Home Blog Page 1418

2002-03 Clarkson Season Preview

By Becky Blaeser and Jayson Moy
-

The Golden Knights of Clarkson are where they usually are at the beginning of the season — among the league’s best in the polls. This season the Knights are ranked third by both the coaches and the media. With 19 lettermen returning to a team that finished second last season, at full health and strength, the Knights will once again contend.

“Expectations for Clarkson hockey are always high,” said head coach Mark Morris. “Two of the last three years, we have run into some unforeseen obstacles that have been extremely challenging for the program. We felt last year was not one of our best, mainly due to injuries and lack of discipline.”

Clarkson lost 45 man-games to injuries last season and led the league with 663 penalty minutes. But this Clarkson team knows what not to do, and it starts at the top.

“We feel as though we’ve got great leadership and that’s a tremendous start to our season,” said Morris. “Our captains (Kevin O’Flaherty and Dave Reid) have done an outstanding job in getting our guys headed in the right direction. They have great communication skills and I think they’re very focused.”

The focus will begin in goal, where Mike Walsh returns after a season with a 2.39 GAA and a .911 save percentage.

He’ll be fronted by a defense that returns five, but loses Kerry Ellis-Toddington and Ian Manzano. Reid and assistant captain Chris Bahen return, along with Mike Nagai, Ken Scuderi, and ECAC All-Rookie pick Randy Jones. They will be joined by newcomers Chris Brekelmans and Dale Good, and perhaps a defenseman returning to the ranks.

“Mike Walsh, he’s the top candidate in goal,” said Morris. “Two years ago he was stellar and last year he was great. I think his experience will be a big key, and he’s got some competition behind him. On defense, we’ve got a few guys that have some creativity that can help our forwards score and jump into the rush a little more.

“We’ve added a couple of guys on defense; it’s nice to have the ability to move Joe Carosa back to defense. He’s played some forward for us last year because of good depth on the defensive corps. His energy, tenacity and versatility gave him a chance to play forward for us and do some key penalty killing. This year, until the young guys come around I suspect he’ll see some time behind the blue line. There’ll be at least three seniors back there, so that’s a comforting thought.”

The Knights return only two of their top five scorers, but once again, injuries played a role as Rob McFeeters only played 23 games all season and was not at full strength. The 2001 ECAC Rookie of the Year will be counted upon to add more offense.

“Last year was the lowest goals scored in the history of the program and we finished in second place, so I take that as that we’re doing some good things on defense,” said Morris. “We certainly are hoping that we can get some of our middle lines producing on a more regular basis.

Kevin O'Flaherty on the rush (Photo: Adam Wodon)

Kevin O’Flaherty on the rush (Photo: Adam Wodon)

“Looking back, having some key injuries to guys like Rob McFeeters really curtailed a lot of our special teams play and cut down on our point production. But we can see the emergence of guys like Jay Latulippe and Randy Jones. Those guys have a great touch around the net and are very creative. We’ve also added a little bit of size to our lineup this year, so we’re hopeful that when we play the Cornells and Harvards that we have the muscle and grit to compete against those top teams.”

O’Flaherty, the leading scorer last season, and Latulippe will spearhead the group, along with McFeeters. Chris Blight led the freshmen in scoring last season, while Tristan Lush, Jean Desrochers and Trevor Edwards will also contribute. Jeff Genovy, Mark Schwamberger and Sean Ferguson will look to make an impact as freshmen.

The offense is important to the Knights, as it can lead to much more.

“It’s more of a mentality that you have to establish, that sometimes if you’re too structured defensively then it curtails your offensive production. Because we weren’t able to produce a lot of goals we had to play things close to the vest,” said Morris. “We’ve kind of incorporated and made some tactical changes to try to open up our offense without compromising our defense. Every year when you’re faced with different personnel, you try to adjust to what your strengths are. With a little more size, hopefully that will free up some of our more skilled guys to be more creative and to put in a few more pucks.

“Up front we have pretty good depth. We may not have an outstanding one or two guys that will pull the load, but I think with good chemistry and communication and a real solid outlook it will serve us favorably in those close games, when we have that depth and experience that we do have on our team. Although we may not be at the top of the polls at this time, hopefully we can chip away and have that type of consistency needed to win a championship.”

If the Knights finished second in a season when they were neither healthy nor disciplined, what is going to happen this season if they are?

2002-03 ECAC Season Preview

By Becky Blaeser and Jayson Moy
-

It’s time for the season premiere of the ECAC.

When we left you, Harvard had come through in overtime to fulfill the promise of Crimson teams of years past, capturing the ECAC championship over rival Cornell.

Cornell takes the ice, led by netminder David LeNeveu.

Cornell takes the ice, led by netminder David LeNeveu.

The Big Red had won the regular season and took New Hampshire down to the wire in the NCAA quarterfinals.

And once again, we had a down-to-the-wire race for playoff spots, positioning and home ice.

Three teams tied for third place, three for sixth and two for ninth. The 11th-place team was four points from home ice — which proved critical as all five home teams moved on to Lake Placid, where the excitement ended in overtime of the title game.

This season, expect some new and some old. The cast returns — the format a little different — and the excitement remains.

Cornell, Harvard and Clarkson are one-two-three on most everyone’s lists, but in the new ECAC, everyone’s in for the playoffs, the championship round is in a new location and once again, you’re in for a ride.

Without further ado, the 2002-03 ECAC:

The New

  • The six non-Ivy schools have two extra games on their schedule, which should help the ECAC on the national stage.
  • There’s a different playoff system. Seeds one to four now have a bye week, while five through 12 battle it out for the right to play the first four. And the four survivors no longer go to that magical place in the Adirondacks, but to the center of the ECAC — Albany, N.Y. and the Pepsi Arena. That’s a change everyone seems to agree with.

    “I think it will be nice to get back to four teams in the championship,” said Cornell head coach Mike Schafer. “It will be better for our fans and for our league.”

    “I do like the format,” said Colgate head coach Don Vaughan. “A lot of times people ask why you’re playing the regular season if all the teams make the playoffs. Well, you play for the seeding and in the past you’ve seen how important that is. Home ice is such a huge advantage and you play the regular season for the seeding.

    “When we start the playoffs, we’ll be the only conference starting the playoffs [that week]. Everybody else will be finishing up the regular season, and the spotlight will be on the ECAC. It will create excitement for those teams that haven’t been able to host a playoff series in recent years. I just think it’s a great format for our league.”

    “I’m willing to try just about anything,” said Clarkson head coach Mark Morris. “I’ve been around long enough to see all sorts of different ways to get there. Fortunately for us we’ve been in a lot of them. I’ll try anything to make our league stronger and to see it grow.

    “It was difficult for the North Country to part with the advantage to drive 70 miles to Lake Placid and our familiarity with that place is something that tugs at the heartstrings. But also, we look forward to the experience of possibly being [in Albany].

    “It’s a tight league, so there’s no guarantees as to who is going to be here. The way the tournament is set up it gives an advantage to the top four teams, and that’s a good thing. It gives hope to all the teams, and that one-week hiatus that it gives the top teams could be just the medicine to get healthy and to get together, because when you earn the right to be in the top four, you earn the right to get an advantage. You’ve worked all season long for it.”

    "I think you’ll see this parity forever. You won’t see much difference from top to bottom, nor will you ever. Our league has a positive in that in other leagues you have the haves and have-nots, whereas we have all haves."

    — Brown coach Roger Grillo

    “You’re playing for seeding and positioning in the playoffs and I do like it,” said Dartmouth head coach Bob Gaudet. “It gives everyone a chance. It was tough last year with a team like Union that had a solid year. They were a point out [of the playoffs], but they were a few points from home ice. This will be a format where the teams with the bye will make the best of it. Maybe some teams that don’t normally get home playoff series will get some. That will be good.

    “Playing here in Albany will be great, it’s a regular-dimension ice surface, like we’ve been playing all year.”

    “I think that I like it because one of our thoughts when we put it together as a group was to create increased revenue for our league,” said Harvard head coach Mark Mazzoleni. “The format both for the first round, second round and all the way through to the finals will accomplish that. Especially with the first round with everyone making it, you’ll have four sites hosting that would have never had the opportunity and experience for their kids. It’s also four new sites to create revenue from.

    “When we go to Albany, our hope is that it will continue to out of the blocks and continue to grow. We had media day almost two weeks ago and we were sitting around talking as a group about how long everyone had to travel to get here, and everyone was only three hours away. It’s also close to New York City which is a key location for ECAC alumni and also for the novice fan who before had to give up an entire weekend to see the Championship.”

    “Our league is just going to get stronger and coming to Albany is a right step,” said Brown head coach Roger Grillo.

    “I’m excited about it,” said Union head coach Kevin Sneddon. “Take last year’s finish and now implement the new structure. Teams were right down to the wire, so it will be the exact same this year and it won’t be clearly defined until the last night of the season.”

    “I like the format,” agreed Princeton head coach Len Quesnelle. “I think that there will be a lot of incentive to play hard until the end of the regular season. A lot of people are under the impression, ‘Why play the regular season?’, but … to get into the top four will be critical.”

    “Even though all 12 teams make the playoffs I don’t think that will change the philosophies of the coaches,” said Engineer head coach Dan Fridgen. “You obviously want to be one of those top four teams, but that whole playoff format will be a challenge because everyone has an opportunity, and when everybody’s given an opportunity, you have to be on top of your game.”

    The Old

    If you take a look at the coaches and media polls, they expect the top teams of last season to repeat themselves: Cornell and Harvard fighting it out for the championship.

    But after that …

    “I don’t think you can overlook the fact that Cornell is the favorite with all of what they have returning. They’re stingy defensively and in the end that’s what wins games for you,” said Vaughan. “Harvard, with the experience they gained last year, Clarkson is always in it and then a bunch of teams are pretty even, so it will be another exciting year in the ECAC.”

    “Not to downplay any team in this league, because you’re going to see tremendous growth and development in many, many programs, but there’s no question that Cornell and Harvard stick out like sore thumbs as teams that are hitting on all cylinders right now,” said Morris. “But don’t take for granted any team in this league. There are some things happening with other teams in this league that are pretty exciting.”

    “I see a lot of parity,” said Gaudet. “If you look on paper, teams like Cornell and Harvard are returning so many players and are gearing up, but it should be tight again. There will be a lot of teams that you can just throw in the hat. There will be some favorites in the league, but you can throw that out the window when the puck drops.”

    “There’s so much parity in our league,” echoed Grillo. “An injury here or there, a bounce here or there, it could be the difference — like last year when we went into the final weekend and all we needed was a tie to finish third. It’s especially tough for the Ivies, and with the new format it takes the pressure off those that don’t get on the ice until later. It takes a little bit of pressure off the first half of the season to go right at it. If you lose a game in October, it won’t haunt you later on as much as it has in the past.

    “I think you’ll see this parity forever. You won’t see much difference from top to bottom, nor will you ever. Our league has a positive in that in other leagues you have the haves and have-nots, whereas we have all haves.”

    Agreed Fridgen, “Just doing the coaches poll, I found it very difficult because so many teams were so close. To say you’re number 12 in the league, doesn’t mean that you’re a 12th-place team.

    “There are a couple of teams right off the bat that are real strong, like Harvard and Cornell, and the others will be clawing and jockeying for those other positions. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.”

    “What you are seeing now is the quality of our league getting better,” said Mazzoleni. “We had a lot of young teams last year and our league wasn’t hit a great deal by graduation. So most teams are now a year older and wiser and more experience. I believe that it makes for more exciting league this year because the quality will be better.”

    “I think it’s just going to be the same as last year,” said Sneddon. “I have so much respect for the jobs the coaches have done in this league and how the teams at the bottom have come up to meet the teams at the top; yet everyone is still doing a great job, so it makes it great for everyone. This is what makes the ECAC exciting.”

    “I hope there’s a big gap in the standings — that’s because we’ll have two or three teams that will have had a great year. That’s what our league has to do to do well in the NCAAs,” said Schafer.

    Our Try

    Well, you’ve seen the coaches and you’ve seen the media’s choices. What do we think? We got it right last year in picking Cornell to win the regular season. Note: We’re picking playoff seedings here, not standings.

    1. Cornell Big Red
    Experience and a dominating style and system make Cornell the pick here — and our pick to make it to Buffalo for the Frozen Four.

    Harvard celebrates its ECAC playoff title.

    Harvard celebrates its ECAC playoff title.

    2. Harvard Crimson
    The Crimson were supposed to be at least a year away. That year is here.

    3. Clarkson Golden Knights
    The Knights are always in it, and this is no exception.

    Disclaimer — In true ECAC fashion, each of the below teams finishes tied for fourth. Tiebreakers determine their seeding.

    4. Yale Bulldogs
    A young team that will find an identity, led by Chris Higgins and the master Tim Taylor.

    5. St. Lawrence Saints
    You won’t be able to keep the Saints down for too long.

    6. Dartmouth Big Green
    It will take a little bit, but the Big Green get their goalscoring back.

    7. Rensselaer Engineers
    The Engineers will play as a team. Goaltending and defense stand out.

    8. Colgate Raiders
    The Raiders are up-and-coming.

    9. Brown Bears
    If the Bears score some more goals, watch out.

    10. Union Skating Dutchmen
    It will take some time to gel a young squad and get the goaltending situation set.

    11. Princeton Tigers
    Scoring will be at a premium and Nate Nomeland gets his shot.

    12. Vermont Catamounts
    It can only go up for the Cats.

    • 2002-03 Colgate Season Preview

    By Becky Blaeser and Jayson Moy
    -

    Head coach Don Vaughan prepared himself last season. He had 10 freshmen and six sophomores, and the year didn’t start very well. The Raiders went 3-11 before gaining an overtime win at Iona the first weekend of January. Then, things started to turn around. After losing twice to Cornell, the Raiders went on a 6-0-2 run, and went into the final weekend of the ECAC season in a position for home ice. Unfortunately for Vaughan, two losses put the Raiders on the road, and the season ended at Dartmouth.

    But Vaughan had all those young guys in the lineup.

    “We’re excited about our team,” he said. “Last year with such a young team we were able to give a lot of young kids a chance to play. They gained some valuable experience. We were playing eight or nine freshmen a night and in all different situations.

    “The biggest positive is that they gained more experience that they otherwise might not have had. Most places don’t play eight or nine guys that young, but we had no choice, and we’re going to be better for it this year.”

    Because the Raiders are so young, it’s easy to overlook the 17 returnees that they bring, including their top eight scorers. That’s a lot, but also remember that the Raiders only scored 90 goals last season, an average of 2.65 per game.

    “That is sort of the question mark,” said Vaughan of goal-scoring. “Last year we had trouble scoring goals and that set us back. I’m not sure we have the one guy in the program that will get us 20 or 25; we’ll have to rely on eight or nine guys to get 10 or 12. I do believe that is there.

    “P.J. Yedon and Scooter Smith have proven that. Now that Smith is healthy from his nagging injuries and some personal problems, I think we’re going to see what he can really do. So we’re looking for some good things from him. But it’s going to be the guys like (Adam) Mitchell, (Dave) Thomas and (Dmitry) Yashin who will chip in more offensively if we’re to have success. I believe that they can do that.”

    Kyle Doyle, the team’s second-leading scorer, and Brad D’Arco will also be back up front. Add to that mix Zac Tataryn, Kyle Wilson, Jon Smyth and Ryan Smyth, and it could mean more scoring.

    “Up front we have two forwards in Wilson and Tataryn that have great offensive instincts,” said Vaughan. “Jon and Ryan Smyth are two players who can play both ends of the ice. They are very tough and will create offense by going hard to the net.”

    Colgate captain Rob Brown

    Colgate captain Rob Brown

    They’ll hope to get a defense that will do better than the 3.56 goals against per game of last season.

    “It’s still our strength,” said Vaughan. “Guys like (Rob) Brown and (Steve) Silversides have experience back there, and even (Joey) Mormina, who played a lot for us last year as a freshman, and (Matt) Nicholson.

    “Then there’s David Cann, who played the bulk of last season for us in goal — he’ll be pushed by Silverthorn. I’m excited about our goaltending situation. I think it will be very competitive, and if one of them can run with it, that’s great, but we’re prepared to go with a tandem.”

    One of the traditional strengths of the Raiders has been excellent special-teams play. Last season the combined special-teams success rate was just 13%, but showed signs of coming together as the season ended.

    “The second half our power play started to gel,” said Vaughan. “We’ve got all the guys back that played on it last year and that’s exciting. When you put the same five guys back out there you can start to do some things creatively. We have the basic blueprint and we allow them to work it. There’s some talent there and smart players; we’ll allow them to think for themselves and be creative. With all five guys back on the power play, it may put us a little ahead of the game.”

    The Raiders will have another season to come together. It may not come this year, but the Colgate is headed up.

    2002-03 Cornell Season Preview

    By Becky Blaeser and Jayson Moy
    -

    The Big Red came oh-so-close to advancing to the Frozen Four last season. A furious comeback against New Hampshire fell just short, but this season brings the same determination.

    The team that went to the quarterfinals returns 14 players, including its top five scorers. That brings expectations to Mike Schafer’s squad this season.

    “We had the same kind of expectations a year ago at this time,” said Schafer. “So from our standpoint from within the program, the expectation is that they have the same expectations, and that’s good. We kind of fulfilled them last year and we’re looking forward to this year.

    Murray

    Murray

    “It’s a long time between games. Our guys are looking forward to starting again.”

    Leading the charge will be Hobey Baker finalist and co-captain Doug Murray. The senior will lead a defense that allowed a mere 1.80 goals per game, second in the nation, and just 1.55 goals per game within the ECAC.

    “We return five of our defensemen and Doug Murray will have a huge impact,” said Schafer. “He affects the game in more ways than any other Hobey Baker candidate, [not to mention] Mark McRae being one of the most underrated defensemen in our league.”

    Joining Murray and McRae on the backline will be Charlie Cook, Travis Bell, Ben Wallace and Jeremy Downs. One freshman, Jon Gleed, will vie for time.

    That solid group will patrol in front of David LeNeveu. LeNeveu posted an 11-2-1 record last season, a 1.50 GAA and a .936 save percentage in splitting time with Matt Underhill. This year, he’s going to be the man.

    “There’s no question,” said Schafer his confidence in LeNeveu. “Technically, he’s the best goaltender I’ve ever coached. We’re looking forward to him having a great year.”

    Baby

    Baby

    Sam Paolini, the Big Red’s leading scorer a year ago, will be expected to anchor a team that returns 78 of 118 goals.

    “Ryan Vesce, Stephen Baby and Sam Paolini, those guys stayed to get trained and will be ready. With the freshmen coming in, we expect some contributions from those guys,” said Schafer. “We have a lot of guys that I think have improved from last year.”

    Matt McRae, Kelly Hughes, Shane Palahicky, Greg Hornby, Mike Knoepfli and Mike Iggulden return to add offensive power. The Big Red will also look to freshmen Shane Hynes and Matt Moulson. Hynes had 74 points last season, Moulson 102.

    “We do have some guys to fit in,” said Schafer. “We’re going to need a big impact from our freshmen. If we want to get where we want to, our freshmen will have to step in. They need to make contributions –they can’t ride on the coattails of the upperclassmen. So there will be adjustment for those guys. We’re going to need strong contributions from our freshmen like we did last year with guys like Cook, LeNeveu and Downs.”

    The Big Red are the team to beat in the ECAC this season, according to the polls. On paper, there is no doubt that this team will make an impact, not only in the ECAC, but also on the NCAA level. This could be one special season in Ithaca.

    2002-03 Michigan Tech Season Preview

    By
    -

    College hockey in Houghton, Mich., might be entering a critical stage. Michigan Tech, mired in a long stretch of disappointing seasons, knows it can’t afford to lose the support of its students, its fans and its community.

    As the Huskies have found in the last few seasons, losses have a way of multiplying. To avoid having his team continue its downward spiral, coach Mike Sertich has implemented a number of controls.

    There’s an effort to get the community involved with the team, and, equally as important to Sertich, get the team involved in the community. They’re trying to recapture the interest of the students. A sports psychologist is working with the players to get them in the right frame of mind.

    And, maybe above all, there has been this message from Sertich:

    Jobs are on the line. His included. That’s not meant to scare them (or maybe it is), but it’s the truth.

    “For a long time, it was the hockey player kind of does his own thing” at Michigan Tech, Sertich said. “Well, we’re not going to have that kind of attitude. … We’re going to reach out to our fans and we’re going to get people back in the building. They’re going to come not because we’re winning — which really helps — but we have to show them that we’ve changed.”

    Maybe the problem is change has come too slowly at Tech. In some cases, though, that’s the way it has to be, and college hockey usually is one of those cases.

    “When you’re a program that needs to be restructured, it takes time,” Sertich said. “You’ve got to plant those seeds and boy, as much as you water it, you wish it would grow faster, but some things are out of your control, too.”

    But Sertich can control some things, and the makeup of his team is one of them. The Huskies are more experienced and a little quicker, but depth is a concern and there’s still no telling exactly what form they’ll take this season.

    Will they, led by captain Brett Engelhardt, the heart and soul of the team, take strides on offense, shore up a shaky defense and get consistent goaltending? Or will they again have not quite enough leadership and fall victim to a lack of players with enough drive to put the Huskies on the road to recovery?

    One of the highlights of the 2001-2002 season was the line of Engelhardt, Colin Murphy and Jon Pittis. They finished 1-2-3 on the team’s scoring chart and were the dominant scoring force.

    On the other hand, they were pretty much the only scoring force, and that’s the problem. Sertich likely will break up the trio, if only to spread out some of the scoring.

    They have to understand that if they get 17 minutes of ice time in a game, they’re only going to have the puck on their stick for a little over a minute. So the other 15 1/2 minutes, they’d better be doing something right. If you want to be a spectator, we can certainly arrange that, too.

    — Mike Sertich, on his forwards’ duties away from the puck

    “Last year, we were pretty much a one-line team,” he said, “and when you stopped that line, you stopped us.”

    The Huskies will be looking for someone to step forward and provide more scoring, and for a number of players to simply show an effort worthy of playing on a WCHA team.

    “You look at a kid like Chris Durno now, he’ll be a four-year regular,” Sertich said. “He needs to come to the front for us. We can’t have guys like that almost being content with just being in the lineup. Well, now we have some depth, so now jobs are on the line. It’s going to be an interesting battle here.”

    The Huskies’ defense is of particular concern to Sertich. Greg Amadio, Justin Brown, Brad Sullivan and Clay Wilson emerged last season as big players on the blue line, but inconsistency led to the Huskies having the worst defense in the WCHA.

    But Sertich won’t lay all of the blame on the defensemen. They’re only two of the five skaters on the ice, and the other three take their share of the culpability.

    “They have to understand that if they get 17 minutes of ice time in a game, they’re only going to have the puck on their stick for a little over a minute,” Sertich said. “So the other 15 1/2 minutes, they’d better be doing something right. If you want to be a spectator, we can certainly arrange that, too.”

    Cam Ellsworth will start the season as the No. 1 goaltender, but newcomer Rick Cazarres, who signed late in the offseason after the Huskies lost incoming freshman Marty Magers to major juniors, will challenge him.

    Sertich is looking for a new mindset from the Huskies. He met with the players throughout the offseason, and some of those meetings included a sports psychologist. That’s something Sertich used in his days as coach at Minnesota-Duluth, and it’s supposed to help the players with relaxation and visualization.

    He’s also brought in members of the Houghton business community to talk to the team, part of a mending of bridges with the community.

    Sertich has been impressed with the improved attitude his team has brought into camp this season. But there’s still plenty of work to be done, on the ice, off the ice and in the players’ minds.

    “There’s some old, old things that needed to be addressed and needed to be corrected,” Sertich said. “They understood that before you can change a behavior you need to change the attitude.

    “They came here from different programs all over the country. and a lot of them were highly successful. So what are we going to do to be successful? What are the attributes that your teams had? We went into great detail and great depth with that, and I think it’s paying some dividends.”

    2002-03 WCHA Season Preview

    By
    -

    Whatever preconceived notions you may have about the WCHA’s 51st season, Scott Owens has something to tell you:

    “Whatever you think is going to happen usually doesn’t.”

    Think Denver’s going to run away with the MacNaughton Cup again, and maybe even win it all this season?

    Think Minnesota has a good a shot as anyone, despite the loss of big-name players?

    Think St. Cloud won’t be as good without gifted scorers named Mark Hartigan and Nate DiCasmirro?

    Think North Dakota will be rejuvenated by wonderboy Zach Parise?

    Matt Koalska (l.) helped Minnesota to the national title, but the Gophers will try to repeat without, among others, John Pohl (r.) (photo: Jason Waldowski).

    Matt Koalska (l.) helped Minnesota to the national title, but the Gophers will try to repeat without, among others, John Pohl (r.) (photo: Jason Waldowski).

    Sure, all of that could happen this season. But with all the uncertainty floating around the WCHA, don’t rule out the opposite, either.

    Denver wasn’t a popular choice to win the league’s regular-season title last year, but did so in handy fashion.

    Who would have thought Owens’ Colorado College team would have started 0-5 in the league? The Tigers were supposed to be one of the league’s best, but were essentially out of the race by November.

    Minnesota emerged as the national champion from the third spot in the regular-season standings.

    Well, maybe that last one wasn’t so unexpected. If there’s one certainty in the WCHA, it’s that any of the teams that make the NCAA tournament has a legitimate shot of winning it all.

    “Minnesota’s won four national titles. They’ve never won a national title when they’ve won the league,” Golden Gophers coach Don Lucia said. “Every time, it’s been a second- or third-place finish.

    “I think what says a lot about our league is Denver was the seventh different team since 1992 to win or get a share of the WCHA title. That shows the depth of our league and that’s why I’ve always maintained that if we can be one of the top teams in the WCHA, we’re going to be fine nationally.”

    "I think what says a lot about our league is Denver was the seventh different team since 1992 to win or get a share of the WCHA title. That shows the depth of our league."

    — Minnesota coach Don Lucia

    And with the national tournament expanding to 16 teams this season, the WCHA might be able to put five in the field on a regular basis. Barring a down season, four seems to be a given. A strong fifth team has a decent shot.

    The league’s elite teams from last season appear prepared to hold down those spots. Denver, Minnesota, St. Cloud State and Colorado College made the 12-team field last season, and have expectations to do so again.

    Then there’s the rest of the league, fighting to get back in the top half in some cases; fighting to establish themselves as a perennial competitors in others.

    North Dakota has Parise, one of many new faces who could make a big impact on the league, to lead its hopes of a climb back up the ladder after a disappointing season. New coach Mike Eaves starts the drive to take Wisconsin back to elite status. A new look helped Alaska-Anchorage; can it continue?

    Minnesota-Duluth has a young team and could struggle because of it. Minnesota State-Mankato’s offseason losses leave it thin. And Michigan Tech is in search of leadership.

    Some expect to get to the national tournament; for others, it would be a dream come true. Regardless, if they can make it that far, anything goes. That’s the way of the WCHA.

    “Playing in this league, if you can survive and be healthy come postseason play, I think you really get a boost in playing in the national tournament because of having competed over the course of the year in this league,” Denver coach George Gwozdecky said. “I think Minnesota proved that.”

    A quick look at the WCHA’s teams follows. Click on a team’s name to see its preview. Teams are listed in their predicted order of finish.

    gwozdecky

    gwozdecky

    Denver
    Coach: George Gwozdecky, 17th year overall, ninth at Denver
    2001-02 overall record: 32-8-1
    2001-02 WCHA record: 21-6-1, 43 points
    2001-02 WCHA finish: First
    2002-03 predicted finish: First
    The short story: The Pioneers have great goaltending and offense back; the questions will come with a young defense.
    He said it: “There’s no question this team, I believe, has good leadership, we’ve got experience,” Gwozdecky said. “Obviously, you never know how the health is going to be, but health a lot of times comes down to what kind of shape you’re in, what kind of condition you’re in. Our conditioning levels are terrific, the best we’ve been. Up to this point, our team has done everything they can to be ready to start the season.”

    Minnesota
    Coach: Don Lucia, 16th year overall, fourth at Minnesota
    2001-02 overall record: 32-8-4
    2001-02 WCHA record: 18-7-3, 39 points
    2001-02 WCHA finish: Third
    2002-03 predicted finish: Second
    The short story: The Gophers’ national title experience is priceless; can they overcome big-time losses?
    He said it: “We’re going to have some nights that we’ll shake our head at,” Lucia said, “but I think we’re also going to have some good nights and I anticipate we’ll be a pretty good hockey team come the end of the year.”

    St. Cloud State
    Coach: Craig Dahl, 22nd year overall, 16th at St. Cloud State
    2001-02 overall record: 29-11-2
    2001-02 WCHA record: 19-7-2, 40 points
    2001-02 WCHA finish: Second
    2002-03 predicted finish: Third
    The short story: Big scorers are gone, but depth remains; defense, goaltending are sticky situations.
    He said it: “Most of the veterans that are back have played,” Dahl said. “I don’t think there’s anything new for them. Most of our guys know what their role is.”

    Colorado College
    Coach: Scott Owens, fourth year overall and at Colorado College
    2001-02 overall record: 27-13-3
    2001-02 WCHA record: 16-10-2, 34 points
    2001-02 WCHA finish: Fourth
    2002-03 predicted finish: Fourth
    The short story: The Tigers don’t have some of the stars that led them back to the tournament, but there’s plenty of scoring potential.
    He said it: “You’d always like to be in the top three,” Owens said, “but with nine freshmen … ”

    blais

    blais

    North Dakota
    Coach: Dean Blais, ninth year overall and at North Dakota
    2001-02 overall record: 16-19-2
    2001-02 WCHA record: 11-15-2, 24 points
    2001-02 WCHA finish: Tie, sixth
    2002-03 predicted finish: Fifth
    The short story: Can Zach Parise do it all, or will the Sioux be undone by defense and goaltending?
    He said it: “Last year wasn’t a surprise to me,” Blais said. “The focus was on Engelstad Arena, so people in Grand Forks weren’t really shocked because they pretty much know their hockey and know that we were young. I would say now this year we’ll be a little bit better, but after this year with who’s coming in … I would say the next five years look real good.”

    Wisconsin
    Coach: Mike Eaves, first year overall and at Wisconsin
    2001-02 overall record: 16-19-4
    2001-02 WCHA record: 12-13-3, 27 points
    2001-02 WCHA finish: Fifth
    2002-03 predicted finish: Sixth
    The short story: Much of the offense is gone, which gives Eaves the clean slate he’s looking for.
    He said it: “We’re definitely going to have some rollercoaster rides because it’s going to take a while for everybody to get on the same page and play as a team,” Eaves said. “We recognize that, but what I think will happen is around Christmastime, we’ll start to level off and we’ll find the consistency that you need to have to be a good team.”

    Alaska-Anchorage
    Coach: John Hill, second year overall and at Alaska-Anchorage
    2001-02 overall record: 12-19-5
    2001-02 WCHA record: 10-14-4, 24 points
    2001-02 WCHA finish: Tie, sixth
    2002-03 predicted finish: Seventh
    The short story: A step in the right direction last year; more of the same must happen this season.
    He said it: “We need to really establish Sullivan Arena as a tough place for opponents to come in to play,” Hill said. “And I think we’ve got to build on the success we had last year on the road. It’s easy to say that, but it’s not easy to accomplish it.”

    Minnesota-Duluth
    Coach: Scott Sandelin, third year overall and at Minnesota-Duluth
    2001-02 overall record: 13-24-3
    2001-02 WCHA record: 6-19-3, 15 points
    2001-02 WCHA finish: Ninth
    2002-03 predicted finish: Eighth
    The short story: Sandelin is taking charge of the defense, so expect some changes there.
    He said it: “The guys are committed,” Sandelin said. “Their expectations are certainly a lot higher than they’ve ever been, and that’s a real good sign.”

    Minnesota State-Mankato
    Coach: Troy Jutting, third year overall and at Minnesota State-Mankato
    2001-02 overall record: 16-20-2
    2001-02 WCHA record: 11-15-2, 24 points
    2001-02 WCHA finish: Tie, sixth
    2002-03 predicted finish: Ninth
    The short story: It may be tough for this young team to stay in the race for home ice.
    He said it: “I know we’ll take our lumps at times because we will be young again,” Jutting said. “There’ll be nights when inexperience gets you a little bit. But I think we’ll play with a lot of enthusiasm, and one thing we have done since we’ve gotten into this league is we play pretty hard most nights. I think you’ll see a team that comes out and plays pretty hard.”

    Michigan Tech
    Coach: Mike Sertich, 21st year overall, third at Michigan Tech
    2001-02 overall record: 8-28-2
    2001-02 WCHA record: 4-22-2, 10 points
    2001-02 WCHA finish: 10th
    2002-03 predicted finish: 10th
    The short story: The Huskies want the renovation to be completed, but the framework is still in progress.
    He said it: “When you’re a program that needs to be restructured, it takes time,” Sertich said. “You’ve got to plant those seeds and boy, as much as you water it, you wish it would grow faster, but some things are out of your control, too.”

    Minnesota Claims Preseason No. 1

    USCHO Staff Report
    -

    Minnesota, last year’s NCAA Champion, was selected first in the Preseason USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll with 22 of a possible 40 first-place votes.

    Minnesota will attempt to overcome the losses of seniors like Hobey Baker winner Jordan Leopold on defense and goaltender Adam Hauser, as well as underclassmen like Jeff Taffe, who left school to sign with the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes. Captain of this year’s Gopher squad is last spring’s NCAA Tournament Most Valuable Player, Grant Potulny.

    Denver finished second in the poll with 12 first place votes. The Pioneers return nine of the top 10 scorers and a top goaltending tandem from last year’s squad that won the WCHA regular season and post-season titles.

    Other teams that captured first-place votes included Michigan, which finished third, fourth-place New Hampshire, and fifth-place Boston University. Last year’s NCAA runner-up, the Black Bears of Maine, finished in sixth place. Michigan State, at seventh, will try to cope with the twin losses of head coach Ron Mason and Hobey Baker-winning goaltender Ryan Miller.

    Cornell, which finished eighth, was the highest ranking school from the ECAC. Harvard, also from the ECAC, finished 14th. Two teams that were unrated at the end of last season were in the top 15 teams of this poll.

    Boston College, which won the 2001 NCAA title but finished with just a 0.500 record at 18-18-2 last season, was selected ninth. North Dakota, which captured the 2000 NCAA title by downing the Eagles, finished last season at 16-19-2 but was selected 13th for this season. A total of 28 teams from all six Division I conferences earned votes.

    The USCHO.com Poll is compiled by U.S. College Hockey Online, and consists of 40 voters, including 28 coaches from the Division I conferences and 12 beat writers from across the country. The poll is published weekly by the Associated Press.

    2002-03 Alaska-Anchorage Season Preview

    By
    -

    Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither, surely, was Anchorage.

    But today, immediate results are a desire, if not a demand, especially in the sports world. The long, slow rebuilding process is about as popular as a toll booth.

    So, as first impressions go, John Hill’s was seemingly right on target. In his debut season as the head coach at Alaska-Anchorage, he fulfilled his promise to make the Seawolves an interesting team to watch.

    He turned the players loose — or so it seemed in relation to the Dean Talafous era — to take some chances, go for it on offense and see what happens.

    A mid-1980s North Dakota team they weren’t, but the Seawolves last season showed the potential to rise out of their customary ninth or 10th spot in the league standings for good.

    Now, the hard part for Hill and UAA: They have to do it all over again.

    Building is one thing; sustaining is another. The Seawolves can go one of two ways this season:

  • They can near, match or do better than their sixth-place finish and tell the WCHA they’re serious about climbing the league’s rungs.
  • Or they can fall back into the depths of the league and watch everyone call them one-hit wonders.

    Cracking the top five would be a monumental step for the Seawolves. Winning a WCHA playoff game would be bigger (they’ve never done so), but that’s looking down the road.

    Hill knows if his team is going to make the next step, the place to do it is Sullivan Arena.

    hill

    hill

    “I think you need to win three out of four games at home,” Hill said. “We can’t split at home. And when you go on the road, you need to split or you need to make sure you get some points every time you head out on the road. Maybe it’s a tie or you get a split or maybe you get fortunate and get three points.

    “It’s hard to win on the road in our league, and we need to make Sullivan Arena a tough place for teams to come in and play.”

    Saying so and doing so have always been two different things for UAA. In credit to Hill, he said he was going to change the way things were done and he did so in his first season.

    But even he’ll admit sometimes a first season is deceiving. There’s usually a new energy from players after a coaching change. The trick and the challenge is to keep that momentum going through this season and the ones that follow.

    The focal point this season is Matt Shasby. The second-team all-conference selection last season developed his offensive game to go along with tough defensive play.

    His 27 points were good for second on the team, but there’s still room for him to improve on offense, and much of it comes in the category Hill is trying to preach to the team as a whole: taking chances.

    “Matt’s a great skater, and with the open ice we have in the buildings in our league, he can beat the forecheck,” Hill said. “He used to look pass first, but when he gets the puck at the blue line, I think he has to think shot.”

    The Seawolves may have an all-America candidate on the blue line, but they also have some turnover to account for. They list eight defensemen on their roster and four of them are freshmen.

    Hill said he expects freshmen Matt Hanson and Spence Gilchrist to step in for the departed Eric Lawson and Corey Hessler.

    Up front, there might be even more crucial spots that need to be filled. The entire top line of Steve Cygan, Mike Scott and Gregg Zaporzan has moved on, leaving a gap in the scoring. They were the top three forwards last season.

    Last season’s second line, Dallas Steward, Petr Chytka and Vladimir Novak, will move up and each is expected to advance his production.

    “All three guys have come back in great shape,” Hill said, “and that tells me their attitude is right.”

    The Seawolves, however, will need a second line to put up a fair number of goals. They have three seniors looking to finish their collegiate career with a bang on offense — Dan Gilkerson, Morgan Roach and Joe Garvin. John Hopson also has the potential to play a key role after leading freshmen with 15 points last season.

    The goaltending situation is unchanged from last season. Kevin Reiter, who played the majority of the minutes last season, will share time with Chris King. They’ll split an exhibition game and the first two weekends, and Hill then will have a decision to make.

    “After those five games, if one of them is playing much better than the other, [he] would probably get the Friday start on Nov. 1 against Duluth,” Hill said. “And if we win and they look sharp, we may go back with that goalie on Saturday. But if they’re both playing well and it’s working, I can see us rotating them all season because it seemed to work last year.”

    As much of a success as last season is considered, the Seawolves are quick to point out they had three goals and didn’t meet one.

    They wanted to win the Nye Frontier Classic in their back yard but came up a point short. They wanted to take hold of the Governor’s Cup, the prize for the winner of the season series between UAA and Alaska-Fairbanks, but lost three of four meetings. They wanted to make the Final Five, but lost 6-1 and 1-0 to Colorado College in the first round.

    The same three goals are on the table again, there for the earning, not the taking.

    • 2002-03 St. Cloud State Season Preview

    By
    -

    St. Cloud State has been to the NCAA tournament three seasons in a row, but …

    St. Cloud State has finished second in the WCHA two seasons in a row, but …

    St. Cloud State has the longest streak of appearances in the Final Five with seven, but …

    St. Cloud State is starting to be mentioned along with the powers of college hockey, but …

    But the Huskies’ Hobey Baker finalist has left. But the top goaltender is gone. But there are concerns with defensive depth because two players are ineligible for first semester.

    This is the price of being a top program in college hockey and in the WCHA. Everything negative is magnified, even to the point where it overshadows the things that are going right.

    To be sure, the Huskies have their work cut out for them to be in the running for the MacNaughton Cup in February and March, mostly because they don’t have Mark Hartigan or Nate DiCasmirro up front or Dean Weasler between the pipes.

    But that doesn’t negate the fact that they still possess one of the best offenses in the league and have the talent to make a run at a high finish.

    “I think we’re going to be decent,” Huskies coach Craig Dahl said, playing the coy role. “Time will tell.”

    Time, however, is something the Huskies don’t exactly have on their side. They’ll play at least the first semester without defensemen Derek Eastman and Joel Peterson after both were ruled ineligible.

    Eastman is the bigger hit. He was the top scorer from the blue line last season and that loss will shake things up significantly.

    Dahl said both could be back for the second semester, but he wasn’t going to make any predictions or guarantees. Eastman and Peterson have to shore up their grades first.

    It puts more pressure on the rest of the Huskies’ defense, especially the younger players. But they have some experienced returners who could hold things together — as long as injuries don’t further deplete the ranks.

    Jeff Finger, Matt Gens and Colin Peters will have a little extra responsibility as older players. Ryan LaMere will miss the first weeks of camp after shoulder surgery this summer, but the Huskies are optimistic he’ll be ready for the WCHA opener against Minnesota State-Mankato on Oct. 25.

    “I definitely have to step up and be a leader, especially early in the season,” said Finger, a junior assistant captain. “We should be fine, though. We’ve got some good young guys coming. They’re tough and have good skills; they just lack experience.”

    Dahl pointed out Tim Conboy, a San Jose Sharks draft pick, as being in the mold of Finger. At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Conboy is roughly the same build as Finger (6-2, 215), and is reported to be able to throw his weight around just as well.

    Despite losing Hartigan and DiCasmirro, the Huskies still have a number of forwards who can pull their weight in the WCHA. It starts with Ryan Malone, who, after consulting with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who hold his NHL rights, decided to return for his senior season.

    SCSU D Jeff Finger races to the puck (photo: Jason Waldowski).

    SCSU D Jeff Finger races to the puck (photo: Jason Waldowski).

    But he’ll move to center this year, something that could pay off because, at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, he can create some space near the net. The change was a decision from Malone, the coaching staff and the Penguins, who see his future up the middle.

    Joining Malone in the top six forwards are captain Jon Cullen, Matt Hendricks, Mike Doyle, Joe Motzko and Peter Szabo. After scoring only 12 points in his freshman season, Hendricks broke through for 39 last season, with 19 goals.

    Dahl called the progress of Doyle and Szabo key to the development of the offense. Szabo recorded 33 points in his freshman season; Doyle had 32. They’ll be expected to produce the same figures this season.

    That gives the Huskies two solid lines, with the potential for more if freshmen work into the mix. Ottawa draft pick Brock Hooton and Jonathan Lehun from Toronto show promise, but a stress fracture in Lehun’s left tibia will keep him out the first weeks of the season.

    “The nice thing is,” Dahl said, “with our returning veterans, they won’t be thrust into a situation where they’re going to be expected to score a lot.”

    The Huskies as a whole, however, will be expected to score a lot, at least to keep some of the pressure off the defense, in its fragile state, and the goaltenders, who are in a changing state of their own.

    Jake Moreland played in 17 games last season as a backup to Weasler. He’ll get the first crack at clinching the top spot — Dahl said he’ll get the start in at least the Huskies’ opening series at Ferris State.

    “Moreland’s now really got a chance to be the man,” Dahl said.

    But waiting for a chance are Jason Montgomery, who was with the team last season but didn’t play, and newcomer Adam Hanna. A two-goalie rotation isn’t out of the question.

    Winning the WCHA isn’t out of the question, either. Doing so would show the Huskies are a lot stronger than some are giving them credit for, and would further state that they’re going to be around the top for a while.

    “You always want to build your program to one where you can contend year after year,” Dahl said. He then listed off a number of college football’s best teams: Nebraska, Florida State, Miami and the like.

    “They don’t win the national championship every year, but they’re always a factor in the race,” he said.

    2002-03 Minnesota Season Preview

    By
    -

    Funny how the significance of the national championship trophy flips, just as the calendar flips into October.

    Starting one Saturday night in April and continuing through September, it’s a celebration and a sigh of relief — no use for lingering regrets from the last season. It’s the sign that you’re the tops in college hockey.

    But when the puck drops on a new season, it means something else. Suddenly, you’re the biggest target on some teams’ schedules. More, like it or not, you have an incredible burden.

    For 30 years, no team has started the season as the defending national champion and ended it with another golden NCAA trophy.

    But anything less wouldn’t be quite enough, would it? Maybe that’s especially true when you’re from the “State of Hockey,” as it’s known in your parts.

    To make things just a bit tougher, you’ve lost your top point scorer, your top goalscorer, your top defenseman (who, by the way, was voted the best player in the nation last season) and your top goaltender.

    Go to work, Minnesota. With everyone gunning for you and the Golden Gophers’ faithful having had a taste of the NCAA championship, there’s plenty to be done.

    “If it is a burden,” Gophers coach Don Lucia said of the national title, “I’d like to have it more often.”

    The losses are astounding, but that the Gophers have the potential to get back to the same form this season is just as phenomenal. The Gophers knew they were going to lose Hobey Baker winner Jordan Leopold, 75-point scorer Johnny Pohl and oft-maligned goaltender Adam Hauser.

    They didn’t know at the start of last season that top goalscorer Jeff Taffe would be departing as well, but that’s one of the consequences of an outstanding year.

    But through quick progression of young players and a top-notch recruiting class, the Gophers could get back to the promised land this season.

    The Gophers’ biggest weakness on offense likely will be at center, where Pohl and Taffe held things together. Suddenly, Matt Koalska, he of the “Polish Leap” after tying last season’s title game against Maine, jumps two spots to become the top centerman.

    lucia

    lucia

    “One of the reasons we were as good as we were last year is we had three outstanding centers in Pohl, Taffe and Koalska,” Lucia said. “The luxury we had with that is that we never worried about what line was on the ice against another team. We could play our third line against other people’s No. 1s and that didn’t bother us at all.

    “That’s what we have to develop this year. Matt, as the only one of our top three centers returning, and he’s going really from No. 3 to probably No. 1, he has to elevate his game. We don’t need him to score 30 goals, but we need him to closer to 20 than 10.”

    The Gophers, in fact, may not feature a 30-goal scorer like Taffe this season, Lucia said. But his team features enough experience (is there better experience than a run to the national title?) and talent to have a number of 15- or 20-goal scorers.

    Troy Riddle, Grant Potulny, Barry Tallackson and Keith Ballard are just a few of the players that fall into that category. And that doesn’t even count incoming freshmen Gino Guyer and Thomas Vanek, each of whom was a star at the junior level.

    Guyer, especially, could have a quick start to his collegiate career. Described as a natural goalscorer, he’ll get plenty of chances to do just that because that’s why the Gophers recruited him, Lucia said.

    Four of the top six defenseman are back, with Leopold and Nick Angell the exceptions. Paul Martin and Keith Ballard likely will be counted on to be the Leopold-Matt DeMarchi combination of this season, though DeMarchi will be back himself.

    vanek

    vanek

    “I think Keith will really come into his own this year with Leo gone because he’ll get that ice time that he didn’t have,” Lucia said.

    For the first time under Lucia, who’s starting his fourth season with the Gophers, they won’t know the identity of the No. 1 goaltender by the start of the season. Hauser was a four-year starter and became the WCHA’s all-time wins leader last season.

    The Gophers didn’t recruit another goaltender, leaving it up to Travis Weber and Justin Johnson. Weber saw more time than Johnson last season, but neither saw the kind they’ll get this season.

    “I don’t think we have a No. 1 guy right now,” Lucia said. “I think what our plan will be, play them both early and see how that works. If they both play well, they’ll both continue to play. If one starts to outplay the other one, then he’ll get a majority of the games.”

    Last season, the Gophers had the motivation of having the Frozen Four in St. Paul, a stone’s throw from their campus. Thanks to the expansion of the NCAA tournament to 16 teams, they’ll have a similar motivation to get to the big dance this season.

    With the tournament switching to four regionals instead of two, Mariucci Arena was added as a host site for this season.

    “We’re going to be young, and we as coaches have to be patient,” Lucia said. “We’re going to have a lot of freshmen and sophomores in our lineup. We only have two seniors that are going to be playing, so we have to be patient and not worry about where we are in October and November.

    “Our goal is to get to the NCAA tournament and play in Mariucci Arena. That’s a heck of an incentive for us.”

    2002-03 Minnesota-Duluth Season Preview

    By
    -

    Attention, Minnesota-Duluth defensemen. Your coach will be watching you closely this season.

    Scott Sandelin missed working with blueliners, something he did regularly when he was an assistant coach at North Dakota. When Mark Strobel, who worked with the UMD defensemen, left Sandelin’s coaching staff for Nebraska-Omaha, it gave the third-year head coach his opportunity.

    So if you have concerns with the Bulldogs’ defense this season, address them to the top man himself.

    Insert a joke here about everyone having concerns about the UMD defense if you’d like. But Sandelin will take a young batch of players under his wing and try to help them improve individually and as a group.

    He plans to make things simple for them, but, really, things are never simple when facing offenses of the WCHA’s caliber.

    The Bulldogs allowed an average of 3.83 goals per game last season, second-worst in the league. That’s one of the things that has made Sandelin cringe in his first two seasons at UMD.

    “What has transpired the first two years hasn’t been good,” Sandelin said. “There’s no single reason. When you talk about defense, you talk about six guys. We’ve had some breakdowns, we’ve made some mistakes. Some of it you can attribute to youth, but it seems like all the mistakes we made ended up in our net.

    “We had some guys that were committed shift in and shift out, and we had some guys that weren’t. That is a major concern for me, and we are going to work extremely hard on getting better at that and making sure guys understand the importance of it. Hopefully, that’s going to lead to better results for us during the year.”

    The Bulldogs will turn to junior Beau Geisler for experience on defense. Sandelin also wants him to take on more of an offensive role, something like 35-point scorer Andy Reierson had last season as a senior.

    We had some guys that were committed shift in and shift out, and we had some guys that weren’t. That is a major concern for me, and we are going to work extremely hard on getting better at that and making sure guys understand the importance of it.

    — Scott Sandelin, on his defense last year

    But this year, Geisler and Jay Hardwick are the only juniors in the lineup, with no seniors. That kind of youth will provide UMD with its share of problems.

    Sophomores Tim Hambly and Neil Petruic should be in the lineup regularly on defense. Freshmen Steve Czech and Ryan Geris could see a decent amount of playing time right away.

    Above all, Sandelin wants his players to buy into a team-oriented defensive scheme.

    “I’m not happy with giving up a lot of goals,” he said. “We did, and maybe part of that’s my fault. It’s not that we didn’t talk a lot about the defensive part, but you have to get guys to buy into both ends of the rink.”

    Youth in the lineup won’t be limited to the defense, either. It’s a good bet that the Bulldogs’ offense will take on a younger look, but Sandelin isn’t expecting much from his freshmen this season — at least right away.

    They’ll get their opportunities to play — which is an bonus because it creates competition for lineup spots — but with little on the line individually.

    The Bulldogs list 11 forwards on their roster who are either freshmen or sophomores. But that includes T.J. Caig, who isn’t eligible to play until Dec. 28 because of a one-year penalty from the NCAA for involvement with a major junior team.

    If UMD is going to make a run at a top-five finish, one of the team’s goals this season, it’ll need quality production from the older players.

    Captain Jon Francisco scored 12 goals and 39 points last season, and he’ll probably need to equal or better those numbers to have his senior season considered a success. The Bulldogs also feature senior Drew Otten and Junior Lessard, who this season matches his name as a junior, as capable scorers.

    But they’ll need consistent — there’s the key word — support from younger players like Tyler Brosz, Evan Schwabe, and maybe even newcomers like Marco Peluso.

    “I certainly don’t want to change anything from an offensive standpoint; I want guys to have that freedom and creativity to try things up there,” Sandelin said. “I think we’ve got some guys that hopefully can provide some offense. I think we have more guys that can do that this year, but with some of them being young, you don’t know. It’s not like they’ve proven in this league that they’re consistent point-getters.”

    There’s that word again — consistent. It also applies to the Bulldogs’ hopes for their goaltending. With Rob Anderson the only experienced goaltender, he’ll likely get most of the starts.

    But, like the whole of the team, he had his good nights and his bad nights while sharing time with Adam Coole (he transferred to St. Cloud State) last season. He had a decent 9-11 record, but a 3.50 goals against and a save percentage of .890 didn’t get the job done every night.

    “I certainly hope that’s an area that’s better than it was,” Sandelin said. “We went through stretches last year, and by no means was it entirely the goaltenders’ fault because we didn’t play very well at times in front of them. But you still need that big save here and there. When you see other teams get it, and when you need it you don’t, it’s kind of disheartening. I hope we get that. I can’t tell you we’re going to.”

    That kind of uncertainty permeates the Bulldogs’ roster, as it does most of the teams that are fighting to get back in the middle of the WCHA pack. UMD’s hopes to emerge out of that group lie in a number of freshmen and sophomores playing bigger than their years.

    “It’s working to get better every weekend and being consistent, not having a lot of peaks and valleys,” Sandelin said. “You have to stay as close to that consistency line as you can. If you do that, you can be a pretty good team in this league.”

    Coaches Pick Denver to Win WCHA Race

    USCHO Staff Report
    -

    Voters on the USCHO.com national poll put Minnesota first and Denver second in the preseason. The WCHA’s coaches see it the other way.

    Denver got six first-place votes and was the coaches’ pick to repeat as WCHA regular-season champions in the poll, conducted by Virg Foss of the Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald.

    Minnesota, the defending national champion, is second with three first-place votes. St. Cloud State, the third selection, received one vote for first.

    Colorado College and North Dakota round out the top five. Wisconsin was selected for sixth place, with Minnesota-Duluth seventh, Minnesota State-Mankato eighth, Alaska-Anchorage ninth and Michigan Tech 10th.

    Pioneers goaltender Wade Dubielewicz got seven of the 10 coaches’ votes as the preseason favorite to be the league’s player of the year. CC’s Peter Sejna (two) and Minnesota’s Keith Ballard (one) also received votes.

    North Dakota’s Zach Parise was the pick as the preseason rookie of the year, getting nine of the 10 votes. Colorado College’s Mark Stuart got the other vote.

    2002-03 Colorado College Season Preview

    By
    -

    Last season left the Colorado College Tigers with a wealth of things to ponder over the summer.

    How did they get off to such a bad start? Why could they score eight goals one night and struggle to put in a couple the next?

    And the biggest: Is it going to be the same way next season, only without one of their best scorers and playmakers, and the goaltender who held them together?

    Then there was the talk of the best returning scorer not returning. A restless time in Colorado Springs, indeed.

    But as that new season opens, things are not bleak, not by a long shot. Colorado College still is one of the better teams in the WCHA, and it still has a legitimate shot of being one of the handful of teams from the league to earn a spot in the national tournament.

    Looking at the Tigers critically, however, you notice a lack of experience in goal without the graduated Jeff Sanger; a lot of young players after losing eight from last season’s team, including Mark Cullen, a first-team all-conference selection; and what could be perceived as a lack of depth up front.

    With nine freshmen on this season’s roster, the Tigers’ challenge is to get everyone in a place in which they’re comfortable.

    “Last year, we kind of knew who was going to be slotted where and had so much experience coming back,” Tigers coach Scott Owens said. “This year, it’s a whole another experience. It’s a little scary, but at the same time it’s kind of exciting, too, to see exactly what you’ve got to work with.”

    Perhaps the best thing the Tigers’ offense has to work with is Peter Sejna. A 50-point scorer last season, he’s likely to be the catalyst of the offense again.

    Owens admits he wasn’t completely convinced at the end of last season that Sejna, a third-team selection, was going to be back for his junior year. Owens also said that if Sejna has another outstanding season, he “wouldn’t be surprised” if his offensive star left early for the pros.

    clarke

    clarke

    So CC will have to get the most out of him this season. It wouldn’t be completely fair to say as Sejna goes, so go the Tigers. Noah Clarke and Colin Stuart have the potential to score big, but Sejna has, with 29- and 26-goal seasons, shown his ability to be a top-notch offensive force.

    “I’d like to think he can get 65 points [this] year,” Owens said. “He’ll probably be playing with young guys too and it’ll depend on how quickly they can adjust. But I don’t think that’s unreasonable. He had 26 goals and I’d be real happy if he could muster up 26 to 29 goals again and pick up a few more assists. If you’d ask him, he’d be shooting for 65 points or so.”

    Whereas last year the Tigers had two players with 50 points (Sejna and Cullen), Sejna might be the only one to reach that number this season. To stay strong offensively, they’ll need not only big performances from Clarke and Stuart, but mid-range scoring from some other players. Candidates include Joe Cullen (21 points last season), Scott Polaski (16), and newcomers like Brett Sterling, Aaron Slattengren and Marty Sertich.

    But there are two necessities for CC:

  • Not to have the kind of here-today-gone-tomorrow offensive production that plagued the Tigers last season.

    “I’d like to have more consistent scoring, a little more scoring from the defense, perhaps,” Owens said. “And also we need everybody contributing, including our seniors and freshmen.”

  • To get off to a better start. Picked to finish first in the league in the coaches’ preseason poll, the Tigers were out of the race for the regular-season title by the second weekend of November, when they had a 1-5 league record.

    After nonconference games against Mass.-Lowell, Maine and Iona, the Tigers open the WCHA season with series at Minnesota-Duluth, and at home against Michigan Tech and Alaska-Anchorage.

    “It’s something we as a staff definitely used in our preseason preparation,” Owens said, “making sure that we are ready to go. … I wish, in hindsight, that we had gotten off to a better start in league play and had a chance to not take fourth place.”

    They’ll also need some quality goaltending to get to the NCAA tournament for a third straight season. Sanger’s 2.29 goals against average and .909 save percentage helped keep the Tigers in those games last season where the offense wasn’t firing.

    Curtis McElhinney gets the No. 1 spot this season because of his experience in nine games a year ago. But Owens will give Gian Baldrica (two games last season) and newcomer Kjell Bennemark some time as well.

    As always with new goaltenders, it helps having few questions on defense. The Tigers were second in the league in overall scoring defense last season and have much of that group back.

    Captain Tom Preissing has emerged as an offensive threat from the blue line and leads a group that could be one of the league’s best defenses this season. The depth appears solid, especially with newcomers Mark Stuart, Weston Tardy and Jesse Stokke appearing ready to step in right away.

    Those youngsters — the number of them in particular — are the reason Owens said his team is merely hoping for home ice in the playoffs. At least, that’s the goal at the start of the season.

    “If we can get on a good roll and stay healthy, who knows?” Owens said.

    • 2002-03 Wisconsin Season Preview

    By
    -

    Wisconsin fans with a sense of history may tell you the last time the Badgers had a coaching change, the new coach won the national title in his first season.

    Reality will tell you Ronald Reagan isn’t in the White House, new episodes of M*A*S*H aren’t being produced and this isn’t a spinoff of the solid Badgers teams of the early 1980s.

    Jeff Sauer took over the Badgers from Bob Johnson 20 years ago and kept them a winner throughout most of his tenure. Mike Eaves takes over for Sauer this season and has a different challenge: Make them a consistent winner again.

    Eaves’ task isn’t as monumental as some other new coaches in the WCHA. He doesn’t have to rebuild a program that’s perennially been a loser. Rather, his charge is to get Wisconsin back near the top of the league, something that gets tougher as the best teams get stronger.

    If Eaves has his way, that will come as a result of a new attitude and a concentration on conditioning. But one thing he won’t do is focus on what’s happened in the past.

    Eaves, who came to Wisconsin from the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, hasn’t watched a second of tape of the Badgers from last season. Not even a glance to see what he’ll be working with.

    This is a clean slate in Madison. The returning players are the same, but what’s expected of them may not be.

    “In my own mind, I know what we want these guys to do,” Eaves said. “I think it’s a good thing that they know they can come in, there’s no predetermined schemes of who they are and what they are, they can just come in and show us what they’ve got.

    “I moved around a lot when I was younger and I always liked the fact that when I moved to a new neighborhood, nobody knew me. I could be whoever I wanted to be. I always thought that I’m going to be a better version of who I was when I get to a new place because there’s no preconceived ideas. That’s what these fellas have right now.”

    eaves

    eaves

    Eaves readily admits he isn’t sure what he’ll get from his players this season because of the fresh start. But peeking into the crystal ball …

  • He might find his goaltending tandem to be the greatest strength of the team. Scott Kabotoff and Bernd Bruckler played well enough to keep the Badgers in some games when the defense struggled.

    Talk is that Kabotoff, who finally got his chance to play last season after two years backing up Graham Melanson, and Bruckler, a freshman last season who had strong nights and off ones, form the best goaltending tandem in the league after Denver’s Wade Dubielewicz and Adam Berkhoel.

  • He might find that his defense is in need of a shakeup. The Badgers allowed an average of 36.7 shots per game, six more than they took on opponents’ goals.

    While that stat might testify to the worth of the goaltenders, it’s an indictment of the defense. The Badgers return most of their defense from last season, and the hope for Wisconsin has to be that they’ll take a big step in development.

    Dan Boeser, Andy Wozniewski and Brian Fahey have WCHA experience, but, as a whole, the UW defense is unproven.

  • He might find an offense without many of the players that have been doing the scoring the last few seasons. Only top scorer Brad Winchester (34 points) and Alex Leavitt are back from last season’s top seven forwards on the scoring chart.

    Rene Bourque is the only other forward that showed significant scoring prowess last season, if you consider 12 goals and 19 points significant. The Badgers need more production from players like Jake Heisler and Erik Jensen, both of whom played in most of the 39 games last season but scored only seven and six points, respectively.

    There’s also an opportunity for newcomers to play a major role. Pete Talafous is eligible to play after sitting out last season because he transferred from Alaska-Anchorage. Small center Nick Licari and winger Ryan MacMurchy are part of a freshman class that has impressed the older players in captains’ practices.

    Eaves knows what he wants his team to be — poised, well-conditioned and focused on the system. He has instituted a rigorous offseason workout schedule, which included a 5-mile run the players had to complete in 38 minutes.

    He said all but about five players made the time, and the slowest runner finished in about 40 minutes.

    Perhaps more importantly, players were encouraging their teammates, building the kind of camaraderie Eaves wants. Some of that encouragement came from Boeser, who was diagnosed this summer as having follicular B-cell lymphoma. He recently completed a series of radiation treatments designed to wipe out the disease.

    While the aggressive treatment didn’t allow Boeser to take part in most of the dry-land training, he was right there the whole time. His goal is not to miss a game — the Badgers open against Rensselaer in the Ice Breaker on Oct. 11.

    “Danny got hit right in the stomach, knocked the wind out of him with this announcement,” Eaves said. “What he has done is living proof of what we want all our guys to do. Say, ‘I’m going to get up every day and do the best I can. I’m going to control the things I can control and get out of the day what I can.’

    “He’s done that and by having that type of attitude, I firmly believe in my own mind that’s where he is in terms of conditioning. He’s not that far off because he had that attitude. … You could talk about trying to get this character trait, but Danny lived it and he was a demonstration to his teammates.”

    • 2002-03 North Dakota Season Preview

    By
    -

    Zach Parise is good. Really good. Maybe that’s even underselling one of the most anticipated incoming freshmen in years.

    He’ll get his share of goals, do his share to help the North Dakota offense and maybe even be the WCHA’s rookie of the year.

    But, at last report, he can’t play goaltender. He’s not going to line up on the blue line with any regularity. His job is to score goals and set them up for others.

    Yes, Parise may be the most exciting freshman Dean Blais has seen in quite a while. But he’s only part of the chain, one of many elements that needs to be right if the Sioux are going to move back into the top half of the WCHA.

    The goaltending needs to be shored up. The defense has to be stable. And, even with Parise, the offense needs to put away its chances.

    Saying the Sioux are too young and unproven to make a real run at the top of the league would be a fair assessment. Saying they’ll be right in the mix next season also would be fair.

    This season may still be a disappointment to Sioux fans who long for those far-off days (of two years ago) when their team was playing for a national championship. The future, however, looks bright, and with Parise and last season’s rookie of the year, Brandon Bochenski, up front, this Sioux team will provide its share of highlights.

    Parise may not be the Sioux’s savior, but rather a part of the process of getting them back to the top of the league. There is some pressure there, but from what Blais has seen, it’s nothing that’s getting to Parise.

    “He’s the real thing. He looks forward to it,” Blais said. “He’s just the type of kid who loves to play. He’s been over here when he doesn’t have class, shooting pucks and working because he loves the game. He’s a good student and just a great kid. I don’t know how long we’re going to have him because I can see him being in the top 10 in the NHL draft. That’s how good he is.”

    Blais pointed out two players held in such high esteem that they don’t often get used in comparisons. From the standpoints of puck movement, the way he sees the ice and anticipates play, Parise reminds Blais of former Minnesota star Neil Broten and North Dakota record-breaker Tony Hrkac.

    “Those good players like that know where everyone is and have a way of coming up with the puck,” Blais said. “But he’s a little more physical than both of them. He will absolutely love to get into a mucking game. He’s going to be at the next level, it’s just a matter of how long he wants to stay in college.

    “It’s hard to predict what he’s going to do as far as goals and assists, but I’m just saying right now, I’ve seen good players here and he’s as good as any that’s played here, before he’s even played a game.”

    The verdict on whether Parise turns the WCHA upside down will come at the end of the season. Bochenski didn’t have to do that to win top rookie honors last season. He just had a highly effective, 32-point season.

    This season, he’ll be asked to be more of a playmaker, regardless of whether he’s playing with Parise (those pairings are up in the air, Blais said). He’s being asked to get his feet moving more and to take an increased role in the defensive zone.

    Kevin Spiewak and Jason Notermann will be expected to up their contributions to the Sioux offense after eight- and seven-goal seasons, respectively.

    “Right around 10 goals is OK, but Spiewak’s got capabilities to score 20 and Notermann the same thing,” Blais said. “Getting eight, nine goals as a senior would be kind of a disappointment because I think they can both do better.”

    hale

    hale

    Another so-so season from the defense would be another disappointment. With the possible exceptions of departed seniors Aaron Schneekloth and Chad Mazurak, no UND defenseman made much of a statement last season. With a young team, the Sioux couldn’t win the shootouts they got into, and the defense and goaltending took most of the criticism.

    This season, the Sioux have a new model for defense, one predicated on size. The defensive corps is big, averaging over 6-foot-1 and 211 pounds from the expected top six: Matt Greene, Andy Schneider, Nick Fuher, Lee Marvin, Matt Jones and David Hale. That may not be huge, especially by today’s standards, but the tenacity of the players should make up for it, Blais said.

    “We’re just huge on defense,” Blais said. “We look like a football team back there. … We haven’t been that way in the past, we’ve been more of a puck-moving, more skilled (defense). Not that they’re not skilled — David Hale being a first-round draft choice, Andy Schneider getting drafted, Matt Greene getting drafted. So we’ve got skill back there.”

    Every once in a while, the Sioux goaltenders showed skill last season. But in the WCHA, being an every-once-in-a-while goalie doesn’t get you very far. North Dakota has Josh Siembida and Jake Brandt competing for this season’s starting role.

    Siembida had a great debut with the Sioux when he joined the team in late December last season. “After that, he realized what he was doing and didn’t play so well,” Blais admitted.

    In a perfect world for North Dakota, the defense and the goaltending will work in harmony. The defense will allow the goalies to see the first shot, which the goalies will save, and the defense will clear out any rebounds.

    This isn’t a perfect world, though, and with some issues still to be worked out in both positions, the Sioux could again be in for some high-scoring games.

    This year, however, they may have the guns to keep up.

    Niagara, Mercyhurst Women’s CHA Favorites

    By Craig Roberts
    -

    Niagara, coming off a third-place finish at last year’s NCAA Championship, and Mercyhurst were selected as co-favorites in the first-ever CHA Women’s preseason coaches poll.

    Both teams received two first-place and one second-place vote (coaches did not vote on their own team) for eight points. Findlay and Wayne State tied for third with four points each.

    Niagara finished the 2001-02 campaign with a 26-8-2 record but lost 10 players to graduation.

    Mercyhurst won regular-season titles in the Great Lakes Women’s Hockey Association the last two seasons and was 24-8-1 a year ago.

    Findlay, 8-24-2 last season, and Wayne State, 6-23-2 a year ago, have already started their 2002-03 campaigns with exhibition games. Both teams faced Windsor at home over the weekend. The Oilers were 9-4 winners Saturday night while the Warriors downed the Lancers 6-1 Sunday afternoon.

    Mercyhurst gets underway this weekend, hosting Bemidji State on Friday and Saturday nights.

    2002-03 Denver Season Preview

    By
    -

    A year’s worth of great tactical preparation, following the course that was expected and, sure, a little bit of luck came crashing down in one period in April.

    Everything had gone as planned. Two titles and a bye. Everything they had hoped for. Gone in 20 minutes.

    NCAA hockey is cruel. But the Denver Pioneers are raring to make another go at it this season, and they have more than enough motivation.

    The defending MacNaughton Cup and Broadmoor Trophy champions had their seemingly unstoppable run toward the Frozen Four stopped by a three-goal Michigan third period in the national quarterfinals. Maybe the reason it was so stunning was that the Pioneers had ridden roughshod over every other challenge in their path.

    Pioneers coach George Gwozdecky confirmed the expected — that one loss stuck in the minds of the players and the coaching staff throughout the summer.

    But they did something about that. Many of the Denver players, as they did before their stellar 2001-2002 season, spent the summer on campus working out, preparing to be a team to beat in the WCHA.

    “The way our season finished was very difficult for our players to deal with,” Gwozdecky said. “We really felt we could compete for a national title and we wanted to be in that Frozen Four, and we fell one game, or maybe more importantly one period short.

    “It’s something that I think, for all our guys, motivates them. I think they realize that we have a good team, we have a lot of experience, a lot of returning talent at every position. As a result, we expect to be competitive in this league.”

    For some, Denver being competitive in the WCHA is a given this season. Its nationally renowned goaltending tandem of Wade Dubielewicz and Adam Berkhoel is back. The Pioneers lose only one player, Chris Paradise, from their top 10 scorers last season. It’s a formula for success.

    That’s not to say it’ll be handed to them, however. Despite the obvious strength of the goaltending corps, the Pioneers will have to overcome the loss of half of their top defensemen.

    Jesse Cook, Erik Adams and Bryan Vines each played at least 38 of the Pioneers’ 41 games last season, and formed part of a defense that ranked best in the league in overall goals against. Also gone is James Armstrong, who played 18 games last year.

    While the goaltending might be able to hold its own despite a sub-par effort from the defense, that’s not the path the Pioneers want to take.

    Aaron MacKenzie and Ryan Caldwell are good bets to excel on defense, but, as a group, the kind of experience that a WCHA schedule demands isn’t readily apparent.

    “I think the biggest challenge our inexperienced defense will have will be learning and dealing with stronger and quicker players, especially in the defensive zone,” Gwozdecky said, “and then when you do get the puck on your stick, how quickly you move the puck up ice, when you’ve got to move it, how you’ve got to move it. Those are things that are going to be a work in progress.”

    Gwozdecky said newcomers Matt Laatsch, Nick Larson, Brett Skinner and Scott Drewicki are going to be good down the road. The question is, can they be good enough to step into the lineup in the first semester of their freshman season?

    The responsibility doesn’t lie entirely with the freshmen. The Pioneers’ defensive zone system is based around help from the forwards, so they’ll get a bit of a reprieve there.

    “When the attack is coming up the ice against us, rarely is it the responsibility of our defensemen to make the play,” Gwozdecky said. “I think that takes an awful lot of heat and stress off of people who are inexperienced.”

    Denver’s goaltending and offense are anything but inexperienced. Dubielewicz turned down NHL free agent offers to return for his senior season, and he and Berkhoel form the league’s, and probably the nation’s, top goaltending tandem.

    dubielewicz

    dubielewicz

    The Pioneers again will go with a rotation between the two, and the only thing Gwozdecky said he’d like to change is he’d like to keep the rotation going through the playoffs.

    “It can work. I’ve seen it work,” Gwozdecky said. “When you have two outstanding goaltenders like we have, you’ve got to get them both playing time. The team has confidence in them, so why not stay with the rotation we have, the thing that’s given us success up to this point?”

    The same could be said for the offense. Losing only Paradise and David Neale, the vast majority of the offense is untouched.

    Connor James had a solid sophomore season to follow a great freshman year, and Kevin Doell and Greg Barber made significant jumps in development to score 43 and 35 points, respectively, last season.

    This season, the Pioneers are hoping for similar jumps from Jon Foster, Matt Weber, Kevin Ulanski and Lukas Dora.

    As they set out to defend their titles, the Pioneers have captured the attention of their coach with their good attitude. The race is on again, and the Pioneers appear sure to be there every step of the way.

    “There’s no question this team, I believe, has good leadership, we’ve got experience,” Gwozdecky said. “Obviously, you never know how the health is going to be, but health a lot of times comes down to what kind of shape you’re in, what kind of condition you’re in. Our conditioning levels are terrific, the best we’ve been.

    “Up to this point, our team has done everything they can to be ready to start the season.”

    2002-03 Minnesota State-Mankato Season Preview

    By
    -

    Maybe getting to the WCHA Final Five in its first season as a full member of the league wasn’t the best thing that could have happened to Minnesota State-Mankato.

    The expectation was, if the Mavericks could be that good in their first season in the league, they’d always be that good. What many people didn’t realize is that was a veteran, experienced team. In the two seasons since the high-water mark, they haven’t had nearly as complete a roster.

    The same could be said for this season, so that 1999-2000 team might again come back to haunt the Mavericks.

    This is a team that lost two of its regular offensive contributors in the offseason — Tim Jackman to the pros and Jerry Cunningham because he didn’t meet eligibility requirements.

    It’s a team with some proven scorers, but with more who have their work cut out for them. It’s a team with questions about stability on defense and at goaltender.

    It’s a team that has hung around the middle of the pack in all three of its WCHA seasons. Now, coach Troy Jutting wants his team to build off moderate successes of those seasons and move off the bubble.

    “I think when we started off into the league, there weren’t too many people around the league or who watched the league at all that would have said we had any chance at doing that,” Jutting said. “In terms of going out and competing most nights, we’ve done that.

    “The thing I’d like to see happen over the next year or two is to where it becomes a thing where we’re not just competing every night, but we have a legitimate shot at finishing in that top five on a yearly basis.”

    That could be an optimistic goal, looking at this season. Jutting admits it’s impossible to replace players like Jackman and Cunningham when their loss is discovered in July and August. Jackman signed with Columbus of the NHL; Cunningham fell three credits short of a degree required because he was a partial qualifier entering school.

    The Mavericks still have some talented players — B.J. Abel, Shane Joseph and Steven Johns for starters — but there’s some doubt whether they can keep their heads above water for the entire WCHA season.

    They have been in the race for a top-five spot until late in the season in the last two years, finishing in a three-way tie for sixth last year. But this time around, there’s a great deal of uncertainty.

    “It’s one of those years where I really don’t know what to expect,” Jutting said. “I think we have a lot of good, young, talented kids. It’s just how fast they adjust to either their new role, an expanded role or the freshmen coming in, how fast they adjust to college hockey.”

    Jutting also said he’s excited about having a young team because it means he’ll be able to do more true teaching in practice, as opposed to the mostly mental preparation that’s needed with an older team. It therefore remains to be seen if the younger players will be in the right mindset for the long WCHA season.

    If the newcomers this season can have a freshman campaign like defenseman Johns did a year ago, the Mavericks will be in good shape. Johns made an immediate impact on a Mavericks blue line that needed it, and chipped in offensively, as well.

    Jutting said he had a great summer of workouts — as did much of the rest of the time, according to the coach. Johns dropped his body fat three or four percent and made gains in strength testing.

    The Mavericks should be able to field a defensive lineup with experience. Joe Bourne and Peter Runkel are seniors, Aaron Forsythe, Nate Metcalf and Matt Paluczak are juniors and Johns is a sophomore.

    It’s one of those years where I really don’t know what to expect … I think we have a lot of good, young, talented kids. It’s just how fast they adjust.

    — MSU-Mankato coach Troy Jutting

    “I know that it’s an area that people who follow the league closely think that maybe that was an area that we were a little down in last year,” Jutting said. “I think it’s an area that experience is going to help us back there. I don’t think we have a Jordan Leopold back there, but not many people do. But I do think that we’re going to be a lot more experienced back there than we have been in the past. Hopefully, that experience will provide us with some stability.”

    Stability is the name of the game in goal, as well. After all, it probably couldn’t be any less stable than it was last season, when three goaltenders were injured. Eric Pateman played only three games last season and got a medical redshirt to replay his senior season, but he opted instead to return to McAuley, Manitoba, and work on the family farm.

    Jon Volp entered to replace him but suffered a hamstring injury. Kyle Nixon, who joined the team at Christmastime, also was injured and took a redshirt.

    Jason Jensen played in 29 games last season and stopped 89.9 percent of the shots he saw. Jutting said Volp and Nixon also have the potential to be the starter, with Nixon’s chance perhaps coming later in his career.

    Abel and Joseph, Mankato’s top two scorers in 2001-02, return to lead the Mavericks’ offense, but they’ll need some help. Jutting said Grant Stevenson, who had a 16-point freshman season, could be one of the league’s better players at some point in his career.

    The same goes for Jake Brenk, who saw limited time last season; Jeff Marler, who redshirted because of a broken wrist after lighting it up in juniors; and Brock Becker, who was added when it was learned Cunningham wouldn’t be back.

    But for this season, much is left up in the air. Jutting’s happy with what the Mavericks have been able to control so far. If nothing else, they’ve had a good summer, and that’s the first step.

    “In order to be a successful hockey team, that’s one of the things you see first: what kind of effort the kids are willing to put in when it’s not prime time, when the lights aren’t on,” Jutting said. “I feel really good about this group of kids in terms of their work ethic and attitude. A lot of times, that’s one of the biggest hurdles that you face as a college coach.”

    National Champs Picked as Preseason Women’s No. 1

    USCHO Staff Report
    -

    Minnesota-Duluth, last year’s national champion, finished first in pre-season balloting for the USCHO.com Division I Women’s Poll. The Bulldogs will be led this year by returning Olympian Jenny Potter, and will look to become the first women’s hockey team to win three consecutive NCAA titles this spring, when Duluth hosts the finals in March.

    The only other team to garner a first place vote was sister-school Minnesota, based out of the Twin Cities. Following a year that saw the Gophers surpass expectations, Minnesota will surprise no one this year, finishing second in the poll. Two Olympians, Krissy Wendell and Natalie Darwitz, join the squad as freshmen.

    Finishing third is Harvard, which was recently named first in the ECAC pre-season coaches poll. Canadian Gold medalist and Patty Kazmaier-winner Jennifer Botterill returns as a senior, and is joined by U.S. Olympians Angela Ruggiero and Julie Chu.

    Ivy League schools captured four of the top ten spots, as fourth-place Dartmouth, fifth-place Brown and tenth-place Princeton, joined Harvard. Other schools in the top ten were WCHA member Wisconsin, and St. Lawrence of the ECAC. New league Hockey East had two representatives with Providence at eighth and Northeastern at ninth. The Huskies will look to replace the scoring punch of last year’s Patty Kazmaier winner, Brooke Whitney, who was lost to graduation.

    2002-03 Quinnipiac Season Preview

    By
    -

    Though sporting a new mascot, the Quinnipiac Bobcats are likely to worry about an old-time sports problem: the sophomore slump.

    It was just a year ago that Quinnipiac entered the season with a rookie-filled lineup but shocked the league and the nation when the young class gelled late and carried the club to the MAAC championship.

    Pecknold will add eight freshmen to an already-young team. But after seeing a similar road map successfully followed last season, head coach Rand Pecknold isn’t too worried.

    We have good captains in Matt Erhart and Dan Ennis, but … We need other great leaders who aren’t wearing a letter on their shirt.

    — Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold

    “I like our team going into the year,” said Pecknold. “Chemistry-wise it’s a great group of kids. The freshmen have integrated well with the upperclassmen and that’s always a concern of mine.

    “It likely will be similar to last year where we need to get these younger kids some game experience. We’re going to have 20 freshmen and sophomores on the team this year.”

    Pecknold notes goaltending and defense as the club’s two strongest areas. Junior Justin Eddy and sophomore Jamie Holden, possibly the best goaltender in the league this season, will provide the Bobcats with a strong one-two punch. Defensively, Quinnipiac is also well set, leaving offense the only question mark.

    “We have three senior [defensemen] back there and that makes us really strong,” said Pecknold “The issue that we’re going to have happen is finding a couple of more forwards to score. We’ve got guys who had 30 or more points last year, but we need two more kids to add to that this season.”

    Quinnipiac lost impact seniors in Neil Breen, Todd Bennett and Ryan Olsen. Those three not only provided offensive support last season, they helped bring together a team that, in the past, was heavy on talent and low on leadership.

    “I think they’re big shoes to fill,” said Pecknold of last year’s seniors. “We have good captains in Matt Erhart and Dan Ennis, but we need more than them to step up. We need other great leaders who aren’t wearing a letter on their shirt.”

    That could come from sophomore forwards Matt Craig and Chris White. Both players were 30-point scorers in the rookie campaigns and are likely the two biggest lights that Pecknold hopes to keep lit in their second NCAA campaign.

    As has always been the case, Quinnipiac will sport an aggressive schedule that contains nonleague games against Maine (possibly twice, as the Bobcats will play in the Black Bear Classic), Lake Superior and Northeastern.

    “I think we’ll do well in the nonleague games but I don’t focus in on those games any more than others,” said Pecknold. “Hopefully we’ll have a good defensive hockey team that can carry us.”

    1...1,4171,4181,419...1,532Page 1,418 of 1,532

    Latest Stories from around USCHO

    Bowling Green assistant coach Paskaris leaves bench, named assistant athletics director for development with Falcons

    USCHO Staff -

    Women’s Division I College Hockey: The PodKaz Offseason interview – A visit with 2-time defending NCAA championship coach Joe Cranston of UW-River Falls

    Nicole Haase -

    After 42 years coaching Amherst men’s hockey team, Arena retires as ‘heart and soul’ of Mammoths program

    USCHO Staff -

    Western New England men’s hockey coach Young announces resignation after four seasons with Golden Bears

    USCHO Staff -

    SUNYAC tabs Fredonia’s Sudbrink as conference men’s hockey scholar-athlete of the year for ’24-25 season

    USCHO Staff -

    ‘A proud day’ as former Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey captain Brodt tabbed new head coach for St. Scholastica

    USCHO Staff -

    Denver sophomore blueliner, recent Wild signee Buium tabbed USCHO Player of the Year for ’24-25 season

    USCHO Staff -

    Western Michigan’s Ferschweiler leads Broncos to national championship, named unanimous USCHO Coach of the Year for 2024-25 campaign

    USCHO Staff -

    After 48-point freshman season with Boston University, Hutson adds to accolades with 2024-25 USCHO Rookie of the Year honor

    USCHO Staff -

    Wisconsin’s Simms, McNaughton, Minnesota’s Primerano take home final women’s hockey HCA monthly honors for ’24-25 season

    USCHO Staff -

    Final HCA men’s hockey monthly honors for ’24-25 season go to Western Michigan’s Washe, BU’s Hutson, Denver’s Davis, Bentley’s Hasley, Minnesota State’s Tracy

    USCHO Staff -

    Norwich grad Dawes named new men’s hockey coach for Cadets, leaves Stevenson after nine seasons behind Mustangs bench

    USCHO Staff -
    ©1996-2025 USCHO.com – U.S. College Hockey Online