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With the start of the New Year the Clarkson University Hockey team will strive to turn its season around and make a strong second-half run in 2010. Returning from a 27-day break, the Golden Knights resume play this weekend when they participate in the Dodge Holiday Classic at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis. The Green and Gold, at 4-10-2 overall, face off against Northern Michigan in the first round on Saturday, beginning at 5:07 p.m. EST, and then battle either host University of Minnesota or Bowling Green in second-round action. Sunday’s games times are slated for 5:07 p.m. and 7:10 p.m. EST.
The Knights, guided by seventh-year head coach George Roll and associate coach Greg Drechsel, played only six of its first 16 games at home in Potsdam. The opening half of the schedule included road series at nationally-ranked Michigan State and Minnesota-Duluth along with single game encounters against Top-10 rated Quinnipiac and Boston College on their home ice.
After the tournament in Minnesota, Clarkson, led by junior captain Scott Freeman (Whitby, ONT) and assistant captains, senior Matt Beca (Mississauga, ONT) and junior Brandon DeFazio (Oakville, ONT), will host six consecutive games at Cheel Arena, beginning with a weekend series against Alabama-Huntsville on January 8-9. The Green and Gold, who will have made two plane trips to Minnesota and a lengthy bus ride to East Lansing MI, will play only two contests (at Brown and Yale on February 19-20) outside of New York for the remaining 16 games of the regular season.
The Knights, who are tied for 10th in the ECAC Hockey standings with a 1-5-2 conference mark, host central NY rivals Cornell and Colgate in their next league games on January 15-16.
In its final action of the 2009 portion of the schedule, Clarkson battled archrival St. Lawrence in a weekend North Country series. On December 4, the Knights rallied from a 3-1 deficit early in the third period to gain a 3-3 tie against the Saints at Appleton Arena in Canton. Sophomore Corey Tamblyn (Bobcaygeon, ONT) came through with the tying goal with 30 seconds left in regulation.
The next night at Cheel Arena, Clarkson saw its four-game unbeaten streak against its rivals come to an end as St. Lawrence scored on the power-play with 1:44 remaining in the third to pull out a 4-3 victory.
Beca leads the Knights in scoring with 16 points, including a team-high eight goals. The veteran right wing, with a five-game point-scoring streak (2-7), became the latest Clarkson player to join the Century Club. He recorded three assists in the December 4 game at St. Lawrence to reach the coveted mark. Through 128 career games, Beca has amassed 101 points on 39 goals and 62 assists.
Freeman is also riding a long point streak with nine assists over the past six games. He is the Knights’ leading playmaker with 12 assists and is second in points with 15. Sophomore defenseman Mark Borowiecki (Kanata, ONT) has emerged as an offensive force for Clarkson with 13 points (6-7). After scoring just one goal and two points as a rookie, Borowiecki has picked up his offensive play of late with four goals and three assists during a current five-game scoring streak.
DeFazio has 12 points (5-7) and shares the team lead in power-play markers with three, along with freshman Adam Pawlick (Utica, NY). Junior Louke Oakley (Whitby, ONT), who missed the last four games with an injury, also has 12 points (2-10).
Sophomore Paul Karpowich (Thunder Bay, ONT) has seen the bulk of the action in the Knights’ crease. Starting 12 games, he posts a .893 save percentage, a 3.60 goals against average and a 3-7-2 record. Classmate Richie LaVeau (Arlington Heights, IL) has played in five games and holds a .908 save percentage, a 3.15 GAA and a 1-3 record.
Dodge Holiday Classic Opponents
Northern Michigan, guided by eighth-year head coach Walt Kyle, comes into the Dodge Holiday Classic one game under .500 with a 7-8-4 overall record. The Wildcats are tied for 7th in the CCHA with a 5-6-3 league mark. Northern Michigan snapped a two-game losing stretch with a 2-1 victory over Michigan Tech in Marquette on December 18.
Guided by 11th-year head coach Don Lucia, Minnesota brings an 8-9-1 overall record and a seventh-place 6-7-1 WCHA mark into the New Year. The Gophers have won three straight entering the tournament and four of their last five games. In its last action, Minnesota gained a weekend sweep Michigan Tech (3-2, 3-2) on December 11-12.
The Falcons of Bowling Green are 2-14-2 overall and tied for 11th in the CCHA with a 2-10-2 conference slate. First-year head coach Dennis Williams’ squad is looking to break out of a seven-game winless skid (0-6-1). BGSU saw its current losing streak extended to four games when it was swept in a home-and-home series by nationally-ranked Michigan State (3-2 ot, 4-1) on December 11-12.
The Series:
Northern Michigan holds a slim 4-3 lead in the all-time series against Clarkson, but the Golden Knights have won the last two games. In a weekend series in Marquette on October 22-23, 1999, Clarkson swept the Wildcats by earning a pair of one-goal victories, 3-2 and 2-1. Northern Michigan won four straight in the series from 1979 through 1998. The Wildcats’ took two from the Green and Gold in Potsdam on October 23-24, 1998 (6-5, 3-2) for their last wins. Clarkson won the first game between the two schools, 5-4 in Marquette on November 2, 1979. In their only neutral site meeting, the Wildcats defeated the Knights 8-4 in the first round of the NCAA West Regional in Detroit on March 27, 1992.
Two traditional NCAA powerhouses, Clarkson and Minnesota have faced off against each other only three times with the Gophers skating away with the victory each time. All three games have come in the NCAA Tournament. Minnesota eked out a 2-1 win in the last meeting on March 27, 1993 in the opening round of the East Regional in Worcester, MA. The Gophers also swept the Knights (6-1, 5-1) at Mariucci Arena in NCAA first-round play on March 16-17, 1990.
Clarkson saw a six-game unbeaten streak (5-0-1) over Bowling Green come to an end last year in Ohio when the Falcons swept the Green and Gold 4-1 and 3-1 at BGSU Ice Arena on December 19-20. The Knights hold a slim 13-12-1 lead in the rivalry, which start with a 4-3 Clarkson triumph on January 12, 1970. The Knights posted their first shutout in the series with a 5-0 victory in Potsdam on November 24, 2006 for their last win. Nick Tremblay and Louke Oakley are the only Knights who have scored goals against the Falcons. Paul Karpowich and Richie LaVeau have both started one game in the series. Karpowich holds a .882 save percentage and a 4.00 GAA. LaVeau posts a .900 save percentage and a 3.05 GAA. George Roll is 2-2 against his alma mater.
Knight Notes:
Clarkson experienced two significant roster changes over the break. The Knights lost assistant coach Jean-Francois Houle, who accepted the head coaching position with the Lewiston MAINEiacs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Houle, a former player at Clarkson (1993-97), served on the Knights’ coaching staff since George Roll took over the program at the start of the 2003-04 campaign. Houle won his coaching debut for Lewiston when the MAINEiacs defeated Victoriaville 4-3 on December 27 … Clarkson added forward Markus Piispanen to the lineup. The leading scorer for the Espoo Blues Junior A team in Finland, Piispanen is expected to play in the Dodge Holiday Classic and help the Green and Gold generate more offense … After scoring just one goal and two points last season in his rookie campaign, defenseman Mark Borowiecki has emerged as a leading offensive force from the blueline. In 16 games this season he has tallied 13 points, including six goals. He has scored four goals and seven points over the past five games ... Corey Tamblyn is finally being rewarded for his hard work this season with three points over the past three games. He scored his first collegiate goal, off a tip in, and recorded an assist at Boston College (11/27), and also scored the tying goal at St. Lawrence (12/4) with 30 seconds left in regulation. He had just one assist in 18 games last season … Matt Beca leads the Green and Gold in scoring with 16 points with a balanced effort of eight goals and eight assists. He is the latest Golden Knight to join the Century Club with 101 career points (39-62) through 128 games. Beca has recorded two goals and seven assists during a current five-game point streak … Scott Freeman is working on a six-game point streak with nine assists over that span. He posted a career-high three assists at BC. Freeman has 15 points and a team-high 12 assists this season … Adam Pawlick has accounted for all the goal scoring by the freshman class with five … Seven different Knights have accounted for Clarkson’s 11 goals over the past four games … Jake Morley (Ogdensburg, NY) has a two-game goal-scoring streak … Paul Karpowich has started the past five games in the Clarkson goal and12 games overall this season … Clarkson is 1-10-2 this year when trailing or tied after 40 minutes … The Knights are unbeaten in their last 58 games (54-0-4) when leading after two periods, including a 3-0-0 mark this season … Clarkson is 0-2-2 over the past four games and 1-8-2 since October 30.
CLARKSON in Regular-Season Tournaments during the 2000s
Since the 2000-01 campaign, Clarkson has posted a 7-10-3 record in regular-season tournaments. The Golden Knights have advanced to three championships games, all coming over their past four tournaments, and won the 2006-07 Badger Showdown in Madison, WI. Clarkson also skated in last year’s Ohio Hockey Classic title tilt and in the 2005-06 Catamount Cup championship contest. The Green and Gold have struggled in opening round action, going just 3-7. The Knights are 3-1-3 in consolation games. Since 2003-04, Clarkson has gone 5-5-2 in tournament games with George Roll has head coach.
Overall Record: 7-10-3
First Round: 3-7
CHAMPIONSHIP Game: 1-2
Consolation Game: 3-1-3
