The CCHA is changing its standings point structure to allot the same number of points for each conference game. That means regulation and overtime victories will be worth three points. If a game goes to a shootout after the NCAA-mandated five-minute overtime, the winning team will get two points in the standings and the losing … Read more
Assistant coach Mike Guentzel has left Colorado College to take the head coaching position with the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL. It’s Guentzel’s third time heading a USHL team — he led the St. Paul Vulcans from 1989 to 1992 and the Omaha Lancers from 1992 to 1994. He then was an assistant coach … Read more
Goaltender Jase Weslosky will not be back at St. Cloud State for his senior season, the St. Cloud Times reported. Weslosky is academically ineligible, Huskies coach Bob Motzko told the newspaper. “He fell just short of fulfilling his obligations to be a student-athlete at St. Cloud State,” Motzko said. “But he’s a fine young man … Read more
Three-time Olympians Jenny Potter and Angela Ruggiero were announced Monday as part of the 23-player United States Women’s National Team roster. PICTORIAL: The U.S. Women’s National Team The team, based in the Minneapolis area, will take part in a 10-game, nine-city national tour ahead of the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. Twenty-one players will make … Read more
North Dakota has dismissed junior forward Matt Frattin after his second run-in with the law this offseason. Frattin, 21, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence on Wednesday, according to a team statement. Coach Dave Hakstol announced Frattin’s dismissal for a violation of team rules. Matt Frattin “This decision was made with the … Read more
A pair of former men’s college stars are among those set to be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. Tony Amonte, who put up 126 points in two seasons at Boston University, and former Vermont standout John LeClair were among four individuals announced Monday as part of the Class of 2009. The 1998 … Read more
North Dakota has suspended forward Matt Frattin for two games and reduced his scholarship money after he and a former Fighting Sioux player were arrested early Tuesday for disorderly conduct. The Grand Forks Herald also reported that the school is ordering Frattin to attend counseling. Frattin and former North Dakota defenseman Joe Finley were arrested, … Read more
Defenseman John Moore, who committed to join Colorado College this season before he became a first-round NHL draft pick, instead has signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets. “I wish the rules were different,” Moore told the Colorado Springs Gazette. “Unfortunately, I won’t be coming to CC in the fall.” Moore was the 21st player selected … Read more
Minnesota-Duluth coach Scott Sandelin has signed a two-year contract extension that will keep him behind the Bulldogs’ bench through the 2011-12 season. The move comes after Sandelin led the Bulldogs to the NCAA tournament with an unprecedented run through the WCHA playoffs. UMD swept at Colorado College in the first round, then became the first … Read more
As anticipated, the WCHA voted Friday to admit Bemidji State and Nebraska-Omaha beginning with the 2010-11 season, making the conference a 12-team league. The expansion is the league’s first since Minnesota State joined in 1999-2000. The vote, which puts the Bemidji State program back on solid ground only months after it became the first No. … Read more
Miami defenseman Will Weber was arrested in Oxford, Ohio, and charged with theft after police said he stole a purse from a bar on June 21, the Oxford Press reported. Weber, 20, a second-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, also was charged with offenses involving underage persons and … Read more
There’s no doubt that the pressure that is placed on 18-year-old kids at the NHL Entry Draft is unmatched, maybe even unfair. These kids trade skateboards and roller blades for business suits, sit through difficult job interviews with countless NHL general managers and have a media spotlight shone on them for three straight days. For … Read more
What do the Chicago Blackhawks, President Barack Obama and the Chicago Cubs have in common? Well, the obvious answer is the city, but the more important relation here is John Moore. This 18-year-old is undoubtedly going to be snatched up in the first round of the NHL entry draft, as he’s Central Scouting’s top-ranked defensemen … Read more
Mike Hastings is moving from his position as assistant coach at Minnesota to the associate head coach position at Nebraska-Omaha. Hastings will join new Mavericks coach Dean Blais and Nick Fohr, who as an assistant coach for former UNO coach Mike Kemp, in the new staff. “Mike Hastings has a proven track record of developing … Read more
Dean Blais is back in college hockey. Will his next move be back to the WCHA? That much is uncertain, but what’s known is that Blais is the new coach at Nebraska-Omaha, a move that was announced at a news conference Friday in Omaha, Neb. Blais, a two-time national champion in 10 seasons at North … Read more
St. Cloud State has given coach Bob Motzko a six-year contract through the 2014-15 season, the school announced Tuesday. Bob Motzko led St. Cloud State to an 18-17-3 record last season. Motzko, who has a 81-58-19 record in four years since taking over for Craig Dahl in 2005, will earn more than $1 million over … Read more
North Dakota has until Oct. 1 to get a long-term approval from two tribes to use its Fighting Sioux nickname, and that doesn’t appear likely. The North Dakota Board of Higher Education voted 8-0 Thursday to retire the nickname, which dates to the 1930s, if a 30-year approval agreement can’t be reached with the Standing … Read more
One of the burning issues with the Nebraska-Omaha program this offseason has become a little clearer. Mike Kemp has stepped down as the Mavericks’ coach to join new athletic director Trev Alberts’ inner circle of administrators. Kemp, the only coach in the program’s 12-year history, will be an associate athletic director at the school, and … Read more
Dave Starman sums up the Frozen Four and looks ahead to next season in a series of letter to coaches and players.
During the postseason, coaches often spout platitudes about how goaltending and special teams make the difference between winning and losing in the fierce battles of the playoffs. What is so interesting about this year’s championship game is that ultimately, neither goaltending nor the power play made as big an impact. While Boston University scored two-extra … Read more