Thursday, November 19, 2009
Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)
UND lost d-man Chay Genoway for an un-determined amount of time after getting checked from behind.
UND had its 17-game home unbeaten streak end with a loss to SCSU (It was a win over SCSU that started the streak)
BSU got its first ever win against UM on Sunday night in convincing fashion, 6-2.
UW got off to fast start on Friday again, by scoring 14 seconds into the game, the previous Friday (Nov. 6) they scored 24 seconds into that game. Has UW made some sort of "Fast Friday Formula" for the fans?
UMD Justin Fontaine scored 4 goals on Saturday against MTU, and UMD now has 4 of the top 5 scorers (points/game) in the WCHA, who would a thunk it!
Current WCHA Standings
#..TEAM................GP..W-L-T...PTS
1 Colorado College.......8...6-1-1....13
2 North Dakota...........8...5-2-1....11
3 Denver..................6...4-1-1....9
3 Minnesota-Duluth......8...4-3-1....9
3 Wisconsin...............8...4-3-1....9
6 St. Cloud State.........6...3-2-1....7
6 Minnesota...............8...3-4-1....7
8 Alaska-Anchorage......8...2-6-0....4
8 Michigan Tech..........8...2-6-0....4
10 Minnesota State.......8...1-6-1....3
WCHA
Minnesota State at Alaska-Anchorage
Last week the Mavericks were swept by the Tigers in Mankato, and the Seawolves where swept by the Badgers in Madison.
The Seawolves are 3-3-0 at home this season and the Mavericks are 0-3-1 on the road. Last year the Mavericks won the year 2-1-1 against the Wolves. Both these teams find themselves in the bottom of the standings, a sweep by one team will definitely help them avoid the dreaded "doormat" title. UAA will be back home where they have had some good success this year and will look to capitalize on a struggling Mavericks team. MSU-M and UAA have only scored 16 goals in 8 league games for an average of 2-goals/game. The first team to score more than twice will probably be the winner of these games. This series I'm going with the home team SEAWOLVES SWEEP.
#20 Minnesota-Duluth at Minnesota
Last weekend the Bulldogs split at home against the Huskies from MTU, and the Gophers split at home against the Beavers of BSU.
UMD is tied with CC with 29 goals scored in league games so far this year, that's a 3.63goals/game average. UM has scored 19 goals in thier 8 games, for a 2.38 average. The obvious here is that UM needs some solid/stellar goal tending this weekend if they want to try and get some points from their opponents up I-35. The Bulldogs are scoring, but they get scored on also, giving up 24 goals in those 8-games. The big Olympic rink at Mariucci may not help the Bulldogs, as they play on a smaller rink at the DECC. The big sheet does however help some the speedy skilled players to maneuver bettere, unless the reffing interferes with it(which happens at all the WCHA rinks it seems). If UMD can play solidly in their own end they should be able to control these games. I'm going to go with a SPLIT.
#15 Wisconsin at St. Cloud State
Last week the Badgers crushed the Seawolves in Madison for a sweep, and the Huskies salvaged a split on the road with UND.
These teams are next to each other in the standings at with about 1/3 of the season played. Last season these teams split their only series in St. Cloud. Both teams are finding ways to win games and are trying to keep themselves with reach of the top spots in the league. From what I've seen of these teams, I would have say that UW has the more potent offense as a whole, SCSU has their top 2 guys and that's about it. The Badgers defense is their strong point, so as long as they keep the small speedy Huskies contained Bucky should pick up plenty of points this weekend. However, if the Huskies goalie(s) get hot they could end up stealing a game from UW, just like UM did a couple of weeks ago. BADGERS 3-PTS
#2 North Dakota at #3 Denver
The Sioux split at home against SCSU, and DU rested up last weekend.
This is the series we have all been waiting for. Now we have to wait and see if all the stars will be in this game, Cheverie & Wiercioch from DU and Genoway for UND. This should be a great series to watch, two talented teams that can skate, hopefully the refs don't mess it up. DU should be rested after a bye week, but then again sometimes you get a little rusty too. UND lost last Saturday but they didn't get out played, they outshot SCSU 49-28, and UND's Aaron Dell, let in 3 goals on 7 shots, ouch. I see a SPLIT in this series, which should hopefully be one for the ages and set-up an excellent rematch in Grand Forks Jan.29-30.
Non-Conference
Robert Morris(3-6-1 overall) at #7 Colorado College(7-2-1 overall)
RMU took 3-pts last weekend from fellow CHA member Niagra, and CC swept the Mavericks in Mankato.
CC has gotten off to quick start this season, but for the most part they have done it against the lower teams (sweeps of MSUM, MTU). Now the Tigers host another team with a sub-500 record. RMU has lost to BSU twice and Ferris St. twice (FSU just tied Miami twice) so they may have loses but when you lose to top ranked teams it isn't always as bad as it appears. I like underdogs in this series, I'm going out on a limb here, and going with RMU COLONIALS 3-pts.
A couple of thing...
* DU goaltender Marc Cheverie (left calf) and sophomore defenseman Patrick Wiercioch (right knee) are doubtful for this weekend's series. Cheverie and Wiercioch earned All-WCHA second-team honors last season. (We will see what happens there)
* The Fighting Sioux lead the all-time series 129-110-8, but DU owns a 64-49-3 advantage in Denver. The Pioneers are 1-3-1 in their last five games against North Dakota and 4-5-1 in their last 10. The teams have split the last three two-game series' in Denver.
*North Dakota is second in the WCHA with nine points. The Fighting Sioux are led by senior defenseman Chay Genoway (out this weekend with an injury) and sophomore goaltender Brad Eidsness. Genoway, who was named to the All-WCHA first team last as a junior, leads all WCHA blueliners with four goals and is tied for first in WCHA defenseman scoring with 4-6=10. Eidsness has posted a 6-1-1 record with a 1.61 GAA and .925 Sv% after making the All-WCHA rookie team last season. Forwards Chris VandeVelde (3-8=11), David Toews (4-6=10) and Evan Trupp (4-5=9) have made strong contributions to the balanced scoring attack. The Fighting Sioux charted a 4-2 win and 3-2 loss last weekend against St. Cloud State. The 3-2 loss ended UND's 17-game home unbeaten streak. UND is first in the WCHA on the penalty kill (92.2%) and third on the power play (23.7%). Head coach Dave Hakstol has posted a 137-73-20 record in six seasons at UND. Hakstol guided the Sioux to four consecutive NCAA Frozen Fours from 2005-08.
Detroit gets screwed by ref.
It’s not just the refs in the WCHA that make big monstrous glaring mistakes, referees Stephane Auger and Dennis LaRue really blow this call and need to be sanctioned for this mess up. The puck was in before the ref was going to blow the whistle. In this situation Toronto should have ruled it was a goal. This is unacceptable.
Genoway out for Denver Series.
GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The country’s marquee series this weekend may be missing three of the country’s marquee players.
The University of North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol said Wednesday that there were no new updates on reigning Western Collegiate Hockey Association defensive player of the year Chay Genoway, who was injured during last Friday’s game against St. Cloud State.
Genoway appeared to suffer an upper-body injury when he was checked from behind into the boards and was listed as “out indefinitely,” by Hakstol after the game.
“There’s nothing different from Friday night, there’s nothing more to go on,” Hakstol said. “I don’t mean to be difficult, but that’s the simple fact. That’s where we’re at.”
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
My Favourite Hockey Moment
I got an email from somebody the other day, asking me to describe my favourite moment or event in hockey. Is it the gold medal game in Salt Lake City? Was it Jason Pominville’s goal in O.T. against Ottawa in 2005? I can't pin point one thing but a recent series of events is a joy to behold.
My favourite hockey moment is any time the Toronto Maple Leafs lose a game.
I don’t have an axe to grind with the Leafs as a team. They’re so bad there isn’t much point worrying about them. Having said that, the hiring of Brian Burke is the first shrewd management decision since hiring Cliff Fletcher in the 90’s.
Burke does have his faults. He is a media whore and blowhard but I think he’s a decent evaluator of talent. At some point the Leafs will be a competitive hockey team because a blind squirrel, with a max payroll, eventually finds a nut.
In the meantime, I’m enjoying the losing and the theatre it brings. The Leafs’ on ice performance has all the drama and conflict of a classic Greek tragedy but when the lights dim the real fun begins.
To say media saturation in Toronto is overkill is being kind because it’s like trade deadline day, everyday, around here. The media feeds the beast that is a hyper self conscious Leafs Nation. To say Toronto fans are blind and illogical is being unkind to those who are.
The human male has a difficult time controlling emotions, especially for sports, but it makes for interesting post game audio. Blathering fools, like Steve from Ajax, Ont. or Dom from Owen Sound, Ont., prattle on like know-it-alls who deal in absolute unreality: every hockey player wants to play in Toronto or the eighth ranked blue liner on the Hurricanes is a lump of coal, just waiting to be groomed with the right pressure.
I have a former classmate who’ll suffice for this example. I’ll call him D.G. to protect his identity. He’s fairly smart guy but when it comes to the Leafs, he’s spent too little time in the gene pool.
D.G. is your typical blind but loyal Leafs’ fan. He deals in a by-the-seat-of your-pants mentality because there is never any common sense behind his solutions to fix his beloved hockey team.
It’s the middle of July and D.G. is sitting in a cool and dark classroom looking for a quick fix to 42 years of nothingness. Amid all the usual trash he talks, D.G. thinks the Leafs would get first round picks for Matt Stajan or Mikhail Grabovsky, Columbus would part with Rick Nash for a player off the roster and a few draft picks. Maybe the ultimate problem, “(is) too many Europeans on the roster,” D.G. said.
There is nothing more aggravating than a half assed thought, blurted out with no rhyme or reason but I also find it hysterical.
Sadly, all my joy appears to be fading.
The post game radio shows have settled into a quiet resignation because the season is already over. No winning streaks to get people talking positively, no late season push that has Torontonians thinking Stanley Cup, no thought of hockey when the weather turns warm. It seems Leafs fans have, finally, settled for their allotment in life and it’s causing me great pain.
In the end, I never thought I would say this.
When are these pathetic guys going to win a game?
Guess who is playing for the Wild tonight?
Former Gopher and North Dakota resident Danny Irmen will be making his NHL debut tonight with the Minnnesota Wild. I am disappointed that he is going to be on the 4th line because I would like to see what he can do with more talented players. Ah, that's right there aren't many talented players in the Minnesota Wild lineup.
Woodbury resident Danny Irmen will make his NHL debut tonight on the right side of Derek Boogaard and James Sheppard. Unless somebody pulls up lame before tonight's game against Phoenix, John Scott will be a healthy scratch.
In Raleigh the other day, because coach Todd Richards had to use both Derek Boogaard and Scott in the same lineup as forwards, Richards never felt he could roll four lines, especially after the game turned into a special teams affair.
Scott scored a goal but only played six shifts. Richards wants to keep using Boogaard, but not both Boogaard and Scott in the same lineup unless Scott's on the blue line. So Richards called up Houston coach Kevin Constantine, asked who deserved a callup the most and Irmen got the call.
[Russo's Rants]
Lucic a game time decision on Thursday.
Lucic, who was placed on long-term injured reserve last month with a broken right index finger, skated alongside Byron Bitz and Steve Begin on the fourth line during the 75-minute session.
“As we did more and more of those rush drills, as it went on, you get more comfortable and play without thinking about it, so that was good,’’ Lucic said. “It was a good day for progress, and everything went well today, and hopefully it’ll feel good again tomorrow.’’
As for the finger?
“I got some mobility back in there,’’ said Lucic. “It’s still not 100 percent, but it’s close to 100 percent. I’m just working right now to get 100 percent strength back in there.
“It feels great. Not too much soreness going on anymore. Hopefully, I can make a return back to the lineup soon.’’
Coach Claude Julien said Lucic is “a game-time decision’’ for tomorrow night’s game at Atlanta. But considering the Bruins’ recent scoring slump, don’t be surprised if the left wing suits up. After putting up a plethora of shots against the Panthers (40, to no avail) and Penguins (33, in a 6-5 overtime loss), the Bruins struggled to create open looks in front of the net in a 4-1 loss to the Islanders Monday.
[Boston Globe]
Former Badger seeking converts
"My role here is to bring energy," said Earl, who had one assist in nine career NHL games before last week's callup. "I don't expect to score two every night. I need to make plays when they're there and use my speed to my advantage.
"Last year, I battled injuries all year, and it was a long time since I'd been able to play in the NHL. Against Washington, it felt like my first NHL game all over again. Then I got my first goal, so a lot of things were very special this time around."
That could extend to tonight's game, when the Wild plays Phoenix at Xcel Energy Center. Earl has played there before, during a Badgers career that ran from 2003-06.
The last time came in March 2006, when his third-period goal helped the Badgers defeat the Gophers in the third-place game of the WCHA Final Five.
Earl capped that season -- and a career that ended with 58 goals and 63 assists in 125 games -- with an NCAA title. He was named most outstanding player of the 2006 Frozen Four after scoring three goals and an assist.
Earl was traded to the Wild last January after 2 1/2 seasons in the Maple Leafs organization. He lived up to his reputation as a big-game player with five goals and four assists in 20 playoff games for the Wild's AHL affiliate in Houston.
The shoulder injury kept him out of camp for a week, but he hoped his work ethic and persistence made enough of an impression to get a shot.
Wild coach Todd Richards liked the toughness and skating ability Earl showed in five minutes against Washington. Though Earl said his Wild debut was "nerve-wracking," he earned more ice time and a promotion to the top line at Carolina, where his second goal tied the score and helped the Wild salvage a point.
"He got the opportunity to play with good players, and he was able to finish," Richards said. "He's got ability. He has to be aggressive on the forecheck and reliable in his own end, and when he gets the opportunity, he's got to use his shot, because he shoots the puck very well."
And that, Earl hopes, will earn him some new admirers.
"For some reason, fans from a lot of schools didn't like me," he said, laughing. "That comes with the territory. It was fun, and there was nothing better than those Minnesota-Wisconsin games.
"Now I'm at a different place in life. I'm excited to have the chance to come here and help the team create some excitement for Minnesota fans."
[Star Tribune]
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Something to ponder for Wild fans... Dive Earl Dive...
Gopher fan and celebrity Fire Helmet guy 26 said this on his facebook page:
not a good weekend for Gopher hockey. :( And to make things worse Robbie "DIVER DOWN" Earl scored 2 for the Wild yesterday. Would rather see the Wild lose then to see that POS score!Here is something to ponder, former dive king and Wisconsin Badgers forward Robbie Earl has played two games this season with the Wild and scored more points than first round bust James Sheppard who has (0g-1a-1pts)in eighteen games. Tell me what is out of whack there? I think it’s time for the Minnesota Wild to cut ties with the first round busts that are James Sheppard and Benoit Pouliot, both of these players are a waste of a roster space and add nothing to the lineup.
DU injury update.
At least two players on the University of Denver's injury list might return for this weekend's series against rival North Dakota at Magness Arena.
Pioneers coach George Gwozdecky doesn't like to use traditional injury-report terms, but based on the way he described things Monday, junior goalie Marc Cheverie (calf) sounds questionable, freshman defenseman Matt Donovan (finger) appears probable and sophomore blue-liner Patrick Wiercioch (knee) is doubtful.
Cheverie, who has missed the past three games after being cut by a skate blade Oct. 30 against Minnesota State, was scheduled to make "light movement prior to practice (Monday) with his gear on," Gwozdecky said.
Cheverie had 30-some stitches removed last week and began light skating without equipment Thursday.
"(Monday) is probably going to be the most that he's actually been on the ice since his injury," Gwozdecky said. "It's more or less to see where the affected area is at, and how he handles things moving around the crease with the equipment on."
Friday's game against the Fighting Sioux will mark three weeks from Cheverie's injury.
"He's made progress, and we expect he will continue to make progress, but whether that's going to allow him to play this weekend, the following weekend or in three weeks, we don't know," Gwozdecky said.
Donovan and Wiercioch are DU's top offensive defensemen. Donovan was held out of practice last week with a broken middle finger on his right hand. He suffered the injury during the Minnesota State series.
Monday, November 16, 2009
A few things going forward...
On Monday after practice at the National Hockey Center, Aaron Marvin spoke publicly for the first time about his hit on Chay Genoway that resulted in an undisclosed injury for the Sioux defenseman and a one-game suspension for the Huskies' forward. It took place during Friday's game at Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D. The Sioux took the opener of the series 4-2, then lost the rematch without Genoway, 3-2.DU's stud goaltender March Cheverie is listed as doubtful for this weekend's series with the Fighting Sioux. Denver is a different team without Cheverie in net. In contrast UND's Chay Genoway is also listed as day-to-day after suffering an upper body injury (word is, that Genoway has a bruised sternum and a possible concussion)
"I feel bad about what happened," said Marvin, who chased Genoway for about three-quarters of the length of the rink late in the second period Friday before finally catching him in the back with a check behind the SCSU net. "It was poor judgement on my part and there's no place for checking from behind like that. The important thing now is to make sure (Genoway) is OK. It wasn't my intention to hurt him."
You can see video of the hit in an earlier post in this blog. Marvin, who'd missed an open net scoring opportunity earlier in the game and had one point through his first nine games, doesn't deny that he was frustrated -- either consciously or subconsciously -- at the time. Genoway was a stride ahead of him, skating with the puck, from the UND zone into SCSU's. Genoway dumped possession to the end wall, stepped around Sam Zabkowicz, and got the puck again. Genoway moved it to his left, just before Marvin lined him up. Genoway, a senior who is 5-foot-9 and weighs 174 pounds, had his face to the glass when Marvin, who's 6-3, 205, connected.
Surprisingly, the officials first concluded -- with the help of a linesman -- that Chris Hepp was guilty. They banished him for the final 21/2 minutes of the second period, and Marvin skated a shift during the penalty kill. During intermission, the officials reviewed the play and changed the penalty to Marvin, who was removed from the rest of the game and Hepp was back in -- though not until a couple minutes into the third because he'd already showered and changed clothes. By the time he got back into his gear, the game was underway again. (If you think that part was confusing, imagine the mess if Marvin would've scored during those last 21/2 minutes of the second period.)
Huskies coach Bob Motzko said he doesn't anticipate any further discipline for Marvin, a junior who had one previous major penalty in his first 86 college games. (That also was a checking-from-behind call, on Feb. 23, 2008, against Michigan Tech at the National Hockey Center.) Take away the two majors and their accompanying game misconducts and Marvin totals 76 PIM in 87 career games. (Obviously it wasn't Genoway's fault, but -- for comparison -- he has 140 career PIM.)[Saint Cloud Times]
Goaltender Marc Cheverie (4-0, 1.27 GAA, .959 Sv%), who missed the Anchorage series with a left leg injury, is doubtful for this weekend's series against North Dakota. Cheverie was named the AHCA National Player of the Month for October. Cheverie leads the WCHA in saves percentage, goals against average, winning percentage and shutouts (3). Cheverie is first in the nation in shutouts, and second in goals against average and saves percentage. [Denver Pioneers]Here is the Lafranchise hit on DU's defenseman Patrick Wiercioch. I watched the video a few times and I don't think it's a penalty but the video of the GCI broadcast isn't that good either. In my opinion it looks like a textbook hip check. Just for the record UAA's Kane Lafranchise doesn't have a Reputation of being a dirty player. You can judge for yourself. I am all for "hard legal" hits but I also believe in the hockey code, if you see the players back you don't hit them and if you do something bush league on the ice you should pay for it.
Poll Monday (Sioux second in both polls)
[November 16, 2009]
Team (First Place Votes) Record Points Last Poll
1 Miami (42) 8-1-3 986 1
2 North Dakota ( 2) 7-2-1 916 2
3 Denver ( 2) 6-3-1 855 4
4 Mass.-Lowell ( 3) 7-2-1 824 5
5 Cornell 4-1-0 781 3
6 Michigan State ( 1) 9-2-1 727 13
7 Colorado College 7-2-1 695 10
8 Bemidji State 8-1-1 658 7
9 Yale 2-1-2 506 12
10 Alaska 7-2-1 505 9
11 Massachusetts 7-2-0 414 14
12 Nebraska-Omaha 5-2-3 371 11
13 Quinnipiac 8-1-0 366 20
14 Notre Dame 5-5-2 299 8
15 Wisconsin 6-3-1 242 NR
16 Michigan 4-6-0 230 6
17 Vermont 4-4-1 222 15
17 Boston College 4-3-1 222 16
19 Princeton 3-2-1 181 19
20 Minnesota-Duluth 7-4-1 175 18
Others Receiving Votes: Ferris State 128, St. Cloud State 46, Colgate 43, Boston University 41, Merrimack 17, Rensselaer 16, Providence 12, Union 9, Northeastern 8, RIT 3, New Hampshire 2
USA TODAY/USA Hockey men's poll
[Nov. 16, 2009]
Rank School (first-place votes) Record Points Last week's rank
1 Miami University (Ohio) (31) 8-1-3 507 1
2 North Dakota (1) 7-2-1 448 2
3 Denver (1) 6-3-1 429 3
4 Massachusetts Lowell (1) 7-2-1 405 5
5 Cornell 4-1-0 342 4
6 Michigan State 9-2-1 329 14
7 Colorado College 7-2-1 311 13
8 Bemidji State 8-1-1 271 7
9 Yale 2-1-2 218 11
10 University of Alaska (Fairbanks) 7-2-1 176 9
11 Massachusetts 7-2-0 141 10
12 Nebraska Omaha 5-2-3 107 12
13 Quinnipiac 8-1-0 102 NR
14 Notre Dame 5-5-2 54 8
15 Michigan 4-6-0 52 6
Others receiving votes: University of Wisconsin, 47; University of Vermont, 34; Boston College, 30; Ferris State University, 24; Princeton University, 22; University of Minnesota Duluth, 15; Colgate University, 4; Lake Superior State University, 4; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 3; Merrimack College, 2; Rochester Institute of Technology, 2; Boston University, 1.
Analysis: I think's laughable that Notre Dame and Michigan remain in the top 15. BSU with it’s split also remain in the top ten.
WCHA Officiating Is Intolerable
Clearly you'd expect the officials to do a better job on Saturday night. If you did, then you'd be wrong.
During the first period the Sioux scored a goal that was disallowed. The officials through the public address system told us it was because the whistle had blown. At the time we knew it hadn't. The replay confirms that.
Right before the puck goes in you can see it in front of the goalies right pad. (On this video it looks like a shadow, but the stands behind the goalie are darker than the playing surface so it is the puck.) The whistle never blew until the puck was in the back of the net.
I guess the official claimed at the time that the goal doesn't count because he "intended" to stop play when he couldn't see the puck. NCAA rules do allow that, but that shouldn't apply in this point. I can see the rule applying in the case where the puck is legitimately frozen by the goalie. You don't want to reward the other team for hacking on the goalies hands. Or I can see this rule being necessary if the referee is tripped up and can't blow the whistle when they need to.
On the other hand if the referee had blown the whistle it would have been a mistake. The puck wasn't frozen. Now it does happen often because when the referee can't see the puck they have to assume that it may be frozen and they stop play to protect the players. And a goal after the whistle has to be disallowed because you have to assume that a player might have been able to stop it, but they quit as soon as the whistle blew.
In this case the play shouldn't have been stopped. It wasn't stopped. We scored a goal. That goal should count.
You can see that the referee had the whistle in his mouth a long time before the goal was scored. If he really wanted to stop the play he could have. As bad as his interpretation of the rules is, the fact that he didn't blow the whistle before he did makes him out to be a liar.
What's particularly galling is that on Friday night the shoe was on the other foot. This same referee had a longer time to blow the whistle and never did. The opposing team scored and this official counted it. Friday night it didn't matter much. We still won by two goals. Saturday night the one goal he took away was the margin of victory for the opposing game.
The two officials that the WCHA sent to officiate this game this weekend, Don Adam and Tim Walsh, should be fired. Adam's got an history of allowing Sioux players to get badly injured. Walsh comes off as entirely incompetent.
Cross Posted from Say Anything Blog
INCH Power Rankings
1. Miami
2. North Dakota — Saturday's loss to St. Cloud State in Grand Forks snapped the Fighting Sioux's 17-game home unbeaten streak.
7-2-1 (5-2-1 WCHA) LAST WEEK: W vs. St. Cloud State, 4-2; L vs. St. Cloud State, 3-2. THIS WEEK: at Denver, at Denver
3. Denver 4. Cornell
5. UMass Lowell
6. Michigan State
7. Colorado College
8. Yale
9. Bemidji State
10. Nebraska-Omaha
11. Alaska
12. Quinnipiac
13. Princeton
14. Vermont
15. Massachusetts
17. Wisconsin
18. Minnesota Duluth
19. Boston College
20. Colgate
Dropped out: Michigan
Bubble-licious: Merrimack, St. Cloud State, Ferris State, Rensselaer
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Beavers 6 Minnesota 2
Of course there are a few pundits that will still say that BSU is a overrated team and the CHA is a joke but they sure have taken it to the AHA this season with a 4-0 record against them. Ironically, the WCHA has a 1-2 record against the CHA as well. Both Minnesota and the big lumbering team from UAA lost to CHA teams.
On to next week's rankings
So here we are; the Beavers will probably be ranked in the top ten this week again. The Beavers completed the mission and were successful by going into Mariucci Arena and getting a split with the Gophers. The Beavers also broke a 0-7 record against the Gophers by getting a win on the Gophers turf. So the question is; are the Beavers for real or are the Gophers a bad team? I think you could say both. The Beaves have come a very long way from the days of the late 1990's.
[Box Score]
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1st Period (20:00)
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BMJ 1 - 0 6x6 LL Shea Walters (1) (unassisted) 8:02
BMJ (+): 11,15,20,4,3,G35 MIN (-): 12,7,24,10,20,G33
MIN-1 Kevin Wehrs (2-Checking from Behind) BMJ 0x1 9:50
BMJ-1 Jamie MacQueen (2-Boarding) MIN 0x1 13:36
BMJ 2 - 0 6x6 Matt Read (8) (Jordan George) 19:10
BMJ (+): 19,28,8,9,22,G35 MIN (-): 13,19,11,10,28,G33
BMJ-2 Chris McKelvie (2-Goaltender Interference) MIN 0x2 20:00
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2nd Period (20:00)
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BMJ-3 Jamie MacQueen (2-Tripping) MIN 1x3 8:09
MIN 1 - 2 6x5 PP Jordan Schroeder (2) (Aaron Ness, Cade Fairchild) 9:19
MIN: 19,10,28,11,13,G35 BMJ: 26,8,29,23,G35
MIN-2 Zach Budish (5-Checking from Behind) BMJ 1x3 13:50
MIN-3 Zach Budish (10-Game Misconduct) (Served by Jake Hansen) 13:50
BMJ 3 - 1 6x5 PP GW Jamie MacQueen (2) (Brady Wacker, Chris Peluso) 16:11
BMJ: 17,25,9,20,26,G35 MIN: 2,27,15,11,G35
BMJ-4 Chris Peluso (2-Hooking) MIN 1x4 18:07
MIN-4 Jordan Schroeder (2-Cross-Checking) BMJ 2x4 19:59
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3rd Period (20:00)
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BMJ 4 - 1 6x5 PP Brad Hunt (2) (Shea Walters, Jordan George) 1:38
BMJ: 29,11,28,22,19,G35 MIN: 15,11,20,28,G35
BMJ 5 - 1 6x6 Jamie MacQueen (3) (unassisted) 1:52
BMJ (+): 17,23,4,3,26,G35 MIN (-): 12,7,21,2,4,G35
BMJ 6 - 1 6x6 Aaron McLeod (2) (Brad Hunt, Jake Areshenko) 3:04
BMJ (+): 14,29,8,6,16,G35 MIN (-): 27,16,9,23,28,G35
BMJ-5 Ian Lowe (2-Hooking) MIN 2x5 6:54
MIN 2 - 6 6x5 PP Jake Hansen (1) (Kevin Wehrs, Tony Lucia) 8:36
MIN: 21,2,12,7,16,G33 BMJ: 29,6,8,16,G35
BMJ-6 Ryan Cramer (2-Elbowing) MIN 2x6 9:42
MIN-5 Taylor Matson (2-Hooking) BMJ 2x5 18:40
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End of Game
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Coach Hakstol tells student forum to knock it off
Instead, it’s because The Hammer, aka The Hakker, aka Coach Dave Hakstol said to knock it off at a student forum. The Hakstol glare can melt granite. “He definitely commanded the room,” Austin Dhuyvetter said. “He opened my eyes.”
The eye-opening wasn’t about its naughtiness but its bottom line. “Our games are now on the Fox Network, and the chants can be heard on the TV,” Dhuyvetter said. “If the games are no longer on TV, we won’t get the top recruits. And if we don’t get the top recruits, our team won’t be as good.”
Junior Samantha Dhuyvetter, Austin’s sister, agreed. “When Hakstol says it’s disrespectful, we need to tone it down. He’s a big guy in our university, and everyone respects him.
“When Hakstol said it hurts recruiting, our fans said, ‘Oh, now I get it.’”
The Dhuyvetter siblings combined to produce the night’s best sign, which had defenseman Chay Genoway’s head pasted atop Superman’s body, with the words, “Up, up and Genoway.”
Clever signs, not crude vulgarities, hopefully now will be the calling card of UND’s rabid student section, which creates a dynamic atmosphere when it doesn’t make us old folks blush. [Grand Forks Herald]
Saturday, November 14, 2009
SCSU Diving team 3 and Sioux 2
The refs in this league is a like a gong show on ice skates. The Refs call penalties for plays that aren’t a penalty and then they also fail to call penalties for plays that againt a blind five year old with a seeing eye dog could see that it’s a penalty. If I did my job as bad as the refs do In this league I would be given my walking papers. Don Adam and Tim Walsh are clowns should be suspended for two weeks and then fired from refereeing games ever again in organized hockey. They are a disgrace to good on ice officials everywhere. 60 Minutes was right in her blog post back in August of 2008 the WCHA officials are a joke. Maybe the WCHA officials need to be given a code of conduct because they need to improve job performance.
SCSU diving team
It’s no mystery that Ryan Lasch and Garrett “Greg Louganis” Roe are great offensive players they are very skilled and play a great up tempo offensive game. I think most people will agree with that assessment, these are elite players in the WCHA. From listening and talking to other fans of WCHA teams, of I can also tell you that a lot of people are tired of these two players’ antics. Each time they visit our arena they spend a great deal of their time over embellishing opposition penalties and diving up and down the ice. It's the Goon's opinion that both players could be awesome Olympic divers and or actors. I think the refs should hand out more un-sportsman like penalties for their antics. Call them a few times and they might give up their shtick.
The Emmy goes to Brian Volpei
In the first period of the game Andrew MacWilliam lays out Huskie with a beautiful text book legal body check on Brian Volpei. The ref called MacWillam for an inteference penalty, after the play Volpei remained on the ice with the trainer trying to milk a five minute major penalty out of the deal, a few times Volpei actually looked up to see if the refs were buying it. Apparently the refs were not buying the Emmy award acting job, MacWilliam was only give a 2 minute minor. On his way to the bench Volpei even yapped at one of the refs. Volpei sat out a couple of minutes and returned to action.
Dude we still got a "Dell"
I have seen people try to blame the Rookie goalie Aaron Dell for the loss and I don’t think it’s fair. The first goal that was scored on the Sioux was the result of a poor play by freshman forward Danny Kristo who failed to hold the puck in at the point and led to an untimely shorthanded goal by Huskies forward Travis Novak. We win as a team and we lose as a team. There is no “I” in team. If you're going to point fingers point them at everyone on the team, it was a horrible team effort. This loss tonight was unacceptable but can be used as a learing experience.
Sioux missed Genoway
I do believe that the Fighting Sioux missed the services of All-American defenseman and Hobey Baker Memorial Award candidate Chay Genoway that was knocked out of last night game with a cheap hit. Genoway is a calming force and makes others around him on the ice better because he has so much creativity in the offensive zone. The Fighting Sioux lacked that confidence and creativity tonight. The Fighting Sioux must find a way to get a split in next week’s series with the Denver Pioneers.
Three Stars of the game
Dan Dunn SCSU
Travis Novak SCSU
Brad Malone UND
[Box Score]
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1st Period (20:00)
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NDK-1 Andrew MacWilliam (2-Interference) STC 0x1 5:16
NDK-2 Corban Knight (2-Holding) STC 0x2 8:10
NDK-3 Mario Lamoureux (2-Slashing) STC 0x3 9:30
STC-1 Chris Hepp (2-Interference) NDK 0x1 12:46
STC 1 - 0 5x6 SH LL Travis Novak (2) (unassisted) 13:12
STC (+): 12,13,7,25,G41 NDK (-): 25,26,17,7,29,G32
STC 2 - 0 6x6 Ryan Lasch (4) (David Eddy) 15:40
STC (+): 19,22,25,24,16,G41 NDK (-): 3,9,4,11,27,G32
STC-2 Nick Oslund (2-Goaltender Interference) NDK 0x2 15:40
STC-3 Jordy Christian (2-Slashing) NDK 0x3 16:53
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2nd Period (20:00)
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STC 3 - 0 6x6 GW Craig Gaudet (2) (unassisted) 0:14
STC (+): 4,22,19,7,9,G41 NDK (-): 17,29,25,26,3,G32
NDK 1 - 3 6x6 Brad Malone (1) (David Toews) 1:23
NDK (+): 22,18,4,19,2,G31 STC (-): 11,16,4,12,7,G41
NDK-4 Andrew MacWilliam (2-Holding) STC 0x4 1:56
NDK-5 Ben Blood (2-Tripping) STC 0x5 3:29
STC-4 Sam Zabkowicz (2-Holding) NDK 0x4 5:33
STC-5 Jordy Christian (2-Tripping) NDK 0x5 10:57
NDK-6 Ben Blood (2-High-Sticking) STC 0x6 14:09
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3rd Period (20:00)
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STC-6 Garrett Roe (2-Roughing) 3:58
NDK-7 Brett Hextall (2-Roughing) 3:58
STC-7 Jordy Christian (2-Hooking) NDK 0x6 7:21
NDK-8 Jake Marto (2-Interference) STC 0x7 10:35
NDK 2 - 3 6x6 EA Chris VandeVelde (3) (Darcy Zajac, Jake Marto) 18:16
NDK (+): 29,11,25,18,7,26 STC (-): 12,27,3,18,29,G41
Timeout - North Dakota 19:42
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End of Game
NCAA Round Up: Questionable hits and the review process.
This is the article that I wrote for the Illegal Curve.
Last night during the SCSU and UND game I witnessed one of the dirtiest checking from behind plays [ video included] that I have seen since the Geoff Paukovich hit on Robbie Bina during the 2005 WCHA Final Five. WCHA official Don Adam incorrectly awarded Paukovich with a 2 minutes boarding penalty when a five minute major and a game misconduct would have been warranted. Bina was carted off the ice on a stretcher and wouldn’t play the next season (2005-2006) because of his injuries he substaned during the checking from behind penalty. Paukovich got an extra game suspension for his thuggery and we moved on, Bina went on to play in the 2006-2007 season for the Fighting Sioux and now plays in the ECHL.
History repeats itself
Fast forward to last night Donn Adam is again one of the on ice officials for the UND and SCSU hockey game. Genoway takes the puck up ice in an end to end rush. Genoway has the puck checked off his stick by number 3 Sam Zabkowicz and number 17 Aaron Marvin comes in and pounds Chay's head into the end boards an high elbow to the back of the head.
Of course neither on ice referees Tim Walsh and Don Adam saw the play. Head official Don Adam conferred with the lines men and at first the officiating crew incorrectly penalized SCSU player Chris Hepp who given a five minute major and a game misconduct; later the Hepp had to put his equipment back on and rejoin the game after the officials realized between periods that they had penalized the wrong player. Now tell me that doesn’t lend to the officiating crews credibility.
The NCAA wants to focus on head shots and this was text book head shots and this was a text book definition of a head shot.
Contact to the HeadThis was a dirty, blatant inexcusable hit that has no place in college or any form of professional hockey. If Aaron Marvin is not suspended by the WCHA and gets to play tonight the WCHA office will no longer have any stitch of credibility and will in essence be condoning this brutal act. The NCAA like the NHL needs to have a review system that reviews questionable penalties and plays and awards the proper disciplinary action. The NHL League office for the most part has done a decent job, however, the WCHA has not.
SECTION 8. A player shall not make contact with an opposing player’s
head or neck area in any manner.
PENALTY—Minor or major or disqualification at the discretion of the
referee. Contact to the head shall be assessed in front of the
infraction (i.e., contact to the head – elbow).
Note: The rules committee instructs officials to use a zero tolerance policy in
this area.
Lastly, there needs to be more accountability for on ice officials in the NCAA, Don Adam is a horrible official and should be removed from officiating before someone gets killed on the ice as a result of his incompetence.
There is some justice in the world as Marvin has been suspended for his hit and will not be playing in tonight's game against the Sioux.
Edit: Marvin suspended for series finale ----I just got word that St. Cloud State's Aaron Marvin has been suspended for tonight's series finale against UND.
Marvin illegally checked UND's Chay Genoway into the boards from behind in last night's contest. Genoway didn't return.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Sioux 4 Huskies 2
The Fighting Sioux raced to a 3-0 lead with goals by Darcy Zajac, Mario Lamoureux, David Toews before they gave up two untimely goals by Ryan Lasch and Tony Mosey of the SCSU Huskies. David Toews padded his point total by scoring his second goal of the game in the third period to seal the game for the Fighting Sioux.
For the Sioux I thought that Ben Blood had a break out performance and one of his best games offensively in a Fighting Sioux uniform. If Blood keeps playing like this he will be wearing a Senators uniform very soon. Also, David Toews was nothing short of amazing tonight his two goals were high light material.
Home Sweet Ralph
The Ralph Engelstad Arena. has become a tough place for opponents to play in as UND has not lost in 17 games dating back to last season when the Fighting Sioux started the streak against the game SCSU Huskies.
No room for CFB's in hockey
I am sick and tired of watching players check their opponent head first into the boards. Someone is going to get hurt and possibly maimed if players can’t respect their opponents. The rules are cut and dried and pretty black and white, if an opposition player has their back is turned and they are facing away from you; they cannot be checked. There is no discussion.
Checking from Behind – A check from behind is a check delivered on a player who is not aware of the impending hit, therefore unable to protect or defend himself, and contact is made on the back part of the body.Tonight we watched a bush league checking from behind play that could land UND’s top defenseman Chay Genoway on the injury list. Aaron Marvin's checking from behind on Chay Genoway was blatant, unnecessary, uncalled for and Marvin needs to be suspended for another game or two.
Edit: I just went back and watched the bush league Marvin hit five times. This is one of the dirtiest checking from behind hits I have seen for some time. Genoway took the puck up ice in an end to end rush. Genoway had the puck checked off his stick by number 3 Sam Zabkowicz and Marvin came in and pounded Chay's head into the boards with a high elbow to the back of Genoway's head. This was a dirty blatant inexcusable hit. If this hack gets to play tomorrow night the Sioux players need to answer this gutless act. I can't believe that Husky coach Bob Motzko had the gall to argue about this call with the ref on the players bench.
[Box Score]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st Period (20:00)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NDK 1 - 0 6x6 LL Darcy Zajac (2) (Mario Lamoureux, Ben Blood) 6:23
NDK (+): 11,9,24,5,26,G31 STC (-): 13,22,7,25,2,G30
NDK 2 - 0 6x6 Mario Lamoureux (3) (Ben Blood) 13:16
NDK (+): 9,24,11,20,26,G31 STC (-): 12,16,7,25,13,G30
STC-1 Garrett Raboin (2-CONTACT TO THE HEAD) NDK 0x1 17:16
STC-2 Travis Novak (2-Roughing) 18:54
STC-3 Travis Novak (2-Roughing) 18:54
STC-4 Chris Hepp (2-Roughing) 18:54
NDK-1 Brett Hextall (2-Roughing) 18:54
NDK-2 Brett Hextall (2-Roughing) 18:54
NDK-3 Brad Malone (2-Roughing) 18:54
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2nd Period (20:00)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NDK 3 - 0 6x6 GW David Toews (3) (Carter Rowney, Evan Trupp) 7:50
NDK (+): 18,27,8,24,2,G31 STC (-): 17,12,25,10,7,G30
NDK-4 Carter Rowney (2-Tripping) STC 0x1 8:52
STC 1 - 3 6x6 Ryan Lasch (3) (Aaron Marvin, Garrett Raboin) 11:09
STC (+): 19,7,27,3,17,G30 NDK (-): 29,24,27,17,3,G31
NDK-5 Chris VandeVelde (2-Hooking) STC 1x2 16:28
STC 2 - 3 6x5 PP Tony Mosey (4) (Travis Novak, Ryan Lasch) 16:42
STC: 27,12,19,22,7,G30 NDK: 22,19,25,3,G31
STC-5 Chris Hepp (2-Roughing) 17:27
STC-6 Aaron Marvin (5-Checking from Behind) NDK 0x2 17:27
STC-7 Aaron Marvin (10-Game Misconduct) (Served by Jon Ammerman) 17:27
NDK-6 Brett Hextall (2-Roughing) 17:27
NDK-7 Brett Hextall (2-Roughing) 17:27
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd Period (20:00)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STC-8 Oliver Lauridsen (2-Holding) NDK 1x3 4:01
NDK 4 - 2 6x5 PP David Toews (4) (Derrick LaPoint, Chris VandeVelde) 5:13
NDK: 18,3,29,7,17,G31 STC: 11,3,6,16,G30
NDK-8 Mario Lamoureux (2-Interference) STC 1x3 12:46
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End of Game
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CCHA membership a foggy possibility for Mercyhurst
I think the other issue is number of scholarships awarded to players. The AHA only allows their teams to gives out 12 scholarships as opposed to the CCHA being able give out eighteen scholarships. So in theory I could see how a college hockey program might want to up grade their program and be able to increase the number of scholarships they can award.
Lastly, it would also seem logical that if Mercyhurst College moved to the CCHA, UAH might be able to slide into the AHA and solve the conference issues. Also, as a college hockey fan I wouldn't want UAH to have to hang out there too long without conference affiliation.
Is the Central Collegiate Hockey Association part of Mercyhurst College's future?It would appear that the distances for Mercyhurst are as far as the UAH distances.
School administrators are exploring the possibility of applying to the 12-team CCHA, one of the top NCAA Division I men's hockey conferences.
The CCHA will be reduced to 11 teams after this season when Nebraska-Omaha leaves to join the Western Collegiate Hockey Association for the 2010-11 season.
The CCHA has no plans for immediate expansion.
"We have no plans to add a new member for 2010-11,'' CCHA commissioner Tom Anastos said in an e-mail interview. "We are currently trying to finalize a new schedule with 11 teams for 2010-11. At this time, we have not addressed our future plans specifically related to our membership make-up.''
Mercyhurst athletic director Joe Kimball said the school has had preliminary discussions with CCHA officials, but has not applied to the conference.
He said Mercyhurst remains committed to its Atlantic Hockey Association membership.
"Right now, this is just a thought,'' Kimball said. "We're just thinking out loud and asking some questions and kind of sniffing around a little bit to see what the CCHA is all about.''
The CCHA consists of Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Miami (Ohio), Alaska Fairbanks, Nebraska-Omaha, Lake Superior, Bowling Green, Ferris State, Northern Michigan and Western Michigan.
"We don't know if the CCHA wants to expand to 12 teams or if they want to stay at 11,'' Kimball said.
"My job right now is to find out as much as I can about the league, and that's why I am waiting to have additional talks with Tom Anastos, so we can get a better idea of whether this would be a good move for us not only as a hockey program, but as a college.''
Kimball said he and Anastos have had two discussions in the past two weeks.
Anastos said the CCHA entry fee for a new member is $250,000, which includes a $10,000 application fee. If a school is not accepted, the $10,000 application fee is non-refundable.
"Administrators from Mercyhurst have contacted me to find out about our league, our future plans and the process for membership application,'' Anastos said. "They are doing some fact-finding.''
Mercyhurst has been a member of the 10-team Atlantic Hockey Association since 2003.
The AHA will expand to 12 teams for the 2010-11 season with the addition of Niagara and Robert Morris.
"Geographically, Mercyhurst College and Erie fit in wonderfully into the CCHA footprint,'' Mercyhurst coach Rick Gotkin said. "But no one has told us they want to add a 12th team. We're just assuming they would like to, because 11 seems like an odd number.''
Besides playing some of the nation's best teams, a move to the CCHA likely would allow the Mercyhurst men's program to fund the maximum 18 NCAA Division I scholarships per season.
The AHA schools enforce a 12-scholarship limit.
"You'd have to look at that,'' Kimball said. "Is that feasible for us, because that's what that league entails.''
There would be other advantages to a CCHA move.
"The two positives about this conference is the travel being less than it is in the AHA, and the quality of teams,'' Kimball said.
The CCHA denied Alabama-Huntsville's membership application this past summer largely because of its proximity to the rest of the league.
"Say what you want, but I believe, geographically, we're the closest team to CCHA country,'' Gotkin said.
[Go Erie]
Central Collegiate Hockey Team MilesHere was the UAH distances that were outlined from before.
Alaska 3,939
Bowling Green 190
Ferris State 294
Lake Superior State 368
Miami (Ohio) 356
Michigan 269
Michigan State 333
Northern Michigan 474
Notre Dame 318
Ohio State 212
Western Michigan 283
UM - UAH 651 miles
BGSU - UAH 585 miles
OSU - UAH 510 miles
MSU - UAH 672 miles
NMU - UAH 990 miles
ND - UAH 560 miles
LSSU - UAH 951 miles
NMU - UAH 657 miles
MU - UAH 442 miles
UAF - UAH 4137 miles
FSU - UAH 768 miles
[link to post]

