The college hockey season technically kicked off last night in Wasilla, Alaska, with UAA saying thanks, but no thanks to beating the NTDP U18 team.
Anchorage jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first six minutes, but the US bounced back with three unanswered goals. Anchorage tied the game before Kenny Ryan scored the game-winner early in the third period.
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21 comments:
I guess I am going to have to see what kind of a spin Donald dummy has on this subject.
Is is this the same NTDP that lost to two NAHL squads???
Oh yeah....college hockey is so much better,.....riiiiiight!
This is all very interesting. The U18 teams plays against the Indiana Ice a couple weeks ago and beats them 5-4.Then they go to the NAHL showcase and are 2-2 lose to Alexandria 5-2 and Witchita Falls 3-2.Of course two or three top players did not play in those losses (of course).Then they beat Alaska of the WCHA 4-3.Maybe Alaska isn't suppose to be that good, I don't know. I agree with the previous poster...is there that much difference? there can't be with the top teams in the NAHL, the middle to bottom teams in the USHL and the bottom teams in WCHA, CCHA, etc.
Looks like it will be another banner year in Anchorage. Maybe they should join the NAHL where they can compete with the top teams and Bemidji can take their place with the big boys.
This is nothing new. Seems like they beat 1 D-1 team every year. I'm pretty sure Mich. St. and Maine have gone down in recent memory. A lot of D-1 coaches do not allow checking in the offensive zone when they play the USNDT.
The U - 18 beats Alaska with 4 players at home in Ann Arbour nursing injuries. The Seawolves are a disaster.
The U18 team beat UMD not too long ago and we didn't see anyone say that they should quit the WCHA. Give the team a break, it was exhibition after a long layoff and a tough previous year. Everyone has their bad nights and for the U18 team, maybe they were hitting on all cylinders. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.....everytime.
Four sitting home with injuries? You sure? I here some have been sitting due to discipline issues. Suspensions, is more like it. They ought to cut a few of the problem children and give those spots to some hardworking appreciative decent kids. Or, is the tail wagging the dog?
UAA has had one week of practice, while the U18 team has been playing regularly since August.
If UAA has any issues, it's with goaltending. UAA dominated the third period, team USA could hardly get it out of their zone, but Murray stood tall.
that would mean that UAA has talent and that would be a stretch. Yes talent won and they are 17. How is UAA going to do it in the WCHA
And when UAA beat this greatly talented U18 team 9-2 two years ago, what did we hear then? Huh?
We sure didn't hear how the 17-18 year olds sucked.
Take a look at the DI teams that the U18 team played last year, and you all might be very surprised. They beat most of them, and the ones they lost to were close games.
They tied Nebraska Omaha, Notre Dame, and St. Cloud. They beat Robert Morris, Northern Michigan, Yale, Western Michigan, and Minnesota Duluth.
At least UAA can count on a couple of wins against the Gophers.
"A lot of D-1 coaches do not allow checking in the offensive zone when they play the USNDT"
Correct, actually when the USNDT played Wisconsin in 2005 Eaves wouldn't allow anything more than just leaning in and getting in the way, no checking period. I remember him saying that there were a couple of seniors that were 6-7 years older than these kids so what's the point in an exhibition. So I'm assuming a lot of coaches have this policy. But what happened was Pat Kane & co. flew all over the place and should've beat the Badgers. That was the same Badger team that was ranked #1 for a majority of the season and won the NCAA tournament.
It's a lose-lose situation for the college programs. If they win, they are supposed to beat 17 year olds. If they lose, then they are bad at hockey. I know most college teams hate playing against NTDP for that very reason.
actually, team USA didn't score 3 unanswered goals, because UAA scored again. they scored three consecutive goals.
ya it is the same team who lost to two NAHL teams. but when you only have 7 forwards and 4 d-men for most of the NAHL games its hard to win.
18s beat ushl team; then lose to lowly nahl team; then beat D1 team; blah blah blah; and D1s don't even try when they take the ice; blah blah blah; are you posters hockey has beens; or more likely; hockey "never weres"; give these kids a break; they are talented hard working kids who all are either working at or towards improving themselves (i.e. getting a college degree); instead of sitting in front of a computer screen posting inane comments based on an empirically irrelevant amount of hockey data.
3:06 PM,
How exactly are they trying to improve themselves? Hockey wise they would be better off playing Major Junior and finding out if they are world class by competing against better competition (BTW "family advisors" and scouts telling you your talented doesn't mean anything,it's still talk, unless you are Morin or Fowler :)). If a NTDP kid's priority was their education they all could have been admitted into a top prep school out east (or hockey factory: see Avon,Salisbury or SSM)and gotten themselves better prepared for college and that game. As it stands they play lower level hockey than the CHL and still go to public school (Port Huron). Wow. They compromised both in their hockey career and with their education.Good call guys. Way to think it through.
12:21, your comments make no sense whatsoever.
NTDP's problem is not with education or competition; it's that coaches don't promote team unity when they showcase select players. Yes, putting Fowler on every power play makes his stats look better (14 games: 9 points; 5 off of pp). Ironically, that's why Schmitz left; he believed he wasn't being showcased ENOUGH. And then they further ripped apart two teams by moving three u17s up to u18 and demoting some u18s (last year); again, just to showcase talent. Several prominent ushl d-men turned down the chance to join the u18 team because they knew they'd go right to the third d shift. In a tournament, where you are playing a game a day, you cannot afford to always have the same five guys starting the power play; that's why they'll lose in important tournaments. Like football, hockey is a game of sacrifice. You need to recognize/reward the grinders every so often or else it's just a one line team; and those teams rarely win.
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