Duffy makes contribution for UM Freshman worked hard to improve

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MILWAUKEE – Like most freshmen, University of Maine men’s hockey defenseman Matt Duffy had his share of ups and downs.

After an impressive start, the youngster from Windham struggled and lost his confidence.

He played in Maine’s first seven games but was a healthy scratch in 14 of the next 17.

A finger injury sustained by junior defenseman Mike Lundin in the 2-1 win over Merrimack on Feb. 25 supplied Duffy with an opportunity to return to the lineup and he hasn’t looked back.

Duffy, who had been a healthy scratch for nine consecutive games, had an assist in the 2-2 tie with UMass on March 3 and had a pair of goals in a 4-3 victory over UMass Lowell in the Hockey East quarterfinal series clincher three games later.

When Lundin was ready to return to the lineup, Duffy had nudged out fellow freshman Simon Danis-Pepin for the sixth defenseman spot.

Duffy capped his resurgence with a goal and an assist in the 5-4 win over Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinal at the East Regional in Albany, N.Y., helping him earn All-Tournament honors.

“During that nine-game stretch [as a healthy scratch], I had to work on things like gapping on the defensive side of the puck and on getting pucks to the net. I also had to do a better job reading line rushes,” said Duffy. “I worked pretty hard on the penalty kill in practice. I got stronger and better.”

Maine junior left wing Josh Soares said Duffy has been “playing great for us.”

“He has good poise, a great shot and he can play physical,” said Soares.

Maine sophomore defenseman Travis Ramsey said Duffy has capitalized on his opportunity and has given the Bears a lift.

“He has made a point. he has proven what he can do,” said Ramsey.

Duffy entered the Frozen Four with a lot of confidence.

“I feel I’m peaking at the right time and I’m getting to contribute to the team,” said Duffy.

“I talked to a of people and they said your freshman year is a building year,” said Duffy, who feels he has continued to develop and credits his teammates for contributing to his development.

“We have a great attitude on the bench. If you make a bad play, the guys don’t get all over you,” said Duffy, who has three goals and seven assists in 27 games.

Johnson praises Standbrook

University of Wisconsin women’s hockey coach Mark Johnson, the 1980 U.S. Olympic team star whose Badgers won the NCAA title two weeks ago, said he is hoping to get Maine on his schedule some time in the near future.

“I know Guy [Maine women’s coach Guy Perron]. He coached my nephew [Scott McConnell] when he was with Chicago [in junior hockey]. When we played there in 2003, I was impressed with the campus. [The late] Shawn Walsh did a lot. It’s a great hockey town,” said Johnson.

Johnson, the second all-time leading scorer at Wisconsin (256 points in 125 games) who went on to have a productive 11-year NHL career (536 points in 706 games), credits former Wisconsin assistant and current Maine assistant Grant Standbrook with playing a major role in his career.

“He meant a lot to me,” said Johnson who has also worked several hockey camps with Standbrook. “I spent a lot of time with him and I was a big sponge. I tried to soak up as much [hockey knowledge] as I could.

“He not only made me a better player, he made me a better coach,” added Johnson.

Johnson said he served as Standbrook’s “demonstrator” at hockey clinics “so we would spend three or four hours each morning going over things. He was able to focus on the little things [that improve your game].

“He’s a wonderful man,” added Johnson.

Officiating to be discussed

Former Hockey East referee Frank Cole, the NCAA’s coordinator of officials, said one of the ideas that will be discussed by the American Hockey Coaches Association and the NCAA Rules Committee will be to change the current officiating system in college hockey to a two referees-two linesmen system like the NHL.

College hockey currently uses a one-referee, two-linesmen system although linesmen are allowed to call penalties that referees don’t see.

One of the benefits to the two-and-two system would be that there would be a referee at the far blue line who would be in “better position” to make a call on a disputed goal if a long pass is made to set up a breakaway. Another benefit would be to give more opportunities to young referees with a chance to develop by working with veteran referees.

Linesmen would not be allowed to call penalties if the two-referees, two-linesmen system is implemented.

“And we would want referees to be paired together in teams,” said Cole.

That familiarity would be helpful in developing more consistency.

One of the complaints in the past, when a two-referee system was used, was that one referee would call a lot of penalties and the other wouldn’t call any.

Cole said it has been a “good year” as far as officiating is concerned and the three rule changes have been well-accepted.

This season, a five-minute hitting-from-behind penalty has included the option to assess either a game misconduct or game disqualification with it depending upon the severity of the infraction. A hitting-from-behind major and game misconduct means the player is tossed from that game but can play in the next one. If a game disqualification penalty is tacked on, the player will miss the next game.

For the first time this season, a player can legally have his skate in the opponents’ crease when a goal is scored as long as he “doesn’t prevent the goalie from making a save.”

The other one deals with a player who directs the puck into the opposing net with his skate.

“He can direct it in. That is considered an athletic move. But he can’t make a kicking motion,” said Cole.

According to Ty Halpin, the NCAA Rules Committee liaisons, the discussions between the American Hockey Coaches Association and members of the officials’ committee and a survey supplied to coaches, will all be digested and the NCAA Rules Committee will eventually be supplied with recommendations.

Those recommendations will go to the Oversight Panel for approval, rejection or tweaking.

Halpin said because the two-referees, two-linesmen system isn’t on the books, if it is approved it would be added but leagues could choose to use another system.

It would be up to the NCAA Championships Committee whether to use it in the NCAA Tournament.

BC wants to play Maine

Boston College players said they would like to face Maine in an All-Hockey East final.

BC did its part with a 6-5 win over North Dakota.

“It would be a lot better than an All-WCHA final like last year,” said BC senior defenseman and captain Peter Harrold.

Senior right wing Stephen Gionta said, “It would show a lot about our league, the depth that we have and the competitiveness.”

Gionta added that having two teams in the Frozen Four after having an All-WCHA Frozen Four last year “shows we have one of the better leagues this year.”