Todd D. MilewskiWhere did things go wrong last season for Minnesota State? You could trace it back to before the season even started, before the Mavericks opened 1-4-1 or played the first half at 4-11-3. Before the games even started, the Mavericks lost defensemen Matt Paluczak and Jon Dubel for the season because of shoulder injuries. That … Read more
Craig Dahl addressed his team in preseason meetings with this question: If you’re in a race from St. Cloud, Minn., to somewhere in South Carolina, what’s the first thing you’re going to do? The St. Cloud State coach got a variety of answers, including get a map, make a plan, get gas, find someone to … Read more
Don Lucia and the Minnesota coaching staff knew this season was going to be different from an offensive standpoint. You don’t lose Thomas Vanek, Troy Riddle, Matt Koalska and Grant Potulny and just pick up where you left off. Still, the Golden Gophers coaches got together for a preseason meeting to discuss personnel and how … Read more
Chris Conner, Colin Murphy and Taggart Desmet broke onto the WCHA scene last season with a burst of offense not usually expected from Michigan Tech. It was the kind of statement new coach Jamie Russell wanted to see his team make. Russell, a former Tech defenseman, wanted to shake the Huskies out of their doldrums … Read more
Time does not speed up once you’ve won the national championship. It only seems that way. George Gwozdecky can attest. The Denver coach saw his summer reduced to a blur after the Pioneers won their first national championship in 35 years in Boston last April. “It was busier than I have ever experienced here,” said … Read more
Everything didn’t go perfectly for Wisconsin last season, but it’s hard to ignore how close it got to an unexpected breakthrough under coach Mike Eaves. The Badgers had trouble finding consistent offensive production and had subpar special teams. But the reason they were just an overtime goal away from the Frozen Four is the same … Read more
Anyone can win. A statement most readily associated with the suddenly pop-culture World Series of Poker, why can’t it apply to the WCHA, too? Why couldn’t anyone win the MacNaughton Cup this season? Minnesota-Duluth looks strong, but since when does the team that looks the best at the start of the regular season lift the … Read more
Let’s get this straight: North Dakota’s question mark early in the season is offense? Maybe that tells exactly how thin the questions surrounding the Sioux are. The early departures of Brandon Bochenski took a bite out of the offense, but UND returns seven players who scored 10 or more goals last season. Only Minnesota-Duluth matches … Read more
John Hill is no stranger to adversity with his Alaska-Anchorage team. Two years ago, an NCAA violation in the usage of textbook scholarship money leading to the suspension of a number of players was only one rough patch in a 1-28-7 season. But the Anchorage native and former Seawolves captain is also familiar with what … Read more
Wisconsin junior forward Ryan MacMurchy said Wednesday he will appeal an indefinite suspension handed down earlier in the day under the school’s discipline code for athletes. MacMurchy, a 21-year-old winger from Regina, Saskatchewan, was cited for misdemeanor battery after a fight outside a Madison bar early Sunday morning. That triggered the UW’s year-old Student-Athlete Discipline … Read more
Running list of Division I men’s players who have left school before graduating, since the end of the 2003-04 season. “Yr.” indicates the player’s most recent season. School Player Yr. Status ———————————————————————– Alaska-Anchorage Curtis Glencross So. signed with Anaheim (NHL) Alaska-Anchorage Chris Fournier So. academically ineligible, left school Alaska-Fairbanks Aaron Voros Jr. signed with New … Read more
June 26-27 RALEIGH — The following list shows U.S. college players who made the Central Scouting Service’s end of season North American rankings. (I) = Incoming Recruit (*) = No Longer With Team (#) = Chose not to Opt In Forwards/Defensemen *NHL Draft Selection* Rank Name Team Pos. Rd. Overall By 7 Drew Stafford North … Read more
June 26-27 RALEIGH — The following college players or recruits were chosen in the National Hockey League’s 2004 entry draft: (I) = Incoming Recruit (*) = No Longer With Team (#) = Chose not to Opt In Round One Pick NHL Team Name, Pos School (Conference) 5 Phoenix Coyotes Blake Wheeler, F (I ’05) Minnesota … Read more
The following are U.S. college players for 2004-05 who were selected to either the USA National Festival or the Canadian U-22 Developmental Camp. The Canadian U-22 team will be selected out of players from the Canada Red and White teams after the developmental camp. In contrast, the U.S. names its U-22 team prior to the … Read more
With Dean Blais leaving North Dakota for the NHL, USA Hockey also needs a new coach for the team that will defend the gold medal at the World Junior Championship in December and January. Jim Johannson, USA Hockey’s senior director of hockey operations, confirmed Friday that Blais will step down from his position as the … Read more
Running list of Division I men’s players who have left school before graduating, since the end of the 2002-03 season. “Yr.” indicates the player’s most recent season. School Player Yr. Status ———————————————————————– Boston University Justin Maiser So. left for major junior Clarkson Randy Jones So. signed with Philadelphia (NHL) Colorado College Peter Sejna Jr. signed … Read more
The WCHA is going to try again its proposal to experiment with replay-light in college hockey. The league is asking the NCAA ice hockey rules committee to approve its proposal to try out video review in regular-season games in hopes of being able to bring a small-scale version of the NCAA’s allowed postseason protocol to … Read more
There has been such an outpouring of support for the Denver Pioneers recently that coach George Gwozdecky estimates it’ll take two weeks — two weeks he doesn’t have at the moment — to get back to everyone who has called or e-mailed or wrote a letter. The Pioneers are keeping a busy schedule these days. … Read more
Lukas Dora, who scored the winning goal in Denver’s national semifinal victory on Thursday, has been suspended for Saturday night’s championship game against Maine. Dora, a senior from Lednice, Czech Republic, violated team policy, according to a school news release. A Denver spokesman said further details on the suspension would not be released. In a … Read more
Both Maine and Denver got the puck in the net on a first-period power play in the national championship game Saturday night at the FleetCenter. Only Denver’s counted. Gabe Gauthier put DU ahead early (photo: Tim McDonald). Top-line center Gabe Gauthier was the recipient of a great pass from Connor James and put a shot … Read more