Chicago Blackhawks’ Playing Style Proving Successful In College Ranks

With the Frozen Four in Chicago this year, many questioned how well the event would do given there are no Division I hockey programs in the city.  Turns out it did very well, and one team in particular played a lot like the Chicago Blackhawks.

On Thursday morning at 6:45 a.m., I arrived to Denver International Airport to board a flight back home to Chicago to watch the University of Denver, a team I have followed all year, take part in the Frozen Four.  My flight was ironically delayed four hours due to “high winds” in the Windy City, home of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Regardless, my hopes were high that John McDonough and the Blackhawks would put together a better event for college hockey than the couple of games that took place before the Stadium Series at Solider Field a couple years ago.

There were four teams left in the tournament: the Denver Pioneers, Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, Harvard Crimson and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Semifinal action in Chicago

In the first semifinal game, the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs looked like they had full control of the game.  Their defense was built like an NHL defense that hit hard and consistently.  Harvard could barely get the puck out of its zone at times but did capitalize on powerplay chances.

One player who really stood out in that game was centerman Alexander Kerfoot.  Kerfoot had great vision on the ice, finding teammates across the rink, and he protected the puck better than anybody.  Every time he was on the ice it seemed like the Crimson got good looks.

Chicago Blackhawks

The New Jersey Devils may have found a themselves a diamond in the rough with Kerfoot getting drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 draft.  However, the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs ended up winning the game 2-1, even with a dramatic final minute with the Crimson’s goalie pulled.

The second game featured the No. 1 overall seed Denver Pioneers and the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish, a surprise team that was a key sponsor to the event.  Gene Honda announced Thursday and Saturday that the attendance was around 19,000 for both days, which is probably attributed to Notre Dame fans traveling well.  They were very well represented for the game versus the Pioneers.

As many Chicago sports analysts pointed out, this game featured two Chicago Blackhawks prospects: Dennis Gilbert from Notre Dame and Blake Hillman from Denver.  Hillman ended up having a primary assist in the championship game, but neither player jumped out at me.

The Pioneers came out quickly in their semifinal and were playing the quintessential road game.  The defense would move the puck quickly up to its forwards on the breakout and they would constantly keep the puck deep in the Irish’s zone.

When in the Irish’s zone, the Pioneers were dominant cycling the puck and creating changes because of their speed.  There was one point where it must have been at least a couple minutes of the Irish chasing the puck in their own zone where I stood up and yelled, “Hey, I thought the ’Hawks were out of town!”

The Pioneers rolled, winning 6-1 and advancing to the championship game to face the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs.  Both teams are a part of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, a stacked division that also features last year’s champion, the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks.

On to the title game

The championship game was much closer than the semifinals, but the Pioneers jumped ahead again early with a second-period hat trick by Jarid Lukosevicius.  The difference this time was that the Bulldogs and their rampant fans slowly clawed their way back.

A scary moment happened when Denver defenseman Tariq Hammond slammed into the boards, which looked to be a painful lower-body injury.  Fans were respectful and gave a standing ovation when he was lifted onto the stretcher to be evaluated by doctors.

The game ended in a 3-2 final that disappointed a lot of Minnesota-Duluth fans, who began to  clear the aisles.  Denver had about two sections full of fans but was clearly outdrawn.

Denver came away with lot more hardware than just the national championship trophy.  The Pioneers’ Will Butcher won the Hobey Baker Award for the top player in college hockey.  Their coach, Jim Montgomery, won Coach of the Year, and goalie Tanner Jaillet won the equivalent of the Vezina for best goaltender in college hockey.

Watching the Pioneers throw their gloves and sticks in the air reminded me a lot of a graduation.  I saw a bunch of kids who finally got to the top of a mountain because they stayed committed with “one goal,” if you will.

This team has a lot of Chicago Blackhawks style in them.  The Pioneers move the puck up the ice quickly, they cycle in the offensive zone well, they get the puck deep when they have to and they capitalize on opponents mistakes.

Butcher isn’t the biggest guy on the ice, but he gets the puck to whoever it needs to go to much like Duncan Keith.  Troy Terry isn’t the flashiest guy on the ice, but he scores when the team needs it like Jonathan Toews.  Henrik Borgstrom has similar size and vision as Marian Hossa playing a strong two-way game with flashes of brilliance.

Next: Blackhawks vs Predators: 3 Key Players

The list can go on and on, but it just shows that the Blackhawks’ style of high hockey IQ and speed is translating to other levels in hockey.  The United Center and the NCAA did a great job of creating a college atmosphere, and hopefully the NCAA Frozen Four will return to Chicago sometime soon.  But for now, it’s playoff time for the ’Hawks.