Bulldogs Welcome Back Gold Medalist Joey Anderson, Kick Off Second Half

For UMD's seven Canadian-born players, Thursday night was probably a little bittersweet. The home country fell in the gold-medal game of the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship, but yet one of their own won gold in the process.

UMD freshman Joey Anderson returns to the team Friday after being absent since Dec. 15 for USA Hockey training camp and then the tournament itself. He missed the home-and-home series with Bemidji State to take part in the camp and take his shot at the 23-man roster, and he didn't just scrape by and barely make the team. Anderson became a mainstay on the U.S. penalty kill, and his work on the top line was exemplary, even if he didn't stand out on the scoresheet.

Team USA twice rallied from two-goal deficits against Canada in Thursday's game at Montreal, then used a Troy Terry shootout goal to win 5-4 and claim its fourth gold medal at the WJC, first since 2013 (Seth Jones, Johnny Gaudreau, Jacob Trouba, John Gibson, etc.).



The question now: Will Anderson, whom I believe is due back in town inside of six hours before faceoff, be in the lineup for Scott Sandelin's No. 1 Bulldogs as they open the second half against Colorado College?

Anderson told Dave Starman, who worked the World Juniors for NHL Network and did a great job and will be in Duluth for Friday's broadcast on CBS Sports Network, that he texted UMD's coaches saying he wants to play.

Well, duh.

That, however, was before Anderson played 24:35, including 7:49 in overtime to lead all U.S. forwards, in the gold-medal game.

Sandelin spoke at his press conference Wednesday about Anderson, and he gave every indication he was prepared to hold Anderson out of the Friday lineup, especially were the U.S. to play for gold.

(His press conference came before the Russia game, where Anderson also saw plenty of ice time as the game went a full ten-minute overtime before the Americans won in a shootout.)

"He and I talked," Sandelin said. "I didn't even ask the question because I know the answer (he wants to play). We'll see how everything goes. These are pretty emotional games, pretty high intensity. Playing four games in a row in four days, we'll see. Might be okay. You hear a lot of guys who do that, they want to keep playing. We'll see how the travel goes, but I'm probably leaning towards him having one night off and getting back at it Saturday."

Keep in mind, not only has Anderson played high-intensity games the last two nights, but he's played big minutes and played in big situations. It isn't an easy decision for Sandelin, and there isn't any kind of rule he can rely on. When Anderson arrives, I'm sure there will be a conversation. Perhaps it happens via phone before Anderson even gets to Duluth. If the player feels strongly about playing, I tend to think he'll play. Sandelin can read the situation and limit his minutes if necessary, and UMD has plenty of forward depth to pick up the slack should that be an issue.

Either way, it's fantastic. Love that the U.S. won, love that Anderson played such a big role. The World Juniors is a wonderful tournament and a great experience for these kids. Even if they're tired now, they'll be better players for having been a part of the event.

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Colorado College is the next opponent for UMD, and at least for your humble correspondent, it feels like UMD hasn't played in a month. Friday will be just the fifth game in 42 days for the Bulldogs, who went into break in first place in the NCHC. UMD is guaranteed to stay there at least another week, regardless of this weekend's results, as Denver -- a point back of the Bulldogs -- is out of conference this weekend against Arizona State.

The Tigers are in last place, three points back of seventh-place Miami, as the second half opens. Colorado College, however, should be riding a high after taking the championship at the Florida College Classic last week, thanks to a 3-0 win over Merrimack and a 2-1 overtime victory against Cornell in the title game. Before break, CC played two overtime games at Miami, losing a shootout in one and falling in five-on-five overtime in the other.

The Tigers' defense is improving. CC allowed 25 goals over five losses starting with a 6-2 defeat to Omaha Nov. 5. It's given up just 11 goals in six games since, so while the Tigers are only 2-3-1 in those six games, it's clear that third-year coach Mike Haviland is getting better play from his team.

Up front, sophomore forward Mason Bergh has nine goals, including four on the power play. Freshmen Nick Halloran and Alex Berardinelli each have eight points (five and three goals, respectively). Sophomore Westin Michaud of Cloquet has four goals, though only one of them has come in conference play. Freshman goalie Alex Leclerc has taken the reins in goal, posting an .884 save percentage in over 750 minutes. But over this six-game stretch, Leclerc's up to a .939 save percentage now, including 49 saves on 50 shots in Florida.

"They've got some nice players," Sandelin said. "Some nice freshmen. They compete. They've got good team speed. They've got a good mixture, some small, speedy guys. I thought they were very tenacious on the puck in the two games (Florida). If our guys go into it without the respect factor for their team, we're going to have a huge challenge on our hands. We've got to go in with the right mindset."

So, in short, look out. If UMD isn't ready, there's a good chance the Tigers can shock the top-ranked team into playing. Don't be surprised if one of these games is a meat-grinder.

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One more reminder: All games going forward can be heard only on 92.1 The Fan out of the Twin Ports. To listen live online (desktop and mobile devices all work), click here. Streams will be activated 15 minutes prior to pregame each night. Hit me up with questions.

Joey Anderson Makes U.S. World Junior Team

Good news for UMD men's hockey fans as the Christmas holiday fast approaches. The IIHF World Junior Championships start Monday in Montreal and Toronto, and UMD will be represented on Team USA.

Freshman forward Joey Anderson has made the final cut of 13 forwards on the American squad. Anderson missed the Bemidji State home-and-home series to attend the U.S. training camp in Buffalo, and he scored a goal in a pre-tournament win over Switzerland on Wednesday night in Oshawa, Ontario.

It's the 13th time a UMD player has skated in this tournament, the first since defensemen Justin Faulk (USA) and Dylan Olsen (Canada) played in the 2011 tourney. UMD head coach Scott Sandelin was head coach of Team USA in 2005 and an assistant in 2012.

Anderson has six goals and 17 points for UMD this season in 16 games. All six of the goals and 11 of the points have come since NCHC play started (ten games). He's a responsible, smart two-way forward with a wicked shot. Anderson picked up the Bulldogs' system quickly enough to be elevated to the top line with seniors Dominic Toninato and Alex Iafallo by the time conference play started.

It's unclear the exact role Anderson will play for the U.S. team, but he was in the bottom six for the pre-tournament games. With the unexpected cut of OHL star Alex DeBrincat and injuries to expected contributors Brock Boeser (North Dakota, of course -- wrist surgery and out until next month) and Logan Brown, St. Cloud State's Bob Motzko (Team USA head coach) and staff will be looking for balanced scoring from all lines to pick up the slack. Key among that could be guys like Anderson, Kiefer Bellows, and Clayton Keller, stars on last year's Under-18 National Team (Bellows and Keller are freshmen at Boston University).

The gold-medal game of the tournament is Jan. 5 (as is the matchup for bronze), so Anderson will at least be back in Duluth in time for the series against Colorado College if the U.S. plays for gold or bronze. Obviously, it'll be up in the air if he plays, but it likely helps that the tournament is in North America as opposed to overseas.

The schedule for Team USA in the preliminary round is below. All Team USA games will air on NHL Network (channel 215 on DirecTV) with Steve Mears and the great Dave Starman on the call. They will also pick up the TSN feed of many other games during the tournament, so that's a great place to park the TV and watch some super international hockey.

Monday vs Latvia, 2:30pm
Wednesday vs Slovakia, 6:30pm
Thursday vs Russia, 2:30pm
Saturday, Dec. 31, vs Canada, 2:30pm

Quarterfinal games are Monday, Jan. 2, with the semifinals on Wednesday the 4th.

Enjoy the holiday. Be aware of the storm situation if you're traveling anywhere, and we'll talk sometime closer to the New Year. Follow me on Twitter @BruceCiskie for the latest updates.

Phil Housley Hire Stunner From USA Hockey

According to multiple reports, most notably a tweet from ESPN hockey guy (no, that's not an oxymoron) John Buccigross, former NHL defenseman Phil Housley will be named head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team Monday.

The team will compete in the IIHF World Junior Championships, which start the day after Christmas in Ufa, Russia.

USA Hockey supporters on Twitter aren't exactly loving this move, as it is quite the break from what has become the norm since a 2009 failure with National Team Development Program coach Ron Rolston coaching. In 2010, established college coach Dean Blais led the United States to a gold medal in Saskatoon. Yale's Keith Allain took the reins for a bronze medal in 2011. Last year's team, an experienced one coached again by Blais, disappointed greatly in finishing seventh.

Now, the powers-that-be at USA Hockey have chosen 2013, which should feature a very inexperienced United States team, to hire a coach with no head-coaching experience above the high school level.

Housley was a great defenseman, one of the best American-born players of all time. He's second in points among all U.S.-born players, trailing only Mike Modano. While Housley never won a Stanley Cup, he did win a gold medal with the 1996 U.S. team in the World Cup of Hockey. He was also on the silver-medal 2002 U.S. Olympic team.

(Wait. Did someone mention the 1996 World Cup of Hockey?)



Housley's coaching experience is more limited than anyone who has gotten this prestigious job in a long time. It makes him an easy target, especially after last winter's disappointment. His head coaching experience is limited to his time at Stillwater High School, where the Ponies have made zero state tournaments under Housley.

(To be fair, they have also made zero state tournaments with other coaches in their history.)

He's a name. USA Hockey loves names, and while I may disagree with the philosophy, it's clear that the governing body believes this is the best time to move away from established college coaches to run the junior team.

Perhaps running a high school program means Housley will have more time to spend focusing on picking a team and getting his players prepared for what lies ahead. There's no real way of knowing that.

I've suggested in the past that USA Hockey hire a full-time coach to run the junior program. That single voice would be charged with doing due diligence on players, especially those who have not been involved with the NTDP, as well as being the face of the junior team. No, Canada doesn't run things this way, but Canada's insane success from the U20 level up doesn't mean that Canada's way is the only way.

That said, my reaction is probably similar to most of you. After seeing established college coaches take this job more often than not in recent years, it's a rather surprising piece of news to see USA Hockey go with a high school coach.

Housley is no dummy, however. He played a lot of hockey, and he spent a lot of time in leadership roles on his various teams. He's coached junior hockey before, and now he coaches high school-age kids. Relating to players should be no issue for Housley.

I'd expect that his coaching staff will include at least one veteran amateur coach, preferably one with some experience coaching an international tournament like this.

A lot of people seem to hate this hire. I'll be honest and say that I don't like it a whole lot. There is pressure on this program to win now. It's not like the old days where a medal was cause for a parade. We've past that point. Two medals in a row -- bracketed by teams that everyone feels should have been better than they were -- is going to put that kind of heat on a team. This is not the time for an experiment, or a guess, especially with the number of inexperienced players who could end up on this World Junior team.

It's a tough spot for Housley. He'll be expected to work with a group that a highly-respected coach like Blais may have struggled to medal with.

In the end, we should all band together in wishing Housley the best. He needs the support of American hockey fans, not their catcalls.

US World Junior Team Announced

USA Hockey has announced the roster for this year's World Junior Championships, which start Monday in Edmonton and Calgary.

Here is the announcement:

USA Hockey today announced the 22 members of the U.S. National Junior Team that will compete at the 2012 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship Dec. 26, 2011-Jan. 5, 2012, in Edmonton and Calgary, Alta.

Among those on the U.S. roster are seven returning players from the bronze medal-winning 2011 U.S. National Junior Team, including goaltender Jack Campbell (Port Huron, Mich./Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds); defensemen Derek Forbort (Duluth, Minn./Univ. of North Dakota) and Jon Merrill (Brighton, Mich./Univ. of Michigan); and forwards Nick Bjugstad (Blaine, Minn./Univ. of Minnesota), Charlie Coyle (East Weymouth, Mass./Boston Univ.), Emerson Etem (Long Beach, Calif./Medicine Hat Tigers) and Jason Zucker (Las Vegas, Nev./Univ. of Denver).

"Every year this decision seems to get harder," said Jim Johannson, general manager of the 2012 U.S. National Junior Team and also the assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey. "The number of talented players from which we get to form a team says a lot about hockey's growth in the United States as a whole."

"Having been behind the bench when we won the gold medal two years ago, I can't wait to get started again," said Dean Blais, head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team. "This is an incredible group of players whose speed and tenacity should help us succeed in Edmonton and Calgary."

The U.S. will look to earn its third straight medal after capturing the bronze medal at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y., and the gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship in Saskatoon, Sask.

Click here for the roster. Duluth's Derek Forbort, a sophomore defenseman at North Dakota, is on the team for a second straight year.

The Americans are without two potentially huge pieces on the blue line. Justin Faulk is playing with the Carolina Hurricanes and was not made available, while Seth Jones was injured in the first exhibition game against Russia.

Russia is the defending champion, having beaten Canada 5-3 in last year's championship game. The United States rallied after losing to Canada in the semifinals to beat Sweden for the bronze medal.

USA Hockey Has a Ways to Go

While UMD was busy taking care of business at Clarkson Monday night, we were getting texts and Twitter updates on a game that wasn't going terribly well.

Unless you're Cody Danberg or one of the other six Canadians on the UMD roster.

None of us had a chance to watch Canada thrash the United States 4-1 at the World Juniors. We had the texts and tweets to tell us what was going on. From the sounds of it, we didn't miss much, and we didn't have to see the game. This dance has been danced before.

Pure Canadian domination. An American team that wasn't ready to play, even if they were talented enough to compete.

There's a reality that comes with a whipping like this. For the United States, it's another sign of both the progress that's been made, and the work that remains.

There is undeniable progress for USA Hockey. After all, they entered this tournament as no worse than a co-favorite, and many thought they could pick off Canada and win a second straight gold. The fact that sober, sane people could say this is a sign that USA Hockey has come a long way.

But getting beat 4-1 by a Canadian team missing at least six age-eligible players who could have made a difference is an unmistakable sign that much more progress is needed.

While Cam Fowler is patrolling the Anaheim Ducks' blue line, Canada is missing, yes, six players who were eligible by birthdate to compete in this tournament. Among them are Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin, the top two picks in the 2010 draft. Evander Kane and Matt Duchene are also playing in the NHL and weren't released to play in the World Juniors.

More than any other country, Canada is stuck playing more of a "B" squad in this tournament. Sweden has guys like Magnus Paajarvi and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, but they're not missing the bodies Canada is.

This happens every year, and it's not meant as an insult to any other country who misses players in this tournament because of pro commitments. Instead, it should be taken as a sign of Canada's superiority at this level.

Get to the national team level, and the Olympics proved that Canada doesn't have some sort of ridiculous advantage. As players get older, the gap narrows. When you pick teams of adults and have no restrictions on the players you can select, the United States can totally compete. They beat Canada in the Olympics last year before losing to them in overtime for the gold medal. As great as Ryan Miller was in the gold-medal game, final shots were only 39-36 in favor of Canada, hardly a dominant performance where they were simply thwarted by a hot goalie.

But at the U-20 level, Canada has a ridiculous edge in talent. Is it better youth development, or is there just an age where Canada has the talent and numbers to dominate the world?

If the U.S. is that capable of competing at the Olympic level, is it simply a matter of their players getting better at older ages? What's closing that gap?

There are a lot of questions, but again, we're back to the basic. When you look at this U-20 tournament, there's no question the United States has a way to go to become competitive on an annual basis.

A medal Wednesday would be huge for the Americans. Yes, the bronze sucks. It's not as pretty as the gold, and third place isn't nearly as sexy as first place. But it means you ended the tournament with a win, and it's a win that will mean something for an American squad that has never medaled in back-to-back World Juniors.

Canada will play for their 16th gold in this event later Wednesday, but you aren't going to magically start competing with the big dog on an annual basis. You have to build to that, and consecutive medals are a significant step in that build.

Just don't mistake last year's gold as a sign that the build has been completed.