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Wildcat Women Again the Favorite in Hockey East

USCHO Staff Report
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Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna announced the preseason women’s coaches poll on Monday afternoon at the conference’s annual media day held in Legends Restaurant at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston.

The seventh season of WHEA regular-season play will begin on September 27, 2008 when Connecticut hosts Sacred Heart at Freitas Ice Forum, while conference play will commence on October 8, as Boston College travels to New Hampshire.

Three-time defending WHEA regular-season and tournament champion New Hampshire will once again be the favorite, according to the league’s head coaches. The Wildcats return four of their top seven scorers, including First-Team All-Star Sam Faber and sophomore forward Jenn Wakefield, the 2008 WHEA Rookie of the Year. UNH returns only 12 letter winners from last season’s Frozen Four run, losing 10 players from that same team. UNH enters the season with a 38-game (35-0-3) regular season unbeaten streak, which is a league record. The Wildcats have not lost a conference game since November of 2006 vs. Boston College.

The Eagles of Boston College will look to rebound from a tough 07-08 season, after making the program’s first trip to the Frozen Four in March of 2007. Head Coach Katie King will rely heavily on junior forward Kelli Stack, along with seniors Meghan Fardelmann and Becky Zavisza. Junior netminder Molly Schaus will be the backbone of the Eagles team between the pipes.

Providence hopes to return to its dominant form that won them the WHEA Tournament in the first three years of the league’s existence. Head Coach Bob Deraney and the Friars return four of the top six scorers from last year’s roster. Goalie Danielle Ciarletta will once again carry a large workload in PC’s net. She started 32 of 36 games for the Friars in her junior campaign.

Connecticut is fortunate to have Dominique Thibault, the reigning WHEA Player of the Year, for another two years in Storrs. The Huskies return 74% of their scoring from a year ago with six of their top seven point getters. Senior Brittany Wilson will return in goal and Amy Hollstein and Nicole Tritter will be asked to increase their roles in the offense with the graduation of Jaclyn Hawkins. Hawkins will now serve as an assistant coach on Heather Linstad’s staff.

Head Coach Brian Durocher, the 2008 WHEA Coach of the Year, will attempt to guide the Boston University Terriers back to the league playoffs for the second straight year. BU had its best season in program history last season and qualified for the conference postseason for the first time since joining Hockey East.

The Vermont Catamounts should also have an improved season with a solid first year by goaltender Kristen Olychuck. Sarah Smiddy, Chelsea Furlani and Brittany Nelson will provide strong leadership for the upcoming season. Vermont returns 10 of its top 11 scorers from last seasons team that finished the season with two wins at Maine. Northeastern first-year head coach Dave Flint has a solid offense in place along with goaltender Leah Sulyma between the pipes, who could become an All-Conference goalie before her time on Huntington Avenue is over. Sulyma tallied 973 saves in her freshman season, which marked the most stops by any WHEA goalie.

Maine will return 88% of its scorers from a season ago, along with goaltender Genevieve Turgeon, who kept the Black Bears in virtually every game last season. Turgeon was only one of three Hockey East netminders to record 900+ saves last season.

The regular season will determine the six teams that qualify for the Hockey East Championship Tournament. The league athletic directors voted to expand the tournament field to six teams at the annual conference meetings in Naples, Fla. in April of 2008. The third and fourth seeds in the tournament will host a quarterfinal round game on Saturday, February 28 or Sunday, March 1 on their respective campuses. The advancing teams will then be reseeded with the top two seeds to play on the site of the highest seed in the semifinal round on Saturday, March 7. The winners will qualify for the seventh annual Hockey East Championship Game on Sunday, March 8. The Women’s Hockey East Association is an eight-team, Division-I college hockey conference which began play in 2002-2003, with offices based in Wakefield, Mass. The league also sponsors an 10 team men’s league which began play in 1984-1985.

2008-09 Hockey East Coaches’ Preseason Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses)

1. New Hampshire (4) 52
2. Boston College (2) 47
3. Providence (2) 43
4. Connecticut 42
5. Boston University 36
6. Northeastern 23
6. Vermont 23
8. Maine 14

Legendary Coach Ned Harkness Passes Away

USCHO Staff Report
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Legendary coach Ned Harkness, who coached RPI and Cornell to NCAA championships in men’s hockey as well as leading RPI to a national title in men’s lacrosse, passed away Sept. 19 at the age of 89 at his home in Rochester, N.Y.

“Ned Harkness was a true legend,” said Jim Knowlton, Rensselaer’s director of athletics. “The things he and his teams accomplished are nothing short of amazing. Most importantly, however; he was a leader who used innovative techniques to teach and inspire with passion and intensity.”

Harkness, who was born on September 19, 1919, re-started the Rensselaer men’s hockey program in 1949-50 and quickly brought the team to national prominence. He enjoyed 10 winning seasons, including eight years of at least 14 victories, and saw three of his teams play in the NCAA tournament (1952-53, 1953-54, 1960-61), winning the 1954 national championship to become the first coach in NCAA history to win national titles in two sports.

In 14 years with RPI, Harkness compiled a 176-96-7 record, making him the winningest coach in school history at the time. He currently ranks third in RPI history in wins and second in winning percentage (.643). Among the student-athletes Harkness recruited and coached, 10 went on to be named All-Americans, including six chosen to the First Team.

Harkness, a native of Ottawa, Ont., went on to coach at Cornell, where he won the 1967 and 1970 national championships in hockey. He led the 1970 team to a perfect 29-0-0 record, the only unbeaten, untied national championship team in NCAA history. Overall he was 163-27-2 with the Big Red in hockey (1963-70), winning five Ivy League titles and playing in four NCAA tournaments. Individually, he earned the U.S. Hockey Coach of the Year Award in 1968.

Harkness moved from Cornell to coach the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League in 1970, becoming the first college coach to go directly to the NHL. He also served as the general manager of the Red Wings from 1971-74. Harkness later revived hockey at Union in 1975, leading the Dutchmen to a 46-6-2 mark. His final overall college coaching record was 396-124-11.

“Ned was a legend, not just at Cornell but in the hockey world,” said Cornell head coach Mike Schafer. “As a coach, he had a positive impact on a lot of lives. He was a pioneer of the winning hockey tradition here at Cornell.”

He later became the director of the Glens Falls Civic Center and the president and chief executive office of the Olympic Regional Development Authority in 1982. He retired in August 1993.

Nevin D. “Ned” Harkness attended Glens Falls Academy and Glens Falls High School before graduating from Worcester Academy in Worcester, Mass., in 1939. He then enrolled at the Royal Canadian Air Force Academy and served with the Canadian Air Force in World War II (1943-45), flying 39 successful bombardier missions over Europe. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1949.

A memorial service for Harkness will be held October 11 at 11 a.m. ET in the First Presbyterian Church in Glens Falls, N.Y.

Air Force Is Coaches’ Pick To Top Atlantic Hockey

By
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Two-time defending conference champion Air Force was picked to finish first in the Atlantic Hockey Preseason Coaches’ Poll, released today at the league’s Media Day held at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y., site of this year’s championships.

The Falcons captured seven of the ten first-place votes, accumulating 79 points overall. Mercyhurst, which lost in overtime to Air Force in last year’s AHA title game, finished second in the balloting with 70 points, including one first-place vote.

RIT is picked to finish third, getting the remaining two first-place votes and 68 points overall. Sacred Heart and last year’s regular-season champion Army round out the top five.

The remaining five teams, in order of their predicted finish, are Holy Cross, Canisius, Connecticut, Bentley, and AIC.

The league kept alive its streak of changing its playoff format each season, adopting a new system for the sixth time in as many years. Atlantic Hockey has abandoned last year’s “Final Five” format and will send four teams to Blue Cross Arena.

Teams finishing seventh through 10th will play a single first-round game with the higher seeds hosting on Saturday, March 7. The quarterfinals, held at the top four seeds, will be a best-of-three series played March 13-15. The surviving four teams will play in the semifinals at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester on Friday, March 20, with the title game slated for Saturday, March 21.

The league is in its final year of a three-year contract with Blue Cross Arena, and is in negotiations to extend the arrangement at least through 2010.

2007-08 Atlantic Hockey Association Preseason Coaches’ Poll (first-place votes in parentheses):

1. Air Force (7) 79 pts
2. Mercyhurst (1) 70
3. RIT (2) 68
4. Sacred Heart 55
5. Army 40
6. Holy Cross 38
7. Canisius 34
8. Connecticut 29
9. Bentley 26
10. AIC 11

Defending National Champion Boston College Preseason Coaches’ Pick in Hockey East

USCHO Staff Report
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Defending national champion Boston College was selected as the pre-season favorite to win Hockey East this season, that according to the annual coaches’ poll that was released on Monday at the league’s media day.

The Eagles, which recorded 86 points and six first-place votes, looks to defend both its Hockey East and National Championships in an attempt to make it to the NCAA title game for the sixth time this decade. The Eagles return Joe Whitney and Ben Smith, the second and third leading Hockey East scorers, respectively. In addition, 2008-09 captains Brock Bradford, Tim Filangieri, and Benn Ferriero will lead the team in its attempt for back-to-back National Championships. In net, sophomore John Muse, is coming off one of the best freshman showings of all time with a record of 25-11-8 during his rookie season.

Boston University, which earned 80 points and three first-place tallies, retains the league’s tenth best scorer in sophomore standout Colin Wilson. Wilson was drafted seventh overall by Nashville in this year’s NHL draft and is already on the Hobey Baker watch. Alongside Wilson, senior Chris Higgins (14g, 18a) and sophomore Nick Bonino (16g, 13a) will help drive this high-powered offense. Senior co-captain Matt Gilroy, as well as juniors Brian Strait and Eric Gryba and sophomores Kevin Shattenkirk and Colby Cohen sure up the Terrier blueline. The Terriers welcome two new goalies to the squad in Grant Rollehiser and Kieran Millan.

The UNH Wildcats were picked third in the poll with one first-place vote, after the team went 19-5-3 en route to the league’s regular season title in 07-08. The Wildcats will have to fill the shoes of four departed All-Americans, which included Player of the Year Kevin Regan. The hole between the pipes will be filled by junior goalie Brian Foster. The Wildcats offensive lineup for the 2008-09 season will be led by sophomore James vanRiemsdyk, UNH’s leading returning scorer, and classmate Danny Dries, who will also look to live up to his stellar freshman season when he tallied 28 points.

Brad Theissen will return between the pipes to try and lead a young Northeastern team, fourth in the poll, to crack the top half of the conference. The offense will be headed up by senior captain and 2007-08 team MVP, Joe Vitale. Vitale was the number ten scorer in Hockey East and led the Huskies with 35 points (12g, 13a). Coach Greg Cronin will look to capitalize on the experience of his team, returning 27 players from the 2007-08 roster.

Last year marked the first season Vermont, ranked fifth this year by the coaches, made it to the semifinals since their entry into Hockey East in 2005-06. The Catamounts made it to the title game, where they lost to the Eagles. Offense should not be a problem for the Catamounts, though, as they hold onto their top three scorers, namely senior captain Dean Strong, along with Colin Vock and Viktor Stalberg.

UMass, sixth in the poll, will open its season at Ice Breaker against Michigan State and North Dakota at Agganis Arena. Captains Cory Quirk, and Brett Watson will play key roles in leading UMass’ offense. Sophomore Paul Dainton will need to show the confidence that he had in the first half of his freshman campaign in his second season with a 2.56 GAA and a .911 save percentage.

Blaise MacDonald’s UMass-Lowell River Hawks, ranked seventh by the coaches, return 23 players from their 2007-08 roster, including team offensive leader and team MVP, junior winger Kory Falite. Falite enjoyed a standout sophomore season, leading the team in goals (18) and overall points (32). Last season, Carter Hutton and Nevin Hamilton split the time between the pipes, earning 2.48 and 2.56 GAA, respectively.

Providence junior Chris Mannix will try to step in as the quality netminder that Providence, ranked eighth, needs with the departure of Tyler Sims. Coming back for his senior season, the Friars’ second leading scorer, defenseman Matt Taormina, will look to follow up on a solid junior year. Taormina recorded 27 points on nine goals and 18 assists. Up front, Pierce Norton and Kyle Laughlin will try to improve on last year’s fifth place finish.

The University of Maine, ranked ninth, welcomes ten freshmen to its squad this year, hoping to bring the team back to the Hockey East playoffs. While the Black Bears missed the conference playoffs for the first time since 1998, they ended the season winning five of their last six contests. Maine will look to junior Dave Wilson and freshman Scott Darling in net.

Merrimack, ranked 10th, was glad to have Rob Ricci back last year, as the Ontario native looks to follow up his standout season, which saw him lead the Warriors in assists (21) and points (34). Sophomore Chris Barton was second in points among Merrimack forwards, notching 19 (6g, 13a) on the year. Junior Andrew Braithwaite looks to continue his successful stretch that spanned the final 18 games of the season.

Minnesota-Duluth Women Favored to Repeat as WCHA Champion

USCHO Staff Report
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MADISON, Wis. – The University of Minnesota Duluth, which swept the national championship, the regular season championship and the WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF title in a memorable streak last season, is the pre-season choice to repeat as Western Collegiate Hockey Association champions in 2008-09, according to league coaches.

This the tenth season of WCHA women’s play and league teams have won the national championship every season, including the inaugural campaign of 1999-2000. The Bulldogs kept the WCHA’s national title streak alive in 2007-08 when they won their fourth national title by defeating two-time defending champion Wisconsin, 4-0, on their home ice in Duluth in the NCAA title game. The victory capped a memorable season for UMD, which went 33-4-1 and also scored an overtime victory over Wisconsin to win the title of the newly-renamed WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF, the league playoff championships.

The Bulldogs received five first-place votes and a total of 47 points in the pre-season poll (the eight league coaches couldn’t vote for their own team). They edged Minnesota, which grabbed two first-place votes, and Wisconsin, which had one first place vote, and had a total of 41 points. UMD, Wisconsin and Minnesota were ranked first through third in the national USA Today/US Hockey Magazine preseason college hockey poll as well.

Ohio State rounds out the top four followed by St. Cloud State, Minnesota State, North Dakota and Bemidji State.

For the second straight season, league-member coaches have picked Minnesota senior forward Gigi Marvin as the pre-season most valuable player. Four other players – Wisconsin forwards Meghan Duggan and Erika Lawler plus Minnesota Duluth goaltender Kim Martin, a Patty Kazmaier finalist last year, and teammate Haley Irwin, the forward who led the league in scoring with 60 points last season – also received votes for preseason MVP.

Minnesota Duluth’s Pernilla Winberg, a forward from Sweden who was Martin’s teammate on the silver medalist Swedish Olympic team in 2006, was voted the league’s pre-season rookie of the year. She received half the votes from the eight coaches. Minnesota forward Jocelyne Lamoureux, Ohio State forward Natalie Spooner, and Wisconsin forward Carolyne Prevost also each received a vote.

The opening weekend of the 2008-09 campaign will occur Friday and Saturday, Sept. 26-27, when Wisconsin hosts Quinnipiac for a pair of regular season games at the Kohl Center in Madison and four other WCHA-member teams play exhibition games. On Friday, Bemidji State hosts University of Manitoba, Ohio State hosts Wilfrid Laurier University, Minnesota entertains the University of Saskatchewan, and Minnesota State hosts the Minnesota Whitecaps. On Saturday, exhibition games have Univ. of Saskatchewan at St. Cloud State, North Dakota hosting University of Manitoba, and the U.S. Women’s Select Team at Bemidji State. Then on Sunday, Sept. 29, the U.S. Women’s Select Team will play at Minnesota.

The battle for the 2008-09 WCHA regular season championship will again consist of a 28-game schedule for each of the league’s eight clubs, with each team playing the other seven four times – twice at home and twice on the road. The opening weekend of league competition – October 10-11 – will have defending national champion and WCHA champion Minnesota Duluth hosting Minnesota, the league runner-up last year, St. Cloud State at North Dakota, and Wisconsin at Ohio State. Minnesota State opens WCHA play at North Dakota on Oct. 17-18 and that same weekend Bemidji State opens league play at home against Wisconsin on Oct. 17. The series concludes on Oct. 18 when the Badgers and Beavers will play in the first ever U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame women’s game in Eveleth, Minn.

The 2008-09 regular season will conclude the weekend of Feb. 20-22.

The conference’s post-season championship tournament will open the weekend of February 27-March 1 (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) with a first round, best-of-three series format at campus sites. The No. 1 seeded team will host the No. 8 seed, the No. 2 seed will host the No. 7 seed, the No. 3 seed will host the No. 6 seed, and the No. 4 seed will host the No. 5 seed. The four first-round winners will then advance to the 2009 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8. On Saturday, there will be two semi-final match-ups at 1:07 pm CT and 4:07 pm CT, with the championship game set for Sunday at 1:07 pm CT.

Following two weeks of WCHA playoffs, the NCAA Women’s Division 1 championship tournament will commence the weekend of March 13-15 at regional sites (TBA), followed by the 2008 NCAA Women’s Frozen Four, to be held March 20-22 at Boston, Mass.

Commissioner Sara Martin said the WCHA is the first women’s conference to officially re-introduce the shootout to college hockey, after the option was installed recently by the rules committee. The Central Collegiate Hockey Association also recently announcd plans to use the shootout in it’s men’s game and Hockey East previously had installed a shootout in the mid-90s, and is among the conferences considering re-instituting it. The men’s WCHA has no plans to use the shootout.

An NHL-style three-player shootout will be used to determine a winner for all WCHA games tied after regulation and five-minute overtime.

The NCAA rules and ice hockey committees have allowed conferences the ability to implement this tie-breaker protocol so that every regular-season league game will have a winner while preserving the integrity of the national rankings. Games decided by a shootout will still be considered ties for NCAA purposes so there will be no effect on NCAA records for the purposes of the Pairwise and determining the NCAA tournament field. Bonus points awarded will impact the conference standings only.

The WCHA has also approved the following point system for regular-season play; two (2) points for a win in regulation or overtime, one (1) point for each school if the game is tied at the conclusion of the five-minute overtime period and one (1) point is awarded to the team who wins the shootout. Overtime will continue to be played similar to regulation time with five skaters for each team (penalties excepted).

2008-09 WCHA Coaches’ Preseason Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses)

1. Minnesota-Duluth 47 (5)
2. Minnesota 41 (2)
2. Wisconsin 41 (1)
4. Ohio State 29
5. St. Cloud State 27
6. Minnesota State, Mankato 18
7. North Dakota 14
8. Bemidji State 7

Preseason Player of the Year: Gigi Marvin, F, Sr., Minnesota
Preseason Rookie of the Year: Pernilla Winberg, F, Fr., Minnesota-Duluth

Mercyhurst Women Picked First in CHA Preseason Poll

USCHO Staff Report
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Detroit, MI – Mercyhurst was voted by league coaches as the preseason favorite in the upcoming College Hockey America season, announced Wednesday morning by CHA league officials.

The Lakers, under the direction of head coach Michael Sisti, garnished four first place votes and 16 points to take the top spot after winning their fifth consecutive CHA Tournament Championship this past spring.

Wayne State came in second with the final first place vote and 13 points followed by Niagara in third with 10 points. Robert Morris took the fourth spot with seven points while newly appointed league member Syracuse rounded out the poll in fifth.

On the preseason All-CHA Team, junior forward Meghan Agosta was a unanimous selection for Preseason CHA Player of the Year. Last season, Agosta finished as the nation’s leader in goals (40) and goals per game (1.21), while coming in second for points per game (1.97). Her efforts earned her CHA Player of the Year for the second time after winning the honor as a freshman.

2008-09 CHA Preseason Coaches’ Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses)

1. Mercyhurst 16 (4)
2. Wayne State 13 (1)
3. Niagara 10
4. Robert Morris 7
5. Syracuse 4

2008-09 CHA Preseason All-Conference Team

Goaltender: Brianne McLaughlin, Sr., Robert Morris
Defense: Natalie Payne, Sr., Wayne State
Defense: Chelsea Burnett, Jr., Wayne State
Forward: Valerie Chouinard, Sr., Mercyhurst
Forward: Melissa Boal, Sr., Wayne State
*Forward: Meghan Agosta, Jr., Mercyhurst

*Preseason CHA Player of the Year

ECAC Tabs Harvard Women Preseason Favorite

USCHO Staff Report
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ALBANY, N.Y. — Harvard, last season’s ECAC Hockey women’s regular season and tournament champions, as well as Frozen Four participant has been chosen to defend its ECAC Hockey title in the preseason coaches’ poll. The Crimson, who finished 22-0-0 in the conference and have claimed four out of the last six regular season crowns earned 119 votes, including 10 first place votes.

The Crimson, led by head coach Katey Stone, who became only the third women’s Division I ice hockey coach to reach 300 career victories last season, had the second-highest overall win total for an ECAC Hockey women’s team last season. In addition to their undefeated league season, the team went 10-2-0 in non-conference play.

St. Lawrence, which has finished among the top three teams in the regular-season standings each year since 2000-01 and has made it to the ECAC Hockey championship game the last two years, came in second in the voting, with 103 votes and two first place votes. The Saints will be looking to avenge a tough 3-2 overtime defeat at the hands of the Crimson in the league championship game last season.

Two of the nation’s most prolific offenses, Dartmouth and Clarkson round out the top four, with the Big Green earning 98 votes and the Golden Knights garnering 84 votes in the coaches poll.

Cornell, Princeton, Colgate and Yale were Nos. 5-8, gaining 72, 64, 64 and 50 votes respectively.

Rensselaer, with 41 votes, was chosen as the No. 9 team, while Brown rounded out the top ten, receiving 30 votes.

Quinnipiac, with 27 votes and Union, with 15 votes round out the poll.

The women’s season opens September 26 with a pair of games, as Rensselaer takes on the Toronto Aeros and Quinnipiac under new head coach Rick Seeley take on midwest power Wisconsin. The first league game of the season takes place October 31st, when Brown travels to Rensselaer to take on the Engineers. Season play will conclude on February 21st, when there is a full slate of games.

2008-09 ECAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses)

1. Harvard 119 (10)
2. St. Lawrence 103 (2)
3. Dartmouth 98
4. Clarkson 84
5. Cornell 77
6. Princeton 72
7. Colgate 64
8. Yale 50
9. Rensselaer 41
10. Brown 30
11. Quinnipiac 27
12. Union 15

2008-09 ECAC Preseason All-Conference Team

Goaltender: Christina Kessler, Jr., Harvard
Defense: Sasha Sherry, So., Princeton
Defense: Helen Resor, Sr., Yale
Forward: Rebecca Johnston, So., Cornell
Forward: Sarah Parsons, Jr., Dartmouth
Forward: Sarah Vaillancourt, Sr., Harvard

Nine Thoughts for 09

By Brian Schulz
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With the return of college hockey just one week away, here are nine hockey-related subjects on my mind heading into the 2008-09 campaign:

9) Welcome Orange! Syracuse joins the Division I ranks this fall with long-time St. Lawrence head coach Paul Flanagan bringing his 230 career victories and five Frozen Four appearances 130 miles southwest from Canton. New programs are always encouraging to see, but SU has all the elements of a potential power with a proven winner behind the bench, full scholarships, a solid local talent pool, and top billing as the only college hockey game in a city passionate about its NCAA sports (just ask Donovan McNabb, Carmelo Anthony or Gary Gait). Over time, the Orange also can bring critical conference balance with its entrance into the CHA, where Mercyhurst has been the only perennial national contender and where an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament is now just one program away.

8) Coaching carousel…coincidence or trend? St. Lawrence, Clarkson, Quinnipiac, Northeastern, Elmira, Manhattanville, St. Anselm…all among the teams that will have new leadership behind the bench this fall. Which doesn’t account for the other coaches who interviewed for those jobs or some of the other uncertain situations that ultimately ended with the status quo (e.g. Minnesota-Duluth, Minnesota). I work on Wall Street where senior-level turnover happens regularly (and where companies now go insolvent on a weekly basis) and it’s hard for me to ever criticize someone else for pursuing a perceived better situation. However, when a managing director leaves Goldman Sachs, that departure doesn’t have nearly the same impact on co-workers that a coaching change has on the players in that program as well as the recruits ticketed for that program. Some degree of coaching movement is to be expected in any offseason, but hard to imagine this summer would prove a positive sustainable model for the sport so here’s hoping more coaches have the same zip codes come 2009-10.

7) Which program appears poised for a breakthrough season? There’s an intriguing work in progress up in Ithaca, New York where third-year head coach and former Big Red standout Doug Derraugh has quickly amassed an impressive stable of young talent headlined by last year’s ECACH Rookie of the Year Rebecca Johnston and supplemented by another highly-touted recruiting haul that includes three members from the inaugural Canadian Under-18 team as well as New Hampshire transfer Steph Holmes. The arrival of Johnston and her classmates spurred an eight-win improvement, the program’s first postseason appearance since 2004, and its highest conference victory total since the 2000 season. This winter, expectations are higher but so is the ceiling.

6) Shootouts in the WCHA that count…sort of. The CHA implemented shootouts last season as an innocuous bonus for fans at the end of each conference game. The WCHA will integrate the shootout to actually decide its league contests though the ties will be preserved within the NCAA Tournament selection criteria. Not 100% how I feel about this one yet and hopefully no one gets injured during the proceedings, but something tells me come February 7, if Gigi Marvin is pacing around center ice waiting to take the third and final attempt on Jessie Vetter, I might have some fun calling that showdown. Also keep an eye out for the revelation of any shootout specialists, players who aren’t necessarily near the top of their teams’ scoring charts but who can work some nonpareil breakaway magic.

5) Boston…what took so long? The AWCHA tournament was staged in Boston in 1998 and 2000. 2009 will mark the first time since then that Beantown will host the season’s final weekend. That hiatus is curious given the appreciation for college hockey in the region as well as the numerous creditable women’s programs in the area. At this point in the game’s development, I wouldn’t mind seeing the national tournament rotated among a select few venues with a proven local fan base and a home team that has a decent chance of qualifying for the Frozen Four. Bids from true neutral sites should be saved for a future era when the sport has better traction. Take a cue from college lacrosse, which for years played the lion’s share of its championships in Baltimore and only expanded its horizons when the event had established itself as a guaranteed sellout.

4) Women’s college hockey comes to Florida. The men’s game ventured south a few years ago via the Everglades Classic. Now thanks to Wisconsin forward Kyla Sanders and her family’s Florida ties, as well as a willing dance partner in New Hampshire, the Badgers and Wildcats are set to bring women’s college hockey to the Sunshine State for the first time. A capacity crowd is expected at the Fort Myers Skatium in November and after three straight one-goal games between UW and UNH over the past three years, the locals should be in for a classic weekend…as should I. Plus I can go hunting for an investment property at a foreclosure auction between games.

3) My kingdom for a classic title game. The combined score of the last three NCAA Championship games has been 11-1. Despite all of the memorable tilts produced in the regular season, conference playoffs and NCAA tournament year after year, for some reason it has been awhile since women’s hockey saved its best for last. Perhaps even more odd, the finalists each of the past two seasons, Minnesota-Duluth and Wisconsin, split a pair of lopsided decisions in the finals despite logging six one-goal games and four overtime games in their other 2006-08 meetings. Other college sports have certainly suffered from the same malaise (last two BCS title games anyone?) but for women’s hockey, there would seem to be more of a premium on a taut, well-played championship game as that contest remains the only guaranteed national telecast of each season.

2) Season 5 of the Game of the Week = the best yet? Come on, you knew the shameless self-promotion was coming. However, I look at the schedule as it stands now and I really think this could prove the best mix of games we’ve had on USCHO to date. From the NCAA ranks, how about both games of the Wisconsin-UNH Florida showcase, Harvard-Minnesota in their first meeting since the 2005 national final, or a Plattsburgh-Manhattanville rematch? What about a fleet of Olympians and more former NCAA stars than ever in the Mississauga-Brampton rivalry or Montreal adding Caroline Ouellette, Sabrina Harbec and Annie Guay to challenge the Ontario powers in the CWHL? Or maybe multiple doses of Calgary Oval X-Treme against a Minnesota Whitecaps club that can now supplement its roster with members of the U.S. Select Team? Oh and then there’s our exclusive coverage of the 4 Nations Cup from Lake Placid. As with every season, there will be new challenges, new issues, and new risks…but the rewards have never looked better.

1) Will Plattsburgh and Minnesota-Duluth repeat? Sorry folks, I’m not doing any fearless forecasting on this one since I do need to stay on friendly terms with all of the teams out there to do my job but I do know it will be one heckuva ride to find out. Bring on the new season!

NCAA Rounds Out Championships Until 2011

USCHO Staff Report
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The NCAA Ice Hockey Committee has set the sites for the NCAA Championships all the way through 2011 with the announcement of the West and Midwest Regionals for 2010 and 2011.

In 2010, Notre Dame will host the Midwest regional from March 27-28 at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind. and the West regional will be hosted by Minnestoa at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. from March 26-27.

Michigan Tech will host the Midwest regional at the ReschCenter in Green Bay, Wis. from March 26-27, 2011 and the CCHA will host the West regional at Scottrade Center in St. Louis on March 25-26, 2011.

Of the four sites only the Resch Center has held a regional before, with Wisconsin coming out of this regional en route to the championship in 2006.

But both the Xcel Center and the Scottrade Center have hosted the Frozen Four. The Xcel Center hosted the Frozen Four in 2002 with Minnesota winning and will host it again in 2011. In 2006 Scottrade Center hosted the Frozen Four with Michigan State taking the title.

This will be the first time the NCAA Ice Hockey Championships will have a regional in the state of Indiana.

“We focused on selecting sites that have NHL size ice sheets and are in neutral buildings,” said Ice Hockey Committee Chairman Joel Maturi, the AD of Minnesota. “We really feel that each of these buildings will showcase college hockey, give our student-athletes a tremendous experience and help take our championship to another level.”

The announcements round of the sites for all of the regionals and Frozen Fours until 2011.

Previously the 2010 and 2011 East and Northeast regional sites were awarded. The 2010 East regional will be held at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. and will behosted by ECAC Hockey and Rensselaer from March 26-27 and the Northeast regional will be held at DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. and will be hosted by Holy Cross from March 27-28.

The 2011 East regional will be held at the Bridgeport Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn. and be hosted by Yale and Fairfield on March 25-26 and the Northeast regional will be held at the Verizon Wireless Center in Manchester, N.H.and be hosted by New Hampshire on March 26-27.

Next year the Frozen Four will be in Washington, D.C.’s Verizon Center, the 2010 Frozen Four will be at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich., the 2011 Frozen Four at the Xcel Center in St. Paul, Minn. and the 2012 Frozen Four will be at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla.

USA Hockey Narrows 2011 Site List To Three

USCHO Staff Report
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USA Hockey announced today that it has narrowed the list of potential sites to host the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation World Under-20 Championship to (alphabetical order): Buffalo, N.Y., Grand Forks, N.D., and Minneapolis – Saint Paul.

“The World Under-20 Championship is a spectacular event that we’re extremely pleased to be hosting again,” said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. “We had interest in this event from more than 20 different entities across the country. We’ve narrowed the field to three very worthy finalists and look forward to reaching a decision before the end of the year.”

The 2011 IIHF World Under-20 Championship (otherwise known as the IIHF World Junior Championship) is a 10-nation tournament featuring the top men’s ice hockey players in the world under the age of 20.

“It will be a real treat for sports fans in our country to have the World Junior Championship back in the United States,” said Ron DeGregorio, president of USA Hockey. “It’s a very special event with an extremely high level of talent.”

“The last time we hosted the World Junior Championship back in 2005, fans got to see players like Phil Kessel, Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin to name just a few,” said Jim Johannson, a two-time Olympian who serves as USA Hockey’s assistant executive director of hockey operations. “The bottom line for hockey fans is, outside of the Olympics, the World Junior Championship is probably the best international tournament they’ll ever get to witness.”

The United States has hosted the event four previous times, including in Grand Forks, N.D./Thief River Falls, Minn. (2005), Boston (1996), Anchorage, Alaska (1989) and Minneapolis – St. Paul (1982).

CCHA Adopts Shootout To Settle League Ties

USCHO Staff Report
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Tie games will not be in the standings for the CCHA this season. The league has adopted an NHL-style three-player shootout to determine a winner for all of the 168 regular-season conference games tied after 60 minutes of regulation play and five minutes of overtime.

“The shootout has proved to be an exciting addition to hockey at a variety of levels and we are anxious to bring it into college hockey. The drama it creates is very popular with fans, and importantly, today’s players love it,” said CCHA commissioner Tom Anastos, whose conference becomes the first of college hockey’s six Division I men’s leagues to adopt the shootout.

“At the same time, the NCAA rules and ice hockey committees have allowed us to implement this tie-breaker protocol so that every regular-season league game will have a winner while preserving the integrity of the national rankings because CCHA games decided by a shootout will still be considered ties for NCAA purposes. Bonus points awarded will impact the conference standings only.”

The shootout concept was endorsed by Greg Hammaren, the vice president and general manager of FSN Detroit, which will televise 17 CCHA regular-season and playoff games in 2008-09.

“This is a bold decision and I think it’s a great one,” said Hammaren. “College hockey is already one of the most exciting sports in America, adding the shootout just adds to the excitement.”

The CCHA has also approved the following point system for regular-season play: Two points for a win in regulation or overtime, one point for each school if the game is tied at the conclusion of the five-minute overtime period and one point is awarded to the team who wins the shootout.

A total of 90 regular-season games have wound up tied over the past three CCHA seasons; 31 in 2007-08, 26 in 2006-07 and 33 in 2005-06. Another 29 games have been decided in overtime during the same time frame; 12 last season, 10 in 2006-07 and seven in 2005-06.

Alaska Fairbanks athletic director Forrest Karr, who serves as chairperson of the CCHA Council and is also a member of the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey Rules Committee, said that considerable thought has gone into the decision.

“The game belongs to student-athletes, coaches and fans,” said Karr. “As administrators, it isn’t our place to change things without adequate input. For the past two years, we’ve received feedback from all constituencies. We’ve also been given a direction to make decisions that reward speed, creativity and skill, while maintaining the game’s safety and integrity. By allowing shootouts, the rules committee gave conferences a means to enhance game excitement. We are always careful when making changes as there can be unintended consequences. In this case, the CCHA Council was comfortable that shootouts will have no direct impact on the RPI and also felt that shootouts are in the best interest of the game at this time.”

Overtime will continue to be played similar to regulation time with five skaters for each team (penalties excepted). The shootout may also be used for non-conference games hosted by CCHA schools pending the mutual consent of their opponents although, once again, any game deadlocked through overtime would be considered a tie for NCAA purposes.

Michigan State coach Rick Comley said he believes implementation of the shootout is one of the changes that college hockey needs to continue to generate increased interest in the sport.

“I’m excited about our league adopting it and it’s going to add a tremendous amount of excitement to the game. Fans will really love it and players love working on shootout moves in practice so they’re going to love doing it in a game. So it’s a win-win situation when you look at it from that perspective,” Comley added.

Nebraska-Omaha coach Mike Kemp thinks that adoption of the shootout will serve to keep the CCHA at the forefront of college hockey and continue the national leadership role that has really evolved since the conference took the lead in trying to eliminate obstruction from the game.

“Shootouts are going to be great for our fans. They will keep people excited and in their seats right up until the last goal or save. It’s going to be something that they will keep talking and raving about,” he said.

The NCAA Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey Rules Committee voted early last month to allow conferences to experiment with a shootout in regular-season contests as a means to enhance the excitement of the game. The committee adopted the measures in hopes that conferences will use a shootout and provide feedback for future consideration.

Four Collegians Join Hockey Hall of Fame

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The United States Hockey Hall of Fame, in conjunction with USA Hockey, announced its 2008 induction class of Cammi Granato, Brett Hull, Brian Leetch and Mike Richter. The class is comprised of four former collegians, including Granato, the first woman to be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

Mike Richter (file photo: Melissa Wade)

Mike Richter (file photo: Melissa Wade)

Granato played four years at Providence College as a starter, joining the squad in 1989. While with the Friars, she led the team to two ECAC championships, was voted ECAC Player of the Year three consecutive seasons and was an ECAC All-Star all four years. Granato still holds the school records for most points (84), goals (48) and assists (43) in a single season as well as the record for most goals in a career with 139.

Hull played two seasons at Minnesota Duluth before leaving for the National Hockey League. He was a Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist his sophomore season with the Bulldogs, thanks in part to tallying 84 points. No college player has scored more goals in a single season than the 52 Hull potted during the 1985-86 season.

Though he only played two years at UMD, Hull seems happy with his decision to have left early.

“I had no idea whether I was going to go four years or whether I was going to leave and the opportunity [USA Hockey] gave me to go to the [1986] World Championships … gave me the opportunity to find where I was and who I was as a player and without that, maybe I don’t turn pro and maybe I stay four years at college and maybe I break my leg or blow my knee out or maybe I don’t develop as much as I could have as a pro. Without that opportunity, I don’t know if I would have been an NHL player.”

Leetch, like Hull, was a Hobey Baker finalist while in college. Unlike Hull, Leetch managed to do it in his only season at Boston College. In the 1986-87 season, he scored nine goals and 38 assists for a total of 47 points.

While Leetch didn’t expound on why he left early, he knew that there was no other option for him but to play college hockey.

“When I looked at the possibility of playing hockey besides going to college, it didn’t appeal to me at all,” he said. “I wasn’t ready to be that far from home, I wasn’t ready to play that many games and I was looking for something with a comfort level so I feel fortunate that college hockey had gotten to a point where competition was great, the practice facilities were good, the coaching was good and that I could be prepared by playing a 35-game schedule.”

“For me, there was personally no other thought process in my head that I thought that college hockey was the best for me.”

Richter, the lone goalie of the class, tended goal for two years for the Wisconsin Badgers from 1985-87. After retiring from the NHL, Richter joined on at Yale University as an assistant coach and has been on staff for three years.

Despite having a career cut short by concussions, Richter said one of his main regrets was not staying all four years in Madison.

“It was such a blast to play hockey in college. I only had two years there and it was a perfect step stone into the Olympic team and onwards to the minors and pros,” he said. “There were just so many good teams and so many good players across the nation and if I had a regret, I wish I could have been able to play more years. The timing is such that you move on when you should but the foundation in college hockey was fantastic.

“We all went there because it’s a great proving ground and improving ground to get to the next level so we owe a lot to the college game.”

Though all four players are more famous for what they achieved at either the professional or the international level, all four enjoyed and treasured their years in college – whether it was only one or all four – for the connections they made.

“With college, for me I noticed, playing on a college team and having all these rivalries, with top players from other teams, those players became my really good friends because I ended up playing on the national team with them,” said Granato.

“A lot of these girls that I met in the college game became my roommates for years as we trained for the Olympics as we lived in the Lake Placid dorms together,” she said. “That’s the nice thing about the college game – not only the teammates that you have playing, but [also] the ones you play against.”

Granato’s brothers played at Wisconsin where she ended up meeting fellow inductee Mike Richter.

“I think by my freshman year, I skated with everyone on this phone call,” he said. “I think it’s awfully fun being able to play against these guys and then be on a national team with them to kind of see both sides of them.”

“There are those guys that kind of stand out in your mind when you play against them and sure enough, they’re the ones that are going to be put on the national team,” said Richter. “Those are the people that are going to rise to the top and you’re going to see again and again and again.”

The four will be formally inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in Denver at an induction dinner set for 7 p.m. MT on Friday, October 10, at the University of Denver’s Magness Arena. The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame game will take place the following evening at Magness as the DU Pioneers host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at 7:07 p.m.

Darwitz Returns to Gopher Women as Assistant Coach

USCHO Staff Report
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University of Minnesota women’s hockey coach Brad Frost has announced that former Gopher great and two-time United States Olympian Natalie Darwitz has been named an assistant coach of the Golden Gopher program. Darwitz, who helped lead Minnesota to back-to-back national championships, will begin her coaching responsibilities August 25th.

“We are very pleased to have Natalie return to the Gopher women’s hockey program,” Frost said. “Natalie was a great player during her time at the University of Minnesota and we know that she will add great value to our program. As the captain of the U.S. National Team, she brings a wealth of experience at the international and Olympic level that will benefit our student athletes.”

Darwitz, who finished her Gopher career in 2005, went on to compete in her second-straight Olympics in 2006. Following her second Olympic stint, Darwitz started her coaching career last year as an assistant coach with Eagan High School. There, she helped coach the forwards with her father and head coach Scott Darwitz. In her year with the Wildcats, Darwitz helped Eagan to its first state championship berth in four years with a 20-9-1 overall record.

In just 99 career games for the Gophers, Darwitz set a school record of 246 points when she tallied 102 goals and 144 assists. In her final year with Minnesota, Darwitz scored 42 goals and 72 assists for 114 points, breaking the NCAA record for points in a single season. The Patty Kazmaier Award finalist led the country in points per game (2.85) and assists (72). The three-time first-team All-American was named the Most Outstanding Player for her performance at the 2005 NCAA Frozen Four. Not only did Darwitz set the record for points in the NCAA tournament (3-6-9), she also scored the game-winning goal for the Gophers with one minute and eight seconds remaining in the contest to lead them to their second national championship in two years. Darwitz, the 2005 Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s Scoring Champion, tallied 72 points in conference action alone and was named a first-team All-WCHA selection for the third straight season. As a freshman, she was also named the WCHA Rookie of the Year, the Gophers first honor.

On the USA Hockey front, Darwitz and Team USA earned a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics and a bronze medal in 2006. She recently helped the U.S. National Team to a gold medal at the IIHF world championships. Since joining Team USA, Darwitz has been on seven world championship teams and was the youngest player to be selected to the national team at age 15. In May, Darwitz received USA Hockey’s Bob Johnson award, which is given to a U.S. athlete who has excelled on the international scene in the past year. A current member of the U.S. National Team, Darwitz will coach the Gophers as well as train with the U.S. National Team in Blaine, Minn.

“I am excited and honored to return to my alma mater as a coach and to start this new chapter in my life,” Darwitz said. “I have great passion for the game of hockey and look forward to working alongside Brad as he taught me so much as a player. I share his goal of preserving the rich tradition of Gopher hockey and striving to bring additional championships to the U of M. I am fortunate and thankful that the University of Minnesota and USA Hockey are allowing me to grow in the sport both as a player and now as a coach.”

CHA Summer Update

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College Hockey America will operate for the 2008-2009 season, but beyond that is anyone’s guess.

Even interim commissioner Ed McLaughlin doesn’t have all the answers. He has ideas and questions, but nothing concrete.

Yet.

“We’re at the mercy of the NCAA,” said McLaughlin.

After Wayne State eliminated their program at the conclusion of this past season, that left the CHA with just four member teams in Alabama-Huntsville, Bemidji State, Niagara and Robert Morris. The automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament may not be automatic for the 2009 CHA Tournament champion and that is one of many situations McLaughlin thinks will ultimately hurt the CHA in the short-term.

“I think it would be hard to tell a recruit that they may never have the opportunity to play in the (NCAA) tournament,” said McLaughlin, also Niagara’s director of athletics. “But I know that we can’t exist past this season as a four-team league. We can’t go forward as we are.”

The CHA has long been looked upon as a “pseudo league” in the realm of college hockey circles since its inception in 1999. Teams have come and gone and in the past five years, Air Force (left for Atlantic Hockey) and Findlay (folded) have joined WSU in exiting the conference. The only new school to join was Robert Morris prior to the 2004-2005 season.

Heck, even Myles Brand is aware of the CHA’s recipe for potential disaster. McLaughlin attended the Division I Commissioner’s Meeting earlier this summer in Indianapolis and the topic of the CHA came up.

“Dr. Brand had a lot of insight into not only the CHA, but college hockey in general,” said McLaughlin, named the interim commissioner June 30 when Bob Peters retired. “He’s extremely intelligent and knows all of our issues.”

One of those issues — winning hockey games.

Though the CHA has a sub-.500 record against nonconference opponents all-time, member schools have put up decent showings at the NCAA Tournament, if just one win has come of it since Niagara’s epic upset of New Hampshire in 2000. The NCAA stage is when the league gets its biggest exposure and one way the league can show it still has validity.

“Just win,” said McLaughlin when asked how to make nonconference teams not take CHA teams for granted. “I’m not being glib here, but we need to win more games as a conference and win in the tournament. We can beat each other up during the regular season, but the NCAA is when it matters most.

“Maybe in 2007 if Huntsville beats Notre Dame and Niagara beats Michigan in March (2008), it puts us in a bigger spotlight. The league needs to win when it counts.”

But with those lack of wins comes the question as to whether or not the CHA should exist. McLaughlin didn’t hold back, but does have hope for the future.

“There is uncertainty when it comes to the CHA and its future,” McLaughlin said. “In the past 20 years, college hockey has lost 10 teams (see list below). That’s one team gone every two years. That’s not good when you consider we only have 58 teams to begin with. A lot of factors figure into what will happen to the CHA. If having a four-team CHA is not viable, then we need to find homes for everybody. It’s easy to say that Bemidji goes to the WCHA, Huntsville to the CCHA and Niagara and Robert Morris play out east.

“I’d be upset if the CHA didn’t exist, but for the good of the game, I would hope our four teams would be able to keep playing. Some place.”

Defunct D-I Men’s Programs Since 1988

Fairfield (1974-2003)
Findlay (1996-2004)
Illinois-Chicago (1966-1996)
Iona (1967-2003)
Kent State (1986-1994)
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (1947-2003)
St. Bonaventure (1987-1993)
Scranton (1947-2005)
U.S. International (1979-1988)
Villanova (1929-1998)
Wayne State (1999-2008)

CHA Summer News & Notes

Niagara head coach Dave Burkholder signed a contract extension, but years and terms were not disclosed by the university…Former NU forward Tim Madsen (2004-2008) was named an assistant coach with the St. Louis Bandits of the North American Hockey League. Concussions kept him sidelined the bulk of the past two seasons…RMU redshirt freshman defenseman Rafael Rodriguez played on the U.S. National InLine Team that took fourth place at the International Ice Hockey Federation InLine World Championship in Slovakia on June 28…Alabama-Huntsville will play Tennessee’s club team in an exhibition game Oct. 24 in Huntsville. Both were former members of the old Southern Collegiate Hockey Association…It’s not official yet, but word is that Bemidji State will host the CHA Tournament next March…Three now ex-WSU players (senior defenseman Matt Krug, sophomore forward Chris Kushneriuk and sophomore defenseman Brock Meadows) officially signed with Robert Morris…Nearly 200 alumni and friends of the Bemidji State program participated in the 2008 Galen Nagle Memorial Golf Tournament July 25 at the Bemidji Town and Country Club…Bemidji State sophomore forward and 2008 CHA Rookie of the Year Matt Read participated in the Boston Bruins development camp last month, Krug was invited to the prospect camp of the Washington Capitals, NU senior goalie Juliano Pagliero went to the Ottawa Senators’ camp and 2008 Niagara grad Scott Langdon wound up at Toronto Maple Leafs camp…Beavers senior forward Travis Winter was named captain for next season.

Warriors Moving On For ’08-09

Many players from last season’s Wayne State squad have made plans to transfer for the 2008-09 season and will not have to sit a year.

Ryan Adams, D, Bemidji State University (CHA)
Brett Bothwell, G, Union College (ECAC)
Jeff Caister, D, St. Lawrence University (ECAC)
Kyle Funkenhauser, G, Oswego State (SUNYAC)
Jordan Inglis, F, University of British Columbia (Canada West)
Jared Katz, F, Western Michigan University (CCHA)
Matt Krug, D, Robert Morris University (CHA)
Chris Kushneriuk, F, Robert Morris University (CHA)
Brock Meadows, D, Robert Morris University (CHA)
Derek Punches, F, Cornell University (ECAC)
Kyle Richardson, F, Wentworth College (ECAC Northeast)
Eric Roman, D, Adrian College (MCHA)
Tyler Ruel, F, University of British Columbia (Canada West)

Syracuse Women Complete Staff for Inaugural Season

USCHO Staff Report
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse University head coach Paul Flanagan has taken another step in building the Orange women’s ice hockey program, naming his coaching staff on Thursday. Graham Thomas a former professional player, and Erin O’Brien a two-time All-American at Plattsburgh State, will serve as assistant coaches, working with all phases of the program.

“I’m very excited to have Graham and Erin join our staff,” Flanagan said. “Graham’s experience as a former player and his background in strength and conditioning will certainly benefit the program. He has a wealth of knowledge, having worked at every level of hockey, and a great enthusiasm for the game. Erin is a perfect fit for our program because of her NCAA playing experience and her coaching experience. She will make an immediate impact on our program and will be a role model for our student-athletes.”

Thomas was the head coach and operations manager for the SAIT Trojans women’s hockey program in 2007 where he led the squad to a 26-8-2 record and a tie for first place in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference. In addition, Thomas served as the head coach of the Hockey Alberta Program of Excellence Under-16 team in the spring of 2007. He has also served as an assistant coach for the South West Athletic Association — Midget AAA squad and as the video coach for the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League. Since 2007, Thomas has been a member of the National Sports Academy, Calgary, Alberta staff, where he served as a coach and classroom instructor, a strength and conditioning specialist and a video analysis coach. Thomas played for the Mannheim Jung Adler, a professional team in Germany, from 1998-99, and the Drayton Valley Thunder from 1997-98. Thomas earned his bachelor’s degree in applied business entrepreneurship from Mount Royal College. He is a certified personal trainer by the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

O’Brien has served as an assistant coach at Plattsburgh State for the past three seasons, helping the Cardinals win the 2007 and 2008 NCAA Division III national championships. She was involved in administrative aspects of the program, including recruiting, scouting opponents, video analysis and monitoring student-athlete academic progress. In addition, O’Brien served as an instructor in the Sport and Wellness Department. She has also served as a counselor at several camps. A 2005 graduate of Plattsburgh, O’Brien earned first-team All-America honors as senior after leading the Cardinals to the national semifinals. She was an All-America Second Team honoree as a junior and a four-time All-ECAC West First Team selection. O’Brien earned her bachelor’s degree in childhood education. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in education.

The Syracuse women’s ice hockey program makes its debut this fall when it plays its inaugural season in 2008-09.

Draft Wrap

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So final thoughts from the 2008 NHL Entry Draft:

College hockey still made out well

As bad as the opening round of the Draft might have been for collegians, the final six rounds certainly proved to be fruitful.

In all, 62 players who are either currently enrolled in college or will be making their way there in the next year or two are now NHL property. Breaking it down by league, it’s no surprise that the WCHA led the way with 22 selections. After that, Hockey East and the CCHA were tied with 15 draft picks each. The ECAC had just 10 players selected, and most of those came over the final three rounds.

The ultimate class from Tampa

Tampa Bay will be most remembered at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft for selecting standout Steven Stamkos with the number one overall pick. However, in the minds of many, including this writer, that’s not the best reason to remember the Lightning’s trip to Ottawa.

With things just about wrapped up, the Lightning decided to sacrifice its final draft pick to pay tribute. David Carle, who had committed to play in Denver next fall, found out just before the Draft that he had a heart condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, that would end his hockey career. The condition, similar to that which took the lives of former Loyola Marymount basketball player Hank Gathers and Boston Celtic Reggie Lewis, was found during the NHL Combine. The Combine tests the physical agility of top prospects prior to each year’s Draft.

Carle’s agent let all NHL teams know that, despite being ranked 60th among North American skaters for this year’s Draft, he would withdraw his name from consideration. Still, the Lightning chose to pay tribute to Carle’s far too short career, selecting him with their final pick in the seventh round of Saturday’s draft.

Lighting GM Jay Feaster told NHL.com that the pick was the idea of new Lightning owner Oren Koules.

“He had some discussions with some people, but he came and asked us if we would make that pick. He said the young man worked his whole life to be in a position to be drafted today. He wanted us to make the pick and that’s why we did it.”

To say the move is classy would be an understatement.

Habs continue to turn to Americans

Not so wonderful flight scheduling on the way home yielded a connection flight through Montreal’s Trudeau airport that included a three-hour layover. Though probably the worst way to end a tiring trip, it did produce the opportunity to speak to some of the locals about their thoughts on how the Canadiens did in this year’s Draft.

The consistent question that came up was why is Montreal focusing so much of its Draft resources on American prospects.

Remember, Montreal is the oldest and richest NHL franchise in terms of tradition. They’re also the most successful all-time and for a very long time, the club never ventured much past the Quebec border for its players, and virtually ignored the U.S.

However, for the past three years, the Habs have spent their top Draft picks on Americans. This year, after trading away its first round pick, Montreal took American Danny Cristo, a U.S. National Team Develop Program player who won’t matriculate at North Dakota until 2009.

A year ago, Montreal picked up two Americans with two first-round selections: Ryan McDonagh, who plays at Wisconsin, and Michigan’s Max Pacioretty. The Canadiens also selected Minnesota’s David Fischer in the first round in 2006.

It would be surprising to see this trend continue in 2009, as the Canadiens will play host to next year’s Draft. One can only imagine how the Bell Centre crowd would react should the blue, blanc et rouge turn to another Yankee. Another American-Canadian war could result.

“We’re having some issues, Ottawa”

I wrote on Saturday about the wireless Internet issues that plagued this year’s Draft. It seemed fitting that these problems remained prominent all the way until the final pick.

As Detroit attempted to make their final selection, the 211th overall, it was clear standing beside the table that the team was having issues. NHL Vice President Jim Gregory stood at the podium asking Detroit to submit its pick. Said Gregory, “This kind of doesn’t matter at the point but please pick or take a timeout, Detroit.”

The silence from the Detroit table was deafening.

Indeed there was little that either Detroit or Gregory could do, as the computer system, every time the Wings picked, kept spitting an error message back. With every eye on the Red Wings table, things finally worked, but only after a good eight minute delay. At 2:06 PM ET, the 2008 NHL Entry Draft finally wrapped up.

USCHO Staff Report
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Dave Flint has been named head coach of the Northeastern University women’s ice hockey team, Athletics Director Peter Roby announced on Monday, June 23, 2008. Flint most recently was the head women’s ice hockey coach at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., and is the current goaltending coach for all the women’s elite and national teams for USA Hockey. Flint becomes the sixth head coach in Northeastern women’s ice hockey’s 28-year history.

“Dave brings a great deal of collegiate women’s ice hockey and US National team experience to our program,” Roby said. “We are thrilled to have someone with his talent and experience leading Northeastern women’s ice hockey. Dave is a proven winner and educator who will fit into the culture of the athletic department very well.”

Flint spent five years as head coach at St. Anselm, compiling a dominating 88-15-2 (.848) record. Flint arrived at St. Anselm in 2003 to take over a club team making the transition to varsity status, and he made it into an immediate winner. In their four seasons as a varsity team under Flint, the Hawks have won two ECAC East regular season championships and three ECAC Open Tournament championships. Flint has also been recognized as ECAC East Coach of the Year and a finalist for National Coach of the Year three consecutive seasons from 2006-08. St. Anselm’s women’s hockey program is non-scholarship and competes in Division III, but as a result of the school’s status as a Division II institution, Flint’s teams were ineligible to compete in the ECAC East Tournament and NCAA Division III Tournament.

Flint’s teams have been known for their defense. The Hawks led the nation in scoring defense in three of their four seasons under him. In each of the last two seasons, the Hawks have led the nation in both scoring offense and scoring defense. Most recently, during the 2007-08 season, Flint led St. Anselm to a 23-2-1 record while his team averaged 4.46 goals a game and held opponents to a miniscule 0.92 goals per game. He also boasted the ECAC East Player of the Year and Goalie of the Year, as well as two American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) second-team All-Americans. In his four seasons, Flint has produced three ECAC East Players of the Year, two ECAC East Rookies of the Year, one ECAC East Goalie of the Year, one AHCA first-team All-American and three AHCA second-team All-Americans.

“I am honored to have been chosen to lead a program rich in history at such a great university,” Flint said. “I believe that with what Northeastern University offers, academically and athletically, combined with its location in Boston, I can help bring the program back to national prominence.”

Flint has been a member of the USA Hockey staff since 2005, and in 2008, he was appointed the goaltending coach and advisor for the Women’s National Program, evaluating and instructing goaltenders at all levels, including the national team that will compete at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada.

With Flint as the goaltending coach this season, Team USA won the 2008 World Championships in Harbin, China. Under his guidance, Team USA goalies posted a 1.58 goals against average in the tournament to claim the gold medal. Flint will continue his role at USA Hockey, serving as an assistant coach to the U.S. Select Team that will participate in the Four Nations Cup later this year.

Before his success with the women’s hockey program, Flint served as assistant coach of the St. Anselm men’s ice hockey team for seven seasons. During his tenure, Flint was responsible for recruiting and coordinating the team’s defense and goaltending. The Hawks won back-to-back ECAC Division II Championships from 2000-01. A certified athletic trainer and strength & conditioning specialist, Flint was also the assistant athletic trainer at St. Anselm.

Since 1999, Flint has also worked at the Superskills Training Center in Tewksbury, Mass., as the director of off-ice conditioning and assistant to the director of on-ice instruction. At Superskills, Flint instructs and trains both collegiate and professional goaltenders, including NHL goalies Peter Skudra, Andrew Raycroft and Scott Clemmensen.

A 1993 graduate of North Adams State College (now the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts), Flint received his bachelor’s degree in Biology with a concentration in Sports Medicine. Flint was a four-year goaltender on the varsity men’s ice hockey team at North Adams State and was named the team’s MVP as a senior. He and his wife, Alison, have two children, Paige and Tate.

NHL Draft 2008

USCHO Staff Report
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June 20

OTTAWA, Ont. — The following college players or recruits were chosen in the National Hockey League’s 2008 entry draft:

(I) = Incoming Recruit
(*) = No Longer With Team


Round One


Pick  NHL Team               Name, Pos                  School (Conference)
   7  Nashville              Colin Wilson, F            Boston University (HEA)
  16  Boston                 Joe Colborne, F (I)        Denver (WCHA)
  17  Anaheim                Jake Gardiner, D (I)       Wisconsin (WCHA)
  29  Atlanta                Daultan Leveille, F (I)    Michigan State (CCHA)

Round Two


Pick  NHL Team               Name, Pos                  School (Conference)
  36  New York Islanders     Corey Trivino, F (I)       Boston University (HEA)
  37  Columbus               Cody Goloubef, D           Wisconsin (WCHA)
  40  New York Islanders     Aaron Ness, D (I)          Minnesota (WCHA)
  42  Ottawa                 Patrick Wiercioch, D (I)   Wisconsin (WCHA)
  43  Anaheim                Justin Schultz, D (I '09)  Wisconsin (WCHA)
  45  Carolina               Zac Dalpe, F (I)           Ohio State (CCHA)
  51  New York Rangers       Derek Stepan, F (I)        Wisconsin (WCHA)
  52  New Jersey             Brandon Burlon, D (I)      Michigan (CCHA)
  56  Montreal               Danny Kristo, F (I '09)    North Dakota (WCHA)
  60  Toronto                Jimmy Hayes, F (I)         Boston College (HEA)

Round Three


Pick  NHL Team               Name, Pos                  School (Conference)
  62  San Jose               Justin Daniels, F (I '09)  Northeastern (HEA)
  63  Los Angeles            Robbie Czarnik, F (I)      Michigan (CCHA)
  66  New York Islanders     David Toews, F (I)         North Dakota (WCHA)
  81  Buffalo                Cory Fienhage, D (I)       North Dakota (WCHA)
  86  Montreal               Steve Qualier, F (I)       Northeastern (HEA)
  89  Dallas                 Scott Winkler, F (I '09)   Colorado College (WCHA)
  91  Detroit                Max Nicastro, D (I '09)    Boston University (HEA)

Round Four


Pick  NHL Team               Name, Pos                  School (Conference)
  94  Atlanta                Vinny Saponari, F (I)      Boston University (HEA)
  95  St. Louis              David Warsofsky, D (I)     Boston University (HEA)
  96  New York Islanders     Matt Donovan, D (I '09)    Denver (WCHA)
 101  Buffalo                Justin Jokinen, F (I)      Minnesota State (WCHA)
 106  Calgary                Nicholas Larson, F (I '09) Notre Dame (CCHA)
 113  Anaheim                Ryan Hegarty, D (I)        Maine (HEA)
 115  Minnesota              Sean Lorenz, D (I)         Notre Dame (CCHA)
 118  Columbus               Drew Olson, D (I '09)      Minn.-Duluth (WCHA)
 119  Ottawa                 Derek Grant, F (I '09)     Michigan State (CCHA)
 121  Detroit                Gustav Nyquist, F (I)      Maine (HEA)

Round Five


Pick  NHL Team               Name, Pos                  School (Conference)
 128  Toronto                Greg Pateryn, D (I)        Michigan (CCHA)
 136  Nashville              Taylor Stefishen, F (I)    Ohio State (CCHA)
 139  Ottawa                 Mark Borowiecki, D (I)     Clarkson (ECAC)
 140  Colorado               Mark Olver, F              Northern Michigan (CCHA)
 151  Detroit                Julien Cayer, F (I)        Clarkson (ECAC)

Round Six


Pick  NHL Team               Name, Pos                  School (Conference)
 157  Columbus               Cam Atkinson, F (I)        Boston College (HEA)
 158  Toronto                Grant Rollheiser, G (I)    Boston University (HEA)
 159  Phoenix                Brett Hextall, F (I)       North Dakota (WCHA)
 160  Tampa Bay              Luke Witkoswki, D (I '09)  Western Michigan (CCHA)
 166  Nashville              Jeff Foss, D               Rensselaer (ECAC)
 169  Chicago                Ben Smith, F               Boston College (HEA)
 172  New Jersey             David Wohlberg, F (I)      Michigan (CCHA)
 173  Boston                 Nick Tremblay, F (I)       Clarkson (ECAC)
 174  Washington             Greg Burke, F (I '09)      New Hampshire (HEA)
 177  San Jose               Tommy Wingels, F           Miami (CCHA)       
 179  Chicago                Braden Birch, D (I)        Cornell (ECAC)

Round Seven


Pick  NHL Team               Name, Pos                  School (Conference)
 183  Los Angeles            Garrett Roe, F             St. Cloud State (WCHA)
 184  Atlanta                Zach Redmond, D            Ferris State (CCHA)
 185  St. Louis              Paul Karpowich, G (I)      Clarkson (ECAC)
 187  Columbus               Sean Collins, F (I)        Cornell (ECAC)
 188  Toronto                Andrew MacWilliam, D (I)   North Dakota (WCHA)
 190  Florida                Matt Bartkowski, D (I)     Ohio State (CCHA)
 192  Chicago                Joe Gleason, D (I)         North Dakota (WCHA)
 194  San Jose               Drew Daniels, F (I '09)    Northeastern (HEA)
 197  Boston                 Mark Goggin, F (I '09)     Dartmouth (ECAC)
 200  Colorado               Nathan Condon, F (I '09)   Minnesota (WCHA)
 203  Tampa Bay              David Carle, D (I *)       Denver (WCHA)
 206  Montreal               Patrick Johnson, F         Wisconsin (WCHA)
 208  Anaheim                Nick Pryor, D (I '09)      Wisconsin (WCHA)
 209  Dallas                 Mike Bergin, D (I)         Rensselaer (ECAC)
 210  Pittsburgh             Nick D'Agostino, D (I '09) Cornell (ECAC)

Draft Notebook: Round One

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To say that Colin Wilson was excited when he was selected seventh overall in Friday’s opening round of the NHL Entry Draft is probably an understatement. But it was possible that it was later in the first round when Wilson really got excited.

Nashville selected Wilson with the seventh pick but also had a second opening-round selection to make, the 17th overall pick after trading the 15th pick with host city Ottawa. The Predators decided to take goaltender Chet Pickard from Tri-City in the WHL.

Pickard just happens to be Wilson’s best friend from his childhood growing up in Winnipeg; the pair have played together since they were nine years old, competed against one another at rival high schools and even were there to console one another when both were cut from a travel team at age 14 (any chance that coach is scratching his head after cutting two first-round draft picks?)

“I’m so excited,” said Wilson about heading to Nashville with Pickard. “We both have the same personalities. We were sitting at an NHLPA meeting this morning and things that no one else was laughing at, we were dying laughing. We just were feeding off of one another. So right now, when I heard his name was called, I ran out [to the draft floor] to give him a hug.”

Trade Winds Blow Over Opening Round

Before the first pick was ever made on Friday evening, there were plenty of trade rumors going around Scotiabank Place. By the time the opening round ended, the trade winds had turned to a full-scale tropical storm.

A total of 13 trades were made during Friday’s first round, many by teams jockeying for the exact slot needed to obtain the player they most desired in a talent-heavy field. Four trades involved actual players and two will impact the careers of two college hockey standouts.

Former Michigan Wolverine Mike Cammalleri was part of a of a three-way trade deal that opened the Draft as he was shipped to Calgary. The Flames gave their first-round selection (17th overall) to the Los Angeles Kings, who then sent that pick and the 28th overall pick to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for the 12th pick overall.

Former Ohio State Buckeye R.J. Umberger will be heading back to Columbus as the Blue Jackets picked him up in deal that sent Umberger and a late-round draft choice to Philadelphia in exchange for the Blue Jackets’ first- and third-round picks (19th and 67th overall).

It took little time for the Blue Jackets to play up Umberger’s OSU connections. Within hours of the deal, the Blue Jackets’ website opened to a page announcing Umberger’s return to Columbus, accompanying an ad for ticket sales.

When In Rome …

If anyone has concerns as to how well Wilson will fit into Nashville’s scene, he answered that question emphatically on Friday.

“I love country music, actually,” said Wilson, demonstrating that he’ll adjust just fine to the home of country music and the Grand Ole Opry. “I listen to a variety of music, but I generally still go with Johnny Cash, Tim McGraw and Garth Brooks. Maybe that will help out the fans liking me a bit.”

Marketing to Best

After winning the NHL Draft Lottery and retaining the top overall selection, the marketing gurus of the Tampa Bay Lightning launched a brilliant campaign to promote consensus number-one Steven Stamkos.

The campaign pasted bulletin boards, print ads and bumper stickers around town with a simple question: “Seen Stamkos?”

The campaign pointed interested onlookers to a website that listed biographical information, expert analysis and even a video clip of one of the most impressive goals ever scored, a behind-the-back, two-handed backhander that Stamkos scored during the OHL All-Star skills competition this past season.

Tampa fans won’t have to wait long to get a glimpse at Stamkos. He’s expected to step right into the lineup in Tampa Bay next season.

Timing is Everything

American-born Thomas McCollum, who plays for Guelph of the OHL, must feel like he has pretty decent timing considering how Friday’s first round proceeded.

McCollum was the top-ranked North American-born goaltender heading into the Draft; thought by many to be a top 15 pick, McCollum was still waiting to hear his name called as the Detroit Red Wings made the final selection of the evening.

McCollum had to stomach watching Pickard, the number two-ranked goaltender, selected before him and worried that after everything was said and done, he’d be heading home for yet another sleepless night wondering what his hockey fate would be.

The Stanley Cup champion Red Wings, though, put McCollum at ease, selecting him with the 30th and final pick of the opening round, allowing the 18-year-old to breathe a sigh of relief.

“It takes a load off my mind tonight,” said McCollum. “You start to wonder after a while if anyone is going to call your name, but my patience paid off. Hopefully this works out well.”

NCAA Well Represented In Second, Third Rounds

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The world order of college hockey was partially restored on Saturday morning when the second round of the NHL Entry Draft kicked off at Scotiabank Place, just outside of Ottawa.

One day after just four collegians were selected in the opening round of the NHL Draft, down from 11 last season, nine college or college-bound players became NHL property in Saturday’s second round.

Wisconsin was the most prominently represented college team Saturday. A day after incoming Badgers’ freshman Jake Gardiner was taken 17th overall, three more Badgers’ players heard their names called in Saturday’s second round, including current Badger Cody Goloubef, as well as incoming recruits Patrick Wiercioch and Justin Schultz. Goloubef was selected 37th overall by Colorado, while Wiercioch went 42nd to host city Ottawa and Schultz was grabbed a pick later at 43 by Anaheim.

Wiercioch said that being selected by the host city certainly made his trip north of the border all the more special.

“Ottawa was already memorable just for coming here for the first time,” said Wiercioch. “This just makes it so much more so.”

Boston University recruit Corey Trivino, who played last season for Stouffville of the Ontario Provincial league, was the top collegian picked on Saturday, heading to the New York Islanders with the 36th overall selection.

Trivino said he looked forward to the chance to play with Colin Wilson, the top overall collegian selected in the draft, picked seventh overall on Friday by Nashville. When told Wilson may not return, Trivino said that he would love to change his mind.

“I’d love to convince him to stay [at Boston University],” said Trivino. “He’d be a great addition to next year’s team.”

Minnesota freshman-to-be Aaron Ness was picked by New York Islanders’ General Manager Garth Snow, despite Snow publicly criticizing Gophers’ coach Don Lucia for what he deemed an inability to properly develop players at the college level. Snow may have seemingly put those ill feelings behind, picking Ness at 40.

Others taken in Saturday’s second round included Zac Dalpe, who was the subject of rumors earlier this week that he may not head to Ohio State as planned next season and instead head to Major Junior. Dalpe confirmed on Saturday that he plans to honor his commitment and head to Columbus next year. He was picked 45th overall by Carolina.

North Dakota incoming freshman Danny Kristo, who played last season for the U.S. National Team Development Program, was the 56th overall selection of Montreal, and Boston College recruit Jimmy Hayes rounded out the second round collegiate selections, heading to Toronto with the 60th pick overall.

Hayes admitted that he was hoping to be selected higher, but didn’t feel he had the best season last year and that may have played a part in his stock dropping.

“I didn’t have the season I wanted to have,” said Hayes. “I was a pretty high prospect. I still think I’m a pretty high prospect, but I’m glad to have been able to end up with the Maple Leafs.

“I was a Boston Bruins fan growing up; now I’m a Maple Leafs fan.”

Seven additional players with college ties were selected in the Draft’s third round. All are incoming recruits at their respective schools. They include: Justin Daniels (Northeastern, 62nd overall to San Jose), Robert Czarnik (Michigan, 63rd overall to Los Angeles), David Toews (North Dakota, 66th overall to New York Islanders), Corey Fienhage (North Dakota, 81st overall to Buffalo), Steve Qualier (Northeastern, 86th overall, Montreal), Scott Winkler (Colorado College incoming for 2009, 89th overall to Dallas) and Max Nicastro (Boston University, 91st overall to Detroit).

A complete list of draft selections with college ties can be found by clicking here.

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