The Mavericks are in Grand Forks, N.D., this weekend (unfortunately, PucKato is not on the trip so no live blog tonight; you can get updates on Twitter, though) to play North Dakota in the final series of the regular season. MSU needs help to improve its playoff position, but 11th (and a trip to Minnesota Duluth or Minnesota) appears to be the likeliest landing place. The Mavericks are all but stuck there despite not having back-to-back losses since 2012 began. They are 7-6-1 in that span. However, they haven't won at Ralph Englestad Arena since the 2005-06 season.
Minnesota State continues to be led by the outstanding rookie tandem of Jean-Paul LaFontaine and Matt Leitner, both of whom should get strong consideration in the WCHA's all-rookie team voting. Read more about them here. The Free Press' gameday preview can be found here.
As for North Dakota, it is battling injuries but has clinched home ice for the WCHA playoffs. It is not only trying to move up the standings but is trying to get off the Pairwise bubble for NCAA tournament consideration. Read more coverage of the series from the Grand Forks Herald's Brad Schlossman here and follow his outstanding and informative blog here.
Going around the WCHA ...
Wisconsin at Minnesota: The Gophers can clinch the MacNaughton Cup championship with a win and a UMD loss or tie tonight. It would be the first regular-season title for Minnesota since 2007 — before any of the current players joined the team. As for the Badgers, they're hoping to overcome injury issues and make a late-/post-season surge. Also Wisconsin State Journal writer Andy Baggot makes a case for Justin Schultz to win the Hobey Baker Award. More on this series from College Hockey News.
Minnesota Duluth at St. Cloud State: The Bulldogs are still in the hunt for the MacNaughton Cup and will try to somehow overcome their two-point deficit to Minnesota this weekend with one of the best offensive lineups in the WCHA. For the Huskies, Little Falls' Jared Festler needs just four points to get to 100 for his career. St. Cloud also has a slim shot at home ice. Also, read a Q&A with UMD standout Jack Connolly here.
Denver at Nebraska Omaha: The Pioneers could lock up the third seed for the WCHA playoffs but have other concerns right now, including where they are in the Pairwise rankings and when half of their hockey equipment will catch up to them in Omaha. The red Mavericks, meanwhile, are also wondering what it will take to get in the NCAA tournament, while freshman Jayson Megna will give LaFontaine and Leitner some competition in all-rookie voting.
Michigan Tech at Colorado College: The Huskies, believe it or not, are playing for home ice this weekend. They haven't hosted a WCHA playoff series since 1993. Currently, they're one point out of the upper-division — right behind the team they're playing this weekend. As for the Tigers, they, too, are well aware of how much this series means. Perhaps the two teams will meet again next week. But where?
Bemidji State at Alaska Anchorage: This will be the final home series for four Seawolves seniors; then they will embark on trying to pull off a big upset in the playoffs. The Beavers, meanwhile, recently had their home-ice hopes dashed and now will try to build momentum for the postseason.
Read more WCHA coverage at USCHO.
Showing posts with label Friday morning skate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Friday morning skate. Show all posts
Friday, March 2, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Friday morning skate
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| Pat Christman/The Free Press |
Minnesota State will have virtually the same lineup as it did last Saturday with a couple exceptions. Forward Corey Leivermann is out with an injury suffered in the weight room, and defenseman Brett Stern continues to fight the injury bug and will not play tonight. However, Mike Louwerse will be back from his injury and take Leivermann's spot on the line chart. Mat Knoll will take Stern's spot. Phil Cook will start in goal, as Austin Lee, too, remains out with an injury.
Today's Free Press story takes a look at the the all-senior line of Justin Jokinen (pictured), Joe Schiller and Adam Mueller. While they might make up a defensive-minded third line, their roles will be vital over the final six weekends of the regular season. Read the Freep's series preview here.
As for Omaha, it is coming off a win over top-ranked Minnesota Duluth that broke the Bulldogs' 17-game unbeaten streak. But players say they're not overlooking 11th-place MSU, giving the purple Mavericks the respect many teams have this year.
A couple of other UNO notes from the World-Herald: Omaha boasts the top penalty kill in the WCHA ... The red Mavericks will be without forward Dominic Zombo tonight. He's been suspended by the league for one game for a knee-to-knee hit on Duluth's J.T. Brown. UNO coach Dean Blais says he supports the suspension but says there was more to the incident than met the league's eye.
Also, Omaha blogger Matthew Semisch did a little online Q&A with PucKato previewing the series.
Going around the WCHA ...
Colorado College at Minnesota: Quick story: When the Mavericks hosted CC in December, Gophers assistant coach Mike Guentzel was in attendance to watch his on Gabe, a defenseman for the Tigers, play. I talked to him briefly and he said he was hoping for a three-point game from Gabe but an MSU win to help Minnesota in the standings. Neither happened. Tonight Guentzel will face Guentzel as CC heads to Minnie. The dad had the son and his teammates over for dinner on Thursday night, but there's no question as to who Mike wants to win this weekend.
Alaska Anchorage at Wisconsin: Anchorage is tied with MSU for 11th place in the WCHA and suddenly senior defenseman Curtis Leinweber is suddenly leading the Seawolves in scoring. As for the Badgers, coming off last weekend's split in Mankato, they have two freshman wingers who have drawn comparisons to MSU alum and NHL standout David Backes.
North Dakota at St. Cloud State: There was a lot of excitement surrounding North Dakota freshman Rocco Grimaldi this season, but injuries have hampered him all year, and now he's being shut down to have knee surgery. He'll be eligible for a medical hardship season, but speculation is that he won't be in college for four more years anyway. Meanwhile, the Huskies are being led by a lunch-pail guy in senior center Jordy Christian.
Alabama Huntsville at Minnesota Duluth: Perhaps the most impressive thing about the Bulldogs' unbeaten streak was that they haven't played a home game in 63 days. Before falling 3-1 at Omaha on Saturday, they didn't lose in seven straight road games. They return to Amsoil Arena tonight to take on the Chargers in a nonconference series. One reason for UMD's success has been the brilliant play of J.T. Brown — and the NHL scouts are drooling over the free agent.
Northern Michigan at Michigan Tech: The UP rivals will play a single game on Saturday.
More WCHA coverage from USCHO, Inside College Hockey and a good column on checking from behind from College Hockey News' Dan Myers.
Check back later tonight for my live blog. And follow my on Twitter @puckato for any other college hockey tidbits I come across.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Friday Morning Skate
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| The Mankato East/Loyola girls hockey team's tribute to Jack Jablonski. |
Judging by the tweets from various Minnesota State players, they made it to Canton, N.Y., last night after a long day of travel (Mankato —> Minneapolis —> Atlanta —> Syracuse, N.Y. —> Canton, N.Y.) for this weekend's series against St. Lawrence.
(Meanwhile, PucKato is safely nestled back home where he'll be covering East High School basketball and Gustavus Adolphus men's hockey this weekend.)
It's the last nonconference series of the season for the Mavericks, who are hoping to get on the winning track against the Saints and build momentum for the second half of the WCHA season. Co-captain Tyler Elbrecht insists the team is not that far from being a winner.
Looking at some of the conference coverage from USCHO, neither the WCHA correspondents nor the ECAC writer have much confidence the Mavs can do that this weekend.
Going around the rest of the WCHA ...
Minnesota Duluth at Western Michigan: In a meeting of future NCHC mates, the Bulldogs will go to Kalamazoo, Mich., for the first time and will try to keep their No. 1 ranking and unbeaten streak (currently at 14 games) intact as they continue a long road trip.
RIT at Wisconsin: The Badgers, like MSU, will try to kick start a second-half surge after a tough first half of the season with a pair of nonconference games against Rochester Institute of Technology. The two teams last met in the 2010 Frozen Four semifinals.
Alabama Huntsville at Denver: While it's no longer a farewell tour, Huntsville's long and winding road of a schedule stops in Denver where, despite the potential return of their top two goalies, the Pioneers appear to have found a gem in their third guy, freshman Juho Olkinuora, who has been outstanding in 14 games this season.
Cornell at Colorado College: While lots of coverage around CC and other NCHC teams this week are looking toward 2013-14 with the announcement of the conference's first commissioner, there's still a year and half to go, including the Tigers' series this weekend against Cornell. CC could get a boost by having Jaden Schwartz back in the lineup after his stint in the World Junior Championship.
Notre Dame at Minnesota (Saturday): The Hall of Fame game should be a good one with No. 3 hosting No. 5. But it will also be a bittersweet one after the passing of the Irish's legendary coach, Lefty Smith. Smith was Gophers coach Don Lucia's college coach and ex-Gophers coach Doug Woog's high school coach at South St. Paul.
Clarkson vs. North Dakota at Winnipeg (Saturday): Now-nicknameless and logoless North Dakota will head north a couple of hours for a game that has the Manitoba natives on the roster pretty excited. (Going to Canada ought makes College Hockey Inc. pretty excited, too.)
Friday, December 16, 2011
Friday Morning Skate
The Mavericks will close out the first half of their WCHA schedule this weekend when they host seventh-ranked Colorado College (last weekend marked the halfway point of the regular season). Minnesota State is hoping that injuries were indeed the biggest factor to their slow start (even a sweep of the Tigers ensures of them of no better than equalling their worst first-half conference record) and that they can build off a solid outing at Minnesota and a sweep of Alabama Huntsville.
The lineup shouldn't be much different than last Saturday against the Chargers, with the exception of Eli Zuck's return from injury. More from the Freep's gameday package: MSU might have caught a break with CC's Jaden Schwartz and Scott Winkler out to play in international competition. But goalie Joe Howe will be here. Born in Mankato, he has a pair of 1-0 shutouts at the Verizon Wireless Center, one in each of the last two seasons.
From the Tigers side, however, it looks like goaltender Josh Thorimbert might have the edge over Howe right now after Howe struggled last weekend in a home loss to Alaska Anchorage. Check out The Gazette's series preview here. Also, like many coaches, CC's Scott Owens says Minnesota State is much better than its record shows.
Going around a quiet weekend in the WCHA ...
Denver at St. Cloud State: The Pioneers will have Jason Zucker in the lineup tonight before heads off to practice with Team USA before the World Junior Championships. For the Huskies, Nick Oliver is starting to score, and St. Cloud hopes that can help it separate itself from a clump of teams in the middle of the WCHA.
In nonconference action, Bemidji State hosts Alabama Huntsville for two games, and Michigan Tech will play at Northern Michigan tonight.
Meanwhile, Nebraska Omaha is off this weekend and before coach Dean Blais headed out to coach the U.S. junior team, he had to dismiss senior and one-time captain Alex Hudson.
More coverage from USCHO and a midseason WCHA review from Inside College Hockey.
The lineup shouldn't be much different than last Saturday against the Chargers, with the exception of Eli Zuck's return from injury. More from the Freep's gameday package: MSU might have caught a break with CC's Jaden Schwartz and Scott Winkler out to play in international competition. But goalie Joe Howe will be here. Born in Mankato, he has a pair of 1-0 shutouts at the Verizon Wireless Center, one in each of the last two seasons.
From the Tigers side, however, it looks like goaltender Josh Thorimbert might have the edge over Howe right now after Howe struggled last weekend in a home loss to Alaska Anchorage. Check out The Gazette's series preview here. Also, like many coaches, CC's Scott Owens says Minnesota State is much better than its record shows.
Going around a quiet weekend in the WCHA ...
Denver at St. Cloud State: The Pioneers will have Jason Zucker in the lineup tonight before heads off to practice with Team USA before the World Junior Championships. For the Huskies, Nick Oliver is starting to score, and St. Cloud hopes that can help it separate itself from a clump of teams in the middle of the WCHA.
In nonconference action, Bemidji State hosts Alabama Huntsville for two games, and Michigan Tech will play at Northern Michigan tonight.
Meanwhile, Nebraska Omaha is off this weekend and before coach Dean Blais headed out to coach the U.S. junior team, he had to dismiss senior and one-time captain Alex Hudson.
More coverage from USCHO and a midseason WCHA review from Inside College Hockey.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Friday Morning Skate
The Mavericks are back in Mankato this weekend and are taking on Alabama Huntsville, whose players surely have spring in their step after their program appeared to get a reprieve this week.
More on the Chargers in a sec ...
As for Minnesota State, it is looking to break a seven-game winless streak after playing Minnesota pretty tough, only to get swept, a week ago. The Mavericks got some bad injury news this week, as Eli Zuck and J.P. Burkemper are out with minor injuries. They will be replaced by recent healthy scratches Mike Louwerse and Charlie Thauwald. Louwerse will center Adam Mueller and Michael Dorr. Thauwald will play on the fourth line, with Corey Leivermann moving up to Burkemper's spot with Zach Lehrke and Eriah Hayes.
Staying on the subject of Lehrke, he is the subject of today's feature in The Free Press. He is the third of three Lehrke brothers from Park Rapids, all of whom went on to play college hockey. Derek attended D-III Northland in Ashland, Wis., and Tyler played at Bemidji State.
For more on the Mavericks, see today's gameday preview.
Meanwhile, The Huntsville Times has plenty of coverage on the effort to save hockey, including this story on UAH's new president and a rather scathing column on the old interim president and current University of Alabama system chancellor Malcolm Portera, the man who gave hockey the ax a couple of months ago. Meanwhile, coach Chris Luongo has been given the go-ahead to schedule games for next year (Troy Jutting told me that MSU had Huntsville on the schedule for next year already and that those games have not been changed).
Going around the WCHA ...
Michigan Tech at Minnesota: Fresh off their sweep of the Mavericks the Gophers will host the much-improved Huskies, whose first-year coach, Mel Pearson, played against Minnesota's Don Lucia when the two were in high school. Tech is in the meat of its schedule right now, having been swept for the first time this season a week ago against defending national champion Minnesota Duluth.
Minnesota Duluth at Wisconsin: The Bulldogs are No. 1 in the country and riding a 12-game unbeaten streak into Madison, and some are wondering if this will be UMD's last trip to the Kohl Center. For the Badgers, much has been made about all-star defenseman Justin Schultz, but what about his partner, Frankie Simonelli?
Denver at Bemidji State: Apparently, you can't discuss anything Denver-related right now without mentioning Tim Tebow, and DU hockey is no exception. The Beavers, meanwhile, are expecting a tough matchup with the Pioneers in town.
Nebraska Omaha at North Dakota: It's the Blais bowl as Omaha coach Dean Blais returns to Grand Forks. But the UND's old coach won't be the only familiar name to fans in The Ralph tonight. As for the team formerly known as the Fighting Sioux (TFKATFS — put that on the jersey!), junior Corban Knight seems to do it all.
Alaska Anchorage at Colorado College: The Seawolves are tied for last place in the WCHA with MSU and are trying to grab some points before the first half of the season ends against a good CC team. As for the Tigers, superstar Jaden Schwartz is excited to get a second chance at playing in the World Junior Championships later this month. An injury derailed the opportunity to play for Team Canada a year ago. (His selection to the team, by the way, will force him to miss next weekend's series in Mankato — a nice break for the Mavs.)
More WCHA coverage at USCHO.
Be sure to stop back on the blog later today for tonight's lineups and PucKato's world-famous live blog.
More on the Chargers in a sec ...
As for Minnesota State, it is looking to break a seven-game winless streak after playing Minnesota pretty tough, only to get swept, a week ago. The Mavericks got some bad injury news this week, as Eli Zuck and J.P. Burkemper are out with minor injuries. They will be replaced by recent healthy scratches Mike Louwerse and Charlie Thauwald. Louwerse will center Adam Mueller and Michael Dorr. Thauwald will play on the fourth line, with Corey Leivermann moving up to Burkemper's spot with Zach Lehrke and Eriah Hayes.
Staying on the subject of Lehrke, he is the subject of today's feature in The Free Press. He is the third of three Lehrke brothers from Park Rapids, all of whom went on to play college hockey. Derek attended D-III Northland in Ashland, Wis., and Tyler played at Bemidji State.
For more on the Mavericks, see today's gameday preview.
Meanwhile, The Huntsville Times has plenty of coverage on the effort to save hockey, including this story on UAH's new president and a rather scathing column on the old interim president and current University of Alabama system chancellor Malcolm Portera, the man who gave hockey the ax a couple of months ago. Meanwhile, coach Chris Luongo has been given the go-ahead to schedule games for next year (Troy Jutting told me that MSU had Huntsville on the schedule for next year already and that those games have not been changed).
Going around the WCHA ...
Michigan Tech at Minnesota: Fresh off their sweep of the Mavericks the Gophers will host the much-improved Huskies, whose first-year coach, Mel Pearson, played against Minnesota's Don Lucia when the two were in high school. Tech is in the meat of its schedule right now, having been swept for the first time this season a week ago against defending national champion Minnesota Duluth.
Minnesota Duluth at Wisconsin: The Bulldogs are No. 1 in the country and riding a 12-game unbeaten streak into Madison, and some are wondering if this will be UMD's last trip to the Kohl Center. For the Badgers, much has been made about all-star defenseman Justin Schultz, but what about his partner, Frankie Simonelli?
Denver at Bemidji State: Apparently, you can't discuss anything Denver-related right now without mentioning Tim Tebow, and DU hockey is no exception. The Beavers, meanwhile, are expecting a tough matchup with the Pioneers in town.
Nebraska Omaha at North Dakota: It's the Blais bowl as Omaha coach Dean Blais returns to Grand Forks. But the UND's old coach won't be the only familiar name to fans in The Ralph tonight. As for the team formerly known as the Fighting Sioux (TFKATFS — put that on the jersey!), junior Corban Knight seems to do it all.
Alaska Anchorage at Colorado College: The Seawolves are tied for last place in the WCHA with MSU and are trying to grab some points before the first half of the season ends against a good CC team. As for the Tigers, superstar Jaden Schwartz is excited to get a second chance at playing in the World Junior Championships later this month. An injury derailed the opportunity to play for Team Canada a year ago. (His selection to the team, by the way, will force him to miss next weekend's series in Mankato — a nice break for the Mavs.)
More WCHA coverage at USCHO.
Be sure to stop back on the blog later today for tonight's lineups and PucKato's world-famous live blog.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Friday Morning Skate
It's Gopher weekend!
The Mavericks will head to No. 5 Minnesota today in hopes of keeping some recent history going against that team. They are 5-1-0 in their last six games against Minnesota, but the two teams appear to be going in separate directions right now.
For Minnesota State, junior forward Eriah Hayes is on a six-game point-scoring streak and has that look about him over the last three weekends. There aren't a lot of players in the league like Hayes, who came from a small town on the outskirts of the State of Hockey.
The Mavericks will be healthier than they were last Saturday, as defenseman Tyler Elbrecht makes his return to the rink. Forward Adam Mueller also will be back after missing a game. Austin Lee is expected to go in goal, and he'll have to be good against the high-scoring Gophers. Read more in The Free Press' preview here.
As for Minnesota, the Star Tribune takes a look at freshman defenseman Ben Marshall, who is learning on the fly. The Strib also has a preview here. Remember that the Gophers had risen to No. 1 in the nation but have slipped recently. The Pioneer Press looks at one of the reasons why.
Want more about the series? Jess Myers writes about Michael Dorr's return to Mariucci Arena for ESPN Twin Cities. And back to the Strib for a bit, beat writer Roman Augustoviz challenged me to a pick 'em contest with this weekend's WCHA schedule.
Time to go around the rest of the WCHA ...
Minnesota Duluth at Michigan Tech: The champs enter this series riding a 10-game unbeaten streak. As well as their big guns from last year are playing, Duluth is getting other contributions, too, including senior defenseman Scott Kishel, who played in just seven games a year ago. ... For Michigan Tech, it has doubled its win total from a year ago and now takes on a team that beat Michigan in the national title game last spring. Why is that significant? Huskies coach Mel Pearson was an assistant coach on that team
Nebraska Omaha vs. Alabama Huntsville: Huntsville may be winless and on its way out as an NCAA program, but the red Mavericks aren't looking past the Chargers after getting upset by them 10 months ago. This series will be played in Nashville.
Bemidji State at St. Cloud State: The Beavers head south to take on the Huskies and will have to play on that dreaded Olympic ice. Bemidji State is 8-33-3 on the big ice since 1999 (I'm pretty sure a couple of those wins have taken place in Mankato). Lots more on BSU on that link. ... For St. Cloud, injuries have hampered its start to the season, but the development of the defensemen is one reason why the Huskies have stayed near the .500 mark.
Denver at Colorado College: The Gold Pan series continues with just one game tonight, and all eyes seem to be on CC super sophomore Jaden Schwartz, who has four hat tricks this season (he'll be in Mankato in two weeks!). Schwartz scored two of those hat tricks a week ago at North Dakota, but the Tigers were outscored 11-9 and swept.
North Dakota at Alaska Anchorage: North Dakota might have turned the corner last week against CC, but now it heads to Anchorage where its record hasn't been very Sioux-like. By the way, we're nearing the end of the Fighting Sioux era. This week UND officials requested that all media stop using the nickname and logo as they will be retired on Jan. 1. ... For the Seawolves, their freshman have been picking up their play of late, including during last weekend's three-point series in Mankato.
More WCHA coverage from USCHO, INCH and College Hockey News (here and here).
More WCHA coverage from USCHO, INCH and College Hockey News (here and here).
Friday, November 25, 2011
Friday Morning Skate
Happy Black Friday. No late-night or early-morning shopping for me. I'm still full of stuffing and gravy. But tonight the Mavericks take on the Seawolves at the Verizon Wireless Center and will attempt to break a three-game losing streak along the way.
Amid some of MSU's struggles, we're seeing some growth and maturity from a few players, notably junior forward Eli Zuck.
I'll post official lines later (I had Thanksgiving off so did not get to practice), but earlier this week coach Troy Jutting said Brett Stern should be available this weekend. That should be a boost for the defensive corps. Read more in the gameday preview.
Colorado College at North Dakota: North Dakota may be off to a slow start but the Tigers aren't looking past them. As for the Sioux, captain Mario Lamoureux believes they can turn things around even against a high-scoring team like CC.
St. Cloud State at Nebraska Omaha (Saturday-Sunday series): The Huskies' top Twitterer, Nic Dowd might be immortalized in bobblehead next season in a promotion by his junior team, the Wenatchee Wild (What? not Evan Mosey?!?!). For the red Mavericks, they are looking for a goalie to step up this season, and Dean Blais sounds a lot like Troy Jutting with his 90 percent rule.
Minnesota at Michigan State: The Gophers head east to take on a future Big 10 foe. Minnesota has had great success this season, especially when leading or tied in the second intermission. It helps when you have a player like Nick Bjugstad, who is tied atop the national scoring race.
Mercyhurst at Wisconsin: The Badgers host a nonconference series against the Lakers, and freshman Brendan Woods will see some time on the top line after getting shuffled around throughout the first quarter of the season.
Denver in Denver Cup with Princeton, Miami and Providence: Going into their annual tournament, the Pioneers are hurting, as it was repoted this week that defenseman John Ryder and goalie Adam Murray are out indefinitely with injury. Denver, like Wisconsin, has a freshman on the top line.
In another series involving a WCHA team, Michigan Tech is at St. Lawrence, a place MSU will be going in January.
Check out more coverage from USCHO.
Come back later for the live blog — hopefully one with a little more decorum than last week :)
Amid some of MSU's struggles, we're seeing some growth and maturity from a few players, notably junior forward Eli Zuck.
I'll post official lines later (I had Thanksgiving off so did not get to practice), but earlier this week coach Troy Jutting said Brett Stern should be available this weekend. That should be a boost for the defensive corps. Read more in the gameday preview.
Colorado College at North Dakota: North Dakota may be off to a slow start but the Tigers aren't looking past them. As for the Sioux, captain Mario Lamoureux believes they can turn things around even against a high-scoring team like CC.
St. Cloud State at Nebraska Omaha (Saturday-Sunday series): The Huskies' top Twitterer, Nic Dowd might be immortalized in bobblehead next season in a promotion by his junior team, the Wenatchee Wild (What? not Evan Mosey?!?!). For the red Mavericks, they are looking for a goalie to step up this season, and Dean Blais sounds a lot like Troy Jutting with his 90 percent rule.
Minnesota at Michigan State: The Gophers head east to take on a future Big 10 foe. Minnesota has had great success this season, especially when leading or tied in the second intermission. It helps when you have a player like Nick Bjugstad, who is tied atop the national scoring race.
Mercyhurst at Wisconsin: The Badgers host a nonconference series against the Lakers, and freshman Brendan Woods will see some time on the top line after getting shuffled around throughout the first quarter of the season.
Denver in Denver Cup with Princeton, Miami and Providence: Going into their annual tournament, the Pioneers are hurting, as it was repoted this week that defenseman John Ryder and goalie Adam Murray are out indefinitely with injury. Denver, like Wisconsin, has a freshman on the top line.
In another series involving a WCHA team, Michigan Tech is at St. Lawrence, a place MSU will be going in January.
Check out more coverage from USCHO.
Come back later for the live blog — hopefully one with a little more decorum than last week :)
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Friday Morning Skate
I'll be trekking north to Duluth — where, egad, it's supposed to snow Saturday — for the big series between the Mavericks and the defending national champs.
For Minnesota State, the lineup is going to look similar to the way it did in the third period Saturday night when Max Gaede moved up to the rookie line with Jean-Paul LaFontaine and Matt Leitner. The lines of Mueller-Zuck-Dorr and Burkemper-Lehrke-Hayes will remain the same, with Justin Jokinen, who will be playing near his hometown of Carlton, going with Mike Louwerse and Johnny McInnis.
While MSU is healthier, every able body will go to Duluth, as Corey Leivermann and Charlie Thauwald are the extra skaters. Injury-wise, Tyler Elbrecht, Brett Stern and Danny Heath are still out.
Interestingly, the grouping of Michael Dorr and Adam Mueller together, has been a long time coming for some. Let's see if they and the other upper classmen keep producing as they have the last two weekends. You can also read the series preview here.
As for the Bulldogs, goaltender Kenny Reiter. Not only does he have three shutouts this season and a school-record shutout streak, but he tried to score a goal last week against Alaska Anchorage. Also, UMD has a couple of legacy players, including freshman Derik Johnson, son of former Bulldog Jim Johnson. Read the Duluth News-Tribune's preview here and follow Kevin Pates' blog here.
Going around the rest of the WCHA:
Minnesota at St. Cloud State: The top-ranked Gophers are enjoying a stellar start to the season, and goalie Kent Patterson is a big reason why. Adding some fuel to the rivalry, Minnesota also has a St. Cloud native on its roster in Nate Schmidt. For the Huskies, sophomore Cory Thorson is a happy guy after a solid weekend against MSU, and goalie Mike Lee had successful hip surgery this week, but chances are slim that he'll return this season. Meanwhile, ESPN1500's Jess Myers has a nice story about the friendship between the two coaches in the series.
Nebraska Omaha at Denver: The red Mavericks are back in the national rankings (No. 19) and playing well, and one reason is the great play of Terry Broadhurst, who is becoming one of the WCHA's top players. For the Pioneers, they have long believed that their rivalry with Omaha was a natural one and should be a good one in the NCHC in two years.
Wisconsin at Colorado College: The Badgers are coming off a series split against No. 1 Minnesota and just might have found a No. 1 goalie along the way in freshman Joel Rumpel. After losing several players early to the NHL, Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves is looking for more recruits who will stick around Madison longer. The Tigers, meanwhile, have some high-scoring forwards up front, but senior winger Tim Hall deserves kudos for his strong defensive play. The Gazette also has a cool story about CC coach Scott Owens and his help and support for goalie Joe Howe. Owens, a former CC goalie, has been there before.
Michigan Tech at Alaska Anchorage: Michigan Tech is coming off a bye week and will head north to Alaska where the Seawolves are hoping to do something about their lack of scoring — and winning. In their six-game losing streak, they have been outscored 23-4.
North Dakota at Bemidji State (Saturday-Sunday): The Sioux surprisingly sit behind the Mavericks in the WCHA standings, and that won't change tonight, as UND and Bemidji play Saturday and Sunday. For North Dakota, freshman defenseman-turned-forward Dan Senkbeil has made an impression, even if his teammates don't know his name. The Beavers, meanwhile, have Jake Areshenko, an alternate captain and the grandson of former BSU and UND basketball coach Dave Gunther.
Be sure to check back later for my live blog and any other news that may come up after my drive. You can also follow me on Twitter where I'm seeking that elusive 700th follower.
For Minnesota State, the lineup is going to look similar to the way it did in the third period Saturday night when Max Gaede moved up to the rookie line with Jean-Paul LaFontaine and Matt Leitner. The lines of Mueller-Zuck-Dorr and Burkemper-Lehrke-Hayes will remain the same, with Justin Jokinen, who will be playing near his hometown of Carlton, going with Mike Louwerse and Johnny McInnis.
While MSU is healthier, every able body will go to Duluth, as Corey Leivermann and Charlie Thauwald are the extra skaters. Injury-wise, Tyler Elbrecht, Brett Stern and Danny Heath are still out.
Interestingly, the grouping of Michael Dorr and Adam Mueller together, has been a long time coming for some. Let's see if they and the other upper classmen keep producing as they have the last two weekends. You can also read the series preview here.
As for the Bulldogs, goaltender Kenny Reiter. Not only does he have three shutouts this season and a school-record shutout streak, but he tried to score a goal last week against Alaska Anchorage. Also, UMD has a couple of legacy players, including freshman Derik Johnson, son of former Bulldog Jim Johnson. Read the Duluth News-Tribune's preview here and follow Kevin Pates' blog here.
Going around the rest of the WCHA:
Minnesota at St. Cloud State: The top-ranked Gophers are enjoying a stellar start to the season, and goalie Kent Patterson is a big reason why. Adding some fuel to the rivalry, Minnesota also has a St. Cloud native on its roster in Nate Schmidt. For the Huskies, sophomore Cory Thorson is a happy guy after a solid weekend against MSU, and goalie Mike Lee had successful hip surgery this week, but chances are slim that he'll return this season. Meanwhile, ESPN1500's Jess Myers has a nice story about the friendship between the two coaches in the series.
Nebraska Omaha at Denver: The red Mavericks are back in the national rankings (No. 19) and playing well, and one reason is the great play of Terry Broadhurst, who is becoming one of the WCHA's top players. For the Pioneers, they have long believed that their rivalry with Omaha was a natural one and should be a good one in the NCHC in two years.
Wisconsin at Colorado College: The Badgers are coming off a series split against No. 1 Minnesota and just might have found a No. 1 goalie along the way in freshman Joel Rumpel. After losing several players early to the NHL, Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves is looking for more recruits who will stick around Madison longer. The Tigers, meanwhile, have some high-scoring forwards up front, but senior winger Tim Hall deserves kudos for his strong defensive play. The Gazette also has a cool story about CC coach Scott Owens and his help and support for goalie Joe Howe. Owens, a former CC goalie, has been there before.
Michigan Tech at Alaska Anchorage: Michigan Tech is coming off a bye week and will head north to Alaska where the Seawolves are hoping to do something about their lack of scoring — and winning. In their six-game losing streak, they have been outscored 23-4.
North Dakota at Bemidji State (Saturday-Sunday): The Sioux surprisingly sit behind the Mavericks in the WCHA standings, and that won't change tonight, as UND and Bemidji play Saturday and Sunday. For North Dakota, freshman defenseman-turned-forward Dan Senkbeil has made an impression, even if his teammates don't know his name. The Beavers, meanwhile, have Jake Areshenko, an alternate captain and the grandson of former BSU and UND basketball coach Dave Gunther.
Be sure to check back later for my live blog and any other news that may come up after my drive. You can also follow me on Twitter where I'm seeking that elusive 700th follower.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Friday-morning skate
The Mavericks are back in action today after a much-needed weekend off to nurse their bumps, bruises and other ailments. They'll be healthier when they play No. 16 Michigan Tech tonight and Saturday but not completely.
Forwards Michael Dorr and Eriah Hayes will be back in the lineup, giving MSU a full lineup of forwards (but still no extras). But with only five healthy defensemen, senior center Joe Schiller is going back on the blue line, a position he's been in before.
While forwards Max Gaede and J.P. Burkemper practiced this week, neither has been cleared to play yet. Defenseman Danny Heath put on his skates on Wednesday and hopes to be ready soon. Meanwhile, Chase Grant, Tyler Elbrecht and Brett Stern have not returned to the rink.
With veterans Dorr and Hayes back, the Mavericks have some depth up front. Interestingly, their top-scoring line is made up of two freshmen and a sophomore — Jean-Paul Lafontaine (3-1—4), Matt Leitner (0-3—3) and Johnny McInnes (1-1—2). Rookie defenseman Zach Palmquist (2-0—0) is the only other player besides Lafontaine with multiple goals.
As for Michigan Tech, the Huskies are off to a surprising start and unbeaten at home. Two of their players earned WCHA player-of-the-week honors this week. They are also getting a great start from freshman and Iowa native defenseman Nick Cecere. Led by some veteran players, new coach Mel Pearson noted when he took the job over the summer that the cupboard wasn't bare in Houghton.
Time to go around the WCHA ...
North Dakota at Minnesota: With the Gophers back in the Top 5, much is being made out of this series, including the claim that it's the best rivalry in college hockey. It's been fueled by the fact the UND has several players from Gopher territory. Of course, with the changes coming to college hockey, it might not be the same in a couple of years. Meanwhile, Minnesota has the nation's top scorer in sophomore Erik Haula, and North Dakota is going to have to wait a year for the highly touted Colten St. Clair, who is not eligible to play this season.
Colorado College at Nebraska-Omaha: CC might be the nation's second-ranked team, but the Tigers aren't looking past the unranked red Mavericks, who are 3-1 in WCHA play. Meanwhile, Omaha is fired up to play one of the nation's — and the conference's — top teams.
Wisconsin at St. Cloud State: The Badgers are off to a rocky star with a young team, and in no place is that more apparent than in their penalty kill, which has allowed 11 goals already, including six last weekend. For the Huskies, freshman defenseman Andrew Prochno is off to a fast start. Could his secret be whiffle ball?
Minnesota Duluth at Denver: The Duluth News-Tribune has a good feature on Bulldogs goalie Kenny Reiter, who holds some UMD records at the position and is continuing a family tradition between the pipes. Meanwhile, it's been a long time since the Pioneers have been unstable in goal, but there's no sure thing there right now.
Bemidji State at Lake Superior State: The Beavers will take on a future WCHA team in the Lakers. But this year's Lake Superior team is one of the nation's real surprise teams at 7-1-0 (check out my column on the success of future WCHA teams here).
Check back later for blog updates, including tonight's MSU lines and the answers to the season's first You Want Answers?!?! post.
I'm not in Houghton but will try to post some game updates on Twitter tonight as I get them. If you're in need of a football fix or some live blogging of any kind, I'll be covering the Mankato West section championship football game. You can follow that live blog here.
Forwards Michael Dorr and Eriah Hayes will be back in the lineup, giving MSU a full lineup of forwards (but still no extras). But with only five healthy defensemen, senior center Joe Schiller is going back on the blue line, a position he's been in before.
While forwards Max Gaede and J.P. Burkemper practiced this week, neither has been cleared to play yet. Defenseman Danny Heath put on his skates on Wednesday and hopes to be ready soon. Meanwhile, Chase Grant, Tyler Elbrecht and Brett Stern have not returned to the rink.
With veterans Dorr and Hayes back, the Mavericks have some depth up front. Interestingly, their top-scoring line is made up of two freshmen and a sophomore — Jean-Paul Lafontaine (3-1—4), Matt Leitner (0-3—3) and Johnny McInnes (1-1—2). Rookie defenseman Zach Palmquist (2-0—0) is the only other player besides Lafontaine with multiple goals.
As for Michigan Tech, the Huskies are off to a surprising start and unbeaten at home. Two of their players earned WCHA player-of-the-week honors this week. They are also getting a great start from freshman and Iowa native defenseman Nick Cecere. Led by some veteran players, new coach Mel Pearson noted when he took the job over the summer that the cupboard wasn't bare in Houghton.
Time to go around the WCHA ...
North Dakota at Minnesota: With the Gophers back in the Top 5, much is being made out of this series, including the claim that it's the best rivalry in college hockey. It's been fueled by the fact the UND has several players from Gopher territory. Of course, with the changes coming to college hockey, it might not be the same in a couple of years. Meanwhile, Minnesota has the nation's top scorer in sophomore Erik Haula, and North Dakota is going to have to wait a year for the highly touted Colten St. Clair, who is not eligible to play this season.
Colorado College at Nebraska-Omaha: CC might be the nation's second-ranked team, but the Tigers aren't looking past the unranked red Mavericks, who are 3-1 in WCHA play. Meanwhile, Omaha is fired up to play one of the nation's — and the conference's — top teams.
Wisconsin at St. Cloud State: The Badgers are off to a rocky star with a young team, and in no place is that more apparent than in their penalty kill, which has allowed 11 goals already, including six last weekend. For the Huskies, freshman defenseman Andrew Prochno is off to a fast start. Could his secret be whiffle ball?
Minnesota Duluth at Denver: The Duluth News-Tribune has a good feature on Bulldogs goalie Kenny Reiter, who holds some UMD records at the position and is continuing a family tradition between the pipes. Meanwhile, it's been a long time since the Pioneers have been unstable in goal, but there's no sure thing there right now.
Bemidji State at Lake Superior State: The Beavers will take on a future WCHA team in the Lakers. But this year's Lake Superior team is one of the nation's real surprise teams at 7-1-0 (check out my column on the success of future WCHA teams here).
Check back later for blog updates, including tonight's MSU lines and the answers to the season's first You Want Answers?!?! post.
I'm not in Houghton but will try to post some game updates on Twitter tonight as I get them. If you're in need of a football fix or some live blogging of any kind, I'll be covering the Mankato West section championship football game. You can follow that live blog here.
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