College Hockey

[wallmounter]

Finally, the best sport there is, is about to begin. College hockey has the best fans for both knowledge and loyalty. I love the banter that always goes back and forth, so I will fire the first shot of the season.

October 1, 2007

Team (First Place Votes) Record Points Last Poll

1 North Dakota (13) 24-14-5 545 6

2 Boston College ( 3) 29-12-1 519 4

3 Michigan State (11) 26-13-3 513 10

4 Miami ( 1) 24-14-4 471 13

5 Minnesota ( 1) 31-10-3 470 2

6 New Hampshire 26-11-2 454 5

7 Clarkson 25- 9-5 396 3

8 Notre Dame 32- 7-3 358 1

9 Boston University 20-10-9 332 9

10 Michigan 26-14-1 296 8

11 Colorado College 18-17-4 277 20

12 Maine 23-15-2 234 14

13 Denver 21-15-4 232 15

14 Quinnipiac 21-14-5 196 16

15 Wisconsin 19-18-4 181 17

16 St. Lawrence 23-14-2 159 11

17 St. Cloud State 22-11-7 90 NR

18 Cornell 14-13-4 85 NR

19 Ohio State 15-17-5 51 NR

20 Vermont 18-16-5 46 NR

Others Receiving Votes: Massachusetts 45, Michigan Tech 38, RIT 18, Dartmouth 17, Nebraska-Omaha 16, Bemidji State 13, Harvard 11, Niagara 7, Air Force 6, Providence 5, Western Michigan 5, Rensselaer 2, Colgate 1, Robert Morris 1

Ok go ahead fire back, let's hear how you think your team will be and how bad you hope your rivals will fall.

GO SIOUX!

[walleyes12]

Gophers all the way this year!!

[solbes]

UMD alum here. I was quite excited for the Bulldogs prospects this year until Raymond and Niskanen left. Losing Raymond is really going to sting. I'm being hopeful for a 6th place WCHA finish.

I see NoDak at numero uno overall. I think the Goph's will still score lots. I'm uncertain of their goal tending, but it was clear that Briggs was not too hot down the stretch. Defense might be a problem because they lost so many key guys. Wisconsin might be a threat this year also depending on it's solid freshman class.

Overall I want to see the national title come back to the best conference. Painful to watch Mich State play BC last year.

[wallmounter]

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Overall I want to see the national title come back to the best conference. Painful to watch Mich State play BC last year.

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I agree, the WCHA needs to re-establish the dominance it has had. I think I still have the adrenaline running from last years ending. The end of the Final Five and the western regional were 2 of the best hockey games ever.

I agree the Gophs will probably score a ton and as long as Frazee stops the 180'+ shots they will be near the top.

The Sioux return a very good squad, but we always seem to underachieve when the expectations are so high so early on. I hope that isn't the case and a fourth straight frozen four appearance results in #8!

[PierBridge]

Go Beavers!...

[IFallsRon]

The Beavers may be getting closer to being in the WCHA. Sounds like their conference may be disbanding or losing a team next year which would make the league too small for an automatic bid to the Frozen tournament.

Bemidji Pioneer - 09/28/2007

The announcement that Wayne State University would drop it men’s hockey program following the 2007-08 season sent a ripple through the college hockey community this week.

The departure of Wayne State will drop the College Hockey America Conference to four teams, an unworkable number.

That being the case, message boards lit up with suggestions and rumors concerning what would happen to the remaining four teams — Bemidji State, Niagara University, Alabama-Huntsville and Robert Morris University.

Would the CHA fold? Would the remaining teams be absorbed into other conferences? Would teams from other conferences be added to the CHA to keep the conference afloat?

And the biggest question of all: Would the remaining four teams be left without a home and any legitimate chance to continue their programs?

Bemidji State head men’s hockey coach Tom Serratore said Thursday that the Wayne State news came as no surprise to the upper echelons of the college hockey world.

While the Wayne State administration chose not to make any official statements prior to Wednesday’s announcement, the news was expected.

“We knew it was coming,” Serratore reported. “It was inevitable, just a matter of time.”

While there have been informal discussions on what may happen with the remaining four teams, it was clear nothing would occur until Wayne State made it all official.

“The announcement has now forced people to be proactive on what the next step will be,” Serratore said. “In a situation like this everything is predicated on the leadership. I have great faith in the commissioners of the six college hockey conferences.

“People like Bruce McLeod of the WCHA, R.H. “Bob” Peters of the CHA and Tom Anastos of the CCHA are big picture-type people who are constantly looking out for the best interests of college hockey. They are moving quickly to create options for the four remaining teams.”

“Since we’ve known the Wayne State announcement was going to come, discussions have been on-going for quite some time, concerning what would happen with the four remaining schools.

“I am very confident things will work out.”

The last thing anyone in the college hockey world wants to see happen is teams fold, Serratore continued. “The administrators know how important hockey is to the culture of those four schools,” he said. “Hockey is a huge part of the history and fabric of the four universities.”

With regard to Bemidji State, Niagara and Alabama-Huntsville, all of the teams have participated in national tournaments and/or won national championships, Serratore reported. “These programs have brought so much regional and national exposure to these universities,” he said, “you really couldn’t put a price tag on it.”

In the case of Robert Morris University, the hockey program has made huge strides quickly. In just three years of starting the program, the team has advanced to the level of competing for the conference playoff championship. In addition, RMU defeated Notre Dame during the regular season last year — at a time when the Fighting Irish were the top-ranked team in the nation.

That being the case Serratore reiterated that he’s fully confident a positive resolution will come out of this situation.

“To quote Bob Peters, ‘something good always come from something bad.’ And I don’t necessarily think this will be all bad. Bemidji State men’s hockey very well could be headed into a more stable situation because of this.”

[PierBridge]

No arena no WCHA for the Beavers.

[Andrew Erickson]

GO GOPHERS!!

[Hockey Guy]

I’d love to see the Gophers make some noise, but I think No. Dak with those 5 Minnesota kids have the upper hand this year. Heck... this year they have almost as many kids from No. Dakota (4) as they do from Minnesota and only half their team (12) is Canadian. I may have to stop giving them such a hard time about not producing their own players! I mean they could almost make a complete line this year out of home grown kids!

Wisconsin has a great freshman class coming in. I think it will be a very competitive season. Even SCSU should be good this year. Losing their goalie hurts, but who knows. CC and Denver are always tough as well.

All I have to say is last year I said Notre Dame was a complete, over-rated joke going into the NCAA's and I turned out to be correct! Ouch... I just hurt my arm patting myself on the back.

[Bobb-o]

supposedly the funding is being finalized on the new arena/event center, but they have been saying that for a little while now. I am still amazed at the stupidity of the university for turning down Ralph Engelstad all because he wanted to name it after himself.

[Hockey Guy]

There was a little more to it than that. Ralph Engelstad was thought by many to be a Fascist (Contact Us Please) that had parties for Adolph Hitler’s birthday in 1986 and 1988. He had a huge Multimillion-dollar (Contact Us Please) memorabilia collection in the Imperial Palace in the 1980s. Engelstad later denounced Hitler, apologized for his error in judgment and emptied the room of (Contact Us Please) memorabilia. Engelstad long maintained that the parties were to honor the employees who worked on the collection room, not to honor Hitler.

So, you can think of him what you wish, but I don’t think he was someone BSU wanted to get involved with at that time.

[End of the Line]

I might be messed up a litle, but I live in Bulldog country and love my Sioux, which is like being a Packer fan in Minnesota which I am also proud to support. But long live the WCHA teams to the NCAA tournament. GO SIOUX, GO PACKERS!

[izzy150]

I'm a huge Bulldogs fan and they are due for some change! And I take alot of heat for there play the last few years. I agree with UND at the top. As for the Goph's they will be a decent team that will choke in the playoffs once again! That's if they make it that far

[solbes]

Got my tickets for the January UMD v UM games in Duluth. The Saturday game sold out in under 2 minutes. Can't wait.

Bulldogs have really underachieved the last 2-3 years. I felt like they were finally on the cusp of making a return to the top 5, but then lost their top 3 point getters. Might be another tough year, but who knows?

Still the best sport around. Just wish I could order a college hockey satellite package. Not that I mind watching the Woog-er.

[Wellesy]

Life-long Duluthian but went to school at UND...GO SIOUX!!!

[papabear]

Man I read this and see five teams in and real close to Mn and go to love it. I spent time in ND, raised on the range and now live in Bemidji so how can I go wrong? I know. I just cant help rooting for MN and they choke. But once the NCAAs start I am rooting for anyone West of Wisc.

I hope and beg that BSU will get a decent arena so i can see the Gophs play here. I think the times BSU/Air Force played in Coleraine someone should have figured a way to build and arena in Bemidji. For crying out loud this town couldnt even finish 1 arena with mighty ducks money. Bye Bye Beavs.

[IFallsRon]

Events center: What it means for BSU hockey

Bethany Wesley

Bemidji Pioneer - 10/12/2007

BSU hockey can’t wait another year, according to hockey officials who attended Wednesday’s business meeting on the proposed Bemidji events center.

City Councilor Jerry Downs on Wednesday said the city is working with Bemidji State University to try to reach a lease agreement on the proposed events center. He would prefer to delay the project one year rather than continue forward without a specific proposal, Downs said.

“You can’t put a square peg in a round hole,” he said. “We’re not going to force this project.”

If questions are still unanswered by Dec. 15, Downs suggested that the project be put on hold for a year.

The response from the hockey community was clear: “If you do that, than you don’t have hockey.”

BSU president Jon Quistgaard has given the men’s hockey program two goals to accomplish by the end of the year. First, it must work toward gaining admittance into the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Secondly, he has asked the team to raise $500,000 a year for five years, or $2.5 million, to ensure the financial viability of the program.

In a meeting last week with the Bemidji City Council, Quistgaard emphasized that the university had no intention of following Wayne State University, which announced earlier this month that it would discontinue its Division I men’s hockey program following this hockey season.

“We do not intend to take that path,” Quistgaard said last week.

Regarding the first goal, former BSU hockey coach Bob Peters has said that the team has made good progress toward raising the needed funds and had raised $100,000 as of last week. The bulk of the remaining funds would likely be raised through the sale of suites in the new facility.

Peters said Wednesday that he recently spoke with the WCHA and the conference is supporting BSU’s efforts.

The WCHA still has a moratorium on expansion in place. In the meantime, BSU is taking steps toward improving its schedule, Peters said. The team is set to play five WCHA teams in each of the next two seasons.

“There is a great deal of support coming from the WCHA,” Peters said. “They do not want to see a team from the great state of Minnesota go down.”

[MUSKY18]

UND is a very strong team and will definately make a run for the WCHA championship and probably into the NCAA tourny, however, it won't be unless their goaltending becomes much better. In their first game, their goalie gave up two goals on two shots. That isn't going to get them very far!!!

[wallmounter]

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UND is a very strong team and will definately make a run for the WCHA championship and probably into the NCAA tourny, however, it won't be unless their goaltending becomes much better. In their first game, their goalie gave up two goals on two shots. That isn't going to get them very far!!!

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How about a 6-0 shutout of the Defending National Champs? Seems to me goaltending will be just fine.

[redlake]

Yup. The gophers should peak in early January, just like clock work. Uncle Donnie has got it down to the science.

[Mudcutter]

Uncle Donnie peaked two years in row over everybody. Uncle Donnie did more in 2 years than Woog did in 20. 2 Titles in A row is impressive--- who's your Papi???

[PierBridge]

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Uncle Donnie peaked two years in row over everybody. Uncle Donnie did more in 2 years than Woog did in 20. 2 Titles in A row is impressive--- who's your Papi???

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Sorry to burst your bubble BUB!

Those were Woogs seniors "Bonin,Hauser, etc..." that Won our National Title LUCY's first year....also Woogs Teams were 1st or 2nd in the conference TEN straight years that blows Donny Pretty Boy away, sorry.

I know everybody is fooled by Lucia but to be honest he's done a poor job coaching the last few years to say the least.

Oh wait though we got rid of Woog because he wouldn't recruit out of state and now LUCY will incorparate a multi state/National recruiting banaza....LOL......hopefully the non Minnesota Kids on our team can turn this around for us..LOL.

Bring Back the WOOOOOGER!...

[Team Otter]

Why couldn't Woog win a national title?

[PierBridge]

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Why couldn't Woog win a national title?

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I don't recall him playing in any of the 9 NCAA tourneys his teams played but he did recruit and coach the Seniors that Won our first title in 20 years!

I don't believe it was Woog who missed an open net or hit the post in Overtime of the Championships games they played in either.

I know I'm in the minority in my beliefs that Lucia is OVERRATED and has done a really poor job the last few years and I may be wrong but it is how I see it.. ...

Let me know when Lucia has us in the top 2 in conference 9 out 10 years......

[solbes]

Not a gopher fan here, but I'd be dancing in the street if I had Lucia as a head coach for my team. How can you say he's done a poor job the last few years? Here's his Gopher resume (and check his bio):

'99-00 = 6th

'00-01 = 3rd

'01-02 = 3rd (NCAA Champs)

'02-03 = 2nd (NCAA Champs)

'03-04 = 4th

'04-05 = 3rd

'05-06 = 1st (1st outright MacNaughton Cup since '91-92)

'06-07 = 1st

He has a .680 winning percentage. Last year marked their 5TH consecutive year with a #1 NCAA seed. Wooger was a great coach also, but I don't think Don's done a poor job. My only criticism is that he used to get his team peaking at the playoffs, and now it's much earlier in the season.

[Team Otter]

Sure, the player's role is to put the puck in the net and defend but it starts with the coaching staff. Don Lucia has done a nice job leading Gopher hockey, especially in the way he surrounds himself with talented support. His assistants, etc don't get much better. Don Lucia is and will be more successful in college hockey than Doug Woog.

[PierBridge]

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How can you say he's done a poor job the last few years?

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My only criticism is that he used to get his team peaking at the playoffs,

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We pretty much agree..... SOFT and Unprepared the last 2 years down the stretch...

[fishyguy]

I do agree. The Gophers need more grinders or at least a little more grit to their game. When they were struggling last year late it was often the younger Lucia and his linemates providing the energy and seemed to be the only ones that would show some heart at times.

[yakfisher]

Just so you know Bonin did not play for Lucia, he graduated in 1996. I think Lucia has done a far better job recruiting talent than Woog ever did. Lucia actually gets skill players. Instead of the old Wooger clutch and grab grind the game to a halt, don't worry boys you won't have to drop the gloves for that cheap crap this is college hockey style that the rest of the WCHA had to suffer through we now get to see quality hockey.

[PierBridge]

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Just so you know Bonin did not play for Lucia, he graduated in 1996. I think Lucia has done a far better job recruiting talent than Woog ever did. Lucia actually gets skill players. Instead of the old Wooger clutch and grab grind the game to a halt, don't worry boys you won't have to drop the gloves for that cheap crap this is college hockey style that the rest of the WCHA had to suffer through we now get to see quality hockey.

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I meant Johnny Pohl not Bonin was one of Woogs recruits who Won the Gophers a National Championship along with Jordon Leapold, Eric Wendel, Adam Hauser.

Clutch n'grabbers and grind the game to a halt huh?

Why did Woogs teams score more than Lucia's?....LOL.

You guy's like stats gopher goals per game stats the last 4 years 4.5, 4.1, 3.7, 2.5 against weak teams so far this year.

Let me know when Lucia's Teams finish 1st or 2nd in the Conference 11 out 12 years with 3rd being his lowest in that stretch.

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we now get to see quality hockey.

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Speaking of quality hockey have you watched any game's this year I guess we'll have to agree to disagree that getting out shot in non conference game by the likes of RPI and Ohio State including a 22-2 SHELLACKING in the 3rd period of the Ohio state game is quality hockey...LOL.