What I am looking forward to on Friday.

Oh this one could be a doosie. For years I have thought of Michigan Tech as a lower tier team. They often finished last in the league and did nothing but lose on a consistent basis. I believe last season they finished with one win in the WCHA and 2 wins overall. Now they have a new coach and things are looking better. How does this tie in to a group for Colorado College?

Simple, CC plays Wisconsin who oh by the way got swept out of the opening weekend by Michigan Tech. Now all of a sudden that last home game(I think) of the season looks quite appealing.

Colorado College is a team full of heart and soul. Look at how they run the shop. You get to skate with the tigers twice a year. Try doing that with the gophers. We have a first round draft pick who someday will be making millions of dollars doing what he is right now: playing hockey, yet he will talk to you and sign autographs with a smile. That's not just Mr. Jaden Schwartz, that's the motto of the team and I like that.

But personally, I have a view of the WCHA that has changed this year. I see the WCHA in groups of top tier teams, mid tier teams, and lower tiered teams.

Here is my list:

Top Tier

North Dakota #1 -

They finish on top of the WCHA nearly every year. They get really good recruits and do good things with them. Of all their players, I really liked Matt Frattin. He got a DUI and rather than heading to the pro's he worked his way on to the team. A good character guy.

WISCONSIN #2

I am going to get shit for this one since I am from Wisconsin. I do not root for the badgers unless they are playing football or make it somewhere relatively close to the final four(basketball). In hockey I am a CC tiger fan. But Wisconsin has done well. They get decent recruits, but not the best. They have a national championship in 2005 and made it to the tournament 2 years ago. Good for second on my list.

DENVER #3

I will probably be never spoken to again for putting DU at #3, over CC. First off to everyone, I just want you to know that you can't spell dumb without DU. So there, DU sucks. Fuck YOU DU. But seriously, they get good recruits. Of all the teams in the top 3, Denver has the smallest following. They did win 2 natty's in the early 2000's, but since then have done nothing but flop. I give them #3 because of their recruiting power and wins they put up in the regular season. And let's just put this to rest, I am not a DU fan. See #4.

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Mid-Level Teams

Colorado College #4

Why oh why would I do this to my beloved Tigers? Well CC is a powerhouse in the WCHA. Take away CC and you don't have a WCHA. Just think about it. Penrose trophy, Broadmoor trophy....kind of makes you think a little. CC has a very long history. Two natty's in years way back but solid teams since. Made it to the Frozen Four in 2005 and have been itching since. So why would I put CC at #4? Well I have been watching college hockey for years, and CC in general for the past 5. CC has not had the best recruiting in the past decade but they have done very, very well. Never in the past 10 years has CC had a losing season. Pretty damn good. But CC is on the rise. Getting better every year and promoting skilled drafted players. I would say CC is easily a high 4, low 3 all time for the WCHA.

Minnesota #5

The gophers are a team that separates themselves from the rest of the league. They live in Canada's version of the United States(although Massachusetts people will disagree), so they are expected to win every year yet they don't. Unless Minny wins a natty soon, I don't think they will rise. Recruits are up but other than their last natty, they have no idea what to do with them.......See Kyle Okposo.

Nebraska-Omaha #6

The mavericks are new to the WCHA and about to be out all in the same breath(like every other member of the future NCHC). The mavs posted great numbers in the CCHA and moved over only for the prospect of playing in a better conference with members closer to their location. Fan base is not strong as the school is more of a commuter school than anything. They will grow in the NCHC though.

Minnesota Duluth #7

I always tell my friends that there is Minny main and Minny north. These guys are Minny North and that is exactly where the most recent NCAA Division 1 championship trophy is, courtesy of the bulldogs. The bulldogs have only one championship and have not fielded the best teams over the past 10 years. Last year's natty bumped them from a mid-lower team to a mid team. Another strong showing could be a great benefit for this program.

St. Cloud State #8

The last of the mid teams. St. Cloud has not made too much noise. Like Denver, they get a crop of draft picks but seem to do more of the minnesota thing and chase them off after consistently bad years. Last year a team fight in the locker room left 3 draft picks signing pro contracts the next day. This team is my pick for the bottom feeder in the NCHC.

LOW TIER TEAMS

Alaska Anchorage #9

Alaska has a very difficult situation. I have never been up there, but I have always seen the games live against CC. It doesn't look good. My friends who do travel up there for games against the gophers and badgers often tell me that the lure of teams doing better in the season doesn't help either. Alaska should benefit from the WCHA adding another alaska team in. This will give solid competition and move the team upward.

Bemidji State #10

Bemidji has been a powerhouse division 2 league for years. Then some boosters came along and got them enough funds to come to division 1. They have not done much since. I think Bemidji has a strong future in the WCHA after the departing members go. They have strong recruiting and are adapting to a much stronger conference quicker.

Minnesota State #11

I applied to Minnesota State and got accepted(st cloud too). I went for a tour of the facilities for the hockey players(because I LOVE HOCKEY!) and I almost cried. They have nothing like what CC has. The gym is junk. I didn't get to see the inside of the arena but from pictures it doesn't look that good. Minnesota State is a victim of being in Minnesota. Out of all the Minny teams, I think State comes in last. The other teams recruit real well and personally I find Mankato to be a very boring town. Any player who wants to see something outside of the game will not like the surrounding area.

Michigan Tech #12

Tech has long been the butt of jokes regarding hockey status in the WCHA. Often Tech has been the slop of the league and an easy 4 points for any team visiting. Traditionally the school has not given the team much in the line of funding for their team. They often lack quality recruits and seem like more of a junior team. That looks to be changing though. Tech is off to a good start this year and could contend for a home playoff berth if they continue their ways.

It should be noted that this space below this line is reserved for the most junk team of all:

DU

Okay the space above this is reserved for the most junk team of all.

I am looking forward to this friday's game. I think CC will do well and rebound against tough losses. Early defensive problems will be taken care of and the youngsters should learn quite a bit. Hopefully Howe can get his game going. We need him and he's always been clutch for us.

GO TIGERS!

CC vs DU: A lesson learned.

Every Colorado College fan has got to be kicking themselves right now over what was a very bad game by our Tigers. I did not attend the game in person, but I watched it on my iPhone while witnessing a similar defensive effort by the Avalanche. Nobody went home happy.
To analyze this game, we have to start from the bottom up to find the holes. It's easy to point at Guentzel, Howe, or Dineen for not stepping to the challenge or making mistakes. However, the truth is that our team is young and very inexperienced especially at the defensive positions. This year welcomes some newcomers in town: Aaron Harstad and Peter Stoykewych. Although there are more than just these two players who came in at defense, I focused on these two players because they both were in leadership positions on their last teams.
Of the current defensive players, only three players have enough experience to be considered "significant". Those players are, Guentzel, Boivin and Marciano. Until late last year, nobody saw Marciano as a two way defensive player. He has been an excellent stay at home defenseman who battles hard in the zone. He has been a little slow at times, but all of that was laid to rest during last years slaughter of Boston College. He showed excellent speed and great form, just what CC needs at this point. Boivin has been a work in progress. Due to a defensive core which included a captain from last year, Boivin was not considered a large go to guy. He, like Marciano, plays well but was often relegated to the last defensive line due to the depth of other players. When we did get to see Boivin, he often didn't play too much. This season will change all of that as Boivin looks to carry the team. Of the three players, Boivin has the the most potential as he really could benefit from being put in a leadership role next season.
That leaves us with Guentzel. Gabe is a great player and one of my personal favorites on the team. He plays well, leads well and earned the "A" on his sweater rightfully so. However, we can only expect one player to do so much before they show flaws. Colorado College has been blessed in the past decade with some outstanding forwards. Among them are Sweatt and J.Schwartz. Often players get compared to these two players and they don't hold up well. Sweatt grew really fast on the team and Schwartz is a certified all star. Comparing Gabe Guentzel to J.Schwartz is like comparing apples to oranges. Guentzel is a great player, but he's not the kind of player that Schwartz is. We have to remember that when our emotions run high after a rivalry loss like tonight. We have to focus on what is really the situation here.
Of our entire defense, only the three defensemen just described are seasoned enough to be considered vets. We have other seniors like bidwill and behrend who are great players, but bidwill was injured last year and like boivin, was not playing much do to the talent in the years before. Behrend has been all over the board and I honestly do not know that much about him.
This is why our defensive core did not hold up well tonight. We just cannot turn sharp corners without a flaw being exposed. Gabe cannot be on the ice every single minute, and he is going to make mistakes, especially when the entire team is looking for him to be the defensive leader.
GOALTENDING
I capitalized this because I play goalie. I love the position and I know everything about the mental effects that take place during a game. Getting pulled from a game is one of the worst things that can happen to you. You think you are doing well, but then as the game progresses you lose the ability to control your emotions, thoughts and actions. Soon instead of playing steadfast hockey, you are questioning yourself on every play. Wondering if it was your fault that the goal went in. In all likelihood, the play was just broken and you would not have stopped that anyways. Goaltending is about positioning. You either have it or you don't. Tonight, Howe did not. I really would not know what to say to him so that he could improve his game. His rebound control his good. His post to post work is excellent, and he carries himself well. The problem is the team in front of him is not giving him the breaks he needs. Howe is not a constant goalie. He needs help to finish off a game, just like 98% of the other college goalies. The 2% who don't need help usually leave for the NHL early anyways so they really don't count.
Unfortunately for Howe, this has been two straight games of lackluster performance. The time has come to sink or swim. Personally I think Owens will need to sit down tomorrow and evaluate what he saw from a netminders perspective. The question is: Should Howe continue as the starter? Howe is a great goalie. He plays well, but he's off his game right now. Last year Owens put Howe on a rotation with thorny and he picked his game up quick.
THE CONCLUSION:
CC is in a bad spot. The offense is taking off while the defense is learning. This is not a coaching error but a case of bad timing for recruiting. 2 1/2 years ago, CC had a defenseman named John Moore defect before the season started. To make up for the loss, Owens got Doug Leaverton quickly to fill the gap. Leaverton is now gone, which leaves that us a man down for experience. The point is: These kids will have to pick themselves up fast, or this will roll downhill quickly. But if they do pick themselves up, Tampa is not out of the question.
GO TIGERS!

SPOTLIGHT: NICK DINEEN

Today I wanted to take a little time out of my day to put a spotlight on a Colorado College player. I had three individuals, Nick Dineen, Jaden Schwartz and Joe Howe. After some careful consideration for the week I chose Dineen.
College hockey is quite a bit different from the NHL. Often the captain of an NHL team is amongst the top on the team in statistics(Crosby, Ovechkin, Sedin....etc.) In college hockey, not every team features the player who can score the most goals or do something statistical every game. If that were the case, Colorado College would have Jaden or Rylan Schwartz as their captain and last year Matt Frattin of UND would have been the captain.
No, college hockey presents something different. That element that is not in the NHL: school. Most captains in college hockey excel both on and off the ice. Our Colorado College blue liner is no different. In fact, you can thank him for last years playoff push and this years marketing run. During game 2 of the WCHA playoffs, Dineen scored a crucial goal in the 1st period of a very tight game against Wisconsin. That goal and celebration have been fodder for banners all over Colorado Springs.
So if a captain is not always a statistical leader on the ice, then what is he? Well, to keep it short, he is a leader. I never much about Dineen until I went to this year's captains practice. I watched as multiple players tried to get the team together for a simple drill. Four or five players tried everything they could, but never got the team to do one drill. Then Mr. Dineen stepped in with his take charge type attitude and in two words got the team doing basic drills. What were the two words? "LISTEN UP!"
You see, Nick does not need to even touch the puck to be a factor on the ice. His presence is far greater than any ability he has. If the play is going to fast and players are confused, Dineen will step in handle the puck a bit and pass it off slowing things down, even if he takes a hard licking for it. Dineen also has no problem with defending any of his rookies, as was evident against Bemidji when some trash talking took place and one of the players tried to upend Aaron Harstad. Although Harstad is a huge player, and didn't need the back up, Dineen stepped up and was ready to drop the gloves before some refs broke things up.
Nick's leadership is not just on the ice. He is a smart kid who shares his knowledge with other team mates. For his entire career at CC, Dineen often spent party nights helping players who were struggling with something. He is not only a leader, but a mentor to those around him. This is largely why he was chosen as captain. He's not a liability on the ice and he's a huge asset off.
Scott Owens once said that the best preparation for a game is done off the ice, well having someone like Dineen in the film room is a quality that no NHL team will ever understand.
In short, Dineen is a leader and he is why the team is where they are. He plays hard and he has earned his C the only way he knows how: Long, Hard work.

Best Arena's in the WCHA

I've written and read many articles regarding the highly touted WCHA and their buildings. Among some of the best places to watch a game are the Kohl Center: home of the Badgers, Marriucci Arena: Home of the Gophers, Ralph Englestad Arena: Home of the Sioux, Century Link Center: Home of the mavericks, and The World Arena: Home of the Tigers.
Before I get into the thick of this blog, I should put one caveat on here: I am a CC fan. I will try not to be biased.
Judging WCHA arena's can be a fun task, but reading what others have to say often is much more enjoyable. I once read a blog about WCHA arena's from a young man who judged them based on three points: Atmosphere, Physical Arena, and fan base. The gentleman was a Gopher fan who traveled on occasion to see his favorite team skate it out on enemy soil. His blog began by talking about how he admired certain Arena's over others. He gave the world arena a lower grade than magness simply by walking past it. If only he knew.
Anyways, to the topic.
For me, the best things about college hockey is not just the product on the ice. It's the building, the atmosphere, the fans and how the team shows itself off. I've been to quite a few arena's. In this one, the only arena that I will not have been to is the century link arena. I missed the fan trip because of the passing of my grandmother.
First up: Ralph Englestad. This arena is pretty nice considering every angle is carved with marble mascots of the Sioux logo. Statistically, the product on the ice has been second to none for the past five years. So any Sioux fan will be in for a big surprise when their team falters. The atmosphere in this building is electric. Although their sieve chant is a little annoying, the announcer does a great job of building things up.
Next is the kohl center. The kohl center and the ralph do not differ much. They both are premium arena's that offer outstanding views of the game. Both offer a circular upper bowl which helps the view quite a bit. In the case of the Kohl center, they offer three bowls. They sell out every game which is pretty good since the kohl center is the second largest venue behind Ohio State in college hockey. I am not much of a fan of bands because most of them are not very good and I can deal without the horns. Wisconsin is an exception to that rule. I love WI football, so the band is naturally awesome. There are only two college hockey bands that I enjoy hearing: Wisconsin and Michigan. The only real drawback to the badgers is their ticket problems. One cannot get season tickets to the same seat for Saturday and Sunday. You must two separate packages.
Now is Marriucci. I don't like this arena all that much. It's a straight up bowl similar to Lambeau Field in Green bay. there are no obstructed views, but the product on the ice is often not that great. I don't find any enjoyment in the fans spelling out their teams name. I love hockey, but watching a gopher game is pretty dull in my mind.
Back on track is the century link center. This is the one that I've only seen in pictures so I cannot do much of a review on it. I can say that UNO lucked out on their arena. The primary purpose of the arena was for city use, but UNO made it their home and it looks good from everything I have read.
Now for my favorite team, CC. The world arena is really hard to describe to someone who has not been there. It has a standard lower bowl, but a split upper bowl. The most similar comparison is the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, but quite a bit better. One would assume that the world arena offers bad sight lines with the upper deck blocks, however they would be wrong. The seats stop at the end of the ice on both sides, so all fans have an unobstructed view of the ice. There is no band, but plenty of fans take on rooting the tigers. A lady named Jill dances in the third period and an older gentleman roots the student section. CC has one of the best fan bases in college hockey. Unlike the big market teams like UND, MN, and WI, CC offers it's fans the chance to meet the players on a regular basis. Fans can skate with the tigers and get autographs from the players after each game. The atmosphere is really hard to beat, especially when playing DU. I have been to seven games against the pioneers and CC chants loud and proud. The place is guaranteed to be packed, and for good reason. The two teams have been Colorado's premier venue since the 50's.

My final vote:
World Arena-Tie. The tigers get a tie because they offer an incredible fan base and a great atmosphere. The tigers also have not had a losing record for over 10 years.
Ralph Englestad-Tie. The sioux get a tie because they offer a beautiful building, outstanding training facilities and almost always have a top level product on the ice.
Kohl Center
Marriucci Arena

Century Link center-No vote since I've never been there.