Jan. 11, 2005

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

BULLDOGS HOST NO. 2 RANKED EAGLES

Boston College Brings 6-Game Unbeaten Streak to Ingalls Rink

Ingalls Rink is the site for Tuesday night's New England inter-league showdown featuring one of the nation's perennial powers against a school with the oldest hockey tradition. Boston College from Hockey East has two national titles and has had 10 players taken in the first round of the National Hockey League draft over the last 19 years. While the modern resume of the Bulldogs does not match the boys from Chestnut Hill, Yale brought the game of hockey to this country and the Elm City has since seen its share of quality collegiate skaters.

The Series

On Jan. 21, 1922, the Boston College hockey team jumped off a train at Union Station and walked up State Street to a newly renovated New Haven Arena before Yale sent them back with a 7-0 loss in the first meeting. Since then the Eagles haven taken 40 of 50 games with Yale. The last encounter was a 2-1 BC win at New Haven on Jan. 6, 2002, and the last Eli victory was a 4-3 decision the year before at Conte Forum.

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.

Eagles Bring 6-Game Unbeaten Streak

Boston College (11-3-3, 6-1-3 HE), a Frozen Four participant five of the last seven years and the 2001 NCAA Champion, is 5-0-1 over its last six outings including two wins last week against Merrimack. The Eagles, who have nine National Hockey League draft picks on their roster, have home wins over defending national champ Denver and a strong North Dakota team this season. Junior forward Patrick Eaves, son of the Wisconsin head coach Yale faced at the Badger Showdown, leads the team in scoring with eight goals and 20 points. Ryan Shannon (6-11-17), Dave Spina (7-4-11), Stephen Gionta (4-6-10) and Brian Boyle (6-4-10) have also done their part at that end of the rink. BC, led by former Clarkson and Bowling Green coach Jerry York (709-475-65 in 32 years), is ranked third in the nation in scoring defense (1.87) and owns the country's top penalty-kill unit. Chris Collins had a goal and an assist while Matti Kaltiainen (1.70, .924, 6-3) made 17 saves in BC's 4-1 win over Merrimack on Jan. 4 at North Andover. He came back with 20 stops in the 3-1 win on Saturday. Freshman Cory Schneider (1.77, .927, 3-0), a member of the 2004-05 U.S. Junior National Team, has been sharing time in net and could be in action here.

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.

Officials

The guys wearing stripes for this game are as follows: R- Alex Dell; AR1- Chip McDonald; AR2 - Joe Ross

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 14 games including 3-7-10 during his current, eight-game point streak.

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 13 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 five 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 eight 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 (3.83, .896, 2-3-1), who had one of the great performances in Yale hockey history on Dec. 31 against Wisconsin, came up with another one on Jan. 8 against Clarkson. 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. 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. 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 (17 career GP), who had 36 saves in the 7-1 win over Princeton on Nov. 27, has only started consecutive games twice this season. Gartner (53 GP) had most of the starting duties for the last season and a half. 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 tournament he had six goals and eight points over seven games. Jensen, who leads the team with 61 shots on target, led the team with eight shots at the Badger Showdown. He is also a midfielder on the Bulldog lacrosse team.

Shot On Goal Never a Bad Play

Yale has been outshot in 13 of the 15 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).

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 an 0-for-6 showing against Clarkson and is now 10-for-89 (11.2%) on the seaosn. The Elis have outscored just one opponent (Brown) this year on the power play (2-1). Opponents have scored 34 goals in 105 (32.4%) 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 seven 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 0-3 against ranked teams this season and 0-5 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.

Yalies in the Pros

Eleven Tim Taylor disciples are lacing up their blades at work each day, including two players in the CHL (Vin Hellemeyer '04 & Stacey Bauman '03) and a pair in Europe (Dan Lombard '02 & Craig Ferguson '92). Here are the former Yale skaters who are playing pro hockey in the AHL as of Jan. 10.

Player Team GP, G-A-P

Ray Giroux '98 Houston Aeros 21, 3-5-8 Ben Stafford '01 Philadelphia Phantoms 34, 7-11-18 Jeff Hamilton '01 Hartford Wolfpack 20, 9-8-17 Jeff Dwyer '04 Chicago Wolves # 7, 0-2-2 Ryan Steeves '04 Hershey Bears 32, 2-2-4 Joe Callahan '06 Utah Grizzlies 33, 1-2-3 Chris Higgins '07 Hamilton Bulldogs 33, 6-9-15

# sent to ECHL

2005 ECAC Men's Hockey League Championship

Albany's Pepsi Arena is the site of the 2005 conference championships on Mar. 18-19. There will be youth hat and T-shirt giveaways, player autographs sessions and a fan fest taking place in front of the arena that features music, interactive games, food, strolling entertainment, face painters and more. Ticket Prices: All-Session Adult -- $46; All Session Child (14 and under) -- $24; Single session passes not available until closer to championship time... Charge by phone: 518-476-1000 or order online at www.pepsiarena.com

THE LAST TIME

A Yale Player.... Scored four goals Evan Wax vs. UConn, 1/25/03 Scored a hat trick Joe Zappala vs. UConn, 1/17/04 Scored shorthanded Brad Mills vs. Clarkson, 1/8/05 Scored an empty-net goal Joe Callahan vs. Clarkson, 1/9/04 Scored in OT Nick Deschenes vs. Cornell, 2/10/01 Had five points Luke Earl vs. Vermont, 2/23/01 Handed out 4 assists Jeff Hristovski vs. UConn, 1/17/04

Registered a shutout Dan Lombard vs. Colgate, 12/1/01 (5-0) Made 50+ saves Josh Gartner vs. Harvard, 2/6/04 (51)

* Zach Mayer tallied a SHG earlier that game

A Yale Team... Won with a shutout vs. Colgate, 12/1/01 (5-0) Skated to an OT tie at Wisconsin, 12/31/04 Won an OT game vs. Cornell, 2/10/01 (1-0) Played in a shootout at Wisconsin, 12/31/04 (3-2 L)

Had 40+ SOG vs. St. Lawrence, 3/5/04 (42) Allowed 50+ SOG at Dartmouth, 11/5/04 (50)

Scored 10 goals vs. Cornell, 2/6/98 (11-0) Allowed 10 goals vs. St. Cloud State, 10/30/04 (10-0)

Had 18+ SOG in period vs. Princeton, 11/27/04 (18 in 3rd, 7-1) Allowed 18+ SOG period vs. Clarkson, 1/1/05 (21 in 1st, 1-8)