Monday, February 21, 2000
 
MAINE & MERRIMACK COMPLETE WEEKEND SWEEPS
BU Clinches Home Ice; Championship Tickets Selling At Record Pace
 
LAWRENCE, MA - Both the University of Maine and Merrimack College earned
weekend sweeps over conference opponents to strengthen their respective
positions in the race for playoff positioning. Maine managed a pair of wins
over UMass Lowell (4-1, 4-3) with freshman Martin Kariya (F, N. Vancouver,
BC) tallying 2-2-4 for Hockey East Rookie of the Week honors.
 
Merrimack College came out the winner in a closely contested pair of games
against Northeastern, including a 1-0 shutout on Friday. Senior Chris
Classen (G, Carrot River, SK) posted both wins in net for the Warriors with
49 saves over the two nights. For his efforts, Classen has been named the
Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week.
 
Boston College earned a split with the University of New Hampshire on
Sunday largely on the play of junior Hobey Baker candidate Brian Gionta.
Gionta scored the Eagles' first three goals in the 4-1 win over the
Wildcats to earn Hockey East Player of the Week honors. Sharing the weekly
award with Gionta is Boston University senior forward Tommi Degerman
(Helsinki, FINLAND). Degerman recorded 3-1-4 for the Terriers, leading them
to their sixth consecutive Beanpot title and home ice for the quarterfinals
of the Hockey East tournament.
 
Tickets for the 2000 Hockey East Championship to be held March 17th & 18th
at Boston's FleetCenter are selling a record pace, with nearly half the
seats for the event sold at last count. Tickets are available through
TicketMaster at (617) 931-2000 or at www.TicketMaster.com.
KOHO Co-Players of the Week:
TOMMI DEGERMAN, Boston University - (SR F, Helsinki, FINLAND) collected
3-1-4 for the Terriers last week.
 
BRIAN GIONTA, Boston College - (JR F, Rochester, NY) led BC to victory over
UNH with three goals on Sunday.
Rookie of the Week:
MARTIN KARIYA, Maine - (FR F, N. Vancouver, BC) posted back to back
two-point games to finish with 2-2-4 in weekend sweep of UMass Lowell.
Defensive Player of the Week:
CRIS CLASSEN, Merrimack College - (SR G, Carrot River, SK)earned third
shutout of the season with 1-0 win on Friday, followed by 3-2 OT victory on
Saturday.
Hockey East Honor Roll:
MIKE MOTTAU, Boston College - (SR, D, Avon, MA) netted three assists
against UNH Sunday in pursuit of BC's all-time career assist record (Emma,
127). Mottau is now five assists shy of the record.
 
TIM KELLEHER, Boston College - (FR, G, Belmont, MA) made 27 stops to earn
critical win against UNH.
 
FREDDY MEYER, Boston University - (FR, D, Sanbornville, NH) went 0-3-3 for
the Terriers on the week.
 
CORY LAROSE, University of Maine - (SR, F, Campbellton, NB) posted 2-3-5 in
two wins over UMass Amherst.
 
MICHAEL SCHUTTE, University of Maine - (FR, D, Burlington, ON) scored 0-3-3
in two games.
 
TONY WHITE, Merrimack College - (SR, D, Levack, ON) 1-2-3 for the Warriors,
including lone goal in 1-0 win Friday.
 
TY CONKLIN, University of New Hampshire - (JR, G, Anchorage, AK) made 56
saves on the weekend to lead UNH to 20th win.
 
JASON SHIPULSKI, University of New Hampshire - (SR, F, Saugus, MA) posted
two-goal game against BC Friday.
 
MATT SWAIN, University of New Hampshire - (JR, F, Oakville, ON) posted
two-goal game against BC Friday.
 
DREW OMICIOLI, Providence College - (SO, F, West Warwick, RI) went 2-2-4 in
Friars 5-2 win over BU Friday.
 
BOYD BALLARD, Providence College - (SO, G, Weyburn, SK) made 66 saves in
two games against #2 ranked BU this weekend.
Hockey East Notes:
BOSTON COLLEGE has killed 44 straight penalties dating back to the first
period of a game against Maine on Jan. 28. The Eagles have stopped 49 of
their opponents' last 50 pwer play chances. Brian Gionta (Jr, F, Rochester,
NY) is now in sole possession of 12th on the BC all-time scoring list
(82-81-163). Scott Clemmensen's (Jr, G, Urbandale, IA) streak of
consecutive shutout minutes ended at 216:06 on Feb. 19 against UNH.
Cleemensen had posted three straight shutouts and had not allowed a goal
since Jan. 22...BOSTON UNIVERSITY notched its 20th win of the season with
the 4-3 win over Providence on Saturday. It marked the 18th time in Jack
Parker's 27-year coaching history at B.U. that his team has topped the
20-win mark. By contrast, he has had only four losing seasons. After going
undefeated (8-0-4) during their first 12 games of the millennium, the
Terriers finally lost for the first time in 2000 when they bowed at
Providence, 5-2. However, they came back the next night to post a 4-3 vs.
the Friars as they are now 9-1-4 in 2000.With only one regular-season home
game left, the Terriers are 11-0-3 at Walter Brown Arena. If they beat
Northeastern next Sunday (February 27th), it will mark only the third time
in Walter Brown Arena history that the Terriers finish with an undefeated
season. They were 10-0-0 in 1977-78 and 12-0-2 in 1974-75. Since moving in
to Walter Brown Arena in 1971-72, the Terriers are 318-106-30....UNIVERSITY
OF MAINE scored short-handed goals in both games this weekend and both
proved to be eventual game-winners. Maine will look to strengthen its hold
on fourth place with a pair of games against Merrimack in Orono this
weekend...UMASS AMHERST will return from being idle last week with a
home-and-home set against Boston College...UMASS LOWELL outshot Maine in
both games this weekend. The River Hawks continue to improve on the power
play and are now .125 after spending most of the year hovering around .100.
Lowell has outscored teams 64-58 this season when the two teams have been
at even strength. Rookie Ed McGrane (Fr, F, Hamilton, ON) has 20 points on
the season, he is the first rookie to have 20 points since Brad Rooney did
back in finished with 25 back in 1997-98. Jimi St. John (So, G, Windsor,
On) returned to the lineup this weekend for the first time since he broke
his collar bone January 4...MERRIMACK COLLEGE's six overtime games marked a
NCAA Division I record for consecutive overtime games, breaking the
previous mark of five set by Bowling Green (1971-1972) and then tied by RPI
(1991-1992). The Warriors have notched a school-record four shutouts in
Hockey East conference play this season. The school record for shutouts in
an entire season is five set in 1987-88 and then equaled in 1988-1989.
Senior Cris Classen's (G, Carrot River, SK) three shutouts are one shy of
the school-record set by Jim Hrivnak in 1986-87 and then again in 1988-89.
Merrimack is unbeaten in seven of its last eight games. Saturday was the
Warriors' ninth overtime game of the season, one shy of the school-record
of 10 set in 1984-1985. Merrimack extended its unbeaten streak against
Northeastern to six games. The last eight games for Merrimack have been
decided by one goal or less...UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE earned its 20th
win for the fourth straight season. Since the 1990-91 season, UNH has
registered 20 wins eight different times. The Wildcats are 17-0-4 at home
in its last 21 games when the Whittemore Center is soldout. With Friday's
4-1 victory against BC, UNH head coach Dick Umile earned his 225th career
victory. In nine years behind the UNH bench, Umile has posted a 225-117-27
record. A total of 99,899 fans have seen the Wildcats at the Whittemore
Center this season. The all-time record for attendance at the Whitt is
107,477 set in 1996-97, but that was in 19 games. UNH should break the
record this season after just 17 games. Freshman forward Patrick Foley
(Milton, MA) has been cleared to play after missing the last five games
while suffering from a concussion received during UNH's 2-2 tie against
Merrimack on Feb. 4...NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY outshot Harvard 19-2 in the
second period of the Beanpot consolation game, and 39-16 overall. Harvard's
victory was only its second non-conference win of the season. The other was
also against Northeastern, a 6-5 OT win on Dec. 19. Merrimack's win at NU
broke an eight-game unbeaten streak for the Huskies at home. It was just
the Huskies' second loss at Matthews Arena this year. (Now 10-2-1). The
Huskies have only one defeat in nine conference games against the teams
ahead of them in the standings (4-1-4) but are 3-6 against the teams below
them....PROVIDENCE COLLEGE has played nationally ranked teams in five of
its last six games and has posted a 4-2 record over the same stretch. The
Friars will play a home-and-home series against UMass Lowell this weekend
before wrapping up against another ranked opponent, Maine, in the final
weekend of the regular season.
Regarding The Suspension of Boston University Coach Jack Parker:
Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna issued the following statement: "Jack
Parker was issued a one-game suspension stemming in part from his decision
to remove his team from the ice during Friday night's game at Providence
College. Boston University declined its right of appeal and Coach Parker
sat out Saturday's home game against Providence. My decision was based on a
number of situations involving Coach Parker and officials during my tenure
as Hockey East Commissioner."