Serratore for Spencer Penrose. Why not?

Here are the finalist for the 2008-2009 Spencer Penrose finalists. I would like to see the award go to Tom Serratore coach of the Bemidji State University Beavers because I think he is the most deserving of the award.

Coach Serratore has gotten the more out of less with his hockey team. I mean think about it this way, the BSU Beavers have (1) one player that is drafted by an NHL team (Chris Peluso (PIT) JR) the Notre Dame Fighting Irish had (8) eight players, you tell me what team under achieved there. So what we are saying while BSU had one drafted player other teams have 5-15 drafted players and couldn't make the Frozen Four or even get out of the first round game of their regional.

Breaking it down further the BSU Beavers weren't even in the top 25 of the Pair Wise Rankings yet they beat the 2nd and 12th ranked teams, in fact the Beavers beat the number two ranked team that was at the top of the rankings most of the season and went something like 20 games without a loss.

Keith Allain, Yale*
Enrico Blasi, Miami#@
Greg Cronin, Northeastern*
Dallas Ferguson, Alaska*
Dave Hakstol, North Dakota*
Jack Parker, Boston University#@
Tom Serratore, Bemidji State*#
Kevin Sneddon, Vermont#
Ryan Soderquist, Bentley*

* Conference coach of the year
# NCAA Frozen Four participant
@ Previous winner

Recent winners

2000 Joe Marsh, St. Lawrence
2001 Dean Blais, North Dakota
2002 Tim Whitehead, Maine
2003 Bob Daniels, Ferris State
2004 Scott Sandelin, Minnesota-Duluth
2005 George Gwozdecky, Denver
2006 Enrico Blasi, Miami
2007 Jeff Jackson, Notre Dame
2008 Red Berenson, Michigan

2009-2010 schedule is up

2009-2010 UND Fighting Sioux tenative schedule has been posted. Brad Schlossman posted an article about the schedule as well.

Oct. 3 -- MANITOBA (ex)(CIS)
Oct. 9 -- MERRIMACK (HOCKEY EAST)
Oct. 10 -- MERRIMACK (HOCKEY EAST)
Oct. 16 -- MINNESOTA
Oct. 17 -- MINNESOTA
Oct. 23 -- at Anchorage
Oct. 24 -- at Anchorage
Nov. 6 -- at Mich. Tech
Nov. 7 -- at Mich. Tech
Nov. 13 -- ST. CLOUD
Nov. 14 -- ST. CLOUD
Nov. 20 -- at Denver
Nov. 21 -- at Denver
Nov. 27 -- MIAMI (CCHA)
Nov. 28 -- OHIO STATE (CCHA)
Dec. 4 -- at Duluth
Dec. 5 -- at Duluth
Dec. 11 -- WISCONSIN
Dec. 12 -- WISCONSIN
Dec. 19 -- US WORLD JR (ex)
Jan. 1 -- at Notre Dame tour.(TBD)
Jan. 2 -- at Notre Dame tour. (TBD)
Jan. 8 -- MSU-MANKATO
Jan. 9 -- MSU-MANKATO
Jan. 15 -- at Minnesota
Jan. 16 -- at Minnesota
Jan. 22 -- at Cornell (ECAC)
Jan. 23 -- at Cornell (ECAC)
Jan. 29 -- DENVER
Jan. 30 -- DENVER
Feb. 12 -- at St. Cloud
Feb. 13 -- at St. Cloud
Feb. 19 -- DULUTH
Feb. 20 -- DULUTH
Feb. 26 -- at Colo. Coll.
Feb. 27 -- at Colo. Coll.
Mar. 5 -- MICH. TECH
Mar. 6 -- MICH. TECH
Mar. 12-13 -- WCHA first round
Mar. 18-20 -- WCHA Final Five
Mar. 26-28 -- NCAA regionals
Apr. 8-10 -- Frozen Four

James van Riemsdyk signs with the Flyers.

The UNH Wildcats were handed a bit of bad news todoay when they found out that their super star forward James van Riemsdyke will forgo his college eligibility to play for the Philadelphia Flyer's. Based on his play and his WJC tourney no one should be surprised. I expect JVR to make an immediate impact in the NHL.

DURHAM – Going, going, gone.

Sophomore center James van Riemsdyk informed University of New Hampshire hockey coach Dick Umile Wednesday morning that he had signed a contract with the Philadelphia Flyers, ending the tenure of one of the highest-profile recruits to ever wear a UNH uniform.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Van Riemsdyk returned home to New Jersey on Tuesday and finalized plans with his parents and family advisor, Umile said, adding that it was no surprise.

“I think we all knew there was a good possibility it was going to happen, but nothing’s official until it happens,” said Umile, who called van Riemsdyk a “joy to coach” and said he supports his decision to turn pro.

The No. 2 overall pick by the Flyers in the 2007 NHL draft, van Riemsdyk upset some people in Philly by returning to UNH for his sophomore season.

The Wildcats’ season ended Sunday, one step short of the Frozen Four, when they were nipped by top-ranked Boston University, 2-1, in the Northeast Regional final in Manchester. They finished 20-13-5.

Van Riemsdyk issued a statement through UNH Wednesday that read, in part: “It has been my lifelong dream to one day play in the NHL. … UNH has played a crucial role in preparing me for this important next step in my hockey career and I shall be forever grateful. I fully intend to complete my academic obligations for the current second semester.”

So now we are to believe the Wild like college kids?

When I was reading Wild blogger Mike Russo's blog post today this part of article really jumped out at me. It's no mystery that Wild general manager Doug Risebrough doesn't like college hockey players very much, if he did he would have more of them on his roster. Seriously! If Doug Risebrough really like ex-college hockey players why aren't there more ex-college hockey players on the Wild roster? While the Wild have 15 ex-collegiate hockey players on their farm club none of them are on the fast track to playing for the big club.

I think this is a legitimate question since there are many opportunities to get a good look at college hockey players living in the state of hockey. The Minnesota Wild have one collegiate hockey player on their team John Scott and he is from Edmonton Alberta, also the Wild have one American on their team Dan Fritsche who played his amateur hockey in the OHL and he is going to be a career third or fourth line player. I love the Minnesota Wild but Risebrough is doing a horrible job managing this franchise.

Also ran into Canucks bruiser Darcy Hordichuk, and he interviewed me rather than vice versa regarding a 6-foot-8 former Michigan Tech (who says the Wild dislikes college kids?) dude named John Scott. Apparently Hordichuk’s thinking he may need to “go” with the towering blue-liner, and by “go,” I mean fight if you catch my drift.

I talked to Scott a lot this morning about his fighting. He openly says that he’s a “bad fighter,” and it’s something he might need to address this summer by taking boxing lessons. Being a college kid, he never had to fight. He openly admits he hates fighting but knows at 6-8, it’s something he’s going to have to do if he’s going to be a regular in this league.
(read the whole blog here)

Houston Aeros roster 2008-2009.
Nolan Schaefer Providence College
Krys Kolanos, Boston College
Marco Rosa, Merrimack college
Brandon Rogers, Michigan
Danny Irmen, Minnesota
Jason Deitsch, St Norbert College
Bryan Lundbohm, North Dakota
Robbie Earl, Wisconsin
Jason Ryznar, Michigan
Mike Hamilton, Maine
Jon Insana, Michigan State
Tony Hrkac, North Dakota
John Adams, Boston College
Ryan Lang, University of Alaska Fairbanks

Bolts a bunch of hacks

After watching the game between the Bruins and the Lighting it would appear that Tampa Bay is a bunch of hacks, the stick swinging in this game was ridiculous. Check out the fight video of Milan Lucic as he buries Josef Melichar who was stupid enough to hit him up high with a bush league high hit. A whole lot of nasty is what Blues GM John Davidson called Lucic. Also, on the injury front Phil Kessel is still out of the line up until at least next week.

By Kevin Paul Dupont, Globe Staff April 1, 2009 01:30 PM
Lots of stick work--and an abundance of shattered sticks--in last night's game.

''I guess you are right,'' said Milan Lucic, pulling up his sleeves to show slices in both forearms from enemy hacks. ''You saw that a lot of that in the old NHL, but not so much today.''

Julien kept to his minimal updates on the injured likes of Phil Kessel and Shawn Thornton. Kessel, he said, won't play until, next week. Thornton is considered day-to-day with a minor injury.

Genoway returning for senior season.

Brad Elliott Schlossman beat writer for the Fighting Sioux hockey team is reporting that WCHA defenseman of the year Chay Genoway will return for his senior season at UND. This is very good news for the Fighting Sioux hockey team, Chay brings a lot of on the ice leadership that should help some of the younger Sioux defenders. I would suspect that he will be a good candidate for wearing the "C". Your staying for another week just made a lot of Sioux fan's week a lot better. Now if we can only talk Vandy into staying we will be set.

The UND men’s hockey team will have to replace a pair of senior alternate captains on defense for next season, but it won’t have to replace the reigning Western Collegiate Hockey Association defensive player of the year.

Chay Genoway has decided that he won’t entertain any pro offers this offseason and he will be back at UND for his senior year.

“There was interest, but I didn’t want to take it any further,” Genoway said. “There is a time and place for some guys to go. But for me, everything points back to coming back to this program. I want to cherish another year here. I’m not ready to leave this place. It’s too special of a place. If I had the chance to play here for 10 years, I would.

“I’ve talked to guys who have moved on and they always say that this is their favorite place they’ve ever played, even at the pro level. I think we’re going to have a good team next year and I’m really excited about it.”

Genoway is an undrafted free agent, but NHL teams will have to wait another year to get a crack at the 5-foot-8, 165-pound dynamic, offensive defenseman.
(read the whole story right here)

BSU makes history.

This past weekend there was a whirlwind of excitement surrounding the NCAA Division one hockey tourney as the Bemidji State University Beavers qualified for the Frozen Four by beating a couple impressive highly favored foes. The flat bellied experts predicted that there was no way the Beavers could win and said that the Beavers would be a one and done team. The Beavers would have none of that and went along their merry way busting brackets and breaking the Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s and Cornell Big Red heart’s. It was a story book ending to an incredible weekend of college hockey.

BSU fans Giddy

Much of this week I have spent a fair amount of talking to my friends from Bemidji State Nation about their team’s historic series of events. You can hear the excitement in their voices as they get ready for the upcoming Frozen Four. As a UND fan I know how exciting it can be leading up the Frozen Four as the four years prior my team was in the big dance on the big stage.

I can't blame the BSU fans for being giddy, this is an exciting time. I have to admit being from Bemidji and having attended BSU for two years and being a member of the 1992 BSU football team I am giddy as hell. I also lived in Bemidji I want to see the Beavers win it all. I have to admit that I am sick and tired of seeing the hockey pundits and ESPN be cheer for the big schools like BU, B.C. Notre Dame, and Michigan school’s (2x). I think it is time for another small school to win the whole thing that doesn’t reside in on the East Coast or Michigan. So the only thing that would top this magical run by BSU would be a NCAA title. Is it possible, yeah it is…

Historic Run

The BSU Beavers became the first 16 seed to make the Frozen Four. Three number one seeds went down to defeat and only one Boston University won both of their games. The other three number one seeds didn't even win their first game. Compare and contrast the two Cinderella team's wins; the Falcons scored two relatively quick goals against Michigan and then were very lucky they were able to hang on to their lead as Michigan was all over them in the third period but could not score a goal. You almost have to wonder if AFA had Plexiglas on the front of the net.

On the other hand the Beavers flat out dominated one very good hockey team and another defensive powerhouse for 6 periods of hockey. There wasn’t any score a couple of goals and then go into a defensive shell. It was attack and counter attack. So yeah it’s historic probably because it has never happened until this past weekend. The BSU plan was very simple get pucks deep and skate very hard for 30 second and get off the ice. So simply yet the opposition was unable to answer Serratore’s game plan.

Puck Daddy on BSU

Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy kind of sums up the significance of BSU making the big dance. This story is very similar to the 1980 Olympic victory, kind of David versus Goliath

Sometimes, it takes a miracle for hockey to receive mainstream sports attention. Like back in 1980, when a bunch of college kids from the U.S. shocked the Olympic world by defeating the Russians; or like in 2009, when a bunch of college kids from Bemidji State University upset Notre Dame and Cornell to qualify for the 2009 NCAA Frozen Four in Washington, DC next weekend.

Bemidji what now? The question is being asked around the sports world as the liberal arts university from northern Minnesota -- home to around 5,000 students -- enters the semifinals of college hockey's Div. I championship tournament for the first time, in what some are calling "the equivalent of Morehead State going to the Final Four."

Kozek signs with the Chicago Wolves.

Goon's World will have a fond memories of former Fighting Sioux forward Andrew Kozek
I included the game winning goal from last years West Regional against the Badgers.
I would like to wish Kozek good luck in the next step of his hockey career.

( Chicago Wolves Press Release)--- The Chicago Wolves have signed left wing Andrew Kozek to an Amateur Tryout Contract (ATO).

The 22-year-old forward posted an assist in the University of North Dakota’s 6-5 overtime loss to the University of New Hampshire in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament on Saturday, and tallied eight goals, 20 points and 40 penalty minutes in 38 games with UND (WCHA) this season.

Overall, the Sicamous, British Columbia, native racked up 38 goals, 27 assists and 65 points in 167 career matchups with the Fighting Sioux, spanning four seasons (2005 to 2009). The Atlanta Thrashers second choice, 53rd overall, in the 2005 National Hockey League Entry Draft, KOZEK also spent two seasons with the Surrey Eagles (BCHL) prior to joining UND, recording 67 goals 71 assists and 138 points in 118 matchups from 2003 to 2005.

KOZEK will be available to make his professional debut when the Wolves take on the Peoria Rivermen at Carver Arena on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

UNH loses Ryan Bourque to the QMJHL

Like father like son Ray Bourque's kid Ryan Bourque is going to play in the QMJHL and has backed out of his verbal commitment to UNH. Sounds like a significant loss for the Wildcats. You have to wonder how solid the Bourque's commitment to the Wildcats was? What is more interesting is the comments following this blog post and the debate on whether the NCAA versus CHL debate.

Bourque to skip UNH, head to QMJHL

Like his father, the youngest Bourque will play in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Ryan Bourque, a Boxford native and son of Bruins legend and NHL Hall of Famer Ray Bourque, will forgo a verbal commitment to the University of New Hampshire to suit up for the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League next season.

Bourque, 18, was Quebec's seventh-round choice in last year's junior draft. He was ranked 61st among North American skaters in this year's NHL Central Scouting midseason rankings. He will have up to three years of junior eligibility. The Remparts' owner, general manager and coach is NHL Hall of Famer Patrick Roy, a former teammate of Ray Bourque's with the Colorado Avalanche.

US Under-18 team coach Ron Rolston said Bourque is an elite player in his age group who will be productive at the next level.

"He does everything for us, and he provides leadership," said Rolston. "He'll be a valuable asset to Quebec."

A 5-foot-8, 165-pound left wing, Bourque played the last two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program. He had 19 goals and 24 assists in 47 games this year, second on the Under-18 team. He will play for the US in the Under-18 World Championships, which begin April 9.

Ray Bourque played three seasons for the now-defunct Sorel (later Verdun) Eperviers, or Blackhawks, of the QMJHL.

Kessel still out.

Bruins fans will be disappointed to know that Phil Kessel is still out of the Bruins line up with the dreaded undisclosed injury. Sounds like a shoulder injury. According to the Boston Globe hockey blogger it appears to be a shoulder injury.

Kessel out again
Phil Kessel will miss his third consecutive game with an undisclosed injury tonight when the Bruins take on the Lightning at TD Banknorth Garden. Coach Claude Julien said Kessel is expected to resume practicing later in the week and get back in the lineup next week. It is suspected that it’s a shoulder injury that’s keeping Kessel sidelined, but Julien wasn’t even giving up the vicinity of the injury.

“It’s our job to protect guys,” said Julien with a grin, “and it’s your job to expose them.”…. Manny Fernandez was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, indicating he’ll play again tonight. Julien has said that he’s going to at least try to get Fernandez on track.

Today is the dead line to apply for WCHA membership

First thing that I would say is hopefully someone will step up and apply for the 12th spot in the WCHA. Eleven teams would be hard to schedule, unless the NCAA lets the WCHA and other leagues add more games to their schedules, I can't see the NCAA doing that.

Also, I am surprised that UAH hasn't at least put in an application to the WCHA, who knows maybe they will today. You have to wonder if UAH will apply later if their quest to get into the CCHA isn't successful. Holding pattern probably, it's a horrible time to get everyone focusing on conference expansion when there are still teams playing in college hockey. It will be interesting to see how this plays out and where the domino's fall.

Bemidji State is sole WCHA applicant The Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s window for accepting new applicants will close today, and Bemidji State is the only school that has applied.

The Beavers are desperate to find a league, because their current home of College Hockey America will be down to two teams after next season and will disband. Sustaining a college hockey program without a conference would be nearly impossible.

Bemidji State seems to be a natural fit for the WCHA because of its close proximity to the other schools, but the WCHA has 10 teams and an odd number would present scheduling issues.

“It is problematic,” WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod said of the possibility of an 11-team league. “And if we end up with 11, the Association will have to make a decision on the pros and cons of an 11-team league.”

McLeod and UND faculty representative Sue Jeno will make a site visit to Bemidji State on Friday on behalf of the league. BSU officials will then present their case for admission to every WCHA school during April’s American Hockey Coaches’ Association meetings in Florida.

The faculty representatives of the 10 memberschools could vote (eight of 10 votes are needed for acceptance) on whether to allow Bemidji State at that time, but there’s a strong possibility that they won’t.

Muddy waters

“There are a few things going on that have kind of muddied the water in Division I a little bit,” McLeod said. “There are all kinds of scenarios out there. There could be a domino effect if things happen in other places.”

McLeod said he couldn’t elaborate on the other behind-the-scenes happenings around the country.

“I can’t talk about individual schools and what’s going on,” he said. “But there are some circumstances that could affect things.”

Here is an interesting article from the University Chronicle Student newspaper. I thought this statement was kind of funny.

Speaking of 11th member, if Bemidji State were to join the WCHA, then the conference faces a numbers problem that would have to change with addition or subtraction. And neither are feasible options.

Kyle's suggestion is to bring in Nebraska-Omaha, which makes sense geographically. But would the WCHA want to bring in a lower-tier member of the CCHA, and a team that cannot fill 50 percent of their arena?

Plus, UNO head coach Mike Kemp said as recently as January 2009 that the Mavericks are not interested in joining the WCHA.

Is Van Riemsdyk moving up?

With articles like this you have to wonder if JVR is one of the next collegiate hockey players to forgo the rest of his eligibility to make a living playing hockey in the NHL? Based on his play in college this season it wouldn't be a stretch to think van Riemsdyke (12g-23a-40 points) could play in the NHL right now.

In Van Riemsdyk, Flyers Might Still Have an Ace Up Their Sleeve
With van Riemsdyk’s University of New Hampshire eliminated from the NCAA postseason on Sunday, he is free to leave college behind and join the professional ranks at any time.

Van Riemsdyk was already given a long look in training camp this past Sept. before he ultimately opted to return to UNH for his sophomore year.

The Flyers were reportedly miffed at his decision not to turn pro, but the move worked out for van Riemsdyk, as he led the Wildcats in scoring and cemented his reputation as the top prospect in college hockey.

He also starred again at the World Junior Championship for Team USA, finishing seventh in scoring after leading the entire tournament the previous year.

His recent body of work speaks for itself, and he is clearly ready to take the step to the NHL. But the decision about whether or not to ink his first professional contract within the next few weeks will rest with van Riemsdyk alone, as Flyers GM Paul Holmgren has made it clear that he will not pressure his top prospect to sign.


Not only would his turning pro give the Flyers a shot in the arm for the rest of the season, but the move makes financial sense for van Riemsdyk, whose stock will never be higher than it is now. And with the salary cap slated to go down in the coming years, he and all young players should strike while the iron is hot.

In an ideal situation, the Flyers would bring the second overall pick of the 2007 draft into the fold for the final three or four games of the regular season as a trial run.

And even if they did not have full confidence in throwing him into the playoff machine, regular practice with the team and witnessing the intensity of the games in person could only help his growth.

Wild in the running for Jokinen?

Apparently the Minnesota Wild are in the running for Olli Jokinen but I can't believe that the Doug Risebrough would be smart enough to pull it off based on some of his past moves and last summer decided that he wouldn't trade James Sheppard for Olli Jokinen. I would like to see Jokinen in a Wild uniform, he would look good skating on the same line as Mikko Koivu, especially if Gabby doesn't resign with the Wild.

Olli Jokinen's name is still connected to the Montreal Canadiens. Jokinen is believed to be being considered by at least four teams around the National Hockey League: the Canadiens, the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Calgary Flames and the Minnesota Wild. Don Maloney and the Phoenix Coyotes have a decision to make - is the price in return as good right now as it should be to make that move or do you wait until the draft? But the Montreal Canadiens are believed to be very much in the mix.

The Ending of the UND and UNH game.

A friend of mine sent me this video (he is a Gopher fan) and I thought I would post it up. No clue why? This should burn in the returning Fighting Sioux player's memory for the rest of the summer and motivate them to come back even stronger. Everytime you go to the weight room or go for a skate. I have always said what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Former Sioux Taylor Chorney gets the call from the Oilers.

Former Fighting Sioux defenseman Taylor Chorney gets the call from the Edmonton Oilers after an injury to Ladislav Smid. (click here for the press release).

Smid placed on Injured Reserve; Chorney recalled from Springfield Smid's broken hand results in first recall of the season for Chorney Edmonton Oilers.

General Manager Steve Tambellini announced today the Edmonton Oilers have placed defenceman Ladislav Smid on the NHL Injured Reserve List and recalled defenceman Taylor Chorney from the Springfield Falcons.

Smid suffered a fractured left hand in the second period of Edmonton’s 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild at Rexall Place on Sunday, March 29th. He scored 11 assists with 57 penalty minutes in 60 games for Edmonton prior to the injury.

This will be the first recall of the season for Chorney, who was the Oilers’ second choice (36th overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. The 6’0”, 196 pound native of Thunder Bay, Ontario made his professional debut with Springfield this season after signing a three-year NHL entry level contract with the Oilers on July 3, 2008.

The 21-year-old blueliner has scored 5-16-21 with 22 penalty minutes in 68 games with Springfield this season to lead Falcons defencemen in scoring and rank seventh on the team. A major part of the Falcons’ powerplay, he has scored 3-10-13 with the man advantage to rank third in powerplay scoring.

A two-time Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) all-star, Chorney played three seasons of college hockey with the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux, scoring 14-59-73 with 126 penalty minutes in 126 games between 2005-06 and 2007-08.

The Edmonton Oilers 30th Anniversary Season is presented in part by the Rexall Family of Pharmacies, Bell, Molson Canadian, ATB Financial and Ford.

This is my definition of a brawl.

Boosh gave me a heads up on this great hockey fight video. Wow, check out Dustin Byfuglien as he punches Canucks goalie/prima Donna Roberto Luongo. Nice to see Alex Burrows getting his ass kicked I can't stand that hack. Also, this is not the definition of a staged fight, this was a result of a play on the ice and emotions boiling over.

Tom Serratore on Paul Allen's show.

Paul Allen is on vacation and in his absence Kevin Gorg interviewed Beavers coach Tom Serratore during the final hour of the Paul Allen show today. Coach Serratore is on with Kevin Gorg with about 9:30 left in the podcast. (Click here to listen to the interview)

Avery and Brodeur meet again.

EDIT: Tonight the Rangers and the Devils will face off tonight in Madison Square Garden. This will be the first time Sean "Sloppy Seconds" Avery will face Martin Brodeur as Ranger. As Cornelius Hardenbergh mentioned, Avery did meet Brodeur when he was with the Dallas Stars. Last season we probably all remember the stick screening incident last year during the Stanley Cup playoffs and then the Avery Rule. Tune in tonight on Versus to watch the game.

Sean Avery will face the Devils for the first time in a Rangers uniform since last season's first-round playoff meeting, when the agitator parked himself in front of the Devils' net on a power play with his back to the action before waiving his arms and stick in Brodeur's face.

WSJ on College Hockey.

The Wall Street Journal is an awesome newspaper when it comes to stories on business and politics but now they have a really nice article on Why You Should Have Watched Hockey. Wow can well all exhale now? What a weekend and now we will have to wait two weeks while round ball steals the show. Basketball is boring.

NCAA Hockey
If only Jim Valvano had coached college hockey. Then the phrase "survive and advance" -- which the late North Carolina State basketball coach used to describe college basketball's grueling tournament -- would be where it truly belongs.

There is arguably no major event in sports more chaotic than the Division I hockey tournament. By its nature, hockey is more capricious than basketball and football, since one player (the goalie) can have an outsized impact -- for better or worse -- on a single game's outcome.

Baseball is similar, because of the pitcher's influence. But unlike baseball's double-elimination College World Series, the college hockey tournament is a one-and-done event, like basketball.

Result: Three of the four No. 1 seeds in this year's tournament didn't even survive their first games over the weekend. Michigan fell to Air Force, 2-0, due almost entirely to the play of Falcons goaltender Andrew Volkening (Michigan took 43 shots to Air Force's 13); Denver lost to Miami University, 4-2; and Notre Dame was buried by Bemidji State, 5-1.

Denver's loss and even Michigan's actually weren't that shocking -- Air Force, which subsequently was eliminated Saturday by Vermont, came within an eyelash of first-round upsets the previous two years -- but Notre Dame's defeat was the equivalent of Radford dismissing North Carolina by double digits.

Notre Dame, which led the nation in winning percentage and goals-against average, was facing the country's 37th-best team, according to the Ratings Percentage Index ranking system. There are only 58 teams in Division I. But Notre Dame goalie Jordan Pearce got rattled early, giving up the opening goal after a strange bounce off the boards, and the chaos was underway. (Read the whole article here)

Tim Thomas with a highlight save.

Check out this save from former Vermont star Tim Thomas as my Boston Bruins beat the dirty Flyers today 4-3. I remember a few weeks ago people were chirping about how the Bruins were falling and how they had run out of gas and that the Devils and Capitals were going to pass the Bruins in the standings and in about a week's time the Bruins go out and beat the Flyers and the Devils. Look Eastern Division the Bruins have awaken from their late season slumber.

1. Boston Bruins 106 Won 3
2. Washington Capitals 99 Won 1
3. New Jersey Devils 98 Lost 4
4. Philadelphia Flyers 92 Lost 1
5. Carolina Hurricanes 91 Won 6
6. Pittsburgh Penguins 90 Won 2