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Montoya Leaves Michigan, Signs With Rangers

USCHO Staff Report
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The return of the National Hockey League cost Michigan its number-one goaltender Wednesday, as senior-to-be Al Montoya opted to leave school and sign a contract with the New York Rangers.

“Al is one of the top goaltending prospects in hockey and we are extremely pleased to have signed him,” said Rangers general manager Glen Sather. “We feel this will be a big step for Al in advancing his development. He has been working extremely hard this summer and we are looking forward to seeing him on the ice at training camp in September.”

“It’s disappointing to lose a player who is going into his senior year,” Michigan head coach Red Berenson said. “He had a lot of pressure from the New York Rangers organization to turn professional and he made the decision to do it. He had a good career at Michigan but I wish he would have stayed and enjoyed his senior year.”

Montoya, a native of Glenview, Ill. and a graduate of the U.S. National Development team, was the Rangers’ first-round pick in 2004, taken sixth overall. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

In his junior year of 2004-05, Montoya equaled his career high of 30 wins, previously set in 2002-03 as a freshman. His 2004-05 winning percentage of .788 (30-7-3) was his career best. He posted a goals against average of 2.52 and a save percentage of .895.

He enjoyed his best season at Michigan during his sophomore year of 2003-04, setting a school record for single-season shutouts with six while compiling career bests in GAA (2.23) and save percentage (.917). That year, he was second-team West All-American.

As a 17-year-old freshman in 2002-03, Montoya started all 43 games for the Maize and Blue squad that reached the NCAA Frozen Four. His season line of 30-10-3 with a 2.33 GAA, a .911 save percentage and four shutouts earned him numerous accolades. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Midwest Regional, a member of the CCHA Super Six All-Tournament team, and selected to the CCHA All-Rookie team.

Montoya also played for the United States in the World Junior Championships twice, including backstopping the U.S. to its first gold medal in 2004. In six contests that year he went 6-0-0, had a .944 save percentage with a 1.33 GAA and two shutouts, and was named the Directorate Award winner as the tournament’s top goaltender.

Over his three-year career with the Wolverines, Montoya compiled a career record of 86-29-8 (.732) with a 2.36 GAA, a .908 save percentage and 13 shutouts. Michigan won two CCHA regular-season titles and two Mason Cups as the league’s tournament champion during his tenure in net.

His .908 career save percentage is tied for first all-time at Michigan, while his 13 shutouts are third, his 2.36 GAA is third and his 86 wins are fourth in the Michigan all-time career record book.

Olver Named Assistant At NMU

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John Olver has joined the Northern Michigan Wildcat staff as an assistant coach, replacing Dave Shyiak, who left to be the head coach at Alaska-Anchorage.

For the past five years (2000-05), Olver was the vice president of hockey operations and head coach of the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL. His team won the 2004 Kelly Cup championship. In five years with the Steelheads he was 228-100-32 in the regular season, which included an 82-46-16 mark in Idaho’s two ECHL seasons (2003-05). The Steelheads were 42-23-7 for the 2004-05 campaign.

“This is a major move for our program. With Dave Shyiak leaving I thought that we would have a difficult time finding someone with that kind of experience and ability, but we found it in John,” head coach Walt Kyle said. “He is one of my closest friends and I have used him as a resource for recruiting. He already has some experience with the program. John has experiences with many different areas of hockey which will help the program.”

His other professional coaching stops have been with the Fresno Falcons (WCHL) from 1995-97 and the Tacoma Sabercats (1997-00). In six years, prior to 2002, as a WCHL head coach (Fresno, Tacoma and Idaho); Olver led his team to the Taylor Cup finals every season, winning the Cup with Tacoma in 1998-99. He was the WCHL Coach of the Year four times, three with Tacoma and once with Idaho.

Olver coached 13 years at the amateur level as he registered a 240-76-10 slate. His career began in 1981 with the New Westminster Royals of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League and then continued in the major junior Western Hockey League with the New Westminster Bruins and Tri-City Americans.

“I am thrilled and honored for Walt (Kyle) to select me for the position,” Olver said. “When Walt (Kyle) took the job it was his goal to bring Northern Michigan University back to prominence in college hockey. John (Kyle) and Dave (Shyiak) have made great strides with the program. I hope to come in and continue to take the program in that direction.”

A native of British Columbia, Olver played for Kelowna in the BCJHL. He then went and played at the University of Michigan from 1978-80. Olver was drafted in the eighth round (125th overall) by the Colorado Rockies in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft.

Olver’s son, Darin, is currently a member of the NMU hockey team and will be a junior this coming season. He led the Wildcats this past season with 43 points (9-34). His youngest son, Mark, has verbally committed to attend NMU in 2006.

Anzalone Lands In Johnstown

USCHO Staff Report
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The Johnstown Chiefs (ECHL) named Frank Anzalone as its new Head Coach. Anzalone becomes the sixth Head Coach in team history.

Anzalone, 51, comes to the Chiefs after spending the last four seasons with the Lake Superior Lakers, his second head coaching stint with the school. Anzalone, a Brooklyn N.Y. native, is no stranger to the ECHL. He has been behind the benches of the former Nashville Knights (1991-92), Roanoke Express (1993-98) and Pee Dee Pride (1999-00). His career ECHL coaching record is 269-183-41 (.587), including six playoff appearances in eight seasons. He also has American Hockey League coaching experience with the Newmarket Saints (1990-91) and captured the Atlantic division title with the Lowell Lock Monsters in 1998-99.

Anzalone was fired by the Lakers and still has legal proceedings initiated against Lake Superior State at the present time.

Brand Appointed MCHA Commissioner

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The MCHA has appointed Terry Brand as league commissioner. The six-team league, which enters its eighth season of play in 2005, had been headed by Northland College athletic director Steve Wammer, who served as league president for three years, succeeding Milwaukee School of Engineering athletic director Dan Harris, the league’s founding president.

Brand is the first person to head the league from outside a member institution.

Brand

Brand

“This is a great opportunity for me to give something back to a game that has given a lot to my family and I,” said Brand. “College hockey is a great game to be involved in and it provides student athletes an outstanding activity to enhance their college experience.

“I look forward to working with all the coaches and players during this upcoming season.”

Brand currently serves as the Supervisor of Community Services in the D.C. Everest School District in Weston, Wis., where he schedules all facility use in the community, including youth sports and youth and adult recreation programs. His background includes over twenty years of experience in the management of ice skating facilities. Additionally, his coaching experience in hockey dates back to over twenty years. Coaching stops include University of [nl]Wisconsin-La Crosse (1983-86), Lawrence University (1987-90), the Fox Valley Youth Hockey Association (1990-92), the U.S. Naval Academy (1992-93), the University of Maryland (1992-94), and USA Hockey (1993-94) before reaching his current coaching positions. He presently serves as head coach and general manager of Central Wisconsin AAA Hockey (since 1996) and the head coach of the Antigo Area Youth Hockey Association (since 1995).

“The MCHA offers student athletes the opportunity to extend their hockey careers into their college years.” said Brand. “I look forward to building on the efforts of both Dan [Harris] and Steve [Wammer] and the progress they led the league through in the first seven years.”

Expansion is one of Brand’s goals, as is raising the profile of the league. “I will work towards building a league that will draw the same respect from prospective student athletes that some of the long standing leagues have now,” Brand said. “At both UW-LaCrosse and Lawrence University, I was involved in the years of transition from club teams to varsity teams. I think that is very valuable experience that I can use in expanding the MCHA.”

Chris Zills, who has served as the MCHA public relations director for the past four seasons, will be back but will no longer be at Marian College. The former Marian SID has taken a new position in the sports information office at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but will stay on in his role as PR Director of the MCHA from his new position.

Strand Accepts Eau Claire Offer

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Wisconsin-Eau Claire alumnus and USHL Green Bay Gamblers assistant coach Luke Strand has accepted the position of head coach at his alma mater, replacing Jean-Francois Laforest, who stepped down in June to take a job in minor league hockey.

Strand, a native of Eau Claire, played college hockey for the Blugolds from 1993-1997 under Ian Perrin, scoring 41 goals and adding 44 assists, placing him in the program’s top 20.

“It’s always been a goal of mine to become a head coach and to be able to do it in my hometown is a great opportunity,” said Strand.

Strand was also an assistant coach under Tim Coghlin at St. Norbert from 2000-2003 before joining the Gamblers staff.

“First of all, I am particularly grateful to director of athletics Scott Kilgallon and the UW-Eau Claire administration for the opportunity of becoming the head coach of the men’s ice hockey program,” said Strand. “I look forward to building relationships with the players, supporters and staff at UWEC. My vision and passion for this position will help create a great environment for student-athletes to grow in.”

After his collegiate career at Eau Claire, Strand played professional hockey in the United Hockey League (UHL) with the Madison Monsters and Madison Kodiaks from 1997-99.

Gamblers head coach and former Harvard coach Mark Mazzoleni says he has no timetable to replace Strand, but is starting the hiring process immediately.

“It’s a tremendous honor for Luke to be able to return to his alma mater as head coach,” said Mazzoleni. “There’s no question he’s well prepared for the challenge and he’ll do an outstanding job of rebuilding that program and bringing it back to prominence at the national level.”

Dickson Promoted, Dexter Added At Colgate

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Andrew Dickson has been promoted to the position of first assistant coach for Colgate. Dickson replaces Stan Moore, who stepped down to take an assistant coach position at Providence. Dickson has been a member of the Colgate coaching staff for the past six seasons, and has played a major role in the recruiting effort. In addition, Brad Dexter has been named an assistant coach.

“Andrew Dickson is the best person for this job,” head coach Don Vaughan said. “He has had a major impact on Colgate hockey for years, first as a player and more recently as an assistant coach. When it comes to assistant coaches, he is the complete package. He has proven himself to be an excellent recruiter who also has a great mind for the game. He relates very well to the student-athletes and he knows exactly what it takes to be successful at Colgate both as a hockey player and as a student. In recent years, he has been our primary recruiter responsible for attracting many of our top players to Colgate. He is also a very good coach, and his contributions to our team’s recent on-ice success should not be underestimated. I am excited for Andrew and our players and I am looking forward to working with him in his new role as our top assistant coach.”

Dexter returns to his alma mater to become a member of the staff. Dexter is a 1996 graduate of Colgate.

“I am very excited that Brad will be joining our staff,” Vaughan said. “He has a great passion for the game, and he has coached at the Division I level. His recent playing experience will be a great benefit to our players. As a Colgate graduate and All-America defenseman, he has a strong sense of what it takes to succeed at Colgate as a student-athlete.”

Bennett Named Asst. Coach At Union

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Union announced the hiring of Rick Bennett to the coaching staff. Bennett comes to Union after spending the past five years as the assistant coach at Providence.

“We are extremely pleased to have someone with Rick’s character, work ethic, and experience on our staff,” said Union head coach Nate Leaman. “He has coached at the collegiate level for five years and has also had playing experience at the highest level. He will be a real asset to the program.”

Bennett coached the fourth-highest power play in the nation during the 2003-04 season while at Providence. The 2000-01 squad had its best Hockey East regular season finish in the program’s history and was also Runner-Up in the Hockey East Tournament. A 1990 graduate of Providence, Bennett was a four-year standout for the Friars and ranks 21st all-time in scoring with 134 points (50 goals, 84 assists). He earned Second-Team All-American honors as a junior, and as a senior captain for the Friars earned Second-Team All-Hockey East accolades and was a Hobey Baker Finalist.

“From what I’ve seen of the campus and talking to athletic director Jim McLaughlin and Nate it seems like a win-win situation and I’m excited to be a part of the program,” said Bennett. “Union has a great support staff and a lot of good people working there and that was what I was most impressed with.”

Bennett will work with the defensemen and will assist current Union assistant coach Bill Riga with special teams. He will also help with recruiting and team video.

Bennett was hired after Gary Heenan, the head coach at Utica, took the position, then resigned after a meeting with Leaman.

Frazier, Clarkson’s AD, Becomes Merrimack’s AD

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Sean T. Frazier, the director of athletics and recreation at Clarkson, has been named athletic director at Merrimack. Frazier replaces interim athletic director and head hockey coach Chris Serino, who left Merrimack after seven years.

As athletic director, Frazier will be responsible for the operations of Merrimack’s athletic department, which currently sponsors 16 intercollegiate varsity sports (eight for men and eight for women). Fifteen of the sports compete at the NCAA Division II level while men’s hockey competes in the Hockey East Association. All of the Division II sports compete in the Northeast-10 Conference.

Athletic director at Clarkson since 2002, Frazier also served as Director of Athletics and Recreation at Manhattanville from 1999 to 2002. During these appointments, he led all efforts in managing and supporting an athletics department with up to 20 NCAA sponsored sports and myriad intramural sports offerings. He was also extremely active in fostering academic excellence in student athletes, raising funds, creating new athletic programs, and marketing. Frazier was assistant director of athletics from 1998 to 1999 at Maine, having served in several positions there since1995.

“In many respects, Mr. Frazier is a true leader who understands the role of athletics in a collegiate environment,” said President Richard J. Santagati, Merrimack’s president. “He is well-respected by his peers and brings a wealth of experience to Merrimack College athletics. We look forward to a renewed vitality and enthusiasm for our student-athletes, the fans and our entire community.”

Change of Heart – Heenan Back To Utica

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Gary Heenan, just one week after accepting the job, has resigned as an assistant coach at Union to return as head coach at Utica College.

Gary began his duties as assistant coach at Union College at the beginning of this week and he decided that Union was not the right fit. Head coach Nate Leaman said he will resume the search for his assistant coach immediately.

“We have a strong pool of candidates, and I’m confident that we’ll identify an individual that will assist in achieving the overall goals of the Department, the College, and the Program,” said Leaman.

Heenan meanwhile appears to have had a change of heart after leaving the Utica program.

“It was just a gut feeling thing,” said Heenan. “I really have a good situtation in Utica. My personal life is really solid here. It was those relationships, as well as the relationship with my players, the program, the college, and the city that said Utica is my home.

“Obviously, Union thought that they had their guy. I honestly have the utmost respect for coach Leaman down there, and he was someone that I could learn a lot from. I stand by that. They were understanding to my passion to Utica hockey. It is an unfortunate situation, but one that I am happy with in the end result.”

Heenan will return to coach Utica and hope that not a lot has changed in just one week.

Utica graduated 13 seniors last spring, their first class. Prior to Monday, Heenan had 10-plus new recruits lined up to come to school this fall. Immediately after the announcment Monday, two said they were going elsewhere. As the week went on, several others said they were rethinking their plans for the fall.

“The last thing I wanted after putting so much work into it was to see it falter somewhat,” said Heenan. “When I had heard recruits were changing their mind, with the large class, I thought that those were my guys too. So, I just care so much about the program, that I need to see it do well.

“I’m already back into it. I have already talked to all those recruits, and they are back coming to Utica. And we are going to go win hockey games.

“It is a unique situation at this level. I’m learning a lot more about that. We get treated very well here as a program. The college has always taken care of me. It just didn’t seem right personally.

“The college said the would love to have me back. They said ‘you’ve done us proud. You’re our coach, and we would love you to always be our coach’.”

Ferraris Named Assistant At Mercyhurst

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Mercyhurst Director of Athletics Pete Russo announced the hiring of Bobby Ferraris as assistant men’s ice hockey coach. Ferraris joins head coach Rick Gotkin’s staff effective immediately.

Ferraris has extensive coaching experience and, most recently, served as assistant coach at American International College (AIC) for the last two years. During his stay with the Yellow Jackets, Ferraris was the recruiting coordinator, served as defense and special teams’ coach, and coordinated video breakdown and game analysis.

Prior to American International, Ferraris spent a combined three years as assistant coach for both New Haven and Utica of the United Hockey League before serving the 2002-03 season as head coach of the Connecticut Junior Wolves.

Ferraris received his bachelor’s degree (sociology) from Saint Anselm in 1997 and his master’s from AIC (educational psychology, guidance) in 2005.

Mercyhurst won the Atlantic Hockey playoffs last March and made the NCAA playoffs for the third time in the last five years.

Ferraris fills the spot vacated by Dave Smith, who was named the head coach of Canisius.

Heenan Leaves Utica To Become Union Assistant

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Utica head coach Gary Heenan resigned Monday to become an assistant coach at Division I Union.

Heenan started the Utica program four years ago, and has continually stressed to his players the importance of having goals. His personal career goals included progressing to the Division I coaching ranks, and perhaps into the NHL someday, so Utica knew this day would eventually come.

Heenan

Heenan

“This is a chance to get into a D-I program, and a good one,” said Heenan. “I can learn a lot from [Union head coach] Nate Leaman. For me, this is a logical step. Nate was looking for someone who has done a lot of community work, and team building stuff, and that has always been a key focus of mine here at Utica.”

The Pioneers captured the ECAC West regular season title last season, and just missed earning an NCAA bid, losing to Manhattanville in the league championship game. Heenan compiled a 52-40-11 record while at Utica.

Each of the last four off seasons, Heenan has interviewed for various Division I assistant coaching positions.

“I have been offered a Division I job before, but either it was too early or not the right situation. I feel that now is the right time to walk away [from Utica], knowing that the foundation is set for the future. I told the players that they need to take the reigns and keep this thing going. They will need to believe in the new coach, and roll with the direction he wants to take the program.”

The search process for the new head coach has already commenced, and is expected to take four to six weeks to complete. Between eight and ten phone calls have been received from interested candidates, and Utica is expecting to receive perhaps thirty applications for the opening.

“It’s official today. We go through a regular process,” Utica athletic director Jim Spartano told the Utica Observer Dispatch. “We have to advertise in the NCAA News. We had some people call about the position.”

Leaman told the Schenectady Daily Gazette that Heenan will be a great fit and complimented his new assistant on his ability to build a program from the ground up. “He started a program basically from scratch,” Leaman said. “Within four years, he took them to the top of the league. That’s not an easy thing to do.”

The Utica program has become known around the ranks of Division III college hockey for producing stellar assistant coaches. Four of Heenan’s former assistants are currently on the coaching staffs at other schools: Dennis [nl]Williams (head coach — Neumann), Alex Todd (head coach — Castleton State), Scott MacDonald (assistant coach — RIT), and Matt Lindsay (assistant coach — Hobart).

“I think some of them will be interested in this job,” said Heenan. “They are all on good paths and happy where they are now. But this is a dream job at Utica, supported by an outstanding community and college. So I think some of my former assistants might want to come back.”

Providence Taps Berard, Moore As Assistants

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Providence today announced the appointment of David Berard and Stan Moore as assistant coaches. Berard has been on the Friar coaching staff for nine years, while Moore, who was an assistant coach for the Friars from 1988-92, most recently was the associate head coach at Colgate.

Berard has spent the past 13 seasons in college hockey, including nine seasons at Providence College. In the last three years, he served as associate head coach under Paul Pooley. Berard returned to Providence before the start of the 1998-99 season after serving as the top assistant for two years at Lake Superior State. Berard began his coaching career at Colby during the 1992-93 season. Moore spent the last seven seasons (1998-2005) at Colgate.

During the 2003-04 season, Moore was the interim head coach and guided the Raiders to a 22-12-5 overall record and the ECAC regular season title. For his efforts, Moore was named ECAC Coach of the Year and became the first interim head coach to ever receive the award. In addition, Moore was a Spencer Penrose Award Finalist, given annually to the top coach in Division I.

Prior to his second stint at Colgate, Moore was the head coach at Union (1996-98), where he became the first rookie head coach to ever receive the ECAC Coach of the Year honors.

Moore began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Brown (1985-88), before moving to Providence (1988-92), where he, along with new Providence coach Tim [nl]Army, served as assistant coaches under Mike McShane. After Providence, Moore left for Colgate where he spent three seasons in his first stint with the Raiders (1992-96).

Schafer Extended at Cornell

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Cornell head coach Mike Schafer has signed a long-term contract extension to remain at the university. Terms of the contract have not been disclosed.

Schafer

Schafer

“Mike Schafer is an outstanding coach,” said J. Andrew Noel Jr., director of athletics and physical education. “He is a skilled teacher, a principled leader, a fierce competitor and a great Cornellian. He is an important part of our storied Cornell hockey tradition, and I am ecstatic he will coach hockey at Cornell for many years to come.”

“I am very excited about this contract extension,” said Schafer. “Cornell has established itself as one of the top programs in the country. With the support of the university administration, the athletic department, the alumni, my assistant coaches and fans, I feel that we have developed a community that is united in maintaining a program of excellence, and I believe we will ultimately reach our goal of winning a national championship.”

Schafer, a 1986 Cornell graduate, is coming off a 2004-05 campaign in which he led his team to a 27-5-3 overall record and reached the NCAA tournament for the fifth time in his 10-year career. The team won its third ECACHL regular season title in four years with an 18-2-2 record, earning a first-round bye in the league’s tournament, where it went 4-0-0 to clinch Schafer’s fourth ECACHL tournament championship. The tournament title also extended the Big Red’s record league tournament championship total to 11. With an 8-2-0 record in Ivy League play, the team also captured its fourth straight Ivy League title and Schafer’s sixth overall.

The second-winningest coach in Cornell hockey history, Schafer enters the 2005-06 season with a career record of 199-103-34. His .643 winning percentage is sixth among active NCAA Division I coaches.

The Changing Face(s) Of Hockey East

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If you drive by the building once known as the FleetCenter in Boston these days, you’ll see on the side of the building an enormous “Hello, My Name Is…” sticker on the side of the building, helping people remember the name is now the TD BankNorth Garden.

Next September Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna and his staff may want to borrow a few of those “Hello, My Name Is…” tags to identify the league’s head coaches.

Thursday, the list of Hockey East newbies grew by one when Merrimack announced that Massachusetts assistant Mark Dennehy will take over behind the bench, filling the vacancy left by the departure of Chris Serino.

Dennehy is the fourth new coach in Hockey East this season, joining Tim [nl]Army at Providence, Greg Cronin at Northeastern and Kevin Sneddon, who will not be a rookie coach at Vermont, but the Catamounts will play their first season in Hockey East next year having defected from the ECACHL.

All of this change is an aberration for Hockey East, a league that hasn’t seen this many new faces in one season in the league’s 20-plus year history.

“Make sure you get there early and get your scorecard,” said Bertagna referring to Hockey East Media Day. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in a situation where I’ve had 40 percent of the league’s coaches new. It’s kind of a first time and I’ve been doing this for 25 years.”

The changing face – or faces, as it may be – could have a major impact on the style of hockey that is played in the league. At Providence, Army, an alum and former assistant with the Friars under Mike McShane, said he wants to emphasize a more offensive style. Army, as does Cronin at Northeastern, comes to Hockey East by way of professional hockey, with both coaches having served as NHL assistants as well as, most recently, head coaches in the American Hockey League.

“We’re going to try to raise the tempo and the pace of the team,” said Army when asked what he’ll change about the Friars club that last year finished seventh in Hockey East. “We’d like to integrate a more attacking mentality and challenge [the players’] limits offensively.”

Though defense isn’t being thrown out the window, Army feels that if there’s any one area where his team can gain a competitive advantage, it’s in producing offense in a league that for the past few years has been dominated by tight defenses and top-notch goaltending.

“Like all coaches, you recognize the importance of playing away from the puck, but what we’ll try to instill from the get go is an attacking mentality,” said Army. “I want [the players] to… try and raise the bar on the type of production we need to have to be successful. The only way you’re going to get there is to take the reins of them a bit to explore offensively.”

Besides new coaches that may change their team’s current look, you can also peak at Vermont, a team that comes from the often more-physical ECACHL, and will bring its rock-’em, sock-’em style to Hockey East.

All of this is very welcome to Bertagna and Hockey East.

“It’s exciting to have a whole new set of faces,” said Bertagna, who noted he’ll have a conference call at some point this summer to talk to the quartet of new faces on league policy and conduct. “It remains to be seen if [the changes] will be stressful. I’ve been pretty lucky in the years that I’ve worked in the two leagues (Hockey East and the ECAC). I haven’t had many guys on the radar screen [that have caused problems]. It’s been mostly good guys.”

Not ironic at all is that all of the three coaches hired this season have ties to Hockey East. Dennehy played at Boston College in the late 80s and has served on Don ‘Toot’ Cahoon’s staff at UMass since 2000. Cronin was an assistant coach under the legendary Shawn Walsh at Maine and even served as interim head coach when Walsh was suspended throughout most of 1996. As mentioned, Army was an assistant coach at Providence throughout the late 80s and early 90s.

When you look at the fact that both Army and Cronin come to Hockey East from the pro ranks, you’d think that the professional game is beginning to have a major influence on college hockey. Most, though, think it’s exactly the opposite.

“If you look at the makeup of the [NHL general managers], you have a lot more college influence,” said Bertagna. “I think there was a time when things happened on two parallel tracks [between college hockey and the NHL]. That’s changed, so it won’t surprise me to see more [crossover] in the future.

“The [coaching] pools aren’t that much different, it’s just the pro and college worlds getting closer together.”

Regardless of roots, regardless of backgrounds, the most important thing to understand is that Hockey East is changing. It will be interesting to watch each team’s style adapt.

For now, though, just put out your hand, and say, “Hello, I’m (fill in your name here). Welcome to Hockey East!”

Ice Hockey Rules Committees Recommendations

By Ty Halpin
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The Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey Rules Committee slightly altered its goal crease rule and continued its emphasis on proper rules enforcement during its meeting June 6-9 in Indianapolis.

The committee’s proposals will be forwarded to the Playing Rules Oversight Panel for final approval.

The rule regarding the goal crease was changed to give the official some latitude when a goal is scored and an attacking player is in the crease. Previously, this goal would be disallowed, even when the attacking player did not interfere with the goalkeeper or have anything to do with the play. In several high-profile cases, goals were disallowed that likely would have counted during the regular season because of the use of video replay.

“First and foremost, the committee feels the crease rule is a good one as written for regular season play,” said Enrico Blasi, chair of the rules committee and head men’s coach at Miami (Ohio) University. “In some situations when we have the benefit of video replay, goals were disallowed that would count otherwise. We decided to change this, but want to make it clear that our goalkeepers must have room to play their positions and officials must use this rule to keep players out of the crease.”

In the new rule, the referee has the discretion to allow a goal if there is an attacking player in the crease, but the attacking player — by the referee’s judgment — has no bearing on the play.

Boarding and charging were better defined to note that these penalties are “from the front or side.” The committee hopes this will help officials to properly call hitting from behind more often and take away the option of a lesser penalty.

“We feel that, in many cases, hitting from behind is called as boarding or charging, when it should be hitting from behind by definition,” Blasi said. “To rid our game of these types of plays, we changed the definition slightly.”

Now, anytime a player is hit from behind into the boards, regardless of the result of the play, a major penalty and a game misconduct or disqualification must be assessed.

“This is a severe penalty, but the official does have some leeway to call a game misconduct or disqualification,” Blasi said. “We will support the officials, as we have with the rules initiative last year, in cracking down on these dangerous plays. Players and coaches must adjust to take these dangerous plays out of our game.”

Another major change involves a goal that is scored off of an attacking player’s skate. The committee changed the rule to allow goals off an attacking player’s skate, provided there is not a “distinct kicking motion.”

“We felt like using a skate to direct the puck into the goal is a tremendous skill and that skill should be rewarded,” Blasi said. “Clearly, any goal that is scored by kicking the puck will not be allowed.”

The committee also approved video replay to be used in any game, provided one of two replay systems are used. The NCAA system, which is used in championships and any tournaments, requires a video replay official as the sole arbiter of the replay and that official has the final decision.

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association experimented with an ice level system last season, with approval from the committee, and the process was successful. Several other conferences indicated interest in using a system, if the rules committee approved use of video technology. Under this system, the same criteria are used for review, but the referee begins the process and reviews the replay at ice level.

“Obviously, what the WCHA did was successful,” Blasi said. “We felt like any conference should be able to use it moving forward, provided the minimum criteria are met.”

The committee again focused on overall rules enforcement as a point of emphasis, paying particular attention to diving and the strength and size of players who may be unduly penalized only because they are larger and/or stronger. The committee also made hitting from behind a point of emphasis for the upcoming season.

Other rules revisions

–Butt-ending and Spearing. These penalties were redefined to include a major penalty and the option of a game misconduct or a game disqualification penalty at the discretion of the referee. Previously, the only option was a major and a disqualification.

–Enforcement of Rule 4-7-e. Goalkeepers are not allowed to freeze the puck (unless to prevent a goal) outside of the crease. The committee feels there are too many unnecessary whistles in situations where a shot is not taken and the goalkeeper freezes the puck.

–Goalkeeper’s equipment. The committee voted to change the goalkeeper’s equipment to be in line with the National Hockey League’s equipment specifications, beginning in the 2006-07 season.

–Spraying the Goalkeeper. This penalty was changed to read: “A player shall not deliberately spray the goalkeeper. PENALTY — Minor.”

–Handshake. The committee clarified the post-game handshake guidelines to allow coaches who wish to go through the player line to do so. The rule will now read: “Coaches shall exchange handshakes and remain on the ice or at their respective bench areas until the conclusion of the player handshake.”

–Possession and control. The committee added wording in this area to assist officials and teams to understand control of the puck, particularly in delayed penalty situations. The wording will read: “The last player to touch the puck, other than the goalkeeper, is the last player to be deemed in possession of the puck. Control of the puck is defined as the act of propelling the puck with the stick, hand or skate.

Possession and control is not a rebound off the goalkeeper, an opposing player, the goal or the boards or any incidental contact with the body or equipment of an opposing player. Batting the puck with the hand or kicking the puck is considered to be controlling the puck. Touching the puck (e.g., poke check or deflection) is not considered control of the puck.

During a delayed penalty, a goal may not be scored by the penalized team as a result of a deflection off of a penalized team player.”

–Two referee, one linesman. The committee added officiating diagrams to the rules book for this system. Previously, only the one referee, two assistant referee system had mechanics in the book for officials.

–Experimental rule. The committee reviewed a request from the University of Michigan to allow the school to use an experimental rule in exhibition games. The proposal would change the attacking zone boundary from the blue line to the center ice red line after the traditional zone is gained legally. So, if the attacking team gains the traditional attacking zone legally under current rules on side, the attacking zone expands to include the space between the blue line and the center ice red line.

The committee approved the proposal and extended the option to any school or conference that would like to try this in exhibitions, not just Michigan.

This article original appeared in the NCAA News

Ty Halpin is the NCAA liaison to the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey Rules Committee and was a member of the last USCHO Town Hall Meeting Panel in Columbus

ECACHL Moves Women’s Championships

USCHO Staff Report
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The ECACHL has decided to move it’s women’s championships to an on-campus venue for the 2006 season. The ECACHL has held it’s women’s championships at Messa Rink on the campus of Union College for the past two seasons, but this coming year it will be at the home rink of the highest remaining seed in the tournament.

Fowler Out at Buffalo State

USCHO Staff Report
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Buffalo State has announced Jim Fowler will step down as head men’s hockey coach effective immediately. He will remain on the athletics department staff as the ice arena manager and assume additional administrative responsibilities in facilities operations.

Fowler

Fowler

Fowler was just the second coach in the program’s 12-year history, assuming control prior to the 1996-97 season. He led the Bengals to the school’s first-ever SUNYAC playoff appearance in 2000-01 and amassed a 52-133-13 record at Buffalo State.

A search to hire a new part-time head coach will begin immediately.

This becomes the second coaching vacancy in the SUNYAC this offseason. Brian Hills stepped down at Geneseo in June to take a position as an assistant coach at RIT.

Merrimack Hires Dennehy

USCHO Staff Report
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Mark Dennehy, associate head hockey coach at Massachusetts, has been named the head coach of Merrimack. He replaces Chris Serino, who resigned in the spring after seven years at Merrimack. Dennehy is the seventh head coach in Merrimack program history, which will enter its 50th season varsity program in the 2005-06 season.

Mark’s energy and enthusiasm was evident throughout the interview process.

— Merrimack President Richard J. Santagati

Dennehy has been the associate head coach at Massachusetts since 2000 and was named Hockey East Coach of the Year staff member in 2002-2003. He has been involved in all aspects of coaching the team, including recruiting, video analysis, fund-raising, marketing, and on ice instruction. From 1999-2000, he was head coach at Fairfield and prior to that had served as assistant coach at Princeton. Dennehy was a member of the Hockey East All-Academic Team while playing for Boston College in late 1980s and the early 1990s.

Dennehy has been a member of the American Hockey Coaches Association since 1994. He was an assistant coach with bronze medal winning Team Massachusetts at the USA Hockey Select 16 Festival.

“Mark’s energy and enthusiasm was evident throughout the interview process,” said Merrimack President Richard J. Santagati. “We are very excited that our new head coach has such a strong connection with students, outstanding experience and knowledge of Hockey East, and a demonstrated commitment to excellence.”

Merrimack’s search started a few months ago when Serino resigned and reportedly was down to five candidates two weeks ago. The finalists were Dennehy, Paul Pearl, Chris Kiene, Greg Drechel and Bruce Crowder. Merrimack comes off of a season in which it went 8-26-2 with only one win in Hockey East.

CHA Mingles Men’s, Women’s Championships

USCHO Staff Report
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College Hockey America, unique among the six men’s Division I hockey conferences in that it holds its entire championship tournament in one weekend, has gone a step farther.

The league and member institution Wayne State announced Tuesday that the [nl]Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum in Detroit will be the site of both the 2006 men’s and women’s championships on March 9-12. Wayne State will host.

The seventh annual men’s CHA championship will get underway with quarterfinal games at 3:35 p.m. and 7:35 p.m. EST, Friday, March 10. The top two teams in the regular-season standings will receive byes into the semifinals, playing the quarterfinal winners at 3:35 p.m. and 7:35 p.m., Saturday, March 11.

The fourth annual women’s championship will begin with semifinal games Thursday, March 9, at 5:05 p.m. and 8:05 p.m.

Both the men’s and women’s championship games will take place Sunday, March 12. The women’s championship is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. with the men’s title tilt set for 7:05 p.m., the first time in college hockey history that a Division I men’s and women’s league will play both championships on the same weekend at the same site.

The event will take place at the historic, 5,600-seat Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum. Built in 1922, the arena was renovated in 1998 and served as the original home of Wayne State’s men’s and women’s hockey programs.

“It’s a great fit — the CHA championship with Hockeytown,” Wayne State director of athletics Rob Fournier said. “As one of the few conferences that offers both men’s and women’s hockey, this opportunity to combine our championships offers a unique presentation that is perfect for the tradition-rich setting of Detroit.”

“Ever since the CHA expanded to include women’s hockey, the possibility of hosting the men’s and women’s tournament at the same site and on the same weekend posed an intriguing challenge,” CHA commissioner R.H. “Bob” Peters added. “Wayne State University, upon accepting the daunting task of hosting the first ever combined men’s and women’s hockey postseason conference tournament championships, exemplifies the spirit and commitment of the CHA regarding expansion and promotion of Division I men’s and women’s hockey.”

D.C., Detroit, St. Paul and Tampa Land Frozen Four Bids

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Four, not three, bidding committees came away happy when the NCAA Ice Hockey Committee announced the awarding of Frozen Four bids.

Washington, D.C., Detroit, St. Paul and Tampa all came away happy, as they were awarded the Frozen Fours between 2009-2012.

Washington, D.C., is hosting its first Frozen Four, and got it on its first attempt.

“The city of Washington, D.C. just provided a great backdrop to our tournament,” said Wayne Dean, chair of the committee. “The city itself is just in tune with what we’re trying to do. Naming the national champion in the national capital is fantastic.”

Detroit will host for the first time since 1990, and it held the uniqueness of Ford Field. Ford Field, in the end, was a factor in the positive.

“When we walked into Ford Field it had a great feel and it felt like a large arena,” said Dean. “We looked at sightlines and went down to the field and felt like it was a great place to play hockey. We walked away thinking that this was not an experiment and this was the real thing. We felt it was a great experience for the student-athlete and the fan.”

St. Paul was considered a lock to get one of the Frozen Four and the committee saw no different.

“The building is fantastic, the city of St. Paul is an unbelievable place to go and [nl]Minnesota is a great host, you put that together, you can’t beat it,” said Dean. “That’s why we’re going back there.”

Tampa also was a first-time bidder.

“With the Stanley Cup residing in Tampa, hockey is booming,” said Dean. “With all the things together, we felt it was a very viable college hockey venue. The quality of the ice, the climate-control in the building is second-to-none. And any time you can bring the student-athletes and fans to a place where they can do many things, it’s great. They have beaches and warm weather and it all factors in.

“And we can do all of that without detracting from the Frozen Four.”

The committee was supposed to award through 2011, but instead added a fourth site in 2012 due to the quality of the bids. The last time that the committee did this was when Buffalo was awarded the 2003 Frozen Four in addition to the committee selecting [nl]Providence (2000), Albany (2001) and St. Paul (2002).

“We knew after we got the initial bids that it was a possibility,” said Dean about going to 2012. “When you have that many good sites, and we had six quality sites, we discussed going to six, but the quality of the sites really made it an easy decision to go one more year.”

The addition of the 2012 Frozen Four was not the only surprise, the other was that Boston, thought to be a lock by others, did not receive the Frozen Four. Philadelphia was the other finalist not to receive a Frozen Four.

“Timing was certainly an issue with Boston,” said Dean. “Boston just hosted in 2004, they will be in the queue. They’re a great hockey town and have shown that they can do it.

“When we looked at Philadelphia, we were able to go down and see the area, and the plans around the arena and the atmosphere, and the history was great. They were in the mix that was competitive. In the queue, I will say that they’ll be in the mix.”

“We seriously thought about adding six years,” said Jacobs. “I do hope Philadelphia comes back because it was a great bid.”

Regionals were also awarded by the committee. The East and Northeast regionals were awarded until 2011 and the West and Midwest until 2009.

Four sites will rotate regionals between 2008 and 2011. In 2008 and 2010 the East Regional will be at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, N.Y. and the Northeast Regional will be at the Centrum Centre in Worcester, Mass. In 2009 and 2011 the East Regional will be held at The Arena At Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn. and the Northeast Regional will be at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H. Albany and Worcester are perennial hosts, Manchester will host it a second and third time, while Bridgeport will be holding its first two regionals.

These four venues were the only four sites that submitted bids for regionals in the East.

In the West, regionals were only awarded through 2009. In 2008 the Midwest Regional will be at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. and the West Regional at the Colorado Springs World Arena. In 2009 the West Regional will be at the Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis while the Midwest Regional will be at Grand Rapids, Mich.’s Van Andel Arena. Three of the four regional sites awarded in the West are campus sites.

“It is clear that neutral-site venues are an issue,” said Dean. “Right now our committee has a strong preference to do that. That was the main idea in that decision to only go to 2009.”

“We had nine bids for regionals in the West, but the preference was to go to neutral-site venues,” said Tom Jacobs, NCAA Director of Championships.

The Frozen Four bidding process started with 13 bids. The bids from Albany, Buffalo, Columbus, Glendale, Ariz., Kansas City, San Antonio and Sunrise, Fla. did not make it to the list of finalists.

Future Frozen Four Sites

New selections from this announcement in bold.

2006
East Regional — Pepsi Arena (Albany, N.Y., March 25-26)
Northeast Regional — DCU Center (Worcester, Mass., March 24-25)
Midwest Regional — Resch Center (Green Bay, Wis., March 25-26)
West Regional — Engelstad Arena (Grand Forks, N.D., March 24-25)
Frozen Four — Bradley Center (Milwaukee, April 6 and 8)

2007
East Regional — Blue Cross Arena (Rochester, N.Y., March 23-24)
Northeast Regional — Verizon Wireless Arena (Manchester, N.H., March 24-25)
Midwest Regional — Van Andel Arena (Grand Rapids, Mich., March 23-24)
West Regional — Pepsi Center ([nl]Denver, March 24-25)
Frozen Four — Savvis Center (St. Louis, April 5 and 7)

2008
East Regional — Pepsi Arena (Albany, N.Y., March 28-30)
Northeast Regional — DCU Center (Worcester, Mass., March 28-30)
Midwest Regional — Kohl Center (Madison, Wis., March 28-30)
West Regional — Colorado Springs World Arena (Colorado Springs, Colo., March 28-30)
Frozen Four — Pepsi Center (Denver, April 10 and 12)

2009
East Regional — Arena at Harbor Yard (Bridgeport, Conn., March 27-29)
Northeast Regional — Verizon Wireless Arena (Manchester, N.H., March 27-29)
Midwest Regional — Van Andel Arena (Grand Rapids, Mich., March 27-29)
West Regional — Mariucci Arena (Minneapolis, March 27-29)
Frozen Four — MCI Center (Washington, D.C., April 9 and 11)

2010
East Regional — Pepsi Arena (Albany, N.Y., March 26-28)
Northeast Regional — DCU Center (Worcester, Mass., March 26-28)
Midwest Regional — TBA (March 26-28)
West Regional — TBA (March 26-28)
Frozen Four — Ford Field (Detroit, April 8 and 10)

2011
East Regional — Arena at Harbor Yard (Bridgeport, Conn., March 25-27)
Northeast Regional — Verizon Wireless Arena (Manchester, N.H., March 25-27)
Midwest Regional — TBA (March 25-27)
West Regional — TBA (March 25-27)
Frozen Four — Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul, April 7 and 9)

2012
East Regional — TBA (March 23-25)
Northeast Regional — TBA (March 23-25)
Midwest Regional — TBA (March 23-25)
West Regional — TBA (March 23-25)
Frozen Four — St. Pete Times Forum (Tampa, April 5 and 7)

[Continue to check back with USCHO for more information.]

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