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ECAC Northeast Season Preview

By Paul C. Altmeyer Jr.
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The ECAC Northeast will have a ‘new look’ to it this year, as there are new coaches, a new team, and a couple of different rinks. One constant you will find at this time of the year is that every coach knows you can’t take a night off, as that will undoubtedly equate to an ‘L’ in the loss column.

Framingham State College

Last year, Framingham State College only won two games, but coach Chris Heaney feels that this year may be different.

“We’re going to compete every night; otherwise we’ll end up on the wrong side of the win-loss column,” he said. “I like what I see. We’ll win more than two games, but we won’t go undefeated. We’ll end up somewhere in between, and that’s a compliment to the league.”

Heaney has a relatively young squad this year, but he does have some upperclassmen to provide leadership. Two of them include senior forwards Jason Akstin and Nick Glum.

Last year, Glum led the team in scoring, averaging a point per game with 14 goals, nine assists, and 23 points in 23 games. Both seniors logged a lot of minutes last year, and will most likely do the same this year.

Heaney is still trying to figure out who fits where: “It’s wide open, everybody’s going to get a chance.”

That includes in goal, where sophomore Andy Joyce returns and he’ll be joined by sophomore transfers Jamie Babineau, who played at Western New England College last year, and Peter Dundovich, who played attended UMass-Boston last year.

Whoever is in goal, they’ll have a young corps of blue-liners protecting them.

“I like the attitude of the guys back there,” said Heaney. “Last year we had some guys back there who just wanted to do their own thing, and that was very frustrating.”

One change Heaney instituted this year was paring the roster to 26 players from 30 and he feels that the entire contingent is buying into his system. This also started before they took the ice.

“This off-season, I was proud of the kids. They worked out hard, got better, and came back in great shape”

Western New England College

Chris Bernard returns to Western New England College for his second season, and he offered some thoughts as to his team.

“I think we’re going to have more depth this year. We’re a pretty good skating club, and we’ll need to be physical and tough to be against every night.”

The Golden Bears have a large contingent of juniors returning, led by center Hank Levin,
and forwards Phil Lamy and Mike Majesty, as well as defenseman Joe Balog.

In goal, junior Kyle Sagnella is back, and he’ll be joined by a pair of freshmen, John Collins and Justin Richards. On defense, Bernard spoke very highly of senior Nick Klaussen.

“He’s been an unsung hero for us for the past two years. He’s got a real quiet demeanor, and plays a sound game every night, always doing of lot of little things.”

WNEC will call the Snead Arena their home this year, and Bernard hopes they can gain an advantage.

“A shot from anywhere in there is a good shot, and I want to see more grit and more toughness from our squad.”

Worcester State College

At Worcester State College, coach John Guiney feels his team’s strong point is between the pipes.

“Our strength is in goal,” Guiney observed. “We’re very good there, we have some depth. Jason Richardson is one kid that’s exceptional, and Andrew Evans, his back-up, is pretty good.”

Richardson, a junior, carried the load last year, appearing in 20 out of 23 games. The sophomore Evans should be able to lessen some of Richardson’s workload this year.

Guiney, who has coached at Worcester St. for the last 15 years, feels that his team will also have some depth up front. With eight seniors on the pre-season roster, Guiney also has a younger group ready to play.

“We had a bunch of freshmen last year that are sophomores now who had a lot of playing experience,” noted Guiney. “They didn’t know how good the league was last year, now they do.”

Two newcomers expected to provide an instant spark are forwards Justin Brownstein and Billy O’Neill, both of who played for the Valley Forge Minutemen junior team last year.

According to their coach, both are “high speed forwards who create a lot of offense“ and “should step in on the top two lines.”

Also expected to produce this year are the two top forwards on the team, junior Tom Ford and sophomore Mark Rintel. Last year, Ford led the Lancers in scoring with 13-13-26 in just 23 games. In the same amount of games, Rintel impressed as well, compiling 9-13-22.

Despite some obvious firepower up front, Guiney is a bit tentative about his defense.

“Our weakness is on defense, and we need to make our forwards aware of the fact that they need to play defense. Last year, we had problems scoring, and we lost a lot of two-goal games. If you’re weak on defense, how much can you expect out of your offense?”

Salve Regina University

In Rhode Island, at Salve Regina University, first year coach Andrew LeColst can’t wait to drop the puck.

“I’m excited. We’ve got a fairly young team, with seven freshmen and three seniors. I think we’ll be good offensively.”

LeColst, a former Salem State forward, takes over from Chris McPherson, who led the Seahawks into the quarterfinals of last year’s playoffs before losing to UMass Dartmouth.

One player the rookie coach will expect big things out of is sophomore forward Tyler Trott, who may well be the team’s best offensive weapon. Fellow sophomore Patrick Bambery should be a key force this year as well. Another player to watch is senior forward Mike Mallette, a skillful passer who has seen his points totals increase in each of his first three years.

In goal, junior Chase Goodrich returns. He saw most of the action last year, but this year he’ll be competing for playing time with freshman Patrick Enloe, who’s coming off a stellar year at Avon Old Farms in CT.

“We have the ability to put the puck in the net,” said LeColst. “We need to be more disciplined than we have in the past, some of the penalties hurt. Defensively, we need to work on the little things and not try to do too much. I’m excited…..I think we’re going to surprise a few people this year.”

When asked about the league as a whole, Bernard realized it’s not going to be easy.

“You see UMass Dartmouth, Curry, and Wentworth all getting consideration votes for the top 15. You can’t take a night off; there are too many close games. Our main objective is to secure a playoff spot. Our goal is to be in the top eight.”

Nichols College

Nichols College coach Lou Izzi is about to embark on his fourth year behind the bench, and he feels good about his squad’s prospects.

“We’re going to have a young team,” Izzi noted. “We have no seniors, but we do have some upper-class presence that I haven’t seen before. We’ll build our depth with a good nucleus of good players that we’ve had the last couple of years.”

Two of the players who will provide not only depth, but scoring, are Anthony Monte, a junior forward who led the team in scoring last year, and junior Jeff Beiber, who led all defensemen in conference scoring last year. Both players earned First Team All-ECAC Northeast last season.

Another junior who will be relied upon is defensemen Cole Ruwe. He’ll also don the captain’s ‘C’ for the second straight year. The Illinois native can put some points on the board (5-14-29 in 26 games) and also proved durable last year, not missing a contest.

Expected to carry the bulk of the action in net is junior Keith Fink, who had an 11-7-1 record with 514 saves and a .874 save percentage.

Izzi also had high expectations for his sophomores, particularly forward Zeke Costello, who last year broke the school record for assists, by helping out on 29 goals. Izzi is also very high on sophomore forward Eric Cremer.

“He’s a true sophomore,” said the coach of the 6’2”, 175 lb. Michigan native. “He’s got all the makings of a star, he’s got good wheels, he’s one of the fastest players we have, and he’s explosive. He continues to blossom.”

Izzi plans on playing Costello with freshmen.

Last year, Nichols got off to their best start in the program’s history, going 8-1-1. Izzi knows that every game is going to be tough, and that the league continues to improve.

Assumption College

In Worcester, Kevin Zifcak is about to embark on his third year of coaching Assumption College, and he feels he heads into this campaign with solid depth.

“We got a good group of returners, as we only graduated one kid last year. Our starting goalie is back, our starting forwards, and out starting defensemen. We’ve added some good newcomers, as we had a good recruiting class.”

Back is leading goal scorer Atte Oula. The sophomore left winger, who hails from Finland, led the Greyhounds in scoring last year with 13 tallies. Also leading the way offensively will be senior left winger Jim Trahon, who was tied with Oula for team scoring last year with 24 points. Junior forward Luke McDonough and Mike Rust are amongst those Zifcak will rely upon this year, plus “a whole cast of seniors who have all contributed.”

Balance is the watchword for Zifcak.

“We should be able to skate four lines consistently throughout games,” he predicted. “We have team speed, and we’re not going to break down in the third period. We have a lot more speed and depth up front.”

Behind the blue-line, Zifcak will be counting on senior Phil Demers, who he refers to as “a mainstay,” and will also look to sophomore Chris Genovese. Mammoth (6’5”, 225 lbs.) sophomore Derek Whitney, along with fellow classmates Jon Retell and Pat Keenan, will shore up the defense, along with the leadership of senior Randy Morin.

Zifcak also expects freshmen Todd Davis and Mark Labb to contribute.

All three goalies are back. Juniors Casey McNally and David Pinkham each played in about a quarter of the Greyhounds games last year, with sophomore Jamie DiGiulio playing in the remainder.

“All have experience,” Zifcak noted. “We get a consistent effort from them every night.”

Franklin Pierce College

In New Hampshire, Franklin Pierce College has a rookie coach in Scott Loiseau, but he knows his players are trying to make things easier for him.

“We have a good group of older kids that are coming back that should make the transition of a new coaching staff easier,” observed Loiseau. “They’re working hard, and they have a great work ethic.”

In goal, senior Spencer Utman returns. He played in 18 of the Ravens 24 games last year. Also competing for time in the net are freshmen Matt McCarthy and Jeremy Rossignolo, and sophomore Jon Tuttle. At this point, look for Rossignolo to emerge as Utman’s back-up.

Defense should be a strength for Franklin Pierce this year. Peter Wilson, a senior tri-captain, should “lead the guys,” according to Loiseau, who referred to him as a “solid all around player.”

Newcomer Billy Dugan, who played at Catholic Memorial last year, is expected to step right in, as is Eric Spalt, who played for the New Hampton School last year. Also returning are sophomore Steve Della Calce and junior Kyle Kruse.

Up front, last year’s leading scorer, Joe Fields, is back. Loiseau called him “an important piece of the puzzle.”

He’ll be joined by some other integral pieces, such as Ryan Strayer, Coursen Schneider, and Jeff Kasper. “They all have to get the job done,” Loiseau stated, “These are the main guys we count on to do most of the damage.”

Also coming in with the expectation that he perform right away is Sean Woodring, out of Eugene, OR. Loiseau feels he can “step in and make an impact right away.”

Overall, the rookie coach — who is taking over from long-time coach Jay McCormack — feels he has a team with a solid defense, and some team speed.

“As a team, all of our guys have to do their jobs to be successful.”

Next up? The rest of the ECAC NE, including newcomer Becker College.

Pioneering Spirit

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Midway through the second period of a game with Minnesota-Duluth early in their season, the Denver Pioneers were tied 1-1. The Pioneers, who missed qualifying for the 2006-2007 NCAA tournament by one win, have approached this season knowing how important every game is, especially in the ultra-competitive WCHA.

Right after Peter Mannino made a big save on a partial breakaway, sophomore assistant captain Tyler Ruegsegger spied his linemate, Rhett Rakhshani, grabbing the puck along the left side boards. As Rakhshani started to backhand it out of the zone, Ruegsegger sped out of the zone, trying to get a step on Duluth defenseman Evan Oberg.

As the puck landed in front of them, Ruegsegger and Oberg fought for position, skating through the neutral zone. Just as Ruegsegger got his stick on the puck, Oberg, falling down, hauled him down at the Duluth blue line.

Only a sophomore, Denver's Tyler Ruegsegger has taken on a leadership role with the Pioneers (photos: Candace Horgan).

Only a sophomore, Denver’s Tyler Ruegsegger has taken on a leadership role with the Pioneers (photos: Candace Horgan).

Ruegsegger quickly popped to his feet while Oberg lay on the ice, took two strides to the left side circle and backhanded the puck to Anthony Maiani in the slot. Maiani fired it into the open net, sparking the Pioneers to a 5-1 victory.

It is this kind of singular, gritty effort that led Pioneers’ coach George Gwozdecky to name Ruegsegger an assistant captain in his sophomore season.

“I think how he plays, how he carries himself in the locker room, all scream of his tremendous leadership capabilities,” said Gwozdecky. “He’s an intelligent player who plays extremely hard, a difficult guy to play against. He’s not a real vocal individual, he’s not a guy that gets up and makes a lot of speeches, but just the way he lives his life, the importance that school and hockey have in his life, and how he carries himself, are a shining example for all of his teammates to follow.”

Ruegsegger, who grew up nearby in Lakewood, Colo., started playing hockey at age five, inspired in part by a cousin who had taken up the game. He played in the Arvada Hockey Association at first, then started playing in Littleton.

Ruegsegger, like many hockey players, was a two-sport athlete initially, playing baseball over the summer. However, at age 12, he started to concentrate entirely on hockey.

“I loved playing baseball growing up and at one point kind of had to choose between hockey and baseball, and hockey obviously won that. I started doing some summer teams, stuff like that, and you really couldn’t commit to both sports. [Hockey’s] just my passion; hockey’s the game I love. I love everything about it, the game, the speed, the quickness. Playing it’s fun and that’s probably why I chose it.”

Shortly after he started playing, the Avalanche moved to town from Quebec, and like many kids his age that had a big impact.

“I think when I started there was the Grizzlies, the IHL team,” said Ruegsegger. “They obviously had a big impact and then when the Avs came absolutely, no question, it made a big impact and increased hockey here. And obviously I grew up following Denver as well; we had season tickets for quite a while and I grew up wanting to play for them and then got the opportunity.”

As Ruegsegger approached high school age, he and his family realized that Colorado had limited hockey opportunities for teenagers, and if he wanted to step up to the next level, he would have to play somewhere else. After considering the USHL, Ruegsegger finally chose to attend Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minn.

“We were looking at prep schools, and academics have always been really important to me and Shattuck was a place that has great hockey, obviously, and great academics as well,” said Ruegsegger. “What also made it easy to choose Shattuck is that my mom, my sister and I moved there and my dad stayed here with his business; he’s got a business here, and he flew back and forth every weekend. So the fact that he could get back and forth every weekend was huge.”

Ruegsegger’s mother and sister Rebecca still live in Faribault; Rebecca is in 11th grade at Shattuck and plays goal for the girls’ prep team.

While at Shattuck, Ruegsegger competed with future North Dakota players Jonathan Toews, Chay Genoway, and Taylor Chorney, winning a national championship with them. While they never really tried hard to get him to go to North Dakota, playing against them, he says, is interesting.

“They knew I was from Colorado, so they knew I was always going to probably go to Denver if I had the chance. It’s always fun playing them though. It’s crazy, because you go out and you’re battling guys you won a national championship with. It (winning the national championship) was great, one of the best experiences of my life for sure. Not only the guys on the team that you get to play with and become friends with, they’re now your lifetime friends, but my coaches there, Tom Ward and Jon Austin were phenomenal coaches and phenomenal people too. I learned a lot that year about life and hockey.”

Ruegsegger on the ice for the Pioneers.

Ruegsegger on the ice for the Pioneers.

Ruegsegger had always wanted to play at Denver. However, according to Gwozdecky, it was the defection of Paul Stastny that brought him to Denver as a freshman last season.

“The original plan in recruiting him, when he decided to come to Denver, after he graduated from Shattuck he was going to play a year of Junior A hockey, with the River City Lancers in the United States Hockey League, and that was the plan right up until the spring of that year, when we realized that guys like Paul Stastny, there was a good chance of him moving.

“So, at that time, we changed our plan, and in a conversation with him and his father, we said, ‘We’d like you to come here, if you feel you’re ready,’ because we felt he was ready based on the improvement we had seen over the year, and it’s worked out extremely well.”

For Ruegsegger, coming to Denver was a dream come true, and, as sentimental as it sounds, just putting on the jersey is what he remembers most fondly from his first year.

“You know, coming in here it really was living a dream; just to have the opportunity each game to go out there and do that was something special. With the teammates, and the guys, the way I was treated as a freshman, that’s something I’ll remember my whole life. When I came in here as a freshman I just wanted to work as hard as I could. You know, when you do that, hopefully you get opportunities, and Coach has really blessed me with opportunities in the last year.”

During his first season, Gwozdecky came to rely on Ruegsegger’s playmaking and offensive capabilities. Ruegsegger finished fourth on the team in scoring last year, and midway through the season Gwozdecky moved him to the point on the first power-play unit, a position Ruegsegger had never played. However, Gwozdecky felt Ruegsegger’s skills made his move there an easy choice.

“Playing a position like that, especially right where he’s at, requires real good on-ice vision, the ability to make decisions under pressure from the opposing team, you have to be an excellent passer, and you have to be able to shoot the puck hard, and your catch and release skill has to be excellent. Those are all things that Tyler has.”

Asked about playing the point, Ruegsegger again stresses the team concept. “You know, I just came in one day to practice and that’s how it was set up. I like it. I like being back there with ‘Buts’ (Chris Butler). Anywhere on the power play I feel fine, but I’ve had some success doing it that way and no matter what, sometimes you change things up and if you get some success you go with it so it’s worked out well for us so far.”

Of course, the season ended in disappointment for the Pioneers, as they failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament. That the West Regional was held in Denver added to the feeling. With the Frozen Four in Denver this year, the team has set a goal of returning to the tournament.

“Last year, you know, the regionals were here and we weren’t able to make it and it was a terrible feeling, especially when it’s in your backyard, so this year that’s definitely one of our goals, to make the tournament and then if you get to the Frozen Four it’s a great opportunity for us.”

In his sophomore year, Ruegsegger has stepped up as a leader and a player. He currently centers the first line with Rakhshani and Maiani, and looks to help the freshmen, and his teammates, succeed in any way possible.

After any game, win or lose, Ruegsegger always talks about his teammates and the skills of the other team. It would seem like a cliché if he weren’t so sincere about his belief in team play, something Gwozdecky echoes when asked about how he decided to pair Ruegsegger with his current linemates.

“He makes everybody he plays with better; that might be the ultimate compliment you can pay any athlete, that no matter who you play them with, they make those people better, not only by how they play, but how hard they play, their skill level, their sincerity, and with Tyler, it’s all about team. It’s not about him, it’s about the team, and he plays so hard to help his teammates have success.”

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Ruegsegger is excited about helping the large freshman class adjust to college hockey, and do anything possible to help his team reach the Frozen Four.

“I love the role I have this year, and I’m thankful for that role I have, and I want to use it to help the team out as best I can. Whether that’s getting goals or creating turnovers on the forecheck or making great defensive plays, it all plays a part. You can’t focus on one area or the other; you have to be a complete player to help the team win.”

And away we go…

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It’s officially four weeks into the college hockey season, which seems like enough time to begin forming some opinions.

The first that seems to come to mind is that the West is once again very strong. That’s not to suggest that the East doesn’t have teams that pack a punch, but early results from non-league play show that the teams making the most early noise reside West of Pennsylvania.

Important to note, though, is that the WCHA isn’t the sole Western league that’s catching people’s attention. Miami has jumped out of the gate to a quick 6-0-0 start and jumped into the number one spot in the USCHO.com poll. This doesn’t suprise me an ounce. I only saw the RedHawks play twice last year – both games in the Northeast Regional tournament – but I really liked this team.

What’s most impressive thus far is Miami’s defense. The RedHawks have allowed just eight goals in six games against decent opposition (Vermont, Ohio State, Nebraska-Omaha). The next three weekends might be the test to see just how good this team is as Miami travels for two to Northern Michigan, returns home for a pair against Notre Dame and then heads to Lansing to face defending national champion Michigan State.

Other Western clubs that look impressive early on are Michigan (BC head coach Jerry York, whose club lost to the Wolverines to start the season, called Red Berenson’s club, “An excellent hockey club”) and Michigan State in the CCHA, along with North Dakota, Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth in the WCHA.

Out East, though non-league results haven’t been to everyone’s liking, one team that’s made some early noise is New Hampshire. After a solid 60-minute effort to produce a league win at Boston University, the Wildcats swept a strong Colorado College team in Durham last weekend. On Friday night, the Wildcats buried the final four goals of the game in a 5-3 win and scored the final two goals in Saturday’s 4-2 victory. UNH appears early on to be a team that doesn’t get flustered with adversity which will be a good quality to have come March.

Head coach Dick Umile has to be happy with the early play of his blue-chip recruit James vanRiemsdyk. The rookie, who was the first overall collegian to be taken in this summer’s NHL Entry Draft (2nd, Philadelphia), has scored in each of UNH’s first three games and looks comfortable at left wing on a line with center Mike Radja and right wing Mike Fornataro.

Here are a few other early observations from the opening month of play:

– Rensselaer has been a surprise team in the ECACHL, opening the season with a 5-2-0 record. The two losses for the Engineers were against top-ranked teams: 4-3 to Minnesota (after having a 3-0 lead) and 4-1 to Boston College. RPI might not win the ECACHL title, but they’ll certainly be better than the cellar-dwelling team they were picked to be pre-season.

– Atlantic Hockey still is not at the level of more established leagues, but there’s more than enough reason for non-league opponents to worry about facing these clubs. Holy Cross’ upset of Providence, RIT’s upset of Cornell and Air Force’s two-game sweep of ECACHL runner-up Quinnipiac all give the conference some early credibility this season.

– Though I’ve mentioned vanRiemsdyk already, there’s a need to emphasize the impact young players are having this season. Currently, the top three scorers are all freshmen with Wisconsin’s Kyle Turris leading the way (12 points in 4 games, which would put him on a pace to score as many as 132 points this year – can you say Paul Kariya who?). BC’s Joe Whitney is also having early impact with 11 points in six games, while St. Cloud’s Garrett Roe has potted 10 points in his first six games.

– Some big games to keep an eye on as league play heats up around the country this weekend: Maine at BC (Friday), Denver at Minnesota (Friday and Sunday), and an impressive Michigan Tech team at Wisconsin (Friday and Saturday).

Tuesday Morning Quarterback: Oct. 30

By Jim Connelly and Scott Brown
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Welcome to Tuesday Morning Quarterback, USCHO.com’s freeform debate about the week that was in college hockey. Every Tuesday in this space, Jim Connelly, representing the East, and Scott Brown, representing the West, will discuss the issues of the day, trade barbs, make indefensible claims about their teams and leagues and generally rant about the things that make college hockey great.

Scott: So, Jim, we saw a couple of chinks in the heretofore-unstoppable WCHA’s armor over the weekend. Mind you, St. Cloud State beat Bemidji twice and Minnesota did the same to Ohio State — barely — but New Hampshire swept Colorado College, which was coming off a sweep of its own over the Gophers. Just home ice, or are the Hockey East preseason co-favorites as good as they seem like they might be?

Jim: New Hampshire definitely woke a lot of people up this weekend with the sweep of CC. What’s important to note is the resilience of the Wildcats, who rallied for the win on Friday and scored in the third to break a tie on Saturday. Couple that with a solid third period a week earlier at Boston University and you have to like the mental toughness of UNH — definitely a good quality come March. Another Eastern team that shined this week, albeit against an Eastern opponent, was RIT in its upset of Cornell. Do you think this could be a down year for the Big Red?

Miami head coach Enrico Blasi addresses the media at the NCAA regionals (photo: Melissa Wade).

Miami head coach Enrico Blasi addresses the media at the NCAA regionals (photo: Melissa Wade).

Scott: Cornell has been good — usually very good — for quite a while now, so it’s hard to get your arms around the possibility that this could be a tough year for the Big Red. To be fair, in the ECAC it seems like first place and last place are separated by about six points in the standings every season, so there’s no reason to panic for Mike Schafer’s crew just yet. The loss to the defending regular-season Atlantic Hockey champions won’t go in any Cornell fan’s highlight reel, but I’m intrigued by the Tigers more than I am concerned for the Big Red. Speaking of expectations, there’s Miami, the new No. 1 in this week’s USCHO.com/CSTV poll and a team that seems to get better every year. Have the RedHawks entered the rarefied air of powerhouses Michigan and Michigan State in the CCHA? Are we seeing a shakeup in a league pecking order that’s been sanctified for as long as I can remember?

Jim: To be honest with you, Brownie, I’ve thought that Miami has been on the uptick for a couple of years now. Last year, I thought they were a very impressive team when I saw them play in the NCAA tournament, but they ran into a red-hot Boston College team. But I like what Enrico Blasi has done with his team. They have a depth of hard-working, blue-collar players and definitely have come to play this year. The next three weekends — against Northern Michigan, Notre Dame and Michigan State — will definitely separate the men from boys. But there’s a part of me that believes that Miami can survive. 4-2-0 in that span is good, but 5-1-0 isn’t beyond expectations. I know that would mean beating your beloved Spartans, but that’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility, right?

Scott: No, not at all — as a true Spartan, I know what they’re capable of, both in a good and bad way. And I’ve had a soft spot for Miami for some time, especially after meeting Blasi at the Frozen Four a couple of years back after we’d named him our national coach of the year. He was genuine and personable, and when you put that together with the record he’s compiled, you’ve got a very successful and likable ninth-year head coach who’s still somehow younger than I am. Changing topics, what more do we know about Boston University after two losses at Michigan?

Jim: Well, 0-4-1 is an ugly start for BU, its worst since 1976. That year, though, the Terriers also made the Frozen Four. Though I don’t know if this year’s team will come close to the Frozen Four, I firmly believe they’re better than their record indicates. Anyone who knows BU, knows that Terrier teams generally peak around the Beanpot, but Terrier fans would hope that the team could get off to a better start than they have. This week should tell us where in Hockey East BU stands. The Terriers face Providence and Massachusetts-Lowell, both of whom were picked to finish in the lower echelon of the league. If BU is still winless come Saturday night, then you can start writing the obituary. Speaking of death, has Wayne State decided to pull the plug on the program before the season is over? I know there’s not a lot for these players to play for, but things have been pretty brutal from day one this season for the Warriors.

Scott: Wayne State’s start to the season couldn’t have been much rougher, with five losses and a tie in six games. I know everyone’s saying the right things about playing hard despite the program’s impending end, but one has to wonder how much of a psychological toll the news is taking. It can’t be easy to concentrate for the players and coaches alike, considering that most of them must feel like they’re auditioning for spots with other programs next season. Happier news for the CHA is there in the form of Niagara, at least, which sports a 20-game home unbeaten streak. The Purple Eagles’ run kind of sneaked up on me, but since their next four games are on the road, we’ll be able to muse this over for a couple more weeks at a minimum. Anything else catch your fancy?

Jim: Niagara is a great team to talk about. The Purple Eagles seem to be playing well and, I’ll admit, until you just mentioned it I had no idea about the 20-game home unbeaten streak. Aside from the Purple Eagles, another team that catches my eye hails from another emerging conference: Holy Cross. It’s tough to gauge how a team will be this early in the season, but head coach Paul Pearl has to like the fact that his team was able to beat Providence on the road and then earn three points out at Mercyhurst, perennially a tough place to play. We’ll see how this weekend turns out, and reconvene next week with more on the agenda.

RedHawks Take Over Top Spot In USCHO.com/CSTV Poll

USCHO Staff Report
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Still perfect on the regular season after a sweep of Nebraska-Omaha, Miami moved into the top spot in Monday’s USCHO.com/CSTV Division I men’s poll, taking 39 first-place votes to secure the No. 1 ranking with a 6-0-0 record.

The RedHawks supplanted last week’s top-ranked team, North Dakota, which slipped to No. 2 after splitting a series with Michigan Tech.

The Fighting Sioux were followed by Michigan, which beat Boston University twice to stay in third, and then by New Hampshire, which gained three places after a sweep of Colorado College. Boston College, which won twice against Merrimack, was again fifth after being leapfrogged by UNH.

Michigan State used a sweep of Northern Michigan to climb two places to No. 6, while the next four poll positions were all held by WCHA squads.

Denver fell one place to seventh in the wake of a split with Minnesota-Duluth as Minnesota moved up two spots to No. 8 after two wins against Ohio State. Colorado College dropped from fourth to ninth after its losses to the Wildcats, and Wisconsin rounded out the top 10 after a pair of decisive wins over Robert Morris.

Starting the second half of the rankings was Clarkson, which was down slightly after a split with Lake Superior State, and Maine was 12th with a sweep of Northeastern.

Michigan Tech edged up to No. 13, followed by Notre Dame, which split with Ferris State, and then No. 15 Minnesota-Duluth, which moved up two places.

St. Lawrence was 16th with a loss to Colgate and a win over Union, and Governor’s Cup champion Rensselaer — which played and defeated the same two teams — debuted at No. 17.

Niagara, which ran its nation-best home unbeaten streak to 20 games with two wins over Western Michigan, joined the poll at No. 18, while the WCHA placed an eighth team in the top 20 as St. Cloud State reentered in 19th by beating Bemidji State twice. Completing the poll was Massachusetts, down four spots after a tie and a loss versus Providence.

Dropping out since last week were Cornell, Ohio State and Alaska-Anchorage.

SUNYAC Season Preview

By
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Patterns are meant to be broken.

For the third year in a row, after years of relative stability, a number
of coaching changes occurred in the SUNYAC.

In Potsdam, Aaron Saul replaced Glenn Thomaris, who left the school.
Earl Utter left Morrisville and took a job coaching the women’s team at Cortland,
another SUNYAC school. Brian Grady replaced him. Speaking
of Cortland, Tom Cranfield took a different job within the athletic
department, and an experienced veteran, Joe Baldarotta, was hired.

However, one pattern was broken — Geneseo was not among the
schools that changed coaches. Chris Schultz becomes the first returning
coach for the Ice Knights in four years.

Oswego has been following a pattern in recent years. You know it: win
the SUNYAC regular season title, get upset at home in the conference
playoffs, miss out on a chance to go for the national championship, and
have disgruntled fans call for the head of coach Ed Gosek.

However, that pattern, too, was broken. After completing the first two parts
of the above pattern, Oswego this time got an at-large bid to the NCAA
playoffs. They then ran the table and brought home the national
championship. I predict USCHO.com fan forums will be much quieter this year. . . .

Speaking of Oswego winning the national championship, it is the third
title won by a SUNYAC team in the past 16 years
(Plattsburgh in 1992 and 2001). ECAC West fans love to crow about how
their league is better than the SUNYAC. Yet, during that time span, the
number of national championships their members have won is exactly zero.

Then, there is my personal pattern. Every time a Division III national
championship final has gone to overtime, I have been in attendance.

However, the pattern was broken last year. While Oswego was scoring the
winning goal in overtime in Wisconsin, I was sitting at home in New York.

As for the upcoming season, expect the pattern of Oswego and Geneseo to
continue to be the top contenders. Plattsburgh certainly cannot be
counted out, but they had to do some more rebuilding than anticipated.
Fredonia will be difficult to predict, but they certainly will always be
tough to beat.

Speaking of rebuilding, Brockport will continue the momentum of the
massive effort begun four years ago. Meanwhile, Cortland
and Potsdam will undergo some major rebuilding efforts this year, but
are probably a year away from seeing results. Morrisville will be
entering the SUNYAC and will struggle as they continue to make the
transition from a junior college program.

And Buffalo State will continue to improve by leaps and bounds.
They have added a lot of depth to their team. Thus, expect them to move
into the realm of top contenders in the SUNYAC.

It used to be the North Country trip to Potsdam/Plattsburgh was the most
feared trip in the SUNYAC. That pattern may be broken as the most treacherous voyage may now be the long bus ride to the far western reaches of
New York State, where offenses may be left behind.

One pattern that is sure to continue is another exciting, close year of
SUNYAC hockey that’s bound to go down to the last weekend of play to
determine playoff spots and seeding.

So, without further ado, my predictions:

Oswego State Great Lakers

Coach: Ed Gosek, fifth season overall and at Oswego (78-25-11)
2006-7 overall record: 23-3-3
2006-7 SUNYAC record: 11-1-2
2006-7 SUNYAC finish: First
2007-8 Predicted finish: First

“When we had our exit interviews and end of year meetings, we asked them
to come back with three things: keep in shape, stay focused, and return
humbled and with humility.”

It is no surprise that Oswego coach Ed Gosek spoke those words. Though
he was talking about his players, it is as close to a self-description
as you will get out of Gosek.

No one has ever doubted Gosek exudes class. What some — or to be more
accurate, what some impatient fans who forgot what all the previous
great coaches failed to do — doubted was whether Gosek could lead the
Lakers to a national title. Well, you can’t doubt that either after
Oswego won two thrilling overtime games on the championship weekend to
take home the golden trophy.

“They’re self motivated,” Gosek said of his players maintaining focus
for a new year. “They got a little taste of it. With that taste, I
think they liked it. They want to have another successful season. They
know it’s going to be tough to repeat.”

It will be easier knowing virtually the entire team returns. The losses
are minimal in numbers, but not in talent.

“We didn’t lose numbers, but we lost quality,” Gosek said. “[Ryan]
Woodward was another coach, an extension of the coaching staff. When
someone needed to be called out, he was willing to do it. Sometimes,
it’s better when it comes from a fellow player than the coaching staff.”

Defenseman Ryan Koresky and forward Trevor Gilligan also graduated.

Returning are now five seniors and 14 juniors. If a team was ever set
up to repeat, this is it. Just take a look at those upperclassmen. It
all starts with goaltender Ryan Scott who like Gosek quieted his critics
with a great playoff run.

The team’s top five scorers (Brendan McLauglin, Ryan Ellis, Peter
Magagna, Garren Reisweber, and C.J. Thompson) from last year all return,
all of whom got double digit goals, with McLaughlin on top scoring 24
goals and 31 assists in 29 games.

And, if anyone knows how to grab a game by the horns and single handedly
win it for his team, it’s Reisweber who scored the goal that sent the
town of Oswego into delirium.

Defensively, Oswego returns Rich Zalewski, Francois Gagnon, Tyler Lyon,
Tyler Laws, and Mike Novak.

Gosek isn’t going to rely on his incoming freshmen, but they still can
contribute when called upon. They include forwards Chris Laganiere,
Josh Chamberlain, Tyler Sgro, and Joe Hall and defenseman Stephen
Mallaro. They also have senior forward Joel Kitchen who transferred in
from Canisius College.

“We’re going to need time to see how they do,” Gosek said. “They can
all play. We expect returning players to lead the way. What you get
out of the new players is a bonus.”

The season starts out tough: a home-and-home with Elmira, home games
against Plattsburgh and Potsdam, and on the road at Geneseo and Brockport.

“Our schedule is a tough schedule,” Gosek said. “You start out with
those six games, and it will quickly tell us where we stand.”

With determination, humbleness, and humility — and a ring — Oswego
already stands mighty tall.

Geneseo State Ice Knights

Coach: Chris Schultz, second season overall and at Geneseo (16-10-0)
2006-7 overall record: 16-10-0
2006-7 SUNYAC record: 10-4-0
2006-7 SUNYAC finish: Second
2007-8 Predicted finish: Second

Stability returns to Geneseo. After three different head coaches in
three years, Chris Schultz is sticking around for a second season.

However, he is going to have to deal with a huge change in his lineup.
All-American Mitch Stephens, the leading scorer for the Ice Knights all
four of his years, graduated. As did linemate Mike MacDonald, second in
points last season. Those are two huge pair of skates to fill.

Other graduates include Tyson Terry, Mark Schwamberger, Brett Bestwick,
and Steve Jordan, all players who were major contributors to the
explosive recent success seen at Geneseo, which included two consecutive
SUNYAC championships.

Good thing for Schultz he does have a number of top players who are
still wearing the Geneseo sweater. They include double digit goal
scorers Trent Cassan and Mathieu Cyr as well as Sebastian Panetta, Casey
Balog, Dan Brown, and Phil Rose. They also add transfer Kevin Galen, a
huge addition as he was the third leading scorer for Plattsburgh last year.

They also have a lot of talented blueliners returning such as Chris
Kestell, Steve Sankey, and Jeff MacPhee. Added to that corps is Casey
Smith, another transfer from Plattsburgh.

Perhaps the most important returnee is Derek Jokic who has more than
adequately carried on the strong goaltending set by Brett Walker, being
named to the first team All-SUNYAC last year.

As for the freshmen, Allan Charbonneau will add size to the defense. Up
front, Andrew Rygiel will most likely play on the line with Cassan and
Cyr. The top newcomer may be Daniel Sullivan who scored 89 points in just 55
games last year for the Ottawa Jr. Senators.

The early schedule may be in Geneseo’s favor. They open up with two
tough games at Neumann, but they are non-conference affairs.
Afterwards, they have a home-and-home against Morrisville. Then, they
get into the heart of SUNYAC play with four games that are certainly not
gimmes, but at least they — Buffalo State, Fredonia,
Oswego, and Cortland — are all at home. –.

If Geneseo jumps out to a good start, they will prove to themselves and
everyone else they are capable of regrouping after losing last year’s strong
graduating class.

They will also show that stability behind the bench does have its
advantages.

Buffalo State Bengals

Coach: Nick Carriere, third season overall and at Buffalo State
(23-26-3)
2006-7 overall record: 12-12-2
2006-7 SUNYAC record: 6-7-1
2006-7 SUNYAC finish: Fourth
2007-8 Predicted finish: Third

Buffalo State made a major step forward last year in Nick Carriere’s
second year behind the bench. They hosted their first ever home playoff
game that gained so much attention the president of the school attended
amidst perhaps the largest crowd in Bengals’ hockey history.

Unfortunately, it ended in bitter disappointment after a thrilling
double overtime fight.

“Last year we had a good year and that left the guys hungry, losing in
our own rink in double overtime with so many opportunities to win,”
Carriere said. “I think that still sticks pretty deep in our guys
stomachs. As we begin to understand in Division III what it takes to
win some games, our guys get hungrier and hungrier.”

They lost just two top players to graduation from last year, third
leading scorer Mike DeMarco and goaltender Sean Sheehan. However,
Sheehan is a major loss as he was responsible for stealing many games
for Buffalo State throughout his career.

Entering this year, netminding will be the biggest question mark.

“We haven’t figured that out,” Carriere concedes. Kyle Gunn-Taylor has
the inside edge, but “Travis Moore will have an opportunity, and we’ll
see how it goes.”

While goaltending might be a question mark, albeit an important one, the front lines will not be. Returning are Jason Hill, D’Arcy Thomas, Johnny Duco, and Travis Whitehead. Add to that talented forwards Nick Petriello and Kerry Barchan as well as Utica College
transfer Nick Lynch.

“Those two [freshmen] guys right there compliment goal scorers on their
lines,” Carriere said. “We are a little deeper than we were last year
in scoring.”

Joe Curry, Shareef Labreche, and Paul Gagnon will help fill out the
lineup. Defensively, Jeff Mok, Mike Ansell, and Cody Cole will be the
key components.

The Bengals have been heading in the right direction ever since Carriere
took over. As he continues to bring in his players and fine tune his
system, it may be time for Buffalo State to be competing amongst the
leaders in the league.

“We have some little nooks to work out,” Carriere said.

Those little nooks may translate to large crowds being a regular
presence. And the president of the school just may want to get herself
a permanent seat.

Plattsburgh State Cardinals

Coach: Bob Emery, 19th season overall and at Plattsburgh (397-133-42)
2006-7 overall record: 14-8-6
2006-7 SUNYAC record: 6-4-4
2006-7 SUNYAC finish: Third
2007-8 Predicted finish: Fourth

There was a lot of sister kissing going on last year at Plattsburgh.
They had six ties, the most in Bob Emery’s 18-year tenure as head
coach. One reason for so many deadlocks is not being able to convert when it
counted.

“We want to try and take advantage of our goal scoring opportunities,”
Emery said of the improvements he wants to see. “Territorially, we do
well, but we have to finish off the chances we get.”

For Plattsburgh, all those lost points resulted in a disappointing third place finish, once again out of a bye position for the third year in a row They easily got past Brockport and Geneseo in the playoffs before losing to streaking Fredonia in the finals.

Another reason Plattsburgh did not attain the success most expect was
subpar goaltending.

“Second, get the timely saves,” Emery said of the other improvement goal
for this year. “Stats can be misleading as far as goaltending is
concerned. You have to get the right save at the right time.”

Chris Molinaro returns in net, but Karl Helgesson, a disappointment last
year, does not. Dennis Harrsch, who saw very limited action last season is also back.
Freshmen Simon LeBlanc and Bryan Hince will be given an opportunity to
grab the number one slot.

Most of the team returns for the Cardinals as they lost only two players
to graduation, Ryan Busby, the second in team scoring last year, and
Shane Remenda. However, also gone was their leading scorer, Pier-Luc
Belanger, who did not return to school after his stellar freshman year
and Kevin Galen who transferred to Geneseo.

That means Nick Rolls, Riley Hill, and T.J. Cooper are some of the
players who are back.

“We have a well balanced team,” Emery said. “No superstars. The
closest we have to an All-American is Nick Rolls.”

The freshmen line of Eric Satim, Kyle VanDermale, and Ryan Clarke have
been impressive in preseason.

Losing some top players and dealing with another young team could cause
some stumbling during the season.

“In the past, when we had a young team, and this year we have a young
team, playing tough games early on the road has hurt us,” Emery said.
“But, if you can get off to a good start and head home, the pressure is
off, and it’s an advantage.”

The first three games start out easy and at home — Morrisville twice
and Potsdam. But then, they play five tough ones on the road: Oswego,
Cortland, Buffalo State, Fredonia, and Elmira.

That first month of play and how well they convert their chances and get
the timely saves will go a long way in determining the type of season
Plattsburgh attains.

Fredonia State Blue Devils

Coach: Jeff Meredith, 20th season overall and at Fredonia
(281-199-47)
2006-7 overall record: 15-10-5
2006-7 SUNYAC record: 5-7-2
2006-7 SUNYAC finish: Fifth
2007-8 Predicted finish: Fifth

Predicting what Fredonia is going to do is like figuring out whether
Paris Hilton is going to wear underwear. You just never know.

They finished fifth last year, losing four of their final five regular
season games including the finale against Buffalo State at home,
causing them to lose home ice in the playoffs. Then they turned around
a few days later and beat Buffalo State in double overtime, shocked
Oswego in overtime, and stunned Plattsburgh in regulation time to win
the SUNYAC championship. All on the road.

“The thing to do is to work to be better every day,” Fredonia coach Jeff
Meredith said about keeping the playoff run momentum going. “Obviously,
we hit our stride at the right time.”

Fredonia lost a lot of key players — Kyle Bozoian, Scott Bradley, Kraig Kuzma, Joe Muli, Wil Barlow, and Don Jaeger — which could cause them to get off to
a slow start.

“We lost six guys that were big parts of our program that played 600
games,” Meredith said.

At least the Blue Devils’ top scorer last year, Neal Sheehan, returns
brining over 100 career points to the table. Steve Albert, Colin
Sarfeh, Bryan Goudy, and Matt McKeown also return.

Some of the new players they will have to rely include Jordon Oye,
possibly their top freshman. Andrew Hess, a 6’6″ forward, will start out playing with veterans James Muscatello and Adam Haberman.

“That’s a pretty strong line,” Meredith said.

Alex Morton and defensemen Chris DeBruyn and Steve Rizer will make
contributions.

The goaltender situation is completely opposite. Last season, four
freshmen competed for the job.

“It’s settled where a year ago it was not,” Meredith said of the job in
front of the net. “I think it’s strong. We got Pat Street and Kevin
Amborski, two guys that can win hockey games, and they did last year,
Kevin down the stretch and Pat Street early in the year.”

“We got some things to teach them,” Meredith said of his young team. “I
think the way to top it is to just get better every day, understand how
hard we have to compete in this league.”

Expect Fredonia to get off to a slow start but finish strong and give
anyone they face in the playoffs fits. If that turns out to be wrong . . .
well . . . start deciding on Paris Hilton’s wardrobe.

Brockport State Golden Eagles

Coach: Brian Dickinson, 13th season overall (75-200-29) and 10th
season at Brockport (61-152-23)
2006-7 overall record: 7-12-7
2006-7 SUNYAC record: 3-5-5
2006-7 SUNYAC finish: Sixth
2007-8 Predicted finish: Sixth

Four years ago, Brian Dickinson had a plan.

“We almost hit rock bottom,” he recalls. “We basically gutted the
team. We went out and got 18 freshmen that year that we thought would
turn us around. We have 12 of them left.”

After the first year for that huge recruiting class, Dickinson took a
sabbatical for a year, and it set the plan back. He returned last
season, and was rewarded with Brockport’s first playoff appearance in a
very long time.

Now, those 12 left are entering their final year.

“To our seniors credit I think the light went on last May before we
left,” Dickinson said. “They all understand that they got 25 games
left, and if they don’t make the most of it they will look back and say
did I really let a good opportunity to help turn that program around
slip by.

“We really got to feed off the leadership of our seniors. If they just
continue to work hard, they have the talent to compete with a lot of
teams especially in our league. Our schedule is set up with eight of
our first 11 at home and five of our first seven league games at
home. Hopefully, we can generate some excitement here on campus and get
more people in the seats. Certainly, when we have a better than average
crowd, our guys feed off that and have had success over the last year,
and hopefully we’ll build off of that.”

A key senior to watch is Chris Koras who was last year’s leading scorer
with only two goals but 19 assists.

“Koras is a monster this year,” Dickinson said. “He’s focused. He
wants to get physical. He wants to get it done. He worked really hard
over the summer. When they see him working hard and taking the body and
doing all the little things, they all follow, and we’ll need him to
continue that.”

Other key seniors will be Gordon Pritchard, Steve Seedhouse, Rick Gates,
Jason Dolgy, Chris Brown, Tony Marinello, and Steve Wowchuck. Also,
don’t forget Dave McNab who transferred from Plattsburgh halfway through
last season. In goal, it will mostly be sophomore Todd Sheridan with
senior Greg Van’t Hof called upon often to provide Sheridan a rest.

Though the Golden Eagles will rely heavily on their upperclassmen, there
are a few freshmen that could contribute such as Gentry Zollars and
Justin Noble.

“Gentry is a great fit. I really like what he brings,” Dickinson said.
“Justin is a natural goal scorer out of the Midwest Junior League that
we hope once he adjust to the speed of our game mentally will produce.”

Dickinson’s long range plan panned out last year. Now, he hopes he can
take it to the next level. They have 25 games left to make it reality.

Potsdam State Bears

Coach: Aaron Saul, first season as head coach
2006-7 overall record: 5-19-1
2006-7 SUNYAC record: 3-10-1
2006-7 SUNYAC finish: Eighth
2007-8 Predicted finish: Seventh

Last season was a huge disappointment for Potsdam which resulted in a
last place finish. Glenn Thomaris left and the school hired Aaron Saul,
who was an assistant coach at Potsdam before holding the same job at
Elmira. Saul then brought in another former Elmira player, Darcy
Pettie, to be his assistant coach.

Saul cleaned house in Potsdam. Some players did not make the cut from
training camp. Twelve freshmen are on the team as only four seniors — Greg Lee, Lance Smith, Vince Tarantino, and Rob Barnhardt — were kept.

“They’ll have to show the way for the young guys, how to compete and
play every night,” Saul said.

Three of the new players are transfers, all forwards: Lindsey Boulter
(Northland), Nick Carelli (Morrisville), and Peter Vaisanen (Neumann).

As for the freshmen, keep your eye on forward Fraser Smith, as he may be
the best of the lot. Add in Spencer Noyes, Kevin MacLellan, and Colin
MacLennan and those four will make an impact right away.

The forwards will be led by returning veterans Connor Treacy, the team’s
second leading scorer last year, and Luke Beck. Missing of course is
Ryan McCarthy who graduated last year, as did Adam Gebrara. Pat Lemay
did not return. That’s a trio that will be sorely missed.

Defensively, it will be mostly returning players who see the playing
time. Smith and Tarantino will anchor the defense with Steve
Cornelissen and Jeff Zatorski playing significant roles. Four freshmen
will round out the blueliners.

All of this is moot if Potsdam doesn’t solve their goaltending woes,
which was the worst in the league last year.

“Our goaltending is probably the position we improved the most,” Saul said.

Thanks to Thomaris who left behind Rick Miller, a prized recruit. He
had to sit out last year due to his junior hockey participation. If he
lives up to his anticipated potential, Potsdam’s fortunes could take a
quick reversal this year.

The Bears will have to overcome an unfavorable schedule. They open the
season on the road for the first seven games, five of which are SUNYAC
contests. Then, after returning home for a pair against Morrisville,
they head back on the bus to the Babson Tournament.

“Definitely a tough task,” Saul admits. “But with many new faces, it
gets a team to know each other better when they are all together on the
road. I think we need that for a young team.”

Surviving that stretch will be hard enough, never mind trying to avoid
falling into a big hole.

“We have nowhere to go but up,” Saul said. “Our goal is just to put
Potsdam back on the map and make the playoffs and hopefully surprise a
few teams along the way.”

Anything can happen. But only if the goaltending improves.

Cortland State Red Dragons

Coach: Joe Baldarotta, 16th season overall (265-171-38) and first
season at Cortland
2006-7 overall record: 8-14-3
2006-7 SUNYAC record: 3-8-3
2006-7 SUNYAC finish: Seventh
2007-8 Predicted finish: Eighth

Last season, Cortland started out with some promise thanks to a 3-0
start. This was due to the standout play of freshman goaltender, Ben
Binga. However, it was soon discovered that Binga had a hot streak, and
this sort of hot streak was not conducive to providing the team with a
hot streak.

At the end of the season, coach Tom Cranfield decided to turn his
interim assistant athletic director job into a permanent one and stepped
away from the bench. Cortland then surprised everyone by hiring a big
name: Joe Baldarotta from Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Baldarotta’s
reputation as well as a national championship in 1993 instantly raised
Cortland’s status.

The hard task of raising Cortland’s performance as well as
respect on their own campus now begins.

“I’d love to get us some recognition somehow,” Baldarotta said. “We
don’t play in front of big crowds. I’d like to get us a nice fan base
that we’d like to be Cortland’s team and have them rally around us. I
think you do that by being a hard working blue collar team and have some
class. I think we’re starting to get that message across and our kids
are buying into that.”

Baldarotta’s system is going to be all about the team, not the individual.

“You know what, right now we have a real solid team as a team,” he
said. “I really don’t want to say too much about individuals right now.
I need them to first learn to play as a unit. We even took the names
off the jerseys so it is not as individual. We want to play as a team.”

That team is made up mostly of players returning from last year. The
biggest loss was Buddy Anderson, the team’s number four scorer last
year. Top returnees include top scorer Barry McLaughlin, Nick
Catanzaro, Gerard Heinz, Zach Dehm, Frank Rizzo, Frank Shackford, and
Nick Egan.

Only four freshmen are listed on the roster, defensemen Brent Fallon, Joe Leonard, and Justin Porpora and forward Jarrett Gold. Also new on the team is sophomore defenseman Craig Cole who transferred from Fredonia.

It will initially be a tough road for Baldarotta and the Red Dragons.
He did not have much time to bring in his own players, and he will need
to adjust to a new team not used to winning and a slightly different
style of hockey.

Even though Baldarotta did change hockey worlds by moving from east to west, he
did move from one diary state to another. Whether he prefers Wisconsin
or New York cheese, he does acknowledge there are some differences.

“There is a difference between western and eastern hockey,” Baldarotta
said. “I know there are little subtle nuances, and I have to learn the
differences. I’m really happy to be here. I really like it out here,
and I really like the way the kids are responding to me. It’s been a
really good experience.”

Wonder how he will feel the first time Binga blows up. . . .

Morrisville State Mustangs

Coach: Brian Grady, first season as head coach
2006-7 overall record: 7-10-0
2006-7 SUNYAC record: NA
2006-7 SUNYAC finish: NA
2007-8 Predicted finish: Ninth

Morrisville showed that success at the junior college level does not
immediately translate into success at the NCAA level. They had moments
during the season, but overall consistency was lacking which resulted in
a losing season. More importantly, only two of their wins were against
future SUNYAC opponents while three of those victories were against another
new program, Becker. A pair of victories against Plymouth State rounded
out the win column.

Transitions are never as easy as they appear. And, to top it off, their
longtime coach, Earl Utter, decided to leave before the transition was
completed, which means the players now need to transition to a new coach
who is transitioning to his first head coaching job.

“It’s a tough challenge in every way, shape, and form,” new coach Brian
Grady said. “The whole university is still in a phase moving from a
two-year school into a four-year institution. New programs are added
all the time. It seems like a new building is going up every year.

“Athletically, recruiting is going to be one of the biggest challenges
for us. We’re excited about it. We really pounded the pavement for the
first few months.”

The top recruit from that pavement pounding may turn out to be Rob
Sgarbossa. A lot will be expected from him offensively while he is also
a top defensive forward.

Dave Schultz is a big, strong forward with a powerful shot. Caylin
Reikoff may end up winning the goaltending duties especially since
Travis Moore did not return, though Brett Freese did.

A key skater returning is Evan Kernohan, who played forward in junior
hockey but has transitioned to defense for the Mustangs. The team’s
leading scorer from last year, Matt Damskov, is back along with Joseph
Herman, Andrew Alarie, Stefan Carnegie, Keith Williams, Brent Quinn, and
Samuel Forget.

“We have established the opportunity that the players are going to earn
their jerseys in practice every single day,” Grady said. “To this
point, I think we really established a great work ethic and intensity
level.”

This is the second year of Morrisville’s transition to the NCAA. This
means that they now will compete in the SUNYAC as a member, but will be
ineligible for the playoffs since they cannot compete in the NCAA
postseason. Ultimately, then, they are the de facto season long spoilers.

“We want everyone to leave the rink and say, ‘Man, that team plays
hard,'” Grady said. “We’re playing spoiler all year long. Our guys are
relishing the role of the underdog.”

Underdog spoilers during a transition. This could be interesting.

Bowling Green’s Kantola Suspended For Three Games By CCHA

USCHO Staff Report
-

The CCHA announced that sophomore forward Kai Kantola of Bowling Green has been suspended for three games as the result of a checking-from-behind incident that occurred in a game at BGSU Ice Arena on October 23 against Notre Dame.

The supplemental disciplinary action was taken by the CCHA after a review of the incident that occurred at 16:13 of the first period and resulted in the player receiving a major penalty for Hitting From Behind and a disqualification penalty.

Kantola will be required to serve this suspension during Bowling Green’s next two regularly scheduled series on Nov. 2-3 against Western Michigan and on Nov. 9-10 against Ferris State. He is eligible to return to the lineup on Nov. 16.

USCHO Women’s Game of the Week Schedule

USCHO Staff Report
-
General Information
Broadcasts start 10 min. before game time (All times CT, Windows Media Player for PC or Mac required)
Official Release
Game of the Week FAQ
Archived Broadcasts, Current Season
Archived Broadcasts, 2004-05 Season
Notice: High-speed Internet (300 kbps) is required to view video feeds without interruption. All fans can still use the audio-only feeds.

Archived Broadcasts

Sunday, March 26, 2006
NCAA Final @Minnesota
Minnesota 0 Wisconsin 3 Preview Archive Recap
Guest Analysts: Winny Brodt (Minnesota ’03), Nicole Corriero (Harvard ’05), Carla MacLeod (Wisconsin ’05), Katey Stone (UNH ’89)
Minnesota Interview: Laura Halldorson
Wisconsin Interview: Mark Johnson
Friday, March 24, 2006
NCAA Semifinals @ Minnesota
Wisconsin 1 St. Lawrence 0 Preview Archive Recap
New Hampshire 4 Minnesota 5 Preview Archive Recap
Guest Analysts: Winny Brodt (Minnesota ’03), Nicole Corriero (Harvard ’05), Carla MacLeod (Wisconsin ’05), Katey Stone (UNH ’89)
St. Lawrence Interview: Paul Flanagan
Wisconsin Interview: Mark Johnson
New Hampshire Interview: Brian McCloskey
Minnesota Interview: Laura Halldorson
Saturday, March 18, 2006
NCAA Quarterfinal
Mercyhurst 1 Wisconsin 2 (2 OT) Preview Archive Recap
Guest Analysts: Amy Vermeulen (Wisconsin ’05), Sara McDonald (Mercyhurst ’05)
Mercyhurst Interview: Mike Sisti
Wisconsin Interview: Mark Johnson
Special Live Interview: Carla MacLeod (Wisconsin ’05)
Sunday, March 12, 2006
WCHA Final (@ Minnesota)
Minnesota 1 Wisconsin 4 Video Audio-Only Recap
Guest Analyst: Winny Brodt (Minnesota ’03)
Saturday, March 11, 2006
WCHA Semifinals (@ Minnesota)
St. Cloud 0 Wisconsin 9 Preview Video Audio-Only Recap
Minnesota-Duluth 1 Minnesota 2 Preview Video Audio-Only Recap
Guest Analyst: Winny Brodt (Minnesota ’03)
St. Cloud Interviews: Jason Lesteberg, Randie Jielinski
Wisconsin Interviews: Mark Johnson, Sharon Cole
Minnesota-Duluth Interviews: Shannon Miller, Krista McArthur
Minnesota Interviews: Laura Halldorson, Erica McKenzie
Sunday, March 5, 2006
Hockey East Final @Northeastern
Boston College 0 New Hampshire 6 Archive Recap
Guest Analyst: Colleen Coyne (New Hampshire ’93)
Saturday, March 4, 2006
Hockey East Semifinals @ Northeastern
Maine 0 New Hampshire 6 Preview Archive Recap
Providence 1 Boston College 3 Preview Archive Recap
Guest Analyst: Colleen Coyne (New Hampshire ’93)
Maine Interviews: Guy Perron, Cheryl White
New Hampshire Interviews: Erin Whitten Hamlen, Lindsay Hansen
Providence Interviews: Bob Deraney, Karen Thatcher
Boston College Interviews: Tom Mutch, Alison Quandt
Saturday, February 25, 2006
WCHA
Wisconsin 1 Ohio State 0 Preview Archive Box
Guest Analyst: April Stojak (Ohio State ’03)
Wisconsin Interview: Nikki Burish
Ohio State Interviews: Jackie Barto, Amber Bowman
Friday, February 24, 2006
ECACHL
Brown 2 Princeton 3 Preview Archive Recap
Guest Analyst: Elliot Olshansky (CSTV.com Rink Rat)
Brown Interviews: Digit Murphy, Myria Heinhuis
Princeton Interviews: Jeff Kampersal, Laura Watt
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Hockey East
Providence 2 Boston College 4 Preview Archive Recap
Providence Interviews: Bob Deraney, Ashley Payton
Boston College Interviews: Tom Mutch, Deb Spillane
Saturday, February 18, 2006
ECACHL
St. Lawrence 7 Yale 1 Preview Archive Box
Guest Analyst: Chelsea Grills (St. Lawrence ’07)
St. Lawrence Interviews: Paul Flanagan, Sabrina Harbec
Yale Interviews: Hilary Witt, Lisa Jacque
Saturday, February 11, 2006
WCHA
Minnesota 1 Wisconsin 3 Preview Archive Box
Guest Analyst: Amy Vermeulen (Wisconsin ’05)
Minnesota Interviews: Laura Halldorson, Chelsey Brodt
Wisconsin Interviews: Mark Johnson, Sara Bauer
Saturday, February 4, 2006
ECACHL
Yale 1 Harvard 1 Preview Archive Recap
Guest Analyst: Nicole Corriero (Harvard ’05)
Yale Interviews: Hilary Witt, Deena Caplette
Harvard Interviews: Katey Stone, Lindsay Weaver
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Division III
Middlebury 9 Bowdoin 1 Preview Archive Recap
Guest Analyst: Michelle Labbe (Middlebury ’01)
Middlebury Interviews: Bill Mandigo, Kate Kogut
Bowdoin Interviews: Michelle Amidon, Meghan Gillis
Saturday, January 21, 2006
WCHA
Minnesota 2 at UMD 0 Preview Archive Recap
Guest Analyst: Julianne Vasichek (UMD ’05)
Minnesota Interviews: Laura Halldorson, Bobbi Ross
UMD Interviews: Shannon Miller, Noemie Marin
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Non-Conference
Connecticut 1 Dartmouth 1 Preview Archive Box
Connecticut Interviews: Heather Linstad, Jennifer Houlden
Dartmouth Interviews: Mark Hudak, Kate Lane
Sunday, January 8, 2006
Non-Conference
Mercyhurst 5 Providence 2 Preview Archive Recap
Mercyhurst Interviews: Mike Sisti, Julia Colizza
Providence Interviews: Bob Deraney, Kristin Gigliotti
Sunday, December 18, 2005
International
Team Finland 1 Team USA 3 Archive
Finland Interview: Mari Pehkonen (Minnesota-Duluth ’09)
USA Interview: Angela Ruggiero (Harvard ’04)
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Non-Conference
New Hampshire 3 Harvard 0 Preview Archive Recap
Guest Analyst: Digit Murphy (Cornell ’83)
New Hampshire Interview: Erin Whitten Hamlen
Harvard Interviews: Katey Stone, Jennifer Raimondi
Saturday, December 3, 2005
ECACHL
Colgate 2 Princeton 6 Preview Archive Recap
Guest Analyst: Mollie Marcoux (Princeton ’91)
Colgate Interviews: Scott Wiley, Becky Irvine
Princeton Interviews: Chrissie Norwich
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Non-Conference
Wisconsin 1 New Hampshire 2 (@Dartmouth) Preview Archive Recap
Guest Analyst: Elliot Olshansky (CSTV.com Rink Rat)
Wisconsin Interviews: Mark Johnson, Bobbi-Jo Slusar
New Hampshire Interviews: Brian McCloskey, Nicole Hekle
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Non-Conference
Niagara 1 Yale 9 (@Providence) Preview Archive Box
Guest Analyst: Digit Murphy (Cornell ’83)
Niagara Interview: Heather Reinke
Yale Interview: Hilary Witt
Friday, November 25, 2005
Non-Conference
Mercyhurst 3 Princeton 2 Preview Archive Recap
Guest Analyst: C.J. Ireland (Mercyhurst ’03)
Mercyhurst Interviews: Mike Sisti, Ashley Pendleton
Princeton Interviews: Jeff Kampersal, Dina McCumber
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Division III
Plattsburgh 3 Williams 2 (@ Middlebury) Preview Archive Box
Elmira 3 Middlebury 4 Preview Archive Box
Guest Analysts: Sylvia Ryan (Middlebury ’00)
Plattsburgh Interviews: Kevin Houle, Jenn Clarke
Williams Interviews: Michelyne Pinard, Rachel Barr
Elmira Interviews: Paul Nemetz-Carlson, Jaclyn O’Neil
Middlebury Interviews: Bill Mandigo, Emily Quizon
Saturday, November 12, 2005
ECACHL
St. Lawrence 3 Dartmouth 0 Preview Archive Recap
Guest Analyst: Wendy Soutsos Holden (Dartmouth ’99)
St. Lawrence Interviews: Paul Flanagan, Jess Moffat
Dartmouth Interviews: Mark Hudak, Tiffany Hagge
Saturday, November 5, 2005
ECACHL
Princeton 2 Harvard 3 Preview Archive Recap
Guest Analyst: A.J. Mleczko (Harvard ’99)
Princeton Interviews: Jeff Kampersal, Kim Pearce
Harvard Interviews: Katey Stone, Carrie Schroyer
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Non-Conference
New Hampshire 2 Brown 3 Preview Archive Recap
Guest Analyst: Kristen Thomas (New Hampshire ’04)
New Hampshire Interviews: Erin Whitten, Martine Garland
Brown Interviews: Digit Murphy, Keaton Zucker
Saturday, October 29, 2005
WCHA
Minnesota State 6 Ohio State 2 Preview Archive Recap
Guest Analyst: April Stojak (Ohio State ’03)
Minnesota State Interviews: Jeff Vizenor, Jen Jonsson
Ohio State Interviews: Jackie Barto, Jana Harrigan
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Non-Conference
Minnesota 4 Mercyhurst 2 Preview Archive Recap
Guest Analyst: Nicole Corriero (Harvard ’05)
Minnesota Interviews: Laura Halldorson, Ashley Albrecht
Mercyhurst Interviews: Mike Sisti, Samantha Shirley
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Hockey East
Providence 1 Connecticut 3 Preview Archive Recap
Guest Analyst: Elliot Olshansky (CSTV.com Rink Rat)
Providence Interviews: Bob Deraney, Jana Bugden
Connecticut Interviews: Heather Linstad, Natalie Vibert
Sunday, October 9, 2005
WCHA
Minnesota-Duluth 3 Wisconsin 4 (OT) Preview Archive Recap
Guest Analyst: Angie Francisco (Harvard ’01)
UMD Interviews: Shannon Miller, Allison Lehrke
Wisconsin Interviews: Mark Johnson, Sharon Cole
Saturday, October 8, 2005
Non-Conference
St. Lawrence 3 at Minnesota 1 Preview Archive Recap
Guest Analyst: Karen Bye-Dietz (New Hampshire ’93)
St. Lawrence Interviews: Paul Flanagan, Kate Michael
Minnesota Interviews: Laura Halldorson, Andrea Nichols

USCHO Women’s Game of the Week Schedule

USCHO Staff Report
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General Information
Broadcasts start 10 min. before game time (All times EST, Windows Media Player for PC or Mac required)
Official Release
Game of the Week FAQ
Archived Broadcasts, 2005-06 Season
Notice: High-speed Internet (300 kbps) is required to view video feeds without interruption. All fans can still use the audio-only feeds.

Upcoming Broadcasts

Saturday, September 30, 2006
Non-Conference
Mercyhurst 5 at Maine 2 Audio Archive Video Archive
Mercyhurst Interviews: Mike Sisti, Stephanie Jones
Maine Interviews: Lauren Steblen, Kelly Law
Saturday, October 7, 2006
Non-Conference
New Hampshire 6 at Minnesota 5 (OT) Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: Tricia Dunn-Luoma (UNH ’96)
New Hampshire Interviews: Brian McCloskey, Jennifer Hitchcock
Minnesota Interviews: Laura Halldorson, Bobbi Ross
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Non-Conference
St. Lawrence 2 at Providence 1 Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: Sarah Hood-Fraser (Dartmouth ’98)
St. Lawrence Interviews: Paul Flanagan, Chelsea Grills
Providence Interviews: Bob Deraney, Sonny Watrous
Saturday, October 21, 2006
WCHA
Minnesota 1 at Wisconsin 3 Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: Carla MacLeod (Wisconsin ’05), Ali Brewer (Brown ’00)
Minnesota Interviews: Laura Halldorson, Anya Miller
Wisconsin Interviews: Mark Johnson, Jinelle Zaugg
Saturday, October 28, 2006
ECACHL
Clarkson 1 at Princeton 1 (OT) Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: Tarah Clark(Princeton ’06)
Clarkson Interviews: Rick Seeley, Lindsay Williams
Princeton Interviews: Jeff Kampersal, Kim Pearce
Saturday, November 4, 2006
Hockey East
Boston University 2 at Boston College 5 Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: Erin Magee (Boston College ’99)
Boston University Interviews: Brian Durocher, Cara Hendry
Boston College Interviews: Tom Mutch, Michelle Lombardi
Saturday, November 11, 2006
ECACHL
Yale 2 at Brown 1 Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: Erin Duggan (Yale ’05)
Yale Interview: Kristin Savard
Brown Interviews: Digit Murphy, Hayley Moore
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Non-Conference
St. Lawrence 0 at New Hampshire 4 Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: Jamie Hagerman (Harvard ’03)
St. Lawrence Interviews: Paul Flanagan, Crystal Connors
New Hampshire Interviews: Brian McCloskey, Shannon Clement
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Division III
Elmira 5 vs. Williams 2 Audio Archive Video Archive
Middlebury 2 at Plattsburgh 4 Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: Matt Rennell (USCHO D3 Correspondent)
Elmira Interviews: Paul Nemetz-Carlson, Stefanie McLean
Williams Interviews: Shannon Bryant, Anna Condino
Middlebury Interviews: Bill Mandigo, Shannon Sylvester
Plattsburgh Interviews: Kevin Houle, Jessica Moreau
Friday, November 24, 2006
ECACHL
Dartmouth 6 at Princeton 3 Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: David DeRemer (USCHO Women’s Editor)
Dartmouth Interviews: Mark Hudak
Princeton Interviews: Jeff Kampersal
Saturday, November 25, 2006
UNH Tournament
Wayne State 4 vs. Boston College 5 Audio Archive Video Archive
Mercyhurst 2 vs. New Hampshire 1 Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: Jamie Hagerman (Harvard ’03)
Wayne State Interviews: Jim Fetter
Boston College Interviews: Tom Mutch
Mercyhurst Interviews: Mike Sisti, Stefanie Bourbeau
New Hampshire Interviews: Erin Whitten Hamlen
Saturday, December 2, 2006
Non-Conference
Minnesota-Duluth 0 at Harvard 4 Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: Angela Ruggiero (Harvard ’04)
Minnesota-Duluth Interviews: Shannon Miller
Harvard Interviews: Katey Stone, Julie Chu
Sunday, December 3, 2006
Division III
Bowdoin 2 at Manhattanville 3 Audio Archive Video Archive
Bowdoin Interviews: Heather Farrell
Manhattanville Interviews: Nicole Hall
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Non-Conference
Dartmouth 3 at New Hampshire 3 (OT) Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: Tiffany Hagge (Dartmouth ’06)
Dartmouth Interviews: Gillian Apps
New Hampshire Interviews: Sadie Wright-Ward
Friday, December 29, 2006
Non-Conference
Connecticut 0 at Yale 3 Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: TBA
Connecticut Interviews: Heather Linstad, Alica Ramolla
Yale Interviews: Hilary Witt
Saturday, January 6, 2007
WCHA
Wisconsin 3 at Minnesota 0 Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: Natalie Darwitz (Minnesota ’07)
Wisconsin Interviews: Mark Johnson, Meaghan Mikkelson
Minnesota Interviews: Laura Halldorson, Whitney Graft
Friday, January 12, 2007
ECACHL
Dartmouth 2 at Harvard 2 (OT) Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: A.J. Mleczko (Harvard ’99)
Dartmouth Interviews: Mark Hudak, Katie Weatherston
Maine Interviews: Katey Stone, Jennifer Sifers
Saturday, January 13, 2007
CHA
Mercyhurst 7 at Wayne State 5 Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: Nicole Corriero (Harvard ’05)
Mercyhurst Interviews: Mike Sisti, Laura Hosier
Wayne State Interviews: Jim Fetter, Laura Monk
Saturday, January 20, 2007
WCHA
St. Cloud State 1 at Ohio State 6 Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: TBA
St. Cloud State Interviews: Jeff Giesen, Hailey Clarkson
Ohio State Interviews: Jackie Barto, Tessa Bonhomme
Saturday, January 27, 2007
ECACHL
St. Lawrence 4 at Dartmouth 5 (OT) Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: Tiffany Hagge (Dartmouth ’06)
St. Lawrence Interviews: Paul Flanagan, Annie Guay
Dartmouth Interviews: Mark Hudak, Cherie Piper
Friday, February 2, 2007
Division III
Gustavus Adolphus 8 at St. Thomas 0 Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: TBA
Gustavus Adolphus Interviews: Mike Carroll, Andrea Peterson
St. Thomas Interviews: Kevin Gorg
Saturday, February 3, 2007
WCHA
Wisconsin 2 at Minnesota-Duluth 1 (OT) Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: Angie Francisco (Harvard ’01)
Wisconsin Interviews: Mark Johnson, Sara Bauer
Minnesota-Duluth Interviews: Shannon Miller, Jessica Koizumi
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Hockey East
New Hampshire 7 at Providence 0 Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: Elliot Olshansky (CSTV.com Rink Rat)
New Hampshire Interviews: Brian McCloskey, Nicole Hekle
Providence Interviews: Bob Deraney, Kathleen Smith
Friday, February 16, 2007
ECACHL
Colgate 0 at Princeton 1 Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: David DeRemer (USCHO Women’s Editor)
Colgate Interviews: Scott Wiley, Tara French
Princeton Interviews: Jeff Kampersal, Marykate Oakley
Saturday, February 17, 2007
ECACHL
Brown 0 at Harvard 4 Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: Nicole Corriero (Harvard ’05)
Brown Interviews: Digit Murphy
Harvard Interviews: Katey Stone
Saturday, February 24, 2007
ECACHL Quarterfinals
Colgate 3 at Princeton 2 Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: David DeRemer (USCHO Women’s Editor)
Colgate Interviews: Scott Wiley, Carly McNaughton
Princeton Interviews: Jeff Kampersal, Laura Watt
Saturday, March 3, 2007
WCHA Semifinals (@ Minnesota)
Ohio State 0 vs. Wisconsin 4 Audio Archive Video Archive
Minnesota 3 vs. Minnesota-Duluth 2 (OT) Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: Molly Engstrom (Wisconsin ’05), Angie Francisco (Harvard ’01)
Ohio State Interviews: Jackie Barto, Erin Keys
Wisconsin Interviews: Mark Johnson, Bobbi-Jo Slusar
Minnesota Interviews: Laura Halldorson, Andrea Nichols
Minnesota-Duluth Interviews: Shannon Miller, Noemie Marin
Sunday, March 4, 2007
WCHA Championship Game (@ Minnesota)
Minnesota 1 vs. Wisconsin 3 Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: Molly Engstrom (Wisconsin ’05)
Minnesota Interviews: Laura Halldorson
Wisconsin Interviews: Mark Johnson
Friday, March 9, 2007
NCAA Quarterfinals
Minnesota-Duluth 3 at Mercyhurst 2 (OT) Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: Chrissy Yule (Mercyhurst ’05)
Minnesota-Duluth Interviews: Shannon Miller
Mercyhurst Interviews: Mike Sisti
Saturday, March 10, 2007
NCAA Quarterfinals
St. Lawrence 6 at New Hampshire 2 Audio Archive Video Archive
Guest Analyst: Kristen Thomas (New Hampshire ’04)
St. Lawerence Interviews: Paul Flanagan
New Hampshire Interviews: Brian McCloskey
Friday, March 16, 2007
NCAA Semifinals (@ Lake Placid)
St. Lawrence 0 vs. Wisconsin 4 Audio Archive
Minnesota-Duluth 4 vs. Boston College 3 (2OT) Audio Archive
Guest Analysts: A.J. Mleczko (Harvard ’99), Ali Brewer (Brown ’00), Andrea Kilbourne (Princeton ’03), Jamie Hagerman (Harvard ’03), Laura Halldorson (Minnesota head coach)
Sunday, March 18, 2007
NCAA Championship (@ Lake Placid)
Minnesota-Duluth 1 vs. Wisconsin 4 Audio Archive
Guest Analysts: A.J. Mleczko (Harvard ’99), Ali Brewer (Brown ’00), Andrea Kilbourne (Princeton ’03), Jamie Hagerman (Harvard ’03), Laura Halldorson (Minnesota head coach)

North Dakota, NCAA Reach Out-Of-Court Settlement In Nickname Dispute

By Patrick C. Miller
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The NCAA and the state of North Dakota have agreed to an out-of-court settlement over the use of the University of North Dakota’s Fighting Sioux nickname and logo.

The agreement gives UND three years to obtain permission to use the nickname from two Sioux tribal governments within the state on the Standing Rock and Spirit Lake reservations. After both sides sign the settlement as expected, the lawsuit will be dismissed with prejudice, according to North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem.

North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem (right) outlines the details of a settlement with the NCAA during a meeting with the State Board of Higher Education (photo: Patrick C. Miller).

North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem (right) outlines the details of a settlement with the NCAA during a meeting with the State Board of Higher Education (photo: Patrick C. Miller).

“We have today before us a dynamic in terms of a change in public policy that’s being brought forward,” said William Goetz, North Dakota University System chancellor. “This is the recognition of the tribes and how they will be given an opportunity to weigh in on this issue, as should be the case.”

If the university fails to gain approval from the namesake tribes, it must either adopt a new nickname or be subject to an NCAA policy that prevents schools with American Indian nicknames, imagery and mascots from displaying them at the association’s championship events and prohibits the schools from hosting such events.

Meeting in Grand Forks, the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education unanimously approved a 12-page settlement agreement after meeting behind closed doors in executive session with Stenehjem, who represented the state in court. During a public meeting, the attorney general outlined the agreement before it was voted on with little discussion.

In comments following the meeting, Stenehjem said, “If we hadn’t reached this settlement, we faced the very realistic prospect that if we would win the lawsuit, the NCAA would amend its bylaws, in which case the university would then have to decide whether to comply with the bylaws.”

Even if the state won the lawsuit and the NCAA didn’t change its bylaws, he believed the issue would be far from settled.

“We’re back to the same vitriolic situation that we were in and have been in for the last several years,” Stenehjem noted. “I think it’s important that we at least go to the tribal governments and ask them how we can perhaps use the nickname and the logo in a respectful way that’s beneficial to everybody.”

Board president John Paulsen said, “This is not a perfect solution, but given the way Attorney General Stenehjem outlined the facts and the realities of what might happen in the future, this settlement is clearly the best we could hope for.”

As part of the agreement, the NCAA must make a public announcement saying that it recognizes UND’s “many programs and outreach activities to the Native American community and surrounding areas” and that the university is “a national leader in offering educational programs to Native Americans.”

The statement also says that while the NCAA believes “as a general proposition that the use of Native American names and imagery can create a hostile or abusive environment in collegiate athletics,” it does not “make any other finding about the environment on UND’s campus.”

Paulsen views this language as the single most important aspect of the settlement.

“The University of North Dakota deserves that acknowledgement by the NCAA, and it cheers me immensely that all these programs the university has had in place for so many years are being recognized,” he said. “Any suggestion that this institution has ever, as a matter of policy, been hostile or abusive is simply wrong and it needed to be corrected. This settlement makes that correction.”

An NCAA news release says that by settling the case, the association “is not reversing its policy or its commitment to eliminate Native American nicknames and imagery from championship events. The settlement is consistent with the NCAA’s firm belief that Native American nicknames and imagery have no place in intercollegiate athletics.”

Bernard Franklin, NCAA Senior Vice-President for Governance, Membership, Education and Research Services, said, “One fundamental purpose of the policy was and is to listen to the Native American community and the NCAA sought input from them during the settlement negotiations. The settlement confirms that the Sioux people — and no one else — should decide whether and how their name should be used.”

In August 2005, the NCAA Executive Committee implemented a policy against UND and 18 other member schools deemed to use “hostile and abusive” American Indian nicknames, imagery and/or mascots. (UND has no mascot.) Five schools were exempted from policy after receiving approval from local namesake tribes. They are the Florida State Seminoles, the Central Michigan Chippewas, the Utah Utes, the Catawba Indians and the Mississippi College Choctaws.

The Bradley University Braves were placed on a five-year watch list. Other schools elected to comply with the NCAA policy.

After exhausting the appeals process, the state of North Dakota filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in October 2006 on behalf of UND and the state’s board of higher education. The suit alleged that the association had breached its contract with UND by failing to follow its own guidelines, bylaws and constitution; violated statutes requiring good faith and fair dealing; and engaged in unlawful restraint of trade by using its monopoly position in college athletics.

About a month after the suit was filed, Northeast Central District Court Judge Lawrence Jahnke granted a preliminary injunction that prevented the NCAA from enforcing the policy against UND. The case had been scheduled for a jury trial in Grand Forks beginning next month.

Jahnke repeatedly urged the two parties to settle the dispute out of court, at one point noting that combined attorney costs for both sides had reached $2 million. North Dakota’s case was funded entirely with private donations.

As details about the settlement began to leak out through the news media Thursday night, online comments from Sioux sports fans ranged from angry to philosophical to being resigned at losing the Fighting Sioux nickname.

Some advocated the end of all UND programs and opportunities for American Indian students if the two Sioux tribes didn’t grant approval. However, UND spokesperson Peter Johnson said that wouldn’t happen.

“Whatever the resolution is after three years, there are still going to be lots of very good American Indian programs at UND. There’s still going to be an emphasis on serving American Indian students,” he said.

Johnson said the discussions about the future of the nickname and logo with the two Sioux tribes in the state could serve to further strengthen UND’s American Indian programs.

“That’s part of the good that will come out of these conversations,” he said. “It won’t just be about the nickname and the logo. It will be about how we can continue to work together in all kinds of areas.”

Stenehjem said he believes those conversations should occur at the highest levels of state and tribal governments.

“A dialogue is something that needs to happen with top officials,” he explained. “I don’t anticipate a one-way discussion. There are people of good conscience on both sides of the issue.”

This Week in the WCHA: Oct. 25, 2007

By
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Worst. Beginning. Ever.

I first want to apologize for the mistakes in the last column, particularly those regarding Andrew Gordon of St. Cloud State and the mishap about Wisconsin in the sidebar. Paraphrasing the Guinness commercials: “Factual errors in a first column? BRILLIANT!”

That being said, thank you for all the e-mails pointing out said errors. Good to know you’re a.) reading and b.) paying attention.

Super Freshmen

Granted, it’s still early, but when your freshmen are making a big impact early on? That would be called a good thing, especially for the two teams that have arguably benefited the most from their new players — Wisconsin and Colorado College.

For the Badgers, it’s especially good the freshmen are making such an impact — the team did have the top-ranked recruiting class coming into this season. However, that means nothing if the players don’t produce and they are producing. Third overall NHL draftee Kyle Turris already has 12 points (5g, 7a) — tops not only on the Badgers, but in the nation. Fellow freshman Brendan Smith (1-5–6) and Patrick Johnson (1-4–5) are also among the leaders.

In fact, out of all the freshmen Badgers who have gotten ice time, the only one who hasn’t scored points has been goaltender Scott Gudmanson, who has performed admirably in his one start to date — a win (2.01 gaa and .926 sv%).

“They are in a position, these young people, to be able to play because we need them to play,” Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves told USCHO’s Benjamin Worgull after the Badgers 7-2 victory over Robert Morris this past Friday. “We’re hoping they have those contributions offensively and we hope it continues.

“These young people have found that chemistry, taking what’s given and having a very important impact on the games we have played thus far,” he added after Saturday’s 8-2 win over the Colonials.

For CC, it’s been all about freshman goaltender Richard Bachman, who backstopped the Tigers to their first home sweep of Minnesota in nearly a decade. Bachman stopped 61 shots over the two nights to earn an 0.98 goals against average and a .968 save percentage.

“We have a very nice goaltender,” said Tigers’ coach Scott Owens after Saturday’s victory over Minnesota. “I thought he was good and would be the guy for us at some point.

“I can’t tell you I thought he would play both games against the Gophers or even start both games. He looked so poised and confident in the exhibition games and he was effective. He came in cold in both of those. So we said, ‘To heck with it, we’re going to go with him Friday night.’ And in that game he was good. He was a little more spectacular tonight, he made some big-time saves down the stretch, no doubt. We were concerned a little bit about a youngster playing back-to-back as a freshman because he is somewhat slight.”

A few other teams have also gotten early production from their freshmen. Alaska-Anchorage’s Craig Parkinson (3-3–6) and Winston DayChief (3-2–5) have already proved themselves worthy of a roster spot. Anthony Maiani and Kyle Ostrow have shown flashes of brilliance for Denver, as have Matt Frattin and Evan Trupp for the Fighting Sioux. For St. Cloud State, Garrett Roe and Tony Mosey (both 2-3–5) are tied with sophomore Ryan Lasch for the early team lead in points.

A Balanced Attack

Minnesota-Duluth coach Scott Sandelin said before the season that his Bulldogs were going to need a balanced attack offensively to be successful.

“We might not have that one big line or that one dynamic player,” he allowed.

As it is, he’s gotten his wish. Though no player has scored more than four points, the Bulldogs have had 13 players make their way onto the stat sheets.

Surprisingly enough, the Fighting Sioux are in a similar situation — 16 players have made the scoresheet and the highest-scoring forward has only three points. Granted, that will probably change soon enough.

Keeping Up with the Pros: Reader Mailbag Edition

Though I thought I had everyone who left early, I did get some e-mails informing me otherwise. With some further research, a few of the players named did leave early, but not within the time frame I was covering. Also, some left school early, but after their senior season of hockey had ended — not all that uncommon.

In any case, this edition of “Keeping Up with the Pros” will include all the players I was informed about in my inbox.

One kind reader informed me I left out North Dakota’s Zach Parise, now with the New Jersey Devils (2-8–10). Parise did leave after his sophomore season — the 2003-04 campaign. The players I tried to cover were those who left after the 2005-06 and the 2006-07 seasons.

I got an e-mail about former Pioneer goaltender Wade Dubielewicz, who graduated in 2003 and is trying to catch on with the New York Islanders full time (1gp, 0-1, 8.00 gaa, .810 sv%). Another e-mail mentioned Michigan Tech’s Chris Conner, which is a similar situation — graduated in 2006 and is now in the Dallas Stars system with the Iowa Stars (3-3–6).

A few former Seawolves were also brought to my attention — Curtis Glencross, Justin Bourne and Mark Smith. Glencross left early after the 2003-04 season and is currently scoreless after four games with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Bourne and Smith graduated last year and are both in the ECHL — Bourne with the Utah Grizzlies (1-0–1) and Smith supposedly with the Charlotte Checkers, though there is no record of stats as of yet.

Reader Mailbag

… a.k.a. “Baby’s First Hate Mail.”

I may have to reconsider how I do this section — I was surprised with the amount of e-mail I received. I’ll try to briefly answer most of the questions I received this week, but after this, we might just go to a simple poll question.

1. When DU and CC play, I’m an impartial observer as a member of the working media. In the past, I did favor the Pioneers since I grew up closer to them. Now, after having covered both teams equally last year for a local Colorado publication, I really don’t have a favorite.

2. I got an interesting question regarding the early departures and how many of them were Canadian natives and how many were native Minnesotans. If research holds correct, 10 were Canadians, seven were Minnesotans, five were from Wisconsin, two each from California, Colorado and North Dakota, and one each from Alaska and Slovakia.

3. Will I be doing a preview/analysis of the upcoming games each week in the column (I presume this means apart from the sidebar)? I might. I kind of like the idea and since the “Keeping Up with the Pros” section might get taken out …

4. The “deal” with Freddy Meyer is actually a joke off the USCHO.com Fan Forum — it’s been a long-running joke that the former BU Terrier is a hack.

5. For the question regarding TV coverage, I guess just call your cable provider? That, or head to the local watering hole. In terms of the Big Ten Network and CSTV covering games in general, I think anything that provides more exposure to the sport is good … even if the majority of people can’t get the channels.

6. Regarding the question about the Gophers overcoming the loss of Ryan Stoa: if Minnesota can get its power play going and ride the play of Jeff Frazee (who did play well — at least in the Saturday night game — in the CC series), it is certainly possible that they may follow the route of the Sioux the last couple years in making a second-half run.

7. For the reader who lambasted me regarding my low preseason prediction/ranking for the Badgers, I wasn’t the only one who did. Basically every media outlet — and the coaches themselves — picked the Badgers fifth or worse.

For this week, I’ll just institute a poll question:

“Keeping Up with the Pros”: Yay or Nay? Maybe monthly? I know y’all are just dying to e-mail me — let’s make it constructive.

I Don’t Care Who You Are, That’s Funny

By now, I’m sure most (if not all) of you have heard about last week’s fog-out during the North Dakota/Boston College game. As a result, Fan Forum poster A Shot and A Goal sent me the following recipe:

Recipe for Fog Cutter
– 1 ½ ounces light rum
– ½ ounce brandy
– ½ ounce gin
– 1 ounce orange juice
– 3 tbsp lemon juice
– 1 ½ tsp orgeat syrup
– 1 tsp sweet sherry

Shake all ingredients except sherry and strain over ice into a Collins glass. Top with sherry. Serve at Conte Forum.

Caveat: Do not make unless you’re over 21 years of age.

And Yes, I Get It

No quotations necessary when referring to the WCHA as the best conference in college hockey.

A Final Promise

More hockey talk next week. This early-season stuff is rough.

ECAC West Season Preview

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The offseason was certainly a busy time for the ECAC West. Manhattanville basked in the glow of its first ever Final Four appearance. Lebanon Valley was saved from extinction following an administrative review and got a new head coach. And Neumann also hired a new coach.

Even the individual player awards rolled in for the ECAC West over the off-season, as Andrew Gallant (Manhattanville) was named AHCA Player of the Year and a first team All-American. Three Neumann players, Neil Trimm (first team), Mike Gooch (second team) and Mike Hedden (second team) joined Gallant as All-Americans.

But as this season gets rolling, all of the records are reset to zero and each team has begun the long twisting road again.

Neumann certainly seems to be the favorite this year, returning its top 16 scorers, goaltender, and its entire defensive corps. New head coach Phil Roy now has the unenviable job of trying not to upset the apple cart as the Knights sit atop the preseason coaches’ poll.

Manhattanville, on the other hand, lost both Gallant and its top two scorers to graduation. While the Valiants are still loaded on paper, for the first time in four years there is a real competition for the starting job in goal.

The top of the depth chart is intact at Elmira, as the top three forward lines return almost unchanged, and goaltender Casey Tuttle appears to have healed from his serious injury in last year’s league playoffs. But can the Soaring Eagles finally get off to a good start, instead of stumbling out of the gates as they have the last two years?

At Hobart — and for all collegiate hockey — an era has come to an end at Hobart as The Cooler has finally been enclosed. But it will be a different team this season for the Statesmen, as 10 new freshmen join an already young team. About the only known quantity at Hobart is the veteran goaltender trio who will need to be solid to carry the Statesmen through the rough times.

Offense is the keyword at Utica this season, a word not often heard around the crowded confines of The Aud. Solid defense and an outstanding penalty kill have become the norms, but a lack of timely scoring has cost the Pioneers in the playoffs the last few seasons. Coach Gary Heenan looks to fix that this year so his team can get over that final hurdle and into the NCAA’s.

No one doubts that Lebanon Valley has a long road ahead of it as the Flying Dutchmen try to rebuild. But a strong work ethic as well as newfound support from the college and the community are the key ingredients that new head coach Ted Russell will use to lay the foundation for future competitiveness.
Stay tuned for the regular season ECAC West column to cover all the action beginning on November 9.

Click on any team name at the top of a section below to view its individual season preview.

Neumann College Knights

2006-07 overall record: 17-5-5
2006-07 ECAC West record: 8-3-4
2006-07 ECAC West finish: Second
2007-08 Coach’s Poll: First
2007-08 USCHO predicted finish: First

Outlook: Offensively, defensively, and in net, Neumann returns almost the entire team this season. The only question mark is on the bench, where newcomer Phil Roy takes over the head coaching role after the departure of Dennis Williams.

Coach: Phil Roy, first season overall and at Neumann
2006-07 record: 17-5-5 overall, 8-3-4 ECAC West (second)
2006-07 team offense: 5.07 goals/game (second)
2006-07 team defense : 2.74 goals/game (third)
2006-07 power play: 29.1% (first)
2006-07 penalty kill: 81.3% (fourth)
Key losses: Brent Leonhardt (2.15 GAA, .907 SV %)
Key returners: Mike Collichio (2.73, .906), Neil Trimm (18 goals-49 assists-67 points), Mike Hedden (31-21-52), Mark Van Vliet (18-33-51)
Newcomers to watch: Jeff Rodell, Sean Bianchini, Joe Dolan, Colin Davis

Manhattanville College Valiants

2007 ECAC West League Champions
2006-07 overall record: 21-2-5
2006-07 ECAC West record: 12-1-0
2006-07 ECAC West finish: First
2007-08 Coach’s Poll: Second
2007-08 USCHO predicted finish: Second

Outlook: Fresh off a trip to the final four last season, Manhattanville is again loaded for bear. But a gaping hole in net has appeared as the Valiants look to replace last year’s Player of the Year goaltender Andrew Gallant.

Coach: Keith Levinthal, ninth season overall and at Manhattanville (133-57-18)
2006-07 record: 21-2-5 overall, 12-1 ECAC West (first)
2006-07 team offense: 5.39 goals/game (first)
2006-07 team defense : 1.93 goals/game (first)
2006-07 power play: 21.7% (third)
2006-07 penalty kill: 90.1% (first)
Key losses: Andrew Gallant (1.91, .928), Chris Mills (14-30-44), Justin Rohr (14-26-40)
Key returners: Mike Ruberto (17-21-38), Jason Murfitt (18-13-31), Matt Piegza (12-12-24)
Newcomers to watch: Any of 10 freshmen, according to the coach

Elmira College Soaring Eagles

2006-07 overall record: 13-10-4
2006-07 ECAC West record: 7-6-2
2006-07 ECAC West finish: Fourth
2007-08 Coach’s Poll: Fourth
2007-08 USCHO predicted finish: Third

Outlook: Avoiding a slow start to the season is high on Elmira’s list of priorities this year, as the Soaring Eagles look to improve on last year’s fourth place finish.

Coach: Tim Ceglarski, seventh season overall and at Elmira (89-60-13)
2006-07 record: 13-10-4 overall, 7-6-2 ECAC West (fourth)
2006-07 team offense: 3.56 goals/game (fourth)
2006-07 team defense : 3.19 goals/game (fifth)
2006-07 power play: 21.9% (second)
2006-07 penalty kill: 80.5% (fifth)
Key losses: Justin Joy (6-14-20), Darcy Pettie (6-8-14), Nick Lynch (1-12-13)
Key returners: Michael Richard (9-24-33), Rusty Masters (12-13-25), Nicolas Dumoulin (8-13-21).
Newcomers to watch: Karl Linden, Sebastian Gulder, Kevin Bolin, Rick Shrank

Hobart College Statesmen

2006-07 overall record: 13-8-5
2006-07 ECAC West record: 10-5-0
2006-07 ECAC West finish: Fifth
2007-08 Coach’s Poll: Fifth
2007-08 USCHO predicted finish: Fourth

Outlook: Goaltending should not be a problem this season for Hobart, with the most experienced tandem in the league. But experienced skaters are at a premium as twelve new players take the ice at the newly enclosed Cooler.

Coach: Mark Taylor, eighth season overall and at Hobart (92-70-20)
2006-07 record: 13-8-5 overall, 10-5 ECAC West (fifth)
2006-07 team offense: 4.08 goals/game (third)
2006-07 team defense : 3.04 goals/game (fourth)
2006-07 power play: 16.3% (fifth)
2006-07 penalty kill: 85.4% (third)
Key losses: Conor Bradley (14-20-34), Mike McCarthy (7-16-23), Mike Polsonetti (8-14-22), Jonathan Swift (5-15-20)
Key returners: Shawn Houde (16-10-26), Brian Cibelli (5-15-20), Keith Longo (2.59, .917 save)
Newcomers to watch: Thomas Capalbo, Nick DeCroo, Jordan Zitoun

Utica College Pioneers

2006-07 overall record: 13-9-3
2006-07 ECAC West record: 7-5-3
2006-07 ECAC West finish: Third
2007-08 Coach’s Poll: Third
2007-08 USCHO predicted finish: Fifth

Outlook: Defense and killing penalties have never been a problem for the Utica Pioneers. Scoring timely goals has. This season, coach Gary Heenan is focusing his team on getting the puck into the back of the twine.

Coach: Gary Heenan, seventh season overall and at Utica (78-60-17)
2006-07 record: 13-9-3 overall, 7-5-3 ECAC West (third)
2006-07 team offense: 3.48 goals/game (fifth)
2006-07 team defense : 2.44 goals/game (second)
2006-07 power play: 17.1% (fourth)
2006-07 penalty kill: 88.8% (second)
Key losses: Jared Allison (11-13-24), Kevin Krogol (9-6-15), Brandon Laidlaw (8-8-16)
Key returners: Adam Dekker (2.48, .911), Dave Werner (11-10-21), Bryce Dale (7-12-19)
Newcomers to watch: Kregg Guestin, Sean Farley, Sean Timkey, Nathan Brummitt, Nick Kulas

Lebanon Valley Flying Dutchmen

2006-07 overall record: 2-22-1
2006-07 ECAC West record: 0-14-1
2006-07 ECAC West finish: Sixth
2007-08 Coach’s Poll: Sixth
2007-08 USCHO predicted finish: Sixth

Outlook: The Lebanon Valley hockey team was saved from the brink of extinction last March after an administration review. New head coach Ted Russell now must try to rebuild the team, focusing on hard work and character to make the Flying Dutchmen more competitive.

Coach: Ted Russell, first season overall and at Lebanon Valley
2006-07 record: 2-22-1 overall, 0-14-1 ECAC West (sixth)
2006-07 team offense: 2.32 goals/game (sixth)
2006-07 team defense : 6.96 goals/game (sixth)
2006-07 power play: 12.2% (sixth)
2006-07 penalty kill: 70.2% (sixth)
Key losses: Alex Beatrice (15-12-27), Jeff Smith (5-15-20), Matt Rowe (4-11-15)
Key returners: Jarred Frey (7-10-17), Bert Malloy (7-5-12), Aaron Miller (6.62, .859)
Newcomers to watch: Rich Drazin, David Schoonover, Colin Thompson

This Week in the CCHA: Oct. 25, 2007

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It’s in the Stars, Again

An escaped prisoner is captured 28 years later.

A woman receives her wedding photos 27 years after her big day, when the photographer surprises her at her place of work after cleaning house and finding the pics.

An 80-year-old Japanese man receives a postcard sent 64 years earlier.

The Red Sox return to the World Series with a team that looks like it was assembled on the Island of Misfit Toys.

Miami and Michigan are tied for first place in the CCHA

My back is out again.

What compels such stunning events, recent items from the news and other happenings so close to home, a seeming return both from and to the past? I know you’re expecting me to talk about the power of Friday’s full moon — known as the Hunter’s Moon — or the effects of Mercury’s retrograde path which, astrologically speaking, forces us to revisit the past.

But no, my friends. While the genuine freakishness of the first four may be written in the stars, the standings and my back are linked directly to the beginning of hockey season. It’s early, and the RedHawks and Wolverines are two of four teams to have played CCHA series.

And I need a lighter laptop.

Still, the current celestial configuration does inspire a past-tense examination of current CCHA circumstances.

The last time the RedHawks and Wolverines were vying for No. 1 was at the end of 2003-04, when Miami fell short of its share of the regular-season title by one point and that championship came down literally to the last two minutes of the regular season, as Ohio State beat Miami — after Michigan had fallen earlier that day to the Spartans — with Lee Spector’s game-winner at 18:49 in the third.

The Buckeyes went on to win the Mason Cup that year, and partied with Rick James in the hotel bar, both unlikely events this year. Why? Well, Mr. James has left the building, and the Buckeyes started 2-0.

The last time OSU started 2-0 was in 1999-2000, when the Bucks began with a wins over Wayne State and Alaska, nee UAF. After that, OSU lost 11 in a row and finished the season 13-19-4.

When Miami and Michigan last vied for first place in 2003-04, the Wolverines lost in overtime to Boston College, 3-2, in NCAA tournament regional action. It was Ben Eaves who picked up his own rebound to win the game and Al Montoya who made 42 saves in the effort for Michigan.

That’s okay. The Eagles lost to Maine in the semifinals that year, and Michigan beat BC two weeks ago on a fluky overtime goal, giving Boston College the displeasure of having lost its final game of 2006-07 and opening game of 2007-08 to uber-rival CCHA teams from Michigan.

The last time Notre Dame won its CCHA opener on the road was last year, when the Irish ran away with the conference. ND beat Bowling Green in BG Tuesday night. In last year’s 4-2 win against the Buckeyes to open league play, and Mark Van Guilder and Erik Condra scored in each of those contests.

The last time Michigan State’s first home CCHA series was against Northern Michigan was in 2005-06. The Spartans swept the Wildcats, but that wasn’t the first CCHA action MSU saw that season. Michigan State tied Michigan 3-3 on Oct. 22, 2005, to kick off conference play in 2005-06, and the Spartans went on to win the Mason Cup the following spring.

The last time Western Michigan began a season with two wins was in 2002-03, when the Broncos opened play with a sweep of Bowling Green. Last weekend, WMU swept visiting Bentley. In 2002-03, the Broncs went 15-21-2 overall.

For two years in a row, Ferris State has opened its Division I season with a sweep at the hands of Union. This year as last, the Bulldogs were shut out, 2-0, in that first official D-I game. I have no idea what this means.

In 2003-04, Bowling Green also began the season 1-2-0, but the math isn’t quite the same here. In that year, the Falcons played two league series to start the season, and went 1-3-0 in those games.

This year, BGSU has played three games against three different opponents. In 2002-03, however, the Falcons were also 1-2-0 after three games against three teams, although they played a two-game set their second weekend out, to make it 1-3-0. BG had eight wins in 2002-03, and 11 in ’03-04. I know where I’d hang my hat.

The last time Nebraska-Omaha opened its season with eight goals over Manitoba was last season. Last year, the Mavericks beat Manitoba 8-0 in exhibition before heading to two ties in the Nye Frontier Classic; this year, UNO beat Manitoba 8-1 en route to the Maverick Stampede title.

In 2006, November was tough for the Mavs, who went 1-6-2, including two losses to Miami and Michigan, and a split with Notre Dame. Miami and Michigan are the first two CCHA opponents UNO faces this season.

The last time the Northern Michigan Wildcats lost a regular-season two-game series to Michigan prior to last weekend was in 2005-06, when the Wolverines swept the ‘Cats in Yost in mid-November. That was a week after NMU lost two at home to MSU. This week, the Wildcats travel to East Lansing after hosting the Wolverines, but do not despair, NMU fans; Northern was 22-16-2 in 2005-06.

Wait a minute. In 2005-06, the order of opponents and home venues was reversed from this year … so does that mean NMU is looking at a 16-win season? Of course, that would still be an improvement over last year.

The Alaska Nanooks last dropped the early-season Governor’s Cup series to Alaska-Anchorage in 2000-01, a tough year for the Nanooks which saw only nine wins overall. However, that series was the second of the season for Alaska, which had already tied and lost to Western. There is hope.

The last time Lake Superior State hosted Clarkson was in 1991, an NCAA regional two-game sweep by the Golden Knights that still had Laker fans calling for the head of then-referee Frank Cole as recently as Tuesday night on radio airwaves in Sault Ste. Marie. The Knights are in town this weekend and grateful Laker fans are happy that Cole has moved on to other things, namely coordinator of ice hockey officials for the NCAA.

The last time my back was out was last October. We all know how 2006-07 ended.

Big Star, Little Pond

In the fishbowl that is Sault Ste. Marie, Jim Roque is the perfect head coach. The third-year skipper and LSSU alum (1983-87) believes in his alma mater, believes in his hockey team, and knows more about Laker hockey than most people can learn. His demeanor completely lacks pretense.

In short, the guy is a walking advertisement for Lake Superior State University.

To open the season two weeks ago, the Lakers tied Duluth and lost to Michigan Tech in the inaugural Superior Showcase. In both games, said Roque, the Lakers “took some bad penalties” that cost them. The reason may be a youthful squad with 17 of 25 players freshmen or sophomores, but that’s no excuse, said Roque.

“We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores, but at the same time … too many people are using that as a crutch, that we’re young. I just don’t want guys to bail that way. I’ve been kind of grumpy with them the last 10 days because I think they’ve been using that an excuse.”

Roque said that the Lakers are “as good up front as last year, if not a little bit better,” with big guys who skate well. The trick with the forwards, he said, is playing all aspects of the game. “With the puck, they’re very good, but without it they have a lot to learn.”

Roque said that the Lakers’ “biggest challenge” is their genuine inexperience on defense. “We’re a little erratic back there now.”

Last weekend, the Lakers came from behind to beat Western Ontario in exhibition. This week, LSSU hosts Clarkson for two, games that matter in more ways than one, said Roque. “We need to play well this weekend for our league, too.”

The Lakers don’t begin CCHA play until the first two days of November, when LSSU travels to Notre Dame. With those games in South Bend, the Lakers will have played four games in eight days, a real barometer for his team, said Roque.

“Nathan Perkovich is off to a really good start,” said Roque. Including the game that didn’t count last weekend against Western Ontario, the sophomore has scored in each game this season, with an official goal count of two.

The Sun Still Rises

There’s still some sunlight in Fairbanks these days, and in spite of an 0-2 start, there’s still some light for the Nanooks, according to first-year head coach Doc DelCastillo.

“If we don’t win hockey games this year,” said DelCastillo, “it won’t be for a lack of discipline, or concentration coming into a game.”

DelCastillo credits departed head coach Tavis MacMillan and assistant Wade Klippenstein, as well as current assistant Dallas Ferguson, for the team he’s inherited.

“They’re a great group of young men,” said DelCastillo. “They are student-athletes. Our grade point average kind of reflects that. They work hard. It makes it fun to work with them.”

DelCastillo said that what he’s found in Fairbanks is what he expected coming in. “We’re a committed team. At times we might struggle as far depth up front and scoring goals.”

The coach, who prefers coaching for and recruiting to an Olympic sheet, said that his “vision” for UA is to “continue the tradition that’s been started here, with a few twists.”

Time will define the DelCastillo twists.

The Nanooks have had a strange schedule to start the season. Three weeks ago, UA opened with an exhibition game against Southern Alberta IT. Last weekend, the ‘Nooks dropped two games to Anchorage to open the D-I season and Governor’s Cup play.

UA is off this weekend, then hosts Michigan State before traveling to Michigan. Time off, the team’s arch-rival, the defending national champions, and a trip to the toughest barn in the league against a team that’s manhandled UA in the past.

In those games against the Seawolves, DelCastillo said that he felt a lot of pride for his new squad. “On Friday it was a real good hockey game, back and forth. We traded off goals.

“I think [the Seawolves] elevated their game a little bit on Saturday and we had a tough time adapting to it. Throughout the second period, they really took it to us.

“Honestly, going in, the staff and players as a team, we felt with guys that we lost last year…there’s a whole new identity with this team.”

New players, new coaches, and a team searching for a real identity without Curtis Fraser and Kyle Greentree.

“Outside of [Tyler] Eckford, up front we’re still looking around and saying, ‘We need that goal. Who’s going to get it for us?’

“If you look at our go-to guys right now, they’re freshmen, they’re sophomores. There will be some bumps in the road this season adjusting to that.”

As for the goaltending, Chad Johnson and Wylie Rogers each earned a loss last weekend. Said DelCastillo, “I thought they played okay. They can play a lot better than they did.”

The learning process works in many directions for everyone in Fairbanks in the early going. “Early in the season, you’re switching lines, finding lines, working on the penalty kill,” said DelCastillo.

And the UA fans, who fill the post-game press conferences by the dozens? “The fans are knowledgeable about hockey,” said DelCastillo. “On Saturday we didn’t play as well, and they seemed very knowledgeable about that.”

Looking for a Star

“The good news,” said Ferris State head coach Bob Daniels, “is that we scored eight goals from eight different players.

“The bad news is that we got eight goals from eight players.”

Last weekend, the Bulldogs beat Wayne State 6-2 before tying the Warriors 2-2. The story in the early going for FSU is the lack of starpower.

“We’ve got the makings of a nice team here,” said Daniels. “We don’t have a first line, a top line in the CCHA per se. We’ve got a lot of hard-working forwards.”

Rookies Justin Menke and Zach Redmond netted their first career goals last weekend; the rest were scored by sophomores Matt Case, Cody Chupp, Casey Haines, Aaron Lewicki and Blair Riley, and senior Jim Jorgensen — five forwards, and three defensemen.

“Our defensive corps is as deep as it’s been,” said Daniels. “We’ve got three goalies we’re looking at. It’s just that the guys who just graduated gobbled up all of the primetime roles, and we’re looking for others to step up.”

These Guys Are Stars

What do Alec Martinez, Justin Mercier, Tommy Wingels and Jeff Zatkoff have in common? Aside from all being Miami RedHawks, that is?

Every one of them is a player of the week this week.

I saw the RedHawks last week, and they are for real. They are solid in every aspect of their game, deep everywhere, fast, skilled, patient, and they play like a team. With no disrespect to the injured Nathan Davis, no one noticed his absence.

And that’s a good thing.

So Are These Guys

If you weren’t at the Qwest Center for UNO’s Maverick Stampede last weekend and haven’t yet checked out their requisite team photo with hardware — you know, the stereotypical picture with everyone crowded around a trophy, some guys sprawling on the ice, everyone in ball caps — then you must do so the moment you’re done with this column.

These guys look really good in this picture, and not just because they won their home tournament. The Mavericks are wearing awe-inspiring pink jerseys, as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Seriously, the jerseys look great. They were auctioned off — for breast cancer research, of course — at the end of Saturday’s game.

This weekend UNO faces Miami, and both teams will sporting pink laces and ribbon decals for breast cancer awareness.

Great visibility for a great cause.

Starstruck?

Who was that idiot who said that this year’s Ohio State team was the fastest she’d ever seen? And are those young Buckeyes guilty of believing their own press?

The OSU team that won twice in Dayton was not the same team that played two games against arch-rival Miami, at least not on Friday. (Disclaimer: The RedHawks are phenomenal. See above.)

The Buckeye squad that faced Miami in Columbus last Friday looked inept, incapable, and — the big surprise — slow, painfully slow. As fast as the RedHawks are, they are not exponentially faster than the Buckeyes.

OSU captain Matt McIlvane said after the game that the Buckeyes beat themselves. While they certainly had help from their instate cousins, the Bucks did themselves no favors.

Two bright spots for the Buckeyes. First was the play of sophomore goaltender Joseph Palmer, who turned away more shots than were recorded in Friday’s first period, and let in no soft goals in that contest. Second was the spirited student section

The students showed up and sat, en masse, behind the cage on the east end of the building. They were loud and coordinated well with the band, that sat behind the opposite goal. The only issue there is that the east end is where the home goalie plays for two periods. The students would be more effective — or at least entertaining — behind the visitors for two.

One discouraging sign of the times is the profanity used by the RedHawk student fans. Miami University, like the University of Michigan, has a reputation for academic excellence, yet these students do little bit imitate the more profane chants and jeers they hear from other programs.

Maybe I am exceptionally old, but I have grown tired of profanity as a substitute for wit.

Shooting for the Moon

Are my local colleague, Jeff Svoboda, and I the only two people who think that the CCHA should absorb two teams from College Hockey America after the league potentially folds when Wayne State exits?

No, I have heard nothing officially about the CHA folding, but four teams does not a viable league make.

No, I have heard nothing from the CCHA about taking in more teams, nor have I yet officially posed the question.

Two CHA teams in particular seem a good fit for the CCHA. Huntsville, Ala., is only an hour further away from Bowling Green, Ohio, than is Marquette, Mich., and the league would do well to have a presence in the Pittsburgh area with — dare I say it — Robert Morris.

Every team would play each other twice, except for the current travel partners/rivals. And if there’s a deity in the hockey heavens, only the top eight or 10 teams would make the playoffs in the 14-team league.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I like the idea. Who’s aboard?

This Week in the CHA: Oct. 25, 2007

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It’s long been a topic of discussion in College Hockey America circles.

Does the CHA have a future?

The league has never had a steady core of teams and since the inception of the league in 1999, Army, Findlay, Air Force and, at the end of this season, Wayne State will all have fled the league for one reason or another.

When Air Force left at the end of the 2005-2006 season, that left the CHA with five teams, but the league kept its NCAA tournament autobid.

CHA commissioner Bob Peters is optimistic about the league's chances without Wayne State (photo: Matt Mackinder).

CHA commissioner Bob Peters is optimistic about the league’s chances without Wayne State (photo: Matt Mackinder).

But with WSU closing up shop at the end of this year, where does that leave the CHA? Can a four-team league be viable in the eyes of college hockey? Is it even worth it?

Wayne State head coach Bill Wilkinson called a four-team league a “non-entity” and said he couldn’t see it surviving past this season.

CHA commissioner Bob Peters, though, has other ideas.

“We don’t get the automatic qualifier with four teams, but we do with five,” Peters said. “We just need to add one team and we’re actually working on that issue. There are a lot of people involved, so I can’t really make any comment. This person has to talk to that person and so on.”

Findlay folded its program after 2003-2004 and Army left for the MAAC (now Atlantic Hockey) in 2000. Robert Morris is the newest CHA club, having joined in 2004 to replace Findlay.

There has also been talk of the four remaining teams joining other leagues, but it’s just that at this point — talk. Getting a club team to move up to Division I has also been discussed, but again, it’s just talk and maybe hope right now.

Once Air Force had flown to Atlantic Hockey, talk of the CHA’s doom has been common fodder among league fans, officials and media.

“If possible, we’d like to get back to six teams,” said Peters. “If possible. But we just need the one team to keep the AQ. If we had six, that certainly makes for good scheduling, though, too.

“We’re hoping we can get something done. There’s just so much out there.”

Peters wouldn’t go any further in discussing the CHA or the Wayne State fallout, but did ask that the author of this column call him on a weekly basis for updates, if any.

So, ’till next week …

Purps Extend Dwyer Unbeaten Streak

A record crowd came out last Thursday to see Niagara extend the nation’s longest home unbeaten streak to 18 games inside Dwyer Arena with a 2-0 blanking of Bowling Green.

Junior goaltender Juliano Pagliero made 32 saves for his second career shutout.

A record 1,848 fans, including another record of 632 students, packed the arena and saw the Purple Eagles reach a 16-0-2 mark at home since Feb. 10, 2006.

“That is the most fired up that I have ever seen a crowd here,” NU head coach Dave Burkholder said. “To say that we accomplished this Dwyer run of 18 games is something incredible.”

Pagliero made 13 saves in the first period, eight in the middle frame and 11 in the third period.

BGSU outshot Niagara, 32-20.

“Pagliero was great,” Burkholder added. “Everything he saw, he handled. He was the difference tonight.”

Tested late in the second period when Bowling Green had a 5-on-3 opportunity with Niagara leading 1-0, Pagliero made four stops, including two from in tight, to keep the Purps ahead.

“I saw everything pretty well tonight,” Pagliero said. “But I have to thank the guys up front. Everyone in front of me played terrific tonight.”

Junior Kyle Rogers and senior co-captain Matt Caruana each had a goal and an assist, while sophomore defenseman Tyler Gotto picked up a pair of helpers.

Rogers, Caruana and Gotto are the only three players to record a point in all three games in the early part of the season. Rogers leads the team with five points, while Caruana and Gotto are second with four.

The Purple Eagles are back in action at Dwyer this weekend, hosting Western Michigan for two.

Bemidji State Swept Aside by Merrimack

Bemidji State lost two one-goal games over the weekend at home to surprising Merrimack, which has now topped Niagara and BSU in consecutive weekends.

The Beavers’ comeback attempt came up short Friday as the Warriors held off a late rally to take a 3-2 win.

After Tyler Scofield got the boot after a checking from behind penalty late in the first period, Brandon Marino scored in the second period and then Blaine Jarvis tied the game at two 56 seconds into the third.

The Warriors and Beavers did not stay tied for long as Merrimack once again took advantage of a Beaver penalty. Bemidji State was called for too many men on the ice at 1:38 and it took the Warriors just 38 seconds to take the lead.

Late in the third, the Beavers seemed to have scored to tie the game at 3-3, but a quick whistle by the referee ended play early. BSU took a shot from the point and Merrimack goaltender Patrick Watson stopped the puck, but never had control. The puck was lying in front of the net and a BSU player poked it in for what seemed to be a game-tying goal, but because of the whistle, play was dead.

BSU outshot the Warriors, 36-11, but Bemidji State freshman netminder Matt Dalton, in his first collegiate start, only stopped eight shots. Merrimack was 2-for-7 on the man advantage while Bemidji State was 0-for-6 on the power play.

Saturday night, Bemidji State fell behind 2-0 for the second night in a row and lost 2-1.

Travis Winter scored a power-play goal and Matt Climie made 19 saves in net for BSU.

Merrimack was 0-for-4 on the man advantage while Bemidji State was 1-for-9 on the power play.

This was the first time the Beavers have been swept at home under head coach Tom Serratore. The last time the BSU was swept at home was on Nov. 10-11, 2000, when Miami swept Bemidji State when Peters was behind the bench.

The Beavers are now 3-3 all-time versus Merrimack and 2-2 at the John S. Glas Fieldhouse. The Warriors are currently on a three-game winning streak against BSU and the last four meetings between the two teams have all been one-goal games.

Bemidji State will face its first WCHA opponent this week when the Beavers rekindle a series with St. Cloud State that began way back in 1948.

“You can’t always start 4-0,” BSU sophomore defenseman John Vadnais told the Bemidji Pioneer. “But I believe we’ve had a good week of practice and the team is looking good. Everyone is feeling good, we have pretty good team chemistry and I really believe we’re going to have a good year.”

This weekend will also be a reunion of sorts for BSU forward Matt Francis, who played two years with the Huskies before transferring to Bemidji last year.

Walters Eager For Bemidji State Career

Even with a haze surrounding Bemidji State and the CHA, one of the Beavers’ recruits for next season is chomping at the bit to play for his home-state team.

Bemidji State recruit Shea Walters (here with North Iowa of the NAHL) isn't concerned about the school's hockey future (photo: North American Hockey League).

Bemidji State recruit Shea Walters (here with North Iowa of the NAHL) isn’t concerned about the school’s hockey future (photo: North American Hockey League).

Shea Walters played two seasons with the United States Hockey League’s Green Bay Gamblers before the Gamblers released him at the end of last year. The North Iowa Outlaws of the North American Hockey League selected Walters in the first round of the NAHL Draft last May and he has been among the league’s top scorers all year.

“Shea’s such a smart player,” North Iowa coach Dave Boitz said. “So many players are cookie-cutter types and just go north and south and that’s just not Shea. He’s a rink rat; he’s all over the ice.

“He’s also such a playmaker that he doesn’t shoot the puck as much as he should. He and I have talked about it and he’s scored a goal in six straight games (going into this weekend, including two two-goal games and five multiple-point games). Shea is the type of player that sees a play develop or can be the first one in.”

Walters signed his National Letter of Intent with Bemidji State last fall.

“Shea is a talented playmaker,” BSU assistant coach Ted Belisle said. “He sees the ice extremely well and he’s a threat on the power play. We’ve been watching Shea for a long time and we’re excited about the reality of him being a part of our program.”

“Bemidji just seems like the right fit for me,” said the 20-year-old Walters, North Iowa’s leading scorer with eight goals and 16 points through 10 games. “It’s only two hours from home (Hibbing, Minn.) and I used to watch their games when I was in high school. I like the way they play and I like the coaches. I also liked the way they recruited me; I know I’ll be able to play right away.”

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Walters will reunite with former Green Bay teammate Tyler Lehrke when he joins the Beavers next year. He and Lehrke played together in Green Bay during the 2005-2006 season.

And as for the rumors about the CHA and Bemidji State’s program?

“There are too many good people around there that won’t let anything happen to the program,” Walters added. “There’s going to be a team.”

Alabama-Huntsville Takes Second In Omaha

Tom Train provided Alabama-Huntsville with some early-season heroics when his one-timer with 3.5 seconds remaining in the third period beat Canisius, 4-3, last Friday at the Mutual of Omaha Stampede.

Freshman defenseman Mike Ward took the puck deep into the right corner and fed a perfect pass to Train, who was crashing the net, for an easy redirect to seal the win for Danton Cole in his UAH debut.

Josh Murray, Tyler Hilbert and Brennan Barker also scored for the Chargers.

Blake MacNicol pitched in with an 18-save performance between the pipes, giving UAH a win in their season opener for the first time since the 2003-2004 campaign

Cameron Talbot stopped 27 shots in his NCAA debut the next night, but Alabama- Huntsville dropped a 5-1 decision to host Nebraska-Omaha in the championship game.

Murray scored the lone goal for the Chargers.

UAH continues road action at Massachusetts-Lowell Friday and Saturday night before opening home play next weekend at the Von Braun Center against Minnesota State.

Warriors Lose, Tie, Fight At Ferris State

Wayne State remains winless on the year as the Warriors lost and tied two games at Ferris State last weekend.

Friday night, the two teams amassed a combined 85 penalty minutes, 61 of which came in the second period and included two game disqualifications as a result of fighting penalties for WSU senior Tylor Michel and Ferris State’s Matt Case. After FSU defenseman Jim Jorgensen scored, Michel skated through the Ferris players celebrating the goal, Case took exception to the move and the gloves came off.

YouTube video, anyone? Send it to [email protected].

Ferris State won the game, 6-2, and outshot Wayne State, 43-15. Michel and freshman Brock Meadows, with his first collegiate goal, scored for WSU. Brett Bothwell made 22 saves for the Warriors before giving way to freshman Kyle Funkenhauser, who finished with 15 saves in the final 20 minutes, including a stop on an Adam Miller penalty shot.

Three Wayne State players had two points apiece in Saturday’s 2-2 tie as senior captain Mike Forgie and defenseman Jeff Caister each scored and recorded an assist for the Warriors while Stavros Paskaris added a pair of helpers.

Funkenhauser kicked out 39 shots in his second collegiate start.

“I thought we played well, but it’s not easy getting a sweep against a good team,” Ferris State head coach Bob Daniels said. “We knew Wayne State was going to come out and play better on the second night and I thought that was exactly what they did.”

Wayne State wraps up its six-game road swing at Robert Morris this weekend. WSU leads the all-time series against Robert Morris, 7-3-3, a mark that includes four straight victories last season.

Side note: The Warriors have scored a power-play goal in all four games this season. Their power-play conversion rate of 21.1% is tied for 12th in the nation.

Colonials Skunked By Badgers

Robert Morris tried, but just couldn’t make it two upsets in two weeks.

Allowing eight power-play goals didn’t help, either.

Last weekend, the Colonials traveled to Madison and lost both games to then-No. 13 Wisconsin and were outscored by a 15-4 margin in the process.

Junior Jason Towsley and senior Sean Berkstresser scored in Friday’s 7-2 loss. Senior goalie Christian Boucher was credited with his first loss of the season, allowing four goals in two periods of work. Boucher made 22 saves before sophomore Wes Russell made nine saves on 12 shots during the third period.

RMU went 1-for-12 on the power play and Wisconsin went 4-for-9.

Saturday night wasn’t much better as RMU suffered an 8-2 loss to the Badgers.

Sophomore J.C. Velasquez and senior Ryan Cruthers notched goals to being the Colonials to 3-2 at one point, but Wisconsin would score five unanswered goals to close out the game.

Russell took the loss in his first career start for the Colonials, making 41 saves.

Wisconsin went 4-for-8 on the power play. RMU was unable to convert on any power- plays going 0-for-4 for an ugly weekend stat of 1-for-16 with the man-advantage while only killing off nine of 17 Wisconsin power plays.

“Wisconsin is a very good hockey team,” RMU head coach Derek Schooley said. “They are very skilled, but we were in both games in the second period. We know heading into this weekend we need to play better. Wayne State is a very young hockey club. They gave us a very hard-fought game a few weeks ago in Alaska and I expect nothing less this time around from a Bill Wilkinson-coached team.”

2007-08 Manhattanville Season Preview

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The Manhattanville Valiants rode Player of the Year goaltender Andrew Gallant all the way to the NCAA semifinal last year, only to drop a 3-2 decision to Middlebury. But even making it as one of the final four teams in the country was a great accomplishment and has set the expectations high for this year’s team.

“It was a great experience for us,” said coach Keith Levinthal. “It was really well run and a great place to have it. For our program, it was a step that we needed to get to. It is now the measuring stick for all Manhattanville teams, whether fair or unfair. Each team is now judged by that, at least for the next few years.”

But now Andrew Gallant is gone, along with the Valiants top two scorers — Chris Mills and Justin Rohr — from last season and question marks remain about who is going to step into the big goaltender skates that remain.

“To expect someone to come in and replace him is unfair,” said Levinthal.

“Someone like Andrew Gallant doesn’t come around all that often. This year, we literally have four guys that could potentially start a game here. It is a wide open job.”

Competing to be the starting netminder this season are a senior, a sophomore, and two freshmen. The name most familiar to fans, and the only one to have seen any collegiate game time last season, is senior Paul Reimer (1.80, .905). Reimer might have the inside track as the heir apparent to Gallant, but it certainly is not a done deal.

“It is kind of a feeling out process,” said Levinthal. “Paul Reimer has been here for four years now, and we know him better than the other guys. But we don’t know the answer at this point. It has been a while since we have gone into a year without knowing what our goaltender is going to be like.”

Joining the two new goaltenders this season are eight other freshmen. However, coach Levinthal is reluctant to single any one of them out as a player to watch because in his words “they haven’t done anything yet at this level.”

Unlike last season, where the starting lines were pretty well set in stone and loaded with veterans, the air around Playland Ice Arena is ripe with competition this year as everyone is competing to win a spot on the line chart for each game.

“One of our big fears about this upcoming season is that we need competition for all positions this year,” said Levinthal. “We have to ensure that this group doesn’t believe that they could just show up this fall and be successful because we won 21 games last year. We wanted to get back to everyone fighting for a job.”

2007-08 Neumann Season Preview

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The Neumann Knights were an overtime loss away from winning the ECAC West Championship last season, amassing an impressive 17-5-5 record. Compare that to just three short seasons ago, when the Knights went 4-17-2 and only won two games in the league.

This year Neumann is picked to finish first in the ECAC West coaches poll and No. 7 in the USCHO national poll. What a turnaround for the seven seniors on this year’s team.

“It is a nice reward for players that have been here the last couple of years,” said Neumann coach Phil Roy. “The program went through a lot. [Former head coach] Dennis Williams did a great job of recruiting and changing the culture. They are now collecting on all the efforts put into it.”

Roy was hired as the Neumann head coach this past July, replacing three year head coach Dennis Williams who left for an assistant coaching position at Division-I Alabama-Huntsville.

Roy inherits a team loaded both offensively and defensively. The Knights return their top 16 scorers, eight defensemen, and standout goaltender Mike Collichio. While there will obviously be changes in the program, Roy is also trying not to mess too much with the formula that has led to so much success for Neumann.
“I’m taking over a pretty good team,” said Roy. “Obviously, there will be some changes in philosophy than what the guys were used to in the past, but I think we have tried to accelerate the learning curve to get to know each other as quick as possible.”

Despite returning the majority of the team, seven underclassmen departed the program. Most important of those, perhaps, was backup goaltender Brent Leonhardt, who was called on four times last season.

Roy joined the Knights too late in the summer to do any meaningful recruiting of his own, but Williams lined up four recruits before departing who have signed on with Neumann.

Two of the new freshmen are Jeff Rodell and Sean Bianchini, both defensemen, who are “both fitting in very well in our system. They are learning very quickly,” according to Roy.

Also joining Neumann are forward Joe Dolan and goaltender Colin Davis.
With all of the firepower, rankings, and expectations Neumann brings to the table this season, the Knights find themselves in the new role of favorites instead of underdogs.

“We don’t have the angle of coming out of nowhere,” said Roy. “With the polls, people will be ready for us. We need to understand that teams will be jacked up to play us this year.”

How Neumann adjusts to that new role will go a long way towards determining their success.

This Week in Atlantic Hockey: Oct. 25, 2007

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Flying High

In its opening weekend, Atlantic Hockey went 0-9-1 in non-conference play. This past weekend, AHA teams were a more respectable 4-9 if you count Canisius’ exhibition win over Manitoba in the consolation game of the Maverick Stampede tournament.

Teams again came close in other contests, with Sacred Heart losing 1-0 in overtime at Rensselaer and Canisius yielding the winning goal to Alabama-Huntsville with just four seconds to play.

While Holy Cross scored an impressive win at Providence, the highlight was certainly Air Force’s sweep over Quinnipiac, which came into the weekend ranked 14th in the country. The 4-1 and 3-1 wins garnered the Falcons enough votes to be just outside of the Top 20 on this week’s poll.

The sweep brought about a pair of milestones for Falcons coach Frank Serratore, who won his 150th game behind the Air Force bench on Friday, and his 200th overall on Saturday.

“They only talk about milestones when you win,” Serratore joked. “I’ve got some milestones for losses, too.”

Serratore is 200-281-33 in his 15 seasons as a head coach, but his team has shown improvements the past two seasons, chalking up 19 wins last year and expected to be near the top of the Atlantic Hockey standings come March. Dating back to last season, Air Force has won eight of its last nine games with the only loss coming to Minnesota in the NCAA tournament.

While the games last weekend had similar scores, Serratore said there were differences.

“(Quinnipiac) was better on Saturday,” he said. “Look at the shots in the third period (10-3 in favor of the Bobcats). We gave them a lot of power plays.”

But it was the Falcons who scored twice on just those three shots in the third period to open a 3-0 lead. Defenseman Greg Flynn got the Falcons’ third goal, his second of the weekend. Flynn had scored just once in 57 games prior to last weekend’s contests.

The star of the weekend was sophomore goaltender Andrew Volkening, who made 48 saves on 50 shots in the pair of wins.

“Our goalie was really good,” said Serratore. “I wouldn’t say he was the difference in winning, because I thought we were good enough to win one game, but he certainly was the difference in our sweeping because he played so well in both games. We have holes to fill and things to get better at, but good goaltending can hide those holes.

“That was our problem last year. We had an eighty-six save percentage early in the season. We were giving up the fourth fewest shots in Division I and losing games by a goal. We struggled and then Ben Worker got us going after Christmas, and then Volkening played well in the (Atlantic Hockey) championship game and against Minnesota.

“He was a freshman last season and needed time to adjust and he has.”

Serratore says his team is thrilled at the quick start, but most now focus on league play, which begins this weekend at Bentley.

“It was nice to get the sweep but it means nothing if we lose in Boston,” he said. “If you told me I could be 2-2 after two weekends, I would much rather win the Bentley games because it’s all about getting points in the league.”

Watching on the WWW

Atlantic Hockey entered into an agreement with B2 Networks to broadcast video of every league game over the Internet this season. According to league Commissioner Bob DeGregorio, early indications are that the service is a hit.

“We’ve already sold the most season tickets for any league in its first year with the network,” he said. “We’ve also sold the most single game tickets so far for any new customer.”

That’s pretty impressive when you consider that B2 also carries the WCHA and the AHL.

“We’ve been exploring this for a while,” said DeGregorio. “Our league’s not on television that much. Our job is to try and get as much exposure as we possibly can. When you look at our league and how spread out it is, where the parents are located. Most can’t come to every game. We’ve had a good response from alumni as well.”

Bruce LeVine, Senior Vice President of Sports at B2, is happy as well. “We’ve had a history with the league since we carried the championships last season,” said LeVine. “It’s going very well so far.”

LeVine says that his company is looking into offering archives of games so fans can go back and see ones that they may have missed.

“Expect something in the next few weeks on that,” he said. “We want to make sure we’re delivering a quality product.”

Fans can get a season pass for every game their team plays for $79 or order a single game for $6. For more information, check out the league’s B2 Page.

Weekly Awards

Player of the Week for October 22, 2007:
Greg Flynn — Air Force
The junior defenseman from Lino Lakes, Minn., got the Falcons off to a good start in both of their wins against Quinnipiac. He scored the opening goal on Friday in a 4-1 victory and assisted on the first goal of the game on Saturday. To cap off a successful weekend, Flynn also got Air Force’s final goal in the 3-1 win. Prior to this past weekend, Flynn had a total of one goal in 57 games.

Goaltender of the Week for October 22, 2007:
Andrew Volkening — Air Force
The sophomore stopped 48 of 50 shots to lead his Falcons to a 3-1, 4-1 sweep of 14th-ranked Quinnipiac.

Rookie of the Week for October 15, 2007:
Andrew Olson — Connecticut
Olson lit the lamp four times in his first two collegiate games, scoring twice each night in a 4-2 win over AIC and a 4-3 loss at Massachusetts. He’s already a little more than a third of the way to breaking the all-time freshman scoring record at UConn: 13 goals set by Chris Myhro in 2005-06.

Around the League

American International: AIC has played just one game so far (a 4-2 loss to Connecticut) but is off until October 30 when the Yellow Jackets travel to Quinnipiac. The Bees can have success if they can play a full 60 minutes — UConn scored all four goals within a span of 2:18 in the second period.

Bentley: The Falcons have only 32 total penalty minutes in their first four games, ranking them near the bottom of Division I with just eight minutes per game. Last season, Bentley was third in the nation, averaging 22.6 minutes.

Canisius: The story for the Golden Griffins continues to be the play of its underclassmen, who are accounting for almost 80% of its goals so far. Freshman Vincent Scarsella had three goals and an assist and was named to the all-tournament team at the Maverick Stampede tournament in Omaha, Neb.

Holy Cross: The Crusaders’ win over Providence was their third in their past four meetings with Hockey East opponents. Holy Cross beat UMass 3-2 in 2005, and defeated Merrimack 2-1 last season.

RIT: The Tigers play Cornell Saturday in Rochester’s 12,000-seat Blue Cross Arena, site of last season’s and this season’s AHA championships. It will be the Tigers’ first game there since 1986, and it probably won’t be the last. Over 300 people were turned away from last Friday’s game with Bowling Green at RIT’s 2,100-seat Ritter Arena.

New And Improved

We hope you like the new design that USCHO.com is sporting. Better navigation and easier readability (bigger fonts for old farts like me are always appreciated) are the major improvements, but we’ve also added a section in the Fan Forum where you can comment on this column, as well as any other and all of our news stories. Have at it.

This Week in D-I Women’s Hockey: Oct. 25, 2007

By Dan Hickling
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A True Believer

I think I can remember my response when I first stumbled upon the news that hockey is played by women.

It was something like this.

“What?”

Now, I am no hockey novice, and in fact I can trace my the roots of my hockey fanaticism back to the late 1960’s. But I was slow to catch up to the notion that the game was not a men’s-only domain, that one can think pink in the rink. I can clearly remember my response when I actually saw hockey played by women.
It was exactly this.

“Wow!”

It didn’t take me long before I forgot I was watching women’s hockey, in this case, an ECAC playoff game pitting Harvard and New Hampshire.

Heck, I was simply watching hockey. (“Hey, they block shots, they make great saves, the score nifty goals. Wow indeed!”) Except for a few pony tails flapping from from beneath a few helmets, I couldn’t tell the difference.

Before I knew it, I was hooked. On the game, and on the people.

What grabbed me immediately was slick stick handling of UNH freshman Brandy Fisher, the passion for the game that was shared by both teams, the refusal to quit and the feeling of disgust at the very idea of accepting defeat.

This was back in 1995, before the Wildcats would move into the gleaming new Whittemore Center. Before Harvard became studded with stars named Botterill, Shewchuk, and Mleczko. Before there was an women’s NCAA championship, or even an AWCHA. Before Chanda Gunn would win a humanitarian award, much less have one named after her.

Before there was a five-overtime epic, which during the final intermission, then-UNH coach Karen Kay threatened to parade through her dressing room wearing the head of Wild E. Cat. Before Sara DaCosta would make 70 save performances seem so matter of fact. It was before there was a Kazmaier Award, but not before there was a Kazmaier legacy.

Before the Western front of women’s college hockey pushed itself past Cornell to Ohio State, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Duluth. Before Shannon Miller dyed her dark brown hair a brilliant shade of gold on the eve of her UMD team winning its second of three NCAA titles. And of course, it was before Nagano and Salt Lake and Turin, when countless more “What’s?” were converted to “Wows!”

I’m of the opinion that the best always lies ahead, which is why I’m so excited about the opportunity given to me by USCHO.com to write about women’s Division I hockey each week.

I believe that for all that has been accomplished by the game’s pioneers, there is more in store. More to see. More to write about. More to share.

Much more to come.

2007-08 Hobart Season Preview

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There is a youth movement afoot at Hobart this season. Take 10 freshmen who join the roster this season, add in two sophomore Division-I transfers, mix with seven returning sophomores, and you have a very young Statesmen team.

With such a youthful squad, head coach Mark Taylor isn’t quite sure what to expect at the start of the season.

“It will kind of be a little bit of a wait and see,” said Taylor. “We have 12 new names on the roster and are being renewed a little bit. We need to get some new combos and chemistry, and renew some trademarks that you like to have your team be concerned with. It is enjoyable to have a young team and get it rolling.”

One aspect of the team that Taylor doesn’t have to worry about is goaltending. With two seniors (Dmitry Papaevagelou, Trevor Pieri) and a junior (Keith Longo), the Statesmen have the most experienced trio of netminders in the entire league.

“I’m real happy with the goaltender trio,” said Taylor. “But we have some unfinished business from last year. No one is happy with how we ended it.”
Taylor is referring to Hobart’s 3-5-1 fade at the end of the regular season and overtime loss to Elmira in the ECAC West Quarterfinals.

Highlighting the new players for Hobart are the two sophomores Division-I transfers. Forward Nick DeCroo (2-3-5 in 22 games) transferred in from Bentley and defenseman Jordan Zitoun (a goal in 5 games) joined from Quinnipiac.

“These are guys with experience,” said Taylor. “Both are academically real[ly] good and were looking for something that Hobart had to offer. It was all positive.”

One experience the new players won’t have to learn is playing outdoors. After a summer-long construction period, the long awaited rink enclosure is nearly complete. Ninety percent of the glass walls are built, the de-humidification system in ready to go, and the new press box is done. The team was even able to get on the ice a week earlier than originally planned. Aesthetically, everything about the rink is elevated this season.

Even with the newly renovated home, the measure of the season will all come down to how the newcomers fit in.

“The biggest challenge is pulling together the whole team, forming that identity and way of play to try and win games in a league that is extremely competitive,” said Taylor. “My system isn’t really a system, you just have to come to the rink, play hard, and endorse the passion.”

Hobart has the most experienced goaltender trio in the league and always has a strong defense-first game plan. Will the 12 new players buy into the scheme? If they do, Hobart might be off to the races.

This Week in Hockey East: Oct. 25, 2007

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Congrats To Umile

Congratulations to New Hampshire coach Dick Umile on his 400th win. One of the class acts in the sport, Umile has his Wildcats in the thick of things year in and year out.

Perhaps making the win even more satisfying was that it came over rival Boston University and in its barn, no less.

“As I told the team, it’s great,” Umile said after the game. “It says an awful lot about a lot of good hockey players that have played here.”

Umile also thanked BU coach Jack Parker for the announcement of the feat even though it came at the expense of the hosts.

“It’s the class of BU’s program and a good friend, Jack Parker,” Umile said. “I know what he did; I know he told the announcer to announce it. But that’s who he is. It’s class by him and his whole program.”

Congrats To Merrimack

Congratulations also go to the Merrimack Warriors for their 3-0 start to a season in which they were a near consensus pick to finish in the Hockey East cellar.

Winning at home over Niagara was a nice start, but traveling to Bemidji State and sweeping there was even better.

The climb becomes a lot steeper this weekend with a home-and-home series against Boston College, but the Warriors have to feel good about their start.

Preseason All Stars And Awards

Hockey East long ago discarded the idea of preseason all-star teams based on the idea that award-winners should have to earn it rather than be anointed before the first game was played. Almost certainly, that is the correct course of action for the league.

However, it’s fun for fans and writers alike to speculate so we’ll once again indulge ourselves here with our own preseason predictions. And so without further ado…

All-Hockey East Goaltenders

Four returning netminders appear to be the clear frontrunners: senior Joe Fallon (Vermont), juniors Kevin Regan (New Hampshire) and Ben Bishop (Maine), and sophomore Brad Thiessen (Northeastern).

All but Regan have been The Man for their respective teams since entering the league, dominating time between the pipes even as freshmen.

Fallon earned ECACHL Rookie of the Year honors in Vermont’s last season within that league, posting a 1.96 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage. His statistics suffered in the Catamounts’ inaugural Hockey East season, but bounced back last year. He did, however, suffer some inconsistency despite backstopping a team that thinks defense first.

Bishop endured a baptism by fire in his inaugural campaign, taking over only after Jimmy Howard turned pro late in the summer. Even so, Bishop helped get Maine to the Frozen Four despite Howard’s absence and though hampered by injuries last year, again backstopped the Black Bears to the national semifinal game. His abilities as a third defenseman can also not be overlooked.

Thiessen was a unanimous selection to last year’s league all-rookie team after backstopping the Huskies, fresh off a 3-24-7 season, to a dramatic 13-18-5 improvement. In league games, he finished behind only Player of the Year John Curry and Regan in save percentage, posting a .930 mark.

Of the four, only Regan enjoyed a gradual introduction to life in Hockey East, splitting time as a freshman with Jeff Pietrasiak before taking over last year.

Based on the numbers, the two berths should go to Regan and Thiessen. (Forget about goals-against average. That stat is highly dependent on the team in front of a goalie. Although imperfect, a much better measure is save percentage.)

It is, however, hard to ignore Bishop’s “third-defenseman” capability. He also will have the advantage come voting time of playing on a team most expect to be stronger than Thiessen and Fallon’s.

Then again, it’s also hard to ignore Fallon’s status as a senior. And team-dependent or not, that goals-against average sure looks impressive.

The temptation is to weasel out and go with a three-way tie for the second team, but we’ll avoid the weasel, at least for now.

First-Team: Kevin Regan (UNH)
Second-Team: Brad Thiessen (Northeastern)

All-Hockey East Defensemen

Blueliners are notoriously hard to pick. The easy way out (“easy way out” being a euphemism for “copout”) is to select the top point-producers. However, offensive prowess doesn’t necessarily match up with stellar overall defensive play. Denver’s Matt Carle may have been a slam dunk as last year’s Hobey Baker Award winner — his numbers bordered on the outrageous — but to follow that lead down the line ignores what makes successful teams.

A couple cases in point: Boston College’s Brett Motherwell (28 points) was the top scoring defenseman in Hockey East last year and Maine’s Bret Tyler (26 points) tied for second, yet neither earned even honorable mention status on the All-Hockey East team. For all their considerable offensive prowess, both could be an adventure at times in their defensive zone. Big-time assets for their team but not all-stars.

On the other hand, you can’t go as far as some old-timers (a category I’m desperately trying to avoid even as my hair grows ever more gray), who’ll growl, “Defensemen are supposed to play defense.” True enough to a point, but you also need defensemen with enough skill to beat a forecheck. If your blueliners are too one-dimensional, then you’ll have a weakness that opponents can exploit.

As a result, assessing the play of blueliners is fraught with difficulties. To be really accurate requires watching a defenseman over and over and over again.

See, for example, the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week Award. Of the 25 award-winners last year, all but three were goaltenders. The exceptions — defensemen Sean Sullivan (BU), Mike Lundin (Maine) and Brett Tyler (Maine) — almost certainly had big offensive weekends when they earned those honors.

(In fact, I’ll step out on a limb now and predict that two, if not all three, enjoyed significant point production in their award weeks. I’m not connected to the Internet as I type this and I promise not to edit this prediction if I’m proven wrong. Later update: Sullivan had three assists and Tyler had two goals and an assist. Case closed.)

Okay, enough of the dillying and dallying. Time to make some picks.

The one no-brainer has to be Boston University’s Matt Gilroy. He’s the only returning All-Hockey East selection, a first-teamer no less, and a second-team All-American. Gilroy does produce on the offensive end (9-17-26), but he also has consistently been among the team’s top plus-minus guys.

Providence’s Cody Wild was an All-Hockey East honorable mention as a sophomore last season one year after being Rookie of the Year runner-up to Brandon Yip. Wild has to make the team even though his statistics may suffer from being on a team expected to struggle.

Then there’s UNH’s Brad Flaishans, also an All-Hockey East honorable mention. He emerged last year in offensive production and is consistently strong in his own end.

After that, the choices are tough. Go with offense in the form of Motherwell or Tyler? Go for the upside of all-rookie team selections Justin Braun (Massachusetts) or Mark Fayne (PC)? The leadership and rock-solid defensive play of Mike Brennan (BC), Mike Lutz (UVM), or David Leaderer (UMass)?

With apologies to all of those already mentioned plus UNH’s Craig Switzer, the last berth goes to UMass captain Mike Kostka for his strong two-way play.

First-Team: Matt Gilroy (BU), Brad Flaishans (UNH)
Second-Team: Cody Wild (PC), Mike Kostka (UMass)

All-Hockey East Forwards

Finally, a comparatively easy set of selections.

The forwards from the top three projected teams provide some clear-cut choices. That shouldn’t be surprising. How many games do you watch in which the territorial play is quite even, but the win goes to the team with the extra sniper who has that special knack of finding the back of the net? Top teams almost always have more of those guys than those in the middle of the pack that have to grind it out a bit more.

So with apologies to Dean Strong (UVM), Cory Quirk (UMass) and Billy Ryan (Maine), the all-star forwards appear destined to come from the ranks of BC, UNH and BU.

Boston College enjoys the greatest wealth with not only the one returning scorer to top 40 points last year but all three of them. While those numbers were padded by the Eagles’ run to the national championship game, juniors Nathan Gerbe, Benn Ferriero and Brock Bradford are near locks for the team. Each finished with at least 45 points (as sophomores!) and will make BC an offensive juggernaut yet again.

Speaking of offensive juggernauts…

New Hampshire’s Mike Radja and Matt Fornataro rank right there with the BC trio and arguably will get even more of the UNH prime scoring time following the departure of Trevor Smith, Jacob Micflikier and Brett Hemingway. Both could easily leapfrog their way to the top of Hockey East stat sheets.

BU’s Peter MacArthur and Chris Higgins trailed the other two teams’ snipers slightly in points but are extremely talented scorers in their own right and also belong on the team.

All of which leaves seven players for six slots. However, we’ve conveniently held a weasel-out card up our sleeve so the only question becomes who makes the first team and who is relegated to the second.

And the answer is…

First-Team: (tie) Nathan Gerbe and Benn Ferriero (BC), Matt Fornataro (UNH) and Peter MacArthur (BU)
Second-Team: Brock Bradford(BC), Mike Radja (UNH) and Chris Higgins (BU)

Rookie of the Year

This is usually an impossible choice since freshmen are arriving from all directions, but this year there’s a sight-unseen, slam-dunk prediction: James vanRiemsdyk (UNH). If a defenseman gets picked number two overall in the NHL draft, he’s still a longshot for Rookie of the Year. Not so with a forward. Bet the ranch on vanRiemsdyk.

Player of the Year

There are so many variables that this one is much tougher to predict, but it’s almost never a defenseman and, far more often than not, is a forward.

We’ll go with Nathan Gerbe, a threat (or a pest, depending on your perspective) on the power play, penalty kill or even strength.

Until Next Time…

Eventually, you’ll see a trivia contest and the return of “And Finally, Not That It Has Anything To Do With Anything, But…”

For now, though, Let’s Go Red Sox!

Thanks to Scott Weighart.

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