With the start of college hockey just over a month away, final preparations are occurring at schools all around the nation. In particular, one new conference has eight members making plans for fan enjoyment while coaches prepare complex attack schemes aimed at winning every game.
In respect to every league, I have chosen to focus on the NCHC. This is the product of a combination between rebounding programs and the top teams from roughly a year ago. Each team in this league began last year with hopes of winning their league title. Almost every team in this league had a shot at their former league titles halfway into their 12-13 campaign. This is different. Now these same eight teams will need to focus hard, with at least two dominating teams accepting their fate as bottom feeders. This is not a mean spirited post, it's just the truth. Somewhere between Denver, Colorado and Oxford, Ohio one team will rise to become the league best. One team will fall to be the league worst.
Although I have not seen every team in it's true form, I feel that I have fairly decent grasp at what we can expect to see and the question marks running wild.
1. Will the worst team in the NCHC be able to focus on playing hard throughout the season just as they would as a league leader?
The answer to this is complex. New additions from the CCHA Miami and Western Michigan are definitely good teams. W.M. has been rising lately with a new coaching change, but that cannot overshadow years of bad hockey. Many people will pick W.M. to be on the lower end of the NCHC, but they have been fighting hard under their new coach.
Miami has pure confidence in their coaching structure, which is why they signed him to a long term deal. The product on the ice in Oxford has been great. Fans here will not likely travel far to see the Redhawks play opposing teams. Although a traveling fan base has nothing to do with a teams success, in this case Miami may have a difficult time overtaking other dominant NCHC teams.
Minnesota-Duluth, St. Cloud State and Miami have produced the last three Hobey Baker winners respectively. With UMD coming off of a national championship three years ago, their roster has been completely depleted. Skating with the best will be key, however I don't see relief coming this season. This squad may be a bottom feeder. Unlike UMD, St. Cloud has been turning over player after player recently. Three years ago, a locker room scuffle in Florida marred a good team and sent many NHL draft picks packing mid-season. This year will be far different. SCSU may not win it all, but they sure will be fighting to the bitter end.
North Dakota and UNO are another two teams on opposite sides. North Dakota has been adding high level talent while UNO has been kicking players off for violations and watching decent goalies walk for better prospects. I have watched UND knock off team after team, year after year. In the past, UND has had to run through both Denver and Minnesota. This year they are relieved from UoM and they only play Denver on the road. Unless an above mention team walks through this gauntlet blind folded, UND with be the yours truly of the NCHC watching everyone else fall into place. As for UNO, I hope they find their stride. Dean Blais is a great coach, but he has not fielded a national championship caliber team since his days at North Dakota. I don't expect him to change this year given the off ice issues. If he can keep his team focused and skating, UNO will finish mid level. If not, UNO will have a difficult season.
The last two are by no means the least. In fact, DU and CC will likely make up a similar dynamic this year. Last season they finished sixth and seventh in the WCHA. The big change here is the coaching for DU. The question mark at Magness will be behind the bench. Will Jim Montgomery be able to handle the faster pace of mature upperclassmen? The next question for both teams will be goaltending. Denver added a very good freshman who was taken in the fourth round of the NHL draft. CC didn't add anything of relevance. Both schools lost their starters from a year ago. Both former goalies had beat out stiff competition in net to be named number one. In the case of CC, Joe Howe beat an off base Josh Thorimbert who had not played his best since he was the starter in the 11-12 campaign. Juho Olkinoura beat out a former high level goaltender who has fallen to the ground since ACL surgery. Sam Brittain is pretty decent. After his ACL surgery, nothing has been certain. This year will be the same. I believe the goaltending this year could define the goldpan rivalry. If Sam is not able to anchor a talented DU team, will the squad embrace a freshmen with immense talent? In the case of CC, if Thorimbert cannot be the savior that CC so needs will this be the curtain call for Scott Owens?
Ultimately every team here will face big time emotions. The question is, who fits where and how?
Based on last year's teams in their respective conference, here is my preseason final rankings for the first year of the NCHC:
1. North Dakota
2. SCSU
3. DU
4. Miami
5. CC
6. Western Michigan
7. UMD
8. UNO
Should be a great season!
Monday, August 26, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
B1G hockey: Now I understand.......
About almost two years ago, the college hockey world became aware of the Big 10 hockey conference. The stage was small, and not many people gave the idea a chance. Big 10 commissioner Jim Delaney went as far to say that hockey "just won't work" in a conference known for it's football and basketball teams. So with that Mr. Delaney gave the idea to current Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alavarez. Barry can do many things, win games, bring stability to football and get influxes of money. That last one, is what sealed the Big 10. Currently all Big 10 members receive a $32 Million dollar stipend for being in the conference. That's the perk of being in the big 10. However, within that conference and prior to Penn State, their had only been five mens hockey teams. 1 short of the minimum required.
So when Penn State came aboard, Barry began his pitch game to which I bought in. All in. Barry went to the widely publicized Badger football and basketball games to gain support for the hockey conference. He brought everyone aboard and brought money to boot. As it stands, each hockey school within the Big 10 will receive a total of $7 Million extra from the network. When that number arose, every team in the possible conference joined in. From Minnesota to Michigan, they were all in.
Like wise, I really enjoyed the prospect of a super power conference in all other sports merging to create an awesome conference in hockey. I never looked at the specifics. Just that my Badgers would see more teams. I was blinded, and didn't see much beyond the idea of "B1G" hockey. Judging from many fans at this year's WCHA final five, similar schools such as Minnesota, Michigan, and Michigan State were just as blinded.
But now, the time has surfaced. The WCHA will fracture into a league similar to Atlantic Hockey. Stretched from the North East corner of Alabama to just under the Arctic circle in Alaska, the WCHA is all but certain to fracture again. The CCHA has folded, and along with it 43 years of hockey tradition. A new conference has formed and will likely send a good team to the cellar every year because of it: the NCHC.
I admit, I was blind. If I would have looked at everything in a more vibrant view, I would have seen that the only real rivalry in the Big 10 will be the Wisconsin - Minnesota series. Michigan has the most NCAA championships in college hockey, but they don't live and breath by the sport as do fans of North Dakota and Minnesota. A game featuring Wisconsin and Ohio State will do little to fill the Kohl Center. Similar to a game involving Penn State and Minnesota. This will likely render Marriucci arena at less than 1/4 capacity. Maybe the wait list will finally go down.
The point is, college hockey is worse off thanks to the Big 10 and Barry Alvarez. I'm honestly sorry that I bought into the hysteria of what was supposed to be a good conference. I feel sorry for all the student athletes in the new look WCHA that will likely never experience what once was the best conference in the nation. That winning the Mcnaughton cup or the Broadmoore trophy didn't just guarantee a spot in the playoffs, but more likely than not guaranteed a decent post season run.
I can say that I am not looking forward to the Big 10 championship. It's going to be a sad display of great hockey programs that became too hungry for cash. After all, hockey is one of the few remaining college sports that actually make a profit.
Good luck in the future to the WCHA, and NCHC. Hockey will be so much different. I'll always be a fan of my Badgers. Just sad that I won't be able to see them make history at least once a year playing CC,Denver, UND, and all the other fine programs.
Almost makes you want to be the fan of another program......almost.....
So when Penn State came aboard, Barry began his pitch game to which I bought in. All in. Barry went to the widely publicized Badger football and basketball games to gain support for the hockey conference. He brought everyone aboard and brought money to boot. As it stands, each hockey school within the Big 10 will receive a total of $7 Million extra from the network. When that number arose, every team in the possible conference joined in. From Minnesota to Michigan, they were all in.
Like wise, I really enjoyed the prospect of a super power conference in all other sports merging to create an awesome conference in hockey. I never looked at the specifics. Just that my Badgers would see more teams. I was blinded, and didn't see much beyond the idea of "B1G" hockey. Judging from many fans at this year's WCHA final five, similar schools such as Minnesota, Michigan, and Michigan State were just as blinded.
But now, the time has surfaced. The WCHA will fracture into a league similar to Atlantic Hockey. Stretched from the North East corner of Alabama to just under the Arctic circle in Alaska, the WCHA is all but certain to fracture again. The CCHA has folded, and along with it 43 years of hockey tradition. A new conference has formed and will likely send a good team to the cellar every year because of it: the NCHC.
I admit, I was blind. If I would have looked at everything in a more vibrant view, I would have seen that the only real rivalry in the Big 10 will be the Wisconsin - Minnesota series. Michigan has the most NCAA championships in college hockey, but they don't live and breath by the sport as do fans of North Dakota and Minnesota. A game featuring Wisconsin and Ohio State will do little to fill the Kohl Center. Similar to a game involving Penn State and Minnesota. This will likely render Marriucci arena at less than 1/4 capacity. Maybe the wait list will finally go down.
The point is, college hockey is worse off thanks to the Big 10 and Barry Alvarez. I'm honestly sorry that I bought into the hysteria of what was supposed to be a good conference. I feel sorry for all the student athletes in the new look WCHA that will likely never experience what once was the best conference in the nation. That winning the Mcnaughton cup or the Broadmoore trophy didn't just guarantee a spot in the playoffs, but more likely than not guaranteed a decent post season run.
I can say that I am not looking forward to the Big 10 championship. It's going to be a sad display of great hockey programs that became too hungry for cash. After all, hockey is one of the few remaining college sports that actually make a profit.
Good luck in the future to the WCHA, and NCHC. Hockey will be so much different. I'll always be a fan of my Badgers. Just sad that I won't be able to see them make history at least once a year playing CC,Denver, UND, and all the other fine programs.
Almost makes you want to be the fan of another program......almost.....
Saturday, February 9, 2013
St. Cloud Over the moon. Breaking down the broken.
Although another weekend in the current WCHA is about to sunset with two vastly different perspectives brewing.
St. Cloud has been a force this year. A team that seems to tie up loose ends by fighting to the finish. Mentioning this year's huskies to previous ones might make some laugh. Hell, it wasn't but two years ago that the Huskies were reeling from a locker room fight in Tampa, Florida which sent some of the teams best prospects running away from the school. That dark weekend seemed to solidify the Huskies as a joke of a team with no solid future.
However, these Huskies have surged. Rightfully so they own the bragging rights to current WCHA leader as the season winds down. While taking what is theirs, they are slowly and painfully eliminating this season's class of bottom feeders. Without a doubt, this Husky team is ready.
While the Huskies look up, they cannot help but to look down at the crowd beneath them. Having freshly beaten a contentious Gopher team, they are presently the understudy of another Husky team living in their past. That Husky team would be none other than the Michigan Tech Huskies. Led by former Michigan assistant coach Mel Pearson, they've just been eliminated from contending for the Mcnaughton cup. In two weeks time, they will likely be out of contention to stay home for the WCHA first round playoffs.
Speaking of playoffs, let's break down the probabilities of home ice. With 12 points available for the taking, the home playoff picture is starting to glisten.
Anchorage, Bemidji will not be hosting a home series during the first round. One more loss officially put's Michigan tech out of the picture as well. Given St. Cloud's win this weekend, Michigan Tech has been officially eliminated from the Mcnaughton cup.
Next on the chopping block is Colorado College. Facing a tough Husky team next week they will need a win to stay relevant. Colorado College is not officially eliminated from the status as league champions, but aside from every team in front of them not showing up next week they won't be hosting any hardware in Colorado Springs. CC is down at this point but not out of anything. With 12 points remaining, they will need a sweep of St. Cloud AND Minnesota State to break the 3 way tie for 5th place. Currently, CC owns the advantage over Wisconsin and would lose by virtue of record to DU.
Best case scenario: CC goes into the Michigan Tech game needing a win or better for home ice. They'll get it. But aside from a "sweeping" (pun intended) performance over two Minnesota State schools, they Tigers will be packing their bags for the first round.
Minnesota Duluth will likely play on the road during the first round. They face a down bemidji team followed by Minnesota, UAH and UNO. I fully expect the Bulldogs to leave those three series with two points. (The two that don't matter).
Wisconsin is in a tough Situation. They currently head into the next 4 series against the toughest WCHA competition. The Badgers need to register a win each WCHA weekend or the Kohl Center will be filled with Basketball fans in March.
Denver has a little bit easier schedule for the 6th and final playoff spot. Anchorage has not been playing well, so it appears that in all likely hood the Pioneers will leave the next 3 series with at least four points. Good enough to keep them home for the first round.
Minnesota State has been solid all year. Not as solid as their husky upstate counter parts, but ready to take on any challenge. Michigan Tech shouldn't be to tough. Expect Mankato to be hosting the first round.
Minnesota will likely coast to a first round home series. Omaha looks solid for a home game while the, No named former Indians and Huskies will both be at home.
What I predict:
Mcnaughton cup to the Gophers.
1st round:
UM hosting UAA
SCSU hosting Bemidji
UND hosting either CC or Tech
UNO hosting CC or Tech
Minnesota State hosting Duluth
DU hosting Wisconsin
These are radical for the most part and will likely change.
St. Cloud has been a force this year. A team that seems to tie up loose ends by fighting to the finish. Mentioning this year's huskies to previous ones might make some laugh. Hell, it wasn't but two years ago that the Huskies were reeling from a locker room fight in Tampa, Florida which sent some of the teams best prospects running away from the school. That dark weekend seemed to solidify the Huskies as a joke of a team with no solid future.
However, these Huskies have surged. Rightfully so they own the bragging rights to current WCHA leader as the season winds down. While taking what is theirs, they are slowly and painfully eliminating this season's class of bottom feeders. Without a doubt, this Husky team is ready.
While the Huskies look up, they cannot help but to look down at the crowd beneath them. Having freshly beaten a contentious Gopher team, they are presently the understudy of another Husky team living in their past. That Husky team would be none other than the Michigan Tech Huskies. Led by former Michigan assistant coach Mel Pearson, they've just been eliminated from contending for the Mcnaughton cup. In two weeks time, they will likely be out of contention to stay home for the WCHA first round playoffs.
Speaking of playoffs, let's break down the probabilities of home ice. With 12 points available for the taking, the home playoff picture is starting to glisten.
Anchorage, Bemidji will not be hosting a home series during the first round. One more loss officially put's Michigan tech out of the picture as well. Given St. Cloud's win this weekend, Michigan Tech has been officially eliminated from the Mcnaughton cup.
Next on the chopping block is Colorado College. Facing a tough Husky team next week they will need a win to stay relevant. Colorado College is not officially eliminated from the status as league champions, but aside from every team in front of them not showing up next week they won't be hosting any hardware in Colorado Springs. CC is down at this point but not out of anything. With 12 points remaining, they will need a sweep of St. Cloud AND Minnesota State to break the 3 way tie for 5th place. Currently, CC owns the advantage over Wisconsin and would lose by virtue of record to DU.
Best case scenario: CC goes into the Michigan Tech game needing a win or better for home ice. They'll get it. But aside from a "sweeping" (pun intended) performance over two Minnesota State schools, they Tigers will be packing their bags for the first round.
Minnesota Duluth will likely play on the road during the first round. They face a down bemidji team followed by Minnesota, UAH and UNO. I fully expect the Bulldogs to leave those three series with two points. (The two that don't matter).
Wisconsin is in a tough Situation. They currently head into the next 4 series against the toughest WCHA competition. The Badgers need to register a win each WCHA weekend or the Kohl Center will be filled with Basketball fans in March.
Denver has a little bit easier schedule for the 6th and final playoff spot. Anchorage has not been playing well, so it appears that in all likely hood the Pioneers will leave the next 3 series with at least four points. Good enough to keep them home for the first round.
Minnesota State has been solid all year. Not as solid as their husky upstate counter parts, but ready to take on any challenge. Michigan Tech shouldn't be to tough. Expect Mankato to be hosting the first round.
Minnesota will likely coast to a first round home series. Omaha looks solid for a home game while the, No named former Indians and Huskies will both be at home.
What I predict:
Mcnaughton cup to the Gophers.
1st round:
UM hosting UAA
SCSU hosting Bemidji
UND hosting either CC or Tech
UNO hosting CC or Tech
Minnesota State hosting Duluth
DU hosting Wisconsin
These are radical for the most part and will likely change.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Bold new predictions for a bold new year
2013: The final frontier.
This is the year when college hockey shakes it's feathers and dusts it's wings off for new voyages. If you are not privy to the hockey world, I am talking about college hockey re-alignment. This year is a good one too.
First: I am so incredibly happy that UAH found a home in the WCHA. This will leave no team as an independent for the coming season. A great way to start recruiting. Also with this, I would not be surprised to see one or both of the Alaska teams fold. Two teams no where near the rest of the pack, I think the strain will show in year 4 of this new league.
Next: The B1G (big 10). This will mark the beginning of money talking in college hockey. No other league in the nation will bring in as much money as the big 10. Not because of seating, but because the big 10 has it's own dedicated television station which will give each hockey member an extra $5,000,000 a year in revenue. Just for comparison, Notre Dame currently has all sports under a contract with NBC. Their current revenue contract for college hockey is at $1,000,000 per year split between each CCHA member except Bowling Green and Northern Michigan. Both of those teams receive nothing from NBC because they refused to include any NBC affiliate sponsors in their home arena's. With the new Big East forming, Notre Dame will receive $3,000,000 which will be split among every team playing Notre Dame. Roughly equating to about a $1,000,000 take home for Notre Dame and $2 Mil spread throughout the league. Challenge that to EACH school in the BIG 10 getting $5 Mil a piece and you can see where the money is going.
With that being said, I am throwing out my predictions for the final standings of the Big 10. Early yes, but not nearly as complex as the NCHC:
1. Minnesota - Too much firepower to pick anyone else. Unless Minnesota has one bad game, I'd expect the Gophers to be the first Big 10 member representing the conference at the tournament.
2. Wisconsin - Building is key and this is something that Wisconsin has done well. An incoming crop of freshman next year with six potential 1-3rd round NHL picks is something to be wary of.
3. Penn State - They move into a new building with a new era in Happy Valley. They have looked good this season as an independent. I expect high things from this club down the road.
4. Michigan - Since appearing in the Frozen Four two years ago, Michigan has lagged. They've found a way to get quality players in with bright NHL futures only to the lose netminders to Canada's upper division junior league.
5. Michigan State - This is a growing team that was trounced by Minnesota at the beginning of the season. I don't see any reason why this team will do any better than fifth in the first year. They look quite terrible and hopefully getting Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin in their arena will improve recruiting.
6. Ohio State - OSU only has hockey because somebody had a large amount of money and donated it to the school for hockey many years ago (See Penn State). However, they have not done anything with that endowment. Hopefully this is only a 1 year hiatus from being poor. The best thing for the Buckeye's is the local junior teams. The worst thing is the Blue Jackets. That problem should be remedied in a couple of years.
Now....On to the harder task. Predicting a 6 team conference is pretty easy. Not too much variance to work with, and not much thought either. But when you deal with a team as diverse as the new NCHC, you actually have to think. So I did, and I brought some notes.
How I think the NCHC will shake down:
1. Miami - Though the Red Hawks have never won a national championship, they have been able to recruit very well on Ohio's southern border. They often get players who are mid-level quality and grow them over time. This is the exact case for their current Junior and Sophomore class. Everyone on the team looks good, and appears in place. I had the chance to see the Red Hawks at the Kohl Center. They look quite solid in every way. They lack the situational speed that UND, DU have so I fully expect them to tire on the Olympic ice sheet's dominating the NCHC. But that will be a small hurdle that Miami will overcome.
2. St. Cloud - I am for the moment, sold that St. Cloud looks good for the coming years. They are developing young prospects and playing them well in every situation. I've often heard the saying that no national championship team has issues. I'd say that might describe St. Cloud pretty well. They seem to have it all down.
3. North Dakota - I think this year is going to be the showering of prediction for the no mascot formerly known as the Fighting Sioux. Hakstol has skill in coaching and he improves his players almost every year. I would say currently NoDak is on a down year. Having a winning season on a down year proves that your team is good. 7 national championships also does that.
4. Nebraska-Omaha - TIE - The mavericks are a good team bringing in strong talent. Last year they were rated as having the #2 ranked incoming class. All signs point to a similar pool in the coming year. With this being year 1 of the NCHC, I don't expect the Mav's to come out swinging with a steel bat. I expect them to come out slightly new and looking to improve. Dean Blaise has done a great job thus far. The switch in conferences might show the Mav's that they do indeed need to work a little harder.
4. Western Michigan - TIE - WMU is coming off of a season full of pain. They have moved into solid positioning within the CCHA and represent well within the highly liquid conference. They do not however have the recruiting base that the above mentioned 4 have tapped into. Some time in the NCHC will do the Bronco's some good. Beating up on the below teams will help too.
6. Denver University - DU is struggling lately. They have too much talent to compete. Is there such a thing? DU is chock full of high end talent, none of which seems to be able to do anything else than satisfy themselves. The top shelves have been empty all season for DU. Three good goaltenders of which none have come out to say "I'm great" and not a single player directing traffic on the ice. DU is always a side show though. They can be off one year and in the mix with everyone the next.
7. UMD -TIE - After washing away talent and not replacing the missing pieces with anything noble, Duluth now sit's near the bottom of the WCHA and looks to have a lull year with new freshman. UMD was good when they had the connolly duo, but never had solid goaltending. Not a new coach situation, but it's looking pretty bad for the bulldogs.
8. CC - TIE - CC could come out great. But I don't think the Tigers will make a splash in the first year. They are in the midst of changing their defensive game and in the process will lose a goalie who brought them within 1 save of fighting for a national championship. Talk has been heavy about the tigers bringing in new talent, but the type of talent needed to compete in the new Owens system almost certainly has to be strong. I just don't see this happening in the first year.
This is the year when college hockey shakes it's feathers and dusts it's wings off for new voyages. If you are not privy to the hockey world, I am talking about college hockey re-alignment. This year is a good one too.
First: I am so incredibly happy that UAH found a home in the WCHA. This will leave no team as an independent for the coming season. A great way to start recruiting. Also with this, I would not be surprised to see one or both of the Alaska teams fold. Two teams no where near the rest of the pack, I think the strain will show in year 4 of this new league.
Next: The B1G (big 10). This will mark the beginning of money talking in college hockey. No other league in the nation will bring in as much money as the big 10. Not because of seating, but because the big 10 has it's own dedicated television station which will give each hockey member an extra $5,000,000 a year in revenue. Just for comparison, Notre Dame currently has all sports under a contract with NBC. Their current revenue contract for college hockey is at $1,000,000 per year split between each CCHA member except Bowling Green and Northern Michigan. Both of those teams receive nothing from NBC because they refused to include any NBC affiliate sponsors in their home arena's. With the new Big East forming, Notre Dame will receive $3,000,000 which will be split among every team playing Notre Dame. Roughly equating to about a $1,000,000 take home for Notre Dame and $2 Mil spread throughout the league. Challenge that to EACH school in the BIG 10 getting $5 Mil a piece and you can see where the money is going.
With that being said, I am throwing out my predictions for the final standings of the Big 10. Early yes, but not nearly as complex as the NCHC:
1. Minnesota - Too much firepower to pick anyone else. Unless Minnesota has one bad game, I'd expect the Gophers to be the first Big 10 member representing the conference at the tournament.
2. Wisconsin - Building is key and this is something that Wisconsin has done well. An incoming crop of freshman next year with six potential 1-3rd round NHL picks is something to be wary of.
3. Penn State - They move into a new building with a new era in Happy Valley. They have looked good this season as an independent. I expect high things from this club down the road.
4. Michigan - Since appearing in the Frozen Four two years ago, Michigan has lagged. They've found a way to get quality players in with bright NHL futures only to the lose netminders to Canada's upper division junior league.
5. Michigan State - This is a growing team that was trounced by Minnesota at the beginning of the season. I don't see any reason why this team will do any better than fifth in the first year. They look quite terrible and hopefully getting Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin in their arena will improve recruiting.
6. Ohio State - OSU only has hockey because somebody had a large amount of money and donated it to the school for hockey many years ago (See Penn State). However, they have not done anything with that endowment. Hopefully this is only a 1 year hiatus from being poor. The best thing for the Buckeye's is the local junior teams. The worst thing is the Blue Jackets. That problem should be remedied in a couple of years.
Now....On to the harder task. Predicting a 6 team conference is pretty easy. Not too much variance to work with, and not much thought either. But when you deal with a team as diverse as the new NCHC, you actually have to think. So I did, and I brought some notes.
How I think the NCHC will shake down:
1. Miami - Though the Red Hawks have never won a national championship, they have been able to recruit very well on Ohio's southern border. They often get players who are mid-level quality and grow them over time. This is the exact case for their current Junior and Sophomore class. Everyone on the team looks good, and appears in place. I had the chance to see the Red Hawks at the Kohl Center. They look quite solid in every way. They lack the situational speed that UND, DU have so I fully expect them to tire on the Olympic ice sheet's dominating the NCHC. But that will be a small hurdle that Miami will overcome.
2. St. Cloud - I am for the moment, sold that St. Cloud looks good for the coming years. They are developing young prospects and playing them well in every situation. I've often heard the saying that no national championship team has issues. I'd say that might describe St. Cloud pretty well. They seem to have it all down.
3. North Dakota - I think this year is going to be the showering of prediction for the no mascot formerly known as the Fighting Sioux. Hakstol has skill in coaching and he improves his players almost every year. I would say currently NoDak is on a down year. Having a winning season on a down year proves that your team is good. 7 national championships also does that.
4. Nebraska-Omaha - TIE - The mavericks are a good team bringing in strong talent. Last year they were rated as having the #2 ranked incoming class. All signs point to a similar pool in the coming year. With this being year 1 of the NCHC, I don't expect the Mav's to come out swinging with a steel bat. I expect them to come out slightly new and looking to improve. Dean Blaise has done a great job thus far. The switch in conferences might show the Mav's that they do indeed need to work a little harder.
4. Western Michigan - TIE - WMU is coming off of a season full of pain. They have moved into solid positioning within the CCHA and represent well within the highly liquid conference. They do not however have the recruiting base that the above mentioned 4 have tapped into. Some time in the NCHC will do the Bronco's some good. Beating up on the below teams will help too.
6. Denver University - DU is struggling lately. They have too much talent to compete. Is there such a thing? DU is chock full of high end talent, none of which seems to be able to do anything else than satisfy themselves. The top shelves have been empty all season for DU. Three good goaltenders of which none have come out to say "I'm great" and not a single player directing traffic on the ice. DU is always a side show though. They can be off one year and in the mix with everyone the next.
7. UMD -TIE - After washing away talent and not replacing the missing pieces with anything noble, Duluth now sit's near the bottom of the WCHA and looks to have a lull year with new freshman. UMD was good when they had the connolly duo, but never had solid goaltending. Not a new coach situation, but it's looking pretty bad for the bulldogs.
8. CC - TIE - CC could come out great. But I don't think the Tigers will make a splash in the first year. They are in the midst of changing their defensive game and in the process will lose a goalie who brought them within 1 save of fighting for a national championship. Talk has been heavy about the tigers bringing in new talent, but the type of talent needed to compete in the new Owens system almost certainly has to be strong. I just don't see this happening in the first year.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Big 10 Rumblings: Losing hurts
Hockey is a way of life for many people. It provides jobs, food on the table and entertainment when the other two are not options. Hockey used to be a revenue option for me. I wrote for a couple of paying blogs, papers and such to make a few bucks here and there. I was even published in the hockey digest a couple years back.
Now I watch hockey as a fun loving family man and hobbyist scout. I've been writing recently about the Big 10 entering hockey and today is no different. I've talked about expansion and the teams involved in the future growth of the Big 10.
First, to satisfy my need to talk about growth I'll address the reason why the Big 10 won't add Notre Dame or Boston College: The Big 10 prides itself on research and similar grants. With the exception of Nebraska, every school within the Big 10 is an AAU member. Long of the short: AAU schools dominate in research grants. Side note: Nebraska was accepted into the Big 10 and lost their AAU membership 3 months later. Had the big 10 waited, Nebraska would be sounding a different horn and it wouldn't be against fellow Big 10 opponents on a regular basis. Anyways, I digress.
Here are the teams that have not added provisions to include D1 hockey in the Big 10:
Rutgers
Maryland
Indiana
Purdue
Illinois
Northwestern
Let's do a breakdown of the feasibility of each program:
Rutgers: Currently holds D1 hockey at the club level, but has failed in recent years to establish a solid basketball or football program. The clear wording here is Basketball and Football. The bread and butter of the Big 10. So until at least one of those void's are filled, or unless some rich alumni steps up, Rutgers won't be seeing the likes of Penn State on ice any time soon.
Maryland: Opposite of Rutgers, Maryland has a very rich alumni. Can't think of his name, but the company he started you may know of: Underarmor. He's got money and is often found raising money for the Terrapins, but doesn't have the funds that the Buffalo Sabres owner and Penn State alumnus does. Not to mention, hockey falls pretty flat in the D.C. area. The Capitals worship all things Ovechkin but before that suffered from years of junk hockey. Maryland has Basketball covered and can run with SOME big dogs in football. Still though, they don't have recruiting or the wholesale money to fund a D1 program.
Indiana: Well here is a no brainer. Indiana is basketball as Alabama is football. Name the last time Alabama won a basketball championship. Do the same for football at Indiana. Hard to remember without Google. So as much as this is a feel good story to bring hockey to the Hoosier state, it's not happening in Bloomington.
Purdue: Currently the only school in Indiana with a D1 hockey team is Notre Dame. Currently the only school in Indiana with a winning football record over the past 10 years is Notre Dame. Also currently the only Big 10 school to contribute anything to Big 10 sports in the state of Indiana, is Indiana. They won't be fielding hockey. So just reference Rutgers for this one.
Illinois: The copperhead. Has been above average in basketball and went to the rose bowl in football roughly 5 or 6 years ago. Large endowment and steady growth in the past years makes this school wonder why. Of the schools who have declared not to enter a program in hockey, Illinois is the only one to stump me. They have the money to make it happen, they have the recruiting grounds and they are within driving distance of a couple Big 10 hockey programs. Sad.
Northwestern: Contributes nearly no research to the Big 10 academic success, but takes everyone else's hard working research and culminates it into the Kellogg School of Business. The last time Northwestern did something in athletics, Blake Wheeler died. Of the schools without a team, this is the one with the most money from alums.
Now I watch hockey as a fun loving family man and hobbyist scout. I've been writing recently about the Big 10 entering hockey and today is no different. I've talked about expansion and the teams involved in the future growth of the Big 10.
First, to satisfy my need to talk about growth I'll address the reason why the Big 10 won't add Notre Dame or Boston College: The Big 10 prides itself on research and similar grants. With the exception of Nebraska, every school within the Big 10 is an AAU member. Long of the short: AAU schools dominate in research grants. Side note: Nebraska was accepted into the Big 10 and lost their AAU membership 3 months later. Had the big 10 waited, Nebraska would be sounding a different horn and it wouldn't be against fellow Big 10 opponents on a regular basis. Anyways, I digress.
Here are the teams that have not added provisions to include D1 hockey in the Big 10:
Rutgers
Maryland
Indiana
Purdue
Illinois
Northwestern
Let's do a breakdown of the feasibility of each program:
Rutgers: Currently holds D1 hockey at the club level, but has failed in recent years to establish a solid basketball or football program. The clear wording here is Basketball and Football. The bread and butter of the Big 10. So until at least one of those void's are filled, or unless some rich alumni steps up, Rutgers won't be seeing the likes of Penn State on ice any time soon.
Maryland: Opposite of Rutgers, Maryland has a very rich alumni. Can't think of his name, but the company he started you may know of: Underarmor. He's got money and is often found raising money for the Terrapins, but doesn't have the funds that the Buffalo Sabres owner and Penn State alumnus does. Not to mention, hockey falls pretty flat in the D.C. area. The Capitals worship all things Ovechkin but before that suffered from years of junk hockey. Maryland has Basketball covered and can run with SOME big dogs in football. Still though, they don't have recruiting or the wholesale money to fund a D1 program.
Indiana: Well here is a no brainer. Indiana is basketball as Alabama is football. Name the last time Alabama won a basketball championship. Do the same for football at Indiana. Hard to remember without Google. So as much as this is a feel good story to bring hockey to the Hoosier state, it's not happening in Bloomington.
Purdue: Currently the only school in Indiana with a D1 hockey team is Notre Dame. Currently the only school in Indiana with a winning football record over the past 10 years is Notre Dame. Also currently the only Big 10 school to contribute anything to Big 10 sports in the state of Indiana, is Indiana. They won't be fielding hockey. So just reference Rutgers for this one.
Illinois: The copperhead. Has been above average in basketball and went to the rose bowl in football roughly 5 or 6 years ago. Large endowment and steady growth in the past years makes this school wonder why. Of the schools who have declared not to enter a program in hockey, Illinois is the only one to stump me. They have the money to make it happen, they have the recruiting grounds and they are within driving distance of a couple Big 10 hockey programs. Sad.
Northwestern: Contributes nearly no research to the Big 10 academic success, but takes everyone else's hard working research and culminates it into the Kellogg School of Business. The last time Northwestern did something in athletics, Blake Wheeler died. Of the schools without a team, this is the one with the most money from alums.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Nebraska awaits fate of Big 10 hockey
Much has been made recently about the Big 10 (B1G) joining the collegiate ranks in hockey. With Penn State joining in 2013-14, things are about to heat up. But how much does that play into the Big 10 succeeding in creating a legitimate hockey league?
I've supplied a link with some details:
http://www.cornnation.com/2012/10/16/3510000/could-nebraska-start-a-b1g-hockey-team
Copy and paste the link.
I've posted some of my own thoughts regarding the official declaration of Nebraska. Athletic director Tom Osborne released a statement detailing that " The University of Nebraska remains committed to the Big 10 conference in all sports. We will monitor progress with all due respect to hockey and consider options in the next few years".
Take that statement how you want it, but Nebraska is churning. As a former president of an ACHA hockey program (the same type that Penn State came from), I have had the opportunity to play and coach against Nebraska's current program. I can tell you that they are not slouches and the following on campus is high. High enough that when their on campus rink is in use, fans will drive an hour to the nearest campus.
Why it will work:
Nebraska is in prime recruiting country. Iowa has been planning for some time to convert their current ACHA team to a big time program, but lacks the funds. Many schools in the B1G have this same problem, but not many have the alumni that Penn State does to increase their program.
Nebraska is like Penn State. They have a rich following. They are in prime recruiting territory, and unlike Penn State they are the state's only big time show. Enter hockey.
Why it won't work:
Penn State is in euphoria mode. They have been playing some major programs with some good success. When next season come's around and their regular teams are Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota the records are going to fall. As in WI, MI, and MN scoring records. Not to mention Penn State should get some good games against BC, BU and Notre Dame. This is going to hit the fan base hard. Unless Nebraska is willing to follow the lead and prepare for some long winded losing seasons, this will go no where. This is why it's in the best interest of Nebraska to wait. Big 10 hockey won't fail, the Big 10 network funnels too much money into it's sports teams to let a program fail. But the rankings could fall and this is why Nebraska will wait and ultimately no-go the opportunity to add a team. Not to mention the school is required by title 6 to add women's hockey. That's hard to do.
The facts stand against Nebraska. However, I am all for another big 10 team. What are your thoughts?
I've supplied a link with some details:
http://www.cornnation.com/2012/10/16/3510000/could-nebraska-start-a-b1g-hockey-team
Copy and paste the link.
I've posted some of my own thoughts regarding the official declaration of Nebraska. Athletic director Tom Osborne released a statement detailing that " The University of Nebraska remains committed to the Big 10 conference in all sports. We will monitor progress with all due respect to hockey and consider options in the next few years".
Take that statement how you want it, but Nebraska is churning. As a former president of an ACHA hockey program (the same type that Penn State came from), I have had the opportunity to play and coach against Nebraska's current program. I can tell you that they are not slouches and the following on campus is high. High enough that when their on campus rink is in use, fans will drive an hour to the nearest campus.
Why it will work:
Nebraska is in prime recruiting country. Iowa has been planning for some time to convert their current ACHA team to a big time program, but lacks the funds. Many schools in the B1G have this same problem, but not many have the alumni that Penn State does to increase their program.
Nebraska is like Penn State. They have a rich following. They are in prime recruiting territory, and unlike Penn State they are the state's only big time show. Enter hockey.
Why it won't work:
Penn State is in euphoria mode. They have been playing some major programs with some good success. When next season come's around and their regular teams are Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota the records are going to fall. As in WI, MI, and MN scoring records. Not to mention Penn State should get some good games against BC, BU and Notre Dame. This is going to hit the fan base hard. Unless Nebraska is willing to follow the lead and prepare for some long winded losing seasons, this will go no where. This is why it's in the best interest of Nebraska to wait. Big 10 hockey won't fail, the Big 10 network funnels too much money into it's sports teams to let a program fail. But the rankings could fall and this is why Nebraska will wait and ultimately no-go the opportunity to add a team. Not to mention the school is required by title 6 to add women's hockey. That's hard to do.
The facts stand against Nebraska. However, I am all for another big 10 team. What are your thoughts?
Saturday, November 17, 2012
The ugliness continues......
I was so inspired by the play of the Badgers during their Friday night contest that I decided to record the game and put off a family event to watch it. As it turns out, that was a very bad idea.
The Badgers started off extremely well and even caused me to crack open a beer for their short handed goal. From the get go, I was watching the game on delay and I saw the poor offensive play come out. I figured that checking the real time score would be a bad idea due to the poor zone play. Then the short handed goal came, and I thought this might be a really good game.
As it turns out, Wisconsin ended up losing the game 3-1 and stifled down the trove of losses that has become known to their name. Rumpel did well, allowing two goals with the third being an empy netter. At this point, I maintain a high confidence for the Badgers due to their missing components. However, this kind of play cannot continue or Wisconsin will end up lower than anyone anticipated.
The Badgers started off extremely well and even caused me to crack open a beer for their short handed goal. From the get go, I was watching the game on delay and I saw the poor offensive play come out. I figured that checking the real time score would be a bad idea due to the poor zone play. Then the short handed goal came, and I thought this might be a really good game.
As it turns out, Wisconsin ended up losing the game 3-1 and stifled down the trove of losses that has become known to their name. Rumpel did well, allowing two goals with the third being an empy netter. At this point, I maintain a high confidence for the Badgers due to their missing components. However, this kind of play cannot continue or Wisconsin will end up lower than anyone anticipated.
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