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2007-08 American International Season Preview

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Things are headed in the right direction for AIC, but not fast enough for coach Gary Wright.

The team got off to a horrendous 2-14 start before finishing the season 6-11-1 and taking points in all but two of its last eight league series. The Yellow Jackets won a first-round playoff game at Canisius before falling to Sacred Heart in the quarterfinals.

“The start and finish were a bit different,” said Wright. “It was a number of different factors. We lost our starting goaltender (Tom Fenton) to injury for eight games. That’s not the end-all excuse because the other guys made some pretty good saves. We weren’t putting the puck in the net either. The second half of the schedule was a little more reasonable as well.”

If the Yellow Jackets can start this season the way they ended their last campaign, they might be able to fight their way out of the AHA basement for the first time in a couple of years. To do this, AIC has to get better with the man advantage, where it converted on just 10.5% of chances last year.

“I think it goes hand in hand with our struggling to score goals in general,” said Wright. “[Jereme] Tendler had 15 goals for us and the next closest guy had seven.

“The power play has been disappointing, and we are so aware of it. Your mission on the power play is to put the puck in the net and we haven’t been able to find a way to do that. We’ve had good puck movement but have had trouble finishing.”

The Yellow Jackets’ two captains, seniors Tendler and Bryan Jurynec, will be looked to remedy that situation.

WRIGHT

WRIGHT

“They’re players with different styles,” said Wright. “Tendler is a wonderfully gifted skater, he’s big and rangy. And Jurynec is a great worker, one of the most intense competitors I’ve ever had here. He just never stops, be it in practice or in game situations.”

Expect Fenton to get the majority of starts in net, but Wright is also going to give freshman Dan Ramirez a look.

But it will be the 14 upperclassmen that Wright will lean on the most.

“We need to use our experience,” he said. “We have a talented senior class and they need to lead.”

2007-08 Bentley Season Preview

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After making it to the league championship game in 2005-06, a seventh-place finish was a disappointment for Bentley coach Ryan Soderquist and crew.

The Falcons won just 12 games last season and their longest winning streak was a pair of games. Bentley was last in the league in team defense — rarely getting blown out but rarely giving up less than four goals a game.

“No pointing fingers, but we didn’t get the goaltending from a senior (Ray Jean) that took us to the finals a year before,” said Soderquist. “We didn’t play good team defense in general. We’d give up a couple of early goals and that would put pressure on him and everyone else. We’d start to press and you know what happens then — you wind up giving up more goals a lot of the time.”

The good news is that everybody but Jean is back this season, and there’s plenty of talent on the Bentley roster, probably more than indicated by the Falcons’ projected ninth-place finish in the preseason poll.

“I’m sure our guys will feel some lack of respect, but I can understand it based on last season,” Soderquist said. “We went through a bad stretch and then lost some close games in January and February. But I think we’ve regrouped and will get back to where we want to be.”

Junior Jason Kearney will see the bulk of time in net, but not all of it, according to Soderquist.

“I’ve had one main goalie for the past couple of seasons but this year I think I’ve got a 1 and a 1-A”, he said, speaking of freshman Joe Calvi.

SODERQUIST

SODERQUIST

“He was the MVP in his league (the NEJHL),” said Soderquist. “He’ll definitely be in the mix.”

Expected to pick up where they left off are a pair of high-scoring juniors: Jeff Gumaer (33 points last season) and Dain Prewitt (28). Jay Judd will anchor a defense that looks to improve on last year.

“We need these guys to continue to step up and play like we know they can,” said Soderquist. “They need to do well on the ice and in the classroom, which is even more important.”

Bentley was highly ranked in U.S. News and World Report’s annual college guide, and Soderquist joked that it’s a blessing and a curse.

“We’re on the bus and you see all the guys with their laptops out and you think, ‘That’s good. They’re concentrating on their studies.’ Then you stop and think, ‘But that means they’re not concentrating on hockey.’

“But I’d much rather have it that way. We led the league in players on the all-academic team and we’re proud of that.”

2007-08 College Hockey America Season Preview

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There are more questions than answers for College Hockey America as the conference’s ninth season is about to get under way.

The majority of the questions center around Wayne State’s departure after this season and what that means for the future of the CHA. There don’t seem to be any answers — and if there are, no one is talking.

Still, there is a season to be played with the five CHA schools vying for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. In two of the past three tournaments, the CHA champion took its first-round regional opponent to overtime before bowing out. Bemidji State did that to Denver in 2005 and the Cinderella Alabama-Huntsville Chargers took Notre Dame to double overtime last March.

Jared Katz and all of his teammates are playing their final seasons at Wayne State this year (photo: Wayne State University).

Jared Katz and all of his teammates are playing their final seasons at Wayne State this year (photo: Wayne State University).

Along with the disappointing, but not unexpected, news on WSU, Danton Cole joining the league as UAH’s new head coach can be looked upon as a positive news item in the CHA.

Too, like every year, the coaches differ on who is the cream of the crop in the league.

“It’s a tight league we play in,” Wayne State head coach Bill Wilkinson said. “Both Niagara and Bemidji have their goaltending back and every time out, you have to come to play and come to win. You can compare all you want on paper, but you get it done on the ice.”

No one expects WSU to tank the season as the players “are playing D-I hockey for a reason,” according to Bemidji State head coach Tom Serratore.

“I don’t expect those kids to fold up shop,” Serratore added. “It’s a unique situation Wayne State is in.”

So who’s the favorite this season in the CHA? Alabama-Huntsville was on nobody’s radar last season and look what the Chargers accomplished.

“Last year, everybody said that anyone could beat anyone and Huntsville went out and proved it when it mattered,” said Niagara head coach Dave Burkholder. “I think it’ll be a close finish from top to bottom. The polls don’t mean a whole lot, but every game means something.”

Case in point: Robert Morris beating then-No. 2 Notre Dame last season in a major upset.

Another reason to follow the CHA: Niagara brings back two-thirds of the country’s top line from a year ago in juniors Ted Cook and Les Reaney. The Purple Eagles have also won the past two regular-season championships, and that in itself has a couple schools leaning towards them this year.

“I think Niagara deserves respect for what they’ve done the past two seasons,” Bemidji State senior co-captain Dave Deterding said — not to mention the fact that the CHA tournament will be held next March at Dwyer Arena on Niagara’s campus.

Pretty much every team was a favorite heading into the CHA tournament in Des Moines last March, but perhaps no team less so than the Chargers, who finished last in the CHA standings and were the No. 5 seed in the tournament. Three games later, three wins later, and the school finally got the proverbial championship monkey off its back.

“This year is different, though,” said UAH senior forward Tyler Hilbert. “But we’re not worried. We don’t have many upperclassmen, but we are showing promise. There is a lot to see from us.”

So, does UAH repeat this year? Can the new coach pull off the near-impossible with a roster full of freshmen? Or is simply learning the CHA enough of a chore this early in the season for Cole?

Christian Boucher mans the Robert Morris nets again this season (photo: Robert Morris University).

Christian Boucher mans the Robert Morris nets again this season (photo: Robert Morris University).

“The past few months have been a crash course for me,” said Cole. “I don’t know a whole lot about all the other teams, but last year it was nice to follow Huntsville and see what they did in the tournaments.”

The CHA has long been an unpredictable league — one that can easily be predicted until games prove otherwise.

“Look at last year and you talk about balance,” Serratore said. “Not one team had double-figure wins (in league play). From first to fifth, there’s just a goal differential. It all depends on who’s playing well in March and who can win this sucker.”

Every CHA team has won the postseason tournament, save for Robert Morris, but that may change this season. RMU has returned essentially the same team each season since beginning the program in 2004, and has a team full of seniors this year.

But is that enough?

“We definitely believe this is our time,” said senior goalie Christian Boucher. “Every year we’ve been getting better and this year, we want to make that trip to the national tournament.”

Seemingly as unpredictable as ever, this year looks to follow that annual protocol. But in any event, picking winners of games goes out the window starting this weekend. That much is certain.

As for next year? One year at a time, people, one year at a time.

Below are individual previews for each of the five CHA teams, listed in order of predicted finish. Each individual preview can be accessed by clicking on a given team’s name.

Robert Morris
Last season: 14-19-2 overall, 9-10-1 CHA
Head coach: Derek Schooley (34-60-9, 4th season)
2006-2007 team offense: 110 goals scored (3rd)
2006-2007 team defense: 129 goals allowed (4th)
2006-2007 power play: 45-226 (19.9 %)
2006-2007 penalty kill: 205-249 (82.3 %)
2007-2008 predicted finish: 1st

Ted Cook racked up 48 points for the Purple Eagles in 2006-07 (photo: Niagara University).

Ted Cook racked up 48 points for the Purple Eagles in 2006-07 (photo: Niagara University).

Niagara
Last season: 18-13-6 overall, 9-5-6 CHA
Head coach: Dave Burkholder (106-96-18, 7th season)
2006-2007 team offense: 126 goals scored (1st)
2006-2007 team defense: 128 goals allowed (3rd)
2006-2007 power play: 51-251 (20.3 %)
2006-2007 penalty kill: 191-236 (80.9 %)
2007-2008 predicted finish: 2nd

Bemidji State
Last season: 14-14-5 overall, 9-6-5 CHA
Head coach: Tom Serratore (103-86-25, 7th season)
2006-2007 team offense: 97 goals scored (tied-4th)
2006-2007 team defense: 109 goals allowed (1st)
2006-2007 power play: 31-201 (15.4 %)
2006-2007 penalty kill: 181-228 (79.3 %)
2007-2008 predicted finish: 3rd

Wayne State
Last season: 8-10-2 overall, 12-21-2 CHA
Head coach: Bill Wilkinson (113-143-26, 9th season)
2006-2007 team offense: 97 goals scored (tied-4th)
2006-2007 team defense: 125 goals allowed (2nd)
2006-2007 power play: 36-209 (17.2 %)
2006-2007 penalty kill: 183-234 (78.2 %)
2007-2008 predicted finish: 4th

Alabama-Huntsville
Last season: 13-20-3 overall, 7-11-2 CHA
Head coach: Danton Cole (1st season)
2006-2007 team offense: 112 goals scored (2nd)
2006-2007 team defense: 137 goals allowed (5th)
2006-2007 power play: 38-189 (20.1 %)
2006-2007 penalty kill: 198-255 (77.6 %)
2007-2008 predicted finish: 5th

2007-08 Bemidji State Season Preview

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It may be a trying season for Bemidji State, as the Beavers may struggle to score goals.

If they had a weak defense coming back, that would be a recipe for catastrophe, but BSU has a stellar back end returning and three goalies who present a good problem for head coach Tom Serratore.

Senior Matt Climie looks to have an inside edge on the No. 1 job in goal, but junior Orlando Alamano has played well the past couple years and freshman Matt Dalton won 27 games in the United States Hockey League last season with five shutouts to boot.

So who plays? And when?

“Any three of those guys could be a starter on any team in the nation,” Serratore boasted. “It’s hard for them because they all want to play, but we’ll see how it shakes out. Not only do I want a guy who can go out and stop pucks, but I also want a guy that the players want to play in front of. Practice is important, too, but we’ll see what happens.”

Despite losing in their first game of the College Hockey America tournament last spring to Robert Morris, the Beavers don’t plan on using that game as motivation for this year. They’d rather forget about it.

“It’s hard to say that we’ll use that game as motivation for an entire season,” said Serratore. “A weekend, maybe, but for a whole season, bottom line is we need to play hard and look at what our deficiencies were last season and not let those happen this year. What happened to us at the end of last year we deserved because we were not playing good hockey at the end of last season.”

The Beavers (14-14-5, 9-6-5 CHA) only won two of their final 12 regular-season games a year ago. One can assume their early season schedule this year may be in their favor as BSU hosts Army this weekend and Merrimack next weekend.

“The upperclassmen need to set the tone early,” senior defenseman and co-captain Dave Deterding said. “We need to know that every day we need a good practice and we need to start some up-tempo habits. I think we’re going to have to learn to score goals as no one guy can do all the work, but I love the chemistry on this team. Everyone gets along.”

Senior forward Jake Bluhm will also wear the “C.”

“We definitely don’t have any high-end scoring and we don’t have a Luke Erickson (13 goals last year) or a Brendan Cook or an Andrew Murray,” said Serratore, alluding to past BSU goal-scorers. “I think we’ll get our scoring by committee this year and we’ll have to manufacture some offense. And how do we do that? By getting to the net, by getting pucks through and by being difficult to play against, that’s how. We’ve got a veteran defense and three good goalies and that’s where our strength will lie.”

Sophomore defenseman Chris Peluso played a solid freshman season and is also the lone CHA player to have been drafted by an NHL team as Pittsburgh took him in the seventh round in 2004. Freshmen Dan McIntyre and Tyler Pederson are the newcomers to the blueline, but will look for time behind sophomores John Vadnais and Kyle Hardwick, junior Cody Bostock and senior Riley Weselowski.

Senior forward Jake Bluhm will wear a co-captain's 'C' for Bemidji State this season (photo: Bemidji State University).

Senior forward Jake Bluhm will wear a co-captain’s ‘C’ for Bemidji State this season (photo: Bemidji State University).

Bemidji State’s freshman class oozes potential. One name that stands out, however, is forward Emil Billberg, a 19-year-old native of Sweden. BSU has had European players in the past and Billberg looks to be the latest overseas connection.

“We’ve always had success with the Europeans,” Serratore said. “Emil pretty much fell into our lap. But he’s a 1988 birthdate and he’ll have to make some adjustments not only to the level, but in playing in North America. He’ll have a huge learning curve.”

Junior forward Travis Winter returns as the Beavers’ top scorer after registering 12 goals and 29 points last season. Senior Blaine Jarvis scored ten. After those two, the rest of the returnees combined for just 35 total goals.

Forward Rob Sirianni and his 29 points last season have also moved on to the professional rung of the hockey ladder.

“No job is safe and we all know that,” said Climie. “We kind of had a sour taste in our mouth after last year and it was a long summer. It kind of forces you to take a step back and look at things.”

“We just want to have a fast start and remedy what went wrong last year,” Deterding added.

Along with the freshman class, BSU also adds forward Matt Francis from St. Cloud State. Francis sat out last year and is now eligible for the Beavers.

One issue that will be talked about at length this year is the Bemidji State arena issue. A bill was passed recently that would allow for a new rink on campus. But a snafu has arisen and those plans may be in jeopardy. With Bemidji State president Jon Quistgaard saying the team may be next to go if acceptance into the WCHA is denied, a lot may happen on the BSU campus this season.

On the ice, however, is where Serratore is most focused.

“I’ve always said that there are three phases to a season — the time where you do everything right, the time where you seem to do everything wrong and the time when it’s 50/50,” said Serratore. “You just hope that when you are doing everything wrong, the team you’re playing against is doing everything wrong, too. You just hope to start on the right foot, get through the phases and end on the right foot.”

2007-08 Robert Morris Season Preview

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As far as Robert Morris is concerned, last year is in the rear-view mirror and the focus is on the upcoming season.

The Colonials lost the College Hockey America title game to Alabama-Huntsville after going into the contest as the favorite.

“We’re not bringing that up,” said senior forward Ryan Cruthers. “We have 14 seniors and we’re all hungry to win. Last year doesn’t matter.”

And with a veteran-laden roster, RMU (14-19-2 overall, 9-10-1 CHA in ’06-07) has players that have been together all four years of the program from the dark beginnings to the bright present. Goaltender Christian Boucher is one of those players and, though his numbers may have dropped the past couple years, Colonials’ head coach Derek Schooley sees no reason to worry.

“Christian Boucher is a bona fide No. 1 goaltender,” Schooley said. “People always want to ask questions about why his numbers are down, but we’ve played a harder schedule each season. He continues to be solid for us year after year and I can’t say enough about him.”

“I’ve heard that, too, about my numbers,” added Boucher. “This is the best I’ve felt in years. I feel confident I can help take this team to where we want to go and that’s to the national tournament.”

On the tough schedule note, RMU gets right into the fire the first month of the season. The Colonials face No. 9 Boston University and Wayne State (0-4 against them last year) this weekend at the Nye Frontier Classic in Anchorage, Alaska. Then next weekend, Robert Morris plays two at Wisconsin followed by two at home with Wayne State. The November schedule has Niagara and Ohio State on the docket and December has Colgate and Quinnipiac.

“We don’t play a slug schedule,” Schooley said. “It’s definitely not an easy start. We’d love to be 6-0 after the first six games as I think every team would, but if we can come out of our first six games at .500, anything above that is gravy. And looking at Wayne State, we have the worst record against them in the CHA since we started.”

Robert Morris lost just four players from a year ago with forwards Doug Conley and Aaron Clarke, defenseman Bryan Mills and goalie Joe Tuset all graduating. Tuset was then brought back as an assistant coach.

New to the Pittsburgh area this year include forwards Kyle Burton (40 goals last year), Branden Gay (27 goals) and Scott Kobialko (52 points) from the Alberta Junior Hockey League and Nathan Longpre (65 points — 10th in league) from the North American Hockey League. Boucher will get pushed by Quinnipiac transfer Wes Russell and Jim Patterson, another AJHL alum. Defenseman Denny Urban played in the United States Hockey League last season and will look to play in the top six for his hometown Colonials this year.

Robert Morris’ returning forwards bring back valuable experience and skill for the young guys to mentor under. Cruthers led the team with 17 goals among 37 points last year and also won over 60 percent of his faceoffs. Chris Margott potted a dozen goals and David Boguslawski added 10. Sean Berkstresser recorded 26 points. Joel Gasper will be a tri-captain this year after being an assistant last season.

“We’re going to incorporate the younger guys into the lineup right away,” Schooley said. “We want to get them experience and not only have them develop this year, but we want to plan for the future, too. The younger guys will definitely push the older guys.”

Sean Berkstresser was good for 26 points for RMU in 2006-07 (photo: Robert Morris University).

Sean Berkstresser was good for 26 points for RMU in 2006-07 (photo: Robert Morris University).

Six senior defensemen dot the RMU blueline — Andrew Bonello, Jeff Gilbert, Jake Sparks and Eric Trax and the two other captains, Rob Cowan and Chris Kaufman (six goals led all defensemen). Along with Boucher, this looks to be the strength of the Colonials.

“Show me another school in the country with that kind of experience on defense,” bragged Schooley. “We have a core of solid defensemen and up to our forwards. We’re a deep team and we’re a quick team that I think can score a lot of goals. Of course, on the flip side of that, we need to not allow so many goals. In our exhibition with Ryerson, they scored five, but we scored eight. We need to stop allowing so many goals, especially with our early season schedule the way it is.”

Schooley added that playing national powerhouses and ranked teams is what he wants. In looking at RMU’s 2006-07 season, the highlight is obviously the team’s win over then-No. 2 Notre Dame on Jan. 7, “a definite confidence booster,” according to Cruthers.

Is another upset in the making?

“We want to play this upper-echelon teams to show we belong,” said Schooley. “If we can compete with them, that can only increase not only your program, but also the visibility of the university. Playing these top teams can only make us better. The seniors have done this before and it’s not an overwhelming schedule for them. It’s nothing they haven’t done before. It’s exciting for our guys and to be associated with top-level schools is what we’re all about.”

Winning a championship won’t hurt, either.

“Our team goal is obviously to win the CHA,” Cruthers said. “We want it now more than ever. Last year, we let it slip away. We have a rough schedule this season, but we’re getting looks from other teams and we’re building confidence from that. Knocking off some of these ranked teams can only help us. I think we have a special team here and if we play well early, maybe we can get on a hot streak going into league play.”

Most college players are on the four-year plan. If all goes as planned for Robert Morris, diplomas won’t be the only item the seniors leave with next spring.

2007-08 Alabama-Huntsville Season Preview

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Alabama-Huntsville had a Cinderella run last season in winning its first College Hockey America championship.

But the new-look Chargers will be hard-pressed to retain their title this year and have a new head coach with a tall order ahead.

Danton Cole takes over for Doug Ross, who retired at the end of last season. He inherits a team with just two seniors, five juniors on the roster and a dozen freshmen.

Cole also hired Dennis Williams as his assistant, replacing Lance West. Williams was the head coach at Division III Neumann College last season.

“It’s a bit of catch-up, for sure, trying to figure out the freshmen and get everyone on the same page” said Cole. “So far, I have a very good feeling about the team and everything is going well. I have no complaints so far.”

“It’s a whole new era,” senior forward Tyler Hilbert said. “We’re all freshmen and we all have a clean page.”

The similarities Ross and Cole share are uncanny. Cole and Ross are both Michigan natives (Ross from Dearborn and Cole from Pontiac) and Cole coached Ross’ son and former Charger, Jared, with the Motor City Mechanics of the United Hockey League in 2005. Last season, Cole was an assistant coach at Bowling Green — Doug Ross’ alma mater.

Cole said taking over for the legendary Ross doesn’t add any extra pressure.

“I’m very comfortable with myself and my approach to educating these young men,” Cole said. “I think there’s pressure taking any new job where the person before you was there for a while. Look at Dave Lewis when he replaced Scotty Bowman [with the Detroit Red Wings in 2002]. That couldn’t have been easy. That being said, I’m comfortable with where we are at right now. The players have bought into the system and we’re establishing a work ethic.”

The two seniors, Hilbert and defenseman Matt Montes, are among a handful of holdovers from last season. Forwards Josh Murray (the top returning scorer with 16 points a year ago), Joe Federoff, Kevin Galerno and Matt Sweazey and defenseman Scott Kalinchuk (also 16 points last season) make up the junior class.

UAH has 12 new freshmen this year, including goalie Wyatt Russell, son of Hollywood actor Kurt Russell and actress Goldie Hawn. He’ll vie for time in between the pipes with fellow freshman Cameron Talbot, last season’s Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League MVP, and returnee Blake MacNicol, who played all of six games last year after joining the team mid-season.

“Experience-wise, Blake has established himself, if only in those six games,” noted Cole. “The goalie who is in the best place at game time will play and I would imagine we’ll be going into our goalies this year and have a fairly even split. They all need experience.”

As for Russell, he’s obviously been asked about his famous family, but Cole said he tries to deflect that talk to his own time.

“Wyatt just wants to be one of the guys,” said Cole. “Some people want to talk to him about (his family) all the time and he handles himself well in those situations. He doesn’t make a big deal about it and just wants to go out and accomplish things on his own.”

Several other freshmen have Cole anxious to see game action as he said defensemen Ryan Burkholder, Mike Ward and Matt Baxter have shown promise, as has forward Andrew Coburn.

“The freshmen have looked good in camp,” Cole said. “I’m really happy with our forwards. But even though you can play and look sharp in practice, the real test is when the games start.”

Scott Kalinchuk and his mates will need to step up to give UAH an offensive spark (photo: University of Alabama-Huntsville).

Scott Kalinchuk and his mates will need to step up to give UAH an offensive spark (photo: University of Alabama-Huntsville).

“The 12 freshmen will need a push, just like I did when I was brought up,” Kalinchuk said. “I just want to help out when I can.”

Kalinchuk also reflected on last season’s 13-20-3 overall record (7-11-2 CHA) that ultimately brought UAH the CHA title and then a double-overtime loss to Notre Dame in the regionals.

“Last year, I think we finally got the monkey off our back,” he said. “Some say we did it the wrong way, but I think we just found a way to get it done at the right time. We showed up when it counted.”

David Nimmo, Grant Selinger and Brett McConnachie combined for 43 of the team’s 112 goals last year, but all have graduated. Sophomore Kevin Morrison scored nine goals a year ago as a freshman on a senior-heavy team and Hilbert has high expectations for him.

“It would be great to see Morrison step up this year,” Hilbert said.

Cole knows that his team isn’t thought of as a contender, as evidenced by the fifth-place finish in the CHA preseason coaches’ poll. He also has a theory of what success is for a young squad such as his and how to get on the path to finding that success.

“Obviously, we want success and as a coach, we’re concerned with wins and losses,” said Cole. “We just want to go out and get things right and if we don’t, well, we learn our lesson and hopefully don’t make that mistake again. I don’t really worry about wins and losses until after Christmas. There aren’t a whole lot of shortcuts in this game, but we believe in what we’re doing and we’re doing things the right way.

“I believe in what we’re building here. Maybe in a few years we make the NCAA tournament without winning the league tournament.”

Cole went on to hype UAH as a whole.

“This university is a hidden giant,” he added. “I believe we can recruit and get the school on the market. One of the things that attracted me here was the academics. The business and engineering programs are phenomenal and the area is great. I wouldn’t have moved my family down here if I didn’t think so.”

Hilbert is about to enter his final hurrah with the Chargers and though the team is a bit green, he sees plenty of optimism.

“As a senior and one of the leaders, I have to let everyone know how bad we want it,” said Hilbert. “We need to go out and play our heart out. Everyone underestimates us and last year, we were better than what our record was.

“We want to go out and prove everyone wrong again.”

2007-08 Northern Michigan Season Preview

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There are two ways to define the 2007-08 Northern Michigan Wildcats:

1. Young.

This is a roster that includes 17 sophomores and freshmen.

2. Really young.

Not only will the Wildcats play as many as 15 underclassmen per game, but the average age of the NMU team is just over 20 years. Five of the 11 newcomers are still teenagers, a gutsy move by the coaching staff for a team so green.

“We like the young kids, we like the talent, but those people also have to prove themselves,” said head coach Walt Kyle. “Our greatest strength is going to be our youth and our energy and our greatest weakness is probably going to be our inexperience.”

Truer words were never spoken.

Follow the Leader

It’s difficult to follow the leader if you don’t know who the leader is. Not only do the Wildcats have 17 underclassmen, but most of NMU’s upperclassmen have yet to make some noise in the CCHA.

“We think these kids are going to fill in there at some point,” said Kyle, “but they’re also again unproven to us and we’re anxious and waiting to see what those guys will do.”

Last year’s 30-goal scorer, would-be senior Mike Santorelli, now graces the roster of the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. Darin Olver and his 14 goals are lost to graduation, which leaves junior Nick Sirota as the only returning 10-goal scorer — and that’s how many he netted last year, 10.

“I don’t think that we’re a team that’s going to score a lot,” said Kyle. “We don’t have very many returning goals. We’re a team that’s just going to have to compete and play hard on a nightly basis.

It would, however, be nice to score a few goals, and to that end the Wildcats have recruited several new forwards. Mark Olver (who proved easy to recruit) had 29 goals with the Omaha Lancers (USHL) in 57 games last year, Jared Brown had 30 goals in 60 games for the Lincoln Stars (USHL) and Andrew Fernandez had 14 goals in 56 games for the Selkirk Steelers (MJHL).

The rookie class of forwards also includes Mike Maltese, a 22-year-old freshman who stands over six feet tall and weighs 200 pounds, and Erik Gustafsson, who played in the Sweden Superelit league for Timra. We know from the Timra team page that his favorite food is tacos and his nickname is “Gurra.” There were many other interesting facts available from this page, if you can read Swedish. And he likes The O.C..

Defenseman Erik Spady, 10-goal scorer with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL) in 56 games, is sure to be a crowd-pleaser in Marquette; he also earned 117 penalty minutes.

Red Light, Green Light

Goaltender Brian Stewart starred in NMU's playoff upset in 2006-07 (photo: NMU sports information).

Goaltender Brian Stewart starred in NMU’s playoff upset in 2006-07 (photo: NMU sports information).

Among the many question marks for the Wildcats this season is netminding. Gone is the inconsistent Bill Zaniboni, and sophomore Brian Stewart — who looked terrific in NMU’s first-round playoff upset of Ohio State — will be challenged for the starting position by rookie Reid Ellingson, a product of the Minnesota high school system.

If, as Kyle said, the Wildcats will be thin on goal-scoring, someone had better emerge from this little group to start consistently and well, or it will be a long, long season in Marquette.

Home Free

The start of the CCHA season will be a primer in 2007-08 Wildcat hockey. While NMU plays three of its first four league series at home, two of those three will be against Michigan and Miami, and the one road series later this month is a trip to East Lansing.

NMU is coming off a 15-24-2 season, the Wildcats’ first losing season since 1996-97. To reverse that trend, the kittens will have to become ‘Cats in a big hurry.

“Leadership, chemistry, and discipline are the things that our team is going to have to have if we’re going to emerge and be a factor,” said Kyle.

2007-08 Miami Season Preview

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What can anyone say about the Miami RedHawks? Two things, for sure:

1. They’re loaded and experienced in every position.

In 2006-07, Miami finished second in the CCHA with an offense that scored more than three per game, two of the most consistent goaltenders in the league, and name-brand players everywhere on the ice — and nearly everyone returns.

2. Head coach Enrico Blasi has studied a certain scene in Bull Durham a little too well.

“Really, our focus hasn’t changed over the past couple years,” said Blasi. “We’re going to continue to focus on our daily improvement and worry about the things that we can control, and be the best team that we can be.”

We’ve got to play ’em one day at a time. I just want to give it my best shot.

Okay, Coach. But who’s to argue with any of it? The RedHawks have become proven that they are a program that has arrived, and Blasi means what he says. Blasi’s philosophy is to work on the things the team can, genuinely, control.

Obviously, he’s doing something right. At a certain point last season, it was obvious that no one was going to catch the runaway Fighting Irish, but the RedHawks were in the hunt for first place until that point — and they swept Robert Morris.

The keys to Miami include leadership, an explosive offense and stellar goaltending.

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Miami captain Ryan Jones is Blasi’s kind of company man: lead by example, speak cautiously.

When the RedHawks earned their first-ever NCAA tournament win last year against New Hampshire, Jones was instrumental in keeping UNH’s penalty kill, second-best in the country, scoreless in seven tries.

In 42 games last season, Jones 29 goals, with 10 on the power play, one shorthanded, and five game-winners. He was tied in the team for plus-minus (+18), and had 40 penalties for 88 minutes on a team that was average in terms of minutes in the box.

After notching a hat trick against Ferris State in December, Jones said, “The biggest thing was that we won the game and it doesn’t matter who scores the goals.”

When he netted his 20th goal of the season by scoring on the formidable Laker Jeff Jakaitis, Jones said, “He definitely had the step on me and I just got lucky and made a good guess on the puck.”

Maybe Bull Durham is required viewing for the RedHawks.

Nathan Davis tallied a sterling 50 points for Miami in 2006-07 (photo: Melissa Wade).

Nathan Davis tallied a sterling 50 points for Miami in 2006-07 (photo: Melissa Wade).

Whatever you think of the team’s rhetoric, the brand of leadership evidently gets results.

Said Blasi, “We feel that the leadership and commitment displayed by our returning players will give us an opportunity to compete in a very competitive league, day in and day out.”

Red Light, Green Light

Miami plays a working-class brand of hockey, like many teams in the CCHA, but with a potentially lethal offense and goalies no one wants to face.

Aside from Jones, returning this year are senior Nathan Davis (21-29–50), junior Justin Mercier (10-15–25) and sophomore Jarod Palmer (11-19–30), plus a slew of other players who have great puck potential.

Miami’s fast transition game also lets the RedHawks’ talented defensemen contribute to the scoring. That kind of play produces exciting, end-to-end hockey that can sometimes leave a team vulnerable at the other end, but the RedHawk defense is fast and solid, and Miami is backstopped by the best goaltending tandem in the CCHA.

Junior Jeff Zatkoff’s .919 save percentage in 2006-07 was 17th-best in the nation last season, third-best in the CCHA, while Charlie Effinger — who missed time with mononucleosis — fell below his sophomore levels with a save percentage of .896. Zatkoff played the final seven games of the season, including both NCAA tournament appearances.

Home Free

There is absolutely no way that the RedHawks can fly under any radar in the CCHA, especially after earning that NCAA win — which, admittedly, surprised many people east of Pittsburgh.

With the fabulous new Steve Cady Arena, the ‘Hawks now have a home that announces their presence with as much authority as they do themselves, on the ice. Last year, Miami had just three home regular-season losses and five total in The Cady. Those last two, of course, hurt the most; the RedHawks were swept at home in a pair of 2-1 games by Lake Superior State in the second round of the CCHA playoffs.

Don’t think they’ve forgotten.

There is little left for Miami to do except to keep on keeping on. Even the head coach of the defending national champion Michigan State Spartans knows that the RedHawks are in control of their own destiny this season.

“They really are primed for this year,” said Rick Comley.

They are, and you can bank on Enrico Blasi and the RedHawks knowing that, too.

2007-08 Notre Dame Season Preview

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What can you say about a team that emerged from relative obscurity to capture both the regular and postseason 2006-07 CCHA championships? Two things:

1. How can Notre Dame survive without goaltender David Brown?

Brown had the best goals-against average (1.58),second-best save percentage (.931) and top win percentage (.808) in the nation last year.

2. How can anyone say that Notre Dame’s success was due solely to Brown’s career season?

While Brown had the year of his career last season, one critical number of his wasn’t far off from 2005-06, when Notre Dame went 13-19-4. His save percentage for that year was .915, and in his rookie year it was .925.

Sure, in Brown’s sophomore year, his save percentage was .870, but he was splitting time in net that year and the Irish — with just five wins overall in 2004-05, Dave Poulin’s last year as head coach — were completely lost that season.

Without taking anything away from Brown’s contributions, there can be no question that Notre Dame was more than the sum of David Brown last season.

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There can also be no underestimating the impact of the coaching change on Notre Dame hockey. In just his second season, Jeff Jackson took a team that had had five wins just two seasons before to the No. 1 spot in the league, a feat that had been accomplished only three times in league history.

Jackson brought former Providence coach Paul Pooley to South Bend with him, and wisely kept long-time Irish assistant Andy Slaggert, who is responsible for recruiting Brown and most of the other guys who contributed to UND’s Cinderella year.

“There are a lot of positive things going on in the hockey program,” said Jackson. “I would like to think we are going to have a great season this year and hopefully consistency will be part of building this program into something special.”

Red Light, Green Light

In addition to Brown, the Irish also lost seven other contributing seniors, including half their defensemen, among them Wes O’Neill.

The only offense that exited was forward Jason Paige, whose 11 goals and 11 assists gave the senior a career season of his own.

“We did lose seven seniors that all played a regular place in our lineup and will be difficult to replace from a character standpoint, leadership standpoint,” said Jackson.

Ryan Thang will look to build on a stellar freshman season for the Fighting Irish (photo: Ray Bartnikowski).

Ryan Thang will look to build on a stellar freshman season for the Fighting Irish (photo: Ray Bartnikowski).

The players who remain, however, are solid citizens. The top five Irish scorers return, including juniors Erik Condra and Garrett Regan, senior Mark Van Guilder and sophomores Kevin Deeth and Ryan Thang. Condra is the leading returning scorer.

Newcomers up front include Robin Bergman, who had 26 goals in 52 games for Cedar Rapids (USHL) and Christiaan Minella, who had 24 goals for Sioux City (USHL) last season.

“Last year is behind us and we have a really strong returning group of forwards,” said Jackson. “We are just as excited about the incoming freshman class that we have coming in. That should give us some stability, I’m sure with a few bumps early on, to try and improve our back end with a couple freshman defensemen and young goaltending.

“We are excited about the prospects up front with Erik Condra, Ryan Thang. Kevin Deeth and Mark Van Guilder returning.”

The Irish fielded the best defense in college hockey last season, and while O’Neill is a genuine loss for Notre Dame, UND has some more than one weapon at the blue line, too.

“On the back side, I think that Kyle Lawson and Brock Sheahan will be two of the better [defensemen] in the conference,” said Jackson.

And even though the Irish proved they were more than just David Brown in net, they still have to replace David Brown in net.

“We expect our goaltending to be good,” said Jackson. “I think Jordan Pearce, a junior, is somebody that has potential to be a great goaltender in the CCHA. We have an outstanding freshman in Brad Phillips that we think will be good in time.”

Joining Pearce (.895 SV%, 2.01 GAA) and sophomore Tom O’Brien — who saw no play his rookie year — will be rookie Brad Phillips. Phillips, who was a seventh-round draft pick for Philadelphia this year, went 15-15-2 with the U.S. Under-18 team last season, with a .912 save percentage and a 2.33 goals-against average.

Home Free

The Fighting Irish made the Joyce Center a difficult place for any opponent last year, losing at home just twice, and tying twice. This year, with an experienced team that now knows how to win, South Bend will be an equally difficult road trip for CCHA opponents.

But think what it will be like in the near future.

“We are excited about the prospects and we are excited about a new building in the next couple of years,” said Jackson.

Ah! A new building for the new Irish. And yet another selling point for the CCHA.

2007-08 Nebraska-Omaha Season Preview

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What is the measure of a good program? The Mavericks have two answers to that question.

1. You produce coaches that other people want.

Nebraska-Omaha said goodbye to assistant Doc DelCastillo, who is the new head coach for Alaska. Also, UNO welcomes back Nick Fohr, whom the Mavericks had already sent out into the world to earn a little coaching experience.

2. You produce players that other people want.

Two years ago, Maverick Bill Thomas left the program early to sign with the Phoenix Coyotes. Last year, the Mavericks’ all-time everything, Scott Parse, left for the AHL the moment his college eligibility was over.

In just 10 short years as a Division I program, UNO has steadily and consistently improved to the point where we CCHA fans can’t imagine life without the Mavericks. It’s difficult for any CCHA team to compete against the powerhouse teams for top talent, but throw the relative remoteness of Omaha into the mix, and the task becomes harder. The brief history of the program is a factor as well.

But as Mike Kemp is proving, all it takes is about a decade to put yourself on the map.

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In recent years, the Mavericks have had to contend with minor offseason dramas as well as coaching and player turnover — none of which is good for a blossoming program. But this year, the departure of DelCastillo does the Mavs good for a couple of reasons.

First, of course, it sends a UNO-trained head coach to another D-I program, where he will have the chance to make a mark of his own. Second, it brings back a UNO alum to earn valuable coaching experience of his own.

“The opportunity with Doc leaving gave me a chance for the first time to bring a former player on as and assistant coach,” said Kemp. “It’s a thrill for us to have Nick Fohr, who played on our second through fifth teams at UNO, in a full-time coaching position.

“He served under Enrico Blasi at Miami for one year as a graduate assistant, had spent three years as our director of hockey operations and will now step into a full-time coaching position, which for me is very gratifying to have one of our own guys move up the coaching ladder.”

And stabilizing. Because of Fohr’s deep ties to the UNO program, he’s likely to stick around for a while to help the program continue to grow.

Red Light, Green Light

It’s difficult to overestimate the impact a player like Parse had on UNO’s program. He’s the kind of guy who elevates the level of play of every man around him whenever he’s on the ice, whether it’s the play of his own teammates or that of his opponents.

“We have some big shoes to fill in our program, losing Scott Parse who was our four-time team MVP, three time First Team All-CCHA selection, and holder of every scoring record in our school’s history,” said Kemp. “That’s going to be a big hole to fill, along with Alex Nikiforuk, who was another one of our high-scoring forwards that we lost to graduation.”

All-Everything Scott Parse may be gone, but Brandon Scero is among the weapons still dotting the Mavs' roster (photo: UNO sports information).

All-Everything Scott Parse may be gone, but Brandon Scero is among the weapons still dotting the Mavs’ roster (photo: UNO sports information).

Between Parse and Nikiforuk — who’s playing in Finland, by the way — the Mavericks lose 38 of their 153 goals from a year ago.

Um, wait a minute. Over 150 goals in 2006-07? It seems that UNO had more offensive weapons than just two last season. In fact, the Mavs not only had the second-best offense in the CCHA last year behind Michigan, but the fourth-best in the nation. UNO’s power play was smokin’ hot, converting at 20 percent in league play, and the Mavericks return five players who netted 10 or more goals from a year ago.

“We have three seniors that have been consistent scorers, Bryan Marshall, Brandon Scero … and Mick Lawrence returning,” said Kemp. “We’ll look for those guys to give us some offensive punch throughout the course of the season.”

Add to that mix a few newcomers worthy of mention, including Joey Martin, who had 30 goals in 48 games with the Aurora Tigers (OPJHL) last year, Rich Purslow, who had 27 goals in 60 games with Des Moines (USHL), and offensive-minded defenseman Alain Goulet, a sixth-round draft pick of the Boston Bruins this year.

The Mavericks will have no problem scoring, and they return sophomore Jeremie Dupont as their likely top goaltender. Goal has been something of an issue for UNO in recent years, but Dupont looked solid down the stretch, and will be pushed by junior Jerad Kaufmann and senior Eric Aarnio.

“We feel that position can give us some stability for what we consider to be a very difficult cluster in a very difficult CCHA league,” said Kemp.

The one area where the Mavericks are genuinely questionable is in defense. With such an outstanding offense in 2006-07, it was a pity that the Mavs possessed an average defense.

“We’ll be relatively green back on the blueline,” said Kemp. “Juha Uotila will be a junior defenseman who has shown some offensive ability back there. Eddie Del Grosso returning from an All-Rookie Team in his first year at UNO and Mark Bernier are our only defensemen with any experience. We’ll be playing five freshman defensemen this year who will all be vying for playing time.”

All the Way Home

Last year, the home and road Mavericks were like two different teams: 13-6-2 at home, 5-10-5 on the road.

The Mavericks face three tough opponents on the road in the first half of the season, beginning with Miami and ending with Notre Dame. Between two trips to Ohio in late October and early November, the Mavs welcome Michigan to the Qwest Center for two — hardly a comforting way to begin the season.

2007-08 Alaska Season Preview

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If statistics can be trusted, two things are true of last year’s Alaska Nanooks:

1. The Nanooks didn’t shoot the puck enough.

Alaska’s shot percentage was just .089 last season, the Nanooks were tied for eighth in goals per game in league play, and their power play was eighth in conversions.

2. The Nanooks didn’t stop the puck enough.

Alaska gave up 3.21 goals per conference game last season, and collectively the Nanook goaltending was effective 88.7 percent of the time in overall play.

In spite of a first-round upset of Western Michigan in the CCHA playoffs last season, this math added up to a .339 win percentage in conference play for UA. What’s worse than this? Losing your only two players to score more than 10 goals in the season.

Kyle Greentree led all Nanooks in scoring as a junior last year with 21 goals and 21 assists, but opted to sign with Philadelphia rather than return to Fairbanks for his senior year.

The Nanooks lost second-leading scorer Curtis Fraser to graduation, and four more goals from defenseman Darcy Campbell when he decided to leave for NHL pastures (Columbus).

That leaves a handful of returning players — Aaron Lee, Adam Naglich and Braden Walls — who netted six goals last season, and a couple of promising players in junior defenseman Tyler Eckford and sophomore forward Dion Knelson, who each scored five.

“Tyler Eckford is a defenseman that is very good for us and will be good in the league,” said first-year head coach Doc DelCastillo. “Dion Knelson is one of the better young players in the league [who] played for the Canadian National Under-18 team in the spring.”

Alaska brings in a pair of players who had great numbers in juniors last year. Dustin Sather, a 21-year-old rookie from Alberta, had 41 goals and 63 assists for the Grand Prairie Storm of the AJHL last season, while another rookie of legal drinking age from British Columbia, Kevin Petovello, also had 41 goals (26 assists) for the Victoria Grizzlies of the BCHL.

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Senior Wylie Rogers makes up one half of UA's netminding duo (photo: Alaska sports information).

Senior Wylie Rogers makes up one half of UA’s netminding duo (photo: Alaska sports information).

Another newcomer who will be a big boost to UA’s offense is its new head coach. DelCastillo’s pedigree is a good one. After having played for St. Cloud State (1988-92), DelCastillo coached in the USHL before returning to his alma mater in 1998 as an assistant; he’s spent the last five years in Omaha and undoubtedly learned much under the tutelage of head coach Mike Kemp.

DelCastillo was responsible for recruiting at Nebraska-Omaha (does the name Scott Parse ring any bells) as well as coaching the Maverick power play, which was first in the league. And UNO’s offense was fourth-best in the country last year.

Red Light, Green Light

The Nanooks return junior goaltender Chad Johnson and senior Wylie Rogers, who both came and went in the UA net last year.

Castillo called UA’s goaltending situation “solid,” and added, “I feel we have the best goaltending tandem in the league” with Johnson and Rogers.

You have to give the guy credit for spin. Johnson and Rogers are both competent, and both are capable of excellence — but neither consistently. And there’s another goaltending tandem in the CCHA that can probably do these Nanooks one better.

Home Free

Even though the Nanooks never want to play the travel card, UA was a much, much better home team than road team last season, although the ‘Nooks had a losing record both home and away, being a game under .500 in the Carlson Center and too many to count everywhere else.

In all, DelCastillo has good players to work with, at a good school dedicated to Nanook hockey, in a city that breathes and eats the sport. Score more goals, make more saves … the textbook recipe for improvement.

Oh, and a more disciplined approach on the ice would be a good idea. Last year, the Nanooks averaged over 18 penalty minutes per league game. They paid the price on the scoreboard.

One more note about Alaska — and it’s not about the number of sets of brothers playing for the program. DelCastillo has five daughters: Britni, Brandi, Bryna, Brook and Brylei.

Boy.

2007-08 Bowling Green Season Preview

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When you think of the 2006-07 Bowling Green Falcons, two things come to mind immediately:

1. Jonathan Matsumoto was a superstar.

With 11 goals and 22 assists, the Falcons junior led the team in scoring. He also had six power-play goals.

2. In every possible way, BGSU was a last-place team.

Last year’s Falcons were last in four critical statistical categories: goals scored per game, goals given up per game, power-play conversion, and penalty killing.

Seems bleak, eh? Matsumoto signed a contract with the Philadelphia Flyers at the end of his junior year, while the Falcons anchored the basement two years in a row and actually had fewer league wins in 2006-07 than the previous season.

Well, sometimes numbers lie. Matsumoto may have led the team in scoring, but senior forward Derek Whitmore is the Falcons’ leading returning goal-scorer, with 19 to his credit last year, as many goals with the man advantage as Matsumoto had, one more game-winning tally than Matsumoto had (two total), and a shorthander.

With the departure of Matsumoto and the loss of Rich Meloche and James Unger to graduation, the Falcons lose just 20 goals.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is that BGSU scored just 75 total goals last season. The Falcons had absolutely no game from the dots on down to the goal in the opponent end.

But there’s more good news: with only three departed goal-scorers, BGSU returns 13 other players who scored at least one goal last season.

Okay. So it’s tough to spin. But a trio of sophomores — Kai Kantola, Todd McIlrath and Tomas Petruska — look promising. Rookie Jacob Cepis had 34 goals last season for Cedar Rapids (USHL) last season.

Returning junior goaltender Jimmy Spratt had a good-ish second half, and the Falcons return their entire blue line.

Admittedly, it’s all hard to spin.

“Twenty-three of our players are back from last year,” said head coach Scott Paluch, “led by our captain Derek Whitmore. Our most improved player from last year, Jimmy Spratt in goal, is back and building on an outstanding second half.

“We had a really good second half. It didn’t add up to as many wins as we would have liked.

“We were a pretty good team in the second half.”

Did you get that? The buzz phrase is second half.

In fairness to the Falcons, they were a tougher team down the stretch. They beat Michigan, 3-2, lost a couple of one-goal games to Notre Dame in early February, they took Nebraska-Omaha to overtime in the first game of the first round of the CCHA playoffs … but they were also shut out three times and lost seven games by three or more goals in the second half.

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Jimmy Spratt returns to Bowling Green fresh off a solid second half last season (photo: Ray Bartnikowski).

Jimmy Spratt returns to Bowling Green fresh off a solid second half last season (photo: Ray Bartnikowski).

The path the Falcons have taken is almost inconceivable to keen observers of the CCHA. When BG brought Scott Paluch home to rebuild the program, they couldn’t have picked a better candidate. The man is an excellent ambassador for the school, and he had a proven track record as Jerry York’s assistant through some pretty golden years at Boston College.

But the task may have been more difficult from the start, and the transition between pre-Paluch hockey and the kind of game Paluch wants to play has been longer than anticipated.

One positive step toward achieving Paluch-ness at BG is the hiring of new assistant coach Todd Reirden (1990-94), who joins Doug Schueller (1997-2001) and Paluch (1984-88) to comprise the first-ever all-alumni coaching staff for BGSU. Reirden has to stay, because coaching turnovers cannot be helping the Falcon cause. Stability — a cornerstone of Paluch’s coaching philosophy — would be a great gift to the program.

Red Light, Green Light

Where does one begin addressing BG’s defensive woes? It’s not all about the net, but having a more consistent backstop wouldn’t hurt.

This year, the Falcons bring in Nick Eno, a Buffalo Sabres draft pick who had a .902 save percentage and 3.60 goals-against average in 25 games played with the Green Mountain (Vermont) Glades of the EJHL.

Home Free

Last year’s team was so young that it’s tough to know how well they really played. There are a dozen sophomores on this year’s squad, and Paluch — an optimist and genuine nice guy — likes what he sees for the coming year.

“A lot of last year’s players are back with us, drawing on that experience. We fee real good about our team. Our off-season has been outstanding from a team-building and conditioning standpoint.

“We are ready to prove the rankings wrong.”

BGSU’s cluster — which includes Ferris State and Western Michigan rather than Miami and Ohio State, or Michigan and Michigan State — provides a better opportunity for the Falcons to gain a few more league points.

2007-08 Michigan Season Preview

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There are two hard-fast rules when it comes to Michigan hockey:

1. Don’t get too comfortable with your favorite player.

Andrew Cogliano and Jack Johnson are gone, fleeing for the greener pastures of professional hockey rather than sticking around to graduate.

2. Never underestimate Red Berenson.

Even as Notre Dame ran away with the CCHA regular-season title in 2006-07 and the Wolverines were nearly written off because of their sketchy goaltending, Berenson’s team somehow managed to finish No. 2 in the league standings, one sticky point ahead of third-place Miami.

And Rule No. 1 above wouldn’t be possible without Rule No. 2. Berenson is a victim of his own success, having created since the late 1980s a college hockey dynasty that breeds excellence and attracts many future NHLers.

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There is no question that Michigan is Berenson’s team, no matter how much assistants Mel Pearson and Billy Powers are involved in the coaching process — and they are — no matter who does the recruiting, no matter who laces up on game night. And the influential veteran head coach is none too pleased about the way these young marquee players show their loyalty.

Berenson ended his 2007-08 CCHA media day monologue with a short but pointed rant. “I don’t think these players should leave early. I’m glad to see Kevin Porter come back for his senior year. Nothing has changed at Michigan.”

Nothing, of course, except for that loyalty thing.

After winning the 1996 NCAA championship, every one of the Michigan 9 — that fabulous junior class — opted to return for his senior season. A decade later, and it’s hard to really get to know some of Michigan’s stars, and hard to want to, knowing that they’ll be with us all too briefly.

This year, we said goodbye to two would-be juniors, forward Cogliano and defenseman Johnson … and their 40 goals, thank you very much. Both were fun to watch, but for very different reasons, and the untimely demise of their college careers hurts a team that also bid adieu to senior forwards T.J. Hensick and David Rohlfs — and their 40 goals — and senior defensemen Matt Hunwick and Jason Dest (and their seven goals, in case you’re counting).

It is a source of continued frustration and disappointment for Berenson that players like Cogliano and Johnson — and Jeff Jillson, and Mike Comrie, and a list of Wolverines before them — forego their remaining college eligibility for the promise of some cash. It’s not just that Berenson wants this talent to stick around; he also wants to see these guys graduate, and enjoy the experience of four years in school.

Yet, in spite of the turnover, Berenson has taken his team to 17 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. He’s the MacGyver of college hockey, and it’s a good thing, too.

The Wolverines welcome a dozen new recruits to Berenson’s program this season.

Red Light, Green Light

Michigan lost some firepower during the offseason, but Chad Kolarik and his 45 points are back (photo: Melissa Wade).

Michigan lost some firepower during the offseason, but Chad Kolarik and his 45 points are back (photo: Melissa Wade).

One dozen freshmen. That’s something new for Michigan.

“Last year … we knew we’d be a good team because of T.J. Hensick and Matt Hunwick and Jack Johnson and Andrew Cogliano and our big senior class, but all those guys are gone,” said Berenson.

There will be four newcomers on the blue line, six new forwards, and a couple of goaltenders. “Certainly, the depth of our team should be good, but the experience will be a question mark. So this will be the most interesting season in the recent past for the coaching staff at Michigan and certainly for the players.”

Before you get all teary-eyed about the lack of experience, consider this: all six of Michigan’s new forwards are NHL draftees, including Max Pacioretty, Montreal’s first-round pick who netted 21 goals last season for Sioux City (USHL).

The most interesting pickups for the Wolverines are probably the goaltenders. Junior Billy Sauer has struggled for two seasons now, never reaching a .900 save percentage in overall play, and in 40 games last year he never felt as solid as a top-tier goalie should.

Joining Sauer will be Brian Hogan, whose career save percentage in 85 games for the Lincoln Stars (USHL) is .902. He put up better numbers in 2005-06 (.916) than he did last season (.889).

Also along for the Michigan ride is Shawn Hunwick, the younger brother of last year’s captain, Matt — and he looks just like him. Last year with the Alpena IceDiggers (NAHL), Hunwick’s save percentage was .904 (3.06 GAA).

All the Way Home

Everyone is calling for Michigan to have a “rebuilding” season. The Wolverines are fourth in both the CCHA’s preseason coaches and media polls — I have them third — but no one should underestimate Michigan in this or any season.

“I like the incoming freshmen from what I know of them and what I’ve seen,” said Berenson. “We’ve got a long season … a tough schedule.”

Lots of freshmen, tough schedule, sure, but my money’s on Berenson and his 23 years behind the Michigan bench. Before it’s all over, I may regret my third-place pick of this year’s Wolverines.

2007-08 Ohio State Season Preview

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In 2006-07, there were two words to describe the Ohio State Buckeyes:

1. Average.

The Buckeyes finished seventh in the CCHA with a record of 12-12-4, were a hair below .500 overall, had team stats that ranged anywhere from third to eighth in conference play, and scored as many goals as they allowed overall (120).

2. Injured.

While there weren’t as many sustained injuries as there had been in the previous two seasons, OSU spent half of 2006-07 without Tom Fritsche.

After improving to just seventh from 10th — two years after making the NCAA tournament — and losing a first-round home CCHA playoff series, the summer of 2007 was, as head coach John Markell put it, “an offseason where we had to do some work.”

“We had issues that needed to be taken care of,” said Markell. “It was a tough year with young goaltending and the loss of Fritsche and obviously some injuries.

“Then we thought we could go a little further in the playoffs than we did, that’s for sure.”

The loss in three games in the first round to visiting Northern Michigan — in the old OSU Ice Arena, not the shiny Schottenstein Center — is something that will sit with the Buckeyes for the entire season to come.

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For fans of Buckeye hockey, 2006-07 was an interesting season. First, Ohio State was forced to start freshman goaltender Joseph Palmer after junior and would-be starter Ian Keserich bolted just before the beginning of the season.

Then Fritsche, who led the Buckeyes in scoring his freshman and sophomore seasons, played just 19 games after sitting out the first half of the season severe ulcerative colitis, diagnosed during the summer of 2006.

On top of that, the coaching staff changed the way the team played after OSU did everything but score goals for its 10th-place finish in 2005-06. The changes didn’t work and early in the campaign Markell and his staff had to undo all the work they’d done over the summer.

“We weren’t scoring goals and we tried to change our systems a little bit,” said Markell. “It was a little bit of a risk that we took as coaches and it I have to say that it didn’t work out.”

It took OSU nearly half a season to adjust to the transition game to which the coaching staff had returned, but the Buckeyes had a better second half because of it.

Red Light, Green Light

Tom Fritsche (here playing for the U.S. against Finland at an evaluation camp) was among the Buckeyes missing time to injury last season (photo: Melissa Wade).

Tom Fritsche (here playing for the U.S. against Finland at an evaluation camp) was among the Buckeyes missing time to injury last season (photo: Melissa Wade).

When the transition game, goal scoring, and defense were finally settled for OSU last year, goaltending remained inconsistent. Last year, Joseph Palmer worked hard to bring his save percentage up to .890. This year, having experienced World Junior action, Palmer will improve even further, said associate head coach Casey Jones.

“He made good progress last year as a freshman,” said Jones, “and we expect a big jump in his play this year.”

Pushing Palmer will be fellow sophomore sophomore Nick Filion (.847 SV%) and rookie Dustin Carlson, a 21-year-old freshman who played 46 games with the Alexandria Blizzard (NAHL), where he posted a .917 save percentage and 2.80 goals-against average.

In recent years, the Buckeyes have recruited young, true freshmen, but for this season OSU is bringing in a few players, like Carlson, who are more seasoned. “We’ve gone with older kids and younger kids — a good mix. These older guys come with experience, strength.”

This year, the Bucks bring in 14 newcomers. Among them are three players from the greater Columbus area: Todd Rudasill of Powell, Patrick Schafer of Hilliard, and Markell’s son, Ryan. Other new Ohio natives are John Albert (Concord) and Chris Reed (Solon). Schafer, a forward, had 20 goals with the Omaha Lancers (USHL) last year.

Ryan Markell, also a forward, had 18 goals with the Trenton Sting (OPJHL), and Reed, a defenseman, had four goals with the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets.

The Buckeyes will carry the maximum of 30 players on their roster, a hedge against the injuries that have plagued OSU for several years.

All the Way Home

In all, there will be nine native Ohioans on the OSU’s roster this year, the most during Markell’s tenure.

“I’m excited about … the kids from Ohio,” said Markell. “They all went away and improved their games and they came back and they have a passion to play for Ohio State University, and that’s where it is. That’s five [freshmen] that want to put the sweater on for Ohio State.”

The Buckeyes may be a team that can sneak in under the radar this season, if they get the consistency they crave. “There’s no mystery to it,” said Markell. “You have to stay healthy, and your goaltending has to be there.”

Added Jones, “We’ll try to be the same type of team we’ve always been in the CCHA: a hard-working team, tough to play against, and we’ll play within ourselves.”

2007-08 Ferris State Season Preview

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What two things immediately come to mind when you think of the Ferris State Bulldogs?

1. They play a rather, um, tough brand of hockey.

Ferris State was the third most-penalized team in CCHA play last season with 18.71 minutes per game, and the 13th most-penalized team in the NCAA.

2. The Bulldogs don’t really score any goals.

FSU was tied for eighth in team offense in CCHA play, and the Bulldog power play was seventh-best in the conference.

Does anyone else see a pattern here?

If Ferris State wants to compete for home ice, wants to crack the top tier of the CCHA ever again, then the Bulldogs have to play more disciplined hockey.

Their reputation for genuine toughness is well-deserved and well-earned; they play a hard, physical brand of hockey that often forces opponents to change strategies. When they take the body and play disciplined hockey, they can play with anyone, as evidenced by their record last February.

The Bulldogs went 6-2-0 in the month of February, a month in which they swept Ohio State and split with Michigan State and Notre Dame, three teams ahead of them in the standings. The games with the Buckeyes were predictably, um, testy, but key to the wins against the Spartans and Irish were the number of penalties taken, just eight minutes in each contest.

Head coach Bob Daniels said that the Bulldogs would “like to build on” that hot run. “We felt we had a real good finish to the season.”

Follow the Leader

Head coach Bob Daniels will rely on his defense to anchor the Bulldogs (photo: Melissa Wade).

Head coach Bob Daniels will rely on his defense to anchor the Bulldogs (photo: Melissa Wade).

One way to do that would be to follow the steady presence of the first three-year captain the history of Bulldog hockey, senior defenseman Adam Welch. FSU lost two defenseman to graduation, but Daniels thinks that the blue line is the strength of this year’s team.

“I would say we’re probably in the top four in the league, top 10 in the country in terms of defensive corps,” said Daniels. “We are real deep in that position. We have a couple newcomers [but] we are very comfortable on defense.”

Seniors Jim Jorgensen and Alex Spezia and junior Chris Zarb bring experience to the group.

Red Light, Green Light

The last line of defense is up for grabs for FSU this season, as the ‘Dogs bring to Big Rapids an anticipated rookie goaltender.

Pat Nagle helped the St. Louis Bandits win the North American Hockey League’s Robertson Cup this past May, making 27 saves in the 8-4 win over the Mahoning Valley Phantoms. His performance earned him a spot on the all-tournament team. Nagle posted a .920 save percentage with a 2.32 goals-against average for 2006-07 with St. Louis.

Nagle joins junior Mitch O’Keefe, who struggled last season after a solid rookie year (.905 SV% 2005-06) and senior Derek MacIntyre, who was 7-3-0 last season with a .889 save percentage.

Daniels said that the Bulldogs have “high hopes” for the goaltending this year. “We are hoping some increased competition in that area will lead us to realize a little more consistency in that position.”

All the Way Home

As optimistic as Daniels is about the defensive end of his team’s game, he’s realistic about the prospect of scoring goals.

“Up front is the real question mark,” said Daniels. “We’ve got some players with potential, but that’s what it’s been and they need to realize that potential now.

“We’ve got some opportunities there with Adam Miller, Aaron Lewicki, Cody Chupp, Brendan Connolly. I think they all have ability to be the scorers in this league, but now it’s a matter of doing that.”

Ouch. Nothing like being called out by your coach. Miller, Lewicki, Chupp, Connolly accounted for 37 of 107 goals last season. Apparently, Daniels thinks these young men can do more, and with Mark Bomersback, Zac Pearson and Matt Verdone gone, every Bulldog forward will have to do more.

(And you all remember how Verdone responded last season when called out in these very pages, by this very reporter, don’t you?)

The Bulldogs will likely jockey for position mid-pack with one or more of their clustermates, but they will never be an easy pass for any team this season. They just never are.

2007-08 Lake Superior State Season Preview

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If the 2006-07 Lake Superior State Lakers could be defined by just two things, they would be these:

1. Jeff Jakaitis.

The senior goaltender finished the season with the 19th-best goals-against average in the NCAA (2.31), but the second-best save percentage (.931).

2. Injuries.

The Lakers were so beaten up by the end of the season that they had just 19 skaters. And as recently as August, injury claimed another Laker, sophomore defenseman Ryan Baird, who announced that he was leaving hockey permanently because of a shoulder injury suffered in 2005-06.

Roque is sticking to a 25-man roster to “keep players competing for positions.” Roque’s also counting on a midseason break — with no holiday tournaments — for any necessary early recuperation.

Losing one of the top goaltenders in the country and overcoming a plague of injuries. If any coach can face adversity and persevere, it’s LSSU head coach Jim Roque.

Follow the Leader

In his first year, Roque overcame the aftermath of Frank Anzalone and the vast CCHA officiating conspiracy (I’m joking, Laker fans — at least about the latter) to provide some much-needed stability for Laker hockey.

Last year, Roque continued to build a never-say-die work ethic in Sault Ste. Marie that rivals any in the league.

Jim Roque will hope the injury bug doesn't bite the Lakers again this season.

Jim Roque will hope the injury bug doesn’t bite the Lakers again this season.

This season, Roque is optimistic about LSSU’s potential in spite of — or maybe because of — the cluster the Lakers have drawn. This season, Lake State plays both Michigan and Michigan State four times each.

“Our goal is just to improve on last year. I think if we can just continue to build every year to get better and better and better I think good things will happen. The goals never change — we want to get to Joe Louis. It just starts with working hard everyday and hopefully good things will work out at the end of the year.”

Red Light, Green Light

The loss of Jakaitis is large, but the Lakers still have sophomore Pat Inglis, who went 5-3-0 last year with a .908 save percentage and 2.89 goals-against average.

In addition, LSSU brings in a drafted goaltender, Brian Mahoney-Wilson, a ninth-round pick of the San Jose Sharks — in 2004. Mahoney-Wilson spent half of 2005-06 out with an injury, but had a .905 save percentage (3.23 GAA) in 24 decisions with the Newmarket Hurricanes (OPJHL) in 2006-07.

And Mahoney-Wilson is from a college hockey family. His father and two uncles played for Providence.

Said Roque, “We’ve been blessed at Lake State with great goaltending for a lot of years and I expect that to continue.

In addition to replacing a world-class netminder, the Lakers lost defenseman Derek A. Smith to professional hockey (Ottawa), and with Smith went 10 goals. LSSU is not, however, bereft in the goal-scoring department, the way it was two seasons ago. The Lakers’ talented sophomore class includes Nathan Perkovich, who netted 15 last season. Also returning are junior Josh Sim (15-11–26) and sophomore Pat Aubry, who had just three goals last season but showed much promise.

All the Way Home

Drawing MSU and UM might be something that some coaches dread, but not Roque.

“We’re excited about our cluster,” said Roque. “The last 11 or 12 years, we’ve had a deal with Joe Louis to play a home game here. This season we’ll have Michigan and Michigan State and Northern Michigan in our building. Our season tickets have more than doubled from last season — so a lot of people are excited about getting some good opponents in our rink.

Some folks around the league don’t realize how important it is for programs from smaller schools to host big-name draws. This cluster would be intimidating for any team, but that Roque sees the best of all positives in it reveals much about the character of this coach.

“The only other issue I’ve got is we have one senior on scholarship so we’re a little young,” said Roque. “I’m just hoping for some leadership to emerge over the first three weeks and the next couple of months to really solidify our team.”

2007-08 Western Michigan Season Preview

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There are two things about the Western Michigan Broncos that don’t immediately come to mind, but should:

1. The Broncos are smart.

The team’s grade-point average for last year was 3.30.

2. The Broncos had a good season.

Western Michigan had 10 wins in the second half of the season, including splits with Miami and Notre Dame, and a two-game sweep of eventual national champion Michigan State — all teams ahead of the Broncs in the standings.

First things first.

“We had a great off-season at Western Michigan,” said head coach Jim Culhane. “I thought our players did a great job in the weight room improving on their athleticism and their strength.

“In addition to that, I’m very proud that we did a great job last semester and last year in the classroom with a roster of 27 student-athletes. I think at times we can put this on the back burner, but our team grade-point average was a 3.30 with three guys with 4.0, and graduating five student-athletes on time where these young men are competing over four years and not redshirting like some of the other intercollegiate sports at the Division I level and guys walking out with their degrees in four years.”

With all that brainpower, then, it’s no surprise that Western Michigan learned from its first-half mistakes and posted such great numbers down the stretch … until, that is, the Broncos ran into Alaska in their own building in the first round of the CCHA playoffs.

And that little series is probably the reason why few folks remember that WMU had a great 2006-07 season.

“We were pleased about our year last year,” said Culhane. “We had a strong second half [but give] all the credit to Alaska in the first round of playoffs. Give them high marks and full regard.”

After earning home ice in the first round, the Broncos saw their season end in three games to the visiting Nanooks, who beat them in overtime the first night and by a goal (and an empty-netter) the third.

“You learn from your experiences,” said Culhane. “We battled so hard to have home ice [that] we’re left collectively with that as a program.”

Follow the Leader

Perhaps the smartest of the Bronco bunch is Culhane himself, who refused to single out any incoming freshman as someone to watch.

“I’m going to give you the standard coach’s answer here: we’ve got some good, young talented kids coming in, but they’re young. I don’t like to put a lot of pressure on these kids; it’s their biggest step in hockey, going from junior to college.

Jim Culhane's Broncos will be motivated by an upset loss in last season's CCHA playoffs.

Jim Culhane’s Broncos will be motivated by an upset loss in last season’s CCHA playoffs.

“I expect them all to contribute. They’ve got some skill there.”

Now that’s the kind of diplomacy that keeps you employed. Culhane knows that players read their own press.

Culhane did reveal a little about his team overall. “I really like our chemistry. We’ve got a great group. Our willingness, our attention to detail … for us, we have to be a solid team to compete.”

The veteran talent upon which Culhane and the Broncos will rely includes a few guys who can score goals — the Broncos never seem to have a problem scoring goals — and a sophomore netminder who appears to be the real deal.

“Up front, looking at key contributors in the upcoming season, Jeff LoVecchio, Jeff Pierce, Brian Bicek, I think will be key contributors for us,” said Culhane. “Someone we expect to have a real big year for us is Patrick Galivan with some sprinkling in from our freshman class with a couple guys that were drafted this past June in Max Campbell, a Ranger draft, and Ryan Watson, who was a Florida draft.

“On the blue line, I feel we have some depth there with senior Nathan Ansell, Jonathan Lupa, a couple of juniors in Steve Silver and Chris Frank and sophomore Tyler Ludwig,” said Culhane.

Without singling anybody out, Campbell had 46 goals in 46 games for the Strathroy Raiders last season. He was the Ontario Hockey Association Junior B Player of the Year and was drafted in the fifth round by New York.

Sophomore Riley Gill will be joined by Jerry Kuhn of the Sioux City Musketeers (USHL). Last year, Kuhn had a .921 save percentage and a 2.67 goals-against average in 49 games played.

Of course, the Broncos said goodbye to last year’s CCHA Rookie of the Year and their leading scorer, Mark Letestu. They’ll miss his 24 goals, but perhaps that’s all they’ll miss of him.

All the Way Home

Last year, the Broncos returned to their winning ways at home in the fearsome Lawson Arena (12-8-0), that final series notwithstanding.

Of course, it’s that final series that WMU remembers most.

“We had a great off-season,” said Culhane. “Everybody stayed. It was great. They pushed themselves really hard in the spring and the summer to improve on their athleticism and strength and conditioning.

“We’ve got a real lunch-pail approach to what we do.”

2007-08 Michigan State Season Preview

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While every team in the league taught us something during the 2006-07 season, Michigan State showed us two universal truths:

1. Rick Comley is psychic.

“I think in our locker room, we believe in what’s there. We believe that we have the opportunity to be a good team, we believe that if we go through the process properly and if we do everything it takes to be a good team by the end of the year, then we’ll be rewarded.”

So said Comley at the beginning of the 2006-07 season.

2. I am psychic.

“Before the early departure of Spartan captain Drew Miller, I would have put money (were I a betting woman) on Michigan State in the 2007 NCAA title game. And I’m still not convinced they won’t get there.”

So said I, at the beginning of the 2006-07 season.

Why didn’t I go to Vegas?

No, this isn’t an I-told-you-so moment, because very few CCHA and MSU fans took for granted what transpired in St. Louis. After all, the Spartans took a brief detour to end their regular season, finished fourth in the league standings, and lost their CCHA semifinal game.

So, what else have we learned? Chemistry may be the most important, intangible, unteachable thing a championship team needs.

Follow the Leader

Anyone who spent 30 seconds with last year’s Spartan captain, Chris Lawrence, could see why he made such a great leader. For one thing, Lawrence never took for granted his college hockey experience.

At the press conference following MSU’s defeat of Boston College, Lawrence did something I’d never seen a winning captain do: he hoisted the trophy up and plopped it onto the table for all to see. Then he told the story of how he bawled his eyes out that morning, realizing that this was to be the last game of hockey he’d play at this high a level.

Then he told us that his teammates gave him grief for the tears.

It was typical Michigan State hockey, and no question an attitude that filters down from above.

Tim Kennedy is Michigan State's top returning scorer (photo: Melissa Wade).

Tim Kennedy is Michigan State’s top returning scorer (photo: Melissa Wade).

It’s Comley who is more relaxed in his approach these days, reveling in the resources a Big Ten school has to offer, sharing the joy of the birth of his granddaughter with the college hockey community, smiling readily, speaking confidently. Comley was never high-maintenance and he remains fiercely competitive, but the ease and security that have come with a certain age (that would be 29, for those of you keeping track at home) wear well on Comley, and this self-possession tempers the whole, unpretentious Spartan program.

That’s no easy feat at a school like Michigan State, and one of the reasons why many of us had psychic inklings when Comley took the helm.

Red Light, Green Light

The Spartans return every eligible player from last season but one. Although would-be senior Jim McKenzie signed with Ottawa, returning such a talented group from last year’s title team gives MSU every chance to contend for a conference championship and perhaps do more postseason damage.

The Spartans’ best and most underrated weapon is junior goaltender Jeff Lerg, whose .913 overall save percentage may not have compared, on paper, to the likes of the Hockey East giants he toppled in the NCAA tournament, but whose .949 postseason save percentage spoke volumes. Lerg is good goaltender who rises to heights of tournament greatness, and for a guy dismissed for his height, he doesn’t carry a hint of Napoleonic attitude.

Lerg’s cousin, senior Bryan, returns as the team’s leading goal-scorer, and every Spartan but McKenzie who produced goals in the double digits last season returns for another go.

Defensemen Tyler Howells and Chris Snavely are done with their collegiate careers, but the Spartans bring 19-year-old Jeff Petry to the blue line. Petry had 18 goals for the Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL) in 48 games last season. A second-round pick by the Edmonton Oilers in 2006, Petry is the son of former major-league pitcher Dan Petry, who won a World Series with Detroit in 1984 … three years before his Spartan son was born.

Comley made the comment that this year’s Miami RedHawks are a team made for this season, but there can be no other team better poised for success than this year’s Spartans.

“I think it’s going to be a fun year,” said Comley.

Home Free

And it’s a good thing, too. At a school like Michigan State, the only good follow-up to a national championship is another one — or at least another run at one.

“I do like my returning team,” said Comley, “but we have a lot to prove, as you do every year.”

It’s Comley who has been preaching the parity in the CCHA for years, and his vigilance may pay off with a team that knows it won a national championship, but also knows what it had to do to get there.

“We enjoyed winning, we’re confident, we believe in ourselves, but if we don’t play hard, we can lose to anyone on any given night,” said Comley, whose Spartans went 3-4-2 in February of last year to end the regular season.

“I know what the chart says, but I just think it’s going to be a heck of a year,” said Comley. “You better play well every night, or you’re going to lose hockey games.”

2007-08 CCHA Season Preview

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The 2007-2008 CCHA: The Kids Are All Right

Our fourth-place team can beat your anyplace team.

So there. Phthhhhht!

Thanks to the sweet, improbable postseason juggernaut that was the 2006-07 Michigan State Spartans, CCHA fans can now in all good conscience make that claim, loudly and often … at least for another 185 or so days.

Why not? With their 3-1 win over the highly-favored Boston College Eagles, the Spartans brought a national championship back to the beleaguered CCHA for the first time since Michigan won in 1998, and broke the WCHA’s five-year stranglehold on the NCAA title.

MSU head coach Rick Comley with netminder Jeff Lerg at the Frozen Four (photo: Melissa Wade).

MSU head coach Rick Comley with netminder Jeff Lerg at the Frozen Four (photo: Melissa Wade).

“The thing I’m most proud of is that we played our game,” said Spartan head coach Rick Comley. “We beat people who had more tools than we did, and we beat teams with different styles.”

And the case can be made that the Spartans gained the valuable experience they needed for that title run right in their own backyard, at home in the CCHA.

During the 2006-07 regular season, the Spartans lost at least once each to Bowling Green, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Western Michigan, tied Nebraska-Omaha and Ferris State, took two one-goal games from Northern Michigan and Alaska, and one one-goal contest from Lake Superior State — and needed overtime for the Lakers and one of the meetings with the Nanooks.

MSU went 3-4-2 against league opponents in February to end the regular season and lost 5-2 to Michigan in the CCHA semifinals before the five-game run to the NCAA title that started with a win over Lake Superior in the CCHA third-place game.

The CCHA has long preached the power of parity, and no one has beaten that drum louder than Comley. At the start of the 2006-07 campaign, Comley said, “There’s not a building that we go in, or a team that comes into our building that you don’t have to fight for your life.”

This year, with the most recent national championship to his credit and the rest of last season’s results to back him up, Comley’s rhetoric rings truer than it ever has. “I think you could take that [CCHA preseason] poll and turn it sideways because from what I’ve seen, every game is a one-goal game and you have no idea who’s going to win on a given night.”

Just ask Jerry York. Or Tim Whitehead. Or Jeff Jackson. Or Jack Parker.

Including MSU’s 4-0 record en route to the championship, the CCHA went 6-2 in the NCAA tournament last year, a welcome turnaround from the league’s past three postseason showings, during which the CCHA won just three NCAA tourney games. In 2005-06, the Spartans were the only one of four CCHA representatives to win an NCAA tournament contest, when the league went 1-4 in postseason. In 2004-05, with just two teams in the tourney, the CCHA was 1-2; with five representatives in 2003-04, it was 1-5.

National championships bring more than just bragging rights to a given league. Because of MSU’s win, the CCHA gains a legitimacy it’s been lacking for several seasons. Because of MSU’s win, every team in the CCHA has one new pitch for recruiting. Because of MSU’s win, every single team that played the Spartans so tightly at least once last season has a little more confidence — and that’s every single team in the CCHA.

And because of MSU’s win every team in the league knows just how hard it has to work to win a national championship, including the defending national champions themselves.

The Merry-Go-Round

In spite of Notre Dame’s regular-season title and Mason Cup victory, and even though Miami has established itself as a steady presence near the top of the league standings, the CCHA is defined by its three tiers of citizenship: three or four teams at the top always including MSU and Michigan; six or so teams who will finish mere points apart in the middle and who all jockey for home ice; two clubs destined for league wins in the single digits.

In that respect, nothing changes this year.

Ryan Jones scored 29 goals for Miami last season (photo: Melissa Wade).

Ryan Jones scored 29 goals for Miami last season (photo: Melissa Wade).

The Spartans have returned to prominence and although nearly everyone picked Michigan to finish below one of the top two spots, we all know that the Wolverines will be in the hunt. MSU, UM, Notre Dame, Miami … that leaves eight teams to wrestle for the rest, and realistically six teams to spin the wheel for Nos. 5 through 8 — or Nos. 3 through 8, if two of the projected top four find themselves among the mere mortals because of injuries or sketchy goaltending.

That is not to say, however, that top-tier status will be easy to maintain.

One of Ferris State’s 10 league wins came at the expense of Notre Dame with the nearly unstoppable David Brown in net for the Irish. Sure, the Irish lost once in-season to the Spartans and once to the respectable Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks, but without their Hobey Baker finalist’s .931 save percentage this year, two or three more league losses could make the difference between two weeks of playoffs and a first-round bye.

Miami is primed to have a dream season, but last year the second-place RedHawks took just one point in two games from 11th-place Alaska in Fairbanks.

Michigan — which struggled with goaltending all season but could score seemingly at will — lost six games in once-impenetrable Yost Arena and found itself congratulating last-place Bowling Green.

And we know about the Spartans.

Keep Away

What makes the league so exciting this year is the goaltending watch. Only three teams return goaltenders who had genuinely competitive league save percentages a year ago: Miami, Michigan State, and Western Michigan. Three others — Alaska, Michigan, Nebraska-Omaha — return goalies who were at times adequate.

Everyone else begins the season with an enormous question mark between the pipes. For some — Ohio State, Bowling Green — the question is whether their go-to men can improve enough to be more competitive. For others — Notre Dame, Lake Superior State — the question is one of replacing world-class netminding.

And for many teams, goaltending is often compounded by struggling defense. This has been the mark of many of the lower CCHA squads in the past several seasons, as most teams have figured out how to put together a competitive offense.

You’re It!

Michigan State’s NCAA title taught us one more very important lesson, the value of leadership. Before the tournament, no one — not even many among the CCHA faithful — knew who Chris Lawrence was or gave the Spartan fourth-liner and captain much thought. But Lawrence’s intangible qualities became mightily apparent down the stretch, and now no one can question the single-goal scorer’s contribution to the MSU championship last year.

Every team is looking for chemical magic, and each in surprisingly different ways. The Lakers, a team beaten down bodily but not spiritually last season, finished 2006-07 with just 19 skaters, and head coach Jim Roque is keeping his squad small this year for reasons that have as much to do with the locker room as any. The Buckeyes, too, were plagued by injuries last year, but head coach John Markell is carrying as many as 30 skaters this season, a roster that boasts nine native Ohioans, players who — as Markell likes to posit — will “play for the crest on their sweaters.”

For any of the six teams not from Michigan, recruiting locally can be difficult. This year, five Nanooks proudly hail from the state of Alaska.

In all, this year’s CCHA looks like it has a realistic chance to build on accomplishments from recent seasons, and not just those on the national level. While every coach and every team sets its sights on the NCAA tournament, the play within the league for the past two years has been first-rate, and that gives every fan something to cheer about.

What Michigan State, Miami, and Notre Dame may have shown us last year, however, is that the elevated play within the league may be translating into something even more exciting.

Maybe.

Here’s a look at each team, in my predicted order of finish. Individual team previews can be accessed by clicking on each team’s name. As always, my No. 1 pick is probably the kiss of death. My apologies in advance to the national champs, the city of East Lansing, and the whole state of Michigan.

1. Michigan State

Head coach: Rick Comley
2006-07 record: 26-13-3, 15-10-3 CCHA
2006-07 CCHA finish: fourth; defending NCAA champions
2007-08 predicted ceiling/basement: first/fourth
Ready to play: The Spartans return five of their six top goal scorers and the core of an entire championship team. “Well, another year and I think we’re all excited about it,” said Comley. “I think it’s going to be a fun year.” And what can be more fun than defending your title, with most of the kids you had in April?

2. Miami

Head coach: Enrico Blasi
2006-07 record: 24-14-4, 16-8-4 CCHA
2006-07 CCHA finish: third
2007-08 predicted ceiling/basement: first/fourth
Ready to play: Miami, too, returns a loaded team, including a goaltending tandem that arguably is the best in college hockey. “We’re going to continue to focus on our daily improvement and worry about the things that we can control,” said Blasi. That is the team’s mantra, handed down by Blasi and embraced by every single person associated with RedHawk hockey. Obviously, it works.

Kevin Porter is Michigan's top returning scorer on a team with an unaccustomed number of youngsters (photo: Ray Bartnikowski).

Kevin Porter is Michigan’s top returning scorer on a team with an unaccustomed number of youngsters (photo: Ray Bartnikowski).

3. Michigan

Head coach: Red Berenson
2006-07 record: 26-14-1, 18-9-1 CCHA
2006-07 CCHA finish: second
2007-08 predicted ceiling/basement: first/fourth
Ready to play: The Wolverines are fielding the largest rookie class in Berenson’s tenure, but since when is that a worry at Michigan? “This will be a big year for Michigan in terms of a challenge,” said Berenson, but it could be a big year for Michigan if the Wolverines are steady in net. Even though the cast of characters has changed a bit, the ability to score goals hasn’t.

4. Notre Dame

Head coach: Jeff Jackson
2006-07 record: 32-7-3, 24-4-3 CCHA
2006-07 CCHA finish: first
2007-08 predicted ceiling/basement: first/sixth
Ready to play: Now that the Irish have shown the world what they can do, the honeymoon will be over in South Bend. At a school with the athletic traditions of Notre Dame, the only way to go is up. “I would like to think we are going to have a great season this year,” said Jackson, “and hopefully consistency will be part of building this program into something special.” And what’s good for the Irish is good for the CCHA.

5. Nebraska-Omaha

Head coach: Mike Kemp
2006-07 record: 18-16-8, 13-11-4 CCHA
2006-07 CCHA finish: fifth
2007-08 predicted ceiling/basement: fourth/sixth
Ready to play: The Mavericks have lost some impressive firepower and experienced yet more turnover among the coaching staff, but Kemp and UNO have proven that if they have the potent combination of goaltending and chemistry, the Mavericks are a team that can do nearly anything. Said Kemp, “We have some big shoes to fill in our program losing Scott Parse, who was our four-time team MVP, three-time First Team All-CCHA selection, and holder of every scoring record in our school’s history.” Maybe so, but UNO has a lot of history yet to write.

6. Ohio State

Head coach: John Markell
2006-07 record: 15-17-5, 12-12-4 CCHA
2006-07 CCHA finish: seventh
2007-08 predicted ceiling/basement: fourth/eighth
Ready to play: With 14 rookies, this Ohio State team can fly completely under the radar with few expectations. “We want that youthful energy right now,” said Markell. “Yeah, they’re going to make mistakes. They’re scared in a good way.” Are Buckeye fans scared in a good way? There’s more to this team than a large freshman class.

7. Western Michigan

Head coach: Jim Culhane
2006-07 record: 18-18-1, 14-13-1 CCHA
2006-07 CCHA finish: sixth
2007-08 predicted ceiling/basement: fourth/eighth
Ready to play: In spite of the strides the WMU program seemed to take last season, the year ended on a down note when the Broncos lost their first-round playoff series to Alaska, two games to one. “You learn from your experiences,” said Culhane. “We battled so hard to have home ice [that] we’re left collectively with that as a program.” The early departure of the league’s Rookie of the Year is another blow, but what remains is more than solid.

8. Ferris State

Head coach: Bob Daniels
2006-07 record: 14-22-3, 10-16-2 CCHA
2006-07 CCHA finish: ninth
2007-08 predicted ceiling/basement: sixth/10th
Ready to play: This season, Ferris State is all about realizing potential. The second half of 2006-07 was good for the Bulldogs, who want to build on that momentum and find consistency in every position. Said Daniels, “Up front is the real question,” but defensively FSU needs more solidarity as well. With a highly-touted incoming freshman goalie, however, the Bulldogs may realize more than expected.

9. Lake Superior State

Head coach: Jim Roque
2006-07 record: 21-19-3, 11-14-3 CCHA
2006-07 CCHA finish: eighth
2007-08 predicted ceiling/basement: sixth/10th
Ready to play: There’s no question that the Lakers are one of the hardest-working teams in the CCHA, but how will their efforts translate without Jeff Jakaitis in net? “We’ve been blessed at Lake State with great goaltending for a lot of years,” said Roque, “and I expect that to continue.” But as with any team, goaltending only goes so far. Last year, even with the goaltender who had the second-best save percentage in the nation, the Lakers finished eighth in the league with the 11th-place offense.

10. Northern Michigan

Head coach: Walt Kyle
2006-07 record: 15-24-2, 10-17-1 CCHA
2006-07 CCHA finish: 10th
2007-08 predicted ceiling/basement: sixth/10th
Ready to play: The enigmatic Wildcats will continue to look for improvement this season in the same areas they addressed last year. NMU’s roster includes just eight juniors and seniors. Said Kyle, “We have a group of upperclassmen … who are really unproven, haven’t done a lot in their career, but we feel very comfortable with them.” With a young team, some promising goaltending, and a good work ethic, the Wildcats are another squad that may exceed expectations.

11. Bowling Green

Head coach: Scott Paluch
2006-07 record: 7-29-2, 5-22-1 CCHA
2006-07 CCHA finish: 12th
2007-08 predicted ceiling/basement: eighth/12th
Ready to play: With just five league wins last season and 13 for the past two campaigns, the Falcons are well aware of their cellar-dwelling status. This is a team that needs statistical improvement in every area; there can be no more moral victories for BGSU. “We put ourselves in that situation, and now it’s our responsibility to get us out,” said Paluch. From the net on out, there’s nothing left to do but improve — and soon.

12. Alaska

Head coach: Doc DelCastillo
2006-07 record: 11-22-6, 7-16-5 CCHA
2006-07 CCHA finish: 11th
2007-08 predicted ceiling/basement: eighth/12th
Ready to play: Everyone knows that Alaska has talent, but it is, as always, consistency that is an issue for the Nanooks. A new head coach can bring much-needed freshness to any program, but that would imply that the departed coach, Tavis MacMillan, was problematic — and he wasn’t. “It’s kind of a transition time for myself and a transition time for the team,” said DelCastillo, who comes to Fairbanks with a solid pedigree.

2007-08 WCHA Season Preview

By
-

As much as teams hate them, it seems like they’re going to have to get used to them.

Early departures.

“We lost another dozen players during the offseason to the National Hockey League,” said Doug Spencer, the WCHA’s associate commissioner for public relations. “Over the last two years, over 30 underclassmen have left early.”

This means, of course, that once again, the league is extremely young — 58% of players this year are freshmen and sophomores.

“The early signings are really becoming a concern; we didn’t quite know what was going to happen after the [NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement],” agreed league commissioner Bruce McLeod. “It’s some things that have changed in the American League … it’s not just one thing that has caused this phenomenon for us.”

North Dakota's T.J. Oshie is one underclassman who didn't take the NHL bait during the offseason (photo: Melissa Wade).

North Dakota’s T.J. Oshie is one underclassman who didn’t take the NHL bait during the offseason (photo: Melissa Wade).

As a result, coaches have had to shift their recruiting tactics to keep up.

“It certainly makes our jobs more difficult,” said Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves. “We have to ask ourselves, the question is, ‘Is this young man a one-year, two-year, three-year, four-year player,’ and you’ve got to have that high-level player in your system in order to give yourself a chance to win.

“But it is the world in which we live so we have to have plan A, B and C laid out there in case these young people go.”

Expansion and the Future of College Hockey

Though the WCHA confirmed its moratorium on expansion in early May, much of the talk was nevertheless about expansion — especially given the recent news of Wayne State dropping its program.

“I think all of the coaches would tell you to a person that we want to see college hockey grow and what’s best for college hockey,” said Minnesota State University head coach Troy Jutting, “but we kind of have to let the people that are in the position to make those decisions make those decisions.”

The question of Bemidji State, a constant query for the league, did come up as well, given that the Beavers are one of the four remaining CHA teams.

“Bemidji’s had hockey for an awfully long time and we obviously have a good league and there’s going to be a lot of questions asked,” said Minnesota head coach Don Lucia. “The more people you let into a league, the less people are in other people’s buildings and I know people get upset about that.

“I think we still have to look and try to maintain the schools that we have, but also I think we have to try to find a way to maintain that sixth conference some way, somehow.

However, he added that, “it’s too early and there’s too much dialogue to be talked about to even go down that path.”

Filling the Holes

While the question for many teams last year was how to replace scoring, several teams have their question marks in arguably the biggest areas: defense and goaltending.

The WCHA saw seven starting goaltenders leave, six to graduation. The goaltender departure that will arguably hurt the most is Bobby Goepfert’s graduation from St. Cloud State.

“I think we’re probably one of the teams in the league that’s set with the most unknowns right now, especially for the defensive side, losing that goaltender and we’ve got one goalie coming back that’s played all of six games, another redshirt and a new freshman in there,” said SCSU coach Bob Motzko. “We’re completely turning our D corps over.”

The other departures that may leave their teams struggling in net early on are Matt Zaba (Colorado College), Nathan Lawson (Alaska-Anchorage) and, to a lesser extent, Brian Elliott (Wisconsin).

And really, Elliott is only “to a lesser extent” since Wisconsin seems to just reload in net. The situation into which junior Shane Connelly steps is similar to his predecessor.

“We’re in the same position as we were two years ago with Brian after Bernd Br�ckler graduated and nobody knew a thing about Brian Elliott,” said Eaves. “The big question that year was whether Brian could play back to back games and he stepped in and stepped up to the plate.

“Shane Connelly is ready to be that guy. It’s his time now.”

The rest of the teams who lost goaltenders — Denver, Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth — had fairly steady rotations in place and therefore won’t suffer as much.

However, that’s not to say those teams don’t have their own issues.

“On the blue line, that’s going to be the biggest question mark for us, losing Mike Vannelli and losing Erik Johnson, losing Alex Goligoski,” said Lucia, “over 100 points back on the blue line we’re going to have to replace.”

“The big challenge for us will be which guys coming back will assume more responsibility offensively,” said Minnesota-Duluth coach Scott Sandelin.

So, Translation Being …

Once again, it will be a tight race in the WCHA. Last year, two points separated teams from playing at home during the playoffs, and the same number separated third from fifth.

As McLeod said last Wednesday, the only thing anyone can be sure of is that there’s going to be some great hockey.

“With the rise in the number of early signings, I think it clouds the picture for all the prognosticators, but it makes for a really interesting season,” he said. “One thing I do know for sure is that it’s going to be a very, very, very competitive WCHA race and some great, great hockey.

“The teams getting closer and closer all the time, caliber-wise — the differences usually end up being some health issues or chemistry or goaltending.”

That said, it’s basically a crapshoot to predict what will happen. However, I’ll go ahead and take a crack at it. Individual team previews can be accessed by clicking on each team’s name.

North Dakota

Head coach: Dave Hakstol, fourth season overall and at North Dakota (78-45-11)
2006-07 record: 24-14-5 overall, 13-10-5 WCHA (31 points, third of 10 teams)
2006-07 team offense: 3.56 goals per game overall (sixth in NCAA), 3.32 conference (first)
2006-07 team defense: 2.70 goals per game overall (25th), 2.68 conference (seventh)
2006-07 power play: 23.9% overall (third in NCAA), 22.2% conference (second)
2006-07 penalty kill: 82.5% overall (30th), 81.9% conference (fifth)
Key returners: D Robbie Bina, sr. (10-22-32), D Taylor Chorney, jr. (8-23-31), F Ryan Duncan, jr. (31-26-57), G Philippe Lamoureux (21-12-4, 2.42, .913 in 37 appearances), F Brad Miller, jr. (10-14-24), F T.J. Oshie, jr. (17-35-52)
Newcomers to watch: F Matt Frattin (49-34-83 in 58 games for Fort Saskatchewan/AJHL), D Derrick LaPoint (13-36-49 in 59 games for Sioux Falls/USHL), F Evan Trupp (20-30-50 in 35 games for Penticton/BCHL)
Early departures: D Brian Lee (2-24-26), F Jonathan Toews (18-28-46)
Other key losses: F Chris Porter (13-17-30)
2007-08 predicted finish: First
Bottom line: Though the Sioux had some big early departures just like everyone else, they also had some big names stay — including Hobey Baker winner Ryan Duncan. Regardless of whether they have their typical slow start, there aren’t many reasons to bet against North Dakota not only winning the WCHA, but returning to the Frozen Four.

Minnesota will look for even more this season from Kyle Okposo (photo: Melissa Wade).

Minnesota will look for even more this season from Kyle Okposo (photo: Melissa Wade).

Minnesota

Head coach: Don Lucia, 21st season overall (485-261-66), ninth at Minnesota (220-96-29)
2006-07 record: 31-10-3 overall, 18-7-3 WCHA (39 points, first of 10 teams)
2006-07 team offense: 3.66 goals per game overall (third in NCAA), 3.25 conference (second)
2006-07 team defense: 2.30 goals per game overall (eighth), 2.39 conference (third)
2006-07 power play: 20.6% overall (seventh in NCAA), 20.3% conference (fourth)
2006-07 penalty kill: 83.3% overall (tied-24th), 81.5% conference (sixth)
Key returners: F Jay Barriball, so. (20-23-43), G Jeff Frazee, jr. (14-3-1, 2.35, .903 in 20 appearances), F Ben Gordon, sr. (12-19-31), F Kyle Okposo, so. (19-21-40), F Ryan Stoa, jr. (12-12-24), F Blake Wheeler, jr. (18-20-38)
Newcomers to watch: D Cade Fairchild (3-16-19 in 40 games for USNTDP), D Kevin Wehrs (8-32-40 in 57 games for Cedar Rapids/USHL), F Patrick White (18-31-49 in 30 games for Grand Rapids H.S.)
Early departures: D Alex Goligoski (9-30-39), D Erik Johnson (4-20-24), F Jim O’Brien (7-8-15)
Other key losses: G Kellen Briggs (17-7-2, 2.13, .917), D Mike Vannelli (10-29-39)
2007-08 predicted finish: Second
Bottom line: Basically, it’s the Gophers. They don’t rebuild; they reload, and this year should be no different. Lucia may say the question marks are on defense, but he should have his squad fighting for the MacNaughton Cup the whole season.

Denver

Head coach: George Gwozdecky, 22nd season overall (446-314-61), 14th at Denver (297-191-40)
2006-07 record: 21-15-4 overall, 13-11-4 WCHA (28 points, fourth of 10 teams)
2006-07 team offense: 2.67 goals per game overall (40th in NCAA), 2.61 conference (sixth)
2006-07 team defense: 2.38 goals per game overall (10th), 2.61 conference (fifth)
2006-07 power play: 16.3% overall (33rd in NCAA), 15.5% conference (eighth)
2006-07 penalty kill: 83.8% overall (22nd in NCAA), 79.8% conference (eighth)
Key returners: D Chris Butler, jr. (10-17-27), G Peter Mannino, sr. (8-6-2, 2.29, .919 in 18 appearances), F Rhett Rakhshani, so. (10-26-36), F Tyler Ruegsegger, so. (15-19-34), F Brock Trotter, so. (16-24-40)
Newcomers to watch: F Tyler Bozak (45-83-128 in 59 games for Victoria/BCHL), F Anthony Maiani (16-32-48 in 59 games for Sioux City/USHL), F Jesse Martin (19-37-56 in 59 games for Tri-City/USHL), F Kyle Ostrow (26-45-71 in 45 games for Nanaimo/BCHL)
Early departures: F Ryan Dingle (22-15-37), F Geoff Paukovich (8-19-17), D Keith Seabrook (2-11-13)
Other key losses: G Glenn Fisher (13-9-2, 2.32, .919), F/D Adrian Veideman (3-10-13)
2007-08 predicted finish: Third
Bottom line: Almost put Gwozdecky’s squad much lower, but one would have to think that hosting the Frozen Four in their backyard has to give the Pioneers a motivational edge. Plus, last year’s young D corps is a year older, which will help the team immensely.

Michigan Tech

Head coach: Jamie Russell, fifth season overall and at Michigan Tech (41-92-20)
2006-07 record: 18-17-5 overall, 11-12-5 WCHA (27 points, tied-sixth of 10 teams)
2006-07 team offense: 2.25 goals per game overall (53rd in NCAA), 2.46 conference (seventh)
2006-07 team defense: 2.17 goals per game overall (fifth), 2.29 conference (second)
2006-07 power play: 9.3% overall (57th in NCAA), 9.8% conference (tenth)
2006-07 penalty kill: 87.3% overall (fifth), 86.5% conference (first)
Key returners: D Geoff Kinrade, jr. (5-14-19), F Peter Rouleau, sr. (7-23-30), F Tyler Shelast, sr. (15-9-24), G Michael-Lee Teslak, jr. (11-8-3, 2.00, .916 in 22 appearances)
Newcomers to watch: F Jordan Baker (31-19-50 in 43 games for Olds/AJHL), D Deron Cousens (16-35-51 in 75 games for Penticton/BCHL), F Bennett Royer (32-44-76 in 56 games for Calgary/AJHL)
Early departures: None
Other key losses: D Lars Helminen (2-19-21), F Tyler Skworchinski (8-7-15)
2007-08 predicted finish: Fourth
Bottom line: The Huskies could use more offense, but they’re pretty much set defensively and in net. In other words, Michigan Tech’s stock should continue to rise.

Colorado College

Head coach: Scott Owens, ninth season overall and at Colorado College (195-109-24)
2006-07 record: 18-17-4 overall, 13-12-3 WCHA (29 points, fifth of 10 teams)
2006-07 team offense: 2.85 goals per game overall (31st in NCAA), 2.82 conference (fifth)
2006-07 team defense: 2.51 goals per game overall (15th), 2.64 conference (sixth)
2006-07 power play: 22.2% overall (fourth in NCAA), 23.5% conference (first)
2006-07 penalty kill: 87.1% overall (seventh), 85.2% conference (third)
Key returners: F Jimmy Kilpatrick, sr. (7-25-32), F Scott McCulloch, sr. (18-6-24), F Chad Rau, jr. (14-17-31), F Bill Sweatt, so. (9-17-26)
Newcomers to watch: F Tyler Johnson (29-21-50 in 20 games for Cloquet H.S.), G Tyler O’Brien (11-9-2, 2.80, .913 in 22 appearances for St. Paul’s Prep in N.H.), F Stephen Schultz (31-37-68 in 66 games for Lincoln/USHL), D Brett Wysopal (7-17-24 in 66 games for Tri-City/USHL)
Early departures: None
Other key losses: F Brandon Polich (4-15-19), D Lee Sweatt (9-15-24), G Matt Zaba (15-13-4, 2.39, .917)
2007-08 predicted finish: Fifth
Bottom line: CC has a lot of good things going for it and O’Connell should be an adequate replacement for Zaba. However, the closeness of the league will force the Tigers to claw their way into home ice … along with everyone else.

WCHA preseason Rookie of the Year Kyle Turris of Wisconsin meets the media at the NHL's Top Prospects luncheon this summer (photo: Dave Sandford / Getty Images).

WCHA preseason Rookie of the Year Kyle Turris of Wisconsin meets the media at the NHL’s Top Prospects luncheon this summer (photo: Dave Sandford / Getty Images).

Wisconsin

Head coach: Mike Eaves, seventh season overall (116-97-23), sixth at Wisconsin (107-78-23)
2006-07 record: 19-18-4 overall, 12-13-3 WCHA (27 points, t-sixth of 10 teams)
2006-07 team offense: 2.27 goals per game overall (52nd in NCAA), 2.11 conference (tenth)
2006-07 team defense: 2.02 goals per game overall (fourth), 1.89 conference (first)
2006-07 power play: 14.9% overall (44th in NCAA), 16.1% conference (seventh)
2006-07 penalty kill: 86.1% overall (13th), 85.7% conference (second)
Key returners: G Shane Connelly, jr. (4-1-2, 1.11, .952 in seven appearances), F Michael Davies, so. (11-13-24), D Jamie McBain, so. (3-15-18), F Ben Street, jr. (10-7-17)
Newcomers to watch: D Ryan McDonagh (14-26-40 in 26 games for Cretin-Derham Hall), D Brendan Smith (12-36-48 in 39 games for St. Michael’s/OPJHL), F Kyle Turris (66-55-121 in 53 games for Burnaby/BCHL)
Early departures: D Joe Piskula (1-4-5), F Jack Skille (8-10-18)
Other key losses: F Ross Carlson (5-18-23), F Jake Dowell (19-6-25), G Brian Elliott (15-17-2, 2.10, .923), F Andrew Joudrey (9-20-29)
2007-08 predicted finish: Sixth
Bottom line: Shane Connelly will undoubtedly step up in goal for the Badgers; however, the lack of offensive firepower will hurt them more if he doesn’t.

St. Cloud State

Head coach: Bob Motzko, third season overall and at St. Cloud State (44-27-11)
2006-07 record: 22-11-7 overall, 14-7-7 WCHA (28 points, second of 10 teams)
2006-07 team offense: 3.17 goals per game overall (21st in NCAA), 3.18 conference (third)
2006-07 team defense: 2.48 goals per game overall (t-13th), 2.50 conference (fourth)
2006-07 power play: 18.3% overall (21st in NCAA), 18.8% conference (fifth)
2006-07 penalty kill: 80.4% overall (47th), 79.5% conference (tenth)
Key returners: F Nate Dey, sr. (10-22-32), F Ryan Lasch, so. (16-23-39), F Andreas Nodl, so. (18-28-46)
Newcomers to watch: D Brett Barta (8-29-37 in 58 games for Waterloo/USHL), G Dan Dunn (19-4-2, 1.94, .934 in 27 appearances for Wellington/OPJHL), F Tony Mosey (30-50-80 in 38 games for Salmon Arm/BCHL), F Brian Volpel (25-39-94 in 60 games for Salmon Arm/BCHL)
Early departures: F Andrew Gordon (22-23-45)
Other key losses: G Bobby Goepfert (17-10-7, 2.29, .924), F Dan Kronick (14-12-26)
2007-08 predicted finish: Seventh
Bottom line: The team gets some offense back in Nodl, Lasch and Dey, but the loss of Goepfert may prove to be too much to overcome, especially during the stretch run.

Minnesota State

Head coach: Troy Jutting, eighth season overall and at Minnesota State (108-129-34)
2006-07 record: 13-19-6 overall, 10-13-5 WCHA (25 points, eighth of 10 teams)
2006-07 team offense: 2.79 goals per game overall (33rd in NCAA), 2.89 conference (fourth)
2006-07 team defense: 3.47 goals per game overall (48th), 3.54 conference (ninth)
2006-07 power play: 18.2% overall (23rd in NCAA), 20.9% conference (third)
2006-07 penalty kill: 81.5% overall (38th), 79.1% conference (ninth)
Key returners: F Mick Berge, jr. (12-17-19), F Joel Hanson, sr. (15-13-28), F Jon Kalinski, jr. (17-10-27), G Mike Zacharias, jr. (10-9-6, 3.07, .892 in 25 appearances)
Newcomers to watch: D Channing Boe (1-7-8 in 58 games for Green Bay/USHL), D Kurt Davis (8-27-35 in 58 games for Green Bay/USHL), D Ben Youds (10-32-42 in 61 games for Shattuck-St. Mary’s prep school)
Early departures: D Steve Wagner (6-23-29)
Other key losses: F Travis Morin (17-22-39)
2007-08 predicted finish: Eighth
Bottom line: Though the team could use some more offense, the biggest question for the Mavericks is defense. However, they are one of the few teams with both netminders returning.

Minnesota-Duluth

Head coach: Scott Sandelin, eighth season overall and at Minnesota-Duluth (109-143-31)
2006-07 record: 13-21-5 overall, 8-16-4 WCHA (20 points, ninth of 10 teams)
2006-07 team offense: 2.64 goals per game overall (40th in NCAA), 2.29 conference (eighth)
2006-07 team defense: 3.10 goals per game overall (36th), 3.00 conference (eighth)
2006-07 power play: 21.4% overall (6th in NCAA), 17.7% conference (sixth)
2006-07 penalty kill: 84.6% overall (20th), 82.6% conference (fourth)
Key returners: F Michael Gergen, jr. (5-11-16), D Josh Meyers, jr. (11-13-24), G Alex Stalock, so. (5-14-3, 3.34, .881 in 23 appearances)
Newcomers to watch: F Justin Fontaine (30-41-71 in 52 games for Bonnyville/AJHL), D Evan Oberg (9-14-23 in 52 games for Camrose/AJHL), G Kenny Reiter (22-7-4, 2.69, .926 in 34 appearances for Fairbanks/NAHL), F Kyle Schmidt (46-33-79 in 62 games for Fairbanks/NAHL)
Early departures: D Matt Niskanen (9-22-31), F Mason Raymond (14-32-46)
Other key losses: G Josh Johnson (8-7-2, 2.14, .922), F Bryan McGregor (16-12-28)
2007-08 predicted finish: Ninth
Bottom line: Alex Stalock will probably get the starting job in net, but the Bulldogs still have too many questions up front. However, relying on a balanced offense may be just what the doctor ordered for this team.

Alaska-Anchorage

Head coach: Dave Shyiak, third season overall and at Alaska-Anchorage (19-48-6)
2006-07 record: 13-21-3 overall, 8-19-1 WCHA (17 points; 10th of 10 teams)
2006-07 team offense: 2.43 goals per game overall (49th in NCAA), 2.21 conference (ninth in WCHA)
2006-07 team defense: 3.35 goals per game overall (45th), 3.61 conference (tenth)
2006-07 power play: 14.4% overall (48th), 12.8% conference (ninth)
2006-07 penalty kill: 81.7% overall (36th), 80.9% conference (seventh)
Key returners: F Paul Crowder, so. (11-13-24); F Josh Lundin, so. (11-9-20), G Jon Olthius, so. (3-6-1, 3.59, .886)
Newcomers to watch: G Matthew Gordon (28-20-0, 3.08, .905 in 51 appearances for Burnaby/BCHL), D Kane Lafranchise (12-23-35 in 58 games for Spruce Grove/AJHL), F Craig Parkinson (42-37-79 in 55 games for Cowichan Valley/BCHL)
Early departures: F Jay Beagle (10-10-20), G Nathan Lawson (10-15-2, 3.03, .893)
Other key losses: F Justin Bourne (10-21-31)
2007-08 predicted finish: 10th
Bottom line: The Seawolves are improving bit by bit each year, but they’re not quite ready to completely crawl out of the cellar.

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