Mile High Championship

I'll be honest in telling you that I didn't think the University of Denver was going to be victorious. I knew a little bit about the Pioneers' roster based on the fact that they have ten Canadians, four Californians, and two Europeans skating for them this season, but they didn't have the big names that the other three schools seemed to boast as they entered the Frozen Four weekend. Perhaps, though, that was their strength because this Denver team played four lines with the same consistent effort and had a goaltender who simply went supernova while making stops in his crease. In the end, the Pioneers showed that it didn't really matter what names were on the roster as long as the school's name appeared on the trophy.

Calgary-born netminder Matt Davis might have rewrote the NCAA Frozen Four goaltending books with his performance. The former Edge School and AJHL's Spruce Grove Saints netminder spent one season with the Green Bay Gamblers in the USHL before landing in Denver where he's been nothing short of spectacular statistically with a 34-7-3 record over three seasons with a 2.19 GAA and a .919 save percentage. In his first full season as a start this year, the junior goaltender went 23-5-3 with a 2.34 GAA and a .917 save percentage.

What he did in the Frozen Four makes those stats look like a lazy beer league game. In four games, Davis stopped 139 of 142 shots he faced for a .979 save percentage, and was the first goaltender to shut out Boston College this season with Denver's magical 2-0 win today. And he showed off some of that magic with saves like this.
ESPN's John Buccigross may have said it best when he exclaimed that "Matt Davis is out of his mind" after watching him deny Ryan Leonard of what looked like a guaranteed power-play goal. That was a ridiculous save, and it's one of the reasons that the Denver Pioneers are the NCAA Men's Hockey Champions today.

In the four games that Denver played in the NCAA Tournament, they never scored more than two goals in any game. Tristan Broz was the hero in the 2-1 overtime win over Massachusetts, Sam Harris scored the game-winner in Denver's 2-1 win over Cornell, Broz was once again the hero as he scored his second overtime winner in Denver's 2-1 overtime win over Boston University, and Jared Wright had the opening goal and game-winner for Denver in their 2-0 win over Boston College in the championship final. In total, 13 players recorded points on the eight goals the Pioneers scored.

Head coach David Carle built his team well, and he'll only lose forward Connor Caponi and defence McKade Webster, Denver's captain, through graduation this year. With virtually his entire roster returning for next season assuming there are no players who transfer out, there's a strong belief that Denver may be poised for back-to-back championships following their NCAA-record tenth national championship. Freshman defender Zeev Buium will be drafted in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft this season, but it seems almost assured that he'll return for one more season with the Pioneers.

Take nothing away from Boston College's run to the final as they beat some very good teams to reach the final game. Sometimes, good teams run into hot goaltenders, and it was pretty clear from the stats and the highlight above that the Eagles run into a goalie who was on a completely different level in this tournament. With the likes of Will Smith, Cutter Gauthier, and the aforementioned Leonard looking at NHL careers once they leave Boston College, there will be other big games in which they'll play. Today, though, the Pioneers were the better team for sixty minutes when it mattered.

Congratulations go out to the Denver Pioneers on their incredible run to the NCAA National Men's Hockey Championship! While there may be a target on your backs next year after winning this title, everyone wants a shot at the champs. That's part of being the best, and to the victors, go the spoils!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Video Blog In Canada

This isn't going to be a glamorous post with stats and figures and well-reasoned arguments. I'm packing for a road trip tomorrow, so this is just going to be a straight-up mailed-it-in entry. I simply don't have enough time tonight to grab a seat, build and support an argument, and reason with facts. On the other hand, there are some great videos being put out about a couple of teams who I've been following this season as these two team advance to their respective national championships, so let's get you set up with these as the Colgate Raiders and Manitoba Bisons hit the road in search of national championships!

Let's start with the local women who are doing this city proud! The local CTV detachment honours great amateur athletes each with as their Sports Star of the Week, and the Manitoba Bisons women's hockey team were honoured yesterday! Big kudos to CTV Winnipeg and sports anchor Shawn Churchill for this video!

Don't forget that you can catch all the action when the Bisons play in London, Ontario this weekend on 101.5 UMFM on your radio, on UMFM.com, or on UMFM's Second Stream! As a side note to that, if you want to listen to all the games, Western University's radio station, 94.9 Radio Western, will have all the games broadcasted for your listening enjoyment! That's a great way to hear about the other seven teams playing!

After UND scuttled their women's hockey program, I needed a new NCAA team to whom I would pledge my allegiance. After having Krista Patronick on The Hockey Show, I made it my goal to follow the Colgate Raiders as often as I could. I haven't posted much about them here, but Colgate advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four for the first time ever in program history this past weekend, and I am excited for Krista and the Raiders team as they enter new territory as a program!

.@ColgateWIH is gearing up for the program's first ever trip to the Frozen Four! pic.twitter.com/HnN1iq0RKb

— Eyewitness Sports (@CNYSports) March 14, 2018

Big kudos to network WUTR and sports anchor Lucas Frankel for this video as they put together an outstanding piece on the Colgate women! While our focus will certainly be on London, Ontario this weekend, I'm sure I'll have updates to report this weekend on my favorite NCAA women's hockey program!

Congratulations to both programs on their advancing to their respective national championships! This is going to be a big weekend for me as a fan of both these programs! I'm hoping that both programs can bring home a championship banner, and my year of following these two teams might be my favorite year of fandom I've ever experienced!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Isn't That Backwards?

Let's pretend for a second or two that it's February 2018. You're sitting in front of your TV watching the highlights from the men's hockey tournament happening at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. Russia won big-time in their game. Finland performed well. Canada eked out a win. And that's when you do a double-take on the man wearing #1 and standing in the blue paint for South Korea. No, he's not Korean, and that's when it dawns on you that the curve of the blade on his goalie stick is facing inward rather than outward!

Who is this masked man, you ask, and why does he hold his stick the wrong way? Who is playing net for Korea?

That answer takes us to Clinton, Ontario where a young man tended nets in the Western Ontario Hockey League for the St. Marys Lincolns. Matt Dalton's performance in that league landed him in the North American Hockey League for a season with the Bozeman Ice Dogs in Montana where he posted a 1.63 GAA and a .940 save percentage in helping the Ice Dogs go 48-9-1 to secure top-spot in the league. Dalton would be named the league's MVP and a first-team all-star after leading the NAHL in save percentage and setting the NAHL single-season records for goals-against average and save percentage. The Ice Dogs would fall in the final game of the Robertson Cup, however, as Dalton's season came up just short from capturing the NAHL's biggest prize.

Dalton's performance didn't go unnoticed by scouts, though, and he was recruited to play hockey with the NCAA's Bemidji State University Beavers. His first season saw him play in only five games, but his second season, at the age of 22, saw Dalton backstop Bemidji State through the Midwest Regional tournament as the fourth-seeded Beavers downed top-seed Notre Dame 5-1 and third-seed Cornell 4-1. At the Frozen Four in Washington, DC, the magic in Bemidji State's run ended in the semifinal at the hands of a two-goal, one-assist performance from Tommy Wingels as the University of Miami-Ohio downed Bemidji State 4-1. Dalton was named to the All-Midwest Regional Team for his efforts, and the undrafted goalie who wowed a number of NHL scouts was signed by the Boston Bruins on April 22, 2009.

Dalton would spend six games with the AHL's Providence Bruins in 2009-10 before being sent to the ECHL's Reading Royals. Like he had done all his career, Dalton went into Reading and worked hard. It even earned him an emergency recall while Tim Thomas was at the Vancouver Olympics! He played in 46 games, going 22-20-4 with a 3.47 GAA and a .906 save percentage. It would be good enough to help the Royals make the playoffs as the seventh-place team in the American Conference despite finishing in second-place in the East Division. In the playoffs, though, Reading would catch fire as they dispatched Kalamazoo in five games, swept Florida in four-straight games, and narrowly lost in seven games to the eventual Kelly Cup Champion Cincinnati Cyclones in the American Conference Final. Dalton played all 16 games in the playoffs, posting a 3.02 GAA and a .914 save percentage.

Dalton would again spend a cup-of-coffee period with Providence in 2010-11, appearing in 16 games, going 7-9-0 to push his AHL record to 7-13-1. He would spent the majority of the season with the Reading Royals again, but showed improvement in going 20-11-1 with a 2.86 GAA and a .919 save percentage. Reading finished second in the American Conference and first in the Atlantic Division, and they met Cincinnati in the opening round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs. They took the Cyclones out in four games before Kalamazoo swept Reading out of the playoffs. Dalton would only play seven games in these playoffs, and his stats took a serious hit as his GAA ballooned to 3.15 and his save percentage dropped to .902.

Matt Dalton's time with the Bruins would come to an end that summer after Vityaz Chekhov of the KHL came calling. Dalton signed with the club, and he made his debut in the KHL on August 14, 2011 where he allowed one goal in a 3-1 victory over Metallurg Novokuznetsk. If there was one team that was memorable for all the wrong reasons in 2011-12 in the KHL, it was Vityaz. They were a collection of goons, and this goon squad brawled with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, Dinamo Riga, Avangard Omsk, and racked up the incidents and penalty minutes like they were going out of style. And on November 25, 2011, Matt Dalton would add his name to the list of brawlers on Vityaz when he engaged Michael Garnett of Traktor Chelyabinsk.

Dalton is still wearing his Bruins mask, clearly seen at the 1:00 mark, but I'm not sure he earned the win in this fight when he already was half-undressed when he started swinging at Garnett. That's poor form. Anyhow, Dalton finished the season 7-21-4 with a 3.49 GAA and a .909 save percentage. Vityaz did not make the playoffs.

In the summer of 2012, Dalton moved to a new KHL team when he signed with Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik. In 57 games with Neftekhimik over two seasons, Dalton went 18-27-7, posting a GAA of 2.64 and a save percentage of .917. Neftekhimik did play three playoff gamesin 2012-13, but they missed the playoffs in 2013-14. If Dalton was looking for a new opportunity, there was one coming on the horizon.

In 2014, Dalton was offered a spot with South Korea's best Asia Ice Hockey League team in Anyang Halla. In pitching Dalton to come and play for Halla, the South Korean Hockey Federation had their sights on Dalton to backstop their national team in the 2018 Olympics.

"It was kind of like that," Dalton told the IIHF's Martin Merk in 2016. "Obviously I had to go through a process to get my citizenship and nothing was guaranteed but it worked out and it's good. I love it in Korea. I love the everyday life there. It's very western-friendly, there's a big influence of Americans there. I've enjoyed it a lot."

And that's how a kid from Clinton, Ontario became the starting netminder for the South Korean men's national hockey team! Pretty cool, right?

Ok, so let's get back to him holding his stick with the blade facing inward. There's actually a fairly simple reason for it: he's a right-handed shooter!

And now you have the full story on Mr. Matthew Dalton! Matt will be one of the goaltenders for the South Korean men's team at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, so keep an eye out for that backwards stick. If anyone asks, you now know the story of the Canadian kid tending net for the Koreans and his funny stick!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Best Hit Of The Night!

No, it wasn't the one to the left thrown by North Dakota's Drake Caggiula, although that is a good hit he's throwing on Michigan's Justin Selman. The NCAA tends to see more stick work than I'd like to see when it comes to players administering a little vigilante justice since fighting is outlawed heavily, but it turns into a completely different matter when the officials prevent goal celebrations with thunderous bodychecks. Tonight's example of the official getting the better of a player is less about being out of position and more about standing his ground in perfect position as a player comes roaring around the net after scoring!

Drake Caggiula take a feed and heads into the Michigan zone on a partial breakaway. He allows the defender to catch up and uses him as a screen as he gets the shot off. Goaltender Steve Racine makes the save, but the rebound comes out to Caggiula where he has all day to pop the puck in the net on the backhand. And then he goes to celebrate. Watch this!

It appears that Chip McDonald stands his ground well as Caggiula comes tearing around the back of the net to celebrate his goal, and he runs square into McDonald's arm. McDonald doesn't even budge on the hit! Technically, that could be a boarding call, but I think McDonald makes a clean hit on Caggiula. The best part? Check out Troy Stecher tap McDonald on the helmet after the hit in appreciation! So good!

North Dakota, for what it's worth, booked their ticket to Tampa for the 2016 NCAA Frozen Four with a 5-2 win over the Wolverines. They looked sharp, they fired a pile of pucks at the Wolverines' net, and they capitalized on some shaky defensive work in the Michigan end. I'm not saying that the Fighting Sioux Hawks are going to win the NCAA Championship, but they're a dangerous team with a ton of talent who can't be underestimated.

Just keep your head up for officials, Drake Caggiula!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 133

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced hockey radio show, returns tonight with some concern for the Winnipeg Jets and their quest for the playoffs. The Jets are off until Saturday when they welcome the Vancouver Canucks to MTS Centre, but their late-game collapses against the Blackhawks and Rangers have them in a precarious position as they could be out of a playoff spot by the time that Saturday game rolls around. It might be the best time of year for hockey fans, but Jets fans may find themselves brokenhearted again.

You may not recognize the image to the left, but that's ok. Our in-studio guest runs the Twitter account @Jetsxoxo and is a Winnipeg Jets superfan! We've had conversations via Twitter, but I have yet to meet the mystery tweeter! There's a rumor that this mystery person may be a new volunteer at UMFM, so we're happy to welcome a new volunteer who happens to be a big hockey fan to the station by offering an in-studio welcome! We'll run our guest through the paces as we talk Jets and their playoff hopes, what they need to do to get there, Dustin Byfuglien's suspension announcement, Chris Kreider and his love of running the net, the Andre Deveaux saga over in Sweden, Columbus will check in with a full NCAA Frozen Four update, and we'll chat about the NWHL if there's enough time left at the end. Should be a beauty episode!

The phones will go live right after the show's intro tonight so give us a call at (204) 269-8636 (269-UMFM) if you want to weigh in! As always, will be live on 101.5 UMFM on your radio dial in the Winnipeg region or you can listen live between 5:30pm and 6:30pm CT on your web-enabled device at the UMFM webpage! You can tweet me anytime you like by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter. You can also post some stuff to Facebook if you use the "Like" feature, and I always have crazy stuff posted there that doesn't make it to the blog or show. It's all about you, the listener, tonight so tune in at 5:30pm so you can have your take on the hockey world!

PODCAST: APRIL 2, 2015: Episode 133

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 132

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced hockey radio show, returns tonight with another fully interactive show as we invite you to call and talk hockey with us! Because Beans, Columbus, and I have been overly busy with various things in our respective lives - there will be two announcements tonight as a result - we've decided to wing it tonight and just talk all things hockey. That, of course, opens the door to your calls and tweets, and we invite you to call in or tweet at me!

Tonight, we invite you to join us talking about the Jets versus the Canadiens and how games are basically must-win for the Jets from here on out, the return of the Jets who are fighting the injury bug and their potential impacts, the fate of Friend-of-the-Show Jared Aulin and where we would like to see him land, the comments made by New Jersey Devils owner Hugh Weber to POLITICO Magazine, a new women's hockey league and the impact it will have on the CWHL, the Minnesota Golden Gophers women's team winning the women's Frozen Four, and the NCAA looks to crown a winner in men's hockey! It's going to be a busy show, so tune in early!

The phones will go live right after the show's intro tonight so give us a call at (204) 269-8636 (269-UMFM)! As always, will be live on 101.5 UMFM on your radio dial in the Winnipeg region or you can listen live between 5:30pm and 6:30pm CT on your web-enabled device at the UMFM webpage! You can tweet me anytime you like by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter. You can also post some stuff to Facebook if you use the "Like" feature, and I always have crazy stuff posted there that doesn't make it to the blog or show. It's all about you, the listener, tonight so tune in at 5:30pm so you can have your take on the hockey world live on the air!

PODCAST: MARCH 26, 2015: Episode 132

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The Hockey Show - Episode 126

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced hockey radio show, returns tonight in the wake of the "Evander Exodus" as we get our alliteration on. As much as this will be on the minds of everyone tonight, you're probably at the point where you're thinking you've heard enough. We appreciate that, and we certainly know that you tune into The Hockey Show for our unique look at hockey. In saying that, we're not focusing on the trade. Instead, we're bringing you something different!

Nicole Haase, our favorite NCAA and women's hockey writer, joins us on the program, and we're going to talk about a number of topics. We'll chat about the current rankings in the NCAA for both the men's and women's programs. We'll talk about Harvard upsetting Boston College in the Beanpot Championship and what that means for the rankings. We'll talk about Shannon Miller's dismissal at UMD and whether her allegations of sexual discrimination hold water. We'll talk about Nicole's interview with Shannon Szabados and Shannon's revealing of a number of interesting topics. And we'll ask her how far the Wisconsin Badgers are going to go in this year's Frozen Four tournament!

Ok, and we'll even discuss the Evander Kane trade and how it affects the Jets and Sabres. It will be a small mention at the end of the program, though, so be prepared for a lot of NCAA chatter before it. To be honest, the stories and information that Nicole is bringing to the show tonight aren't reported in Canada, so this is a show you should certainly hear.

The phones will be closed tonight as we speak with Nicole, but the show will be live on 101.5 UMFM on your radio dial in the Winnipeg region or you can listen live between 5:30pm and 6:30pm CT on your web-enabled device at the UMFM webpage! You can tweet me anytime you like by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter. You can also post some stuff to Facebook if you use the "Like" feature, and I always have crazy stuff posted there that doesn't make it to the blog or show. We're excited to talk some cawlidge hockey tonight!

PODCAST: FEBRUARY 12, 2015: Episode 126

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Absolute Larceny

Sorry, Ottawa Senators fans, but this article isn't about that spectacular collapse your team pulled off tonight. Instead, it's about the woman to the left. Her name is Alex Rigsby and she plays for the NCAA's Wisconsin Badgers. Tonight, she was playing against the Harvard Crimson when she pulled off one of the most larcenous saves I have ever witnessed in hockey, let alone women's hockey. The highlight posted below will blow your mind for a few seconds, so be prepared. What Rigsby did can only be described as "incredible".

With Wisconsin leading in the third period of tonight's game, Harvard was pressing. Samantha Reber gathers the puck behind Rigsby's net and centers to Miye D'Oench who appeared to have a yawning cage to shoot at as Rigsby was stuck on her post. Easy goal, right?

WOW!

That, readers, is absolute larceny. Rigsby had no business making that save, yet she threw the lumber in front of the puck that appeared to be a sure goal! She got a little help from her defenceman in keeping the puck in the blue paint as a third Crimson forward tried to kill the highlight-reel save by crashing the crease, but that save was, as the French say, incroyable!

There's a push on Twitter right now to get Rigsby's save as the number-one play on ESPN SportsCenter's top-ten, and I'll be honest when I say that someone needs his or her head checked if this isn't the top play of the night. In fact, I'll go one further: ESPN is not a true sports network if this save doesn't get top spot. Rigsby's save is the best hockey play I've seen in weeks!

Congratulations to the Wisconsin Badgers on their victory tonight over the Harvard Crimson in the NCAA Frozen Four Quarterfinal! The Badgers now advance to the Frozen Four tournament against their arch-rivals in the top-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers, but the fourth-seed should be considered a dangerous foe thanks to goaltender Alex Rigsby's abilities and her never giving up on a play!

Even if SportsCenter doesn't give Alex the highlight of the night, she's earned it here on HBIC. I know it doesn't hold the same prestige, but that was one helluva save!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Frozen Four Kicks Off

The NCAA's biggest tournament in men's hockey starts today, and there are a number of intriguing story lines to be followed. Minnesota, who was dominant all year, comes in as the second-seeded team after Quinnipiac held onto the top spot in the poll. Two other Minnesota teams - St. Cloud State and Minnesota State-Mankato - are also in the tournament along with Denver, North Dakota, and Wisconsin from the powerful midwest collegiate hockey teams. UMass-Lowell is back for a second year as the third-seeded team, and Notre Dame enters as the fourth-ranked team. Who will advance to Pittsburgh is a toss-up in a one-game match, so let's check out the brackets.

The Quinnipiac bracket has the top-seeded team playing the surprising Canisius College Griffins while the Union (NY) Dutchmen square off against the Boston College Eagles. Quinnipiac (27-7-5, 1st) should be able to get past Canisius College (19-18-5, 20th) in their game. Quinnipiac didn't struggle against many lower-ranked teams this season, so there's no reason why they shouldn't dispatch the Griffins. However, one-game series make it anyone's game, and a mistake here or there could see the top-seed eliminated early.

Union (21-12-5, 13th) went on a magical run last year, and then came out and played solid hockey all season. They showed that last year's run in the Frozen Four tournament was no fluke as they pieced together an excellent season. Boston College (22-11-4, 6th) is a mainstay in the Frozen Four tournament, and they look like they'll do well in this year's tournament as well. Boston College played well in all zones, and has solid scoring and defence. I haven't seen Union play at all this season, so my knowledge of them is limited. I do like how they played last season, though, so I'll picking Union over Boston College in this game.

The Minnesota bracket has the second-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers playing the Yale Bulldogs while the North Dakota Not-Called-Sioux are playing against the Niagara Purple Eagles. Minnesota (26-8-5, 2nd) looked like a powerhouse all season long, but they did struggle in their own zone at times this season. They can score in bunches, though, but one-game playoffs may prove troublesome. Yale (18-12-3, 15th) didn't get much coverage here in the middle of Canada, but the Ivy League school certainly held their own this season in the ECAC. Yale is certainly an unknown, but they do have great defence and solid goaltending, and a hot goaltender can shutdown a good offence in a one-game series. I'm not saying Minnesota will lose this game, but I wouldn't put money on them either. Yale, simply, is too good to overlook.

North Dakota (21-12-7, 7th) always finds a way into the tournament, and they have a knack for winning big games. I watched them play a few games this season, and they can score when given the chance. Teams would be wise to keep their shifty, small forwards on the outside. If they can continue their winning ways, NoDak may be a tough out at this year's Frozen Four. The Niagara Purple Eagles (23-9-5, 14th) didn't have the most difficult schedule, so their ranking might be a bit overhyped. Niagara uses solid defence and good forechecking to win games, but they simply don't have the scoring pop to win shootouts. While Niagara looks good on paper, I sense that North Dakota's recent string of success will carry over as they have found the winning formula on their team.

The UMass-Lowell bracket featured the third-seeded RiverHawks squaring off against Wisconsin Badgers while the Denver Pioneers meet up with the New Hampshire Wildcats. UMass-Lowell (26-10-2, 3rd), like Union, turned a solid run in last year's Frozen Four into an excellent season this year. They have great goaltending, a deep team, and lots of speed that carried them to the third-seed. UMass-Lowell also has the experience of last season's tournament, so they shouldn't be overwhelmed in this year's tournament. Wisconsin (22-12-7, 8th) had an up-and-down season as they battled. They didn't really get on-track in terms of having a "Badgers season" where wins piled up, so they might be vulnerable. I'm going to say UMass-Lowell will win, but don't count the Badgers out of any game until the final horn sounds.

The Denver Pioneers (20-13-5, 12th) are a solid team, but they have their weaknesses - lack of scoring punch and a soft blue line. They get great goaltending, but they need to be far more physical in their own zone to do well in this tournament. They can't let New Hampshire skate on them. The New Hampshire Wildcats (19-11-7, 10th) don't get enough credit as an elite team due to their schedule. The Wildcats score in bunches and then hold onto leads vigorously, but this has burned them a couple of times during the season. In a one-game series, they'll do well with their opportunistic hockey as they should capitalize on mistakes. I like Denver, but my head is telling me New Hampshire in this game.

The Miami-Ohio RedHawks face off against the Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks while the fourth-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the St. Cloud State Huskies. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (25-12-3, 4th) won some big games this season, and that has helped them in the rankings. In saying that, the Irish do have some issues to work through - secondary scoring and defensive zone coverage. The Irish are solid, though, when firing on all cylinders, but you need scoring and a commitment to defence to win. I'm not sure this tournament is for them. I was lucky enough to see St. Cloud State (23-15-1, 9th) play Minnesota-Duluth on TV a couple of weeks ago, and this is a team that might come in under the radar. St. Cloud won't blow anyone out of the water, but they good fundamental hockey and are sound in their own zone. Honestly, I liked what I saw from St. Cloud State, and I think they'll be very successful against Notre Dame.

The Miami-Ohio RedHawks (24-11-5, 5th) come into the tournament looking extremely solid. Miami has excellent goaltending and they defend their zone well, making goal-scoring their only concern - a concern that really isn't that large. They can score when given the opportunity and have the guns to make any team worried, and I would have had them ranked higher than their fifth-seeded standing. Minnesota State-Mankato (24-13-3, 11th) is another hockey powerhouse from the state of Minnesota, but their Achilles' heel could be their defensive zone coverage. Like the Gophers, they tend to get caught running around their own zone at times, causing major breakdowns. While they can score to erase those mistakes, singular playoff games don't allow for many mistakes to be made. I like Miami-Ohio in this one.

There are my predictions for the opening round of the Frozen Four Tournament. I'm excited for this year's tournament, and I'll be cheering for the North Dakota Not-The-Sioux as the tournament progresses. Good luck to all the teams!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

The New Number One Team

I would bet that the vast majority of Canadians have no idea where Quinnipiac University is. Most can probably guess that it's in the United States, but as to where exactly it is? Not a chance. Granted, I only know thanks to my interest in NCAA hockey, but Quinnipiac has done something it never has before in its history of being an NCAA Division 1 hockey program. For the first time ever, Quinnipiac is ranked as the top team in collegiate hockey, and they are riding a win streak not seen in the annals of their storied program.

The Hamden, Connecticut-based university men's hockey team reached the top spot in the USCHO.com Division 1 poll for the first time based on the strength of their 21-3-4 overall record combined with their 14-0-2 ECAC Hockey record. After defeating Colgate twice this past weekend, the Bobcats have run their NCAA-leading undefeated streak to 21 games - 18-0-3 in that time - and have not posted a regulation loss since November 6, 2012.

"I think, looking back, to me it's more than impressive that in only our 15th year as a Division I program, that we’re the number-one team in the country," head coach Rand Pecknold said. "I think it's something our fans, alumni and our administration can enjoy. For us, as players and coaches, we'll enjoy it for about 15 minutes and get ready to play St. Lawrence."

The Bobcats were ranked behind Minnesota in the last poll, and the two teams swapped spots in this poll as Quinnipiac captured 41 of 50 first-place votes and 983 total points in the USCHO.com top-20 poll to bump Minnesota out of top spot. Quinnipiac also remains in the lead in the PairWise Rankings, a ranking they have held since January 19. The Pairwise Rankings is a system which mimics the NCAA selection committee's criteria for the seeding of the NCAA Frozen Four Tournament. Needless to say, the Bobcats are the top team in the NCAA without question.

What makes this more impressive is that Quinnipiac is the only squad in the nation that has twenty or more wins in the NCAA at this time. They have rode their 21-game streak to the school's first Number One ranking in any sport. Forward Jeremy Langlois leads the team with 11 goals and 26 points in 27 games while goaltender Eric Hartzell is putting up ridiculous number between the pipes - a 21-2-4 record, a 1.46 GAA, a .936 save percentage, and hasn't lost since a 5-1 defeat against Colgate on October 27. Yeah, this team is getting big contributions from two seniors.

There are eleven players outside of Langlois who have hit double-digit in points. Eight players outside of Langlois have five or more goals. Only two players - Alex Barron and Reese Rolheiser - are minus-players this season, and both are a -1. Langlois, for all it matters, is tied for 42nd in the nation in scoring, but the fact that Quinnipiac has half of their team in double-digits in scoring shows that teams can't just focus on Langlois. There are weapons all over this lineup just waiting to score goals.

Quinnipiac, for all their worth, appear to be a lock for the ECAC's Cleary Cup. They will battle the 13-11-4 (6-6-4) St. Lawrence Saints in a divisional game this weekend, but I'm not sure that St. Lawrence will present much of a battle for Quinnipiac. Based on their schedule, it appears the Quinnipiac Bobcats may stay on top of the NCAA for some time.

It will be interesting to see where the Bobcats finish this season in the Frozen Four tournament where a one-game format can kill the dreams of any program. Here's hoping the Bobcats can make a run in the season-ending tournament.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Soaring To A Championship

The Tampa Bay Lightning closed out the season in Winnipeg with a win in overtime last night, but there was some serious hockey action happening at the Tampa Bay Times Forum with the final of the 2012 NCAA Frozen Four tournament taking place. The heavily-favoured Boston College Eagles, riding an 18-game winning streak, met underdog Ferris State in the final, and there was hope that the Bulldogs could continue their upsetting ways in upending the Eagles. Before we get to that story, we'll look at the paths that each team took in arriving at the final.

On the opening weekend of the tournament, all 16 teams were in action and there were certainly some upsets that affected how the tournament played out through the next few rounds.

ROUND ONE

Top-ranked Boston College opened the tournament with a 2-0 win over Air Force. Defending champion Minnesota-Duluth downed the Maine Black Bears by a 5-2 score, setting up a meeting between Boston College and Minnesota-Duluth in what looked to be the best second-round match-up at that point.

Minnesota downed Boston University by a 7-3 score in the highest scoring game of the opening round. Fourth-ranked North Dakota downed Western Michigan by a 3-1 score, setting up a second-round WCHA battle between arch-rivals Minnesota and North Dakota with a trip to Tampa Bay in store for the winner. And suddenly we had two intriguing match-ups on the second day of the tournament.

On the other side of the bracket, third-ranked Union knocked off Michigan State by a 3-1 score in their opening game. The University of Massachusetts-Lowell knocked off the University of Miami (Ohio) in overtime by a 4-3 score in what was one of the best games of the tournament. That set up a meeting between Union and UMass-Lowell on the second day of the tournament.

Ferris State won a close battle with Denver by a 2-1 score, eliminating the fourth entrant from the WCHA in this tournament. Cornell pulled off a major upset over the second-ranked Michigan Wolverines with a 3-2 win. In what appeared to be the weakest second-round game, Ferris State would meet Cornell with a trip to Tampa Bay on the line.

ROUND TWO

Boston College booked their tickets to Tampa Bay with a convincing 4-0 win over defending champion Minnesota-Duluth. In their second shutout of the tournament, Boston College was outshot 33-24, but the Eagles showed that they make their shots count with four goals on 24 shots. The top-ranked team showed why they were dangerous as they had yet to allow a goal in two tournament games against two of the best sixteen teams in the nation.

In the all-WCHA NCAA Quarterfinal, Minnesota punched their tickets to Tampa Bay by knocking off the fourth-ranked North Dakota Fighting Sioux by a 5-2 score. The Golden Gophers had a goal and an assist from each of Travis Boyd, Nate Condon, and Taylor Matson in the victory. The WCHA would be represented by another Minnesota-based school in the Frozen Four as the Golden Gophers would meet the Boston College Eagles in Tampa Bay.

On the other side, Union met with the UMass-Lowell River Hawks, and Union continued to play their stifling defence that led them to the third-seed. Union only gave up 21 shots in holding the River Hawks to a pair of goals in a 4-2 victory. Jeremy Welsh matched his jersey number with his 27th goal of the season in this game, and Union booked their plane tickets to Tampa Bay with this victory.

Ferris State and Cornell squared off in the final quarterfinal game, and this game was a defensive battle from the drop of the puck. Ferris State's Garret Thompson opened the scoring eleven seconds into the third period on a powerplay! Much like their game against Michigan, Cornell was content with grinding out a close game. They did tie the game 1:21 after Ferris State opened the scoring, and it appeared that both teams were content to sit back and wait. At 6:54, Jordie Johnston put Ferris State up, and that's how this grinding game would end. Ferris State would move on to Tampa Bay and a date with Union in what looked like another defensive, grinding affair in the semi-final.

SEMI-FINALS

Boston College's goaltender Parker Milner entered the game with a goals-against average of 0.00 in the tournament, so there was a major hurdle facing Minnesota's offence as they entered the April 5 game against the top-ranked Eagles. It didn't get any easier when Boston College's Steven Whitney opened the scoring 6:03 into the game. While Minnesota took a lot of shots, Milner held the fort as Boston College led 1-0 after the opening twenty minutes.

The six-minute mark in the second period hurt Minnesota against as Boston College's Kevin Hayes fired a puck past Kent Patterson at 6:35 to put Boston College up 2-0. Boston College wasn't done as there, though, as they struck late in the period twice to double their lead. First, Chris Kreider put one home at the 17:45 mark, and then Paul Carey added another goal with 17 seconds left in the period. With Boston College leading 4-0, the writing was on the wall for Minnesota.

Credit the Golden Gophers for not just laying down, though. After some hard work in the Eagles' zone, Jake Hansen broke Parker Milner's eight-period shutout streak when he scored at the 1:26 mark of the third period. The euphoria was short-lived, though, as Paul Carey scored his second goal of the game just 22 seconds later. Brian Dumoulin put Boston College up 6-1 with a powerplay goal at 5:51, and the Eagles rode that score to victory. With the win, Boston College would enter the Frozen Four Final with an 18-game winning streak intact, and a chance to win their fifth national collegiate championship.

In the other semi-final, it was an all-defensive affair for most of the game as Ferris State and third-ranked Union met to determine who would battle Boston College for the NCAA Men's Hockey Championship. The opening period produced no goals, so things were going as expected. However, Union opened the scoring 7:56 into the second period when Daniel Carr found the back of the net to put Union up 1-0. Ferris State would respond before the period was up, though, as Aaron Schmit's shot on the powerplay dented the twine to even the score at 1-1 after forty minutes.

As the game dragged into the third period, it looked as though both teams were content for an overtime goal ending the game. However, Ferris State put the pressure on Union when Kyle Bonis scored with 4:43 remaining in the game. Suddenly, the defensively-minded Union Dutchman now needed a goal to keep their season alive, and time was not on their side. With the Dutchmen pushing, the Bulldogs iced the game with Aaron Schmit's second goal of the game with just 55 seconds remaining. The Bulldogs once again pulled off a major upset as they downed the third-ranked Union Dutchmen 3-1 to advance to the Frozen Four Final.

FINAL

Ferris State entered the game as the decided underdog despite being the ninth-best team in the nation. However, the 18-game winning streak combined with Boston College's impressive 32-10-1 record over the season put Ferris State at a disadvantage when it came to the on-paper comparison. Ferris State, however, had upset the second-ranked Michigan Wolverines and the third-ranked Union Dutchmen, and was looking to become the first team in NCAA Men's Hockey history to upset the top-three seeds on the way to the National Championship.

It didn't start well for Ferris State if they were hoping to pull off the upset. Just 3:18 in, Steven Whitney put the Eagles up by a 1-0 score by putting home a rebound. Ferris State showed some good hustle, though, and they were rewarded 2:01 later. Garrett Thompson beat Parker Milner off a rebound at 5:19 to even the score at 1-1 in the championship. However, Boston College would escape the first period with the lead as Paul Carey's deflection found its way in for a powerplay goal at 10:33 put the Eagles up 2-1, and that score would carry into the first intermission.

The second period would go scoreless as both teams missed on several good chances to increase their scores, so the 2-1 score would start the third period. Boston College dominated the third period with a 15-6 shot difference as they poured on the pressure. With 3:01 to play, Johnny Gaudreau beat Taylor Nelson, and the Eagles found themselves up by a 3-1 score. Steven Whitney's second goal of the game with 1:03 to play was into an empty net, and the celebration was on as Boston College downed the Ferris State Bulldogs by a 4-1 score to win the 2012 NCAA Men's Hockey National Championship!

After the game and the celebration had subsided, there were a few announcements. Boston College goaltender Parker Milner was named as the 2012 Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player after posting four wins and a 0.50 GAA in leading the Eagles to the championship. The Frozen Four All-Star team was made up of players from Boston College and Ferris State, the two finalists. The team was named as follows:

• F - Kyle Bonis, Ferris State
• F - Paul Carey, Boston College
• F - Steven Whitney, Boston College
• D - Chad Billins, Ferris State
• D - Brian Dumoulin, Boston College
• G - Parker Milner, Boston College

I present to you the 2012 NCAA Men's Hockey Champions, the Boston College Eagles!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

HBIC Housekeeping

With the final day of NHL regular season action upon us, seedings and playoff match-ups are being decided as I write this. Everyone, even those who aren't the biggest of hockey fans, loves the Stanley Cup Playoffs because of the drama and intrigue that goes into every series. What makes it special for fans here on HBIC is the annual Playoff Pool, and I'm proud to say that the Fifth Annual HBIC Playoff Pool spreadsheet is posted below! Tell your friends, tell your family, tell your co-workers, and tell your fiercest rivals that the ALWAYS-FREE HBIC Playoff Pool officially opens for business tonight!

I do have a little clean-up to do, though. First, I will be updating the 2012 NCAA Frozen Four Tournament tomorrow. The Frozen Four Final was played tonight between the heavily-favored Boston College Eagles and the Underdog-of-the-Year Ferris State Bulldogs. In a one-game winner-takes-all Final, anything can happen, and there was a part of me rooting for the Ferris State Bulldogs as they tried to end Boston College's 18-game winning streak. I'll have the updates on this tournament tomorrow, though.

Secondly, I have all of the HBIC Exams that were submitted marked, and there were some incredible efforts put forth by a few readers. I'll be contacting the winner tomorrow to alert him or her of the prizes that will be coming his or her way, but I'll post the answer key and the marks on Monday since all of the NHL hockey is over.

Thirdly, Tuesday will be KHL day on HBIC as the finalists have been named for the Gagarin Cup. There were some key upsets and some amazing performances in the KHL Playoffs this year, and the two finalists have certainly earned their spots in the Gagarin Cup Final. I'll have all that information on Tuesday for your reading.

Today, however, we get to the highly-anticipated HBIC Playoff Pool. MAKE SURE YOU READ TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS ENTRY FOR DETAILS! Every year since the founding of HBIC, I have offered an absolutely-free hockey pool for my readers. There are prizes for those who perform well, and I am happy to do this for those of you who stop by here when you can. This year will be no exception as the pool will be free again, and there will be some great prizing available for those that rise above the rest.

Straight from the previous years' Playoff Pool rules, here is the format for the 2012 Hockey Blog In Canada Playoff Pool.

• Entrants will be required to pick the winner of each game for each series. In doing so, one will also choose the number of games played by the two teams in each series.
• Entrants will be required to pick the game-winning goal scorer for each game.

Sounds pretty easy, right? No real strategy as to which team will go further, who is playing whom, and all that jazz. Points will be based upon your predictions.

• For each correctly-predicted team that wins the game, one point will be awarded. For correctly predicting the series length, two points will be awarded. For correctly predicting the series length AND winning team, five points will be awarded. If one correctly predicts the series length and winning team, the two-point option is overridden by the higher-scoring option.
• For predicting the player who scores the game-winning goal per game, that entrant will receive an additional two points per game per correctly-chosen player.

The following example should help you weed through the rules:

• For the Pittsburgh-Philly series, I predict that Pittsburgh will win Games 1, 2, 4, and 6. Philly will win Games 3 and 5. I also predict that Chris Kunitz will score the game-winner in Game 1; Paul Martin in Game 2; Jordan Staal in Game 4; and, Tyler Kennedy in Game 6. Claude Giroux will score Philly's winner in Game 3 while Jaromir Jagr will score in Game 5.
• If I correctly predicted the entire series (highly improbable with my record of prognostications) of Pittsburgh winning in six games with all my game-winner scoring choices being right, I would earn 23 points (6 for each correct game + 5 for correctly predicting length and series winner + 12 for each game-winning goal scorer).

The catch to this whole thing is that no one will be eliminated until the Stanley Cup is handed out. With each new round beginning, each entrant will be required to send in their picks just as they did in the previous round. This way, everyone has a chance at some free shwag. And everyone loves free shwag.

I would hazard a guess at there possibly being a tie between two or more people, so your tie-breaker, required at the start of the first round, is to name the team who will accumulate the most penalty minutes throughout the playoffs. Those who are tied will have their answers reviewed, and the entrant who picked the team with the higher PIM total for the playoffs will be crowned as the winner. Secondary tie-breaker, in case two entrants pick the same team for PIMs, will be number of series correctly predicted in length of games. For example, if Entrant A picks Boston and Entrant B picks Detroit, and Boston has the higher PIM total, Entrant A would be the winner. If tied, the entrant who had the most series wins would be the winner.

The best part of the HBIC Playoff Pool? It's FREE! That's right, kids. You can enter at no cost, and the shwag is up for grabs. The only thing I ask, to be fair, is that you only enter once, please. Also, if you happen to miss a round, that's fine. Things happen, people get busy, no big deal. Just remember that you may find yourself in a very difficult spot if you miss any of the rounds because the point totals available in each round decrease with the lower total number of series being played. I won't be babysitting, so it's your job to enter as the Playoff Pool continues.

There has been a MAJOR CHANGE in terms of entering. I will continue to use the email account specifically for the HBIC Playoff Pool simply because my normal email is ridiculously cluttered and I need some time to go through it. That being said, you MUST send all picks to this new email address: hbicplayoffpool-at-gmail-dot-com. Entries sent to any other email address that you have for me will be categorically deleted so that I can keep all of the HBIC Playoff Pool entries in one place. Clear? Nod your head. You don't want your Poolie Picks to go missing in my disorganized mailbox, do you?

Now to expedite the marking, I have created a pretty little Excel document that can be opened in both Microsoft Excel and OpenOffice Calc. Fill this out and send it back to me WITH YOUR NAME AS THE NAME OF THE EXCEL DOCUMENT (ie. Teebz.xls).

Click here to download if you missed the link above.

And I think that about does it. If you have any questions, fire me an email here. DO NOT SEND YOUR PICKS TO THAT EMAIL! Follow the directions above to do so. Get your picks in by the puck drop in Game One of the first series on Wednesday to enter the pool! If you have some sort of issue with this deadline, please email ASAP so we can make arrangements!

And may the best prognosticator win!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

And Then There's Sioux

The University of North Dakota is making things difficult on the NCAA in their fight over their chosen team name of "Fighting Sioux". The men's hockey team decided that it wanted to play a little longer and won the WCHA hockey tournament this weekend to qualify for the NCAA Frozen Four tournament. While UND doesn't have to worry about hosting any of the games in this tournament, there are still sanctions that the NCAA can impose on UND despite the Sioux being the fourth-seed in the tournament.

Three sanctions were immediately imposed on UND in late February after UND decided to give into petitioners who forced the government to repeal a law allowing the university to continue using the Sioux name and imagery. The sanctions were swift and harsh in their initial delivery, but the letter outlining the sanctions was very diplomatic. The following is the letter in its entirety:

Dear Dr. LeBel:

President Robert Kelly (sic) recently informed me that the University of North Dakota was resuming its use of the Fighting Sioux nickname and imagery in connection with its athletics program. I noted in my discussion with you and Mr. Brain (sic) Faison that this action by the university means that your athletic programs are subject to the NCAA’s policies concerning participation in NCAA championships. Please allow me to reiterate the limitations that are in effect immediately:

1. No University of North Dakota team may host an NCAA championship round. If a North Dakota team is selected as the lower-seeded team in a championship competition, North Dakota would be designated as the “home” team but would be assigned to play at the higher-seeded institution’s venue.

2. If the university accepts an invitation to participate in any postseason competition, the NCAA policy requires that student-athletes, band, cheerleading, dance and mascot uniforms and paraphernalia not have hostile or abusive racial/ethnic/national original references during the NCAA championship competition.

3. If an invitation is accepted and the university must forfeit competition because it has not adhered to this requirement, the NCAA reserves its right to seek reimbursement for expenses incurred by the Association for travel, per diem or other expenses in connection with the championship.

It is the spirit of the NCAA’s championship policy that the competing student-athletes (both North Dakota and its opponents) not be distracted or disrupted during the championship by debates about when and where your institution’s Native American imagery or nickname may be displayed or worn. Therefore, we ask that the university take measures to minimize or eliminate the presence of the imagery or nickname brought to an NCAA championship venue.

Should you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,
Bernard W. Franklin
Executive Vice President of Membership and Student-Athlete Affairs/Chief Inclusion Officer

With these sanctions already imposed, it means that the Sioux would have to use a different uniform than their normal jerseys. Having worn their normal Sioux uniforms all season long, special jerseys had to be made for their March 24 date with Western Michigan in the first game of the regional bracket.

"It's pretty simple," Athletic Director Brian Faison said to Chuck Haga of the Grand Forks Herald. "We have to wear the new uniforms or we forfeit."

With new uniforms to be unveiled in St. Paul this weekend, the sanctions actually run deeper than just what the teams wear on the ice. It actually affects everything that the Sioux do while under the watchful eye of the NCAA. That means that everything is up for inspection when it comes to not showing the Sioux logo: hockey bags, luggage, luggage tags, cheerleader gear, t-shirts, sheet music for the band - if anyone from the team or school is seen sporting a logo, it could mean instant forfeit for the Sioux. The only people, it seems, who will not have the sanction imposed on them are the fans.

Reportedly, UND administration will locate some sort of North Dakota gear for the band to wear while they provide the victory music for the Sioux, but this whole thing is starting to be a little ridiculous.

I get that the NCAA wants to remove itself from any sort of conversation with regards to the rights of Native Americans, and that's their call. They are entitled to do what they think is best for their business. UND and the State Board of Higher Education were given three years by the NCAA to gain nickname approval from the Spirit Lake and Standing Rock Sioux tribes. Spirit Lake gave its consent in 2009, but Standing Rock refused to reverse its longstanding opposition thanks to the tribal elders. Again, that's their right, but it's not like UND is bringing shame to the tribes or their peoples.

There really is only one thing that is certain: the UND men's hockey team will wear new uniforms against Western Michigan this weekend. And while the fans rock the Xcel Energy Center in their Fighting Sioux gear, the team on the ice will try to continue their impressive win streak.

When it comes to the name of UND's teams, this is one problem that may not be resolved for quite some time. Perhaps these uniform loopholes will be closed by the NCAA one day, but it has allowed UND to participate in the Frozen Four despite their demands. For this weekend, the Sioux name will be represented proudly by 25 men who want nothing more to bring home victory.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Michigan's Saving Savior

It was expected that the University of North Dakota Sioux would be playing for the NCAA's men's hockey championship this weekend. There was one team standing between North Dakota and immortality, and the Michigan Wolverines were hoping to upset the Sioux's dreams of ruling the ice in the NCAA. There was one man, however, that put the Wolverines on his shoulders as Michigan looked to end UND's run, and that man has already been featured once on HBIC for his heroics.

Just over one year ago, we met Shawn Hunwick, the walk-on goaltender-turned-starter for the Michigan Wolverines. Hunwick wrote his unlikely story last season, but he added to that story with his performance against UND on Thursday. Hunwick stoned the Sioux on all chances, recording 40 saves in the game in leading the Wolverines past the Sioux by a 2-0 score.

The fact that Hunwick pitched a shutout against one of the highest-scoring teams in the tournament is pretty amazing on its own, but add in the fact that he led the Wolverines to their 21st consecutive appearance in the NCAA men's ice hockey tournament and their 24th Frozen Four appearance overall, and you can see that Hunwick was hauling around some pretty lofty history.

While the final result wasn't quite what Hunwick may have been hoping for as the Michigan Wolverines fell to the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs in the NCAA Frozen Four Final by a 3-2 overtime result, the fact that Hunwick has written one of the most inspiring stories in collegiate hockey over the last few decades is pretty cool.

We've heard and watched the story of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, the young man who dreamed of playing for Notre Dame's storied football program, Shawn Hunwick's dream of playing hockey for the Michigan Wolverines has not only been fulfilled, but he should start getting calls from the NHL in regards to his goaltending talents. And much like Rudy, Hunwick's dream of playing in the NHL may be realized not because he was the most talented goaltender in the history of the game, but because he worked harder than everyone else to realize his dreams.

If there is anything that one can learn from Shawn Hunwick, it's that hard work mixed with a little bit of talent can bring great results. No one ever said that it would easy, but, as Shawn Hunwick can attest to, it is the "hard" that makes realizing your dreams so good.

If there is anyone I want to idolize, Shawn Hunwick is that man. Not for his talents or his abilities on the ice, but for following his dream, working his butt off to make it happen, and never giving it. Those are the traits that we should be teaching our kids, and Shawn Hunwick is the living, breathing proof of how great those traits are.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

HBIC YIR - Part One

Time certainly has flown this year as we're two days away from recycling those 2010 calendars hanging on walls and posted on desks. Hockey has seen some great things this year, and we've also lost some icons that made the sport much better with their presence. We've seen players emerge as superstars and we've seen superstars fall to below-average play. All of this is actually a statement about the game - it's fluid, and it's constantly changing and evolving through each shift, each game, and each season. Today, HBIC looks back on the first six months of the year, and the important stories that came from January to the end of June.

January Highlights

• January 1: We start every year off right with the NHL's Winter Classic, and the January 1, 2010 game was certainly memorable as the Philadelphia Flyers visited the Boston Bruins in historic Fenway Park. What a great day of hockey!
• January 2: Switzerland's World Junior Championship team pulls off a massive upset as they defeated Russia 3-2 to beat the Russians for the first time in history at the WJC.
• January 5: The 2010 World Junior Championship is decided in overtime as American John Carlson ends Canada's streak with his goal to give Team USA the gold medal. Great game, and a very impressive showing by America's best young hockey talent.
• January 21: If you've been following this blog, you know I'm a big fan of Frank McClelland's newest equipment invention. January 21 was the first time I was lucky enough to speak to Frank and bring to light what would eventually be his Skate Fenders product. A very interesting story to see how the plastic skate guards got started!
• January 23: I arrive in Minneapolis for the US Pond Hockey Championships, and the weather was very un-winter for the tournament. Strange weather is nothing new on the prairies, but January is rarely a month known for rain. Great uniforms seen at the tournament, and a few great stories!
• January 25: I express my disappointment with the NHL's stance on protecting its players after a major incident in the QMJHL.
• January 29: I bring to light the story of Alton White, the first professional black hockey player to record 20 or more goals in a season as well as the first professional black hockey player to record a hat trick in a professional game. Since it happened in the WHA, no one seems to care that he doesn't get this recognition. But I do.

February Highlights

• February 5: The hockey world stops for a few moments to grieve the loss of Brendan Burke, Brian Burke's son. Brendan worked as student manager for the hockey team while attending the University of Miami (Ohio), but made headlines when he announced to the world that he was a gay man. And I still believe in my words: "Being gay doesn't change who he is or how much respect I have for him. Nor should it change you."
• February 13: Phil Hecken of Uni Watch Blog and I take a look at what each team will be wearing at the Olympics. Some uniforms are good. Others are not.
• February 14: I discuss some of the ways that women's hockey at the Olympics can fix blowouts between the elite teams and the rest of the field. I still feel that getting more women involved from the other countries will make the game stronger.
• February 21: Team USA plays a much more complete game in the round-robin at the Olympics and beats Canada soundly. I'm hard on Canada and praise the Americans. And this will only set up the inevitable.
• February 28: The Goal. Need I say anything more? I take a look at the 2010 Winter Olympics as a whole, and celebrate "The Goal.

March Highlights

• March 4: Frank McClelland returns with some updates on his Skate Fenders. I'm truly a fan of Mr. McClelland's and LSSU's work, and this product is something that players should really look into for their own health.
• March 11: HBIC renews its commitment to the Vancouver Olympics by giving the sport of sledge hockey as much coverage as possible. I really like this sport, and there have been some excellent games as of late as a number of countries have improved in this sport.
• March 18: One of the countries that has improved? Japan. They defeated the heavily-favoured Canadian squad by a 3-1 score in the semi-final to earn a berth in the gold medal final. If you haven't seen a game of sledge hockey in your life, you're missing out.
• March 21: The 2010 Women's Frozen Four wrapped up in style as there were some incredible games played by the NCAA women. Congratulations go out to the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs who captured their fifth NCAA Championship!
• March 30: The 2010 CIS Men's Hockey Championship wrapped up, and the Canadian collegiate champions are the Saint Mary's Huskies! Canadian collegiate hockey, while not as prolific as NCAA hockey, is certainly one of the places where NHL teams can find some hidden talent. There are lots of good players studying across Canada!

April Highlights

• April 4: The Alberta Pandas, the women's CIS hockey team, pulled off one of the most stunning upsets in the history of the CIS as they defeated the McGill Marlets in the CIS Championship game to be called "Canada's best".
• April 5: Columbus Blue Jackets' forward RJ Umberger calls out the Washington Capitals, and makes a prediction for the playoffs about the Capitals' chances of going all the way. A number of people wrote Umberger off, but read his comments. Hockey players know hockey.
• April 10: The Boston College Eagles defeat the Wisconsin Badgers and capture the 2010 NCAA Men's Hockey Championship. The win was a great effort for a team that many didn't pick to win the championship, but the Eagles captured their fourth championship!
• April 18: I'm fairly harsh towards Hockey Canada and the effort put forth at the World U-18 Championships. I like Canadian hockey, but I hate lack of effort.
• April 27: The NHLPA decides to change the Lester B. Pearson Award to the Ted Lindsay Trophy. More hockey history is being killed, and I'm not happy about it.
• April 30: In the same fashion I criticized Hockey Canada's efforts in the U-18 Tournament, I rip the Washington Capitals for their lack of hard work. Another exit far too early in the playoffs, and the Capitals spend more time on the golf course.

May Highlights

• May 3: The KHL crowns a champion as Ak Bars Kazan won their second KHL Championship in consecutive seasons. While there are still major differences between the NHL and KHL, it appears that Kazan is becoming the "Detroit Red Wings" of the KHL.
• May 7: I found a great article in Popular Science from 1935 about the game of hockey! It's a very good read with lots of pictures, but it goes to show that some magazines were covering hockey before it was popular!
• May 14: A reader by the name of Chelsea sent me a great email about head trauma suffered by hockey players. She makes some excellent points in her email, and there are several NHL players who echo her sentiments.
• May 23: The Czech Republic snaps the Russian's 27-game winning streak at the World Championships, and captured the World Championship title! Jaromir Jagr's reason for winning? "They had stars and we had guys who play in the Czech Republic, but this shows that talent doesn't matter - you have to work hard." Hard work, kids. I can't say it enough.
• May 25: I still have no clue as to what happened to the Charlie Conacher Memorial Trophy that was awarded annually to an NHL player. Any ideas?
• May 28: Damian Cox goes absolutely loopy with his suggestion that the Chicago Blackhawks change their logo because it's offensive. Cox stirring the pot? Nothing new.

June Highlights

• June 1: A fabulous video from the National Film Board of Canada shows off a ton of Quebec Nordiques history. This video is amazing!
• June 7: More videos are posted, this time of the WHA in all its spectacular glory. I really wish I had more WHA video. Note this foreshadowing. It will come in handy next week.
• June 9: The Chicago Blackhawks are your 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Champions. They dispatched the Philadelphia Flyers in six games to capture their first Stanley Cup in 49 years. To the victors go the spoils!
• June 14: The AHL's Hershey Bears stand atop the pile of AHL teams as they capture the 2010 Calder Cup as AHL Champions! The Bears defeated the Texas Stars in six games to capture their second consecutive Calder Cup. Well done, Bears!
• June 22: In what seems like a crime against humanity, the Hockey Hall of Fame finally allowed women to be eligible to be voted into the Hall of Fame. Women's hockey has its detractors, but the pioneers of the sport deserve their kudos as much as the men.
• June 28: More amazing hockey video is found through the National Film Board of Canada's website as we see the UBC Thunderbirds heading to China to help grow the game in the Communist country. This is another amazing video that shows how significantly-different cultures can work together to grow the game.

So there are the highlights from the first six months of HBIC's 2010. I really had a great time writing this year, and the interactions with you, the readers, are what makes this so rewarding. I love reading other opinions and ideas, and I encourage you to continue to email, comment, friend me on Facebook, and whatever else you to do to send me your hockey thoughts.

More tomorrow as we review the year that was from July to December!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Sweet Home Alabama

Despite me being back in the saddle here at HBIC, I am proud to bring another reader's article to you today. I don't get a lot of opportunities to cover NCAA hockey since the only games that are broadcast in my area are UND Sioux games. I'm not complaining about those, but there are a large number of teams that I'd really like to see on TV thanks to the power of the Internet and word-of-mouth marketing. Today, Mr. Aaron Duncan brings to us the story of one team that has seen its ascension into Division-I NCAA hockey come with its fair share of hurdles and obstacles.

Aaron is a major sports fan. He has a major collection of baseball caps, loves the beauty of the 6-4-3 double-play, and appreciates the game of hockey at the collegiate level. Today, Aaron brings to us the story of the University of Alabama-Huntsville hockey program. Honestly, it's quite an intriguing look at a collegiate program where one wouldn't suspect a top-flight hockey program exists. Here's Aaron!

If you’re like me, the first place you think about when you think of ice hockey is Huntsville, Alabama. Wait... Alabama? Ok, let me re-phrase that, the last place you think about is Huntsville, Alabama. As odd as that seems, the University of Alabama in Huntsville is home to the Chargers, an NCAA Division-I ice hockey program, and a pretty good one at that.

Collegiate sports have always fascinated me more than the pros, and hockey is no exception. My first exposure to NCAA hockey was with various teams in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, but, living in southeast Missouri, teams like North Dakota and Minnesota seemed so far away and non-accessible. I began to study the other conferences looking to see if there were any teams closer to home, but did not find a "home team". I did find one interesting geographic anomaly and that was the UAH Chargers. As I began delve deeper into the Chargers story, I began to realize how easy it is to become a sentimental fan of these underdogs.

The UAH program began as a club team in the Southern Collegiate Hockey Association in 1979 and won the SCHA championship their first three year in existence. The Chargers obtained NCAA varsity status in 1985, and competed in Division-II until the NCAA closed it after the 1986-87 season. This development forced the program to move up to Division-I. UAH operated as an independent team at this level until the reinstatement of Division II for the 1992-93 season. It was during this period that the Chargers developed a serious rivalry with the Bemidji State University Beavers. The two teams fought it out for the NCAA title for several years in a row, with the Chargers winning their first national championship in 1995 and followed up with another title in 1998.

The NCAA again shut down Division-II at the start of the 1998-99 season forcing the Chargers to move to Division-I again as an independent. The following season, UAH joined with Army, Air Force, Bemidji State, and Niagara to form the College Hockey America conference. Again, the Chargers continued to win, making six appearances in CHA Tournament finals and winning the conference championship twice. Due to this, they also earned two trips to the NCAA Division-I tournament, including this past season. They have even been awarded the right to host the 2012 “Frozen Four Tournament” in Tampa, Florida.

Sadly from this point on, the fate of the UAH program is in question. The CHA ceased operations at the end of the 2009-2010 season with four teams leaving for other conferences. Nebraska-Omaha and Bemidji State have joined the WCHA, while Robert Morris and Niagara are joining Atlantic Hockey. UAH made an application to join the CCHA conference but, by a vote of acclimation, were denied entry and this is where things start to get troublesome.

The CCHA commissioner, Tom Anastos, issued the following statement in a news release, "The league completed its due diligence of the application for membership submitted by the University of Alabama in Huntsville with careful consideration and discussion of various issues. At this time we have chosen to maintain our membership at its current level The CCHA will remain focused on maintaining and strengthening our existing members to ensure the conference’s continued success and long-term viability." This is a long winded way of saying nothing so speculation as to their intent is wide spread.

While searching various blogs and articles on the matter I have come across a few theories for the UAH denial. The first theory is that it would be cost prohibitive for the smaller conference teams to have to travel to Huntsville for games. The CCHA just lost Nebraska-Omaha to the WCHA. This is a team with a similar distance from the majority of its former CCHA members as the Chargers would be if accepted into the conference. Perhaps the CCHA is wanting to see how finances are across the conference without the travel expenses they have had in the past. It is even rumored that UAH had offered to help offset the additional travel expense to the other teams, but if that’s the case, it did not help their bid for membership.

Another theory is that the CCHA is holding out for a possible Big-10 hockey conference. If six of the Big-10 teams are active in a varsity sport they would be able to organize under the Big-10 name. This would also pull teams from the WHCA. Of course, after the last round of NCAA conference adjustments this did not come to play, but could still be a future possibility.

The theory that seem to currently have the most strength is that the CCHA is holding out for Penn State, who are working on moving their men’s and women’s programs up from the club level to Division-I. Now I personally find this hard to stomach if it is the case. To turn away an established program with a competitive record behind them and proven facilities for a higher-profile name that doesn’t have any experience at this level is complete nonsense.

Probably the most emotional of theories is that it is simply a matter of regional clique. Like it or not, many in the ice hockey community look down on any organization that forms in the south. I have noticed this even as high as the NHL where teams like Florida, Phoenix, and Dallas have a hard time getting the same respect the northern teams do. I think this line of thought is more an emotional knee-jerk reaction than actual fact.

As it stand now, the Chargers will be operating as an independent which will be very difficult this day and age. Without conference backing, it will be difficult to schedule games. They will have play teams during available non-conference times. There will also be a serious lack of media coverage and available scholarships. This will seriously hurt their chances in recruiting talent. These factors will make it very difficult - if not impossible - to maintain operations without a conference home in today’s economy.

So what we are faced with is a hockey program with 25 years of winning experience and a proven fan base that is on the verge of extinction due to outside factors they have little to no control over. A conference, the CCHA, that could come out of this with "egg on their face" should the UAH program fold, and the reputation of collegiate hockey, who face the possibility of their host team for the Division-I tournament closing down prior to the event, are in serious jeopardy of looking like a second-rate outfit rather than the highest standard of American developmental hockey. It’s sad and infuriating, but at the present we have little choice but to wait and see. I hope and pray that the University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers are able to find a home soon. It would be a true shame to see so much hard work and pride just vanish for no better reason that pure politics and money.

Wow! What an excellent article! Thank you, Aaron, for your passionate look at UAH hockey!

Let's get to the meat of this article: the existence of UAH hockey. Should they have a team in the CCHA? Yes. Very much so. But, as Aaron pointed out, this is not the case. The history that the Chargers have written in the NCAA's various Divisions would put them on the same level as that of Maine, Boston College, and Denver, yet they have little to show for their efforts. And, as Gross Misconduct's 2009 article states, this move to exclude UAH could be "the first domino to fall in what could prove to be a herd-thinning situation in college hockey".

I want you all to click this link which will take you to the "Save UAH Hockey" page. The link is the "How to help" section, and the authors give a ton of excellent suggestions to show that UAH hockey is more than just some random collegiate sport. It means a great deal to the University of Alabama-Huntsville, the community, its fans, and the people that work for, with, and around the team.

Thanks again, Aaron, for bringing this to my attention, and I really hope that the UAH team will exist in 2012 to host the Frozen Four. I'll do my part, and help the team out by following the suggestions on the linked page. I hope you will as well!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!