Published: March 25, 2008 10:50 pm      

MEN'S HOCKEY: No joke, Pagliero ready for Michigan

If the members of the Niagara University men’s hockey team are sporting smiles after Friday’s NCAA Tournament game against No. 1 Michigan, it’ll probably be because their star goaltender was wearing one before faceoff.

Juliano Pagliero’s best career showing came last year when he turned aside 52 shots in a 2-1 overtime loss to Denver, then the nation’s seventh-ranked team. Although the host Pioneers bombarded him with shots, Pagliero kept the Purple Eagles in it until the final seconds — Denver scored with just 6.1 seconds left in overtime.

“I was joking around that morning, and I’m not a joking guy,” Pagliero said. “I think going in (against Michigan), it’s just playing one shot at a time.”

Maybe with the pressure off, Pagliero can crack a few more one-liners. No. 19 Niagara accomplished its first and most pressing order of business — winning the College Hockey America Tournament on home ice. As a low seed against a team many think is the favorite to win the NCAA title, the Purple Eagles can come in with a more footloose approach.

Where losing the CHA Tournament at home would have made the season a failure, a win over Michigan on Friday at the Albany Times-Union Center could make it the best in school history.

“There’s really no pressure on Niagara. When you look on paper, it’s a mismatch,” said Niagara assistant coach Greg Gardner, Pagliero’s mentor and the man between the pipes the only time Niagara ever won an NCAA Tournament game in 2000.

“Michigan is supposed to win the game, so we’re treating this like any other weekend. We’re fast and loose.”

While the Eagles insist they’re approaching this game as any other, it certainly is not. Michigan has one of the nation’s top players in Kevin Porter, the odds-on favorite to win the Hobey Baker Award, given to college hockey’s best player. In the storied history of Michigan hockey, 10 others have been nominated for the award, but only current Vancouver Canuck Brendan Morrison brought the hardware back to Ann Arbor.

And that’s hardly where the Michigan offense ends. Chad Kolarik is sixth in the country with 48 points while freshman Max Pacioretty (14 goals, 34 points) and Travis Turnbull (15 goals, 27 points) can also fill the nets.

“It’s obviously going to be a game against some very offensive players, some good offensive players,” Pagliero said. “I’m definitely going to go in and try not to put any more pressure than I have for any game.”

Because of the tournament format — like the men’s basketball tournament, one 60-minute effort can get a lower seed to advance — Pagliero’s performance could hold the key to Niagara’s upset bid.

“Goaltending is the key,” Gardner said. “If he has his A-game, and everything goes right, you never know what can happen.”

And Gardner has a good feeling about his goalie. Pagliero held his ground in the waning moments of the CHA final win over Bemidji State, giving the Purple Eagles their first conference crown in four years. He’ll need to have one of his best games ever, but Gardner believes it’s a possibility.

“The passes might come a little quicker, the turnover gets at you a little faster, but really, Pags is ready. Last week was the pressure cooker. That was pressure, this game is just fun,” Gardner said.

“We’re not a true 16 seed. We’ve been ranked all year. We’re kind of hidden. On the right night, with the right circumstances ... ”

Contact group sports editor Tim Schmitt at 282-2311, ext. 2266.