Showing posts with label NCAA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NCAA. Show all posts

Sunday, March 10, 2013

UND Women make second NCAA tourney in a row

Western Collegiate Hockey Association logo
Western Collegiate Hockey Association logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Official Press Release
MADISON, Wis. – Two teams from the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, winners of the last 13 national championships, have been selected to play in the quarterfinals of the 2013 NCAA Division 1 Women’s Ice Hockey Championship.

Defending national champion, 2012-13 WCHA regular season champ and No. 1 seed Minnesota (38-0-0) will host North Dakota (26-11-1), in the quarterfinal round, the NCAA revealed during Sunday night’s selection show. Puck drop is 4:00 pm CT Saturday at Ridder Arena. The game is a rematch of the 2013 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF title game on Saturday (March 9) in Minneapolis when Minnesota continued its perfect season and extended its unprecedented winning streak to 46 games with a 2-0 victory. This will be the sixth meeting between the teams this season.

This is the eighth NCAA regional appearances for Minnesota. Minnesota also hosted the regional game in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012. The Golden Gophers beat North Dakota in the NCAA Regional at Ridder Arena last season. This is the second NCAA tournament appearance for North Dakota, which received one of the four at-large berths.

Eight teams are selected for the championship. Of the eight teams, the top-four teams are seeded. Three conferences were awarded automatic bids for the 2013 tournament. The remaining five teams were selected at-large. The automatic qualifying conferences and their representatives are the WCHA – Minnesota; ECAC Hockey – Cornell; and Hockey East Association – Boston University. Boston College, Clarkson, Harvard, Mercyhurst and North Dakota were all selected as at-large teams.

The quarterfinals will be played Saturday, March 16 and the other pairings have No. 2-seeded Cornell (27-5-1) hosting Mercyhurst (28-6-1), No. 3 Boston University (26-5-3) entertaining Clarkson (28-9-0) and Harvard (24-6-3) at Boston College (26-6-3), the No. 4 seed. The quarterfinal winners will advance to the 2013 NCAA Women’s Frozen Four, set for Friday, March 22 and Sunday, March 24 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. The semifinal games will be played at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. CT on March 22. The championship game will be played at 3 p.m. CT on March 24.

In the 12 years of NCAA-sponsored tournaments, WCHA members have won all 12 titles – Minnesota Duluth has five, Wisconsin has four and Minnesota three. Minnesota defeated Wisconsin, 4-2 in the 2012 championship game at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn. Six of this year quarterfinalists are repeaters from last year’s field, including North Dakota and Minnesota. The other repeaters are Mercyhurst, BC, Cornell and BU.
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Thursday, January 24, 2013

NCAA Investigates Its Investigators

English: National Collegiate Athletic Associat...
Wow! So now it appears that the NCAA is in need of a internal affairs division. There are days that I wished the NCAA was disbanded or at least weakened. The NCAA is not a law enforcement agency, its an athletic association.
Inside Higher ED --- NCAA does not have subpoena power and thus lacks the authority to compel testimony under oath, Emmert said, meaning the Miami investigation turned up evidence that shouldn’t have been accessible. Further, whoever hired Shapiro’s lawyer apparently did not have clearance to do so, because Emmert said the decision did not go through the NCAA’s general counsel as procedure requires.

Reminding everyone of his own demands of athletic programs to show integrity, Emmert expressed his disgust with the conduct of his own staff, two of whom are no longer employed there.

“I’ve certainly never seen anything like this, and I don’t want to see it again,” Emmert said, adding that the conduct was “deeply disturbing” and he felt “deeply disappointed and frustrated and even angry.”

These new developments could be good news for Miami, however, which was widely expected to face harsh punishment from the NCAA. Emmert said that whatever evidence was obtained through the lawyer (a “small portion” of all the evidence that’s been gathered, he said) will be thrown out, and the investigation of Miami will not be extended or redone. The investigation of the enforcement division, to be conducted by an external law firm, will apply to “the current issue” of the Miami case as well as the enforcement’s overall policies and practices The NCAA will not deliver Miami’s notice of allegations -- the document that contains its formal charges -- until after the law firm has completed its work, which Emmert hopes happens in one to two weeks.

 I also don't want the Federal Government getting involved in running the NCAA 's regulatory process, like the  writer below suggests. Seriously, do we want federal law enforcement agents being pulled out of the field to investigate NCAA violations and allegations? Investigations are a law enforcement function. Moreover, the federal government screws up everything it runs and touches, and that's not what we need. I also don't think that the average fans wants the Feds screwing up the NCAA as well. Whats next? Wire taps on boosters and fans? 

Let the federal government take over the NCAA’s regulatory process, writes John Infante, NCAA expert for the athletic recruiting website Athnet and author of the Bylaw Blog: “There is really only one organization that can enforce the NCAA’s rules substantially better than the NCAA. There is also only one organization that can force institutions to go along with an expanded enforcement program. Luckily, it is the same organization: the federal government.”
What do you think?
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Sunday, January 13, 2013

UND vs. Minnesota Week... It's on... Let the fun begin...



It's here and it's on... This will be the final WCHA series between the two teams, before they go their separate ways. So after this season, there will be no more after regular season games, for at least four years. I wouldn't be surprised it that last longer.

If UND plays Minnesota during the next four seasons it will be during the NCAA tourney. So I expect there will be some pleasantries exchanged this weekend.



This is one of my favorite memories of recent time. I still think they should call that famous corner Wehrs Corner like some have suggest. I wonder if Kevin Wehr still has night mares of that corner.



I still giggle when I hear Frank Mazzocco say, "This Fighting Sioux teams is bringing some old time hockey back to the WCHA." Also, in retrospect, I think Woog and Mazzocco are better than the current Gopher television announcers that are employed by FSN. I never thought I would say this but I think it's true.



Don't leave the arena early after the last game, there still could be some fire works in the hand shake line as well. I am kind of sad this is the last regulars season between the two teams. I also think that it's sad that he two schools are going to let this historic rivalry cool off. In my opinion, there is no reason for the two teams not to play.

I like many UND fans would love to see the two team meet every year.
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Friday, January 04, 2013

National College Hockey Television Schedule (01/04 – 1/12)

English: Logo for DirecTV
As the NHL and the NHLPA continue with their endless lockout and squabble over billions of dollars, Hockey Related Revenue and other issues, there is actually watchable hockey that is being played tonight… In other words, you have options if you have cable  television or a satellite dish.

 Coming up this weekend, there are some nice national matchups. This weekend, the Cornell Big Red travel to Denver, Colorado for an important two-game nonconference series against the Denver Pioneers. This series has huge national implications in the Pairwise Rankings.  Tuesday night, Notre Dame travels to Minnesota to take on the Gophers in a crucial one game nonconference matchup.

*NESN = New England Sports Network. FCS= Fox College Sports. NBCSN = NBC Sports Network. DirecTV requires the “Sports Pack” to view the Regional sports Networks.

Fri.Jan. 4Dartmouth v. QuinnipiacNESN6:00 p.m. 683/414
Fr.Jan. 4Holy Cross at UNDFCS/Midco7:37 p.m.623
Fri.Jan. 4Colorado College at Nebraska-OmahaNBC Sports Net.7:30 p.m.603 / 159
Fri.Jan. 4Robert Morris at ArmyCBS Sports Net.7:30 p.m.613 / 158 (C)
Fri.Jan. 4Cornell at DenverROOT Sports9:30 p.m.683 / 414
Sat.Jan. 5Holy Cross at UNDFCS/Midco7:07 p.m.626
Sat.Jan. 5Merrimack at VermontCBS Sports Net.7:30 p.m.613 / 158 (C)
Tue.Jan. 8Bowling Green at MichiganBig Ten Net.7:30 p.m.610 / 439 (C)
Tue.Jan. 8Notre Dame at MinnesotaFS North +8:00 p.m.657/444
Fri.Jan. 11Colorado College at UNDFCS/Midco7:37pm623
Fri.Jan. 11New Hampshire at Boston CollegeNESN7:00 p.m.628 / 434
Fri.Jan. 11Union at PrincetonNBCSN7:30 p.m.603 / 159
Fri.Jan. 11Alaska Anchorage at MinnesotaBTN9:00 p.m.610 / 439 (C)
Fri.Jan. 11Nebraska-Omaha at DenverNBCSN10:00 p.m.603 / 159
Sat.Jan. 12Army at Air ForceCBS Sports Net.6:00 p.m.613 / 158 (C)
Sat.Jan. 12Colorado College at UNDFCS/Midco7:07 p.m.TBD
Sat.Jan. 12Alaska at MichiganFS Detroit +7:30 p.m.664 / TBD
Sat.Jan. 12Alaska Anchorage at MinnesotaFS North8:00 p.m.668 / 436
Sat.Jan. 12Nebraska-Omaha at DenverROOT Sports9:00 p.m.683 /414
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Thursday, December 20, 2012

Why not Corban Knight for the Hobey Baker?

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

I don’t think it’s too early to start this post – half of the college hockey season is over already – soon the second half of the season will be upon us. It won’t be long until the hockey pundits will be talking about the end of the season awards that go along with the culmination of the NCAA hockey season.
That means that the Hobey Baker Memorial fan voting will be upon us very soon.
While I have no say in the process, I do believe that UND senior forward Corban Knight should be a legitimate candidate for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award and I believe that it will be very hard for the voters to overlook him.
Breaking it down further, Knight is a complete player, both on an off of the ice, and there is no reason why he shouldn’t be one of the Hobey Hat Trick (finalists) when it’s all said and done.
Through 16 games this season, Knight is leading the Green and White in scoring and has amassed an impressive (8g-15s—23pts). Knight is ranked eighth nationally in the NCAA for points per game 1.35. Knight is also tied for first over-all with Drew LeBlanc of Saint Cloud State in the WCHA for points in conference games.
Knight is currently on a 13 game scoring streaking racking up (6g-15a-21pts).
In the locker room, on or off the ice, Knight has the respect of his teammates and is very well liked. Recently, this is what fellow teammate Carter Rowney had to say about his fellow assistant caption.
“He’s a good guy,” Rowney said.  “He lives in the same building as me and everything. Great team player, everyone gets along with him – easy to get along with. Always positive, no matter what’s going on. He’s never down on himself, never down on anyone else, just a positive guy.”
When UND head coach Dave Hakstol was asked about Corban Knight, the  head coach was very complimentary.
“He’s a mature young man in every way,” Haksol said. “That’s one of the benefits of being a junior and a senior and taking the extra time to develop at this level before you step to the pro level; is being able to have that year where physically you’re maybe a little bit ahead of the opponents that you’re playing against. Certainly, mentally he’s as toughest there is. Very quiet in the way he goes about it – but mentally as tough as anybody.”
The head coach went on to say, “Corban is just a complete hockey player. “He’s good in all three zones. There’s a lot of element to his game that bring a lot of value to a team. I think one that he gets a lot of credit for is his ability in the faceoff dot. But there are a lot of areas of his game that are quietly similar to what he does in the faceoff dot. He’s a very solid, reliable two way player that consistently puts out real good solid offensive numbers – we’re seeing that again this year. He’s flown under the radar with it – he’s got a nice point scoring streak going. More importantly, I think his play is probably indicative of our team’s play. He’s very consistent player.”
Knight also does many good things off the ice as well. Recently, this is what the head coach Dave Hakstol had to say about his senior forward’s off ice activities.
“What you see is what you get,” Hakstol said. “He’s a great young man, always got a positive perspective. He always pays attention to how he treats people around him. He’s very cognizant of that. He’s always being a leader – not just in our locker room but in the community. He does an awful lot of things in the community that go unnoticed. He doesn’t do it with any fanfare – but he’s always willing to help out.”
  • Candidates must exhibit strength of character both on and off the ice.
  • Candidates must contribute to the integrity of the team and display outstanding skills in all phases of the game.
  • Consideration should be given to scholastic achievement and sportsmanship.
  • Candidates must comply with all NCAA rules: be full time students in an accredited NCAA college or university; and complete 50% or more of the season.
I do believe that Corban Knight would meet all of these criteria, to be eligible for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award.

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Saturday, December 15, 2012

Time to tweak the NCAA Division I Hockey Tourney

Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey
Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Recently, there was an November 29 article by Mark Bedics at NCAA.com and the chair of the Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee and current athletic director of Notre Dame Tom Nevala, would like to see the first round of the Men’s NCAA Division I hockey tourney moved on campus and have the games played at the home ice of the higher seed.
Our current setup provides a lot of challenges,” said Tom Nevala, chair of the Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee and senior associate athletics director at Notre Dame. “You need to find buildings that are neutral sites, have NHL ice and ideally are within close proximity to the host school’s fan base. Right now for the most part, we really need the host to qualify if we are going to have good attendance and atmosphere at our regionals. In an effort to increase attendance, the NCAA has been working with the hosts to try and make tickets more affordable but the nature of neutral sites and non-traditional game times works against us a bit.”
Although, there have been five fairly major format changes in the first 65 years of the tournament, there have been none in the last 20. The ongoing debate about championship format has become more active during the last couple years.
“Personally, I would like to see us move to an on-campus best-of-three series format for the first round,” Nevala said. “The top seeds would host regardless of size of its building. Right now we do it at the conference level and it works very well. There are upsets even with the home ice advantage and the atmosphere for everyone involved would be better. We have such great campus facilities that are such a part of the fabric of college hockey, it’s a shame that the national tourney isn’t played in them.”
I personally would welcome the change with open arms.
I would imagine something like this 1 versus 16, 2 versus 15, 3 versus 14, 4 versus 13, 5 versus 12, 6 versus 11, 7 versus 10, and 8 versus 9. This would protect the integrity of the NCAA Tourney; I would imagine that there would be some tweaks to avoid conference matchups during the first round of the playoffs, if possible.
Obviously, after the first round there would be eight teams left and you could play two regionals at predetermined locations.
This would seem a little fairer to me.
Apparently, a majority of Division I Hockey coaches would rather play in quiet half empty arenas that in some cases aren’t very attractive venues.
One of these less than attractive regional sites that immediately comes to mind is the 2010 Midwest Regional that was held in Fort Wayne, IN, where a whopping 7337 people attended three NCAA Midwest Regional games held on March 27 and 28, 2010.
Watching the Midwest Regional on television, you could see that regional was poorly attended and you had to ask; why? Seriously, why was that regional held in that location? All of the hockey arenas in the USA and the NCAA couldn’t do better option than that? Notre Dame could have hosted that tourney in Chicago or some other attractive location. Hence, the more logical idea of having the first round of the NCAA Division I Hockey tourney the on campus of the higher seeds.
In 2006, the University of North Dakota hosted a West Regional at the Ralph Englestad Arena and it was one of the best attended hockey regionals in NCAA Division I Hockey history when it drew 22,645 fans. For comparison sake, the 2006 regional outdrew the 2012 West Regional Championships that was held at the Xcel Energy Center drawing 20,360 fans.
Obviously, some teams aren’t going to be real excited about going to another teams building to play in the first round of the NCAA tourney but there needs to be an actual reward for getting a number one seed.
Most years, it wouldn’t make much difference if a number four seed played in the home building of a number one seed or played at a regional site; they’re lucky to be in the tourney and anyway you sliced it and they also deserve  play a game against a higher seeded team.
Also, why shouldn’t a higher seed be able to have the luxury of playing in their building with 11,500 of their screaming fans cheering them on. Why shouldn’t the better seed be rewarded for good play during the course of the season? Isn’t that what the NCAA is trying to do?
I am not so sure.
Is it fair for a team that is ranked number one over-all; have to fly half way across the country to Worcester, MA to face the Boston College Eagles in an arena that is 37.9 miles away from their campus. This happens on a very regular basis.
Make no mistake about it, the Eagles have been a great team over the last 10 seasons and they have the record to show for it.
But that being said, why should a number one seed from the west be rewarded with traveling to a regional championship where they have to play the Boston College Eagles in their home state a mere 40 miles away. There’s no way that you can convince me that’s a neutral site.
Maybe question should be; neutral site for who? In its present form the NCAA Division I Hockey tourney is awarding select teams the luxury of playing close to home more times than not. That’s hardly fair for all of the teams involved in the NCAA tourney.
That scenario has happened to the Miami University RedHawks twice in the last four years. In 2008, the Miami RedHawks traveled to Worcester, Massachusetts to face the Boston College Eagles and lost 4-3 in the Championship game – a great reward for finishing with the number one seed over-all.
Not Really!
In 2011, the number one seeded RedHawks would travel to Manchester, NH and this time they had to face the fourth seeded University of New Hampshire Wildcats who were playing a short 35 miles away from their campus, the top seeded RedHawks would again lose, to the host team the UNH Wildcats. Again, where was the reward for gaining the number one seed?
If you look at the schedule of the Boston College Eagles schedule over the last 10 season, they haven’t traveled very far very often. Here is a breakdown of that less than strenuous travel.
In 2003, the B.C. Eagles jumped on highway 95 and traveled a short 46.8 miles to play the Cornell Big Red in the East Regional, the Eagles would go on to lose 2-1 in double overtime.
In 2004, the B.C. Eagles traveled to Manchester, NH; a mere 60 miles up I-93 from the campus of Boston College to play the in the Northeast regional. The Eagles would advance to the Frozen Four where they would lose to Maine in the Semifinals.
In 2005, the B.C. Eagles would travel to Worcester, MA to play in the East Regional. The Eagles would lose to the University of North Dakota. To get to the Frozen Four the Fighting Sioux would have to go a mini Bean Pot Tourney beating both Boston University and Boston College to qualify for the Frozen Four, no easy task.
In 2006, the B.C. Eagles would again travel to the friendly confines of Worcester MA to play in the Northeast Regional and would advance to the Frozen Four where they would lose to NCAA Champion Wisconsin in the Championship game of the Frozen Four. (NCAA runner up)
In 2007, the B.C. Eagles traveled to Manchester, NH for the Northeast Regional, where they would again reach the Frozen Four before losing to NCAA Champion Michigan State in the Championship game of the Frozen Four. (NCAA runner up)
In 2008, the B.C. Eagles were back in Worcester, MA for the Northeast Regional where the Eagles would advance to the Frozen Four by beating both Minnesota and Miami. The Eagles would go on to win the NCAA title beating Notre Dame in the Championship game. (NCAA Champs)
In 2009, the B.C. Eagles missed the NCAA playoffs.
In 2010, the B.C. Eagles would again make the short 37.8 mile trip to Worcester, MA for the Northeast Regional were they would again advance to the NCAA Frozen Four where they would beat the Wisconsin Badgers in the Championship game. (NCAA Champs)
In 2011, the B.C. Eagles would finally travel outside of the Northeast to St. Louis MO, where the Eagles would get drubbed by the Colorado College Tigers 8-4 in the quarterfinals.
In 2012, the B.C. Eagles would again make a return to Worcester, MA to play in the Northeast Regional where they would advance to the Frozen Four and win the NCAA championship with a win in the championship game against Ferris State. (NCAA Champs)
So you can imagine that the Boston College Eagles would like to keep the status quo and keep going to regional held in Manchester, NH Providence, RI or Worcester, MA.
Obviously, the B.C. Eagles are a great hockey program and Jerry York is a great hockey coach but you can’t say that Boston College didn’t benefit from getting to play close to home where their fans travel no more than an hour to see their favorite teams play hockey.
This short travel is a huge advantage over the teams, especially the team in the west unless you’re the University of Minnesota who gets to enjoy the same luxury of getting to have a regional in their back yard virtually every other year.  The distance for the Gophers from their campus to the Xcel Energy Center is a short seven mile trip.
If you break this down, B.C. won three NCAA titles in five years and the year that they didn’t get to play close to their home they failed to make the NCAA Frozen Four and ended up losing in the first round.
What are we to make of that?
I also think that there are a certain handful of teams that benefiting from having the regionals championships in their back yards almost yearly at the expense of others.
The NCAA has announced that the 2013 Division I College Hockey regionals are going to be at Grand Rapids, Michigan, Manchester, New Hampshire, Providence, Providence, Rhode Island and Toledo, Ohio. The 2014 regionals will be held at Bridgeport, Connecticut, Cincinnati, Ohio, St. Paul, Minnesota. and Worcester, Massachusetts. Do you see a pattern here?
So I agree with Tom Nevala lets do a few tweaks to the NCAA Division I Hockey Tourney, the status quo doesn’t work for everyone.

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Wednesday, December 12, 2012

WCHA Issues One-Game Suspension to Wisconsin’s Little



The WCHA has suspended Ryan Little for this hit. In looking at the video, this is the type of hit that the NCAA is trying to eliminate and I have no issue with this suspension. I also can see why some from Badger Nation might be a little ornery as well.

In fact, Wisconsin has been on the wrong end of some really bad calls this season and I am going to let Andy Johnson of Bucky's Fifth Quarter explain the latest bad call against the Badgers.
While Khaira was certainly deserving of a penalty, the refs should have penalized him for a five minute major and ejected him from the contest. Video reviews clearly showed Khaira grabbing UW sophomore defenseman Jake McCabe from behind by the facemask and dropping him to the ice like it was a WWE wrestling match.

Jujhar Khaira was whistled for holding with 4:09 left to play in the third period. Wisconsin's Tyler Barnes would go on to score on the man advantage to tie things up at one.
While I applaud the WCHA for getting it right in this instance, there have been many instances where the league’s officials have been wrong as well.

If I have to use one word to explain the officiating on the ice in the WCHA this season I would use the term “brutal.”

Inconsistency has been plagued WCHA officials in recent times, causing many fans in attendance to scoff when the WCHA on ice officials skate on to the ice. We never know what they’re going to call or what they’re not going to call.

MADISON, Wis. – The men’s Western Collegiate Hockey Association today announced a one-game suspension to University of Wisconsin hockey player Ryan Little as a result of his actions in the December 8 game against Michigan Tech University.

Little’s suspension was determined after a review by the league office of an illegal check with 1:24 remaining in the overtime session and comes under the WCHA’s Supplementary Discipline Policy and Procedures.

Little will be required to serve the one-game suspension in Wisconsin’s next regularly scheduled contest on Thursday, December 13 vs Alabama-Huntsville.
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Sunday, November 18, 2012

WCHA Power Rankings: 11/18/2012

Here’s this week’s WCHA Power Rankings. This season, I will be doing the WCHA Power Rankings with Taylor Seibel who is a contributor of College Hockey Weekly.

I think that the WCHA is very balanced this season and there is a “little” distinction between teams 6-12.
After watching the UMD Bulldogs this past weekend. I am not sold that the Bulldogs are a last place team or even an 11th place team, in the WCHA. I am not sure anyone would be thrilled about the prospects of their favorite team having to play the Bulldogs in the first round of the WCHA Playoffs. Nothing good can come from that matchup.

I am also not ready to bury the Wisconsin Badgers in the Bottom of the WCHA standings either, let’s see how they respond once they get Nic Kerdiles (NCAA suspension) and Mark Zangerle (injury) back in the lineup.

I also think that you could swap any of the top four teams in the league as well. The Power Rankings are a snap shot of the WCHA teams on this date in the season. I think that the Denver Pioneers are “currently” the best team in the WCHA.

1. Denver University – (9-1-0, WCHA 7-1-0) – This weekend, the Denver Pioneers swept (6-5 W – 6-2 W) their cross-state rival the Colorado College Tigers. This weekend, the Pioneers entertain Yale and New Hampshire at the Magness Arena.

2. Saint Cloud State – (6-4-0, WCHA 4-2-0) – This past weekend, the Huskies are idle. This weekend, the Huskies travel to Duluth to play the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs at Amsoil Arena.

3. University of North Dakota – (5-3-2, WCHA 3-1-2) – This past weekend, UND took three points (4-4 T – 4-3 O.T. W) in their series with University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs at Ralph Englestad Arena. This weekend, the Green and White travel to South Bend, Indiana to play the Fighting Irish in a nonconference series at Compton Family Arena.

4. Minnesota Gophers – (7-2-2, WCHA 4-2-2) – This past weekend, the Minnesota Gophers took three points (2-2 T – 3-1 W) from the Wisconsin Badgers at Marriucci Arena. This weekend, the Gophers go on “rare” nonconference road trip to play the Vermont Catamounts.

5. Nebraska Omaha – (6-3-1, WCHA 4-1-1) – This past weekend, Mavericks were off. This weekend, the Mavericks entertain the Alabama Huntsville Chargers in a nonconference series at Century Link Center.

6. Colorado College – (7-5-0, WCHA 4-2-0) – This past weekend, the Colorado College Tigers swept (5-6 L – 2-6 L) by their cross-state rivals the Denver Pioneers. This weekend, the Tigers entertain New Hampshire and Yale at the World Arena.

7. Michigan Tech – (4-6-0, WCHA 3-5-0) – This past weekend, the Huskies swept the Bemidji State Beavers at the Sandford Center in Bemidji, Minnesota. This weekend, the Huskies are off.

8. Bemidji State – (2-5-1, WCHA 1-4-1) – This past weekend, the Bemidji State Beavers were swept (4-5 O.T. L – 1-2 O.T. L) by the Michigan Tech Huskies at the Sanford Center. This weekend, the Beavers entertain the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves.

9.  Alaska Anchorage – (2-3-3, WCHA 0-2-2) – This past weekend, the Seawolves were off. This weekend, the Seawolves travel to Bemidji to take on the Beavers at the Sanford Center.

10. Wisconsin – (1-5-2, WCHA 1-3-2) – This past weekend, the Badgers took one point (2-2 T – 1-3 L) against their arch rivals the Minnesota Gophers at Marriucci Arena. This weekend, the Badgers return home to entertain the Minnesota State Mavericks at the Kohl Center.

11. Minnesota Duluth – (2-6-1, WCHA 0-4-2) – This past weekend, the UMD Bulldogs took a single point (4-4 T – 3-4 O.T. L) against the University of North Dakota at Ralph Englestad Arena. This weekend, the Bulldogs entertain the Saint Cloud State Huskies at Amsoil Arena in the battle of the dogs.

12.   Minnesota State Mankato – (3-5-2, WCHA 1-5-0) – This past weekend, the Purple Mavericks were off. This weekend, the Mavericks travel to Madison, Wisconsin to play the Wisconsin Badgers.


Taylor Seibel’s WCHA Power Rankings
 
1. Denver – (9-1-0, 7-1-0 WCHA) – The Pioneers once again used a blistering offense to gain a WCHA sweep, beating arch-rival Colorado College 6-5 and 6-2 this weekend.  Denver leads the country in goals/game at 4.50.  If they keep that up, they’ll likely walk away with the MacNaughton this season.  DU hosts Yale and New Hampshire in non-conference play next weekend.

2. North Dakota – (5-3-2, 3-1-2 WCHA) – UND struggled against Minnesota Duluth this weekend, but managed to walk away with 3 points.  North Dakota has shown flashes of brilliance, but they have also struggled mightily at times.  UND will have to become a more consistent team if they have ideas of winning the WCHA this season.  North Dakota travels to Notre Dame in non-conference play next weekend.

3. St. Cloud State – (6-4-0, 4-2-0 WCHA) – The Huskies were off this past weekend, and maintain the #3 spot in my WCHA rankings.  SCSU is battling some injuries right now, but they have all the pieces of a championship caliber team.  The Huskies square off against Minnesota Duluth in Duluth next weekend in WCHA action.

4. Minnesota – (7-2-2, 4-2-2 WCHA) – Minnesota fans can thank Adam Wilcox for a tremendous performance this past weekend, as the Gophers took 3 points from their arch-rival Wisconsin.  Minnesota struggled on the powerplay this weekend, but looked better on 5x5 against the Badgers.  The Gophers make the trip to Hockey East foe Vermont in non-conference play next weekend.

5. Nebraska Omaha – (6-3-1, 4-1-1 WCHA) – The Mavericks had this past weekend off.  Under Coach Blais, UNO is capable of beating any team in the league.  However, they are prone to inconsistency.  How consistent they are will likely determine how high they go in the rankings.  The Mavericks take on Alabama Huntsville in Omaha next weekend in non-conference action.

6. Colorado College – (7-5-0, 4-2-0 WCHA) – The Tigers took their lumps this weekend, allowing 12 goals to Denver in getting swept this weekend, CC’s first losses in WCHA action this season.  Denver might be just that good, but CC will need to play better if they want to contend for any hardware this season.  CC takes on New Hampshire and Yale in non-conference action down in the Springs next weekend.

7. Michigan Tech – (4-6-0, 3-5-0 WCHA) – Michigan Tech used two overtime victories to get their first ever wins in Bemidji this weekend, winning 5-4 on Friday and 2-1 on Saturday.  The Huskies are capable of being a top-half team, but have only shown that in flashes early in the season.  Perhaps this sweep will be what this team needs to get back on track.  Tech is off next weekend.

8. Alaska Anchorage – (2-3-3, 0-2-2 WCHA) – The Seawolves jump up a spot in my rankings, thanks in large part to the bottom-half teams not performing well this weekend.  Anchorage has surprised me this season, but will need to continue their strong play if they want to contend for home ice this season.  UAA travels to Bemidji State next weekend in WCHA play.

9. Bemidji State – (2-5-1, 1-4-1 WCHA) – The Beavers were in excellent position on Friday to notch their 2nd WCHA win and move to .500 on the season and in conference play.  Then Michigan Tech stormed back and won in overtime.  Another similar defeat on Saturday, and Bemidji finds themselves falling in the WCHA standings.  BSU hosts Anchorage next weekend in WCHA action.

10. Wisconsin – (1-5-2, 1-3-2 WCHA) – Wisconsin was able to stifle the Minnesota offensive attack this past weekend, but the Badgers still walked away from Mariucci with only 1 point.  Wisconsin was without star forward Mark Zengerle, and top recruit Nic Kerdiles.  Given that, there is still some reason for optimism in Wisconsin circles.  The Badgers host Mankato next weekend in WCHA play.

11. Minnesota Duluth – (2-6-2, 0-4-2 WCHA) – The Bulldogs played well enough against North Dakota to win both games, but were unable to convert either opportunity into wins, managing only a draw on Friday.  Duluth has a potent offense, but take way too many penalties to be a top-half squad.  Minnesota Duluth hosts in-state rival St. Cloud State in WCHA play next weekend.

12. Minnesota State – (3-5-2, 1-5-0 WCHA) – The Mavericks had last weekend off, and fall to the cellar as a result of Duluth’s performance this weekend.  Mankato is capable of contending for a top-half spot, but have struggled to play a full 60 minutes.  The Mavericks take on Wisconsin in WCHA play next weekend in Madison.

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Thursday, November 15, 2012

Regional site ticket packages now available for 2013 Championship

The Huntington Center, home arena of the Toled...
The Huntington Center, home arena of the Toledo Walleye (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The NCAA shouldn't be be shocked when the Midwest Regional in Toledo, Ohio is sparsely attended. Wow! I can't believe that the NCAA wants their regional games to be played in half empty arenas in town that aren't probably your first choice as a destination.
Three games for 75 dollars or two days of hockey is a bit steep in my opinion. 

Official Press Release... 
INDIANAPOLIS  Tickets for the 2013 Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship regional rounds are now on sale.
The Northeast regional tickets, held at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H., and hosted by New Hampshire, are available for $75. Start times for the first-round games are 4:30 and 8 p.m. ET on March 29, while the regional final is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET on March 30.
Start times for the East regional at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, R.I., hosted by Brown will be 5:30 and 9 p.m. ET for the first-round games on March 30, with the regional final scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET on March 31. Tickets for the three-game package are $75.
The Midwest regional at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio, hosted by Bowling Green will have first-round start times of 1:30 and 5 p.m. ET on March 30, while the regional final will be 4 p.m. ET on March 31. Tickets for the three-game package are $75.
Tickets for the West regional at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich., hosted by Michigan are on sale for $60 until Dec. 31 and will then increase to $65. The first-round contests are at 2 and 5:30 p.m. ET on March 29, while the regional final is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET on March 30.
Tickets for all sites can be purchased by visiting the respective arena box office, calling (800) 745-3000 or online atwww.NCAA.com/frozenfour. If any of the host schools are selected to participate in the 2013 Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship, they will be assigned to their host site. Times for all regional contests are subject to change.

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Tuesday, November 06, 2012

AHA Commissioner explains stiff suspension for Griffins forward

English: National Collegiate Athletic Associat...
English: National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) logo. Source: http://www1.ncaa.org/eprise/main/Public/mlp/promotions_special_events/pe_web/promo_manual/memos/identity.pdf Converted by User:King of Hearts from :Image:National Collegiate Athletic Association logo.png using Inkscape. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
On Sunday, Atlantic Hockey commissioner Robert DeGregorio explained his very lengthy suspension to Canisius sophomore forward Matthew Grazen for his check from behind on Air Force Academy junior Forward George Michalke who is still out with an apparent head injury.
Ben Kirst, USCHO Arena Reporter --- On Sunday, DeGregorio explained the punishment.

“I know that people are trying to compare this to what happened in other leagues,” DeGregorio said. “But I am the commissioner for Atlantic Hockey. My job is to provide a safe environment and to apply the rules of the NCAA to our league.

“I’m not responsible for what happened in Minnesota a year ago,” the commissioner continued, in apparent reference to Gophers forward Kyle Rau’s one-game suspension for an illegal hit on Denver’s Jason Zucker, “or in Hockey East or in any of the other leagues. Nor do I comment when I get calls. I am responsible for my league. In viewing what had happened, and the extent of the injury — and one of the things that I do and others don’t, is they don’t weigh the extent of the injury — I felt it was important.”

DeGregorio took a unique approach to the suspension. Grazen, who missed the Griffs’ road trip to Minnesota on Oct. 28 as part of his NCAA-mandated suspension for a disqualification penalty, was prohibited from playing in Canisius’ two-game series against Clarkson last weekend and will miss upcoming contests with Robert Morris on Nov. 9, RIT on Nov. 10 and archrival Niagara on Nov. 16.

Grazen will then complete his punishment later in the season when the Griffs travel to Colorado Springs to face Air Force on Feb. 15-16, a move made by DeGregorio in an attempt to diffuse potential on-ice retribution.
Frist, I have not been able to find video of the hit in question any but everything that I have read is that the hit was vicious and violent and worthy of a suspension.

I have to applaud the AHA Commissioner for having the stones to make a tough call. I believe that Degregoiro is right; his job is to ensure that the league provides a safe environment and to apply the rules of the NCAA to his league. Unlike another league office that comes to mind – almost immediately – whose threshold for handing out a suspension has to be very high before he will act upon an on ice hit or incident. Thank God, my favorite school is leaving said league after this season.

Hockey is a physical game but unnecessary and dangerous hits need to be addressed. You can have a physical game without decapitating an opponent or causing him to be a drooling vegetable.
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Thursday, October 11, 2012

Wisconsin freshman Nic Kerdiles suspended for one year by the NCAA

Bucky Badger 2003-Present
Bucky Badger 2003-Present (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Originally posted at the Hockey Writers - Combine

While I was on my vacation at the beginning of this week – a major story broke on Badgers freshman forward Nic Kerdiles.

Kerdiles is a highly touted incoming freshman forward and was one of the better players on the U.S. National Under-18 Team last season; unfortunately, he has been suspended by the NCAA for one year.

According to Andy Baggott, beat writer for the Wisconsin Badgers; the University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team could end up losing their highly talented freshman winger Nic Kerdiles for a year for a violation of the NCAA’s amateurism rules.
Multiple sources in the NHL and college hockey indicate the NCAA acted on photos and postings made public via social media that involve an agent and took place leading up to the NHL Entry Draft in June.

It’s not clear what specific issues led the NCAA to rule against Kerdiles, an 18-year-old from Irvine, Calif., but the Bucky’s 5th Quarter website culled a photo from an agent’s Twitter account that showed Kerdiles and two of the agent’s clients holding glasses that advertised a specific energy drink.

The photo could be construed as Kerdiles being marketed by the representative as well as being used to promote a specific product.

The agent who posted the energy drink photo, Toronto-based Ian Pulver of Pulver Sports, didn’t return a phone call seeking comment Monday.
This would be a major hit for the Wisconsin Badgers, according to Andy Johnson of Bucky’s Fifth quarter, Kerdiles is one of the top incoming recruits in the country this season and was expected to challenge for a spot on the Badgers top line.  Losing Kerdiles would be a major hit for the Wisconsin Badgers who have been picked by some to finish in the upper half of the WCHA standings this season.

Of course the University of Wisconsin is appealing this unprecedented decision. According to a tweet by Baggott the NCAA isn’t even going to hear Wisconsin’s Appeal this week.
Here is the kicker, you would think since Kerdiles has been suspended by the NCAA he could just go back and hone his skills in junior hockey and serve his suspension while he’s playing Junior hockey – he can’t – Kerdiles has to serve the suspension on the Wisconsin campus.


So, it would appear that a blue chip player like Nic Kerdiles isn’t going to sit idle for a season – the home town Anaheim Ducks who drafted Kerdiles in the second round 36th overall aren’t going to want him to sit around idle for a season, waiting to play Division I college hockey.

I would imagine that the Ducks are going to want him to continue playing hockey and you have to wonder if the CHL will be Kerdiles’ next destination.  Kerdiles rights are owned by the  Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League.

It will be interesting to see how this story develops.

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Friday, September 21, 2012

A decent read?


Kurt Snibbe/ESPN.com

Proposed Fighting Sue helmet logo.

Someone posted this article on Sioux Sports – I believe it was a Bison fan. If you haven’t seen this it’s worth a quick look. The reason that UND hasn’t been in March Madness is that UND just finally finished their transition to Division I in all sports, I expect that eventually UND will make the NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball tourneys as well.
Low Graduation Rates? Fine with the NCAA. Two Feathers? OMG! Over at the University of North Dakota, the state's voters recently endorsed a referendum to drop the Fighting Sioux nickname. Right now the school's teams are the -- we'll get back to you on that, as UND teams have no nickname at the moment.

The NCAA ordered the University of North Dakota to drop the Fighting Sioux nickname and cease using a Sioux head image drawn by a Native American artist. The NCAA also ordered William & Mary to cease using a two-feathers sports logo. Yet the NCAA is fine with the University of Utah's American Indian nickname, the Utes, and its two-feathers logo.

What's the distinction here? Money. The North Dakota men's basketball team has not made the March Madness event in 20 years. William & Mary has never made the men's tournament. Neither the University of North Dakota nor William & Mary provides the NCAA with the only thing it cares about: greenback dollars. The University of Utah, on the other hand, has 26 March Madness appearances, including 12 of the past 20 tournaments. Because in the case of the Utes, the American Indian imagery generates cash for the NCAA, all is well.

Since the University of North Dakota needs a new nickname, TMQ proposes the Fighting Sue, perhaps with Johnny Cash theme music.
That being said, UND is usually in the NCAA Division I playoffs for hockey every season but once (missed NCAA playoffs in 2001-02) since 1997 and last season was the first time during the span that UND didn't wear the Fighting Sioux logo during the NCAA tourney. I am not so sure that the Johnny Cash Logo would catch on either. :) I did get a good chuckle out of that one though.

I do think it’s funny sometimes how the NCAA picks certain issues like Sports Team logos over more important issues like graduation rates.
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