Faceoff Factor

NCAA Weekend Recap: Return Of The Prodigal Writer

Andrew Chiappazzi | College/NCAA

Feb 25, 08:25 PM | Hype this story!

After a week chasing down stories regarding the shift of power in college basketball in the Pittsburgh area over the past month, the college hockey section of Faceoff Factor has returned.

Luckily for our intrepid readers, not much has truly shifted in the hockey department. Miami did have their issues continue against Ferris State, but they’ve righted the ship. 8-1 wins over Western Michigan tend to do that.

Speaking of Michigan based schools, the Spartans knocked off the Wolverines 5-2 early in the weekend, only to have the Wolverines return the palindromic favor the next night.

We also have our first clincher of the year. It all starts with…

The List:
Skater of the Weekend: Matt Siddall, F, So. Northern Michigan.
Six points in two games is always fun. Siddall has 26 points on the year, and the sophomore represents part of the hope for the Wildcats. They’re in the middle of the pack in the CCHA, something that teams should be proud of considering how top-heavy that conference is. Siddall had four points in a wild 6-4 win Friday night, including three assists. His two goals tied up the Saturday night game before NMU came up with the 4-3 win in OT.

Goalie of the Weekend: Richard Bachman, Fr. Colorado College.
One of the amazing things about the run the Tigers are on in the WCHA is the play of Bachman, and he had a perfectly symbolic weekend against Minnesota-Duluth. Colorado College swept MD 4-0 and 3-0, and Bachman stopped all 60 shots launched at him. That included 7 power plays Friday night Duluth. He has a great defense in front of him, but your goalie has to be your best penalty killer, and Bachman’s been tremendous. He’s played 27 games and a 1.71 GAA to go with his astronomical .935 save percentage. Insanity.

Champagne Pop of the Weekend: New Hampshire Wildcats, Hockey East champs.
While there are still two weeks of play left in the Hockey East, UNH clinched with a sweep of Boston College. That means the road to an auto-bid will go through the Granite State. UNH will need to stay hot, and they luckily finish with Merrimack and Vermont the next two weekends.

Resurrection of the Weekend: Boston Terriers.
Hey, look who’s back in the rankings! Boston’s inched their way up to an even record and 2nd in the Hockey East, and they’ve been awarded by being ranked for the first time in months. USCHO/CSTV lobbed them up to 14th. It’d be an incredible turnaround if the Terriers can get into the NCAA Tournament.

Power Rankings will be up tomorrow.