WCHA Preseason Preview

Andy Sorensen’s 2011-12 WCHA Preview

                 In what was arguably the most volatile off-season since the NCAA ended D-II hockey in 1999, the WCHA has verged into three directions; either by joining the Big 10, the NCHC, or by staying put. With the clock already ticking to the decisive 2013-14 season, the conference is saying good bye to eight of 12 conference members and welcoming at least four new members to the fold in Alaska Fairbanks, Ferris State, Lake Superior State, and Northern Michigan.

Even with this much change, there could still be more as the conference is waiting for definitive word from Bowling Green, and rumors abound about several Atlantic Hockey programs ready to increase their scholarships and join the “new” WCHA, along with the elephant in the room known as Alabama-Huntsville. But before we can be look forward to September 2013, we have hockey to be played starting this weekend as every program except St. Cloud and Wisconsin have exhibitions against Canadian collegiate counterparts. So without further ado, here’s how I see the WCHA shaping up this season.

1.       Colorado College

The Tigers are my favorite for the MacNaughton Cup this season. They have a good, young core returning, including sophomore Jaden Schwartz, who when healthy, lit the conference on fire with his point scoring abilities. This, combined with the addition of several high power  offensive additions from the USHL, notably Charlie Taft, Jordan DiGiandio, and Scott Wasgamz, reminds me very much of a Minnesota-Duluth team who last season won themselves a national championship with their high scoring and sound goaltending. They may not come out of the gate running, but they will be a force to be reckoned with.

2.       Denver

The Pios are a very close 2^nd for me in the WCHA race. They, like CC, are very deep and can play with one of the best teams in the country. They even have an answer for losing Sam Brittain in Adam Murray, who did well in his time with the USNTDP but has struggled in his time in college.  Obviously, the big question for Denver will be how Murray holds up.  Even if things go haywire in net, DU won’t suffer mightily with their strengths elsewhere on the ice.

3.       North Dakota

Yes, theFighting  Sioux lost a lot of talent in Matt Frattin, Ryan Malone, Chay Gennoway, Brett Hextall, and Jason Gregoire all leaving. That doesn’t mean though that it’ll be a down year in Grand Forks; far from it in fact. The Sioux still return several key players including Aaron Dell, who was the surprise of the year between the pipes last season in the WCHA, Derek Forbort, Brock Nelson, and the always physical Ben Blood. Oh yeah, and there’s the recruiting class which includes Rocco Grimaldi who plays a strong offensive game and was a steal for the Florida Panthers in the 2^nd round of June’s NHL Entry Draft.

4.       Minnesota-Duluth

It’s not often you find the defending national champions ranked 4^th in their own conference, but it’s where the Bulldogs sit this season. Like UND, they lost a lot of talent to graduation and the NHL. Unlike UND, they don’t have all the answers (at least not yet).

5.       Nebraska-Omaha

The O-Mavs caught some by surprise (including myself, as I had them 10^th in last season’s preview) last season. They did hit a couple roadblocks last season with goalie John Faulkner, who was inconsistent to say the least. Faulkner returns between the pipes this season, however, coach Dean Blais has a consistent backup in Ryan Massa, who ranked in the Top 10 for wins last season playing for Fargo of the USHL. If the Mavericks want to reach their potential, whoever’s in goal must play smart, consistent hockey.

6.       Minnesota

The Gophers were another that suffered major losses losing, among others, Jay Barriball, Jacob Cepis, and Alex Kangas. Like the situation Omaha’s facing, the Gophers have found their answer in goal with Kent Patterson but was a victim of inconsistent play. To Don Lucia’s credit, I do applaud him for bringing Mike Guentzel back on staff and the Gophers finally get to see USHL standout Seth Ambroz take the ice in maroon and gold. There’s optimism to be had in Minnesota, but it’s cautious.

7.       Alaska-Anchorage

The Seawolves showed the rest of the conference that they’re on the up and up last season with their playoff sweep of the Gophers. Even with the loss of Tommy Grant and Craig Parkinson, the Wolves are no longer a cupcake opponent and should be taken seriously every step of the way.

8.       Bemidji State

I like this Beaver squad, I really do. They have a lot of returning players coming back and like Anchorage, can’t be taken lightly as evidenced by their upset of Omaha in the first round of the playoffs. They play a tough game and as a home playoff team, I would fear playing both the Beavers and Seawolves.

9.       Wisconsin

It’s a good news bad news story in Madison this season. First, the bad news: The Badgers lost a lot of talent to the NHL and graduation. The good news is that Mike Eaves can squeeze talent out of his players like water out of a sponge. Still, I see the Badgers just missing a home playoff spot.

10.   St. Cloud State

St. Cloud is a hard team to pinpoint; they had what was thought to be a talented team and bottomed out before surfacing in the 8^th position in the final standings. Mike Lee provides much stability in net, but if the rest of the team plays a full season is the question.

11.   Michigan Tech

In my non-hockey life, I’m a Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Cubs fan. Like the Vikings and Cubs, the Huskies haven’t been the most successful team recently and fans latch onto any sense of optimism they can. This latest sense is very real, as Tech hired alum and right hand man to college hockey legend Red Berenson, Mel Pearson. While Pearson won’t turn things around in Houghton this season, Tech is taking the right steps towards a successful future.

12.   Minnesota State

Where to start with the Mavericks? There’s stability on the blue line and outside of Michael Dorr and Eriah Hayes, too many questions on offense.

All-WCHA Team

Jaden Schwartz, Colorado College

Drew Shore, Denver

Jason Zucker, Denver

Justin Schultz, Wisconsin

Matt Carlson, Bemidji State

Aaron Dell, North Dakota

WCHA Freshman of the Year: Rocco Grimaldi, North Dakota

WCHA Player of the Year: Jaden Schwartz, Colorado College

WCHA Coach of the Year: Scott Owens, Colorado College

How does your preseason ballot rank?

-Andy Sorensen, CHW Blogger

An Early Look at the WCHA Schedule

With the release of the 2011-12 WCHA Schedule, I took some time to break down five series or matchups that I’ll be following closely this upcoming season:

• McGill University at Denver (Oct. 1^st) and Colorado College (Oct. 2^nd)

The Redmen of McGill come from Montreal as the runner ups in the CIS finals last season, losing to fellow Canadian collegiate powerhouse New Brunswick in the championship game 4-0. How the Pioneers and Tigers, two WCHA favorites this season, do against their Canuck opponent will be fun to watch as the Canadian collegiates play a more fundamentally focused game. This is because fighting is barred, unlike the major junior leagues that many Canadian collegiate players come from.     

• Michigan Tech/Northern Michigan (at Northern Dec. 16^th, at Tech Jan. 21^st)

Nothing says “Welcome back to the conference” to Northern Michigan (Albeit in 2013) than the annual meeting of these UP rivals. Hope springs eternal in Houghton as Red Berenson’s right hand man and Tech grad Mel Pearson steps behind the bench to try and turn the sled around for the Huskies. Up the road in Marquette, the Wildcats come off a disappointing season in which they followed up a 2010 NCAA Tournament appearance with a losing campaign, their first since 2006-07.

• Alaska Anchorage/Nebraska Omaha (In Fairbanks October 14^th, Omaha October 22^nd and 23^rd)

The two surprise teams in the WCHA last season meet up three times in just over a week thanks in part to the Alaska Gold Rush tournament in Fairbanks. Because of WCHA policy, as a tournament game, the October 14^th contest will not count in the conference standings. That next weekend, the series shifts to Omaha where the points will count, and the intensity increases between these two up and coming programs.

• Minnesota/North Dakota (at Grand Forks Jan 13^th and 14^th)

One of college hockey’s most notorious rivalries takes the stage at the Ralph to begin the 2012 portion of the conference schedule. Both teams return a good young core, and as some people watch auto racing watch for the crashes, some people will tune in to see if there are fights like last year.

• Norte Dame/Minnesota-Duluth (at Duluth Oct 7^th and 8^th)

A rematch of a Frozen Four semifinal from this past season happens rather early on in the season. The national champion Bulldogs look to defend their title after losing several key players from their team last season, while the Irish return a strong nucleus from last year’s team. This will be an early test for the Bulldogs to see if despite their losses they can still run with the big dogs.

-Andy Sorensen, CHW Blogger

Moorhead Next in Line?

A week after many considered the WCHA dead, one school has stepped up to continue the league, while another looks to boost membership. Northern Michigan returns to the conference after a 16 year absence in time for the "great shift" in 2013, while MSU-Moorhead made the rather bold statement Friday of announcing they'd hopefully be ready for the 2013-14 season as they would be fielding a Division I team if they raised $37 million for an endowment to fund the program. According to Moorhead president Edna Szymanski, the university is about 40 percent towards the endowment. If realized, the Dragons would play out of Fargo's Scheels Arena, with a capacity of 5,000, just a smudge smaller than the Verizon Wireless Center which seats 5,280.

 I am of the opinion that any growth for the sport is good growth, especially in a market like Fargo-Moorhead where the Force of the USHL has started to build a following and their attendance has grown every season they have been in the league. While the support for hockey is there, is the money? Not every college who wants to start a D-I program is as fortunate as Penn State was, where a check for $88 million from a billionaire alumnus to fund the program and the arena lands on the doorstep. While Moorhead may have the heart, will, desire, and MNSCU support to add D-I hockey, the money, especially in the economy, may not be there, and that would be a shame for not only F-M who would lose on getting D-1 hockey to the area, but also the WCHA would also lose out for adding another hockey rabid market in Fargo-Moorhead.
-Andy Sorensen, CHW Blogger

Ding Dong the WCHA Is Dead

If the WCHA were to have a tombstone, it'd read something like this:
WCHA
1951-2013
"Money Kills"

In the end, it was the almighty dollar that killed the West's premier collegiate hockey conference. The first symptoms were the Gophers and Badgers in step with their Big 10 (Now 12) brethren who play hockey in their own conference and what will give the six teams in that conference a captive television platform come the 2013-14 season. The money illness then spread to Colorado, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Ohio as teams from those states picked up their sticks for their premier conference, called the Collegiate Hockey Conference, and left their conferences en masse to end the conference and put the CCHA in jeopardy.


As a college hockey and WCHA fan and blogger, I'm split on this issue. While the obvious feelings of sadness and anger of slamming the door on the remaining schools is there, I also can't blame the schools for doing what they did. After all, we live in America where capitalism is king and the want to up the ante with the CHC I get. Why play programs in your conference like Michigan Tech, Mankato, or Bemidji that do get some people in the house while programs like UND, UMD and Denver have RABID fan bases, travel well and fill the building weekend after weekend?

This doesn't excuse the reports in Friday's edition of the Anchorage Daily News where the members of the CHC outright lied to the rest of the WCHA of the plans saying nothing was going on. If the CHC was in the works, they could have been outright with their plans and given the leftover schools time to figure out their own plans. Instead, these schools and those in the CCHA who have been left behind are left to wonder where they'll play come 2013-14 if at all. Thanks CHC, you and your greed have made the world of college hockey more uncertain than Brett Favre's football season!

-Andy Sorensen, CHW Blogger

CCHA, meet the WCHA (and Huntsville and Robert Morris)

It's another day, another super league rumor, this time from the Duluth News Tribune and Omaha World Herald. Both are reporting that the seven or eight team league is set to be announced either this month or by Labor Day and would start play in the 2013-14 season.

The conference?
UMD
UND
Denver
CC
UNO
Miami (OH)-from CCHA
Notre Dame-from CCHA
Western Michigan-from CCHA

This is not only bad news for those who remain in a very skeleton WCHA, but for our brethren in the CCHA as well. If Western Michigan makes the jump, each conference would be left with 5 teams each, one below the 6 minimum for the NCAA to recognize you as an official conference. Before we try to put together this very delicate puzzle, let's see what we have.

CCHA remainders:
Alaska-Fairbanks
Bowling Green
Ferris State
Lake Superior
Northern Michigan

WCHA remainders:
Alaska-Anchorage
Bemidji
Michigan Tech
Mankato
St. Cloud

Independent:
Alabama-Huntsville

The solution is simple: Merge the CCHA and the WCHA into two, name TBD. The divisions, named the East and West divisions (Not that creative but in my estimation it beats “Legends” and “Leaders” out behind the woodshed). The only exception in the naming would be the Alaskan schools being split up so that all schools can take advantage of the rewards the Last Frontier reaps (Namely, road games in Alaska don’t count against the number of games you can play in a regular season among others). To make things everything round and even at 12 teams, let’s bring Robert Morris into the picture. This brings the rabid hockey market of Pittsburgh into things and gives RMU another shot at full scholarship hockey.

East Division

Alaska-Fairbanks
Bowling Green
Ferris State
Lake Superior
Northern Michigan
Robert Morris

West Division

Alaska-Anchorage

Alabama-Huntsville

Bemidji
Mankato
Michigan Tech
St. Cloud

Teams would play two series (one home and one away) against their divisional opponents putting things at 24 games, 22 games against your 34 games if you leave the Alaskan trip out of the equation. Additionally, you would play two games against an intra-divisional “rival”. With 10 games to work with, this gives you two non-conference series, which sets the stage for the conference tournament. The tournament would take the format that both conferences are familiar with: a best of three series at the higher seed, top 6 teams earn home ice. The 6 winners advance to a neutral site (My bet? Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena) to see who earns the NCAA’s automatic berth. The real question that is left to be answered though is if there will be any casualties by the shakeups. I tried to make the divisions as travel friendly as possible, but I find it very likely that a school or two may drop because they don't have or want the money to keep up with the Joneses of college hockey.

-Andy Sorensen, CHW Blogger

Charging For the Future: WCHA realignment

According to Brad Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald, the Fighting Sioux are the latest team to explore leaving the WCHA. The Sioux would not become the 7th member of the Big 10 but instead be an anchor member of a "power hockey conference" mixing teams from both the CCHA and WCHA. Link

While details of who would join this conference are unknown, the two big prizes up for grabs are Miami University and Notre Dame. Both the Redhawks and Fighting Irish are current members of the CCHA, another conference hurt by the Big 10's raiding as Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State bid adieu after the 2012-13 season. Both the Redhawks and Irish have sparked interest from the WCHA, but if both programs were to join the WCHA, plans for the conference would be off the table.

If the WCHA can score both programs, it would be a major coup for the conference. Both schools have strong programs with great history and tradition. Notre Dame also opens the door to the Chicago market, which is in the heart of the Big 10. Miami would extend the conference's footprint from Alaska to Ohio, covering nine states and 12 schools.

Adding Miami and Notre Dame are fine well and good when it comes to raking in the money like autumn leaves. However, money isn't always the biggest priority in life, and that's the case here. Instead of going after two major programs, the WCHA should turn its attention southward to Alabama and the University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers. The Chargers are by far college hockey's southernmost program, and in my belief, hold the key to expanding the college game into non-traditional markets. Since being displaced in the aftermath of the breakup of the CHA and being denied membership into the CCHA, the Chargers have been relegated to being an independent team and have struggled both on and off the ice.

It is my belief that if the WCHA can come into Huntsville, it can do great things not only for the Charger program, but also for college hockey's future in the Southeast. If you attach the UAH program to the WCHA, one of college hockey's premier conferences, the recruits and fans will start to come. Much like Rome wasn't built in a day, hockey won't be a sport kids in the Southeast will gravitate to immediately, but it can (and does) happen, as in the case of Chris Kamal, Anchorage's starting goalie and a native of suburban Atlanta. 

While Gary Bettman may be slammed for his Sun Belt expansions in the 90's, it has helped lead to a growth in the youth hockey numbers in the Southeast and successes in the markets as well. This past season, five youth hockey teams from the Southeast advanced to the USA Hockey National Championship Tournaments. Four got second place in their tournaments. The other team, the Richmond (VA) Royals, won the Tier-II 18-Under 2A championship. If these programs can keep these successes coming, I can envision UAH becoming a regional hub for college hockey for players in the Southeast. Unfortunately, when the time comes for realignment, I doubt the WCHA will do what's best for the game and instead money will talk bringing the Fighting Irish and Redhawks into the WCHA and leaving the Chargers out in the cold once more.   
-Andy Sorensen, CHW Blogger

Minnesotans and WCHA Players Drafted on Day #2

Minnesota and WCHA players selected on Day #2 of the Draft:

Rocco Grimaldi (UND recruit) 33rd overall to Florida

Scott Mayfield (Denver recruit) 34th overall to the NY Islanders

Mario Lucia (Wayzata HS) 60th overall to the Wild

Steven Forgarty (Edina HS) 72nd overall to the NY Rangers

Nick Shore (Denver) 82nd overall to the LA Kings

Andy Welinski (UMD recruit) 83rd overall to Anaheim

Kyle Rau (Eden Prairie HS) 91st overall to Florida

Dillion Simpson (UND) 92nd overall to Edmonton

Josiah Didier (Denver recruit) 97th overall to Montreal

Mike Reilly (Shattuck, Gopher recruit) 98th overall to Columbus

Joseph Labate (Holy Angels, Wisconsin recruit) 101st overall to Vancouver

Michael Mersch (Wisconsin) 110th overall to the LA Kings

Seth Ambroz (Gopher recruit) 128th overall to Columbus

Tony Cameranesi (Wayzata HS, UMD recruit) 130th overall to Toronto

Nick Seeler (Eden Prairie HS) 131st overall to the Wild

Edward Wittchow (Burnsville HS, CC recruit) 154th overall to Florida

Josh Archibald (UNO recruit) 174th overall to Pittsburgh

Travis Boyd (Gopher recruit) 177th overall to Washington

Adam Wilcox (S St. Paul HS, Gopher recruit) 178th overall to Tampa Bay

Aaron Harstad (CC recruit) 187th overall to Winnipeg

Patrick Daly (Benilde-St. Margret's, Wisconsin recruit) 189th overall to New Jersey

Zac Larraza (Denver recruit) 196th overall to Phoenix

Brad Navin (Wisconsin recruit) 197th overall to Buffalo

Alex Broadhurst (UNO recruit) 199th overall to Chicago

Max Everson (Eden Prairie HS) 203rd overall to Toronto
-Andy Sorensen, CHW Blogger

NHL Entry Draft 1st Round Coverage

Andy Sorensen's Mock 1st Round

With the hockey world centering on St. Paul and the Xcel Energy Center for the second time in three months, I put together my mock draft of the first round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft to be held Friday night at the X. One of my favorite parts of being a college hockey blogger is having the opportunity to see the future of the NHL right before my eyes, and that the WCHA is no exception to showcasing such great talent even with a lack of draft-eligible prospects in the league this season. Without further ado, let's get to the draft:

1. Edmonton Oilers Ryan-Nugent Hopkins C Red Deer Rebels (WHL)

Andy's Analysis: The Oilers figuratively kill two birds with one stone: They not only get the best player available in RNH, but he also comes in a position of need at center. As any good coach will tell you, the center is the quarterback of your forward lines, and Nugent-Hopkins’ 75 assists in the WHL last season shows he is what the pairing of Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle need in Edmonton.

    2. Colorado Avalanche Gabriel Landeskog LW Kitchener Rangers (OHL)

    

Andy's Analysis: You may be asking yourself, “Andy, why do the Avs take Landeskog with Larsson sitting on the board?”. Simple, with the Avs loaded on defense making a Larsson pick I wouldn’t say obsolete, but not needed. The Landeskog pick is a need pick, the Avs need help on the left side of the ice desperately, and the Swede is the answer to their problem. Will he be the next Peter Forsberg? Only time will tell.

3. Florida Panthers Adam Larsson D Skelleftea (Sweden)

Andy's Analysis: The Swedes go two-three in the draft with the selection of Larsson. Much like the Avalanche, they’re chockfull on defense, but the Panthers have the luxury with no real holes to fill so they scoop up Larsson up at three.

4. Winnipeg Jonathan Huberdeau C Saint John’s Sea Dogs (QMJHL), via NJ

Andy's Analysis: With the Devils not seeing what they need in a defenseman at 4^th overall, they swap places with Winnipeg, and boy does it pay off for both teams. In Huberdeau, Winnipeg picks up a player who was key in the Sea Dogs’ Memorial Cup win, acquiring the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy, awarded to the MVP of the Memorial Cup. Even though he was selected fifth overall in the KHL Entry Draft, Manitobans have nothing to worry about as Huberdeau has no plans to report to his Russian team. Did I mention they need help at center?

5.      NY Islanders Sean Couturier C Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)

Andy's Analysis: The Islanders are an organization who can’t seem to score goals. They hope Couturier, with his 36 goals in the Q last season and the fact he was the only draft-eligible player to represent the Canadians at the World Juniors in Buffalo this past winter will help change things.

6. Ottawa Senators Ryan Strome C Niagara IceDogs (OHL)

Andy's Analysis: The Senators look to a player who could possibly be groomed to be the replacement for longtime Senator Captain Daniel Alfredsson. Strome does have a strong work ethic, and while some scouts already call him NHL-ready, Strome still has room to grow.

7. New Jersey Devils Ryan Murphy D Kitchener Rangers (OHL), via WIN

Andy's Analysis: When Don Cherry, the popular yet controversial host of “Coach’s Corner” on Hockey Night in Canada came out at the beginning of the season and declared Murphy to be the #1 overall pick, many took notice of Murphy’s play. However, two things beyond his control hurt him: 1) his height and 2) the fact that this draft class is so deep. What Murphy lacks in size more than makes up for in his offensive play and should do well in New Jersey.

8. Philadelphia Flyers Dougie Hamilton D Niagara IceDogs (OHL)

Andy's Analysis: The blockbuster trade between Columbus and Philadelphia changes nothing for this pick, as the Flyers are in need of a defenseman. Flyer fans will be taught how to Dougie (bad music pun of the post out of the way) when they see Hamilton’s comprehensive game. Hamilton is known one minute be checking a player into the boards and the next to be helping his teammates on the other side of the net score a goal. 

9. Boston Bruins Nathan Beaulieu D Saint John’s Sea Dogs (QMHJL), via TOR

Andy's Analysis: The third of three Canadian junior defensemen to go in a row, Beaulieu is no slouch. The Stanley Cup champs pick up a player, who like Huberdeau, benefitted from a strong Memorial Cup play. Beaulieu’s strength is being a very good passer, as his 33 assists in the regular season and 13 more in the post-season show.

10. Minnesota Wild Mika Zibanejad C Djurgardens (Sweden)

Andy's Analysis: The Wild do go to Scandinavia to get their draft pick, but it isn’t to Finland as many predict with the Armia pick. Instead they head west to Sweden and draft Zibanejad, a tough physical offensive center who will thrive under new coach Mike Yeo’s new system.

11. Colorado Avalanche Sven Baertschi LW Portland Winterhawks (WHL), via STL

12. Carolina Hurricanes Duncan Siemens D Saskatoon Blades (WHL)

13. Calgary Flames Mark McNeill C Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)

14. Dallas Stars Brandon Saad LW Saginaw Spirit (OHL)

15. NY Rangers Jamieson Oleksiak D Northeastern (Hockey East)

16. Buffalo Sabres Jonas Brodin D Farjestad (Sweden)

17. Montreal Canadiens Ty Rattie RW Portland Winterhawks (WHL)

18. Chicago Blackhawks Mark Scheifele C Saint John’s Sea Dogs (QMJHL)

19. Edmonton Oilers Matt Puempel LW Peterborough Petes (OHL)

20. Phoenix Coyotes Boone Jenner C Oshawa Generals (OHL) 

21. Ottawa Generals Nicklas Jensen LW Oshawa Generals (OHL) 

22. Anaheim Ducks Oscar Klefblom D Farjestad Jr. (Sweden) 

23. Pittsburgh Penguins Tyler Biggs RW US U-18 (USHL) 

24. Detroit Red Wings Joel Armia RW Assat (Finland)   

25. Toronto Maple Leafs Thomas Jurco RW Saint John’s Sea Dogs (QMJHL), via Phi

26. Washington Capitals Alexander Khokalev C London Knights (OHL)

     27. Tampa Bay Lightning Joseph Morrow D Portland Winterhawks (WHL)

    28. San Jose Sharks Zack Phillips C Saint John’s Sea Dogs (QMJHL)

    29. Vancouver Canucks Dmitri Jaskin RW Slavia Jr. (Czech Republic)

   30. Toronto Maple Leafs Rocco Grimaldi C US U-18 (USHL), via Bos

-Andy Sorensen, CHW Blogger

Cook Has Labrum Surgery; Expects to be ready for Season

In an interview with College Hockey Weekend, Maverick goalie Phil Cook revealed that he had a successful surgery on his torn labrum in his hip last month lasting approximately four hours. A torn labrum happens when the femur rubs up against the labrum, causing a tear. Cook’s condition was further complicated because of excessive bone growth in his hip that limits his range of motion and by the some of the motions he makes in net. All of these factors helped to contribute to the injury. Recovery from the surgery takes approximately four months, and he hopes to get the okay to skate in early August. In the interim, Cook has been undergoing rehab in Mankato.

Phil and his doctors can’t pinpoint exactly when the injury took place. However, they believe it was caused when he raised his leg after a play during the North Dakota series and he suffered a shooting pain in his right leg. The injury did not affect him for the rest of the game, and there was no pain when the Mavericks returned from the holiday break. Cook continued to play because he felt no pain, but was in close consultation with Maverick trainer Sean Donely about any pain and if his play was being affected by the injury. Cook agreed to have the surgery if it was affecting his play and hurting the team. According to Cook, he could still play in his butterfly stance while maintaining his range and full leg power. Interestingly, the only adaptation he made after the injury was extending his stretching routine to keep the labrum loose during practice and games. The decision on surgery was a mutual decision by both Donely and Cook once the season ended and the condition was finally diagnosed.

When asked about his rehab, Cook went into great detail about what he goes through to help heal his injury. There are a lot of range of motion exercises, leg lifts, and balance drills. Cook believes he is “going faster than he thought”. There are days where he wants to get on the ice but is being realistic about his timeline, which even if with minor setbacks, should allow him to be ready for the season and the October 4th exhibition against British Columbia.

-Andy Sorensen, CHW Blogger

NCAA Frozen Four Game 2 North Dakota vs Michigan

NCAA Frozen Four Game 1 UMD vs Notre Dame

BSU vs UMD

First Round WCHA Playoff Predictions

It's time for "March Madness" to hit college hockey as the WCHA playoffs kick off this weekend. Here's how I see things going down:
Michigan Tech at North Dakota

In a series that was contested last weekend in Houghton, the Sioux demolished the Huskies in a scoring explosion where the Huskies were outscored 17-3, including Saturday’s infamous 11-2 scoring barrage by the Sioux. The scene now shifts to the Ralph in Grand Forks in what many will rightfully call a glorified bye week for the Sioux before the Final Five. It’s hard to find a positive for the Huskies this weekend, but if there is one, they now have three battle-tested goaltenders to choose from. Corson Cramer, Tech’s 3rd string goalie, saw his first action of the year last weekend against the Sioux.

If there’s something that Dave Hakstol and the Sioux coaching staff could focus on this weekend, it’d be walking the fine line between winning and blowing the opponent out. This might mean bringing in lesser-used players once the game has been won, or by putting Eidsness in net for Saturday night.

Prediction: Sioux sweep

Minnesota State at Denver

To borrow a quote from Forrest Gump: the Mavericks this season are like a box of chocolates, you don’t know what you’re going to get. Their tournament résumé has both quality wins (Norte Dame at a neutral site, Minnesota-Duluth, Denver, sweep of Minnesota, at St. Cloud) and bad losses (Michigan Tech and Bemidji State). Therefore, it’s hard to read exactly how this Maverick team will do. What the Mavericks need to do is two fold:
1. Find a number one goalie and stick with him
2. Play 60 minutes of hockey

Let’s address point one first. The Mavericks have two strong goalies in Phil Cook and Austin Lee. Up until recently, Cook was the starter for most of the games until coach Troy Jutting put Lee in for a series at Colorado College. They split that series and won a crucial Friday night contest against UMD. The next night, without much explanation, Cook gets the start and the Mavericks got slammed by UMD’s offense. This last weekend against Anchorage a similar situation occurred where Cook and Lee split duties. This time, the Mavericks got swept. If you want a team to succeed in the playoffs, a coach should stick with one guy in net as opposed to the game of “Musical Goalies” going on in Mankato.

While the goalie controversy is to blame, it is not the only cause of the Mavericks’ woes. Throughout the Anchorage series and in game two of the UMD series, it seemed that the team had mentally checked out, like these games didn’t matter to them. Careless penalties, lackluster play, and mental errors have been hallmarks of the Mavericks for the last couple series. This team knows what can happen if you aren’t on your game, so they must bring their “A” game to Magness this weekend if they want to pull off the upset and make the trip to St. Paul.

As for Denver, much like UND, their biggest opponent this weekend isn’t their opponent. It’s them. This Maverick team has the potential and the capability to beat you while hanging around against very tough teams. Outside of the Anchorage series, they were competitive in close to every game I saw them play in. Despite this, I have to go with the…
Prediction: Pioneer sweep.

Bemidji State at Nebraska-Omaha

3-0-1 is Bemidji’s record this year against UNO. It may be surprising given that UNO has hung around the national polls for most of the season and they have been one of the surprises of college hockey this season. However, just because the Beavers have had the Mavericks’ number this season doesn’t mean the Mavericks are a bad team: to the contrary as the offense is led by the deadly Matt Ambroz, the defense by Eric Olimb, and between the pipes is John Faulkner, every one of whom are All-WCHA team candidates. Oh yeah, their coach is also notorious around college hockey: Dean Blais.
Prediction: Mavericks in three.

St. Cloud State at Minnesota-Duluth

This could easily be called the “see-saw series” (Say that three times fast!): After being left for dead towards the basement of the WCHA standings at the new year, the Huskies raced to 9th place in the league by playing good hockey against some good teams (Sweeping Wisconsin, splitting against Denver, 3 points against UMD). Conversely, despite the Bulldogs’ offense, they have been sliding down from as high as #2 in the country to 11th, where they currently stand. There’s no question this Bulldog team can play, the question is whether the Bulldog goalies will show up.
Prediction: Huskies in three.

Alaska Anchorage at Minnesota

The Seawolves make their second trip to Mariucci this season in what was a tale of two styles. Friday night was a offensively-dominated 5-1 win for the Gophers. Then, the Maroon and Gold met Chris Kamal as the Wolves won a 1-0 decision, Kamal’s first career shutout. The freshman from suburban Atlanta has been in net for seven of the Wolves’ last 11 decisions. In those, he’s been 6-1-0 with a .940 save percentage and a 1.57 GAA. Despite Kamal’s recent impressive stats, I like the Gophers offense to master the Wolves.
Prediction: Gopher sweep.

Wisconsin at Colorado College

In another series from last weekend that switches venues, the #7 Wisconsin Badgers visit the #6 Colorado College Tigers at the World Arena in Colorado Springs. If last weekend was any indication of how the series will turn out, this will be a very close and competitive series that will make this spot in the Final Five next weekend very much up in the air. On paper, these teams are very similar: they both have a dangerous offensive tandem of players. Justin Schultz, Craig Smith, and Jake Gardiner line up for the Badgers while on the other side of the ice, the Tigers counter with Tyler Johnson, Stephen Schwartz and the Schultz brothers Jaden and Rylan while only one point separated these teams in the WCHA standings.

The big question that comes up for me when it comes to CC defending home ice is the goaltending situation. Joe Howe is their man main between the pipes for the Tigers, but his stats pale in comparison to Wisconsin’s Scott Gudmanson in every major goaltending category from wins to save percentage. Another red flag for Tiger fans is that they finished 11th in the WCHA for goals allowed on the season with 112. If CC wants to get to St. Paul next weekend, they need to play solid and disciplined hockey on both ends of the ice.

Prediction: Wisconsin in three.
-Andy Sorensen, CHW Blogger

Seawolves vs Mavericks Game 2

Seawolves/Mavericks Series Preview

Alaska-Anchorage vs. MSU-Mankato
Series Preview

Records: Alaska-Anchorage (12-17-3, 10-14-2 WCHA), MSU-Mankato (14-14-6, 8-14-4 WCHA)

Game times: 7:37 PM CT/4:37 PM AT Friday; 7:07 PM CT/4:07 PM AT Saturday
Keys to the Series
Both teams are looking to improve their playoff standing, but here are some keys to the series for the individual teams.
Alaska Anchorage:
• Take advantage of scoring opportunities; they have only scored 73 goals on the season. By comparison, North Dakota has racked up 131 goals.
• If Tommy Grant takes a penalty, it should be a smart one. Grant is not only the Seawolves’ leading scorer, but he’s also one of the top penalized players on the team.
• Speaking of Grant, Matt Bailey and Jordan Kwas need to take the offense load off of Tommy Grant’s shoulders.

MSU-Mankato:
• “Finish what you start”-The Mavericks are -16 when it comes to goal differential in the 3rd Period in conference play.
• “Slamming the Dorr”-The Mavericks need to rely on Michael Dorr’s offense this series.
• “Just Win Baby”-With a split this weekend, MSU clinches their first .500 season since 2007-08 and their second since 2002-03.

Prediction: Split

-Andy Sorensen, CHW Blogger

The WCHA Playoff Picture Explained

The WCHA Playoff Picture Explained

Expansion for the WCHA now means six teams as opposed to five earn home ice for the first round. However, one thing that hasn’t changed is the fluidity of the playoff matchups in the final weekend as only one playoff seeding (#12 Michigan Tech) has been assured. With that squared away, let’s illustrate the WCHA playoff picture going into the weekend:

Four teams (North Dakota, Minnesota-Duluth, Denver, and Nebraska-Omaha) have clinched home ice. North Dakota has already clinched a share of the WCHA championship. A win at McInnis this weekend gives the Sioux the MacNaughton Cup outright. The Pioneers look to defend up the MacNaughton with a sweep over St. Cloud and a sweep by Tech. I put it in here because it’s possible, I’m not saying a two win Michigan Tech team will go out and sweep the #1 team in the country, but I’ve been wrong before. Meanwhile, up in Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha and Minnesota-Duluth look to go as high as second in the conference as they scrap at AMSOIL Arena.

Three additional teams (Minnesota, CC, and Wisconsin) have a shot at the final two home ice spots this weekend.
o Minnesota gets the 5th seed with at least three points this weekend against Bemidji State. They get the 6th seed with anything less than a three point weekend and a three point weekend from the Tigers moving CC to the 5th seed.
o 6th seed is also straightforward; CC stays put with a split with Wisconsin in Madison. The Badgers can host a playoff series at Kohl Center with at least a three point weekend over CC.

Your next question might be: Who fills spots 8-11? This is where things get more complicated as teams 8-11 can hypothetically end up in any combination. Here’s how it shakes out team by team in order of WCHA standing:

St. Cloud State
Current Standing: 8th
This weekend’s opponent: at Denver
What they need to do to maintain their spot: Attain at least two points at Magness this weekend.
How to improve: They can’t. The highest they can go is 8th.

Alaska-Anchorage
Current Standing: 9th
This weekend’s opponent: at MSU-Mankato
What they need to do to maintain their spot: Split with MSU-Mankato
How to improve: Get a three point weekend in Mankato and root for Denver.

Bemidji State
Current Standing: 10th
This weekend’s opponent: vs. Minnesota
What they need to do to maintain their spot: Split with the Gophers
How to improve: Root for Denver and MSU. The Beavers, although tied with the Mavericks in the standings, hold the tiebreaker over the Mavericks.

Minnesota State
Current Standing: 11th
This weekend’s opponent: vs. Alaska Anchorage
What they need to do to maintain their spot: Have anything less than a split against the Seawolves.
How to improve: At least split against Anchorage, and swallow a tough pill for many Maverick fans and root for the Gopher sweep or three point weekend. As stated before, Bemidji holds the tiebreaker over MSU, so if the Mavericks want the 10th spot, they need to outpoint the Beavers this weekend.

It’s going to be another great weekend of WCHA hockey; enjoy the games and I’ll be back tomorrow with a preview of the Seawolves/Mavericks series.

-Andy Sorensen, College Hockey Weekend Blogger

UAA vs MSU Game 1

Minnesota Duluth vs Minnesota State Game 2

Minnesota Duluth vs Minnesota State Game 1

Predicting the First Round the WCHA Playoffs

With the WCHA regular season winding down everyone is wondering who will be hosting a first round playoff series. That is always a tough question for anyone to answer come this time of year, but I will attempt to predict the six matchups come March 11th. The only two things we know for certain is North Dakota has locked up home ice in the first round with a weekend sweep of Alaska Anchorage, and Michigan Tech will be in twelve place when the regular season ends in three weeks.

Just two points separate the top four teams in the conference North Dakota, Denver, Minnesota Duluth and Nebraska-Omaha. The way the schedules shakedown and the way these teams are playing expect them to be the top four in any given order.

I predict North Dakota will be the McNaughton Cup champs this season for two reasons. They only have three loses in their last 18 games and end their season playing Bemidji and Tech. The Sioux will end up with about 42 points and nobody will be able to catch them.

Next there’s Denver who plays Tech, UNO and St. Cloud State in their last three weekends. Even though they have a couple of tough match ups with UNO and surging SCSU team they will find a way to grab eight of their last twelve points. Unfortunately for Pioneer fans they won’t be sporting their second straight McNaughton cup this season, and will finish a couple points shy of the Sioux.

After a disappointing weekend at home against the Huskies from St. Cloud the Bulldogs will bounce back and end the season on a high note. Look for them to get eight or nine points in their last six games to finish third in the WCHA. With the pivotal series coming against UNO in the final weekend of the regular season.

Finishing fourth and falling just a bit short of third this season will be newcomer to the WCHA, the University of Nebraska – Omaha Mavericks. After gaining a weekend sweep against Bucky they will play Anchorage, Denver and UMD to close out the season. The deciding factor in the Mavericks finishing in fourth instead of third will be the series against the Dogs at Amsoil Arena. If this series was at the Quest Center in Omaha it might be the other way around.

This is where things get tricky with a six-team race for the final two home playoff spots. The way I see things playing out will be Gophers in fifth. Reason being is the gophers play both Tech and Bemidji State in the final two weekends and if they can get a couple points from the Badgers this coming weekend that will all but lock up home ice for them.

The Badgers from Wisconsin will get the final home ice spot finishing sixth. They will be one of the underdogs in the playoff this year, even though they have home ice. They have good special teams and good goaltending and look for them to ride Gudmandson’s play to possibly a NCAA Tournament birth.

Just missing home ice will be the Huskies from St. Cloud State, even with a great late season run they will fall just short of a sixth place finish. Not because of their play, but mostly because of their opponents. As they have to play North Dakota, Wisconsin and Denver in the final three weeks. But, look for them to be the money wrench in my scenario, if they can keep up the type of play they had this past weekend against UMD.

Coming in seventh will be CC, partially because, the loss of Jaden Schwartz and the inconsistent play of Joe Howe in net as of late. They also have tough match ups against UMD and Wisconsin in the final two weeks.

Finishing eighth will be the Minnesota State Mavericks. With the tough loss to CC this past Saturday thier hopes for home ice have started to melt. The other thing going against MSU is their bye week after the UMD series. This will hurt any chance of finishing better then eighth as they will watch other teams climb head of them that weekend.

The Alaska Anchorage Seawolves having one of their better seasons in recent memory will still finish in ninth place. Just like the Mavericks they have two games in hand against the rest of the conference and will have to sit idle in conference play as they faceoff for the governors cup against instate rival Alaska.

In ninth other newcomer Bemidji State didn’t get the welcome they were hoping for this season and finish second to last in the conference.

And, last and always least the Michigan Tech Huskies end another abysmal year finishing at the bottom. And will end up playing the Fighting Sioux in back to back weekends to finish out the regular season and start the playoffs.

It’s obvious that anything can happen on any given night in the WCHA, but this is my best guess at predicting the final regular season standing in the conference and the first round playoff matchups.

Michigan Tech at North Dakota
Bemidji State at Denver
Alaska Anchorage at Minnesota Duluth
Minnesota State Mankato at Nebraska – Omaha
Colorado College at Minnesota
St. Cloud State at Wisconsin

Make sure to tune in Feb. 18th and 19th on College Hockey Weekend as we have the matchup between the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs and Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks.

Marcus Taplin
College Hockey Weekend Producer

Bemidji State/MSU-Mankato Series Recap

Once again, I'd like to apologize for the internet outage last night at the arena. Here's what happened after things cut out.

Mavericks, Beavers Split
Andy Sorensen, CHW Blogger

The MSU Mavericks looked to continue the momentum gained from last weekend’s three-point effort in St. Cloud against Bemidji State. Unfortunately for the Mavericks, it was a tale of two games this series.

Friday Night: The Mavericks played outstanding hockey through the first two periods, leading 1-0 on a Ben Youds goal and limiting the Beavers to 11 shots on goal. Bemidji’s Jordan George, who would be a key player in Saturday’s matchup, tied the game at 17:35 of the third period and the game went to overtime. Channing Boe delivered an unassisted goal at 2:32 of the extra session to give the Mavericks two much needed points in the WCHA standings and the 2-1 OT win.

Saturday Night: The Mavericks held serve through the first period holding a 1-0 lead following a Michael Dorr goal. Soon after the second period started is when the wheels came off for the Mavericks: MSU failed to get off a single shot on goal on three of their six power plays on the night, combined with Bemidji scoring twice in 1:26 midway through the 2nd period on goals by Brad Hunt and Jordan George to give the Beavers the lead for good and a 2-1 lead after 60 minutes. George would add another goal, along with an Ian Lowe goal in the 3rd period to give the Beavers the 4-1 win and handing the Mavericks their first loss to an unranked opponent since falling to Michigan Tech in October.

The Mavericks (12-12-6, 6-12-4 WCHA) travel to Colorado Springs next weekend to take on Colorado College while the Beavers (10-14-2, 6-12-2 WCHA) visit Houghton for a series against Michigan Tech.

Bemidji State vs Minnesota State Game 2

Bracketology 2/3/11

With the month of February upon us, it isn’t too early to think about the 16-team Frozen Four field. This week, I play the role of the selection committee and reveal which teams my Tournament field would consist of if I was the selection committee; think Bracketology for college hockey. For the purposes of my tournament field, the 1st place team after last week’s action will win the conference tournament.

I will now unveil my tournament field, first with the #1 seeds in each region:

#1 Seed Northeast (Manchester) Regional (#1 overall and Hockey East Tournament Champion)-Boston College
#1 Seed Midwest (Green Bay) Regional (#2 overall and WCHA Tournament Champion)-North Dakota
#1 Seed West (St. Louis) Regional (#3 overall)-Denver
#1 Seed East (Bridgeport) Regional (#4 overall and ECAC Champion)-Yale

We’ll start with the Northeast Regional:
#4 Nebraska-Omaha at #1 Boston College
#3 Niagara at #2 New Hampshire

Moving to the Midwest Regional:
#4 Boston University at #1 North Dakota
#3 Western Michigan at #2 Minnesota-Duluth

Out West:
#4 RIT (Atlantic Hockey Champ) at #1 Denver
#3 Norte Dame (CCHA Champ) at #2 Wisconsin

In the East:
#4 Miami at #1 Yale
#3 Michigan at #2 Rensselaer

Bids by Conference:
WCHA: 5
CCHA: 3
ECAC: 3
Hockey East: 3
Atlantic Hockey: 2

Bubble Watch
In:
Nebraska-Omaha
Miami

Out:
Merrimack
Colorado College
-Andy Sorensen, CHW Blogger

P.S. Don't forget to join me for the live blog tomorrow and Saturday nights for Bemidji State/MSU-Mankato! For those unable to watch the Don and Ryan Show, my coverage starts at 7 PM CST with faceoff at 7:37 PM, Saturday's coverage boots up at 6:30 PM.

Bemidji State vs Minnesota State Game 1

Andy’s College Hockey Extravaganza Week #15
A story that many in the college hockey world have been following this season is the recovery of Denver’s Jesse Martin. Martin, as you may recall, suffered a season-ending neck injury in October during the Pioneer’s trip to Grand Forks. He has returned to school and had the opportunity to speak about his injury and recovery this week. YouTube links, along with a DU story about the lecture are here: http://www.denverpioneers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=90195&SPID=10862&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205080205&DB_OEM_ID=18600
Here are your weekly WCHA first round playoff matchups if the season ended today:
#12 Michigan Tech vs. #1 UND (UND leads season series 2-0-0)
#11 MSU vs. #2 Denver (Denver won season series 3-0-1)
#10 St. Cloud State vs. #3 UMD (Have yet to play each other)
#9 Bemidji State vs. #4 UNO (Bemidji won season series 3-0-1)
#8 Alaska-Anchorage vs. #5 Colorado College (UAA won season series 3-1-0)
#7 Wisconsin vs. #6 Minnesota (UW leads season series 1-0-1)

Now, let’s get to the series:
#5 UMD (15-5-3, 10-4-2 WCHA) at Michigan Tech (3-16-3, 1-12-1 WCHA)
Game Times: 7:07 PM EST Friday and Saturday No TV
Players to Watch: Travis Oleksuk (UMD), Milos Gordic (MTU)
Analysis: This will be a tough series for Tech. The Husky defense will need nothing short of a miracle to stop the Bulldog offensive attack.
Prediction: UMD sweep.

Minnesota State (10-9-5, 4-9-3 WCHA) at #9 Wisconsin (15-8-3, 7-7-2 WCHA)
Game Times: 7:37 PM CST Friday, 7:07 PM CST Saturday TV: FS Wisconsin (Sat)
Players to watch: Michael Dorr (MSU), Craig Smith (UW)
Analysis: MSU were on the verge of having a three point weekend against Denver last weekend. Unfortunately, the unreliable Maverick defense fell apart after giving up 4 unanswered goals before losing in OT. While UW isn’t as potent as DU, I’d be worried if I was the Maverick defense.
Prediction: UW three point weekend.

Alaska-Anchorage (7-10-3, 6-8-2 WCHA) at #4 Denver (16-5-2, 11-3-0 WCHA)
Game Times: 7:37 PM MST Friday, 7:07 PM MST Saturday, TV: FS Rocky Mountain
Players to Watch: Jordan Kwas (UAA), Jason Zucker (DU)
Analysis: The Seawolves swept Colorado College last weekend at Sullivan, now they make the trip to Denver to play the Pioneers as they try to move up the standings.
Prediction: DU three point weekend.

St. Cloud State (9-11-1, 5-8-1 WCHA) at Bemidji State (9-11-2, 5-9-2 WCHA)
Game Times: 7:07 PM CST Friday, 7:37 PM CST Saturday, No TV
Players to Watch: Drew LeBlanc (SCSU), Matt Read (BSU)
Analysis: Three of the Beavers’ five conference wins have come against UNO. Can they pick up the slack against St. Cloud?
Prediction: Split

UNO (12-8-2, 9-5-2 WCHA) at #2 UND (17-6-2, 12-4-0 WCHA)
Game Times: 7:07 PM CST Friday and Saturday, No TV
Players to Watch: John Faulkner (UNO), Corban Knight (UND)
Analysis: The Mavericks salvaged a point out of their series with Bemidji last weekend. Can they muster the momentum to compete with the Sioux this weekend?
Prediction: Split


-Andy Sorensen, CHW blogger

Game 2 #6 Denver Pioneers vs Minnesota State Mavericks

#6 Denver Pioneers vs Minnesota State Mavericks