Nick Schmaltz had 72 points in 75 games over two seasons at North Dakota (photo: Bradley K. Olson).
North Dakota forward Nick Schmaltz signed with the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, giving up his final two seasons of eligibility.
Schmaltz was the Blackhawks’ first-round pick, 20th overall, in the 2014 NHL Draft.
He had 11 goals and 46 points in 37 games last season for the Fighting Hawks, scoring in the Frozen Four semifinal victory over Denver and adding an assist in the championship game victory over Quinnipiac.
Schmaltz is the fifth player from North Dakota’s championship team to sign a pro contract with eligibility remaining. The others: junior defensemen Troy Stecher, Keaton Thompson and Paul LaDue and junior forward Luke Johnson.
Princeton defenseman Kelsey Koelzer was the first overall pick in the 2016 NWHL Draft (photo: Shelley M. Szwast).
Princeton defenseman Kelsey Koelzer was the first overall pick Saturday in the NWHL Draft, with the New York Riveters selecting the senior-to-be.
Koelzer, a first-team All-American for the Tigers last season and one of 10 finalists for the 2016 Patty Kazmaier Award, led Princeton at plus-25 in 2015-16. She was the Tigers’ second-leading scorer with 33 points, including 17 goals.
Minnesota defenseman Lee Stecklein went at No. 2 to the Buffalo Beauts, followed by Gophers teammate Dani Cameranesi, a forward, to the Connecticut Whale.
The Boston Pride wrapped up the first of five rounds by taking Wisconsin goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens.
The Badgers led the way with five players selected. Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth, North Dakota, Northeastern and Quinnipiac each had two players chosen.
Saturday’s draft was for players who have one year of collegiate eligibility remaining. Teams may sign them after their eligibility expires.
Hundreds attended a funeral service for Ron Mason at Munn Ice Arena on Thursday (photo: Nate Ewell/College Hockey Inc.).
How do you eulogize a legend? The answer is that you don’t. You gather with those who knew him, tell the stories you knew about him, laugh with people who loved him and cry the tears he deserves.
That is exactly how those of us who knew Ron Mason, even a little, remembered him as we gathered in Munn Ice Arena on Thursday during a public memorial service for a man who did more to shape college hockey in his lifetime than arguably another other individual coach and a man who made anyone he talked to feel like a friend.
There was a formal ceremony on the ice in Munn, with a service that began with the American and Canadian national anthems and “Victory for MSU,” the Spartans’ fight song, and ended with closing remarks by Rev. Mark Inglot and there were many fitting tributes in between. The most moving, appropriate tribute to Ron Mason was the gathering of people near center ice before the ceremony — family and friends and too many hockey people to mention, so many people whose lives Ron touched.
And they were all telling stories. Stories about Ron and his family. Stories about Ron and fishing — lots of stories about fishing. Stories about Ron’s competitive nature, especially off the ice. Stories about Michigan State, MSU hockey and the CCHA.
I knew Ron Mason for 21 years, so I have a few stories of my own — all larger than life, many of which are funny, some of which are off the record. This story, my favorite Ron Mason story, goes to the very heart of who he was.
Like many good narratives about Ron, the story involves two key elements that will surprise no one who knew him — The Mayfair, a little bar about six miles from Munn Ice Arena, and Grand Marnier, Ron’s aperitif of choice. It also involves The Cold War, the game played between Michigan and Michigan State in Spartan Stadium on Oct. 6, 2001, a game that set attendance records for ice hockey at the time with 74,544 spectators, plus a cold press box full of reporters. It was a game for which the ceremonial first puck was dropped by another legend we recently lost, Gordie Howe.
Like Ron, the night was larger than life.
After the game, my friend Neil Koepke — then the Michigan State hockey beat writer for the Lansing State Journal — suggested that we go to The Mayfair. “Ron will be there,” he said. I had driven to East Lansing from Columbus, Ohio, that afternoon to cover the game and had planned on driving back that night, and I was leery about what I thought might be perceived as an invasion of privacy, but Neil persisted. “Ron won’t care,” he said. “In fact, he’ll be happy to see us.”
So we went to The Mayfair and when we walked in, Neil and I made our way to the area near a pool table where Ron was consuming what clearly wasn’t his first Grand Marnier of the night, accompanied by his friend Jeff Sauer, who was the head coach at Wisconsin at the time. Ron lit up when he saw Neil and talked about how relieved he was to have the event over. It hadn’t occurred to me until that moment the pressure Ron had been under because of The Cold War game. Not only had he and Michigan coach Red Berenson worried about the logistics of the game — how the ice would be, whether the game would be a good one, all the challenges of an outdoor game in an era when such events were novelties — but the nation was still in shock from the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and there was palpable tension at the event.
Of course, the game concluded without a proverbial hitch. The competition was excellent, a 3-3 overtime tie between fierce rivals, with the Spartans scoring two third-period goals to even things up. The event was uneventful in all of the right ways. And Michigan State glowed as the center of attention in the eyes of the sporting world.
When Ron turned to talk to me, he greeted me warmly and kissed my cheek. It was USCHO’s sixth season and I was our CCHA columnist, and Ron Mason was Ron Mason, and he greeted me like an old friend.
Then he did something that blew me away. “Thank you for being here,” he said. Then he paused and added, “It means a lot that you’re here.”
I must have looked confused because he clarified. “You kids do so much for college hockey,” he said, “and make no mistake about it — a lot of this is because of you kids.”
By “this,” Ron meant The Cold War Game and the “kids” was the USCHO staff. I was flabbergasted. Here was this amazing coach hours after helping to create yet another amazing piece of college hockey history, and he was thanking me and the USCHO staff because he thought we were drawing attention to the sport that he loved.
It’s impossible not to be overwhelmed by this memory, 15 years later. It’s impossible not to shed a tear. Ron Mason was a generous man, and there were countless stories told Thursday to honor his generosity. Ted Sator, who played for Ron in Bowling Green in the early 1970s and went on to a long coaching career of his own, said Thursday that a better measure of Ron Mason’s life “is the circle of friends he helped along the way.”
That is the perfect summation of the life of a man whose legendary presence influenced so many people and a perfect way to describe the hundreds gathered to celebrate Ron Mason’s life, a phrase that Ron himself would have loved — a circle of friends.
A public funeral service for former college hockey coach and Michigan State athletics director Ron Mason will be held on Thursday, June 16 at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Mich.
Mason, who played at St. Lawrence and later coached at MSU, Bowling Green and Lake Superior State, retiring as the winningest NCAA coach of all time, passed away June 13 at the age of 76.
The funeral service will begin at 2 p.m. EDT and will be preceded by a public viewing beginning at 11 a.m. on the ice at Munn.
Parking for the visitation and funeral service will be at Parking Ramp 5, located behind the Communication Arts Building, with shuttle service to Munn. Shuttles to Munn will begin at 10:30 a.m. and run until 4 p.m.
Per the wishes of the Mason family, photos of the open casket during the visitation are strictly prohibited.
Trine University’s hockey teams have been accepted as members of the NCHA.
The Thunder men’s and women’s NCAA Division III hockey programs will compete in the conference starting with the 2017-18 season — the inaugural campaign for both teams.
The addition of the Thunder women’s program will give the NCHA a membership of 10 teams, with Aurora and Northland also set to add women’s teams to the conference. Trine’s men’s team will give the conference 12 members.
“Joining the NCHA provides the perfect opportunity for our student-athletes to have a positive experience in a growing conference,” said Matt Land, assistant vice president of athletics at Trine University, in a statement. “We are excited about the opportunities that joining the NCHA will provide for the student-athletes in our hockey programs both on and off the ice.”
“As we launch and build our new men’s and women’s programs, we look forward to playing in a conference with competition that will test us, knowing it will help our Thunder teams develop and grow as we seek to make the name Trine University synonymous with quality collegiate hockey,” added Earl D. Brooks II, Ph.D., Trine president.
Trine previously named Tom Hofman and Alex Todd as head coaches for its NCAA Division III hockey teams. Hofman will head the women’s team, while Todd will lead the men’s program.
Construction will begin this summer on the $7.2 million, 1,000-seat Thunder Ice Arena, which will house both programs.
NCHC director of officiating Don Adam was inducted into to the Colorado Ice Hockey Referee Association Hall of Fame on June 12.
Adam, who has served as the NCHC’s only director of officiating since he started in Sept. 2012, is a native of Westminster, Colo., and has lived in Denver for much of his life. He was one of the top NCAA Division I officials in the nation for 24 seasons, including 22 years as a referee in the WCHA (and two as a linesman). Adam was chosen to work two NCAA Frozen Fours, five IIHF World Championships and two Olympic Games (1992 in Albertville, France and 1998 in Nagano, Japan).
“The induction on Sunday night was special because it was not representative of just one individual tournament or achievement, but the culmination of my entire career,” Adam said in a news release. “There is no greater honor than being recognized by friends and peers. It was truly special.”
Adam was an NHL referee trainee for three seasons, as well as an NHL-contracted official for one season (1993-94). Along with working AHL and IHL games, Adam became the first official from Colorado to sign a contract with the NHL and the first to officiate in the Olympics when he took part in the Albertville games when he was only 27 years old.
“Don Adam is one of the most respected people in all levels of hockey officiating,” noted NCHC commissioner Josh Fenton. “This well-deserved honor represents Don’s overall body of work and dedication to officiating. The membership of the NCHC is grateful to have him serve as our director of officials.”
Adam also previously oversaw officiating for the West Coast Hockey League and Central Hockey League, and served as a replay official for the Colorado Avalanche. Overall, he boasts more than 37 years of officiating experience, including extensive work with USA Hockey’s Officiating Development Program.
With the NCHC, Adam has assumed responsibility for comprising, training, developing and sustaining the conference’s officiating staff.
In addition to his work as an on- and off-ice official, Adam has served as a police officer in Louisville, Colo., for the past 13 years.
Ron Mason, second on the all-time college hockey coaching wins list, passed away at age 76. We’re collecting memories of and tributes to the former Lake Superior State, Bowling Green and Michigan State coach.
Rick Comley, who played for Mason at Lake Superior State and succeeded Mason as coach at Michigan State, spoke with WVFN-AM 730 in Lansing, Mich., on Monday morning:
“Coach Mason defined what it means to be a Spartan. His relentless quest for excellence on and off the rink made everyone around him better. He truly created a Spartan hockey family in which the focus was on collective success rather than worrying about who received credit. That drive translated into great accomplishments on the ice and in life for all those fortunate enough to work with or play for him.” — Michigan State President Lou Anna K. Simon
“I first met Ron when I was a student here in the early 80s. I admired him as a coach and leader at that time and developed great respect for his commitment to success and student-athletes. Having the opportunity to work for Ron in my transition to the athletics director’s chair was invaluable. He was a great person and a great friend.” — ,” Spartans athletic director Mark Hollis
“It’s truly a sad day for the hockey world. Not only was Ron a legendary figure at Michigan State, but his contributions to college hockey were remarkable. I loved learning from his competitive spirit and his relentless commitment to excellence. Being a part of the championship teams he created here at MSU was truly special and something I’ll have forever. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Marion, his daughters, Cindy and Tracey, and all of his family.” — Spartans coach Tom Anastos
The hockey WORLD has lost a legend but God has added a great man to his staff! Inspired so many of us 2 respect & grow the game. RIP R Man.
College Hockey lost one of the best in Ron Mason. Big influence on growing the game. RIP Ron Mason — Wayne Wilson (@w_wilson2) June 13, 2016
@ShireenRinkside and I tremendously saddened by the passing of Ron Mason. Proud that we were able to call him a friend. We will miss you. — Dave Starman (@DStarmanHockey) June 13, 2016
RIP Ron Mason, a great man, a great coach, one of the sport’s builders, always a supporter of fledgling programs, a college hockey icon.
Sad & shocked to hear of the passing of former @MSU_Hockey coach Ron Mason. Was always great to me , he will be missed #ronmason#RIP ???? — ben holden (@benholdenpxp) June 13, 2016
Ron Mason was a gentleman who won on the ice and was a champion off-ice too. Will be long missed. https://t.co/sd5kLecuCk — Derek Wallbank (@dwallbank) June 13, 2016
I only ever interviewed Ron Mason once, but he was great to talk to. Had so many great stories to tell
Ron Mason a perfect example of the impact coaches have on their players-making them more than just better athletes but better men. — Matt Shepard (@ShepMatt) June 13, 2016
Ron Mason presents the Mason Cup to Notre Dame captain Anders Lee after Notre Dame won the final CCHA championship at Joe Louis Arena in 2013 (photo: Rachel Lewis).
Former Lake Superior State, Bowling Green and Michigan State coach Ron Mason passed away overnight at the age of 76.
Mason also played at St. Lawrence in the early 1960s.
He won 924 games over 36 seasons at LSSU (1966-73), BGSU (1973-79) and MSU (1979-2002), retiring as the all-time winningest college hockey coach. Mason led two of those teams to national championships — an NAIA title with LSSU in 1972 and a NCAA title with the Spartans in 1986. He also coached three Hobey Baker Award winners — George McPhee at Bowling Green and Kip Miller and Ryan Miller at Michigan State.
On Dec. 2, 2013, Mason was inducted into the U.S Hockey Hall of Fame.
Mason was one of the co-creators of the CCHA in 1972 and won 10 conference regular season titles as a coach — three with Bowling Green and seven with Michigan State — and 13 postseason titles. The CCHA’s playoff trophy was named the Mason Cup in his honor.
In 1978-79, Mason coached BGSU to a then-NCAA record 37 wins, a record that was broken in 1984-85 by Mason’s own Michigan State team.
Named the AHCA national coach of the year in 1992, Mason was also tabbed CCHA coach of the year on seven different occasions.
Mason was athletic director at MSU from 2002 to 2008 and had served as a senior adviser for the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks.
During its annual meeting on June 7-9 in Indianapolis, Ind., the committee recommended that all NCAA regular season games that are tied after regulation go to four-on-four action for five minutes. If the game is still tied, the committee has also approved an experimental rule where teams would play three-on-three for five minutes, and then use a sudden-death shootout to determine a winner.
Conferences can decide on whether they wish to implement the three-on-three overtime and shootout.
The proposal, which must be approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel on July 20, will not affect postseason tournament games — conference or the national tournament.
“In our review of the game, it is clear that goal scoring is continuing to trend down,” said committee chair and Michigan State coach Tom Anastos in a statement. “After a thorough discussion of the overtime process, and seeing the success experienced by the National Hockey League and others using four-on-four, we believe this change will be a positive step for NCAA hockey. Our committee is charged with finding a balance in making changes that we believe will have a positive impact on the game, yet respect the traditions of the sport. We feel the changes we have adopted meet those objectives and will enhance our brand of hockey.”
Other notable recommendations:
• The committee proposed moving the hash marks on the faceoff circles in the offensive and defensive zones from the current four feet to five feet, seven inches, so there is more separation between players. That would be a preferred distance, which allows for flexibility in compliance by teams. NCAA championship competition will have the wider hash marks, however.
• For officials and players, it is now mandatory to wear helmets any time they are on the ice, with the exception of the playing of the national anthem.
• A coach’s challenge will be required for video replay to be used to review goals relating to off sides, except for the last two minutes of the game and overtime. Officials will review off sides during the last two minutes and the extra time. In postseason tournaments, all aspecdts of video replay will be utilized by referees, including off sides, without the need of a coach’s challenge.
Robbie Baillargeon played for Boston University for three seasons and has transferred to Arizona State (photo: Melissa Wade).
Arizona State has added graduate transfer forward Robbie Baillargeon from Boston University for the 2016-17 season.
As a graduate transfer, Baillargeon will be eligible to play right away and won’t be required to sit out a season.
A 2012 fifth round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators, Baillargeon played three years for the Terriers (2013-16) and led the program in scoring during his freshman season in 2013-14 with 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists).
“I’m getting to know Robbie and I really believe he is a special kid and special talent,” said Sun Devils coach Greg Powers in a statement. “He did some really good things for a great program in BU and needed a fresh change of scenery and we ended up being a perfect fit both ways. Robbie will give our young team great experience that we need and we couldn’t be happier that Robbie Baillargeon is a Sun Devil.”
Aurora announced Wednesday the addition of Grant Kimball as head coach of the new women’s hockey program that will begin play in the 2017-18 season.
Kimball comes to AU after spending the previous seven seasons as the associate coach and recruiting coordinator at Vermont.
“Having a coach with Grant’s resume lead the women’s hockey program at AU is exciting,” said Aurora director of athletics Jim Hamad in a statement. “We are confident that he will be able to build a competitive program.”
“The ability to give our student-athletes a first-class NCAA Division III experience and build a program from the ground up is extremely exciting,” added Kimball. “I can’t wait to get started and build a tradition of academic and athletic success here at AU.”
In his 15 seasons of coaching collegiate women’s hockey, Kimball has made stops at Vermont, North Dakota State, Wayne State and Lake Forest, finding success at all of his endeavors.
Kimball has additional experience serving with several other girls teams at various levels. He was the director of the Michigan Regional Girls Development Camp in 2005 and 2006, co-coach of the USA Hockey Girls National Select U14 Camp in 2005, head coach of Team Michigan in the Chicago Showcase Tournament in 2004 and 2005 and head coach of Team Illinois Girls U15 and U19 teams from 1996-2000.
He played his collegiate hockey at Lake Forest as a defenseman for the Foresters from 1992 to 1995. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 1996.
AU women’s hockey will become an official NCAA Division III program in 2017-18 and will play as an official member of the NCHA in 2017-18 and be eligible for the Slaats Cup playoffs and the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Aurora announced Monday that Jason Bloomingburg has been named the team’s new head coach.
Bloomingburg comes to AU after spending the previous four seasons as the head coach of the Florida Eels of the United States Premier Hockey League. In four seasons, he amassed a 124-48-6 record, led the team to a pair of division titles and was the 2012-2013 USPHL Coach of the Year and was a nominee for the 2015-2016 award. He also coached with the Texas Tornado of the North American Hockey League.
“I am very pleased to have an individual with the character and winning experience of Jason Bloomingburg join the AU family,” said Aurora director of athletics Jim Hamad in a statement. “His track record of success as a head coach is an ideal fit for our hockey program.”
“I’m thankful for the opportunity to become the new head hockey coach at Aurora University,” Bloomingburg added. “Being a college hockey coach is something I’ve always aspired to do. I’m excited and looking forward to getting started on a winning tradition.”
Bloomingburg played college hockey at Providence for one season before moving on to Wayne State. In his three seasons at Wayne State, Bloomingburg was an assistant captain and led the team in goals scored during the 2004-05 season. In his senior campaign of 2005-06, he was a captain and became the all-time leading goal scorer at Wayne State.
Professionally, Bloomingburg played three seasons in the ECHL for three organizations before moving on to his coaching career.
Chatham announced on Monday that Michael Callan has been hired as the team’s first head coach as the program prepares to begin Division III play in the 2017-18 academic year.
Callan most recently served as an assistant coach at Potsdam the past two years (2014-15, 2015-16).
“We are going to be able to gain momentum quickly, and we will be competitive on the ice from the start,” said Callan in a statement. “Our men’s hockey players will be high achievers in the classroom, and leaders in our community. This is an incredibly attractive university in a friendly city, and I am very excited about introducing NCAA Division III men’s ice hockey to not only the city of Pittsburgh, but also the USA Hockey Mid-Am District.”
Prior to his time at SUNY Potsdam, Callan served as a full-time assistant with Ohio University’s ACHA Division I team. Before arriving at Ohio, Callan worked with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from January 2012 until July 2012 as the U.S. director of scouting for the league’s Central Scouting and Recruitment Department. From November 2010 until January 2012, Callan served as an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator with the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs of the Eastern Junior Hockey League.
Callan’s coaching career began during his undergraduate years at Clarkson where he was the team’s video coordinator and director of hockey operations during his time at Clarkson.
A native of Sylvania, Ohio, Callan has been active in volunteering for the evaluation of player selection efforts for the USA Hockey Mid-Am District from 2010-2015. This summer, Callan will work as a coach at the USA Hockey Boys Select 16 Player Development Camp in Amherst, N.Y.
Clarkson has announced the addition of Tony Maci as an assistant coach for the women’s team.
Maci, who replaces Meghan Duggan, will join head coach Matt Desrosiers and fellow assistant coach Britni Smith behind the Clarkson bench next season.
A former player at St. Lawrence, Maci comes to Clarkson from Princeton, where he served as an assistant coach last season. Prior to his one-year stint at Princeton, Maci was the assistant coach for the women’s hockey program at Adrian since 2012.
“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Tony to Clarkson,” Desrosiers said in a statement. “I have known Tony for about 15 years now and you won’t meet a more down to earth and genuine guy. He’s the type of person and coach that is going to work hard every day to help our players grow and get better individually and as a team. Tony has been an integral part of some successful teams at Princeton and Adrian so I look forward to him bringing in some new ideas and excitement. We can’t wait to get him on campus to start preparing for next season.”
“I’m really excited to get things started here at Clarkson with Matt and Brit,” added Maci. “They are great people and have created an environment that challenges the players to excel everyday. The success of the program speaks for itself and I’m really excited for the team to come back to get the 2016-17 season started. I loved my time at Princeton. It’s hard when you’re leaving unbelievable people, and I’m truly thankful for everything Jeff (Kampersal), Cara (Morey) and Princeton University gave me.”
Maci is a 2004 graduate of St. Lawrence with a degree in English. A five-year member of the men’s program, Maci earned a medical redshirt as a freshmen before going on to play in 83 games. He registered 17 points and 68 penalty minutes as a defenseman. He is currently pursing his master’s degree in education from SLU.
Sean Flanagan has been named an assistant coach for Cornell and joins the Big Red after serving as Massachusetts-Lowell’s director of hockey operations during the 2015-16 season.
“Sean is an up and coming coach in college hockey,” said Cornell head coach Mike Schafer in a statement. “He has a great reputation for tireless work ethic and a great eye for talent. He was highly recommended by people I hold in high regard in hockey.”
Prior to last season, Flanagan was the assistant coach at Hobart from 2012 to 2015, working under former Cornell assistant coach Mark Taylor.
No stranger to ECAC Hockey, Flanagan played 121 career games with St. Lawrence from 2007 to 2011, totaling 12 goals and 40 assists for 52 points. He then went on to play professionally with the ECHL’s Las Vegas Wranglers and Quad City Mallards.
“I feel very fortunate and proud to have played in ECAC Hockey at St. Lawrence for Joe Marsh and staff, and to be back in the league,” Flanagan added. “To have learned the valuable lessons in recruiting and coaching from Mark Taylor at Hobart as well as Norm Bazin and staff at UMass-Lowell is a blessing. I owe a great deal of this opportunity to all of them and what they have taught me while playing and coaching in college hockey.”
Mike Eaves coached Wisconsin for 14 seasons (photo: Jim Rosvold).
Former Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves has been named the head coach at St. Olaf, the Minnesota school announced Friday.
Eaves, who was fired in March after his 14th season leading his alma mater, won a national championship as a player (1977) and coach (2006).
He started his collegiate coaching career at a Division III school, Wisconsin-Eau Claire, in 1986.
“It’s a unique situation to do something special,” Eaves said in a statement released by St. Olaf. “St. Olaf is truly committed to academics, it’s in a great college town, and the campus community is very supportive.”
He replaces Sean Goldsworthy, who was 193-235-63 in 19 seasons with the Oles. The team slipped to back-to-back six-win seasons in 2014-15 and 2015-16.
Eaves was 267-225-76 with the Badgers but was let go after four- and eight-win records in the last two seasons, respectively.
He has also coached with St. Cloud State, the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins, the AHL’s Hershey Bears, Finland’s SM-Liiga and the Shattuck-St. Mary’s prep school.
“Mike is a proven winner at every level he has coached and embodies everything our department and college stand for,” St. Olaf athletic director Ryan Bowles said. “He is committed to our mission of preparing our student-athletes for life after college. The future is bright for Ole men’s hockey and we are excited to welcome Mike and his wife Beth to the Ole family.”
St. Olaf is preparing to unveil plans and a fundraising campaign this summer for a new on-campus arena. The Oles play at Northfield Ice Arena.
“I’m excited for the opportunity and the future of this program,” said Eaves, who is scheduled to start at St. Olaf on June 13.
Mercyhurst assistant coach Greg Gardner has been named a Maccabi USA head coach for the Maccabiah Games that will take place July 2017 in Israel.
Gardner played in the event for Team Canada in 1997.
With 10 NCAA seasons of coaching behind him, Gardner aims to become the first head coach of Maccabi USA’s Open Men’s hockey team to capture gold at the games.
“I am very excited for the opportunity to lead the US Open Hockey team at the 20th World Maccabiah Games,” said Gardner in a statement. “It will be a great opportunity and experience in Israel. Hopefully, we can lead this group to become the first team to win a gold medal. I am very thankful to [Mercyhurst coach] Rick Gotkin for allowing me to coach in the 2017 Games.”
Gardner just wrapped up his second season as the Lakers’ assistant coach and has previously served as an assistant at his alma mater, Niagara, and Princeton.
St. Michaels assistant coach Casey Fratkin will serve as an assistant coach for Team USA.
The Maccabiah Games event is the world’s largest Jewish athletic competition that takes place every four years in Israel.
Army West Point has announced the hiring of new assistant coach Chris McKelvie.
McKelvie is the identical twin brother of current assistant coach Zach McKelvie, who has been on Riley’s staff for two seasons and is a 2009 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy.
The brother combination joins the Granatos (Wisconsin) and Kyles (Northern Michigan) as siblings on coaching staffs in D-I hockey.
“We are extremely excited to add Chris McKelvie to our coaching staff at West Point,” Army West Point coach Brian Riley said in a statement. “McKelvie’s experience as a Frozen Four participant while playing for Bemidji State, as well as playing in the American Hockey League for the past seven years, enables him to bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to not only our players but our staff as well.”
McKelvie comes to West Point after seven seasons in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack and Albany Devils, where he was an alternate captain for the last three seasons.
Prior to his professional career, McKelvie skated in 120 games at Bemidji State, leading the Beavers to their run to the 2009 NCAA Frozen Four as a team captain. He scored 18 goals and added 15 assists in those 120 games.
Another brother, Ryan McKelvie, skated for Minnesota State from 2002 to 2006.
The playoff championship game will now be known as the “WCHA Championship.” The “Final Five” is no more.
The 2017 WCHA Playoffs will consist of four best-of-three, quarterfinal series hosted by the league’s top four regular season finishers on the first weekend of March. Two best-of-three semifinal series will follow, hosted by the highest remaining seeds on the second weekend of the month.
Then the WCHA Championship will be a single game, hosted by the highest remaining seed, on the third Saturday of March (the same weekend as the “Final Five” of previous seasons). As has been the case since the 2013-14 campaign, the top eight teams from the WCHA regular season will qualify for the postseason.
According to WCHA commissioner Bill Robertson, changing the format will change the fan experience for the better and will save on travel costs, in addition to increasing PairWise Rankings and league revenue.
Robertson said breaking the agreement with the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., where the Final Five was to be held in 2017, was a fluid transaction.
“We give a lot of credit to the owner of the Minnesota Wild, Craig Leipold, chief operating officer Matt Majka and the general manager of the Xcel Energy Center, Jack Larson, for understanding what we wanted to do going forward with our league,” said Robertson. “They were happy to assist in that process. I can’t disclose any financial information, but I would say that we made a healthy break with them and they were supportive of our decision. It just helps them better understand the Wild schedule during the month of March.”
The timing of the move left some questions. Why now? Why not play out the remaining year on the contract with the Xcel Energy Center and look at making the change for the 2018 postseason?
Robertson wouldn’t say exactly that low attendance figures played a role. The 2016 Final Five at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich., drew just a shade over 4,000 for the championship game that Ferris State won over Minnesota State.
Van Andel Arena has a seating capacity of nearly 11,000 and is the home of the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins.
Ferris State played Minnesota State in the 2016 WCHA Final Five championship game at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich. (photo: Michael Dubicki).
“I think more than anything, we felt that we wanted an atmosphere where the fans would be excited,” Robertson said. “When you’re on campus, you have a better chance for fans to see this up close and personal and we thought for the student-athlete itself, the fan experience there, for them to play in front of larger crowds would be an added plus and bonus. Those are two of the best possible scenarios that you have coming out of this. All of our presidents, athletics directors and head coaches felt this was a great step for the WCHA and is really revolutionary for college hockey at the Division I level.
“We also felt this was a chance for us to make a splash and a name for the WCHA.”
With campus sites being used in the WCHA, it would create a potential for Alaska or Alaska-Anchorage hosting one or more series.
That topic arose during discussions, said Robertson, who did not comment on the financial specifics or time needed to travel to Alaska.
“We did talk to both Alaska schools and all 10 schools [in the WCHA] were involved in this process in talking it through,” Robertson said. “They felt all 10 teams are equal in the WCHA and this gives us the best chance to succeed. If our Alaska schools are hosting, well, that’s a great thing. We’re competitive all the way through our 10 teams.”
Ferris State coach Bob Daniels made mention that the past two Final Fives probably had crowds that supported one team over another.
“Last season at Van Andel, we had pretty solid attendance,” said Daniels. “It was a real championship atmosphere, but the issue in time becomes … it was really like a home-rink advantage to us. (Big Rapids is just an hour north of Grand Rapids.) With us and Michigan Tech moving on, we were able to bring a lot of our fans there. [In 2015] at the Xcel Energy Center when we played Minnesota State, we had a good crowd, but that was driven by Minnesota State. That’s not a given from year to year. I think as you look long range, you can’t count on those things.”
Daniels added that there is a lot to like about the new format and insinuated that the new-look tournament will have both teams in any given series on an even keel.
“The NCAA tournament is bracketed and as a coach that has been on campus and at neutral sites, it’s a different animal,” Daniels said. “In 2002-03, and I’ll use as an example, we had to play Minnesota at Mariucci Arena. Now, that’s an Olympic sheet and was certainly 95 percent Gopher fans. We had a very good hockey team that year and the Gophers won the national title, but I will tell you to this day that our players always felt like they would have loved to play the Gophers on a neutral site. When you talk about the NCAA tournament on a neutral site, I think that’s a better avenue because it is a tournament.
“When you talk about playoffs and given the geography of our league, I think you are much better suited to have those on campus. That’s my take on comparing [the NCAA tournament to the WCHA tournament].”
And at the end of the day, the players on the ice could see the biggest benefit.
“One of the things the ADs were talking about here was decreasing travel and increasing rest for teams,” said Northern Michigan athletic director Forrest Karr, who also serves as the chair of the WCHA league management council. “If you think about our old format, on the last regular season weekend of the year, we had five teams traveling and then we went into the playoffs and had the best-of-three with four teams traveling. Then we had four teams travel to the neutral site for the final tournament, so over the course of the last three weekends of the year, we had 13 teams traveling. With the new format, you’ll have seven teams traveling. And then if you look at the maximum games that teams would play over those three weekends, it was seven in the old format and under this new format, it’s the same.
“It reduces travel and increases rest as you get toward the NCAA tournament, and that’s probably the most important thing for the last one or two weekends. That was a really big consideration among the athletic directors.”
