UND seventh in USCHO Poll

USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll

December 31, 2012

	Team	(First Place Votes)	Record	Points	Last Poll
1	Minnesota	(35)	13- 3-3	977	4
2	Boston College	( 5)	12- 3-1	922	1
3	Notre Dame	( 9)	14- 4-0	913	3
4	New Hampshire		11- 3-2	843	2
5	Quinnipiac		14- 3-2	769	9
6	Miami		12- 4-4	730	5
7	North Dakota		10- 5-3	720	7
8	Dartmouth	( 1)	8- 2-2	661	10
9	Boston University		10- 6-0	612	6
10	Western Michigan		11- 5-2	513	8
11	Denver		10- 6-3	478	14
12	Cornell		7- 4-2	425	11
13	Union		9- 4-4	375	13
14	Minnesota State		12- 6-2	336	18
15	St. Cloud State		12- 8-0	291	16
16	Nebraska-Omaha		11- 8-1	276	12
17	Yale		7- 4-2	213	15
18	Niagara		10- 3-4	124	17
19	Robert Morris		9- 4-2	120	NR
20	Holy Cross		10- 4-2	65	NR
Others receiving votes: Colgate 50, Ferris State 47, Providence 12, Harvard 10, Michigan Tech 5, Massachusetts 4, Massachusetts-Lowell 4, Northern Michigan 4, Colorado College 1.

Related articles

• NCAA Hockey rankings 2012: Boston College drops to No. 2 (boston.sbnation.com)

UND Hockey traveling to Florida next year?

The FCC field looked good on paper, but only Cornell is over .500. Next year, COR and MNE will be joined by N Dakota and UNH.
— ELynah (@ELynah) December 30, 2012

What a field for a college hockey tourney if this ends up being true, the news breaking around here is UND Hockey might end up being in the Florida College Hockey Classic next season. Edit: Now, I am hearing both that UND is in this tourney and also that UND pulled out of this tourney. As soon as I get more  information I will post more. This would be a fun tourney to go to.

Check out these teams for next years 2013 Florida College Hockey Classic; Cornell, Maine, UND and New Hampshire.

USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll

December 17, 2012

	Team	(First Place Votes)	Record	Points	Last Poll
1	Boston College	(44)	11- 2-1	993	1
2	New Hampshire	( 4)	11- 2-2	938	2
3	Notre Dame	( 2)	14- 4-0	911	3
4	Minnesota		11- 3-3	816	4
5	Miami		11- 3-4	768	5
6	Boston University		10- 5-0	737	6
7	North Dakota		10- 5-3	675	8
8	Western Michigan		11- 4-1	648	7
9	Quinnipiac		12- 3-2	603	9
10	Dartmouth		7- 2-2	525	10
11	Cornell		6- 3-2	441	12
12	Nebraska-Omaha		11- 6-1	395	13
13	Union		8- 3-4	391	14
14	Denver		9- 6-3	343	11
15	Yale		7- 3-2	321	15
16	St. Cloud State		11- 7-0	296	17
17	Niagara		10- 2-4	248	16
18	Minnesota State		10- 6-2	204	20
19	Ferris State		7- 7-3	50	19
20	Colgate		9- 7-2	47	NR
20	Harvard		4- 4-1	47	18
Others receiving votes: Providence 43, Holy Cross 16, Robert Morris 15, Ohio State 14, Colorado College 7, Lake Superior 4, Massachusetts-Lowell 2, Michigan 2.

Read more:

Regional site ticket packages now available for 2013 Championship

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.

Related articles

• ESPN Announces NCAA Hockey Regional TV Schedule (ndgoon.blogspot.com)

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

Last weekend the college hockey season un-officially got underway, with a slate of exhibition games.  None of the WCHA teams lost however there were a couple of ties.

WCHA STANDINGS 2012-2013

Team………………………W-L-T………Points

1. Minnesota………………0-0-0…..…….
2. Minnesota-Duluth….…..0-0-0….……..
3. Denver…………..………0-0-0………...
4. North Dakota.………..…0-0-0….……
5. Colorado College ……..0-0-0……….
6. St. Cloud St………….…0-0-0………
7. Nebraska-Omaha………0-0-0……...
8. Michigan Tech………….0-0-0………
9. Bemidji State……..…….0-0-0.……...
10. Wisconsin…....………..0-0-0...…..…
11. Minnesota State………0-0-0...……..
12. Alaska-Anchorage…....0-0-0………..

Non Conference Games

Clarkson @ Colorado College

The Golden Knights (ECAC) invade the World Arena this weekend for a pair of games against the Tigers.  I’m sure the Knights hope they will be the ones holding the Tigers under siege and not the other way around.  The Tigers started out last season on a hot streak and their fans are hoping for another fast start.  Tigers Sweep.

Minnesota State @ Alabama-Huntsville

The Mavericks hit the road to start the season and they hit it with a lengthy trip.  The Chargers are the lone independent team (I know Penn State starts this year as an independent, but I don’t count them since they are new.) in the college hockey world; hopefully a nice conference will adopt them next season…  Last year the Chargers had season to forget, they went 2-28-1, in their games.  Mavericks Sweep.

Ohio State @ Minnesota-Duluth

The Buckeyes from Columbus will make a trek to scenic Duluth to start their last season as a CCHA team before moving to the big ten conference.  Last season OSU finished the season 15-15-5, it doesn’t get any more even than that.  The Bulldogs have been good at home in their new arena and I expect them to add to their win total there this weekend.  Bulldogs Sweep.


Michigan State @ Minnesota
The Spartans come to Minneapolis, for a weekend series, to kick off their non conference schedule.  Next year this will be a conference game as both teams will head to the new big ten hockey conference.  With all the returning talent the Gophers have, you would expect them to win this series.  Gophers Sweep.

St. Could St. @ New Hampshire

Coach Motzko and his team of Huskies mush their way across the country to New Hampshire to begin their 2012 campaign.  Last year the Wildcats finished 11-14-2 in Hockey East and 15-19-3 overall, so they were down a bit from normal, while the Huskies finished 12-12-4 in the WCHA and 17-17-5 overall, they were even stevens.  I’m going to wimp out and call this series a SPLIT.

Northern Michigan @ Wisconsin

The Wildcats from Marquette head down south to Madison to take on the Badgers.  Last season the boys from NMU finished 11-11-6-3 in the CCHA and 17-14-6 overall, compared to the guys from UW who went 11-15-2 in the WCHA and 17-18-2 overall.  I’m inclined to call this series even based on last year’s numbers.  SPLIT.

Exhibition Game

US U-18 @ North Dakota

The USA development team travels to Grand Forks this year to take on NoDak.  The last time they were in GF was back in December 2010, when the Sioux won 2-1 in that game.  UND will most likely be playing everyone that is dressed to play, to get everyone some ice time and experience.  ND Wins. 

US U-18 @ Bemidji State University.  BSU Wins.

IceBreaker Tournament (Kansas City, Missouri)

Nebraska-Omaha vs Army

The Mavericks could be considered the home team in this contest, give their proximity to this tournament.  Given that last season the Black Knights finished 4-23-7 overall, I have to give the advantage to UNO in this tilt.  Mavericks Win

Notre Dame vs Maine

The Irish finish the 11-12 season with a 19-18-3 overall mark, and the Black Bears owned a 23-14-3 overall mark.  I’m going with the Black Bears to chase off the Irish.  Maine Wins

Thus that gives me UM vs UNO for the championship, I’ll take the Black Bears to win the tournament.  Then that leaves ND vs Army, and I’ll take the Irish in that game.

Kendall Hockey Classic (hosted in Anchorage, Alaska)

Canisius vs Alaska-Anchorage

The Golden Griffins from Buffalo, NY finished last season with a 10-22-4 overall record.  The Seawolves finished the 11-12 campaign with a 9-25-2 record.  I’ll pick the home team here.  Seawolves Win

Air Force vs Alaska

Last year the Falcons from Air Force won the Atlantic Hockey regular season title with a 15-6-6 AH record and where 21-11-7 overall.  The Nanooks from Fairbanks, didn’t fare as well, going 8-16-4 in the CCHA and 12-20-4 overall.  Falcons Win

Then the teams switch in this tournament –

Canisius vs Alaska – I’ll take the Nanooks in this Saturday game.

Air Force vs Alaska-Anchorage – I’ll take the Falcons in this game.

BYE WEEK

Denver Pioneers

Related articles

• Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7) (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• Results of the Tech Hockey Guide WCHA Web Media Poll (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• Results of the 3rd Annual WCHA Blogger & Website Preseason Poll (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• NHL Fans Do Have Other Options (insidehockey.com)
• NHL Hockey fans you have options (ndgoon.blogspot.com)

INCH Power Rankings

As always I include the INCH Power Ranking because I find them thought provoking and well interesting. My first question is, why is BU ranked only 20th after schooling B.C. yesterday? There are five teams from the ECAC in the power rankings. Alright!

1. Merrimack
2. Minnesota
3. Boston College
4. Colorado College
5. Yale
6. Ferris State
7. Notre Dame
8. Michigan
9. Western Michigan
10. Minnesota Duluth
11. Denver
12. Union
13. Ohio State
14. Lake Superior State
15. Colgate
16. Michigan Tech
17. Providence
18. Cornell
19. Dartmouth
20. Boston University
Dropped out: Quinnipiac, Clarkson, Northern Michigan
Bubbelicious: Clarkson, UMass-Lowell, Nebraska-Omaha, New Hampshire, Quinnipiac

Related articles

• WCHA Power Rankings - November 13 (insidehockey.com)
• You: College Hockey Power Rankings: Minnesota Claims Top Spot (bleacherreport.com)
• Minnesota Duluth-Bemidji State Preview (insidehockey.com)
• Union cracks top 10 in national poll (timesunion.com)

INCH Power Rankings

As always I include the INCH Power Rankings because I find them interesting. I don't think you can rank a team like Yale in the top three when they haven't played a game yet. Also, I think Union is ranked a bit high.

1. Boston College
2. Colorado College
3. Yale
4. Michigan
5. Denver
6. Minnesota
7. Union
8. North Dakota
9. Miami
10. Merrimack
11. Notre Dame
12. Western Michigan
13. Boston University
14. Colgate
15. Dartmouth
16. Alaska Anchorage
17. RIT
18. Providence
19. Michigan Tech
20. Ferris State

Dropped out: Minnesota Duluth, New Hampshire, Maine, Alaska, Air Force
Bubble-licious: Alaska, Bowling Green, Lake Superior State, Quinnipiac

Some from Hockey East not embracing Fighting Irish Move.

I found this article in the Lowell Sun to be interesting and also a bit over the top, I guess not everyone is excited about having the Fighting Irish in Hockey East. I also agree with Mike Machnik because there will be more opportunities for non conference games with the formation of the Big Ten and NCHC conferences.

Chaz Scoggins; Lowell Sun --- If you're one of Hockey East's elite programs, like BC, Boston University, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, that shouldn't be much of a problem. Those schools have wanted to have the latitude to play more than seven non-league games for awhile now, and those are teams every other school in the country wants to play.

But if you're not one of the elite programs, if you're UMass Lowell, UMass Amherst, Providence, Merrimack, and Northeastern, trying to find 14 worthy non-league opponents is going to be a major headache.

Sure, those schools could schedule a flock of games against Atlantic Hockey teams like UConn, Bentley, Holy Cross, and Sacred Heart. But scheduling and beating those teams only hurts you if you're trying to earn an at-large berth for the NCAA Tournament.

The notorious pairwise rankings are a major factor in determining at least 12 of the 16 NCAA berths, and a big part of the pairwise formula is strength of schedule. It doesn't do the River Hawks much good if they win 25 games but nine or ten of those victories are against ACHA schools, while Vermont might have won only 21 games but had a handful of wins over perennial national powers like North Dakota, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Jason Gregoire: Snow Has Been “First-class” College draft picks weighing all of their options

Image via WikipediaChriss Botta an Islanders blogger has an interesting blog post about former Fighting Sioux Forward Jason Gregoire and former UNH defenseman Blake Kessel. It would appear that some hockey prospects aren't too keen on playing for the New York Islanders. My question to Jason Gregoire is why didn't you just stay and play another year for the Fighting Sioux hockey team?

Chris Botta; NYI Point Blank ---- For Jason Gregoire and Blake Kessel, it’s nothing personal with the Islanders. Four years after being drafted by the Islanders, three years into their college hockey careers, Gregoire and Kessel appear to be simply utilizing their Collective Bargaining Agreement rights to consider offers from the other 29 teams in the NHL. They hope you’d understand.

“The ideal for me would be to sign with the Islanders,” Gregoire told Point Blank in a phone conversation last night. “They are the team that drafted me and, from the beginning, I’ve had a great relationship with the team. I was at three prospect camps, got to know the area and the staff and come through the ranks with the guys. I have nothing but great things to say about the organization and I’m happy that no doors are being closed.”

It’s not difficult to read between the lines. Gregoire left North Dakota last week, Kessel withdrew from New Hampshire earlier this week. Unable to come to terms with the Islanders on Entry Level contracts to this point, Gregoire is taking advantage of a clause in the CBA that allows college players to become free agents four years after they were drafted. Kessel is said to be considering the same. Both Gregoire and Kessel played a year in the United States Hockey League before starting college.

Here is a link to a story that was also in the New York Times Slap Shot blog that was written by Chris Botta as well. [Slap Shot Blog]