Survive and Advance

YALE'S CHAD ZIEGLER SAVES THE ELI PUCK DREAMS...FOR THE MOMENT

Bridgeport, CT It was a game that Yale, currently in the 5th year of coach Keith Allain's success arc, simply could not lose as the top seed in the NCAA tournament against the lowest. Yale's program has been one of relentless progression under Allain, a Worcester, MA native. This strong-willled, no-nonsense coach has led his Elis to the NCAA 1st round in 2009, a regional final in 2010, and is currently boring in on the thin air of the Frozen Four. Yale enters the 2011 tournament as the #1 ranked team in the country, hosting a regional final 20 minutes from its New Haven campus.

The reality on the ice Friday night, however, did not fit the script. Under the supremely successful tactics of head coach Frank Serratore, the Air Force Falcons had survived Yale's early onslaught, tied the game, and were looking for the kill shot in the third period. Yale appeared spent, struggled to complete passes, and the ice was tilted toward their goal. Whatever energy Yale had left was spent driving pucks around their end boards in desperate attempts to clear the zone. For a team that averaged over 36 shots a game for the season, they managed a mere 5 in the third period against Air Force. Two years earlier Serratore's Falcons had scalped the Michigan Wolverines in an NCAA regional in this same building, and there was no doubt in his mind that he had the Yale Bulldogs just where he wanted them.

"We played rope-a-dope in the first two periods," said the vociferous Serratore in post-game press conference that became a torrent of sports cliches. "It was Katie bar the door, then the worm started to turn. Their legs were gone."

Regardless of his collection of mixed metaphors, Serratore was dead on. In three minutes of overtime, Air Force poured 5 shots Bulldog Goalie Ryan Rondeau, who repeatedly saved Yale's season. The ice around the Air Force goal was pristine, essentially untouched. It appeared that the Allain express, the Yale juggernaut that had shut out nationally ranked Cornell 6-0 in the ECAC Championship 6 days earlier, was about to be derailed.

But the Elis finally got the puck into the Air Force end, a defenseman mishandled it into a turnover, which led to a shot and a precious rebound. An unlikely hero in the form of Bulldogs junior winger Chad Ziegler extended all of his 6'2" frame, diving parallel to the ice to jab in the game-winning goal (see photo above). It was only his 8th goal of the year (three of them game-winners) for the Alberta native. It led to a delirious celebration that can only come from college kids who have stared down mortality.

"There ain't a more relieved guy in this building than Keith Allain," spouted Serratore in his closing comments. Then it was over: his press conference; his season; the career of his marvelous captain Jacques Lamoreaux. He marched out of the media zone, proud but eliminated.

Allain's turn in the presser came shortly thereafter, and he needed to re-frame the story. Prior to his spin it was a simple case of surviving thanks to a lucky bounce. His opening statement was certainly genuine. "We're pleased to be moving on and not have to play them again this year." No doubt. In their two games versus the Zoomies this season Yale suffered a loss and an overtime struggle against crew cut warriors that had worn his club down to sawdust in the slushy post-season ice. Allain's relief was palpable. He then went into damage control against the notion that his kids were drained and weren't in as good shape as their opponents from the armed service.

"I think we're pretty fit. We've got what I think is the best strength coach in the country in Joe Maher...we have a bunch of players who are willing to pay a price to do what they need to be fit; our guys have been literally been working towards this since last May, off the ice, on their own with a program, so I wasn't worried about our fitness level in any way, shape or form." End of story.

His players picked up on those proud words. "I think our energy was pretty good," said Jimmy Martin. "It took everything we had to come out and win, but speaking for myself I felt pretty good, the energy in the room was pretty good." Perceptions replaced reality, but survival was all that mattered.

Yale now has to park this last experience, using whatever spin they choose, and move on. Another diabolical defensive power, the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs of the WCHA, await. They are three hours fresher than Yale, having dismissed the Union College Dutchmen of the ECAC in the matinee. Duluth faced nowhere near the resistance that Air Force threw at Yale.

The WCHA, stocked with national powers like Minnesota, Wisconsin, Denver and North Dakota, often sneers at the ECAC and their claims of a legitimate national contender. Should Yale fall to the OTHER Bulldogs, their remarkable season that includes a 6-week stay atop of the national polls, will be dismissed. If the Allain legend is to continue its annual growth, and the Yale Bulldogs are to gain true national gravitas, they have no choice this evening but to survive and advance.