Ranking the Leagues SOS...

So which league has played the toughest schedule to date?

WCHA

North Dakota 1 232.5
Bemidji State 2 230.0
Denver 3 201.8
Michigan Tech 4 195.6
Alaska-Anchorage 5 192.0
Minnesota-Duluth 6 183.6
Wisconsin 9 166.9
St. Cloud State 11 162.9
Minnesota 12 162.0
Colorado College 13 161.4
Nebraska-Omaha 15 155.3
Minnesota State 20 139.8

Hockey East

Boston College 7 179
Vermont 8 170.1
Boston University 14 159.0
Maine 21 139.0
New Hampshire 23 136.6
Mass.-Lowell 27 121.9
Massachusetts 29 113.2
Merrimack 30 112.9
Northeastern 31 110.5
Providence 39 83.0

CCHA

Notre Dame 10 163.2
Michigan 16 152.4
Alaska 17 148.0
Miami 18 144.6
Michigan State 24 129.4
Northern Michigan 25 127.2
Lake Superior 26 126.5
Bowling Green 34 105.7
Ferris State 36 100.2
Western Michigan 37 92.9
Ohio State 38 91.0

ECAC

Rensselaer 19 140
Brown 22 137.7
Yale 28 113.4
Union 32 108.4
Dartmouth 33 107.5
Harvard 35 105.1
St. Lawrence 40 78.0
Princeton 42 73.8
Quinnipiac 43 67.7
Cornell 45 59.2
Clarkson 46 57.9
Colgate 48 53.4

Atlantic Hockey

Air Force 41 77.9
Bentley 47 54.7
Holy Cross 49 53.4
Connecticut 50 52.8
RIT 51 49.7
Niagara 52 49.2
Sacred Heart 53 46.7
American Int'l 54 45.4
Canisius 55 41.3
Mercyhurst 56 36.1
Army 57 35.7
Robert Morris 58 34.2

INDY

Alabama-Huntsville 44 66.8

Saturday Morning Pontifications… Links…

There really isn't much going on in the "College Hockey World" right now... The World Juniors Championship is going to be firing up after Christmas. The first game for the USA WJC in on the NHL Network at 7:00 PM against Finland on December 26th. There is only one WCHA series this weekend as the Mavericks travel to the Springs to play the C.C. Tigers.

Links

Team Canada goaltenders on the hot seat [Globe and Mail]

Flash Back; U.S. wins junior gold in overtime thriller [Globe and Mail]

Julie Robenhymer from Hockey Buzz has been tweeting from the USA WJC selection camp and you can catch her tweets here at @JulieRobenhymer...

BSU Beavers tested by their tough schedule during the first half of the season, BSU has played the second hardest Strength of Schedule. [Up North Sports Report]

Former UAA Goalie Nate Lawson is going to make his NHL debut tonight because their starter is former BU goalie Rick DiPietro out with an injury again. Nate is still sporting the number 52 that he wore in college...[islanders.nhl.com]

Earlier this week another former WCHA goalie Ricard Bachman made his NHL debute with the Dallas Stars as well. [Eye of the Tigers] Bachman was sent back down after his debut. [Eye of the Tigers]

Zdeno Chara Gets Too Close to Ryan Miller; Miller Starts Skirmish. [NHL Fan House] Awesome I was looking for the video for this one...

WJC: Team USA preview Defending the gold on home soil [niagarathisweek.com]

Jack Campbell should be key player in World Juniors [starsblog.dallasnews.com]

The UMD Bulldogs are opening at new arena on December 30th against the UND Fighting Sioux and they are having a dress rehearsal. [Rink and Run] UND opened the BSU's Beavers new home by sweeping the Beavers by a pair of 6-2 scores back in October.

Colorado trip no vacation for Mavs... [WORLD-HERALD]

You might want to check the YouTube videos... (Frattin)

I wonder what would have happened if UND had got their feet moving earlier in that game? We might not be having the discussions we are having today. I was reading USCHO WCHA blog this morning and there was something that caught my eye in Tyler Buckentine’s post. I am going to preface this by saying I don’t know Tyler from Adam or what team he cheers for and I don’t have anything against him at all, I am not trying to attack him, also notice, that I am not making him the buffoon of the week. I save those blog posts for people that do moronic things. None the less, Tyler was reviewing the WCHA and the first half of the season and how the league play has evolved.

USCHO.COM --- College hockey is at the midpoint of its season and the WCHA has four teams in the nation’s top eight teams and two in the top four.

The consensus WCHA favorite, UND, (13–5–2) is the top WCHA team in the USCHO.com D-I Poll and sits in first place in the league standings with 22 points after a pair of sweeps against SCSU and Minnesota State.

Who would’ve thought Matt Frattin, the nation’s leading goal scorer, would have 17 goals at the break when the Sioux’s goals leader when the 2009-10 season ended was Jason Gregoire with 20.

Frattin, who scored 11 goals a year ago, has 25 points, which matches his personal best for points in a season he set as a sophomore.

Frattin has the ability to create his own chances to make quality shots. He beat MSU goaltender Phil Cook glove side far post on Friday and danced his way around two Mavericks defenders on his way to a goal Sunday.

Frattin is on a five-game goal-scoring streak.

Aaron Dell has been a surprise in the crease after UND’s original No. 1 goalie, Brad Eidsness, was benched after just five games because of his nightmare of a start to the season (4.12 GAA, .805 SV%).

The sophomore Dell is 12–4–1 with a 2.22 goals against average and .904 save percentage.

The scary thing is UND’s record now and the schedule that lies ahead for the Sioux. UND faces only two teams in the current top 10-ranked teams on the schedule until the Final Five rolls around.

Here is what I take issue with, “Who would’ve thought Matt Frattin, the nation’s leading goal scorer.” You’re kidding right? You can’t be series? Cliché alert: It would be an understatement to say that Matt Frattin has looked like a man among boys and has played this season Frattin like a man possessed. The Toronto Maple Leafs who are starved for offense must be drooling at the prospects of having Matt Frattin wearing a Maple Leaf on the front of his jersey.

If you are covering the WCHA and you have had a chance to watch Matt Frattin play at all last season you would have noticed a player that was on the verge of breaking out and would have thought a torrid season might be in the cards. Rewinding back to last season when Matt Frattin returned from his suspension; Fratting took fire during the second half of the season and caught fire during the second game of the SCSU series has been hot as a pistol since and scored a bundle of goals.

So how hot has Frattin been, Matt has scored 11 goals in 13 games last season from Feburary 12th to March 27. Fast forward to this season Frattin has continued that torrid pace scoring 17 goals in 20 games, so if my math is right (I am a sociology major), that is roughly 28 goals in 33 games.

Michael Cammalleri's Penalty Shot Goal against the Boston Bruins

The more I watch this video the more I come to the conclusion that the penalty that led to the Cammalleri penalty shot was very weak and a brutal call by the official.

Edit: in looking back at this play that led to the penalty shot, I must conclude that this was a bad call by the NHL on ice officials, their incompetence cost the Boston Bruins the game and points in the standings, there is no way that the Montreal Canadians deserved a penalty shot on that play, maybe hooking but that was even stretch.

Subban hit on Marchand

Habs punk P.K. Subban delivers an monster hit on Bruins forward Brad Marchand, the hit was legal and a good open ice hit, I have no problem with the hit at all. My advice to the Bruins forward Brad Marchand keep your head up son. The Slough foot on Campbell should have gotten Subban a penalty in my opinion.

Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

There is only one WCHA series this weekend and it features the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks visiting the Colorado College Tigers at World arena in Colorado Springs.

There was a full stale of WCHA series last weekend and the results were:

Wisconsin swept Bemidji State – in Madison
North Dakota swept Minnesota State Mankato – in Mankato
Colorado College swept St. Cloud State – in St. Cloud
Nebraska-Omaha swept Michigan Tech – in Omaha
Denver took 3pts from Alaska-Anchorage – in Anchorage
Minnesota took 3pts from Minnesota-Duluth – in Minneapolis

After this weekend almost every team will have played half of their WCHA schedule. The exceptions are SCSU and MTU, both teams will have two games in hand on the rest of the league. And looking at the standing both teams need those games to make a run up the standings and try to grab home ice at the end of the season.

WCHA standings

TEAM……………...W-L-T...Pts
1. North Dakota………11-3-0…22
2. Denver……………...9-3-2…20
2. Minnesota-Duluth....9-3-2…20
4. Nebraska-Omaha….8-3-1…17
5. Colorado College…..7-5-0…14
5. Minnesota…………..6-6-2…14
5. Wisconsin…………..6-6-2…14
8. Alaska-Anchorage...4-8-2…10
8. Minnesota State…...4-8-2…10
10. Bemidji State……….4-9-1…9
11. St. Cloud State….....3-8-1…7
12. Michigan Tech……..1-10-1…3


WCHA

#8 Nebraska-Omaha @ #20 Colorado College
Last weekend the Mavericks swept the MTU Huskies in Omaha and the Tigers swept the SCSU Huskies in St. Cloud.

This is a huge series for both teams this weekend in Omaha. The Mavericks need points to keep it a four way hunt for the WCHA title. The Tigers need points to separate themselves from Gophers and Badgers and help get that much closer to the top and home ice. The Tiger have been under that radar, at least mine, they have quietly moved into a tie for 5th in the league. If the Tigers get any points this weekend they will be in sole possession of 5th and if they sweep they will be in 4th place. The Mavericks can move into a 2nd place tie with three points or sole possession of 2nd with a sweep with weekend. This year CC has tickled the twine 45 times and the Mavericks have 41 times in the WCHA. I’m going to say they each get some points this, the last weekend before Christmas. SPLIT


NON-Conference

Michigan Tech (3-10-2 overall) @ Northern Michigan (8-8-3 overall) (Friday only)
Last weekend the Huskies were swept by the UNO Mavericks in Omaha and the Wildcats split with Notre Dame in South Bend Indiana.

These teams played each other twice already this year. On October 8th and the Huskies beat the Wildcats 4-3 in overtime and then on October 12th they played to a 4-4 tie. Back in the 1980s this would have been a WCHA conference game, but not since 1991. In this battle for Upper Peninsula Supremacy it will come down to which team wants it more and I think the Huskies really want it. MTU wins.


USA Under-18 Team @ #3 North Dakota (exhibition – Saturday)
Last weekend the Sioux swept the MSUM Mavericks in Mankato.

I can see UND playing more of the guys that have been back ups in this game, just to avoid more injuries. I will also predict that Eidsness will see time between the pipes in this game (and maybe Maris might get to play in the net too).




Alaska Anchorage – next Jan 14th & 15th vs Colorado College

Bemidji State – next Dec 31st & Jan 1st Ferris State & Union - Dodge Holiday Classic

#7 Denver – next Dec 31st & Jan 1st vs Northern Michigan

#19 Minnesota – next Dec 31st & Jan 1st Union & Ferris State - Dodge Holiday Classic

#4 Minnesota-Duluth – next Dec 30th vs UND USA Hockey Hall of Fame Game

Minnesota State – next Jan 1 & 2 Notre Dame & BU/Brown Shillelagh Tourney

St. Cloud State – next Dec 29th & 30th Cornell & Miami/Maine - Florida Classic

#15 Wisconsin – next Dec 30th and 31st vs Massachusetts

Bettman, NHL will be backCoyotes deal doesn't shut door on Winnipeg

If you haven't seen this article it's worth a look.

Winnipeg Free Press ---"This was never about Winnipeg. This was about Arizona and keeping the Coyotes where they are," said Bettman, in a patient and respectful tone during a short one-on-one interview with the Free Press.

Bettman is predictably single-minded and perhaps a touch disingenuous in this statement. Certainly this was about Winnipeg when the league entered negotiations with True North Sports and Entertainment last spring and came within a day of closing on a relocation sale. Certainly the threat of that sale prodded the people of Glendale to bend and finally kneel at the NHL's feet.

Now before you get all high and mighty and accuse Bettman of using the city of Winnipeg, keep in mind that we went into this thing with our eyes wide open.

There was never a guarantee the NHL would leave Glendale and return to Winnipeg. But we were more than happy to sit in the on-deck circle and hope for the Coyotes to strike out and give the 'Peg another turn at bat.

There are no victims here, except maybe the Glendale taxpayers who were set up by their city managers and then pushed in front of the train by their elected officials.

There's no way the use of 5,500 parking stalls at Jobing.com Arena can cover the cost of issuing $125-million in bonds and the interest that will need to be paid. Maybe in Manhattan but not in the wide open spaces of the southwest.

Where does this leave Winnipeg in terms of chasing an NHL team? In the same place we've been since the building of the MTS Centre and the formation of a partnership between the Chipman and Thomson families. Ready and able should the NHL decide to abandon one of its current markets.

Bettman threw us a bone last spring saying, "Frankly, if we're going to move a franchise, there are a couple of places in Canada that I'd like to give my attention first. I'd like to try and fix something that I wished might not have happened in the first place."

On Tuesday he wasn't so charitable.

"Again, what went on here had nothing to do with Winnipeg," said Bettman. "As of right now we're not expanding or looking to relocate. We're aware of the great interest in Winnipeg. We're appreciative of that but that's not something we're in the position to address right now."

Yes, it's a dirty business and in this exchange Winnipeg was left out in the cold.

Step outside for a minute. We're used to cold and we have the patience to wait for warmer days. We do it every year as summer crawls near. It always comes back.

So too will Gary Bettman and the NHL.

When I read this article it appears that the NHL used the city of Winnipeg as a pawn, if there was a threat of having a fall back plan in Winnipeg Bettman could use Winnipeg as leverage to get a deal in Phoenix.

Colton Orr vs Zack Stortini

In case you haven't seen it, this was one of the better hockey fights that I have seen this season Rangers Colton Orr vs Oilers Zack Stortini this was definitely a battle of heavy weights.

Drew Stafford hat trick sinks Bruins...

Leave it to former Fighting Sioux forward Drew Stafford to stick it to my Boston Bruins tonight, Stafford returned from an injury to score a "Hat Trick" and the last two goals of the game. In case you wondering that is MSG voice of the Buffalo Sabres Rick Jeanneret who is one of the best hockey play by play television announcers in the business. Unfortunately, some of my worst Boston Bruins Memories are with Rick Jeanneret at the helm calling the game. My friend Mike once left Rick Jeanneret's call of my Boston Bruins being eliminated in the 1993 Stanley Cup playoffs on a goal by former Sabres tough guy Brad May on my answering machine, "May Day, May Day, Brad May...

Former Wild forward Brian Rolston put on waviers by the Devils

Holy Cow the New Jersey Devils are in full meltdown mode. I wonder if the Wild would be interested in picking Brian up? Probably not, the Wild can't afford 5 million a season and they do not have any room under the cap.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP)—Veteran left wing Brian Rolston(notes) has been placed on waivers by the struggling New Jersey Devils.

Devils president and general manager Lou Lamoriello announced the move after practice on Tuesday.

If Rolston is not claimed by Wednesday at noon, the Devils can either assign him to their AHL team at Albany, N.Y. or keep him on the roster for a game against the Phoenix Coyotes later that night.

The Devils will get no salary cap relief sending the 37-year-old Rolston to the minors. He was over 35-years-old when he signed his contract so his $5 million salary will count against the Devils’ cap whether he plays for them or in the minors.

The only way his salary would come off the cap would be if another team claimed him, and that seems unlikely.

Brad Malone is the WCHA WCHA Offensive Player of the Week for Dec. 14, 2010

The Pony Express delivered. Brad Malone had a good week on the score sheet and in the face-off circle and was rewarded for his good play by receiving the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week.

WCHA.COM ---University of North Dakota center iceman Brad Malone, who propelled his team to a pair of come-from-behind conference road victories at Minnesota State last weekend and into first place in the league race, has been named the Red Baron® WCHA Offensive Player of the Week for Dec. 14, 2010.

A 6-2, 212-pound senior from Miramichi, New Brunswick, Malone led all players with four points and a +4 plus/minus rating in UND's sweep over the host Mavericks, which enabled the Sioux to take over first place in the race for the WCHA regular season title and MacNaughton Cup. In a 4-3 victory last Friday (Dec. 10), Malone matched his career high with three assists, setting up three straight UND goals after his team trailed 2-0. Then last Sunday afternoon (Dec. 12) and with the Sioux trailing 2-1 in the second period, he capped another rally by scoring the game-winning goal at 14:47 to complete the sweep. Malone also earned a +3 in Sunday's game and was named the No. 1 star. In addition to his four points, Malone also won 56.8% (25-of44) of his face-offs in the series.

Alexander Ovechkin and Brandon Dubinsky fight

If you haven't seen this fight it's worth a look, I am not sure the Washington Captials want their top star Alexander Ovechkin fighting on a regular basis. I guess in this case I really don't have a problem with this fight because it is between two "star" players, it's not like Brandon Dubinsky is a Goon, Dubinsky has (14g-13a-27pts) in 32 games and Ovechkin is a well a super star (12g-24a-36pts) in 32 games.

In watching the video it would appear that Ovechkin is a better fighter than Sidney Crosby. Here is a look at the Sidney Crosby - Matt Niskanen fight in case you haven't seen that fight.

A look further at the Strength of Schedule

Here is an interesting conversation that I found on Twitter between Ryan Durling of the Somethings Bruin hockey blog and USCHO Hockey ECAC Blogger Brian Sullivan, the discussion is worth taking a look at, there is some legitimate points brought up by Durling.

@SullivanHockey it's tough to credit a team that's played 3/4 the schedule of UNH/BC and almost half as many games as NoDak, Minny, etc.
@SullivanHockey I'd love to, honest. Sadly, they don't dance with Hockey East too much and it's tough to get that far away to see them
@SullivanHockey i'm not an ECAC hater nor a HE homer, lol. Just find it tough to compare the schedules.
@Ryan_Durling And RPI is probably the LEAST impressive of that bunch right now. Really... Yale. Check 'em out, they're crazy fun to watch.
@Ryan_Durling Seriously though, you really ought to watch Yale, Union, Dartmouth & RPI before passing stereotypical judgment on #ECACHockey.
@SullivanHockey I don't deny that they're good teams. RPI looked solid earlier this year and I'm sure they've improved, BUT...
@Ryan_Durling The poll isn't necessarily about who'd beat whom, but who is doing the best they can...which Yale certainly is.
@Ryan_Durling Everyone has his own ballot philosophy, but there's no doubt that Yale's season is the most successful in D-I to date.

First off, I am glad that someone else is saying these things. This is also one of the reason I am so glad that there isn't a BCS of college hockey, this is not a beauty contest folks where your team loads up on cupcakes and over inflate their stats racking up wins against unimpressive opponents. I am not personally impressed if your team schedules a Sacred Heart and then beats them 8-1. I am more impressed with a game between two teams that play in a tough contested match with the outcome is in doubt till the end of the game.

The being said, the NCAA Division I Hockey tournament is a tourney that is based on merit you have to be one of the final 16 to make the tourney and your team has to win 4 games to get to the top.

Yeah first let’s compare Strength of Schedule, eight of the ten teams with the toughest Strength of Schedule are in the WCHA and the other two teams are from the Hockey East and the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Let’s take a look at the ECAC strength in scheduling or should we say a lack of strength.

The Top Ten Strength of Schedule

North Dakota 1
Bemidji State 2
Denver 3
Michigan Tech 4
Alaska-Anchorage 5
Minnesota-Duluth 6
Boston College 7
Notre Dame 8
Wisconsin 9
St. Cloud State 10

EZAC Strength of Schedule

Rensselaer 21
Brown 22
Yale 29
Dartmouth 33
Union 34
Harvard 35
St. Lawrence 40
Princeton 43
Quinnipiac 44
Cornell 45
Clarkson 46
Colgate 49

In conclusion; I am not saying that the ECAC or the Atlantic Hockey Associations aren’t good hockey leagues, they are the mid majors conferences of college hockey and “a few” of their teams can beat any team from the big three on any given night, but let’s be honest with ourselves, they are not in the same class as the Hockey East, WCHA or CCHA... Let the debate begin.

My first crack at the "what-if"

WCHA Final
Team GP Pts
1. UND 28 48
2. Denver 28 42
3. UMD 28 39
4. UNO 28 34
5. UW 28 32
6. C.C. 28 29
7. UMN 28 28
8. Mankato 28 21
8. SCSU 28 21
10. AA 28 18
10. BSU 28 18
12. MTech 28 6

Here is my first crack at the WCHA standings "what-if" calculator. You can pick your standings by going to this link... [Click to play "What-If"] Also, include your picks if you would like.

Rankings

Here is the rankings comparisons [click to view]

Pairwise rankings [click to view]

NCAA Division I - College Hockey RPI [Click to view]

Wheel of Justice rules; Jody Shelley suspended 2 games for hit on Adam McQuaid

I have read that Jody Shelly while one tough hombre is not a dirty player… When I read that he apologized on the ice, I thought that was a class act. Honestly, with Colin Campbell being as erratic as he is, there really is no way of knowing what to expect when the NHL disciplinary makes his rulings…I think a two game suspension is about right.

NHL.Com ---- Philadelphia Flyers forward Jody Shelley has been suspended for two games and fined by the NHL for his hit on Boston Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid on Saturday.

Shelley was given a five-minute major for checking from behind and a game misconduct 5:08 into the second period after shoving McQuaid while both players were racing for the puck. McQuaid, who just missed hitting the boards head-first, remained on the ice for several minutes before finally being helped off by teammates.

Shelley will forfeit $11,827.96 in salary, which will go to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

"I mean, I kind of got my hands up, braced myself a little bit, so it ended up not being as bad as I guess it could have been," McQuaid told reporters after the game.

Shelley apologized to McQuaid at the time of the incident and in the hallway outside the dressing rooms. The 24-year-old defenseman did return to the ice in the third period.

"You know, he was saying to me, I could hear him on the ice saying that he didn't mean to, so I guess, I'm not sure if maybe I don't know if he hit a rut or what happened, but he was saying he didn’t mean to," McQuaid said. "When I was coming off the ice, (Shelley) was waiting for me there. He said he was sorry and he didn’t mean to, so I just kind of got to take what he says."

Poll Monday!!! - Sioux 3rd in USCHO and 5th in USA Today...

USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll
[December 13, 2010]
1 Yale (45) 11-1-0 990 1
2 New Hampshire ( 1) 10-2-4 945 3
3 North Dakota 13-5-2 854 5
4 Minnesota-Duluth ( 2) 12-3-3 853 2
5 Boston College ( 2) 11-5-0 849 4
6 Miami 10-5-3 687 6
7 Denver 12-5-3 660 9
8 Nebraska-Omaha 11-4-1 631 10
9 Maine 8-4-4 589 8
10 Boston University 8-4-5 541 7
11 Michigan 10-5-4 505 12
12 Notre Dame 11-6-2 449 11
12 Union 10-3-3 449 13
14 Rensselaer 9-4-3 367 15
15 Wisconsin 10-7-3 272 16
16 Alaska 9-6-3 255 14
17 Merrimack 7-4-4 197 17
18 Ferris State 9-7-3 121 18
19 Minnesota 9-7-2 92 NR
20 Colorado College 10-7-1 49 NR
Others Receiving Votes: Clarkson 41, Dartmouth 36, Princeton 23, Robert Morris 22, Western Michigan 16, Northern Michigan 3, Providence 2, Minnesota State 1, Niagara 1
____________________________________________

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll
[December 13, 2010]
1 Yale University 510 (34) 1 11-1-0
2 University of New Hampshire 458 3 10-2-4
3 University of Minnesota Duluth 418 2 12-3-3
4 Boston College 410 4 11-5-0
5 University of North Dakota 403 5 13-5-2
6 Miami University 306 8 10-5-3
7 University of Denver 273 10 12-5-3
8 University of Nebraska Omaha 261 9 11-4-1
9 University of Maine 218 6 8-4-4
10 Union College 178 13 10-3-3
11 University of Michigan 176 12 10-5-4
12 Boston University 148 7 8-4-5
13 University of Notre Dame 141 11 11-6-2
14 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 107 15 9-4-3
15 University of Wisconsin 31 NR 10-7-3
Others receiving votes: University of Alaska 22, Merrimack College 6, University of Minnesota 6, Ferris State University 3, Robert Morris University 3, Colorado College 1, Dartmouth College 1.

INCH Power Rankings

As always for a good laugh I include the INCH power rankings… Since the Yale Bulldogs don't play till January 2nd the Bulldogs will be at the top of the rankings until after the first of the New Year... Then when Yale resumes play they have a cupcake schedule the rest of the way and they really don’t play anyone except Holy Cross outside of their conference.
1. Yale
2. New Hampshire
3. North Dakota
4. Minnesota Duluth
5. Boston College
6. Maine
7. Nebraska-Omaha
8. Union
9. Michigan
10. Miami
11. Denver
13. Boston University
14. Wisconsin
15. Notre Dame
16. Alaska
17. Merrimack
18. Robert Morris
19. Ferris State
20. Clarkson
Dropped out: Dartmouth
Bubble-licious: Colorado College, Minnesota, Niagara, Princeton

Ducks forward Bobby Ryan scores using Mikko Koivu’s stick.

This is one of the most bizarre things I have ever witnessed in hockey. Mikko Koivu takes Bobby Ryan's stick away from him so Ryan returns the favor. I have never seen a player pick up the opponents stick and score with it... Also, the stick has the wrong curve for Ryan as well but he still ends up scoring.

Jody Shelley hit/push on Adam McQuaid

This is the latest hit that will be reviewed by the NHL on Monday morning by Colin Campbell. Flyers tough guy Jody Shelley pushed Adam McQuaid into the end boards and it was an unnecessary and unfortunate hit. I don’t know if Shelly will get a suspension from the NHL because he is not known for being dirty players and apologized for the hit almost immediately.

Sioux rope Mavericks 4-2 end first half with a sweep.

The UND Fighting Sioux are famous for their second half surges under head coach Dave Hakstol and finally end the first half of the season alone in first place in the WCHA. It will be interesting to see if they can put the rest of the league in the rear view mirror during the second half of the season. I think there is a lot of potential to even get better because I don’t think UND has played it’s best hockey so far to date, they are still making crucial mistakes that elite teams shouldn’t make.

The Sioux also need to get more of their players scoring and can't just rely on the Pony Express to get the job done. Hopefully the Fighting Sioux can get Jason Gregoire and Brett Hextall back for the second half run and get them clicking on the power play again, both players have missed the last four games.

If UND can solidify their goaltending and cut down on the turnovers in the neutral and defensive zones I think they could make a run to the Frozen Four and finally get that elusive 8th national title. This team has played the best during the first half of the season during Dave Hakstol's reign.

Got away with two this weekend

I think UND played well in stretches but it wasn’t their best hockey of the season this weekend. Sweep at home and split on the road, frankly they got the sweep and that’s good, doesn’t hurt to get the breaks going your way. Personally, I don’t think MSU-M is an elite team and the Mavericks will finish somewhere in the middle to lower rung of the WCHA standings. Currently the Mavericks are tied for eighth place with 10 points. The Mavericks are a tough team that has decent speed and above average defensive corps. Kurt Davis is one of the better defenseman in the WCHA and is always a threat to score; fortunately, the Sioux were able to hold him to one point on the weekend.

Goon's three stars of the game
1.) Matt Frattin (1g-0a-1pts)
2.) Evan Trupp (1g-0a-1pts)
3.) Brad Malone (1g-0-1pts)

[Box Score for the game]

Here are some stats for the first half of the season

The Sioux are 13-5-2 to start the season, that is the best start in seven seasons under Fighting Sioux head coach Dave Hakstol. The Sioux are in first place in the WCHA with 22 points.

The Sioux have record of 7-1-0 for conference games on the road. The Sioux have a record of 8-3-1 on the road to start the season. The Sioux have a record of 5-2-1 at home. The Sioux have a non-conference record of 2-2-2 and have three more nonconference games this season.

UND Fighting Sioux have a record of 6-0-1 against unranked teams and a record of 7-5-1 against ranked teams and a record of 6-3-1 against ranked teams in the WCHA.

The Sioux have a 5-0-1 record on Olympic ice, 7-5-2 on NHL ice.

10-0-1 when scoring 4+ goals this season and the Sioux have scored 5 or more goals six times.

Sioux have a killed 87.3 % of the penalties that they have taken; tops in the WCHA.
Four of the top five scorers for the Sioux are seniors.

Aaron Dell is still leading the WCHA in GAA with a 1.94 average.

Matt Frattin is first in the Nation with 17 goals and second in the WCHA with 12 goals. Jason Zucker from DU is leading the WCHA with 13 goals.

Chay Genoway is first in the WCHA for scoring by defenseman 3g-11a-14pts

The Fighting Sioux offense is second in the WCHA scoring 3.43 goals per game.

Sioux Defense is top in the WCHA giving up 2.21 goals per game. [Click for stats]