This is the WCHA...

League Schedule Released

2009-07-11T13:40:00.003-05:00

Although most, if not all, WCHA teams have released their individual schedules for the upcoming season, the league released its composite schedule for the 2009-10 season.

This will be the league's final season before Bemidji State and Nebraska-Omaha join before the 2010-11 campaign.

Hastings quits

2009-06-26T16:44:00.002-05:00

Minnesota assistant coach Mike Hastings has left the program, according to Bruce Brothers of the Pioneer Press.

Hastings, the former longtime head coach and GM of the USHL's Omaha Lancers, has accepted a job as Dean Blais' top new assistant with Nebraska-Omaha.

"I know they were looking for a top assistant that, whoever came there, would have a great chance to take over," Lucia said, according to Brothers. "This puts him in a great position to hopefully take over one day."

Former Gopher hero Grant Potulny, who scored the game winning goal in the 2002 National Championship game in St. Paul, will take over Hastings' job on an interim basis. Lucia said a national search for a permanent replacement will begin immediately. Lucia said Potulny is a candidate, but nothing is guaranteed.

"Don's looking for the best guy," Potulny said. "If that's me, that's great. Everybody here wants what's best for Gophers hockey."

Moving to 12

2009-06-26T11:05:00.003-05:00

After years of fear about losing their hockey program, the people of Bemidji can finally rest easy.

Kevin Pates of the Duluth News Tribune is reporting that the Western Collegiate Hockey Association has officially agreed on expansion terms with Bemidji State University and the University of Nebraska-Omaha, and that those terms will be announced this afternoon in a 5 p.m. conference call.

UNO, which recently hired former North Dakota head coach Dean Blais to lead its program, is believed to have nogotiated a pretty sweet deal with the league in return for its leaving the CCHA. It's unknown if BSU will have the same deal, considering the Beavers had almost no leverage against the WCHA.

Among the terms being bantered about: A reduced fee to join the league, immediate sharing in the playoff revenue and an earlier start to WCHA conference play. Orginally slated to begin in 2001-2012, it is believed the league will expand to 12 as early as 2010-2011. That would allow the Beavers to open their brand new arena with a full WCHA schedule.

The WCHA last expanded 10 years ago, when Minnesota State began play in the league. The Mavericks had to pay $40,000 per year for three years and were not given a share of playoff revenues during that time. It is believed UNO, and perhaps BSU, will not have that arrangement.

According to league commissioner Bruce McLeod, league teams made $91,000 apiece from the playoffs last season.

Motzko signs 6-year extension

2009-06-03T17:02:00.003-05:00

St. Cloud State head coach Bob Motzko has signed a six-year extension to remain behind the Husky bench until at least 2015. The new contract will pay him more than $1 million over the course of the deal.

Motzko is 82-60-19 overall in four years in the Granite City and was named the WCHA's Coach of the Year in 2006 and a co-winner again in 2007. The contracts of sssistant coaches Eric Rud and Mike Gibbons were also renewed.

That leaves Minnesota State's Troy Jutting as the only coach in the league without a contract for next season, although sources close to the situation have admitted a deal has already been signed. Look for that announcement to officially come in the near future. The Mavericks are also seeking a replacement for assistant coach Eric Means, who became the head coach of the MSU women's team last month.

No vote on Bemidji State

2009-04-28T13:35:00.002-05:00

Bemidji State University's presentation for admittance into the WCHA was made today at the annual league meetings in Marco Island, Fla.

League Commissioner Bruce McLeod said the presentation was well received by the league's 10 members. A vote on Bemidji's application was originally scheduled for today, but was instead pushed back to allow other schools a chance to apply for league membership. The WCHA, in order to maintain a more balanced schedule, would like to have 12 members and not 11.

"The BSU student body, faculty, alumni, and the entire community should know that the league membership came away impressed with the University's commitment to the student-athlete, both on and off the ice, the long track record of success their hockey program has achieved, the breaking of ground for the new Bemidji State Regional Events Center, and the degree of excitement throughout the community and northern Minnesota for the future of BSU Hockey," McLeod said in a release.

The league's moritorium on expansion was lifted indefinitely as the league identifies and pursues a potential 12th league member.

"The Western Collegiate Hockey Association membership today took a positive step forward in their decision to embrace possible expansion," McLeod said, "we may expand once we have completed further studies and once we have been able to identify potential members that fit the league's criteria for membership. Obviously, there are numerous issues involved in expansion, just a few of which include the transformation from a 10-team, 28-game conference schedule to an expanded 12-member team format that would still enable us to protect our natural rivalries as best as possible, and to make certain we safeguard our successful flagship event — the WCHA Final Five.

"The WCHA has a proud history of being sensitive to the issue of expansion and the plight of other collegiate hockey programs and today's development is a further indication that the Association will continue its tradition of assisting in the growth and development of collegiate ice hockey with an ultimate goal of expanding."

To read the full release, click here.

League Links (April 15)

2009-04-15T17:57:00.002-05:00

Below is a special tax day edition of League Links:

- Kevin Allenspach writes about future St. Cloud State players and where they rank in the final NHL Central Scouting rankings for the upcoming entry draft.

- Andy Baggot has news of a young Badger recruit from the east coast, Corbin McGuire.

- Mike Chambers opines on the potential of next season's Denver squad.

- Kevin Pates cites reports from Moorhead on a potential new D1 hockey program in the Red River Valley.

- Doyle Woody reports the Seawolves have found their captain for 2009-10: former walk-on Jared Tuton.

Be sure to add the WCHA Blog to your Twitter! I will be link each new post to Twitter so you can follow along on the go.

WCHA to the NHL

2009-04-08T15:11:00.003-05:00

I received an interesting e-mail today from Let's Play Hockey Editor and former University of Minnesota hockey S.I.D. Kevin Kurtt regarding NCAA hockey players playing this season in the National Hockey League.

According to Kurtt, 279 players who played in at least one game this season in the NHL also played college hockey.

I decided to break it down further and take a look at WCHA players who made the jump, and found that 96 league alumni played at least a game in the NHL this year.

All 10 league schools are represented in that count and all have at least two players in the NHL.

Not surprisingly, North Dakota and Wisconsin lead the bunch with 16 players apiece with Minnesota close behind with 14. St. Cloud State follows with 13 while Denver and Colorado College each have 10. Minnesota State, Minnesota Duluth and Michigan Tech have five each while Alaska-Anchorage has two.

Just a note: WCHA applicant Bemidji State also has two alumni in the NHL, but that number was not figured into my total league count.

The New York Islanders had the most NCAA alums on its team this season with 19. The Minnesota Wild, with just three, had the fewest, although two of those are former WCHAers John Scott (Michigan Tech) and Craig Weller (Minnesota Duluth).

61 former college players made their NHL debut this season, with eight of the top 33 rookie scorers coming from the NCAA ranks, including former WCHA players Blake Wheeler, Kyle Okposo and Alex Goligoski (Minnesota), T.J. Oshie (North Dakota) and Kyle Turris (Wisconsin).

Kurtt predicts the number to grow, as 197 players on college rosters this season have their rights owned by NHL franchises, and a number of soon-to-be NHL Entry Draft selectees will play college hockey next fall.

Offseason League Links (April 3)

2009-04-03T18:17:00.006-05:00

Over the course of the offseason, I am going to try and bring you a weekly listing of the goings on from around the league. I will try and make it a Friday thing, in order to quench that weekly college hockey thirst.

With any luck, it will be October before we know it.

- According to Kevin Allenspach of the St. Cloud Times, St. Cloud State has begun offseason off-ice workouts, but Moorhead natives Jon Ammerman and Brett Barta have already done their share of heavy lifting back home — helping keep the Red River Valley as dry as possible.

- Mike Chambers of the Denver Post discusses how free agency has hurt the WCHA over the years.

- Shane Frederick of the Mankato Free Press talks all things Maverick hockey in this Q&A.

- Kevin Pates of the Duluth News Tribune reviews UMD's recently completed season.

- Grand Forks Herald beatwriter Brad Schlossman recaps North Dakota's season ending press conference, including the decision by Chay Genoway — the WCHA's Defensive Player of the Year — to return to school next year.

- Doyle Woody of the Anchorage Daily News reports on UAA's post season awards.

In other league news, Denver forward Tyler Bozak — considered by most the WCHA's undrafted free agent prize — signed a deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Last season's WCHA Player of the Year, CC goaltender Richard Bachman, signed a deal last week with the Dallas Stars.

WCHA eliminated from NCAA tournament

2009-03-29T00:18:00.002-05:00

Photo courtesy of the Grand Forks Herald

Minnesota Duluth loses 2-1 to Miami in the West Region final at Mariucci Arena, eliminating the league from the NCAA tournament short of the Frozen Four. It's the first time since 1999 that the league will not have a representative.

UMD's loss came on the heels of a devastating loss for North Dakota, which allowed the game tying goal with just 00.1 showing on the clock.

The Fighting Sioux led by two goals in the third period. The loss means UND will not reach the Frozen Four for the first time in five years and for the first time in the Dave Hakstol era.

Are there better things on the horizon for the league? Following the WCHA's last absence from the Frozen Four, a league team went on to win it all the following season and in six of the next seven seasons overall (UND in 2000, Minnesota in 2002 and 2003, Denver in 2004 and 2005 and Wisconsin in 2006).

In the immediate future: How many more underclassmen will the league lose? Check back often for updates and commentary as the WCHA rides off into the offseason sunset.

Minnesota Duluth vs. Miami LIVE

2009-03-28T19:56:00.000-05:00

NCAA West Region Final

UMD wins thriller; Denver goes home

2009-03-28T00:25:00.005-05:00

photo courtesy of USCHO.com

Man, what a game. Minnesota Duluth trailed by two with under a minute left, with one of the best goaltenders in the nation in the Princeton goal. But a high sticking penalty, a power play goal and a final last second (literally) hail-mary sent the game to overtime where the Bulldogs pulled it out.

Jack Connelly scored a power play goal with 40 seconds left to make it 4-3 Princeton before Evan Oberg floated in the tying mark with just 0.8 seconds showing on the clock. Mike Connolly won it 13 minutes into overtime.

Denver wasn't so lucky, as they were thoroughly manhandled by a better Miami team.

Tomorrow's West Region final should be a tremendous game... and could be very similar to the Final Five title game from last weekend, in terms of match-ups.

I'm sure UMD would love the final result.

Faceoff for Bulldogs-RedHawks will be 8 p.m. CST and will be live blogged here on the site. It may be a bit delayed, as I have commitments right up until game time.

North Dakota will also get its tournament underway tomorrow against New Hampshire. Faceoff for that one is set for 1 p.m. CST.

Princeton vs. Minnesota Duluth LIVE

2009-03-27T20:08:00.000-05:00

NCAA West Region Semifinal 2

Miami vs. Denver LIVE

2009-03-27T16:33:00.001-05:00

NCAA West Regional 1

Around the NCAA Regionals

2009-03-26T15:53:00.006-05:00

I'll take post a link to my preview and take a closer look at the NCAA West Regional at Marriuci Arena tomorrow. I will be there all weekend long providing coverage for College Hockey News, as well as this page. I will be conducting live blogs for both games Friday, and as long as there is a league team in Saturday's championship, I will live blog that too. Saturday's live blog may begin a little late, as I have prior commitments right up until face-off.

Please feel free to participate with your thoughts on the games or simply to follow along if you can't watch on television. We can also have a discussion about league events, early departures, possible coaches on the hot seat, or anything else that comes to mind. Entrance to the chat room will be available on the front page beginning about 20-30 minutes before face-off.

Now onto some predictions...

I finished the regular season with a very impressive record but went 0-5 last weekend. I'm sure I wasn't the only person to go winless either — last weekend's results were certainly unprecedented. Either way, I'll give it another shot this weekend.

Here in the West, I'll say an all WCHA final as Denver and Minnesota Duluth both win their first round games to advance to Saturday's championship. From there, I'll go out on a limb and say the Bulldogs (that's right, the WCHA's seventh place team), will earn the trip to the Frozen Four in Washington D.C. in two weeks.

I think any one of the top three teams could advance in the Midwest bracket, and after the Northeast, I think it's probably the toughest one to gauge. Notre Dame over Bemidji State is easy — the Beavers have given big teams trouble in the past, but the CHA was pretty weak this year, and their trip to the big dance will be a short one. The other game is as competitive and even a match-up as there is in the tournament. I think Northeastern wins a close one. In the region final, I'll pick the No. 2 seeded Huskies in a minor upset.

The Northeast region is a tuffy. If the North Dakota from Christmas time-on (until last weekend) shows up, I think they might be the favorite. UND will beat New Hampshire in game one to set up a great region final against Boston University, which will handle Ohio State. In what will be a classic of a championship game, I can't pick against Dave Hakstol — in four years as North Dakota, he has led the Fighting Sioux to four Frozen Fours. By the time this weekend is done, my guess is he's 5-for-5: North Dakota in another minor upset.

Finally out East, Michigan will beat Air Force in a game that will be closer than people think. Vermont will oust No. 2 seed Yale. In the championship, I'll pick the Wolverines on an overtime winner by Louis Caporusso.

In Review:
WEST
Minnesota Duluth over Denver

MIDWEST
Northeastern over Notre Dame

NORTHEAST
North Dakota over Boston University

EAST
Michigan over Vermont

Tying some loose ends...

2009-03-23T11:51:00.002-05:00

With the busy weekend of hockey at the Final Five, I made a point to keep the focus on the action on the ice.

None the less, two other teams around the league did make some news.

In Anchorage, the first of a potential flood of early departures became known as forward Paul Crowder ditched the Seawolves Thursday following his junior campaign to sign on with the New York Rangers. Crowder scored 14 goals and added 19 assists, registering a career high 33 points with UAA this season. Over his three year career, the Victoria, B.C. native played in 107 career games, registering 32 goals and 48 assists (32-40 -- 80). His signing is the first of what could be an exodus — forwards Josh Lunden and Tommy Grant are also expected to sign pro deals in the coming weeks.

Crowder's signing was just the first of the weekend, as Minnesota State's Trevor Bruess became the second league player to sign early, signing Friday with the Washington Capitals. Bruess took a step backwards this season in terms of point production, scoring 12 goals and five assists for 17 points — 13 fewer than his team leading 30 points in 2007-08. Bruess gained league-wide publicity twice this season for a pair of suspensions he drew following questionable hits against Minnesota and St. Cloud State. Known for his energy, Bruess scored 24 goals and added 37 assists (24-37 -- 61) in 110 career games and was a +61 over that span. He also racked up 273 career penalty minutes, third on the school's all-time list.

Please note the addition of the "WCHA Early Departures" section in the right hand column. It is organized by team and will be updated as changes occur.

One other MSU-related note: Shane Frederick of the Mankato Free Press is reporting that a new four-year contract for head coach Troy Jutting is in place and will be a done deal shortly. Jutting's two-year contract expires June 30. Since signing the two-year deal, Jutting has a 34-33-10 record and was the WCHA's Coach of the Year following the 2007-08 season. It was his second league Coach of the Year award. In nine years as head coach of the Mavericks, Jutting has a record of 142-162-44. The Richfield, Minn. native has been a fixture in Mankato since playing for the Mavericks from 1982-1986. He was also an assistant coach for 10 years before assuming head coaching duties in 2000.

WCHA nets three in NCAA tournament

2009-03-23T11:07:00.002-05:00

So for all the buzz that region host Minnesota would spring into the tournament thanks to its host status, the selection committee did the "right" thing by once again going by the numbers.

At least they are consistent.

I have made no bones about my distrust of the Pairwise Rankings in the past, although they seemed to get it right this year. Ohio State is a worthy tournament team, more-so anyway than last year's Wisconsin.

And how about this nugget: There is no Badgers or Gophers in this year's tournament. That doesn't happen very often.

Here are this year's brackets:

• NORTHEAST (Manchester, N.H.)
(1) Boston University vs. (4) Ohio State
(2) North Dakota vs. (3) New Hampshire

• EAST (Brideport, Conn.)
(1) Michigan vs. (4) Air Force
(2) Yale vs. (3) Vermont

• MIDWEST (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
(1) Notre Dame vs. (4) Bemidji State
(2) Northeastern vs. (3) Cornell

• WEST (Minneapolis, Minn.)
(1) Denver vs. (4) Miami
(2) Minnesota Duluth vs. (3) Princeton

I will be at the West Regional all weekend covering games for College Hockey News and may provide some live blogging once again, if people would be interested in that. There wasn't much participation this weekend...

I will be back later in the week with links and predictions.

WCHA Final Five Champion: UMD

2009-03-21T23:08:00.004-05:00

UMD becomes the first team to win three games at the Final Five.

The Bulldogs win their first playoff championship since 1985.

Duluth goaltender Alex Stalock allowed one goal in three games, including two shutouts, en route to the Final Five MVP.

MacGregor Sharp scores five goals over the course of the weekend, including a hat trick on Saturday night.

A night for the Connolly's: Freshman Mike Connolly has three assists — all on Sharp goals. The fourth UMD tally? Jack Connolly.

Congratulations to Minnesota Duluth and head coach Scott Sandelin on an entertaining, and impressive weekend sweep of three WCHA power houses: Minnesota, North Dakota and Denver.

In other league notes, it looks like Wisconsin and Minnesota will both be on the outside looking in... I'll have more reaction Sunday night after the NCAA tournament bracket is revealed.

Thanks for reading this weekend! Keep coming back throughout the NCAA tournament and the offseason for news and opinions.

Minnesota Duluth vs. Denver LIVE

2009-03-21T18:40:00.001-05:00

WCHA Final Five Championship

Third Place Wrap

2009-03-21T17:36:00.002-05:00

Wisconsin beats North Dakota 4-1 to take the third place game Saturday afternoon... but that's not the buzz around the X right now.

Well, we'll see just how much the NCAA cares about a paycheck... Wisconsin's win over North Dakota coupled with St. Lawrence's tie with Princeton means the best the Gophers can hope for is a 14th place tie in the Pairwise Rankings with Ohio State.

This situation, although similar to what happened to Minnesota State last year, is actually a little different. If you remember, numerous people, including myself, were upset because Wisconsin was in over the Mavericks, despite numerous other tiebreakers favoring MSU.

The fact is, Wisconsin was all alone in 12th, while MSU was tied for 13th with Notre Dame, which won the tiebreaker for the final spot with Mankato. That tie, in theory, is the same situation Minnesota is in with Ohio State — with one difference: Minnesota is hosting a regional. Notre Dame and Minnesota State weren't. That made it easy for the NCAA to simply go with the numbers.

Scream all you want about the numbers... the ones that have mattered most the the NCAA in recent years has been the ones in its bank account. Remember to factor in a bad economy. That should make for an interesting conversation in the selection room tomorrow morning.

North Dakota vs. Wisconsin LIVE

2009-03-21T14:00:00.001-05:00

WCHA Final Five Third Place

Friday Wrap

2009-03-20T22:39:00.005-05:00

Talk about a day for the 'dogs...

Denver was the higher seed coming into the tournament, but many thought Wisconsin had the edge, considering the long list of injuries Denver is nursing.

But the defending Broadmoor Trophy champions clearly intend to haul that hardware back to Denver following a convincing 3-0 win over the Badgers.

Read my UW-DU recap from College Hockey News here.

In Friday night action, Alex Stalock led the Bulldogs to a 3-0 win too, advancing Duluth to its first ever Final Five title game.

As far as NCAA tournament implications, Minnesota Duluth's win also puts them into the tourney next weekend. It's not official, but the math says its true.

Denver and North Dakota will also be in.

The only other team mathematically alive is Minnesota. They need a North Dakota win in the third place game, a Boston University win against Lowell and a Mercyhurst win over Air Force in the Atlantic Hockey championship Saturday. If all three of those happen, the Gophers will be in next week, no matter who wins in St. Paul.

Buckle up... it should be an interesting day.

I picked Minnesota last night and they lost. I never officially picked games today, but I'll be honest — I would have said Wisconsin and North Dakota. That makes me 0-3. For Saturday, I'll say North Dakota and Denver. Anyone headed to Vegas is advised to pick the Badgers and Bulldogs.

-Photo courtesy of College Hockey News.

Minnesota Duluth vs. North Dakota LIVE

2009-03-20T18:50:00.001-05:00

Minnesota Duluth vs. North Dakota

Wisconsin vs. Denver LIVE

2009-03-20T13:51:00.001-05:00

Final Five: Wisconsin vs. Denver

Play-In wrap

2009-03-19T22:50:00.002-05:00

Here is my story for College Hockey News.

And a reminder: Be sure to drop in all weekend for live chats on the blog. I will be providing updates and commentary all weekend from the X.

Now onto the game... Minnesota's in trouble... after spending time as the No. 1 team in the nation earlier this season, the Gophers probably won't make the NCAA tournament. They're going to miss a chance to play the regionals at their own rink. That won't make 'Gopher Nation' very happy. It will also make for a very empty Mariucci Arena next weekend.

Alex Stalock was the difference tonight... 39 saves. Minnesota didn't show up until late in the third period, and by then it was too late — UMD had a two goal lead.

The Bulldogs did what you have to do in the playoffs: Find a way to get pucks to the net and get great goaltending. No matter what happens, that's always a solid recipe this time of year.

The win moves the 'Dogs onto an interesting match-up tomorrow against North Dakota. UMD took three of four points in their only meeting earlier this season at the DECC. but much has changed since then.

Photo courtesy of College Hockey News.

WCHA Final Five Play-In

2009-03-19T19:26:00.001-05:00

WCHA Final Five Play-In

This is the WCHA...

League Schedule Released

Hastings quits

Moving to 12

Motzko signs 6-year extension

No vote on Bemidji State

League Links (April 15)

WCHA to the NHL

Offseason League Links (April 3)

WCHA eliminated from NCAA tournament

Minnesota Duluth vs. Miami *LIVE*

UMD wins thriller; Denver goes home

Princeton vs. Minnesota Duluth *LIVE*

Miami vs. Denver *LIVE*

Around the NCAA Regionals

Tying some loose ends...

WCHA nets three in NCAA tournament

WCHA Final Five Champion: UMD

Minnesota Duluth vs. Denver *LIVE*

Third Place Wrap

North Dakota vs. Wisconsin *LIVE*

Friday Wrap

Minnesota Duluth vs. North Dakota *LIVE*

Wisconsin vs. Denver *LIVE*

Play-In wrap

WCHA Final Five Play-In

Minnesota Duluth vs. Miami LIVE

Princeton vs. Minnesota Duluth LIVE

Miami vs. Denver LIVE

Minnesota Duluth vs. Denver LIVE

North Dakota vs. Wisconsin LIVE

Minnesota Duluth vs. North Dakota LIVE

Wisconsin vs. Denver LIVE