Hounds finally barking up right tree

After long drought, Huskies get a whiff of the NCAAs

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - His team has struggled somewhat late in the season but Northeastern coach Greg Cronin remains upbeat about his team's chances in the NCAA Midwest Regional.

The second-seeded Huskies (25-11-4), playing in their first NCAA Tournament since 1994, meet third-seeded Cornell this afternoon at 4 at Van Andel Arena. Top seed Notre Dame plays Bemidji State in the nightcap, with the winners meeting tomorrow night.

"Everybody talks about the second season," said Cronin. "The regular season is over. We're the only team in the country that didn't lose back-to-back games in the regular season. The playoffs start the second season. So you throw the other stuff out. Now every game becomes a different agenda."

That's not to say Cronin doesn't know what the Huskies are up against. In the final regular-season USCHO/CBS national poll, Notre Dame is ranked second, Northeastern sixth, and Cornell ninth.

"I think it's the toughest regional in the tournament," said Cronin. "It's very difficult. I don't know anything about Bemidji State. I know [Notre Dame coach] Jeff Jackson's teams are very physical. You have to fight for every inch of ice. It's a very defensive, blue-collar style of hockey."

Northeastern, 5-3-2 in its last 10 games, including an overtime loss to UMass-Lowell in the Hockey East semifinals, is led by Hockey East player of the year Brad Thiessen, who allowed 2.09 goals against with a .932 save percentage.

"I'll just go out and do my job," Thiessen said. "If I worry about things and put too much pressure on myself, it will take away from my play."

Cornell (21-9-4), Cronin said, "has a very deliberate style. They try and force you to face the glass a lot. They're very focused on keeping everything to the outside. They've built their team around that. Their personnel reflects big, strong guys. Our challenge is to try to use our speed and quickness."

The Big Red, drubbed by Yale in the ECAC tournament final, are also led by their goalie, junior Ben Scrivens. He has the fourth-best goals-against average in the nation (1.77) and the fifth-highest save percentage (.933), and his seven shutouts rank second.

"It's exciting to be here. It's a great honor for the team," said Cornell defenseman Justin Krueger. "We're definitely looking forward to the game. It's going to be a challenge since both teams don't know much about each other and play in different leagues. It will be a tough battle. Everybody is trying to make the Frozen Four. It's everybody's dream."

Cronin said special teams play will be important. Both teams excel at the penalty kill, and struggle when a man up. Cornell hits on 15.5 percent of the power plays while NU does at a 15.2 clip. The Huskies have killed off 86.4 percent of their penalties, Cornell 86.2.

"We'll have to be very disciplined," said Cronin. "The one wild card is how the officials will referee these games. In our league, the penalties went down as we went further into the season. Our desire is to keep power plays low."

"Special teams will be a big thing," agreed Krueger. "Discipline is a big factor, too. You never know the reffing. That's a big thing, too."

The Huskies are anticipating low-scoring games.

"If you look at the way things have gone for all four teams this season, they're all strong defensively," Thiessen said.

NU defenseman Joe Vitale seconded that notion.

"It's going to come down to playing strong defense," the Huskies captain said. "I think both teams are sound defensively. The team that makes the most of its chances will come out on top."

Cronin isn't expecting NCAA Tournament pressure to affect his team, even though none of his players has participated in one.

"The Beanpot is bigger than anything here," he said. "It's probably the biggest thing. Next to the Beanpot is the [Frozen Four]. The fact we haven't won the Beanpot in a while, there's a lot of pressure going into the tournament. Our guys have been through that."

"We've got a good team," Thiessen said. "We've grown together over the last few years. A big key has been learning how to win."