Miami-Ohio and Boston University advance to Frozen Four final

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04/09/2009 - Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tommy Wingels registered two goals and an assist as Miami-Ohio defeated Bemidji State, 4-1, in the semifinals of the Frozen Four at Verizon Center.

Alden Hirschfeld and Bill Loupee also tallied for Miami-Ohio, which gained the semifinal spot after toppling top-seed Denver, then Minnesota-Duluth in the West region. The RedHawks will play Boston University in the finals on Saturday.

Cody Reichard stopped 23-of-24 shots for Miami.

Matt Read scored the lone goal for Bemidji State, from College Hockey America. The Beavers, who claimed the Midwest region following a 4-1 triumph over Cornell to reach their first Frozen Four in school history.

Matt Dalton allowed three goals on 36 shots for Bemidji State, which also dispatched regional top-seed Notre Dame to become the first team from outside the traditional four powerhouse conferences to reach the national semis.

In the other semifinal, Colin Wilson scored twice, including the game-winner with 5:41 left in the third period as Boston University held on to edge Vermont, 5-4.

Wilson also registered an assist, while Chris Higgins tallied a goal and added three helpers for the Terriers, who won the Hockey East regular season and playoff titles, finishing the year as the top-ranked school in the nation.

They garnered the overall top seed for the tourney and gained its first Frozen Four berth since 1997 by routing Ohio State, 8-3, and conference-rival New Hampshire by a 2-1 count to take the Northeast region.

Jason Lawrence chipped in with a goal and an assist, and Vinny Saponari lit the lamp for BU. Kieran Millan allowed four goals on 27 shots in the win.

Josh Burrows, Justin Milo and Drew MacKenzie each had a goal and a helper for Vermont, which captured the East region with victories over former ECAC foe Yale, then a disputed 3-2 double-overtime triumph against Air Force.

Wahsontiio Stacey had a marker for Vermont, while Rob Madore made 23 saves in defeat.

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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.