Showing posts with label Bemidji State University. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bemidji State University. Show all posts

Thursday, October 04, 2012

Results of the 3rd Annual WCHA Blogger & Website Preseason Poll


I participated in the 3rd Annual WCHA Blogger & Website Preseason Poll put on by A Tradition of Excellence and this how the pollsters think the WCHA will shake out this season. 



Team (1st Place Votes)Points
1. Minnesota (15)199
2. North Dakota (2)187
3. Denver (1)162
4. Wisconsin142
5. Minnesota-Duluth126
6. St. Cloud State119
7. Nebraska-Omaha97
8. Colorado College94.5
9. Michigan Tech78.5
10. Minnesota State-Mankato58
11. Bemidji State44
12. Alaska-Anchorage19

The following bloggers  took part in this poll:
Timothy Boger, Kelly Green & White (North Dakota)
Jeremy Larson, Husky Hockey Time (St. Cloud State)
Nathan Wells/@gopherstate, SB Nation MN/College Hockey News/SBNation (Minnesota/WCHA)
Tim Braun, Tech Hockey Guide (Michigan Tech)
Andrew Craig, College Hockey High Horse (Minnesota-Duluth)
Matt Christians/@Bulldog_Country, Bulldog Country (Minnesota-Duluth)
South Tex Gopher, Gopher Puck Live (Minnesota)
Steve Fetch/@fetch9, The Checking Line
Zack Friedli, Hockey State of Mind/College Hockey News (Minnesota-Duluth)
Eric Burton (Goon), Goon's World/The Hockey Writers (North Dakota)
GopherGuy33, Gopher Puck Live (Minnesota)
Andy Johnson, Bucky's 5th Quarter (Wisconsin)
Jeff Baker/@UNOMavMania, Mav Mania (Nebraska-Omaha)
Joe Paisley, Paisley Hockey (Colorado College)
gmf1a, CC Tiger Hockey Forum (Colorado College)
Donn Schuschke (Sioux 7), Goon's World (North Dakota)
Matthew Semisch, USCHO
Chad, A Tradition of Excellence (North Dakota)

This was how I think the WCHA will shake out this season.
1. University of Minnesota
2. University of North Dakota
3. University of Wisconsin
4. Denver University
5. University of Minnesota Duluth
6. Colorado College
6. Michigan Tech University
8. University of Nebraska Omaha
9. Saint Cloud State University
10. Bemidji State University
11. Minnesota State University Mankato
12. University of Anchorage Alaska

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta

UND second in Herald Coaches' poll

Western Collegiate Hockey Association logo
Western Collegiate Hockey Association logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)


1. Minnesota 121 (11)
2. North Dakota 110 (1)
3. Denver 91
4. SCSU 90
5. Wisconsin 70
6. Duluth 69
7. Colorado College 56
8t. Omaha 51
8t. Michigan Tech 51
10. MSU-Mankato 37
11. Bemidji State 31
12. Anchorage

The University of North Dakota Hockey team was picked to finish second in the WCHA standings by the WCHA Coaches. 

Enhanced by Zemanta

Saturday, June 16, 2012

“Mystery Alaska” playoff plan revealed by WCHA

Western Collegiate Hockey Association logo
Western Collegiate Hockey Association logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Here is some more on the WCHA new playoff format, Matt Wellens from the Mining Journal interviewed Bruce McLeod and here is a what the WCHA Commissioner had to say about their new controversial playoff format.
“There was definitely an uneasy feeling about it,” McLeod said. “Certainly something out of the box, out of the norm, I would say. There was just an uneasy feeling about the whole thing.”

McLeod said the decision was made based on financial concerns the league had with possibly sending two teams to Alaska in a moment’s notice or the league playoffs.

While the “Alaska Plan” was approved by the league, McLeod said there are other proposals on the table from the athletic directors. The league will be revisiting the plan, possibly as soon as next week during a conference call among the ADs.

“It’s not set in stone. Although it was voted upon and passed, there were a couple other scenarios that were definitely talked about. I’m not quite sure,” McLeod said. [Mining Journal]
When a person looks at this league playoff format one must scratch their head and think that it's poorly concocted and not real well thought out. I would not be surprised if this scenario is revisited and possibly scrapped.
Enhanced by Zemanta

Thursday, June 14, 2012

The nWCHA playoff format - I am not kidding

The nWCHA's held their meetings in Detroit Michigan this past week and one of the things they came up with was their league's new playoff format.

While the press release from the WCHA didn't include the new playoff format, it didn't take long for the new format to hit the Twitter-verse and this is what the new playoff format is going to look like. The top team in the nWCHA is going to get a first round bye and the rest of the eight teams in the league are going to play in the first round but that's not all of it.

Right out of the gate, the new format is a bit of a buzz kill, or at least what I would just call it a ill conceived idea - the first round of the playoffs is a potential money maker for the program that hosts the first round event.

There is also another great twist - per the beat writer of the Bemidji Pioneer Jack Hittinger - the Alaska Schools are going to play each other each season in the nWCHA playoffs unless one of them is the number one seed - number one seed in the nWCHA will get a first round bye. When I first saw this tweet on Twitter.com I thought it was a joke, but here is the confirmation of this.

Enhanced by Zemanta

UAH not in WCHA plans?

Western Collegiate Hockey Association logo
If you read the press release from the WCHA that I received today, It would appear that WCHA is going ahead with a nine team league and it would appear that aren't interested in adding another team such as UAH, or at least during the first season.  
2013-14 WCHA Men’s Membership Concludes Productive Meetings in Detroit
MADISON, Wis. – The nine member teams that will make up the men’s Western Collegiate Hockey Association beginning in 2013-14 concluded a series of positive and productive meetings in Detroit this week and continue to move forward on a number of key issues.

“This is certainly an exciting time for the newly-integrated WCHA,” said Minnesota State University, Mankato President Richard Davenport, who is the chair of the league’s President’s Council. “Our meetings this week were spirited and full of camaraderie, and we are all looking forward to the 2013-14 season. Across the board we are 100% committed to putting a highly competitive product on the ice in the WCHA, to compete for championships, to give our student-athletes the best possible experience and to provide our fans with a great game-day experience. The WCHA brand is strong, historic and full of rich tradition and we will carry on that tremendous tradition and also build upon it.”

Among the many topics covered in the meetings,
    •    the membership discussed and approved a 28-game league schedule for 2013-14
    •    the membership discussed and approved a nine-team post-season tournament format
    •    the membership discussed and updated the league’s by-laws
    •    the membership discussed and continues to explore several potential venues for the annual WCHA Final Five playoff championship.

“We have accomplished a great deal and feel tremendously upbeat about where we are at as we look ahead to the 2013-14 season,” said WCHA Commissioner Bruce M. McLeod. “We have had very productive meetings with the coaches, athletic directors and presidents all present and we are united in moving forward to ensure the continued success of the WCHA and its member teams. We are also engaged in on-going discussions with various venues for our flagship event – the WCHA Final Five – and hope to finalize those championship plans as soon as possible.”

The league agreed on a change in governance that will have the Presidents Council act as the Board of Directors and the Athletic Directors serve as the Management Council. The President’s Council also created a Steering Committee to coordinate and handle major issues going forward. The Steering Committee consists of Minnesota State President Richard Davenport, Ferris State President Dave Eisler, Michigan Tech Athletic Director Suzanne Sanregret and Bowling Green State Athletic Director Greg Christopher.

Other topics of discussion at the meetings included expansion and identifying potential future member teams and future public relations and marketing initiatives to coincide with the 2013-14 campaign.

Founded in 1951 and home to a collegiate record 37 national championship teams, the men’s WCHA beginning in 2013-14 will consist of the University of Alaska Anchorage, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Bemidji State University, Bowling Green State University, Ferris State University, Lake Superior State University, Michigan Technological University, Minnesota State University, Mankato, and Northern Michigan University.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

UND’s Brad Eidsness Named Recipients of WCHA Post-Graduate Scholarships for 2012-13

MADISON, Wis. – The Western Collegiate Hockey Association today (June 13, 2012) announced that seniors Brittany Toor of St. Cloud State University, Montana Vichorek of Bemidji State University, and Brad Eidsness of the University of North Dakota are the recipients of annual WCHA Post-Graduate Scholarships for 2012-13.
               
“We are both exceedingly pleased and tremendously proud to announce our latest WCHA Post-Graduate Scholarship winners in Brittany Toor, Montana Vichorek and Brad Eidsness,” said Commissioner Bruce M. McLeod and Associate Commissioner Sara R. Martin in a joint statement. “Representative of the best of collegiate athletics, these three outstanding student-athletes add another distinguished chapter to the league’s long-standing tradition of recognizing and honoring it’s players both on and off the ice.
               
“The WCHA has been blessed  to have had Montana, Brittany and Brad competing in the league on the ice at the highest levels the past four seasons as well as making their mark in the classroom and setting the stage for future success. Today we salute their tremendous accomplishments and on behalf of the entire Association, we wish them all the best in their future endeavors.”
               
Eidsness, a senior goaltender at North Dakota who hails from Chestermere, Alberta, competed in 104 collegiate games and 5,871 minutes between the pipes while compiling an impressive 58-27-10 record, a 2.41 goals-against average, a .906 saves percentage and five shutouts. In his final campaign in 2011-12, he was 8-3-1 with a 2.17 GAA and .919 SV%. His 58 career victories rank third all-time at UND and he is fourth all-time in career games played by a goaltender, fifth in career goals-against average, sixth in career saves percentage and tied for fifth in shutouts. He was a member of North Dakota’s WCHA regular season championship teams in both 2008-09 and 2010-11 and of UND’s record three consecutive WCHA Final Five championship clubs in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12, earning all-tournament team honors as a junior.
               
Over his four seasons, Eidsness has earned numerous honors, including the prestigious WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year Award as a senior. (The WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year Award is determined from nominations made by the member institutions and the nominee must be a senior student-athlete, must consistently display outstanding sportsmanship on and off the ice, must be a good student making satisfactory progress toward a degree; and must be a good hockey player who has performed consistently as a regular member of the team.) He is also a three-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete, a three-time member of the All-WCHA Academic Team, was a 2011-12 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award nominee, was a 2011 NCAA Elite 88 Award recipient, was UND’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2011-12, earned All-WCHA Second Team honors in 2009-10, both All-WCHA Third Team and All-WCHA Rookie Team honors in 2008-09, and was UND’s Rookie Athlete of the Year (male) in 2008-09.
               
Over the course of his four years at UND, he not only stayed on track with progress towards a degree but also completed both a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a Master of Business Administration degree. Eidsness graduated Magna Cum Laude with a 3.779 cumulative GPA in undergraduate work and has a 3.625 cumulative GPA in graduate school. His leadership activities included the UND Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) from 2008-12 and the UND Master of Business Administration Student Association (MBASA).
               
“Brad is an outstanding young man who has become a leader, not only on his team but also across our campus,” said head coach Dave Hakstol. “His athletic performance and abilities are second to none and his dedication to his sport, his team, and his academics is that of a unique and first class character.
               
“He is a very talented young man, with his strongest qualities involving his work ethic, focus and drive to achieve success in all areas of his life. I have been fortunate enough to be a part of this young man’s life … to watch as he has evolved as a man by growing through both daunting adversity and great success. He is committed to doing his best and doing it the right way, with honor. He has been an incredible leader for our team and a teammate that other players think very highly of.”
               
In addition to his stellar work on the ice and in the classroom, Eidsness has also been active on campus as a team representative to SAAC and has been routinely involved in community service. His contributions include the Sioux Kids Club events, the Northland Rescue Mission – Pucks for Plates, annual food drives, the National Honor Society, fan fests, and speaking engagements at a number of different area events.
               
“Brad has applied for admission to law schools at both the University of Calgary and the University of Victoria and hopes to combine his love of hockey with his business acumen,” said UND Faculty Athletic Representative Sue Jeno, who nominated him for the WCHA Post-Graduate Scholarship. “The life lessons learned from participation in collegiate sports have provided him with the ability to work effectively with different types of people, to get along well with people from many varied backgrounds and beliefs, and to recognize when attention needs to be given to different individuals and to relationships. He has also learned that adversity can be as valuable as success in maintaining focus on a goal.”
                 
                 

Enhanced by Zemanta

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Sioux close out the season with loss to Gophers

One of our fans posted this on the FightingSioux.com chat, this comment is ridiculous and far from the truth, Coach Hakstol did a great job coaching this team this season, especially with what he has been dealt this season and I hope the University gets him locked up with a new contract soon.

I was going to wait till tomorrow to put something up but I figured I would chime in with my two cents. While the defeat to the Gophers does leave a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth, I can’t say that UND’s didn’t give it their all to the end. They fought, they clawed and they emptied the tank. This team didn’t go down without a fight all season long.

Congrats to the seniors, Ben Blood, Brad Eidsness and Mario Lamoureux I have enjoyed watching you play for four years at UND. All three are character guys and will be successful in whatever they do in life.

It pains me to say that the Gophers were the better team today. That’s hockey and that’s life.
For me personally, this season has been one of the most exciting seasons of Fighting Sioux hockey that I have ever had the pleasure to witness since I started watching Fighting Sioux hockey back in 1992.

As I wrote for Inside Hockey last week, “Back in November, who would have thought that the Fighting Sioux would face off against Denver University and win the championship game of the Red Baron WCHA Final Five?

Especially on Sunday the 20th of November 2011, the Fighting Sioux had just suffered an unimpressive 1-0 loss to the Bemidji State Beavers at the Sandford Center in Bemidji, Minnesota.  After that loss, the Fighting Sioux had a lackluster record of 4-7-1 overall and 1-5 in the WCHA. That record was good for 11th place in the WCHA standings.

After the game, the Fighting Sioux took the two hour bus trip down highway two back to Grand Forks, they regrouped and on Monday morning the Fighting Sioux coaching staff conducted a bag skate on the Fighting Sioux hockey team at six o’clock.

Since that early morning bag skate, the Fighting Sioux have gone an impressive 21-5-2. That is the best overall record in Divison I hockey since November 26, 2011.

The Fighting Sioux finish that midseason surge at 22-6-2… The loss tonight ends the Sioux season with a record of 26-13-3. That was the eight season in a row that Hakstols teams have won 20 games or more.

This season show cased some new players that are going to be a force going forward. The Carter Rowney, Michael Parks and Mitch MacMillan line has a chance to be one of the better lines in the WCHA next season.  

While some of our fan base wants to run Coach Hakstol out of town on a rail, I think making it to the NCAA tourney this season was a big accomplishment, based on what happened to the Fighting Sioux hockey team, this is also testimate to the type of hockey coach that Dave Hakstol is.

During the offseason UND lost J.T. Miller to the CHL and it all seemed to snowball from there.
Here is the injury list from this season’s Fighting Sioux hockey team. Let’s not forget that three Fighting Sioux hockey players had season ending surgery.

North Dakota injuries: Taylor Dickin (lower-body injury), forward Rocco Grimaldi (season, knee surgery), Brendan O’Donnell (season-ending surgery) and Derek Rodwell (season, shoulder surgery) are all out of the lineup.

I mean seriously, Grimaldi, O’Donnell and Rodwell would make one heck of a line in any college hockey league.

Lastly, to the fans that want to fire coach Hakstol, here is a quote from my friend Moose Richards… “I find the whole fire Hakstol line out of Sioux fans just absurd,” Moose said.   “You look over the body of work. Yes there is no national championship in there, but how many Frozen Fours, nine straight final five appearances. It’s just…Yeah you would like the win the big one. But don’t you like being there every year?
Enhanced by Zemanta

Friday, March 16, 2012

UMD vs. DU game three chat


The University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs vs. the Denver University Pioneers. Join me for the chat.
Enhanced by Zemanta

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Fighting Sioux Finish off the Bemidji State Beavers 4-3

Grand Forks, ND – In hockey they say that it’s hard to end another team’s season, especially if you are playing an up-tempo team the like BSU Beavers.  The Beavers put up a good fight and didn’t give up until the final horn.

The University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux has come full circle since November 20, 2011 when the Fighting Sioux had just lost a lack-luster game to the Bemidji State Beavers 1-0 in Bemidji.  That was the first loss for the Fighting Sioux to the Beavers in over 41 years.

After the loss to the Beavers the Fighting Sioux had a lack-luster record of 4-7-1 and they sat in 11th place of the WCHA standings.

Since that game the Fighting Sioux have gone an eye-popping 17-5-2.

With the win tonight, the Fighting Sioux improve to 18-5-2 after an exciting 4-3 win against the Beavers tonight.

For this season’s Fighting Sioux hockey team, nothing has come easy.  This game was no different as the Fighting Sioux survived a late third period surge that saw the Beavers  score two goals in 19 seconds, and they were able to hold on to eliminate the Bemidji State Beavers 4-3.

With the win tonight, the Fighting Sioux will advance to the Final Five for a league leading 10th time and will play their first game on Thursday (game time to be determined).  Fighting Sioux head coach Dave Hakstol is excited to be moving on to the Final Five.

“We’re excited!”

“It’s such a great weekend to go there and be a part of it” Hakstol said. “Our guys have worked; it’s a nice reward for a lot of the work our guys have put in this weekend and even the way this game tonight went, it’s kind of indicative of our year.”

“We really can’t do things in an easy way.  We find a way to get it down and I think that’s the best compliment I can pay our guys. They find a way to win.  It’s a nice reward to head to Saint Paul.”
Tonight, three Fighting Sioux seniors played their final game of their hockey career at Ralph Engelstad Arena.  For Mario Lamoureux (Grand Forks, North Dakota), Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta), and Ben Blood (Plymouth, Minnesota), it’s the end of a four year hockey career.

Fighting Sioux Captain, Mario Lamoreux, reflected on his last game at Ralph Engelstad.

“It’s sad…kind of took a last little look before I skated off the ice and tried to soak it all in,” Lamoureux said.

“It’s been a great four years  and a lot of good memories can’t be more appreciative of the fans and all the people that support this program.  It’s absolutely first class in every way and it makes me extremely proud to be able to be part of this program and represent everything about it and it’s a good way to go out.”

Hakstol had this to say on his senior class’ last game at Ralph Engelstad. Arena.

“I wish it would have been a little less exciting than it was”, Hakstol said.

“A great night.  Brad Eidsness answered the bell again.  He has done it, he did it last Saturday, on senior’s night…he answered the call again tonight.  He was great for his teammates.  Mario and Ben were a huge part of this win tonight, and not just what you saw on the ice.

“This day of preparation starts really after last night’s game and obviously it gets into full swing when you get to the rink in the morning.  I thought our leaders did a good job of having our team ready to play tonight.”

“The last three minutes was a little bit sloppy and a little bit ugly for about a 20 second span.  You know what, we locked it down after that and we didn’t give up anything and did a great job with a one goal lead.”

With the win tonight, the Fighting Sioux improve to 22-12-3.

With the loss tonight, the Bemidji State Beavers fall to 17-18-3.  The loss also eliminates the Bemidji State Beavers from NCAA post season play.  Beaver Coach Tom Serratore had this to say about his team’s season.

“I thought it was a great season.  Everyone gauges their season differently, but I mean, this is a tough league, we know it’s a tough league.  We had 17 wins.  We were over five hundred in the regular season. We had more points than we had last year.  Those are the things we have look at right there.  Again, we made progress and we were hard to play against.  Again, I thought it was a great season.  Obviously we didn’t want it to end this way.  We wanted to advance to the WCHA Final Five, but it didn’t happen. But, that didn’t take anything away from the season we had.”

Box Score
Enhanced by Zemanta

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

A Miami Redhawks goal or not?


I just finished watching the Miami and Michigan game on my DVR and wow what a game. Also, if you think WCHA officials are bad, you should go back and watch game if you have it at your disposal, the officials Keith Sergott and Brian Hill were brutal in this game, but they did appear to get this call right. Check out the video at the 02:00 minute mark. That was close.
Redskin Warriors --- There are two things you’ll notice after the 2:00 minute mark of the highlight video posted above. First of all, take a look at the goal/no-goal that Rico was rather furious about. From just about every vantage point I’ve seen – on the replays in the arena (I’m amazed the arena staff kept replaying it on the video boards) and afterwards on the DVR – the puck doesn’t appear to cross the line.
That being said, when the NCHC starts it's league play they have to decide if they want to use WCHA and CCHA officials. There are so many poor officials in both of those leagues that I would caution the NCHC leadership to think long and hard before they decide to use these officials. There needs to be some transparency, the refs need to ref the game the way its meant to be officiated.
Enhanced by Zemanta

Friday, February 03, 2012

Karvinen leads UND past BSU

Grand Forks, ND – If you haven’t followed the University of North Dakota Women’s hockey team recently you have missed out on quite a bit.

This season, under UND head coach Brian Idalski, University of North Dakota has become a high scoring hockey team. Currently, UND has the third best scoring offense in the country.

Part of that potent UND offense is the highly talented, world class tandem of Jocelyne Lamoureux and Monique Lamoureux-Kolls. The Lamoureux’s twins are second and third in the nation in points respectively and log a ton of ice time. The twins play even strength, on the power play and also kill penalties.

It’s not an understatement to say that they usually play about half the game and most times are double shifted.

UND also has the nation’s top scoring rookie in Michelle Karvinen from Rodovre, Denmark who leads the nation with (21g-27a—48pts) in points.

Tonight, Karvinen would add three goals and an assist to her already impressive point total. Karvinen would draw an assist on UND’s game tying goal in the first period and then lead UND with a natural hat trick during the second period of tonight’s game, to help UND run past BSU.

Unfortunately, Karvinen’s night would be cut short by a questionable checking from behind penalty at the 05:22 mark of the third period, her night would be over and she would watch the rest of the game from the showers.

None the less, Karvinen’s four points would help lead UND to a 5-2 victory of their WCHA rival the Bemidji State Beavers.

Fortunately for UND, they were able to kill the Karvinen major. In fact, UND’s penalty kill was spotless on the night as they killed all nine Beaver power plays.
After the game, UND Coach Brian Idalski had this to say about his freshman forward Karvinen and her four point night.

“She was terrific! Obviously that is the kind of impact player we expected when she came in,” Idalski said. “She is feeling comfortable and she has chemistry with a lot of players, and she definitely played at a high level for us this evening.”
After the game the freshman forward Karvinen was asked about the five minute checking from behind penalty.

“I was a bit surprised. It wasn’t my intention to hit her in the back but we were skating back at the same time,” Karvinen said.

“When I tried to call her off, she turned around and I accidently hit her in the back. It wasn’t my intention to hit her from behind. Stuff like that happens, but I don’t think it was a five minute penalty. Maybe two minutes. It was an accident and it wasn’t my intention to hit her in the back.”

In the third period, while killing a Bemidji State power play, UND would add a beautiful spin-o-rama goal by Jocelyne Lamoureux; that is bound to be an instant YouTube sensation.

Jocelyne Lamoureux would also have a strong night in all three zones on the ice and would finished the game with three points (1g-2a—3pts) as well.

UND came into the game as the countries most penalized team in the country in Division I Women’s hockey, that statistic would not change after tonight as UND had to kill nine Beaver power plays.

After the game UND head coach Brian Idalski was asked about the amount of penalties and if it threw off his team’s rhythm.

“I am going to take the high road with that. Yeah, I mean it’s hard to get into a flow when they keep calling some of the stuff they were calling down the stretch.” Idalsk said. “I am not sure it was overly necessary. I didn’t see a lot of them, especially the Karvinen penalty. So, it is what it is, we have to be more disciplined coming down the stretch, because we did need to do that in the third period with all of the penalties both ways.”

The same two teams play game two of the series tomorrow night at 07:07pm at Ralph Englestad Arena.

Box Score



Enhanced by Zemanta

Thursday, February 02, 2012

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

How about a top ten list? I haven’t done one of those in while.

10 – 8-oz beers the Goon & Sioux 7 drank at the Fargo Force hockey game
9 – Unanswered goals the MTU Huskies scored last weekend in Duluth
8 – Teams that will be in NCHC in 2013
7 – Sioux 7’s number
6 – The number of teams in top and the bottom half of the league
5 – Points that separate 2nd from 7th place in the WCHA
4 – What Goon yells while golfing
3 – Teams that don’t have any ties in league games
2 – Teams that realistically have a chance to win the McNaughton Cup
1 – The position the Gophers occupy this week


WCHA STANDINGS

Team………………………W-L-T………Points
1. Minnesota………………15-5-0…..……30
2. Minnesota-Duluth……..11-4-3….…….25
3. Denver…………………..10-5-3………..23
4. Colorado College………11-7-0………..22
4. North Dakota……….…...11-9-0….…….22
6. Nebraska-Omaha…….…9-6-3………..21
7. Michigan Tech………….9-7-2…….…..20
8. St. Cloud St……………. 7-10-3……….17
9. Wisconsin……………....7-11-2…..…….16
10. Bemidji State….……….6-10-2…………14
11. Minnesota State………5-14-1…………11
12. Alaska-Anchorage…...3-16-1…………7


WCHA Games

Michigan Tech @ Minnesota State
Last weekend the Huskies took 3 points from the Bulldogs in Duluth and the Mavericks split with the Beavers in Bemidji.

These guys played each other back in early November, with the Huskies winning Friday’s game 1-0 and the Mavericks taking Saturday’s game 6-3. MTU is staying right in the middle of the pack and is eyeing a home ice playoff spot. A Huskies sweep this weekend would keep them in mix and leap them into the top half of the league. The Mavericks are ten points out of sixth place with eight games to go. Hate to say it, but it looks like they will be on the road in the first round of the playoffs (just an “early” prediction). Tech should be full of confidence after, shall we say, beating up on the number one team in the country last weekend. HUSKIES SWEEP

St. Cloud State @ Wisconsin
Last weekend the Huskies were swept by the Gophers in a home-and-home series and the Badgers were swept by North Dakota in Grand Forks.

Both teams are both reeling after last weekend and need points, if they want to keep their hopes alive for home ice in the first round. The Badgers need to find a way to put offensive pressure on the Huskies. SCSU has dropped their last three games and have gone 2-5-0 in their last 7 games. The Huskies need to get their sled back on their rails, before their bye weekend, next week. The Badgers also have next weekend off, so they too would like to go into that with their heads held high. SPLIT


#13 Denver vs #11 Colorado College
Last weekend the Pioneers swept the UAA Seawolves in Anchorage and the Tigers had had a weekend off to rest up and prepare for their arch-rivals.

Gold Pan Games 3 and 4, let’s look back and refresh our memories, game 1, Nov. 12, DU wins 5-4, game 2, Dec. 2, CC wins 4-3 OT. Friday’s game in Denver and Saturday’s is in Colorado Springs. Don’t look now, but the Pioneers have quietly put together a 5 game winning streak. Of course, some will say, they should have given the teams they have played (UAH, BSU, and UAA). Meanwhile the Tigers are 2-2-1 over their last 5 games. Not only be rivals, but that they are also separated by one point in the standings, just adds that much more to the mix. SPLIT


#1 Minnesota-Duluth @ Alaska-Anchorage
Last weekend Bulldogs got one point against the MTU Huskies in Duluth and the Seawolves were swept by the Pioneers in Anchorage.

After last weekends, blip on the UMD radar, they will be heading up to the Sullivan arena in Anchorage. The trip might give the Bulldogs they time they need to work things out, might… The Seawolves will no doubt be looking at tape this week and try to emulate the MTU Huskies. On paper this series weighs heavily in the Bulldogs favor, but that is paper, the games are played on ice. SPLIT


Bemidji State @ Nebraska-Omaha
Last weekend Beavers split with the MSUM Mavericks in Bemidji and the UNO Mavericks were off.

Back in mid-November these teams met in Bemidji with the Mavericks take three points back to Omaha. Last season the Beavers had UNO’s number, but it looks like the tide might be changing. The Beavers, as of late, are only scoring about twice a game, which is not good, if you want to win games. BSU needs to get the offensive attack going this weekend if they want to leave Omaha with some points. The Mavericks will no doubt try to punch some more holes in the Beavers dam, I mean defense. Perhaps BSU can have their goaltenders rustle up some points for the team this weekend. SPLIT


BYE WEEK
#2 Minnesota
#17 North Dakota
Enhanced by Zemanta

Goon’s Weekly WCHA Picks 2/3 – 2/4

Fri 02/03/12

St. Cloud State at Wisconsin 7:07 p.m. CT (TV-BTN)
Bemidji State at Nebraska Omaha 7:37 p.m. CT
Michigan Tech at Minnesota State 7:37 p.m. CT
Colorado College at Denver 7:37 p.m. MT (TV-Root)
Minnesota Duluth at Alaska Anchorage 7:07 p.m. AT (TV-GCI)

Sat 02/04/12

Bemidji State at Nebraska Omaha 7:07 p.m. CT
Michigan Tech at Minnesota State 7:07 p.m. CT
Denver at Colorado College 7:07 p.m. MT
St. Cloud State at Wisconsin 8:07 p.m. CT (TV-Wisc,Charter)
Minnesota Duluth at Alaska Anchorage 7:07 p.m. AT (TV-GCI)



Bemidji State at Nebraska OmahaSplit
Michigan Tech at Minnesota State  – Split
Denver at Colorado CollegeSplit
St. Cloud State at WisconsinBadgers Sweep
Minnesota Duluth at Alaska AnchorageBulldogs Sweep


Last Week 7-3 Record for the season 112-63
Enhanced by Zemanta

Monday, January 09, 2012

INCH Power Rankings.

1. Minnesota Duluth
2. Ohio State
3. Notre Dame
4. Minnesota
5. Boston College
6. Merrimack
7. Colorado College
8. Union
9. Colgate
10. UMass Lowell
11. Boston University
12. Cornell
13. Western Michigan
14. Denver
15. Michigan
16. Nebraska-Omaha
17. North Dakota 2 Is it another second-half surge for North Dakota? They've gone 7-1-1 in their last nine, since splitting a series with Bemidji State in November. 11-8-2 (7-7-0 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. Clarkson, 3-1 (Winnipeg, MB). THIS WEEK: vs. Minnesota, vs. Minnesota.
18. Northeastern
19. Ferris State
20. Miami

Dropped out: Michigan State, Lake Superior State

Bubble-licious: Maine, Mercyhurst, Lake Superior State, Quinnipiac

Here is this week's INCH Power rankings. Every week I like to include the INCH Power Rankings because I find them interesting.
Enhanced by Zemanta

Thursday, December 22, 2011

WCHA at the mid point.

Western Collegiate Hockey Association logoImage via Wikipedia

2011-2012 WCHA STANDINGS

WCHA Games
Overall

GP
W
L
T
Pts
GF
GA
W
L
T
GF
GA
1
14
11
3
0
22
51
28
14
5
1
83
41

14
10
2
2
22
59
32
12
3
3
73
44
3
Colorado College
14
9
5
0
18
59
48
11
5
0
67
50
4
14
7
4
3
17
46
43
9
8
3
62
60
5
Denver
14
6
5
3
15
47
45
8
7
3
59
55
6
North Dakota
14
7
7
0
14
39
37
9
8
1
51
50
7
14
6
7
1
13
41
43
9
9
1
54
55

St. Cloud State
14
5
6
3
13
43
41
7
9
4
64
62
9
14
5
7
2
12
36
46
9
9
2
55
56
10
Wisconsin
14
4
8
2
10
40
50
7
9
2
57
59
11
Alaska Anchorage
14
3
10
1
7
29
54
6
10
2
46
63
12
Minnesota State
14
2
11
1
5
37
60
5
14
1
55
75


This is the standings at the half way point of the season in the WCHA. Below is how I picked the league to finish in the 2nd Annual WCHA blogger poll.

1. Denver University (-4)
2. Colorado College - (-1)
3. North Dakota -  (-3)
4. Minnesota - (+4)
5. Nebraska-Omaha - (+1)
6. Wisconsin - (-4)
7. Minnesota-Duluth - (+7)
8. Alaska-Anchorage - (-3)
9. St Cloud St - (+2)
10. Bemidji St -  (+1)
11. Michigan Tech - (+4)
12. Minnesota St -  (=)

This is how the WCHA fan Bloggers picked the league to finish. So how did we do at the halfway point? Obviously this is a body of work that is meant to reflect the "whole" season and there are 14 games left so a lot can happen between now and then .


Team (1st Place Votes)Points
1.Denver (10)196
2.Colorado College (4)179
3.North Dakota (2)175
4.Nebraska-Omaha 141
5.Minnesota-Duluth (1)140
6.Minnesota 124.5
7.Wisconsin100
8.St. Cloud State92
9.Alaska-Anchorage68.5
10.Bemidji State52
11.Michigan Tech30
12.Minnesota State-Mankato28
Enhanced by Zemanta

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Goon's Weekly Picks 12/16 -12/17

Fri 12/16/11

Colorado College at Minnesota State 7:37 p.m. CT
Denver at St. Cloud State 7:37 p.m. CT TV-Charter)
Michigan Tech at Northern Michigan 7:35 p.m. ET
Alab-Huntsville at Bemidji State 7:37 p.m. CT (TV-LPT)

Sat 12/17/11

Colorado College at Minnesota State 7:07 p.m. CT
Denver at St. Cloud State 7:07 p.m. CT (TV-Charter)
Alab-Huntsville at Bemidji State 7:07 p.m. CT (TV-LPT)
Russian Red Stars at North Dakota 7:07 p.m. CT Exhibition (TV-FSSN,FCSc)


Colorado College at Minnesota State – Split  
Denver at St. Cloud State – Split  
Alab-Huntsville at Bemidji State – Beavers Sweep
Russian Red Stars at North Dakota – UND win


Last Week 10-2 Record for the season 61-47
Enhanced by Zemanta

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Goon’s WCHA Power Rankings 12/11/2011

Each week Zach Friedli and I do the WCHA Power Rankings for INSIDE HOCKEY.  This will be the last Power Rankings till January 8th, 2012.

1.  Minnesota Duluth – (10-2-2 WCHA, 12-3-3) The Bulldogs took 3 out of 4 points from the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison, this past weekend. With the win and the Bulldogs moved into a tie for first place with the Minnesota Golden Gophers.  The Bulldogs travel to Kalamazoo, Michigan to play future NCHC foe Western Michigan (9-4-5). Friday’s game will be broadcast on CBS College Sports.

2. Minnesota – (11-3-0 WCHA, 14-5-1) The Gophers split their weekend series with the upstart Michigan Tech Huskies in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Gophers are off until the December 30th when they play
Niagara University (5-5-6) in the Mariucci Classic.

3. Nebraska-Omaha – (7-4-3 WCHA, 9-8-3) The Mavericks split their weekend series with the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux this past weekend (2-1 O.T. W, 0-1 L). The Mavericks are off until December 30th when the Mavericks play Quinnipiac University Bobcats in Omaha, Nebraska.  

4. North Dakota – (7-7-0, 9-8-1) The Fighting Sioux split their weekend series with the UNO Mavericks (1-2 O.T. L, 1-0 W).  The Fighting Sioux have now won 6 out of the last 8 games and are tied with the C.C. Tigers for fourth.  The Fighting Sioux have a single exhibition game with the Russian Red Stars on Saturday night.  The Fighting Sioux will resume play with a non-conference game against the Harvard University Crimson (4-3-3) on December 30th at Ralph Englestad Arena.

5. Colorado College – (7-5-0 WCHA, 9-5-0) The Tigers split their weekend series with the UAA Seawovles (3-6 L, 4-3 W), this weekend the Tigers travel to Mankato, Minnesota to play the Minnesota State Mavericks.

6.  Denver – (5-4-3 WCHA, 7-6-3) – The Denver Pioneers split their weekend series with the Bemidji State Beavers (3-2 W, 1-2 L).  The Pioneers travel to Saint Cloud to play the SCSU Huskies.

7.  Bemidji State – (5-7-2 WCHA, 7-9-2) The Bemidji State Beavers split their weekend series with the Denver Pioneers (2-3 L, 2-1 W).  According to Eric Stromgren from the Bemidji Pioneer, this was the Beavers first win against the Denver Pioneers in the Division I era. The Beavers entertain their old CHA Rival University of Alabama Huntsville (1-17-1). I wonder if we will see any of the “Who Hates Huntsville” T-Shirts this weekend.

8. Michigan Tech – (6-7-1 WCHA, 9-8-1) The Tech Huskies split with the Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-2 O.T. W, 2-6 L).  The Huskies are (6-3-1) at home and (3-5-0) away from the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena. The Tech Huskies travel to across the Upper Peninsula to Marquette, Michigan for a single game with their arch rival the Northern Michigan University Wildcats (8-7-3).

9. Wisconsin – (4-8-2 WCHA, 7-9-2) The Badgers took one point from the high flying UMD Bulldogs this past weekend, the Badgers are off till New Years Eve when they play the USDT Under 18 team. The Badgers will resume play next year on January 6th, when they play the R.I.T. Tigers in Madison, Wisconsin.

10. St. Cloud State – (4-5-3 WCHA, 6-8-4) The Huskies were idle this past weekend. The Huskies since beating the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the first game of a home and home series are on a five game winless streak (0-3-2). The Huskies entertain the Denver Pioneers with weekend.

11. Alaska-Anchorage – (3-10-1 WCHA, 6-10-2) The UAA Seawolves split their weekend series with the Colorado College Tigers in Colorado Springs (6-3 W, 3-4L).  The Seawolves won’t play against till January 13th when they travel to Houghton, Michigan to play the Tech Huskies. 

12.  Minnesota State – (2-9-1 WCHA, 5-12-0) The Minnesota State Mavericks swept the UAH Chargers in a non-conference match-up (4-2, 9-1).  The Mavericks entertain the Colorado College Tigers this weekend.

Enhanced by Zemanta