College Rinks

I found this little article at the Wall Street Journal - Sioux 7


Why College Hockey Arenas Are the Cathedrals of Sports
From Yale's 'Whale' to North Dakota's Palace, Quirkiness Reigns.

Most sports arenas being built these days are big on luxury boxes, videoboards and "retro" architecture. The conventions of the medium have become so entrenched that if you're not looking at the team names on the scoreboard, it may be difficult to know what city you're in.

Unless, of course, you walk into a college hockey arena.

For a number of reasons, this niche sport, which is concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest, has become a showplace for unusual stadium architecture—and on many campuses, the best fan experience going.

As the sport grows in size and stature, schools like Michigan, Northeastern and Yale have maintained the character of their grand old buildings while another crop of schools like Notre Dame, Boston University and Minnesota-Duluth have built, or are planning to build, distinctive new venues.

So here's a question: What are these arenas like? And what are their coolest attributes? With award season upon us, The Wall Street Journal has joined the party with a new prize: the Golden Zamboni. Based on visits to 10 unique hockey campuses, here are the winners and (losers) in 10 categories.

BEST HISTORY: Northeastern
Northeastern might never overtake its local rivals, Boston College and Boston University, in winning games: It's been 23 years since the Huskies last won the Beanpot, Boston's annual college-hockey tournament. But when it comes to Northeastern's Matthews Arena, no other building comes close. Opened in 1910, Matthews (known as Boston Arena until 1982) claims to be the world's oldest existing ice hockey arena—and is the original home of both the Boston Bruins and Celtics. It's even two years older than Fenway Park, the beloved home of the Red Sox.

Don't be fooled when you see it: the brick building's age is concealed by a recent renovation that brought a new scoreboard, upgraded seats and a refurbished lobby.

BEST ICE: New Hampshire
A major difference between college and NHL arenas is that the ice-surface dimensions of college rinks can vary. NHL rules specify that rinks must measure 200 feet by 85 feet wide.

The bigger the surface, the more wide-open the game. New Hampshire's Whittemore Center uses the dimensions for international play (200-by-100). One further distinction about the Whittemore ice: Students toss a dead fish onto it after UNH's first goal. "Because the goalie has to fish the puck out of the net," explains a spokesman.

LEAST LIVELY: Princeton
In fairness, we caught Princeton on a tough night—a Tuesday game against overmatched Sacred Heart while the student body was on break.

Still, Princeton's ancient Hobey Baker Rink (opened in 1923) is well known for both looking and sounding like a library. The building itself is a jewel: a tiny, roughly 2,000-seat rink with exposed brick throughout that's named for the legendary early-1900s Princeton football and hockey star. It's also in a good spot across from the recently built Whitman residential college and next to a train station. But the fans lack passion. In the Sacred Heart game, the visiting goalie got yanked midway through the first period yet heard nothing from the crowd.

BEST DESIGN: Yale
Not everyone appreciates the "Yale Whale," Yale's distinctive Ingalls Rink. According to an old newspaper clipping on display at the arena, Harry S. Truman called it a "nightmare" during a visit to campus.

In a sports world filled with cookie-cutter arena designs, though, the Whale is a welcome break. Designed by famed architect Eero Saarinen, the arena has a soaring, humpback-shaped roof, and every seat in the 3,500-capacity rink has an unobstructed view.

The best place to watch the game, though, is the standing-room ramp that encircles the rink—which fills up before the seats. Stuart Comen, a chef at Yale who has been attending games for over 20 years, has two season-ticket seats, but he doesn't use them. "After standing nine hours in the kitchen, I stand three hours here," he said.


MOST INTIMIDATING: Wisconsin
Wisconsin's Kohl Center, which doubles as a basketball arena, may feel a bit soulless. Built in 1998, it lacks the historical character and hockey-shrine feel of some of the sport's other venues. But Badgers fans, the most committed of whom are known as "Crease Creatures," are perhaps the scariest bunch of fans for visiting teams—especially since more than 15,000 of them can fit in the building. (Wisconsin boasts the best attendance in college hockey.)

North Dakota fan Rick LaFleur admitted recently that when it comes to the intimidation factor, North Dakota's home ice is "vanilla" in comparison to the supercharged atmosphere at Badgers' games, which he described as "double chocolate mocha."


BEST CROWD: Michigan
Michigan's intimate 6,600-seat Yost Ice Arena isn't flashy—it's chilly with narrow corridors, wood paneling that's reminiscent of a ski lodge and a skate rental window that makes it feel like a community rink. Students fill nearly half the arena for every game and their enthusiasm, coordination and ruthlessness makes it our pick for the best hockey student section in the country. Never mind that they stole most of their cheers from Cornell, says a team spokesman: the myriad expletives that Wolverine fans have added over the years "are vintage Michigan."


MOST OPULENT: North Dakota
At Ralph Engelstad Arena, the air is sweet with the smell of roasting Bavarian almonds. The floors are marble, chandeliers dangle from the ceilings, mirrors are framed in gold and fireworks go off whenever the Sioux score. Every seat—even in the student section—is extra wide with armrests and cushioning. It's the luxurious experience you'd expect from the late Mr. Engelstad, a former UND player who owned casinos and clearly had a taste for the finer things. Suiteholders have tricked out their boxes with leather couches, pinball machines and vintage jukeboxes. The coaches' locker room has a sauna. Since the arena opened in 2001 there have been a dozen wedding receptions a year held in the lobby.


BEST LOCAL FLAVOR: Minnesota-Duluth
Duluth's new Amsoil Arena, which opened this winter, doesn't have the same harbor views of Lake Superior, but it oozes local flavor. Bar tops in the fireplace-warmed "Bulldog Lounge" are made from local taconite rock, flecked with red iron ore; walls are inlaid with Minnesota stone and the decorative panels are made of wood salvaged from old grain elevators. On the walls are quotations from Duluth's two biggest local celebrities: frozen-pizza impresario Jeno Paulucci and Bob Dylan.


MOST SOBER: Minnesota
The cavernous Mariucci Arena, built in 1993, has become the stuff of legend. It features international-sized ice and 10,000 seats that slope steeply upward for optimum views. But ever since the University's decision to ban alcohol sales in premium sections, suites have been a tough sell, says arena manager Craig Flor. Minnesota President Bob Bruininks said this fall he might start talks to get liquor back for the VIPs.


BEST ATMOSPHERE: Maine
Games at Maine's Alfond Arena feel like the hockey version of Friday Night Lights. The crowd is a mix of diehard locals and feverish students (one of whom hangs a referee doll in effigy when the officials skate onto the ice. At one end of the 5,445-seat arena, a section of fans sits in an ear-splitting site directly below the band. "There's nothing like Maine hockey," said Melissa Cross, who's been attending games since she was 8. "What else are you going to do when it's 20 below?"

Corrections & Amplifications: It's been 23 years since the Huskies last won the Beanpot, Boston's annual college-hockey tournament. An earlier version of this article misstated the name as the Terriers.

What does it take to be a ref? (by Sioux 7)

I think I'm going to write the wcha and/or und tomorrow and ask how I become a ref, since the ncaa is NOT in charge of reffing.

This is from the ncaa.com website:

http://www.ncaa.org/wps/portal/ncaahome?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/ncaa/ncaa/sports+and+championship/ice+hockey/womens/playing+rules/officiating

Officials are selected, trained and assigned by conferences, institutions or local assigning authorities. The NCAA selects officials for championships only and does not certify officials. For more information, contact a conference office or institution in your area for the name of a local assigner.

I bet if I red more of the rule book tomorrow, I would be better educated than all the refs in the WCHA.

I'm not a lawyer but I have dealt with laws and legislation before. There is the "what the law reads" and how the "law is interpreted" and what the "spirit of the law" is. So, depending on how you decipher that quote from the ncaa, it can be red a couple of different ways.

I know it sounds like I'm complaining, and I am. But why did the league take the names off the refs and linesmens jersey's? Did they all enlist in the witness protection program. I know, what your thinking how can they be in that program, since it seems that they haven't witnessed anything :)

If the ncaa only selects officials for championships, why not get some pro's? You know like NHL refs or AHL refs or ECHL or why not USHL or even NAHL refs?

Also if the NCAA doesn't certify refs, shouldn't the institutions in a league have the right to assign/request officials for their games?

So who pays the refs? The ncaa, the league, the institutions, rich alumni, coaches, who?

If, I write an actual letter and not a email to UND about applying to be a ref, I wonder what would happen? (I have to send it certified mail, so they have to sign for it and can't deny that they didn't receive it.) Would they forward that to the WCHA office in Denver? Will they send me a job application. I think I will. I really want to see a wcha ref application.

Here is another angle, why doesn't each school have/select a ref and linesman? Then you can hold them responsible for their actions/calls. Think about it? For example say a UND ref is totally biased, in favor of the Sioux. After he screws a couple of teams all the other schools in the league can get together and get him thrown out. I don't think that is such a bad option. It can't be any worse than the what we have now.

Okay, I've said enough, time to get off my soap box.

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

Here we are now officially past the half-way mark of the season. Everyone has played 14 or more league games. Looking at the standings this week it looks like everyone still has a chance to get home ice, except MTU. Sorry Tech fans, to get home ice it looks like you’d need to have a five-hundred. And for MTU that would entail them to win out the rest of their schedule, not likely. The UNO Mavericks need to get some points this weekend, if they want to stay in the hunt for a WCHA title and not fall back into the “middle of the pack”.


WCHA standings

TEAM……………...W-L-T...Pts
1. North Dakota………12-4-0…24
2. Denver……………...10-3-3…23
2. Minnesota-Duluth....10-4-2…22
4. Nebraska-Omaha….9-5-2…20
5. Colorado College…..8-8-0…16
6. Minnesota…………..7-7-2…16
6. Wisconsin…………..7-7-2…16
8. Alaska-Anchorage...6-8-2…14
9. Bemidji State……….5-9-2…12
10. St. Cloud State….....5-8-1…11
10. Minnesota State…...4-9-3…11
12. Michigan Tech……..1-12-1…3


WCHA
Alaska Anchorage @ #4 DenverLast weekend the Seawolves swept the CC Tigers in Anchorage and the Pioneers took 3-points from the Mavericks in Mankato.

These two played back in December with the Pioneers taking three points that weekend in Anchorage. The Seawolves long Christmas break seems to have paid off by getting a sweep of CC last weekend (UAA’s last home WCHA sweep was on Nov 16-17, 2007 vs UND). Now all UAA has to do is keep that momentum going into Denver. The Pioneers are on a six game unbeaten streak going 3-0-3 (with a win & tie versus UAA) and have just one loss in their last 14 (10-1-3). Both the Pioneers games last weekend went into overtime. I have a feeling DU is due to drop a game and this weekend might be it. SPLIT


St. Cloud St. @ Bemidji StateLast weekend the Huskies were enjoying a bye week, meanwhile the Beavers took 3-points from the UNO Mavericks in Omaha.

The Huskies hosted the Beavers earlier this season in St. Cloud and the Huskies took 3-points from them on the weekend. Now the Beavers look to return the favor in Bemidji this weekend. These two are currently separated by one point in the standings with BSU in the lead, but the Huskies have two games in hand. The Huskies need to start some type of second half run, if they want to try and salvage their season. The Beavers are in the midst of a good run going 4-1-1 in their last six and the Huskies are on a 4 game winning streak. SPLIT


#16 Nebraska-Omaha @ #2 North DakotaLast weekend the Mavericks tied and lost to the BSU Beavers in Omaha and the Sioux split with the Golden Gophers in Grand Forks.

The Mavericks are 5-6-1 away from home this season, while the Sioux are 8-3-1 in Grand Forks. When these two teams meet back in November in Omaha each team won a game, UND 6-5 and UNO 1-0. This weekend will mark the return of Dean Blais to The Ralph, I think it is safe to say, he will get a big warm cheer from the crowd, when they announce his name on Friday night. The Sioux can turn the WCHA into a three team race this weekend if they sweep the visiting Mavericks. On the flip side, the Mavericks need points to stay in the title race and home ice. UNO has been on a bit of a skid as of late, and playing at The Ralph is not an easy task and can be intimidating, especially the first time (UNO has never played in Grand Forks). I’m going to go with the Sioux this weekend again. SIOUX SWEEP


Minnesota State @ #9 WisconsinLast weekend the Mavericks tied and lost to the Pioneers in two overtime games in Mankato and the Badgers split with the Bulldogs in Duluth.

The Mavericks had their five game unbeaten streak snapped on Saturday. The Badgers continue to be hot as well going 8-1-0 over their last nine games. If the Badgers can get a sweep this weekend it will keep them in the driver’s seat for getting home ice. If the Mavericks get a sweep it would put them in the thick of the hunt of home ice. However, the Mavericks have not been a great road team this season going 3-5-2 to this point and the Badgers are 11-4-1 at the Kohl Center. I’m going to go with the Badgers in these tilts. BADGERS SWEEP


#5 Minnesota-Duluth @ Michigan Tech Last weekend the Bulldogs split with the Badgers in Duluth and the Huskies tied and lost to St. Lawrence in Houghton.

When you look at the numbers on paper this shouldn’t be much of a series. It looks like the Bulldogs should beat the Huskies up and down Michigan’s peninsulas. The Huskies last win came back on Friday October 15th against the MSUM Mavericks in Houghton (that is over 3 months ago!). I’m going to say that the hockey god’s will bless the Huskies with some “puck luck” this weekend. SPLIT

NON-CONFERENCE

Alabama-Huntsville (3-21-2 overall) @ Colorado CollegeLast weekend the Chargers were sweep by Merrimack (Hockey East) in Huntsville and the Tigers were swept by the Seawolves in Anchorage.

The Tigers have stumbled the month or so going a dismal 1-4-0. But, the Chargers are an awful road team, going 0-10-2 on the road. I think the Tigers will be mauling the Chargers this weekend. TIGERS SWEEP

BYE WeekUniversity of Minnesota – Golden Gophers

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

Welcome to 2011 and the second half of the WCHA. We are easing into the New Year, with only one conference match-up and four teams with the weekend off. I hope all of the Goon’s World readers had a nice holiday season, I did. Well, except for the two blizzards over the New Year’s weekend, we now have plenty of snow in the Fargo area. Well let’s get down to hockey again.


WCHA standings

TEAM……………...W-L-T...Pts
1. North Dakota………11-3-0…22
2. Denver……………...9-3-2…20
2. Minnesota-Duluth....9-3-2…20
4. Nebraska-Omaha….9-4-1…19
5. Colorado College…..8-6-0…16
6. Minnesota…………..6-6-2…14
6. Wisconsin…………..6-6-2…14
8. Alaska-Anchorage...4-8-2…10
8. Minnesota State…...4-8-2…10
10. Bemidji State……….4-9-1…9
11. St. Cloud State….....3-8-1…7
12. Michigan Tech……..1-10-1…3


WCHA

Michigan Tech @ St. Cloud St.
During the Holiday break the MTU Huskies lost to Michigan and Michigan State at the Great Lakes Invitational and the SCSU Huskies beat Cornell and Miami (OH) at the Florida College Classic.

This is a big series, especially for SCSU. They can leap into the middle of the pack with a sweep and back into contention for home ice in the playoffs. For MTU, they could spoil SCSU’s second half start by taking some points on the road. SCSU might have turned the corner over Christmas break, with getting a pair of wins in Florida. Of course, in the win over Miami, SCSU was outshot 31-11, and they won the game 4-3. The MTU Huskies have now dropped 13 games in a row, not a good streak to have. But, like all streaks they do come to an end, some time. MTU would like that streak to end this weekend and start a winning streak. I’m going to say both Huskies get some points this weekend. (PS - SCSU lost some players over semester break) SPLIT

NON-CONFERENCE

American Int’l (4-9-0 overall) @ Minnesota State
Over the Holidays the Mavericks beat Notre Dame and Brown at the Shillelagh Tournament in Chicago.

I don’t know what to say about this non-conference match up other than, who is American International? Here is a little background on them, they are located in Springfield, Massachusetts, nick-named the Yellow Jackets, have an enrollment of 1,200 students. SPLIT.

Bemidji State @ Alabama-Huntsville (2-18-2)
During the Holiday break the Beavers beat Ferris State and Union at the Mariucci Classic in Minneapolis.

These two teams will re-new their old CHA rivalry this weekend with a pair of games. The Beavers look to be headed in the right direction after a lack luster two months of the season. BSU has been beating ranked teams (UNO, FSU, U) in the last month. UAH is now an independent this year, hopefully they will get into a conference (CCHA or AHA) for the 2011-12 season. The Chargers will start out 2011 with a heavy dose of WCHA opponents. So don’t expect their win total to sky-rocket anytime soon. I have to go with our newest WCHA brother in these contests. BEAVERS SWEEP

Robert Morris (12-5-2 overall) @ #2 North Dakota
During the Christmas break the Sioux beat the UMD Bulldogs in Duluth to spoil the opening of the new AMSOIL arena.

This will be the last season that the Sioux will be the Sioux, so lets hope they do us proud these last few months. Now on to the Colonials from Robert Morris, if you are wondering about them, here is some background on them. They are located in Moon Township, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania have an enrollment of 5,100 students and play their home games at Island Sports Center. RMU is in the Atlantic Hockey division (they use to be in the CHA) where they are currently in second place (behind RIT). They have been coached by Derek Schooley since they started their program in 2004-05. I don’t think the Sioux will have much trouble with the colonials this weekend as long as they don’t overlook them. SIOUX SWEEP

Canisius (6-8-4 overall) @ #13 Wisconsin
During the Christmas break the Badgers beat UMass twice in Madison.

I’m guessing most of the Badger faithful are still reeling from their Rose Bowl loss to TCU. But don’t fear, the football crowd can now spend more time enjoying the hockey games. A couple more non-conference wins could help the Badgers in the pairwise rankings later this year. UW controls their own fate in the WCHA but need to pick up some more momentum heading into the second half. And I think they will keep the puck-a-sliding this weekend. BADGERS SWEEP


USA-U18 @ Minnesota (Friday)
During the Holiday break the Gophers lost to Union and tied the Ferris State Bulldogs in the Mariucci Classic in Minneapolis.

Since this is an exhibition it doesn’t show up on the record books or poll computers. But for the Gophers this is a very important game. They need to work out some kinks in their game before they start the WCHA games next weekend. A win and the Gophers get some positive re-enforcement, a loss and uh-oh there is trouble in Mariucci-land.


USA-U18 @ #5 Minnesota-Duluth (Saturday)
During the Holiday breaks the Bulldogs lost to the Sioux in the opening of their new arena in Duluth. They also played Claskson on January 3-4 and swept them.

This game is also an exhibition game, so nothing counts. UMD has lost Dylan Olson, academics weren’t going so well, and well he left for the AHL (at least that's the story I heard).

BYE Week
#18 Colorado College
#12 Nebraska-Omaha
#6 Denver
Alaska Anchorage

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

There was a full stale of WCHA series last weekend and we have a full slate again this weekend. The biggest surprise last weekend, in my book, was the Beavers sweeping the UNO Mavericks in Bemidji. Another surprise was the MSU Mavericks sweeping the visiting Gophers. MSUM made the most of coming home after not playing in front of the home town crowd since Oct. 23rd. The middle of the standings is jam packed this week, with only 2 points separating 5th from 10th place. A sweep by any of those teams this weekend would help them in the race for home ice after Christmas break.

There is only one WCHA series next week, so how about a Top Twelve list this week?

12. The number of drinks I had last Friday night :)
11. Years since the league last expanded (MSUM in 99-00)
10. Number of sub-par refs in the league
9. The number of wins both UMD and UND
8. Number of losses MTU has in the WCHA season
7. Number of NCAA titles North Dakota and Denver each have
6. Is how many teams will be in St. Paul come March 17th 2011
6. The number of tie games this season in the WCHA
4. WCHA teams in the USCHO top ten poll
3. Points is all MTU has this season
2. “Number 2” is often associated with refereeing in this league
1. Where UMD is sitting in this week’s WCHA standings

WCHA standings

TEAM……………...W-L-T...Pts
1. Minnesota-Duluth....9-2-1…19
2. North Dakota………9-3-0…18
3. Denver……………...8-3-1…17
4. Nebraska-Omaha…6-3-1…13
5. Minnesota…………..5-6-1…11
6. Colorado College…..5-5-0…10
6. Minnesota State…...4-6-2…10
6. Wisconsin…………..4-6-2…10
9. Alaska-Anchorage...4-7-1…9
9. Bemidji State……….4-7-1…9
11. St. Cloud State….....3-6-1…7
12. Michigan Tech……..1-8-1…3

WCHA

#9 Denver @ Alaska Anchorage
Last weekend the Pioneers split with the Bulldogs in Duluth and the Seawolves split with Wisconsin in Anchorage.

The Pioneers have a 3-3-1 record on the road this year and the Seawolves have a 3-3-2 record at home in the Sullivan Arena. The Seawolves have had problems scoring goals this season they have only netted 24 goals in 12 WCHA games, or 2.0 goals per game. The Pioneers just need to play solid defense and limit UAA’s chances and they should come out of Alaska with some points. The Seawolves have to find ways to score when they get the opportunity, if they want to stay in the middle of the pack. UAA always plays well at home and it’s a long trip for visiting teams.
SPLIT


Bemidji State @ #16 Wisconsin
Last weekend the Beavers swept the UNO Mavericks in Bemidji and the Badgers split with the Seawolves in Anchorage.

These teams are only separated by one point in the standings and both are on the wrong side of five hundred. The Beavers should have plenty of confidence heading into the weekend after their surprising wins over UNO, I just hope they aren’t over-confident. The Beavers only have one road win and that was over SCSU in overtime. The Badgers need to get some home wins, one for the points and two for their fans. After this series, UW only has 3 (MSUM, UM, CC) more WCHA home series (which are after Christmas break).
BADGERS 3-pts


Colorado College @ St. Cloud State
Last weekend the Tigers swept the MTU Huskies in Houghton and the SCSU Huskies were swept by the Sioux in Grand Forks.

Last year when these two played in Colorado Springs they split SCSU won 5-4 and then CC won 6-4. I hope this year there are many goals scored, why, because they are fun and exciting games to watch. The Huskies are getting in desperate need of points, if they want to keep in the race for home ice come March. The Tigers are right in the thick of things, in the standings, with points and they have two games in hand on the other teams around them. The Huskies need to find some ways of generating more offense, and if they can do that they should win some more games and start climbing the standings.
SPLIT


Michigan Tech @ #10 Nebraska-Omaha (Thursday/Friday)
Last weekend the Huskies were swept by the Tigers in Houghton and the Mavericks were swept by the Beavers in Bemidji.

Is their trouble in Omaha, has their luck run out, was it too good to be true? The Mavericks have lost 3 of their last 4 games. The good news is they are playing the worst team in the league; it looks like their luck may have already returned. UNO needs to put goals on the scoreboard this weekend since they only have 2 in their last 3 games. The Huskies have given up a league high 47 goals in 10 games, you do the math for goals against average. Sorry Tech fans but it looks like your beloved Huskies will remain in the basement over the Christmas break.
MAVERICKS Sweep


#2 Minnesota-Duluth @ Minnesota
Last weekend the Bulldogs split with the Pioneers in Duluth and the Gophers were sweep by the MSU-Mavericks in Mankato.

The Gophers need to get off to a good start in these games if they want to win, that means they can’t afford to spot the Bulldogs a two or three goal lead in the first period. If the Gophers can do that, they should be able to compete and maybe beat the Bulldogs. For the visiting Bulldogs, they want just the opposite, get a few quick goals get the crowd out of it, and put it on cruise control. These are last games for the Gophers before Christmas they don’t play again until New Years Eve, after these games. That said they need some points to solidify their place in the standings before Christmas. The Gophers need to play good defense and get some timely saves this weekend for them to get a home win or two.
SPLIT


#5 North Dakota @ Minnesota State
Last weekend the Sioux swept the SCSU Huskies in Grand Forks and Mavericks swept the Gophers in Mankato.

The Mavericks have an overall home record at 3-1-2 and the Sioux are good on the road, 5-3-1 overall (2 loses at Maine). However, records don’t always tell you the whole story. The Sioux got their first home sweep of the season last weekend, while missing 2/3 of their top line. UND has typically had slow starts to the season under coach Hakstol, but not this year. And if they go on a second half run, which has been the norm the past few years, they could win the WCHA’s MacNaughton Cup come March. The Sioux need to play their game this weekend, solid defense, puck control, and good passing, if they want to continue their winning ways. The Mavericks need their goalie to have another spectacular weekend, if they want to win. They also need to generate some offensive chances, since UND is leading the league in goals allowed.
SIOUX 3-pts

Thanksgiving Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

Since it is Thanksgiving weekend I think we should all say what we are thankful for. I’ll start. I’m thankful for my family and friends, my job, my health, the Sioux hockey team, and my convertible Mustang (which I look forward driving in the summer). Your turn.

The Bulldogs are on top of this week’s league standings followed by DU, the Sioux, UNO. Last week 5pts separated 5th place from 12th, now 5pts separate 6th place from 12th place. It still looks to be four team UMD, UND, UNO, DU race for the McNaughton Cup, with the UM, UW and SCSU looking make up ground.

WCHA standings

TEAM……………...W-L-T...Pts
1. Minnesota-Duluth....8-1-1…17
2. Denver……………...7-2-1…15
3. North Dakota………7-3-0…14
4. Nebraska-Omaha…6-1-1…13
5. Minnesota…………..5-4-1…11
6. Wisconsin…………..3-5-2…8
7. St. Cloud State….....3-4-1…7
8. Minnesota State…...2-6-2…6
9. Alaska-Anchorage...2-5-1…5
9. Bemidji State……….2-7-1…5
11. Colorado College…..2-4-0…4
12. Michigan Tech……..1-6-1…3

WCHA (overall records)

Alaska Anchorage (2-7-1) @ Colorado College (5-6-1)
Last weekend the Seawolves split with the SCSU Huskies in Anchorage and the Tigers enjoyed the weekend off.

The Tigers can even their WCHA record and get back in the middle of the pack this weekend if they can sweep the Seawolves, if. I wonder if CC is asking the fans to be part of a black out on black Friday? The Seawolves need to a big helping of points this weekend, a pair of wins and they will be stuffed into the middle of the pack too. I think the Tigers will be gracious hosts this Thanksgiving weekend and share the points. SPLIT.

NON-CONFERENCE (overall records)

#11 Notre Dame (9-3-1) @ #9 North Dakota (8-5-1)
Last weekend the Sioux split with the UNO Mavericks in Omaha and the Fighting Irish swept the Michigan State Spartans in South Bend.

First off, why aren’t the Fighting Irish on the NCAAs hit list for nicknames? The Sioux face another ranked team this time around. UND has done well against ranked opponents this year, except for those Maine games. I think the Sioux will be glad to be back home, and will be poor hosts to the Irish Catholics this weekend. SIOUX SWEEP.

Northern Michigan (5-6-2) @ Bemidji State (2-7-1)
Last weekend the Beavers were swept by the Pioneers in Denver and the Northern Michigan Wildcats took 3points from Alaska in Fairbanks.

It’s a new WCHA member (BSU) versus and old WCHA member (UNM currently in CCHA) in these games. I don’t know much about the wildcats this year, or any year since they left the WCHA. But if they can take points on the road from a top 15 team, I’m guessing they’ll be able to steal some food off the Beavers plates this weekend. SPLIT.


Minnesota State (2-6-4) @ UMass-Lowell (2-8-2)
Last weekend the Mavericks were enjoying a bye week and the UMass-Lowell Riverhawks split with Merrimack.

I don’t know who to go with in this series. Both teams have already burned their turkeys this year. I think they will split the pie out east. SPLIT.


Lake Superior State (5-7-2) @ #12 Denver (8-4-2)
Air Force (4-6-1) @ Denver
Last weekend the Pioneers swept the BSU Beavers in Denver and the Lake Superior State Lakers were swept by Michigan in Ann Arbor and the Air Force Falcons tied Canisius and beat Niagara.

I have to go with the WCHA in these match-ups, but I wouldn’t be surprised if DU dropped a game this weekend.


Michigan St (4-5-3) @ #15 Minnesota (7-4-1) (Friday)
Michigan (8-3-3) @ Minnesota (Sunday)
Last weekend the Gophers swept the MTU Huskies in Houghton and the Spartans were swept by Notre Dame in South Bend and the Wolverines swept Lake Superior State in Ann Arbor.

This will be a good test for the Gophers, to see if they get the whole turkey or just the wishbone. Gophers win Friday and lose on Sunday.


Michigan (8-3-3) @ #16 Wisconsin (6-6-2) (Friday)
Michigan St (4-5-3) @ Wisconsin (Saturday)
Last weekend the Badgers were swept by the UMD Bulldogs in Madison and the Spartans were swept by Notre Dame in South Bend and the Wolverines swept Lake Superior State in Ann Arbor.

I don’t think the Badgers will drop another home game; UW beats UMich on Friday and beats MSU on Saturday.



BYE WEEK
#4 Nebraska-Omaha
#1 Minnesota-Duluth
St. Cloud State
Michigan Tech

UNO - UND series (by Sioux 7)

I found this article over on [Omaha.com].

Blais believes that UND (7-4-1, 6-2-0) is the best team in the country. They were ranked No. 2 in the preseason polls. The Sioux — who traditionally do their most damage during the second half of the season — were the near-unanimous pick to win the WCHA in 2010-11. Few would be surprised if coach Dave Hakstol’s squad claims the school’s eighth NCAA championship in April.

The Sioux should arrive in Omaha as a confident group, too. They swept No. 15 Wisconsin on the road last weekend — only the second time UND has accomplished that feat in the 12-year history of the Badgers’ Kohl Center. North Dakota is off to its best eight-game WCHA start since 2003-04.

“We’ve played some pretty good hockey, but we’re a long way from where we need to be,” Hakstol said prior to UND’s practice Thursday in Omaha. “We’re slowly getting better, and I like that about our team. Coming into the season, I think everybody wanted to stamp us as some kind of finished product. That’s just not the case. Like everyone else, we’re just trying to get better every weekend — and this weekend, we’re probably playing the best team we’ve played so far.”

Weekend Match-Ups

Some teams now have complete the first quarter of league play and most will achieve that mark this weekend, by playing at least 8 games. The standings are starting to show which teams will still be in contention for the title and home ice. I feel pretty comfortable saying that UAA and BSU are already out of the title race, this early in the season. And I also feel safe saying that MSUM and CC are almost out of the title picture too. I know it’s early, but these teams are averaging less than one point a game, in league play. Like the cliché goes, “You can’t win the title in the first half of the season, but you can lose it.”

WCHA standings

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

WCHA

Alaska Anchorage @ Bemidji State
Last weekend the Seawolves enjoyed a free weekend and the Beavers split with the SCSU Huskies in St. Cloud.

The Seawolves are in a familiar place, the basement, but they have a new neighbor this year, Bemidji State. The Beavers are off to rough start in their first year of WCHA action. They knew (or should have) that the competition is a bit stiffer here than in the old CHA. However, the good news for the Beavers is they got their first league win last weekend, on the road. Now all BSU has to do is get a win in their brand new arena. If BSU can get a sweep this weekend it will almost even their league record, the same can be said for UAA. The Seawolves have two games in hand on most of the conference, including BSU, so they have some more games to get points in. BSU has played two of the top league teams in UND and UMD this season, and got only one point. The Seawolves like the Beavers need points every weekend if they want to stay in the middle of the pack. SPLIT.

Minnesota State @ #15 Denver
Last weekend the MSUM Mavericks were swept by the UNO Mavericks in Omaha and the Pioneers split with the Tigers in a home-away series.

The Mavericks in the Pioneers are separated by only a point in the standings this week, but DU has two games in hand. The Pioneers were embarrassed on Saturday by arch-rival CC. I’m not sure if there is a wood shed out back of CC’s world arena, but DU definitely got a whoopin’ to the tune of 9 to 2. I’m sure DU boss Gwozdecky will have his team ready for this weekend. The Mavericks find themselves in the middle of the pack, after playing 8 out of their 28 league games. MSUM will almost be at the half-way point of the season come Sunday and I’m sure they would be happy to have a five hundred record at that point. The Pioneers might be showing signs of playing a tough schedule to start the year (BC, UND, UW, CC). Another hard series to predict this weekend, SPLIT.

#6 Nebraska-Omaha @ St. Cloud State
Last weekend the Mavericks swept the MSUM Mavericks in Omaha and the Huskies split with the Beavers in St. Cloud.

The Dean Blais led UNO Mavericks are now the only team to have a spotless record in the WCHA. The Mavericks will be playing a ranked team this weekend for the first time in league play. The Huskies have been a little bit unpredictable this season; they have split both their league series. If SCSU wants to live up the preseason hype, a couple of wins this weekend would definitely put them back on the radar. I’m going to go out on a limb here and go with the Huskies 3-pts.

Michigan Tech @ #2 Minnesota-Duluth
Last weekend the Huskies enjoyed a free weekend and the Bulldogs split with the Sioux in Grand Forks.

The Huskies are off to a mediocre start this season through four league games, and the Bulldogs are off to excellent start through six games. A few bounces here and there for UMD have gotten them overtime wins, some bad bounces and UMD would be in the middle of the pack. The Huskies need to continue to get points week in and week out to stay out of the bottom third of the league. The Bulldogs need to take points from the bottom teams, if they want to stay on top of the standing, because there are better teams on the horizon. SPLIT.

#10 North Dakota @ #13 Wisconsin
Last weekend the Sioux split with the Bulldogs in Grand Forks and the Badgers took 3-pts from the Gophers in Minneapolis.

The Badgers get to play their two biggest rivals, UM and UND, on back to back weekends. I watched the Friday UW-UM game and the 6-0 Badger win was not that impressive. It could be said that the UM defense needs to get better, and they were/are the problem in Minneapolis. (Kangas stopped a penalty shot that game too.) The Badgers lost a bunch of talent from last year and it is starting to show now. The Sioux played well on Friday and looked a little sluggish on Saturday. UND got a split for the second weekend in a row. The Sioux also got a 5-minute major and game misconduct for the second weekend in a row too. The Badgers have done well against the Sioux the last couple of years, but times, they are a changing. SPLIT.

Non-Conference

#3 Yale @ Colorado College (Friday only)
Last weekend the Yale Bulldogs beat Princeton (Fri) and Quinnipiac (Sat) and the Tigers split a pair with rival Denver.

Two weeks ago the Tigers had 9 goals hung on them and last weekend they hung a 9 on rival DU. The question is, will another 9 show up this weekend at the World Arena scoreboard? Tigers win.

BYE WEEK
#19 University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) – Golden Gophers

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

First I want to start off by wishing Jesse Martin (and his family) a quick and full recovery from his broken vertebrae.

There has already been lots of speculating on this incident from fans around the league, and I’ll leave it at that. However, I want to talk briefly about hockey hits in general. I believe that Don Cherry (Hockey Night in Canada announcer, ex-coach), had the answer to all these injuries, years ago. Get rid of the hard plastic arm pads that players wear, and replace them with some of the new cotton/foam padding. Let’s face the physics of the matter, plastic, it doesn’t give much when you hit it, cotton/foam padding on the other hand does.

Now, back to this week, yet again we have five league series this weekend. The standings are starting shake out, but it is still too early to say who really is the best team in the league is right now.

WCHA standings

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

WCHA

Colorado College vs #13 Denver
Last weekend the Tigers where swept by the Gophers in Colorado Spring and the Pioneers split their series with the Sioux in Grand Forks.

After getting swept last weekend the Tigers need to get back in the win column. Like the saying goes, “you can’t win the league title in first part of the season, but you can lose it.” This is start of this year’s Gold Pan games, and from what I read/know the Pioneers are the Tigers most disliked rival. It seems that most DU fans consider UND to be their arch-rivals the past few years, replacing the Tigers. Any way you slice it, it is still an in-state rival (too bad Air Force is not in the WCHA too). The Tiger need some points this weekend, if they want to stay in contention for a league title come March, or just home ice. For the Pioneers, it will be focusing on this weekend, and trying to put last weekend’s unfortunate incident in the past. After this weekend series, DU will have finished up what looks to be the hardest stretch of their season schedule. I’m going with the home team to win in their home building, SPLIT.

Bemidji State @ #20 St. Cloud State
Last weekend the Beavers lost and tied the Bulldogs in Bemidji and the Huskies split with Quinnipiac in St. Cloud.

The Beavers are still trying to get their first WCHA conference win, with this weekend being their first WCHA road games. BSU came close last weekend with a pair of overtime games. The Huskies have been sporadic to start the year, win here a lose there, repeat. SCSU had/has high hopes for the season, and the league coaches thought the Huskies were/are going to be one of the top teams in the league. This early in the year, you have to look past the standing some, SCSU sits in 10, but they have only played 2 games, where most played four or six games. BSU is winless in four games and sitting in the basement. The Beavers might have too big of a hole to dig out of, if they don’t get some points, and soon. SPLIT

#15 Wisconsin @ #17 Minnesota
Last weekend the Badgers swept the MTU Huskies in Madison and the Gophers swept the Tigers in Colorado Springs.

It looks like the Gophers found their offense last week, who knew it was hiding in Colorado, huh. The Gophers put up 13 goals on the weekend, posting 4 on Friday night and 9 on Saturday. Wisconsin put some goals up the board last weekend too, 5 and 4 respectively. If both those offensives show up in Minneapolis this weekend, we might have ourselves some old fashioned barn burners. Of course, now that I speculate shoot outs, the games will end up more like 1-0. This is the other big rivalry series this weekend, CC vs DU is the other rivals game. I’m going to go with a safe conservative pick here, SPLIT.

#2 Minnesota-Duluth @ #9 North Dakota
Last weekend the Bulldogs took three points from the Beavers in Bemidji and the Sioux split with the Pioneers in Grand Forks.

The Sioux outshot the Pioneers in both games last weekend, 30-17 Friday and 33-17 Saturday. UND has scored 14 goals in conference play and UMD has scored 13 goals, both teams have played 4 games. If you look at BSU being a common denominator between UND, UMD you would have to go with the Sioux in this series. They beat BSU by a pair of 5-2 scores, and UMD beat them 3-2 OT and tied 1-1. I’m going to stick with the home team this weekend, SIOUX SWEEP.

Minnesota State @ #8 Nebraska-Omaha
Last weekend the MSUM Mavericks took three points from the Seawolves in Anchorage and the UNO Mavericks enjoyed a weekend off.

This will be the first time these teams play each other as members of the same league. The last few years these teams have played one another, as non-conference games. That should make for a good background between these pair of Mavericks. Like the cliché goes, “familiarity breeds contempt” and these teams should be familiar with each other. I saw the UNO v UM games a few weeks ago, and the Red Mavericks looked pretty good (of course, the Gophers looked bad then too). I haven’t seen the Purple Pucksters in action this year, so its hard to predict these games. MAVERICKS Win and the other MAVERICKS Win too :)

BYE WEEK
University of Alaska Anchorage – Seawolves
Michigan Technological University – Huskies

I’m Sioux 7 and I approve of this message.
(Man, I’m glad I don’t have to hear that fraise for a couple of years.)

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

Now we are officially going, every team has now played at least two league games, and some have played four (MSUM and UM). This week we almost have a full slate of league games, we have 5 conference match-ups.

WCHA standings

TEAM……………...W-L-T...Pts
Minnesota-Duluth....2-0-0…4
Nebraska-Omaha…2-0-0…4
North Dakota………2-0-0…4
Denver……………...1-0-1…3
Michigan Tech……..1-0-1…3
Minnesota State…...1-2-1…3
Colorado College…..1-1-0…2
St. Cloud State….....1-1-0…2
Wisconsin…………..1-1-0…2
Minnesota…………..1-3-0…2
Alaska-Anchorage...0-2-0…0
Bemidji State……….0-2-0…0

WCHA

#3 Minnesota-Duluth @ Bemidji State
Last weekend the Bulldogs swept the Seawolves in Duluth, and the Beavers enjoyed a weekend off.

The Bulldogs had to come from behind on Friday and then win in overtime and on Saturday they scored less than a minute into the game, and cruised to a 6-0 win. The Beavers will be at home for their second series in the new BREC (soon to be Sanford Health) arena, and will be itching to win a game or two for the home town crowd. SPLIT.

#20 Minnesota @ #19 Colorado College
Last weekend the Gophers split a series with the SCSU Huskies in Minneapolis, and the Tigers split with the MSUM Mavericks in Mankato.

The Gophers got in the win column on Sunday with an efficient win over SCSU. I watched that game it wasn’t flashy, but effective. It would appear that up to this point both teams have had some problems scoring goals. The team which can finally put the puck in the net will get some wins. SPLIT.

Minnesota State @ Alaska-Anchorage
Last weekend the Mavericks split with the Tigers in Mankato, and the Seawolves were swept by the Bulldogs in Duluth.

The Mavericks have to make the long trip up to Anchorage this weekend. In the past few years UAA has done pretty well at home, and have gotten some wins against upper level WCHA teams. Both teams were picked in the preseason to finish in the bottom of the league this year. If one of these teams can get more than a split, it will help them to stay in the middle of the pack in this fledgling season. SPLIT.

#12 Denver @ #8 North Dakota
Last weekend the Pioneers took three points from the Badgers in Denver, and the Fighting Sioux were swept by the Black Bears in Maine.

The Sioux managed to rack up penalties to the tune of 14-for-39 minutes on Friday and 12-for-24 minutes on Saturday. They also managed to get a short-handed goal in each game too, Rodwell and Frattin got them. The Sioux need to stay out of the box if they want to win games this season. The upside is UND will be back home for their first “official game” of the season (they played an exhibition game versus U-Manitoba). The Pioneers on the other hand will take to the road for the first time this season. DU has a tough schedule to start the year, they already played Boston College, Wisconsin, and now North Dakota, and next week in-state rival Colorado College. The series between these two old programs has really heated up of the past decade. I hope we have another couple of barn burner games this weekend. Sioux 3-pts.

Michigan Tech @ #18 Wisconsin
Last weekend the Huskies enjoyed a free weekend, and the Badgers got a point from the Pioneers while in Denver.

MTU is off to one of their best starts in a long time, and Wisconsin is in somewhat of a rebuilding year. The Badgers lost a lot of good players to graduation and the pros after last season’s run in the NCAA tournament. This series couldIt is always hard to predict game early in the season, okay, its hard predict them all the time. SPLIT.

NON-CONFERENCE

Quinnipiac @ #17 St. Cloud State
Last weekend the Bobcats beat Holy Cross once, and the Huskies split a series with the Gophers in Minneapolis.

SCSU looked good on Friday against the Gophers, but then again, most teams have looked good against the Gophers this season (I couldn’t resist a little Gopher bashing). Sunday the Huskies looked a little flat, like they were happy knowing they had already gotten a split on the road, and the Gophers played better too, which also factored into the game. I have to go with our beloved WCHA conference in this series. Huskies Sweep.

BYE week
#9 University of Nebraska Omaha – Mavericks

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux7)

And they’re off. Last weekend officially opened the WCHA regular season. Granted it was only 3 league series and wasn’t a full set of 6 series. Both new teams, the Beavers of BSU, and the Mavericks of UNO, have their first WCHA series in the books. The Beavers also got to open up a new arena, the BREC (Bemidji Regional Events Center), unfortunately for them they lost the opener and the follow game. UNO on the other hand, went on the road and got a pair of wins to start their WCHA career.

WCHA standings

TEAM……………......W-L-T...Pts
Nebraska-Omaha…2-0-0…4
North Dakota………2-0-0…4
Michigan Tech……..1-0-1…3
Minnesota State…...0-1-1…1
Alaska-Anchorage...0-0-0…0
Colorado College…..0-0-0…0
Denver……………......0-0-0…0
Minnesota-Duluth....0-0-0…0
St. Cloud State….....0-0-0…0
Wisconsin…………..0-0-0…0
Bemidji State……….0-2-0…0
Minnesota…………..0-2-0…0

WCHA

#15 Wisconsin @ #11 Denver
Last weekend the Badgers swept Alabama-Huntsville in Madison, and the Pioneers got swept by Boston College in Denver.

This should be a good series to watch, DU has gotten the best UW in Madison, but now this year it’s in Denver. The Pioneers had a much tougher opponent last week in BC then the Badgers had in the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers. Both teams lost some great players after last season. I think both teams are just getting their new players up to speed and getting some cohesion between line mates. I’m going to call this series a SPLIT.

#19 Colorado College @ Minnesota State
Last weekend the Tigers beat UAA and lost to UAF at the Alaska Gold Rush tournament and the Mavericks got one point out of the MTU Huskies in Houghton.

The Tigers are on another “road trip” this weekend after the long trip to Alaska last weekend. The Mavericks are at home after a long trip to Houghton. I’m thinking the Tigers will be a little tired from traveling, and the Mavericks will be happy to be back in Mankato. SPLIT.

Alaska-Anchorage @ #6 Minnesota-Duluth
Last weekend the Seawolves lost to the CC Tigers and the Union Dutchmen in the Alaska Gold Rush tournament and the Bulldogs swept the Providence Friars in Duluth.

I saw the Seawolves in action two weeks ago in Anchorage and they played okay, not great but not horrible either. The Bulldogs are sporting a high ranking early this year, but is it the same or similar team as last year? Good offense, not much defense? If UAA can limit the quality scoring chances, they have a chance to win games. The season is just getting start, so, of course, it is tricky to pick series. SPLIT.


#14 St. Cloud St. @ #20 Minnesota (Friday & Sunday)
Last weekend the Huskies lost and tied the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks in St. Cloud and the Gophers where swept by the UNO Mavericks in Minneapolis.

This has been great series to watch the last couple of years, there have been some real goal-fests between these two schools. I watched the Gophers on TV last weekend, and well they made good comeback attempts. The fans in Minneapolis need their team to play 60 minutes instead of just the last 20-30 minutes. Both teams have talent, but the team whose talent shows up and plays sixty minutes will win the game(s). SPLIT.

Non-Conference

#10 Nebraska-Omaha @ #4 Michigan
Last weekend the Mavericks swept the Gophers in Minneapolis and the Wolverines tied the New Hampshire Wildcats (only played one game).

Last year this was CCHA conference game, now it is a non-conference match-up. Since these teams are familiar with one another, it should be a good series, plus they are both in the top ten rankings. SPLIT.


#2 North Dakota @ #12 Maine
Last weekend the Fighting Sioux swept the BSU Beavers in Bemidji and the Black Bears of Maine tied and lost to the Michigan State Spartans in Michigan.

The Sioux are 11-6-1 all-time against the Maine Black Bears. This will the third weekend in a row that UND is on the road. If they can take a win or two back from Orono, the Sioux will be in great shape for the rest of season. They have back-to-back road series in mid-November (@ UW, @UNO) and after that; the Sioux have no more back-to-back road series. It is a little different with the Sioux getting off to fast start, under Hakstol it has generally been slow starts, and then after Christmas the team goes on a tear. I like the Sioux to continue on their winning ways. SIOUX Win/Tie

BYE week
Bemidji State University Beavers
Michigan Technological University Huskies

MacNaughton Cup History (by Sioux 7)

I found this article a few weeks ago on the St. Cloud Times Newspaper website, and thought this would be a good time to share a little history.


The MacNaughton Cup is a trophy awarded annually to the regular season champion of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. The trophy is named after James MacNaughton of Calumet, Michigan, who was an avid supporter of amateur ice hockey. The Cup is hand crafted of pure silver and stands almost three feet high and weighs nearly 40 pounds.

In 1913, MacNaughton purchased a cup trophy for approximately $2,000 and donated it to the President of the American Hockey Association, which was to be awarded to the league’s champion at the end of the season. The MacNaughton Cup remained with the American Hockey Association until 1932. From 1933 to 1950, the Cup was given to semi-pro and intermediate hockey teams in Michigan’s Copper Country.

In 1951, the MacNaughton family arranged to have the Cup awarded to the newly founded Midwest Collegiate Hockey League (MCHL), a precursor to the WCHA. The MCHL was composed of Michigan Tech, Colorado College, Denver, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, and North Dakota. Michigan Tech became the trustee for the MacNaughton Cup. In the original spirit of the trophy, the league decided to award the trophy to its regular season champion. In 1953, the MCHL became the Western Intercollegiate Hockey League (WIHL).

The Cup remained a part of the WIHL until the league was disbanded in March of 1958. There was no league play for the 1958-59 season and for the 1959-60 season, the seven teams resumed competition under the new name of the WCHA.

From the 1961-62 through the 1964-65 seasons, the MacNaughton Cup was awarded to the WCHA’s playoff tournament champion instead of the regular season champion, but the WCHA resumed awarding the Cup to the regular season champion again for the start of the 1965-66 season through the 1981-82 season.

Michigan Tech left the WCHA to join the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) for the 1981-82 season. Since Michigan Tech is the trustee of the Cup, the Cup went to the CCHA.

The Broadmoor Trophy was created as a replacement and awarded to the regular season champion until Michigan Tech returned to the WCHA for the start of the 1984-85 season. The McNaughton Cup also returned and continues to be awarded to the regular season champion today. With the return of the MacNaughton Cup, the Broadmoor Trophy is awarded to the WCHA tournament champion.

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

I got some grief for my prediction last weekend of a UM sweep over CC, and now that it happened, I’m feeling pretty good about myself. Even a Sioux fan gets lucky sometimes.

The playoff picture is just about set, DU and SCSU have locked up home ice. UW looks to be a sure bet as well for home ice, and UMD is also looking like they will get home ice. The big question is who will get the 5th and final spot, CC or UND, or will the UM shock everyone. I like UND’s odds, after their clash this weekend with CC, they return home to host last place MTU, while CC faces DU, and UM faces UW in the last weekend of the regular season. The only other spots that are for sure are UAA, MSUM, and MTU will be on the road for the first round of playoffs. Here are my predictions for the 1st round of WCHA playoffs…

10 MTU @ 1 DU
9 MSUM @ 2 UW
8 UAA @ 3 SCSU
7 UM @ 4 UMD
6 CC @ 5 UND


CURRENT WCHA STANGINGS

TEAM………………..GP….W-L-T….PTS
1 Denver…………….....24….16-4-4….36
2 St. Cloud State……26….15-8-3….33
3 Wisconsin…………....24….14-7-3….31
4 Minnesota-Duluth…24….14-9-1….29
5 Colorado College…..24….11-10-3…25
5 North Dakota………..24….11-10-3…25
7 Minnesota…………....24….10-12-2…22
8 Alaska-Anchorage...26…..8-16-2….18
9 Minnesota State…..24…..8-15-1….17
10 Michigan Tech…...24…..4-20-0…..8



WCHA

#3 Wisconsin at Michigan Tech
Last weekend the Badgers split with the SCSU Huskies in Madison and the MTU Huskies were swept by the Pioneers in Denver.

Earlier this year these teams met in Madison with the Badgers crushing the Huskies, 8-2 and 6-0 in that series. Look at the stats and these teams are at opposite ends, UW has scored a league leading 95 goals, MTU has given up a league worst 100 goals. The Badgers are an average road team this season with a 6-5-1 record, but this is Tech, they only have 5 wins all season. If the Badgers get a sweep this weekend, they will pass up SCSU and be into second place. BADGERS SWEEP.


#8 North Dakota at #13 Colorado College
Last weekend the Sioux swept the Bulldogs in Grand Forks and the Tigers were swept by the Gophers in Minneapolis.

This is a big series for both teams, since they are tied for the 5th and final home ice spot. It looks as if the Sioux have started their second half run, a little later this year compared to seasons past. The Tigers are headed in the other direction, losing 4 out of their last 5 WCHA games. The boys from CC need to focus on this weekend and not look forward to the following weekend, when they face their rivals DU for the Gold Pan. The Sioux have now won 3 in a row, scoring 18 goals over those games. I think UND can grab the 5th spot if they split with the Tigers, because they host MTU the following weekend. However, if the Sioux sweep the Tigers, they will have the tie breaker on them, with head-to-head, and would only need a point against MTU to possible hold of the Gophers (if UM wins its final 4 games). SIOUX SWEEP.


Minnesota at #10 Minnesota-Duluth
Last weekend the Gophers were at home and swept the visiting Tigers of CC, the Bulldogs went to Grand Forks and were swept by the Sioux.

Earlier this season the Bulldogs swept the Gophers in Minneapolis, with two come from behind wins, one of them in overtime. The Bulldogs need some points to try and get 3rd place and possible avoid the Final 5 play-in game. Of course, last year they won the play-in game and the Final 5 Broadmoor Trophy. The Gophers still have hopes of home ice, but they need some help. They trail CC-UND by 3 points, but the Gophers own the tie breaker with CC. The Gophers would need CC-UND to split this weekend to keep both of them within striking distance. That being said the UM needs to help themselves again by getting 4-points out of Duluth. In what will be the last regular season home games at the DECC (next year they open their new arena). The Bulldogs have been sliding as of late going 2-4-0 in their last 6 WCHA and are 2-6-0 in their last 8 games (2 loses to Bemidji St.). The Gophers just got their 2nd WCHA sweep of the season; their first was way back on Halloween weekend against UAA. I’m going to “wimp out” on this series and go with a SPLIT.


#1 Denver at Minnesota State
Last weekend the Pioneers swept the MTU Huskies at Magness and the Mavericks swept the Seawolves in Mankato.

The Pioneers can win the MacNaughton Cup this weekend with a sweep over the Mavericks. The Mavericks can pass up UAA this weekend and take over 8th place, if they can get a win. I’m sure all the UW and SCSU fans will be pulling hard for the Mavericks to knock off the Pioneers, and give the Badgers and Huskies another shot at the title. The Mavericks are 5-6-1 overall on the road this season and the Pioneers are 13-2-3 at home this season. This looks to be some more easy points for the Pioneers, but they can afford a loss with their cushion, and possibly looking ahead to next week’s showdown with CC. I’m going to go with an upset in this series. SPLIT.


NON-CONFERENCE

Alaska at Alaska-Anchorage (Governor's Cup)
Last weekend the Seawolves (10-18-2 overall) were swept by the Mavericks in Mankato. The Nanooks (14-9-9 overall) swept Lake Superior State in Fairbanks.

This will be the first meetings of the teams from the Last Frontier this season. Last season the Seawolves swept the Nanooks. I think the Seawolves will be angry and looking for some revenge after losing two games last weekend. I have to go with the WCHA, the best league in college hockey, in this series. SEAWOLVES SWEEP.

BYE WEEK
#4 St. Cloud State University

USA Olympic Roster

USA OLYMPIC ROSTER

So, I’m watching the US Olympic hockey team, and thinking, I recognize a lot of those names from college. So I look up the USA roster, which is made up of 23 guys, and this is what I see.

WCHA
1. Zach Parise ----------- U. North Dakota
2. Paul Stastny ---------- Denver U.
3. Phil Kessel ------------ U. Minnesota
4. Erik Johnson --------- U. Minnesota
5. Ryan Malone --------- St. Cloud State
6. Joe Pavelski ---------- U. Wisconsin
7. Brian Rafalski -------- U. Wisconsin
8. Ryan Suter ------------ U. Wisconsin
9. David Backes --------- MN State – Mankato

CCHA
10. Jack Johnson -------- U. Michigan
11. Ryan Miller ----------- Michigan St.
12. Ryan Kesler --------- Ohio St.

Hockey East
13. Chris Drury ----------- Boston U.
14. Ryan Whitney ------- Boston U.
15. Brooks Orpik --------- Boston College
16. Jonathan Quick --- U. Mass-Amherst


That would be 9 guys that played in the WCHA are now playing for team USA, or 39% of them, if my math is correct. Plus you have 3 from the CCHA and 4 from HE. I think it is easy to see that college hockey does produce numerous great hockey talents. In total that would be 16-out-of-23 with ties to college hockey, or 70%, not too shabby. Oh, and there are also some college guys on team Canada too, eh.

Weekend Match Ups (by Sioux 7)

This week I want to start off by asking a question. Does the state of Minnesota still have the DQ (Dairy Queen) Cup thing going on? (They use to have certain games between the MN schools count as points throughout the regular season, and the winner would be the “champion” of MN and get the DQ cup.)

Look at the standings and the MacNaughton cup could end up with 5 different teams. It's a classic log jam only this time its at the top of the standings, instead of the middle. The top 5 teams are only separated by 2 points. I remember a few season where 2 teams have tied for the title, but wouldn’t it be something to see a 3 or 4 way tie!

This weekend we are treated to a full slate of WCHA games. It's funny how it works out that the top teams are playing each other and the bottome teams are playing each other. (UMD vs UW, SCSU vs CC, DU vs UND, UM vs UAA, and MSUM vs MTU)


CURRENT WCHA STANDINGS

TEAM…………………..GP.…W-L-T….PTS
1 Minnesota-Duluth…...18….12-5-1….25
2 St. Cloud State……...18….11-5-2….24
2 Denver……………….....18….10-4-4….24
4 Wisconsin…………......18….10-5-3….23
4 Colorado College…....20….10-7-3….23
6 North Dakota………....18….8-7-3…..19
7 Minnesota……………....18….7-9-2…..16
8 Alaska-Anchorage…...20….7-12-1….15
9 Minnesota State……...18….5-12-1….11
10 Michigan Tech……....18….2-16-0…..4

Minnesota at Alaska-Anchorage
Last weekend the Gophers were swept by SCSU in a home and home series, and the Seawolves split with CC in Anchorage.

In most conferences not many people would pay attention to the 7th and 8th place teams playing each other. But I think this series could have historic meaning this weekend. Let’s face it, UM is considered one of the power-houses in college hockey, and well UAA has generally been a cellar dweller. But, this weekend the Seawolves could pass up the once mighty Gophers, and sit 3 points ahead of them, with a sweep. Of course, the Gophers would still have two games in hand on the Seawolves. Can you image the joy in Anchorage (and other cities around the league) if they would be ahead of the Gophers in the standings at the start of February? The Gophers have to make the long trip to UAA this weekend. The Seawolves are playing well as of late, 3-1-0 in their last four games, and they are 5-7-0 at Sullivan Arena this season. The Gophers are 5-4-1 away from home. UM has more talent on paper, but we've seen what that has done for them this season. I’m going to take the easy way out and call a SPLIT.

Minnesota State at Michigan Tech
Last weekend both the Mavericks and the Huskies were on vacation.

From my figuring MTU is locked into a road trip the first round of the playoffs. The Huskies last win was back on 11-13-09 against the UMD Bulldogs. These teams met in Mankato back on Thanksgiving weekend, where the Mavericks swept the Huskies.
The Mavericks are winless in their last four games, and their last WCHA win was back on 12-4-09 against UM. MSUM can make a push towards the middle of the pack and try and move out of the 9-spot with a sweep over the Huskies. Also the Mavericks have another bye week next weekend (Feb. 5, 6). In league play, the Huskies are averaging only 2.0 goals/game while surrendering 4.5 goals/game, that is a -2.5 goal/game differential, ouch. Sorry Tech fans but I have to go with Mavericks in this series. MAVERICKS SWEEP


#3 Denver at #4 North Dakota
Last weekend the Pioneers got one point while visiting UW and the Sioux split a series against Cornell in Ithaca, NY.

Back in November the Pioneers swept the Sioux at Magnuss Arena by scores of 1-0 and 3-2. This series is more important for UND, who needs points to get into the top five of the WCHA and host a playoff series, and in the PWR standings. This has been a good rivalry for the past, oh, decade or so now. This could possibly be the last time the Pioneers play the Sioux (who knows with all the nickname lawsuits). Starting with DU, the Sioux have games against everyone ahead of them in the standings, except UW. After the DU series UND plays SCSU, UMD, CC, and MTU to end the regular season. DU on the other hand faces the other bottom league teams UM, MTU, MSUM, and then end the season with in-state rival CC. I’m sure the Sioux would love to get revenge from the earlier series and sweep the Pioneers, but DU never rolls over and plays dead. SPLIT

#5 St. Cloud State at #11 Colorado College
Last weekend the Huskies swept in-state rival UM, and the Tigers split with UAA in Anchorage.

The Huskies come into this series with an 8-game winning streak and are looking to run that to double digits. Meanwhile the Tigers are 3-5-0 in their last 8 games. However, SCSU last loss was to the Tigers, so does that mean the Tigers will "finish what they started" this weekend? SCSU is one point ahead of CC in the standing, but has two games in hand on them. A Huskies sweep could put the Tigers way back in SCSU’s rearview mirror. I watched both SCSU-UM games last weekend, and the Huskies played very well in both games. I’m going to say SCSU's win streak comes to an end this weekend. SPLIT.

#2 Wisconsin at #9 Minnesota-Duluth
Last weekend the Badgers took three points from DU, and the Bulldogs got swept by soon-to-be WCHA member Bemidji St.

Well this is the only meetings between these two teams this season, and boy-o-boy it should be a good series. One or both teams could be sitting on top of the league come Saturday night. The Badgers are 5-4-1 away from the Kohl center this season, and the Bulldogs are 10-5-0 at this the last season in the DECC. The Badgers are leading the WCHA in scoring this year 70-goals, the Bulldogs are 3rd with 64-goals (CC is 2nd with 65-goals but has played two more games than UW and UMD). I’m not sure what the outcome of this series will be, but it should be fun to watch. Since UW plays on the big ice and now has to play on the smallest ice sheet in the league, I’m going to call a SPLIT.

Weekend Match Ups (by Sioux 7)

If someone would have said UMD would have been on top of the WCHA with ten games to go at the beginning of the season, I would’ve said, “Is that a type-o, don’t you mean UND?” We have to hand it to the Bulldogs they have been a good solid team this year, and are taking advantage of their league schedule (they play MTU, MSUM, & UND 4 games, all are currently in the bottom half of the league).

The playoff picture is starting to take shape, it looks like both UMD and DU will get home ice, and MSUM and MTU will be on the road.

The interesting thing I noticed in the standings is that 6th place UND has a winning record and 7th place Minnesota has a .500 record. If certain games go a certain way, you could see only 6 points separate the top 7 teams in the league, talk about what could be a pile up in the standings.

The WCHA now has 5 out of the top 7 spots in the USCHO poll this week, or 6 out of the top 12, or if you count BSU, then there would be 7 out of the top 14. The pollsters really seem to love the dub.

WCHA STANDINGS

TEAM…………………GP.…W-L-T….PTS
1 Minnesota-Duluth….18….12-5-1..…25
2 Denver……………....16….10-3-3..…23
3 Colorado College…..18…..9-6-3……21
4 St. Cloud State……..16…..9-5-2……20
4 Wisconsin…………..16…..9-5-2……20
6 North Dakota……….18…..8-7-3……19
7 Minnesota…………..16…..7-7-2……16
8 Alaska-Anchorage…18.….6-11-1….13
9 Minnesota State…….18….5-12-1….11
10 Michigan Tech…….18.....2-16-0…..4

WCHA

#7 Colorado College at Alaska-Anchorage
Last week the Tigers split at home against the Badgers, and the Seawolves swept the MTU Huskies in Houghton.

Back around Thanksgiving these teams split a pair in Colorado Springs. The Seawolves are 2-1-1 in their last four WCHA games and the Tigers are 1-3-0 over that same stretch. The boys from Up North are looking to move into contention for home ice by extending their current winning streak, and the CC Tigers need some points to stay in the top five. Are we now seeing the CC team, which many of us predicted to finish in the bottom half of the league? The Tigers gave up 10 goals last weekend, seeing that, they were lucky to get a split. CC needs to limit their opponents scoring, if they want to win some more games. The boys from UAA look to be playing their best hockey of the year right now, a sweep of cellar-dwell MTU, and a tie and one goal lose to DU, in their last outings. I like the Seawolves at home to take some points this weekend. SEAWOLVES 3PTS.

Minnesota away/home #12 St. Cloud State
Last week the Gophers got 3 points at home against the Sioux, and the Huskies swept Quinnipiac on in Connecticut.

Have the Gophers finally righted their ship? This weekend is another big test for them, the Huskies were my pre-season dark horse of the league and they are quietly sneaking up the standings. SCSU is just five points out of first with two games in hand on UMD. I like the way the Huskies are playing right now they are H.O.T. winning 6 in a row and are 9-1-1 in their last 11 games. The Gophers set a record on Saturday scoring goals 7 seconds apart. However, the Gophers were outshot and had fewer scoring chances than the Sioux, but did get some “puck luck” as it were. I’m going with the Huskies in this series, SCSU SWEEP.

#1 Denver at #3 Wisconsin
Last weekend the Pioneers were enjoying a bye-week, and the Badgers split with the Tigers in Colorado.

DU has really owned the Badgers in Madison the past six years. The last time the Badgers beat the Pioneers in Madison was Friday October 30, 2004. DU won the next night (Halloween), and has won their last 7 games in the Kohl Center. The Pioneers are three points ahead of Bucky right now in the standings and both teams will want to get some points to secure their spots for home ice. The Pioneers are starting a tough road stretch, next week they are on the road again at “their real rival North Dakota” according to a DU hockey player.
Both teams are playing well right now and I’m going to take the easy way out and call this series a SPLIT.

Non-Conference

#4 Minnesota-Duluth at/home #14 Bemidji State
Last week the Bulldogs swept the Mavericks in Mankato, and the Beavers split at fellow CHA member Niagara.

This should be an entertaining series between two highly ranked teams, and soon to be league foes. It looks be the Bulldogs are trying to send the DECC out with style and a WCHA title this year. I haven’t been to the DECC in a few years but it was a fun building to watch hockey in and I’m sure it will be missed by the faithful UMD fans. I’m looking at the big picture in this non-conference home-and-home series. I’m taking the WCHA here, BULLDOGS SWEEP.

#5 North Dakota at #9 Cornell
Last week the Sioux got a point playing the Gophers, and the Big Red beat Clarkson and tied St. Lawrence.

The Sioux are in the second half of the season and will be looking to get some wins this weekend to start their “second half run” which they have done every year since Hakstol took over as coach. However, is this the year that streak comes to an end? Does UND start calling this a rebuilding year, if they don’t get a win or two this weekend. The Sioux do have 10 freshmen on the team this season. The other issue in Grand Forks has been the injury bug, Genoway has been out since mid November (concussion), Zajac was out for a month but is back now (hernia surgery), Hextall is out for what sounds like another month (leg injury), Knight was out last weekend… I’ll say this when the Gopher fans started to cheer “over-rated” last Saturday, I would have to agree with them. If UND is the 4th best team in college hockey, that doesn’t say much for the state of hockey as a whole. I’m not making excuses, but if I wanted too, there would be a couple to choose from. Okay, enough of my whining about the Sioux.

I’ve never been impressed with teams from the ECAC (Goon is not impressed with ECAC teams either…) even when they are ranked. I have to look at the big picture and go with WCHA in this match up, SIOUX SWEEP.

OFF – BY WEEK
Minnesota State University Mankato Mavericks
Michigan Tech University Huskies