Goon's World

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Stephane Matteau gets some bad news

100 px (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Former Fight Sioux recruit Stefan Matteau will not be on the U18 team this spring.

Mike G. Morreale - NHL.com --- The International Ice Hockey Federation ruled Thursday that Chicago native Stefan Matteau is ineligible to participate for U.S. at the upcoming World Men's Under-18 Championship.

Matteau, who is regarded as one of the top North American skaters eligible for the 2012 NHL Draft, is the son of former NHL player Stephane Matteau. According to Kevin Allen of USA Today, the ruling is based on the fact Matteau hasn't played two consecutive seasons in the U.S. after the age of 10.

Allen explains that although Matteau spent his first nine years in the U.S., he was living in Canada when he joined the U.S. program in March 2010. However, he didn't play a game for the team until September in that year.

A week after the onslaught

Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After taking some time to let last weekend’s Frozen Four sink in; the first comment I want to make is that there is no shame in the Gophers or the Ferris State Bulldogs losing to the Boston College Eagles. The 2011-12 version of the Boston College Eagles is one of the best NCAA championship teams that I have seen for a very long time.

I was eviscerated by Gopher fans for my prediction that the Boston College Eagles would beat the Golden Gophers 5-1, I know I was off; the final score ended up being 6-1; silly me.

Losing to the Boston College Eagles should never be looked at as a "chock job" either, I think we can put that to bed right now.

Let’s also not forget that Jerry York “will” be in the U.S. Hockey Hall of fame when he is done coaching, I would bet my next pay check on that.

Let’s break York’s impressive record down further.

Currently, coach York is the winingest active division I college hockey coach and he has been coaching for 40 seasons and started coaching during the 1972-73 season with the Clarkson Knights.

Coach York with 913 career wins and has a coaching record of 913-557-94 and an impressive record of 446-222-60 at Boston College.

York’s has led Boston College to ten Frozen Fours while he was the coach of the Eagles – 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012. York’s Eagles have four Frozen Fours at Boston College since the 2000-01 season.

Overall, York’s teams have also won an impressive 5 NCAA championships.

As a fan of team that has been beaten by the Eagles, let me just say I seen this act before and I really didn’t enjoy it very much. I am sure the Ferris State and Minnesota fans felt the same way a week later.

Let me just say that, the Boston College Eagles are a very good hockey team that plays well in all three zones on the ice and we need to give credit where credit. There is no shame losing to the Eagles.

This season’s version of the Boston College Eagles won an unprecedented 19 games in a row and during that winning streak the Eagles didn’t give up more than three goals in any game. That’s impressive in any hockey league.

The last game the Eagles lost was when they were swept by the Maine Black Bears back on January 27-28 when the Eagles lost both games of a weekend series in Orono, Maine (3-4 L, 4-7 L). Since the late January display of mediocrity the Eagles were flawless.

After being swept by the Black Bears, the Eagles record stood at 14-10-1 and looked like they were an average bubble team and they were in the Pairwise Rankings. We all know how that turned out.

My question is, will team’s finally change the way they recruit (fast forwards, some of them under sized and a very mobile defense corps, that play both ends of the ice well) based on the way the Eagles have steamrolled the opposition when they get to the Frozen Four?

Just for the record, Boston College only had 9 NHL draft choices on their team as opposed to the Minnesota Gophers who had 17.

Playoff links – Lord Stanley Cup is on the line

Boston Bruins (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I think the Washington Capitals are going to have a hard time matching the Boston Bruins grit and toughness. The Bruins play their best when they're playing a rough and tumble brand of hockey. Just ask the softer Vancouver Canucks who were brutalized by the Bruins last season.

Katie Carrera, Washington Post --- The Bruins – or if you prefer, the big, bad Bruins – have a reputation for toughness. Their brand of hockey comes with physicality and snarl. They like to push teams around between whistles and get under opponents’ skin afterward.

While fighting isn’t really common in the playoffs, one doesn’t need to drop the gloves to be tough to play against and physically dominate a contest or series. Boston’s knack for such things precedes it, but the Capitals believe they can hold their own.

“I think we’re alright,” defenseman Karl Alzner said. “I think we’ve got a lot of guys that can throw the body around, too. We’re not a team like them where we come out and always do that, but we do that when we need to — and we’re going to need to in this series.”

The TD North Garden is a tough play for visiting team to play on any given day. Pierre LeBrun from ESPN looked at the five toughest arenas to play in druing the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

4. Boston Bruins Well, I guess you can ask the Vancouver Canucks to vouch for whether playing in Boston is any fun. The Canucks were destroyed in three games in Beantown during the 2011 Cup finals, which reinforced what a tough place it is to play in especially come playoff time. The Bruins are the NHL's toughest, most rugged team and that meshes well with a New England crowd that likes its hockey that way. All of which makes for an electric, and intimidating, atmosphere.

Former NHL Official Kerry Fraser is concerned about inconsistency in today’s NHL Refs. Well that makes two of us. I thought the officiating in last season’s Stanley Cup playoffs was bad, but could have been worse. I hope we don’t have anyone biting anyone this year.

As the NHL playoffs kick off this week, Kerry Fraser says he’s concerned about inconsistency in today’s refereeing.

“Right now, the game is very fast and it’s hard for young officials without the experience to keep up with the pace,” said Fraser, who retired a year ago as the most senior referee in the National Hockey League.

During the playoffs last year, too many refs were inconsistent when it came to major infractions, said Fraser, who officiated for 30 years. And the supplementary discipline doled out by the league hasn’t helped.

“There were head shots when players were sometimes suspended and sometimes not.

“The referees became confused seeing what was happening upstairs with suspensions or lack of, and it created inconsistent officiating,” Fraser said.

The "media" is still concerned about Timmy Thomas missing the White House event. Can we just play hockey? I could care less if Thomas takes a stand on his personal Facebook page or has a political message on the back of his goalie mask. The last time I checked Thomas was an American Citizen and is afforded the right to free speech. [Boston Globe]

Reporter: "Given the setting, that's it's in D.C., is there any concern on your part about the White House stuff getting kicked up and all that stuff …"

Thomas: "Thanks guys, we finally got somebody to get me out early."

The Washington Capital have issues in net right now. [Boston Globe]

Assuming Tomas Vokoun (groin) and Michal Neuvirth (leg) won’t be ready for Game 1, 22-year-old Braden Holtby will get the call to start the playoffs between the pipes. Holtby has never appeared in an NHL playoff game.

Holtby will be backed up by Dany Sabourin. The Capitals recalled the ex-Bruin from Hershey today.

Stanley Cup playoffs 2012: Alex Ovechkin vs. Zdeno Chara matchup could affect Capitals-Bruins outcome ...

Here are the various prediction on the series between the Bruins and the Capitals. Anyone who has seen the Capitals play know that they have a lot of fire power and I don’t think the Boston Bruins will be looking past anyone.

Dan Steinberg, Washington Post --- NHL.com doesn’t provide game predictions, but all seven of the site’s writers say the Bruins will win the series.

The NHL Network’s Craig Button agrees, although his colleague E.J. Hradek took the Caps. (Two out of four NHL.com international writers also took the Caps, for what that’s worth.)
Both of CBS Sports’s “Eye On Hockey” writers take the Bruins. TSN’s Scott Cullen says Bruins in six. Yahoo’s Nick Cotsonika says Bruins in six. The Toronto Sun’s Chris Stevenson says Bruins in six. Sporting News’s Jesse Spector says Bruins in five. Canadian site SportsNet says Bruins in five. And four of five Pro Hockey Talk writers say Bruins in 5, with the fifth, Ryan Dadoun, taking the Caps in 7.

UND 5th in final INCH Power Rankings

1. Boston College 33-10-1 (19-7-1 Hockey East, 1st)
2. Ferris State 26-12-5 (16-7-5 CCHA, 1st)
3. Minnesota 28-14-1 (20-8-0 WCHA, 1st)
4. Union 26-8-7 (14-4-4 ECAC Hockey, 1st)
5. North Dakota 26-13-3 (16-11-1 WCHA, 4th)
6. Minnesota Duluth 25-10-6 (16-7-5 WCHA, 2nd)
7. Michigan 24-13-4 (15-9-4 CCHA, 2nd)
8. Denver 24-15-2 (15-11-2 WCHA, 4th)
9. Miami 24-15-2 (15-11-2 CCHA, 4th)
10. Western Michigan 21-14-6 (14-10-4 CCHA, 3rd)
11. Cornell 19-9-7 (12-4-6 ECAC Hockey, 2nd)
12. UMass Lowell 24-13-1 (17-9-1 Hockey East, t-2nd)
13. Air Force 21-11-7 (15-6-6 Atlantic Hockey, 1st)
14. Boston University 23-15-1 (17-9-1 Hockey East, t-2nd)
15. Maine 23-14-3 (15-10-2 Hockey East, 4th)
16. Harvard 13-10-11 (8-5-9 ECAC Hockey, 3rd)
17. Michigan State 19-16-4 (14-11-3 CCHA, 5th)
18. Colgate 19-17-3 (11-10-1 ECAC Hockey, 4th)
19. Merrimack 18-12-7 (13-9-5 Hockey East, 5th)
20. RIT 20-13-6 (14-7-6 Atlantic Hockey, t-3rd)

One more final time this season; as always I include the INCH Power Rankings, because I find them amusing. In the final INCH Power Rankings, nothing really jumps out here as being really controversial.

On a side note, some fans like to bag on the guys from INCH and personally, I think INCH does a good job covering college hockey. I have had the pleasure of meeting Jess Myers the last couple of years at the Final Five and Jess is one of the funniest and also one of the nicest guys that I have ever met, he is a class act as well.

Monday, April 09, 2012

Don Cherry gives Sidney Crosby some free advice

The conversation in question starts at about 4:27 of the video. No one questions that Sidney Crosby is an awesome hockey player, but John Tortorella is right, Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are two of the biggest whiners in the NHL. There is more than enough evidence to prove that point.

Ok! Granted, it's no mystery that Torts was upset with Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik for his dirty, bush-league knee on knee hit on Rangers forward Derek Stephan, last Thursday night. I think Tortorella is right, can you imagine if that hit had been put on Malkin or Crosby, there would be a lot of complaining and whining coming out of the Penguins locker room and you would expect a maximum fine and or suspension handed out by the NHL.

Frankly, I would like to see Don Cherry give the Sedin twins in Vancouver the same lectures as well as these two super stars spend a lot of time diving, flailing and flopping around on the ice a throwing their heads back whenever they're hit.

ProSportsDaily Staff ---- Don Cherry joined a growing number of hockey personalities who are publicly taking issue with Sidney Crosby.

After New York Rangers coach John Tortorella labeled Crosby a whiner, Cherry spoke out against the Pittsburgh Penguins captain during his weekly "Coach's Corner" segment on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada.

"A long time ago when Crosby was coming out, I tried to warn him (to) 'quit diving, quit whining.' (Then) I was the worst guy in the world ... and all I was trying to do was help him," Cherry said.

"All I said was stop whining, stop diving and snapping the head back."

2011-12 AHCA/CCM Hockey Men’s Division 1

Here are the 2011-12 East and West All Americans teams.

All-American Teams

All-American West First Team

Goalie: Taylor Nelson, Sr., Ferris State University (Regina, SK)

Defense: Torey Krug, Jr., Michigan State University (Livonia, MI)

Defense: Justin Schultz, Jr., University of Wisconsin* (West Kelowna, BC)

Forward: Jack Connolly, Sr., University of Minnesota Duluth*# (Duluth, MN)

Forward: Jaden Schwartz, So., Colorado College (Wilcox, SK)

Forward: Reilly Smith, Jr., Miami University (Mimico, ON)

All-American East First Team

Goalie: Troy Grosenick, So., Union College (Brookfield, WI)

Defense: Danny Biega, Jr., Harvard University (Montreal, QC)

Defense: Brian Dumoulin, Jr., Boston College* (Biddeford, ME)

Forward: Spencer Abbott, Sr., University of Maine (Hamilton, ON)

Forward: Alex Killorn, Sr., Harvard University (Montreal, QC)

Forward: Austin Smith, Sr., Colgate University (Dallas, TX)

All-American West Second Team

Goalie: Kent Patterson, Sr., University of Minnesota (Plymouth, MN)

Defense: Chad Billins, Sr., Ferris State University (Marysville, MI)

Defense: Dan DeKeyser, So., Western Michigan University (Clay Township, MI)

Forward: Nick Bjugstad, So., University of Minnesota (Blaine, MN)

Forward: J.T. Brown, So., University of Minnesota Duluth (Burnsville, MN)

Forward: Jason Zucker, So., University of Denver (Las Vegas, NV)

All-American East Second Team

Goalie: Joe Cannata, Sr., Merrimack College (Wakefield, MA)

Defense: Mat Bodie, So., Union College (East St. Paul, MB)

Defense: Tim Kirby, Sr., U.S. Air Force Academy (Austin, MN)

Forward: Barry Almeida, Sr., Boston College (Springfield, MA)

Forward: Brian O’Neill, Sr., Yale University (Yardley, PA)

Forward: Jeremy Welsh, Jr., Union College (Bayfield, ON)

* First Team in 2010-11; # Second Team in 2009-10

University of Denver defenseman Joey LaLeggia was named the sixth annual HCA National Division I Rookie of the Year award.

Sunday, April 08, 2012

The Stanley Cup Playoffs - Goon's Predictions

Who do you like to win Lord Stanley's Cup? I am taking the Boston Bruins to repeat as the Champs? What do you think? Who is your pick to win it all?

Western Division

1 Vancouver Canucks vs. 8. L.A. Kings – 1 Vancouver Canucks

2 St. Louis Blues vs. 7 SJ Sharks – 2 St Louis Blues

3 Phoenix Coyotes vs. 6 Chicago Blackhawks – 6 Chicago Blackhawks

4 Nashville Predators vs. 5 Detroit Redwings – 5 Detroit Redwings

Conference Semis

1 Vancouver Canucks vs. 6 Chicago Blackhawks – Vancouver Canucks

2 St Louis Blues vs. 5 Detroit Redwings – St Louis Blues

Western Conference Finals

Vancouver Canucks vs. St Louis Blues – St Louis Blues.

Eastern Division

1 New York Rangers vs. 8 Ottawa Senators – 1 New York Rangers

2 Boston Bruins vs. 7 Washington Capitals – 2 Boston Bruins

3 Florida Panthers vs. 6 New Jersey Devils – 6 New Jersey Devils

4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 5 Philadelphia Flyers – 4 Pittsburg Penguins

Conference Semi Finals

1 New York Rangers vs. 6 New Jersey Devils – New York Rangers

2 Boston Bruins vs. 4 Pittsburg Penguins – Boston Bruins

Conference Finals

1 New York Rangers vs. 2 Boston Bruins – Boston Bruins

Stanley Cup Finals

St Louis Blues vs. Boston Bruins – Boston Bruins

Brendan Lemieux going to UND not OHL

In case anyone is confused Brendan Lemieux posted this on Twitter tonight.

Saturday, April 07, 2012

More UND bolters to CHL? (RW77)

Today the OHL held their Priority Draft. And some UND recruits are on the list.

The first two occur in the 4th round. The first was the Barrie Colts taking Brenden Lemieux with the 6th pick of the fourth round. Seven picks later, UND recruit Nick Schmaltz got selected by Windsor. There may be more, but it is unlikely (this post was written while the OHL draft was in the middle of the 10th round of 15 rounds).

What does this mean?

Hard to tell. I know very little about Barrir and Windsor's tactics. They aren't ultra agressive or perhaps even overtly Anti-NCAA like London of the OHL, Moncton of the QMJHL, or Red Deer of the WHL. However, Windsor has been pursuing Jordan Schmaltz very heavily and drafting his little brother is another tried and true tactic that has worked in the past. That being said, Jordan and Nick have both gone on record saying that they are committed to the NCAA route. I hope that is true, but with all the nefarious tactics and rumored financial incentives that have surfaced as of late, one cannot be too confident.

Of the two drafted, I think Lemieux has the highest probability of bolting for the Major Juniors. His dad went through Major Juniors (though with the QMJHL, not the OHL).

As with most cynical people, I have my predictions and what I hope. I predict the Schmaltzes show up in Grand Forks. I predict Lemieux will go the way of Matteau and go OHL.

It's too bad but it is the reality of the sport. Of course, I hope I'm wrong about Lemieux and he does skate for UND. I just won't believe it until he does. And, for the record, I believe the same will be true for uncommitted blue chipper Seth Jones.

We'll just have to wait and see... or perhaps Brad Schlossman can shed some light post draft.

EDIT: One other interesting development: UNO incoming recruit Alex Broadhurst was drafted in the 2nd round by London, a team that enjoys pressuring players away from the NCAA.

Friday, April 06, 2012

Speaking of Dirty Hits.... (RW77)

All the talk about hits to the head and from behind has been discussed at length but how about this odd one...

Minnesota Wild bubble player Nate Prosser, a former player with Colorado College, got into a scrum around the Minnesota net with Chicago journeyman Jamal Mayers.... and headbutted him.

WTF?

Here is the link to the story which includes the incident in question (it is at the 1 minute mark or thereabouts).

What a stupid stupid stupid thing for Prosser to do. I mean, right now the Wild is in "see what we've got" mode for future moves, cuts, extensions, and whatever. Prosser was an undrafted free agent. The Wild have very little invested in him. This act won't necessarily end his career with the Wild (or any NHL franchise) but it won't endear him to his teammates and team management either.

He will no doubt face suspension for it but the question is: How many games?

I predict 2 games. Prosser has no NHL history of any negative manner administratively speaking (in other words, he's a first time offender). UPDATE: Turns out he was suspended 1 game. However, to reiterate what I said before:

WTF?

I know those who know me or have read what I've written in the past know that I'm no fan of the Minnesota Wild, but I've never known them to resort to this crap. They've always been a well disciplined team, to my knowledge. I can't even recall off the top of my head the last time a Wild player was suspended.

I'd love to know what he has to say... truthfully. However, with the media like it is and his agent and advisors in his ear, we'll never know what was really going on in his head.

Thursday, April 05, 2012

UPDATE - Measure number 4 ballot

In case you were wondering, this what the ballot for the state wide referendum on UND's use of the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo will look like on the June 12th Primary Election Ballot.

There has been some question about how the ballot will be written, this is straight from today's Grand Forks Herald.

“Referendum Measure No. 4
“This referendum measure concerns Senate Bill 2370 as passed by the Legislative Assembly in the November 2011 special session (Session Laws, Chapter 580). Senate Bill 2370 repealed section 15-10-46 of the North Dakota Century Code, which required the University of North Dakota to use the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo.

“YES — means you approve Senate Bill 2370, the effect of which would allow the University of North Dakota to discontinue the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo.

“NO — means you reject Senate Bill 2370, and would require the University of North Dakota to use the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo.”

VOTER REGISTRATION

Registration Deadline: North Dakota does not require some form of voter registration. Each precinct has a list of residents who voted in previous elections. If a voter's name is on the list, he provides valid form identification, and his address can be verified, then he may vote.

Party Affiliation: North Dakota has open primaries, which means that on primary day, a voter is free to choose any party’s primary, but once having made that choice, the voter is confined to voting in the primary of just one party.

QUALIFICATIONS

Age: Must be at least 18 years old on Election Day

Citizenship: Must be a United States citizen

Residency: Must be a legal resident of North Dakota and a resident in the precinct for 30 days preceding the election

More Potential Departures...including Coaches (RW77)

Brad Schlossman has stated that Aaron Dell is likely to sign. There have been tweets that suggest that there may be up to 3 more early departures. We know that MacWilliam and Rowney aren't the other 2.

I also doubt Rodwell and Grimaldi will bolt. For Grimaldi it would be ridiculous...unless he's bolting for an entry contract and assignment to Major Juniors (ala BC's Adam Pineault a few years back) but... that would suprise me. I'm pretty certain that one of the two is Danny Kristo. However, I think the third is just a rumor.

As for Dell, the Montreal Canadiens were trying to sign him after last season but I doubt they're in the mix now thanks to GM being fired. Best bet is Calgary, but I wouldn't count out Winipeg.

In either case, it would solve a lot of the conjecture as to what happens to Tate Maris.

And in other news:

Schlossman reports Cary Eades is a candidate for the Mankato job. This isn't a surprise as I'm sure Eades has been a candidate in several head coach gigs since he came back to UND. It would not surprise me if Eades bolts for Mankato either. Mankato plays gritty...which is Eades' forte. Eades' hire may also keep the higher profile recruits they have from bolting.

As for UND, it would be interesting to see what direction they go. Will they promote Dane Jackson to Associate Head Coach and hire an Assistant or will they hire an Associate Head Coach and keep Dane where he is?

If Dane gets promoted, it would not surprise me to see the Assistant position go to... Karl Goehring. He's already working with the team and has done a decent job.

Or... what about Scott Koberinski? He's been helping UND since I was at UND it seems like... (circa 2002 or so). Koberinski has head coaching experience in the USHL.

John Marks and Steve Johnson will pop up. However, the question would be: Would Steve take a lateral job change especially since UND turned him away twice. I'd hope so as I'd love to see Steve back as a coach.

They could go out of left field and hire Tom Ward out of Shattuck? He has WCHA coaching experience, though with the hated Gophers...

In the end, Eades isn't going to stick around forever. And he is destined for a head coaching gig. I think Mankato would be a good gig if he wants it. That being said, I hope he stays.

CHL best route to the NHL?

This Newsday Article touched on the Islanders signing former Fighting Sioux forward Brock Nelson signing with the New York Islanders, the Newsday writer used this opportunity to give the silly notion that the CHL was the best route to develop hockey players. Personally, I think that opinion is short sighted and I can give many examples that would shoot holes in that theory.

Arthur Staple, Newsday --- College hockey players are still regarded with some wariness around the NHL, and the top of the scoring charts shows why: Of the top 30 scorers in the league entering Tuesday night's games, only four spent any time in U.S. colleges, including two players on the ice here last night, the Isles' Matt Moulson and the Devils' Zach Parise.

Canadian junior hockey is considered the better track for talented teenagers to reach the NHL. J.T. Miller, the Rangers' first-round pick last June, de-committed from North Dakota to enter the Canadian junior system and try to fast-track his development.

North Dakota is where Nelson, 20, went after the Islanders drafted him 30th overall in the 2010 draft. He had a solid freshman year, then bulked up his 6-4 frame and had an eye-opening sophomore season, scoring 28 goals in 42 games.

Let me be clear, I am in no way shape or form anti-CHL, and I realize that there are a lot of great players in the NHL that got to the NHL using the CHL route, however, this opinion that the CHL is the “best route” to get to the NHL if you’re a top draft choice is a load of horse manure. It’s obvious that the writer of this article didn’t do his research when he formed this opinion.

All you have to do is look at WCHA teams like North Dakota and Wisconsin who have a history of developing NHL talent, the New York Rangers have a few examples of this with Derek Stephan who is currently ranked fourth in points for the Rangers. We could use a lot of band width giving examples of college hockey players that are making a huge contribution in the NHL right now.

Last night’s game on NBC Sports between the Detroit Redwing and the Saint Louis Blues featured Justin Abdelkader (Michigan State), Brian Elliot (Wisconsin) T.J. Oshie (North Dakota), David Backes (Minnesota State), Andy McDonald (Colgate University), Kevin Shattenkirk (Boston University)

The Rookie Year Candidate is the Flyers Matt Read who played his college hockey at Bemidji State.

At the end of this article, the guy then contradicts himself with this closing paragraph.

Eight of the players the Isles suited up Tuesday night had some college experience, including Donovan, who got thrown right in the fire by playing most shifts against the Devils' top line, featuring Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk.

"Honestly, we don't care what league they come from -- college, juniors, Europe," Snow said. "If they can play, they can play for us. Every player is unique."

Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Goon's Frozen Four review

Much like Sioux7 my brackets for the NCAA Hockey Tourney were totally busted as I got only one out of four brackets right, usually I am able to pick two of the four correctly.

Just for the record, my Frozen Four brackets included Michigan, Miami, Boston College and North Dakota.

I confess as a college hockey fan I am not all that excited with this season’s Frozen Four field, to be honest with you it bores me. This Frozen Four could end up being as bad as the 2010 Frozen Four that was at Four Field where Boston College ran through the field like a hot knife through butter. I could see the same thing happening again this season.

Unfortunately, the two best teams are in the same bracket and the attractive match-up is Minnesota and Boston College; other than that, nothing really jumps out at me in this season’s Frozen Four. In one bracket we have what I would consider a snooze feast between Union College and Ferris State, and there are others that agree with me.

Game time for the first game between Union College (26-7-7) and Ferris State (25-11-5) is 3:30 p.m. Central Standard Time Thursday. The game is on ESPNU (DirecTV208 and Dish Network148)

My prediction is that the Ferris State University Bulldogs, who are lead by head hockey coach Bob Daniels, who incidentally was awarded the 2012 Spencer Penrose Award, will end Union’s magical season in a boring non-eventful game if you’re still awake by the end of the game you will see Ferris State win in a trap feast 2-1 game.

Both teams Union and Ferris State have never been in the Frozen Four so one of these two teams is going to make the championship game of the Frozen Four for the first time in their team’s history.

Fun and interesting facts about Ferris State and Union: The Bulldogs and Dutchman's rosters contain NO NHL Draft picks, there is not a single one on either team, that is almost unheard of in today’s college hockey world. Just for the record, Union college has , Boston College has 9 and Minnesota has 17 NHL draft Choices.

In the evening title it’s the Boston College Eagles (31-10-1) vs. the Minnesota Golden Gophers (28-13-1) at 7:00 p.m. Central Standard Time Thursday. The game is on ESPN2 ( DirecTV and 209 Dish Network 144)

This season’s Frozen Four prohibitive favorite, Boston College is a team that has three solid forward lines that could be most teams first line on any team. The Gophers are also loaded through the forward lines as well. Here are the lines that both teams used in their last games.

Boston College Forward Lines

Barry Almeida (22g-16—38pts) – Bill Arnold (17g-17a—34pts) – Steven Whitney (13g-22a—35pts)

Chris Kreider (22g-21a—41pts) – Kevin Hayes 6g-20a—26tps) – Destry Straight (3g-6a—9pts)

Johnn Gaudreau (20g-21a—41pts) – Pat Mullane (10g-26a—36pts) – Paul Carey (15g-12a—27pts)

Minnesota Gophers Forward Lines

Kyle Rau (18g-25a—43pts) – Nick Bjugstad 25g-17a—42pts) – Zach Budish (12g-23a—35)

Sam Warning (6g-9a—15pts) – Erik Haula (20g-28a—48pts) – Jake Hansen (15g-22a—37pts)

Nate Condon (11g-19a—30tps) – Travis Boyd (1g-8-a—9pts) – Taylor Matson (8g-15a—23pts)

Goalies

Boston College goalie Parker Milner, 27-5-0, 1.70 goals against average and a .935 save percentage. It would be an understatement to say that Milner has been on fire as of late, during the Eagles' current 17-game winning streak, Milner has been flawless and sports a 17-0-0 record and an impressive 1.11 goals-against average with a mind popping .960 save percentage.

Minnesota goalie Kent Patterson, 28-13-1, 2.23 goals against average and a .911 save percentage. I have seen Gopher fans make the argument that Patterson has been the has been the MVP for the Golden Gophers.

As Sioux7 laid out in his blog post, both teams are similar statistically and I do expect that special teams will have a major factor in this game’s outcome.

Minnesota ranks
1st in team offense with a 3.67 avg/gm
8th in team defense with a 2.21 avg/gam
5th on the Power Play at 23.24% (43/185)
36th on the Penalty Kill at 81.0% (149/184)

Boston College ranks
6th in team offense with a 3.50 avg/gm
2nd in team defense with a 2.07 avg/gam
11th on the Power Play at 21.55% (39/181)
3rd on the Penalty Kill at 88.0% (162/184)

That being said, I am going to stick with my earlier prediction that made a week ago, I do expect to eat a little crow if my prediction is wrong. That being said, I have seen a lot of good teams get absolutely steam rolled by the Boston College Eagles during the NCAA tourney.

I also predict that the Boston College Eagles will win their programs fifth NCAA Title by a 6-3 score against the Ferris State Bulldogs.

Frozen Four Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

It looks like a really blew my frozen four picks from two weeks ago. I had picked Union, Maine, Michigan, and North Dakota to make it, well at least I got one right. How about the fact the we have four teams from four different conferences this year, last year it was just the WCHA (UMD, UND) and CCHA (UM, ND) in the frozen four.

Here we are, Tampa Florida, none the less; not exactly what I call hockey country. Anyway here are the team’s backgrounds and information as well as my best guesses as to the winners. .

SEMI-FINAL #1
#3 Union (26-7-7)
Union got to the Frozen Four by beating Michigan State and UMass-Lowell in the East Regional (Bridgeport, CT) two weeks ago.

The Dutchmen are 6-0-0 on neutral sites and 10-5-3 on the road this season. Union is on a seven game win streak that helped them capture the ECAC hockey crown. The Dutchmen have only lost two games in the 2012 calendar year (Brown and Cornell).

This is Union’s first trip to the Frozen Four, they are 2-1 all time in the NCAA tournament. They lost to Minnesota-Duluth in their first ever NCAA game last year, and UMD went on to win the title last year.

Union ranks
4th in team offense with a 3.55 avg/gm
1st in team defense with a 1.80 avg/gam
4th on the Power Play at 24.34% (46/189)
10th on the Penalty Kill at 84.8% (128/151)

#6 Ferris State (25-11-5)
The Bulldogs got to this point by beating Denver and Cornell in the Midwest Regional (Green Bay, WI) two weeks ago.

The Bulldogs are 0-1-0 on neutral ice and 8-6-3 on the road this season. FSU has won three of its last four games.

This is Ferris State’s first trip to the Frozen Four; they are 3-1 all time in the NCAA tournament, 2-0 this year and 1-1 in 2003, losing to Minnesota that year.

Ferris State ranks
21st in team offense with a 2.93 avg/gm
5st in team defense with a 2.17 avg/gam
25th on the Power Play at 19.17% (37/193)
6th on the Penalty Kill at 85.8% (157/183)

UNION versus FERRIS STATE
The all time series between Union and FSU is all Dutchmen, they are 4-0-0, and those games were all played in 2006 and 2007, in Big Rapids and Schenectady respectively.

Going with the numbers on these teams it favors Union, going with that logic I'm going with the Dutchmen to advance to the Final. UNION WINS

SEMI-FINAL #2

#1 Boston College (31-10-1)
The Eagles got to Tampa by beating Air Force and Minnesota-Duluth in the Northeast Regional (Worcester, MA) two weeks ago.

The Eagles are 8-1-0 on neutral ice and are 10-6-0 on the road this season. The Eagle come into Tampa on a 17-game winning streak, their last loss was on January 21st to Maine.

This is Boston College’s 23rd trip to the Frozen Four; they have won the NCAA Hockey Title 4 times – 1949, 2001, 2008, 2010. The Eagles are owners of a 43-38 all-time NCAA tourney record.

Boston College ranks
6th in team offense with a 3.50 avg/gm
2nd in team defense with a 2.07 avg/gam
11th on the Power Play at 21.55% (39/181)
3rd on the Penalty Kill at 88.0% (162/184)

#8 Minnesota (28-13-1)
The Gopher got to the Frozen Four by beating Boston University and North Dakota in the West Regional (St. Paul, MN) two weeks ago.

The Gophers are 2-1-0 on neutral ice and are 9-6-1 on the road this season, and have now two in a row and five of their last six games.

This is Minnesota’s 20th trip to the Frozen Four; they have won the NCAA Hockey Title 5 times – 1974, 1976, 1979, 2002, 2003. The Gophers are owners of a 52-33 all-time NCAA tourney record.

Minnesota ranks
1st in team offense with a 3.67 avg/gm
8th in team defense with a 2.21 avg/gam
5th on the Power Play at 23.24% (43/185)
36th on the Penalty Kill at 81.0% (149/184)

BOSTON COLLEGE versus MINNESOTA
The all time series between Eagles and Gophers is at 27 games with Minnesota leading 14-11-2. They have met nine of those times in the playoffs with the Eagles holding a 5-4 edge. These teams are 1-1-0 in neutral-site games, one in 1954 (14-1 Gophers) and 2008 (5-2 Eagles).

Last year the semi-finals were similar in that one game was between teams that did have all the hardware (UMD v ND) and the other was two storied progams (UMich v UND). Could this game be like that one? Where the favorite team plays well and gets dumped by a hot goalie? Can Patterson stone wall the Eagles? I think he can, but will he? EAGLES WIN

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
If, and that's a big if, my semi-final predictions are correct, that would be a Union and BC final. I'm going for the new kids on the block.
DUTCHMEN National Champions

Tuesday, April 03, 2012

Matt Frattin vs Marcus Foligno

Former Fighting Sioux forward and current Toronto Maple Leafe Matt Frattin isn't know for his fighting skills, nor do I see him picking up the role as the Leafs goon. That was Frattin's first career fight in the NHL.

Personally, I have to give him credit for standing up for a teammate, Foligno's hit on Bozek was questionable and border line dirty and I admire a players stepping up and answering the bell even if he doesn't fight.

In tonight's game against the Buffalo Sabres, the leafs rookie Frattin had the Gordie Howe Hat Trick tonight by scoring a goal, and assist and a fight.

Frattin scored his eighth goal of the season tonight, here is the video to that goal [Click to view].

Frattin now has (8g-7a—15pts) in 54 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs this season.

As soon as the NHL regular season is over, the Leafs are not going to be in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Frattin will play in the AHL's Calder Cup playoffs with the Toronto Marlies.

Goon's World Extras

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Related articles

Related articles

Related articles

Related articles

Monday, April 09, 2012

Related articles

Related articles

Sunday, April 08, 2012

Related articles

Saturday, April 07, 2012

Friday, April 06, 2012

Thursday, April 05, 2012

Related articles

Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Related articles

Related articles

Tuesday, April 03, 2012

Related articles