The College Hockey (& Other Stuff) Blog.

Huntsville's Future in Peril

2011-09-09T14:21:00.001-04:00

Alabama-Huntsville, currently college hockey's only Division I independent program, is in imminent danger of being dropped as a varsity sport, unless $500,000 per year can be raised, according to alumni.

The university has not indicated as such, but word has gotten out through alumni that have met with UAH officials.

Alabama-Huntsville is not an independent by choice. After the demise of College Hockey America two years ago, the other schools in the league found new places to play — Robert Morris and Niagara in Atlantic Hockey, and Bemidji State in the WCHA. But Huntsville was denied in a bid to move to the CCHA, and has been an independent ever since.

Even in the rapidly shifting college hockey landscape, which has seen no fewer than 18 schools pledging to shift conferences in 2013-14, there has not been room in the discussion for Alabama-Huntsville. For better or for worse, no league is willing to make the travel commitment necessary to add the Chargers, and they have not been included in any of the talks.

In the only official statement from the school, interim president Malcolm Portera said, "University administrators are conducting an analysis of the Charger athletic department budget to ensure that dollars are wisely spent on our 14 competitive sports programs. Money available to operate an athletic program is scarce, so it's crucial that we manage those dollars prudently."

Perhaps UAH's most prominent hockey alumnus, Jared Ross, who has spent time in the NHL, sent an e-mail to UAH alumni on July 22, asking for pledges to support the program. That e-mail, which said, "the existence of the program is greatly threatened," first alerted the greater community to how imminent the danger is for UAH.

According to reports, a decision could come as early as October.

According to an Internet posting by 2005 UAH hockey alumnus Keith Rowe, the Chargers' coaching staff met with Portera on Aug. 22 to discuss the situation. It was there that Portera informed them that dropping the program was a possibility. Shortly thereafter, assistant coach Mike Warde resigned from his post to accept the same position at Army.

Meanwhile, a fund-raising effort has gotten under way. According to Rowe, the drive is looking to raise $500,000 per year over three years, to give the UAH administration time to create a longer-term plan.

"The knowledge of the imminent danger of losing the program has been insulated to the UAH Hockey Alumni to date," Rowe said. "The reason for this was to make sure we had the correct information — i.e. $500k annually — to convey and to keep the current UAH Charger Hockey players separated from the issue until it was officially stated from University officials."

According to Rowe, nearly $200,000 per year has been raised so far.

Alabama-Huntsville has been an NCAA program for 30 years, first in Division II, where it was national champions in 1996 and 1998. After Division II was dissolved as an NCAA classification for hockey, the Chargers spent one season as a Division I independent before joining the fledgling College Hockey America in 1999-2000.

Through it all, Doug Ross was the program's only coach until he announced his retirement at the end of the 2006-07 season. Ross capped his career by leading UAH to its first Division I NCAA Tournament bid, after it won the CHA tournament championship.

Danton Cole took over as coach for three seasons, until he left as the CHA disbanded. Chris Luongo was named head coach last season, and the team went 4-26-2 in the first season of its return to independent status.

Penn State will join UAH as an independent in 2012-13, though it will spend only one year with that status before becoming part of the new Big Ten hockey conference. There has been recent talk that Notre Dame will choose to become an independent in 2013-14. Both of those schools have much more clout, and much more ability to survive as independents.

NCHC headquarters to be housed in Colorado Springs

2011-08-29T11:13:00.000-04:00

The new National Collegiate Hockey Conference, which will begin competition in the 2013-14 season, announced today that it will locate its headquarters office in Colorado Springs.

The athletic directors of the Conference's six founding institutions accepted an invitation from El Pomar Foundation and determined the Conference's first commissioner and staff will operate all functions of league administration from the Colorado Springs office in the Copper Building (1631 Mesa Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO, 80906), adjacent to the grounds of the world-famous Broadmoor Hotel. The conference's six founding members are Colorado College, University of Denver, Miami University, 2011 NCAA champion University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Nebraska Omaha and University of North Dakota.

"El Pomar founders Spencer and Julie Penrose were enthusiastic supporters of college hockey in Colorado Springs and the trustees of El Pomar are pleased to honor that legacy by supporting the National Collegiate Hockey Conference as it establishes a headquarters here," said William J. Hybl, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of El Pomar Foundation. "Colorado Springs benefits greatly from the presence of numerous sports-related organizations and we believe this new endeavor will add to an already important economic component of our city."

"We are very grateful to Bill Hybl and El Pomar Foundation for their enthusiastic interest in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference," said Brian Faison, Director of Athletics at North Dakota. "The Foundation's track record of support for higher education, nonprofits and amateur sports has been exemplary, and we are proud to be working with them to provide the best collegiate hockey competition in the country. It's an ideal setting with unmatched advantages that will create a perfect environment for everything we hope to achieve and to represent."

Colorado Springs is a popular location for sports organization headquarters including the United States Olympic Committee, U.S. Paralympics, the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association and 21 national sports governing bodies.

Five CCHA schools offered WCHA spots

2011-08-26T12:19:00.004-04:00

Five CCHA member institutions - the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Bowling Green State University, Ferris State University, Lake Superior State University and Western Michigan University - have been extended invitations to join the Western Collegiate Hockey Association for the 2013-14 season.

The offer was made today on behalf of the presidents of the six WCHA teams that will comprise Western Collegiate Hockey Association membership following the 2012-13 season. It comes on the heels of a meeting with representatives of the 11 schools from the two leagues on August 23 in Chicago.

As it stands currently, the six teams that will constitute the WCHA following the 2012-13 season are University of Alaska-Anchorage, Bemidji State University, Michigan Technological University, Minnesota State University, St. Cloud State University and Northern Michigan University, which accepted an offer to join the WCHA beginning in 2013-14 back on July 20.

As a condition of this potential membership process moving forward, the WCHA-member presidents set a 30-day response timeline for acceptance. The WCHA and CCHA have also agreed to continue to hold regular talks to address such topics as by-laws, scheduling, tournament scenarios, finances and additional membership.

A cringe-worthy time for college teams in race for top talent

2011-08-22T10:48:00.001-04:00

It might be time for us to get out some asterisks or some other notation for our list of college hockey-related players selected in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

That’s because in the give and take that is the often tenuous relationship between college hockey and major juniors, there has been an awful lot of giving by the NCAA side lately.

The top three names on that list have recently either left college for the CHL or pulled their college commitment to head to major juniors.

Defenseman Jamie Oleksiak, the 14th pick in June’s draft by Dallas, left Northeastern after one season to sign with Saginaw.

Forward J.T. Miller, who was on his way to North Dakota in the fall, instead is headed to Plymouth after being picked 15th by the New York Rangers.

Connor Murphy has backed out of his commitment to Miami and will play next season for Sarnia. The defenseman was the 20th pick by Phoenix.

It doesn’t end there. Goaltender John Gibson, the 39th overall pick by Anaheim, was headed to Michigan until he changed course and signed with Kitchener, leading to this deliberate, one-sentence statement issued by Wolverines coach Red Berenson: “John Gibson has decided not to attend the University of Michigan or to play college hockey.”

And forward Reid Boucher joined Murphy with Sarnia, ending his commitment to Michigan State. He was a fourth-round pick, No. 99 overall, by New Jersey.

That’s five of the top 23 once-college-related picks in the draft gone to major juniors.

We don’t always track the comings and goings of players before they actually reach campus, but when things start to become trends, it’s time to pay attention.

It’s enticing to wonder whether college hockey’s summer of upheaval has given those on the major juniors side some marketing material, especially when you consider that four of the five college teams impacted by those moves will be on the move in 2013 (North Dakota, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State). But you’d hope that the schools would have had some rebuttal, given how adamant they’ve been that the conference shift will be for the better for their side.

That’s not the only part of the issue, of course, and I’m still a believer that we shouldn’t use broad strokes with the college-versus-major junior debate. College is right for some players; major junior is right for others. When talent departs in a group like we’ve seen in the past weeks, however, it’s cringe-worthy for anyone on the college side of things.

Ohio St., Michigan to meet outdoors

2011-08-19T10:04:00.001-04:00

CLEVELAND -- The bitter Ohio State-Michigan rivalry is about to get really icy.

The two schools will play an outdoor hockey game at Progressive Field -- home of the Cleveland Indians -- on Sunday, Jan. 15. The matchup, dubbed "The Frozen Diamond Faceoff" is part of the Indians’ Snow Days promotion at the ballpark, a two-month winter-themed event that drew over 50,000 fans in its first year. The Buckeyes and Wolverines will play on a regulation-sized rink situated on the Indians’ infield.

The teams will meet in Columbus on Jan. 13 before playing the first outdoor college hockey game in Ohio history.

Last December, the Wolverines hosted Michigan State in "The Big Chill at the Big House," a game that drew more than 100,000 fans to Michigan’s mammoth football stadium.

The Frozen Diamond Faceoff will be the first hockey game in Progressive Field history and the first outdoor college hockey game in Ohio. The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA)-sanctioned game will be the second of a two-game series between the two schools.

"Last winter, Indians Snow Days allowed over 50,000 Indians fans to create memories with their families,” Indians President Mark Shapiro said. “We are excited that the return of Indians Snow Days and the addition of the Frozen Diamond Faceoff will allow even more fans to create wintertime memories at Progressive Field.”

"An event at a venue like Progressive Field is great for both the institutions and the league as a whole," CCHA Commissioner Fred Pletsch said. "We’re looking forward to coming to Cleveland this January to see a terrific rivalry showcased in a distinctive and memorable setting.”

Tickets to Indians Snow Days and The Frozen Diamond Faceoff will go on sale to the general public on Nov. 14.

U.S. Under-17 Select Team Tops Switzerland, 5-1, at 2011 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament

2011-08-15T11:28:00.002-04:00

Ryan Siroky (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) logged a goal and two assists, as the U.S. Under-17 Select Team topped Switzerland, 5-1, in its final game of the 2011 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament.

Team USA finished the tournament in first place after posting an undefeated 4-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record against the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia and Switzerland.

"The players deserve all the credit in going undefeated," said Bob Corkum, head coach of the U.S. Under-17 Select Team. "They bought into the system and concept of togetherness that our coaching staff preached en route to the title."

The U.S. jumped out to a 3-0 first-period lead with goals from Michael Turner (Oak Park, Ill.), Daniel Vanderwiel (Island Lake, Ill.) and Vinni Lettieri (Excelsior, Minn.). Switzerland trimmed the U.S. lead to two with a power-play tally near the end of the opening frame, but would get no closer.

Eight minutes into the second period, Siroky restored Team USA's three-goal advantage with his third goal of the tournament. Then, with less than two minutes remaining in the stanza, Gabe Guertler (Plantation, Fla.) pushed the U.S. lead to 5-1 with the final goal of the event.

U.S. goaltender Devin Williams (Saginaw, Mich.) blanked Switzerland in the second and third periods, as he turned aside 33 shots overall including making 19 saves in the third period alone.

NOTES: The U.S. went 1-for-3 on the power play, while Switzerland was 1-for-4 with the man advantage ... Ryan Siroky (3-3) and Andrew Oglevie (Fullerton, Calif./0-6) tied for the U.S. team lead and were tied for second among all tournament participants with six points in four games ... Daniel Vanderwiel led Team USA with four goals in four games ... Bob Corkum served as head coach, while Pat Mikesch served as assistant coach for the 2011 U.S. Under-17 Select Team.

SUNYAC schools to go to four-man officiating system

2011-08-08T10:06:00.001-04:00

There will be four on-ice officials for all SUNYAC games next season, new coordinator of officials Jeff Fulton told USCHO on Friday.

League officials voted Friday to approve the four-man system for the regular season and playoffs.

“This is significant for college hockey since we are the first NCAA D-III conference to adopt the 2-and-2 officiating system as D-I does,” said Fulton. “There are numerous benefits to the 2-and-2 versus the 2-and-1 system.”

Mercyhurst's Holmstrom Transferring to Penn State

2011-08-01T11:48:00.000-04:00

Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Year Taylor Holmstrom has decided to transfer from Mercyhurst to Penn State.

Holmstrom joins a sprinkling of other players doing the same, including fellow Laker Nate Jensen, though he is the biggest catch for Penn State so far. Holmstrom was recruited by Bowling Green and Dartmouth, and lived up to expectations in his freshman season.

The pair is taking advantage of loophole to NCAA rules, that allows them to play for Penn State's club program this coming season instead of sitting out the NCAA's mandatory one-year waiting period that normally applies to transfers.

That news is good for Penn State, but damages Mercyhurst.

"It's terrible. We were totally blindsided by this," Mercyhurst coach Rick Gotkin said.

"I am heartbroken. I love those two kids. I thought we had a great relationship. We like these kids very much and were looking forward to having them."

Guy Gadowsky, who was named Penn State's first coach, will be coaching the club team. Penn State becomes a full-fledged NCAA Division I team in 2012-13, starting out as an independent before joining the Big Ten in 2013-14.

Holmstrom, who played in the USHL for Omaha and Youngstown, had 9 goals and 33 points last season for the Lakers.

The transfers have raised concern among some in the college hockey community, particularly Penn State's ability to take advantage of the transfer-period loophole to lure players.

Broncos name NHL veteran Murray new head coach

2011-07-29T09:28:00.002-04:00

Veteran NHL coach Andy Murray has signed a five-year contract to coach Western Michigan, the school announced Tuesday.

He replaces Jeff Blashill, who left after one season to become an assistant coach with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings.

The hiring of Murray, who has 20 years of coaching experience in the NHL, comes as the Broncos eye a change in conferences as part of the major shakeup scheduled for 2013.

“Consistent with our stated goals of competing at the highest levels of Division I ice hockey and of winning a hockey national championship this decade, Andy’s hiring is another clear signal our university is seriously engaged in achieving this coveted pinnacle,” Western Michigan athletic director Kathy Beauregard said in a statement.

Assistant coaches Pat Ferschweiler and Rob Facca will remain under Murray, who last coached the St. Louis Blues from 2006 to 2010.

The 60-year-old Murray, who reportedly turned down the head coaching job at Rensselaer in 2006, has 10 seasons of head coaching experience in the NHL with Los Angeles and St. Louis and has also been an assistant in Philadelphia, Minnesota and Winnipeg.

Murray’s only collegiate coaching experience came at Brandon University in Canada back in 1979.

His three children all played college hockey. Brady Murray played two seasons at North Dakota, Jordy Murray played three years at Wisconsin and Sarah Murray won two national championships in four seasons at Minnesota-Duluth.

The Kalamazoo Gazette reported Monday that Murray will receive a contract similar to the $275,000-per-year deal Blashill received in April.

Northern Michigan granted full approval to join WCHA in 2013

2011-07-25T10:52:00.002-04:00

The WCHA announced Wednesday that former conference member Northern Michigan will be re-joining the league starting with the 2013–14 season after being approved for membership in a conference call of league members held earlier last week.

The Wildcats, who won the Division I national championship in 1991 while a member of the WCHA, were part of the league from 1984–85 through 1996–97 when they left for the CCHA.

“We couldn’t be more excited about welcoming back Northern Michigan University to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association family,” said WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod in a press release. “We were naturally disappointed when the Wildcats left the WCHA in 1997 after a successful 13-year partnership, but it’s wonderful to again have them on board as a sixth association member beginning with the 2013–14 season.

“Northern Michigan is a first-class institution with a great college hockey tradition, enthusiastic fans and a supportive community in Marquette. This is a great fit for both of us — again — and we all look forward to NMU’s highly-skilled, tenacious style of hockey further enhancing an already-great brand of WCHA hockey.”

CCHA ANNOUNCES 2011-12 composite SCHEDULE

2011-07-22T10:00:00.002-04:00

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association announced the schedule for its 41st season of play which includes 154 conference games.

2011-12 CCHA Composite Schedule as of 7/19/11

All times are local (Fairbanks is on Alaska Time)

All times are local and are at 7:05 p.m. unless noted. All dates and times are subject to change.

* - Non-conference game. # - Exhibition.

Saturday, October 1

Lake Superior at Alabama-Huntsville, 7:00 p.m. *

Toronto vs. Western Michigan # (Muskegon)

Windsor at Ohio State #

Ontario Institute of Technology at Michigan, 7:35 p.m. #

NAIT at Alaska #

Sunday, October 2

Lake Superior at Alabama-Huntsville, 3:00 p.m. *

Windsor at Miami, 3:05 p.m. #

Toronto at Ferris State, 3:05 p.m. #

Ontario Institute of Technology at Bowling Green, 4:05 p.m. #

Western Ontario at Notre Dame, 6:05 p.m. # (Joyce Center)

Monday, October 3

Western Ontario at Michigan State, TBA #

U.S. NTDP Under 18 at Michigan, 7:35 p.m. #

Tuesday, October 4

Niagara at Michigan, 7:35 p.m. *

Friday, October 7

Alaska vs. St. Cloud State (Kendall Hockey Classic at Anchorage), 5:07 p.m. *

Ferris State at St. Lawrence, 7:00 p.m. *

Michigan State vs. Boston College (Ice Breaker Tournament at Grand Forks), TBA *

Quinnipiac at Ohio State *

Connecticut at Bowling Green *

Alabama-Huntsville at Western Michigan *

Northern Michigan at Wisconsin, 7:07 p.m. *

Notre Dame at Minnesota-Duluth, 7:07 p.m. *

Bentley at Michigan, 7:35 p.m. *

Bemidji State at Miami, 7:35 p.m. *

Saturday, October 8

Alaska vs. Clarkson (Kendall Hockey Classic at Anchorage), 4:07 p.m. *

Ferris State at St. Lawrence, 4:30 p.m. *

Michigan State vs. North Dakota/Air Force (Ice Breaker Tournament at Grand Forks) *

Quinnipiac at Ohio State *

Connecticut at Bowling Green *

Alabama-Huntsville at Western Michigan *

Bemidji State at Miami *

Northern Michigan at Wisconsin, 7:07 p.m. *

Notre Dame at Minnesota-Duluth, 7:07 p.m. *

Bentley at Michigan, 7:35 p.m. *

Thursday, October 13

St. Lawrence at Michigan, 7:35 p.m. *

Friday, October 14

Michigan State at Lake Superior State

Ohio State at Notre Dame (Joyce Center)

Bowling Green at Alabama-Huntsville, 7:00 p.m. *

Western Michigan at Union, 7:00 p.m. *

Miami at Colgate, 7:00 p.m. *

RPI at Ferris State *

St. Cloud State at Northern Michigan, 7:35 p.m. *

Mercyhurst at Alaska (Brice Alaska Goal Rush at Fairbanks), 8:05 p.m. *

Saturday, October 15

Michigan State at Lake Superior State

Ohio State at Notre Dame (Joyce Center)

Bowling Green at Alabama-Huntsville, 7:00 p.m. *

Western Michigan at Union, 7:00 p.m. *

Miami at Colgate, 7:00 p.m. *

RPI at Ferris State *

Nebraska-Omaha at Alaska (Brice Alaska Goal Rush) *

St. Cloud State at Northern Michigan, 7:35 p.m. *

Thursday, October 20

Ohio State at Michigan State, TBA

Friday, October 21

Ohio State at Michigan State, TBA

Miami at Ferris State

Bowling Green at Lake Superior

Western Michigan at Alaska

Michigan at Northern Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

RPI at Notre Dame, 7:35 p.m. * (Arena TBD)

Saturday, October 22

Miami at Ferris State

Bowling Green at Lake Superior

Western Michigan at Alaska

Michigan at Northern Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Thursday, October 27

Alaska at Ohio State

Ferris State at Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Lake Superior at Miami, 7:35 p.m.

Friday, October 28

Alaska at Ohio State

Northern Michigan at Western Michigan

Notre Dame at Bowling Green

Lake Superior at Miami, 7:35 p.m.

Ferris State at Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Robert Morris at Michigan State, TBA *

Saturday, October 29

Northern Michigan at Western Michigan

Notre Dame at Bowling Green

Robert Morris at Michigan State, TBA *

Friday, November 4

Miami at Alaska

Ferris State at Bowling Green

Western Michigan at Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Notre Dame at Northern Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Ohio State at Alabama-Huntsville, 7:00 p.m. *

Bemidji State at Lake Superior *

Saturday, November 5

Miami at Alaska

Ferris State at Bowling Green

Notre Dame at Northern Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Western Michigan at Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Ohio State at Alabama-Huntsville, 7:00 p.m. *

Bemidji State at Lake Superior *

Friday, November 11

Michigan State at Western Michigan

Northern Michigan at Ohio State, TBA

Lake Superior at Ferris State

Alaska at Notre Dame (Compton Family Ice Arena)

Michigan at Miami, 7:35 p.m.

Canisius at Bowling Green *

Saturday, November 12

Alaska at Notre Dame (Compton Family Ice Arena)

Michigan State at Western Michigan

Northern Michigan at Ohio State

Michigan at Miami

Lake Superior at Ferris State

Canisius at Bowling Green, 4:05 p.m. *

Tuesday, November 15

Western Michigan at Notre Dame

Friday, November 18

Bowling Green at Miami, 7:35 p.m.

Michigan State at Northern Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Ohio State at Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Ferris State at Alaska, 7:35 p.m.

Boston College at Notre Dame, 7:35 p.m. *

Saturday, November 19

Bowling Green at Miami

Michigan State at Northern Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Ohio State at Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Ferris State at Alaska, 7:35 p.m.

Lake Superior at Cansius, 12:35 p.m. *

Sunday, November 20

Lake Superior at Canisius, 3:05 p.m. *

Tuesday, November 22

Notre Dame at Western Michigan

Friday, November 25

Notre Dame at Lake Superior

Alaska at Bowling Green

Minnesota at Michigan State, TBA *

Miami vs. Providence (Denver Cup), TBA*

Northeastern at Michigan, 7:35 p.m. *

Saturday, November 26

Notre Dame at Lake Superior

Alaska at Bowling Green

Minnesota at Michigan State, TBA *

Miami at Denver (Denver Cup), 7:07 p.m. *

Sunday, November 27

Union at Michigan, TBA *

Friday, December 2

Bowling Green at Michigan State, TBA

Lake Superior at Ohio State

Western Michigan at Ferris State

Michigan at Alaska

Miami at Northern Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Northeastern at Notre Dame *

Saturday, December 3

Bowling Green at Michigan State, TBA

Lake Superior at Ohio State

Ferris State at Western Michigan

Michigan at Alaska

Miami at Northern Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Northeastern at Notre Dame *

Friday, December 9

Miami at Ohio State

Notre Dame at Ferris State

Northern Michigan at Lake Superior

Western Michigan at Bowling Green

Michigan State at Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Saturday, December 10

Michigan at Michigan State, TBA

Ohio State at Miami

Ferris State at Notre Dame

Northern Michigan at Lake Superior

Bowling Green at Western Michigan

Friday, December 16

Michigan Tech at Northern Michigan, 7:35 p.m. *

Thursday, December 29

Lake Superior vs. RIT, 4:05 p.m. (Catamount Cup at Burlington) *

Ferris State at Vermont (Catamount Cup at Burlington) *

Michigan State vs. Michigan Tech (Great Lakes Invitational @ Joe Louis Arena), TBA *

Michigan vs. Boston College (Great Lakes Invitational @ Joe Louis Arena), TBA *

Western Michigan at St. Cloud, 7:07 p.m. *

Friday, December 30

Ferris State vs. RIT (Catamount Cup at Burlington), 4:05 p.m. *

Lake Superior at Vermont (Catamount Cup at Burlington) *

Michigan State vs. Michigan/Boston College (Great Lakes Invitational @ Joe Louis Arena), TBA *

Michigan vs. Michigan State/Michigan Tech (Great Lakes Invitational @ Joe Louis Arena), TBA *

Western Michigan at St. Cloud, 7:07 p.m. *

Ohio State at Robert Morris (Consol Arena in Pittsburgh) (RMU Hockey Showcase), 7:35 p.m. *

Bowling Green at Bemidji St., 7:37 p.m. *

Russian Red Stars at Northern Michigan, 7:35 p.m. #

Saturday, December 31

Boston University at Notre Dame *

Bowling Green at Bemidji St., 7:07 p.m. *

Monday, January 2

Western Ontario at Lake Superior, TBA #

Tuesday, January 3

Russian Red Stars at Notre Dame #

Friday, January 6

Miami at Michigan State, TBA

Lake Superior at Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Alaska at Northern Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Minnesota-Duluth at Western Michigan *

Colgate at Ferris State *

Saturday, January 7

Ohio State at Bowling Green

Miami at Michigan State, TBA

Lake Superior at Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Alaska at Northern Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Colgate at Ferris State, 4:05 p.m. *

Minnesota-Duluth at Western Michigan *

Notre Dame at Minnesota (Hall of Fame Game), 7:07 p.m. *

Sunday, January 8

Ohio State at Bowling Green, 5:05 p.m.

Friday, January 13

Northern Michigan at Michigan State, TBA

Michigan at Ohio State

Miami at Lake Superior

Alaska at Ferris State

Western Michigan at Notre Dame

Saturday, January 14

Northern Michigan at Michigan State, TBA

Michigan at Ohio State

Miami at Lake Superior

Alaska at Ferris State

Notre Dame at Western Michigan

Friday, January 20

Lake Superior at Michigan State, TBA

Ferris State at Ohio State

Michigan at Notre Dame

Bowling Green at Alaska

Western Michigan at Miami, 7:35 p.m.

Saturday, January 21

Lake Superior at Michigan State, TBA

Ferris State at Ohio State

Western Michigan at Miami

Michigan at Notre Dame

Bowling Green at Alaska

Northern Michigan at Michigan Tech, 7:07 p.m. *

Friday, January 27

Michigan State at Ferris State

Ohio State at Lake Superior

Notre Dame at Alaska

Bowling Green at Western Michigan

Northern Michigan at Miami, 7:35 p.m.

Saturday, January 28

Western Michigan at Bowling Green

Michigan State at Ferris State

Ohio State at Lake Superior

Northern Michigan at Miami

Notre Dame at Alaska

Friday, February 3

Michigan State at Ohio State

Miami at Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Bowling Green at Notre Dame

Alaska at Western Michigan

Ferris State at Northern Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

U.S. NTDP at Lake Superior #

Saturday, February 4

Michigan State at Ohio State

Miami at Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Bowling Green at Notre Dame

Alaska at Western Michigan

Ferris State at Northern Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Friday, February 10

Michigan at Michigan State, TBA

Ohio State at Western Michigan

Ferris State at Notre Dame

Northern Michigan at Bowling Green

Lake Superior at Alaska

Alabama-Huntsville at Miami, 7:35 p.m. *

Saturday, February 11

Ohio State at Western Michigan

Notre Dame at Ferris State

Northern Michigan at Bowling Green

Lake Superior at Alaska

Michigan State vs. Michigan, 7:35 p.m. (Joe Louis Arena)

Alabama-Huntsville at Miami *

Friday, February 17

Alaska at Michigan State, TBA

Bowling Green at Ferris State

Western Michigan at Lake Superior

Northern Michigan at Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Notre Dame at Miami, 7:35 p.m.

Saturday, February 18

Alaska at Michigan State, TBA

Notre Dame at Miami

Bowling Green at Ferris State

Western Michigan at Lake Superior

Northern Michigan at Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Friday, February 24

Michigan State at Notre Dame

Ferris State at Western Michigan

Michigan at Bowling Green

Ohio State at Miami, 7:35 p.m.

Lake Superior at Northern Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Alaska at Alaska-Anchorage, 7:07 p.m. (Governor’s Cup) *

Saturday, February 25

Michigan State at Notre Dame

Miami at Ohio State

Western Michigan at Ferris State

Michigan at Bowling Green

Lake Superior at Northern Michigan, 7:35 p.m.

Alaska-Anchorage at Alaska (Governor’s Cup) *

Friday, March 2

CCHA Playoffs – First Round Campus Sites

Saturday, March 3

CCHA Playoffs – First Round Campus Sites

Sunday, March 4

CCHA Playoffs – First Round Campus Sites

Friday, March 9

CCHA Playoffs – Quarterfinals at Campus Sites

Saturday, March 10

CCHA Playoffs – Quarterfinals at Campus Sites

Sunday, March 11

CCHA Playoffs – Quarterfinals at Campus Sites

Friday, March 16

CCHA Championship at Joe Louis Arena

Saturday, March 17

CCHA Championship at Joe Louis Arena

Powerhouse programs form new college hockey league

2011-07-18T11:05:00.001-04:00

Six of the top college hockey programs will become the National Collegiate Hockey Conference at the start of the 2013-14 season.

NCAA champion Minnesota Duluth, Colorado College, Denver, Nebraska-Omaha and North Dakota of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association will join current Central Collegiate Hockey Association member Miami of Ohio, the schools announced Wednesday.

The priorities for the conference include hiring a commissioner and adding new members. North Dakota athletic director Brian Faison says the league is interested adding Notre Dame and there have been conversations with the school.

'Super' League Set for '13

2011-07-12T10:08:00.000-04:00

In a move first reported to be a real possibility by Brad Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald and confirmed by Schlossman on Wednesday, at least six top college hockey programs will leave the CCHA and WCHA in 2013-14 to form a new, yet-to-be-named conference.

Colorado College, Denver, Miami, Minnesota Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha and North Dakota have agreed to create the new league, Schlossman reported and Inside College Hockey confirmed. Notre Dame is considering an invitation to join the group and another team could join the Fighting Irish.

Coaches and officials from those schools have declined to comment; an official announcement is expected to be made on Wednesday.

The move is the next domino to follow the formation of a Big Ten men’s hockey conference, which will draw Minnesota and Wisconsin from the WCHA and Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State from the CCHA (plus new program Penn State).

The Big Ten’s March announcement led to widespread speculation about the future of the college hockey landscape, particularly in the CCHA. Notre Dame was considering (and indeed may still be considering) overtures from Hockey East and the WCHA, and Miami may have looked at other options as well.

Now, instead of the college hockey world awaiting Notre Dame’s decision, six other programs – which all made the 2011 NCAA Tournament – have forged ahead. Neither the CCHA nor the WCHA have commented on the reports.

Report: 'Super League' a Reality

2011-07-08T12:16:00.000-04:00

The future of the WCHA is in serious doubt Thursday after the news, first reported by the Grand Forks Herald, that North Dakota will be leaving the league to join a rumored start up league beginning with the 2013-14 season.

According to Schlossman, details will be officially announced next week, but it is believed fellow WCHA schools Denver, Colorado College, Nebraska-Omaha and defending national champion Minnesota Duluth will also join the new league, along with Miami of the CCHA.

Notre Dame and Western Michigan could be added later in the summer.

The future landscape of college hockey has been in question since the Big Ten announced earlier this year they would be forming a league of their own. Minnesota and Wisconsin were the first schools to leave the WCHA and were joined by Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State from the CCHA. They will be joined by upstart Penn State, which begins play in 2012-12. That league will begin play in 2013-14 as well.

The formation of the new league will leave the WCHA with just five teams: Alaska-Anchorage, Bemidji State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State and St. Cloud State.

The CCHA is left with Alaska, Bowling Green, Ferris State, Lake Superior State and Northern Michigan.

Both leagues are one team short of qualifying for an automatic NCAA tournament bid, so the joining of the two leagues would appear to be the next step.

Michigan's Kampfer Seriously Injured In Assault

2008-10-19T23:02:00.000-04:00

Michigan defenseman Steve Kampfer, who was injured early Sunday morning in Ann Arbor, Mich., in an apparent assault, suffered serious injuries that will keep him off the ice for an extended period, multiple sources report.

For Kampfer, 20, from Jackson, Mich., the season could be in jeopardy.

As of Wednesday, the junior was “recovering and resting as best as he can” at home after suffering a skull and neck fracture, his mother, Karyn Kampfer, told the Ann Arbor News.

“The dust hasn’t settled on the injury yet, so we don’t know how much time will be needed. He’s extremely upset,” Karyn Kampfer said.

Michigan football player Mike Milano is a suspect in the assault, and has been suspended indefinitely by the football team, but has not been arrested and no charges have yet been filed. According to eyewitnesses and police reports, Kampfer was “bodyslammed” to the ground, and was found unconscious by police arriving at the scene.

Kampfer was taken to University Hospital after the incident.

The police report, which identified neither Kampfer nor Milano by name due to the department’s policy on continuing investigations, did name the alleged attacker as a 22-year-old male from Ohio, matching Milano’s age and home state. Milano is a former wrestler and a walk-on with the Wolverine football team.

Reasons for the altercation are not known, although eyewitnesses indicated that words passed between Kampfer and a friend and three males, one of whom is believed to be Milano, before the assault.

“I can’t tell you that [Kampfer] did anything bad,” Michigan hockey head coach Red Berenson was quoted in the Michigan Daily. “He just was a victim.”

James van Riemsdyk posts goal and assist for Wildcats

2008-10-19T23:01:00.000-04:00

Brian Foster (Pembroke, N.H.) recorded 31 saves, including 17 in the second period, to lift the sixth-ranked University of New Hampshire men's ice hockey team to Sunday evening's 2-1 Hockey East victory against fifth-ranked Boston University at the Whittemore Center.

UNH, with its fourth consecutive win in the series vs. the Terriers, improved to 3-0-0 overall and 1-0-0 in Hockey East while BU suffered its first loss of the season and is now 3-1-0, 1-1-0.

Foster made 15 saves in nine shorthanded situations. UNH's offense was sparked by James van Riemskdyk (Middletown, N.J.), who finished with a goal and an assist, and Kevin Kapstad (Boxboro, Mass.), who tallied two assists.

BU goalie Grant Rollheiser finised with 22 saves.

After going 1-for-5 on the power play in the first period, the Wildcats took a 2-0 lead at 5:32 of the second stanza on van Riemsdyk's power-play tally. Kapstad made a tape-to-tape pass from his goal line to van Riemsdyk behind the defense at the opposite blue line. van Riemsdyk shifted to the slot and lifted a shot into the net.

UNH spent most of the remainder of the second period shorthanded, as the Wildcats were whistled for six consecutive minor penalties. The Terriers had a 5x3 advantage for 1:27 at 6:52 but generated just one shot. They had another two-skater advantage - this time for 72 seconds - at 12:51 and called time out.

BU pulled within 2-1 at 13:06 with tic-tac-toe passing on that 5x3 power play. From the left circle, Colby Cohen found Colin Wilson at the right doorstep. Wilson quickly moved the puck to the slot, where Jason Lawrence one-timed a shot into the net.

The Terriers continued to pepper Foster, but he stopped all four shots he faced on the remainder of that power play to preserve UNH's one-goal advantage.

Despite being outshot 25-14 through two periods, the 'Cats took a 2-1 lead into the start of the third period.

The Wildcats gained a two-skater power play for 54 seconds at 13:15, but Rollheiser stopped all three shots he faced in that time frame to keep the Terriers within one goal.

Rollheiser was pulled in favor of an extra skater with 1:24 to play, then had to re-enter the game five seconds later on a neutral-zone faceoff. He once again went to the bench with 57 seconds remaining.

Kevin Shattenkirk fired a screened shot from the right circle that was turned aside by Foster, and that proved to be the last shot he would face. With 5.5 seconds to play, Wilson won the faceoff back to Jason Lawrence, but his shot from the right point was blocked by the UNH defense. The puck was then cleared from the slot as time expired.

The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission on a power-play goal by Phil DeSimone (East Amherst, N.Y.) at 11:58. With one Terrier already in the penalty box, a second was sent there at 10:47 to give the 'Cats a two-skater advantage for 1:10. Kapstad initiated the scoring sequence with a pass from the left point across the slot to van Riemsdyk. He quickly moved the puck down low to DeSimone, who jammed the puck in at the right post.

UNH had another two-skater advantage - this time for 1:46 - at 14:46. BU kept the 'Cats at bay, however, and limited them to just one shot in that span. Immediately after that kill, the Terriers generated a rush in which Colin Wilson's hard wrist shot from the left circle was snared by Foster's glove.

New Hampshire generated a 3-on-2 rush with 2:30 remaining in the opening stanza. Thomas Fortney (Webster Grove, Mo.) snapped a pass from the left circle to Steve Moses (Leominster, Mass.), whose redirection from deep in the right circle sailed wide of the near post.

BU went on the power play in the opening minute of the game and sustained heavy pressure on Foster, who had to make four saves on that kill to keep the game scoreless. The Terriers continued to generate pressure, and Foster stoned Joe Pereira's wraparound bid at the left post in the sixth minute.

UNH, on its first power play of the night, nearly took the lead when Kapstad's shot from the slot was blocked and trickled just wide of the net, and then Mike Sislo (Superior, Wis.) was denied at the top of the crease.

The Wildcats went 2-for-8 on the power play and 8 of 9 on the penalty kill.

SCSU Women's Hockey Defeats Minnesota Duluth

2008-10-19T02:08:00.002-04:00

St. Cloud, Minn. - Amy Currier (Fargo, N.D.) scored with just nine seconds remaining, as St. Cloud State (3-2-1, 1-2-1 WCHA) held off a late Minnesota Duluth (2-3-1, 0-3-1 WCHA) charge to defeat the Bulldogs 3-2 Saturday evening at the National Hockey Center. It was just the second time the Huskies have taken four points from the Bulldogs in one weekend.

10/13/08 USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll

2008-10-13T23:18:00.000-04:00

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll

October 13, 2008

	Team	Points	(First Place Votes)	Last Poll	Record
1	Boston College	507	(32)	1	1-0-0
2	University of Michigan	465	(1)	2	2-0-0
3	Colorado College	439	(1)	3	2-0-0
4	University of Denver	389		6	1-0-0
5	Boston University	387		9	2-0-0
6	University of New Hampshire	350		7	1-0-0
7	Miami (Ohio) University	272		8	1-0-1
8	University of Notre Dame	251		4	0-1-0
9	University of Minnesota	216		10	0-0-0
10	St. Cloud State University	174		15	2-0-0
11	Michigan State University	163		11	1-1-0
12	Princeton University	130		12	0-0-0
13	University of North Dakota	112		5	0-2-0
14	Clarkson University	83		13	0-0-0
15	Minnesota State University	59		NR	2-0-0
Others receiving votes: Northeastern University 18, Cornell University 17, Northern Michigan University 14, University of Vermont 10, Harvard University 8, University of Wisconsin 8, U.S. Air Force Academy 5, University of Minnesota-Duluth 3.

Clarkson Hockey Teams Rated Among the Nation's Best

2008-10-13T23:14:00.000-04:00

Both the Clarkson University Men’s and Women’s Hockey teams, coming off successful seasons last year, are projected to be among the elite in the NCAA this winter with high rankings in a national preseason poll.

For the second year in a row, Clarkson Athletics has partnered with B2 Networks to provide LIVE Video Broadcasts of Golden Knight Hockey for alumni, parents, family and friends to view from anywhere in the world on their personal computers!

The USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men’s College Hockey Poll ranks the Golden Knights 11th in the nation, while the Women’s Poll has Clarkson also receiving votes, tied for 12th.

The Clarkson Women, guided by first-year co-head coaches Shannon and Matt Desrosiers, begin the 2008-09 campaign this Saturday, hosting Ottawa PWHL in an exhibition contest at Cheel Arena, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The Knights officially open the season at 10th-ranked Boston College on the weekend of October 4-5. Selected 4th in the ECAC Preseason Coaches Women's Poll, the Green and Gold begin league play on November 7 at Brown.

2008-09 Clarkson Women’s Hockey Outlook

Guided by sixth-year head coach George Roll, associate coach Greg Drechsel and assistant coach Jean-Francois Houle, the Clarkson Men begins their 87th season of action on Friday, October 17 at Rochester Institute of Technology. The Knights host 5th-ranked Colorado College in their home-opener at Cheel Arena on the weekend of October 24-25. Tickets for the Friday's game against CC go on sale October 7 at the Cheel Arena Box Office. There are no more reserved tickets available for Saturday's game against Colorado College.

Selected 4th in the ECAC Preseason Coaches Men's Poll, Clarkson begins league play on November 7 hosting Brown.

Mike Logan honored for work as voice of Providence College hockey

2008-10-13T23:13:00.001-04:00

Two weeks after he exchanged wedding vows with his wife, Debbie, Mike Logan was named the voice of Providence College hockey.

Thirteen years later, the honeymoon continues.

A Rockland High School graduate, Middleboro resident and former on-air personality at Taunton radio station WPEP, Logan was recently named the 17th recipient of the Joe Concannon Media Award, which is presented annually to a person “who demonstrates a superior body of work in covering and promoting Hockey East over an extended period of time.”

“The nicest honor is when you work to do a job you love and your peers take a moment to say you’re doing it the right way,” said Logan. “That means something. That’s the most touching and humbling thing.”

It was 1995 and the Logans had just returned from their honeymoon in Alaska when Mike’s association with PC began.

Now in its 14th season, the relationship is still going strong.

“Like I said (when presented the award at the 25th annual Hockey East Media Day held Sept. 29 at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston), I hope it continues,” said Logan. “I’d love to do this another 30 years.”

A Northeastern University graduate (1991) wed to Providence College hockey? Talk about an odd couple.

“There’s still nothing like seeing Northeastern beat BU or BC,” said Logan. “I still root for Northeastern, only now it’s all but three dates a year.”

Logan had family ties to PC long before he stepped into the broadcast booth. His grandfather, Taunton native Joe Harraghy, was the captain of the Friars’ 1930 baseball team.

“Sixty-five years later,” said Logan, “I was hired to do their games.”

Logan, who played baseball (first base) and football (an offensive lineman his senior year) for Ken Owen’s Bulldogs at Rockland High, attended the University of Maine for two years before transferring to Northeastern where he earned a bachelor of science degree in journalism.

Fresh out of Northeastern, Logan was hired by WPEP where he virtually did it all — from news to calling high school games to serving as morning host — over the years.

“I was lucky,” said Logan. “I was 22, six months out of college, and there I was doing high school games on the air.”

In November 2000, Logan made the move to WJDA in Quincy where he worked as the station’s news director through May 2006.

Nowadays, both Logan and his wife, who are the parents of a 10-year-old daughter, Abbey, are employed as middle school English teachers in Taunton: Mike at the Parker School; Debbie at the Martin.

“First year, I learned more than the kids did,” said Logan, who is now in his third year teaching. “It’s a challenge. It’s like going in to do news on the radio. You never knew where the day was going to take you. There’s a schedule, but class to class you never know where the day is going to take you.”

The night may take Logan in a number of directions as well, but the final destination point is often a broadcast booth.

In addition to calling the PC men’s hockey games on either the Internet (Friars.com), Woonsocket radio station WOON (1240-AM) or Cox Sports TV, Logan has also called some women’s hockey games and both men’s and women’s basketball.

Since 2001, Logan has run MWL Sports — duties which call upon him to lend his voice to the 11 high school football games it will carry over either the Internet (MWLSports.com), Middleboro radio station WVBF (1530-AM) or Somerset radio station WSAR (1480-AM) this season.

“I sell it, I produce it, and I do at least half of the games,” said Logan.

UMASS FALLS TO MICHIGAN STATE IN ICEBREAKER, 3-1

2008-10-11T11:57:00.000-04:00

The UMass Minuteman hockey team dropped its season opener to No. 12 Michigan State Friday afternoon, 3-1 at the Icebreaker Tournament at Agganis Arena. The Spartans received goals from three different players, while Brian Keane scored the lone Minuteman goal with 7:06 left to play in the third period. UMass (0-1-0) will take on No. 4 North Dakota in a Saturday matinee at 4:30 PM.

The Minutemen were awarded six power plays throughout the course of the game, but they unable to capitalize on their man advantages. Michigan State (1-0-0) was 1-for-2 on the power play. Dan Meyers got the start in goal for UMass, making 13 saves. UMass outshot the Spartans 37-16, including a 13-0 advantage in the third period.

UMass opened up the first period with lots of physicality, and carried it throughout the period. When James Marcou took a boarding penalty 1:03 into the frame, Michigan State had several chances to take an early lead, but Meyers was up to the task, denying the Spartans with a huge save on the doorstep. One second after Marcou's penalty expired, Michigan State took a 1-0 lead when Andrew Rowe banged home a loose puck in the crease. Meyers saved the original shot from Daultan Leveille, but the rebound squirted out and onto Rowe's stick.

After the goal, UMass seemed to carry the play for the remainder of the period, generating multiple scoring opportunities on Lerg. The Minutemen were awarded three power plays during the opening stanza, but they were not able to take advantage of them. Massachusetts nearly tied the score when Marcou attempted to thread a pass across the ice to Chris Davis, but a Michigan State defenseman got his stick in the passing lane and broke up the play. UMass' best chance of the period came when Marcou toe-dragged around a Michigan State defender, but his shot was deflected above the net. UMass finished the period outshooting the Spartans 13-7.

Michigan State netted two goals during the second period, giving the Spartans a 3-0 lead heading into the locker room. The Spartans scored their first goal of the period 51 seconds into the frame when Jeff Petry dropped a pass to Leveille at the point. Leveille shot the puck from the blue line, and it was deflected by Andrew Conboy past Meyers for the score.

Following the goal Massachusetts created some chances of their own, but Lerg was up to the task. The Spartans nearly extended their lead to three when Conboy took a one timer from the point, but Meyers went post to post to deny the scoring chance.

UMass' best chance of the period came when Justin Braun took a one timer from the blue line that was saved by Lerg. The rebound popped out to Alex Berry on the doorstep, but the puck hopped over his stick. Michigan State closed out the period when Matt Schepke banged home a rebound in front of the net to extend the Spartan lead to three.

Massachusetts prevented the Spartans from taking any shots on goal during the third period by applying pressure to the Michigan St. defense and created lots of chances. Marcou created several chances throughout the final frame, but Lerg made numerous saves to keep the shutout intact. The Minutemen finally got on the board with seven minutes to play in the frame when Keane netted his first goal of the year. Keane skated around a defender and flung a backhand towards the net. The puck hit Lerg and Keane was knocked into the net, but the puck had already trickled in.

Boston College Edges Wisconsin, 5-4

2008-10-11T11:56:00.000-04:00

It truly was a special night for Boston College hockey. Four special-teams goals lifted the top-ranked Eagles to a 5-4 season-opening win over Wisconsin before a sellout crowd of 7,884 in Kelley Rink.

Just prior to the game, Boston College paid a final salute to its 2007-08 title-winning team by raising the national-championship banner to the arena's rafters.

Freshman Cam Atkinson made his collegiate debut a memorable one by scoring the decisive goal - the team's sole even-strength tally - at 13:30 of the third period.

Sophomore Brian Gibbons scored twice - once shorthanded and once on the power play - to pace the home team.

BC and Wisconsin were tied 1-1 after one period and 3-3 after two periods. The visiting Badgers gained a one-goal edge on senior Ben Street's goal just 80 seconds into the third period.

Gibbons' shorthanded goal evened the score at 3:43, setting the stage for Atkinson's gamewinner.

Wisconsin sophomore Patrick Johnson opened the night's scoring at 2:59. Gibbons tied the game with a power-play goal at 5:59.

Junior Matt Price gave BC a 2-1 advantage with a shorthanded goal at 4:18 of the second period, before Wisconsin answered with consecutive goals from freshmen Jordy Murray and Eric Springer. BC senior captain Brock Bradford tallied on the power play at 13:18 to even the score once again.

BC sophomore John Muse made 28 saves to earn his 26th collegiate victory. Wisconsin senior Shane Connelly finished with 32 stops.

Wings prospect Nyquist adjusts to life as a college hockey player

2008-10-10T16:39:00.000-04:00

Red Wings prospect Gustav Nyquist has begun his North American hockey odyssey with the University of Maine Black Bears, and he spoke to the Portland Press Herald's Rachel Lenzi about his decision to take an unconventional route to professional hockey via the NCAA:

October 9, Portland Press Herald: "I've always had the dream, and everyone's dream is to play in the NHL," Nyquist said. "I was really excited to come over here. The rink's much smaller here, and I wanted to come over and find out what it was like (to play hockey). I want to see how the game is here and how much it takes to get to the NHL."

Maine's roster includes 13 American-born players and 12 Canadian-born players. But NCAA Division I academic eligibility rules require that foreign students must meet high school graduation and core curriculum requirements, have a GPA of 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale) and meet minimum scores on the ACT or the SAT (taken in English; the NCAA has different test score requirements for each country).

"It's very challenging to recruit in Europe, and it takes a lot of work in helping (Europeans) get eligible academically, simply because they did not grow up planning to go to college here," Maine coach Tim Whitehead said. "The NCAA clearinghouse has very strict regulations and does not give any special treatment to foreign players. It's very difficult to qualify academically, no matter how good you are. Europe is not an area where we think we'll get a lot of players every year, but this opens the door for a couple more prospects. And we're pleased with the two we have."

One of the main reasons that Nyquist was chosen by the Red Wings was his decision to head to Maine as it gives him four years of development time while Detroit retains his rights, and both he and fellow Swedish import Theo Andersson know that their freshman seasons will require significant adjustments to the North American style of play and the dimensions of a 200'x85' rink:

"You have a little bit more time with the puck [in Europe] and we don't hit as much as they do here," Nyquist said. "They go harder to the net here, and in Sweden we search for a nice play or a nice pass. Here, there's more shooting and going right to the net."

The Detroit Red Wings took Nyquist in the fourth round (121st overall) of this year's NHL entry draft after he scored 11 goals and 20 assists in 24 games with Malmo, a team in Sweden's top junior hockey league, despite missing six weeks with a shoulder injury. But he felt needed to hone his game and become more physical against bigger, stronger college players.

Black Bears senior Matt Duffy tells Lenzi that he and his teammates plan to assist Nyquist and Andersson adjust to life as a collegiate hockey player in the U.S., but he admits that he's not sure whether he could match their linguistic moxie:

"If I went to Sweden, I guarantee I couldn't understand half the things that were being said," Duffy said. "I'd be at a loss."

National Poll Entering this weekend

2008-10-10T16:36:00.003-04:00

October 6, 2008

	Team	(First Place Votes)	Record	Points	Last Poll
1	Boston College	(36)	25-11-8	969	7
2	Michigan	( 5)	33- 6-4	922	1
3	Colorado College	( 7)	28-12-1	874	6
4	Notre Dame	( 1)	27-16-4	829	12
5	North Dakota	( 1)	28-11-4	789	3
6	Denver		26-14-1	707	4
7	New Hampshire		25-10-3	648	5
8	Miami		33- 8-1	613	2
9	Boston University		19-17-4	565	15
10	Minnesota		19-17-9	503	10
11	Michigan State		25-12-5	440	9
12	Princeton		21-14-0	427	13
13	Clarkson		22-13-4	375	11
14	Wisconsin		16-17-7	358	17
15	St. Cloud State		19-16-5	299	8
16	Northern Michigan		20-20-4	257	NR
17	Cornell		19-14-3	186	NR
18	Minnesota State		19-16-4	170	14
19	Harvard		17-13-4	134	16
20	Vermont		17-15-7	90	18
Others Receiving Votes: Northeastern 74, Air Force 59, Niagara 58, Ferris State 42, Mass.-Lowell 30, Massachusetts 21, Minnesota-Duluth 17, Providence 8, Yale 6, Maine 5, Bowling Green 3, Dartmouth 3, Quinnipiac 3, Rensselaer 3, Union 3, Bemidji State 2, RIT 2, Robert Morris 2, St. Lawrence 2, Mercyhurst 1, Michigan Tech 1

Optimism is the word around UNH hockey

2008-10-10T08:26:00.000-04:00

This much we know for certain about the University of New Hampshire hockey season, which commences Saturday night with a home game against Wisconsin: If the Wildcats manage to qualify for the NCAA tournament for an eighth straight season, they will play a Northeast Regional game at Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester on Saturday, March 28.

Now, about those 168 days between the start of the season and the start of the playoffs.

Gone to graduation are UNH's top two scorers, two of its top defensemen and Kevin Regan, who owns just about every career goaltending record at the school.

Coach Dick Umile, entering his 19th season, and his guys are confident they can plug those holes.

"I like our team," Umile said. "I think we've got great senior leadership again from the senior class. We've got three senior defensemen. We've got senior forwards in Greg Collins and Jerry Pollastrone and Thomas Fortney and hopefully Alan Thompson, who's definitely going to play if he stays healthy."

And they've got Brian Foster, a junior from Pembroke who's waited through two seasons for his chance to be the No. 1 guy in goal.

"I think he's going to be a real good one," Umile said. "He's excited. No disrespect to Kevin Regan, but I think Brian's real happy Kevin left."

Last year, UNH was picked in the preseason Hockey Easy coaches' poll to finish in a first-place tie with Boston College. Instead, the Wildcats ran away with the regular-season title.

BC stumbled at the end of the regular season and barely hung on to fourth place and home ice for the league playoffs. And then the Eagles got hot and rolled to the Hockey East title and straight on through to the national championship.

This season, Boston College is picked first in the league, BU second and UNH third.

So do the Wildcats have what it takes to win a third straight regular-season championship, a first Hockey East tournament title since 2003, grab another berth in the NCAAs and make a run at that elusive national title?

The offense

Yeah, they lost forwards Matt Fornataro and his 118 career points and Mike Radja and his 117.

But they have much back, too, led by James van Riemsdyk, the No. 2 draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers and one of three returning players in Hockey East who averaged more than a point a game last season.

He had 11 goals and 23 assists in 31 games, and the folks around him think he's ready to deliver more.

"He has something to prove," Pollastrone said. "You can just tell it in his eyes: He wants to prove he's a big-time player. He's such a great player, he expects more from himself. You can see it in practice. He's gotten stronger, he's gotten faster. You can just tell."

Van Riemsdyk is the leader of what could be a breakout sophomore group.

"You look at last year's freshman class. and I think that's where we're going to pick up the goal production," Umile said.

Phil DeSimone, Danny Dries, Paul Thompson and Mike Sislo are others in that mix.

"Phil DeSimone has a lot more confidence this year," said senior co-captain Greg Collins. "I think he's going to be real good. He's lost some weight. He scored a lot of goals in captains' practices."

A third-round pick of the Washington Capitals in 2007, DeSimone had three goals and 10 assists last season. He had 26 goals and 27 assists for 73 points in 60 games in his last year of junior hockey in the United States Hockey League.

The defense

Senior Joe Charlebois, named the Old Time Hockey best defensive defenseman in Hockey East last season, leads the blueliners. He was a league-best plus-25 in plus/minus statistics last season, and fellow senior Jamie Fritsch was at plus-17. Kevin Kapstad is the other senior.

Last year, they helped the Wildcats to a 2.00 goals-against average in Hockey East games, which was best in the league.

Freshman Blake Kessel, the brother of Boston Bruin forward Phil, was lined up as one of the top six defensemen in last Saturday's exhibition game win.

What's more, Greg Collins, a defensive-minded forward, and Charlebois are the captains.

"I think Greg and I bring a defensive game, a defensive mentality to practice and games," Charlebois said. "We're excited about this year."

The goalie

Foster, who is backed up by freshman Matt DiGirolamo, pitched shutouts in his first two career starts, against UMass-Lowell and St. Lawrence, as a freshman. He appeared in seven games as a freshman and six last year, and now it's his time.

"I'm really looking forward to it," Foster said. "It's all about consistency now. Every week, every game."

A change in goal, turnover up front and at the blueline -- it doesn't change the approach in the Wildcat locker room.

"We want to win three titles," Foster said. "The regular season, the Hockey East tournament and the national championship. That's definitely the goal."

The mission

This group of seniors has been part of a 71-34-12 record with a couple of league championships over the last three years and has qualified for the national tournament each year.

But the Wildcats have not won an NCAA playoff game in that stretch.

"Hopefully we can make it there, because I think we do have something to prove in the NCAA tournament," Charlebois said. "Not to ourselves, but to our fans and the rest of the college hockey world: that we can do something in the postseason."

About College Hockey Tickets

2008-10-10T08:21:00.002-04:00

Let's face it, college hockey is an addiction! What's better than knowing you've got tickets to the college hockey game of your FAVORITE team?

Message Boards, Painted Face, Fan Signs made of Poster Board (or pizza boxes if you're a student)... Any of this sound familiar? If so, you love college hockey!

Getting tickets to see your favorite team might not be as easy as painting your school's logo on your chest while looking in the mirror, however, a sure fire way of getting college hockey tickets is through a registered ticket broker that carries college hockey tickets.

You might think to yourself, these "ticket brokers" are just online scalpers... That's not the case. Ticket brokers online are part of what is called the secondary ticket market. This secondary ticket market is a pool of brokers across the country that have tickets for events and put them all into a ticket board. Then any website can sell another broker's tickets.

In addition, ticket brokers give you the option of sitting where you want for the big game. If you've ever ordered tickets over the phone, through the box office or from a scalper in the parking lot, you don't have much of an option where you sit. However, a ticket website allows you to browse between dozens and hundreds of tickets available for a single event. This ensures that you can choose your seats!

The prices may be slightly higher for tickets through a ticket website (supply and demand) compared to the face value but weigh the options:

1. You can choose where you want to sit
2. You will not get in trouble for doing business with a scalper
3. You have your tickets in hand before the game
4. Your tickets are guaranteed authentic tickets
5. If the game is postponed, canceled or is not played, you get a full refund
6. Your transaction is processed through a safe and secure server so your identity is guaranteed safe
7. You can always call customer service for help with an order
8. You can often order tickets before they are on sale to the public
9. Tickets will be shipped 2nd day or overnight to any location (even hotels for away games)
10. If you missed your chance at the box office, you've always got a back up with an online ticket broker

If those 10 reasons aren't enough to make you think twice about ordering college hockey tickets online, then you're a tough cookie to sell. But the difference between you and someone else is that if you refuse to buy tickets online, you may be listening to the game on internet radio while someone else is sitting in your front row seats enjoying a great game between conference rivals battling for a playoff spot!

College hockey tickets are your key to the game and you'd better make sure you've got your college hockey tickets. There's nothing like being at the game!

A Return?

2008-09-04T22:30:00.000-04:00

Huh? Wha?

This is the End...

2007-11-16T15:47:00.000-05:00

Well, sadly, real-life is a real pain.

To put it simply, I just do not have the time to devote to a college hockey blog anymore. Despite my undying love for this sport, and despite my attempts to make this blog flourish, illness, school, and other things have hindered my impact here greatly.

I really was planning so much for this blog. I wanted to have daily updates, near-daily rundowns of other blogs, analysis -- the whole nine. I looked to other great blogs, like WCH, as my quazi-blueprint, and aspired to reach the elite levels of the college hockey blogosphere, and perhaps a bit higher.

Sadly, I have learned that, well, I’m extremely human. I just don’t have the iron will that is needed to be a content-generating machine. And ultimately, what this blog has become, score and poll updates, was not what I had in mind as primary content.

I will keep the blog "up" essentially for two reasons -- one, in an attempt to not fall to the same fate that the Hockey East Blog did when they shut their doors, and, two, perhaps people might find the link list to the right marginally useful in the future. However, for now at least, it’s extremely unlikely that new content will be created.

Most importantly, however, thanks to my readers and other bloggers who supported this blog -- without those people, this blog would have not reached any level of success.

Melancholically,
A. A.

Final Scores (Nov. 15).

2007-11-15T22:24:00.000-05:00

Thursday, November 15th
CCHA:
● Miami U. 4, Michigan State 2.
Justin Mercier (MIA) - 2 goals.

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll (Nov. 12)

2007-11-12T23:31:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of: USCHO.com

	Team	Points	(First Place Votes)	Last Poll	Record
1	University of Michigan	491	(21)	2	9-1-0
2	Miami (Ohio) University	479	(12)	1	9-1-0
3	Michigan State University	430	(1)	3	8-1-0
4	University of Denver	398		5	6-2-0
5	University of North Dakota	377		4	5-3-1
6	University of New Hampshire	367		7	5-1-1
7	Colorado College	285		9	5-3-0
8	Clarkson University	218		8	7-3-0
9	Boston College	215		6	3-2-4
10	University of Wisconsin	210		10	5-3-0
11	University of Notre Dame	198		12	7-4-0
12	University of Minnesota	154		14	6-4-0
13	St. Cloud State University	105		NR	6-2-2
14	University of Massachusetts	37		NR	4-2-3
15	University of Minnesota-Duluth	31		15	4-3-1
Others receiving votes: Harvard University 25, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 21, University of Maine 15, Bowling Green State University 7, Michigan Tech University 6, Niagara University 5, U.S. Air Force Academy 2, St. Lawrence University 1.

A Weekend-Ending Schmoz.

2007-11-12T05:43:00.000-05:00

Strange things were a happenin’ on Saturday at the Kohl Center. Well, actually, with the semi-bad blood between these two squads, perhaps it was slightly expected...

Regardless, from my understanding, the Fighting Sioux of North Dakota and the Wisconsin Badgers played a hockey game on Saturday, things were getting chippy throughout portions of the game (apparently beginning after a North Dakota goal), and, by the time the smoke settled, North Dakota won 3-1, a multiple-minute melee occurred (along with reportedly many miniature melees), and over 120 penalty minutes were spooned-out by likely-exhausted WCHA officials.

Here’s USCHO’s report on the game. Below, some YouTubery from the encounter.

Final Scores (Nov. 9).

2007-11-10T03:35:00.000-05:00

Friday, November 9th
Atlantic Hockey:
● Bentley 4, Connecticut 2.
Dustin Cloutier (BEN) - goal, assist.
● Air Force 2, Rochester Inst. of Tech. 1. (OT)
● Army 4, American International 3.
Bryce Hollweg (ARMY) - goal, assist.
● Holy Cross 3, Canisius 2.
Rob Forshner (HC) - goal, assist.

CCHA:
● Michigan 4, Alaska 0.
Aaron Palushaj (MICH) - goal, assist
● Western Michigan 4, Northern Michigan 2.
Cam Watson (WMU) - 2 goals, assist.
● Nebraska-Omaha 5, Ohio State 2.
Mick Lawrence (UNO) - 2 goals.
● Bowling Green 6, Ferris State 3.
James Perkin (BGSU) - 2 goals, assist.
● Notre Dame 2, Miami U. 1.

CHA:
● Bemidji State 2, Alabama-Huntsville 0.
Travis Winter (BSU) - goal, assist.
● Niagara 4, Robert Morris 0.
Matt Caruana (NIA) - 2 goals.

ECACHL:
● Harvard 3, Rensselaer Poly. 0.
Alex Biega (HAR) - goal, assist.
● St. Lawrence 4, Princeton 3.
Charlie Giffin (SLU) - goal, assist.
● Cornell 2, Yale 1.
Riley Nash (CRN) - goal, assist.
● Dartmouth 4, Union 0.
Scott Fleming (DTM) - goal, assist.
● Quinnipiac 3, Clarkson 2.
Jamie Bates (QU) - goal, assist. Bryan Leitch (QU) - goal, assist.
● Brown 5, Colgate 2.
Ryan Garbutt (BRN) - goal, assist. Sean Muncy (BRN) - goal, assist.

Hockey East:
● Merrimack 3, Boston College 3. (OT)
Matt Jones (MMK) - 2 goals. Anthony Aiello (BC) - goal, assist.
● UMass 5, Boston University 3.
Chase Langeraap (UMASS) - goal, assist. Pete MacArthur (BU) - 2 goals, assist.
● Providence 6, Maine 2.
Matt Taormina (PRV) - 2 goals, 3 assists. Nick Mazzolini (PRV) - goal, 2 assists. Andrew Sweetland (MAI) - 2 goals.
● Mass.-Lowell 2, New Hampshire 2. (OT)
● Northeastern 4, Vermont 2.
Joe Vitale (NE) - goal, assist.

WCHA:
● Minnesota 4, Minnesota State 3.
Tony Lucia (MIN) - goal, assist. Blake Wheeler (MIN) - 2 assists.
● Colorado College 5, Minnesota-Duluth 3.
Derek Patrosso (CC) - goal, assist. Jordan Fulton (UMD) - goal, assist.
● Wisconsin 4, North Dakota 0.
Brendan Smith (WIS) - goal, assist.
● St. Cloud State 5, Michigan Tech 2.
Ryan Lasch (SCSU) - 2 goals. Peter Rouleau (MTU) - 2 goals.

Non-Conference:
● Michigan State 6, Mercyhurst 2.
Tim Kennedy (MSU) 2 goals. Justin Abdelkader (MSU) goal, 2 assists. Scott Pitt (MHR) - 2 assists.
● Lake Superior State 3, Wayne State 2.

Week 6 Breakdown.

2007-11-09T00:01:00.000-05:00

#12 Notre Dame v. #1 Miami U. (CCHA)
Fri./Sat., Steve Cady Arena, Oxford, OH; 7:35p/7:05p EST.

The Miami RedHawks (8-0-0, 6-0-0 in the CCHA), without question, are playing an absolutely crazy brand of hockey. Undefeated in the CCHA, the Redhawks have won all but one of their conference games by at least three goals, tallying as many as nine in a game against Northern Michigan last week. Two players for Miami have notched points in the double-digits – senior Ryan Jones (8g-3a-11pts.) and freshman Carter Camper (3g-7a-10pts). Junior forward Justin Mercier has notched seven goals and a pair of assists thus far this season as well for Miami.

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame had a rough start to the season in non-conference play, going 2-2-0 with losses against Wisconsin and Denver. However, since those opening two weeks, the Irish have settled down a bit, going 4-1-0 in conference play with a win at Bowling Green, a series-split at Ferris State, and a series-sweep against Lake Superior State. Senior forward Mark Van Gilder has notched six goals and three assists thus far in the early season, and sophomore Ryan Thang has netted five goals for the Domers.

#15 Minnesota-Duluth v. #9 Colorado College (WCHA)
Fri./Sat., World Arena, Colorado Springs, CO; 7:35p/7:05p MST.

Woof. One of the surprising developments in the WCHA thus far in the season – Minnesota-Duluth is heading into Colorado Springs looking quite strong. The Bulldogs are 4-1-1 thus far in the season – a record which includes a conference win against Denver, a sweep of conference foe St. Cloud State, a victory against the CCHA’s Northern Michigan, and a tie against the CCHA’s Lake Superior State.

And the thing is, thus far, it has truly been a team-effort for Minnesota-Duluth. Not one Bulldog has flashy statistics – five skaters have scored a pair of goals (with four of those players notching at least a pair of assists). It also helps that UMD sophomore goaltender Alex Stalock has been nothing short of stellar, tallying a near-microscopic 1.65 GAA in six starts.

Woof? Woof, indeed, my friends.

It’s been no bed of roses for Colorado College thus far (3-3-0). After playing a pair of exhibitions, the Tigers have taken on a “who’s who” list in college hockey – Minnesota, New Hampshire, and North Dakota in consecutive weekend series. But despite the tough schedule for CC thus far, the Tigers have found a way to keep their heads above water in the WCHA, going 3-1-0 for 6 points. Two players for CC have tallied four goals – sophomore Bill Sweatt (4g-3a-7pts.) and junior Eric Walsky (4g-0a-4pts.).

Niagara v. Robert Morris (CHA)
Fri./Sat., RMU Island Sports Center, Moon Township, PA; 7:35p EST.

A really good series that you’ll, sadly, not hear a lot about coming up in CHA, as the 5-2-0 Niagara Purple Eagles make the trip to Moon Township, PA, taking on the 4-2-0 Robert Morris Colonials for a weekend pair.

Robert Morris started the season shocking the college hockey world, winning the 2007 Nye Frontier Classic in Anchorage, beating conference foe Wayne State and Boston University in consecutive nights. After getting trounced twice against Wisconsin in non-conference play, the Colonials bounced back, taking a weekend sweep in CHA action against Wayne State. Robert Morris has a trio of very good upperclassman – senior Ryan Carruthers (3g-4a-7pts.), junior Chris Margott (1g-6a-7pts.), and junior Jason Towsley (4g-2a-6pts.).

The season for the Niagara Purple Eagles, a team projected to, by many, take the CHA this season, has been characterized by book-end losses against season-opener Merrimack and conference-opener Bemidji State, and a five-game winning streak which included wins against Bowling Green State (thus far, a modest surprise in the CCHA at 3-2-0) and Western Michigan (in a weekend sweep). NU senior forward Matt Caruana has tallied five goals and three assists thus far in the season.

#4 North Dakota v. #10 Wisconsin (WCHA)
Fri./Sat., Kohl Center, Madison, WI; 7:05p CST.

North Dakota, at the end of last week, was looking very un-North Dakota-like in a 4-1 loss to Colorado College. That was the bad news for UND. The good news? Well, they’re still North Dakota, and thus, are still chock-full of talent. Linesmates and juniors T.J. Oshie (5p-2a-7pts) and Ryan Duncan (3g-5a-8pts.) are still fantastic players, and senior goaltender Jean-Philippe Lamoureux, still, is having a fantastic early-season, only giving up seven goals (GAA of 1.06) on the strength of a .958 SV%.

Meanwhile, things have been awkwardly quiet out of Madison as of late. The Badgers have played six games total (no exhibitions), going 4-2-0 with non-conference wins against Notre Dame and Robert Morris, and one lone in-conference win against Michigan Tech. They do have one heckuva freshman – forward Kyle Turris has notched five goals and eight assists in Wisconsin’s six games thus far.

Massachusetts v. Boston U. (Hockey East)
Fri., Agganis Arena, Boston, MA; 7:30p EST.

Home, sweet home… possibly. It almost seems as if Boston U.’s played just about everywhere this season except Agganis, having semi-disastrous results regardless of which rink they play at. BU’s season began in Anchorage at the Nye Frontier Classic, taking a disappointing third place with a tie against Alaska-Anchorage and a loss against Robert Morris. Following the tournament, the Terriers went back to Boston for a drudging against New Hampshire, then, back on the road to Ann Arbor, losing a pair against non-conference Michigan at Yost. But recently, the Terriers have begun to turn things around, taking a pair of games at Providence and at home against Mass.-Lowell.

What do we know after all of this for Boston U.? Good question. Well, we know BU’s offensive output has been, as of late, balanced, with seven Terriers scoring at least two goals in the early-portion of the season.

What do we know about UMass? The Minutemen have had just as crazy, if not, a crazier season. UMass has tallied a record of 3-2-2, with a conference win against Merrimack, draws against Mass.-Lowell and Providence, and losses at Providence and at non-conference Clarkson. Five players for UMass have tallied at least two goals in the early-portion of the season.

Final Scores (Nov. 6, 8).

2007-11-08T04:58:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, November 6th
Atlantic Hockey:
● Bentley 3, Sacred Heart 1.
Dustin Cloutier (BEN) - goal, assist.

Thursday, November 8th
CCHA:
● Nebraska-Omaha 5, Ohio State 2.
Brandon Scero (UNO) - 2 goals, assist.

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll (Nov. 5)

2007-11-05T20:49:00.000-05:00

Well, perhaps I can squeeze this in...

Courtesy of: USCHO.com

Team	Points	(First Place Votes)	Last Poll	Record
1	Miami (Ohio) University	510	(34)	1	8-0-0
2	University of Michigan	465		2	7-1-0
3	Michigan State University	400		6	6-1-0
4	University of North Dakota	398		3	4-2-1
5	University of Denver	372		7	6-2-0
6	Boston College	360		5	3-1-3
7	University of New Hampshire	338		4	4-1-0
8	Clarkson University	244		11	6-2-0
9	Colorado College	231		10	3-3-0
10	University of Wisconsin	189		9	4-2-0
11	University of Maine	154		12	4-2-1
12	University of Notre Dame	151		13	6-3-0
13	Michigan Tech University	96		14	5-3-0
14	University of Minnesota	82		8	4-4-0
15	University of Minnesota-Duluth	60		15	4-1-1
Others receiving votes: Niagara University 8, Ferris State University 6, Princeton University 5, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 4, St. Cloud State University 3, U.S. Air Force Academy 2, College of the Holy Cross 1, St. Lawrence University 1.

Disturbing Trend in the WCHA?

2007-11-05T01:11:00.000-05:00

The word has always been that the WCHA is an upperclassmen's league. For years common wisdom has predicted and statistics have confirmed that the teams with large junior and senior classes were the teams to succeed. The league has had it's share of "phenoms" or "one year wonders" and those great players have helped their teams succeed of course. But those players have been the exception. More often than not freshman in the WCHA require some seasoning time before they step up. But this year an early trend looks to me as if it could possibly upset the upperclassmen apple-cart. Granted that for some teams only 6 games have passed but the majority of WCHA teams have played 8 games. For this fan, one statistic specifically jumps out at me.

Of the 222 goals scored this season 112 of them have come from freshmen and sophomores. More than 50 percent? After just 8 games? What happened to the "seasoning time"? Did nobody tell these kids they're supposed to simmer for a while? Here's a team-by-team breakdown:

DU - 23 of 25 for 92 percent
UAA - 22 of 27 for 81 percent
UW - 19 of 28 - for 68 percent
SCSU- 18 of 30 for 60 percent
MSUM - 9 of 16 for 56 percent
UMTC - 6 of 17 for 35 percent
CC - 4 of 16 for 25 percent
UND - 4 of 16 for 25 percent
MTU - 4 of 24 for 17 percent
UND - 3 of 23 for 13 percent

The biggest effect of this youth trend are being seen primarily at 4 schools and like any good bell curve there are 4 schools on the other end of the spectrum. But more than 50% league-wide? Is that really out of line? I calculated last season for comparisons sake:

UND - 117 of 153 for 76 percent
UMD - 73 of 103 for 70 percent
UMTC - 105 of 161 for 65 percent
DU - 63 of 107 for 58 percent
MSUM - 61 of 106 for 57 percent
UAA - 44 of 90 for 48 percent
UW - 43 of 93 for 46 percent
CC - 48 of 111 for 43 percent
MTU - 41 of 90 for 42 percent
SCSU - 46 of 127 for 36 percent

The season totals were 641 of 1147 for 56 percent. Well that certainly didn't confirm the "wow" factor in my mind for this year. Of course it's still early and I'd imagine that plenty of youngsters will begin contributing more as the season goes on.

All this spurred my curiosity and so I calculated the six years. In 05-06 the league-wide average was 48 percent (599 of 1245). In 04-05 the average was 46 percent (591 of 1283). In 03-04 the average was 49 percent (680 of 1381). In 02-03 the average was 50 percent (702 of 1394). In 01-02 the average was 43 percent (591 of 1372). In 00-01 the average was 41 percent (550 of 1325). So all this indicates two trends. Scoring is declining slightly but underclassmen seem to be providing more and more of it as time goes on.

Considering all this information begins to leave me with the impression that the quality of the WCHA product could actually be declining slightly. I doubt the top three teams this season would fare very well against the top three team from 00-01 or 01-02. This is all due of course to the last NHL collective bargaining agreement. Gee thanks NHL. I'm not saying here that the WCHA is less competitive or exciting than it was 5 or 6 years ago but the trend is a concern. The NHL's new tendency to try to sign players before they've used their eligibility is slowly turning Division 1 hockey into not much more than an NHL farm system. It's disturbing. Thoughts? Should I have looked at older stats? Are my conclusions reasonable? Will the teams that succeed be the ones that can keep most of their players for 4 years?

A Hiatus...

2007-11-04T19:34:00.000-05:00

... until Thursday. Very busy on my end.

I will post a week-in-preview post by late-Thursday/early-Friday.

Final Scores (Oct. 30, Nov. 2).

2007-11-01T22:57:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, October 30th
Non-Conference:
● Quinnipiac 3, American International 2.

Thursday, November 2nd
CCHA:
● Notre Dame 7, Lake Superior State 3.
Hockey East:
● Boston U. 5, Providence 2.
● Merrimack 3, UMass-Lowell 1.

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll (Oct. 29)

2007-10-29T18:35:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of: USCHO.com

	Team	Points	(First Place Votes)	Last Poll	Record
1	Miami (Ohio) University	506	(30)	2	6-0-0
2	University of Michigan	446		3	5-1-0
3	University of North Dakota	433	(2)	1	3-1-1
4	University of New Hampshire	430	(2)	6	3-0-0
5	Boston College	385		5	3-1-2
6	Michigan State University	323		9	4-1-0
7	University of Denver	250		7	4-2-0
8	University of Minnesota	247		10	4-2-0
9	University of Wisconsin	235		11	3-1-0
10	Colorado College	219		4	2-2-0
11	Clarkson University	174		8	4-2-0
12	University of Maine	143		13	4-2-0
13	University of Notre Dame	99		12	4-3-0
14	Michigan Tech University	97		15	4-2-0
15	University of Minnesota-Duluth	47		NR	4-1-1
Others receiving votes: St. Lawrence University 14, Niagara University 10, The Ohio State University 9, U.S. Air Force Academy 7, University of Alaska-Anchorage 4, College of the Holy Cross 1, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 1.

Final Scores (Oct. 25).

2007-10-25T22:16:00.000-04:00

Thursday, October 25th
Non-Conference:
● Minnesota 3, Ohio State 1.

Week 4 Breakdown.

2007-10-25T21:20:00.000-04:00

A quasi-truncated breakdown this week, as real life is slowly catching up with me again...

#1 North Dakota v. #15 Michigan Tech (WCHA)
Fri./Sat., MacInnes Student Ice Arena, Houghton, MI; 7:05p EST.

The best team in the land, the North Dakota Fighting Sioux, begin WCHA play on the upper peninsula of Michigan, taking on the that feisty group of Huskies from Michigan Tech in what should be this weekend’s most intriguing series.

For the Sioux, who are leading into this series on the heels of a somewhat tough early-schedule, this will be their first true conference test. The weekend pair will showcase the Sioux against a gritty, tough hockey team at a hostile environment on the WCHA-league stage. Simply put, if North Dakota, still, has any “doubters” leading into this contest, the Sioux can shut them up with a good, 3+ point showing in Houghton.

The Sioux will apparently send Aaron Walski up to the U.P. this weekend in-net, and, despite lingering shoulder-related problems, forward Michael Forney will also dress (according to B.E.S.).

It could be also argued that, already this early in the season, this is a statement series for Michigan Tech as well. Again, if there is any team poised to break the glass ceiling in the WCHA this season, it will be Michigan Tech, as they are sporting a dangerous mixture of experience and talent. The Huskies are already off to a fast start, netting a 4-point weekend sweep against Minnesota State-Mankato (Fri.: 2-0, Sat.: 7-1) – a series where eight different Huskies netted nine goals.

#4 Colorado College v. #6 New Hampshire (Non Conf.)
Fri./Sat., Whittemore Center, Durham, NH; 7:00p EST.

College hockey is a game of quirks, particularly, playing surface-related quirks. Minnesota-Duluth’s D.E.C.C. has their famed undersized rink, measuring 190x85. Boston College’s Conte Forum, when not covered with fog and darkened, houses a slightly-larger-than-professional-sized 200x87 sheet. Multiple teams sport rinks with Olympic-sized sheets.

And of course, we’d be plain forgetful if we missed the Whittemore Center’s reportedly boxy corners. As CC blogger Kate Crandall notes in her somewhat new and aptly-named “Mucking in the Corner” blog,

“UNH’s Whittemore Center, which features an ice sheet with the same dimensions as the World Arena (200x100), is rumored to have nearly square corners (I’ll be pulling out my measuring tape). That means more space for the CC forwards to work with, but conversely, a tougher defensive task for the Tigers’ young defensemen.”

Although CC certainly does have some young cubs at the defensive positions (five of which are either sophomores or freshmen), the young’uns bite is just as ferocious as their older counterparts – ask the #10 Minnesota Golden Gophers, who were gnawed-upon by the Tigers in somewhat-convincing fashion last week in Colorado Springs (Fri.: CC 3-1, Sat.: CC 2-1).

The Wildcats aren’t bad either, despite getting off to a rough start in exhibition play, losing to New Brunswick, 4-3. UNH rebounded well from that sluggish start, taking their conference opener against Boston U. by a score of 4-1.

Boston U. v. #3 Michigan (Non Conf.)
Fri./Sat., Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, MI; 7:35p EST.

Could the road be any rockier for the Boston Terriers? The Terriers are 0-2-1 thus far, tallying a disappointing 3rd place finish at Alaska-Anchorage’s Nye Frontier classic two weeks ago, then came back to the lower 48 last week to lose their first Hockey East contest of the season against now-#6 UNH. Now, the Terriers take a road-trip to Ann Arbor to take on the #3 Michigan Wolverines for the opening season-series at always-hostile Yost Arena.

Kevin Porter’s been electric for Michigan in the early-season; the senior forward has tallied three goals and an assist thus far in the season, while freshman forwards Matt Rust and Carl Hagelin have netted a pair of goals and an assist each for the Wolverines.

Nebraska-Omaha v. #2 Miami (CCHA)
Fri./Sat., Cady Arena, Oxford, OH; 7:35p/7:05p EST.

This could be a statement series for UNO. The RedHawks have already tallied four points in CCHA play, sweeping Ohio State in impressive fashion last week by a pair of 5-1 scores.

This will be the first CCHA series for UNO, who have already notched a victory against Alabama-Huntsville at the Maverick Stampede earlier in the season (5-1 was the final).

#8 Clarkson v. Lake Superior State (Non Conf.)
Fri./Sat., Taffy Abel Arena, Sault Ste. Marie, MI; 7:35p EST.

An off-kilter, but marquee series nonetheless to spotlight, as the U.P.’s LSSU will host the #8 team in the land, the ECAC’s Clarkson Golden Knights. Lake State is coming into the contest on the heels of a draw against a pretty decent Minnesota-Duluth team and a hard-fought loss against #15 Michigan Tech.

Meanwhile, Clarkson’s taking their second trip away from Cheel this season – their first trip away from their home-barn produced a loss against St. Lawrence.

Final Scores (Oct. 23).

2007-10-24T10:15:00.001-04:00

Tuesday, October 23rd
CCHA:
● Notre Dame 4, Bowling Green 2.
Justin White (ND) - 2 assists.

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll (Oct. 22)

2007-10-22T18:24:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of: USCHO.com

	Team	Points	(First Place Votes)	Last Poll	Record
1	University of North Dakota	499	(24)	1	2-0-1
2	Miami (Ohio) University	482	(9)	2	4-0-0
3	University of Michigan	378		6	3-1-0
4	Colorado College	376		10	2-0-0
5	Boston College	353		4	1-1-2
6	University of New Hampshire	350	(1)	8	1-0-0
7	University of Denver	303		5	3-1-0
8	Clarkson University	295		7	3-1-0
9	Michigan State University	254		9	2-1-0
10	University of Minnesota	189		3	2-2-0
11	University of Wisconsin	182		T-13	3-1-0
12	University of Notre Dame	151		11	2-2-0
13	University of Maine	53		NR	2-2-0
14	The Ohio State University	47		12	2-2-0
15	Michigan Tech University	37		NR	3-1-0
Others receiving votes: University of Minnesota-Duluth 33, St. Lawrence University 27, University of Massachusetts 20, University of Alaska-Anchorage 16, Cornell University 16, U.S. Air Force Academy 9, Boston University 3, Merrimack College 2, Niagara University 2, University of Nebraska Omaha 2, Union College 1.

Final Scores (Oct. 21).

2007-10-22T15:54:00.000-04:00

Sunday, October 21st
CCHA:
● Miami U. 5, Ohio State 1.
Justin Mercier (MIA) - goal, assist.

Hockey East:
● Boston College 3, Vermont 3. (OT)
Ben Smith (BC) - goal, assist. Dean Strong (VMT) - goal, assist.

Exhibition:
● Trois-Rivières 2, Union 2. (OT)
● Cornell 8, Ottawa 0.
Colin Greening (COR) - 2 goals.

Final Scores (Oct. 20).

2007-10-21T17:58:00.000-04:00

Saturday, October 20th
CCHA:
● Michigan 4, Northern Michigan 3.
Chad Kolarik (MICH) - goal, assist.

ECAC:
● Clarkson 5, St. Lawrence 4. (OT)
Steve Zalewski (CLK) - goal, assist.

WCHA:
● Colorado College 2, Minnesota 1. (OT)
Chad Rau (CC) - 2 goals.
● Michigan Tech 7, Minnesota St.-Mank. 1.
Peter Rouleau (MTU) - goal, 2 assists.
● Minnesota-Duluth 4, St. Cloud St. 2.

Non-Conference:
● Michigan State 2, Colgate 1.
Justin Abdelkader (MSU) - goal, assist.
● North Dakota 3, Northeastern 0.
● Air Force 3, Quinnipiac 1.
Greg Flynn (AF) - goal, assist.
● Maine 4, Mercyhurst 1.
Wes Clark (MAI) - goal, 2 assists.
● Holy Cross 6, Providence 4.
Ryan Driscoll (HC) - 2 goals. Kyle Laughlin (PVD) - 2 goals
● Wisconsin 8, Robert Morris 2.
Blake Geoffrion (WIS) - goal, 4 assists. Kyle Turris (WIS) - goal, 3 assists.
● Merrimack 2, Bemidji St. 1.
● Wayne St. 2, Ferris St. 2. (OT)
● RPI 1, Sacred Heart 0. (OT)
Tyler Helfrich (RPI) - goal.
● UMass 4, Connecticut 3.
Andrew Olson (UCONN) - 2 goals. Scott Crowder (UMASS) - goal, assist.
● Western Michigan 3, Bentley 1.
Jeff LoVecchio (WMU) - goal, assist. Max Campbell (WMU) - goal, assist.
● Alaska-Anchorage 5, Alaska 3.
Winston DayChief (UAA) - 2 goals. Dion Knelsen (UAF) - goal, assist.

Exhibition:
● Lake Superior St. 3, Western Ontario 3.
● Princeton 5, Trois-Rivières 3.
Kevin Kaiser (PRI) - 2 goals.
● Dartmouth 2, York 1.

Maverick Stampede:
● Nebraska-Omaha 5, Alabama-Huntsville 1.
Mick Lawrence (UNO) - 2 goals, assist.
● Canisius 3, Manitoba 2.

Final Scores (Oct. 19).

2007-10-21T17:31:00.000-04:00

Friday, October 19th
Atlantic Hockey:
● Connecticut 4, American International 2.
Andrew Olson (UCONN) - 2 goals.

CCHA:
● Michigan 3, Northern Michigan 1.
Kevin Porter (MICH) - 2 goals.
● Miami U. 5, Ohio State 1.
Justin Mercier (MIA) - 2 goals.

Hockey East:
● Northeastern 3, Providence 2.
● New Hampshire 4, Boston U. 1.
Matt Fornataro (UNH) - goal, assist.
● UMass.-Lowell 2, UMass 2.

WCHA:
● Michigan Tech 2, Minnesota State 0.
● Colorado College 3, Minnesota 1.
Bill Sweatt (CC) - goal, assist. Andreas Vlassopoulos (CC) - 2 assists.
● Minnesota-Duluth 2, St. Cloud St. 1.

Non-Conference:
● Denver 3, Notre Dame 1.
Rhett Rakhshani (DU) - 2 assists.
● Maine 4, Mercyhurst 2.
Christopher Hahn (MAI) - goal, assist.
● Michigan State 6, Colgate 3.
Dustin Gazley (MSU) - 2 goals.
● North Dakota 0, Boston College 0.
Game called after two periods due to poor playing conditions and multiple power outages.
● Bowling Green 5, RIT 2.
Derek Whitmore (BGSU) - 2 goals.
● Western Michigan 5, Bentley 2.
Patrick Galivan (WMU) - goal, assist.
● Wisconsin 7, Robert Morris 2.
Ben Street (WIS) - 2 goals, 2 assists.
● Merrimack 3, Bemidji St. 2.
● RPI 3, Army 1.
● Ferris St. 6, Wayne St. 2.
Casey Haines (FSU) - goal, assist. Matt Case (FSU) - goal, assist.
● Air Force 4, Quinnipiac 1.
Mike Phillipich (AF) - 2 goals.
● Alaska-Anchorage 4, Alaska 3.
Josh Lunden (UAA) - goal, assist. Craig Parkinson (UAA) - goal, assist.

Exhibition:
● Trois-Rivières 0, Cornell 0. (OT)

Maverick Stampede:
● Alabama-Huntsville 4, Canisius 3.
● Nebraska-Omaha 8, Manitoba 1.

Week 3 Breakdown

2007-10-19T04:09:00.000-04:00

Just a few games of note for the upcoming weekend...

#1 North Dakota v. #4 Boston College (Non Conf.)
Fri., Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, MA; 8:00p EST.

The Frozen Four revenge tour continues for North Dakota this week, as the Sioux travel eastward to Massachusetts, taking on both BC and Northeastern at their respective barns on Friday and Saturday.

North Dakota is coming into Chestnut Hill on the heels of the utter destruction of Michigan State last Saturday, downing the defending national champions in an embarrassing 6-0 manner. Frankly, things aren’t looking much better for the Eagles, who are coming into the contest after a 3rd-place showing at the Icebreaker in St. Paul, as they will be missing forward Brock Bradford due to a broken arm and defensemen Brent Motherwell and Brian O’ Hanley due to team rules-violations.

Meanwhile, according to Brad Elliott Schlossman, all North Dakota players will be available over the weekend despite some minor lingering injuries. It should also be noted that North Dakota, after one game, is illustrating some good, potent offensive balance, as six different players scored each of the Sioux’s six goals against Michigan State last Saturday.

#2 Miami U. v. #12 Ohio State (CCHA)
Fri./Sun., Value City Arena, Columbus, OH/Steve Cady Arena, Oxford, OH; 7:05p/5:05p EST.

Miami and Ohio State square off in a home-and-home CCHA tilt over the weekend, with Friday’s game in Columbus and Sunday’s game in Oxford.

Both teams are riding highs coming into this series. Miami, last week, swept Vermont, a team that had beaten Miami six times previously, at home, with Miami goaltender Jeff Zatkoff making 47 saves on 49 shots. Also, six different RedHawk players lit the lamp last week against the Catamounts.

Ohio State won the Lefty McFadden Invitational last week, taking the crown after beating Wisconsin for the first time in the program’s history. Buckeye senior forward Matt McIlvane tallied a goal and two assists, while sophomore goaltender Joseph Palmer made 54 saves on 58 shots over the duration of the tournament.

Both teams met five times last season, with Miami taking the majority of the contests – 2-1-2.

#3 Minnesota v. #10 Colorado College (WCHA)
Fri./Sat., World Arena, Colorado Springs, CO; 7:35p/7:05p MST.

All referee-related conspiracy theories aside, Minnesota did, in fact, win the Icebreaker last week, downing RPI last Friday on the strength of three power-play goals, 4-3, then beating Michigan on the next tournament day, this time without a trio of power-play goals and rabid controversy, by an identical 4-3 final. Minnesota wasn’t entirely victorious in tournament play, however, as the Gophers lost junior forward Ryan Stoa to a season-ending knee injury during the game against Michigan. Junior forward Blake Wheeler tallied a pair of goals for Minnesota in the tournament games, while junior goaltender Jeff Frazee made 69 saves on 75 shots.

Colorado College will begin regular season play on Friday against the Gophers. The Tigers won their pair of exhibition games leading into this series – 4-3 over Calgary and 6-3 against the US U-18 NTDP.

St. Lawrence v. #7 Clarkson (ECAC)
Sat., Cheel Arena, Potsdam, NY; 7:30p EST.

How does that old proverb go? Revenge is a dish best served cold?

The defending ECAC regular-season champion Clarkson Golden Knights have shown some nice resiliency early on in the season – after dropping their season opener at St. Lawrence by a score of 4-3, Clarkson bounced back by downing UMass and Providence by scores of 2-1 (OT) and 2-0 respectively. Clarkson senior goaltender David Leggio has made 73 saves on 77 shots thus far in-net this season.

Now playing at a hostile away-from-home environment for the first time this season, the Saints will look to stop their first bout of in-season bleeding. After defeating both Clarkson and Providence at home, the Saints dropped their first game of the season against UMass by a score of 3-1 at home, despite a fevered third period where SLU launched 13 shots on-net after amassing only ten in the first two frames.

Regardless, St. Lawrence’s senior forward Charlie Griffin is off to a decent start, notching three goals and two assists in three games thus far.

#8 New Hampshire v. Boston U. (Hockey East)
Fri., Agganis Arena, Boston, MA; 7:00 EST.

One could make the argument that both of these teams have done their fair share of wound-licking leading up to this Friday contest. New Hampshire enters on the heels of an exhibition loss to the Varsity Reds of New Brunswick, while Boston U. will be fighting off jet-lag and frustration after taking a disappointing third place at the Nye Frontier Classic in Anchorage (losing to Robert Morris and drawing with Alaska-Anchorage).

Boston’s Bryan Ewing notched a pair of goals in tournament play in Anchorage last weekend. First regular-season contest for UNH.

Final Scores (Oct. 18).

2007-10-19T03:46:00.001-04:00

Thursday, October 18th
Non Conference:
● Notre Dame 4, Denver 3.
Garrett Regan (ND) - goal, assist. Brock Trotter (DU) - goal, assist.
● Niagara 2, Bowling Green 0.
Matt Caruana (NIA) - goal, assist. Kyle Rogers (NIA) - goal, assist. Tyler Gotto (NIA) - 2 assists.

College Hockey Blog Mini Round-Up (August 17th)

2007-10-17T03:25:00.000-04:00

I think I’ve recovered enough from my bout with the stomach flu to begin posting again. First, some bloggery, and I’ll work on a week in preview post which should be up by early-Friday, if everything works out.

● First, a news-related note – Minnesota junior forward Ryan Stoa will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. According to Brad Elliot Schlossman, Stoa’s injury, suffered during an Icebreaker tournament game against Michigan, will require surgery, and it is likely that Stoa will take a medical redshirt. Read about it at B. E. S’s blog here.

Some post-Nye Frontier Classic tournament notes…

● First, the tournament champions, Robert Morris. Andrew Chiappazzi at the Colonials Corner blog has posted a link to a local newspaper article regarding the tournament. You can take a look at Andrew’s reactions to that article, as well as the article itself, here.

● Meanwhile, The Terrier Hockey Fan Blog takes a look back at Boston U.’s performance at the Nye Frontier Classic in Anchorage, and also takes a look at the Terrier home opener on Friday against UNH. Read about it here.

● Donald, at the UAA Fan Blog, has profiled the WCHA’s offensive player of the week: Alaska-Anchorage’s Josh Lunden. Lunden scored three goals and tallied a pair of assists over the weekend at the Nye, beating out, among other nominees, North Dakota’s Ryan Duncan and T.J. Oshie, and Minnesota’s Kyle Okposo. Read about it here.

In addition, Donald has fired the first blog-shot of the season against a particular team he dislikes quite a bit – the Alaska Nanooks, as the UAA v. UAF governor’s cup series begins Friday. I’m sure that the Alaska Hockey Blog will fire off something in return, however, for now, the proverbial puck has been played out of Donald’s rink-end (although he does promise another article regarding the series at a later time). Donald, in regard to the rivalry itself, notes,

“It’s a big vs. little thing. It’s a resentment thing. It’s about distribution of resources. It’s about frontier-life vs. city-life. Folks in smaller cities don’t fully understand why people like living in larger cities. Those in the big city don't understand the appeal of a smaller town.”

And also,

“All this and more carries over to the ice. There are only two schools in the state that compete in NCAA athletics. UAA and UAF. UAF is the flagship school of the UA system though. UAA however is the recognized flagship athletically.”

You can read Donald’s comments on the rivalry here.

● The Clarkson Hockey Fans blog, in their continuing multiple-part series, has profiled the 2007-’08 RPI Engineers. In regard to RPI’s youth, “Gobe” notes,

“The best thing going for RPI might be its youth in the third and fourth lines. With the amount of new recruits coming in, the third and fourth lines will be fighting for ice time…. With a little luck, Appert will find a diamond in the rough and a spark for the third line.”

Gobe picks RPI to finish, at best, 8th, and a worst 12th in the ECACHL this season. Read about it here.

● Finally, the Let’s go DU blog is, as usual, busy. First, a post showcasing national championship ring-designs from 2003 to 2007 – nifty little thing to take a look at. Second, Let’s Go DU celebrates alongside Denver defenseman Peter Mannino, as he won WCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors for his play against Maine. Thirdly, Let’s go DU has posted a DU Clarion article spotlighting the upcoming Denver vs. Notre Dame games to take place in South Bend on Thursday and Friday – of course, that can be seen here.

Final Scores (Oct. 9).

2007-10-09T21:42:00.000-04:00

EDIT #2: We'll be back to normal on Wednesday. I (still) have a touch of the flu, and am going to rest for a while.

EDIT: A Note for Thursday: I know that I said previously that I'd have a post planned for late Thursday breaking down the tournaments and a few games this weekend. Sadly, do to things that were beyond my control, that will not be happening.

Tuesday, October 9th
Non-Conference:
● Rensselaer Poly. 4, Bentley 0.
Andrei Uryadov (RPI) - 2 goals. Matt Angers-Goulet (RPI) - goal, assist.

Exhibition:
● Michigan State 6, Windsor 0.
Corey Trupp (MSU) - 2 goals. Tim Kennedy (MSU) - goal, assist.

Final Scores (Oct. 8).

2007-10-09T03:17:00.000-04:00

Easy update for today...

● Wayne State v. Eastern Michigan (ACHA) - cancelled.
● Air Force 4, Calgary 1.
Eric Ehn (AF) - 2 goals, 1 assist.

Pair of games Tuesday - a non-conference contest and an exhibition contest.

Bentley v. RPI - 7:00p EST.
Michigan State v. Winsor - 7:05p EST.

Week in preview post this week will feature a few big games, and all upcoming in-season tournaments. Expect that around Thursday night.

Oh, and writing 12-page essays still is not fun. I have suddenly rediscovered that over the last two days. :D

Final Scores (Oct. 7).

2007-10-07T20:17:00.000-04:00

Saturday, October 7th
Non Conference:
● St. Lawrence 3, Clarkson 2.

Exhibition:
● Holy Cross 4, Dalhousie 2.
Joe Brock (HCR) - 2 goals.
● Michigan 5, Western Ontario 1.
Carl Hagelin (MICH) - hat trick.
● Northern Michigan 8, Toronto 0.
Mark Olver (NMU) - 2 goals, 2 assists. Andrew Sarauer (NMU) - 2 goals, assist.
● Vermont 4, Acadia 0.
Dean Strong (UVM) - goal, assist. Corey Carlson (UVM) - goal, assist. Viktor Stålberg (UVM) - goal, assist.
● Niagara 5, York 4.
● U Mass 6, Trois-Rivieres 0.
● Canisius 5, Royal Military 0.
Jason Weeks (CAN) - 2 goals.
● Robert Morris 8, Ryerson 5.
Sean Berkstresser (RMU) - 1 goal, 2 assists. Marcus Booth (RYE) - 2 goals.
● Mercyhurst 4, Waterloo 4. (OT)
Ryan Toomey (MHR) - goal, assist. Matt Sitko (WTR) - goal, assist.
● North Dakota 9, Manitoba 3.
Rylan Kaip (NDK) - hat trick. Kyle Howard (MTB) - 2 assists
● Denver 5, Calgary 1.

Final Scores (Oct. 5, 6).

2007-10-06T23:35:00.000-04:00

Friday, October 5th

● Alaska-Anchorage 8, Southern Alberta Inst. of Tech. 0.
Merit Waldrop (UAA) – hat trick. Peter Cartwright (UAA) – 2 goals, assist.

Saturday, October 6th

● Michigan Tech 7, Toronto 0.
Justin St. Louis (MTU) – goal, assist.
● Clarkson 5, Arcadia 2.
Shea Guthrie (CLK) – 2 assists. David Lomas (ARC) – goal.
● Maine 5, US Under-18 NTDP 3.
Billy Ryan (MNE) – hat trick. Vinny Saponari (NTDP) – goal, assist.
● Dalhousie 5, Bentley 1.
Tyler Dyck (DHE) – 2 goals, assist. Kyle Lamb (DHE) – 2 goals. Tom Dickhundt (BEN) – goal.
● Miami U. 5, Waterloo 0.
Justin Mercier (MIA) – hat trick.
● Colorado College 4, Calgary 3.
Three players (CLG) – goal. Eric Walsky (CC) – goal, assist.
● Alaska 4, Southern Alberta Inst. of Tech. 2.

2007 NCAA Ice Hockey Rules and Officiating Video.

2007-10-06T15:51:00.000-04:00

Behold! An instructional video with bad production values and cheesy music!

Seeing that we are so close to hockey, its time to educate ourselves on the NCAA D-I rule-emphasis points for the upcoming season. Pass this along to any of your buddies that are NCAA D-I hockey officials – many of them might need the education more than anybody. ;-)

Week 1 Breakdown, Part 2: Here Come the Canucks!

2007-10-05T15:30:00.000-04:00

In part one, we previewed Friday action. So, it’s only natural that, in part two, we take a look at Saturday play.

(Note: Again, I will be unable to post a Sunday preview, as I will be busy working on things that I wish I weren’t working on.)

Saturday, October 5th, 2007
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology vs. Alaska (Exhib.)
The Carlson Center, Fairbanks, AK; 7:05pm AKST.

The “mysterious Canadian potential powerhouse” that is the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology continues its play in Alaska on Saturday, as they go north – way, way north.

First-year head coach and former Nebraska-Omaha assistant Doc DelCastillo will stand at the helm for his Alaska Nanooks for the first time, but without the aid of former captain Lucas Burnett and forward Curtis Frasier, who graduated, and without defenseman Darcy Campbell, who signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Nanooks still look to be strong, however, returning defenseman T.J. Campbell (6 assists), left-winger Kyle Greentree (21g-21a-42pts.), and goaltender Wylie Rodgers for their senior seasons. The Nanooks tallied an overall record of 11-22-6 and finished last in the CCHA last season.

Dalhousie vs. Bentley (Exhib.)
Ryan Skating Arena, Watertown, MA; 4:30 EST.

Making the trip from Halifax, Nova Scotia, the Tigers of Dalhousie University will take on the Bentley Falcons. According to their website, Dalhousie has “three players capable of being a number one goaltender,” and forwards that possess “… (an) excellent mix of size, speed, skill, strength and scoring touch.” Granted, I sense some bias, but those descriptions sound legitimately scary. With that said, however, the Tigers finished 7-21-0 last season under the command of former Dalhousie player Brad Crossley. Take it for what its worth.

The 2005-‘06 Atlantic Hockey runner-up Bentley is trying to improve off of their 2007 campaign, in which they went 12-22-1 – a record which included a fairly nasty 2-8 slide in their last ten games. The good news for the Falcons – they return all but two players from last year’s squad, including lead scorers Jeff Gumaer (18g-15a-33pts.), Dane Prewitt (13g-15a-28pts.), and Anthony Canzoneri (9g-17a-26pts.).

Acadia vs. #7 Clarkson (Exhib.)
Cheel Arena, Potsdam, NY; 7:00 EST.

The Acadia Axemen come to Potsdam, NY on Saturday, and honestly, I cannot find much accurate information on them, either. It looks as though the Axemen are moderately strong, as they amassed an overall record of 11-17-0 last season and went somewhat deep into their league’s playoffs. Aside from graduating five from last year, it is a bit tough to gauge these guys, however, without question, they will bring their leading scorer from last season, sophomore forward David Lomas (11g-15a-26pts.).

Clarkson, on the other hand, will be gearing up for their opening regular-season game on Sunday against St. Lawrence, and will do so with five impact seniors – forwards David Cayer (11g-26a-37pts.), Nick Dodge (18g-21a-39pts.), and Steve Zalewski (16g-18a-34pts.), defenseman Clint Clintsome (7g-12a-19pts.), and goaltender David Leggio (24-7-5, GAA – 2.16, SV% – .930). In his fifth year with Clarkson, head coach George Roll will look to build upon a 2006-’07 season which included an NCAA tournament appearance and an overall record of 25-9-5.

Calgary vs. #11 Colorado College (Exhib.)
World Arena, Colorado Springs, CO; 7:05 MST.

Sixth-year head coach Scott Atkinson brings his Dinos (Yes, perhaps the “Godzilla” reference would have been best suited here.) stomping into the Rocky Mountains, taking on all three Colorado-based schools in as many days (CC, DU, and AF, in that order). The Dinos could have a slight advantage going into the weekend, as they appear to have momentum on their side – the Dinos are 4-1 thus far early in their season, with three wins on the road. The Dinos are a young team, however, with only seven players in their forth or fifth year of eligibility. Can’t find any statistics, so I cannot state much about particular players, but, judging solely from final scores, the Dinos appear to have moderately good offensive output and a decent goaltender.

Colorado College is coming into 2007-’08 on the heels of a respectable 2006-’07 campaign, in which the Tigers placed in the top-half of the WCHA (18-17-4 overall, 13-12-3 in league play). The Tigers are returning the majority of their team from last year, including leading scorers Scott McCullough (18g-6a-24pts.) and Chad Rau (14g-17a-31pts.), as well as assist leader Jimmy Kilpatrick (7g-25a-32pts.). Goaltending could be a problem, however, as CC’s starting goaltender from last season, Matt Zaba, was lost to graduation.

US Under-18 NTDP vs. #13 Maine (Exhib.)
Alfond Arena, Orono, ME; 7:00 EST.

Hey! Americans! The U-18 NTDP comes to Bangor on Saturday. In NAHL play, the U-18 NTDP are 4-1, with one shootout loss and an overtime victory. The USA Hockey website has season statistics on the young’uns, but in MS Excel format (I don’t have Excel installed on my machine, so I cannot tell you anything interesting statistic-wise).

The Black Bears are coming into this contest on the heels of a pair of Frozen Four-placing seasons, going 23-15-2 last year under now-7th-year coach Tim Whitehead. Despite losing leading scorers and linemates Josh Sores and Michel Leveille to graduation, and also losing #2 scorer Teddy Purcell early to the professional ranks, Maine does get back goaltender Ben Bishop (who is in likely healthier condition after an off-season of rest) for his junior year, who registered a GAA of 2.14 and a save percentage of .923 last season.

Toronto vs. Michigan Tech (Exhib.)
MacInnes Student Ice Arena, Houghton, MI; 7:05 EST.

The Varsity Blues of Toronto come rolling into Houghton to play the U.P.’s program on-the-rise Saturday. Can’t tell you much about the Blues’ supporting cast, but they appear to have a heckuva goalie in forth-year player Ryan Grinnell. Grinnell, last season, touted a CIS leading GAA of 2.20 and a save percentage of .921, and won MVP honors in Toronto’s conference. Grinnell also amassed a pair of shutouts in the CIS playoffs.

If the Huskies haven’t had their true “breakout” season in the WCHA as of yet, they’re likely very, very close to having just that this season. Under 5th-year coach Jamie Russell, the Huskies nearly broke through the WCHA’s glass ceiling in 2006-’07, finishing tied for sixth with Wisconsin in the WCHA standings (18-17-5). Only three players graduated from the 2006-’07 squad, and thus, many key players return for 2007-’08 – including junior goalie Michael-Lee Teslak, who registered very impressive numbers last season for Tech while in-net (SV% - .916, GAA - 2.00). Lead scorers Tyler Shelast (15g-9a-24pts.) and Jimmy Kerr (10g-9a-19pts.) also return for their senior seasons.

York vs. Niagara (Exhib.)
Dwyer Arena, Lewiston, NY; 3:05 EST.

Can’t find much on information on York either, aside from the fact that they recently competed in an exhibition tournament, in which, they lost two games and won a consolation game against Acadia. A problem for York is their youth, as they might dress as many as 14 first-year players while in Lewiston.

The defending regular-season CHA champion Niagara comes into 2007-’08 only graduating five seniors from last year’s club. Sophomore Ted Cook returns to the Purple Eagles, hoping to build upon an excellent 2006-‘07, in which he lit the lamp 32 times and tallied 16 assists. Also returning, along with others – forward Matt Caruana (14g-24a-38pts.), forward Les Reaney (16g-28a-44pts.), forward Egor Minorov (10g-8a-18pts), defenseman Ryan Annesley (3g-6a-9pts.), and goaltender Juliano Pagliero (14-11-3, SV% - .915, GAA - 3.09).

Week 1 Breakdown, Part 1: Here Come the Canucks!

2007-10-04T21:57:00.000-04:00

Well, thankfully for many, competitive college hockey is looming. For some, it’s no more scrimmages, no more “incomplete-ness” of life, no more innuendos and rumors (as new innuendos and rumors will surely generate as the new season progresses), and, among other things, no more boredom.

So, we ditch all of that stuff, along with our summer/fall mistress sport(s), and we take a look at the exhibitions that will take place over the first two days (Friday and Saturday) of play.

This is part one of two, and we will begin by spotlighting the one exhibition Friday contest. As many of us know, we’ll see plenty of Canadian schools that I’m not entirely familiar with, but I’ll try to dip my hand in the analysis bucket anyway.

Again, part one of two (I will be unable to post a Sunday preview, as I will be busy with other matters.)

Friday, October 5th, 2007
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology vs. Alaska-Anchorage (Exhib.)
Menard Arena, Wasilla, AK; 7:35pm AKST.

The Last Frontier plays host to the first exhibition hockey game this season, as UAA takes on the Trojans of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in not-too-far-away (from Anchorage) Wasilla, AK. SAIT, according to their website, are the two-time, defending ACAC conference champions (with an overall record of 16-5-3), and also, are the two-time, defending “Canadian Colleges National Champions.” Another interesting note – SAIT head coach Ken Babey is in his 19th year.

Will SAIT’s potential three-peat season begin by knocking off UAA? Well, the heck if I know. SAIT, from my understanding, did not graduate anybody from last year’s club, but with that said, I cannot properly gauge SAIT’s youth as of yet, as an official roster for the upcoming season has yet to be posted. All I can say for certain is that SAIT will play the role of “mysterious Canadian potential powerhouse” as they trek to #49 for the weekend. They might suit up Godzilla to play defense for all I know.

Meanwhile, third-year head coach Dave Shyiak (19-48-6) is at the helm again for the Seawolves this season, hoping to improve on a somewhat disappointing 13-21-3 record last year. Despite losing last season’s lead-scorer Justin Bourne to graduation, UAA will still have firepower in youth, as sophomores Paul Crowder (11g-13a-24pts.) and Josh Lunden (11g-9a-20pts.) return, along with a young, hungry supporting cast.

Anchorage also has a candidate for NCAA D-I All-Name Team in freshman defenseman Kane LaFranchise. Just thought I’d mention that.

Saturday is on its way, and so is part two.

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll (Oct. 1)

2007-10-02T23:03:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of: USCHO.com

	Team	Points	(First Place Votes)	Last Poll	Record
1.)	University of North Dakota	467	(14)	3	24-15-5
2.)	Michigan State University	436	(14)	1	26-13-3
3.)	Boston College	416		2	29-19-1
4.)	University of Minnesota	409	(3)	5	31-10-3
5.)	Miami (Ohio) University	357	(2)	11	24-14-4
6.)	University of New Hampshire	346	(1)	9	26-11-2
7.)	Clarkson University	289		8	25- 9-5
8.)	University of Notre Dame	261		4	32- 7-3
9.)	Boston University	213		13	20-10-9
10.)	University of Michigan	208		10	26-14-1
11.)	Colorado College	143		NR	18-17-4
12.)	University of Denver	134		15	21-15-4
13.)	University of Maine	111		6	23-15-2
14.)	University of Wisconsin	108		NR	19-18-4
15.)	Quinnipiac University			NR
Others receiving votes: St. Lawrence University 47, St. Cloud State University 39, Rochester Institute of Technology 8, University of Massachusetts 8, U.S. Air Force Academy 7, Colgate University 6, Dartmouth College 6, University of Minnesota-Duluth 4, Michigan Tech University 3, University of Vermont 2, Harvard University 1.

Goin's Gettin' Tough...

2007-09-30T21:41:00.000-04:00

... So I'll be taking a brief leave of absence from this blog until sometime around the weekend. Some "learn math before big exam" related stuff.

Incidentally, you may notice that, for the moment, I have taken down the RSS feed on the right-hand column to collegehockeyblogs.com. Again, I assure you that it is only momentary.

Basically, the Hockey East blog decided to close up shop, and, in the process of that blog's complete shut-down, was hijacked by some pornographic advertisers. The bot over at that blog is posting very frequently, and thus, is showing up high on CHB's "recent posts" list, and thus, was showing up frequently here through the RSS feed.

Just one of those preventative things. I know some of you aren't into that stuff. Fair enough. I would like to assure you that tCH(&OS)B is in no way affiliated with any companies of that nature.

I have sent my request to have that blog removed from CHBs, and I'm sure that appropriate action will be taken. And when that action is taken, the feed will be put back up here.

Wayne State to Drop Men's Hockey After 2007-’08.

2007-09-26T12:46:00.000-04:00

Just breaking at USCHO.com (sad news, really) -- Wayne State, entering its 9th year at the D-I level, will terminate its D-I men’s hockey program upon completing the upcoming 2007-’08 hockey season.

Season Preview Blog-o-rama (2nd edition).

2007-09-25T00:36:00.000-04:00

We’ll try to keep this feature recurring until the season’s start.

● The Clarkson Hockey Fans blog continues its preview of the ECAC, this time taking a look at the Brown Bears. In regard to Brown in the upcoming season, CHF’s “Gobe” notes,

“Brown returns their top three scorers but will bring back a defense that will be considered shaky at best. (Sean) Hurley needs to be a leader and draft pick Paul Baier will need to step up his game and play to the NHL level talent he is expected to have.”

Also,

“As shown in the past years when teams take Brown lightly they usually leave with a loss. Brown could surprise a couple of teams along the way, but this will be the exception to the rule.”

CHF’s “Gobe” predicts an 11th place finish for Brown, but could finish as well as 9th.

● Continuing its preview of Atlantic Hockey, the RIT Hockey Blog takes a look at the Bentley Falcons. In regard to Bentley’s play in between the pipes, “Komey” notes,

“The weakest link for Bentley is their goaltending. Jason Kearney is the most experienced goalie on the roster. But in two years, he has only played 18 games. His numbers are respectable on his career - 3.44 goals against average and .898 save percentage. Nick Moise is also a junior but has only played 4 games in this career. Joe Calvi is a freshman and may get some playing time if Kearney and Moise can't do the job.”

“Komey” predicts an 8-20 record for the Falcons, good enough for 8th place.

● Forgot to mention this one yesterday, the WCHA blog has begun a rather comprehensive season preview for, yes, the WCHA. The WCHA Blog has already taken a look at Colorado College and Alaska-Anchorage, as well as conference schedules, non-conference schedules, top 5 returning scorers (by team), goal production lost (by team), and incoming freshman (by team).

● Also, I have posted a new (still, very vanilla) poll.

Season Preview Blog-o-rama.

2007-09-24T06:10:00.000-04:00

Folks, its time to locate and dust off your pundit hats.

We’re about two weeks away from seeing actual, competitive, on-ice D-I college hockey. In celebration of the frenetic glee, I have decided to create a special post noting some notable blogosphere season previews.

● The RIT Tiger Hockey Blog has begun its preview of Atlantic Hockey. First on the register, projected by “Komey” to finish 6-22, are the Yellow Jackets of American International. In regard to a traditionally weak-spot for AIC, its offensive output and power play, Komey” notes,

“(Incoming freshmen) TJ Smith, Tom Mele, and Steve McLeod had some impressive statistics in their junior leagues. They are especially needed to help an anemic power play that only connected on 10% of their chances last year. Getting those stats up should be a top priority for the team.”

UPDATE: “Komey” has also posed a preview of Canisius. “Komey” predicts a last-place finish for the Golden Griffins, and a record of 5-23.

● The always great NMUHockey.net has posted an entire season preview for the CCHA. In regard to the competition in the CCHA this season, NMUHockey.net notes that,

“We see Michigan State as the team to beat. They are the defending national champions, and are coached by the legend Rick Comley. They bring back a loaded squad and the nation’s best goaltender. The race for the other spots in the league will be tight.”

● Rob at the Hockey East Blog has begun previewing, well, Hockey East. Teams featured currently include Boston College, Boston U., Maine, UMass, and UMass-Lowell, with more to follow.

Big Ten Network Selects 13 Games to be Broadcast in ’07-’08.

2007-09-23T07:04:00.000-04:00

CHN reports that 13 college hockey games in the upcoming ’07-’08 season will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. Naturally, all 13 games will feature at least one Big Ten Conference team from the WCHA and/or CCHA (Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Minnesota, and Wisconsin).

“There is a deep passion for college hockey in Big Ten country and a long-standing tradition of success. (The Big Ten Network looks) forward to capturing that passion and bringing the very best of college hockey to a national audience,” notes Big Ten Network president Mark Silverman.

The 13-game broadcast schedule, not including a broadcast on January 25th that remains to be announced, includes…

Fri., Nov. 23 – 7:00 ET – Minnesota at Michigan State
Fri., Nov. 23 – 7:30 ET – Wisconsin at Michigan
Sat., Nov. 24 – 7:00 ET – Wisconsin at Michigan State
Sat., Nov. 24 – 7:30 ET – Minnesota at Michigan
Fri., Jan. 4 – 8:00 ET – Colorado College at Wisconsin
Fri., Jan. 11 – 8:00 ET – St. Cloud State at Minnesota
Fri., Jan. 18 – 7:00 ET – Michigan State vs. Ohio State
Fri., Feb. 1 – 7:30 ET – Northern Michigan at Michigan
Fri., Feb. 8 – 9:30 ET – Minnesota at Denver
Fri., Feb. 15 – 7:00 ET – Northern Michigan at Ohio State
Fri., Feb. 22 – 8:00 ET – Wisconsin at Minnesota
Fri., Feb. 29 – 7:30 ET – Ferris State at Michigan

The Big Ten Network, which launched on August 30th, 2007, is a joint venture between Fox and the Big Ten Conference, and is reportedly available in nearly 30 million homes.

(Big Ten Network logo courtesy of: bigten.cstv.com)

College Hockey Blog Mini Round-Up (September 22nd)

2007-09-22T12:01:00.000-04:00

Darn collegiate work cutting into my blogging. BARGH! Oh, and we are dangerously close to October. YIPPEE!

● First, a news note, as it appears that Notre Dame is another step closer towards a new hockey arena. According to the Notre Dame Observer, $15 million was recently donated anonymously towards a planned new arena. According to the article, Notre Dame is planning a budget of $25-30 million for the project. Read the article at USCHO.com.

Some bloggery.

● Michigan has picked up a new commitment in forward Luke Moffett, according to WCH. Moffett, who is considered to be the one of the nation’s best 1992-born recruits, will play for the NTDP for the next two years. Read about it here.

Another Michigan note, in celebration of being less than a month away from starting season play, The Blog that Yost Built is taking a look at each Wolverine making up the U-of-Mich. 26-man roster. Already posted: Scooter Vaughan, Chris Summers, Steve Kampfer, and Chad Langlais.

● The WCHA Blog has announced its #1 WCHA city – Duluth, Minnesota. The blogger at the WCHA Blog notes that the only setback for Duluth is access to the city (acting as home for the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs). However, its bars, its family-friendly atmosphere, its plentiful lodging, and UMD’s ticket availability warrants an “A” rating for the city of Duluth, and the WCHA blog’s #1 overall city rating. Read about it here.

● North Dakota, according to the WCHA blog, has picked up a commitment for 2008 in Grand Forks native Mario Lamoureux, who originally committed to Northern Michigan. Incidentally, it appears as though the Lamoureux family has a thriving hockey pedigree – Philippe Lamoureux, a senior, is currently the #1 goalie for North Dakota, and Jacques Lamoureux, who previously played for Northern Michigan, is currently in the process of transferring to Air Force. Read about it here.

College Hockey Blog Mini Round-Up (September 17th)

2007-09-17T23:34:00.000-04:00

Slightly swamped on my end. But that’s OK, though, as I’m feelin’ the chill of an upcoming winter and another college hockey season. It’s coming, kids. Hooray, hockey! Hooray, hockey bloggers!

Actually, that whole “chill” thing was wishful thinking on my part, as it’s going to be 79° tomorrow. I enjoy “bad” weather, what can I say? ONWARD!

● First off, congrats to Runnin’ With the Dogs. RWtD has escaped the terrible twos and the last portion of toddlerism¹ (if it were human)! No word yet if RWtD has achieved advanced mobility skills or is able to dress itself yet, but I’m sure that they’ll keep you updated when that does occur if it hasn’t already. :-)

All goofiness aside, RWtD has posted a celebratory blurb/season-preview for the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs. Check it out, and try to sneak me back a piece of birthday cake if you can. Of course, again, our congratulations to the folks over there.

● The WCHA Blog has named its third-favorite WCHA arena, the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Home to the Wisconsin Badgers, the arena received an overall glowing review for its “rock”-in’ atmosphere, good pep band, and hot crowd.

In addition, the WCHA Blog has named Denver, Colorado its 2nd favorite WCHA City (naturally home to the Denver Pioneers). Check that out here.

● Writing while in the ever-lengthening shadow of the Chugiak Mountains, Donald’s UAA Fan Blog takes a look at what it will take for Alaska-Anchorage to claim home-ice for the WCHA playoffs.

● Goon’s World’s “Goon” has released his WCHA predictions for the upcoming season. “Goon” thinks North Dakota will take first in the league, by the way.

● The (Michigan) Tech Hockey Blog recently sat down and interviewed incoming freshman Bennett Royer. Check it out here.

● According to the UNH Men’s Hockey Blog, recruit Will O’Neill, who was slated to join New Hampshire for the 2009 season (I think), will, in fact, not be joining UNH at all now. Reportedly, it appears as though that, after a knee injury, O’Neill, a defenseman, let his grades slide and fell further and further out of shape, and thus, fell further and further out of favor with the university. With that said, however, according to the “UNH Men’s Hockey Blogger guy,” O’Neill apparently has turned things around recently after his releasal from UNH, and has re-committed to Maine.

● The Clarkson Hockey Fans blog is back! In celebration of the upcoming season, “Gobe” has begun a multi-part season preview for the entire ECAC. Firstly, a look at the Union Dutchmen. CHF has projected Union to finish last in the ECAC this season, but could break 9th at best.

One last CCHA musing...

● According to MiCHO, Notre Dame has picked up a new commitment for 2009 in goaltender Joe Rogers. Despite a birth defect which caused his right hand to not develop properly (his glove hand), Rodgers was dominant as a 17-year-old, amassing a 30-1-3 record and a save percentage of .939.

¹ Note: Yes, I understand that “toddlerism” is probably a fake word.

Thinkin' 'Bout Stuffs.

2007-09-15T21:43:00.000-04:00

Update will prolly be posted Monday, as I'll be writing like a madman Sunday. It'll likely be in blog (mini) round-up form. Blame my general inability to do math without hours of study, as well as good 'ol procrastination.

I'm also tossing around a few ideas regarding how to cover the season. I'll likely play around with those ideas until I feel that I have something. You'll hear about those ideas at some point, too.

(Edit: The update might be late-Monday-to-Tuesday. I am quite busy doing some school-related things right now.)

Mason Out at Michigan State, Hollis in.

2007-09-13T23:45:00.000-04:00

In a press conference held on Wednesday, Michigan State announced Mark Hollis as their new Athletic Director, replacing the retiring Ron Mason. The switch will officially be made on January 1st, 2008.

“Throughout the search process, it became more and more clear that Mark Hollis is someone widely regarded, widely visible, and yes, widely sought,” noted Michigan State University president Lou Anna K. Simon during a Wednesday press conference.

Hollis, who has been a member of the Michigan State athletic department management staff since 1995, is widely credited as the man who first envisioned the “Cold War” game, which took place at Michigan State’s outdoor football stadium, Spartan Stadium, in 2001. The game, which broke world records as one of the largest-attended hockey games in history, drew over 74,500 people.

Hollis, possibly using the “Cold War” as his inspiration, would replicate a similar event, this time involving the Michigan State basketball team, in 2003. The “BasketBowl,” as it was known, also set attendance records, drawing over 78,000, at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.

“This is a special moment for my family. I am thrilled with the opportunity to take over the leadership of the department of athletics. Continuity will be a strength, as I work alongside Ron Mason over the upcoming months and build a map to the future of Spartan athletics,” Hollis said during the Wednesday press conference.

Hollis replaces Ron Mason, who has held the athletic director job at Michigan State since 2002. Before taking the AD job at Michigan State, Mason was a highly-regarded hockey coach for the Spartans and for Bowling Green, becoming the winningest ice hockey head coach (924 wins) in NCAA history and taking Michigan State to a national championship in 1986.

(Photo courtesy of: msuspartans.com)

College Hockey Blogflash (September 8)

2007-09-08T17:05:00.000-04:00

An elongated blogflash for your weekend…

● Donald at the UAA blog has been busy. First, Donald analyses Alaska-Anchorage’s incoming freshman class. Second, an interview with easily my favorite college hockey radio play-by-play man.

● Staying in Alaska, up in Fairbanks, the Nanooks recently picked up a pair of new commitments, according to the Nannook Hockey Blog. One of which soon to be making the trip to Alaska is Nik Yaremchuk, who played for the AJHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders last season (20g-19a-39pts.). The other, Jarret Granberg, played for the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits (23g-24a-47pts.) and participated in the league’s top prospects game last season.

● LSSUHockey.com reports Lake Superior State has picked up a new recruit in Daniel Barczuk. Barczuk logged ice-time with the Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets of the USHL last season, amassing nine goals, 13 assists, and 22 points.

Interestingly, when you Google Daniel Barczuk’s name, results #3 and #4 link to hockeyfights.com. For those who are wondering, Barczuk participated in two brawls in his career.

● Colorado College, according to the WCHA Blog, added another commitment to their 2008 roster in forward Tim Hall. Hall, a Sewickley, Pennsylvania native, along with LSSU commitment Barczuk, played for the USHL’s Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets last season, accumulating 17 goals, 14 assists, and 31 points in 56 games. Hall also recently played for the United States Under-17 Select Team.

Speaking of CC, the WCHA blog also recently named Colorado Springs, Colorado its 3rd favorite WCHA city. The hockey home for the Tigers received an “A” rating, thanks in part to Colorado Springs’ beauty and city atmosphere, as well as relatively decent ticket availability.

● An update from last week… Chris at WCH reports that incoming Swiss recruit Luca Cunti will, after all, play for St. Cloud State after nearly not getting through the NCAA Clearinghouse. More information can be found here. (Update: The issue involving Cunti has been further clarified by Kevin Allenspach. Cunti has reportedly not gotten through the NCAA Clearinghouse yet, however he is currently taking classes at SCSU. You can take a look at K. Allenspach’s blog here.)

Super-Quick Update...

2007-09-07T20:43:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the lull. Kind of bogged down on my side...

There was one major news story over the week. Dave Hakstol, head coach at North Dakota, has signed an extension, and will stay with the Fighting Sioux for the next five years. Here's tCHN's write-up.

I will post a bigger (better) update for tomorrow.

College Hockey Blog Mini Round-Up (September 3rd)

2007-09-03T17:15:00.000-04:00

Happy Labor Dabor. I was considering taking the whole long weekend off so I could convalesce from illness (and sunburn) and watch the MDA telethon, but ultimately, as you can see, I decided against it.

Enough stuff here to constitute a mini round-up in my estimation. Onward!

● Let’s start out with an article recently posted by CSTV’s Elliot Olshansky. In the article, Olshansky breaks down last season’s NCAA Tournament teams, giving each team a “better” or “worse” rating in regard to how well they will do this season. The article, granted, is a nice read by itself, but the response to the article in the college hockey blogosphere is why I bring it up here.

For one, Goon’s World spotlights three WCHA teams in the article, Minnesota, St. Cloud State, and, naturally, North Dakota, and analyzes further.

The UNH Men’s Hockey Blog also follows the same analyzation-related path, and, naturally, dissects Olshanky’s critique of New Hampshire.

Anywho, to the land of tater-tot casserole! (Or, “hot dish,” if you prefer.)

● WCH reports that Bemidji State has picked up a new recruit (and possible candidate for the college hockey all-name team). Jamie Ruff, a Rochester, Minnesota native, will be joining the Beavers for the upcoming season. Ruff tallied 22 goals and 23 assists in 27 games at the prep level last season. WCH’s Chris notes that, “Ruff isn’t a very big forward, but a very fast skater and hard worker that should do well with the Beavers.”

Some WCHA Blog stuff…

● St. Cloud State commitment Luca Cunti will not be joining the Huskies before the beginning of the upcoming season, as he is currently listed on the Chicago Steel’s roster and apparently had trouble getting through the NCAA clearinghouse. Cunti, a native of Switzerland, is projected to join the Huskies in the fall of 2008.

● Also, continuing its 10-part series, the WCHA blog reveals Minneapolis as its 4th-favorite WCHA city. Minneapolis, home to the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, received a decent review overall, but received some negative marks for ticket cost and availability.

Staying with the whole analyzation theme we have going here, Goon at Goon’s World also has an analytical post on the roadtrip series.

Meanwhile, in Michigan...

● MiCHO reports that goaltender Steve Jakiel will transfer from the University of Michigan and enroll at D-III Curry College. In his one year with the Wolverines, Jakiel played in three games, tallying one victory, a GAA of 4.42, and a save percentage of .837.

● And a sad note to report, courtesy of MiCHO, as Lake Superior State sophomore defenseman Ryan Baird will end his hockey-playing career due to a recurring shoulder injury. Baird missed the first nine games of last season, but tallied seven assists following his rehabilitation for the Lakers. Baird then went under the knife again during the off-season, and, as MiCHO’s Matt Mackinder states, following the surgery, “… the possibility of complete recovery was slim, and the risk of permanent injury was too great.”

College Hockey Blogflash (August 29)

2007-08-29T16:30:00.000-04:00

As the near-90° weather makes me stick to my chair, let’s stick (for the most part) to the recruiting wire for today... (Note: I understand that was perhaps the worst lead-in ever.)

● Mike McMahon’s Warrior Rink Rat blog has learned of a new defenseman, Frasier Allan, committing to Merrimack for the 2009 season. While playing for the Battlefords North Stars of the SJHL last season, and while amassing that league’s Defenseman of the Year honors, Allan tallied seven goals, 45 assists, and 52 points in 58 games. Allan also was in the running for the SJHL’s MVP honors. Read about it here.

● According to Chris at WCH, Michigan State has picked up a commitment from Zach Golembiewski for the 2009 season. Golembiewski will play for the NTDP U17 program this season. Read about it here.

More recruiting news at the WCHA blog...

● The WCHA Blog notes that Denver has picked up a commitment from Joe Colborne for 2008. Colborne, playing for the Camrose Kodiaks of the AJHL, tallied 20 goals and 28 assists last season.

● Also, the fine folks at the WCHA blog note that Josh Birkholz will be calling the U. of Minnesota his home for at least a little while in the future. Earlier today, it was announced that Birkholz will join the Gophers at some point around the 2009 or 2010 season.

● In addition, the WCHA blog (they’re busy folks over there.) has revealed its fifth-favorite WCHA arena - the DECC in Duluth, Minnesota. The hockey home to the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs received high marks for good sightlines and a lively crowd, but was dinged a bit for the building’s age. Read about it here.

College Hockey Blogflash (August 28)

2007-08-28T08:58:00.000-04:00

Quick, short update for today...

● Waking fully from their summer hibernation, the RIT Tiger Hockey blog has posted an analysis of the RIT conference schedule, supplementing an analysis posted earlier in the month regarding non-conference Tiger games. Read about it here.

● Reports from WCH and Brad Elliott Schlossman state that North Dakota has picked up a commitment from Danny Mattson. Mattson, a forward who played at the prep level last season (19g-49a-68pts.), will be entering his junior year of high school. Mattson, who reportedly turned down offers from Minnesota and Wisconsin, will likely suit up for North Dakota at the start of the 2009 or 2010 season.

College Hockey Blogflash (August 26)

2007-08-26T08:10:00.000-04:00

● Lake Superior State picked up a new commitment, according to MiCHO, in defenseman Ben Kitzmiller for the upcoming season. The Lambertville, Michigan-native Kitzmiller, who played last season for the NAHL’s Alpena IceDiggers, helped guide his team to the NAHL playoffs last season on the strength of his 13 goals, 19 assists, and 32 points in 59 games. Read about it here.

● The WCHA Blog, in its recurring 10-part series, has named Anchorage, AK as its fifth-favorite WCHA city. Access to the home of the Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves was a primary concern, but Anchorage received high marks for its city experience and ticket availability. Read about it here.

●It seems as though Merrimack’s fanbase is slightly concerned, as Merrimack athletic director Sean Frazier has departed for an assistant AD position at Wisconsin. Mike McMahon’s Warrior Rink Rat blog has a lengthy Q&A article regarding the Merrimack AD position, what qualities the future Merrimack AD should have, and, among other things, the future of Merrimack’s athletic program in general. Read about it here.

Back in Some Capacity...

2007-08-24T07:42:00.000-04:00

Still trying to get things organized and ready for another collegiate semester, but I'm at my final destination at the least. Still waiting for my computer, though.

Big thanks to Donald for covering for me. Visit his blog, as he does quality work over there too.

Anyway, I'll try to post an update tomorrow.

College Hockey (Substitute) Blogflash (August 23)

2007-08-23T11:11:00.000-04:00

Our fine friends over at College Hockey News have updated their Summer Session series with looks at a couple of WCHA teams: Minnesota-Duluth and North Dakota. The Bulldog article talks about the frustration of losing 9 games by one goal and has some good quotes from Scott Sandelin. My favorite part of the article is a typo that says,
"expect Duluth to disrupt the playoff picture towards the end of the year when they play suck top teams as Minnesota and North Dakota"
Unfortunately for CHN it appears some of these Summer Session articles were written earlier this summer before rosters were finalized. The Sioux article talks about the great second half last season and Dave Hakstol mentions his expectations for the incoming class but the article says,
"And another newcomer worth notice is former Alaska-Anchorage forward Shea Hamilton who will look to establish himself as a role player."
Um ... Shea ain't on North Dakota's updated roster confirming early summer rumors that he would be gone. Writing 59 team summaries is tough job for any outfit. CHN has some excellent features and I really like the tale of the tape feature in their schedule section so there's lots of reasons to overlook the minor deficiencies in a couple of previews. I make plenty of mistakes myself (like not having a clue what "bullets" A.Allen uses).

Over at Inside College Hockey there is the ongoing A-Z series which picks players by their last names and profiles at least one from all 59 teams. Another pretty big bite to take and no doubt a difficult job. Dion Knelsen from the Nanooks and Geoff Kinrade from Michigan Tech are the latest updates in that series, L-Z remain. I haven't read all of the A-K's yet but for what I've read so far they get high marks.

Over at the third major college hockey site, USCHO there isn't any evidence of preseason coverage yet. I suppose they've learned how much work there is in trying to cover every team in some way. I wouldn't even recommend reading anything at the famous fan forum for at least another couple of weeks as the late summer fare isn't particularly stimulating.

The WCHA Blog has another in his series of Rink Rankings and puts DU's Magness at #6 in the league. The Rink Rankings though shouldn't be confused with his Road Trip Rankings, the latest in that list being #6 Madison; my favorite because there is lots of griping in the comments section. Anytime you list anything in the WCHA from top to bottom there are plenty of folks on the Internet to point out how wrong you are.

The only piece of real news since this blog's excellent owner A. Allen temporarily spurned posting here in favor of furthering his education is that Atlantic Hockey announced a deal with B2 Networks to webcast every regular season and playoff game for that league. $6 per game or $79.95 to see all the games from your favorite team. Hey parents time to bust out that VISA card again!

I'd be remiss if I didn't make mention of the 2nd best team blog in College Hockey. Care to take a guess who I think #1 is? I don't have too much interest generally in leagues outside of the WCHA but if you follow Merrimack at all then reading the Warrior Rink Rat is a must. Mike McMahon always has the up to date skinny and from my perspective does a great job.

Lastly, in case you didn't really want to guess who is the hardest working, most excellent College Hockey blogger covering his team is, then visit this joint.

A Brief Hiatus (on my part)…

2007-08-20T01:15:00.001-04:00

Well, I’ll be making my journey back to school this Wednesday. In preparation for the upcoming semester, and partially due to the fact that I despise laptops, I will be shipping off my computer at some point today.

Therefore, unless I find an internet kiosk at some airport somewhere that isn’t too horribly expensive (which I doubt), there will be no updates from me until, at the earliest, the 25th-27th of this month.

I have talked to Donald of the UAA Fan Blog, and he has graciously accepted the helm here for the time being. If anything “big” and/or newsworthy occurs in the world of college hockey while I'm not here, Donald will post something here. Also, if Donald feels the need to post any type of update or commentary, he will do so as well.

College Hockey Blogflash (August 19)

2007-08-20T00:43:00.000-04:00

● The US U-18 squad finished fifth overseas at the 2007 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, defeating the Czech Republic by the score of 6-5 after a shootout. Likely among others, the WCHA Blog and the Let’s Go DU blog (1|2) have coverage spotlighting the win, the tournament, and some recruit-specific stuff.

● The University of New Hampshire Men’s Hockey Blog is in a celebratory mood alongside incoming 2008 recruit Kevin McCarey, as McCarey will play for the USNTDP U-18 squad this season. McCarey played for the USNTDP U-17 team last season, tallying 14 goals and 14 assists last season, which was good enough for the top goal-scorer spot among his USNTDP U-17 teammates. Read about it here.

● Madison, Wisconsin ranks 6th in the WCHA blog’s continuing ten-part series listing the best WCHA cities. Madison, home to the Wisconsin Badgers, received low marks for its distance from other WCHA cities, but high marks for its plentiful bars and relatively cheap tickets. Read about it here.

Rollin’ on...

2007-08-17T08:25:00.000-04:00

USCHO.com has a great article on the trip of four former Union hockey players and their followers.

Of course, I’m talking about the Rolling for Autism endeavor.

Union hockey alumni Dan Tatar, Jason Ortolano, Sean Streich, and Carson Strang are still chipping away at their massive rollerblading trip that began at the Georgia border on June 28. It looks as though they will be completing their voyage this Sunday, hitting the finish line in southern Maine.

So far, the movement has raised more than $100,000 towards autism awareness.

For more information, of if you want to chip in towards the worthy cause, check out http://www.rollingforautism.com.

College Hockey Blogflash (August 17)

2007-08-17T08:08:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday, folks.

● The bullets, as you can see, are back from a vacation.

● CHN reports that Aaron Broten and John MacInnes will be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame’s class of 2007. Broten played two years for Minnesota before going pro, in which he won WCHA Freshman of the Year in 1979-80, and recorded a still-standing Gopher record for most points in 1980-81 (47g-59a-106pts). John MacInnes coached at Michigan Tech from 1956-82, where he went 555-295-39 and won three national championships. Read the CHN article here.

● The US Under-18 Team playing in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament picked up their first tournament victory yesterday, beating Slovakia 5-3. Their two previous tournament losses were to Russia and Finland, with both games finishing with 5-3 scores. Their final tournament contest will take place on Saturday, as they will take on the Czech Republic in a 5th place game. Multiple blogs are covering the action, including, among others, the UNH Men’s Hockey Blog and the WCHA blog, all of which have unique coverage.

● Alaska picked up two new commitments -- both of whom are from Alberta, and both of whom played for the same team last season in the same league (the Alberta Midget Hockey League’s Red Deer Optimist Rebels). One of the new commitments is from Erik Slemp, a 5-foot-10, 183 pound 17-year-old forward who tallied 18 goals, 10 assists, and 28 points last season. The other, Kaare Odegard, is a 5-foot-10, 166 pound 16-year-old defenseman who tallied three goals, 12 assists, and 15 points last season. Read about it here.

● Now for something that I completely missed a while back, but is worth noting nonetheless. Recently, at his Robert Morris blog, Andrew Chiappazzi and the sport of hockey were the targets of a minor backlash. Mainly, one reader of the Colonials Corner blog thought hockey was illegitimate and irrelevant in comparison to the basketball and football programs that RMU currently puts forth.

So, in response, Andrew has posted a nice little explanation regarding why hockey is important to the greater good of the RMU athletic program, and why hockey should be the subject of praise, not mockery. As an outsider looking in, it’s a simple, dirty, and very correct explanation, in my opinion, and it gives some insight to the smaller-size CHA program.

College Hockey Blogflash (August 15)

2007-08-15T15:17:00.000-04:00

I’ve been gearing up for another college semester, so I’ve been a little busy as of late.

Jim O’Brien, despite opposing claims from his coach, will be leaving Minnesota after one season. Read the CHN article here.

Over at the WCHA blog, the World Arena, the hockey home for the Colorado College Tigers, was announced as the #7 WCHA arena in their recurring series. Read about it here.

Mike McMahon has a nice link to an article featuring Merrimack goaltender Andrew Braithwaite. Braithwaite was in Isreal recently competing in the World Jewish Hockey Championships. Interesting stuff. Read it here.

UPDATE: The WCHA blog reports that St. Cloud State has signed a new assistant coach in Mike Gibbons. Gibbons, currently a Minnesota high school hockey coach, previously worked as an assistant for Bemidji State, Northern Michigan, Colorado College, and Denver University. Read about it here.

College Hockey Blogflash (August 13)

2007-08-13T10:40:00.000-04:00

Donald has posted a write up on the Alaska-Anchorage Juniors. Read about it here.

According to Western College Hockey, Bowling Green picked up a commitment from goaltender Nick Eno, who played for Vermont last year. Chris also reports that Alaska picked up a future commitment from defenseman Steven Hoshaw, who will likely play a pair of years at the Junior ranks before stepping up to Fairbanks. Read about it here.

Chris also reports two coaching notes: David Noel-Bernier will rejoin Nebraska-Omaha as an assistant, replacing the departing Rob Facca, and Chris Kostopoulos was hired as an assistant at Robert Morris. Read about it here.

The WCHA blog checks off its 7th favorite WCHA city in its recurring series: St. Cloud. The WCHA blog noted that the home to the St. Cloud State Huskies is Mankato like, with decent access from the Minnenapolis/St. Paul area and some general fun stuff, but points were
deducted for ticket sales practices. Read about it here.

College Hockey Blogflash (August 9)

2007-08-09T15:28:00.000-04:00

Mike McMahon at his Warrior Rink Rat has a nice little write-up on incoming Merrimack recruit Matt Moulakelis. Moulakelis, a 6-foot-1, 180 pound native of Hawthorn Woods, Illinois, played for the Chicago Steel of the USHL last season, where he tallied 7 goals, 12 assists, and 19 points in 55 games. McMahon notes that, “(Moulakelis) should be the type of player who will grind it out along the walls and in the corners, but, can score points when called upon.” Read about it here.

An update of yesterday’s blogflash... Despite assertions from the Ottawa Sun stating otherwise, according to the WCHA blog, Minnesota head coach Don Lucia noted that Gopher sophomore Jimmy O’Brien will not leave school and sign with the Ottawa Senators. Read about it here.

College Hockey Blogflash (August 8)

2007-08-08T12:03:00.000-04:00

Well, the fine folks at the WCHA blog have been busy this morning.

Firstly, in the third part of their ten part series, the WCHA blog revels its 8th favorite WCHA arena. That arena? Well, it’s the Alltel Center (or, the Midwest Wireless Civic Center if that particular corporate name floats your boat). The WCHA blog gave the hockey home for the Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks high marks for, among other things, plentiful parking, but low marks for a crowd that can be hit-or-miss and some awkward seating angles. Read about it here.

Secondly, the WCHA is reporting a possible early departure at Minnesota. It is rumored that Gopher sophomore Jimmy O’Brien will be packing up his skates and signing on the dotted line for Ottawa, according to the Ottawa Sun. Read about it here.

Paukovich to Leave Denver.

2007-08-08T04:05:00.000-04:00

The Let’s Go DU blog reports that Denver forward Geoff Paukovich will forgo his senior year and sign a contract with the Edmonton Oilers. An official announcement is expected to be made within the next 48 hours.

According to dggoddard at the Let’s Go DU blog, the Oilers reportedly gave Paukovich “an offer too good to give up,” however, terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Before the beginning of his junior season last year at DU, Hockey’s Future gave Paukovich a 6.0 C prospect rating, noting that Paukovich is, “… a big center who has offensive abilities but is best suited as a two-way checking center,” and that “Paukovich has a noteworthy mean streak in him as well as the size to back it up.”

The 6-foot-4, 215 pound Englewood, Colorado native Paukovich last year, in 39 games, tallied eight goals, nine assists, and 17 points. In his 117-game collegiate career, Paukovich amassed 24 goals, 24 assists, and 48 points.

Paukovich, a member of the Denver University’s 2005 National Championship team, was drafted in the 2004 draft by Edmonton with the 57th overall selection in the second round.

UPDATE: USCHO.com says it’s official. You can also see the Let’s Go DU blog for more details.

(Photo courtesy of: hockeysfuture.com)

Appert to Coach at RPI Through 2011-2012 Season.

2007-08-07T03:27:00.000-04:00

USCHO reports that RPI head coach Seth Appert has signed a two year contract extension which will keep him at RPI through the 2011-2012 season.

“He has shown a willingness to meet challenges head on and a determination to succeed,” noted RPI president Shirley Ann Jackson on Monday.

Despite posting a 10-18-8 record in his first season with the Engineers, RPI did create moments of glory. RPI’s non-conference play last season, under Appert’s watch, was highlighted by tie games against Boston U., Quinnipiac, and Ohio State, and was further highlighted with a victory against Denver, where Appert spent nine years as an assistant coach, at Magness Arena.

In addition, RPI reigned victorious in the inaugural Governor’s Cup Championship Tournament in Albany, NY – the school’s first tournament championship of any kind since 1998.

“We have set a strong foundation for future success and we will continue to move this program forward with the support from Kevin Beattie, the RPI campus community and our terrific fans in the Capital Region,” noted Appert.

In addition to his continuing work at RPI, Appert was also selected recently as an assistant coach for the U.S. Under-18 Select team that will compete in the Ivan Hlinka Under-18 Memorial Hockey Tournament taking place later this month in Piestany, Slovakia and Hodonin, Czech Republic.

(Photo courtesy of: rpiathletics.com)

College Hockey Blog Mini Round-Up (August 6th)

2007-08-06T08:55:00.000-04:00

Well, some personal notes. One, I friggin’ hate my ISP. But with that said, who doesn’t? Two, it’s my berfday today. I will celebrate my 19th trip around the sun by sleeping for approximately 22 consecutive hours.

Enough with my vast personal problems. With unparalleled reporting accuracy (unless I miss, forget, or typo the heck out of something), it’s time to look at the crazy universe that is the College Hockey Blogosphere. A slightly slow week, but there’s still some notable stuff.

And speaking of this crazy universe, and the sun, and those other planets and whatnot, let’s start in Anchorage, as one blogger looks to the heavens to pass the time…

● Donald at the Alaska-Anchorage Fan Blog takes a look at the five Seawolf seniors for the upcoming season. In regard to what these seniors will need to do to achieve success in 2007-’08, Donald notes,

“So what do these 5 guys need to contribute this season to help the team succeed? The first and most obvious is leadership. They need to set a good example to the underclassmen both on and off the ice. They should be fostering a great attitude among the team. This is a pretty good group in terms of that sort of leadership…. If they can each slough off whatever distractions arise (yes, yes... other than homework), and enjoy playing their last year in a Seawolf sweater, then it will be a season well spent.”

● Meanwile, up the road in Fairbanks, Eric Carlson at the Alaska hockey blog reports two new commitments. Tim Revell, a 19-year-old Kingston, Ontario native, is one of those newly-committed kids for the 2008 season. Revell played for the Kingston Voyageurs of the OPJAHL last season, picking up 38 goals, 34 assists, and 72 points. The other young lad (born in ’90), Bob Marks, played for the Russell Stover Major Midget team out of Overland Park, Kansas, where he amassed 30 goals, 47 assists, and 62 points.

Now moving further to the east, we take a look at the west. Whaa?!

● The WCHA blog, in the third part of its ten part series, reveals Mankato, Minnesota as its eighth-favorite WCHA city. Mankato, naturally home to the Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks, received high scores for its apparent plentiful bars, but low scores for the apparent lack of stuff to do within the city. With that said however, those low marks are apparently partially negated with Minneapolis-St.Paul being not too far away.

(Apparently) Staying in Minnesota, we check in with a blog that’s also meandering towards some direction.

● Something that I prolly should have posted a while back, the Minnesota-Duluth-based Runnin’ With The Dogs takes a look at the recent UMD hockey television broadcast situation. According to RWD, “The WDIO-TV station manager, Dave Poirer, says “Advertisers aren’t interested in supporting UMD hockey broadcasts.”’ Thus, the lack of advertising dollars warranted the removal of UMD hockey broadcasts from that particular network’s airwaves. Anyway, it’s an interesting little read.

Wandering into Michigan...

● The Blog that Yost Built reports that Michigan’s picked up a verbal commitment in Kevin Lynch for the 2009 season. Lynch, a forward, will play with the NTDP this season, and is reportedly “a very nice two-way center” according to WCH. Lynch reportedly passed up playing for the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL to play for the Wolverines.

And speaking of the NTDP...

● Mike McMahon, making his triumphant return from... um... a place, at his Merrimack Warrior Rink Rat Blog reports that Former Merrimack goaltender Joe Exter will take over as the goaltending coach for the U.S. NTDP.

In addition, Mike has a nice little write-up on the incoming Andrew Letellier. Letellier played for the Portland Junior Pirates of the Atlantic Junior Hockey League last season. In regard to Letellier’s work at the junior level, McMahon notes that,

“(Letellier) showed some touch with the Pirates notching 58 points in 39 games. He seems to be a balanced offensive player who isn’t just a passer or a shooter. Some other writers who I have talked to who are more familiar with (the AJHL) than myself say that he is a very smart player, who is rarely out of position.”

And speaking of the NTDP (again), we close our mini round-up by spotlighting four products of the program...

● The Terrier Hockey Fan Blog reports that four Boston Terriers made the trip to Colorado Springs, Colorado for the U.S. Junior National Team evaluation camp. Those four Terriers, sophomores Brian Strait and Luke Popko and freshmen Kevin Shattenkirk and Colin Wilson, are among 45 other players that will be competing in intra-squad contests as well as contests against teams from Sweden and Finland.

Hobey Hopefuls.

2007-08-05T00:29:00.000-04:00

Back from a momentary hibernation. Contrary to popular belief, I am still alive.

Just would like to point you folks at a recent article from a little while ago.

Elliot Olshansky at CSTV takes an early stab at projecting the Hobey Baker finalists for the upcoming season. Among others, Olshansky spotlights New Hampshire’s Kevin Regan, Michigan’s Kevin Porter and T.J. Hensick, North Dakota’s T.J. Oshie, Michigan State’s Jeff Lerg, and Vermont’s Joe Fallon as players to look out for.

EDIT: Lemme pull back the reigns here. Scratch Hensick, as I flubbed up a bit. Completely zoned out his signing/already serving his four years not too long ago. (Actually, Elliot was nice enough to e-mail me about this issue.)

Yes, even I will make a mistake. :-D

Mini or regular Blog Round-Up tomorrow. (Perhaps the tomorrow after tomorrow, as I am experiencing some minor technical difficulties.)

College Hockey Blogflash (July 30)

2007-07-30T18:15:00.000-04:00

● According to the UNH Men’s Hockey blog, continuing on with their series of great “under the radar” sports rivalries, ESPN.com is featuring an article on the great Hockey East rivalry that is Maine v. New Hampshire. Read that article here.

Now for some defensemen defections...

● Let’s Go DU is reporting both an addition and a subtraction from the Denver Pioneers roster. Defensemen Keith Seabrook has decided to forego his collegiate career for the major junior ranks, signing with the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL. Seabrook tallied two goals and 11 assists as a freshman in 2007.

DU did, however, pick up a commitment from Norwegian goaltender Lars Paulgaard from the NAHL’s Southern Minnesota Express. Paulgaard went 30-18 last season with eight shutouts and a .916 save percentage.

● Mike McMahon at the Warrior Rink Rat blog reports that defenseman Brock Wilson will be leaving Merrimack for the Stockton Thunder of the ECHL. Read about it here.

● UPDATE: And congratulations to Goon’s World’s “Goon,” and “Goon’s wife,” on the adoption of a new baby girl.

College Hockey Blogflash (July 29)

2007-07-29T21:57:00.000-04:00

● Andrew Chiappazzi at the Colonials Corner blog reports that, along with his counterpart Mike McCourt leaving his assistant coaching position at Robert Morris for a job with the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs, Matt Lindsay, RMU’s other assistant, will also be leaving for an assistant coaching job at Princeton. Read about it here.

● Donald at the UAA Fan Blog looks at a recent letter from the Anchorage Daily News written by Alaska-Anchorage Vice-Chancellor of Arena Planning Bill Spindle. The letter is in regard to the decision made by the Alaska governor to veto funds towards the planning and development of the new UAA hockey arena. Read about it here.

New Athletic Director at Mercyhurst.

2007-07-28T14:57:00.000-04:00

USCHO reports that Mercyhurst has promoted former associate athletic director Craig Barnett to the head athletic director position.

“We are very pleased that (Barnett) has agreed to lead the athletic department at Mercyhurst. He brings a love of the institution and a genuine commitment to the overall welfare of student-athletes. We expect great things with Craig at the helm,” notes Mercyhurst College president Dr. Thomas Gamble.

Barnett replaces Pete Russo, who, on June 22nd, announced his retirement after 17 years as athletic director at Mercyhurst. Russo will leave his helm on the 31st of August.

The Oakville, Ontario native Barnett spent two years at Mercyhurst (1991-’93) as an assistant hockey coach and a director at the Mercyhurst Ice Center. Following his work at Mercyhurst, Barnett then worked at Kent State, where he received his master’s degree in sports administration and was an assistant hockey coach.

Barnett moved on to the head coaching position at Findlay in 1995, propelling that program from the club ranks to NCAA D-III (and later D-I) in an eight year span.

Barnett would then take the AD position at D-III Becker College before landing back at Murcyhurst as the associate director of athletics in December of 2006.

(Photo courtesy of: hurstathletics.cstv.com)

How It’s Made: Hockey Stuff.

2007-07-27T16:47:00.000-04:00

Or, it’s the off-season and it’s a slow day on the news wires. :-)

For what it’s worth, there’s this great Canadian-produced program on both the Discovery Channel and the Science Channel entitled “How It’s Made.” Naturally, the program analyzes, well, how things are, in fact, “made.” Goalie helmets were one of their subjects during an episode this morning, and although I couldn’t find that particular segment, I was able to find some other hockey-related segments produced for the U.S. version of the same show.

How It’s Made: Hockey Pucks
How It’s Made: Hockey Gloves