Players in the half shield?

Recently the American Hockey Coaches Association had their annual convention in Florida last month and one of the items that caught my attention is that the American Hockey Coaches Association are in favor of allowing their players to wear the half shield/visor instead of the bird cage or full shield. Personally I think this is a great idea and it would clean the game up a bit because I believe players feel like they are invincible when they wear the full mask/bird cage.

I never understood why the players in the USHL, NAHL are allowed to wear the half shield if they wanted to but the NCAA Division 1 hockey players were not? This decision defies logic because the college kids who are usually older aren’t able to make that personnel decision for themselves? The minute these players leave college hockey they switch over to the visor/half shield. Seriously! These aren’t minor youth hockey players in bantams, and squirts these are adult males. I also don’t buy the argument that the ever so all powerful dictatorship known as the NCAA some how knows better than the experienced coaches and players.

Behind that is a debate that ties into the current emphasis on concussion prevention. Half shield proponents say players show more respect for others when they know they’re wearing less facial protection, and point out that they’re the norm in junior hockey and in the competing Canadian major junior system. Opponents cite the risks of taking off the lower-face protection.

The topic came up at the recent American Hockey Coaches Association convention in Florida, and Karr said he believes that nearly 100 percent of the coaching body is in favor of a move to half shields.

Even if the rules committee went along with it, any decision still would have to get through the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel.[Read the whole article here]

Redwing77's NCAA Outlook

I'm sitting here watching the NCAA Selection show and it looks like our bracket might've gotten a bit easier.

We play YALE in the opening round. BC opens with Alaska Fairbanks. We play at 5pm EST (they say ESPN360.com, but I'm not sure about webcast etc.).

I think this outlook is much better than the USCHO final bracketology, which had us either playing Michigan or New Hampshire in the opening round.

Once again, we play BC, a team that has had our number as of late. And, once again, BC will be our toughest foe.

Yeah, I'm looking past Yale. I really don't think they're as good as their record indicates. I really don't think they're playing well enough coming into the playoffs to hang with the Sioux. It's not going to be a blowout, but if the Sioux continue playing the way they have coming into the playoffs, we should face off against BC.

Barry "Eastern Bias" Melrose and Sean "Can't remember his last name" both have UND making the Frozen Four and both of them have us losing to Miami. I'd like to think there's a good chance that they are right on about the Frozen Four prediction. Miami's track is simply amazingly easy any way you cut it. Michigan is the only team at their bracket that could give them trouble.


Let's use their analysis and predictions:

Barry loves Cornell. Sean loves Wisconsin. I love neither team. If it comes down to a battle of goaltenders, then Barry is right. Cornell wins. Scrivens is far superior to Bennett and Gudmanson of UW. I think Scrivens is the best goaltender in that predicted Frozen Four lineup.

If it comes down to offense, then UND and UW hold the key to the NC. And if it comes down to simple team D, then it's a toss up as I think all four of those teams have solid Team D. I guess I'd have to give the slight edge to UW as their DCorps is amazing.

But yeah, what I'd like to see is Cornell laying an egg against DU. Then it is Miami, DU, UW, and UND in the Frozen Four. Melrose is distraught and ESPN ponders throwing in a quick coverage of the 2008 World Series of Poker replay during the ensuing WCHA vs WCHA matchup (not sure which two would face off against each other).

Is UND a shoe in, like they say for the Frozen Four? No. They're only one bad game or bad shift away from the end of their season. BC definitely has the ability to do it. Who really knows.

FYI - Barry Melrose shows his true colors by calling Dane Jackson the "best assistant in college hockey." Now, I know my green colored glasses should make this a bragging point, but my realist stance says "hello bias." You see, Jackson was the coach for a team owned by Barry Melrose at one point. I believe it was a UHL team. I'm not saying Jackson is terrible, but I'm not sure if that accolade is entirely accurate either.

NCAA Round Up: Before we kick dirt on the CHA.

While the Illegal Curve has officially rode off into the sunset I will continue to do a weekly Saturday column called the NCAA Round Up, during the College Hockey season. Here is what Richard of the Illegal Curve had to say about his closing the site down.

The opportunities the site created for us were, and still are, endless. Through IllegalCurve.com we have met and interviewed some of the most significant players in the hockey world. Whether it be interviewing Mike Keenan and Vincent Lecavalier in person, or interviewing Eric Duhatschek and Scott Morrison on the radio show, we have been allowed to hear the latest and most in depth hockey information from the most informed members of the hockey world. Further, we have been able to meet many of the other bloggers and website writers and have an enjoyable and respectful hockey dialogue with them. Without IllegalCurve.com and your support none of that would have been possible.

While we have the utmost in gratitude for other writers, our guests and interviewees, we owe our biggest thank you to you–the readers. Without your constant support in the way of website traffic, emails, tweets, phone calls we would not have felt worthy enough to take the chances and strides that we did. Simply, IllegalCurve.com would not have lasted for thousands of posts and for over two years if not for your support.

While I am writing this post on behalf of the entire staff, I would be remiss if I did not thank the many writers who have contributed to the website along the way. From the beginning writers on September 4th, 2007, such as Kyle Kosior and Ezra Ginsburg to co-creator Michael Remis, everyone contributed to IllegalCurve.com along the way. If not for the writings of Ari-Baum Cohen, Drew Mindell, Neil Rockman, Adam Gutkin, Rusty Parra and last, but certainly not least, David Minuk, IllegalCurve.com would have merely been an idea. A special thanks also goes out to some our new recent contributors Daniel Hogan and Eric Burton.

It’s a sad day for me because I really loved writing my weekly column and occasional random other occasional columns for the Illegal Curve. Richard ran a very good NHL hockey blog and it was a sad day to find out one of my favorite hockey blogs is now out of commission. Moving forward there is another opportunity that is in currently in the works and looks like it might possibly pan out very soon.

The End of an Era

The CHA was created back in the 1999 to give new programs a conference to play in. This season will be it's 11th and Final Season.

College ice hockey’s continuing development and expansion received another boost during the summer of 1999 with the formation of College Hockey America. The seven charter members of College Hockey America were the United States Air Force Academy (Colorado), University of Alabama-Huntsville, United States Military Academy (New York), Bemidji State University (Minnesota), University of Findlay (Ohio), Niagara University (New York), and Wayne State University (Michigan). [CHA]

Over the years the makeup of the CHA has changed dramatically. Finlay, Wayne State dropped hockey all together. The Air Force Academy and Army moved to the AHA, leaving the CHA with 5 teams.

After Wayne State University decided to drop their hockey program the CHA was left with four teams, this put their conference on life support. The NCAA wouldn’t give a four team hockey team an at large bid for more than a couple of seasons. Something had to be done the NCAA hockey couldn't afford to lose anymore teams or there was a risk losing a few auto bids. So the four remaining teams applied for membership in the other five conferences. Three of the four teams found new homes.

Through some work there was a few adjustments to the various conferences, three of the four teams have found homes; BSU is moving to the WCHA, Niagara and Robert Morris University are moving to the Atlantic Hockey Association. The University of Alabama Huntsville applied for the CCHA and was denied or basically told not now maybe later in the future. Some college hockey fans including myself looked at this as an elitist attitude. That conclusion wasn't much of a stretch, looking at the CCHA members it’s not the strongest league top to bottom and the CCHA snub of UAH looked petty to a lot of on lookers.

There has also been rumblings that the Big Ten wanted its member schools to play each other more. Get out your tin foil hats and lets start the Big Ten Hockey Conference argument again. That's for another day.


Going out in style

Fast forward to the final season for the CHA, the BSU Beavers are sitting in the top spot of the CHA and haven’t lost a conference game all season. Nationally the Bemidji Beavers have also been ranked in the top 10-15 spots of the national polls most of the season and are currently sitting in 6th in the Pairwise the rankings mimic the NCAA Hockey tourney selection. The Beavers schedule hasn’t been overly tough and has been slammed by a few of self appointed hockey experts but the Beavers did beat the number one ranked Miami RedHawks in the Subway Holiday Classic back in November over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Take that CCHA

UAH out to prove that they didn’t appreciate the snub by the CCHA went out and beat Notre Dame in their first series of the season and then went out and swept the Air Force Academy Falcons as well. In fact the CHA has own the AHA this season and has a record of 6-0-1 against them.

Fast forward to last night, the 4-12-3 Robert Morris University Colonials didn’t want to be out done by their other CHA counter parts beat the number one Miami RedHawks 3-1 in the Igloo in Pittsburgh, PA. In fact three of their four wins have come against nonconference opponents; the Colonials have beaten the UAA Seawolves, Quinnipiac Bobcats, and now the Miami RedHawks. While they have had a rough season they aren’t a team to be over looked. I believe that Derek Schooley is a good coach and he will have the RMU team playing well in the AHA next season.