Final Five schedule

Last night, Midco had the schedule when UND plays their first game wrong. Here is the right schedule. UND has a 2-2 record against C.C. this season.

2013 Red Baron WCHA Final Five - Xcel Energy Center - Saint Paul, MN

Games for Thursday, March 21: Quarterfinal – No. 5 Minnesota State vs No. 4 Wisconsin, 2:07 pm CT; Quarterfinal – No. 6 Colorado College vs No. 3 North Dakota, 7:07 pm CT.

Games for Friday, March 22: Semifinal – Minnesota State/Wisconsin vs No. 1 St. Cloud State, 2:07 pm CT; Semifinal – Colorado College/North Dakota vs No. 2 Minnesota, 7:07 pm CT.

Games for Saturday, March 23: Broadmoor Trophy Championship Game, 7:07 pm CT

UND hockey: Time for crunching numbers is over, it’s crunch time

There has been a lot of discussion this week, about UND’s first round WCHA playoff match-up against the Michigan Tech Huskies.

On paper, the match-up really doesn’t look like much. This series looks like a series that UND “should” win in two games and should be resting on Sunday night while other teams are playing game three.

Of course, WCHA hockey is played on the ice, not on paper.

Since UND beat them 6-1 and 4-1, the Huskies have gone a respectable 8-8-1 (.531). On the other hand, UND has gone 9-5-4 (.611).

From what I have been reading this week,  you would think that UND is playing the Gophers or Saint Cloud State Huskies in the first round of the WCHA Playoffs.

To me, it almost sounds like sandbagging.

If UND wants to advance to the Final Five, they’re going to have to beat the Huskies and they’re going to need to get a lead early on Friday, so they don’t have to play catch up on Saturday and possibly on Sunday as well. The task at hand is simply, play hardnosed hockey and win.  

Stick to the game plan and the “Green and White” will win.

I decided to take a closer look at who the Tech Huskies have played since they last played UND back on December 14-15, 2012.

They obviously beat a very bad Michigan team  (15-18-3) they followed up that win by beating the offensively starved Western Michigan Broncos (19-9-8) to give the Tech Huskies the Great Lakes Invitational. Those were big wins.

The Huskies took 11 days off and followed up that impressive GLI tourney championship by being swept by the ninth placed UMD Bulldogs (14-17-5). The next weekend, the Huskies took three of four points from the 11th place Bemidji State Beavers (6-20-8). The Huskies record for the month of January is 1-2-1 (.250).

The Month of February saw the Huskies split with the Nebraska-Omaha Red Mavericks (18-16-2) and the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves (4-23-7). Also, there was a non-conference win against their cross state rivals the Northern Michigan Wildcats (15-19-4) before being swept by the Minnesota State Purple Mavericks (22-11-3).  The Huskies record during the month of February is 3-4-0 (.428).

The Month of March included a split with Saint Cloud State (21-14-1) and Colorado College (14-17-4). The Huskies record for the month of March is 2-2-0, (.500) so far.

No one is suggesting that the Michigan Tech Huskies are going to be an easy out. No one is saying that MTU can’t beat  UND, but this is a team that UND “should” beat. I also guarantee that UND is not overlooking the MTU Huskies either.

But let’s take a little closer look at the numbers. UND, during the second half run was 9-5-4 (.611). During that time frame, UND scored 57 goals averaging 3.16 goals per game, giving up 2.50 goals per game. UND to date has also played the third toughest schedule per the RPI rankings.

In the last ten conference games that UND played in they went 6-2-2 against Wisconsin, Nebraska-Omaha, Denver, Bemidji State and Minnesota State.

During the 8-8-1 stretch for MTU, the Huskies have scored 3.35 goals, while giving up only 2.41 goals against. MTU to date has played the 42^nd toughest schedule. Just for comparison sake, during their last 11 games the Huskies have a 5-6-1 record. The extra game was the non-conference win against Northern Michigan Wildcats. If you take out that win the Huskies have a 4-6-0 conference record their last 10 games.

One could say that the time for talking and statistics are over, some have said that this team has under achieved this season, based on the talent that they have on their roster. 

For UND, it starts tonight, with a clean slate, ready to defend their WCHA playoff title. Where this team goes from here is anyone’s guess. I would say that the sky is the limit.

Cross-posted at the Hockey Writers Combine.

College Hockey Stats Net career stats page (check it out)

Point Scoring:                                               GP     PPG    G- A- P

  1   Danny Kristo             North Dakota       SR F      151    1.02   63-91-154

  2   Rylan Schwartz           Colorado College   SR F      150    0.99   54-95-149

  3   Drew LeBlanc             St. Cloud State    SR F      165    0.87   41-102-143

  4   Corban Knight            North Dakota       SR F      155    0.92   50-92-142

  5   Erik Haula               Minnesota          JR F      110    1.08   42-77-119

      Jordan George            Bemidji State      SR F      146    0.82   57-62-119

  7   Mark Zengerle            Wisconsin          JR F      108    1.04   26-86-112

  8   Ben Hanowski             St. Cloud State    SR F      150    0.71   59-47-106

  9   Matt White               Nebraska Omaha     JR F      111    0.88   46-52-98

      Ryan Walters             Nebraska Omaha     JR F      112    0.88   42-56-98

 11   Nick Bjugstad            Minnesota          JR F      105    0.92   53-44-97

 12   Eriah Hayes              Minnesota State    SR F      148    0.64   51-43-94

 13   Zach Budish              Minnesota          JR F      125    0.73   34-57-91

 14   Nick Shore               Denver             JR F      111    0.80   33-56-89

 15   Mike Seidel              Minnesota Duluth   SR W      149    0.58   47-40-87

 16   William Rapuzzi          Colorado College   SR F      145    0.59   39-47-86

 17   Nick Jensen              St. Cloud State    JR D      113    0.73   15-68-83

      Michael Mersch           Wisconsin          JR F      114    0.73   44-39-83

 19   Kyle Rau                 Minnesota          SO F       76    1.04   32-47-79

 20   Nic Dowd                 St. Cloud State    JR F      111    0.70   29-49-78

The College Hockey Stats Net has a page for career statistics page; here is where our guys stand on the list.

UND moves up to 4th in USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll

Tom Serratore the heart and soul of the Beavers

Having attended college at both BSU and UND, I have a fondness for the Bemidji State Beavershockey program.

Over the years, I have not found a lot of fans that dislike the Bemidji State Beavers. Sure you have a few.

I was there in the stands when the Beavers won the Division II National Title in 1993 against the Mercy Hurst Lakers, so I still have a few fond memories of the John S. Glas Fieldhouse on the BSU campus as well.

I also have a great respect for the Beavers head coach Tom Serratore, 12th year, 201–184–49, I think he brings a lot of energy to the room and if you run into him at Galen Nagel golf tourney at the Bemidji Town and Country, or see him at the postgame press conference, he’s the same person. Tom’s usually fired up.

Coach Serratore is what I classify as a high energy guy that brings a lot of enthusiasm to life and to the game of hockey. The Beavers play on the ice resembles the man behind the bench, tenacious, fiery, hardworking and up-tempo.

I also think that he’s a very good hockey coach, his teams are hard to play against and they play a high pressure fore-check that is incorrectly mistaken for the neutral zone trap.

This high pressure fore-check, if played to perfection, can lead to turn overs going the other way. This was the case on Friday night, as the Beaver’s and Gophers treated the fans to a great game of up and down the ice action.

Saturday night, not so much, the Gophers pretty much had their way with the Beavers and the Gophers never really gave the fans much doubt.

If you want to see what kind of coach Serratore is, go back and re-watch the 2009 NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinal game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Beavers had the Irish on their heels by scoring early and they forced the Irish to change their game plan. The Beavers would win the game 5-1, shocking the college hockey world.

The next night, the Beavers put the college hockey world into a coma by beating the Cornell Big Red 4-1 to send them to the Frozen Four in Washington D.C. at the Verizon Center, where their magical season would end two weeks later to the eventual runner up Miami.

This season, it’s been a rough year for the Beavers, but there will be better years ahead for the BSU hockey team. I don’t think any hockey program is going to be immune from it. The Minnesota Gophers just suffered through three rough seasons.

I love to go to the postgame press conferences and listen to Tom Serratore speak, last night he seemed very emotional in talking about his senior class. This was the last class to play in the John Glas Fieldhouse and then play at the new Sanford Center. This was also the senior class that made the move from the now defunct CHA to the WCHA.

“They’ve accomplished a lot here,” Bemidji State head coach Tom Serratore said when discussing his senior class. “We have five years seniors, four year seniors and three year seniors. Some of them helped us go to a Frozen Four in 09. They were part of a team in 2010 that was a number two seed in the NCAA tournament. We received an at-large-bid and went to Fort Wayne, Indiana for the Midwest Regionals.  They were a big part of team that advanced to the WCHA Final Five as we transitioned into the WCHA that first year. Again, last year, we were basically a game from home ice in the WCHA, last year. You know what; they’ve done a lot of good things for this program. It’s tough to see those guys go. You can’t take away from their accomplishments.”

It’s no doubt that this class has had some big-time moments in BSU’s historic program and you can bet, it won’t be long before Bemidji is again standing in the lime light of another great run, thanks to its energetic head coach.

Cross-posted at the Hockey Writers Combine.

Related articles

• Gophers Get Past Beavers in Bemidji (insidehockey.com)
• Gophers Ruin Beavers' Senior Night (insidehockey.com)

Three Finalists Named for 2013 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award

 I suppose all you are shocked that all three finalists came from the University of Minnesota. This appears to be more political than the Hobey Baker Memorial Award voting.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Senior defenseman Megan Bozek (Buffalo Grove, Ill.), junior forward Amanda Kessel (Madison, Wis.) and senior goaltender Noora Räty (Espoo, Finland), all of the University of Minnesota, have been named the Top-3 Finalists for the 2013 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. It is the first time ever that the Top-3 Finalists all represent the same university.

The three players have helped the University of Minnesota women's ice hockey team to a perfect 36-0-0 record this season. The Gophers are in the midst of an NCAA-record 44-game winning streak, dating back to last season.

2013 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Finalists Megan Bozek • Univ. of Minnesota Senior • Defenseman • 36GP, 18-34--52 Amanda Kessel • Univ. of Minnesota Junior • Forward • 32GP, 43-51--94 Noora Räty • Univ. of Minnesota Senior • Goaltender • 33-0-0; 0.93; .956

The 2013 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award will be awarded at a brunch ceremony on Sat., March 23, at the McNamara Alumni Center in Minneapolis, in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Frozen Four. The award, which is in its 16th year, is given out annually by The USA Hockey Foundation to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey.

The selection process began in late February, when NCAA Division I women's ice hockey coaches were asked to nominate players for the award. Players who were nominated by two or more coaches were then placed on an official ballot, which was sent back to the coaches to vote for the Top-10 finalists.

The three finalists were then chosen by a 13-member selection committee comprised of NCAA Division I women's ice hockey coaches, representatives of print and broadcast media, an at-large member and a representative of USA Hockey, the national governing body for the sport of ice hockey in the United States. The independent accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, tabulated the ballots.

 

UND: The Weekend Ahead: (3/7-3/8)

This weekend, the University of North Dakota travels to Mankato, Minnesota to play the Minnesota State Mavericks in the final WCHA series “ever” between the two teams at the Verizon Wireless Center March 8-9, 2013. This is also, the last series of the regular season.

Matchup: North Dakota (18-9-7, 13-6-7 WCHA) #5 versus #10 Minnesota State Mavericks (21-10-3, 15-10-1 WCHA).

Dates: March 8-9, 2013

Times: March 8: 7:37 p.m. (CT); March 9: 7:07 p.m. (CT)

Radio: UND 96.1 (KQHT-FM) – The Fox.

Webcast: AmericaOneSports.com

TV: *None in North Dakota* (Locally only): Charter 226/826 HD (both nights) Comcast (Saturday only)
Series History: All-Time: UND leads the series, 37-10-7 (.750). UND leads the series 23-6-3 (.766), in Grand Forks, North Dakota. UND leads the series 14-4-4 (.727), in Mankato, Minnesota. North Dakota and Minnesota State have never played on a neutral ice. Series the last 10 games; UND Leads 9-1-0 (.900).

Players to Watch:

North Dakota: Forwards: Corbin Knight (14g-30a—44pts), Danny Kristo (20g-24a—44pts), Rocco Grimaldi (12g-17a—29pts), Mark MacMillan (12g-12a—24pts), Carter Rowney (8g-14a—22pts), Drake Caggiula (6g-8a—14pts). Defense: Dillon Simpson (3g-17a—20pts), Derek Forbort (4g-9a—13pts), Joe Gleason (5g-11a—16pts) Jordan Schmaltz (3g-9a—12pts) Andrew MacWilliam (1g-9a—10pts). Goaltenders: Clarke Saunders 12-6-4, 2.30 GAA, .915 save percentage, Zane Gothberg 6-3-3, 2.53 GAA, .914 save percentage.

Minnesota State Mavericks: Forwards Matt Leitner (15g-25a—40pts), Eriah Hayes (18g-13a—31pts), Jean-Paul Lafontaine (8g-20a—28pts), Zach Lehrke (8g-15—23pts), Defense: Zach Palmquist (5g-16a—21pts) Josh Nelson (5g-8a—13pts), Brett Stern (2g-6a—8pts). Goalies: Stephon Williams 18-8-2, 1.82 GAA, .930 save percentage, Phil Cook 3-2-1, 3.49 GAA, .879 save percentage.

UND Officials Web Page

Minnesota State Web Page

Cross-posted at the Hockey Writers Combine…

Related articles

• WCHA Power Rankings: Week 21 (thehockeywriters.com)

UND’s Kristo Red Baron WCHA Co-Offensive Players of the Week

MADISON, Wis. – University of North Dakota forward Danny Kristo and Colorado College forward Rylan Schwartz, a pair of assistant team captains who both produced impressive numbers in league competition last weekend, have been named Red Baron® WCHA Men’s co-Offensive Players of the Week for February 27.

Kristo, a 5-11, 185-pound senior right winger from Eden Prairie, Minn., had a goal and an assist for two points in each of North Dakota’s two games at Denver on February 22-23, led his team with nine shots on goal and earned a +2 plus/minus rating. In a one-goal 5-4 loss to DU last Friday, Kristo factored in on goals that twice brought his team to within one with an assist in the second period and a shorthanded goal in the third. Then last Saturday he was named the No. 1 Star of the Game after scoring another goal and assist to help propel UND to a 6-1 victory over the host Pioneers, extending his point streak to seven games.

With 43 points (20g, 23a) on the season, Kristo has also surpassed the 150 career point plateau with his 152 leading all active NCAA Div. 1 men’s players. He is a NHL draftee of Montreal.

Schwartz, a 5-10, 196-pound senior from Wilcox, Sask., led the Tigers with a five-point series against league-leading St. Cloud State last weekend. He had a goal and two assists last Friday, including one on the game-winner, and was the No. 2 Star of the Game as Colorado College defeated the Huskies 4-3. He then scored two more goals last Saturday and was the No. 3 Star of the Game in the Tigers’ 5-2 setback. In addition to his five points, Schwartz also had four shots on goal in the series and was a +4 on the plus/minus.

Over his 146-game collegiate career, Schwartz has averaged a point per game with 53 goals, 93 assists and 146 points. He is fifth in scoring overall among WCHA players this season with 40 points (14g, 26a).

Also nominated: Sam Warning, F, UM; Jonny Brodzinski, F, SCSU; Tyler Barnes, F, UW.

The Weekend Ahead: (3/1-3/2)

This weekend, the University of North Dakota entertains the Bemidji State Beavers in an important two game WCHA series at Ralph Engelstad Arena March 1-2, 2013. This is the last home game of the regular season.

Matchup: North Dakota (17-9-6, 12-6-6 WCHA) #6 versus unranked Bemidji State Beavers (6-17-7, 5-13-6 WCHA).

Dates: March 1-2, 2013

Times: March1: 7:37 p.m. (CT); March 2: 7:07 p.m. (CT)

Radio:  UND 96.1 (KQHT-FM) – The Fox.

Webcast: UNDSports.com

TV: Midco Sports Network, FOX College Sports Central. DirecTV (Channels TBD)

SERIES HISTORY: All-Time, UND leads the series 24-2-1 (.907). Against the Beavers in Grand Forks, UND leads the series 16-1-1 (.917). Against the Beavers in Bemidji, UND leads the series 8-1-0 (.889). Last 10 games against the Beavers, UND leads 9-1-0.  

Players to Watch:

North Dakota: Forwards: Corbin Knight (14g-29a—43pts), Danny Kristo (20g-23a—43pts), Rocco Grimaldi (12g-15a—27pts), Mark MacMillan (10g-11a—21pts), Carter Rowney (8g-13a—21pts), Drake Caggiula (6g-8a—14pts).  Defense:  Dillon Simpson (3g-17a—20pts), Derek Forbort (4g-9a—13pts), Joe Gleason (4g-10a—14pts) Jordan Schmaltz (2g-8a—10pts) Andrew MacWilliam (1g-7a—8pts). Goaltenders: Clarke Saunders 11-6-4, 2.31 GAA, .916 save percentage, Zane Gothberg 6-3-2, 2.60 GAA, .916 save percentage.

Bemidji State Beavers: Brance Orban (8g-12a—20pts), Jordan George (8g-9a—17pts), Aaron McLeod (11g-5a—16pts), Danny Mattson (3g-13—16pts), Defense: Matt Prapavessis (0g-9a—9pts) Brady Wacker (3g-5a—8pts), Sam Windle (2g-4a—6pts). Goalies: Adam Walsh 5-10-5, 2.60 GAA, .917 save percentage, Mathieu Dugas 1-7-2, 3.04 GAA, .902 save percentage.

UND Officials Web Page

Bemidji State Beavers Official Web Page

Cross-posted at the Hockey Writers Combine.

EDIT... WCHA Power Rankings: Week 20

Here is the week 20 WCHA Power Rankings. This season, I have been doing the WCHA Power Rankings with Taylor Seibel, who is a contributor for The Hockey Writers Combine.

 1.  Saint Cloud State – (19-12-1, WCHA 16-7-1) – This past weekend, the Huskies split (3-4 L – 5-2 W) their weekend series with the Colorado College Tigers in Colorado Springs. This weekend, the Huskies entertain the Michigan Tech Huskies. The Huskies have split the last two series they have played in. Pairwise Ranking 10.

 2. Minnesota – (21-6-5, WCHA 13-6-5) – This past weekend, the Minnesota Gophers took (5-3 W – 2-2 T) three points in their weekend series with the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, who have won “one” game, in their last ten games (1-7-2). This weekend, the Gophers play the Denver Pioneers at Mariucci Arena. Fun fact, the Gophers have swept one “conference” series this season, Alaska Anchorage 01/11-01/12. The Gophers went an impressive 8-0-0 in their non-conference play. Pairwise Ranking 2.

 3. University of North Dakota – (17-9-6, WCHA 12-6-6) – This past weekend, UND split (4-5 L – 6-1 L) their weekend series with the Denver Pioneers, at Magness Arena. This weekend, UND entertains the Bemidji State Beavers at the Ralph Engelstad Arena. Pairwise Ranking 6.

4. Minnesota State Mankato – (20-9-3, WCHA 14-9-1) – This past weekend, the Mavericks were off. This weekend, the Purple Mavericks travel to Colorado Springs to play the Tigers. Pairwise Ranking 7.
5.  Nebraska Omaha – (18-12-2, WCHA 14-8-2) – This past weekend, the Mavericks lost their exhibition game against the U-18 team 2-3. This weekend, the Red Mavericks entertain the Wisconsin Badgers. Friday’s game between the Mavericks and the Badgers will be on NBCSN. Pairwise Ranking 20t.

6. Denver University – (16-10-5, WCHA 11-8-5) – This past weekend, the Denver Pioneers split (5-4 W – 1-6 L) their weekend series with the University of North Dakota at Magness Arena. This weekend, the Pioneers travel to Minnesota to play the Gophers at Mariucci Arena. The Pioneers in essence, are competing with the Badgers for the last home playoff spot.  Pairwise Ranking 13t.

7.  Wisconsin – (14-11-7, WCHA 10-7-7) – The Wisconsin Badgers  split (5-0 w – 2-3 L O.T.) their non-conference series with future conference foe Penn State at the Kohl Center during a Sunday, Monday series. After starting the season 1-7-3, the Badgers have gone an amazing 13-4-4. This weekend, the Badgers travel to Nebraska-Omaha to play the Mavericks in an important two game series. The Badgers in essence, are competing with the Pioneers for the last home playoff spot.  Friday’s game between the Mavericks and the Badgers will be on NBCSN. Pairwise Ranking 28.

8.  Colorado College – (12-15-5, WCHA 9-11-4) – This past weekend, the Colorado College Tigers split (4-3 W – 2-5 L) their weekend series with the Saint Cloud State Huskies at the World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This weekend, the Tigers entertain the Minnesota State Mavericks. Pairwise Ranking 30.

9. Minnesota Duluth – (10-17-4, WCHA 8-13-5) – This past weekend, the Bulldogs took a single point (2-4 L – 1-1 T) in their weekend series with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Bulldogs have had a tough go recently, taking only a single point in each of their last two series and have one win in their last 10 games 1-7-2. This weekend that should change, as the Bulldogs entertain the Alabama Huntsville Chargers (1-18-1) at Amsoil Arena.

10. Michigan Tech – (10-16-4, WCHA 6-14-4) – This past week, the Huskies were off. The Michigan Tech Huskies travel to Saint Cloud Minnesota to play the Saint Cloud State Huskies at the National Hockey Center in the battle of the Dogs.

11. Bemidji State – (6-17-7, WCHA 5-13-6) – This past weekend, the Beavers were off. Thiks weekend, the Beavers travel down Highway 2 to play the University of North Dakota in a two game series at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

12. Alaska Anchorage – (4-19-7, WCHA 2-18-6) – This past weekend, the Seawolves were off. This weekend, the Seawolves play their cross state rivals the Nanooks in the Governor’s Cup. The Seawolves travel to Fairbanks on Friday and then entertain the Nanooks on Saturday night. The Seawolves have won one game since December 1, 2012, going 1-14-3.

Taylor Seibel’s WCHA Power Rankings

1.  St. Cloud State – (19-12-1, 16-7-1 WCHA) – The Huskies managed only a split against the Tigers this weekend, but still have a strong hold to the top spot in the WCHA thanks in part to slip-ups from Minnesota and North Dakota.  St. Cloud State has an excellent chance at gaining four points next weekend as the SCSU Huskies host the Michigan Tech Huskies, a team that SCSU has not lost to at home in over a decade.

2. Minnesota – (21-6-5, 13-6-5 WCHA) – The Gophers managed three points on the weekend against Minnesota Duluth, and struggled at times against the visiting Bulldogs.  While Minnesota still has a chance at winning the MacNaughton, the point they dropped on Saturday could prove decisive.  It also gave North Dakota a little bit of room to sneak the #2 spot away from the Gophers.  Next weekend, Denver travels up to Mariucci for WCHA play.

3. North Dakota – (17-9-6, 12-6-6 WCHA) – North Dakota struggled mightily against Denver’s powerplay on Friday, but found a way to largely control Denver’s man advantage on Saturday.  The result was a weekend split between these two rivals.  North Dakota says three points back of St. Cloud and one point back of Minnesota in the race for the MacNaughton.  North Dakota hosts Bemidji State next weekend, and four points will be crucial for UND’s hopes of winning the Cup.

4. Nebraska Omaha – (18-12-2, 14-8-2 WCHA) – The Mavericks were essentially off this past weekend, or at least some of the players thought so, as Omaha was defeated by the USA Under-18 squad.  To be fair, that same Under-18 squad has registered draws against Minnesota and Notre Dame on the season.  While the Mavericks are in good position for home ice, a strong showing next weekend at home against Wisconsin could cement their spot in the top half.

5. Minnesota State – (20-9-3, 14-9-1 WCHA) – The Mavericks of Mankato were also off this weekend.  In a similar position to Omaha, Mankato has a chance to solidify their spot as a top half team next weekend if they can take four points from Colorado College down in Colorado Springs.  Anything less, and it will be a shakier proposition as North Dakota comes down to Mankato to close out the regular season.

6. Denver – (16-10-5, 11-8-5 WCHA) – Denver played quite well in their victory over North Dakota on Friday, but failed to respond effectively on Saturday, and the Pioneers were trounced by the Visiting squad from Grand Forks.  The split drew the Pioneers even with Wisconsin heading into the final two weekends of the season.  Given that Denver loses the tiebreaker with Wisconsin, it makes any points that they can gather next weekend at Minnesota that much more important to their chances for home ice.

7. Wisconsin – (14-10-7, 10-7-7 WCHA) – The Badgers defeated Penn State last night in the first game of an odd Sunday-Monday series.  The victory shot Wisconsin up to an NCAA bubble squad.  The Badgers are also on the bubble when it comes to gaining home ice in the WCHA Tournament.  Currently, Wisconsin is tied with Denver for the 6^th and final spot.  Next weekend, the Badgers travel to Omaha to take on the Mavericks in a key series for both squads.

8. Colorado College – (12-15-5, 9-11-4 WCHA) – The Tigers surprised many in the WCHA with their victory over St. Cloud on Friday, but were unable to complete the sweep, losing on Saturday.  Barring surprising results elsewhere in the conference, it is likely that CC will remain in the #8 slot in the conference.  Any chance at home ice would start next weekend, when Minnesota State comes into town.

9. Minnesota Duluth – (10-17-5, 8-13-5 WCHA) – Minnesota Duluth was able to steal a point from Minnesota this weekend, but it was not enough to prevent the Bulldogs from being eliminated from home ice contention.  With only two WCHA games remaining, the Bulldogs will definitely be a team nobody in the top half will want to square off against in the first round of the WCHA Tournament.  Next weekend, the Bulldogs host Alabama Huntsville.

10. Bemidji State – (6-17-7, 5-13-6 WCHA) – The Beavers were off last weekend, but perhaps no team can play as much of a spoiler role over the next two weekends as Bemidji State.  Next weekend, Bemidji travels to North Dakota.  The following weekend, the Beavers host Minnesota.  Both UND and Minnesota will be looking for sweeps, while Bemidji State will look to dash both teams’ dreams of the MacNaughton Cup.

11. Michigan Tech – (10-16-4, 6-14-4 WCHA) – The Huskies of Michigan Tech were off this weekend.  Hopefully they used the time to come up with a strategy to knock off St. Cloud State in St. Cloud, who they play next weekend. The season has been a disappointment for most Tech fans who were hoping to challenge for home ice, but a strong end to the season, coupled with the program’s first GLI Championship in three decades, would be a good consolation prize.

12. Alaska Anchorage – (4-19-7, 2-18-6 WCHA) – The Seawolves were off this past weekend.  While UAA has been assured the cellar, and a First Round matchup against the MacNaughton Cup Champions, the Seawolves are still playing for pride.  Next weekend, the Seawolves square off against in-state (and future WCHA) rival Alaska before concluding the WCHA and regular season at Denver.

Cross Posted at the Hockey Writers Combine.

Related articles

• WCHA Power Rankings: Week 20 (thehockeywriters.com)

Weekend Match-Ups (by Donn)

Western Collegiate Hockey Association logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We have now arrived at the last games of February, which means that the regular season is nearing the end.  It also signals the start of March and the march into the playoff stretch.  The only spot we know for certain is 12^th place, the Seawolves are officially locked into the basement and will play at the league winners rink in three weeks.

WCHA STANDINGS 2012-2013

Team………………………W-L-T………Points

1. St. Cloud St……………15-6-1…….….31
2. Nebraska-Omaha….....14-8-2…....…..30
3. Minnesota State……….14-9-1.…...….29
4. Minnesota……………...12-6-4……..…28
5. North Dakota.………….11-5-6………..28
6. Wisconsin…....………..10-7-7………...27
7. Denver…………..……..10-7-5..….......25
8. Colorado College ……..8-10-4..…..….20
9. Minnesota-Duluth….…..8-12-4……….20
10. Michigan Tech………..6-14-4…..……16
11. Bemidji State……..…..5-13-6......……16
12. Alaska-Anchorage…....2-18-6.....……10

WCHA Games

#7 St. Could St.  @ Colorado College

Last weekend the Huskies and the Tigers were taking breaks from hockey.

The Huskies still control their destiny for the McNaughton Cup, keep winning and win the cup.  The Tigers odds of getting home ice are not good, needing to make up five points in six games, and then they need help, lots of help.  CC hosts MSUM next week before ending the season at MTU.  The Huskies on the other hand have MTU next week and go to UW to end the season.  The Huskies have only one loss in their last eight games, and that was to the UM.  The Tigers are undefeated in their last five games going 2-0-3 over that span.  When a team is desperate like CC, the Huskies better be ready for the kitchen sink to be thrown at them this weekend.  SPLIT

#6 North Dakota @ #10 Denver

Last weekend NoDak was on a bye and Pioneers were also on a bye.

These teams met earlier this year in Grand Forks with UND taking three points in a Friday night 2-2 tie and a win on Saturday 6-3.  NoDak is on a three game winning streak and a five game unbeaten streak, DU is 2-2-1 in their last five contests.  The games in December were not as heated as some of the past season.  And this weekend with valuable WCHA points at stake, I don’t think anyone wants to take any unnecessary penalties.  The Pioneers have played well in Denver this season owning a 10-4-3 record at Magness Arena, NoDak is a respectable 7-5-1 away from The Ralph this year.  I think this series comes down to goal tending and who makes a few timely saves or even steals a game.  SPLIT

Minnesota-Duluth @ #2 Minnesota

Last weekend the Bulldogs got a point from the Beavers (4-2, 1-1ot) in Bemidji and the Gophers split with the Badgers (3-2W, 2-3L) in Madison/Chicago.

The Bulldogs are all but guaranteed a road trip in the first round of the WCHA playoffs.  They would need to run their remaining schedule and get a ton of help.  UMD has not won a game since defeating CC on Jan-18, that’s more than a month.  If a Bulldog had a tail it would firmly tucked between in legs now.  However, UMD can look ahead to next weekend when they host the Chargers from Huntsville, who only have three wins on the season.  The Gophers will be just too much for the Bulldogs to handle, too much speed, and too much talent.  Plus the Gophers are looking to grab the last McNaughton Cup, and need to gain ground on the teams ahead of them.  GOPHERS SWEEP

NON-Conference

Penn State @ #18 Wisconsin (Sun/Mon)

Last weekend the Badgers split with the Gophers (2-3L, 3-2W) in Madison/Chicago and the Nittany Lions swept Oklahoma (4-1, 3-0) in exhibition play.

PSU has a couple of quality wins this year, over Michigan St., Ohio St., and Air Force.  This is the last series for the Lions this year and are current owners of a 12-13-0 record.  The Badgers are playing well and be the best team PSU has seen this season.  I don’t think PSU will get many scoring opportunities against the stingy Badgers defense.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see a couple of shut outs in Madison this weekend.  BADGERS SWEEP

Exhibition

US U-18 @ #14 Nebraska-Omaha (Fri)

Last weekend the Mavericks swept the Seawolves (3-0, 6-5ot) in Anchorage.

This is Omaha’s last “break” before the end of the season and playoff run starts.  Since this game doesn’t exist in the record books, I look to see Omaha play a few goalies in this game and see who might be the go to guy.  UNO WINS

BYE WEEK

Alaska-Anchorage  
Bemidji St.
Michigan Tech
#9 Minnesota State

Related articles

• Information about the WCHA Final Five Tournament (vividseats.com)

This weekend’s NCAA Division one television schedule (2/22 – 2/24)

Here is this weekend’s National College Hockey television schedule. There is a full slate of college hockey on television again this weekend. Check your television guide for times in your local area. As with any schedules, channels will change and have in the past.

This weekend, there will also be four college hockey games that will be available in Canada, so, for college hockey fans north of the border, you should check your local television guides as well.

For UND hockey fans, this weekend, both games from Denver will be on television. Friday night’s game will be a national broadcast on NBC Sports Network. Saturday night’s game will be on Root Sports, so if your cable company gets Root Sports or if you have the Sports Pack and you have Dish or DirecTV, you will be able to watch Saturday night’s game as well.

Fri.	Feb. 22		New Hampshire at Vermont	NESN	6:00 p.m.	628 / 434
Fri.	Feb. 22		Yale at Quinnipiac	NBC Sports Net.	6:30 p.m.	603 / 159
Fri.	Feb. 22		Notre Dame at Western Michigan	CBS Sports Net.	6:00 p.m.	613 / 158 (C)
Fri.	Feb. 22		Minnesota Duluth at Minnesota	FS North +	7:00 p.m.	657/ 444
Fri.	Feb. 22		North Dakota at Denver	NBC Sports Net.	9:00 p.m.	220/ 159
Sat.	Feb. 23		New Hampshire at Vermont	CBS Sports Net.	6:00 p.m.	613 / 158 (C)
Sat.	Feb. 23		Minnesota Duluth at Minnesota	BTN	7:00 p.m.	610 / 439 (C)
Sat.	Feb. 23		North Dakota at Denver	ROOT Sports	8:00 p.m.	683 / 414
Sun.	Feb. 24		Boston College at Merrimack	CBS Sports Net.	3:00 p.m.	613 / 158 (C)

*NESN = New England Sports Network, FCS = Fox College Sports, FSN+ = Fox Sports North-Plus, NBCSN = NBC Sports Network, DirecTV requires the “Sports Pack” to view the Regional sports Networks, (C) Denotes games available in Canada. All times are Central Standard Time.

Cross posted at the Hockey Writers Combine.

USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll

February 18, 2013

	Team	(First Place Votes)	Record	Points	Last Poll
1	Quinnipiac	(34)	22- 4-4	974	1
2	Minnesota	(15)	20- 6-4	958	2
3	Miami		19- 8-5	889	3
4	Boston College	( 1)	17- 8-3	826	4
5	New Hampshire		16- 8-4	757	5
6	North Dakota		16- 8-6	740	7
7	St. Cloud State		18-11-1	684	8
8	Western Michigan		18- 8-6	657	6
9	Minnesota State		20- 9-3	651	9
10	Denver		15- 9-5	510	11
11	Notre Dame		19-12-1	491	12
12	Massachusetts-Lowell		16- 9-2	410	14
13	Yale		13- 9-3	352	10
14	Nebraska-Omaha		18-12-2	333	16
15	Boston University		14-12-2	299	13
16	Niagara		19- 6-5	243	15
17	Merrimack		14-10-6	230	19
18	Wisconsin		13-10-7	175	18
19	Dartmouth		12- 9-4	130	17
20	Union		15-10-5	97	NR
Others receiving votes: Rensselaer 34, St. Lawrence 20, Providence 19, Ferris State 9, Ohio State 7, Alaska 4, Colgate 1.