobey Finalist and Tambellini is the 2005 Bill Beagan Award winner as the Super 6 Tournament MVP. The duo currently finds themselves in a dead heat for the team scoring title. Hensick has posted 22-30-52 while Tambellini checks in with 21-31-52 this season. The Badgers defensive approach starts between the pipes, where senior goaltender Bernd Bruckler has been the workhorse this season, boasting a 2.35 GAA and a .916 save percentage.

Potential Second Round Opponents: #1 Colorado College: The Tigers are 29-8-3 and finished the regular season tied for first place in the WCHA with Denver University. CC finished second in the WCHA Tournament falling to the Pioneers 1-0 in the Final Five championship game Saturday evening. The Tigers enter the tournament fourth in the nation in scoring, averaging 3.70 goals per game and is tied for sixth in team defense at 2.17. Junior forwards Brett Sterling and Marty Sertich lead both Colorado College and the nation in scoring with 61 points each; Sterling, 32-29-61, leads the nation in goals, while Sertich, 25-36-61, is tied for second in the race to be the country's top assist man. Tiger's senior Curtis McElhinney sports a 19-3-1 record this season and boasts a 1.93 GAA and a .934 save percentage this season. Michigan is 57-34-3 all-time against Colorado College, including a 33-18-1 record when the two teams were WCHA rivals. The past two meetings have occurred in the NCAA tournament, the Wolverines posted a 5-3 win in the 2003-03 Midwest Regional Final and a 3-2 win in 1995-96 to claim the national championship.

#4 Colgate: Colgate finished the regular season with a 25-10-3 record and finished third in the ECACHL with 31 points this season. CU also claimed third place during the conference tournament bouncing back from a 3-1 semifinal loss to Harvard with a 2-1 win over the Vermont Catamounts. Like most teams from the ECACHL, the Raiders win with team defense, fourth overall allowing opponents just 1.89 goals per game, and special teams; Colgate ranks in the top 15 nationally with an 85.9 penalty-kill success rate. The Raiders rely heavily on senior goaltender Steve Silverthorn who owns carries a 1.77 GAA and a .925 save percentage into the tournament. Silverthorn sits seventh nationally in minutes played, logging more than 2,170 minutes this season. Michigan holds an 4-1-1 edge in the all-time series with Colgate, a mark which includes a first round 4-3 overtime win in the 1999-2000 NCAA East Regional.

#3 Ohio State vs. #2 Cornell; Mariucci Arena, Minneapolis, Minnesota: 2004-05 Season Results: Ohio State: 27-10-4 (21-5-2, 2nd CCHA Reg. Season) Cornell: 26-4-3 (18-2-2, 1st ECACHL Reg. Season)

Conference Tournament Results: Ohio State: The Buckeyes were pushed to three games by upset minded Ferris State; they opened the series with a 4-2 win, but lost game two in overtime 1-0, but earned a trip to Detroit with a 5-4 (OT) win Sunday. Ohio State knocked off Michigan State 4-1, but lost, in a rematch of the 2004 Super Six final, to rival Michigan 4-2.

Cornell: The Big Red cruised to the ECACHL Tournament crown, sweeping Clarkson in round one by scores of 5-3 and 3-2 (OT), before beating Vermont 3-0 in the semifinals and Harvard 3-1 in the title game.

First-Round Preview: Ohio State, making its third consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament, is very familiar with first-round opponent Cornell; the two teams have met at least once in the last six years including twice last season when they split a pair of 4-3 contests. The Buckeyes lead the overall series with the Big Red 6-5-0. Saturday's first-round game in Minneapolis will feature two teams with very similar styles. Ohio State has used good defense and special teams play to earn hard fought victories this season. The Buckeyes rank ninth in overall team defense allowing just 2.27 goals per game and are fifth and eighth on the penalty kill, 86.9 percent, and power play, 22.0 percent, respectively. The Big Red are phenomenal on special teams; leading the nation in both penalty killing, 89.1 percent, and on the power play, finding success 25.1 percent of the time. Cornell has also scored eight shorthanded goals this season and leads the nation in team defense allowing just 1.24 goals per game.

Players To Watch: Three of the Buckeyes top scorers, freshman Tom Fritsche, sophomore Matt Beaudoin, and freshman Dominic Maiani, are underclassmen. Fritsche leads the team with 43 points and 33 assists, while Beaudoin paces the goal scorers with 22 on the season. Cornell sophomore goaltender David McKee leads the nation in goals against average at 1.20 and in save percentage at .947 percent. The Irving, Texas, native also ranks first nationally with 10 shutouts.

Potential Second Round Opponents: #1 Minnesota: With a 26-14-1 record overall, 17 wins, good enough to tie for third place in the WCHA, and a strong Pairwise Ranking the Gophers wrapped up a number one seed in regional play. Minnesota managed only a fourth-place finish at the WCHA Final Five; after sweeping Minnesota State the Golden Gophers fell to Colorado College 3-0 and lost in the consolation game to North Dakota 2-1. Minnesota is the West Regional host and all three games will be played on their home rink at Mariucci Arena. Like past Gopher teams, the 2004-05 edition is built on speed and offensive prowess averaging 3.66 goals per game. The team boasts three 40-point scorers; junior Tyler Hirsh leads the team with 11-33-44. Sophomore forwards Danny Irmen and Ryan Potulny are the top goal scoring threats with 24-19-43 and 24-17-41, respectively. Minnesota leads the all-time series with Ohio State 1-8-0.

#4 Maine: The Black Bears locked up their NCAA bid with a strong performance in the Hockey East Tournament. The Bears swept Mass-Lowell for the second time in two weeks and pushing eventual champion Boston College to double overtime before losing 2-1 in the semi-finals. Maine finished the regular season 13-6-5 in Hockey East play, finishing the season in fourth place, and are 20-12-7 overall. The team allows an even 2.00 goals per game, good enough for fifth in the nation, and kills penalties at an 87.4 success rate, third overall, thanks in large part to junior goaltender Jimmy Howard. Howard is the national leader in minutes played, with 2,248 minutes, and sports a 1.95 GAA and a .922 save percentage to go with 7 shut outs. Ohio State and Maine have met 12 times, with the Black Bears holding a 10-2-0 lead in the overall series.