Weekend Match-Ups (by Donn)

The race for the Penrose Cup is on.  We are down to the last two weekends of NCHC regular season play.  We know for sure Miami, CC, UMD, and DU are out of contention for the title.  The title could be decided this weekend in St. Cloud when the top two teams square off.
 

NCHC STANDINGS 2013-2014

Team………………………W-L-T-SW………Points

North Dakota……………..13-7-0-0…..…….….39
St. Cloud St……………….12-5-3-0…………...39
Nebraska-Omaha………..10-8-2-1…..………..33
Western Michigan………...9-9-2-1…….………31
Denver………………………8-9-3-2………….…29
Minnesota-Duluth………….8-10-2-2….….……28
Colorado College……….. ..6-9-5-1…….….…..24
Miami………………………..5-14-1-1….…….….17
 

NCHC Games

#20 Minnesota-Duluth @ Miami

Last weekend the Bulldogs were swept by NoDak (3-0, 6-2) in Duluth and the RedHawks split with the Huskies (4-3W, 3-0L) in Oxford.

The Bulldogs have taken some lumps the last two weekends, but they have come at the hands of the top two teams in the conference.  Miami showed a sign of life on Friday with a win, but they are still not the team everyone predicted at the beginning of this year.  The Bulldogs still have a good chance to get home ice the first round of the playoffs, so hope is not lost in Duluth.  In Oxford, hope was lost a few months ago, now they can only hope to drag down others with them.  SPLIT

 

#10 North Dakota @ #5 SCSU

Last weekend NoDak swept the Bulldogs (3-0, 6-2) in Duluth and the Huskies split with the RedHawks (4-3L, 3-0W) in Oxford.

If this was a boxing match, it would be the main event, a battle of the heavy-weights.  This series could determine the first ever NCHC regular season title.  If one team gets a sweep they will have clinched at least a share of the Penrose Cup.  A split and it comes down to the last weekend of the regular season.  Way back, the first and second of November these teams played a series in Grand Forks with SCSU sweeping 3-2 and 3-1.  The Huskies are 6-3-5 at home and NoDak is 7-4-2 on the road this season.  I see the title being up for grabs next weekend, with nothing decided in the National Hockey Center this weekend.  SPLIT

 

Colorado College @ Nebraska-Omaha

Last weekend the Tigers swept the Pioneers (3-2, 3-1) in a home and home series and the Mavericks split with the Broncos (5-1W, 5-3L) in Kalamazoo.

The Tigers are seven points behind the Mavericks in the standings and UNO is sitting in a home spot.  The Mavericks are 7-9-0 at home and the Tigers are 1-11-2 on the road this season.  This weekend is the chance the Mavericks need to lock up a home ice spot.  The Tigers are not very good on the road, and their record reflects it, and I don’t see them getting a win in Omaha.  MAVERICKS SWEEP

 

Denver @ Western Michigan

Last weekend the Pioneers were swept by the Tigers (3-2, 3-1) in a home and home series and the Broncos split with the Mavericks (5-1L, 5-3W) in Kalamazoo.

The Pioneers have had a snag, dropping four of their last five games.  The Broncos too have been skidding, having only one regulation win in their last four games.  Back in mid-November these teams played a series in Denver with the Pioneers sweeping 5-3 and 1-0.  The teams are only two points apart in the standings and the Broncos are sitting in the last home ice spot.  This could be a playoff rematch in a couple of weeks… With that last home spot on the line, this should be a good series to watch, I think each team will get a win, in the “Omelet Series”.  SPLIT

NCAA Hockey: National Scoring Race

Points Per Game: GP G- A- P P/GM
  1 Johnny Gaudreau (CGY)      Boston College    JR F       33   29-34-63    1.91
  2 Greg Carey                 St. Lawrence      SR F       32   15-36-51    1.59
  3 Kevin Hayes (CHI)          Boston College    SR F       33   22-29-51    1.55
  4 Ryan Dzingel (OTT)         Ohio State        JR F       28   17-21-38    1.36
  5 Austin Czarnik             Miami             JR F       29   11-28-39    1.34
  6 Brett Gensler              Bentley           SR F       32   17-26-43    1.34
  7 Bill Arnold (CGY)          Boston College    SR F       33   12-32-44    1.33
  8 Kevin Roy (ANA)            Northeastern      SO F       32   17-25-42    1.31
  9 Devin Shore (DAL)          Maine             SO F       30   13-26-39    1.30
10 Riley Barber (WSH)         Miami             SO F       30   18-20-38    1.27
    Josh Archibald (PIT)       Nebraska Omaha    JR F       30   26-12-38    1.27
    Ryan Haggerty              Rensselaer        JR F       30   24-14-38    1.27
13 Mark Naclerio              Brown             SO F       27   16-18-34    1.26
14 Chris McCarthy             Vermont           SR F       31   16-23-39    1.26
15 Matthew Zay                Mercyhurst        JR F       32   16-24-40    1.25
    Jesse Root                 Yale              SR F       24   12-18-30    1.25
17 Kevin Goumas               New Hampshire     SR F       33   13-27-40    1.21
18 Cole Gunner                Air Force         JR F       34   14-27-41    1.21
19 Matt Leitner               Minnesota State   JR F       30    9-27-36    1.20
20 Nick Lappin                Brown             SO F       26   12-19-31    1.19

UND Hockey: Breaking down the Numbers

Here’s something that sticks out for me. From November 15, 2013, UND has a 10-4-2 record. During the 16 games UND averaged 2.81 goals per game. Also, UND gave up 2.56 goals against per game. Breaking it down further, during the last 11 games, UND compiled a (9-1-1) record. During that time, UND scored an average of 2.90 goals per game and gave up 2.00 goals against per game.

Power penalty-kill struggles  

Here’s something that I would be concerned about. Going into the first series against the Mavericks, UND had killed 32-of-33 penalties. That was tops in the nation. Since that time, UND’s penalty-kill has struggled and ranks 52nd nationally going percent (65-for-86) at 75.6 percent. During those 17 games, UND has allowed two or more power-play goals in seven- of-17 games. During those 17 games, UND has a 11-4-2 record. (UNDSID)

Power-play not much better

UND’s power play has also struggled in recent weeks, having gone 3 for 28 (10.7%) over the last seven games. UND has been held without a power-play goal in four of its last five games. One exception, on January 24, 2014, against DU, UND went 2-for-4. (UND SID)

 UND………………………………………………………………UNO

2.79 (5th)..................................Goals For............................ 3.21 (2nd)

2.71 (3rd)............................. Goals Against.......................3.38 (t-7th)

+0.08 (6th).........................Scoring Margin..................... -0.17 (7th)

18.3% (5th)............................ Power Play..........................19.2% (4th)

81.5% (5th)............................Penalty Kill......................... 76.0% (8th)

14.5 (5th)...........................Penalty Minutes.....................15.0 (3rd)

Record during 17-game special teams skid

Nov. 10 at Nebraska Omaha* W, 3-2 (1-0-0)

Nov. 15 #20 Minnesota Duluth* (Midco SN) W, 4-2 (2-0-0)
Nov. 16 #20 Minnesota Duluth* (Midco SN) L, 6-3 (2-1-0)
Nov. 22 at Boston University (NBCSN) L, 3-1 (2-2-0)
Nov. 23 at Boston University (NESN) (ot) T, 3-3 (2-2-1)
Nov. 29 St. Lawrence # (Midco SN) L, 5-2 (2-3-0)
Nov. 30 St. Lawrence # (Midco SN) W, 3-2 (3-3-1)
Dec. 6 at Western Michigan* (CBSSN) W, 3-2 (4-3-1)
Dec. 7 at Western Michigan* W, 3-2 (5-3-1)
Dec. 13 Northern Michigan (Midco SN) W, 3-2 (6-3-1)
Dec. 14 Northern Michigan (Midco SN) W, 3-1 (7-3-1)
Jan. 10 Colorado College* (CBSSN) W, 5-3 (8-3-1)
Jan. 11 Colorado College* (Midco SN) W, 3-2 (9-3-1)
Jan. 17 at Bemidji State (LPTV) (ot) T, 1-1 (9-3-2)
Jan. 18 Bemidji State (Midco SN) W, 4-2 (10-3-2)
Jan. 24 at #16 Denver* (CBSSN) W, 4-2 (11-3-2)
Jan. 25 at #16 Denver* (Root Sports RM) L, 3-0 (11-4-2)

Related articles

• UND Hockey: Long Video Review Confirms Goal (thehockeywriters.com)
• North Dakota Slips Past St. Lawrence (insidehockey.com)

UND Moves up to 16th in USCHO Poll

USCHO POLL 2/3/2014

Record Points Last Poll
1. Minnesota (40) 19-2-5 989 1
2. Boston College (10) 19-4-3 959 2
3. Quinnipiac 19-4-5 897 3
4. Union 17-6-3 798 4
5. Ferris State 18-6-3 758 6
6. St. Cloud State 14-6-4 745 5
7. Lowell 18-7-2 738 8
8. Providence 15-7-5 621 7
9. Cornell 12-4-5 602 11
10. Michigan 13-6-3 546 12
11. Northeastern 15-8-3 528 10
12. Wisconsin 14-8-2 460 9
13. Yale 11-6-4 342 13
14. Clarkson 16-10-2 291 15
15. Denver 13-8-5 278 16
16. North Dakota 13-8-3 266 17
17. Minnesota-Duluth 12-9-3 166 NR
18. Notre Dame 15-11-1 147 14
19. Vermont 13-9-3 130 19
20. New Hampshire 16-13-1 120 NR
Others receiving votes: Maine 50, Colgate 23, Ohio State 18, Mercyhurst 11, Air Force 6, Nebraska-Omaha 4, Western Michigan 4, Minnesota-Mankato 3.

College Hockey: Super Bowl Links

Matt Semisch of USCHO Fame filled in for Husky beat writer Mick Hatten this past weekend when SCSU traveled to UNO. Here’s how Matt saw the series. Here’s his gamers: Men's hockey: Nebraska-Omaha 8, St. Cloud State 6 and Men's hockey: Gravel's go-ahead goal key for SCSU's victory over Nebraska-Omaha


 Since the turn of the New Year, SCSU is 3-4-1 in their last eight games. They’ve also split their last four games that they’ve played in.

UMD radio voice Bruce Ciskie explains his take on the Marshall hit on Austin Farley. Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Bulldogs Keep Strong Play Going With Nice Farley-Less Road Win

The race just heated up in the NCHC, now there are three teams tied for second place with 24 points. UMD is right behind in fifth place 23 points, so it looks like this race might go down to the wire. One could say that it's going to be a dog fight.

While this article is a couple of days old, Jason Gonzalez of the Star Tribune makes the case for video review of major penalties.

This past week I covered, NCAA Hockey: There needs to be a Review Process for Game Misconducts

Related articles

• NCHC Hockey: Breaking Down the Numbers Half Way Point (thehockeywriters.com)

UND Hockey: List of recruits from College Hockey INC

College Hockey INC has a nice section that lists where recruits that have committed  too and to what school they're committed to.

Related articles

• UND Hockey: Adam Tambellini Leaves UND for the WHL (thehockeywriters.com)
• College Hockey: Are There Too Many Outdoor Hockey Games? (hockeywilderness.com)
• NCAA Hockey: Time to Do Away With the Fly-By Bench Celebrations (thehockeywriters.com)
• UND Hockey: Troy Stecher Making an Impact at North Dakota (thehockeywriters.com)
• NCAA Hockey: Is it Time for Neutral Officials for Non-conference Match-ups? (thehockeywriters.com)

Daniel Gentzler Penalty, embellishment or not?

Colgate's Daniel Gentzler seems surprised that the Gopher defenseman Justin Holl fell down so easily. So, is this embellishment or not?

Great West Showcase Games are streamed this weekend

RT if you are Watching Great Northwest Showcase Featuring @UNDsports @puhockey @sfuhockey and @ubctbirds #FHLive pic.twitter.com/17qyjJ5TWm
— FASTHockey (@FASTHOCKEY) January 3, 2014

You can pick up the games on line by going to this link. (Fasthockey.com)

Weekend Match-Ups (by Donn)

Here we are the first weekend of play in 2014.  The first half of the season seems to have flown by.

NCHC STANDINGS 2013-2014

Team………………………W-L-T………Points

St. Cloud St……………….6-1-1…………...19
Nebraska-Omaha…………5-2-1…………..17
North Dakota………………5-5-0……….….15
Denver…………………..…4-3-1…………..14
Colorado College……….. 2-5-3…….….….10
Miami………………………3-5-0….…….….9
Minnesota-Duluth…………2-2-0……….….6
Western Michigan………..2-2-0…………...6 

Non-Conference Games

Brown (5-6-1) @ #17 Denver (10-6-2)

The Bears are 1-5-0 away from home, which is Providence, R.I., if you’re wondering. The Pioneers are 7-3-0 at home in Magness Arena this season.  I think the Pioneers will catch the Bears hibernating this weekend.  Pioneers Win.

Brown (5-6-1) @ Colorado College (2-12-3)

With the Pioneers waking the sleeping Bears, I say the Tigers will feel their rude awaking anger.  Bears Win.

#19 Nebraska-Omaha (8-7-1) @ New Hampshire (10-10-1)

The Mavericks are 3-2-1 on the road this season and the Wildcats are 3-4-1 at home at the Whittemore Center in Durham.  SPLIT

Exhibition Games

North Dakota vs British Columbia (Fri.) vs Simon Fraser (Sat.)

Last action for NoDak was the sweep of the NMU Wildcats in Grand Forks. It has been two years since NoDak has played in great country of Canada.

UND is riding a 5 game winning streak and, well, this won’t officially effect it, since these are exhibition games.  But here to starting the New Year off right, NoDak wins both games.

US U-18 TEAM @ Minnesota-Duluth

Since it is an exhibition game, it is hard to say who wins… I’m sure UMD will use the game to get everyone back on the ice and playing at game speed.  TIE.

US U-18 TEAM @ #4 St. Cloud St.

Same as above, except SCSU wins.

BYE

#12  Miami

Western Michigan

Lambert on the NCHC....

This is what Ryan Lambert of Puck Daddy fame had to say about the NCHC on CHN. It would be interesting to see how many college hockey games that he has actually watched this season?

NCHC

Colorado College: This would have to be one hell of a “second-half surge.”
Denver: Yeah, 5-3 sounds just about right for a Denver win at UMass. I very much buy that as a reasonable result.

Miami: Riley Barber as captain of the US World Junior team seems like a no-brainer. One of the few returners, and he's very, very good. Given the amount of ice time he's been eating up for the RedHawks this year, he might never come off the ice in Sweden.

Minnesota-Duluth: The reason Justin Crandall isn't a goalie, and instead is the best forward on UMD this season, is that after his brother Aaron and his dad Jeff both played that position, his mom said he couldn't.

Nebraska-Omaha: I guess that yes, it is fair to say Jake Guentzel and Josh Arbcibald have been "key contributors" for the Mavs this season, given that the latter is a point-a-game player and the former is third on the team in assists as a freshman.

North Dakota: Oh a kid from Grand Forks committed to UND? Seems like that was a slam dunk. They've only been recruiting him his whole life.

St. Cloud: The St. Cloud Times gives the Huskies an “A” for the first half, which they say is “grading on a curve.” No need for a curve, they're just one of the best teams in the country.

Western Michigan: Lawson Arena got a scoreboard upgrade over the summer because NCHC rules mandated it, but apparently any talk about a new arena any time soon is just wishful thinking. “Lawson looks very nice,” said WMU athletic director Kathy Beauregard, stretching things a little.

So, we are to  believe that the National Collegiate Hockey Conference was built on entitlement, I find that statement interesting. So, only the Big Ten Hockey Conference was allowed to forward their interests. All others had to stand fast. Actually, if anything, the re-alignment allowed a team (UAH) to find a conference and this will allow for future expansion. I am not convinced that we're done moving teams around, just yet.

This seems not to have stopped the NCHC from trying to make itself more impressive, which is apparently the kind of thing we should have come to expect from a league built on entitlement more than anything else. When the Big Ten was announced, all the “prestige” programs, or whatever you want to call them, that were being left behind in the CCHA and WCHA simply decided that they couldn't be bothered slumming it against these other, lesser programs which were beneath their status and probably contempt, and thus was born the “National” Collegiate Hockey Conference, which is a curious name considering that on a geographical basis it ignores all the parts of the nation not between Ohio and Colorado.

That there was a fan vote to name the finals of the conference tournament is all good and well, and settling on the Frozen Faceoff (perhaps by design not more than a little evocative of “Frozen Four”) earlier this month, which beat out the NCHC Championship, is a little icky but not in the end that big of a deal.

New York Times: Top Prospects Decide if Path to N.H.L. Runs Through College

I think this article is worth a look. Personally, I have been on record, in the past, of letting players that have played in the CHL, play in Division I college hockey. I don’t see why they can’t play college hockey. The money they get as a stipend is minuscule. There are others that feel this way as well. Of course this is not a popular stance to have.

Paul Brownfield, New York Times -- Berenson said Nieves, at 6-3, 200 pounds, was still learning to use his size and speed to cut to the net. Now in his 30th season behind the Michigan bench, Berenson, 74, preaches patience and life after hockey. Compared with major junior hockey, the college game is faster and more intense, he said.

“This is a team that essentially stays together all year,” Berenson added. “They’re like a pro hockey league. They’re trading players and demoting players. We go to school full time. This is a whole different lifestyle.”

Berenson is opposed to changing the rules so that players can experience the O.H.L. at 16 and then play college at 18. Michigan is a special place, he said, requiring a certain kind of commitment.

Berenson lamented the factors that rush Michigan players to the pros, including N.H.L. teams that sign draft picks as underclassmen to avoid losing them to free agency. (Teams have until Aug. 15 after class graduation to sign draftees who have played four years of college hockey.)

Of the seven scholarship hockey players in Nieves’s freshman class a year ago, only four are still enrolled at Michigan. Defenseman Jacob Trouba jumped to the N.H.L.’s Winnipeg Jets. Forward Daniel Milne was unhappy with his lack of playing time and joined the O.H.L.’s Owen Sound Attack, a team that plays two hours from his hometown.

“They thanked me for everything,” Berenson said of his discussion with Milne’s parents. “And they said, ‘I guess we’re too impatient; we’re just going to move on and play in the O.’ ”

Poll Monday

Mining Gazette: Scheduling still a struggle for Wildcats in new college hockey landscape

Here’s an interesting article that I found in the Mining Journal. Personally, I really enjoyed the Non-conference matchup between the two teams. Historically, there were some good matchups between the two teams, when they played in the same conference.

Matt Wellens, Mining Gazette, Les Wong was NMU's president at the time and having previously been employed as a vice president at Valley City State University in North Dakota, Wong was interested in the Wildcats playing the team then known as the Fighting Sioux, so Kyle set up the deal.

"We've always wanted to play the bulk of our nonconference against the old WCHA schools because our fans would like that," Kyle said. "I think it's great when we get a chance to do that.

"(UND) is a great opponent. They are always perennially good year in and year out. It's a great environment every year."

Kyle hopes this weekend's one-way trip to North Dakota will spark a scheduling relationship that eventually leads to UND playing a series in Marquette. The two schools haven't played each other anywhere since NMU originally left the WCHA after the 1996-97 season.

But Kyle wants to avoid two-for-one deals that would involve, for example, two series played in Grand Forks and one in Marquette over three seasons.

Obviously, the coaching staff has to do what’s best for the team, and make their schedule based on what they think is best for the team in the long run. With the NCHC having eight-teams, there’s an opportunity for them to play a lot of non-conference matchups.... But I would love to see UND play the Northern Michigan Wildcats in the future going forward. NMU plays a brand of hockey that’s fun to watch.

UND Hockey: The Weekend Ahead (12/13-12/14)

This weekend, the University of North Dakota entertains Northern Michigan University Wildcats in an important two-game non-conference series. Last weekend, UND swept their conference series with Western Michigan (3-2 W, 3-2 W) at Lawson Arena. This is the last series for the University of North Dakota, until after the New Year.

Matchup: North Dakota (7-7-2, 5-5-0 NCHC) versus Northern Michigan (6-8-2, 4-5-1 WCHA).
Date: December 13-14, 2013.

Time: 7:37 p.m. Central Friday / Saturday 7:07 p.m. Central

Radio: UND 96.1 (KQHT-FM)  The Fox

Webcast: undsports.com

TV:  Midco Sports Network

All-Time Series History

UND leads the all-time series 27-23-3 (.538). In Grand Forks, UND leads the series 19-8-1 (.696). In Marquette, Northern Michigan leads the series 14-6-2 6-14-2 (.682). At Neutral sites: UND leads the series 2-1-0 (.667). UND has never played Northern Michigan under head coach Dave Hakstol: First meetings. Last 10 games, UND leads the series 8-2-0 (.800).

Players to watch

North Dakota: Forwards: Rocco Grimaldi (6g-8a—14pts), Drake Caggiula (4g-6a—10pts), Luke Johnson (3g-6a—9pts), Michael Parks (3g-6a—9pts), Stephane Pattyn (3g-3a—6pts), Brendan O’Donnell (3g-2—5pts), Connor Gaarder (2g-3a—5pts). Defense:  Dillon Simpson (2g-7a—9pts), Jordan Schmaltz (2g-5a—7pts), Paul Ladue (2g-4a—6pts), Nick Mattson (1g-5a—6pts), Troy Stecher (1g-4a—5pts),  Goaltenders: Clarke Saunders 2-2-0, GAA 3.60 and .900 save percentage, Zane Gothberg 5-5-2, 2.61 GAA and .914 save percentage.

UND injuries: Colten St. Clair (questionable), Brendan O’Donnell (Out).

Northern Western Michigan: Forwards Stephan Vigier (10g-5a—15pts), Ryan Daugherty (2g-7a—9pts), Reed Seckel (5g-2a—7pts).  Defense:  CJ Ludwing  (5g-7a—12pts), Mitch Jones (0g-9a—9pts), Luke Eibler (1g-5a—7pts).  Goaltenders Mathias Dahlstrom 5-6-2, 2.13 GAA, .929 save percentage, Michael Doan 1-2-0, 3.86 GAA, .863% save percentage.

Second Half Team

Year Before Xmas After Xmas
2004-05 13-7-2 (.636) 12-8-3 (.587)
2005-06 12-7-1 (.625) 17-9-0 (.654)
2006-07 7-10-1 (.417) 17-4-4 (.760)
2007-08 8-6-1 (.567) 20-5-3 (.768)
2008-09 9-8-1 (.528) 15-7-3 (.660)
2009-10 9-6-3 (.583) 16-7-2 (.680)
2010-11 13-5-2 (.700) 19-4-1 (.813)
2011-12 9-8-1 (.528) 17-5-2 (.750)
2012-13 10-5-3 (.639) 12-7-4 (.609)
2013-14 7-7-2 (.500) —-
Totals 98-69-17 (.579) 144-56-22 (.698)

Traditionally, since Dave Hakstol has been the head coach, UND has been known for its second half surges. Here’s a breakdown of those numbers.

UND official Web Page

Northern Michigan University Web Page

Jake Parenteau broken leg X-Ray

This past weekend, Minnesota Golden Gophers defenseman Jake Parenteau broke his leg against Michigan State and this is the x-ray of his surgically repaired leg, after surgery. It would appear that he's going to have trouble going through an airport metal detector with that hardware in his leg. Goon's World hopes Jake has a speedy recovery.  According to Nate Wells of SBN College, Parenteau is out about eight-weeks.   Ouch!

Jake Parenteau (@jacobjames6) 12/9/13, 7:29 PM Surgery was a success! Time for the road to recovery! Thanks @Winslow_Jeff And my mother for everything today! 

Poll Monday - UND receives votes

USCHO Poll

Mike Chambers: Rules against fighting in NCAA hockey don't deter cheap shots

Nice article by Mike Chambers of the Denver Post. I agree with a lot of what is said here. I have been watching college hockey for a very long time, and some of the dirtiest acts of violence, I have seen,  have happened on the ice during college hockey games.

I don’t know how many times I have seen a play where I have said, "I guarantee that guy doesn’t do that in a league where there’s fighting." Do we want to see bench clearing brawls in college hockey? Nope! Not saying that at all.  

Mike Chambers, Denver Post – If that player came from the NCAA ranks, he's more likely to be a loose cannon, because college hockey has such stiff penalties for fighting, which draws a game misconduct and ensuing one-game suspension. The NCAA also mandates full facial protection with a mask. While that might seemingly make the NCAA game safer, Mitchell said what it does is encourage more cheap shots, because players don't fear retaliation.

"If you take fighting out of the game, you're going to have guys taking liberties on your top players, and trust me, that thought is in the back of their minds: 'Hey, if I'm going to go out there and do something stupid, I might have to answer the bell. Someone is going to be come looking for me,' " Mitchell said. "So if (fighting is) out of the game, they have no worries."

The semi-pro Canadian Hockey League (major junior) mimics the NHL regarding its rules, including fighting, and offers a choice of cages or visors. NCAA hockey is often dubbed "gladiators on ice," with players less fearful of opponents because of the severe fighting penalties and added facial protection. Cross checks to the face mask are delivered instead of punches to the face.

Since fighting is not part of the college game, the majority of concussions hockey players suffer are a result of contact to the head from a shoulder or elbow or having a head smashed against the boards or glass. Moreover, NCAA players often get away with landing glove punches, but just because it's not a bare fist connecting with a open face doesn't mean it isn't damaging to the head.

I had an ex-college hockey player once tell me. “I can go up and smart off to the biggest guy on the ice, because I know I don’t have to fight.”

NCAA National Scoring Race

NCHC Goaltending Stats