Minnesota State is adding another goaltender to the roster for 2017-18, as Boston University's Connor LaCouvee will be joining the Mavericks as a graduate transfer.
LaCouvee has one year of eligibility remaining and will be able to play immediately since he will have graduated from BU and will be attending MSU as a grad student.
I got a chance to talk with LaCouvee this week, and you can read his comments in my story here.
That will, at least for one year, help fill the hole left by highly touted recruit Matiss Kivlenieks, who opted to sign an NHL contract rather than play college hockey.
The 6-foot-0, 196-pound LaCouvee played in 32 games in three seasons for the Terriers — 19 as a sophomore — and had a record of 14-9-5, a .905 save percentage and a 2.80 goals-against average. The Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, native played in just five games last year, starting four.
It will be interesting to see if he'll be in goal when the Mavericks play at Boston U in October, but surely he'll be competing for the starting job with Jason Pawloski and Aaron Nelson.
The Mavericks also recently received a commitment from Holy Family Catholic and Sioux Falls Stampede goalie Jaxon Stauber. The son of former Gopher and Hobey Baker winner Robb Stauber likely is a year or two away from joining MSU.
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Friday, June 23, 2017
NHL wants more college hockey programs
On Friday, prior to the NHL draft in Chicago, the NHL announced an initiative to grow college hockey, helping five schools with feasibility studies to add men's and women's programs. The first program to undertake such a study will be the University of Illinois, a Big Ten school that hasn't had varsity hockey since the 1940s.
Adding a program is an expensive proposition, Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman admitted during a news conference streamed online. The last schools to add varsity hockey, of course, were Penn State and Arizona State. The former was made possible with a $102 million donation from Terry Pegula, which included funding for an arena for men's and women's hockey. The latter is still looking for a proper rink but got $32 million in seed money to start a men's program.
Whitman sure sounded like someone interested in having hockey at his school. Illinois certainly makes sense as it is in a state that produces a lot of hockey players and is crazy about its Blackhawks. It would give the Big Ten an eighth program, too, joining Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and (starting this season) Notre Dame. (Of those schools, only Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Penn State have women's hockey.)
We'll see what happens, but it seems like a good step in trying to grow a sport that should keep growing. What other schools might take the NHL up on its study? What schools would you like to see add hockey?
Adding a program is an expensive proposition, Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman admitted during a news conference streamed online. The last schools to add varsity hockey, of course, were Penn State and Arizona State. The former was made possible with a $102 million donation from Terry Pegula, which included funding for an arena for men's and women's hockey. The latter is still looking for a proper rink but got $32 million in seed money to start a men's program.
Whitman sure sounded like someone interested in having hockey at his school. Illinois certainly makes sense as it is in a state that produces a lot of hockey players and is crazy about its Blackhawks. It would give the Big Ten an eighth program, too, joining Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and (starting this season) Notre Dame. (Of those schools, only Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Penn State have women's hockey.)
We'll see what happens, but it seems like a good step in trying to grow a sport that should keep growing. What other schools might take the NHL up on its study? What schools would you like to see add hockey?
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Rivera, brothers to play in Maccabiah Games
Minnesota State sophomore-to-be Nick Rivera will be playing for the United States in the 20th World Maccabiah Games in Israel next month. Joining Rivera on the roster are his brothers, Luke and Jacob. They will leave for training camp on Saturday and then head to Jerusalem next week before starting playing on July 5.
You can read more about Rivera's interest in the event and about the Games themselves in my Free Press article here.
You can read more about Rivera's interest in the event and about the Games themselves in my Free Press article here.
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Michigan Tech names coach
While I was out last week ...
Michigan Tech filled the final coaching opening in college hockey by hiring assistant Joe Shawhan to replace the departed Mel Pearson.
Shawhan was an assistant under Pearson, now the Michigan coach, since 2014 and worked wth the Huskies' goaltenders and defensemen.
He's had 10 years of college coaching experience, including stops at Northern Michigan and Lake Superior State, and another 10 in junior hockey. As head coach/GM for the Soo Indians from 1995-2005, he became the winningest coach in the history of the North American Hockey League (474-162-43).
Shawhan was a goaltender for Lake Superior State from 1982 to 1987 and is a native of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. He finished his college degree at Northern Michigan.
Michigan Tech filled the final coaching opening in college hockey by hiring assistant Joe Shawhan to replace the departed Mel Pearson.
Shawhan was an assistant under Pearson, now the Michigan coach, since 2014 and worked wth the Huskies' goaltenders and defensemen.
He's had 10 years of college coaching experience, including stops at Northern Michigan and Lake Superior State, and another 10 in junior hockey. As head coach/GM for the Soo Indians from 1995-2005, he became the winningest coach in the history of the North American Hockey League (474-162-43).
Shawhan was a goaltender for Lake Superior State from 1982 to 1987 and is a native of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. He finished his college degree at Northern Michigan.
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