Minnesota State Cancels Hockey Game Due to Flu Outbreak

Minnesota State has cancelled its Saturday men's hockey home game against Princeton after an outbreak of the flu on the MSU team.

Here is the statement from the university:

Kevin Buisman, Minnesota State Director of Athletics, has announced that the men’s hockey game for Minnesota State vs. Princeton, scheduled for Saturday evening in Mankato, has been cancelled.

“Several members of our men’s hockey team have come down with the flu and we do not have enough healthy student-athletes to field a team tonight,” said Buisman. “After consulting with several stakeholders, including the NCAA, Verizon Wireless Center and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, and discussing our options, it was decided to cancel the game.  There were several complicating factors in the decision which involved facility scheduling, individual and team travel and the fact that there is no guarantee that we would have enough bodies to play tomorrow.  We know that our fan base and those that follow us would have wanted to see the third-rated Mavericks play tonight and hope everyone can understand this difficult situation and the issues we faced in coming to this decision.”

Buisman said that the game would be declared a “no contest” and that plans for ticket reimbursement will be announced at a later date.

Obviously, this is the right thing to do. Player safety is first and foremost, and if MSU didn't have enough healthy players to field something that at least resembled a full lineup, there is no reason to move forward with this game.

I couldn't find a provision in the NCAA rule book to cover this, but I do not have access to WCHA by-laws and can't tell you if it's covered there. Either way, I'm glad it's a no-contest, as opposed to a forfeit that would give Princeton a 1-0 win. That doesn't benefit anyone and serves to penalize Minnesota State for a matter completely out of its control.

There isn't much information on this situation beyond the statement, but I'd encourage you to follow the wonderful Mankato Free Press Mavericks beat guy, Shane Frederick, on Twitter @puckato. I presume he'll have more on this story as he gathers more information.

Game 4: UMD at Minnesota State

MANKATO, Minn. -- Salutations from Mankato, where UMD is going to try to salvage the second game of this non-conference series, after Minnesota State used a Zeb Knutson power-play goal in overtime to win 5-4 in Duluth Friday.

Simply put, UMD has to put that one behind them and continue to work toward being a more consistent and cohesive unit. Not enough experienced players are hitting on the necessary cylinders at the moment, and that's something that must be fixed.

It's only three games, but Austin Farley, Kyle Osterberg, Justin Crandall, and Cal Decowski have combined for as many points as I have. This isn't to call those individuals out as if they're all playing poorly, but UMD won't win without its older players carrying the water. The Bulldogs also need consistent production from more than just Dominic Toninato's line, which added two more goals Friday and has now combined for six of the Bulldogs' ten goals this season. In addition, the line was on the ice for Andy Welinski's goal against Minnesota.

So you can see the need for more production from the other lines. Tony Cameranesi, Farley, and freshman Karson Kuhlman were going on Friday, so hopefully that's a good sign for "Bug" and he'll get on the board soon.

Saturday night would work for all of us.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Iafallo - Toninato - Krause
Farley - Cameranesi - Kuhlman
Osterberg - Thomas - Crandall
Sampair - Decowski - Boehm

Soucy - Welinski
Johnson - Corrin
McCormack - Kotyk

Kaskisuo - McNeely

MSU
Franklin - Leitner - Gervais
Stepan - Blueger - Knutson
LaFontaine - Margonari - McClure
Grant - Nelson (Jordan) - Gaede

Palmquist - Foguth
Stern - Thompson
Flanagan - Nelson (Casey)

Huggins - Williams - Nelson (Aaron)

Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Bulldogs Dig Another Hole, Climb Out, Fall Back In

This won't be as expansive as last week's. Hoping to maximize sleep, get some house-cleaning done, then it's a dress-and-drive to Mankato for Saturday's second game.

Anyway, tough loss on home ice for UMD.

This is not a recording.

The Bulldogs have to find a way to win these types of games at home. Discipline, goaltending, bounces, and execution all betrayed them at times on Friday, and Minnesota State took advantage of a somewhat controversial call in overtime to win 5-4.

We'll get to that. The officials get enough crap, frankly, and don't need it in writing here. Things tend to calm down after games, and rational thinking (usually) takes over.

And that rational thinking shows us that UMD did more than enough to lose this game without any outside assistance.

The Bulldogs nullified their first three power plays by taking penalties (happened 23 times last year, already five times in three games this year). Was one of those calls questionable? Yes. But I continue to contend that -- in a vacuum independent from any other calls made or not made -- that this call on Kyle Osterberg is, at the very least, defensible. It might be argued this is a good call, but I'm not into splitting hairs. I can't yell about it. You know they're calling ticky-tack stuff on you and nullifying power plays. Don't blow up a guy along the boards where you could subject yourself to a major if he turns at the last second.

The problem on those power plays was pretty much universal. UMD did a poor job managing the puck. Mistakes led to turnovers, which led to chasing, which led to stick fouls (or, in Osterberg's case, a blowup hit gone wrong). When Minnesota State took over on the power play after Osterberg's ejection, the Mavericks took advantage of some poor coverage by UMD to score twice and open a 4-1 lead.

UMD's comeback was very impressive, in large part because the power play stayed quite ineffective, outside of the final 54 seconds of the second period, where UMD racked up three shots and did a great job pressuring MSU goalie Stephon Williams. That was about it. The power play just couldn't possess the puck enough to do anything significant.

Junior goalie Matt McNeely struggled, I thought. Minnesota State did a very good job taking his eyes away, and UMD's defense had issues with coverage all night. Guys were open down low, winning battles, and making themselves available for tips. Minnesota State coach Mike Hastings says his team likes to "get up and down the rink," but MSU is more like North Dakota than it is like Minnesota. The Mavs have some guys who can get in your face. They go hard to the net and make life really difficult for defenders. Minnesota isn't a non-physical team by any stretch, but their forwards want to play with more pace than MSU does. Works for the Gophers, and this works for Hastings and Minnesota State.

McNeely let a couple tough ones get by him, but it just seemed he wasn't as sharp as Sunday against Notre Dame. He saw everything Sunday, not so much Friday. I'd imagine UMD comes back with freshman Kasimir Kaskisuo Saturday in Mankato, as the rotation continues.

Bottom line: UMD has a ways to go. That's fine, because the team that has it all figured out in October is probably lying. Or maybe it's Union. But it isn't us. A spirited comeback from 4-1 down showed again that this team has resolve, and that's great. But the poor start from the goalie out is what created the 4-1 deficit. 31 more penalty minutes shows a continued lack of discipline, and no team with average goaltending is going to survive giving a quality team ten power plays in a game.

******

We're not here to rag on the officials. They didn't have a good night. Neither did the home team.

I'm confident Scott Sandelin isn't going to cue up clips of questionable calls for his players to watch Saturday. Instead, I'm guessing Sandelin will show clips of defensive miscues, poor puck management, and missed opportunities.

That should be enough to get the players' attention.

Take care of those things, and the officials having a bad night -- if that's what you feel happened -- isn't a factor in the game.

******

Other scores around the NCHC Friday night:

Omaha 5, Western Michigan 2
North Dakota 3, Colorado College 1
Miami 5, Ohio State 1
Denver 3, RPI 0

Talk to you Saturday afternoon from Mankato.

Game 3: Minnesota State at UMD

This game is on FSN PLUS.

This game is on FSN PLUS.

This game is on FSN PLUS.

This game is on FSN PLUS.

This game is on FSN PLUS.

This game is on FSN PLUS.

This game is on FSN PLUS.

This game is on FSN PLUS.

This game is on FSN PLUS.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Iafallo - Toninato - Krause
Farley - Cameranesi - Kuhlman
Osterberg - Decowski - Crandall
Sampair - Thomas - Young (Austyn)

Soucy - Welinski
Johnson - Raskob
Corrin - Kotyk

McNeely - Kaskisuo - Fons

MSU
Franklin - Leitner - Gervais
Stepan - Blueger - Knutson
LaFontaine - Margonari - McClure
Grant - Nelson - Gaede

Palmquist - Schmeisser
Stern - Foguth
Flanagan - Nelson

Williams - Huggins

Bulldogs, Mavericks Both Rely on Experience, Good Leadership

As we work our way to Friday's home opener, it's interesting to look at how similar UMD is to this week's opponent, Minnesota State.

There are differences. Mike Hastings has led MSU to the NCAA Tournament in each of his two years at the helm in Mankato. The Mavericks have gotten there, in part, thanks to quality goaltending. Stephon Williams led MSU to a .910 team save percentage in 2012-13, and Cole Huggins helped MSU post a .908 save percentage last season. Both years, the Mavericks dwarfed UMD's team save percentage, which was .896 in each season.

Not surprisingly, Hastings is impressed by his team's opponent this weekend.

"I have a tremendous amount of respect (for UMD)," he told me this week, noting UMD did a great job against a Notre Dame team we all knew would come out desperate on Sunday. "I think we mirror each other a little bit. Strengths up front, you look at (Dominic) Toninato, (Alex) Iafallo, (Tony) Cameranesi, (Austin) Farley I could keep going there. They've got different guys that can beat you up front. And the guys on the back end are guys who can play offense, defense, play 200 feet.

"I think you're going to see two styles that are comparable. Both teams like to get up and down the rink. It should be very challenging for both teams, but very entertaining for the people that are coming through the turnstiles."

Want similarities? MSU has nine players -- Zach Palmquist, J.P. LaFontaine, Matt Leitner, Chase Grant, Brett Stern, Bryce Gervais, Max Gaede, Dylan Margonari, and Teddy Blueger -- who have combined to play 820 games for the Mavs. Those nine have combined for 521 career points (188 goals). Guys like Palmquist, LaFontaine, and Leitner have been consistent scoring threats, but all nine have been significant players.

UMD has six players -- Justin Crandall, Adam Krause, Andy Welinski, Tony Cameranesi, Derik Johnson, and Austin Farley -- who have combined for 504 career games. Those six have a total of 236 points between them (92 goals).

The key difference? As Krause notes, he, Crandall, and Johnson weren't expected to step in and play major minutes in their freshman seasons (the 2011-12 season). UMD had enough significant players back that they didn't need the freshmen to step in as top-line players. They could learn their way a little bit.

"That was the situation when I came in as a freshman," Krause said. "I wasn't really looked at to contribute. I think the last couple years we relied a lot on our freshmen.

"I think it hurt us in some spots for sure."

This is where it benefits UMD, however. That junior class -- even the sophomores -- bring a lot of experience to the table, and it's up to them to carry the water.

Over the weekend, sophomores Toninato and Iafallo did that. So did juniors Welinski and Cameranesi. And seniors Krause, Crandall, and Johnson.

Freshmen had their moments, but this is a team that will lean on its experience, not its lack thereof.

So will Minnesota State.

See? Similarities.

"When you start looking at teams that are there in the end, very seldom do you see teams that are freshman- and sophomore-oriented," Hastings says. "I think that leadership is something that needs to be earned over time. The more experience you have, the better decisions you're going to make."

MSU's head coach also spoke glowingly of -- arguably -- his top three players: LaFontaine, Leitner, and Palmquist.

"Palmquist could have left after last year, and decided that it was important for him to come back and develop as a player, and to get his degree. We're leaning on these guys right now.

"Leitner and LaFontaine are two guys that just love playing. And I love their commitment level this time of year."

Hastings gave those three players a ton of the credit for the team's turnaround from a 5-3 loss last Friday in Omaha to a 4-2 win Saturday. In the Saturday game, MSU rallied from an early 2-0 hole by out-shooting UNO 31-9 over the last 40 minutes and scoring four times in the second period.

When UMD is on, it's playing like it was on Sunday. Still wasn't perfect (never is), but the Bulldogs had an edge, an intensity to their game, that was really impressive. It's the way this team has to play all the time, but it won't happen immediately. But Sunday was a very good step. In all, Scott Sandelin and his staff are probably happy with 75-90 of the 120 minutes UMD played in South Bend, depending on their level of pickiness.

It was a good first step, but look at this schedule:

No. 12 Minnesota State (home and home)
No. 16 Denver (home)
No. 11 Miami (home)
No. 8 St. Cloud State (away)
No. 1 Minnesota (home and home)

Then it gets easier, as we head to Omaha the weekend before Thanksgiving.

(Note sarcasm. Nothing's easy about UNO.)

UMD has to ramp things up every week, win some games, and get through what will again this year be one of the top schedules in the nation. If the Bulldogs can do that, they'll be a factor in the end, for certain.

Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Bulldogs Grind Out Much-Needed Win in Overtime Thriller

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- As I told Minnesota State sports information guru Paul Allan, it wasn't the crispest game ever played, but it sure was entertaining.

It also was a huge win for UMD, as the Bulldogs used timely goals from special teams units to defeat Minnesota State 5-4 in overtime at XCel Energy Center. The win advances UMD into the championship game of the inaugural North Star College Cup Saturday night. The reward? A third meeting this season against No. 1 Minnesota. Surely, the Gophers will be looking to avenge a 6-2 loss to UMD the Sunday before Thanksgiving at Mariucci Arena. The Bulldogs struck for four power play goals and a shortie in that win.

Minnesota won the second semifinal 4-1 over St. Cloud State to advance.

UMD started strong, especially on defense. The Mavericks had just one shot through the first ten-plus minutes of the game. UMD didn't do a whole lot, either, but generated a few chances and got the game's first goal. MSU freshman goalie Cole Huggins whipped a puck up the right wing boards, where it was held at the point by UMD sophomore defenseman Andy Welinski. With Kyle Osterberg providing a screen, Welinski's slapper eluded Huggins, running the blue-liner's point streak to eight games in a row.

The Mavericks got a bleeder to tie it up, when Jonny McInnis' shot from the right corner hit UMD goalie Aaron Crandall and trickled in. It was only MSU's second shot of the game.

UMD had to rally twice, trailing 2-1 after one and then 4-3 in the third on a short-handed goal by Zach Lehrke. It wasn't Crandall's best game, though also not his worst. MSU scored on McInnis' goofy corner shot, and then got a PPG in the second on a weird bounce behind Crandall. It was a puck that someone for UMD should have corralled before it became dangerous, but still took a good effort play by J.P. LaFontaine to get it (barely) over the goal line.

(Call it bad puck luck if you want. You might be on to something, as UMD has seen its share of good puck luck.)

The Bulldogs can be better defensively than this. But there are a lot of positives.

For starters, they found a way to win. Additionally, UMD controlled puck possession in a game where it lost 46 of 72 faceoffs. Also, UMD got the power play going with two goals, scored a short-handed goal, and shook off an outstanding special teams effort from one of the best combined special teams groups in college hockey. Going even (3-3) against those guys is no small feat. Just ask Ferris State.

Frankly, I'm not sure I've ever seen a team own the puck like UMD did while only winning 36 percent of faceoffs. Now, it's worth noting that I ride the faceoff train a lot, but this group is rendering that statistic meaningless. Think about Friday's game. How many times did MSU win a draw -- often clean -- only to watch UMD control the puck within five seconds? It didn't work both ways. When UMD wins faceoffs, UMD owns the puck. From a puck-possession standpoint, this Bulldogs team is strong, and will only get stronger.

It was good to see that power play going, and the overtime power play was as good as I've seen UMD execute on the man advantage since before break. They were smart, poised, and got bodies and pucks down low. As Pat Micheletti said after the game, power play is all about creating odd-man situations. UMD did that down low, then took advantage of it for that winning goal.

In that overtime, Alex Iafallo just keeps finding the puck in scoring areas. And what a play by Tony Cameranesi and Austin Farley (it appeared Dominic Toninato was in there, too) to get the puck across to Iafallo for the winner. Toninato, Iafallo, and Adam Krause have been UMD's most consistently effective line as of late. Krause is one of those guys who is playing with more and more confidence in the offensive zone, and Iafallo can beat just about anyone on the ice with his speed. That guy has won UMD more races in the last three weekends than I could possibly count, just by using his wheels.

Net presence was key for the Bulldogs, and it will continue in the championship game against Minnesota. The Gophers did a great job of limiting second-chance opportunities against St. Cloud State, and UMD has to find a way to get to Adam Wilcox and make his life difficult on Saturday. He's a very good goalie, but even the best goalies can be rendered average by taking their eyes away.

The Gophers are a great college hockey team. They're the most talented team in the West, and when they get the kind of goaltending they've been getting from Wilcox, they're virtually unbeatable. In fact, Minnesota hasn't lost since that last meeting against UMD. It will take a great performance to knock Minnesota off again. UMD is fully capable, but it's much easier said than done.

******

Minnesota did indeed play great team defense in that second semifinal. A St. Cloud State team that drives the net well was very limited in second-chance opportunities. Wilcox is really good as is, but when all he has to do is make first saves, he only becomes a better goalie.

Hudson Fasching is a beast. The kid is already phenomenal, especially with his board play and his tenacity. He just doesn't lose battles. There are a lot of bigger forwards in Division I who routinely lose battles to smaller players. Fasching doesn't lose them to players of any size. He gave UMD fits in November on the big ice, and I have to think that when you stick him in an NHL rink, his reach and strength are only going to become more of a factor, not less.

Another Gopher forward who has really been impressive is Seth Ambroz. It seemed his development was plateauing in juniors, but he has stepped it up big-time since arriving in Dinkytown. He has good hands for a big forward, and he's also getting better at using his size to his advantage. Some guys (like Fasching) have it come to them so easily, it seems. It's been cool to watch Ambroz get better as he's faced Division I competition over his time at Minnesota.

For UMD, I think the line of Toninato, Iafallo, and Krause will again be huge. Don't discount the way Toninato is playing, while Iafallo scores all the big goals and gets all the attention. I thought Caleb Herbert's line was a little off on Friday, but they still were pretty good, and they could be well-positioned to have a big game.

It's easy to look at Minnesota's speed and depth and forget that UMD has speed and depth, too. I think it could be argued that the November split saw UMD get the better of Minnesota over most of the 120 minutes played. Saturday will be a different animal, but I don't think there's any question that UMD knows what it has to do in order to win the North Star College Cup. It's a matter of executing the plan when the lights go on.

******

Much will be made of the smallish attendance for Friday's session. Announced crowd was over 14,300, which isn't bad, but at no point did it appear that there were nearly that many in attendance. Word was that some 13,000 tickets were sold in advance for the semifinal games, but the crowd was nowhere near that. Some weather moved through the Cities Friday afternoon/evening, which could have scared a few people off and hurt the walkup, but what I talked about earlier in the week is clearly true. This event has to grow. It probably will as long as it's marketed properly.

Remember the old adage: Rome wasn't built in a day.

What's undeniable is that the players were into this, and the fans who showed up were into this. That's a start, though it might not be at the level some wanted to see it at.

Hopefully, more people will buy in for a UMD-Minnesota final on Saturday night. If the Saturday presale is anywhere close to what Friday's announced attendance was, a good walkup should get the building much closer to full. Either way, it should be a good atmosphere at the X.

Also, remember this, as pointed out by a UMD staffer who is much smarter than I am (not that I'm setting a high bar): The XCel Energy Center is the ultimate hockey facility. If there's hockey being played there, it is surely being run well and presented well by the game operations folks. That's what they do. Now, don't ask me if they can stage a Lady Gaga show or something like that. I just know they do a damn good job with hockey.

Props, too, to FSN for a piece on UMD hockey in the Friday pregame that I was told by more than one person was really cool. I get a little busy around that time, as you might understand.

******

While UMD plays non-conference this weekend for the final time this season, there were two NCHC series, both in Colorado.

In Denver, North Dakota handed the Pioneers a 4-2 loss in front of a ton of UND fans at Denver's building. UND has a huge alumni base in Colorado, and Denver's hilarious attempt to restrict ticket sales to DU fans blew up badly here. They had to rescind their flawed policy for the series, and UND fans infiltrated Magness Arena in huge numbers. They left happy, thanks to a two-goal first period and a strong defensive team game that made the job of Clarke Saunders much easier.

In Colorado Springs, it was last-place (no longer) Colorado College beating seventh-place (and now back in last) Miami 4-1. The Tigers struck for three in the first, and the RedHawks just never found a way to answer that early surge. A late Miami goal ruined a shutout bid for Josh Thorimbert, who finished with 29 saves.

******

By the way, I'll be on Beyond The Pond Saturday at 10:35am to talk about the Bulldogs and the North Star College Cup. The show, hosted by Brandon Mileski and the aforementioned Pat Micheletti, is heard on KFAN 100.3 FM in the Twin Cities, along with their statewide network. That network includes The Fan 1490 in Duluth. You can also listen online at kfan.com or mobile via the iHeartRadio app.

Game 21: UMD vs Minnesota State (North Star College Cup)

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Greetings from the XCel Energy Center, where UMD hasn't played since March of 2012. The North Star College Cup is ready to go, with the Bulldogs opening the inaugural event against Minnesota State.

Both teams played well in league series last weekend, but MSU was particularly impressive in a WCHA sweep of first-place Ferris State. UMD got two points out of six against Denver, probably deserved more, and comes in as a .500 team overall.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Osterberg - Cameranesi - Crandall (Justin)
Farley - Herbert - Basaraba
Iafallo - Toninato - Krause
Tardy - Decowski - Spurrell

Soucy - Welinski
Johnson - Raskob
Corrin - Molenaar

Crandall (Aaron) - McNeely

MSU
Gervais - Leitner - Lehrke
Grant - Margonari - McInnis
Knowles - LaFontaine - Gaede
Huntebrinker - Nelson (Jordan) - Thompson

Jutzi - Nelson (Josh)
Palmquist - Foguth
Stern - Nelson (Casey)

Huggins - Williams

UMD Faces Formidable Maverick Team to Open North Star College Cup

It just doesn't get any easier for the UMD Bulldogs.

UMD has faced teams either tied with or ahead of it in the NCHC standings every weekend of conference play, including notably tough opponents St. Cloud State and Denver. Adding to it, the non-conference schedule has included Notre Dame, Minnesota, and now the North Star College Cup.

In this four-team tournament, the Bulldogs see two teams in the top five of both national polls, and a third team -- UMD's opponent on Friday -- which is absolutely a bubble team in the PairWise rankings, which mimic the NCAA Tournament selection process.

That's right, 14-10 Minnesota State has vaulted itself straight into NCAA consideration, despite a so-so non-conference record. Last week's home sweep of then-No. 2 Ferris State helps matters a bit.

We knew going into the season it was a tough schedule, and it has been every bit of that. It's a great challenge, and this weekend presents a great opportunity for the 9-9-2 Bulldogs.

"We've got one of the toughest schedules in college hockey," freshman defenseman Carson Soucy said this week. "In college hockey, every team is so close. It makes you have to battle so much harder."

The Bulldogs take on the Mavericks Friday afternoon at XCel Energy Center in St. Paul. It's their first meeting at a neutral site since UMD took down MSU in the 2003 WCHA Final Five third-place game. Besides the historical significance of the NSCC's first game, this is a key game for both teams.

MSU went 1-3 on an early-January trip to Alaska, but as second-year coach Mike Hastings noted when I talked to him this week, the Mavs rebounded quickly.

"We came back and decided to leave Alaska in Alaska," Hastings said. "I thought our leadership group with (captain) Jonny McInnis and Zach Lehrke did a great job of re-focusing our group. We really did take it a period at a time and tried to make sure we were controlling what we could control. We did a good job of it this past weekend."

As part of my weekly preparation for UMD games/series, I like to watch the opponent's most recent games. Technology makes this a pretty easy process, and I take a few hours each week to look for certain tendencies and just get a feel for how a team is playing.

Through that study and UMD's games, I've said without apology that St. Cloud State is the best team I've seen this season, with Minnesota and Notre Dame trailing. I haven't been prone to hyperbole with this work each week, so hopefully no one thinks I'm talking out of my rear end here.

Minnesota State is up there with the best teams I've seen on video.

The Mavericks were on fire last weekend against Ferris State. They attacked with speed, drove the net, and got strong goaltending.

"I was very impressed," UMD coach Scott Sandelin said. "I thought they were a team that went hard to the net. It was a very competitive series, very physical. They got to the net really hard. They have some skill players. I was very impressed with their speed."

MSU will be short-handed in Friday's game. Forwards Teddy Blueger and Zach Stepan were given game disqualifications Saturday for their role in a fight. They are automatically suspended for the semifinal.

"It's not going to change how they play," Sandelin said. "Certainly, if they play like (they did against Ferris), we're in for a major challenge."

For the second straight weekend, UMD is in a matchup of two of the nation's top penalty kills. The Bulldogs held a powerful Denver power play scoreless last weekend, and the UMD kill is now fifth nationally at 88.6 percent. MSU is third at 89.3 percent.

"Our penalty killers have done a really good job," Hastings said. "Penalty killing is a lot of selfless work. You're doing everything to make sure that puck doesn't get into the net."

Hastings knows his team has a challenge on its hands Friday, too.

"To see them play on tape, they're playing with confidence. The impact that their freshmen are having on the team, they grow weekly. Look at the schedule, they're getting tested every weekend. They're getting better all the time. They're a team that's gonna end up making a lot of noise in the playoffs in the NCHC."

UMD's defense will be seriously tested. Guys like Matt Leitner and JP LaFontaine will attack the net. They have already proven themselves at this level, and Hastings notes both have been playing much better as of late. The Mavericks attack in waves, and if UMD isn't careful, odd-man rushes could become the order of the late afternoon in St. Paul.

With the job the Bulldogs have done protecting Aaron Crandall and limiting second-chance opportunities, much of Friday's keys involve keeping the Mavericks forwards from getting in Crandall's kitchen and disrupting what has been an impressive run for the senior goalie. With a .949 save percentage over his last four starts (2-1-1 record), Crandall enters the NSCC with plenty of confidence, and the team has confidence in him.

But for UMD to move into the title game Saturday night, 60 consistent minutes with an emphasis on sound puck possession are required. If the teams take to the ice in front of thousands of empty seats as I fear they will, the one that gets into the game early and plays with energy has a great advantage, no matter the goaltending.

Minnesota College Teams Launch 'New Tradition'

The first Beanpot was played in 1952. A total of 8,487 people attended the two-day event, which was won by Harvard.

The tournament didn't draw a two-session total over 10,000 until 1958, and no single session of the Beanpot drew 10,000 until 1960.

Every Beanpot since 1979 has been a total sellout.

I've been covering college hockey in this area for around a decade and a half, in some way, shape, or form. Back when I had a daily call-in talk show, it wasn't a hockey season until a discussion was had about the potential of doing an all-Minnesota college hockey tournament.

It's been obvious to me for years that college hockey fans in this state wanted to develop something special the way Boston folks did with the Beanpot.

But until the WCHA broke up, there was really no reason for anyone to do it. The potential participants -- UMD, St. Cloud State, Minnesota, Minnesota State, and eventually Bemidji State -- all played in the WCHA. They saw each other 2-4 times per regular season. There was no reason to throw together a tournament, especially when we all knew it would be at XCel Energy Center if it ever existed.

Sure, it would be cool to play, but what would be the point? The lure? The draw? What fans would pay $75-100 for tickets, plus more for food and lodging, to watch matchups that were happening all the time over the course of the regular season?

Now, the WCHA as we knew it is no more. The NCHC, Big Ten, and WCHA house the five Minnesota Division I teams. And Minnesota saw the void and the opportunity.

The North Star College Cup has been born.

Anyone who follows me on Twitter or who listened to the radio last week knows I'm skeptical. I'm not skeptical because I don't think we have the potential for something special here. I'm not skeptical because I don't like the idea of the five Minnesota college teams having a tournament every year.

Instead, I'm skeptical for other reasons.

1. For this to be a success in either the short- or long-term, it has to be a celebration of Minnesota college hockey. That means it can't be all about the Gophers, even if they are the permanent tournament "host" and will never rotate out of the field. As Minnesota State second-year Mike Hastings said this week, it "has to be an event." If it's all about the Gophers, it won't be the event that it has to be to succeed.

Part of this is presentation, both in the arena and on television. I'm very interested to see how this plays out.

2. Everyone involved is making a sacrifice in the short team, even Minnesota. Unless I'm blown away by crowd sizes Friday and Saturday, there probably won't be enough revenue to distribute to make up for the potential home games that everyone is missing out on to play in this tournament.

Even a middling home gate of 5,000 per game will draw in a good chunk of change for UMD, and we can get that playing some random non-conference opponent.

Same goes for the other three teams playing this weekend. And that has to be okay.

To build any kind of event and get any kind of gauge of the chances we have of making this succeed, it's going to take five years and maybe a decade. That's reality.

3. There can't be panic or immediate comparisons to the Beanpot. The Beanpot is a tradition that has lasted over six decades. It involves four huge institutions (combined enrollment of around 90,000) in a huge hockey-mad city. There is no travel expense involved in attending games, except for out-of-town alumni.

The North Star College Cup is in its first year. It involves four teams that have a combined enrollment of around 90,000 (Minnesota is over 50,000), but two of them are an hour drive from the Twin Cities, and another is over two hours away. Many fans will stay in hotels Friday night and maybe Saturday, too.

Should this event sell out the XCel Energy Center? Probably, but nothing blows up like that the first time it's done. The organizers need to work hard to make sure this is a special weekend that celebrates the history and traditions of all four programs.

"I think a few years down the road, when the worlds settle a bit, there will be a bit more demand, and this will grow into more of an event," good friend Jess Myers said this week. He's been around this sport longer than I have (read: He's older than me), and he hit the nail on the head this week. I think everyone involved will -- maybe not on the record -- agree.

That's why I'm skeptical.

People are typically not patient. Fans will assume that this one failing to fill the building means every future NSCC is going to fail to fill the building, too. Some might go to the event, look around at a mass of empty seats, and give up on it completely. Perhaps the sight of empty seats on TV will turn off network producers or event organizers.

Can't happen.

This is a long-term investment in an event that's been a long time coming for Minnesota college hockey fans. Now that the trigger has been pulled on it, we have to see it through and not be quick to give up on it.

2013-14 WCHA Predictions

We'll go league-by-league through the western half of our realigned college hockey nation, starting with the league UMD (and many others) left.

The WCHA might not be as strong as it once was, but it houses at least one legitimate top-15 team, and a couple others that would like to stake a claim.

10. Alabama Huntsville Chargers

Mike Corbett takes over as the Chargers' head coach, and obviously there are high hopes that the move to the WCHA will provide the program with much-needed stability. However, that stability might take some time to show itself on the ice. UAH definitely benefits from no longer living such a nomadic existence, but the Chargers aren't ready to contend in a Division I league just yet. There are some building blocks here, with guys like forward Jeff Vanderlugt back, and UAH is young, so the future certainly is better.

9. Lake Superior State Lakers

It could be a struggle out in Sault Ste. Marie this season. The Lakers lose a lot of high-end guys from a so-so 2012-13 squad, most notably leading scorer Domenic Monardo and runner-up Nick McParland. Their depth was hit by the early departure of power forward Kellan Lain. Senior goalies Kevin Murdock and Kevin Kapalka return, and they might have to carry the team early while it finds some offense.

8. Northern Michigan Wildcats

The Wildcats have to shake off some losses, especially the early departure of goalie Jared Coreau, who could have been a real leader on this team had he not turned pro. Junior forward Reed Seckel can score (13 last year), but who sets him up with Matt Thurber gone? And who plays goal with Coreau and his 38 games gone to the pros? Lots of questions for Walt Kyle to answer as his team starts up in a new league.

7. Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves

New administration and a new coach for UAA, as Matt Thomas takes over for the fired Dave Shyiak. If Thomas can get the culture changed, this could turn around quickly. There is talent, especially with sophomore Blake Tatchell, junior Scott Allen, and senior Matt Bailey up front. Thomas needs to straighten out his blue line and find consistent goaltending. Community support wouldn't hurt, either.

6. Alaska Nanooks

UAF snuck over .500 last year, and wasn't really written out of NCAA contention until late in the season. However, leading scorer Andy Taranto departs. Sophomore goalie John Keeney played 27 games last year and should carry the load again in '13-14. Senior forward Cody Kunyk could be in for a big season.

5. Ferris State Bulldogs

Last year in Florida was my first chance to see Ferris State in person, but these Bulldogs have always impressed me from afar. The chances for veteran coach Bob Daniels' team in the new WCHA depend the development of some young forwards. Seniors Garrett Thompson and Cory Kane return, but they need help from guys like Kenny Babinski and Dakota Klecha to add scoring balance. CJ Motte returns in goal after a strong sophomore season.

4. Bemidji State Beavers

Always a well-coached group, Tom Serratore and the Beavers might benefit greatly from the sport's realignment. BSU just didn't have the talent to consistently compete with the likes of North Dakota, Minnesota, and others (their odd hex on UNO notwithstanding). The Beavers, however, do have the talent and work ethic to make noise in this league. And with junior Andrew Walsh, they have the goalie.

3. Bowling Green Falcons

People in this part of the land might not have noticed, but man has Chris Bergeron done a nice job with this program. The record (39-73-14) is underwhelming, but the Falcons look ready to make some strides. Juniors Ryan Carpenter and Dajon Mingo lead the offense, and the Falcons have experience all over the ice. The one exception is goal, where Andrew Hammond is gone.

2. Michigan Tech Huskies

Mel Pearson should have his best this this season. The Huskies have high-end forwards like Blake Pietila, Alex Petan, Tanner Kero, and David Johnstone all back. The early departure of Jujhar Khaira should only be a small dent in the group. Defense and goaltending lacked last season, but the hope is improved depth between the pipes and further development from defensemen like Riley Sweeney and Justin Fillion should help matters.

1. Minnesota State Mavericks

Even if I wanted to, I'm not sure I could make an argument against MSU being the prohibitive favorite in the WCHA. Mike Hastings got this team to the NCAAs last year, and they're only going to be better. JP Lafontaine, Matt Leitner, Zach Lehrke, Max Gaede, and Bryce Gervais are among the top forwards, and the Mavs sport a strong group of defensemen led by Zach Palmquist. Not only is MSU legit in this league, but the Mavericks should be in most preseason top tens. Justifiably so, too.

Game 28: Minnesota State at UMD

UMD doesn't have any Finnish players on the team, but learning how to finish is a huge key going forward, as the boys learned again on Friday.

The women pumped 40 shots on net in Saturday's game against Minnesota State and lost 2-1, and looking at the shot  chart, you can't put a lot of blame on them for it. They had great chances and just couldn't score.

This team has to avoid that fate.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Farley - Cameranesi - Seidel
Crandall (Justin) - Young - Basaraba
Danberg - Hendrickson - Flaherty
DeLisle - Decowski - Krause

Olson - Welinski
Smith - Casto
Bergman - Corrin

Crandall (Aaron) - McNeely - Fons

MSU
Grant - Leitner - McInnis
Margonari - Blueger - Hayes
Knowles - Lafontaine - Gaede
Gervais - Zuck - Lehrke

Elbrecht - Stern
Palmquist - Buchanan
Nelson - Jutzi

Williams - Cook 

Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Not Even Sure What To Put Here

Slumps happen. Bad nights happen.

But what has happened to UMD over the last four games is nothing short of "potentially will-crushing."

On Jan. 19 in Colorado Springs, UMD allowed four straight goals in a 5-1 loss to Colorado College.

Last Friday, UMD basically no-showed a 3-0 home loss to a Denver team the Bulldogs could have caught in the league standings.

Last Saturday, DU scored three goals in a 91-second span of the third period and won 4-3 after UMD basically dominated most of the game.

Friday, looking to see how his team would come out, UMD coach Scott Sandelin watched the Bulldogs make a defensive-zone mistake and give up the first goal.

This time, however, UMD responded well. The Bulldogs scored the next two, took a lead into the third period, and proceeded to epically collapse once on home ice once again.

Minnesota State ripped off three goals and a 22-7 shot advantage in the third period to beat the Bulldogs 4-2 and hand UMD a fourth straight loss.

As has been the case most of the season, there were multiple culprits. Too many mental mistakes to mention. Too many guys letting their minds betray them and drifting away from what had been successful. Not enough people stepping up and leading the team when things start to go bad.

Unfortunately for UMD, mental mistakes and inconsistent effort have become hallmarks, not aberrations. And it once again has sent this team searching for answers.

To make matters worse, sophomore center Caleb Herbert missed most of the game with an undisclosed injury. He's listed as day to day, but there's no way of knowing right now if he'll be available anytime soon. It's just another in a long series of blows for a team that is running out of time to find the elusive answers.

What has to change? UMD has to stop recoiling when something bad happens. Right now, as I mentioned in the preview blog Friday, there isn't a line Scott Sandelin can rely on when things start going south. There is no lockdown line, no "go get a big goal" line. It doesn't just make his job tougher, it makes it nearly impossible.

There is plenty of season left, but it's almost a foregone conclusion at this point that season ticket holders will have a chance to apply their playoff ticket money as a down payment on tickets for next year. This team isn't getting home ice, barring the kind of run through the rest of the schedule that the first 27 games of the season indicate is simply not possible.

Could UMD rip off six wins in the remaining seven league games? Sure. But there isn't any reason to think it will.

That's reality. At this point in the season, you are who you are, after all.

******

Hats off to Drew Olson. He's been playing hurt a lot this season, and he's trying to put this team on his back. That's leadership. Too bad there isn't enough follow going on right now.

I thought Jake Hendrickson played his rear end off Friday, too, but a mishmash of line combinations after Herbert left the game made it tough for anyone to generate anything consistently.

******

Get asked a lot about lineup changes. In a case like this, anything conceivable is probably in play, especially if Herbert is ruled out.

There were three forwards and two defensemen who sat out Friday. Frankly, I don't have any reason to not believe that any of them who are deemed healthy should sit again Saturday. What would be the point?

Game 27: Minnesota State at UMD

It's really, really strange to consider the fact that this is the first time UMD has played Minnesota State -- a longtime league rival -- all season.

The pitfalls of a 12-team league on display again, eh?

This is a big weekend for UMD. The Bulldogs need to show a thing or two, especially off Saturday's gut-wrencher.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Crandall (Justin) - Herbert - Seidel
Farley - Cameranesi - Krause
Sampair - Hendrickson - Basaraba
DeLisle - Danberg - Young

Olson - Welinski
Smith - Casto
Johnson - Bergman

McNeely - Crandall (Aaron) - Fons

MSU
Grant - Leitner - McInnis
Margonari - Blueger - Hayes
Knowles - Lafontaine - Gaede
Gervais - Zuck - Lehrke

Elbrecht - Stern
Palmquist - Buchanan
Nelson - Jutzi

Williams - Cook

UMD Psyche On Display With MSU In Town

We've been spoiled.

Over the course of the last couple-plus seasons, UMD head coach Scott Sandelin has almost always been able to stop the proverbial bleeding. In the rare instances of something really bad happening on the ice, Sandelin always had a line or a couple guys -- players like Mike Connolly, David Grun, Mike Montgomery, Justin Faulk, and numerous others -- he could call on to hop the boards and make sure one bad thing didn't turn to two. He had a goalie -- whether it was Alex Stalock or Kenny Reiter -- he knew would shake off the inevitable bad goal (everyone allows them).

Now, things are a little more up in the air. UMD doesn't have a lockdown line, as it has in the last couple seasons. It doesn't have a line that dazzles with puck possession.

The Bulldogs are what the Bulldogs are.

Unfortunately, what they are this year is a ~.500 team that might be able to do a little better than that, but only if they figure out the importance of playing 60 minutes in a game and shaking off the inevitable mistakes before they start adding on to each other.

This weekend is a whole different challenge for UMD. Last game, the Bulldogs saw a dazzling 52-minute effort completely blown to smithereens in 91 ferociously horrifying seconds. In those 91 seconds, Denver turned a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead that it would not relinquish.

Can UMD put that horror in the rear-view mirror and take care of business against No. 11 Minnesota State Friday night?

No one knows.

Sandelin wishes he knew. I'm sure he can't wait for the game to start, because only then will he have an answer. Only after the team plays for a few minutes, and everyone gets on the ice, will he know how his players responded to Saturday's gut-wrenching finish.

Moreover, how will the players respond if something bad happens? A bad bounce, an unlucky break, a soft goal, a great save by the MSU goalie, a shot off the goalpost/crossbar. How does this affect the team's psyche?

This isn't the same group as the last couple years (duh). It's not quite as balanced, and it's not as mentally tough. We'll see how it responds on Friday, because it's getting close to too late to figure this stuff out.

No doubt in my mind UMD has the necessary talent to win this game, and the next one, and the one after that. But the Bulldogs have to play the way they did for 52 minutes Saturday and forget those 91 seconds ever happened.

******

No question Mike Hastings has to be the front-runner for WCHA Coach of the Year. Hastings has a team that finished 11th last season in contention for home ice as the stretch run continues.

Like any good head coach, Hastings is quick to credit his players, noting that sophomores Matt Leitner and JP Lafontaine have gotten better from last year, when they were both pretty good. He also talked glowingly about the leadership he's seen from his seniors, basically from the second he stepped on campus in Mankato.

"When I came in for the first interview, I ended up talking to the team," Hastings said this week. "Senior goaltender (Phil Cook) stepped up and said 'Hey coach, what are you looking to do here?' All five seniors that we have stepped to the forefront in different ways.

"I look at those guys, from day one when I sat across from each guy, I asked them if they could choose, who would they want to lead you? The two guys who were unanimous out of everybody's mouths were Eriah Hayes and Tyler Elbrecht."

In a year where the top of the WCHA is as heavy as it's ever been, and it's full of teams ready to leave the league, MSU is the one holdover that has a real shot at home ice.

The Mavericks have talent across their lines, they are fast, and they like to push the pace. Freshman goalie Stephon Williams has been a great find, helping keep the team in games where it has struggled to score.

For UMD, this is a key weekend. The Bulldogs need to work hard in all three zones, play with speed, take advantage of scoring opportunities, and get quality goaltending. It sounds simple, but until UMD does it consistently, I'm going to keep hitting the drum.

Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Dangerous, Controversial Hits Take Headlines

(Yeah, I took a week and didn't update the blog. Sue me.)

Off weekends aren't the best, because we all enjoy what we do, and an off weekend means we don't get to cover the team that we normally cover.

What does it mean? In the case of Friday night, I'll park my expanding posterior on the couch and watch hockey on television.

There were some very good games on, too. Minnesota State-Minnesota was on Fox Sports North, Colorado College-Wisconsin on Fox Sports Wisconsin and Altitude, and Boston University-North Dakota was beamed on Fox College Sports and NESN.

Unfortunately, two of the three games featured hits that were -- at the least -- a tad controversial.

We'll start in Grand Forks, where North Dakota got a Connor Gaarder hat trick to topple Boston U. 4-2.

Gaarder's hat trick came only after he took a hit from behind by a BU player that was called a cross-check. I don't have this particular hit on video, but it was a borderline hit, the kind that could go either way. The best argument for a five-minute major -- outside of the fact that Gaarder was in a vulnerable spot near the boards -- is the idea that most officials will clamp down on these hits in the early part of the season.

The controversy came in the second period, when North Dakota captain Andrew MacWilliam was ejected from the game. Via the indefatigable CJ Fogler (@cjzero on Twitter), here is that hit.


Referees Derek Shepherd and Marco Hunt assessed a major penalty for contact to the head.

Given that Danny O'Regan's hit on Gaarder was only a minor, I'm not a huge fan of this call from a consistency standpoint. I don't think there is flagrant head contact. MacWilliam didn't go for the head of the BU player.

Instead, what bothers me is that the BU player held his head after he got hit, stayed on the ice for quite some time, and then was back in the game 90 seconds into the ensuing power play.

We're supposed to be cracking down on concussions, and we're supposed to be vigilant about head injuries. With that in mind, I don't think it's wise -- as a sport -- to allow players to return to a game less than two minutes after leaving the ice with a head injury.

I'm not about to accuse BU's Ahti Oksanen of embellishment. I couldn't pick him out of a police lineup if he was standing with four UMD players. I don't know his playing style or tendencies, so it wouldn't be fair.

But it sends a very poor message to players if they think they can take an apparent shot to the head and come back to score during the power play that the hit led to. We joke all the time for guys to stay down and sell potential major penalties, but this sport is not helped by players doing that.

******

In Minneapolis, a bizarre sequence came towards the end of Minnesota's 3-2 win over Minnesota State. With the MSU net empty, Mavericks captain Eriah Hayes hit Minnesota forward Kyle Rau from behind, allowing for an opportunity for Minnesota to pull its goalie ahead of a penalty call. For a short time, both nets were empty.

Here's that hit, also courtesy of Fogler.


I don't like this one bit.

Hayes never sees anything but the back of Rau's jersey. In that situation, with Rau in relatively close proximity to the boards, no contact should be considered permissible. In the middle of the game, it's hard to imagine Don Adam and Timm Walsh letting Hayes get away with a paltry two-minute minor for charging.

Yet, with nine seconds left, that's what they called.

Why?

I get that there is no rule or precedent for Hayes being required to sit on Saturday. But this is something we've brought up in discussions both on the air and on Twitter before. Why isn't there a mechanism to penalize players for dangerous and illegal hits late in games -- hits that don't necessarily rise to the level of a game disqualification?

Last Friday, we saw Wisconsin captain John Ramage slew-foot UMD freshman Tony Camaranesi in the waning seconds of the game. With no real recourse, Adam and Walsh chose not to call a major penalty at 20:00 of the third period.

This week, virtually the same thing happens with Hayes.

I don't know where to draw the line, or how to enforce it. But if the trend of flagrant penalties late in games continues, I'd expect to have some sort of an idea by January.

For now, I know I don't like seeing these kinds of hits. Hayes' hit on Rau was on a vulnerable player in a dangerous position. If Rau were three or four inches taller, it could very easily have led to an injury.

It was fitting that MSU's lack of discipline ended any chance at a comeback. It was that problem that led to all three Gopher goals, which came on power play chances. The Maverick penalty kill is struggling. They missed on a number of clearing chances, got simply out-worked most of the night by the Gophers, and eventually succumbed to UMTC's superior skill.

On the bright side, Teddy Blueger is going to be a player, Maverick fans. Actually, MSU has a lot of young forwards with a ton of potential.

******

In Madison, Colorado College trailed 2-0, but rallied and eventually beat Wisconsin 5-4 in overtime. Alexander Krushelnyski scored the winner less than 30 seconds into the extra session.

Zach Raubenheimer scored short-handed in the waning moments of Friday's 2-1 win for Nebraska Omaha over Michigan Tech. The Huskies are clearly an improved team, but a killer early schedule has them off to a 1-4 start in WCHA play.

In Denver, St. Cloud State scored two in the first and ended up beating the host Pioneers 3-0. Ryan Faragher pitched a 27-save shutout. SCSU won without forward Ben Hanowski, out with an upper-body injury. Nic Dowd -- a potential star in the making -- scored two goals in the win.

Bemidji State and Alaska Anchorage joined UMD on the sidelines this weekend.

WCHA Preseason Media Poll: Nerd Factor

It's time to crunch a few numbers from this year's media poll.

The full poll results are here.

My votes are here.

We had 25 votes this year. Minnesota got all but one first-place vote, and Alaska-Anchorage got all but one last-place vote.

North Dakota was first on one ballot, then second on 19 others. UND was no lower than fourth, and a clear No. 2 in the poll.

Opinions really started to become more diverse from the No. 3 spot all the way down to UAA, really.

Denver finished third, getting five second-place votes, along with 14 third-place votes. Five voters picked Denver fourth, and one had the Pioneers fifth.

Wisconsin is a great example of the diverse opinions found among our 25 voters this year. The Badgers picked up five third-place votes, six for fourth place, eight fifth-place votes, two for sixth, one for ninth place, and three votes for tenth place.

UMD finished fifth, but opinions were almost as across-the-board about the Bulldogs, who finished second but lost a big chunk of scoring and the main goaltender. UMD was picked fourth on two ballots, fifth and sixth by seven voters each, seventh place by five voters, then eighth by three and ninth place by one voter.

St. Cloud State was right behind UMD in the poll, but a look at the Huskies' votes shows a trend more like Wisconsin's, only not as many voters are high on SCSU. St. Cloud got one second place vote, and a single third place vote. SCSU also got six fourth-place votes, two fifths, and three sixths. The Huskies also were picked seventh on five ballots, eighth on three, ninth by three voters, and 11th on one ballot.

Colorado College came in seventh, despite getting a third-place vote. CC was picked out of the top six on 16 of 25 ballots, including a couple of tenth-place votes.

Many think Minnesota State could be this year's Michigan Tech. The Mavericks don't impress the voters, however. MSU was tabbed for a top six spot by just one of 25 voters. Nine picked MSU to finish 11th.

As for last year's Michigan Tech -- you know, Michigan Tech -- only seven of 25 voters think MTU will be good enough to get home ice; two of the seven pick the Huskies higher than sixth. Six voters picked MTU seventh, and five more tabbed the Huskies ninth.

More than half -- 13, to be exact -- of our voters picked Bemidji State 11th. The Beavers got the only last-place vote that didn't go to UAA, while the Seawolves were 11th on that ballot.

WCHA Preseason Media Poll

Here is the release sent to WCHA media and the league office regarding this year's preseason media poll, conducted through 94X -- the home of UMD hockey -- for a third straight year.

My votes can be found here.

A year after surprising many by winning the WCHA's MacNaughton Cup Championship, the Minnesota Golden Gophers are a nearly-unanimous pick of WCHA media to win the league. The annual 94X WCHA Preseason Media Poll, released Wednesday, shows the Gophers easily outdistancing the rest of the league.

A panel of 25 members of the WCHA media voted on a predicted order of finish, along with a handful of individual honors.

Minnesota received a whopping 24 of 25 first-place votes. Defending WCHA playoff champion North Dakota had the other first-place vote and finished a distant second. Denver came in third, followed by Wisconsin and Minnesota Duluth. St. Cloud State claimed the final "home-ice" position in the preseason balloting.

Minnesota junior forward Nick Bjugstad was a runaway choice for the Preseason Player of the Year. He also anchors the media's second annual Preseason All-WCHA Team, where he is joined at forward by Wisconsin junior Mark Zengerle and St. Cloud State senior Ben Hanowski. The defensemen on the team are Denver's Joey LaLeggia and Nick Jensen of St. Cloud State. Sam Brittain of Denver and Josh Thorimbert of Colorado College tied for the goaltending nod.

For the second straight year, the media chose North Dakota's Rocco Grimaldi as Preseason Rookie of the Year. Grimaldi took a redshirt after an injury-ravaged season, and he is again eligible for rookie honors.

Teams were scored under a standard system of 12 points for a first-place vote, 11 for second, and so on. The number listed with each team is the number of points that team averaged per vote.

94X WCHA PRESEASON MEDIA POLL
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
1. Minnesota (24 first place votes) … 11.92 poll average
2. North Dakota (1) … 10.76
3. Denver … 9.92
4. Wisconsin … 7.8
5. Minnesota Duluth … 6.88
6. St. Cloud State … 6.84
7. Colorado College … 6.08
8. Nebraska Omaha … 5.48
9. Michigan Tech … 5.2
10. Minnesota State … 3.6
11. Bemidji State … 2.48
12. Alaska Anchorage … 1.04

PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Nick Bjugstad, forward, Minnesota (16 votes)
Others receiving more than one vote: Erik Haula, forward, Minnesota (4); Mark Zengerle, forward, Wisconsin (3)

PRESEASON ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Rocco Grimaldi, forward, North Dakota (8 1/2 votes)
Others receiving more than one vote: Nic Kerdiles, forward, Wisconsin (5); Jordan Schmaltz, defenseman, North Dakota (2 1/2); Brady Skjei, defenseman, Minnesota (2); Andy Welinski, defenseman, Minnesota Duluth (2)

PRESEASON ALL-WCHA TEAM
Forwards
Nick Bjugstad, Minnesota (20 votes); Mark Zengerle, Wisconsin (17); Ben Hanowski, St. Cloud State (8)
Others receiving more than one vote: Danny Kristo, North Dakota (7); Erik Haula, Minnesota (6); Rylan Schwartz, Colorado College (5); Corban Knight, North Dakota (3)
Defensemen
Joey LaLeggia, Denver (20 votes); Nick Jensen, St. Cloud State (9)
Others receiving more than one vote: Nate Schmidt, Minnesota (7); Wade Bergman, Minnesota Duluth (3)
Goalie
Sam Brittain, Denver and Josh Thorimbert, Colorado College (7 1/2 votes each)
Others receiving more than one vote: Juho Olkinuora, Denver (3), Joel Rumpel, Wisconsin (2)

The following media members took part in the 94X Preseason Media Poll.

David Ahlers, KKAR Radio/University of Nebraska-Omaha; Stephen Anderson, Daily Mining Gazette; Andy Baggot, Wisconsin State Journal; Tyler Buckentine, USCHO.com; Mike Chambers, Denver Post; Bruce Ciskie, KZIO Radio/Bulldog Radio Network; Chris Dilks, Western College Hockey; Shane Frederick, Mankato Free Press; John Gilbert, WCHA.com; Kurt Haider, KENI Radio; Mick Hatten, St. Cloud Times; Dirk Hembroff, WKMJ Radio; Jack Hittinger, Bemidji Pioneer; Ken Landau, 103.9 FM The Eagle Radio; Don Lyons, Leighton Broadcasting/St. Cloud; Todd Milewski, USCHO.com; Dan Myers, Minnesota Hockey Magazine; Jess Myers, 1500ESPN.com; Joe Paisley, Colorado Springs/Colorado College; Kevin Pates, Duluth News Tribune; Chris Peters, United States of Hockey; Brian Posick, WIBA Radio/Badger Radio Network; Chad Purcell, Omaha World Herald; Brad Schlossman, Grand Forks Herald; Jay Stickney, 102.3 ESPN Radio.

94X is the broadcast home of UMD Bulldog men's hockey. The full 37-game schedule, plus playoffs, can be heard on KZIO-FM, which is 94.1 in the Twin Ports, and 104.3 FM in the surrounding area. All games will also be broadcast on KBAJ 105.5 in the Grand Rapids area, and KAOD 106.7 FM in Babbitt, and on the internet at www.94xrocks.com.

WCHA Preseason Poll: My Ballot

The annual WCHA Preseason Media Poll will be released Wednesday morning. Monday night is the voting deadline, but we do have 21 ballots returned. That's a quorum as far as I'm concerned, so I'm going to proceed with the poll.

I vote in the poll, and I invited two media representatives from each of the WCHA's teams to take part. No team is unrepresented when the list of returned ballots is looked at, though I count ten unreturned at this point.

In the interest of full disclosure, my votes appear below, starting with the generally-fruitless exercise of predicting what order the teams will finish in.

(All other voters are encouraged to post their ballots. As usual, no one will be forced to, and no one will have their individual ballot revealed.)

12. Alaska Anchorage

There are some pieces here that I like. Matt Bailey can score, and I thought Eric Scheid had his moments as a freshman (NOTE: not that it matters anymore, because he's gone). Scott Warner gives them some nice experience on the blue line. However, there is little scoring depth, and the goaltending tandem of Rob Gunderson and Chris Kamal struggled to stop the puck consistently.

The schedule-making fairy did the Seawolves no favors. Two of the three teams UAA plays both home and away: Minnesota and Wisconsin.

11. Bemidji State

Jordan George is back for one more year, but Shea Walters, Jamie MacQueen, and defenseman Brad Hunt graduated after stellar nine-year careers at BSU (or at least it felt like they were there that long). Dan Bakala, who kept the Beavers in many a game, is also gone, leaving the goaltending duties to Andrew Walsh and (maybe) Mathieu Dugas.

Someone will step up and make noise as a linemate and runnin' buddy for George. It's just a matter of who that will be. The missing pieces on the secondary lines will hurt BSU this season.

(Literally, this is the point where the decisions became extremely tough. I'd say spots 2-10 were as hard to decipher as ever before.)

10. Nebraska Omaha

Just like picking the Rams to win the NFC West, I have a feeling I'm going to regret this. But here goes. The Mavericks lost six straight and seven of eight to go from "home ice shoo-in" to "swept out of the playoffs" in a span of a month. UNO may have a revolving door in goal again. Senior John Faulkner is back, as is sophomore Dayn Belfour. But 2011-12 minutes leader Ryan Massa is taking the season off, and don't be surprised if Flyers draft pick Anthony Stolarz sees some playing time, too.

The Mavericks were gutted up front, losing Jayson Megna and Terry Broadhurst (29 combined goals) early. Dean Blais can recruit, but will the Mavs' hulking defensive corps be improved enough to offset more potential upheaval in goal and fewer goals scored?

9. Colorado College

A team that faded last season now faces a huge test. CC lost leading scorer Jaden Schwartz to the NHL (well, the AHL for now), along with experience at center in Nick Dineen, and an all-around defenseman in Gabe Guentzel.

The Tigers need production from the freshmen, including Hunter Fejes of Anchorage, but it doesn't hurt to have Rylan Schwartz back for one more season.

Junior Alexander Krushelnyski -- now that he's a junior, I no longer have to look up the correct spelling of his name -- could be in for a big offensive year. Goalie Josh Thorimbert won the job late last season, but senior Joe Howe is still around, and I'm guessing he'd like to play.

8. Minnesota State

It's just the kind of luck Troy Jutting had towards the end of his Minnesota State run. Now that he's gone, the hockey team looks to be vastly improved, perhaps enough to seriously challenge for home ice.

The improvement starts with new coach Mike Hastings, who gets his first crack at a college head-coaching job after paying plenty of dues over the years as a USHL coach and college assistant. He'll get this team to play a higher tempo, and Jutting's recent recruiting classes support such a change.

Sophomore forwards JP Lafontaine and Matt Leitner lead the way. A solid class comes in this year, including Bryce Gervais and Teddy Blueger. If the defense can stay healthy, it should get better, too.

The Mavericks need to find a No. 1 goalie on their team, but Hastings will point this program in the right direction, and he'll do it quickly.

7. Michigan Tech

Speaking of programs quickly pointed in the right direction, here's an example. Michigan Tech had as miserable a season as you can possibly conceive in 2010-11, winning four of 38 games and going scoreless for three whole games in a row (all at home).

Enter Mel Pearson. The Tech alum and longtime Michigan assistant made the most of his first head-coaching job, winning 16 games and getting Tech to the Final Five, where the Huskies lost in overtime to Denver.

Brett Olson, Jordan Baker, and goalie Josh Robinson depart, but the Huskies return the Johnstone boys (Jacob and David), the Pietila boys (Blake, Chad, and Aaron), smooth blue-line puck-mover Stephen Seigo, and big defenseman Daniel Sova, among others.

Kevin Genoe is back in goal, but he was porous last season before Robinson won the job. He's backed up by two freshmen, so there's opportunity here. Of course, the youngsters -- Pheonix Copley and Jamie Phillips -- probably see an opportunity, too.

6. Wisconsin

Don't sleep on this team. The offensive engine last year was Mark Zengerle, who returns this year, and shouldn't have to worry about being overshadowed by Jack Connolly in the pantheon of smallish WCHA centers who are a hell of a lot of fun to watch.

He's joined up front by Michael Mersch and Tyler Barnes, who combined for 25 goals last season, and promising freshman Nic Kerdiles, who got votes in our preseason rookie of the year balloting.

Everyone thinks the defense is gutted without Justin Schultz, but Jake McCabe, John Ramage, and Frankie Simonelli aren't bad guys to lean on.

Junior goalie Joel Rumpel needs to take another step forward. He's capable, but showed flashes of inconsistency last season.

5. Minnesota Duluth

Like many teams in the WCHA, UMD is dealing with some questions about goaltending. Junior Aaron Crandall is joined by newcomers Matt McNeely and Alex Fons in the battle to replace Kenny Reiter.

They'll benefit from what I think is a deeper and more experienced group of defensemen. Wade Bergman and Drew Olson have played a lot of minutes in their first three years, Chris Casto was really good from the start of the season on last year, and Luke McManus played his best hockey at the NCAA regional against Maine and Boston College. Freshman Andy Welinski -- last year's USA Hockey Junior Player of the Year -- will play a lot.

(By the way, the last USA Hockey Junior Player of the Year to ply his craft at UMD? Some guy named Jack Connolly. You may have heard of him.)

Up front, sophomore Caleb Herbert and senior Mike Seidel lead the way. Don't be surprised if freshman Austin Farley becomes a known name, and it might not take him long.

4. St. Cloud State

This is a sneaky-good hockey team that is going to surprise a lot of people (just wait until I give you some nerdy stuff on the preseason poll).

Ben Hanowski is back, and I'm certain people have forgotten that he scored 23 goals last season, and did it largely without any help from senior captain Drew LeBlanc, who red-shirted after a broken leg ruined what was supposed to be his last year in St. Cloud.

Jared Festler and Travis Novak will be missed up front, but LeBlanc's return helps placate that. Newcomers like Joey Benik don't hurt.

The defense is full of really good players. Kevin Gravel doesn't jump off the page, but he doesn't have to. The Huskies have Nick Jensen and Andrew Prochno, both of whom have plenty of offensive upside.

In goal, Ryan Faragher benefits from all the playing time he got last year when Mike Lee went down. They need to find a backup, but they have their No. 1, in all likelihood.

3. Denver

The losses of Drew Shore and Jason Zucker are the first thing people think of. That's fine, but the Pioneers return plenty. Nick Shore had 41 points, Shawn Ostrow is a very capable two-way forward, and Ty Loney will help pick up the scoring slack. Freshman Quentin Shore should pick up where his older brother left off.

(Does Denver have a rule that two Shores must be on every team now?)

DU's two best players, however, aren't forwards. Goalie Sam Brittain came back from a knee injury and got stronger as the season wore on, beating UMD in the Final Five semifinals with a tremendous performance. Oh, and then there's sophomore defenseman Joey LaLeggia, who was the most consistent freshman in the league last year. He's the best two-way defenseman Denver's had since Matt Carle.

So, yeah, Denver will be just fine. Imagine if Drew Shore and Zucker hadn't turned pro. Scary stuff ...

2. North Dakota

The suspensions of UND's four captains and four other players for one or two games of the team's opening weekend in Alaska next month gained headlines last week.

Regardless of what happens with guys like Danny Kristo, Carter Rowney, and Corban Knight sitting out one or both games of the Brice Alaska Goal Rush, UND is a serious threat to win the WCHA.

Knight, Rowney, and Kristo key the offense, but they'll have help from Rocco Grimaldi, who had his first crack at a freshman season ruined by injury. The team is strong in the back, with captain Andrew MacWilliam and Duluth native Derek Forbort leading the way. Forbort was hurt for a chunk of last season, but played the best I've seen him play at UND down the stretch. If he keeps that up, there's no reason to think the Artists Formerly Known as the Fighting Sioux won't be as strong defensively as they've been in a while.

No more Aaron Dell or Brad Eidsness in goal, but UND has Alabama-Huntsville transfer Clarke Saunders and solid freshman Zane Gothberg there.

1. Minnesota

I'm breaking a rule in a sense here.

Generally, I pick the team that I think has the fewest holes to win the WCHA. But I think North Dakota has fewer holes than Minnesota. So why are the Gophers here?

Because Minnesota will be improved on defense, and has the best offensive talent in the WCHA. That's why.

Kent Patterson kept Minnesota from having to score its way out of a lot of messes last year. Sure, Patterson's numbers weren't gaudy, but he was consistent. He didn't force his team to overcome soft goal after soft goal, and he kept his bad outings to a minimum.

If Michael Shibrowski and Adam Wilcox -- whoever plays the bulk of the games -- can duplicate that effort, Minnesota will do just fine.

Defensively, it's up to Mark Alt, Justin Holl, and Nate Schmidt to keep shot totals down and make sure their goalie only has to make one save at a time. Yes, it's a cliche. But it's a justifiable one.

Even with Nick Bjugstad, Erik Haula, Zach Budish, Nate Condon, and a host of other talented scorers on hand, the only thing that can stop the Gophers from winning the MacNaughton in their last year in the league is if the defense and goaltending are too leaky.

PRESEASON ALL-WCHA TEAM
Forwards
Nick Bjugstad, Minnesota; Ben Hanowski, St. Cloud State; Mark Zengerle, Wisconsin
Defensemen
Nick Jensen, St. Cloud State; Joey LaLeggia, Denver
Goalie
Sam Brittain, Denver

PRESEASON WCHA PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Nick Bjugstad, F, Minnesota
PRESEASON WCHA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Andy Welinski, D, Minnesota Duluth

Troy Jutting Hired at Nebraska Omaha

While we wait out the final two months before college hockey season kicks in, Nebraska Omaha has hired a new assistant coach. You might be familiar with this particular gentleman.

University of Nebraska Omaha head hockey coach Dean Blais announced today that Troy Jutting has been named the team's new assistant coach.  Jutting takes over for Brian Renfrew who left Omaha after one year to take a position with the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League.

Jutting is well known to fans of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, having served as the head coach of Minnesota State for the last 12 years.

“We are fortunate that we have been able to add someone of Troy's experience to our staff,” said Blais.  “After so many games coaching against us, he knows our program and our players.  Just as important, he knows the WCHA and what it takes to be successful there.  I think he can help us as we compete for league and national championships.”

While leading the MSU Mavericks, Jutting compiled a career record of 184-224-55 and was named the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Coach of the Year in 2002-03 and 2007-08.  In both seasons, MSU finished in the top five in the WCHA.  In 2007-08, he also was a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award as the nation's top Division I coach.

In all, Jutting had a 26-year affiliation with the Minnesota State program, a term than included 14 winning seasons.  Prior to taking over as head coach in March of 2000, the native of Richfield, Minn. was an assistant coach with the Mavericks from 1990-2000, contributing to MSU's move from Division II to Division I.  He played for the Mavericks from 1982-86.  In 136 games, he earned 145 points and still today ranks among MSU's all-time leaders in goals, assists, points and single-season goals.  As a senior, he finished sixth in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association in scoring and earned all-conference honors.  He was a member of three NCAA Division III tournament teams including one that appeared in the D-III final four.

Like I said when he was dismissed by Minnesota State, Jutting is good people. He also knows the game. If he brings a more physical element to the UNO program through coaching style and recruiting, it wouldn't be a terrible thing for UNO. No question Blais can compete for high-end players.

(This should also tell you how badly Jutting wants to coach. He could have sat out the season and been paid by MSU to work as a special assistant, whatever that would have meant. Instead, his salary comes off MSU's books, and he gets to coach again. Everyone wins in that scenario, it seems.)

UNO disappointed a tad last season, finishing seventh after a horribly-timed slump at the end of the season. All the Mavericks needed over their last four games was two points, and they would have been home for the first round of the WCHA playoffs. Instead, UNO received zero, and ended up losing in two games at St. Cloud State in the first round.

Blais and Jutting -- along with new assistant Steve Johnson, who replaced new MSU head coach Mike Hastings -- will be charged with keeping a similar collapse from marring the reddish Mavericks' 2012-13 season.

Troy Jutting Out At Minnesota State

Minnesota State made the first coaching change of the men's college hockey offseason Sunday, announcing that Troy Jutting will be reassigned within the athletic department. Jutting spent 26 years at Minnesota State, including four as a player, a decade as an assistant coach, and then 12 years as head coach. I may not have approved of the physical play I saw from many of his teams, but Jutting worked his tail off to better the MSU hockey program, and he often proved to be a good soundbite -- the type of thing that matters to a hardened radio nerd.

(I'm easy. I appreciate any coach who helps make my job easier. Minnesota State doesn't get on television a lot, so I lean on those around the team for some insights before UMD plays the Mavericks. Everyone, most notably Jutting, has always been great.)

MSU has a tough decision ahead. As proven by schools like Ferris State, UMD, Minnesota, and many others, stability can really matter. UMD and Minnesota, most notably, had decisions to make in recent years regarding the direction of their respectable programs. After the 2007-2008 season, UMD fans were starting to call for coach Scott Sandelin's head. A WCHA title in 2009 earned him a modest two-year extension, but a third straight 20-win season and the school's first NCAA title in 2011 was the reward UMD deserved for its patience.

Last year, Minnesota fans were all over Don Lucia. Instead of changing the head coach, the school gave Lucia an extension, and Lucia replaced assistant coach John Hill with longtime aide Mike Guentzel. That seems to have worked out well, as Minnesota is back in the Frozen Four this week. Lucia is safe again.

Ferris State has Bob Daniels, a 20-year head coach responsible for more than half the wins in Ferris' history as a Division I program. The Bulldogs have never been a highly-regarded program in a league -- the CCHA -- loaded with big-name programs like Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Ohio State. Ferris is in the Frozen Four, off a CCHA regular-season championship.

Of course, not every program has seen success with the stability route. Look at Western Michigan. Jeff Blashill was hired before the 2010-11 season, and a downtrodden program saw immediate success. Western made the NCAAs and started landing some serious recruits. Blashill rode off into the sunset as quickly as he arrived, taking a job with the Detroit Red Wings.

The school brought in former NHL coach Andy Murray, who proved a quick study to college coaching. The Broncos won the CCHA tournament and made the NCAAs in Murray's first year. Thanks to the upcoming membership in the NCHC, things are really looking up in Kalamazoo.

Obviously, Murray may bring the school more stability than his predecessor could, but reality is that Western hired the best available coach (Blashill), probably understanding that he could very well bolt quickly if his rebuild was successful. It's not like WMU had Murray in its back pocket all along, instead it was about getting the best coach for the job.

Nothing is permanent. If you're Minnesota State, you can't go into this looking for a guy who will be around for a decade. After all, if the administration hits on this hire, reality is that the new guy will be coaching in Mankato, not exactly fertile ground for college hockey immortality.

I have four names that popped into my head immediately. None of them have any Division I head coaching experience. Someone on Twitter mentioned the idea of alum Ryan McKelvie, currently head coach at Division III Lake Forest (Ill.), but I think that's a heck of a home run swing that could come up empty. He's pretty inexperienced at this point, and won just five games in his first season with the Foresters.

The four names I came up with were former UMD assistant Steve Rohlik, now an assistant with Ohio State; Minnesota assistant coach Mike Guentzel, who may be a head-coach-in-waiting type at Minnesota, depending on how much longer you think Don Lucia wants to do this; Colorado College assistant Eric Rud, former head coach in Green Bay (USHL), as well as a former St. Cloud State assistant; and Green Bay's current head coach, Derek Lalonde, a former Denver assistant.

I can't guarantee any would give you long-term stability. You just never know how the coaching climate will be from year to year. One school's trash can become another's treasure, and an unknown coach can get his name on the map pretty quickly.

MSU needs to do what every school says it's doing. It needs to hire the best available coach, regardless of pedigree, and regardless of what the tea leaves say about that coach's willingness to spend 20 years in Mankato.

I'm biased, but I think Rohlik should get the first crack at the job. I don't know if he would take it, but with the number of contacts he has, and the number of close relationships he has, I can't imagine he would be a bad hire. He has great intensity, understands the game, and is a very good recruiter.

I think any of the four guys I listed would be great hires, even if they didn't end up being long for Mankato. They all have the look of being guys whose work would end up being good for the Minnesota State program's future.

No one should celebrate on a day like this, as a good man has lost a job he cared a lot about. It is ultimately an opportunity for Minnesota State to improve its signature sports program, and it's not an opportunity anyone should take lightly.