1.) Denver University – 11-5-2
2.) Miami University – 13-2-5
3.) Notre Dame – 8-8-4
4.) University of North Dakota – 9-6-3
5.) Boston University – 4-9-3
6.) University of Michigan – 9-9-0
7.) Vermont University – 8-6-2
8.) University of Minnesota – 8-9-1
9.) University of Wisconsin – 11-5-2
10.) University of Mass Lowell – 10-6-1
11.) University of Minnesota Duluth – 11-6-1
12.) Boston College – 10-3-2
13.) Yale University – 7-3-2
14.) Princeton University – 4-8-1
15.) University of New Hampshire – 8-6-3
16.) Northeastern University – 6-8-1
17.) Saint Cloud State University – 8-7-3
18.) Northern Michigan University – 7-8-4
19.) Cornell University – 7-2-2
20.) U.S. Air Force Academy – 8-6-4
Check out more from Eric at twitter, and the Goon’s World Blog

On December 29th – 30th, 2009

Florida College Hockey Classic

Maine vs. Princeton
Colorado College vs. Cornell

Great Lakes Invitational

Michigan Vs RPI
Michigan State vs. Michigan Tech

On January 2nd – 3rd, 2010

Badger Showdown

M.C. vs. Wisconsin
Yale vs. Ferris State

Denver Cup

UNO vs. SLU
B.C. vs. DU

Ledyard Bank Tournament

UML vs. Holy Cross
Northeastern vs. Dartmouth

Sheraton/TD Banknorth Catamount Cup

UAH vs. Vermont
UMD vs. Mercyhurst

Shillelagh Tournament

UND vs. Niagara
Colgate vs. Notre Dame

Dodge Holiday Classic

Clarkson vs. NMU
BGSU vs. UMN

World Juniors take Center Stage

With the holiday season comes this years World Junior Championship in Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan between December 26, 2009, and January 5, 2010, I have listed below the US college hockey players that are vying for a spot on the USA roster.  This years version of the Canadian WJC team is made up entirely of CHL talent and doesn’t have a single college hockey star on their roster.  Incidentally, there were a few Canadian collegians that were vying for spots on the Team Canada roster; Denver University Sophomore Patrick Wiercioch was cut because of a knee injury and Harvard University Freshman Louis Leblanc was one of the last players cut from team Canada. Some thought that Dylan Olsen from UMD and Joe Colborne from DU might have a chance to make the Canadian roster as well but they did not make the team.

Forwards

Name School, Year G-A-PTS
Chris Brown Michigan, Freshman 5-7-12
Jerry D’Amigo RPI, Freshman 5-9-14
Chris Kreider Boston Coll. Freshman 2-3-5
Danny Kristo North Dakota Freshman 6-10-16
Kyle Palmieri Notre Dame Freshman 5-2-7
Vinny Saponari Boston Univ. Sophomore 4-8-12
Jordan Schroeder Minnesota Sophomore 4-8-12
Derek Stepan Wisconsin Sophomore 5-17-22
Dave Wohlberg Michigan Sophomore 2-7-9

Defense

Matt Donovan Denver Freshman 2-7-9
Jake Gardiner Wisconsin Sophomore 1-2-3
Max Nicastro Boston Univ. Freshman 1-5-6
John Ramage Wisconsin Freshman 2-5-7
David Warfosky Boston Univ. Sophomore 4-4-8

Goaltenders

Name School,Year W-L-T/GAA/Save Pct.
Mike Lee St. Cloud Freshmen 4-5-3, 2.63, .926
[NHL.com]

Blais back in Grand Forks, ND

The USA WJC tryout has been at the Ralph Englestad Arena in Grand Forks, ND this past week and the Fighting Sioux will play the USA WJC team in an exhibition game tonight at 7:07pm.  I heard there are still tickets available if you want to attend the game. The USA team is coached by former Fighting Sioux head coach and current UNO Maverick head coach Dean Blais.

I was off from work yesterday and when I heard that coach Blais was speaking at the Sioux Booster’s luncheon I decided to attend my first ever Sioux Booster’s luncheon at the Alerus Center. It was fun listening to the former Fighting Sioux head coach speak.  Blais is always good for interesting quote or two. On playing in Canada Blais said, “We have to be prepared to be booed in every game we play — not just against Canada. We’re going to be booed when we play Latvia.” [Grand Forks Herald]

I have a lot of respect and admiration for the former coach and I think team USA is in good hands with Dean Blais. I expect the USA WJC team to be more disciplined this year than some of the teams from the past few years. Last season’s USA WJC team under Ron Rolston took a lot of undisciplined penalties and lost it’s composure against the Canadian team, I don’t expect that to happen under a veteran coach like Dean Blais.

My 2009 Christmas Wish List…

1.) I want more consistency out of the WCHA officials. Consistently calling the games in a poor manner is not consistency. The on ice official’s performance in the WCHA this year can best be described as brutal and unacceptable. No more officiating games by the score board. If it’s a penalty in the first period it’s still a penalty in the closing minutes of a game. Start calling the obstruction, picks and protect the puck carrier, like the NHL does. I believe that the NCAA Division 1 hockey officials should have to answer to USA hockey. If the on ice officials are not up to standard of USA hockey they are terminated and should not be allowed ref in any level of hockey. The officials on ice performance should be made available by a simple freedom of information act request. No more secrecy surrounding the on ice officials. (I am giving a lump of coal for the WCHA league office; your official’s performance during the first half of the season was brutal).

2.) I want to see the NCAA Division 1 hockey mirror the NHL in quality of officiating, video review, discipline of players, coaches and official, and use the rules the NHL has for deciding ties during the regular season. College Hockey is a great game and needs to step forward into the 21st century. I would like to see all the leagues go by the same rules.

3.) I want to see stiffer penalties for players that injure another player on the ice with an illegal check. A weak and non-punitive one game suspension for knocking out a fellow player with a dirty hit is unacceptable. Suspensions need teeth.

4.) I would like to see more college hockey on television. I would like to see a NCAA college hockey offer a package much like my NHL Center Ice. (Kudos to the NHL network and FCS).

5.) I would like to see the Pairwise Ranking go back to the old days were strength of schedule mattered. Teams that racking up wins against the weak sisters of the poor to make the NCAA tourney is unacceptable. I would like to see the KRACH factor into the selection process when picking the 16 NCAA tourney teams. (A lump of coal for the NCAA ice hockey committee).

6.) I would like to see all references and or discussion of the Big Ten Hockey Conference put to bed forever. It’s a pipe dream that some Big Ten administrator(s) with a college football background wants to push. They had a chance to put the Hockey Show Case games on the Big Ten Network and they games were unavailable for people to watch. (Lump of coal to the BTN).

Check out more from Eric at twitter, and the Goon’s World Blog

Teams per the Pairwise Rankings
1 Miami 12-2-5 (CCHA)
2 Denver 11-4-2 (WCHA)
3 Bemidji State 13-3-1 (CHA)
4 Boston College 9-3-2 (HE)
5 Ferris State 12-3-2 (CCHA)
6 Wisconsin 10-5-2 (WCHA)
7 North Dakota 9-5-3 (WCHA)
8 Colorado College 10-4-3 (WCHA)
9 Quinnipiac 12-3-1 (ECAC)
10 Michigan State (CCHA)
11 Mass.-Lowell 10-5-1 (HE)
12 St Cloud St 8-6-3 (WCHA)
13 Massachusetts (HE)
14 Minnesota-Duluth 10-6-1 (WCHA)
15 New Hampshire 8-6-3 (HE)
16 Air Force Academy or RIT (AHA) tourney winner

So far this season the WCHA has once again emerged as the pride of college hockey and if the tourney started today there would be an impressive six WCHA teams in the NCAA tournament. While there probably won’t be six WCHA teams in the top 14-15 spots of the PWR at season’s end, I think there is a good chance there could be five teams; simply, the WCHA is that good. The fact is, the NCAA is probably already sweating and hoping they don’t have another all WCHA Frozen Four.

Traditional teams like Minnesota, Michigan and Boston University would be on the outside looking in. Two of the four teams from last season’s frozen four would be sitting home UVM and BU.

This is how the NCAA tourney would shake out –

6 – WCHA
4 – HE
3 – CCHA
1 –ECAC
1 – CHA
1 –AHA

Here’s the Strength of Schedule for the WCHA teams [KRACH]
2 Denver 4
3 Colorado College 15
4 Wisconsin 7
5 North Dakota 5
7 St. Cloud State 1
9 Minnesota-Duluth 11

Check out more from Eric at twitter, and the Goon’s World Blog

Much has been made about the Beaver’s poll positions this season as they have been ranked in the top ten for a few weeks now, some have said the BSU Beavers didn’t deserve their high ranking because they hadn’t played anybody and they were overrated. The nay sayers were quieted down a bit when the Beavers went out and beat top ranked Miami University 3-2 last weekend in the first game of the Subway Holiday Classic. Currently the Beavers sit 5th in the USCHO poll and 4th in the USA Today poll. BSU was also ranked 6th in the latest INCH power rankings. The Beavers are ranked number one the PWR/RPI rankings (these rankings mirrors the NCAA selection).

Tenacious, High pressure, get pucks deep and speed

It would be an understatement to say that the Beavers have been winning in an impressive and dramatic fashion. From the drop of the first puck to the last whistle of the game the BSU Beavers play an aggressive fore checking high pressure game. The Beavers pride themselves in outworking their opponents. The Beavers are quick up front and strong defensively (ranked number one defensively) and aren’t very much fun to play against. When you play against the Beavers you can’t take a shift off against them or they will bury you.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers found out the hard way in the second game of their two games series against BSU back in November. With the game close at 3-1 after the two periods the Beavers came out in the third period and scored three goals in less than two minutes to bury the Gophers.

The Beavers keep coming at you by getting the puck deep in the offensive zone and then race in to converge on the puck. The Beavers mirror their coach short in stature but fiery and intense in nature. The Beavers are a breath of fresh air in the era of the Neutral Zone Trap. The Beavers play a race horse up tempo brand of hockey much like the Dean Blais UND Fighting Sioux teams of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s.

At last night’s game while sitting with my friend who is the faculty rep of the BSU hockey team, we watched in awe as the Beavers picked apart the Niagara defense. I told him that the Beavers just keep buzzing and they are relentless, they cycle the puck with a tenacious pace. The Beavers keep coming in waves as another line comes off the bench and continues the assault. During the Second period we looked on in amazement and after another long cycle by the Beavers in the Niagara end, Bemidji forward Ryan Cramer scored a nice goal.

Avalanche of goals

The BSU Beavers aren’t just squeaking out goals they are winning in impressive fashion. The Beavers have scored 5 or more goals seven times in fifteen games. The Beavers are ranked 3rd nationally in goals. That includes last night’s game where they put eight pucks behind the Niagara goalie Adam Avramenko. The score could have been worse if BSU hadn’t hit two pipes and albeit a strong effort in net by the junior goalie from Strathmore, Alberta.

The wins keep coming

Since January 24th 2009 the Bemidji State Beavers are an impressive 25-5-2. During that time frame the Beavers are 3-1-1 against the CCHA beating the likes of NMU, MU and Notre Dame. The Beavers are also 16-2-1 in their conference games during the same time period. There is a mind set developing; last night while visiting with some BSU fans I heard one of them brought up the point that the Beavers might not have to win the conference tourney to make the NCAA tourney this season. If the Beavers keep winning that is very true. Air Force Academy did it last year by qualifying 13th in the final pairwise ranking. Only time will tell if the Beavers can replicate that feat. Only once has a CHA team been given an at large bid, Niagara did it in 1999-200 season where the Purple Eagles went out and beat UNH Wildcats in the first game of the West Regional at Mariucci arena. Currently the Beavers have a big lead in their conference with a 7-0-0 record and are 10 points ahead of the next closest team the RMU Colonies who have a 1-3-2 record.

Check out more from Eric at twitter, and the Goon’s World Blog

BSU overrated?

This season there has been a reoccurring theme; BSU has been ranked in the top ten the past three weeks and I have had many fans tell me that BSU was over rated and hadn’t played anyone and was unworthy of their high ranking. This past week all over the blogosphere and college hockey message boards I had read how Miami was finally going to show BSU that their record was over inflated and they would lay a smack down on the BSU Beavers. Now it’s the Beaver fans that are laughing. Yesterday’s 3-2 win by the Beavers is no fluke; the Beavers have an impressive 25-4-2 since January 24th, 2009. During that time the Beavers have beaten Notre Dame, Cornell, Minnesota and now Miami.

Are the Beavers still over rated?

Bemidji’s top line of Matt Read (10g-11a-21pts), Jordan George (6g-11a-17pts), Ian Lowe (4g-3a-7pts) is good enough to be on any teams top six in division 1 hockey. Matt Read leading the nation is points and is sixth in the nation in points per game. Read is also leading his team in total points.

Bemidji State are solid in net Dan Bakala (8-1-1, 1.6323 and .935 SV %) good for 6th nationally. The Beavers have a very good defensive core and tied with North Dakota for the top defensive team in the nation giving up an average of 1.69 goals per game. [College Hockey National Statistics]

So is BSU over rated? My answer is no until the Beavers are proven otherwise the evidence is there in the win column and statistically that they are a very good hockey team and just took down the number one rated team in the country. My question is; is Miami over rated? What do you think?

Check out more from Eric at twitter, and the Goon’s World Blog

Another troubling trend is that the officials are failing to make the proper calls on the ice at the time that they happen and are making the calls after reviewing the video. Last week I witnessed one of the biggest travesties that I have seen in college hockey for a very long time. During a game between UND and SCSU the Huskies Aaron Marvin put a deliberate, bush league, brutal, and devastating hit on UND defenseman and Hobey Baker Memorial Award candidate Chay Genoway’s.

If you watch the video you will see that Marvin followed Genoway all the way up the ice and drove his head into the glass with a vicious elbow, Genoway didn’t even have the puck at the time of the check. It’s easy to determine from watching the video that it was a deliberate hit.

The thing that troubles me the most is that there were four officials on the ice at the time of the play. Everyone in the building saw the play except the four on ice officials. That is unacceptable and that can not be allowed to happen. Some ones’ head needs to role for that. How can there be four officials on the ice and none of them see the play in question? How come they aren’t watching the play in the area of where the puck is? Seriously! This is a legitimate question; shouldn’t the ref be watching the play or area where the puck is in play? If the refs aren’t watching the play what the heck are they watching?

What is even more troublesome is that after the whistle there was an ensuing lengthy discussion between three of the on ice officials. It was determined incorrectly after a lengthy discussion that SCSU defenseman Chris Hepp had hit Genoway from behind. Hepp was incorrectly given a five minute major and a game misconduct. Hepp was sent to the locker room where he took off his equipment and showered. Aaron Marvin was allowed to play for another 2 ½ minutes before the period ended.

Between periods: After reviewing the video it was correctly determined that Aaron Marvin was the one that committed the penalty and not Chriss Hepp. So naturally after being thrown out of the game Chris Hepp had taken off his equipment and showered because he had assumed his night was over. After the correction of the penalty Hepp was told to get dressed and return to the game. Hepp had to put his equipment back on and didn’t show up on the bench until after the period had started. I have never in all of my days of watching hockey heard or seen anything like that happening before.

The WCHA reviewed the play and decided to tack on an additional one game suspension for Aaron Marvin. My next question is how does Marvin only get a one game suspension for that brutal hit? This past week James Neal of the Dallas Stars was given a two game suspension for a less serious hit by the NHL. Are we to infer that the “Wheels of Justice” in the NHL are more credible than the NCAA and WCHA?

I meant to blow the whistle on that play

I have been witness to a lot of quick whistles at the goalmouth this season. Some of these plays were obvious goals that should have counted. Of course the on ice official got the on ice call wrong or was totally out of position to make the right call. In most of these cases the puck hadn’t been frozen, yet the ref incorrectly called the play dead. A couple of these calls were of the “I intended to blow the whistle on that play” which in a couple of cases was the incorrect call.

College hockey isn’t the only place these things happen. In the best league in hockey the NHL the same thing also happened during game involving the Detroit Redwings and the Dallas Stars. The Redwings scored what looked like a legitimate goal only to fall victim to the subjective, “I intended to blow the whistle but I couldn’t get my lips on the whistle call the play dead.” After reviewing the video numerous time it was very apparent that Dennis LaRue a veteran official had blown the call horribly. I think in this case LaRue didn’t want to admit that he made a mistake.

You have to give the NHL credit they at least explained why the goal was waved off the WCHA doesn’t usually give their explanation on controversial call.

“The way we’ve always handled it and the way we will continue to handle it until we have a procedure change is the referees call on the ice stands. He sees the shot and he sees the save and doesn’t see the puck in the net and kills the play or blows the whistle,” Murphy said. “It’s not when you hear the whistle blow, it’s when he intends to blow the whistle. There is a little bit of a gray area there between when he intends and when the whistle sounds. [NHL.COM]

These kinds of incidents do not reflect well on the leadership of the WCHA or its on ice officials. That fact remains that the commissioner of the WCHA Bruce McLeod and its head of officials Greg Shepherd are oblivious to the lack of credibility of their on ice officials and or they don’t feel that the league office as has a credibility problem. As long as there is parity in the WCHA they don’t care. They fail to get rid of bad officials and actually reward them with letting them work NCAA regional and Championship games. The thing that I find troublesome is that the junior league the USHL can find credible and decent officials to ref their games but the WCHA cannot and keeps wheeling out the same old officials year after year. Something has to be done.

The WCHA rarely if ever feels that they to answer for their officials on ice incompetence. This past weekend there was no “formal” explanation for to the on ice debacle that took place in Grand Forks, ND. The only time recently that I can remember this happening was after former referee Randy Schmidt had blown two calls on controversial goals in 2008 and after the second incident Schmidt was finally suspended by the WCHA and not hired back the following year. No official explanation was given. I believe the fans are entitled to these explanations. No press release was ever issued about Schmidt’s dismissal from the WCHA

The funny thing was that it wasn’t until one of the WCHA’s Big Ten schools got screwed by a bad call, costing them a game and points in the standings that the WCHA finally decided to step in and then decided to suspend and terminate Schmidt’s employment.

What can be done about the incompetent officials?

I don’t think there is anything that can be done about incompetent officials except if the member schools of a particular conference become unhappy with the current state of the on ice officials. I believe that the member schools would have to lodge formal complaints and request that a change be made. Also, in the case of the leadership at the top of the WCHA, and pertaining to the commissioner Bruce McLeod and the head of officials Greg Shepherd the league schools would probably have to decide that they have had enough of the current administration and fail to renew their contracts.

Fans have the right to complain about the officials

I hear from time-to-time other fans tell fellow fans to stop complaining about the on ice officials. As hockey fans we are told how hard it is to officiate the game of hockey and that the refs should be given some slack. Having officiated hockey at a very low level in college you’re right it is hard to officiate hockey games. So there is a little bit of validity in that statement, however, hockey fans pay good money to watch a very good product of athletes they deserve and should demand that the on ice officials be the best in their trade. We should not have to settle for mediocre officiating or officials. I encourage fans to write or call their league office if they feel that the quality of officiating isn’t up to snuff.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect that the league officials should be of top quality and have to perform at a higher level. If the refs are not doing a good job they should be removed from the league and never allowed to ref in college hockey again. The status quo is no longer good enough and the fans deserve and should demand better.

Check out more from Eric at twitter, and the Goon’s World Blog

History repeats itself

Fast forward to last night Donn Adam is again one of the on ice officials for the UND and SCSU hockey game.  Genoway takes the puck up ice in an end to end rush. Genoway has the puck checked off his stick by number 3 Sam Zabkowicz and number 17 Aaron Marvin comes in and pounds Chay’s head into the end boards an high elbow to the back of the head.

Of course neither on ice referees Tim Walsh and Don Adam saw the play.  Head official Don Adam conferred with the lines men and at first the officiating crew incorrectly penalized SCSU player Chris Hepp who was given a five minute major and a game misconduct; later Hepp had to put his equipment back on and rejoin the game after the officials realized between periods that they had penalized the wrong player.  Now tell me that doesn’t lend itself for fans to question the officiating crews credibility.

The NCAA wants to focus on head shots and this was text book head shots and this was a text book definition of a head shot.

Contact to the Head
SECTION 8. A player shall not make contact with an opposing player’s
head or neck area in any manner.
PENALTY—Minor or major or disqualification at the discretion of the
referee. Contact to the head shall be assessed in front of the
infraction (i.e., contact to the head – elbow).
Note: The rules committee instructs officials to use a zero tolerance policy in
this area.

This was a dirty, blatant inexcusable hit that has no place in college or any form of professional hockey.  If Aaron Marvin is not suspended by the WCHA and gets to play tonight the WCHA office will no longer have any stitch of credibility and will in essence be condoning this brutal act.  The NCAA like the NHL needs to have a review system that reviews questionable penalties and plays and awards the proper disciplinary action.  The NHL League office for the most part has done a decent job, however, the WCHA has not.

Lastly, there needs to be more accountability for on ice officials in the NCAA, Don Adam is a horrible official and should be removed from officiating before someone gets killed on the ice as a result of his incompetence.

Breaking News: There is some justice in the world as Marvin has been suspended for his hit and will not be playing in tonight’s game against the Sioux.

Edit: Marvin suspended for series finale —-I just got word that St. Cloud State’s Aaron Marvin has been suspended for tonight’s series finale against UND.

Marvin illegally checked UND’s Chay Genoway into the boards from behind in last night’s contest. Genoway didn’t return.

Check out more from Eric at twitter, and the Goon’s World Blog

Personally, I think the NCAA screwed up when they decreased the power rating equation from 50 percent to 21, now there will be no need for scheduling quality opponents and teams might just decide to load up on bottom feeders in the CCHA, AHA and ECAC to pad their stats and rack up wins and stats. The down side of that equation is that if your teams loses to these unimpressive cupcakes they will hurt your teams strength of schedule and the out of conference record.

Question: does a team compromise their principles or good name by racking up wins against poor competition? Or anything to make the NCAA tourney, you can’t win if your team is not in?

NCAA tourney formula drives changes

Eaves said recent adjustments in how strength of schedule factors into an NCAA tournament resume is driving the changes. In the past three years, the value of an opponent’s winning percentage has decreased significantly in the power rating equation (from 50 percent to 21) and a school with a record under .500 can no longer qualify for an at-large berth regardless of its schedule strength or where it stands in the Pairwise Rankings.
Alabama-Huntsville, projected to be an NCAA Division I independent in 2010-11, and Massachusetts, a consistent second-division club in Hockey East, will play series here next season.

Mike Cerniglia, the UW director of hockey operations, said another non-conference home series will likely be added for 2010-11 because the Icebreaker is exempt from the normal 34-game regular season and UW prefers to have 20 home dates per season.
[Madison.Com]

1 Denver University – (4-2-0) The Denver University Pioneers swept the hapless Minnesota Golden Gophers last weekend in two 3-0 games at Mariucci arena. The Pioneers looked pretty good taking a part a Gophers team loaded with NHL draft choices. The most impressive stat of the weekend was that the Pioneers defense held the Gophers forward Jordan Schroeder off of the score sheet.

2 Miami University – (4-1-1) the Miami University RedHawk’s hockey team looks like they are a force to be reckoned with this season. Miami like Denver University appears that they don’t have any major flaws with their team. Miami playes their next four games are on the road and we will get to see how they measure up to Michigan in two weeks.

3 Notre Dame – The Fighting Irish have a record of (3-3-0) and have split all of their games they have played so far. The Irish split with UAH and Providence, and then they beat BU 3-0 before losing to B.C. 3-2. Jeff Jackson team has used three different goaltenders and has gotten two shut outs by two different goalies, Mike Johnson (1-0-0) and Brad Phillips (1-2-0).

4 University of North Dakota – (4-1-1) the Fighting Sioux have played pretty well in their first 6 games of this season compared to last year at this time where they were an unimpressive 2-4-0 record after six games. The Fighting Sioux have depth in all four lines. The only question mark I see in UND is the sophomore goaltender Brad Eidsness who has a propensity to give up poor, untimely goals.

5 Boston University – (1-2-0) Time will tell if BU is going to be a pretender or a contender. The Terriers found out that they have lost one of their best forwards Nick Bonino 3 -4 weeks with a shoulder injury.

6 University of Michigan – (2-2-0) I am not sure what Michigan team will show up from week to week. They have a lot of talent to go deep in the NCAA playoffs.

7 Vermont University – (2-2-0) Ditto with Vermont, they looked good in beating DU and B.C. but also lost to Merrimack College 5-2.

8 University of Minnesota – (0-3-1) The Gophers have been shutout 3 of 4 games and Jordan Schroeder has been held scoreless in 6 games after scoring 45 points as freshman. The Gophers power play looks as if they have been infected with the H1N1 virus. The Gophers have been outscored 13-3 in league games and has yet to score a goal on the power play.

9 University of Wisconsin – (1-2-1) on paper the Wisconsin Badgers appear to have one to the better defensive corps in college hockey, however, college hockey is played on the ice and not on paper. The Badges have a true test this weekend when they play New Hampshire.

10 University of Mass Lowell – (3-1-0) The River Hawks have a good record and they have beaten the teams they have on their schedule but they haven’t beaten anyone good. Their lone loss came against UNO in the championship game of the Ice Breaker Tourney in Omaha to start the season.

11 University of Minnesota Duluth – (3-2-0) we should get a better idea how the Bulldogs are in the next couple of weeks as the Bulldogs play a home series against ECAC foe Clarkson before traveling to Colorado College to play the Tigers. The Tigers are much better than people expected and the Tigers are going to be looking for revenge after UMD ended their season last year in Colorado Springs.

12 Boston College – (1-1-0) I would say that it’s early and we haven’t seen enough of this team to make an observation. This team has the ability to be very good but time will tell if.

13 Yale University – (0-0-0) Yale has yet to play a game, they have a non-conference game against Princeton this weekend.

14 Princeton University – (0-0-0) the Tigers have yet to play a game open the season against non-conference games against Brown and Princeton this weekend.

15 University of New Hampshire – (2-2-1) The Wildcats have a tough series against Wisconsin this weekend. We might know more about both teams after this weekend.

16 Northeastern University – 2-3-0 The Huskies have been beaten by some good opponents (C.C., UML, UNH) and have one quality win against C.C.

17 Saint Cloud State University – (2-2-2) After being swept to start the season with Miami University the Huskies have started to pick things up (2-0-2). The Huskies took 3 of 4 points from the UMD Bulldogs last weekend. Senior forward Ryan Lasch has been mediocre to start the season (2g-1a-3pts)

18 Northern Michigan University – 1-2-1 The Wildcats were unimpressive against BSU last weekend as they went 0-1-1.

19 Cornell University – 0-0-0 The Big Red has yet to play a game, open season against Niagara University.

20 U.S. Air Force Academy – The AFA has a 2-4-0 record that includes a 0-4 record against the soon to be defunct CHA.

Early season surprises?

BSU 3-0-1
UNO 3-0-1
Merrimack 4-2-0
Ferris State 5-1-0
Western Michigan 4-0-0

Non Conference Records

AHA 2-27-0 (.080)
CCHA 30-16-4 (.640)
CHA 7-9-2 (.444)
ECAC 15-9-4 (.607)
H.E. 16-12-1 (.569)
WCHA 12-9-1 (.568)

Lets break this down further; three games into the season and the Gophers’ top forward, and pre-anointed Player of the Year in the WCHA, Jordan Schroeder has no points whatsoever, nix, nada, nay (0g-0a-0pts) and he is a minus -2.

I am wondering how long it will take before the rumors about Vancouver not being happy with Schroeder’s development start surfacing?  Last night I watched the DU and Minnesota game and Schroeder, on numerous occasions, took the puck up the ice in an attempt at an end-to-end rush only to lose the puck to a Denver player in the defensive zone.  The result, of course, was a turnover and a rush up ice in the other direction. This type of play was kind of reminiscent of another former Gopher player that was run out of Boston and now resides in Toronto.

If anything, the Gophers’ start to the season makes makes me scratch my head and wonder how a team stacked with at least 10 NHL draft choices can be 0-2-1. It hasn’t been pretty, in the first three games the Gophers have been outshot by an astounding 111 – 71 margin.  Of the team’s 71 shots, they have scored a measly three goals–meaning they have scored on just under five percent of their shots. On the defensive side of the equation the Gophers have given up ten goals, or just about a goal on ten percent of the opposition’s shots.  Morever, their power play is clicking at an even zero percent (they are 0-12 on the power play). On top of that, they have also given up a shorthanded goal.

Coach on the Hot Seat?

The last two seasons Don Lucia’s Gophers have gone a mediocre 17-13-7 and 19-17-9.  Last season they missed the NCAA playoffs altogether and now three games into this season it looks as if they could be in for another tough season.

So would it be reasonable to say that Lucia is on the hot seat? 

What do Gophers fan think?

I know people have short memories and forget that that Lucia won two NCAA titles in the early 2000’s but what has he done lately?

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Sioux Gophers and idiots on both sides.

I was at the Sioux/Gopher hockey games this weekend. The games were in Grand Forks and I was wearing Gopher gear on Friday night. Our tickets were also in the student section. We sat on the very far side of the student section. There were some Gopher fans in front of us who were clearly from the U. They were receiving a bit of heckling, and for the most part it was all in good fun, but there were a few weekend warriors” that went over the line from the UND side of things. They were invading some personal space and getting face to face with the kids from the U. Lots of you are a bitch. and you suck balls. Luckily for everybody involved where I was at, the Gopher kids stayed very chill about these 2 or 3 idiots getting too close to them.

The UND kids clearly had had way too much to drink. The problem was they kept coming back trying to instigate more and more each time. It could have turned bad pretty easy. Check out the story below. On Saturday night we also had student section tickets. I was not looking forward to the abuse again.

The night before there was a very drunk kid behind us who fell into our seats a few times. We were standing each time, but my wife got kicked once. He’s lucky he did not catch the 4 year old girl with a foot. So we got lucky Saturday nights, while we were waiting in line to get into the game some kids from the U said they had normal tickets but wanted to sit in student section. I overheard this and we traded our 4 student tickets for their 4 normal tickets. It was a much better game Saturday and we did not have to get kicked by drunk 19 year olds. All around a better experience.

While this weekend I didn’t see a lot of this stuff going on, I have witnessed this type of behavior first hand in the past at venues like the Final Five at the Xcel Energy Center. Who uses this type of language when talking to another fan from a different team in front of young children? These people should have their mouths washed out with soap. That does cross the line of what is considered acceptable behavior at a sporting event. If I brought my two year old daughter to the game I don’t want her to have to listen to this kind of vile stuff. Just because you’re a college student doesn’t give you the right to act like an ass. There is no birthright to sit in that seat at the arena; if you can’t behave, I am sure the REA management can sell that prime seat to someone will be able to conduct themselves in an acceptable manner.

Not to pick on the college students there are many examples of adult fans, both Sioux and Gopher fans, getting out of hand and acting like imbeciles as well. I heard from a friend that a female Gopher fan who happened to be pregnant was heckled and jostled at the arena this past weekend. Who the heck does that kind of a thing? Imagine your girlfriend, wife or mother having this happen to them.

In yesterday’s Grand Forks Herald there was a letter to the editor in which a person described an experience where someone dumped a beer on a Gopher fan’s head from the upper deck. That kind of behavior is unacceptable and only a moron would defend behavior like this. People like this are going to ruin it for the rest of us that like to enjoy a beer without having the game ruined by drunk, belligerent idiots. I can foresee a time where the REA might ban beer sales to college students and or everyone. These types of incidents do not paint a positive picture of Grand Forks, ND, the University of North Dakota, the University of Minnesota or the WCHA. As fans collectively we must behave better, we don’t want to look like a bunch of knuckle-dragging Neanderthals.

I know, call me old-fashioned, but some of the stuff that happened this past weekend seems to be borderline criminal or at least anti-social behavior and should be deemed as inappropriate and unacceptable. None of us should have to be a witness to this type of crap. To top off the weekend, we had an incident between two fans that could be classified as felonious with one person ending up in the ICU wing of Altru Hospital. There is nothing about this series that should lead any of us to start throwing punches at each other.

I am as pro-Fighting Sioux hockey as they come: I am all for a loud arena and an intimidating atmosphere, but some of this stuff is atrocious behavior and unfit for television. My boss who is new to the area went to a Sioux hockey game for the first time and I am sure she was impressed with the F’ the Gophers cheer, way to go UND. Remember there is friendly acceptable back and forth banter and then there is crossing the line. I also have friends that are Gopher fans, and some of them won’t even come up to Grand Forks anymore based on the type of treatment they have received from our fans.

I have to wonder if it is time for college hockey to institute a fan code of conduct for its fans like some NFL teams have. Eventually the University of North Dakota is going to have to address the behaviors of its fans at the REA.

Fan code of conduct

“The National Football League and its teams are committed to creating a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable experience for all fans, both in the stadium and in the parking lot. We want all fans attending our games to enjoy the experience in a responsible fashion. When attending a game, you are required to refrain from the following behaviors:
» Behavior that is unruly, disruptive, or illegal in nature.
» Intoxication or other signs of alcohol impairment that results in irresponsible behavior.
» Foul or abusive language or obscene gestures.
» Interference with the progress of the game (including throwing objects onto the field).
» Failing to follow instructions of stadium personnel.
» Verbal or physical harassment of opposing team fans.
“Event patrons are responsible for their conduct as well as the conduct of their guests and/or persons occupying their seats. Stadium staff will promptly intervene to support an environment where event patrons, their guests, and other fans can enjoy the event free from the above behavior. Event patrons and guests who violate these provisions will be subject to ejection without refund and loss of ticket privileges for future games.”

Like another hockey fan suggested from DU, I like the NFL fan code of conduct policy and I am all for this if being enacted at REA. If you’re an unruly fan and you can’t act in an acceptable manner, your ticket should be taken from you and you will no longer be allowed to be able to attend events in the arena. Attending college hockey is a privilege, not a right. If you can’t act like a member of the human race, do not bother coming to the arena. Someone else will gladly pay a handsome fee for that ticket and act in a respectful manner in your place.

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To show the CCHA they made a horrible mistake, the Chargers went out and beat the Fighting Irish to open the season. You know, the same Notre Dame that has been sitting at the top of the CCHA with Miami and Michigan. Question: is Notre Dame overrated or is UAH that good? I want to believe that UAH is that good. Notre Dame got a little pride back the next night as they beat the Chargers 3-1. UAH followed that loss with a victory against Air Force Academy last night 4-2. So hockey fans are you paying attention? UAH is not just going to go away.

I know it’s early, but UAH is 2-1 after beating Notre Dame and Air Force Academy. Maybe getting snubbed by the CCHA has lit a fire under their collective butts. The Air Force Academy Falcons, who were the favorite to win the AHA league title in the AHA preseason, are an unimpressive 0-3 so far thi season. All of Air Force Academy’s losses have come against CHA teams. Do I dare start the CHA is better than the AHA argument again? Maybe we should ask Notre Dame, they are 1-2 in their last three games against CHA teams going back to last season. That loss to UAH is going to leave a mark on Notre Dames PWR numbers, which is used to help select teams for the NCAA tourney in the middle of March.

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Here is what the College Hockey News had to say on the UAA Seawolves, “they are the tallest team in Division I hockey, averaging nearly 6-1, and the fifth heaviest, averaging 191.4 pounds. “We have size and we’ll play physical,” coach Dave Shyiak said. “We’re going to try to get in the top five.” Seven of the top 10 scorers are back.”

The fact remains that you can have a big hockey team.  There is nothing wrong with that, the Philadelphia Flyers are big but they can actually skate.  The questions remain, are the UAA going to be able to keep up with the opposition using a team this big, slow and lumbering, especially on the big ice surfaces.

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I predict that UAA will get beat to the puck up and down the ice and will get into penalty trouble as soon as the Seawolves realized they can’t keep up more talented and fleet of foot Michigan Wolverines. Being an early season game the WCHA refs will be out to prove a point and there will be a parade to the penalty box by the UAA squad. You can watch the game by clicking on [this link]

Since 2003-2004 the Miami RedHawks have compiled a 144-76-23 record and have made the NCAA tourney five out of the last six seasons. Last spring the RedHawks had the NCAA chapionship in their grasp, the RedHawks made it to the NCAA Championship game, took a 3-1 lead before losing the game in over time to the Boston University Terriers. [Box Score]

This is what I found in my Twitter posts this morning when I got up this morning.

MikeSwainey @goon48 All I know is Miami continues to knock off WCHA teams. IIRC, 5 straight wins against your league. But tomorrow’s another day.

First off I wouldn’t be surprised tonight if SCSU loses to the RedHawks again tonight to make it six games in a row. Breaking it down further, Mike is right, Miami has done pretty well against WCHA foes as of late. Both DU and SCSU have both lost their last two games they have played against the Miami University RedHawks. Also, the Miami RedHawks beat UMD in last season’s Midwest regional at Mariucci Arena. Incidently, the last WCHA team to beat Miami University was the Fighting Sioux 3-0 in Lefty McFadden Invitational on October 8th 2005 when Jordan Parise held off a Miami surge and got a shutout against the RedHawks.

Here is the last 6 games that Miami has played against WCHA teams.

October 8th 2005 UND 3 Miami 0
October 6th 2006 Miami 5 DU 2
December 27, 2007 Miami 2 SCSU 1 O.T.
March 27, 2009 Miami 4 DU 2
March 28, 2009 Miami 2 UMD 1
October 10, 2009 Miami 3 SCSU 2 O.T.

Breaking it down further, Mike is right, Miami has done pretty darn good job against the WCHA teams as of late. Both DU and SCSU have both lost their last two games they played to the Miami University RedHawks. Also, the Miami RedHawks beat UMD in last season’s Midwest regional championship game at Mariucci Arena. Incidentally, the last WCHA team to beat Miami University was the Fighting Sioux 3-0 in Lefty McFadden Invitational on October 8th 2005 when Jordan Parise got a shut out against the RedHawks. The Fighting Sioux might have to stop that streak if the Huskies can’t stop them tonight.

Non Conference scores from last night

Last night the WCHA went 7-1 in non conference play. Last season the WCHA’s non conference play was their Achilles heal, last night SCSU was the only team in non conference play from the WCHA to lose.

UND 5 Merrimack College 2
MTU 5 NMU 3
C.C. 4 Northeastern 2
UMD 4 LSSU 3
MSU-M 3 BGSU 2
DU 5 VMU 4
UAA 5 Mercyhurst College 3
Miami 3 SCSU 2 O.T.

CHA 2-0 in Non Conference play last night.

UAH 3 Notre Dame 2 (this one makes me happy)
BSU 3 AFA 1 the battle of the Serratore brothers

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 Here are the current pre-season rankings of the teams in question.

INCH has three ECAC teams ranked in the top 15, Cornell 7, Princeton 8 and Yale 11.

The USA Today polls have three ECAC teams ranked in the top 15 Cornell 7, Princeton 9 and Yale 11.

The College Hockey News has three ECAC teams ranked in their top ten preseason poll as well, Cornell 4, Princeton 7 and Yale 10.

Let’s look at this further; the Ivy League teams in the ECAC won’t start their exhibition play until around the 23rd – 25th of October. By that time all other teams in division one college hockey will have played at least an exhibition game and probably at least a game or a series against a non conference opponent. A few teams will have played in a pre-season tourney. The travesty is that college hockey fans are going to have to suffer through two weeks of games when three ECAC teams will be ranked in the top 15 and they won’t have played even one college hockey game.

Just so you think I am not piling on the ECAC, since 2001 the ECAC has a combined NCAA playoff record of 6-18, that is not an impressive record folks. Breaking it down further Cornell is responsible for 5 of those wins with a 5-5 record. The rest of the ECAC teams are 1-13. Yet the NCAA hockey selection committee still gave Clarkson a number one seed in 2007 which Clarkson promptly went out and lost their first round game. Yeah like they were the 3rd best team over all that season. Not!

Seriously folks, the last time an ECAC team won an NCAA title was in 1989 when the Harvard Crimson beat Doug Woog’s Minnesota Golden Gophers 4-3 in overtime. That was 20 years ago. So I ask you again why is there three ECAC teams ranked so high.

Just for historical purposes; here is the break down of the NCAA titles won by ECAC teams.

Cornell 2-time NCAA men’s champions (1967, 1970)

Harvard -time NCAA men’s champions (1989)

RPI -time NCAA men’s champions (1954, 1985)

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 2.)    University of Wisconsin – On paper the Badgers would appear to have one of the best defensive blue lines in college hockey: Brendan Smith (9g-14a-23pts), Jake Gardiner (3g-18a-21pts), Ryan McDonagh (5g-11a-16pts),  and Cody Goloubef (5g-8a-13pts) is a pretty solid top four defensive group. While there seems to be the perception around the WCHA that Wisconsin is all defense and no flash, the Badgers were ranked 3^rd in WCHA scoring last season. This season the Badgers should be a pretty balanced offensively, led by sophomore Derek Stephan (9g-24a-33pts) who is a game breaker and will only get better in his second season. The Badgers also return senior Ben Street who sat out last season with a knee injury. The biggest question mark for the Badgers is in goal.

 3.)    University of North Dakota – Dave Hakstol has been the coach of the Fighting Sioux hockey team for five seasons and has compiled a 130-70-19 record, winning a regular season title and a conference tourney title. Hakstol’s teams have also finished 2^nd (x1) and 3^rd (x3) in the NCAA tourney. Last season was the first time in his tenure at UND Hakstol’s team didn’t win a regional title and advance to the Frozen Four. Key losses Ryan Duncan (20g-19a-39pts), Brad Miller (6g-29-35pts), and Matt Frattin (13g-12a-25pts). While there were some key losses for the Fighting Sioux, there are good replacements coming in for the Fighting Sioux in forwards Danny Kristo, Michael Cichy, Corbin Knight, Carter Rowney as well as defenseman Andrew MacWilliam. Goaltender Aaron Dell should challenge Brad Eidsness (24-12-4, 2.56 GAA and 906 SV%) for playing time.

4.) University of Minnesota – Key loss Ryan Stoa (22g-22a-46pts) signed with the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL in the off season. Super sophomore Jordan Schroeder (13g-32a-45pts) returns for what will probably be his last season in the WCHA. Key new arrivals for the Gophers are forward Zach Budish and defensemen Nick Leddy and Seth Helgeson. Gopher fans are wondering which version of Alex Kangas is going to show up this season. Will it be the version that finished in the top half of the league (12-10-9 1.98 GAA .930 SV %) in goaltending or the mediocre one (17-11-6, 2.79 GAA .901 SV %) that played for the Gophers last season? If the Gophers are to contend, their defense and goaltending must improve. The Gophers also need to get tougher as last year’s team got pushed around all over the ice.

 5.)  University of Minnesota Duluth – While this season’s version of the UMD Bulldogs might be a little young and minus some solid players, the Bulldogs also return an exciting pair of forwards named Connolly. No, they are not related: Mike Connolly (13g-29a-42pts) and Jack Connolly (10-19-29). Add to the mix Justin Fontaine who is an offensively gifted forward (15g-33-48pts). I have been told by UMD fans that Brady “Peanut Butter and Jelly” Hjelle (1-0-0, 1.50 GAA .941 SV %) is the second coming of Alex Stalock. Expect UMD to play very physical and be responsible defense in their end of the ice. Coming in for the Bulldogs this season is monster defenseman Dylan Olson from Camrose Kodiaks of the AJHL who also played on the Canadian U18 team in Fargo this past spring. I was very impressed with his game and he skates pretty well for a big guy. Olson will probably have a pretty big impact on the blue line for the Bulldogs this season.   

 6.) Saint Cloud State University – Garrett Roe (17g-3a1-48pts) and Ryan Lasch (18g-24a-42pts) lead the SCSU offense, while Garrett Raboin (10g-23-33pts) leads the Huskies on the blue line. Last season the Huskies 18-17-3 including a horrible 0-6-0 record against the Gophers who ended the Huskies season in the WCHA playoffs.  Key additions for the Huskies: Goalie Mike Lee, Forward Ben Hanowski, Defensemen Taylor Johnson, David Eddy. Rookie Goalie Mike Lee is highly regarded and expected to take the reins in net for the Huskies if Dan Dunn (2-4-1, 2.60 GAA and .904 SV %) stumbles.

 7.) Colorado College – C.C. has had a horrible off season. First they lost their top goalie Richard Bachman (14-11-10, 2.63 GAA and .914 SV %) to the Dallas Stars and then lost two of their top recruits John Moore to the NHL and Colton St. Clair to UND. The good news for C.C. is that Bill Sweatt (12g-11a-23pts) decided to come back to finish school and not sign a professional contract. The Tigers lost solid players Chad Rau (18g19a-37pts) and Eric Walsky (12g-24a-36pts) to graduation.

8.) Minnesota State University – Mankato – The good news is that the Mavericks return five of their top six scorers: sophomore forward Mike Louwerse (13-13–26), juniors defenseman Kurt Davis (6-25–31) and forward Rylan Galiardi (8-20-28), and seniors forwards Kael Mouillierat (17-13–30), and Geoff Irwin (12-16-28). The bad news is that the Mavericks lose goaltenders Mike Zacharias (14-14-6, 2.00 GAA and .911 SV %) and Dan Tormey (1-3-0 3.87 GAA and .878 SV %) as well as forwards Mick Berge (7g-21a-31pts) and Trevor Bruess (12g-5-17pts). More bad news: the Mavericks have three inexperienced goaltenders, none who have played in a division one college hockey game, competing for the starting goaltending job.

9.) University of Alaska Anchorage – I am going to go out on a limb and say this year’s UAA team is not going to finish in the basement of the WCHA. However, I don’t see the Seawolves finishing any higher than the eighth or ninth spot either. Sure UAA was a better team last season than they were the previous three seasons when they finished in the ninth spot as opposed to their customary tenth position. Many took notice when the Seawolves swept cross-state rival University of Alaska Fairbanks who was the fourth place team in the CCHA. That says a lot about the strength WCHA in comparison to the CCHA and how our mediocre teams can beat the fourth place team in the CCHA. That being said, I don’t expect the UAA Seawolves to do much at all in the WCHA this season. Nothing personal, now go ahead and prove me wrong Seawolves. Key returnees for UAA are senior forwards Josh Lunden (14g-6a-20pts) and Kevin Clark (13g-18a-31pts) and junior Tommy Grant (15g-10a-25pts).  In net the Seawolves have a two headed monster with unimpressive numbers, Bryce Christenson (8-8-4, 2.60 GAA and .893 SV %) and John Olthuis (6-9-1 3.43 GAA and .873 SV %).

10. Michigan Tech University – The good news: the Michigan Tech Huskies will enter the 2009-10 season with three-fourths of their scoring offense returning from a the 2008-2009 season. They also return an experienced blue line as six of their nine defenders return from last season’s team. The Huskies also return sophomore goalie Josh Robinson who played in 20 games last season and had a 4-8-2, 3.09 GAA and a .889 SV %. Senior captain Malcolm Gwilliam (2g-5a-7pts) returns to the Huskies line up after suffering a stroke nine games into last season. Senior Drew Dobson (5g-14a-19pts) is a talented player that can play both forward and defense. The bad news: Michigan Tech will be much younger than last season with freshmen and sophomores accounting for 17 of the 27 players on the roster.

Check out more from Eric of mvn.com, on  my twitter,  and the Goon’s World Blog.

1.)    First thing out of the gate, I would get rid of the mask or bird cage. In my opinion I believe the full cage is a reason there is so much stick work in NCAA Division one hockey.  A couple times getting hit in the face might be what some of these kids need to clean up the game. There is way too much stick work in college hockey and I think the mask is the major reason for this. The players have no respect for their opponents and they feel invincible because of the mask.

2.)    Put the ‘Red Stop Sign’ on the back of all jerseys in Division one hockey, still way too many checking from behind penalties in college hockey. If a player sees the ‘Red Stop Sign’ don’t check the player in front of you.

3.)    Get rid of the progressive game disqualification for fighting in college hockey. I think college hockey should be like junior hockey. Fighting is part of the game of hockey and if a player gets into a fight, both players should be out for the rest of that game. There is no need for additional punishment. I think the progressive DQ is too punitive, and is a cause of a lot of extra unnecessary after the whistle bravo sierra. Currently; college hockey players know that they don’t have to fight when they commit an egregious act or take a run at a team’s star players. From years past we know the refs don’t always catch these egregious acts as they occure  on the ice, a lot of times they don’t make the right call either. Because of the progressive DQ rule you get ugly incidents like the one that happened in Mankato last season. Players know that they can hide behind the officials and never pay for their miss deeds.  In the NHL and junior hockey the players police the game themselves and it helps keep the players honest. Prediction: when the Gophers play the Mavericks this season Brian Schack and Channing Boe will meet on the ice this season and settle their score.  

4.)    All ties must be broken like the NHL. Over time should be a five minute period of four on four hockey and then a shoot out if there is still no winner. Award point points like the NHL 2 for a win and 1 point for an overtime loss and or for a shoot out loss.

5.)  Call the game like they do in the NHL, obstruction in college hockey is still very much a part of the game no matter how many refs are on the ice. If the hand comes off of the stick to hold up a player it’s a penalty, hooking is a penalty and not to be misconstrued as good defense. Skill and Speed should be rewarded. It doesn’t take any skill to skate up and down the ice hacking and hooking their opponent. Over looking penalties by the refs is unacceptable.

6.) All arenas in college hockey should be required to have over head cameras and goal reviews so the right call can be made on all controversial goals. There also needs to be more than one angle to review these controversial goals, much like the NHL. The NCAA should require each conference to have a war room like the one in Toronto.

7.) I also like to see all of hockey go to a more durable stick, these carbon fiber hockey sticks suck. Sure they are awesome for shooting but I am sick and tired of seeing them break all of the time.

Let the Discussion begin. Check out more from Eric of mvn.com, on  my twitter,  and the Goon’s World Blog.

For example; if you were going to walk up the arena box office at my favorite school UND, Ralph Engelstad Arena would charge you more money for the premiere match ups than the not so premiere match ups. I digress; for example if you lucky enough to get a chance to buy tickets to Sioux Vs Gophers series (They sell out in like 10 minutes) they would cost you $45.00 a piece. Next in the ticket price progression; if you were to buy tickets for Pioneers Vs Sioux and or Badgers Vs Sioux they would run you $40.00 a piece. I believe that the University of North Dakota could charge $45.00 for both of these series as well and sell out. Shhhh! Please don’t tell the arena box office.

On the flip side of that you only pay $25.00 to watch a proverbial doormat team like UAA, Merrimack or MTU. Granted in some cases the arena will be just as full but it cost you less to sit in the same seat. Don’t worry though the concessions are going to be the same price for either series, and yes it will cost you an arm and a leg regardless. That’s another story for another day.

It’s not just Ralph Engelstad Arena that has these types of ticket price policies. I know it’s like that at other arenas because if I was to travel down to Saint Cloud to buy a ticket to the National Hockey Center (aka the Concrete Center) to watch a Sioux and Huskies game I know that I am going to pay more money for that game than I would If I was going to buy a ticket for SCSU Vs MTU game. That is not meant to disrespect MTU that just the brutal reality. The same would be true for the Gophers and Huskies game. That’s the economics of the college hockey game and there are some schools making obscene amounts of money on their division one hockey programs. In fact some of these programs are using this revenue to pay for their schools other sports programs.  

What does your program charge for a rival hockey game? I would imagine that B.C. Vs BU is going to cost more money than BU and Merrimack College (no offense to Merrimack). I would also bet that Michigan Vs Michigan State would cost more than Michigan Vs Lake Superior State University.

Not all are equal

I think that might be an understatement of facts, but think about this, American International, Mercyhurst, Quinnipiac, Bowling Green University, LSSU or the University of Connecticut are not making as much money on their division one college hockey team as teams like Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, North Dakota or OSU for that matter. It’s a historical fact.  

In the WCHA for example there are a three schools that have huge advantages financially over the other school in division one hockey with their gigantic arenas that can provide huge paydays for their schools, examples are Minnesota 10,000+, Wisconsin 14,000+ and UND 11,500 you do the math. On the flip side of that other schools are playing in half empty arenas. Another factor is that isn’t talked about a lot is that teams like Wisconsin, Denver University, Minnesota, Michigan, Michigan State, Boston University, Boston College and North Dakota also have a good number of their games on television and thanks to local deals as well as Fox Sports/FCS/NESN  you can see a lot of these team’s games on television. I can watch D.U. almost as much as I can watch my own team thanks to FCS. Some of the other programs in college hockey not so much.   

Taking it further there are two other schools that have bigger arenas than the fore mentioned WCHA teams; but put up significantly lower attendance numbers last season. These two teams are UNO which plays in the Quest Center 16,680 averaged 6216 fans per game last season; the Mavericks should improve their attendance numbers when they officially join the WCHA in 2010-2011. On the other hand Ohio State University plays in Value City Arena 17,500 average attendance was 4181 per game and they had a decent team that made the NCAA playoffs as an at large bid.

UNO fortunes will of course probably change as they are joining the WCHA led by former UND and Fargo Force head coach Dean Blais. The move to hire Dean Blais by UNO brought immediate credibility to the UNO hockey program and probably will mean bigger and better bigger pay days for the UNO program. The WCHA has is known for having impressive attendance figures and WCHA teams are used to playing in large sold out arenas. There are also a few of their WCHA rivals which are known for having bigger crowds than some of the other big four conferences. One of the main reasons is that they will have a better on ice product because of their new coach and some of the WCHA teams fans travel pretty well i.e., Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota. With adding UNO to the WCHA DU and C.C. fans will also have a drivable trip to Omaha where they don’t have to fly to. I could see a mid-winter vacation in Omaha myself.

Economic concerns and travel were some of the reasons that the CCHA gave for denying UAH’s application for membership, there had been pontifications about the some of the teams in the CCHA suffering from financial woes and wanting to be able to capitalize on playing the Michigan and Michigan State teams more because they draw more at the gate.   I guess I can see what they are getting at to a certain degree because I don’t blame the have not like WMU, LSSU, FSU, and BGSU wanting to pad their bottom line to put butts in the seats. Teams like Michigan, Michigan State, BU, B.C., Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota are big draw teams that puts fans in the stands, especially if your school is suffering from economic woes.  

Who are your favorite team’s rivals?

Examples of good college hockey rivalries that are also big time money makers; SCSU Vs UMN, UMD Vs UMN, DU and C.C. (Gold Pan), UND Vs UMN, UW Vs UMN (Border Battle), UND Vs UW, MSU-M Vs UND, BSU Vs UAH (Who hates Huntsville), MTU Vs NMU (Battle of the UP), BU Vs B.C., UNH Vs BU, UNH Vs Maine and U-Mich Vs MSU. If I missed any rivalries I apologize. I have a western bias of course. What is your favorite college hockey match up?

It was not my intention to disrespect a particular league or particular team.  Personally, I don’t watch the ECAC (aka the EZAC) very often so I might have missed the Cornell and Yale match up. Also, college hockey is very regional and I  like many other WCHA  or CCHA fans might not consider the fore mentioned game a premiere match up or a must see. I mean I do live in the west. That’s not to say that I haven’t watched said match up such as that. I have been known to watch match ups like this if these games are on CBS college sports (aka the CCHA television network) or FCS. That is another discussion for another day. None the less, these big time rival games are the games that you as the college hockey fan mark on your calendar and incidentally you may pay a bundle of money to attend these games. For that we give you rube cred. Personally, my favorite teams rivals are; Minnesota, Denver University and Wisconsin. I wonder if Holy Cross fans consider Minnesota a rival?

For more from Eric of Goon’s World check out my twitter, the Goon’s World Blog. Also Goon’s World on MVN.COM

2.)    Miami University - Looking at Miami University’s 2009-2010 roster it would appear that the RedHawks are going to be well balanced team and could make another run to the Frozen Four, I don’t think it is a stretch so that say that RedHawks have a legitimate shot at an NCAA title. Miami’s biggest departures are forward Justin Mercier (14g-15-29pts) and defenseman Kevin Roeder (2g-4a-6pts). The 64,000.00 question; will be any lingering affects of the alleged choke job in the final minutes of the third period of the championship game?

3.)    Notre Dame – The X-Factor is Irish head coach Jeff Jackson who has turned Notre Dame into a national contender after being a door mat team for many seasons. Key losses goalie Jordan Pearce (30-6-3, 1.68 GAA and .931 SV%), Erik Condra (13g-25a-38pts) and Christian Hanson (16g-15a-31pts) While the Irish lose a big time goaltender and a couple of decent forwards the Irish’s still have a lot of talent left to make a run towards the Frozen Four and should be a top five team.  

4.)    University of North Dakota – Fighting Sioux head coach Dave Hakstol has been the coach of the Fighting Sioux hockey team for five seasons and has compiled a an impressive 130-70-19 winning a regular season title, a conference tourney title. Hakstol’s teams have also finished 2 (x1) and 3^rd (x3) in the NCAA tourney. Last season was the first time in his tenure at UND Hakstol’s team didn’t win a regional title and advance to the Frozen Four. Key Loses Ryan Duncan (20g-19a-39pts), Brad Miller (6g-29-35pts), Matt Frattin (13g-12a-25pts). While there were some key loses for the Fighting Sioux there are good replacements coming in for the Fighting Sioux, forwards Danny Kristo, Michael Cichy, Corbin Knight, Carter Rowney, defenseman Andrew MacWilliam  and goaltender Aaron Dell should challenge Brad Eidsness (24-12-4 2.56 GAA and 906 SV%) for playing time.

5.)    Boston University – last season the Terriers were an explosive team that could score goals in bunches and in a very short period of time; this was the team that scored five goals on UND and seven goals on Michigan. B.U. was also defensive powerhouse; the Terriers had to be based on the number of penalties minutes they racked up last season. Gone from the Terrier line up are the big offensive numbers of Colin Wilson (17g-38a-55pts), Chris Higgins (14g-34a-48pts), Brandon Yip (20g-23a-43pts), Jason Lawrence (25-14-39) and Matt Gilroy (8g-29a-37pts). The Terriers return a very strong defensive core led by Kevin Shattenkirk (7g-21a-28pts), David Warsofsky (3g-20-a-23pts) and a proven sophomore goaltender in Kieran Millan (29-2-3, 1.94 GAA, .921 SV %).

6.)    University of Michigan – the Wolverines still smarting from losing to Air Force Academy in the first round of last season’s regional will be ready to avenge last season’s disappointing exit from the NCAA tourney.  The Wolverines return a pretty good group pretty solid group of core players forwards; Louie Caporusso (24g-25a-49pts), Carl Hagelin (13g-18a-31pts), David Wohlberg (15g-15a-30pts), defenseman; Chad Langlais (6g-18a-25pts), and goalie Bryan Hogan (24-6-0, 1.97 GAA, .914 SV %). Expect the Wolverines to be at the top of the CCHA with Miami.

7.)    Vermont University – the Catamounts lose their star forwards Peter Lenes (15g-16a-31pts) graduation and Viktor Stålberg (24g-22a-46pts) to the NHL but the Catamounts should be a pretty good team that returns a solid core of players. Key returnees Brian Roloff (10g-19a-29pts), Justin Milo (12g-14a-26pts). Vermont is my pick to win Hockey East. 

8.)    University of Minnesota – Key loss Ryan Stoa (22-g-22-a-46pts) signed with the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL in the off season. Super Sophomore Jordan Schroeder (13g-32a-45pts) returns for what will probably be his last season in the WCHA. Key new arrivals Zach Budish, Nick Leddy and Seth Helgeson.

9.)    University of Wisconsin- On paper the Badgers would appear to have one of the best defensive blue lines in college hockey, Brendan Smith (9g-14a-23pts), Jake Gardiner (3g-18a-21pts), Ryan McDonagh (5g-11a-16pts), , Cody Goloubef (5g-8a-13pts) is a pretty solid top four defensive group. While there seems to be the perception around the WCHA that Wisconsin is all defense and no flash the Badgers were the 3^rd ranked in the WCHA in scoring last season. This season the Badgers should be a pretty balanced this season as well offensively lead by Sophomore Derek Stephan (9g-24a-33pts) who is a game breaker and will only get better in his second season. The biggest question mark for the Badger is in goal.

10.)      University of Mass Lowell - the River Hawks return most of their team  including 12 Seniors from last season that 12-5- 2  after January 16^th and almost landed them in the NCAA tourney falling one game short by losing to Boston University in the Championship game of the Hockey East tourney. Goalies Nevin Hamilton (10-7-1, 2.15 GAA, .925 SV %) and Carter Hutton (9-8-1, 2.06 GAA, .916 SV %) make up a pretty nice two headed monster in net for U-Mass Lowell.                           

 The Rest of the Field.

11.) University of Minnesota Duluth

12.)  Boston College

13.) Yale University

14.) Princeton University

15.) University of New Hampshire

16.) Northeastern University

17.) Saint Cloud State University.

18.)  Northern Michigan University

19.)  Cornell University

20.) U.S. Air Force Academy

For more from Eric of Goon’s World check out my twitter, the Goon’s World Blog. Also Goon’s World on MVN.COM

Additionally, once the Mock Draft is complete, one of the IC contributors will post the entire list on the website mid-morning on Thursday.

For information how to listen to IC Radio, and access to past shows, click here.

Sincerely,

The IC Team

Alex was nice enough to take some time out of her very busy schedule (she is finishing school early so she can prepare for the USHL camp of the Steel) to answer some questions for Illegal Curve.

David:  How did you get into hockey?
Alex:  When we moved from California to Wisconsin, my older brother made an agreement with my parents that if we moved, then he would get to play hockey. So then I said if he gets to play hockey then I want to play too.

David:  How would you describe your style?
Alex:  I am very athletic and have quick movements. I put a lot of emphasis and focus on skating and I find ways to make myself bigger through my stance. Also, I make sure I have good positioning and think of every situation as a game situation. 

David:  Have you encountered any negative reactions/stereotypes?
Alex:  I’ve been very lucky with the teams that I have been on. My teammates and coaches have always been more than positive and have always treated me just like any other member of the team. Of course I’ve read some of the blogs that call me a publicity stunt and stuff, but that doesn’t phase me. 

David:  What sort of trash talk are you subjected to?
Alex:  Honestly, its hockey, of course there’s trash talk. But again, it doesn’t get to me, in one ear and out the other.

David:  You were the first ever female to be drafted in the USHL, what does that mean to you?
Alex:  I’m honored to be recognized like that. I think it’s a testament to how far women’s hockey has come. There are many other talented girls out there that hopefully will be able to showcase their talent someday too.

David:  Are you excited for Steel camp? What are your expectations?
Alex:  I am very excited for the camp. This will be a great opportunity for me and I look forward to competing vs. the top guys in the country at the camp.

David:  You’ve apparently committed to the University of Wisconsin, what drew you to that school?
Alex:  Wisconsin has so much to offer their students and athletes and it had everything I was looking for, not only in athletics, but academically as well. The athletic facilities are unbelievable and the coaching staff is great. I got a chance to play with Coach Johnson while on the U18 Worlds team and he made it such a great experience. I am very excited to play for Wisconsin.

David: You won a gold medal at the World Under-18 Championship. The US Women are a powerhouse on the Olympic stage, how important is it to you to possibly play on that stage?
Alex:  The experience I had over in Germany at the World U18 Championships was amazing and by going to the camps I have played with some of the previous Olympians and the national team members. It makes me want to work that much harder to someday represent my country at the Olympics. 

David:  I’ve read that you want to play in an NHL game like Manon Rheaume, is that true and if so, what do you need to do to get yourself to that point?
Alex:  It would be amazing to play in an NHL game like Manon, but I also realize that the NHL goalies have an unbelievable amount of talent. As fun as it is for anyone to dream to play in the NHL, right now I am focused on the present and what I need to do to continue to improve. 

David:  What are your hockey goals? If you could envision the next 5-10 years what would they look like?
Alex:  My ultimate goal since I started playing hockey is to one day play in the Olympics. So, I am going to continue working as hard as I can to someday reach that goal.

I’d just like to again thank Alex for taking time out to answer our questions and I have no doubt that we will be seeing her competing with the Badgers for a Frozen Four in the near future and in a US Olympic jersey helping her country compete for hockey supremacy.

The atmosphere is not quite as tense as the largely European contingent rolled in for the second day of testing. 

The biggest name of Saturday’s first group is that of London Knights centre Nazem Kadri (ranked #15), who measured 5-foot-11.  He didn’t have a great showing on the vertical jump or the bench press; perhaps reflecting that he’s not the most explosive athlete here, but let’s not forget that on-ice production (of which Kadri has plenty) is going to count for a whole lot more come draft day.

The second group brought a return of Victor Hedman, this time as a spectator, watching his Swedish compatriots go through the paces, while Hedman mentioned that he was glad the combine torture was over for him.

Perhaps the most intriguing group of the second day was Group Four, which included a couple of top Swedish prospects.  Defenceman Olivier Ekman-Larsson (#4 among European skaters) was really skinny, but has a projectable frame with lots of room to grow.  At the same time he only managed half a dozen bench presses, so he’ll need to get stronger.

Despite the elite Swedish prospects, the most interesting player in the group may have been Toni Rajala (#11 among Europeans).  While virtually all of the prospects look young, Rajala looks like somebody’s 12-year-old brother.

He might be 5-foot-8 or 5-foot-9 and, while he’s listed at 163 pounds, it wouldn’t be a surprise if that was overstated.  He mustered just four on the bench press (and even a couple of those may have been questionable), but keep in mind, he was just named the Best Forward at the Under-18 World Championships in North Dakota, after scoring 10 goals and 19 points in just six games.  No matter how small he is, he’s got talent.

To sum up this year’s combine, there was not that one special workout warrior, so when draft day rolls around, do not expect the results from this year’s combine to vault anyone up the board dramatically.

For complete report from the NHL combine, click here.

The Windsor Spitfires exploded with an early barrage against the Kelowna Rockets in Sunday’s Memorial Cup final, capturing the junior hockey championship with a 4-1 victory.

Adam Henrique, Dale Mitchell and Rob Kwiet scored on Windsor’s first three shots before the game was seven minutes old, sending Kelowna goalie Mark Guggenberger to the bench.

Colin Long scored for the Rockets eight seconds into the second period in the game at Rimouski, Que., but Ryan Ellis of the Spitfires restored the three-goal cushion later in the frame.

For complete story, click here.

Ontario Hockey League

Game 5: At Windsor 2, Brampton 1 OT

The Battalion-Spitfires report is here. Windsor wins the championship, 4-1.

Western Hockey League

There was no game Friday. Calgary is at Kelowna tonight. Kelowna leads the championship series, 3-2.

In other news, the Lethbridge Hurricanes have not renewed the contract of head coach Michael Dyck, who is now expected to talk with the Regina Pats about their coaching vacancy.

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League

Game 5: Shawinigan 4, at Drummondville 1

The Cataractes-Voltigeurs report is here. The Voltigeurs lead the championship series, 3-2, with Game 6 scheduled for Sunday in Shawinigan.

United States Hockey League

The Indiana Ice are the Clark Cup champions for 2009 after defeating the Fargo Force, 5-1, in Game 4 of the league finals. Indiana forward Mike Cichy, who set a league playoff record with 19 assists, was selected as the Clark Cup most vaulable player.

For complete Jr. Report, click here.

Always nice to keep abreast of what is happening in the junior ranks as we await the start of the NHL games tonight and Jeff Hale and Mark Pargas from Slap Shot bring us up to date with this report.

Officials from Bemidji State have made their argument for admission to the WCHA. Now, they wait.

The contingent from the group that hopes to be the 11th member of the WCHA made a presentation to the league and its member schools Monday at meetings in Marco Island, Fla.

The WCHA will discuss matters Tuesday, but it is not guaranteed to vote on admission. If it does vote, eight of the 10 schools would have to vote yes to admit Bemidji State.

For the complete story click here.

Looks like the Beavers are ready to join the big boys in the WCHA.  This would leave the College Hockey of America division with just 3 teams (Alabama-Hunstville Chargers, Niagra Purple Eagles and Robert Morris Colonials).  I’m not sure this division, which was formed in 1999, can survive with just 3 teams. 

Boston University star and Hobey Baker Hat Trick finalist Colin Wilson signed with the Nashville Predators, forgoing his final two years of eligibility with the Terriers.

Wilson helped Boston University win the National Championship one weekend ago. He finished second in the nation in both points (55) and assists (38). Son of former NHL standout Carey Wilson, the sophomore was selected a First-Team East All-American. The 6-1, 213-pound center was co-Hockey East Scoring Champion, named First-Team All-Hockey East and was selected to the 2009 Frozen Four All-Tournament team in the Terriers run to the title.

Wilson was a first-round draft choice of the Predators in 2008 selected seventh overall.

For the rest of the story click here.

Always nice to hear about guys who forgo entering the pro’s in order to win a college championship.  (see example of the senior’s on North Carolina’s NCAA Basketball Champs).  Good for him and good luck with the Predators as they can use his offensive talent.  If you missed BU’s emotional 2 goals in the last minute of the Championship game versus Miami (Ohio) here is a clip of those goals.  As well here is a clip of the OT winner by Colby Cohen.

FINAL OT		T
	Boston U	4
	Miami (Ohio)	3
Game Scoresheet
Game Threads:
Game Tracker
Game Recap

As I’ve said before on this blog I never really followed College Hockey but as a result of the excitement that has been building throughout this year’s tournament I decided to take a more in-depth interest.  Good thing for me that I did because from start to finish this has been some of the most exciting hockey I have ever seen.  These kids play with tremendous heart. 

I have a somewhat jaded outlook in that whenever I’m watching NHL hockey and a team is down by more than a couple of goals with a minute or so remaining, my expectation is that the game is over.  Well I’ve learnt in College Hockey that this does not apply.  During this tourney we’ve seen teams come back from 2 goal deficits with under a minute remaining in the 3rd period to tie the game, force OT and then win the game in extra time.  (ironically while this did happen tonight I could be referencing a number of games that took place throughout the tournament).

I was at the gym watching the game and Miami (Ohio) was up 3-1 with a minute to go.  As I stood chatting with a few others watching the final minute one guy mentioned how nice it was that a team like Miami (Ohio), a team who in the history of the school had never made it to any final in any sport, let alone win one, would take home the NCAA title.  And all they had to do was kill the final minute of the 3rd period and they would be champs.

Well as fate would have it with with 59.5 seconds remaining Zach Cohen banged a rebound home at the left post to draw the Terriers to within a goal.  At this point all the people in the gym that were thinking the underdog’s had it were getting a bit nervous.  And with good reason as with 17.4 seconds to play, Nick Bonino one-timed a great pass from Hobey Baker winner Matt Gilroy to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Much to my dismay the gym closed with 10 minutes to go in a back and forth overtime so I had to leave but luckily I dvr’d the game so I could watch the exciting conclusion to overtime. 

I would try and sum up the game winning goal but it’s probably best if I allowed Gary Thorne and Barry Melrose do it for me.  Here is the video of the OT game winner by Colby Cohen of the Boston University Terriers.

What a fantastic tournament, culminating in what’s being described as one of the best NCAA Hockey finals ever.  Congrats to the 2009 NCAA champion Boston University Terriers and as well congrats to the runner-up Miami (Ohio) Redhawks who also deserve praise for their excellent level of play throughout the tournament.

I should also mention that the crowd at the Verizon Center was incredible.  Close to 19,000 took in the final game and I’ve been told that the atmosphere was electric.

WHY BOSTON UNIVERSITY WINS: Because they’re the better team with too much talent and too much depth to miss out on the school’s first national championship since 1995. They haven’t played their best hockey in the last several weeks but are still one of the last two teams standing, which has to be encouraging for the Terriers.

WHY MIAMI WINS: Because they’ve done it so many times before. It started with a win over No. 1 seed Denver and then knocked out Minnesota Duluth one week after they won the WCHA Final Five. They can get the job done in different ways and have nothing to lose in this matchup. Pop a couple of goals, get some big saves, and it could be Miami’s night, and the most famous night in the school’s hockey history.

For the complete story, click here.

I’m sticking with Boston University.  I think they just have too much firepower for Miami (Ohio).  Plus we will see if Hobey Baker winner Matt Gilroy can lead his team to victory.  Final Score:  BU 4 Miami (Ohio) 3.

Here’s how the team’s breakdown;

No. 1 Boston University (BU) Terriers (#1) vs. No. 3 Vermont Catamounts (#5)

From Inside College Hockey: 

WHY BOSTON UNIVERSITY WINS: Because they’re the better team with too much talent and too much depth to miss out on the school’s first national championship since 1995. They haven’t played their best hockey in the last several weeks, but a week and a half to regroup and focus should pay dividends for the Terriers.

WHY VERMONT WINS: Even though it took place several months ago, the Catamounts can draw on some confidence from a weekend sweep of the Terriers. They’re the only team to have beaten BU twice this year and those wins came just two weeks after BU posted a 7-2 win at Vermont on Nov. 1.

For the full story click here.

This should be a fantastic game.  Both teams are capable of winning this game and taking the championship.  With the one and done nature of these games it will really be determined by which team has handled the long layoff better and who has used that time to better prepare for the other.  My “bold” predicition is that Boston University wins the game 4-3.

No. 4 Miami (Ohio) Redhawks (#6) vs. No. 4 Bemidji State Beavers (#44)

From Inside College Hockey: 

WHY MIAMI WINS: Balance up front, and not just because they have three really good lines that are capable of generating offense. Because of their strong two-way play, the RedHawks won’t be forced to match lines in an attempt to keep Scofield, Read, and Francis in check. Look for them to try to wear down the Beavers’ top line by throwing fresh bodies at them. Getting off to a good start will also be important; Bemidji State will come out flying and everyone in the building not rooting for Miami will become de facto Beaver fans.

WHY BEMIDJI STATE WINS: The Beavers have a blueprint for how to win this game, and it’s the same one they successfully implemented against Notre Dame and Cornell. Pressure the puck, don’t let the opponent get comfortable on offense, keep the shooters on the perimeter, and generally make life easier for Dalton in the process. And though BSU didn’t score first against Cornell, the Beavers would certainly benefit from an early goal, which would get the neutral fans into the game on their behalf.

For the full story click here.

This game is more difficult.  While Miami (Ohio) has a lot of balance and should be able to overpower Bemidji State, the Beavers are the cinderella story of the tournament riding high on emotional victories over No. 2 in the country Notre Dame and No. 10 Cornell.  The only question for these Beavers is, has that “high” lasted the 11 days in-between games.  Unfortunately the clock is about to strike midnight for these cinderella’s as I predict a final score of Miami (Ohio) 3 – Bemidji State 1.

The Regina native is a very strong two-way centre who many in the hockey world believe has the skill set to become a top-6 forward.  At 6”1, the right-handed shooting Bozak is considered to have more offensive upside than Hanson. While he missed most of this season with a knee injury, he did finish with 8 goals and 15 assists in 19 games.  And, at 23 years old, he is considered to be NHL ready.

While Bozak and Hanson are certainly no guarantees to be NHL mainstays (just look at Robbie Earl), their signings represent a very important step for the Leafs. Burke is sending a clear message to the Leafs faithful; that they are truly committed to their youth movement. Next year’s Leafs squad will likely be one of the youngest rosters they have put together in years.  It will include the likes of Schenn, Kulemin, Tlusty, Grabovski and Mitchell. As well, the Leafs are still in pursuit of soon-to-be college free agent Matt Gilroy, defencemen for the Boston University, who along with Hanson and Bozak, is considered to be the top college prospect. And let’s not forget that the Leafs have 3 picks in the top 50 in this year’s upcoming NHL Entry Draft, including a top-10 pick.

What is most important about these signings is that the people are clearly buying into the Leaf’s plan.  There is no chance that Ferguson Jr. or even Fletcher could have landed either of these college stars.  However, with Burke running the show for the foreseeable future and Ron Wilson behind the bench, the Leafs finally have stability in their organization which goes a long way in attracting free-agents and having the players buy into their system.

Whether Hanson and Bozak turn out to be more like Martin St. Louis instead of Robbie Earl remains to be seen.  But, one thing is certain; Burke has a plan and these signings are just the beginning.  It is going to one busy off-season in Leaf Land.

FINAL		T				FINAL		T
	Boston U	2					Cornell	1
	New Hampshire	1					Bemidji State	4
Game Recap						Game Recap
Box Score						Box Score

The stage is set for the Frozen Four Semifinals. 

Game 1 features the winners of the Northeast – Boston University Terriers (ranked #1 overall) vs. East –  Vermont Catamounts (ranked #5 overall). 

Game 2 features the winners of the West – Miami (Ohio) Redhawks (ranked #6 overall) vs. Midwest – Bemidji State Beavers (ranked #44 overall).

And for those of you following at home I went 0/4 in my picks for the teams to make the Frozen Four.

Last year’s champion Boston College Eagles lost to the Boston University (BU) Terriers in the Hockey East semi-finals and were eliminated from the tournament for the first time in seven years which means that this year will crown a new champion.

Regional play begins today and tomorrow.

In the Northeast (Manchester);

• No. 1 Boston University (BU) Terriers vs. No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes.
• No. 2 North Dakota Fighting Sioux vs. No. 3 New Hampshire Wildcats.

In the East (Bridgeport);

• No. 1 Michigan Wolverines vs. No. 4 Air Force Falcons.
• No. 2 Yale Bulldogs vs. No. 3 Vermont Catamounts.

In the Midwest (Grand Rapids);

• No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. No. 4 Bemidji State Beavers.
• No. 2 Northeastern Huskies vs. No. 3 Cornell Big Red.

In the West (Minneapolis);

• No. 1 Denver Pioneers vs. No. 4 Miami (Ohio) Redhawks.
• No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs vs. No. 3 Princeton Tigers.

The National Semi-finals will be played at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, April 9.  The first game will be played between the winners of the East and Northeast and game 2 between the winners of the Midwest and West. 

The National Championship will be on Saturday, April 11 at 7:00pm ET.

While I am no brackentologist here are my predictions for the Frozen Four;

Now I’m showing loyalty to my current state of residence (Michigan) which hasn’t missed the tournament since 1990 and I believe is currently tied with the Minnesota Golden Gophers in all time appearances with 32.  They also have the most NCAA championships at 9.  I’m looking to current Hobey Baker finalist and Woodbridge, Ontario native Louie Caporusso to do some major damage as he leads Michigan to the finals.  Michigan’s coach Red Berenson, in his 25 years of coaching, has shown that he knows what it takes to win.  Go Wolverines.

Wondering what other IC readers think will happen during this year’s Frozen Four.  Feel free to post your comments or predictions.

The Ottawa 67′s will only have Brian Kilrea behind the bench for one more season.

The 73-year-old has announced that this will be his final year coaching the Ontario Hockey League team. He plans to keep his role as general manager.

Kilrea will be succeeded by current assistant coach Chris Byrne next season.

“I always knew this day would come and I never looked forward to it,” said 67′s owner Jeff Hunt. “Brian Kilrea, more than any other person, is the face of the Ottawa 67′s, behind the bench and in the community.

Read the entire article here.

There hasn’t been a more famous coach in junior hockey than Brian Kilrea.  He has been churning out talent for years and years, but more importantly, he has been churning out quality human beings.  The OHL will surely feel his loss, but his effect on the junior ranks will be felt for years and years ahead.