College Hockey Roundup: Reg. Season Champs; MSU-Moorhead Won’t Go D1; Coaches vs. HCA; Frozen Four on TV

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Chris Peters

The college hockey season is drawing to a close. Three conferences have already crowned regular season champions, while the WCHA and Hockey East will do the same this weekend, with a lot still up for grabs heading into the final weekend.

Ferris State’s dream season continued when it wrapped up the CCHA regular-season title on Friday night without winning the game. Ferris tied Western Michigan and lost in a shootout, but that one point was enough to clinch after Michigan dropped a stunner to Bowling Green.

A 22-9-5 record, including a 16-7-5-1 mark in the CCHA is a heck of a season for FSU. Despite no NHL Draft picks on the roster, Ferris State posted a better conference record than the likes of Michigan, Notre Dame, Michigan State and Miami. Just incredible. Now Ferris has to get it done in the postseason as the CCHA playoffs begin this weekend, for which the Bulldogs earned a first-round bye.

In the ECAC, it was Union College wrapping up the regular season title. The rise of the Union hockey program to its consistent presence at the top of the ECAC standings is rather remarkable. It’s a big reason Nate Leaman was hired away from Union to become head coach at Providence College. Though Leaman left, Union hasn’t missed a beat. Under the direction of new head coach Rick Bennett, the Dutchmen have captured their second consecutive ECAC regular-season title.

Union has gotten pretty balanced production from its forwards, but it is the play of goaltender Troy Grosenick that really stands out. The sophomore goaltender’s numbers are ridiculous. A 16-5-3 record, to go along with a sparkling 1.64 goals-against average and .937 save percentage. He’s also posted five shutouts.

Union’s consistent presence at the top of the league is not a fluke. The Dutchmen may not be one of the best teams in the country, but this is a very good hockey team and could make a little noise in the postseason with a hot goalie.

In Atlantic Hockey, it was the Air Force Falcons who skated off with the outright regular-season title with a 3-0 win over Robert Morris on Saturday. The Falcons have quietly put together a respectable 17-9-7 record, including a 15-6-6 mark in the AHA.

The Falcons should be an interesting team to follow in the postseason, as they always are. To make it to the NCAA tournament, it will require an AHA Tournament title, but the Falcons are capable. It always seems like Frank Serratore’s bunch is going to be in the mix because of the work ethic and toughness every USAFA team has had. Don’t underestimate the Academy Kids.

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Posted in NCAA | 2 Comments

Paul Kelly Explains Surprise Resignation, What May Come Next

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Chris Peters

In the days following Paul Kelly’s abrupt resignation from College Hockey, Inc., speculation and various reports have surfaced as to the reasoning behind the surprising end to Kelly’s tenure. Aside from a radio interview in Toronto Wednesday night, Kelly’s version of what transpired in the lead up to his surprise resignation has gone largely unheard. The man who joined the hockey elite when named the executive director of the National Hockey League Players Association approached United States of Hockey about sharing his side of things.

Kelly confirmed to United States of Hockey that he was asked to resign or face action from the Hockey Commissioners Association, which oversees College Hockey, Inc.

Todd Milewski of USCHO reported Monday that Kelly’s forced resignation was a result of “an erosion of trust in Kelly from the commissioners of college hockey’s five Division I men’s leagues,” according to a source. Milewski’s source also informed USCHO that Kelly had recently approached athletic directors from ECAC Hockey to give CHI a more leading role in college hockey.

Kelly admitted that he had talked to two athletic directors on this topic, one of which was from ECAC Hockey, but that his intentions differed from what USCHO’s source relayed.

“The notion that I was out shopping to talk to athletic directors, that didn’t happen,” Kelly said in a phone conversation. “The suggestion that this was a power grab, that I was involved in trying to wrestle power or a money grab, if that’s a picture they’re trying to paint, that ain’t what happened at all.”

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Posted in NCAA | 12 Comments

USofH on the Air — USA Hockey Magazine Podcast

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Chris Peters

Earlier Thursday, I joined Harry Thompson, managing editor of USA Hockey Magazine, on the USA Hockey Magazine Podcast to cover a variety of topics.

Harry and I talked about the United States of Hockey, my time at the National Team Development Program, and spent the bulk of the time talking about U.S. National Under-17 Team forward Hudson Fasching.

I wrote a feature about Fasching and his incredible family for the March 2012 issue of USA Hockey Magazine. To get a bit of a preview of that story and to learn more about Hudson Fasching, check out the podcast right here.

You can also download it and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

Posted in Blog News, NCAA, NTDP, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey | Comments Off on USofH on the Air — USA Hockey Magazine Podcast

College Hockey Roundup: Paul Kelly Resigns; More Trouble at BU; Hunwick for Hobey?

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Chris Peters

Early Monday evening, it was announced that Paul Kelly was resigning from his post as executive director of College Hockey Inc. The announcement came from the Hockey Commissioners Association, which oversees College Hockey Inc. The news came as a total shock for pretty much everyone not directly involved in this.

From College Hockey News.

“The HCA would like to thank Paul for his service to CHI and wish him the best in his future endeavors,” HCA President, and ECAC commissioner, Steve Hagwell said in the statement.

However, the statement also said that the commissioners may choose to “chart a different course” for the position. The HCA has not said anything about a replacement, but may hire someone in the interim.

The timing and somewhat abrupt end of Kelly’s tenure set alarm bells off. The way the statement reads from the HCA made it sound as though this resignation was less than voluntary.

The muted well wishes and the “chart a different course” line made it sound like there was more than meets the eye. And perhaps there was, as Todd Milewski of USCHO reported:

Sources described a falling out between the commissioners and Kelly that had been a while in the making, based on a difference of opinions on College Hockey Inc.’s scope.

But the final straw, the sources said, was Kelly recently approaching athletic directors from some ECAC Hockey schools about meeting to give College Hockey Inc. a more leading role in the administration of Division I men’s hockey.

Kelly gave a different account to Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com:

“Time to move on. I told them I’d give them two-three years to get the entity established and operational,” Kelly wrote in a text to ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun. “It’s been 28 months and it’s time for a new challenge. Although I did enjoy being of service to the college; great group of coaches, media and other personnel.”

Notice that the commissioners didn’t warrant a mention, unless they’re the “other personnel.”

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Posted in American Prospects, NCAA | 1 Comment

HWAA: Top 10 USA Hockey Jerseys of All Time

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Chris Peters

In honor of Hockey Weekend Across America’s Wear Your Favorite Hockey Jersey Day, I decided to put together a little list for you. The U.S. National Team jerseys USA Hockey has trotted out over the years have been mostly good. So I figured, why not rank the 10 best?

USA Hockey has gone through many designs over the years, particularly in the last 20, and has a wide-ranging catalog to choose from. So, after the jump, a look at the 10 best USA Hockey jerseys of all time, and a brief look at a few of the worst.

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Posted in Hockey Weekend Across America, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey, World Junior Championship, World U18 Championship | 6 Comments

NHL, Seattle Could Be Good Fit

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Chris Peters

In addition to the looming trade deadline, relocation will be a big part of the NHL conversation after San Francisco businessman Chris Hansen unveils his plan to bring a new  sports arena in Seattle Thursday afternoon.

Photo: Wikimedia

The hedge fund wizard has hopes of luring an NBA team to the Emerald City. Hansen himself doesn’t want to foot the bill for a hockey team, but there are interested parties in bringing the NHL to Seattle, including Chicago Wolves owner Don Levin. If everything falls into place, Seattle should a highly attractive destination for the NHL.

For the NBA, it looks as though the Sacramento Kings would be the most likely to be on the move to Seattle, if this proposal succeeds. Then in the NHL, it’s plain to see that the Phoenix Coyotes would be the most likely relocation victim.

Still in search of a buyer, time has been running out on the Yotes future in Glendale, Ariz. I hate the idea of relocating a team, but it’s getting to a point now where options for staying in Glendale are becoming fewer and fewer.  If the NHL feels that it has no alternative but to relocate, when the time comes, there is only one choice.

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Posted in Grow the Game, NHL, USA Hockey | 2 Comments

American Prospect Update: Five Nations, Vlad Dzurilla Recaps; Links

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Chris Peters

Well, it wasn’t the finish the U.S. National Under-18 Team wanted. Posting a 2-0-0-2 record at the 2012 U18 Five Nations Tournament resulted in third place for Team USA, finishing behind tournament champ Sweden and Finland.

It’s a bit of a wake up call for the under-18s, as the team is just two months away from competing at the 2012 IIHF World Under-18 Championship. Perhaps a little adversity will be a good thing.

Team USA defeated the Czech Republic to open the tournament, but dropped its next two games to Sweden and Finland before closing out the tournament strong with a shutout of Russia.

Sweden cruised through the tournament, going undefeated, including a 3-2 victory over rival Finland to claim the title on the tournament’s final day.  Knowing now that both Finland and Sweden have strong outfits for the World Under-18 Championship, the U.S. is going to have to find some scoring help, after putting up just 10 goals in the Five Nations, with five coming against a weaker Czech team.

Coming up after the jump, a look at some of the best individual performances by U.S. players at the tournament.

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Posted in All-America Teams, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL Draft, NTDP, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey | 1 Comment

Hockey Weekend Across America Preview

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Chris Peters

Five years ago, Hockey Weekend Across America began as a way for USA Hockey to lead the country in a nationwide celebration of the sport. Every year it has gotten bigger and better and the fifth edition of HWAA should be no different.

Sunday, NBC will televise Hockey Day in America, which brought in a significant ratings bump for the network last year (its first year in existence). NBC’s involvement has helped spread awareness of the nationwide event, but it has also become a great way to cap the weekend celebration. More on Hockey Day in a bit.

While Hockey Weekend Across America has evolved, it has remained true to its three daily themes: Friday is Wear Your Favorite Hockey Jersey Day, Saturday is Try Hockey Day and Sunday is Celebrate Local Hockey Heroes Day.

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Posted in Grow the Game, Hockey Weekend Across America | Comments Off on Hockey Weekend Across America Preview

College Hockey Roundup: Ferris State (!?); Ugly Hits Mar Weekend; Beanpot Final

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Chris Peters

Raise your hand if you thought Ferris State would be the first team in college hockey to reach 20 wins this year. If you raised your hand, you’re a dirty liar, or you are the mother of a Ferris State player… and you’d still be a liar.

It’s almost hard to believe it took this long for any team to get 20 wins, but far more difficult to fathom that it was the Ferris State Bulldogs, which didn’t win 20 all of last season, was the first to get there.

The Bulldogs have a grand total of zero NHL Draft picks on its roster and play in the same conference with perennial powers Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Miami and more. But little Ferris State, one of the teams that was left behind in realignment, soon to be part of the new mishmashed WCHA in 2013-14 is, as of right now, the best team in college hockey.

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Posted in NCAA | 4 Comments

NCAA vs. CHL: Strengthening NLIs, Opening College Hockey to CHLers

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Chris Peters

The recent article in the Grand Forks Herald, in which Brad Schlossman interviews North Dakota head coach Dave Hakstol has stirred up a bit of NCAA vs. CHL conversation. It usually doesn’t take much to get tempers flaring in this hotly contested debate, and there has been a wide array of responses, both positive and negative.

The key points of Schlossman’s piece include the revelation that College Hockey, Inc., is pursuing legislation through the National Hockey League that once a player signs a National Letter of Intent with a college, he is off limits to major junior for one year of college hockey. Letters are typically signed in November or February of the year preceding college. This would prevent situations like players bailing on their commitment in June or July, which happened a lot over the summer (John Gibson, Connor Murphy, J.T. Miller among the notable decommits).

The late decommits are a real issue as they really tend to hamper college programs. It is not easy to replace a first-round draft pick, or any recruit for that matter, two months prior to classes beginning. There are more instances where recruits have bailed for various reasons, like coaching changes, or changing his mind about what school he wants to go to. However, the ones that frustrate the NCAA is when a player has made a written commitment to a school and that commitment is ignored by an outside entity, that has no such rules to abide by.

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Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL, USA Hockey | 19 Comments