PNCLL Weekly Beat Week 2
Submitted by walax on Mon, 2006-03-27 09:36.
Headline News
THE PNCLL WEEKLY BEAT March 21-28, 2006 by Douglas Muffinigan
SCOREBOARD
|
Date |
PNCLL-B
|
|
23-Mar
|
Western Wash 3, Claremont 19
|
|
24-Mar
|
Linfield 12, Fort Lewis 14
|
|
25-Mar
|
Montana 12, UVSC 17
|
|
26-Mar
|
Linfield 6, Montana 15
|
POWER RANKINGS
|
TEAM |
Conference W/L
|
|
Montana
|
5-0
|
|
Western Washington
|
5-1
|
|
Southern Oregon
|
5-2
|
|
Central Washington
|
2-1
|
|
Whitman
|
3-2
|
|
Pacific Lutheran
|
3-2
|
|
Linfield
|
4-3
|
|
Western Oregon
|
3-3
|
|
Albertson
|
2-3
|
|
Puget Sound
|
1-3
|
|
Lewis and Clark
|
0-7
|
|
Willamette
|
0-6
|
*To view the most current and complete Computer Rankings, visit LaxPower
RECAPS
PNCLL-B
**Western Washington had a tough game against Claremont College this week. With only 12 shots on goal, the Vikings never had a chance. Unable to control the face-offs, or hold off the relentless attack, the Vikings could only put in 3 goals against the vastly superior Cougars. Claremont’s defense and goaltending played very well not allowing any breathing room for the Vikings. Final: 3-19.
**In Linfield’s loss to Fort Lewis, all was not bad. Though Linfield ended up letting in 14 goals, they still managed to keep the game close with high powered offense. Showing that they can put in goals at a furious pace, Linfield strung together a 5-0 run late in the game to bring it within two. Yet, still down 10-12 with time running out, Linfield could not finish. Fort Lewis put the game away in the end, 14-12.
**#4 Montana vs. #5 UVSC was another high scoring game. Though the Grizzlies came out early to make a statement with a 4-0 start, the game was far from over. The momentum shifted back and fourth in the second quarter after UVSC settled their nerves. By the third quarter, UVSC really began to come together as Montana began to fall apart. With the momentum on their side, UVSC ran away without looking back. Goal after goal, the Montana goalie, Crosby was beginning to get frustrated. Going into the fourth quarter, Montana had given up eight goals in the third quarter, scoring only one themselves. Heading into the fourth quarter Montana was down 9-13 and needed to make a run, but the miracle never happened. Slowly the clock ticked away finalizing the game at 12-17 in UVSC’s favor.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
Montana, Western Washington, and Southern Oregon have qualified for the 2006 playoffs. Though Montana and WWU have all but secured the #1 and #2 spots, advancing them straight to the second round, Southern Oregon will have to play the #6 team to advance. The rest of the board looks pretty open as many teams still have only two or three wins. Linfield has four wins, but with three losses, they will have to play well to finish off the season.
Top 10 League Leaders
Name Team P/G.
|
1.
|
Hart, Cody
|
Jr
|
Albertson
|
8.00
|
|
2.
|
Butterwegge, Joshua
|
Jr
|
W Oregon
|
6.17
|
|
3.
|
Whitehead, Jamison
|
Jr
|
S Oregon
|
5.50
|
|
4.
|
Johnson, Chris
|
Jr
|
C Wash
|
5.50
|
|
5.
|
Ault, Zander
|
So
|
Montana
|
5.33
|
|
6.
|
Healy, John
|
So
|
W. Washington
|
5.25
|
|
7.
|
Hall, Townsend
|
So
|
Montana
|
5.00
|
|
8.
|
Tkachuk, Nicholas
|
Fr
|
PLU
|
4.40
|
|
9.
|
Burke, Colin
|
Fr
|
Albertson
|
4.40
|
|
10.
|
Olsen, Kristofer
|
Sr
|
PLU
|
4.20
|
TOP PERFORMERS
ZANDER AULT, SO, Attack, MONTANA…Zander kept the Grizzlies going, giving them a fighting chance against UVSC in their loss. Without Ault’s 5 goals, the Grizzlies would probably have been in much worse shape. Only a sophomore, Zander still has time to improve his game to become an amazing threat to the opposing defense.
TOWNSEND HALL, SO, Attack, MONTANA...Townsend didn’t fare too badly himself against UVSC. Though Hall only had three goals throughout the game, he added two assists. Also only a sophomore, Townsend and Zander have some time to really piece their game together. When these two really begin to recognize each other’s styles, they will be nearly impossible to stop. I will be excited to see what they can do against WWU in the game coming up.
GAMES TO WATCH
4/1 Albertson @ PLU… It may be April fools day, but this game is definitely no joke. Both of these teams desperately need to win this game in order to increase their chances of making the playoffs. With one loss here, Albertson could fall to 2-4. If that happens, Albertson might as well kiss their playoff hopes goodbye.
4/1 Western Wash @ Central Wash …This is another huge game within the PNCLL. Both of these teams only have one loss. This is the one chance that Central Washington has to grab the #2 spot on the playoffs. A win here and a sweep of the rest of the regular season would but Central right up there in the #2 spot. If Western is not careful, this day could be their worst nightmare.
