...aaaand for that other conference.
1. Denver, 14 games played, 19 points
The biggest wild card for Denver coming into this season was going to be the goaltending of Marc Cheverie, and his success has sort of mirrored Denver's success this year. After a few shaky spots earlier in the year, Cheverie has been red hot, and Denver has been one of the strongest teams in the country of late.
Denver has probably the deepest forward corps in the WCHA, with three lines that are legitimate scoring threats. Everyone is familiar with Tyler Bozak, Rhett Rakhshani, and Tyler Ruegsegger, but sophomore Anthony Maiani is leading the Pioneers in scoring.
The Pioneers have received some surprising contributions from freshmen as well. Luke Salazar came out of nowhere to chip in 11 goals, while Patrick Wiercioch has been one
of the best freshmen defenders in the WCHA so far. After a slow start, big Joe Colborne has started to produce some points as well.
Denver gets home series with Michigan Tech and Alaska-Anchorage in January, which should help give them a little cushion in the standings, but they play 5 straight road games in February, and the Pioneers have traditionally been weaker in the second half of the season. It could be difficult for them to maintain the play they've had the past few weeks.
2. Minnesota, 12 games played, 17 points
Minnesota has rebounded quite nicely from a disappointing season last year. A lot has been written here about the impact of their top line of Ryan Stoa, Jordan Schroeder, and Jay Barriball. Another reason for their turnaround may be the emergence of Cade Fairchild on defense. Minnesota's powerplay was atrocious at times last season. This year, they've got the best powerplay in the league, in part thanks to Fairchild's three goals and 8 assists with the man advantage.
They've hit a few bumps in the road the past couple of weeks, but they've got more talent than anybody else in the WCHA and have a great chance at winning the WCHA regular season title.
3. Colorado College, 14 games played, 16 points
Colorado College is almost purely a one-line hockey team. After the top line of Chad Rau, Eric Walsky, and Billy Sweatt, the Tigers are getting almost no scoring from their other three lines, which I think has started to catch up to them after a great start.
Richard Bachman has struggled a little bit recently in goal too, though all goalies should be so lucky as to "struggle" with a .924 save percentage. Still, it seems like for every great start he has, he also has a pretty weak start, which has made it difficult for CC to string together a nice winning streak.
Bachman, Rau, and Walsky are good enough to keep CC in the top half of the league, but unless they develop some secondary scoring and start playing more consistently, I doubt whether they'll end up much higher than third place.
3. Wisconsin, 14 games played, 16 points
Wisconsin was pretty much left for dead after an abysmal 0-6-1 start, but have completely turned things around by going 9-1-1 over their last 11 games. And unlike previous seasons, Wisconsin will actually get to play home games late in the season this year. They only have three more road series left this year.
After being bench for a couple weeks, Mike Davies has returned to the lineup and made a nice impact. Former Minnesota Mr. Hockey winner Tom Gorowsky is finally making a positive impact on the offensive end as well. He may double his career points total this year.
Despite a lot of controversy this year about who is/isn't/won't be on their roster, Wisconsin has pulled things together quite nicely and looks like they have a great shot at making the NCAA tournament.
5. Minnesota-Duluth, 14 games played, 15 points
It's another pretty solid first half of the season from Minnesota-Duluth, though we've seen this before, only to see the 'Dogs languish in the second half of the season. This year looks different though. This year's Bulldog team has some legitimate offensive firepower, with players like Justin Fontaine, MacGregor Sharp, and the Connollys, instead of relying on smoke and mirrors like last season.
Though one way this Duluth team is like UMD teams past is that they're great on their goofy-ass home rink, and not so great on the road. They're 5-1-3 at the DECC, and just 2-3-3 on the road, with a win and a tie coming out of conference.
I don't think UMD quite has the talent to compete with the top four teams in the league, but should be right in the thick of the hunt for the final home ice playoff spot, which they'll probably need to have a shot at making the Final Five.
6. North Dakota, 12 games played, 13 points
I think a lot of people wrote off North Dakota earlier this year because they weren't as strong as they were the past couple years, but they are potentially one of the scariest teams in the league for the second half of the season. They're a team known for their slow starts, and they're strong finishes, and I think they could do the same this year. A big sweep over St. Cloud last weekend puts them in excellent position for the second half of the year.
One reason they're so dangerous is that they've finally got things figured out in goal. I have no idea why Aaron Walski got three starts in goal, but North Dakota lost all three, while they've been pretty good with Brad Eidsness in goal. Eidsness struggled in his first start, but since then, has been at least serviceable in net.
The Sioux don't have any real stars on offense--BTW, I've yet to receive any apologies for all the things said about me for not putting Ryan Duncan on my preseason all-conference team--but they've got a lot of very good players that give them a really balanced scoring attack.
7. Minnesota State, 14 games played, 12 points
Things were looking pretty good for MSU right up until the past two weekends, when they were swept by St. Cloud and Denver. The Mavericks have been plagued by some key injuries up front for the past month, and for a team without any real consistent offensive threats that relies on their depth, losing a couple guys can really throw things out of whack.
One pleasant surprise for the Mavericks has been the offensive production of Kurt Davis, who leads the country in scoring by defensemen who haven't played Sacred Heart four times.
Goalie Mike Zacharias has played every minute in goal for MSU up until getting pulled in the third period of last Saturday's Denver game. He's been solid for the Mavericks, but his stats have taken a huge hit due to giving up a lot of powerplay goals.
8. St. Cloud, 12 games played, 10 points
The simplest way to describe St. Cloud is that some nights they're really good, and some nights they are really bad. They torched some weak non-conference opponents at home, and pulled off a pretty impressive looking sweep over Denver at home, but got absolutely embarrassed in two games against Duluth, and didn't play that well against North Dakota.
The cheap non-conference wins inflated their record to the point that they're not out of the NCAA tournament picture despite being tied for 8th in the league, and if they can find a way for the good St. Cloud team to show up on a consistent basis, they could make a run at another NCAA tournament appearance, but I have a feeling that the bad St. Cloud team will make an appearance either during a critical game down the stretch, or in the first round of the NCAA tournament again.
8. Alaska-Anchorage, 12 games played, 10 points
Every year, Anchorage wins a couple games early on and everybody says "Hey, maybe this is their year." It's not their year. They can send a basket of muffins to Michigan Tech for ending their streak of last place finishes, and they'll probably be the most talented 9th place team in the country, but they'll be the 9th best team in the WCHA.
The future is looking better for Anchorage. They have some seniors on defense, but otherwise, everyone else is still fairly young. They've got some legitimate scorers too, though I wonder if the pros may come calling for Tommy Grant this summer.
I'm not optimistic about the rest of this season though. UAA is fairly weak in goal. Bryce Christianson had good stats to start the season, but WCHA conference play and variance finally caught up with him. Add in that the travel in the second half of the season has been brutal to Anchorage, and that they still carry the reputation of a team you absolutely cannot afford to give up points to in the second half of the year, and the odds of them getting back to where they were in the standings a couple weeks ago is slim.
10. Michigan Tech, 14 games played, 4 points
Tech has been hit pretty hard by injuries, including losing Malcolm Gwilliam for the whole season, but even with a completely healthy roster, I'm not sure they'd be that much better.
One bright spot is that Jordan Baker is quietly becoming an impressive offensive threat with 8 goals on the year. Scoring is going to be a huge struggle for Tech all year though, and again, with things at the top of the conference being so close, teams are really going to be bearing down to make sure they get all four points in a series against Tech in the second half, which means it could be a very painful year for Tech and their fans.
Showing posts with label wcha. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wcha. Show all posts
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
WCHA Penalty Math
Greg Shepherd was in the booth with Frank and Doug during yesterday's Sunday matinee between Minnesota and Michigan Tech, in a move that was bound to end in disaster. One thing in particular caught my attention though. No, not that he repeated that ridiculous line about video being the officials worst enemy--because clearly, the biggest problem here was that someone filmed it. Not the terribly put assertion that the league didn't really care about fans when deciding to call 50 penalties a game--technically a good decision, but from a PR standpoint, he made it sound as terrible as possible, and Frank had to awkwardly try to clean up his mess. Not even the Freudian slip about how officials would stop calling games this way as soon as the calendar rolled over to December.
No, what stuck out to me the most was the assertion that the stricter rules enforcement wasn't that big of a deal because so far, it had only meant an extra two powerplays per team, per game. Much like the Pairwise rankings, this is the magical combination of math and poor logic.
First issue: Is that even true?
Last season, there was a total of 1229 powerplays over the course of 140 WCHA league games. That works out to an average of 8.77 powerplays per game, meaning each team is getting roughly 4.385 powerplays per game. After 39 league games this season, there have been a total of 543 powerplays. Again, going to the averages, that's 13.92 powerplays per game, or 6.96 powerplays per team, per game.
So 4.385 vs. 6.96, a difference of 2.575 powerplays per team, per game . Technically, his assertion is close to true, though stretched by about a powerplay per game.
Second, more important issue: Is that a big deal?
This is a little tougher to argue since it's a matter of opinion, but I'm pretty sure it is.
The number only looks small because it's been divided enough times until you get a small number. You may as well say, "Hey, it's only an extra .858 powerplays per period!" or "That's only an extra .032 powerplays per shift!"
The problem is that if you go in the other direction, the numbers tend to look worse. This is a little speculative on my part, since there are no concrete numbers on actual PP time, but let's assume that the average powerplay lasts 1:30 due to either powerplay goals or overlapping penalties. That means that last season there was approximately 12:23 of powerplay time per game, which is 21% of a hockey game. This year, there is approxmiately 20:53 of powerplay time per game, which is 35% of the game. I think most people would argue that 14% of a hockey game is a pretty big deal.
Third Issue: Does this mean the officials are in the wrong?
Not necessarily. In theory, I love the idea of cleaning up some of the obstruction in the game and making it faster and more exciting. The problem is putting faith in the practitioners of that theory, and frankly, there's never been much reason to put that faith in the WCHA's officials, and even less reason with a number of officials having been recently promoted from linesman out of necessity rather than performance.
The issues this causes are the same as what happened during the checking-from-behind craze of a few years ago. Game-changing decisions are being put in the hands of the officials and their calls are frustratingly inconsistent and frustratingly questionable. Some of that is just the nature of officiating. Two biased parties are going to see the same thing very differently. But I also think that more calls this group has to make, the greater the chance of them making very poor calls. And that's been the biggest complaint so far this season. It's not that a team is going shorthanded an extra five times per weekend. It's that they're going shorthanded on calls that never should have been made.
Fourth Issue: What's the Solution?
Sadly, it may just be waiting until December when officials stop calling--er, I mean, players "adjust" to the new rules. It seems to have worked for the NHL, so maybe it will work in college. In the meantime, it's up to the fans to adjust to watching a different game.
No, what stuck out to me the most was the assertion that the stricter rules enforcement wasn't that big of a deal because so far, it had only meant an extra two powerplays per team, per game. Much like the Pairwise rankings, this is the magical combination of math and poor logic.
First issue: Is that even true?
Last season, there was a total of 1229 powerplays over the course of 140 WCHA league games. That works out to an average of 8.77 powerplays per game, meaning each team is getting roughly 4.385 powerplays per game. After 39 league games this season, there have been a total of 543 powerplays. Again, going to the averages, that's 13.92 powerplays per game, or 6.96 powerplays per team, per game.
So 4.385 vs. 6.96, a difference of 2.575 powerplays per team, per game . Technically, his assertion is close to true, though stretched by about a powerplay per game.
Second, more important issue: Is that a big deal?
This is a little tougher to argue since it's a matter of opinion, but I'm pretty sure it is.
The number only looks small because it's been divided enough times until you get a small number. You may as well say, "Hey, it's only an extra .858 powerplays per period!" or "That's only an extra .032 powerplays per shift!"
The problem is that if you go in the other direction, the numbers tend to look worse. This is a little speculative on my part, since there are no concrete numbers on actual PP time, but let's assume that the average powerplay lasts 1:30 due to either powerplay goals or overlapping penalties. That means that last season there was approximately 12:23 of powerplay time per game, which is 21% of a hockey game. This year, there is approxmiately 20:53 of powerplay time per game, which is 35% of the game. I think most people would argue that 14% of a hockey game is a pretty big deal.
Third Issue: Does this mean the officials are in the wrong?
Not necessarily. In theory, I love the idea of cleaning up some of the obstruction in the game and making it faster and more exciting. The problem is putting faith in the practitioners of that theory, and frankly, there's never been much reason to put that faith in the WCHA's officials, and even less reason with a number of officials having been recently promoted from linesman out of necessity rather than performance.
The issues this causes are the same as what happened during the checking-from-behind craze of a few years ago. Game-changing decisions are being put in the hands of the officials and their calls are frustratingly inconsistent and frustratingly questionable. Some of that is just the nature of officiating. Two biased parties are going to see the same thing very differently. But I also think that more calls this group has to make, the greater the chance of them making very poor calls. And that's been the biggest complaint so far this season. It's not that a team is going shorthanded an extra five times per weekend. It's that they're going shorthanded on calls that never should have been made.
Fourth Issue: What's the Solution?
Sadly, it may just be waiting until December when officials stop calling--er, I mean, players "adjust" to the new rules. It seems to have worked for the NHL, so maybe it will work in college. In the meantime, it's up to the fans to adjust to watching a different game.
Key Games
I had mentioned on Saturday that the WCHA only had two teams in the NCAA tournament and the CCHA only had one, according to the way-too-early PWR. That hasn't changed, though Colorado College replaced MSU as a WCHA rep, while Miami replaced Michigan as the CCHA rep.
One of the big reasons for this is that as of right now, the ECAC has 5 teams in the top 13 of the country, thanks to their late start, and rather insular schedule so far. In any case, non-conference games against these ECAC schools could have a big impact on NCAA tournament status for a lot of teams in the WCHA and CCHA. Here's a look at those non-conference games.
Already Played:
10-10-08: Michigan 4 St. Lawrence 3
10-11-08: Michigan 5 St. Lawrence 3
10-18-08: Nebraska-Omaha 2 Union 1 (OT)
Still to Come:
11-28-08: Colgate at Denver, Cornell at North Dakota
11-29-8: Colgate at Colorado College, Cornell at North Dakota
12-5-08: North Dakota at Harvard
12-6-08: North Daktoa at Harvard
12-13-08: RPI at Miami
12-14-08: RPI at Miami
12-19-08: Clarkson at Bowling Green
12-20-08: Clarkson at Bowling Green
12-27-08: Cornell vs. St. Cloud(Florida College Classic), Lake Superior vs. Harvard(Badger Showdown)
12-28-08: Potentially Colgate vs. St. Cloud(Florida College Classic), Potentially Harvard vs. Wisconsin(Badger Showdown)
12-29-08: Minnesota State at Princeton, Nebraska-Omaha at Yale
12-30-08: Nebraska-Omaha at Princeton, Minnesota State at Yale
1-2-09: Brown at Minnesota(Dodge Holiday Classic), Clarkson vs. Miami(Ohio Hockey Classic), St. Lawrence vs. Ferris State(Catamount Cup), Union vs. Notre Dame(Shillelagh Tournament)
1-3-09: Potentially Brown vs. Western Michigan, Potentially Clarkson vs. Ohio State(Ohio Hockey Classic), Potentially Colgate vs. Ferris State(Catamount Cup), Potentially RPI vs Denver(Denver Cup), Potentially Union vs. Minnesota-Duluth(Shillelagh Tournament)
1-8-09: Lake Superior at Colgate
1-9-09: Lake Superior at Colgate
No games vs. WCHA or CCHA: Dartmouth, Quinnipiac
One of the big reasons for this is that as of right now, the ECAC has 5 teams in the top 13 of the country, thanks to their late start, and rather insular schedule so far. In any case, non-conference games against these ECAC schools could have a big impact on NCAA tournament status for a lot of teams in the WCHA and CCHA. Here's a look at those non-conference games.
Already Played:
10-10-08: Michigan 4 St. Lawrence 3
10-11-08: Michigan 5 St. Lawrence 3
10-18-08: Nebraska-Omaha 2 Union 1 (OT)
Still to Come:
11-28-08: Colgate at Denver, Cornell at North Dakota
11-29-8: Colgate at Colorado College, Cornell at North Dakota
12-5-08: North Dakota at Harvard
12-6-08: North Daktoa at Harvard
12-13-08: RPI at Miami
12-14-08: RPI at Miami
12-19-08: Clarkson at Bowling Green
12-20-08: Clarkson at Bowling Green
12-27-08: Cornell vs. St. Cloud(Florida College Classic), Lake Superior vs. Harvard(Badger Showdown)
12-28-08: Potentially Colgate vs. St. Cloud(Florida College Classic), Potentially Harvard vs. Wisconsin(Badger Showdown)
12-29-08: Minnesota State at Princeton, Nebraska-Omaha at Yale
12-30-08: Nebraska-Omaha at Princeton, Minnesota State at Yale
1-2-09: Brown at Minnesota(Dodge Holiday Classic), Clarkson vs. Miami(Ohio Hockey Classic), St. Lawrence vs. Ferris State(Catamount Cup), Union vs. Notre Dame(Shillelagh Tournament)
1-3-09: Potentially Brown vs. Western Michigan, Potentially Clarkson vs. Ohio State(Ohio Hockey Classic), Potentially Colgate vs. Ferris State(Catamount Cup), Potentially RPI vs Denver(Denver Cup), Potentially Union vs. Minnesota-Duluth(Shillelagh Tournament)
1-8-09: Lake Superior at Colgate
1-9-09: Lake Superior at Colgate
No games vs. WCHA or CCHA: Dartmouth, Quinnipiac
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Conference Realignment?
Mike Chambers had an interesting blog post today saying that conference realignment is imminent.
Interestingly enough, the plan that is apparently being discussed is almost exactly the same as the plan I suggested nearly two years ago. The only difference being that I had Wayne State joining the CCHA and UAH being thrown to the wolves, whereas now, Wayne State's program is already gone. And frankly, if the CCHA is going to inherit a dud of a program from the CHA, they would have been better off adding Wayne State, just because it's a short bus trip for most of the league.
Interestingly enough, the plan that is apparently being discussed is almost exactly the same as the plan I suggested nearly two years ago. The only difference being that I had Wayne State joining the CCHA and UAH being thrown to the wolves, whereas now, Wayne State's program is already gone. And frankly, if the CCHA is going to inherit a dud of a program from the CHA, they would have been better off adding Wayne State, just because it's a short bus trip for most of the league.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
How to Fix the Minnesota Hockey Showcase
The first ever Minnesota Hockey Showcase wasn't exactly a success. They only got about 10,500 paying spectators combined between the two games, for a pretty dull atmosphere. But all four coaches, and players from all four teams seemed pretty positive about the event and seemed to enjoy it. I think the general feeling was that even though this one may not have gone very well, there is potential for success in the future.
The future of the event hinges on two factors. First, will Minnesota support the event? Minnesota has least to gain from this, but their support and involvement is critical. For what it's worth, Don Lucia seemed much more positive about the future of this event than he did earlier this week. Second, and most important, is if they can fill the building. Though all coaches liked the event, they all said the final decision would be made by people above them that handle the finances.
So how do they go about filling the building? Here's a few suggestions and ideas I have.
1. Hold the event later in the season. This year's event came too early in the season. Don Lucia said it's not really hockey season for a lot of fans yet, which I think is true. There were a lot of important playoff football games today. The weather was nice. People are out hunting. There were a lot of things keeping people away, and with it being so early in the season, there wasn't a lot at stake in these games to draw people in. If this was later in the season and there were playoff and NCAA tournament positions on the line, I think it might have been a little different.
2. The idea Don Lucia mentioned a couple times, which I like, is making these games part of the season ticket package for all four schools. Minnesota gains a small advantage because they have the most season ticket holders, but it guarantees they sell tickets to about 13,000 people, and then they just need 5,000 more tickets sold for a full house. I'm not sure all those season ticket holders would show up, but you'd get a fair number.
3. Do something about the price of tickets. Making tickets $40 for two games was a mistake. I think there were too many fans that only cared to watch one game and didn't want to pay $40 for just one game.
4. Look into making the event a tournament. There's a million difficulties with this. Tournament games would likely have to be non-conference games, and non-conference games are already a rarity to begin with. But a two-day tournament would add some excitement.
The future of the event hinges on two factors. First, will Minnesota support the event? Minnesota has least to gain from this, but their support and involvement is critical. For what it's worth, Don Lucia seemed much more positive about the future of this event than he did earlier this week. Second, and most important, is if they can fill the building. Though all coaches liked the event, they all said the final decision would be made by people above them that handle the finances.
So how do they go about filling the building? Here's a few suggestions and ideas I have.
1. Hold the event later in the season. This year's event came too early in the season. Don Lucia said it's not really hockey season for a lot of fans yet, which I think is true. There were a lot of important playoff football games today. The weather was nice. People are out hunting. There were a lot of things keeping people away, and with it being so early in the season, there wasn't a lot at stake in these games to draw people in. If this was later in the season and there were playoff and NCAA tournament positions on the line, I think it might have been a little different.
2. The idea Don Lucia mentioned a couple times, which I like, is making these games part of the season ticket package for all four schools. Minnesota gains a small advantage because they have the most season ticket holders, but it guarantees they sell tickets to about 13,000 people, and then they just need 5,000 more tickets sold for a full house. I'm not sure all those season ticket holders would show up, but you'd get a fair number.
3. Do something about the price of tickets. Making tickets $40 for two games was a mistake. I think there were too many fans that only cared to watch one game and didn't want to pay $40 for just one game.
4. Look into making the event a tournament. There's a million difficulties with this. Tournament games would likely have to be non-conference games, and non-conference games are already a rarity to begin with. But a two-day tournament would add some excitement.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Programming Note
So I was given a media credential to this weekend's first ever WCHA Minnesota College Hockey Showcase.
Consequently, I'll likely be figuratively saying, "Screw you, until you also provide me with free pretzels and soft drinks" to the other teams in college hockey, while focusing a little more on the four Minnesota schools.
It also means that there will actually be quality content--or at least the best you can hope for from here--over the weekend. According to the XCel staff, I will have wireless internet access from the press box, so I should have informative updates throughout the day from the X.
Consequently, I'll likely be figuratively saying, "Screw you, until you also provide me with free pretzels and soft drinks" to the other teams in college hockey, while focusing a little more on the four Minnesota schools.
It also means that there will actually be quality content--or at least the best you can hope for from here--over the weekend. According to the XCel staff, I will have wireless internet access from the press box, so I should have informative updates throughout the day from the X.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Who's Hot?
Which players got off to a fast start to the season, and could end up making a big impact on this season?
John Swanson, St Cloud: Swanson's previous career best was 9 goals in a season as a sophomore, but he scored 4 in his first weekend of the season against Mercyhurst.
Carl Hagelin, Michigan: The tireless Swede moved up to Michigan's first line, and is tied for the team lead in scoring with three points after two games.
Pat Cannone, Miami: Cannone quietly had a good freshman season last year with 6 goals and 24 assists. He's continued that excellent playmaking with a goal and 5 assists in his first two games.
Mick Berge, Minnesota State: Berge's career high for assists in a season is 7, but he managed four assists in last weekend's series against Bemidji State.
MacGregor Sharp, Minnesota-Duluth: Sharp already has three goals for the Bulldogs, which is impressive, considering their leading goal-scorer last year was Andrew Carroll with 8.
Josh Robinson, Michigan Tech: After a very shaky opening night performance by Robbie Nolan, Robinson stepped in and played very well for Tech in goal, and looks like he should assume the role of starter very soon.
Luke Salazar, Denver: The freshman from Colorado had two goals and an assist in Denver's first game of the year.
Andrew Cherniwchan, Northern Michigan: Cherniwchan had three points in his first collegiate game to earn Northern their first win of the season over Michigan Tech.
Chad Rau, Colorado College: Four points on the weekend, including the game's only goal on Friday night.
John Swanson, St Cloud: Swanson's previous career best was 9 goals in a season as a sophomore, but he scored 4 in his first weekend of the season against Mercyhurst.
Carl Hagelin, Michigan: The tireless Swede moved up to Michigan's first line, and is tied for the team lead in scoring with three points after two games.
Pat Cannone, Miami: Cannone quietly had a good freshman season last year with 6 goals and 24 assists. He's continued that excellent playmaking with a goal and 5 assists in his first two games.
Mick Berge, Minnesota State: Berge's career high for assists in a season is 7, but he managed four assists in last weekend's series against Bemidji State.
MacGregor Sharp, Minnesota-Duluth: Sharp already has three goals for the Bulldogs, which is impressive, considering their leading goal-scorer last year was Andrew Carroll with 8.
Josh Robinson, Michigan Tech: After a very shaky opening night performance by Robbie Nolan, Robinson stepped in and played very well for Tech in goal, and looks like he should assume the role of starter very soon.
Luke Salazar, Denver: The freshman from Colorado had two goals and an assist in Denver's first game of the year.
Andrew Cherniwchan, Northern Michigan: Cherniwchan had three points in his first collegiate game to earn Northern their first win of the season over Michigan Tech.
Chad Rau, Colorado College: Four points on the weekend, including the game's only goal on Friday night.
What Have We Learned?
The first weekend of real games is in the books, and we've gained a little insight about most teams this year. Here's a few brief thoughts on the teams that got their season started last weekend.
Shootout! Fans didn't have to wait too long for the first CCHA shootout. In the first league game of the season, Miami and Ohio State finished their overtime tied 3-3, and the Buckeyes won the shootout to earn an extra point. As far as I know, the world didn't stop spinning and no old ladies fainted at the sight of the shootout. My only problem with it is that the OSU/Miami series ended up being worth 5 points this weekend instead of the traditional 4 points.
Mercyhurst is not goodSt. Cloud scored seven goals in each game, while going 44% on the powerplay against a clearly overmatched Mercyhurst team. Remember when Lake Erie caught on fire in the late-1960's? That's kind of what Mercyhurst's defense was like.
Mark Mitera is hurting. Next time you hear somebody say 'I've never heard a player regret coming back for an extra year of college hockey,' you can probably bring up Michigan defenseman Mark Mitera's name. Mitera suffered a serious knee injury in Michigan's first game of the season that will likely keep him out for the duration of his senior season. Michigan did manage to win two very close games with St. Lawrence despite going 1 for 19 on the powerplay.
North Dakota's goaltending struggles North Dakota lost both games of the Icebreaker tournament last weekend. Scoring three goals over two games isn't great, but the bigger concern is in goal. Brad Eidsness gave up 5 goals over 33 shots on Friday, and then Aaron Walski gave up three goals on 16 shots in the second game. North Dakota outshot Massachusetts 42-16 on Saturday night and still lost. The Sioux are known for sleepwalking through the first part of the season, but if the goaltending doesn't turn it around, they may struggle against WCHA teams.
Impressive win for DU Denver took on Notre Dame in the Hall of Fame game, in a match-up of two teams that should be near the top of their respective conferences and Denver had a decisive 5-2 victory. Notre Dame was missing a few players due to suspension, but the Pioneers were the better team. Goalie Marc Cheverie earned high marks in his first real test as full-time starter.
Jeff Lerg is going to be busy Michigan State split their first two games of the season with a win over Massachusetts, and a loss to BU. After building a 3-0 lead in the first two periods of their first game, Michigan State didn't put a single shot on goal in the final twenty minutes of play. Lerg stopped 12 of 13 shots to preserve the win, however. He had 36 total stops for the game. On Saturday, the Spartans were outshot 29-13, but only lost 2-1.
CC gets the job done. Colorado College had two fairly pedestrian wins over a weak Alabama-Hunstville team. Richard Bachman got his first shutout of the season in a 1-0 win on Friday. Despite the close score, CC had a huge advantage in shots on goal. On Saturday, Drew O'Connell got the start in goal and CC won 5-3.
Rough times in western Michigan Ferris State dropped a game at home to Canisius, while Western Michigan tied Niagara and lost to RIT.
Wisconsin struggles The Badgers lost to two pretty good eastern teams in BC and New Hampshire. Jamie McBain started off the season by going -5 in his first two games, while Ryan McDonagh is -3.
Mavericks that aren't losers Minnesota State swept Bemidji at home, giving MSU their first ever 2-0 start to the season since joining Division I.
Shootout! Fans didn't have to wait too long for the first CCHA shootout. In the first league game of the season, Miami and Ohio State finished their overtime tied 3-3, and the Buckeyes won the shootout to earn an extra point. As far as I know, the world didn't stop spinning and no old ladies fainted at the sight of the shootout. My only problem with it is that the OSU/Miami series ended up being worth 5 points this weekend instead of the traditional 4 points.
Mercyhurst is not goodSt. Cloud scored seven goals in each game, while going 44% on the powerplay against a clearly overmatched Mercyhurst team. Remember when Lake Erie caught on fire in the late-1960's? That's kind of what Mercyhurst's defense was like.
Mark Mitera is hurting. Next time you hear somebody say 'I've never heard a player regret coming back for an extra year of college hockey,' you can probably bring up Michigan defenseman Mark Mitera's name. Mitera suffered a serious knee injury in Michigan's first game of the season that will likely keep him out for the duration of his senior season. Michigan did manage to win two very close games with St. Lawrence despite going 1 for 19 on the powerplay.
North Dakota's goaltending struggles North Dakota lost both games of the Icebreaker tournament last weekend. Scoring three goals over two games isn't great, but the bigger concern is in goal. Brad Eidsness gave up 5 goals over 33 shots on Friday, and then Aaron Walski gave up three goals on 16 shots in the second game. North Dakota outshot Massachusetts 42-16 on Saturday night and still lost. The Sioux are known for sleepwalking through the first part of the season, but if the goaltending doesn't turn it around, they may struggle against WCHA teams.
Impressive win for DU Denver took on Notre Dame in the Hall of Fame game, in a match-up of two teams that should be near the top of their respective conferences and Denver had a decisive 5-2 victory. Notre Dame was missing a few players due to suspension, but the Pioneers were the better team. Goalie Marc Cheverie earned high marks in his first real test as full-time starter.
Jeff Lerg is going to be busy Michigan State split their first two games of the season with a win over Massachusetts, and a loss to BU. After building a 3-0 lead in the first two periods of their first game, Michigan State didn't put a single shot on goal in the final twenty minutes of play. Lerg stopped 12 of 13 shots to preserve the win, however. He had 36 total stops for the game. On Saturday, the Spartans were outshot 29-13, but only lost 2-1.
CC gets the job done. Colorado College had two fairly pedestrian wins over a weak Alabama-Hunstville team. Richard Bachman got his first shutout of the season in a 1-0 win on Friday. Despite the close score, CC had a huge advantage in shots on goal. On Saturday, Drew O'Connell got the start in goal and CC won 5-3.
Rough times in western Michigan Ferris State dropped a game at home to Canisius, while Western Michigan tied Niagara and lost to RIT.
Wisconsin struggles The Badgers lost to two pretty good eastern teams in BC and New Hampshire. Jamie McBain started off the season by going -5 in his first two games, while Ryan McDonagh is -3.
Mavericks that aren't losers Minnesota State swept Bemidji at home, giving MSU their first ever 2-0 start to the season since joining Division I.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Conference Polls
The CCHA released their media and coaches poll yesterday at their conference Media Day, while the WCHA Coaches Poll was released today.
The release for the CCHA polls are here. The coaches picked Notre Dame, followed by Michigan, Miami, Northern Michigan, Michigan State, and Ferris. The media picked Michigan first overall followed by Notre Dame, Michigan State, Miami, Northern, and Ferris. The top five teams all got at least one first place vote in the media poll.
Meanwhile, the WCHA Coaches Poll is here. Colorado College leads with eight first place votes, while North Dakota was in second and got two first place votes. There was a lot more variation in the voting for player of the year this year, and four different candidates that got votes for rookie of the year.
The release for the CCHA polls are here. The coaches picked Notre Dame, followed by Michigan, Miami, Northern Michigan, Michigan State, and Ferris. The media picked Michigan first overall followed by Notre Dame, Michigan State, Miami, Northern, and Ferris. The top five teams all got at least one first place vote in the media poll.
Meanwhile, the WCHA Coaches Poll is here. Colorado College leads with eight first place votes, while North Dakota was in second and got two first place votes. There was a lot more variation in the voting for player of the year this year, and four different candidates that got votes for rookie of the year.
Monday, September 29, 2008
WCHA Season Preview
Here's the league-wide preview for the WCHA. Individual team previews start tomorrow.
Projected Order of Finish
1. Colorado College
2. Denver
3. Minnesota
4. North Dakota
5. Minnesota State
6. St. Cloud
7. Wisconsin
8. Minnesota-Duluth
9. Michigan Tech
10. Alaska-Anchorage
All-WCHA 1st Team
F-Chad Rau, Colorado College
F-Tyler Ruegsegger, Denver
F-Ryan Lasch, St. Cloud
D-Jamie McBain, Wisconsin
D-Josh Meyers, Minnesota-Duluth
G-Richard Bachman, Colorado College
All-WCHA 2nd Team
F-Garrett Roe, St. Cloud
F-Billy Sweatt, Colorado College
F-Rhett Rahkshani, Denver
D-Brian Kilburg, Minnesota State
D-Ryan McDonagh, Wisconsin
G-Alex Kangas, Minnesota
All-Rookie Team
F-Jason Gregoire, North Dakota
F-Jordan Schroeder, Minnesota
F-Jack Connolly, Minnesota-Duluth
D-Aaron Ness, Minnesota
D-Jake Gardiner, Wisconsin
G-Brad Eidsness, North Dakota
Player of the Year- Chad Rau, Colorado College
Rookie of the Year-Jordan Schroeder, Minnesota
Projected Order of Finish
1. Colorado College
2. Denver
3. Minnesota
4. North Dakota
5. Minnesota State
6. St. Cloud
7. Wisconsin
8. Minnesota-Duluth
9. Michigan Tech
10. Alaska-Anchorage
All-WCHA 1st Team
F-Chad Rau, Colorado College
F-Tyler Ruegsegger, Denver
F-Ryan Lasch, St. Cloud
D-Jamie McBain, Wisconsin
D-Josh Meyers, Minnesota-Duluth
G-Richard Bachman, Colorado College
All-WCHA 2nd Team
F-Garrett Roe, St. Cloud
F-Billy Sweatt, Colorado College
F-Rhett Rahkshani, Denver
D-Brian Kilburg, Minnesota State
D-Ryan McDonagh, Wisconsin
G-Alex Kangas, Minnesota
All-Rookie Team
F-Jason Gregoire, North Dakota
F-Jordan Schroeder, Minnesota
F-Jack Connolly, Minnesota-Duluth
D-Aaron Ness, Minnesota
D-Jake Gardiner, Wisconsin
G-Brad Eidsness, North Dakota
Player of the Year- Chad Rau, Colorado College
Rookie of the Year-Jordan Schroeder, Minnesota
Friday, July 25, 2008
Sometimes You Just Shake Your Head
Wisconsin and Minnesota were trying to get together to play an outdoor hockey game at Camp Randall Stadium next season, followed by an outdoor game at TCF High School Stadium in Minneapolis the following year. But as Todd Milewski of The Capital Times reported today, those games are on hold thanks to the WCHA. The event was being put on by the Herb Brooks Foundation, and the WCHA didn't want control of a league game going to an outside entity.
Here's WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod on the reason for the veto:
Of course, the only problem with that logic is that the WCHA was in charge of those screw-ups. Basically what McLeod is saying is that if anybody is going to screw-up a WCHA game, Goddammit, it's going to be the WCHA. I'm not sure what the risk is here. Is McLeod afraid that if the Herb Brooks Foundation hires referees that completely blow a game-changing call, they won't issue a heartfelt apology letter like McLeod had to do multiple times last season?
In any case, it's a shame that it looks like Minnesota and Wisconsin won't be able to have a successful outdoor game like many NHL and college programs have had.
Here's WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod on the reason for the veto:
"If they want to take an exempted game or something like that, we'll cooperate and do what we can. But with a regular-season game and somebody else running it, and you know how those points go -- especially Wisconsin the last few years -- that can be critical. So we're quite concerned about the circumstances under which these games are played.Emphasis mine. That's an obvious reference to the blown video replay call that cost Wisconsin a game against Denver last season, and eventually ended up costing Wisconsin home ice in the WCHA playoffs.
Of course, the only problem with that logic is that the WCHA was in charge of those screw-ups. Basically what McLeod is saying is that if anybody is going to screw-up a WCHA game, Goddammit, it's going to be the WCHA. I'm not sure what the risk is here. Is McLeod afraid that if the Herb Brooks Foundation hires referees that completely blow a game-changing call, they won't issue a heartfelt apology letter like McLeod had to do multiple times last season?
In any case, it's a shame that it looks like Minnesota and Wisconsin won't be able to have a successful outdoor game like many NHL and college programs have had.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
WCHA Still A Gentleman's League
The WCHA held their league meeting last week prior to the National Coaches convention in Florida. One of the big issues discussed was the league's gentleman's agreement of not recruiting players that have already made verbal commitments to other schools.
The agreement survived, but just barely, with four schools opposing it. I'm not sure who the four schools were, but Minnesota has been one of the most vocal in opposition to it.
Personally, I don't think it's a bad idea to have that agreement in place. I'm definitely not of the opinion that a verbal commitment should be super-binding. I have no problem is a kid decides he wants to go somewhere else, but I think he should come to that decision on his own.
One of the more anticipated events at the national coaches convention was a meeting with Paul Kelly and Bill Daly, the NHL's deputy commissioner and NHLPA executive director respectively, to discuss NCAA players leaving for the NHL.
But it sounds like any major changes in the relationship between the NCAA and NHL are still a few years down the road. The talks with Kelly and Daly were pretty informal, and it's unlikely any changes will come out of it, but it was a start to dealing with some of the issues brought up by so many players leaving early.
The agreement survived, but just barely, with four schools opposing it. I'm not sure who the four schools were, but Minnesota has been one of the most vocal in opposition to it.
Personally, I don't think it's a bad idea to have that agreement in place. I'm definitely not of the opinion that a verbal commitment should be super-binding. I have no problem is a kid decides he wants to go somewhere else, but I think he should come to that decision on his own.
One of the more anticipated events at the national coaches convention was a meeting with Paul Kelly and Bill Daly, the NHL's deputy commissioner and NHLPA executive director respectively, to discuss NCAA players leaving for the NHL.
But it sounds like any major changes in the relationship between the NCAA and NHL are still a few years down the road. The talks with Kelly and Daly were pretty informal, and it's unlikely any changes will come out of it, but it was a start to dealing with some of the issues brought up by so many players leaving early.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
All-American Teams Announced
The AHCA All-American teams were also announced yesterday.
Here were the western teams:
WEST FIRST TEAM
G — Richard Bachman, Fr., Colorado College
D — Tyler Eckford, Jr., Alaska
D — Jack Hillen, Sr., Colroado College
F — Ryan Jones, Sr., Miami
F — T.J. Oshie, Jr., North Dakota
F — Kevin Porter, Sr., Michigan
WEST SECOND TEAM
G — Jeff Lerg, Jr., Michigan State
D — Chris Butler, Jr., Denver
D — Alec Martinez, Jr., Miami
F — Chad Kolarik, Sr., Michigan
F — Ryan Lasch, So., St. Cloud
F — Chad Rau, Jr., Colorado College
Here were the western teams:
WEST FIRST TEAM
G — Richard Bachman, Fr., Colorado College
D — Tyler Eckford, Jr., Alaska
D — Jack Hillen, Sr., Colroado College
F — Ryan Jones, Sr., Miami
F — T.J. Oshie, Jr., North Dakota
F — Kevin Porter, Sr., Michigan
WEST SECOND TEAM
G — Jeff Lerg, Jr., Michigan State
D — Chris Butler, Jr., Denver
D — Alec Martinez, Jr., Miami
F — Chad Kolarik, Sr., Michigan
F — Ryan Lasch, So., St. Cloud
F — Chad Rau, Jr., Colorado College
Thursday, March 20, 2008
WCHA Awards
The WCHA announced their award winners today.
Colorado College's Richard Bachman became only the second player, along with Curtis Joseph, to win both WCHA Player of the Year and WCHA Rookie of the Year in the same season.
Jack Hillen was defensive player of the year, Joel Hanson was named student-athlete of the year, and Troy Jutting was named coach of the year.
Colorado College's Richard Bachman became only the second player, along with Curtis Joseph, to win both WCHA Player of the Year and WCHA Rookie of the Year in the same season.
Jack Hillen was defensive player of the year, Joel Hanson was named student-athlete of the year, and Troy Jutting was named coach of the year.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Conference Tournaments
First off, credit to College Hockey News for their You Are the Committee application. There's about a million different possibilities for what the NCAA tournament field will look like, and you can figure them all out there.
For more, CHN also has their weekly Tournament ABCs column.
Here's a little more on each of the tournaments.
CCHA
Michigan: Winning the tournament should make them the number one overall seed in the tournament, and probably send them to Madison. The good news is that it looks like Wisconsin is out of the tournament at this point, meaning their first round opponent would likely be an autobid, rather than the hometown Badgers. Even if the Wolverines lost both games, I think the farthest they could fall would be 5th overall.
Miami: Pretty much the same as Michigan. They're in first if they win the tournament, and could fall to 5th if everything goes against them this weekend.
Notre Dame: The Irish need at least one win to make sure they're in the tournament.
Northern Michigan: The Wildcats always seem to be at Joe Louis, even when they haven't had the best year. They need to win the tournament to make the NCAAs. If the Wildcats win either of their games, they will remain a TUC. That could make a difference because they will win their comparison against Minnesota State should they stay a TUC, a comparison which could be critical for the Mavericks.
WCHA
Colorado College: The Final Five doesn't matter much for them. If they win the tournament, they'll likely be a one seed, playing second seed North Dakota. If they lose both games, they'd likely be a two-seed playing first seed North Dakota. Either way, they're playing on their home ice. Last change would be nice, and their white jerseys are spiffy, but I don't think it would be a huge deal.
North Dakota: Could move up to third overall if they win the Final Five. Otherwise, I think they'll probably finish in fourth.
Denver: I think they're locked into 6th place, unless St. Cloud really goes on a tear.
St. Cloud: Everyone can go wrong for the Huskies and they'll still make the NCAA tournament. They can move up to 6th if they win the tournament. I think they'll probably end up in the 7th or 8th overall slot.
Minnesota: Their spot in the NCAA tournament isn't quite guaranteed yet. Losing the play-in game, or losing the semifinal and consolation game would put them slightly behind Minnesota State and at the whim of other tournaments. It could set up a potential scenario like with the women's tournament, where MSU wins the comparison thanks to slight edge in RPI, but Minnesota won the season series 4-1.
Waiting at Home
Minnesota State: The Mavericks destiny is out of their own hands, but they are in decent shape, unless a number of things go against them.
Wisconsin: The Badgers are in a much worse position. They need Notre Dame to lose both games, and no other upsets in conference tournaments to have a shot at the field.
For more, CHN also has their weekly Tournament ABCs column.
Here's a little more on each of the tournaments.
CCHA
Michigan: Winning the tournament should make them the number one overall seed in the tournament, and probably send them to Madison. The good news is that it looks like Wisconsin is out of the tournament at this point, meaning their first round opponent would likely be an autobid, rather than the hometown Badgers. Even if the Wolverines lost both games, I think the farthest they could fall would be 5th overall.
Miami: Pretty much the same as Michigan. They're in first if they win the tournament, and could fall to 5th if everything goes against them this weekend.
Notre Dame: The Irish need at least one win to make sure they're in the tournament.
Northern Michigan: The Wildcats always seem to be at Joe Louis, even when they haven't had the best year. They need to win the tournament to make the NCAAs. If the Wildcats win either of their games, they will remain a TUC. That could make a difference because they will win their comparison against Minnesota State should they stay a TUC, a comparison which could be critical for the Mavericks.
WCHA
Colorado College: The Final Five doesn't matter much for them. If they win the tournament, they'll likely be a one seed, playing second seed North Dakota. If they lose both games, they'd likely be a two-seed playing first seed North Dakota. Either way, they're playing on their home ice. Last change would be nice, and their white jerseys are spiffy, but I don't think it would be a huge deal.
North Dakota: Could move up to third overall if they win the Final Five. Otherwise, I think they'll probably finish in fourth.
Denver: I think they're locked into 6th place, unless St. Cloud really goes on a tear.
St. Cloud: Everyone can go wrong for the Huskies and they'll still make the NCAA tournament. They can move up to 6th if they win the tournament. I think they'll probably end up in the 7th or 8th overall slot.
Minnesota: Their spot in the NCAA tournament isn't quite guaranteed yet. Losing the play-in game, or losing the semifinal and consolation game would put them slightly behind Minnesota State and at the whim of other tournaments. It could set up a potential scenario like with the women's tournament, where MSU wins the comparison thanks to slight edge in RPI, but Minnesota won the season series 4-1.
Waiting at Home
Minnesota State: The Mavericks destiny is out of their own hands, but they are in decent shape, unless a number of things go against them.
Wisconsin: The Badgers are in a much worse position. They need Notre Dame to lose both games, and no other upsets in conference tournaments to have a shot at the field.
Monday, March 03, 2008
The WCHA and the PWR
There's been a fair amount of complaining recently about the WCHA, especially since, as it stands right now, 8 WCHA teams are in the top 14 of the Pairwise Rankings.
The Blog that Yost Built took a look at the WCHA's OOC performance. He brings up a ton of evidence against the WCHA, though all of it is still anecdotal. Wouldn't it be great if there was a system that took into account *every* game and objectively measured the quality of every opponent? Oh wait, you mean there already is a system like that? Ultimately, the beef here is with the ranking system that was agreed upon before the season started, not with the WCHA itself.
Elliot Olshansky had a similar rant, saying that teams shouldn't be eligible for the tournament if they finish below .500 in conference play. I think that kind of defeats the purpose of the at-large bid. We already have autobids to make sure every conference in represented. At-large bids are there to allow the next best teams into the tournament, regardless of who they are or where they come from.
I think we can all agree that North Dakota, Michigan, New Hampshire, Colorado College, and Miami are all solid tournament teams. If those six teams had formed their own conference prior to the start of the season, one of two things would have happened: Either everyone would have finished .500, or somebody would have had a losing record. Should they be excluded from the tournament because of that? The same is true in the WCHA, though to a lesser extent. If somebody wins a game, that means somebody else has to lose, even if both teams are good hockey teams.
Elliot said he'd rather see Notre Dame, Providence, and Princeton in the tournament than Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth, and Wisconsin. But what is there, other than overall record, to suggest that any of those teams belongs in the tournament more than the three WCHA teams? If you're going to take that step, why even bother with strength of schedule at all?
Overall, I think this speaks to a much bigger issue that I'll get into a lot more during the offseason. Basically, the WCHA's success hasn't happened by accident. It's the result of a lot of investment by even the smaller schools in the league, which I don't think you see universally from other leagues.
The Blog that Yost Built took a look at the WCHA's OOC performance. He brings up a ton of evidence against the WCHA, though all of it is still anecdotal. Wouldn't it be great if there was a system that took into account *every* game and objectively measured the quality of every opponent? Oh wait, you mean there already is a system like that? Ultimately, the beef here is with the ranking system that was agreed upon before the season started, not with the WCHA itself.
Elliot Olshansky had a similar rant, saying that teams shouldn't be eligible for the tournament if they finish below .500 in conference play. I think that kind of defeats the purpose of the at-large bid. We already have autobids to make sure every conference in represented. At-large bids are there to allow the next best teams into the tournament, regardless of who they are or where they come from.
I think we can all agree that North Dakota, Michigan, New Hampshire, Colorado College, and Miami are all solid tournament teams. If those six teams had formed their own conference prior to the start of the season, one of two things would have happened: Either everyone would have finished .500, or somebody would have had a losing record. Should they be excluded from the tournament because of that? The same is true in the WCHA, though to a lesser extent. If somebody wins a game, that means somebody else has to lose, even if both teams are good hockey teams.
Elliot said he'd rather see Notre Dame, Providence, and Princeton in the tournament than Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth, and Wisconsin. But what is there, other than overall record, to suggest that any of those teams belongs in the tournament more than the three WCHA teams? If you're going to take that step, why even bother with strength of schedule at all?
Overall, I think this speaks to a much bigger issue that I'll get into a lot more during the offseason. Basically, the WCHA's success hasn't happened by accident. It's the result of a lot of investment by even the smaller schools in the league, which I don't think you see universally from other leagues.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Friday Night Notes
Apparently all it took was a little coaxing. Northern Michigan defenseman Erik Spady scored Northern Michigan's first even strength goal by a defenseman last night.
Billy Sauer let in four goals on his first 15 shots, as Michigan State dominated Michigan 5-2. Michigan State did a far better job of taking advantage of their chances. Michigan outshot MSU 15-3 in the first period, and still came out of the period down 2-0.
If you needed more proof that the Big Ten Network was a failure, a large chunk of last night's game on BTN was pre-empted for a Kelvin Sampson's press conference. I was willing to wait and see how things went with the Big Ten Network, but it's been an absolute failure. Like I mentioned with CSTV earlier this week, I'm right in the middle of their demographic, and the BTN has resulted in me watching way fewer Big Ten sporting events than I did last year. Hell, I ended up watching girl's high school hockey and House re-runs instead of the game last night thanks to the Big Ten Network.
I know a lot of people have complained directly to the Big Ten Network, but probably the best course of action would be to call your cable provider and tell them that you don't want them to carry the Big Ten Network. The faster it is off the air, the better, in my opinion.
Speaking of Minnesota, I found it funny all week how people had basically left them for dead, when really, they were only two wins away from being back in the NCAA tournament. That's the big advantage of playing in the WCHA. Everyone is good, so if you beat them, there's potential to move up, whereas in other conferences, there are a lot of opponents that don't help much if you win, but kill you if you lose.
That said, the WCHA currently has 7 teams in the tournament, with Minnesota just on the outside, and I don't know that it's possible all those teams can get in. There are only five spots at the Final Five, so somebody has to lose a first round playoff series, and I don't know that many of those teams are safe enough to absorb a loss like that.
Similarly, a lot of people left St. Cloud for dead at the end of January, but they're right back in the home ice picture. A win tonight over Michigan Tech ties them for fourth place with Minnesota State and Wisconsin, with two games in hand over Wisconsin.
One team that is almost dead is Michigan Tech. If they lose to St. Cloud again tonight, they risk falling out of the top 25 in the RPI. The Gophers passed them for 8th in the WCHA, and have a little easier schedule down the stretch than the Huskies.
And whatever hopes Anchorage had at whatever are now gone. With their loss last night, they've clinched last place in the league for the third consecutive year.
Northern Michigan got a huge home win last night against Nebraska-Omaha. Another win tonight means the Wildcats would need a single point against Lake Superior next weekend to pass UNO in the standings.
There hasn't been too much drama in the CCHA race(unless Michigan State beats Michigan again tonight), but the 4-8 race in the league looks like it is going to be a great finish.
Billy Sauer let in four goals on his first 15 shots, as Michigan State dominated Michigan 5-2. Michigan State did a far better job of taking advantage of their chances. Michigan outshot MSU 15-3 in the first period, and still came out of the period down 2-0.
If you needed more proof that the Big Ten Network was a failure, a large chunk of last night's game on BTN was pre-empted for a Kelvin Sampson's press conference. I was willing to wait and see how things went with the Big Ten Network, but it's been an absolute failure. Like I mentioned with CSTV earlier this week, I'm right in the middle of their demographic, and the BTN has resulted in me watching way fewer Big Ten sporting events than I did last year. Hell, I ended up watching girl's high school hockey and House re-runs instead of the game last night thanks to the Big Ten Network.
I know a lot of people have complained directly to the Big Ten Network, but probably the best course of action would be to call your cable provider and tell them that you don't want them to carry the Big Ten Network. The faster it is off the air, the better, in my opinion.
Speaking of Minnesota, I found it funny all week how people had basically left them for dead, when really, they were only two wins away from being back in the NCAA tournament. That's the big advantage of playing in the WCHA. Everyone is good, so if you beat them, there's potential to move up, whereas in other conferences, there are a lot of opponents that don't help much if you win, but kill you if you lose.
That said, the WCHA currently has 7 teams in the tournament, with Minnesota just on the outside, and I don't know that it's possible all those teams can get in. There are only five spots at the Final Five, so somebody has to lose a first round playoff series, and I don't know that many of those teams are safe enough to absorb a loss like that.
Similarly, a lot of people left St. Cloud for dead at the end of January, but they're right back in the home ice picture. A win tonight over Michigan Tech ties them for fourth place with Minnesota State and Wisconsin, with two games in hand over Wisconsin.
One team that is almost dead is Michigan Tech. If they lose to St. Cloud again tonight, they risk falling out of the top 25 in the RPI. The Gophers passed them for 8th in the WCHA, and have a little easier schedule down the stretch than the Huskies.
And whatever hopes Anchorage had at whatever are now gone. With their loss last night, they've clinched last place in the league for the third consecutive year.
Northern Michigan got a huge home win last night against Nebraska-Omaha. Another win tonight means the Wildcats would need a single point against Lake Superior next weekend to pass UNO in the standings.
There hasn't been too much drama in the CCHA race(unless Michigan State beats Michigan again tonight), but the 4-8 race in the league looks like it is going to be a great finish.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
Ten finalists have been named for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which honors the top senior in college hockey. Last year, Notre Dame's David Brown won the inaugural award.
Four of then finalists play in the CCHA or WCHA. They are: Michigan's Kevin Porter, Denver's Peter Mannino, Notre Dame's Mark Van Guilder, and St. Cloud's Marty Mjelleli. North Dakota's Robbie Bina was a candidate, but not chosen to be a finalist.
There is a fan voting section, where St. Cloud's Marty Mjelleli currently leads with 33% of the vote. Mjelleli has racked up an impressive resume of academic and community achievements, though he has only played in 14 of St. Cloud's games this season, and has scored only a single assist.
Four of then finalists play in the CCHA or WCHA. They are: Michigan's Kevin Porter, Denver's Peter Mannino, Notre Dame's Mark Van Guilder, and St. Cloud's Marty Mjelleli. North Dakota's Robbie Bina was a candidate, but not chosen to be a finalist.
There is a fan voting section, where St. Cloud's Marty Mjelleli currently leads with 33% of the vote. Mjelleli has racked up an impressive resume of academic and community achievements, though he has only played in 14 of St. Cloud's games this season, and has scored only a single assist.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
To Whom It May Concern
By now, I'm sure everybody has seen the WCHA's most recent apology for an egregious video replay error after Friday's game between Denver and Wisconsin. Since I'm sure this won't be the last time that happens, I've taken the time to create a little form letter that the WCHA can hand out to teams after such events.
Dear (insert team name),
On the date of (insert date), referee Randy Schmidt decided to either allow or disallow a goal in your game against (insert opponent) after reviewing the video replay. It has come to our attention that Schmidt is the only human being on the planet to feel this way. Oops. Our bad. Video replay has never been his strong suit. He can't program his Tivo either.
Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do at this time to correct said error. We can, however, offer you this coupon for 15% off all Red Baron Pizzas(offer void in North Dakota).
But really, you've been a member of this league for at least 8 years. You can't be that surprised by this. And it's not like it was that big of a deal anyway. If it had been something really important, like say, a baseball game with 10-year-olds, then sure, you could be mad. We find that your team, like every other league, is too focused on making this league the most competitive, highest quality non-professional hockey league in the world. Our official policy, however, is much more "A good time among friends, and then back in bed by a reasonable hour."
So again, sorry about the whole video replay snafu. It sucks, but it's not like wecan will do anything about it. SUX2BU.
Sincerely,
The WCHA
Dear (insert team name),
On the date of (insert date), referee Randy Schmidt decided to either allow or disallow a goal in your game against (insert opponent) after reviewing the video replay. It has come to our attention that Schmidt is the only human being on the planet to feel this way. Oops. Our bad. Video replay has never been his strong suit. He can't program his Tivo either.
Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do at this time to correct said error. We can, however, offer you this coupon for 15% off all Red Baron Pizzas(offer void in North Dakota).
But really, you've been a member of this league for at least 8 years. You can't be that surprised by this. And it's not like it was that big of a deal anyway. If it had been something really important, like say, a baseball game with 10-year-olds, then sure, you could be mad. We find that your team, like every other league, is too focused on making this league the most competitive, highest quality non-professional hockey league in the world. Our official policy, however, is much more "A good time among friends, and then back in bed by a reasonable hour."
So again, sorry about the whole video replay snafu. It sucks, but it's not like we
Sincerely,
The WCHA
Saturday, November 10, 2007
A Tale of Two Conferences
Looking at the standings after Friday night's games really highlighted the difference between the CCHA and the WCHA for me.
In the CCHA, the top 5 teams all have one or fewer losses, with Michigan and Michigan State still undefeated in conference play. On the other end of the spectrum, Lake Supeior, Alaska, Ohio State, and Northern Michigan all have yet to earn a point in conference play this season. The gap between the good teams and the bad teams seems pretty huge this year
In the WCHA, on the otherhand, every team has lost at least one conference game so far. Alaska-Anchorage is the only WCHA team without a win in the league, but the Seawolves do have two ties so far, and they only trail first place Colorado College by 6 points. North Dakota began the season as the clear-cut favorite around the country, but after 5 games, are 2-3-0 in conference play. There's virtually no gap between the best and the worst teams this year. Everyone seems to at least be competitive on any given night, which makes for some very exciting hockey.
In the CCHA, the top 5 teams all have one or fewer losses, with Michigan and Michigan State still undefeated in conference play. On the other end of the spectrum, Lake Supeior, Alaska, Ohio State, and Northern Michigan all have yet to earn a point in conference play this season. The gap between the good teams and the bad teams seems pretty huge this year
In the WCHA, on the otherhand, every team has lost at least one conference game so far. Alaska-Anchorage is the only WCHA team without a win in the league, but the Seawolves do have two ties so far, and they only trail first place Colorado College by 6 points. North Dakota began the season as the clear-cut favorite around the country, but after 5 games, are 2-3-0 in conference play. There's virtually no gap between the best and the worst teams this year. Everyone seems to at least be competitive on any given night, which makes for some very exciting hockey.
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