Series win will put Bears in NCAA Tourney

loading...

The battle lines have been drawn.

In what could go down as one of the most important Hockey East quarterfinal series ever, it appears as though the University of Maine’s best-of-three duel with visiting UMass Lowell beginning Friday will supply the winner with an NCAA Tournament berth and the loser with a early trip to the golf course.

Fourth seed Maine is 18-11-7 overall, 13-6-5 in Hockey East, and is currently tied for 14th in the PairWise rankings that are used to select the NCAA Tournament field. Fifth seed UMass Lowell, 20-10-4 and 11-10-3, respectively, is tied for 16th in the PWR.

One of the four criteria used is a team’s record against teams under consideration for the NCAA Tournament and since both teams are under consideration, the series winner should earn a nice boost in the PWR.

“That’s pretty much the way we’re looking at it and I’m sure they’re looking at it the same way,” said Maine sophomore right wing Keith Johnson. “The way we’re playing right now, I think we’ll be ready.”

Maine senior center-left wing Ben Murphy added, “We’re both right on the [NCAA] bubble. They played us hard every game this year. It should be an exciting weekend.”

Maine swept the River Hawks, but all three games were decided by two goals or less (5-4, 2-0, 5-3).

“It’s going to be a dogfight,” predicted junior goalie Jimmy Howard. “The team that sticks to its systems, plays smart hockey, plays the full 60 minutes and plays with [more] heart and determination will come out on top.”

Third seed New Hampshire, which appeared to be a shoo-in for the NCAA Tournament, has slipped to 13th in the PWR as a result of its 0-2-2 finish. UNH hosts No. 6 Northeastern in their quarterfinal series beginning Thursday.

The PairWise Rankings consist of : 1. Ratings Percentage Index; 2. Record vs. teams under consideration; 3. Record vs. common opponents; 4. Head to head competition.

The RPI evaluates a team’s season based on its record and the strength of the teams it played.

In addition, bonus points are awarded for non-conference wins against teams in the RPI’s Top 15.

It used to rate a team’s performance in its final 16 games but that was eliminated two years ago.

Maine is 0-4 against teams in the RPI’s Top 15 with two losses to No. 13 North Dakota and one apiece to No. 4 Cornell and No. 9 Harvard.

Boston College junior defenseman Peter Harrold and senior center Ryan Shannon said the Maine-UMass Lowell series should be a dandy.

“It’ll be a war,” said Harrold. “It’ll be an unbelievable series. Whoever gets the puck to the net and is able to establish a presence in front of the net and bang the puck home will win. Both are unbelievable at it.”

Shannon added, “You have to watch out for Lowell’s power play. When [Ben] Walter’s in front, it’s pretty powerful. But I like Maine’s chances. Orono is a real tough place to play.”

The regular-season champion Eagles host UMass and No. 2 Boston University awaits No. 7 Providence in the other series.

Alumni adversaries

Sunday afternoon’s America East Conference semifinal tournament game also served as a Virginia Tech coaching alumni session with two former Hokies basketball players sitting on the opposing benches.

University of Maine associate head coach Calvin Oldham and Northeastern University head coach Ron Everhart played ball together at Virginia Tech back in the early 1980s and remain friends. Sunday afternoon, however, their friendship was suspended for about two hours.

“We both understand this is business and we’re just as cordial to each other before and after the games,” said Oldham, who lives in Bangor with wife Roberta and children Calvin Jr. and Kareem. “But during the game, it’s all business.”

Everhart coached his team to an 86-73 victory over Maine to advance the Huskies to the tournament championship game for the first time since 1995.

“It’s hard sometimes because he’s a guy I respect professionally and a very good friend,” said Everhart, who is in his fourth season as NU’s head coach.

This is only the second season the two have been coaching in the same conference. Prior to coming to Maine, Oldham was a scout for the NBA’s Toronto Raptors. Before that, he coached seven seasons in the German Professional league for Steiner Optik (1995-1998) and then TSV Bayer04 (1998-2002).

“I had two players from McNeese State who played in that league,” Everhart said. “[Oldham] did well as a professional player and coach over there.”

Oldham, a native of Cleveland, graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in 1982 with a business management degree before joining the GPL as a player in 1983. He played for Steiner Bayreuth for seven years and SSV Ulm for three before retiring as the fourth-leading scorer in GPL history. He also played a season in the Continental Basketball Association for Wichita Falls (1991-92).

“He was a damn good player. He was a great rebounder who could shoot the midrange jump shot,” Everhart said of Oldham. “The thing I remember about him is he’s such a good person. He was one of those guys who looked out for you when you were a younger player. He’d let you know if you did stupid things, but he’d also kind of protect you out there.”

Everhart also remembered Oldham playing a lot more than he did their last year together. Everhart was redshirted as a freshman for an injury during Oldham’s junior season.

“I remember Ron being tough. He went through some injuries his freshman year and he always wanted to battle,” said Oldham. “He was a good shooter and team player with a positive attitude. We always enjoyed playing together.”

Everhart already had bragging rights before his Huskies beat Maine Sunday. His Hokies team (senior year, 1985) made it to the NCAA Tournament while Oldham’s did not.

“We went to the NIT my senior year. We were disappointed we didn’t get an NCAA bid after getting ranked as high as 18th,” Oldham said. “We lost to Georgia, who had Dominique Wilkins on the team.”