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2008-09 Elmira Season Preview

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The Elmira Soaring Eagles have had all summer to dwell on the old cliché “You’re only as good as your last game.”

Elmira was up 2-0 just five minutes into its NCAA semi-final game in Lake Placid last March, only to watch as Plattsburgh skated circles around them as the Cardinals eventually won 6-3.

“When we hit the ice against Plattsburgh, they were a much better skating team than us,” said Elmira coach Tim Ceglarski. “We lacked some depth at the skilled forward position. I think we’ve addressed that and are a faster team now. We have some more depth up front.”

Increasing team speed was obviously a goal this off season, but Elmira also had to replace a bunch of skilled veterans. The Soaring Eagles lost a group of seniors that provided outstanding leadership to the team, but they also will miss the contributions of Nicolas Dumoulin who graduated a year early after leading Elmira’s defense for the last three years.

“In the sense that we had six seniors that contributed, it is a little bit younger of a team,” said Ceglarski. “I think we addressed some areas that needed to be addressed based on our last game against Plattsburgh.”

Leading the freshman class in the skill category is expected to be Darcy Vaillancourt and Rick Acorn. Both averaged just shy of a goal a game last year in juniors.

“We’re looking at those two guys to step in and adds some depth up front,” said Ceglarski.

But it’s not just offense that Elmira will be looking for from its freshmen. Play in the neutral zone and in their own defensive end are also key areas.

“Brandon Sanders is a sound two way player who will remind folks of Jason Silverthorn (’99-’03) when he played here,” said Ceglarski. “He will be killing penalties, will be on the power play and contribute offensively as well.”

Amongst the new blueliners, Brock Sawyer has jumped to the top of the heap during the preseason workouts.

“He is a very sound two way defenseman who can contribute offensively and has opened a lot of eyes on our team during the first two weeks,” said Celgarski.

It’s not just the newbies who will be called on this season to make Elmira successful. From junior goaltender Casey Tuttle to sophomore defender Karl Linden through junior forward Rusty Masters, the veteran Soaring Eagles will need to gel with the freshmen early to get out to a quick start.

Elmira faces a very difficult start to the season with home-and-home games against Oswego and an away game to help open Plattsburgh’s newly renovated rink.

“Every year, we have the most difficult schedule in the country and this year won’t be any different,” said Ceglarski. “Maybe that’s why down the stretch we play well and get into the national tournament. Combine those games with a ridiculously difficult league schedule, it makes us a better hockey team.

“How well we’re going to be prepared to go to Plattsburgh and the opening of their newly renovated building? I appreciate Bobby Emery bringing the lamb up to the slaughter. I’m not sure how that’s going to go, but our guys are anxious to play that game.”

The Soaring Eagles would like nothing more than to ruin Plattsburgh’s party and gain a small measure of revenge for last year’s semi-final game.

2008-09 Hobart Season Preview

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When you think of Hobart hockey players, two factors usually come to mind: character and role players. Statesmen head coach Mark Taylor is known for recruiting players that are good, all-around kids that each fits a specific place in the puzzle.

Shawn Houde, who graduated from Hobart last spring, was perhaps the epitome of the Hobart hockey player both on and off the ice. Replacing Houde will not be easy for coach Taylor this season.

“Shawn Houde is a big loss in the sense that he was the first sole captain I’ve had here during my time,” said Taylor. “He was a complete player on the ice in terms of being a power play guy, a shorthanded goal guy, and used in every situation. He was a lot of the glue off the ice too. He is a big loss from that side.”

“The part I’ve been grateful for is I’ve had great leadership year after year,” continued Taylor. “There is always someone stepping in from one year to the next to really run the show. I’m confident he’s handed that off to someone else.”

Coach Taylor is back to having a pair of captains this year with Ryan Adler and Andy Brennan.

Inside the Statesmen zone, defense and goaltending are not a worry for Hobart this year. The Statesmen return their entire corps of defensemen which were third in the league last year in team defense. Also returning in senior goaltender Keith Longo, who will see the majority of time in net.

Hobart brought in a pair of freshmen goaltenders to spell Longo when needed throughout the season.

“Keith Longo is the guy coming back,” said Taylor. “It is everyone’s expectations that Longo is going to be the guy. We’ve got Terje Larsson from Sweden and Colin Saltiel as freshmen goaltenders who are going to have to prove that they can get it done this year, challenge and spot Keith in any way. At least we need someone to spot him so he stays fresh and they will have the opportunity to prove that they are ready to take over that spot that has been a real plus for us.”

The largest number of changes come up front this season, as four freshmen forwards with a decidedly ethnic flare join the ranks of the Statesmen. Greg Ciciola, Anthony Scarpino, Rick Longobardi, and Nick Stefinelli all join Hobart this year.

“Everybody’s laughing because it is Little Italy,” said coach Taylor. “I went over to Italy with my family on vacation but some guys were joking that I was recruiting over there. The freshmen guys are looking good. I think we have a pretty balanced group up front.”

After making it back to the NCAA tournament last season, Hobart is looking to build on its success this coming year.

“To do all the things we’ve been known to do is always a challenge,” said Taylor. “We play a very workman type game, attention to detail, and all those things you have to do. Even if you are a talented team, that is always your biggest challenge.

“To do all the little things you have to do to have success that separate the winning and losing the tight game. Last year was our most consistent year, not just having a good year but in the sense that I didn’t grade any game less than a B- as a team. That is a nice feeling and the goal. What got us in the NCAA was how consistent we were all year.”

2008-09 Utica Season Preview

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The calendar may have turned to the next season in Utica but it is more of the same for the Pioneers. The fans that pack the Aud, leading the nation in attendance for the past two years, like their hockey fast and physical. The fans should love this year’s class of 11 freshman, half of which are six feet or over.

“We lost a lot of quality in our lineup, guys who played key roles for us over four years, so we needed to bring in a large class to replace that quality,” said Utica coach Gary Heenan. “We’re a young team, playing a lot of youth, and it will be a big challenge of ours to gel as quickly as we can.”

Utica lost a third of its scoring from last season, including Joe Watson who tallied 12 goals last year for the Pioneers. Adding to Utica’s woes are lingering injuries to two players, one returnee and one newbie.

Colin Kingston seriously broke his wrist in the final regular season game against Lebanon Valley last season and is still recovering from surgery.
Freshman Russell Anderson, who scored 20 goals last year in juniors, is recovering from shoulder surgery and isn’t expected to take the ice for the Pioneers until after the holidays.

“That’s our leading scorer in Kingston and a freshman we were bringing in to score out, so we are two men short already,” said Heenan. “Early on, we’re going to have to play stellar defense because we are young and are banged up already.”

All isn’t lost for the Pioneers, though, as Utica brought in a deep class of youngsters to fill the ranks.

Three of the highlights are Mike Leone, Tim Coffman, and Jake Coyle.
“Mike Leone is a skilled forward and won two championships in the North American Hockey league,” said Heenan. “Tim Coffman was the Atlantic Junior Hockey league MVP last year and is another skilled forward. Jake Coyle was a leading scorer for his junior team.”

Coach Heenan and his assistants even went out of their usual recruiting grounds to snag a prep school player.

“We also took a prep school kid, which is unusual for us,” continued Heenan. “It isn’t a prime recruiting ground for us, but we got a call and pursued it. Brian Gibbons was an all star in Division II prep school and will play significant time for us.”

Helping Utica this year is perhaps the most favorable schedule in all of college hockey. Including their exhibition game, 18 of the Pioneers 26 games this season are in the friendly confines of the Aud.

“We’ve been talking about it as a club,” said Heenan. “We’re setup with our number of home games and then the league schedule flip-flopped to our favor this year. It’s up to us to take advantage of that. We let a couple of home games go early last year that just shot us in the foot to get into the national picture. It’s going to be our challenge to focus every game.”

If Utica can gel as a team, and score some goals, the Pioneers should be able to move up the standings quickly this season.

Seeing Red…and Reconsidered Casting

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When I changed jobs earlier this year, one thing I resolved to do was take more time to enjoy my trips up to Dartmouth for Homecoming. I’ve made it up to Hanover every year since I graduated, but because the weekend is before the Ivy League schools start hockey season, I’ve always found myself running all over northern New England to catch a game at New Hampshire, Vermont, UMass, Northeastern, etc, to see whoever happened to be in town.

So this year, I took a couple of days off from work, drove up to Hanover on Thursday. I spent some time visiting old professors and hanging out at my old fraternity. I played with the marching band in the Dartmouth Night parade and at the bonfire, then danced at my fraternity’s traditional “Early 80s” party (in a 1980 replica Mike Eruzione jersey, naturally).

And then, after the football game on Saturday afternoon, I drove up to Burlington to see Vermont play Miami.

It’s like “Hotel California:” You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

Seriously, I’m always eager to see teams from the WCHA and CCHA come east – it’s how I saw a lot of them when I was at CSTV, and with Miami coming to Vermont, I had to see this one. Besides, it would give me a chance to look at a couple of guys I’d been curious about for the Hobey Watch.

Miami, of course, had one of the Hobey Hat Trick finalists last year in Ryan Jones, and as they look to replace his production this year, it’s only natural to think that a player that helps do that could find himself in consideration for a Hobey finalist slot of his own.

Carter Camper was a big hit last season with the likes of Dave Starman, Matt McConnell and Adam Zucker from CBS College Sports, who took turns touting the Rocky River, Ohio native on their Hobey Watch ballots. Of course, broadcasters have more than one reason to like Camper, as “Carter Camper” does tend to roll off the tongue a fair bit easier than, say, “Matti Kaaltiainen,” but when a guy is coming off a 41-point freshman season in which he was also a +21 for his team, you have to imagine a shot at the Hobey isn’t out of the question. Meanwhile, fellow RedHawk center Pat Cannone turned heads with a six-point effort against Ohio State in the second game of the season – the first such game at Miami in 21 years – and when a player can put up six points in one night, it’s certainly worth taking a look.

To be honest, I didn’t see much from either player, as neither player put up a point on the evening (although Cannone did deliver a key goal for the RedHawks in the shootout). What I could see is the confidence both players exude with the puck, and how hard they work out on the ice. Even if I didn’t get to see the players put up any impressive numbers, I got a sense of how they do it.

Of course, a lot of their confidence has to do with the fact that they’ve already been called on to deliver early in their college careers. The injuries sustained by Nathan Davis last season deprived the RedHawks of a major scorer, and players like Camper and Cannone, among others were called on to replace that production. Clearly, they did, helping Miami to another NCAA tournament appearance

The other player I wanted to have a look at was Vermont’s Peter Lenes. When I wrote my “Casting Call” blog post last week, I toyed with the idea of listing Lenes as the “understudy” to Ryan Duncan for the “role” of Nathan Gerbe, even though the numbers didn’t merit it, because the image I’ve had of Lenes during his career is similar to the image I’ve had of Gerbe: small and scrappy. I wanted to take a good look at Lenes and see if he had the potential for that kind of a season.

The answer, to my surprise, is that stranger things have happened.

The key element that Gerbe has that Lenes does not is real burning speed. That’s not to say he isn’t fast – at that size, you have to be to be an effective D-I college hockey player – but I saw him get beat to a loose puck in the first period that Gerbe would have been all over.

At the same time, Lenes is off to a great start so far this season. He has six points (2g, 4a) in his first three games, after a goal and an assist against the RedHawks. His assist to get Vermont on the board against Miami on Saturday night came on a beautiful pass to Corey Carlson, giving his classmate a wide open net. Leaping into Carlson’s arms to celebrate the goal was a fun touch, too…and I do have to admit, it reminded me just a bit of Gerbe celebrating with some of his larger BC teammates.

The other thing that struck me about Lenes is the way he’s willing to go to the walls and battle bigger players. He gets out there and wants to hit you, and he seemed perfectly comfortable getting to the front of the net for his power play goal. A 5’6″ forward trying to establish a physical presence…you know, with its French roots, Vermont is kind of the perfect place for a guy with a Napoleonic complex!

If linemate Justin Milo continues his hot start – the Cornell transfer has taken quickly to Kevin Sneddon’s fast-paced, skating-oriented system, with three goals in his first three games, plus a shootout goal against Miami Saturday – Lenes should have plenty more opportunities to pick up points of his own, and while I don’t see him keeping up a two-points-per-game pace very deep into the season, Lenes may well have Hobey finalist numbers in him. Even if he doesn’t, he should be a tremendous amount of fun to watch this season.

Colorado College Takes Over At No. 1 In USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Poll

USCHO Staff Report
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Taking advantage of weekend losses by Boston College and Michigan, Colorado College took over the top position in the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Division I men’s poll, released Monday.

The Tigers swept Michigan Tech to stay perfect on the season, and garnered 39 of 50 first-place votes to climb to No. 1 in the season’s third poll. WCHA neighbor Denver moved up to No. 2 after sweeping Wisconsin, notching five first-place votes in the process.

Boston College, which beat Bowling Green but then lost to Northeastern, slipped to third while retaining three first-place votes, followed by another Hockey East school, New Hampshire. The Wildcats prevailed over Rensselaer and Boston University and took two first-place nods en route to a No. 4 finish this week.

Michigan fell from second to fifth after a split with Northern Michigan, but picked up the remaining first-place selection.

No. 6 was Boston University, which slipped one notch after beating Merrimack before falling to UNH, and Minnesota edged up to seventh with a sweep of St. Cloud State.

Notre Dame held its ground at No. 8 after two wins over Sacred Heart, followed by idle Princeton, which nosed up to No. 9 thanks to a one-point weekend against Vermont that sent the RedHawks down three spots to No. 10.

The Catamounts, fresh off their strong performance against Miami, leaped six places to No. 11, with Michigan State slipping to 12th after a split with Massachusetts-Lowell.

Minnesota State, which split a wild weekend series with North Dakota, climbed to No. 13, trailed by Northeastern, which entered the poll all the way up in 14th by beating Providence and BC over the weekend. SCSU was No. 15, down three places.

North Dakota won its first game of the season but continued its slide in the rankings, down this week to 16th, followed by idle Cornell at No. 17. Rounding out the poll were Northern Michigan, Clarkson — which beat RIT but lost to Niagara and fell five places — and Harvard, which has yet to start the regular season along with most of ECAC Hockey.

Dropping out since last week was Wisconsin.

Déjà Vu

By Nicholas Jon Wood
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Long live the champ! As is customary — though not required nor preordained — the defending national champion was once again honored with the number one spot in the inaugural USCHO.com Division III men’s poll.

The St. Norbert Green Knights, who captured their first national title with a 2-0 victory over Plattsburgh in Lake Placid, received 14 first place votes and 293 points, nine more than the five first place tallies and 282 points than the aforementioned Cardinals.

After a 20-4-5 campaign, the Elmira Soaring Eagles, picked by their conference coaches to win the always-tough ECAC West, landed in the three spot followed by fellow 20-win schools Norwich (23) and St. Thomas (20).

Oswego, who won the title two years ago and was picked by the SUNYAC coaches to finish second, occupied the sixth spot while perennial powerhouse Middlebury finished seventh, up three from the final poll taken on March 10, immediately before the NCAA playoffs began.

Hobart, another ECAC West squad (and recipient of the other two first place votes by the coaches) was tabbed third in their conference and eighth nationally. Finishing second in that same coaches poll was Manhattanville, who filled the ninth position.

And then there is Adrian. Last year’s cause célèbre after failing to land a shot at the national title despite a 26-3-0 record that included MCHA regular and postseason championships and a 20-game winning streak to finish off the season, Adrian fittingly received the other first place vote from the coaches and media.

Three Wisconsin schools — Stout, River Falls, and Superior — nabbed spots 11 through 13 while a big surprise from last year, ECAC East’s Babson, hoping to build on their 17-6-3 campaign, landed in position 14. With the best mascot in D-III, the NESCAC’s Bowdoin Polar Bears round out the nation’s best.

Though failing to crack the top 15, others receiving votes in the inaugural poll were: Hamline (25), Trinity (16), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (16), New England College (13), Colby (11), Potsdam (7), Curry (6), Bethel (5), University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth (4), Amherst (3), Neumann 2, St. Scholastica (2), and one tally each for the Milwaukee School of Engineering and Utica.

This Week in Atlantic Hockey: Oct. 16, 2008

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Travel Hockey

The Atlantic Hockey season opened with most teams traveling long distances to play their first games. Canisius was at Ferris State, RIT traveled to Bowling Green and Western Michigan, Mercyhurst was at St. Cloud, and Air Force flew to Sacred Heart for a pair to kick off the conference schedule.

Connecticut earned the most frequent-flier miles, venturing to Alaska-Anchorage for the Kendall Hockey Classic. Mercyhurst treks even father this weekend when the Lakers will be in Fairbanks for the Alaska Goal Rush tournament.

For UConn coach Bruce Marshall, the trip was a chance for his young team to bond and see what it needs to work on. The Huskies didn’t fare very well, falling to Alaska-Anchorage 6-2 and then to Alaska 5-0.

“It was good to get away and good to get tested,” said Marshall. “For the players it was a realization that our strong finish last season doesn’t automatically mean we’re going to pick up where we left off.”

There were bright spots for the Huskies. Sean Erickson returned after missing half of last season with a concussion, and both UConn’s goals on the weekend came with the man advantage.

“I think that’s as many power-play goals as we scored all last season,” said Marshall. “What were we, something like nine percent last year?

“Having Sean back was a huge plus. It’s like having a new player back there (on defense). He was very strong for us and we missed that.”

UConn has the weekend off before hosting Army on October 24 and 25. “We’re something like 1-7-1 against them in our last nine games,” said Marshall. “They are a hard-working, good-checking team and we’ll have our work cut out for us.

“The things we need to work on (from last weekend) are correctable. The talent was there and the effort was there.”

First Blood

Canisius’ 5-2 win at Ferris State on Friday was the first ever for the Golden Griffins over a “Big Four” team. Dave Smith’s team had two power-play and two shorthanded goals (both by Cory Conacher) in the win, and goaltender Andrew Loewen made 50 saves.

Ferris State came back on Saturday to win by the same score, 5-2.

“We played pretty well both nights,” said Smith. “We had good chances in both games. The difference was that on Friday we converted on our chances.”

Freshman Dave Kostuch scored a goal in his first collegiate game, with another rookie, defenseman Wes Love, picking up an assist in his time in uniform. Freshman Dan Morrison made his first start in net on Saturday, making 39 saves before leaving with an injury late in the third period.

“He’s O.K.,” said Smith of Morrison. “He should be fine. I liked the contributions by our new players. A lot of guys stepped up in a big way.”

Canisius opens league play this weekend with a pair of games at Holy Cross. “There was a high level of play by both teams (at Ferris State), and we have to be ready for that high level of play again,” said Smith.

Weekly Awards

Player of the Week for October 13, 2008:
Brent Olson — Air Force
Olson opened his senior campaign in style, picking up five points to help the Falcons sweep Sacred Heart. Olson had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win on Friday, and had three assists, including one on the overtime game-winner, in a 4-3 victory on Saturday.

Goaltender of the Week for October 13, 2008:
Andrew Loewen — Canisius
The junior made 50 saves, including 21 in the third period, to help the Griffs to a 5-2 win at Ferris State. It was the first win by Canisius over a “Big Four” opponent in school history.

Rookie of the Week for October 13, 2008:
Tyler Brenner — RIT
Brenner’s first collegiate goal was a big one — the game winner five minutes into the third period on Saturday to give the Tigers a 2-1 win at Western Michigan.

Battle of the Brothers

Air Force is running a special promotion for its two-game series against Bemidji this weekend. It’s just $2 to get into each game at Cadet Arena, where the Falcons will raise two banners (AHA title and NCAA tournament), and the games will feature two Serratores. Bothers Frank and Tom Serratore coach Air Force and Bemidji, respectively. Tom has gotten the better of things in their 20 previous meetings, with the Beavers holding an 18-1-1 advantage.

But this is a different Air Force team, which has set school records for wins in its two years in Atlantic Hockey. Last weekend the defending champion Falcons picked up where they left off with a sweep at Sacred Heart. Sophomore Jacques Lamoureux, a transfer from Northern Michigan, looks like a keeper with two goals and two assists in his first action for the Falcons.

Tiger Tales

The RIT Tigers earned a split in their opening weekend, dropping a 4-2 decision at Bowling Green on Friday and earning a 2-1 win at Northern Michigan on Saturday. RIT head coach Wayne Wilson said that goaltender Louis Menard, who got a medical redshirt his freshman season, likely will graduate on time and not return for his fourth year of eligibility next season. Wilson also said he plans to initially split time in net this season between Menard and junior Jared Demichiel, who played sparingly last year.

“In retrospect, I think we should have platooned the guys more last year, but the schedule didn’t always allow for that,” said Wilson. “We’re going to play both of them for the first three weekends, and see where we go from there.”

RIT’s home opener against Clarkson was sold out by Tuesday morning. That won’t be a problem for Saturday, when the Tigers host St. Laurence at Blue Cross Arena, which seats over 11,000. Last season, RIT defeated Cornell at BCA in front of 5,142 fans, an AHA record.

A New Role

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Near the midway point of the 2007-2008 season, the Denver Pioneers traveled to St. Cloud for a pair of games. The Pioneers won the first game by a close 3-2 score. Saturday night looked to be different, and the Huskies held a 2-0 lead late in the game.

However, Rhett Rakhshani was not willing to let Denver lose. Rakhshani, who had just been named to the U.S. National Junior Team, scored three goals in a little over six minutes to pace the Pioneers to a 3-2 victory.

It’s the type of offensive play Pioneers’ coach George Gwozdecky has come to expect from Rakhshani, who was named assistant captain for the 2008-2009 season.

Rhett Rakhshani has taken on a leadership role with the Denver Pioneers. Photo by Candace Horgan.

Rhett Rakhshani has taken on a leadership role with the Denver Pioneers. Photo by Candace Horgan.

“He has extremely quick hands, he’s a terrific playmaker,” said Gwozdecky of the junior-year forward. “He’s able to beat people one-on-one. He’s a very gifted offensive player, and he has really developed an overall game, because we can lean on him and depend on him to play in a lot of defensive situations as well.”

Echoed linemate and roommate Tyler Ruegsegger, who joined Rakhshani on the World Junior team last year, “He can score goals, he can make plays, and he knows where to go and where to be on the ice. He’s a very well-rounded player. I think we see the ice very similarly. We both like to move the puck, whether it’s offensively in the zone or coming out of the zone, we tend to have the same ideas as far as where to go, where to put the puck, and I think you see that in some of our plays, and some of the goals we’ve been a part of. It’s a lot of puck movement, and when you’re with a teammate or linemate who sees the ice similarly, it makes the game a lot easier.”

Rakhshani, a fourth-round pick of the New York Islanders in the 2006 NHL draft, came to college hockey in a different way than many of his teammates. Growing up in Huntington Beach, Calif., hockey certainly wasn’t the in-sport, nor a likely one at the time. Rakhshani was on skates at an early age, like many of his peers. However, he was on Rollerblades instead of ice skates.

“My parents started Rollerblading at the beach with some family members. The pastor of our church would go down there and they were good friends with him so they started to go Rollerblading with him. From there, we met some local neighborhood kids that were playing street hockey at the local elementary school so we hung out with them, and they got me skates and we started playing street hockey, ball hockey, and they finally got into pucks, and it kind of snowballed from there. Our whole family would play outdoor hockey, and from there I wanted to play inline, indoor, more organized hockey, and them from there I started playing club roller hockey, then travel roller hockey, then finally I got into travel ice hockey.”

Rakhshani didn’t start on ice until he was nine, and laughs recalling his first time at an ice clinic, which proved a somewhat rocky transition from Rollerblading.

“I started doing this little clinic called Mite Night. The coach, the first night I got out there, he saw me stickhandling and thought I was going to be good, and he said, Oh, real quick, just go stop at the wall, and I went to stop, and he thought I was going to be with the kids working on hands, and he said, Oh no no, we have to send you to the stopping (laughs). The stopping took a little bit of time, but once I got used to it, it was a pretty easy transition.”

By high school Rakhshani knew he needed to leave California to pursue a college hockey career. Luckily, an opportunity arose to play for the U.S. National Development Team in Ann Arbor, where he spent two seasons.

Besides Denver, Rakhshani looked at Wisconsin and Colorado College. He knew he wanted to play in the WCHA. “I talked to Michigan, Michigan State a little bit, just because we were right there in Ann Arbor for the National Development Team. Some teams from back East talked to me, but I normally told them I wanted to play in the WCHA because I thought it was one of the top leagues and it was closer to home, so once I kind of narrowed it down to that, I was talking to Wisconsin, Colorado College and Denver, but Denver was always the leader to me. Because of the coaching, I always felt most comfortable here on campus. The style of game that the team played was the best fit for me, and closest to home for me. Everything was just perfect.”

Rakhshani came to Denver as part of a large freshman class that was immediately called upon to produce, especially in the wake of the early departures of Paul Stastny and Matt Carle. Rakhshani, like his roommate Ruegsegger, answered the call, racking up 10 goals and 26 assists in his rookie season. He followed that with a 28 point sophomore season and led the team in power-play goals.

“He came from a program that really develops players,” said Gwozdecky. “The United States National Development Program, they do a great job of developing players. They have a very, very competitive schedule. They play against colleges, so he was well-prepared to come in and play and we were hoping he would be an impact player coming in as a freshman and he was.”

Rakhshani has become a more well-rounded player. Photo by Candace Horgan.

Rakhshani has become a more well-rounded player. Photo by Candace Horgan.

For Rakhshani, the biggest adjustment wasn’t hockey, but time management.

“I did play a college schedule in my under-18 year with the U.S. Team, so I had played at that level and at that speed, so that wasn’t as big an adjustment as it was going to school, college atmosphere, socially, stuff like that, trying to manage school and homework and road trips and things such as that, helped me to improve, get to bed earlier and get things done quicker.”

One of the highlights of his first two years in college was when he and Ruegsegger were named to the U.S. World Junior team last season.

“When coach announced in the locker room that we got picked for the team, it was a pretty special day. It’s just cool representing your country and being able to wear the red, white and blue and play against different countries and hear the national anthem after you win your game is pretty special, and to have one of my best friends there with me at the same time, coming from the same school, was really cool.”

For his part, Ruegsegger agrees, saying that playing with one of his best friends on such a big stage was something to remember. “That was a wonderful experience. Obviously we’re teammates here, we’re roommates here, and having the opportunity to play with Rhett on the World Junior team on the same line was something that was very special. Obviously we love playing together and we feel that we have good chemistry together, but just to be out there with him representing your country was very special.”

In the offseason, Rakhshani, who is slight of frame, worked on getting stronger, spending four weeks on strength conditioning with Mike Sanders, the Pioneers’ strength and conditioning coach. “I feel a lot stronger in my new big frame,” he laughs self-deprecatingly. “I’m looking to improve from last year, and consistency is a big one for me. After Worlds, I had a bit of a lull, and just staying physically and emotionally on top of my game is really important for me this year.

As good as last season was, for Rakhshani and his teammates, it ended on a sour note. After winning the Broadmoor Trophy, the Pioneers lost to Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA tournament. While they want to get back, for now, they are concentrating on becoming a team.

“There’s new faces, it’s a completely new offense, a new culture, different leaders, different people stepping up, and you just want to gel and find what type of mold that your team’s going to have with each other,” said Rakhshani.

With the early departure of Chris Butler for the NHL, Rakhshani assumed more of a leadership role, joining Ruegsegger as an assistant captain.

“Obviously anytime you step into a leadership role there’s a little bit of a transition, but I think he’s done a great job,” said Ruegsegger. “He’s really been great with the freshmen, the upperclassmen as well, and he’s a great leader on and off the ice.”

Even without the ‘A’ on his jersey however, Rakhshani was already becoming more of a leader in the locker room.

“We at Denver, everyone has an opportunity to stand up,” said Rakhshani. “Just because you have an ‘A’ or a ‘C’ on your jersey doesn’t mean that you’re the only one allowed to say stuff in the locker room. I’m excited and it’s an honor to have that letter. Just helping out some of the younger guys, and it’s just something that whether I have a letter on my jersey or not, that’s something I do, reaching out and helping them transition.”

Being drafted by an NHL team is not something that many California kids experience, and Rakhshani is excited about the possibility of playing for the Islanders down the line. Though more and more college players seem to leave early for the NHL, at this point Rakhshani says he has no plans beyond playing for Denver.

“As far as right now, they (the Islanders) like where I’m at in my development, and they’ve been very, very professional with me in my development. Basically where they’re at with me now is they want to see me continue to improve, get stronger, and become more of a man. They communicate with me and help me out in any way the can, but they like where I’m at.”

This Week in D-I: Oct. 16, 2008

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Handicapping the Field

Four leagues, four pathways to one goal. Namely the Women’s Frozen Four, set for next April at Boston University.

While two of the leagues can reliably count on an at-large bid or two to get teams into the eight-team NCAA tourney field, the surest route remains winning the league title. And while the preseason favorites bear strong resemblance to last year’s league winners, there’s always room for an upstart to elbow its way into the picture.

ECAC: The first word in the ECAC conversation begins with “H”, as in “Harvard”. Without having played a game, the Crimson have held the third spot in USCHO’s D-I poll in each of the last two weeks. They’ll likely be standing as the league’s top team when the last poll is taken, too.

“It’s not something that concerns us too much,” said Harvard coach Katey Stone. “We always feel as though there’s going to be a target on our backs. Regardless of what the polls say.”

But there is another word floating around the league, one that starts with “p”. As in “parity”.

The feeling throughout the league is that the weaker sisters are catching up to the pack.

“I definitely think it’s becoming a more even league,” said Clarkson’s cohead coach Matt Desrochers. “With some of the coaching changes [Clarkson, Quinnipiac, St. Lawrence, to name three], I think that’s going to bring some fresh air to some of those programs. Hopefully, things will turn out good for the league.”

Stone said she can see a definite narrowing of the gap.

“I think this year,” said Stone, “more than any other, there’s more parity. A team that I know is going to make a big jump is Cornell. There’s no question. They’ve had a really good recruiting class. They play solid, defensively, and they have a lot of offensive explosion. Teams like RPI [make up] a looking good. You never know until you get out there and play the games.”

Hockey East: Balance is seen throughout the WHEA, where at least three teams — Boston College, Connecticut, and Providence College — think they have a shot to unseat defending champion New Hampshire.

Perhaps the contender with the best chance is Connecticut, which has already picked up a shootout win over the Wildcats. The Huskies also possess the nation’s leading goal-getter in junior Dominique Thibault, who has a penchant for scoring in the clutch.

“It certainly doesn’t hurt to have the Player of the Year back,” said UConn coach Heather Linstad.

WCHA: The road to the National Championship runs through the West. At least it has for eight years. But what about the West itself?

The coaches picked Minnesota-Duluth. And the defending champs would be an easy choice. Who wouldn’t like their chances in the drive for five?

Then again, there’s Minnesota. The Gophers handed UMD three of their four losses last year, and have already beaten them twice this year.

Or what about Wisconsin? They’re merely USCHO’s top-ranked club this week.
And do you even dare consider North Dakota? Ohio State?

We’ll see, won’t we?

CHA: Robert Morris? Beats Minnesota? Are you kidding? That season-opening 3-2 upset sent shivers through the collective soul of women’s hockey. It might even rank as the biggest regular-season upset in the history of the sport (NCAA era, at least). But it probably won’t be enough to propel the Colonials to a CHA title, not as long as Mercyhurst is in the room. The real question is, how long will it take P.J. Flanagan to turn newbies Syracuse into a legitimate contender?

Empty Netters

Shorthanded situations are supposed to be infrequent, and generally limited to just two minutes at a time. New Hampshire, however, is facing a season-long manpower shortage.

Particularly up front, where the Wildcats have just eight healthy forwards.
Looking toward a large freshman class to arrive next season, McCloskey had purposely planned to restrict this year’s squad to a smaller number. But those plans went awry before the first puck was dropped.

First came the defections of the Marty twins, (Julia to Northeastern, Stefanie to Syracuse), then came the loss of incoming freshman forward Brittany Skudder to season-ending shoulder surgery.

Instead of rolling four full lines, McCloskey was forced to stitch together a makeshift third unit.

“It’s put the onus on a smaller nucleus of kids,” he said. “But we still have a very good hockey team. We’re not a No. 1-ranked juggernaut. But I like our team. We’ve got some things we need to get better at … but we’ve got some dangerous people.”

Indeed. Any program in the country could find room for the likes of Kacey Bellamy, Jenn Wakefield, Kelly Paton and Sam Faber.

It may sound surprising, but McCloskey is actually looking forward to shuffling his “select” lineup.
“Truthfully,” he said, “having a cupboard half full is easier to manage than one [that’s] over full. You have fewer choices.”

One thing is certain. No one will be griping about the lack of ice time.

Granato, Leetch, Hull and Richter Inducted into U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame

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It was only fitting that the 2008 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held in Magness Arena. The University of Denver’s home ice was converted into a formal banquet hall on Friday, October 10, to honor four of the greatest players in the history of U.S. hockey: Cammi Granato, Brett Hull, Brian Leetch and Mike Richter.

Granato, of course, is known for her help in growing the women’s game from its nascent beginnings to its current status as one of the more popular team sports for girls. Along the way, she helped the U.S. Women’s National Team to a gold and silver medal in the 1998 and 2002 Olympics, serving as captain for those teams.

Hull, Leetch and Richter all set records for U.S. players in the NHL. Together, they helped the U.S. team win the inaugural World Cup of Hockey in 1996. Leetch and Richter played together for the New York Rangers, and the two played a key role in getting the Rangers their first Stanley Cup since 1940 in 1994. Hull ranks third overall in goal-scoring in NHL history.

Brett Hull, Cammi Granato, Brian Leetch and Mike Richter hold their plaques after their induction into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame (photo: Candace Horgan).

Brett Hull, Cammi Granato, Brian Leetch and Mike Richter hold their plaques after their induction into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame (photo: Candace Horgan).

For all their records, not many people know that all four of these legends played collegiate hockey. Granato played at Providence, Hull at Minnesota-Duluth, Leetch at Boston College, and Richter at Wisconsin. All believe that the college game was important in their development as players.

“I was drafted coming out of high school and physically and (maturity) I wasn’t ready to take that step,” said Leetch, who played one year for Boston College in 1986-87.

“Playing with bigger kids, seniors, at the college level, I gained some confidence. By the time I made it through that freshman year, I felt I was at least ready to compete on an international stage, trying out for the Olympic team in ’88, and then traveling with that team for a whole year we got to play against some pro teams and all the college teams, and I felt ready to take that next jump.”

Richter, for one, would encourage his kids to look at the college game, and has long proselytized the benefits of college hockey to kids in youth hockey leagues around the country.

Said Richter, “I used to talk to kids with the Denver Rangers when I was here, and they would say, ‘Well, why did you go to college?’ and I would say, ‘Well let’s think about this. I got a free education. There’s 45,000 kids my own age there, it’s one of the best state universities you can have, it’s beautiful, you’re the only game in town; as far as pro hockey goes, you’re it, and there’s no reason you wouldn’t want to do it. And you can develop and play in the pros, you know, players like Tony Granato and Dany Heatley.’

“You’re not just getting good players that fill middle ground in the NHL, you’re getting elite players coming out of there too. And you have your options open. I feel very strongly that if my son were to be able to play in the NHL, you take the opportunity that’s given to you; when that window’s open, you take it, but getting there I would certainly encourage him to look at college.

“U.S. Hockey, you have the best of both worlds. You don’t know you’re going to make it until you make it. So I think you can play at the top, top level, for your age, in college, and still be getting a degree so if you break your leg, God forbid, or don’t make it, you’ve set yourself up for the rest of your life in terms of getting a degree, or at least setting yourself up to get a diploma, but you’ve also had that incredible social experience of being in a college.”

Speaking about the preponderance of Canadians on NCAA women’s teams, Granato stated that for women, the NCAA provides the pinnacle of hockey.

“It shows that it is the best league to go to for that age group; there’s no doubt about it,” said Granato. “The college experience can’t be beat, and the men do it as well, they come down from Canada, and some come down from Europe, so it’s much the same for women’s hockey. I think it speaks volumes about how competitive it is in college hockey.”

During the dinner, in an honor that would have been unimaginable back when the U.S. beat Russia in Lake Placid — still the event most non-hockey fans associate with hockey — USA Hockey presented the Wayne Gretzky International Award to Anatoly Tarasov. Tarasov’s grandson Alexey received the award on behalf of his late grandfather.

USA Hockey states, “The (Gretzky) award, established by the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1999 and first presented to its namesake, pays tribute to international individuals who have made major contributions to the growth and advancement of hockey in the United States.”

Said Alexey, “My family is waiting for me to bring this award home to Moscow. We are thankful for the recognition of my grandfather.”

Tarasov revolutionized the international game, emphasizing skating and passing, and made his players participate in rigorous dryland training to build their strength and stamina. Tarasov coached the Soviet National Team to three gold medals at the Olympics in 1964, 1968 and 1972.

All four honorees gave short speeches, paying tribute to their coaches and families, and discussing the role hockey has played in their lives.

“It’s very special to be the first woman,” said Granato. “I think it shows just how far women’s hockey has come and where it’s at, and it’s opening the door for other great women players to be inducted. It was really different growing up, playing hockey in the ’70s and ’80s, than it is now for my nieces who play. There’s a path for them. For me growing up, the path wasn’t there, but it didn’t stop me.”

Hull paid tribute to the growth of the U.S. game and the role USA Hockey has taken in promoting the game in areas where it previously wasn’t popular, mentioning specifics about the astounding growth in the Dallas area since the Stars came to town.

And Hull, ever the joker, garnered the biggest laughs of the night while addressing the rumors of badly-behaved U.S. players at the 1998 Olympics.

“To lighten up things a little bit, and I know the guys have been sitting on this for a long time, and we’ve been catching a lot of heat on this for a long time,” said Hull. “A lot of the stories came out from the Olympics in Nagano, and I can’t hold it in anymore. I can’t hide the truth anymore. I’ve got to tell you what happened; it was the girls’ team that did it all, and we’ve been covering for them ever since.”

Sitting on the stage listening, Granato laughed.

Speaking about the college game, Leetch addressed the members of the Denver Pioneers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who were playing the next night in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame game, won by Denver 5-2. Leetch talked about how much better the college game is now than when he playing.

“I spent one year in college, still one of the best years of my life,” said Leetch. “I’ve got lifelong friends from that year. I can tell you, you guys are better coached, in better shape, have better facilities, and are playing against better competition now in college hockey than when I played, than when Mike and Brett played, and you’re better prepared for your future, if that’s in hockey, if that’s in academics.

“There’s a lot more attention to detail, and you’re pretty well taken care of in your nutrition and your training, and you listen to your coaches, and the biggest thing now is, like Brett says, to enjoy it.”

Richter talked about how much he got to learn from playing hockey, and how his experiences with the National Team gave him opportunities his classmates may not have had.

“I recall my sophomore year at Wisconsin, sheepishly asking my professor from my European History class, would it be OK if I miss another month of school to play on the World Championship Junior team. Without hesitation, he said, ‘Yes. It will be the finest history lesson you can get. You’ll never forget this experience.’ His words held true for that trip and many others to follow.”

Perhaps what was most evident during the weekend is how much the four respected each other and looked up to each other as players.

While discussing playing with Hull and Richter on the 1996 team, Leetch said, “I feel that Cammi was a part of all those years too, because Tony Granato played with us in ’88, and then starred on the Rangers, and Cammi was right there at all our games and felt like part of the team, and then I followed her when she was at Providence. To have us all together makes for a fun weekend.”

More photos from the ceremony.

This Week in the WCHA: Oct. 16, 2008

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As much as we’d like to try and predict how the WCHA is going to turn out, we’re never accurate given how competitive the league is and about a million other factors. I’d like to think I have as good a shot as any with my names-out-of-a-hat method, but the season throws us all curveballs that screw up our hopes of perfection.

Even though it’s early, we have a perfect example so far in the North Dakota Fighting Sioux: Yeah, their goaltending situation is questionable, but they have enough firepower and history to still find their way to the top of the league and back into the NCAAs, right?

Sioux fans hope so, but if this past weekend’s Ice Breaker Invitational (contested for valuable PairWise Ranking points) is any indication, it may be a longer year for them than anyone could have expected. Losing two straight to start the season for the first time since 1994-95 doesn’t help. Still, Sioux fans (and fans of all WCHA teams) need only remember that last year’s NCAA champion, Boston College, was below .500 at Thanksgiving last year.

Red Baron Pizza WCHA Players of the Week

Red Baron WCHA Offensive Player of the Week: John Swanson, SCSU.
Why: Scored four goals and one assist to help the Huskies to a two-game sweep of Mercyhurst.
Also Nominated: Chad Rau, CC; Patrick Mullen, DU; MacGregor Sharp, UMD; Mick Berge, MSU, M.

Red Baron WCHA Defensive Player of the Week: Alex Stalock, UMD.
Why: Helped the Bulldogs go 1-0-1 against Northern Michigan and Lake Superior State, including a 29-save shutout against NMU.
Also Nominated: Brian Connelly, CC; Patrick Wiercioch, DU; Drew Dobson, MTU; Kurt Davis, MSU, M; Garrett Raboin, SCSU.

Red Baron WCHA Rookie of the Week: Luke Salazar, DU.
Why: Scored two goals and had one assist to help the Pioneers to beat Notre Dame in the annual U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game.
Also Nominated: Gabe Guentzel, CC; Alex MacLeod, MTU; Mike Connolly, UMD; Mike Louwerse, MSU, M; Jared Festler, SCSU.

Rules: Fun Stuff To Know …

… kinda. If you read my league preview (and if you didn’t, you should go look), you’ll notice that I went into rule changes a bit. These rules are one of the reasons why you may have noticed your favorite team taking a few too many trips to the box (or, conversely, earning a few more power plays than normal).

I was going to go further in depth about the rules in this column, but given I’ve already had some questions and comments about my descriptions, I figure I’ll do the next best thing — direct you to the NCAA’s website, then where to go to find the rulebook.

I’d advise this anyway on general principle, as I feel an informed fan is a better fan. Plus, it gives you a basis for the stuff you’re going to yell at the referee anyway. After reading this, you can know for sure that he blew that call you’re unhappy about.

So. Go to www.ncaa.org. Click on “Winter Sports” on the blue sidebar and then click on “Ice Hockey (M).” Once on the ice hockey page, scroll down to the “Rules and Officiating Web Page” link and click on it. From that page, you can watch a video on the new rules (recommended), view and/or download the rulebook and order your own rulebook, if you so desire.

Random Notes (and Commentary!) From Around the League

UAA — There are plenty of tournaments and related events every year (selected examples include: Ice Breaker, Denver Cup, Great Lakes Invitational, Dodge Classic, etc.) and it looks like there’s a new one up in Alaska this year. The Seawolves are taking part in the inaugural Brice Alaska Goal Rush hosted by Alaska (Fairbanks).

I guess the Nanooks wanted their own tournament to go along with the Kendall Hockey Classic.

Reader Mailbag: Offseason Edition

I got a few e-mails over the summer (what, don’t you people know it’s the offseason?) and there were a few that I somehow didn’t get to even though I meant to. One was from Craig Abbott, who wondered which WCHA team had the most players in the NHL.

I wasn’t sure if he meant all-time or not, so I went with all-time for bragging rights and used the main resource I had available — the 2008 WCHA Men’s Yearbook (which, by the way, is for the 2007-08 season).

The Yearbook lists every WCHAer who has ever played in the NHL up through the 2006-07 season (so the start of last year’s NHL season). Therefore, this won’t include such players as Jonathan Toews and Kyle Okposo. When I get this year’s Yearbook, I’ll edit up through last year … and maybe through this year. We’ll see.

As one might expect, the Golden Gophers win with 76 total players to have played in the NHL up through the end of the 2006-07 season. The grand tally is:

1st: UM, 76
2nd: UND, 68
t-3rd: DU, 54
t-3rd: UW, 54
5th: UMD, 37
6th: MTU, 35
7th: CC, 20
8th: SCSU, 10
9th: MSU, M, 5
10th: UAA, 2

The list also included players from Michigan, Notre Dame and Northern Michigan when those teams were in the conference.

Matchups By the Numbers

It’s hockey season and the start of conference play — just the thing to warm our hearts as the weather starts to turn. I knew there was a reason I loved autumn …

No. 20 Wisconsin @ No. 4 Denver
Overall Records: UW — 0-2-0 (0-0-0 WCHA). DU — 1-0-0 (0-0-0 WCHA).
Head-to-Head: UW leads the overall series, 70-51-9.

DU/UW in depth:

There’s been more than a little talk about this series, especially given what happened when these two faced off in the last regular season. I’m not going to go into detail, but instead will only mention that the referee who worked that series is no longer a member of the WCHA officiating staff.

I’ve seen some people discuss how intense this series might be because of that incident in January, but there are a few other things to keep in mind.

“They ended our season last year and we remember that,” said Pioneer coach George Gwozdecky, in reference to last year’s Midwest Regional, where the Badgers beat DU 6-2.

However, both coaches know that what happened last year is in the past — and know they need to keep it that way.

“In our business, like most businesses, if you’re not in the present moment you’re not going to be as effective and if we’re living in the past, then our energies are diluted in the present,” said Badger coach Mike Eaves. “All our energies are going into preparation for the team this year.”

As for last January? Gwozdecky no doubt remembers the incident, but chooses to remember it for the positives that came out of it.

“The league dealt with it, they’ve improved in the issues of evaluating goals and video replay, they’ve made more of an emphasis on it [and] we’ve got two officials on the ice this year as opposed to one,” he said, alluding to a few of the rule changes. “I think everything’s a big plus.”

No. 13 North Dakota @ No. 15 Minnesota State
Overall Records: UND — 0-2-0 (0-0-0 WCHA). MSU, M — 2-0-0 (0-0-0 WCHA).
Head-to-Head: UND leads the overall series, 28-9-7.

No. 9 Minnesota @ No. 12 St. Cloud State
Overall Records: UM — 0-0-0 (0-0-0 WCHA). SCSU — 2-0-0 (0-0-0 WCHA).
Head-to-Head: UM leads the overall series, 41-23-12.

Michigan Tech @ No. 3 Colorado College
Overall Records: MTU — 1-1-0 (0-0-0 WCHA). CC — 2-0-0 (0-0-0 WCHA).
Head-to-Head: CC leads the overall series, 84-71-11.

Western Michigan @ Minnesota Duluth
Overall Records: WMU — 1-1-0 (0-0-0 CCHA). UMD — 1-0-1 (0-0-0 WCHA).
Head-to-Head: This is the first time the teams have ever faced each other.

Maine and Mercyhurst vs. Alaska Anchorage @ Fairbanks
Overall Records: Maine — 0-0-0 (0-0-0 HEA). MC — 0-2-0 (0-0-0 AHA). UAA — 1-1-0 (0-0-0 WCHA).
Head-to-Head: UAA and Maine are tied in the overall series, 2-2-1. UAA leads the overall series with MC, 2-0-0.

Odds and Ends

Yep, I’m ba-a-a-ack. Thanks for sticking with me (sort of) for my first year of this column-writing thing last year. I hope you’ll stick around for another season.

I’m going to keep a few things the same and kind of want to change some things around. I kind of like how the Hockey East column has had ongoing trivia questions and am toying with the idea of doing that, but with the prize of Guest Predictor for the ol’ sidebar. I had a lot of people request a chance to do predictions, so I figured this would be a fun way to do it.

What do you, oh (sometimes) faithful readers, think?

On a Personal Note

My column this year will be dedicated to a former professor of mine from Boston University, noted hockey and sports writer Jack Falla, who passed away a few weeks ago. He was a mentor in many ways and he will be missed.

Falla covered the NHL for a few years for Sports Illustrated and wrote several hockey books, most notably Home Ice: Reflections on Backyard Rinks and Frozen Ponds, which, if you’ve never read it, I highly suggest. He also helped me get one of my first gigs out of college and gave me a lot of advice for this column, too.

R.I.P., Jack.

This Week in Hockey East: Oct. 16, 2008

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The Beast of the East?

Late afternoon this past Saturday, yours truly penned a short sidebar that appeared alongside the Massachusetts-North Dakota game story on USCHO.com. I asked the question, mostly tongue-in-cheek, whether we could judge a semi-domination for Hockey East over the WCHA.

At that point, Boston College had beaten Wisconsin, and both Boston University and Massachusetts had knocked off North Dakota in the Ice Breaker.

The reason I refer to the piece as tongue-in-cheek is because it wasn’t meant to ruffle any feathers. That mission, thankfully, was accomplished.

But the more I thought about it over the week, the more I came to realize that Hockey East had one heck of a weekend league-wide.

New Hampshire followed suit with Boston College and not only beat Wisconsin, the Wildcats trounced the Badgers. Northeastern traveled to Anchorage, Alaska, and earned a tie with Alaska and beat host Alaska-Anchorage the next night to finish second in the Kendall Hockey Classic. Merrimack handled Robert Morris at home, 3-1. And Vermont went north of the border to Canada and beat Rensselaer, 4-1.

The only casualty of the weekend was Mass.-Lowell’s loss to Colgate on the road, 2-1, on Saturday evening, despite holding a decided advantage in shots.

Yes, just two evenings of games have been played. And yes, there’s a long season ahead. But Hockey East fans, at this point, certainly have reason to believe that this will be a strong year for the league.

Terrier Turnaround

Possibly the most anticipated turnaround this offseason was that of the Boston University Terriers. A year ago, questionable leadership, poor effort and a struggling goaltending corps led to a mediocre season on Commonwealth Ave. But head coach Jack Parker, from day one this season, has preached that he believed this year’s team would be different.

BU had plenty of opportunities to prove that immediately by hosting the Ice Breaker Invitational last weekend — which let the Terriers face top-notch competition in North Dakota and Michigan State right from the get-go.

BU manhandled North Dakota on Friday night, stifling the Sioux defensively while pounding the net to post a 5-1 victory. A night later, BU found itself in a tighter game against Michigan State but managed a victory nonetheless, coming out on the right side of a 2-1 decision to take the Ice Breaker title.

It’s a positive sign for a club that has been looking to turn things around since the second the season ended last year. There’s no denying this was a long offseason for the Terriers, but with one weekend in the books, it appears that the fruits of their labors are being reaped.

“We had a long, long summer. We had a long offseason,” said senior co-captain Matt Gilroy last Saturday. “I think most of the guys came in on August 30th, and from day one we’ve said we’re going to be a team this year, and we showed it tonight and this whole weekend. It was great how we played together.”

“There seems to be a different mindset, that’s for sure,” said Parker. “The mindset is ‘Keep the pedal to the metal. Do the next thing right and play as hard as you can.’ Against North Dakota we were up 2-1, 3-1. Ordinarily last year some guys would’ve tried to get a goal or all of a sudden lay back a little bit, and before you knew it, it would be 3-3. [Against Michigan State] it’s 2-0, and we only tried to make it 3-0 by playing defense first.”

Part of the renewed confidence for BU may lie in goaltending. A year ago, a trio of Terrier netminders struggled to stop the puck. Last weekend, two freshmen were not overly tested but each showed he was ready when push came to shove.

Parker was happy about the performance of his goaltenders but is also cautious not to get too far ahead of himself after just two games.

“As the legendary [Boston College coach] Snooks Kelley said, ‘One snowflake doesn’t make a blizzard,'” Parker said of Kieran Millan after his 22-save performance against North Dakota on Friday. “But I thought first of all he looked like a goalie: He never got rattled, and he never got out of position.

“One thing we liked when we recruited him was that he always looked like a goalie. It looked like he just stands there, and you hit him. He’s never really flopping all over the place. He made a couple of post-to-post saves and a couple of good glove saves, but in general he was just in position.”

A night later, fellow freshman Grant Rollheiser saw just 12 shots but was solid in Parker’s eyes.

“The most important thing we want to see is poise around the net, poise handling the puck,” said Parker. “If there are a lot of shots, he’s going to show us something about stopping the puck. Most importantly, I thought he was just very settling in there.

“Two nights in a row, each goaltender was giving our team a lot of confidence because of the way they looked in the net, which was important to us.”

Raising the Banner

Boston College kicked off its season as the defending national champion with a 5-4 victory over Wisconsin on a night that was full of pomp and circumstance for the Eagles.

Even in an early-season game — which have not always been well-attended by BC fans (and this one was up against the Red Sox ALDS game versus Los Angeles) — Conte Forum was filled to the brim with a very vocal crowd.

Those in attendance were treated to plenty of entertainment. After former Eagles Nathan Gerbe and Matt Greene raised the championship banner, Boston College played a game light on defense that featured nine goals, three lead changes and one very happy capacity crowd.

Though there were plenty of storylines on the evening, the one that resonated the loudest was the presence of senior forward Brock Bradford.

A season ago, you might remember, Bradford was hampered by not one but two breaks in his upper left arm. He played in just three complete games and parts of the two games in which he got injured. So to make it through Friday night sans injury was a major accomplishment that Bradford was happy to joke about.

“It was nice to play all 60 minutes,” said the senior forward.

His presence was felt. Bradford scored a goal on the power play and set up two others. He moved around the ice effortlessly and created a major defensive hindrance to Badgers.

Another positive for the Eagles was the play of Brian Gibbons. Besides the fact that he buried two goals and assisted on a third, Gibbons showed he’s a very able replacement for Gerbe on the right side of the Eagles’ top power-play unit. The all-forward top PP line is identical to a year ago save for Gerbe, but Gibbons showed the ability to generate similar opportunities as old No. 9, as BC registered two power-play tallies in eight attempts.

Also of note: Gibbons was a great fill-in for Gerbe on the penalty kill, aggressively pressuring the puck which led to a shorthanded goal for the sophomore, one of two that the Eagles scored on the evening.

Potent Wildcat Offense

Anyone who imagined that UNH was going to struggle a bit offensively after graduating four of its top eight scorers from a year ago can think again.

A potent New Hampshire attack took a tiny bit of time getting going last weekend but proved to everyone, particularly the Wisconsin Badgers, that this Wildcat squad can score goals.

After falling behind 1-0 early in the second, UNH scored five unanswered goals from five different players, including two in a 39-second span that gave UNH a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. That burst gave the Wildcats the spark they needed.

“Whenever you get a goal in a game, everyone gets a little more fired up,” said junior goaltender Brian Foster, who was tested throughout, finishing the game with an impressive total of 30 saves. “Once we got two, you could tell everyone was running around a little faster. You could just tell with the emotion, everyone was excited and ready to go.”

For head coach Dick Umile, it was a good start for his club. There’s room for improvement, but Umile feels good about his team based on the first official 60 minutes of play.

“I’m just pleased overall. I thought the guys responded pretty well for our first game,” said Umile. “I thought we got too many penalties there, especially in the second period. Other than that, I thought they skated hard and did a lot of good things. We’re pleased with the overall effort early on against a good Wisconsin team.”

Scott Weighart and Todd D. Milewski contributed to this report

This Week in the CHA: Oct. 16, 2008

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There’s an old quip that can now be applied to each CHA school.

Beer will not be served at any of the schools’ games this year because they all lost their openers.

Groan.

Heck, even a double groan with debris tossed in the direction of this writer. It would be well-deserved.

Alabama-Huntsville and Bemidji State were both swept on the road, but not convincingly, Robert Morris lost its one game and Niagara lost and tied on its CCHA road trip.

Not a good way to start, but alas, the season is just beginning. More on the first weekend later — NHL news with a CHA connection gets top billing this week.

Ex-UAH Captain Ross Makes NHL Debut

More than a handful of former CHA players appeared on training-camp rosters (and a few NHL rosters!) as North American pro seasons have started to get under way.

Former UAH standout Jared Ross made his NHL debut with Philadelphia in the Flyers' season opener (photo: George Olden).

Former UAH standout Jared Ross made his NHL debut with Philadelphia in the Flyers’ season opener (photo: George Olden).

For starters, former Bemidji State captain Andrew Murray and former Alabama-Huntsville captain Jared Ross cracked NHL rosters as Murray earned a spot with Columbus after signing a contract extension in the offseason and Ross was recalled by Philadelphia for its season opener against the New York Rangers and saw 5:25 of ice time last Saturday night.

“It’s amazing how many people called me, texted me, telling me congratulations,” said Ross to NHL.com. “Huntsville had a bar that played the game and a lot of people went to watch it. The first time I stepped on the ice, all I could think of was ‘Don’t make any mistakes,’ but there’s a lot of people watching.

“My dad (ex-UAH head coach Doug Ross) said no matter what happens, I’ve accomplished something.”

Ross, then a healthy scratch Monday against Montreal and Tuesday against Pittsburgh, became the first UAH alum and Huntsville native to play in the NHL. He was also the lone U.S.-born player in the lineup and earned a two-minute minor for holding 33 seconds into his first shift. The Rangers scored just after his penalty expired.

Ross played on the fourth line with Riley Cote and Arron Asham, but also had two shifts on the third line with Scott Hartnell and Joffrey Lupul.

“It was fun,” Ross admitted in the Huntsville Times. “It was everything I expected. I can’t wait to do it all over again.”

Murray scored a goal in Columbus’ opener Oct. 10 and is 14-for-25 on faceoffs this season in three games.

Last year, former Niagara captain Barret Ehgoetz won a Kelly Cup championship with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones and former RMU captain Rob Cowan nearly won an IHL title with the Port Huron Icehawks before going down in seven games to the Fort Wayne Komets in the Turner Cup finals.

Cowan is back in Port Huron this year

“Cowan is a big kid and solid defenseman,” Icehawks head coach and general manager Stan Drulia said. “He is knowledgeable about the game and sees the entire ice well. If he uses his size to his full potential, we expect him to have a big season.”

Ex-Bemidji State goalie Matt Climie should be the starter with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads after signing a two-year deal with Dallas at the end of last season.

“Dallas expects to see great things from Matt,” Idaho head coach Derek Laxdal said. “And their not having an American Hockey League affiliate this year helped us get a high-caliber goaltender that we may not have had otherwise.”

Forward Justin Cross is entering his third pro season and all three have been with the Kalamazoo Wings of the AHL. Cross played with Niagara from 2002-2006.

“We expect Justin to keep growing as a player,” said Kalamazoo general manager Wade Welsh. “Suffering through injures last year, we expect the productivity to increase with a healthy Cross.”

The list:

Alabama-Huntsville
Steve Briere, Huntsville Havoc (SPHL)
Craig Bushey, Huntsville Havoc (SPHL)
Tyler Butler, Rocky Mountain Rage (CHL)
Troy Maney, Huntsville Havoc (SPHL)
Brett McConnachie, Amarillo Gorillas (CHL)
Scott Munroe, Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL)
Jared Ross, Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)
Mike Salekin, Reading Royals (ECHL)

Bemidji State
Matt Climie, Idaho Steelheads (ECHL)
Luke Erickson, Alaska Aces (ECHL)
Ryan Huddy, Stockton Thunder (ECHL)
Blaine Jarvis, Idaho Steelheads (ECHL)
Andrew Martens, Manchester Monarchs (AHL)
Joey Moggach, Laredo Bucks (CHL)
Andrew Murray, Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL)
Matt Pope, Bakersfield Condors (ECHL)
Nathan Schwartzbauer, Dayton Bombers (ECHL)
Rob Sirianni, Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)
Riley Weselowski, Idaho Steelheads (ECHL)

Barret Ehgoetz celebrates with the Kelly Cup (photo: IIA Photography).

Barret Ehgoetz celebrates with the Kelly Cup (photo: IIA Photography).

Niagara
Sean Bentivoglio, Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL)
Matt Caruana, Bakersfield Condors (ECHL)
Justin Cross, Kalamazoo Wings (IHL)
Barret Ehgoetz, Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL)
Jeremy Hall, Mississippi Sea Wolves (ECHL)
Casey Handrahan, Kalamazoo Wings (IHL)
Andrew Lackner, Mississippi RiverKings (CHL)
Scott Langdon, Reading Royals (ECHL)
Marc Norrington, Fayetteville FireAntz (SPHL)
Pat Oliveto, Mississippi Sea Wolves (ECHL)
Les Reaney, Stockton Thunder (ECHL)
Kyle Rogers, Toronto Marlies (AHL)
CJ Tozzo, Ontario Reign (ECHL)

Robert Morris
Sean Berkstresser, Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)
Logan Bittle, Colorado Eagles (CHL)
Christian Boucher, Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (CHL)
Aaron Clarke, Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)
Rob Cowan, Port Huron Icehawks (IHL)
Ryan Cruthers, Mississippi Sea Wolves (ECHL)
Jeff Gilbert, Laredo Bucks (CHL)
Brett Hopfe, Laredo Bucks (CHL)
Chris Kaufman, Bakersfield Condors (ECHL)
Joey Olson, Johnstown Chiefs (ECHL)

And for our nostalgic readers …

Findlay
Mike Batovanja, Wichita Thunder (CHL)
Jon Horrell, Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs (CHL)
Kenny MacAulay, Fresno Falcons (ECHL)

Wayne State
Jordan Black, Bloomington PrairieThunder (IHL)
Jason Bloomingburg, Augusta Lynx (ECHL)
AJ Bozoian, Bloomington PrairieThunder (IHL)
Billy Collins, Muskegon Lumberjacks (IHL)
Tylor Michel, Bakersfield Condors (ECHL)
Mark Nebus, Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)

Niagara Skunked On CCHA Roadie

If it weren’t for Chris Moran, Niagara could have had two notches in the loss column instead of just one.

Moran scored four of NU’s five goals over the weekend as the Purple Eagles lost at Western Michigan and then tied Bowling Green on their season-opening road trip.

Niagara fell 4-2 to Western Michigan last Friday night after blowing a 2-1 in the third period.

“For just over two periods, I thought that we played well and even dominated at times,” NU head coach Dave Burkholder said. “It was a classic game where we couldn’t get the two-goal lead to put them away, especially given the number of grade-A chances that we had.”

Niagara goalie Juliano Pagliero finished with 21 saves and Ted Cook assisted on both of Moran’s goals.

“They beat us twice at their place last year, so it was a nice little redemption for us, too,” said winning WMU goaltender Riley Gill.

Niagara and Western Michigan play one another each season, rotating the games from Niagara to WMU. The series has seen its share of intense moments as Niagara’s Jason Williamson and WMU’s Vince Bellissimo dropped the gloves at Lawson Ice Arena in a game from Nov. 2004.

Saturday night, Moran scored two more, but NU once again couldn’t hold a third-period lead and had to settle for a 3-3 tie at BGSU.

“Overall, I think the team is in a good spot conditioning-wise,” Burkholder said. “[The] effort should help with our confidence.”

With just four minutes left in the game, Pagliero made the initial save, but couldn’t extend his pads far enough to stop David Solway’s rebound shot to tie the game at three.

Ryan Annesley had a goal and an assist for Niagara and Pagliero was busy in stopping 47 shots.

“He (Pagliero) is a terrific goalie,” Bowling Green head coach Scott Paluch said. “We played well and it was a hard-fought game, but their goalie was terrific. We wanted to get a lot of people in front of Pagliero, and I thought we did a very good job of that, but he just made a lot of saves.”

Beavers Swept By Minnesota State

Bemidji State, though not for lack of effort, dropped both ends of a series with in-state rival Minnesota State last weekend in Mankato.

In a game littered with 26 penalties, Minnesota State scored a pair of unanswered goals during the final nine minutes of the second period to take a 5-2 victory in both teams’ season opener Friday.

A total of 52 minutes were served in the penalty box, resulting in 22 power-play opportunities. The Beavers capitalized on two of their 12 chances on goals from freshman Brad Hunt (first NCAA tally) and senior captain Travis Winter. Brandon Marino assisted on both.

In just his sixth collegiate appearance, sophomore goaltender Matt Dalton looked sharp and made 24 saves.

Saturday night, BSU nearly pulled off the upset.

Down 3-0 with less than three minutes to go, Shea Walters (first collegiate goal) and Tyler Scofield scored 26 seconds apart, but an empty-netter from the Mavericks sealed the game.

“We were a better team tonight and that is all I could ask,” Bemidji State head coach Tom Serratore said. “I was very happy with our pace. We had great tempo, got some good scoring chances and were better defensively.”

Scoreless through 30 minutes, the Mavericks got the first big break of the game at the 10:49 mark of the second when BSU freshman Ben Kinne was whistled for tripping Geoff Irwin on a breakaway. The penalty set up the Minnesota State forward with a penalty-shot opportunity, but Orlando Alamano literally stood on his head to keep MSU off the board. Alamano found himself on his back after Irwin’s deke and threw his arm up to knock the shot out of the air with his glove.

BSU outshot the Mavericks, 12-10, during the final 20 minutes. Kinne earned his first NCAA point by assisting on Walters’ goal.

Alamano finished with 33 saves in the loss.

The victory is the fourth consecutive for MSU in the series as the Mavericks continue to chip away at the Beavers’ 44-33-13 lead all-time.

This weekend, Bemidji State heads west to Air Force where the Serratore family feud continues, as Tom Serratore will coach against his brother, AFA head coach Frank Serratore. The pair coached against each other for five seasons in the CHA from 2001-2006 and during that time, Bemidji State was 18-1-1 versus Air Force.

UAH Hangs Tight With Colorado College

Alabama-Huntsville surprised Colorado College last weekend and almost came home with a couple of wins.

Almost. It was close.

But as the late Gorilla Monsoon used to say, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

The Chargers battled to a hard-fought 1-0 loss Friday night as UAH sophomore netminder Cameron Talbot turned away the first 33 shots he faced on the night until Chad Rau broke open the scoreless tie to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead heading into the second intermission.

Talbot stopped 43 shots, the first 40-plus save performance by a Chargers goaltender since Marc Narduzzi stopped 49 against Notre Dame in the 2007 NCAA Midwest Regional double-overtime thriller.

The Charger power play was perfect on the night in killing off eight Tiger power plays.

UAH never gave up Saturday night before eventually falling 5-3 to the Tigers.

Brennan Barker tied the game 1-1 at 2:19 of the second from freshman Cody Campbell (first NCAA point) and Andrew Coburn. The Chargers came out strong in the start of the third and got an early tally only 1:03 in from Cale Tanaka to knot the game at 2.

Back-to-back power-play goals put the Tigers in front 4-2 until Coburn made it a one-goal game again at 14:18 of the third period when he came in on net and beat CC’s stick side to make it 4-3. Brandon Roshko picked up his second assist of the game.

An empty-net goal with 10 ticks left gave CC the final margin.

Blake MacNicol made 36 saves in the loss. UAH also went 0-for-9 on the power play.

“I’m proud of the way the guys competed,” Alabama-Huntsville head coach Danton Cole said in the Huntsville Times. “This was a good measuring stick … a big step for the team.

“I liked the progression of getting better as they went through the weekend.”

The Chargers are idle this weekend and return to the ice Oct. 24 when they host Tennessee’s club team in an exhibition game at home.

Colonials Fall To Merrimack

Robert Morris managed just one goal in its 3-1 season-opening loss on the road to Merrimack last Saturday night.

Late in the second period, freshman Ron Cramer grabbed a rebound off the stick of sophomore Branden Gay to get his first collegiate goal.

The RMU power play was stonewalled as it went a paltry 0-for-9. The Colonials were also outshot, 32-24.

Wes Russell made 29 saves and was named the third star of the game.

“We put ourselves in a position to win going in to the third period, but in the end our inexperience cost us,” Robert Morris head coach Derek Schooley said. “We had numerous chances on the power play which could have tied the game our put us ahead. It was a good learning experience for our young team and hopefully, we can continue to learn from games like this.”

RMU opens the home schedule against Ferris State this weekend.

“Ferris is a very well-coached hockey team and they play with an incredible amount of passion,” said Schooley. “They have a very mobile and skilled team. This is going to be a good test to see where our young hockey team is at.”

Recruits Already Starting To Roll In

Bemidji State and Niagara have both reportedly picked up verbal commitments for next season and both players seem to have some hype surrounding them.

The Beavers hope Victor Anilane can make an impact. Based on a report on Anilane from IllegalCurve.com, that shouldn’t be a problem for the Sioux Falls Musketeers’ Swedish forward.

“A big kid (6-foot-3, 200 pounds), Anilane has already grown into his body and is able to use his size effectively,” the report read. “Deceptively fast, Anilane’s long, fluid stride allows him to get up and down the ice with relative ease. Because he is a big player, he doesn’t appear to be fast. However, the lanky Swede has no problem with the pace in the up-tempo USHL and also exhibits good quickness. Blessed with good hands, Anilane is very dangerous in close. He can use his large frame to screen the goalie or can beat him with his shot, which seems to be quite lethal from the hash marks in. He also possesses good vision and is patient when making a pass.”

NU will bring Penticton Vees’ captain Brent Vandenberg in the fold in 2008-2009. Vandenberg is from Burlington, Ont., but is playing in the British Columbia Hockey League this year after the past two with his hometown Cougars of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League. He scored 35 goals a year ago.

SUNYAC Season Preview

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Stability in the coaching ranks. For the first time in four years, all the coaches return.

However, that doesn’t mean there is going to be stability everywhere else. This is college sports, and changes are a matter of course. Players only stay around for four years, at the most, and coaches are constantly looking for that key recruit that will put them over the top.

The SUNYAC has seen changes over the past few years. Morrisville is playing in their third year as a conference member, and already the schedule has changed to accommodate them. In the past two years, some schools played the Mustangs two straight games at a single location. However, the league understood the unfairness of that sort of arrangement, so they worked out a way to play the team without a travel partner both home and away.

This means fans will have to get used to another change — the unevenness of the standings. No longer will every team have played the same number of conference games on any given date during the year. There will constantly be games in hand for some schools until the season is concluded.

After years of domination by a select few, there has been four different SUNYAC champions in the past six years (Plattsburgh and Geneseo twice each, Oswego, and Fredonia) with two different SUNYAC teams making it to the national title game the past two years. Oswego won it all in 2007 while Plattsburgh fell in the final game last season. The passing around of the SUNYAC trophy is testament to how tough and balanced the league has become.

“Our league is getting better and better,” Oswego coach Ed Gosek said. “All the coaches are working hard. It’s contagious. All the teams have raised their levels.”

“I have to believe that every single year, the conference has gotten stronger and stronger. And this year, it will probably be the strongest yet,” Fredonia coach Jeff Meredith said.

“No team is a pushover, easy win.” Potsdam coach Aaron Saul said.

“Everyone is good across the board,” Morrisville coach Brian Grady said. “It’s such a great league. It makes it fun. You can’t take a shift off, a night off. As a new program looking to build their program, it gives us something to look up to.”

And it gives the fans something to look forward to all season long. The coaches may have stayed the same this year, but new players, more parity, and a changed schedule will keep this season fresh.

There is also something new for Plattsburgh fans to get excited about: a newly renovated Stafford Arena.

“The rink looks great. Other than the walls and ceiling, it’s a brand new facility,” Plattsburgh coach Bob Emery said.

The renovated rink appears to be the equal of the new Campus Center at Oswego. Perhaps, this will lead to other new or renovated rinks which will continue to raise SUNYAC’s standing in the Division III hockey world.

In the meantime, it’s time to drop the puck for the 2008-09 season.

Plattsburgh State Cardinals

Coach: Bob Emery, 20th season overall and at Plattsburgh (422-138-42)
2007-08 overall record: 25-5-0
2007-08 SUNYAC record: 14-2-0
2007-08 SUNYAC finish: First
2008-09 Predicted finish: First

How do you top a season where you win your conference both in the regular season and the tournament and make it to the national championship game? Simple. Win that last game.

“We’ve been stressing all along, we’ve been very happy with our season, but there’s only one team who was satisfied,” Plattsburgh coach Bob Emery said. “We’re looking at ways to improve, so we can be that satisfied team at the end of the year.

“We’re looking for people to come in and fill some thankless jobs. We need some energy guys, some toughness that we lost last year.”

Some of those role playing seniors from last year include T.J. Cooper, Mike Baccaro, and C.J. Tozzo.

One area where the Cardinals do not have to worry about is goaltending. In fact, that was something they fixed last year, which got them as far as they did, after a few seasons of searching.

“No matter how good a team is, you have to have a good, consistent goaltender,” Emery said. “The game has changed so much, so that you have to have a solid goaltender to win. You have to offset the other team’s goaltender.”

Plattsburgh’s answer to that is Bryan Hince. As a freshman, he had a 2.02 GAA and .916 save percentage. Most importantly, unlike the recent past, Hince made the key saves when the team most needed them.

“Bryan Hince solidified our goaltending being a top goaltender at this level,” Emery said. “He has to now go out there and prove last year wasn’t a fluke.”

As for the rest of the team, Emery isn’t too worried about the other positions.

“I’m trying in Plattsburgh to be a balanced team,” he said. “We had no superstars last year outside of Nick Rolls. I don’t think we’re going to have any superstars this year. I’m looking forward to having a team that is balanced where any line can get the job done.”

Many of their key “non-superstars” do return, including their nine top scorers, five of whom had double digit goals. In that batch is Dylan Clarke who had 19 tallies in his freshman year and Joey Wilson who had 20 assists. Oh, and Nick Rolls is back as well.

If Hince proves he was no fluke, Emery finds the guys to do the thankless jobs, and a balanced team shares the contributions, Plattsburgh won’t just be celebrating a newly renovated Stafford Arena with another conference title. They will find themselves in Lake Placid again in March. And perhaps this time they will be a lot more satisfied.

Oswego State Great Lakers

Coach: Ed Gosek, sixth season overall and at Oswego (96-31-13)
2007-08 overall record: 13-2-1
2007-08 SUNYAC record: 18-6-2
2007-08 SUNYAC finish: Second
2008-09 Predicted finish: Second

“There are a lot of questions that need to be answered,” Oswego coach Ed Gosek said.

One key quandary centers around the Lakers need to replace All-American goaltender Ryan Scott, who led them to the national championship in 2007. Though inconsistent at times, Scott was still the mainstay for Oswego the past four years. He played in 90 games, graduating with a mark of 61-21-6, a 2.31 GAA, and .915 save percentage. He also set a school record with nine shutouts.

“We have Chris Hyk returning,” Gosek said. “He got to see some action last year. He’ll be a senior. He’ll be given a shot. Our freshman, Paul Beckwith, we have high expectations for him.”

Hyk has played in only 11 games during his three years, accumulating a 9-0-2 record, 2.08 GAA, and .907 save percentage.

Gosek added, “We learned a long time ago, you can have a great team, but if you don’t have the goaltending, you don’t get very far.”

Another item that, if missing, will prevent a team from getting very far in the rough and tumble sport of hockey is grit and determination. Oswego at times last year was missing this key ingredient, seemingly relying on their national championship trophy in the showcase to carry them.

“[Brendan] McLaughlin and [Ryan] Ellis, we’re expecting big things from. They need to play like seniors,” said Gosek, mentioning some of his key returning players. “[Peter] Magagna, our captain, is the spark plug. [Garren] Reisweber, [Matt] Whitehead, [Derrell] Levy. We need them all to play like experienced veterans, but at the same time play with an edge. We don’t want them to be complacent.”

Most of the Lakers’ firepower is back, including their top four scorers. Only two skaters graduated (Tony DiNunzio and C.J. Thompson) which means they still potentially have a national championship contender . . . on paper.

If they do get complacent, there are a number of excellent freshmen waiting in the wings. Oswego, as usual, had another strong recruiting year.

“Jared Anderson should be able to add some depth on defense,” Gosek said. “Erek Selleck, big power forward who looks good. Owen Kelly, transfer from the Air Force Academy, is a smart player with good speed.”

If Oswego can find the answer to their goaltending vacancy and get that grit and determination back — something Plattsburgh is always known for — then they once again can take that top spot back.

“We have high expectations,” Gosek said. “Our goals are always the same — to get home ice in our playoffs, and put ourselves in a position to get the automatic bid to the NCAA. We think we have enough seniors, senior experience, senior leadership. We’re excited about that. They would like to redeem themselves from last year for not making the NCAAs.”

An angry Oswego team with the talent they have may spell doom not just for fellow conference members, but for the rest of the country as well.

Potsdam State Bears

Coach: Aaron Saul, second season overall and at Potsdam (10-13-4)
2007-08 overall record: 10-13-4
2007-08 SUNYAC record: 6-7-3
2007-08 SUNYAC finish: Fourth
2008-09 Predicted finish: Third

New coaches always have two obstacles when they come into a program — they are taking over someone else’s team and have very little time to do their own recruiting.

“Just allowing us a year to recruit as opposed to a month is an improvement,” Potsdam coach Aaron Saul said. “[Assistant coach Darcy] Pettie and I spent a lot of time on the road to get the players we wanted. We feel we have a lot of impact players.”

In fact, some feel Potsdam may have one of the best recruiting classes.

“I’m really happy with the guys we have up front,” Saul said. “I think they can make an impact right away.”

They include Todd Hosmer, Adam Martinez, Sy Nutkevitch, and Anthony Proteau. On the blueline, everyone is talking about Hunter Sprydiuk, or rather the size of Sprydiuk. Without skates, he stands at 6-6 and 212 lbs. That should help a defense that includes returnees Steve Cornelissen and Jeff Zatorski, but lost Lance Smith and Vince Tarantino.

Up front, the top three scorers from last year return.

“Luke Beck, Connor Treacy, and Fraser Smith,” Saul said. “We’re looking for them to obviously carry us up front.”

Those three along with Peter Vaisanen, Kevin MacLellan, and Colin MacLennan combined with the promising freshmen should easily fill the gap left by the only senior forward from last year, Greg Lee.

Goaltending, of course, will be a key for the Bears. In fact, it will be goaltending that will most likely decide whether Potsdam finishes ahead of Fredonia or behind them like last year. The Bears started the season out letting up a ton of shots each game, but as they improved in that category, so did their record.

However, they were never able to truly settle on a number one backstopper. Rick Miller was supposed to be that guy, but a slow start opened the door for senior Rob Barnhardt. With Barnhardt gone, it’s Miller’s job to lose. And lose it he will if he starts out slow once again.

Freshman Trevor O’Neill will be more than ready to take the spot if need be.

“O’Neill had a pretty good showing [in training camp],” Saul said.

Potsdam improved steadily throughout the season as the team bought into Saul’s style. They surprised some very good teams, beating Plattsburgh and Manhattanville, both of whom made the NCAA playoffs. The Bears also wound up hosting and winning a first round SUNYAC playoff game.

With that success as their foundation and a full year of recruiting by Saul, Potsdam is poised to return to the conference’s elite.

Fredonia State Blue Devils

Coach: Jeff Meredith, 21st season overall and at Fredonia (296-208-50)
2007-08 overall record: 15-9-3
2007-08 SUNYAC record: 10-4-2
2007-08 SUNYAC finish: Third
2008-09 Predicted finish: Fourth

Fredonia proved that 2006-07 was not a fluke. Though the Blue Devils did not repeat as SUNYAC champs, they were always a team to be reckoned with. In fact, they had a better overall and conference record last year than the year before, finishing in third place.

Picking them lower than third is a dangerous proposition. Taking them lightly any time during the year will be even worse. Coach Jeff Meredith once again has a team that suits him.

“I got a group, and had groups like this, that worked so hard over the summer,” Meredith said. “Extremely self motivated. And I have some great leadership.”

Gone is their top scorer, Neal Sheehan, as well as defensive standout, Steve Albert. A number of returning forwards and freshmen are ready to pick up the slack.

“Up front, you’re looking at guys like Brian Goudy, Matt McKeown, Rick Boyce,” Meredith said. “Jordan Oye had a good freshman year. Pat Capella hasn’t put up big numbers, but he has gotten better every single year.”

As for newcomers, keep your eyes on Bryan Ross and Billy Sanborn. On defense, Colin Sarfeh, who was the team’s second leading scorer, returns for his senior year.

Despite Kevin Amborski not returning for his junior year, Meredith is not worried about the goaltending situation.

“I think our goaltending status is in as good as shape as it’s ever been,” Meredith said. “You look at Pat Street as our number one guy. If you look at his numbers [2.47 GAA, .927 % , even better in conference play] he had a great year, and we’re looking to build on that. Kody [Van Rentergem] has got a lot of potential. Young guy. Question is, how much and how soon will he get to play?”

So why not pick Fredonia for third? Because of their schedule. Their first six games are on the road and through January 10, only three games are home out of 15. At least those three are conference match ups.

“We’ve been unbalanced here from one year to the next,” Meredith said. “You deal with it, and it’s not a bad time of year to be on the road. Opening on the road is less pressure. You can play a little bit simpler.”

Perhaps, but it also eventually wears you down. If Fredonia can overcome that schedule and the senior leadership that has Meredith feeling so optimistic, then the Blue Devils will not only have a great shot at third, but could set their sites on perennial favorites Oswego and Plattsburgh.

Buffalo State Bengals

Coach: Nick Carriere, fourth season overall and at Buffalo State (33-38-7)
2007-08 overall record: 10-12-4
2007-08 SUNYAC record: 5-7-4
2007-08 SUNYAC finish: Sixth
2008-09 Predicted finish: Fifth

After a coach has been at the helm for a few years, that team begins to take on the style, attributes, and personality of that coach. So it is with Buffalo State under Nick Carriere, entering his fourth year at the largest college in the SUNYAC.

“Pretty different team than we’ve had in the past,” Carriere said of this year’s squad. “We finally have three recruiting years under us. It feels like our team. The juniors and seniors have stepped up in the leadership role. It feels kind of relaxing since the seniors have taken on a more active role.”

Some of those upperclassmen include last year’s leading scorer, Nick Petriello (12 goals, 18 assists, 30 points), Tyler Soehner, Joe Curry, Travis Whitehead, and D’Arcy Thomas. And let’s not forget Jason Hill.

“Jason Hill has been a go to guy the past couple of years,” Carriere said. “He’s had some injuries. He really made a commitment over the summer to be in the best shape possible.”

They will have to continue to step up to replace Nick Lynch, Jeff Mok, and Johnny Duco who all graduated last year.

Carriere is also excited about some of the new recruits coming in.

“Jim Durham is a local guy who played for the Junior Sabres,” he said. “He’s stepped right in and been all over the ice for us during practice. Impact freshman right from the start. Cory Park is a big guy [6-1, 215]. Big shooter.”

Also keep an eye on defensemen Sean Murray and Will Lacasse.

Goaltending is going to be a very interesting, and key, question mark for the Bengals. Neither Kyle Gunn-Taylor nor Travis Moore, both sophomores last year, returned. Instead, Johnathan Sourwine, who hasn’t played a minute, is back as a junior. No need to panic, however, as there are two new netminders coming in.

“Two of our goaltenders, Zach Grasley and Alan Fritch, are freshmen and will be competing for the number one spot,” Carriere said. “Still up in the air at this point.”

Buffalo State had a slightly off year last season after some wonderful growth the year before, hosting their first ever playoff game. Was last season merely part of the growing pains of a program that has been better off ever since Carriere arrived?

This is now Carriere’s team — his style, his attributes, his personality. If they respond, the Bengals will be back in the hunt for a home playoff spot. If not, they will be struggling just to get in.

Cortland State Red Dragons

Coach: Joe Baldarotta, 17th season overall (276-183-41) and second season at Cortland (11-12-3)
2007-08 overall record: 11-12-3
2007-08 SUNYAC record: 6-8-2
2007-08 SUNYAC finish: Fifth
2008-09 Predicted finish: Sixth

The most unpredictable prediction this year is where will Cortland end up? Joe Baldarotta came in last season to turn the program around. However, he did not have any time to recruit his own players. Nonetheless, Cortland did improve to nearly .500 and a playoff spot, just one point away from a home spot.

“We finished in fifth place just one point behind Potsdam,” Baldarotta said. “That one point came in a tie at Potsdam when we played well in overtime but couldn’t get the winning goal. That one point was a loss to Plattsburgh on a goal with 45 seconds left. It wasn’t one point, it was one goal. Last year, we didn’t have the guys to get that one goal or not let up that one goal. This year we do.

“In fairness to the guys who were here, we took some strides. Now, we are aiming for the top three to four spots.”

“Try to make a big changeover,” Baldarotta said. “We lost through graduation and other means 17 guys. I brought in about 16.”

The team’s top three scorers from last season — Jarrett Gold (13-11-24), Frank Rizzo (11-10-21), and Gerard Heinz (4-16-20) — are returning, as is Patrick Palmisano and Nick Catanzaro. The new players, though, are currently a question mark.

“We won’t have superstars like other teams do,” Baldarotta concedes. “Hopefully, in the future we will be able to get guys like that. But right now, we have to do it by committee. This year I have to rely on everybody to pitch in.”

Goaltending, of course, will be a key. As expected, the Ben Binga saga didn’t play well with Baldarotta. Jon Bova has graduated. Mike Mistretta, who played the bulk of the minutes, is back for his senior year.

“We didn’t lose any games last year because of our goaltending, but now we can flat out win one with our goaltending,” Baldarotta said. “Couple of new goaltenders. Dan Jewell, transfer from Manhattanville, was supposed to play last year, but was injured. Mike Reilly is a freshman out of junior hockey.”

So, just where do you pick Cortland? Is the big changeover going to cause a slow start? Will Baldarotta’s experience and prior success translate to a complete turnaround for the Red Dragons? Baldarotta’s philosophical about it.

“I think the first thing everyone wants is to compare you to last year,” he said. “I think it’s unfair to compare this team to how we were at the end of the year. I want to compare us to how we were in October. I’m trying to get guys into a spot where they are competitive by the end of the season.”

One thing is for sure. Baldarotta may be shooting for the top three to four spots, but he is determined not to settle for mediocrity.

“Why stop there? Shoot for the top spot,” he said. “I’ve never been a guy who was satisfied with sixth place.”

With that attitude, predicting where Cortland will finish is done at your own risk.

Geneseo State Ice Knights

Coach: Chris Schultz, third season overall and at Geneseo (24-27-0)
2007-08 overall record: 8-17-0
2007-08 SUNYAC record: 6-10-0
2007-08 SUNYAC finish: Seventh
2008-09 Predicted finish: Seventh

Three consecutive years of coaching changes finally caught up to Geneseo last season. Despite Chris Schultz returning to his alma mater for a second year, the effects on recruiting could not be offset. This led to a disappointing season as the Ice Knights went from two-time SUNYAC champions to failing to make the playoffs in just two years.

“The recruiting went well,” Schultz said. “So far we’re happy with their performance in practice. But you can never tell how they will actually perform in a game just from practice.”

Returning for his third season behind the bench should add stability to the program, starting with recruiting. Geneseo is going to need it, because some key players graduated last year. Gone are their top two scorers (Mathieu Cyr and Trent Cassan), key defenseman Steve Sankay, and their number one goalie who played in 23 games, Derek Jokic.

Returning are double digit goal scorers Dan Brown and Kevin Galan. So is Daniel Sullivan and defensemen Casey Smith and Chris Kestell.

The makeup of this team is going to be different than those championship squads which possessed players with great skill.

“Our attitude this year, it’s going to be a committee,” Schultz said. “We’re expecting everybody to chip in and contribute. There are no superstars on the team that we can count on to do all the work for you.

“The team is a year older as compared to last year. I think we have four lines that can play, good speed, good skill, and strong defense. The goaltending will be a question mark. We need the goaltending to step up and play a big role.”

A big question mark indeed. Without Jokic, who was able to step right into Brett Walker’s skates, Geneseo once again needs to fill an all important position.

Jeff Pasemko, who played in seven games last year, is back for his senior season. Coming in as a freshman is Cory Gershon. Christian Berlin is a transfer from junior college, Minot State-Bottineau.

“We have confidence, but we want to see if one steps up to be the number one guy or if we alternate,” Schultz said.

Despite the stumbles of last year and the issues with the coach’s revolving door catching up to the Ice Knights, the team knows darn well the reputation they built up, and have no intentions of letting it slip away.

“We’re expecting a SUNYAC championship,” Schultz says with confidence. “There’s a lot learned from last year that has the guys wanting to make up for it.”

How well they learn will determine if their expectations are met, or if they are outside looking in for the playoffs once again.

Brockport State Golden Eagles

Coach: Brian Dickinson, 14th season overall (82-215-32) and 11th season at Brockport (68-167-26)
2007-08 overall record: 7-15-3
2007-08 SUNYAC record: 4-10-2
2007-08 SUNYAC finish: Eighth
2008-09 Predicted finish: Eighth

The great four year experiment is over. The class that Brian Dickinson brought in for a fresh start in a complete overhaul has graduated. In their junior year, Brockport made the playoffs. However, last season was a step back as they finished eighth and were the first SUNYAC victims to upstart program, Morrisville.

Despite that class graduating, Dickinson doesn’t have to start from scratch again. Over the years, through attrition and new recruits, the number of players who left was not as large. Nonetheless, new players it is.

“The word for us this season is ‘green’ because of the number of new players we’ve had to bring in, getting used to the new system, getting them ready for the speed at this level,” Dickinson said. “Hopefully, we’ll get off to a quick start, so that we can start feeling good about ourselves.”

Gone are their top three scorers (Chris Koras, Gordon Pritchard, and Steve Seedhouse) and their top offensive defenseman (Chris Brown) as well as their occasional number one goalie, Greg Van’t Hof.

The team’s fourth scorer, Tim Crowley, perhaps their most improved player last year, is back.

“Tim Crowley started as a fourth liner as an energy guy, but worked his way up to the top line,” Dickinson said. “Last January, he was probably our best guy on the ice.”

Other players will also need to step up.

“We need Dave McNab up front to really fill a scoring need for us. He has the ability to create and put the puck away,” Dickinson added. “Sean O’Malley is also going to be someone we are going to rely on.”

Mike Gershon will be the leader on defense, but the key returning player is goaltender Todd Sheridan, who at times has been the cream of the crop in the SUNYAC.

“[Todd] Sheridan has to be the rock he has been for us the past two years,” Dickinson said. “He has looked excellent in practice and there is no sign of any of the groin injuries that plagued him in the past.”

One interesting addition is junior transfer Jason Gorrie from Plattsburgh.

“He had a really good freshman year for them, but then got injured,” Dickinson explained. “With all the success they had last year, there was no longer any room for him.

“Whole bunch of other guys who we think are going to be good, but it just takes some time for them to adjust to this level of play.”

One thing is for sure, if Brockport is going to make the playoffs again, they have to avoid playing catch up in the second semester. Their conference schedule favors the Golden Knights as they play just one SUNYAC game each of the first two league weekends.

“When you’re fighting for points in the second semester just to stay in the hunt, that takes its toll. It is key for us to get points early,” Dickinson said.

Morrisville State Mustangs

Coach: Brian Grady, second season overall and at Morrisville (5-20-0)
2007-08 overall record: 5-20-0
2007-08 SUNYAC record: 1-15-0
2007-08 SUNYAC finish: Ninth
2008-09 Predicted finish: Ninth

The Mustangs enter their second season as full fledged members of the SUNYAC. Last year, they claimed their first conference win, a 3-1 victory over Brockport in the next to last contest. This year, they plan on improving on that.

“We’re better at every position than last year,” Morrisville coach Brian Grady said. “We have more skill. We have more depth. I’m really excited about the shape the guys are in. They really worked hard over the summer.”

Gone is Matt Damskov, their second leading scorer last season, but returning is their top scorer, Rob Sgarbossa (12-10-22).

“Had a great season for us last year,” Morrisville coach Brian Grady said of Sgarbossa. “Definitely our best player. Can get it done anywhere. Takes pride in the defensive zone. Does it all for us.”

Also returning is Brent Quinn, who has a point to prove.

“He missed half a year last year for team discipline action,” Grady said. “He’s got great skill. Really applied himself over the summer. The sky is the limit for him.”

On defense, the Mustangs’ top blueliner, Evan Kernohan, is back for his junior year.

“Has a good eye for the game,” Grady said. “Anticipates well. He was a forward converted to defense, so he knows how to jump into the offense.”

Look for freshman Tom Longland to be another Kernohan, according to Grady, “We’re excited about him. Same mold as Evan. Fluid skater. Competitor. Will bring a lot to us both on the ice and off the ice.”

Of course, for Morrisville to move up in the league and perhaps even battle for a playoff spot, it will come down to goaltending. And they just may just have the player for that in Caylin Relkoff. As a freshman, his numbers may not have been outstanding, but he faced a lot of shots behind a suspect defense.

“[Relkoff’s] back after a great freshman campaign,” Grady said. “Played the bulk of our minutes. Kept us in games we probably shouldn’t have been in. Won most of our games for us. He’s a big, solid, athletic kid.”

The schedule has been evened out for Morrisville this year, as they will now play every conference foe home and away, which will also avoid ending their season in January like last year.

It’s tough to be the new kid on the block, but Morrisville has gained a level of respectability, through hard work and constant improvement. To take them lightly is to do so at your own risk.

“I think we’re going to be a tough team to compete against. We’re going to work hard for 60 minutes. That will be our trademark,” Grady said.

This Week in ECAC Hockey: Oct. 16, 2008

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Welcome back everybody to another season of utterly inept and pointless predictions, complemented by brutally misleading statistics and a smattering of predictable coach-speak and clichés.

Oh, I guess there’s some skating-stick-ball thing going down, too.

And just like the teams, I’m going to ease my way into the new year with a few pithy observations and a lot of editorializing.

W2PA2

(What to Pay Attention To, since “W2W4” — a.k.a. What to Watch For — has been absorbed into the corporate copyright compendium of the ubiquitous ABC/Disney/ESPN mega-media juggernaut.)

Some thoughts on the league and its members:

• Clarkson — ‘Tech visits Rochester I.T. this weekend for the first time since RIT made the jump to D-I in the fall of ’05. The Green & Gold beat the Tigers in Potsdam in each of their two meetings since, but the Tigers have nipped the Knights before, beating them twice and tying once in 11 overall meetings since the 1983-84 season.

Not that anyone asked me, but … Clarkson has the youngest average age of confusing “w”s in the league: soph Michael Kosziwka (kuh-ZOO-kuh), freshman Mark Borowiecki (boar-oh-VEH-ski) and classmate Paul Karpowich (CAR-poh-witch … not car-poh-vich, as I initially suspected).

• Colgate — the Raiders won their sixth straight home opener, dating back to a 5-3 win over Ferris State in October 2003. It’s the second-longest such streak in the league, as Quinnipiac (which joined the league in the fall of 2005) hasn’t lost a campaign’s initial home tilt since the fall of 1996. (Seriously!) Rensselaer and St. Lawrence each boast six-game unbeaten streaks in home openers, for the record.

Not that anyone asked me, but … Austin Smith is one of the best names you could ever hope for from a blue-chip Texan sniper. I hope the Raider faithful develop a deep repertoire of Smith-centric cheers. He’s from Dallas, drafted by the Stars … if only he had been a goalie. I’m absolutely positive that his mask artwork would’ve been stellar (astronomy pun wholeheartedly intended).

• Quinnipiac — for starters, read the Colgate bit; QU re-opens the Bank on November 1 against UConn (12-10-2 all-time in favor of the ‘Cats). The Bobcats play Union in the Maverick Stampede on Friday, and hold a 7-2-1 overall record against the Dutchmen … but secured only a single point against the Schenectady skaters last year.

Not that anyone asked me, but … defenseman Mike Glaicar might not be the largest freshman in the league — media guide measurements are notoriously inaccurate (read: “adjusted for optimal perception”) — but he’s certainly one of them at (somewhere around) six-four, 220. Whether he’s the crusher of the class or not, he does have the most awesomely frightening name. Glaicar … reminds me of the battle scene from Coneheads, for better or worse.

• Rensselaer — the good: Vermont went only one-for-nine on the man advantage last Saturday. The bad: RPI went zip-for-five to follow up a miserable .071 performance last season. (Tangent: The Engineers played a league-low 19.2 percent of their ECAC contests with the lead.) Hopefully ‘Tute’s three-for-10 effort against the Under-18s on Sunday will inspire a little more confidence in the fledgling Engineers as they hit No. 6 New Hampshire Friday night.

Not that anyone asked me, but … I miss the Puckman jerseys. There’s nothing wrong with the current sweaters (Easton? That’s a novelty), but ditching Puckman is on par with the Penguins ditching the scarf (they couldn’t even bring it back for the Winter Classic; are you kidding me?). I actually liked the Pens’ stylized triangular logo too, but that’s neither here nor there.

• St. Lawrence — regardless of rooting preference, there’s no denying that 21 does not equal 11. The blackjack deal was anything but exciting for the Saints, who were assessed 21 minor penalties in two games at Michigan, while the host Wolverines were a full royal short of that total. Perhaps SLU was sufficiently distracted by the abrasive Yost atmosphere, and/or maybe there was a little CCHA home cookin’ at play. Either way, not pretty numbers. You want some numbers that do equate? One equals one. That’s how many power-play goals each side scored on the weekend: UM was one for 19 on the advantage, while the Saints finished 1/9. Two tight losses against the third-ranked team in the nation are cause for optimism in the North Country.

Not that anyone asked me, but … scarlet and brown are quite a unique color pairing, sports-wise. I can’t think of another team that currently uses those tones as primary hues, and yet, Brown is so close … Two such similar combos in the same league — and nowhere else — is downright bizarre. (If I’m missing a whole slew of brown and red logos, let me have it.)

• Union — the Dutchmen open their season with back-to-back tournaments in the Maverick Stampede and the Governor’s Cup. There is potential — probability, in fact — for UC to play three conference foes (Quinnipiac, Rensselaer and Colgate) in these four non-conference games before the ECAC Hockey schedule actually begins. This gives the Garnet & White the biggest conference sneak-peek in the league. (Brown will play a couple non-league games against Princeton and Yale in the mini-Ivy Showcase.)

Not that anyone asked me, but … does anyone think Kelly Zajac wishes he’d gone to North Dakota instead of Union? Me either.

Game of the Week

Rensselaer @ New Hampshire: Friday, 7 p.m.

This is the latest installment of Seth Appert’s Take On All Comers tour, testing his underdog Engineers against the sixth-ranked Wildcats. Appert and his charges have something to prove; the ‘Tute was 0-7-0 against favored non-conference opponents last season, and 1-5 against non-ECAC competition away from the Houston Field House.

The programs haven’t met much in recent years — their last tilt was in November ’03 — but in a healthy 42 all-time rumbles, UNH holds the 23-19-0 edge. Fun note: the Wildcats (Hockey East’s regular-season champs) were 0-2-0 against the ECAC last season, falling at home to St. Lawrence (ninth in ECAC Hockey last year) and to Dartmouth (12th) in Manchester, N.H.

In Memoriam — Jack Falla

I understand that personal soliloquies can come off as unrelatable at best, and selfish, pretentious or pontificating at worst. Therefore I won’t blame you if you don’t read what follows. However, I will beseech you to take one thing away from this: if you are a hockey fan, consider yourself obligated to read both Home Ice and Open Ice, as they are collectively to Ken Dryden’s The Game what Shoeless Joe (movie adaptation: Field of Dreams) is to Moneyball. That is, the literary touchstone for the emotional and cultural side of the game.

I’m not sure which profession Jack Falla found more rewarding, writing or teaching. That’s because I never really made that final push into his inner circle, which I certainly regret in retrospect. He wasn’t a father-figure to me, he wasn’t a professor in the Classroom of Life … he wasn’t Morrie Schwartz and I’m not Mitch Albom.

But he was my hero, in many ways, and neither of us even suspected it until the end.

Jack Falla covered hockey for Sports Illustrated for five years and wrote (or co-wrote) eight books, all involving or focusing on hockey. An alumnus of Boston University, he returned to his alma mater in the last decade to teach sports writing and sports communication, which is how I met him. He was a wordsmith of great talent and acclaim, and clearly devoted more time to researching a single character — Hobey Baker for example, only one of many subjects of his latest tome — than many of us did for entire collegiate courses (myself included). He was a rink rat, a family man, and a sharp entertainer, despite a pervasive disdain for crowds and strangers.

I pride myself on being a pretty fair and accurate judge of character, and Jack Falla was a good man. He taught a fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable class. He was accessible, he was friendly and gregarious, and he took the business of sportswriting — so often referred to as the “toy department” of the journalistic establishment — very seriously. But what our niche community lost in mid-September wasn’t a father, a husband, or a teacher; it was a friend, a colleague, and a supporter who never sang in anything but full voice for our collective passion.

A lot of us are missing you, Jack … but the biggest sufferers will be those who will never feel the ache. They are the ones who will never be instructed that “ya gotta play hurt,” who will never be able to imagine your rolling, Bostonian patois as they invariably devour your prose, word by gliding, wistful word.

This Week in the CCHA: Oct. 16, 2008

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An Unsettling Start

Longtime readers and CCHA fans know that I like to start the season with a column that’s more on the lighthearted side. After all, we’re all happy that it’s hockey season again, and this early in the season there isn’t much of substance to explore.

But there’s nothing light about the mood around the league this week after the attack on Michigan defenseman Steve Kampfer.

According to sports information at the University of Michigan, Kampfer has a fractured skull as a result of having been attacked in the very early hours of Sunday morning.

No arrests have been made yet in the incident, but Michigan football player Mike Milano was suspended from the football team pending the outcome of an investigation into the incident.

No details have been released about whether the two knew each other, and although witnesses said that there were words exchanged, that proves nothing other than that there were words exchanged between Kampfer and his assailant.

It’s an open secret that there can sometimes be animosity between the players for different teams at the same school, but there is nothing to suggest that there is such animosity at the University of Michigan. I am not suggesting that there is. But even if these young men didn’t know each other at all, the very fact of this assault is the antithesis of the mission of NCAA sports.

It’s important, too, to remember that Kampfer is a victim here, and that Milano is innocent so far in the eyes of the law. I’ve received several anti-Michigan and anti-athlete emails — which are also contrary to what most of us believe about sportsmanship.

Kampfer will wear a neck brace for the next eight weeks, after which his doctors will re-evaluate his condition. His family gave Michigan coach Red Berenson permission Thursday to comment on the extent of his injury.

There’s no easy way to transition this into what must come next. Kampfer is junior defenseman, and his absence will leave the Wolverine blueline even shorter because senior defenseman and captain Mark Mitera suffered a severe knee injury in Michigan’s 4-3 home win over St. Lawrence last Friday night.

Mitera’s injury was the result of an unfortunate sequence of open-ice events. Mitera was doing what a good defenseman should; he was trying to knock the puck away from a St. Lawrence player. As he was doing so, an SLU forward fell into him — open ice, accidentally, as the St. Lawrence player was already on his way down — and knocked Mitera’s knee “the wrong way,” according to Michigan sports information.

The injury is very severe, and Mitera will likely miss his entire senior season. The swelling is at this point too great to know exactly what’s going on, but the injury will require surgery. No word on redshirting yet.

And making this the unholiest of trifectas and possibly one of the worst weeks for any defensive corps in recent memory, another Michigan defenseman, freshman Brandon Burlon, was hurt during practices last week. He sat out the St. Lawrence series, and won’t be back for the Wolverines’ road set against Northern Michigan this week.

It’s rotten luck for Mitera, a short-term injury for Burlon, and something so close to heartbreaking for Kampfer that it’s difficult to comprehend.

Out of the Gate

This season the CCHA has adopted an NHL-style shootout to decide points for standings purposes after 65 minutes of tied hockey. So why not try it the first night of CCHA action?

On Friday, October 10, the very first CCHA game of the season was decided by shootout, and resulted in the Ohio State Buckeyes being in sole possession of first place for about 24 hours.

The game was pretty typical of what these two rivals produce. OSU led by two after the first, on goals by Peter Boyd and Patrick Schafer. Carter Camper and Justin Vaive tied it up for the RedHawks after two.

Then Sergio Somma scored for the Bucks in the first minute of the third period. Then Jarod Palmer converted on a two-man advantage with just over five to go in the third.

In the first round of the shootout, Corey Elkins scored for the Buckeyes but Miami’s Pat Cannone was stopped by OSU netminder Joseph Palmer. In the second round, both OSU’s Zac Dalpe and Miami’s Carter Camper scored, but Boyd scored in the third shootout round to give Ohio State a shootout win and extra point for the purposes of the season standings.

At the start of the season, OSU head coach John Markell said that losing a shootout would be a heck of a way to lose a hockey game, and after last week’s contest, Miami head coach Enrico Blasi said, “Hopefully all these shootouts — if there are any more — will even out.”

Miami did more than even the score the following night, smacking the Buckeyes 7-3.

While most CCHA fans think of the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry as the quintessential local college hockey faceoff, it’s just as fitting that the Bucks and the ‘Hawks played this historic first shootout as any other pair of teams. Miami beat Ohio State all five times the two teams met in 2007-08, but the last three games were decided by a goal, and the teams have played some interesting overtime games through the last few seasons.

Hey, the Buckeyes won the first-ever CCHA league championship, too. Perhaps it won’t take them 32 years to repeat this particular feat.

USCHO.com received a bit of email last week from CCHA fans — mostly Ohio State fans — after the RedHawk-Buckeye shootout game. We hadn’t yet updated things on the technical side to reflect the new points system some fans wanted to point out to us that the CCHA was now using the shootout to determine points after ties.

Thanks to all who wrote in. We didn’t know that. Really.

I especially want to thank all of the OSU fans, whose email was especially adamant about updating the system right then and there. You can’t blame them, though. It was historic … and — briefly — the Buckeyes were in first place.

Opening Ice

The Miami-OSU series was the only league play last weekend, but there was plenty of Division I play happening, including a tournament, a classic, and a cup.

The Alaska Nanooks took the 18th annual Kendall Hockey Classic in Anchorage, their first-ever in-season tournament title. On Friday, the Nanooks advanced when junior forward Dion Knelsen scored the only goal in a shootout following Alaska’s 2-2 tie against Northeastern, and the Nanooks beat Connecticut, 5-0, in the title game the following night. Knelsen was named the classic’s Most Outstanding Player with his shootout goal and two assists in each contest.

The Michigan State Spartans didn’t fare as well in this year’s Ice Breaker Invitational. After beating Massachusetts 3-1 Friday, the Spartans fell to host Boston University, 2-1, Saturday. Jeff Petry had the power-play goal for MSU in the third period against BU. The Terriers outshot the Spartans 29-13 in the game.

For the second consecutive year, the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs shut out the Northern Michigan Wildcats to take the Superior Cup. Last year, it was a 4-0 game; this year, it was 5-0. The Wildcats beat Michigan Tech, 5-2, in their opening game, while the Bulldogs and the Lake Superior State Lakers skated to a 2-2 tie in the opening night of the cup.

The Lakers lost to Michigan Tech, 3-2, in their second game. Both the Wildcats and the Lakers hosted in their home rinks for the weekend.

Pat Inglis and Brian Mahoney-Wilson split time in net for LSSU, with Inglis stopping 29 against Duluth and Mahoney-Wilson making 34 saves in the game against Tech.

There was a shootout following the tie between the Lakers and Bulldogs, and Duluth’s Justin Fontaine was the only guy to find the back of the net.

There’s a mixed bag of college hockey this weekend, with some CCHA action, some interleague action, and a couple of tournaments.

The Nanooks will host the Brice Alaska Goal Rush this weekend, welcoming Anchorage, Maine and Mercyhurst. The Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks will defend their Mutual of Omaha Stampede title, a tourney now in its ninth season. This year, American International, Quinnipiac and Union travel to Omaha.

New Season, New Vibe

The season may be young, but that doesn’t mean that Bronco fans can’t be excited about Western Michigan’s .500 record. Sure, the Broncos swept Bentley to open things up last year en route to nine overall wins, but this year WMU beat Niagara, a team that swept the Broncs early last season, before losing a close, well-played game to RIT.

Western Michigan head coach Jim Culhane was clearly pleased about his team’s performance in its opening weekend. “Both games were intense,” said Culhane after the 2-1 loss Saturday. “To me, it looked like midseason hockey for both teams. We understand and realize on any given night — I don’t care who you’re playing in Division I college hockey — you have to bring your ‘A’ game and compete real hard, which we did.”

For two coaches of the RIT Tigers, it was old home week. Both head coach Wayne Wilson and assistant Brian Hills played for and coached at Bowling Green, the team they beat Friday night by a 4-2 score.

“I have a lot of respect for both Wayne and Brian,” said Culhane. “I played against them both, coached against them both. Our hockey community is so small. There’s a very close bond and brotherhood there between all the coaches and the players.”

Two things struck me about the Broncos in the 2-1 loss Saturday. The first was the overall team speed, which is improved not only by the addition of the eight new freshman but by the general condition of the team as a whole.

The second thing was the penalty kill, which was fearless. Guys were blocking shots a little but more importantly were not afraid to risks. The PK units clearly had confidence in sophomore goaltender Jerry Kuhn, who stopped 28-of-30 in the contest. There were several shorthanded Bronco odd-man rushes with no sense of panic about returning to position.

“I thought our penalty kill was really good all weekend long … stemming from our outstanding goaltending,” said Culhane.

It may be early in the season, and I only saw one game, and the game was against a nonleague opponent, but if the Broncos genuinely are a last-place team, the CCHA is in for some good hockey this season.

And the Broncos may not be a last-place team.

News about the News

The state of the newspaper business in the U.S. is appalling, and the folks in Ann Arbor have firsthand evidence of that.

The Ann Arbor News has decided not to cover Michigan ice hockey. They’ve not only taken writer Antoine Pitts off the beat, but they’ve eliminated the beat altogether.

This is not something that Antoine Pitts deserves. He’s covered Michigan hockey for many years and is a good writer who is knowledgeable about our league. Every sportswriter has his or her share of detractors and Antoine has his share, but being reassigned from a Division I college sport to high school sports isn’t something he deserves.

Nor is this something that Michigan hockey and its fans deserve. I find it inconceivable that there isn’t enough local interest in Wolverine hockey to justify a beat writer. It has to be bad for business for the paper, and it’s certainly bad for college hockey.

On the flip side of that, the CCHA keeps working to expand its television coverage. This week, the league announced this week that the NHL Network will show 17 CCHA Saturday-night games live in the 2008-09 season.

There are 84 Canadian-born players in the CCHA, and many players from all over that have either been drafted by NHL teams or in which NHL teams and fans have an interest. Given the growing number of college players gracing NHL rosters, this is a good development for the league and for college hockey.

Interesting Timing

Until last weekend, I had missed exactly one Ohio State home hockey game, and roughly two-thirds of another. In December 2002, I had emergency gall bladder surgery and I missed a Miami-OSU game at the Schott. In November 1998, I took a puck to the head in the press box of the OSU Ice Arena (then the OSU Ice Rink), and had to go to the emergency room for two staples to the scalp. That game was against Northern Michigan and I returned before the game ended.

(I had to. That’s where I had parked my car.)

Until this season, I had attended every OSU home opener since the 1995-96 campaign. Contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t an affinity for Ohio State that kept me at Buckeye home games. I lived in Columbus for 18 years, and because of work and other matters of schedule, it was difficult to travel.

In late August of this year, I moved to Michigan. The heart of CCHA country. Six teams within a reasonable driving distance as opposed to the three I had in Ohio.

And where was I when the RedHawks and Buckeyes made history? In Michigan, and nowhere near a CCHA hockey game. It’s a good thing I didn’t waste my money on the lottery that night, because clearly the stars were against me.

I’m glad to be back for another season, glad to be among people who talk hockey on a regular basis, eager to explore my new home state, and happy to have the opportunity to travel more freely around the league again.

Early next week, look for a feature on Western Michigan’s freshman class, more on shootouts, a look at the four-man system, and whatever else comes our way. And soon I’ll be blogging about hockey and other things related to my new, midlife adventure.

COMMENTARY: Aftermath Of An Assault

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Less than two seasons after thugs nearly killed Boston University defenseman Kevin Schaeffer in a brutal assault, Michigan Wolverine football player Mike Milano is suspected of bodyslamming Michigan hockey defenseman Steve Kampfer to the concrete in a cowardly attack last Saturday night.

This latest senseless attack on an NCAA hockey player has many unanswered questions, including why it happened and what might have led up to it. The rumor mill is running wild in Ann Arbor, Mich., but what is known and printed in a Michigan Daily story has witnesses saying three men had played a part in pushing past Kampfer and a friend on an Ann Arbor street late Saturday night.

Witnesses say that Kampfer’s friend said something to the three as the three approached the unsuspecting duo and Milano, who trailed the other two, came from behind, lifted Kampfer, and slammed him to the concrete. Kampfer was left unconscious, according to reports.

How the Wolverines players and staff handle this has yet to be seen but having a steadying influence like Red Berenson should be a huge help. There are psychological steps to be hurdled, especially by Kampfer. The questions are, how badly hurt is he? Can he can return to hockey? For the players, it’s an invasion of their safety and an assault on their overall well-being. How Michigan gets through this will depend on how well the team rallies around its leadership.

The leadership was among those attacked in the BU incident that occurred on a warm December night in 2006. Kevin Schaeffer, Sean Sullivan, and John Curry were all upperclassmen when the incident happened.

“There was a two-on-two argument between one of our players, a friend of his who was a little to inebriated and sick, and two guys they didn’t know who were making fun of the fact that he couldn’t keep his alcohol down,” said Schaeffer from Binghamton, N.Y., where he is a member of the AHL’s Binghamton Senators. “There was a little tussle, then they came back prepared for battle. Sully got hit with a wrench and took seven staples in the back of his head. Curry got blindsided. I came downstairs out of the house and hit with a bat and was out cold. I don’t remember much.”

I talked with Boston University coach Jack Parker Wednesday morning. Parker, who has guided the BU hockey family through a few tragedies including the recent death of former star goalie Scott Cashman at 39, was unaware of the incident at Michigan; ironically, the Wolverines visit BU next week.

Parker thought back to when Schaeffer, Curry, and Sullivan were brutally beaten with bats, hammers, wrenches and golf clubs by attackers at a house party near the campus of BU. The players were out after a weekend series against Boston College, and all were where they were allowed to be and were not in violation of any team rules.

Such incidents have happened in college hockey before, some off-ice like the two being discussed, and some on the ice like the tragedy of former BU forward Travis Roy, who was paralyzed 11 seconds into his NCAA career.

“I remember the first thing that I had to do was get all of the facts and that took two or three days,” said Parker thinking back two seasons. “The most pressing thing was Kevin’s health because we had no idea how he was or what his future was. The other two, Curry and Sully, weren’t that bad but Kevin could have been killed.”

Parker commented after seeing Schaeffer in the hospital that he looked like former Red Sox slugger Tony Conigliaro, whose career was ended when he was beaned in the face by a pitch in August of 1967. The incident was so bad even the Boston College players were affected.

“I remember calling the team together a few days later when we realized Kevin was doing better and out of the hospital and I talked to them. What happened was really bad but was minor compared to the Travis Roy situation,” said Parker of putting it in perspective for his players. “Overall, the players realized that this was a random invasion of their space by two non-university students. Psychologically it wasn’t the same trauma we suffered when Travis got hurt. That helped a little, that perspective.”

Schaeffer was taken to the hospital where he lay unconscious. Several teammates came to visit the next day and were noticeably shaken by seeing him attached to machines, the right side of his face bruised and blackened and his eyes swollen shut.

The incident happened near semester break and Parker pulled the team together for a meeting. Schaeffer was able to attend but looked like he had been through a war. The players knew he would be all right, but still could barely function and that day’s practice was awful.

“The bottom line is I was okay — I was lucky,” said Schaeffer, who incidentally shook off a poor first semester of play to be BU’s best player in the second half. “I remember thinking that every game I played I was lucky to be playing in and so I just let loose, had fun, and played like I had nothing to lose and I played really well. Jack actually joked with me late in that second semester that someone should have hit me with a bat earlier to wake me up. But that’s Jack, he can say that at the right time and you know he cares.”

The two suspects were finally convicted and sentenced to jail time this past summer.

Schaeffer didn’t know of the Michigan incident but thought about what must be going on at Yost, and what needed to happen from his experience.

“The coaches and the player who was hurt need to show the team he’s okay. Jack did an incredible job keeping the players under control, letting them voice their feelings and opinions,” said Schaeffer of the aftermath. “When I came back a few days later, it was a combination of Jack wanting the guys to know I was okay, and me letting the guys know I was still behind them, still their teammate, and I was that this shouldn’t be something that affects their season.”

It was then that Ryan Weston stood up and told the team that they need to do what other teams both at BU and elsewhere have done in these situations and use this as a rallying cry to fight through and have a great season. It also helped the guys learn that you can’t take anything for granted because they knew it could have been any one of them that was on the receiving end of that baseball bat.

That is the challenge facing Michigan. The best thing for the Wolverines is that they travel to Marquette to play Northern Michigan this weekend and will have some alone time. How they use it will go a long way to how well they’ll play this season. And if they still have any questions, they can ask the folks at BU when they get to Boston on October 25.

Michigan’s Kampfer Seriously Injured In Assault

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

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

Michigan defenseman Steve Kampfer (photo: Melissa Wade).

Michigan defenseman Steve Kampfer (photo: Melissa Wade).

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

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

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

Kampfer was taken to University Hospital after the incident.

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

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

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

Should They Stay Or Should They Go?

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The decision to stay the full four years in college hockey or leave early for pro hockey has raged for years.

In the 1980s, Michigan State had a dynamic freshman named Rod Brind’Amour, who head coach Ron Mason told after that season that he was so ready for the NHL that he’d be wasting time in college. Brind’Amour hasn’t looked back since.

Others have left early with the dream of NHL stardom and it hasn’t worked out so well. One of the dynamic underclassmen who left early was Minnesota’s Ryan Potulny, who three years later is still trying to find a permanent home in the NHL. Matt Carle of Denver was an offensive powerhouse as a defenseman and a Hobey Baker winner as a college defenseman, but after leaving school following his junior year, he has yet to prove he is a full-time top-four defenseman in the NHL.

Nathan Gerbe is among the recent early departures from college to the pro ranks (photo: Melissa Wade).

Nathan Gerbe is among the recent early departures from college to the pro ranks (photo: Melissa Wade).

Then again, Ohio State’s Ryan Kesler left after one season and had a pretty full-time stay in the NHL, playing 240 games coming into this season, his seventh in pro hockey. Buckeye teammate R.J. Umberger, who skated for the Flyers last season, left after his junior year with 129 NCAA points to his credit and has 117 points in 230 NHL games as this season starts, his sixth in the NHL.

Then you have those who do stay the full four and bypass that chance to leave after three great seasons. Miami’s Ryan Jones and Nathan Davis come to mind, as do Maine’s Greg Moore, Michigan’s Kevin Porter (who won the Hobey Baker his senior year) and Chad Kolarik, Michigan State’s David Booth, Cornell’s Matt Moulson, Denver’s Gabe Gauthier, BC’s Brian Boyle, Michigan’s T.J. Hensick, and Wisconsin goalie Brian Elliott.

The most outspoken coach on this issue for both the value of a four-year education/college degree and full development as a hockey player is Michigan coach Red Berenson. His line of “if a player is ready to leave Michigan early and go right to the NHL, I’ll drive him to the airport” has been quoted many times in this column since he first told it to me six seasons ago.

Michigan is constantly under the threat of elite players leaving early, and in recent memory, star players like Jack Johnson, Andy Hilbert, Mike Cammalleri, Jeff Tambellini, Mike Komisarek, Andrew Cogliano, and Al Montoya departed early. This past summer, promising prospect Max Pacioretty turned pro after one season at Michigan to join the team that drafted him, the Montreal Canadiens. Pacioretty is nowhere near ready for the NHL, and was ready to stay another season until the Canadiens got in his ear this summer.

Hilbert is an interesting case study. He left after his second season at Michigan after racking up 97 points in those two years. Now earning a regular shift with the undertalented Islanders, he enters his eighth pro season never having played a full season in the big leagues. Seventy-nine points in 239 games is his ledger in the NHL with better success as a scorer in the AHL, which he was in college in a huge way. In the American Hockey League, he has amassed 217 points in 239 games, which is a great minor-league career. It begs the question — did he make the right decision despite such prolific numbers in the CCHA?

“I look at a guy like Hilbert and I feel he never developed after he left Michigan and he left after only two years,” said Berenson as he took a break from his September duties as an invited coach at Detroit Red Wings training camp. “Jack Johnson was on the border but I had no qualms with him leaving. I wish Jeff Tambellini had stayed; his senior year would have been great for him. The one guy I was wrong on was Andy Cogliano. I didn’t think after two years he was ready for the NHL, but he has been great in Edmonton.”

Two of this season’s great seniors would have been Justin Abdelkader of Michigan State and Nathan Gerbe of Boston College, and I’ll throw in a third in Blake Wheeler of Minnesota. Wheeler was a top draft choice of Phoenix and had a very good career at Minnesota but a senior year would have done him wonders, especially in the WCHA which is generally top to bottom the nation’s best conference and certainly its most offensively freewheeling.

Gerbe had been to three Frozen Fours, won one of them, and put on an eight-point show in two games last season in Denver in leading BC to a title. The 5’6″ forward is dynamic and a case can be made that he might just make the offensively-challenged Sabres this season.

“The AHL says they can develop players faster,” said Berenson. “However, how many of these kids to you see leave early and then just hit a wall in their first pro season? They lose confidence and they stop developing. In college maturity and leadership get developed over the course of four years and players leave college hockey ready for the pro ranks and have a degree to fall back on.”

Last season, it was clear Michigan State had a problem with its focus on a nightly basis because it had many kids who were underclassmen that had been drafted and were being talked about as early departures. Abdelkader led a list that included Tim Kennedy, Tim Crowder, and Mike Ratchuk. Only Crowder is back.

At one point late last season, Spartans head coach Rick Comley, who handled this situation as well as any coach I’ve seen, made the statement regarding Abdelkader that he trusted the Red Wings (Abdelkader’s draft team) decisions but felt if they were going to send him to Grand Rapids this season they’d be better off letting him stay in college for one more season for exactly the reasons Berenson has stated.

Abdelkader, a Michigan native, cited the fact it was the Red Wings, a hometown team where he could be close to home and his friends at Michigan State and decided to turn pro. He did so looking at a roster that boasted 12 forwards who as a group were as good as any that has won a Cup since Denis Potvin lifted it in 1980. He mentioned in a conversation during Wings camp that if it was any other team that held his draft rights, he might have gone back for his senior season.

“He is by far one of the best kids I ever coached and losing him leaves a huge hole here,” said Comley. “He’ll be a Wing one day, no doubt.”

A dynamic player, Abdelkader is underrated offensively despite good numbers. However, what stands out to anyone who watches him, especially Wings Director of Player development Jiri Fischer, is his competitiveness, his physical play, and his ability to play in his own end.

“He was one of the first players I saw when I was hired here and when I watched him and talked to him, his maturity just stood out,” said Fischer as we watched Abdelkader center a line with longtime Red Wing Darren McCarty in training camp. “I’m glad he made the jump to pro hockey; it will be good for his career long-term, but what impresses me is that he spent the summer at MSU training and taking classes to finish his degree. How can you not be impressed with a kid like that?”

Berenson was impressed with Abdelkader in training camp. Joking with him during practice, he said to his former rival, “You look great in red (as in a Red Wings sweater), but you looked pretty good in (Michigan State) green also.”

“His offensive skills as a scorer have yet to be determined at this level,” said Berenson. He might not develop as a scorer, but maybe he will. Most folks around here see him as a third-liner who can score but he has to show more. Once again, it comes down to, was the kid NHL-ready when he left? Kevin Porter was after his senior year but not after his junior year and look at the difference.”

Another impressive kid in that situation was BU standout defenseman Matt Gilroy. Gilroy was a classic late bloomer who all of a sudden became a star at BU. After his junior season, many NHL organizations were around him a lot and there was no shortage of NHL GMs trying to get him under contract. A native Long Islander, Gilroy turned everyone down and it was at Michigan in October last season that he talked to me about why.

“I’m not ready — why would I leave BU?” asked Gilroy in the bowels of Yost Arena. “I have a lot to learn, I still want to get better, and I like playing college hockey. I’m not in a rush.”

Now the captain as a senior at BU, he returns with six other seniors to a formidable Terriers lineup. Being in the scouting community, I can you assure that Gilroy is being watched closely and that there are two or three NHL teams ready with offers when he peels off his Terrier sweater for the last time this season.

Another Hockey East star, goalie Jimmy Howard, was in the same predicament after his junior season and like Abdelkader, he chose to leave early. Their careers were not that different, as Howard was the marquee player at Maine as they came within a disputed goal of winning a national title. Howard was as good if not better than any goalie his junior season, and was in the unique position of being on a team that won a lot of games 1-0 and 2-1. Having shouldered that burden all the way to a date in the national title game against Denver, Howard talked to his coaches and signed with Detroit. In camp with Abdelkader, he discussed that decision in a positive light.

“My family always told me to make a decision and never look back and that’s what I did when I turned pro,” said Howard. “My feeling was it was time to go, and after talking to assistant coach Grant Standbrook (now retired), he felt the same way, that I was ready for pro hockey.”

Howard has been in an organization that has seen a lot of talented players come through its system and talked about the players he faces this season in training camp.

“It has been easy to develop in this organization. The goalie coach is great, and with the talent they have here, practices are harder than some games I have played in,” said Howard. Howard hadn’t seen much of Abdelkader in college as their tenures bypassed each other, but he remarked about Abdelkader that you could never tell he was a rookie because of his composure and his skill level.

“He reminds me of Greg Moore,” said Howard of his teammate at Maine, now a top prospect in the Rangers system. “He’s big and strong, works his (butt) off, and is smart. He also can score but he is such a physical presence.”

A detailed case study of the effects of staying four years on a pro career probably would leave you somewhat undecided on who is right. Several good players stayed four years and still are not seeing NHL success, while some are. The same can be said for the early departures.

What the risk of early-flight players might start to do is change the way the coaches recruit kids and spend their scholarship money. It has crept into the mind of Berenson and his staff at Michigan.

“I hate to have to recruit that way, but I can see us passing up the high-end kid who we know will leave early,” said Berenson, who faces the same problem that schools like Minnesota, North Dakota, and Boston College face on a yearly basis. “We’re aiming at that high-end kid who seems more grounded, who wants to stay four years and get his education and play college hockey for all the reasons you should want to play college hockey.

“There are kids who have turned pro that I never dreamed would do that. You can’t predict these things but we’re looking at things a little different.”

Boston College Again No. 1 In USCHO.com/CBS College Sports XXL Poll

USCHO Staff Report
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Boston College remained the overwhelming pick for No. 1 in the nation in the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports XXL Division I men’s poll, released Tuesday. The Eagles beat Wisconsin Friday in their lone game of the weekend and garnered 45 of 50 first-place votes to stay atop the rankings.

No. 2 was again Michigan, which swept St. Lawrence and tallied two first-place votes. The other three first-place nods went to Colorado College, again in third after sweeping Alabama-Huntsville.

Denver moved up to fourth this week with a win over Notre Dame in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game. The Pioneers were followed by Boston University; the Terriers impressed voters with two wins at the Ice Breaker Invitational, over North Dakota and Michigan State and jumped four spots to No. 5.

New Hampshire edged up to sixth by beating Wisconsin Saturday, with Miami also up one place to No. 7 after a series with Ohio State which inaugurated the CCHA’s use of the shootout to settle ties. OSU won Friday’s shootout tiebreaker to claim a win for the purposes of the CCHA standings, but the game will be recorded as a tie for NCAA tournament selection purposes.

Notre Dame was down four spots to eighth with its loss to Denver, followed by Minnesota, which has yet to play an official regular-season contest. Princeton, idle last weekend as ECAC Hockey awaits the start of its regular season, moved into the top 10.

Michigan State held its ground at No. 11 after beating Massachusetts but losing to BU at the Ice Breaker, trailed by St. Cloud State. The Huskies moved up three places with two wins over Mercyhurst.

North Dakota suffered the worst drop of the week, falling eight places to No. 13 after starting its season with two Ice Breaker losses to BU and then UMass. The Sioux were followed at No. 14 by idle Clarkson; in 15th was Minnesota State, up three positions after sweeping Bemidji State.

Cornell and Harvard, idle like their ECAC Hockey brethren, were No. 16 and No. 18, respectively, sandwiching Vermont in 17th. The Catamounts won their lone game, over Rensselaer in Quebec. Northern Michigan slipped to 19th after beating Michigan Tech but losing to Minnesota Duluth at the Superior Cup, and Wisconsin fell six places to round out the rankings at No. 20.

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