SiouxFanInBoston Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 HC faces tough first test By Jamie Pote (Boston Herald) Monday, March 22, 2004 WORCESTER - The Holy Cross men's hockey team captured the first Atlantic Hockey Association title on Saturday with a 4-0 whitewash of Sacred Heart. Less than 24 hours later, the Crusaders collected their prize - a spot in the NCAA tournament for the first time in the 34-season history of the program. The team gathered at the school's Hogan Campus to watch the live televised selection of the 16 teams that will compete for a spot in the national championship game April 10 at the FleetCenter. About 15 minutes into the telecast, the Crusaders learned they will face No. 1 overall seed North Dakota in the first round of the West Regional on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo. ``This is huge,'' Holy Cross senior forward Matt Conway said. ``It feels like I'm on top of the world right now. It's been a long four years for us seniors, and (Saturday night) was the best. We're still all tingling, and we're just floating on clouds.'' Holy Cross is one of five New England teams to make the tournament, along with Maine, Harvard, Boston College and New Hampshire. The 16 teams - placed into East, Northeast, Midwest and West regionals - dwindle down to the Frozen Four, which begins April 8 at the FleetCenter. The Crusaders (22-9-4) technically are the bottom team in the tournament. They are the last No. 4 seed and will face the top-seeded Fighting Sioux (29-7-3), who split a pair of games against BC early in the season. The winner of Friday's first-round game will face the winner of a matchup between second-seeded Denver and third-seeded Miami (Ohio) in Saturday's quarterfinal round. ``I told the kids (yesterday at 8 a.m.) that we would be playing North Dakota,'' Holy Cross coach Paul Pearl said. ``They know we got in as an automatic bid and they know that we are the 16th seed. They know their roles. It's the first time in school history that we're going to the NCAAs so obviously we're going to be the underdogs. Like it or not, we're the underdogs - so be it.'' Pearl's team finished 17-12-5 last season, and the coach knew he had the talent to improve. The Crusaders began this season 3-3-1, including a miserable 7-0 loss in the Maine Tournament to the host Black Bears, but they responded to the mediocre start with 10 wins in their next 11 games. Holy Cross breezed through the Atlantic tournament. The Crusaders pounded American International, 5-0, in the first game, beat Canisius, 4-1, in the semifinals, then blanked Sacred Heart in the title game. They scored 13 goals in the tournament and allowed just one. Senior forward Jeff Dams leads Holy Cross in scoring with 14 goals and 25 assists in 35 games. Senior captain Greg Kealey (15 goals, 19 assists) and sophomore Pierre Napert-Frenette (16 goals, 17 assists) combine with Dams to pace the offense. Physical seniors J.R. Walker and R.J. Irving lead the defensive corps, and freshman Jon Landry (three goals, 12 assists) has been an added force on the blue line. Sophomore Tony Quesada has handled the bulk of the goaltending duties, compiling a 17-5-2 record with a 2.19 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage. ``We just have to keep doing what we have been doing,'' Conway said. ``Our offense will come, and we just have to keep up playing strong, both offensively and defensively.'' North Dakota is led by a dynamic forward attack of Brandon Bochenski (26 goals, 32 assists) and Zach Parise (22 goals, 31 assists). ``We know they are a good opponent and it'll be a good test, but it's going to be a lot of fun,'' Dams said. ``It's been four long years and for us to get a NCAA bid is so huge, especially being a senior. We just want to make the school proud.'' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superman0099 Posted March 23, 2004 Share Posted March 23, 2004 Congrats to Holy Cross, it's just too bad they have to play UND first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Posted March 23, 2004 Share Posted March 23, 2004 Let's hope this tournament turns out better for the #1 overrall seed than it did for my beloved Wildcats . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
streakygopher Posted March 23, 2004 Share Posted March 23, 2004 We just want to make the school proud.'' Then why don't you just forfeit...at least that way they could be proud of you because you're smart. The only way they even stay in it is if their goalie makes about 60 saves. Reminds me of last year's Minnesota vs. Mercyhurst...just a speed bump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jojordan23 Posted March 23, 2004 Share Posted March 23, 2004 Regardless of the opinions of us fans, I seriously hope the Sioux are not taking HC lightly. Seems like they have a lot of seniors on their team, which means they are playing every game as if it their last one... that makes for a dangerous opponent. Then again, they did lose to Maine, and gave up 7 goals doing it... Oh yeah, and MN lost to Maine, 4-0. I wonder where Maine's offense went?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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