Ice Insanity

 

written by STEVE ULRICH your must-read briefing on what's driving the day in NCAA Division III   >> Hello Tuesday. Happy International Women's Day >> Today's Word Count: 1,190 >> Would you be interested in sponsoring D3Playbook? Give us a shout for all the details. >> Thanks for reading D3Playbook. Is your staff reading D3Playbook? Share the love and the info.   I'd like D3Playbook in my inbox TOP STORY 1. Ice Insanity   Cameron Gray, Adrian Selection Monday set the field for the 2022 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey championship tournament. Pairwise ranking in (#). First Round (9) Elmira (18-6-2) at (8) Hobart (19-5-2) (44) St. Olaf (11-14-3) at (5) St. Norbert (23-6) (22) Trinity, Conn. (17-7-1) at (6) Babson (19-5-2) (17) Plymouth State (19-5-2) at (7) U. of New England (21-3-1) Quarterfinals Elmira/Hobart at (1) Adrian (28-1) St. Olaf/St. Norbert at (4) Augsburg (24-4) Trinity/Babson at (3) Geneseo (22-3-1) Plymouth State/UNE at (2) Utica (25-2-1) >> Consecutive Tournament Streaks: Hobart 7, Geneseo 3 >> Welcome Back: St. Olaf is back in the field for the first time since 2006 >> Hello, Again: This is the 20th NCAA tournament appearance for St. Norbert. The Green Knights are 31-15-1 overall with four national crowns. >> Complete Bracket >> Complete Pairwise ranking A MESSAGE FROM BLUEFRAME TECHNOLOGY     Did you know BlueFrame Technology has advanced integrations with top automated cameras like the Hudl Focus? Showcase your teams and student-athletes with BlueFrame’s full streaming service priced perfectly for D3 budgets….or use their Production Truck software to stream with your current provider. Step up your game this year and STREAM LIKE A PRO with BlueFrame. Learn more today!   BlueFrame Games to Watch BSB: Washington and Lee vs. Shenandoah, 3:30 WLX: Juniata vs. Marian, 4:00 MLX: Mass-Boston vs. Lasell, 4:00 MVB: Neumann vs. Widener, 7:00 SFB: Pacific vs. George Fox, 11:00 FOOTBALL 2.  Rules Committee Update by Greg Johnson, NCAA "The NCAA Football Rules Committee on Friday approved measures intended to strengthen the accuracy of the targeting rule, limit blocking below the waist and address teams that appear to fake injuries to gain an advantage. The committee, which began meeting Wednesday, proposed a change to the targeting rule after considering several adjustments. In games that have instant replay, when a targeting foul occurs in the second half, the carryover penalty (of sitting out the first half of that player's next game) will be eligible for further appeal. The process would begin with a conference submitting a request to Steve Shaw, the NCAA national coordinator of officials, who would review video of the play. If it is clearly obvious that a player was incorrectly penalized for targeting, the call would be overturned, and the player would be cleared to play in the first half of the next game." Other Recommendations A proposal to improve safety and simplify the rules governing blocking below the waist was also recommended. The proposal would only allow blocking below the waist by linemen and stationary backs inside the tackle box. Outside the tackle box on scrimmage plays, blocking below the waist would be prohibited.   If a ball carrier simulates a feet-first slide, officials would declare the runner down at that spot.   Defensive holding would remain a 10-yard penalty but would always carry an automatic first down. >> Read More FEATURE 3. Optimism in the Face of Adversity by Adam Prescott, Otterbein Sports Information Director "Memorial Day, 2020. While most people were looking to escape quarantine and regain some normalcy, the world had different plans for Otterbein student-athlete Nick Clay. A starting attackman for the men’s lacrosse team, majoring in sport management, Clay had just finished his sophomore year (virtually) after sports were shut down in the midst of a budding pandemic. The middle brother of three had just woken up at his family’s home in Columbus… before life took a drastic turn. “The only thing I remember was briefly waking up in the back of an ambulance,” Clay reflected. “Everything else for the next few days was a blur.” Clay had suffered a seizure and was rushed to Riverside Hospital, where doctors ran tests and soon discovered anaplastic astrocytoma. The rare malignant brain tumor grows quickly, spreads to nearby tissue and can become cancerous. He was operated on within 24 hours and woke up three days later." >> Field Awareness: "If waking up in the hospital and learning you have brain cancer isn’t enough, imagine experiencing it alone. Aside from his mother (Paula) attending right before initial surgery as the lone “support person,” patients were unable to have visitors as a result of COVID protocols. Clay began speech therapy by himself, interacting with just a few nurses and doctors while family members were kept in the loop remotely." >> Reality Check: Clay ultimately left the hospital as summer progressed, with radiation treatments and other chemotherapy pills along for the ride. For the next year, he would settle into a monthly schedule consisting of five days on and 23 days off. (Then) another massive curveball was thrown their way. Just two days before Christmas in 2020, Paula collapsed at the family home as Nick and older brother (Ryan) held her in their arms until the ambulance arrived. The family ringleader, Paula tested positive for COVID and endured a serious fourth-month battle with extended time on a ventilator." >> Why it Matters: "After more than 700 days and 23 months away from the game, Nick appeared in the starting lineup for Otterbein’s season opener at Albion College… right alongside (younger brother) Adam. His goal midway through the second quarter was one that Paula, Ryan, his father (Rick) and extended members of the Clay family will likely remember ahead of other scores." >> Quotable: “I always want to see the glass half full, with the chance to fill it back up instead of letting it empty,” he said, when asked if dying ever crept into his mind. “Do what you have to and get through. I never pictured it any other way and don’t remember a low point. I took every day as a chance to live and be better, so I could get back to what you see right now.” >> Continue Reading A MESSAGE FROM D3PLAYBOOK Help us help you. We are glad that you are enjoying D3Playbook. Now won't you help us continue our work? Your gift helps us offset the costs of operating the newsletter and enable us to continue to provide the quality you have come to expect. Please contribute today.   Make a Donation to D3Playbook LACROSSE 4.  Tigers, Gulls On Top Luke Pilcher, RIT (photo by Erin Percy) The latest Division III men's and women's lacrosse polls are out and RIT and Salisbury hold down the top spots. Men RIT (19), 3-0 Salisbury (3), 5-0 Tufts (5), 1-0 Christopher Newport, 5-0 St. John Fisher, 3-0 York, 2-1 Lynchburg, 3-1 Franklin & Marshall, 4-0 Williams, 1-0 Gettysburg, 3-1 >> On the Move: Gettysburg (+5), Dickinson (+5), St. Lawrence (-4) >> Welcome: Ursinus (19) replaces Cortland Games We're Watching on Wednesday No. 4 Christopher Newport vs. No. 19 Ursinus No. 9 Williams vs. No. 13 Union >> Complete Poll Women Salisbury (28), 5-0 Gettysburg, 4-0 Ithaca, 2-0 Washington and Lee, 2-2 Franklin & Marshall, 2-1 Middlebury, 1-0 William Smith, 2-0 Tufts, 1-1 Colby, 1-0 TCNJ, 2-0 >> On the Move: Gettysburg (+5), Colby (+5), St. John Fisher (-9), Cortland (-9) >> Hello: Washington College (T24) replaces Geneseo Games We're Watching  No. 1 Salisbury vs. No. 2 Gettysburg (Wed.) No. 5 Franklin & Marshall vs. No. 16 York (Tues.) >> Complete Poll NEWS 5.  Lightning Round    The brackets have been released for the 2022 NCAA Division III wrestling championships beginning Friday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.   Cake and candles to Danielle Delude, assistant field hockey coach at Sweet Briar SPONSORED BY PRESTO SPORTS TRANSACTIONS 6.  Comings and Goings   CHICAGO - Mitchell McPartland named head volleyball coach COLBY-SAWYER - Cailin Straubel stepped down as head volleyball coach. Scott Fitzgerald named interim head coach FRANKLIN - Brian Lebowitz stepped down as head men's basketball coach ILLINOIS WESLEYAN - Oz Bakirdan named head women's soccer coach ITHACA - La Jerne Terry Cornish named president LEWIS & CLARK - Seth Orensky named director of athletic communications McMURRY - Drew Long named head women's basketball coach NORWICH - Lynn Sobczyk named assistant women's soccer coach OBERLIN - Isaiah Cavaco stepped down as head men's basketball coach PLATTSBURGH STATE - Jordyn Naylon named head cross country/assistant track and field coach SKIDMORE - Hilda Arrechea announced her retirement as head women's volleyball coach TRANSYLVANIA - Bradley Koster and Isaiah Sparks named interim sports information assistants WABASH - Marquis Smith named assistant football coach   Thanks for starting your day with us. 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