A New Season is Upon Us

Well folks, a new season is approaching quickly. In the coming weeks I will be previewing all 12 of the WCHA member schools. I will include their key losses, their key additions, and what I expect to see out of each including my prediction.

Much has happened over the summer, and I'll do my best to get you all up to speed on everything.

Sorry for the delay. It's great to be back online!

2010-11 SCSU Men's Hockey Schedule

Below is the schedule for the 2010-11 season of SCSU Hockey. Home games are in bold and conference games in italics.

Oct. 2 — vs. University of Mantiba, 7:07 p.m. (Exhibition)

Oct. 8 — vs. RIT*, TBA

Oct. 9 — vs. Clarkson*, TBA

Oct. 15-16 — vs. Miami, 7:07 p.m.

Oct. 22-23 — at Minnesota, 7:07 p.m.

Oct. 29-30 — vs. Quinnipiac, 7:07 p.m.

Nov. 5-6 — vs. Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m.

Nov. 12-13 — vs. Nebraska-Omaha, 7:07 p.m.

Nov. 19-20 — at Alaska Anchorage, 10:07 p.m.

Dec. 3 — at North Dakota, 7:37 p.m.

Dec. 4 — at North Dakota, 7:07 p.m.

Dec. 10-11 — vs. Colorado College, 7:07 p.m.

Dec. 29 — vs. Cornell**, TBA

Dec. 30 — vs. Maine/Miami**, TBA

Jan. 7-8 — vs. Michigan Tech, 7:07 p.m.

Jan. 21 — at Bemidji State, 7:37 p.m.

Jan. 22 — at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m.

Jan. 28-29 — vs. Minnesota State-Mankato, 7:07 p.m.

Feb. 4 — at Nebraska-Omaha, 7:37 p.m.

Feb. 5 — at Nebraska-Omaha, 7:07 p.m.

Feb. 11-12 — at Minnesota-Duluth, 7:07 p.m.

Feb. 18-19 — vs. North Dakota, 7:07 p.m.

Feb. 25-26 — vs. Wisconsin, 7:07 p.m.

March 4 — at Denver, 8:37 p.m.

March 5 — at Denver, 8:07 p.m.

March 11-13 — WCHA 1st round

March 17-19 — WCHA Final Five

March 25-27 — NCAA regionals (Bridgeport, Connecticut; Manchester, New Hampshire; Green Bay, Wisconsin; and St. Louis, Missouri)

April 7 and 9 — NCAA Frozen Four (St. Paul, Minnesota)

*-Nebraska-Omaha Tournament

**-Florida College Classic at Estero, Fla.

UW's Smith Departs School Early for NHL

The Detroit Redwings and Wisconsin's Brendan Smith made it official Thursday - he's leaving UW one year early to play in the NHL. For many, this is something we've all been expecting. For some, this may come as a surprise. Smith led all defensemen in the nation with 15 goals and 52 points this season. He was a top-10 Hobey finalist as well.

He had 87 points in 95 career games.

This is hit to Wisconsin, but their D-corp is so deep that I don't think it's really going to matter too much. Yes, he's a great, dynamic player, but UW will move on and still contend in the WCHA next year.

Sioux Defectors?

Rumors have surfaced that two Sioux players may be defecting for the Canadian major juniors. New York Islander draftee David Toews and Buffalo draftee Corey Fienhage are allegedly pondering their current situations with UND. Check out the full story at Goon's World.

Genoway to Return to UND

Defenseman Chay Genoway will return to the Fighting Sioux for a fifth year or eligibility. He was granted a medical hardship waver for the 2009-2010 season after receiving a concussion from a check-from-behind from SCSU's Aaron Marvin in a November game in Grand Forks. Since the initial injury, Genoway has experience post-concussion syndrome and has had difficulty resuming normal life. Reports out of Grand Forks were that he had trouble watching the games because of the speed at which the play moved.

This is huge for UND, assuming he can play next fall of course, as Chay is arguably the best player in all of college hockey. His defense is impeccable and he is one heck of an offensive defenseman as well.

As much as I don't really like the Sioux, I am happy the Chay will get a chance to finish out his career at UND. He has put his time in on this one folks...

Goloubef Leaves Wisconsin, Signs with Blue Jackets

Wisconsin Jr. defenseman Cody Goloubef has decided to give up his final year of eligibility by signing with the Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL.

Goloubef was a 2nd round pick in the 2008 NHL draft. He had 14 points and was plus-13 in 42 games for the Badgers last season.

“Cody comes from a very successful program at Wisconsin and we believe it is the right time for him to begin his professional career,” Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson said in a statement.

Wisconsin currently has two first round picks on their roster in Jr. defensemen Brendan Smith and Ryan McDonagh. Will they stay for their Sr. seasons?

Gophers Lose a Recruit

The UofM has lost a high-scoring forward from the USHL in Ryan Walters. Walters decided to de-commit from the Gophers after head coach Don Lucia asked him to play another season with the Des Moines Bucs of the USHL. Lucia did this because he doesn't have room on his roster right now. Currently, the Gophers have 11 forwards returning and six coming in, so that's 11 forwards to fill 12 spots per night.

As a sophomore at St. Thomas Academy, Walters committed to play for the Gopher program. For the past two seasons he has been playing with Des Moines. This year, he was 12th in league scoring on  21 goals and 40 assists for 61 points.

BC Routs Wisconsin in 5-0 Victory to Capture its Second Title in Three Years

Article courtesy of USCHO.com. (Direct link at bottom of page.)

By: Jim Connelly/Senior Writer - USCHO.com

DETROIT (April 10) — Keep that championship trophy in Beantown.

More: Box Score
Boston College: Team Page | Schedule
Wisconsin: Team Page | Schedule

Paced by an explosive third period in which Boston College struck for four goals, the Eagles routed Wisconsin, 5-0, in front of a record 37,592 fans at Ford Field on Saturday to capture the school’s fourth national championship and third in the last 10 years.

It’s the third straight year a team from Boston has captured the title, with the Eagles winning this year and 2008 and Boston University capturing the championship in 2009.

Cam Atkinson scored two goals, both in the final stanza, while BC netminder John Muse (19 saves) posted the shutout to improve his record in NCAA tournament play to a perfect 8-0.

Boston College’s power play was a difference-maker in the game, scoring twice in five opportunities. At the same time, BC’s penalty kill shut down Wisconsin’s potent power play in its three chances.

Wisconsin came out of the gates playing physical, but by the eight-minute mark of the opening period, BC changed the game’s momentum picking up its own physical play.

That momentum change pay dividends at 12:57 when tournament most outstanding player Ben Smith scored his 16th goal of the season on the power play. Steven Whitney dumped a pass to Smith in the slot who fired a shot through traffic inside the left post for the 1-0 lead.

By the period’s close, BC had dominated things statistically, outshooting the Badgers, 12-5.

In the second, Wisconsin recovered nicely and took the play to the Eagles through stretches. Michael Davies had the frame’s best opportunities, first having a wide-open look at the right post at 9:45 only to have BC’s Carl Sneep deflect the shot and then again at 14:10 when he was sent in alone only to have the puck bounce off his stick to spoil the bid.

In the third, Wisconsin seemed poised to continue its pressure. That was until BC’s offense became perfectly opportunistic.

The Eagles broke away from the Badgers’ pressure, getting two rushes early in the frame and scoring on both to turn the game on its head. Atkinson scored at 1:38 on a bad-angle shot that beat Wisconsin goaltender Scott Gudmandson inside the far post. Just 2:02 later, Chris Kreider redirected home a centering pass from Jimmy Hayes to give the Eagles a 3-0 lead.

Atkinson sealed the deal at 7:20 when he scored on the power play, breaking down the left wing and firing a low shot five hole on Gudmandson. BC captain Matt Price finished things off with an empty-net goal with 4:31 remaining.

The win avenges BC’s 2-1 loss to Wisconsin in the 2006 national title game and propels the school to three national titles under coach Jerry York. BC’s three titles in the last decade is the most by any school.

Read more: http://www.uscho.com/recaps/20092010/m/04/10/bc-uw.php#ixzz0kl5Paj6D

Geoffrion wins the Hobey, 2010 All-Americans

HOBEY BAKER AWARD

On Friday, the NCAA announced Blake Geoffrion as the 2010 Hobey Baker Memorial Award recipient. Believe it or not, he is the first Badger to take home the prestigious award. Geoffrion didn't have the most points this season, 50 points on 28 goals and 22 assists, but he took his team to the tourney and played a big role in getting them to the Frozen Four. As I said in my announcement of the Hobey Hat Trick, Geoffrion being in the top three and not being one of the top point-getters, but getting far into the post-season, made him the front-runner for the award. It looks like the committee held true to form. Congratulations to Geoffrion and the University of Wisconsin on this honor.

ALL-AMERICANS

The WCHA had six of the twelve West All-Americans, including five of the six first team. Denver led all schools with three first teamers in Marc Cheverie, Patrick Wiercioch, and Rhett Rakhshani. Wisconsin followed with two in Brendan Smith and Geoffrion, and Duluth had one second teamer in Jack Connolly.

To round out the West, Northern Michigan had one first teamer and one second teamer. No other school had more than one. I should note that 2010-11 addition Bemidji State had a second teamer in Matt Read. He had an outstanding year for the Beavs last year and has one year left to play.

As for the Eastern schools, Cornell led the way with two first teamers, but New Hampshire led the way with three overall; one first team and two second team. Yale also had two second teamers. No other school had more than one.

East First Team
Ben Scrivens, sr., G, Cornell
Colby Cohen, jr., D, Boston
Brendon Nash, sr., D, Cornell
Bobby Butler, sr., F, New Hampshire
Gustav Nyquist, so., F, Maine
Chase Polacek, jr., F, Rensselaer

East Second Team
Brian Foster, sr., G, New Hampshire
Justin Braun, sr., D, Massachusetts
Blake Kessel, so., D, New Hampshire
Sean Backman, sr., F, Yale
Nick Johnson, sr., F, Sacred Heart
Broc Little, jr., F, Yale

West First Team
Marc Cheverie, jr., G, Denver
Brendan Smith, jr., D, Wisconsin
Patrick Wiercioch, so., D, Denver
Blake Geoffrion, sr., F, Wisconsin
Mark Olver, jr., F, Northern Michigan
Rhett Rakhshani, sr., F, Denver

West Second Team
Cody Reichard, so., G, Miami
Erik Gustafsson, jr., D, Northern Michigan
Jeff Petry, jr., D, Michigan State
Jack Connolly, so., F, Minnesota-Duluth
Zac Dalpe, so., F, Ohio State
Matt Read, jr., F, Bemidji State

DU's Cheverie Sign's with Florida

Denver's outstanding junior goalie, Marc Cheverie, has reached an agreement on a two-year entry-level contract with the NHL's Florida Panthers. Cheverie had been in negotiation's with the Panthers shortly after the Pioneers lost in the NCAA tournament.

"We are very pleased to have reached a contract agreement with Marc," Florida general manager Randy Sexton said in a release. "He is very talented prospect who we believe will have a bright future in our organization."

"Marc established himself as the best goaltender in college hockey this season and is ready for professional hockey," DU coach George Gwozdecky said in a release. "He was our most valuable player the past two seasons and is one of the most competitive players I've coached."

Cheverie was the 193rd overall selection in the seventh round of the 2006 draft. He had a 24-6-3 record with 2.08 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage, and was a Hobey Baker Top 10 Finalist this season.

His departure leaves a big hole in net for the Pioneers. This is the third early departure in two weeks for Denver.

BC Blowsout Miami

The Boston College Eagles blewout the Miami University Redhawks 7-1 on Thursday evening at the Frozen Four in Detroit. The two teams skated to a 0-0 tie after one period, but then came the second. BC scored three times in the second frame, chasing the Miami starting goalie from the net, and took a 3-0 lead into the third period. Miami scored about five minutes into the third, but BC answered with four goals later in the period. BC will take on Wisconsin on Saturday evening in the National Championship Game.

"Fighting Sioux" Nickname and Logo to be Shutdown

In a long battle with the NCAA, the North Dakota Board of Higher Education has voted to give the axe to the "Fighting Sioux" nickname and logo. Initially, it was reported that the Sioux will be without the logo for the upcoming season, but updates from various sources are saying that they'll use it for one more season before officially dumping it.

For those not up to speed on this issue, a couple of years ago the NCAA ruled that all non-sanctioned Native American nicknames must be dumped because they "offend" very, very, very, very, very few of the people actually involved in the issues (white people DON'T count!!!!!). There was a provision in the ruling that said if the school had the permission of the tribe(s) involved, they could keep the nickname.

For many, many years UND has had permission of at least one of the two Sioux tribes in ND. Recently, one of the tribes voted to allow UND to continue using the nickname and logo, but the Standing Rock Tribe, headed by Archie Fool Bear (no lie on the name folks), has held out on allowing its people to vote. It's of special note that the people of the Standing Rock Tribe overwhelmingly support the UND nickname and logo, as did the people of the other tribe. (Oh yeah, the other tribe was able to vote!)

This is just another example of a SMALL amount of people dictating to the larger group. I am so sick and tired of the MORONS being able to do whatever they want. This is a MAJORITY rule nation, NOT a MINORITY rule nation. Get yours heads out of your rears folks. There's nothing wrong with the nickname and logo. If you knew ANYTHING at all about this school or its teams you'd know that there is a TON of tradition and even more respect for the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo.

This is an absolutely ridiculous move and one that I, personally, will NEVER support. The Sioux have, by far, the best logo in all of sports, at ANY level. This is a HUGE hit to sports and something that I hope NO professional league will ever take on.

To all of you NON-NATIVES: THIS IS NOT, NOR HAS EVER BEEN OR EVER WILL BE, YOUR FIGHT. KEEP YOUR NOSES OUT OF THIS AND KEEP YOUR BIG MORONIC MOUTHS SHUT!

If you'd like to read more, check out the Grand Forks Herald, This Is the WCHA... blog, and Goon's World blog.

Badgers rout RIT

The Wisconsin Badgers easily defeated the RIT Tigers 8-1 in this afternoons Frozen Four Semifinal at Ford Field in Detroit, MI. The Badgers ran out to a 6-0 lead in the first 39:00 of the game before RIT scored its first Frozen Four goal. It was only 2-0 after one period, but a four goal second, for the Badgers, put the game out of reach for the Tigers. The Badgers last two goals came with less than three minutes left in the game. Shots on goal for the game were 33-14 in favor of Wisconsin. The Badgers will compete for their seventh National Title on Saturday night against the winner of the BC/Miami game later tonight.

Central Scouting Update

The final NHL Central Scouting Service rankings for the June draft have been released. Three Huskies are listed: Kevin Gravel (defenseman, Sioux City, USHL) is ranked No. 70 (a 10 spot drop), but means he should still be selected; Garrett Hendrickson (forward, Virginia HS) is ranked No. 198 (a 13 spot drop); and Andrew Prochno (defenseman, Minnetonka HS) is ranked No. 205 (a 50 spot drop).

2010-11 Composite Schedule

While looking around this morning, I stumbled across a league-wide composite schedule. All twelve teams are listed along with the weekend they play and their opponent. Note: Not all schools have released their schedules. Only UND, UMD, BSU, and SCSU have. The other schedules are, somewhat, filled in based on current complete schedules. As the other schedules are released it should be updated.