UND gets some love from INCH.

I was wondering if INCH has gone soft or something. Joe Gladziszewski has been very complimentary of UND this season, if you listen to the INCH podcast as well. I want my team to travel so we can get some good teams to come back to play the Fighting Sioux at the REA. I don’t want to see our team load up cupcakes and nondescript teams, just for the sake of making the NCAA tourney. Playing tough teams helps UND’s PWR for the NCAA tourney.

@SchlossmanGF - In Lynah Rink. It’s freezing in here.

@undsid - In Lynah Rink. It’s freezing in here. @SchlossmanGF: Stop whining!

@SchlossmanGF - @INCH_Gladdy Strange that two guys from North Dakota are complaining about the cold?

The Tweets of the Week share some levity from Grand Forks Herald beat writer Brad Schlossman and North Dakota media relations director Jayson Hajdu. Here are a couple of guys who wake up to sub-zero Fahrenheit temperatures throughout the winter and got the chills in a 40-50 degree hockey rink.

The bigger picture is that one of the ideas for this week’s Stick Salute was to raise the branches to North Dakota’s willingness to travel east and set up a very good series between two very good teams. We understand that several high-profile Western teams have big rinks and big financial responsibilities to their athletic departments. That being said, North Dakota has made a commitment to get on the plane and play non-league games against prominent Eastern-based teams. Last year, it was the IceBreaker Tournament at BU with another game against UMass. This year, a trip to Cornell; and next year the Sioux embark on a two-game series at Maine.
[INCH]

Gopher fans don't have to worry.

This article posted over on Sioux sports that said the Canucks want Super Sophmore Jordan Schroeder to leave school and play in the WHL with the Everett Silvertips. That has already been debunked by Schroeder's dad. [Props]

When Vancouver's prospects arrive at camp September 7, don't be surprised if 2009 1st round pick Jordan Schroeder is among them. Word is the Canucks want to sign Schroeder, which would spell the end of his university career at Minnesota.
------(snip)------
So, what options do Mike Gillis and co. have? Well, Schroeder's CHL rights are owned by the Everett Silvertips, so it's a very good bet that if this all goes down, Schroeder will be playing in the "dub" this season. [Sportsnet.com]

Here is the point that sticks out the most with me and this seems to be a reoccurring theme and these implications sound kind of similar to what Garth Snow Said, "Quite frankly, we weren't happy with the program there," Snow said in a telephone interview. "They have a responsibility to coach, to make Kyle a better player, and they were not doing that." [Star Tribune.com]

If you're asking why would Schroeder leave university to play junior hockey, my guess is the Canucks aren't that happy with the Gophers program right now. And if Patrick White is staying in Minny, then that might also tell you how the Canucks feel about him and his progress within the Gophers system.

Latest rumor about re-alignment.

This is a rumor that is starting to make it's way onto the internet. Looks like UNO could have some competition for the final spot in the WCHA. While it does seem logical, I think UNO is the better fit. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Of course UAA would be for it, because they are their heated in state rival.

QUESTION --- Rumors have circulated around the Internet, as well as the UAF community, that the Alaska Nanooks hockey team may be moving from the CCHA to the WCHA. Is this true?

RESPONSE --- From Forrest Karr, UAF Athletics and Recreation director

We are working with both conferences to explore affiliation with the WCHA for a number of reasons including the potential to increase revenue, reduce team travel costs, reduce team travel subsidies and the opportunity to play four league games each year against our natural in-state rival.

Chancellor Rogers will be briefed on May 27. If he decides to move forward, students, faculty, staff and the greater Fairbanks community will all be invited to open forums for discussion and input.

Interesting tid bits from Fiona Quick's twitter.

I was reading/perusing the Fiona Quick's twitter and there is some really good stuff there today. Looks like some are getting antsy in Gopher land, I hope Blaiser doesn't coach at the UofMN. I think the biggest development is that the UNO coach Mike Kemp was pushed out as the head coach. I think if Mike Hastings becomes the head coach it could bode well for the Mavericks and the WCHA expansion.

*Word on the street is there are several people pushing for Dean Blais as the next head coach of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers

*Former Gopher assistant coach Mike Guentzel will compete with current assistant Mike Hastings but Hastings is favorite for job at UNO.

*QuickFacts expects Golden Gopher freshman phenom Jordan Schroeder to sign an NHL professional contract following NHL Entry Draft in June.

*UNO Hockey called press conference for "Major announcement" at 4pm. Mike Hastings is favorite to take over as head coach of Mavericks.

BU wins the 2009 NCAA title.

I was on Face book last night after watching the NCAA title game and people were instant messaging me and telling me they were unhappy with the results of the game. Personally, I have to say that I am not all that unhappy with the results; I think the best team in division one hockey won last night (21-1-3 since Jan. 15) and last played in a game that will go down in history as being one of the most exciting NCAA division one finals ever. This was one of the most exciting finals that I have ever witnessed. The Miami Redhawks had the game in the proverbial bag when they were up 3-1 with about 3:24 to go and lost the game.

If BSU wasn’t going to be the winner in the NCAA tourney I would rather see BU win the tourney than Miami or Vermont. I am not into the whole underdog thing, it’s just me. In my opinion, Boston University was the best team in hockey all season long and played the game of hockey the way it should be. The Terriers were fast up front and could score in bunches and were fun to watch. In the era of the neutral zone trap, college hockey has become less watchable than the NHL and this year’s version of Boston University is a breath of fresh air because they attack and counter attack. It just seemed that no lead was possible when playing BU as they found another gear, shifted and won the game when they needed to. Colin Wilson is and awesome player and is probably going to make an immediate impact with the Nashville preditors.

Defensively I thought the BU Terrier were really impressive and I could see why NHL teams are drooling at the prospects of getting free agent Matt Gilroy, he would be a nice addition to any team’s defensive corps. On the blue line the players that stuck out the most for me were Matt Gilroy, Kevin Shattenkirk, Colby Cohen.

This season Boston University was at the top or near the top nationally in a lot of categories: 1st in scoring offense, 3rd in scoring defense, 1st in scoring margin, 12th in penalty minutes, 2nd in power play, 12th penalty kill. So there victory is no fluke.

Another region of death?

Here are the latest Bracketology Brackets from Jayson Moy. Interesting is the first word that comes to mind. I could see a bracket like that. UND beats Princeton and then takes on the winner of UMD and Michigan, sweet. I would love to see Red Berenson's face on the ESPN selection show as Red is explaining how he likes the prospects of playing two of the WCHA tougher teams in their back yard. At least we don't have to go to Yost Ice Arena. If these were the brackets on selection Sunday DU would have a the easiest route to the Frozen Four.

Midwest Regional:

Air Force vs. Notre Dame
Miami vs. Northeastern

West Regional:

Minnesota-Duluth vs. Michigan
North Dakota vs. Princeton

East Regional:

St. Lawrence vs. Denver
Yale vs. Vermont

Northeast Regional:

Bemidji State vs. Boston University
New Hampshire vs. Cornell

Tell us what he did.

USCHO blogger Todd Milewski brings up a good point in his latest blog post. It would be interesting to see what is actually going to be tolerated and what isn't going to be allowed in the WCHA. Seems that the league is a little inconsistent in their rulings. I think the WCHA should model its self after The NHL who does a good job breaking down suspensions and letting the fans, teams and the players know what is acceptable and what isn't acceptable.

WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod, in his statement, sent a message to the rest of the league that the game must be played “within the spirit of the rules at all times.”

So why not spell out exactly what happened and why it was unacceptable? Why not say plainly that the WCHA will not tolerate X and Y and Z, and Bruess is being punished for violating that?

If players are going to be held responsible, they deserve to know without a doubt what the expectations are. This is a case where a clearer definition is needed.

Poll Monday (yawn)

USA TODAY/USA Hockey men's poll
Jan. 5, 2009
Rank School (first-place votes) Record Points Last week
1 Notre Dame (32) 16-3-2 504 1
2 Boston University (1) 13-4-1 472 3
3 Minnesota 10-3-5 435 4
4 Northeastern 12-4-2 360 6
5 Princeton 13-3-0 332 8
6 Cornell (1) 9-1-3 316 9
7 Denver 13-6-2 309 5
8 Miami (Ohio) 12-5-3 277 2
9 Boston College 9-5-2 261 7
10 Vermont 11-4-2 218 13
11 Michigan 13-7-0 200 11
12 Colorado College 11-6-5 164 10
13 New Hampshire 9-6-3 74 14
14 Air Farce 15-4-1 50 12
15 Ohio State 13-6-1 38 NR
Others receiving votes: Quinnipiac University, 18; Dartmouth College, 14; University of Maine, 8; University of Nebraska Omaha, 8: University of Wisconsin, 8; Yale University, 6; University of North Dakota, 4; University of Alaska, 2; Michigan State University, 2.

USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Division I Men's Poll
January 5, 2009
Team (First Place Votes) Record Points Last Poll
1 Notre Dame (47) 16-3-2 994 1
2 Boston University ( 2) 13-4-1 940 3
3 Minnesota 10-3-5 886 4
4 Northeastern 12-4-2 782 6
5 Denver 13-6-2 720 5
6 Miami 12-5-3 697 2
7 Princeton 13-3-0 690 8
8 Cornell ( 1) 9-1-3 673 10
9 Boston College 9-5-2 660 7
10 Colorado College 11-6-5 534 9
10 Michigan 13-7-0 534 12
12 Vermont 11-4-2 513 13
13 New Hampshire 9-6-3 298 15
14 Air Farce 15-4-1 288 11
15 Dartmouth 9-5-0 198 20
16 Ohio State 13-6-1 197 NR
17 Wisconsin 10-9-3 153 14
18 Nebraska-Omaha 12-6-3 130 16
19 Alaska 10-6-4 123 18
20 Minnesota-Duluth 9-5-6 118 NR
Others Receiving Votes: Quinnipiac 111, North Dakota 88, Minnesota State 86, Yale 33, Maine 30, Massachusetts 8, St. Cloud State 7, Michigan State 6, Niagara 3

Morons are us aka "INCH"
(Link to their Power Ranking)
1. Notre Dame
2. Boston University
3. Minnesota
4. Cornell
5. Denver
6. Northeastern
7. Princeton
8. Vermont
9. Miami
10. Boston College
11. Michigan
12. Colorado College
13. Ohio State
14. Dartmouth
15. Air Farce
16. New Hampshire
17. Quinnipiac
18. Wisconsin
19. Minnesota Duluth
20. Nebraska-Omaha
Dropped out: Minnesota State, Alaska
Bubble-licious: Yale, Alaska

Analysis
So we are to believe that Cornell and Princeton are better hockey teams than Denver University. I am going to say Barbara Streisand. Give me a break with that ranking. I want what the posters are smoking because I want some of that. Miami loses to two of the worst teams in Division one hockey and hardly falls, The BADgers lose two games to a crappy NMU team and they still stay in the poll. Minnesota State wins a game against UNO and all they get are votes.