New Position made to raise awareness of NCAA hockey

From the Record.com

Red alert, Canadian Hockey League.

Prepare for battle, CHL czar and Ontario Hockey League commissioner Dave Branch.

Division 1 college hockey in the United States is prepared to fight the Canadian major junior ranks over the puck-chasing souls of elite hockey players.

Former NHL Players’ Association chief Paul Kelly will front a new organization – College Hockey, Inc.– aiming to boost the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s profile and sagging fortunes in the ongoing recruitment war over top-end talent.

“They’ve got a great hire,” said Kitchener’s Bob Turow, who worked extensively with a Division 1 college coaches committee to draw up the plan that Kelly will now oversee.

Kelly is a renowned lawyer who prosecuted infamous agent and players union boss Alan Eagleson for wrongdoing.

Kelly also has the ear of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and worked closely with NHL brass laying the groundwork for a new collective bargaining agreement before being ambushed at 3 a.m. and sacked by the NHL players on Aug. 30.

Surely, Branch can see the clout Kelly brings the college forces.

“I think it catches his attention right away,” said Turow, a former OHL scout who recently served four years as head of central scouting for the college-friendly United States Hockey League.

“This is a shot across the bow, saying, ‘We’re here!’ ”

The CHL has clobbered the college ranks in the recruitment war in recent years, after Hockey Canada altered its development model five years ago to cut off traditional north of the border supply routes to the NCAA.

Jr. B and Tier 2 hockey have been shackled by a ban on 15-year-old players, a two 16-year-old limit, severe restrictions on U.S. players and other measures.

Essentially, Jr. B and Tier 2 have been closed off to elite players.

College scouts used to recruit those levels heavily. Now, the talent has been redirected to major junior with the 15-year-old draft. Colleges can’t recruit players until 16. By that time, the OHL already has its hooks into those top players and their college eligibility is busted.

Players who skate in a single exhibition game of major junior are considered ineligible for the NCAA, which considers the CHL to be pro hockey because players have agents, sign contracts and get paid.

Players who want to keep their college eligibility often give in to the OHL because they have no decent level of hockey to play while they mature to college age.

The USHL, despite billing itself as an NCAA supplier, doesn’t care to be a haven for younger players.

So there is no sanctuary from the CHL sales blitz and the influence of agents.

As well, Branch has a strong working relationship with the NHL and its general managers. They often feel more comfortable placing top prospects — like Columbus Blue Jackets’ John Moore — in major junior.

Moore was betrothed to Colorado College until Columbus signed him and sent him to the Kitchener Rangers.

Kelly’s influence could alter that imbalance. Time will tell.

Many wonder if Kelly, despite his impressive resume, grasps the predicament college hockey faces.

“If he surrounds himself with the right people, I think it’s a home run,” Turow said of Kelly’s hiring.

Turow, 46, said he didn’t plan to contact Kelly about joining his staff.

He figures Kelly will bring in the people he’s most comfortable with.

Kelly’s obvious skills as a prosecutor and negotiator are important assets. One matter on the to-do list is a renewed player-transfer agreement between USA Hockey and Hockey Canada.

“In the past, it’s been lopsided toward the CHL,” Turow said.

Turow has been involved with college hockey for 16 years through the running of his Prospects showcase tournaments on both sides of the border.

With the NHL recently handing USA Hockey $8 million in annual funding to divvy up south of the border — matching the annual support money it has long given Hockey Canada — there is a chunk earmarked to fund College Hockey, Inc.

Sources say it’s about $600,000 a year.

Meanwhile, Turow believes Kelly gives the colleges a formidable general and a fighting chance.

“He brings name recognition. He’s a high-profile guy.”

New Position made to raise awareness of NCAA hockey

From the New York Times....

Paul Kelly, dismissed as executive director of the N.H.L. Players’ Association last summer, will be introduced at a news conference at Harvard University on Tuesday as head of a new organization, College Hockey Inc. The organization will operate under the supervision of the Hockey Commissioners Association, a grouping of the major N.C.A.A. hockey leagues.

With College Hockey Inc., Kelly will try to raise the profile of collegiate hockey, both in media exposure and among top teenage prospects. The N.C.A.A. has lost more top players to the Canadian junior ranks in recent years. In last June’s N.H.L. entry draft, N.C.A.A. players comprised only 3.3 percent of all players selected, as opposed to 21.3 percent from the Ontario Hockey League alone. Ten years earlier, N.C.A.A. players made up 13.2 percent of the league’s draftees.

Wisconsin signs Barnes

From the University of Wisconsin-

MADISON, Wis. - Head men's hockey coach Mike Eaves has announced the signing of seven student-athletes to national letters of intent during the early signing period. The group includes forwards Tyler Barnes (Eagan, Minn.), Jefferson Dahl (Eau Claire, Wis.), Sean Little (Fond du Lac, Wis.), Michael Mersch (Park Ridge, Ill.) and Mark Zengerle (Rochester, N.Y.), as well as defensemen Chase Drake (Mosinee, Wis.) and Frankie Simonelli (Bensenville, Ill.).

Barnes, a 6-0 and 165-pound forward, currently leads the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks in scoring with eight goals and 18 points in 12 games played. In 2008-09, Barnes scored nine times and collected 26 points in 55 games. Following his career at Burnsville High School in 2007-08, the Eagan, Minn., native skated in one game with Waterloo at the end of the 2007-08 season, posting a goal and an assist in his lone appearance. A top-10 finalist for 2008 Minnesota Mr. Hockey award, Barnes posted 23 goals and 50 points in 24 games played his senior season. He was named second-team Associated Press All-State and honorable mention Pioneer Press All-State. He also tallied 29 goals and 54 points in 31 games for Burnsville as a junior.

Eaves on Barnes, "Tyler comes in as a very high-skilled forward. It's his second year in the USHL and we think that the added year of experience will have him well prepared to play in college."

WCHA Review

From the WCHA

Host teams Alaska Anchorage and Denver, along with visiting teams Minnesota Duluth and Wisconsin, all posted victories in Western Collegiate Hockey Association action on Saturday (Nov. 21) night while Colorado College completed a non-conference sweep of Robert Morris.

The Seawolves came through with a 4-1 win over visiting Minnesota State, Mankato, Denver edged North Dakota, 3-2, Minnesota Duluth won 3-2 at Minnesota, and Wisconsin forged a 4-1 victory at St. Cloud State. Both the Pioneers and Bulldogs were able to gain four points over the weekend and heading into Thanksgiving week the league race has tightened significantly.

Through games of Nov. 22, there is a three-way tie for first place in the WCHA standings and just two points and one victory separate the current top five teams. Sharing the top spot this week with 13 points apiece are Colorado College (9-2-1, 6-1-1 WCHA), pre-season favorite Denver (8-3-1, 6-1-1 WCHA) and defending WCHA Final Five champion Minnesota Duluth (9-4-1, 6-3-1 WCHA), although both the Tigers and Pioneers have played two fewer league games. Defending MacNaughton Cup champion North Dakota (7-4-1, 5-4-1 WCHA) and Wisconsin (7-4-1, 5-4-1 WCHA) are deadlocked in fourth with 11 points each, St. Cloud State (5-5-2, 4-3-1 WCHA) is sixth with nine points, Minnesota (4-7-1, 3-6-1 WCHA) is seventh with seven points, Alaska Anchorage (5-9-0, 3-7-0 WCHA) is up to eighth with six points, Minnesota State (4-7-1, 2-7-1 WCHA) is ninth with five points and Michigan Tech (3-7-0, 2-6-0 WCHA), idle this weekend, is 10th with four points.

Looking ahead to the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend of Friday, Nov. 27 and Saturday, Nov. 28 - there are four WCHA series scheduled as Colorado College hosts Alaska Anchorage, Denver welcomes St. Cloud State, and Minnesota State entertains Michigan Tech. In non-conference action, North Dakota will play host to College Hockey America-member Bemidji State along with Miami and Ohio State of the CCHA to the Subway Holiday Classic in Grand Forks, while Minnesota and Wisconsin will take turns facing CCHA-members Michigan and Michigan State on the road in the College Hockey Showcase.

At Sullivan Arena in Anchorage on Saturday (Nov. 21) night, Alaska Anchorage left winger Tommy Grant (2g, 1a) and right winger Kevin Clark (1g, 1a) led the way with multiple-point games as the Seawolves captured a 4-1 WCHA win over Minnesota State, Mankato and gained a split of their weekend series before 3,232. Grant's goal at 1:25 of the second period proved to be the game-winner while in nets, Bryce Christianson had 21 saves. For the Mavericks, center Zach Harrison notched a second period power-play goal while Kevin Murdock had 21 saves in goal.

At Magness Arena in the Mile High City on Saturday, a sellout crowd of 6,030 saw host Denver complete a sweep of North Dakota with a 3-2 victory as the Pioneers came back from a 2-0 second period deficit. Leading the way for DU offensively were linemates Joe Colborne (2g, 1a) and Kyle Ostrow (1g, 1a), with Ostrow's power-play goal at 8:33 of period two holding up as the winner, while in goal Marc Cheverie had 24 stops and did not surrender an even-strength goal. For the Sioux, forwards Danny Kristo and Chris VandeVelde notched first period power-play goals to give their team a 2-0 advantage while in goal, Brad Eidsness had 29 stops.

At Mariucci Arena on Nov. 21, visiting Minnesota Duluth overcame a two-goal deficit for the second straight night to fashion a 3-2 win over host Minnesota and gain a series sweep before a sellout crowd of 10,078. For UMD, defenseman Mike Montgomery scored the game-winner at 17:58 of the third period while defenseman Dylan Olsen added two assists and Brady Hjelle had 36 saves in nets. For the Golden Gophers, winger Mike Hoeffel and defenseman Kevin Wehrs both scored in the first period to give UM a 2-0 lead while Alex Kangas had 30 saves.

At the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud on Saturday night, visiting Wisconsin gained a split of their series with the SCSU Huskies with a 4-1 victory before a sellout of 6,081 as left winger John Mitchell scored the game-winner at 14:51 of the second period and the Badgers outshot their hosts, 33-19. Also for UW, defenseman Brendan Smith (1g, 1a) and center Aaron Bendickson (2a) had multiple-point games while in goal Scott Gudmandson had 18 saves. For SCSU, left winger David Eddy scored in the first period and goaltender Dan Dunn turned aside 29 shots.

And at the World Arena in Colorado Springs on Saturday evening, the CC Tigers completed a non-conference sweep of Robert Morris with a 4-1 verdict. Colorado College was led by left winger Bill Sweatt (2g, 1a) and right winger Andrew Hamburg (1g, 2a), with Sweatt notching the winner at 13:58 of the opening period.

This Week in the WCHA

Results of Friday, November 20: Minnesota State 8 at Alaska Anchorage 2 (WCHA); Minnesota Duluth 4 at Minnesota 3 ot (WCHA); Wisconsin 1 at St. Cloud State 4 (WCHA); North Dakota 0 @ Denver 1 (WCHA); Robert Morris 3 at Colorado College 4 (nc).

Results of Saturday, November 21: Minnesota State 1 at Alaska Anchorage 4 (WCHA); Minnesota Duluth 3 at Minnesota 2 (WCHA); Wisconsin 4 at St. Cloud State 1 (WCHA); North Dakota 2 at Denver 3 (WCHA); Robert Morris 1 at Colorado College 4 (nc).

Next Week in the WCHA

Games for Friday, November 27: Alaska Anchorage at Colorado College (WCHA), 7:37 pm MT; St. Cloud State at Denver (WCHA), 7:37 pm MT; Michigan Tech at Minnesota State (WCHA), 7:37 pm CT; Wisconsin at Michigan State (nc), 7:05 pm ET; Minnesota at Michigan (nc), 7:35 pm ET; Ohio State at North Dakota (nc), 7:37 pm CT (Subway Holiday Classic).

Games for Saturday, November 28: Alaska Anchorage at Colorado College (WCHA), 7:05 pm MT; St. Cloud State at Denver (WCHA), 7:07 pm MT; Michigan Tech at Minnesota State (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; Minnesota at Michigan State (nc), 7:05 pm ET; Wisconsin at Michigan (nc), 7:35 pm ET; Miami at North Dakota (nc), 7:37 pm CT (Subway Holiday Classic).

UMD announces early signing period commitments

From the UMD Bulldogs Athletic Site...

Five talented prospects from an assortment of hockey backgrounds -- forwards Joe Basaraba (Shattuck-St. Mary's), forward J.T. Brown (Waterloo Blackhawks/United States Hockey League), defenseman Justin Faulk (U.S. National Under-18 Team), forward Caleb Herbert (Bloomington Jefferson High School) and defenseman Luke McManus (Tri-City Storm/USHL) -- have all signed national letters of intent to attend and play hockey for the University of Minnesota Duluth.

The following is a brief look at each of the six signees:

Joe Basaraba (Forward • 6-2 • 165 • Fort Frances, Ontario) -- Is the second Shattuck-St. Mary's product to enlist his services with the Bulldogs (left winger Michael Gergen, 2005-09, was the first) ... has rolled up 13 points (five goals and eight assists) in 15 games thus far -- good for the No. 3 spot on the Shattuck-St. Mary's scoring charts ... played two years for the Fort Frances High School Muskies prior to signing on with Shattuck-St. Mary's for the 2008-09 season.

J.T. Brown (Forward • 5-10 • 165 • Burnsville, Minn.) -- Is currently in his second year of United States Hockey League competition with the Waterloo Blackhawks ... has collected 13 points (five goals and eight assists) in 12 games this winter, good for the No. 2 spot on the Waterloo scoring charts ... closed out his USHL debut year with 14 goals and 32 assists in 36 outings ... missed the opening two months of the 2008-09 regular season while nursing a wrist injury ... graduated from Rosemount High School in 2008 ... was a finalist for the Minnesota Mr. Hockey award that year in addition to receiving Minneapolis Star-Tribune All-Metro and Associated Press All-State (honorable mention) acclaim ... is the son of former Minnesota Viking star running back Ted Brown (1979-86).

Justin Faulk (Defenseman • 5-11 • 200 • South St. Paul, Minn.) - Leads the U.S. National Under-18 Team in goals (nine) and power play tallies (seven) at the 20--game mark of the 2009-10 season ... also ranks third among his puckmates in points with 14 ... represented the U.S. at the 2009 National Under-18 Four Nation's Cup earlier this fall (he and his puckmates went 3-0-0 to capture the tournament title) ... spent the 2008-09 season with the U.S. National Under-17 Team and was that club's top scoring defensemen (12 goals and 21 assists in 64 games) ... left South St. Paul High School following his sophomore year to join the Ann Arbor-based program ... was an All-Conference honorable mention selection in 2007-08 ... took part in the 2008 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament and topped all Team USA blueliners with three points in four games.

Caleb Herbert (Forward• 5-9 • 180 • Bloomington, Minn.) - Will soon embark on his farewell season at Bloomington Jefferson High School ... reigned as the Upper Midwest High School Elite League's top scorer this past fall ... collected a team-leading 53 points (29 goals and 24 assists) in 27 games one year ago en route to landing a spot on the Associated Press All-State Team (honorable mention) ... was sidelined for a good chunk of his sophomore year with a broken leg ... competed for the U.S. Under-18 Select Team at the 2008 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Tournament in the Breclav, Czech Republic.

Luke McManus (Defenseman • 6-1•190 • Apple Valley, Minn.) - Now makes his hockey home in Kearney, Neb. where he has generated two assists in 10 games for the USHL's Tri-City Storm ... began the 2008-09 season -- his first in the USHL -- with the Omaha Lancers before being traded to the Indiana Ice ... was credited with 10 regular season points (all assists) that winter ... is a 2008 graduate of Rosemount High School.

Player Pos Hgt Wgt Birthdate Hometown Current Team (League)
Joe Basaraba F 6-2 165 5/2/92 Fort Frances, Ontario Shattuck-St. Mary's
J.T. Brown F 5-10 165 7/2/90 Burnsville, Minn. Waterloo/USHL
Justin Faulk D 5-11 200 3/20/92 South St. Paul, Minn. U.S. National Under-18 Team
Caleb Herbert F 5-9 180 10/12/91 Bloomington, Minn. Bloomington Jefferson H.S.
Luke McManus D 6-1 190 5/9/90 Apple Valley, Minn. Tri-City/USHL

15 Minnesotans on UMD Roster

15 of the 26 members of UMD's roster are from Minnesota.

• Drew Akins played at Minnetonka and was the leading scorer for the Skippers before playing for Sioux Falls of the USHL.
  
• Senior defenseman Trent Palm played at Shattuck-St. Mary's and the US National Development Program Team.
  
• Sophomore Scott Kishel played at Virginia high school and scored 14 goals and added 34 assists in his senior season. Played at Sioux Falls in the USHL and was drafted in the seventh round by Montreal in the 2007 draft.
  
• Freshman defenseman Drew Olson gained a strong reputation for his heavy shot as a Mr. Hockey finalist at Brainerd High School. Olson scored 20 goals and had 16 assists his senior year. Olson played for Omaha in the USHL and was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets with the 118th pick in 2008.
• Freshman Dan DeLisle finished a great career at Totino-Grace last year with 174 career points including a school record of 53 points as a sophomore. He scored 33 goals and had 33 assists last year as a senior. He has one assist in 10 games played this year. DeLisle was drafted by Chicago with the 89th pick this past summer.
  
• Junior Kyle Schmidt played his high school hockey in the Twin Ports at Hermantown where he scored 31 goals and had 18 assists his senior season. He played for Fairbanks of the NAHL before coming to UMD.
  
• Sophomore forward Jack Connolly played high school hockey at Duluth Marshall and was a member of the teams that were back-to-back state runners up including 2007 where he was a senior that scored 37 goals and had 40 assists. In the USHL he played for Sioux Falls where he was named Rookie of the Year and Junior Hockey Player of the Year.
  
• Freshman forward Keegan Flaherty left Duluth East prior to his senior season to play with Green Bay of the USHL then the next year was traded to Fargo. Flaherty is eligible to be drafted this year in the NHL Early Entry Draft.
• Freshman Jake Hendrickson plays forward for UMD and did so at Burnsville High School before spending one season in Sioux City of the USHL. As a junior at Burnsville he broke a 16 year drought by taking Burnsville to the state tournament behind his 71 points.
• Sophomore forward Rob Bordson finished his high school career at Duluth Marshall in 2006 where he led the team with 36 goals and 40 assists. He played for Cedar Rapids of the USHL and has four goals and 20 assists in his career at UMD.
  
• Senior forward Jordan Fulton is in the midst of finishing a good college career after a great high school career at Breck School. He had 45 goals and 83 points in his senior year for the Mustangs. His younger brother Tyson will be a Mr. Hockey finalist this year and led Breck to a Class A state title last year. His older brother Dustin just last year finished a great career at Hamline University.
  
• Junior defenseman Mike Montgomery was a first line forward on Centennial's 2004 State Championship team and scored the only goal in the 1-0 win over Moorhead in the state championship as a junior. He played for Southern Minnesota of the NAHL before coming to UMD.
  
• Junior defenseman Chad Huttel was a captain of the 2007 state championship team for Hermantown in 2007 where he set a school record for points for a defenseman with 20 goals and 35 assists.
• Sophomore forward David Grun had a great high school career where he was a captain both his junior and senior years at White Bear Lake High School. He finished his juniors career with Sioux Falls of the USHL. Both his junior and senior season he fell just one game shy of a state tournament birth losing to Centennial in 2005 and Hill-Murray in 2006.
• Sophomore goalie Brady Hjelle played his high school hockey at International Falls where he tied a single game saves record with 74 against Cloquet in 2006. Hjelle played for Cedar Rapids of the USHL after high school and has also played for the U.S. at the 2007 World Junior A Challenge last November in Trail, British Columbia and for U.S. Under-18 Select Team at the 2007 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in the Czech Republic two months earlier.

UMD MN Pulse Check

Fresh off being named the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week UMD junior Justin Fontaine is ready to lead the Bulldogs into a big weekend at the University of Minnesota. The Bonnyville, Alberta native scored four goals in a 8-1 Saturday night win over Michigan Tech. It was a game where the floodgates finally opened after UMD piled on 50 shots on goal Friday night but was defeated 3-2.

He and teammate Jack Connolly lead the nation with 18 points. Fontaine also leads the nation with 11 goals and seven power play goals. He also has three game-winning goals. For most of the season Fontaine and Jack Connolly have played on a line together, but in the weekend against Michigan Tech Fontaine bounced back a line and played wing on the second line with Rob Bordson (3G, 14A) and Travis Oleksuk (1G, 5A). The first line last weekend was centered by Jack Connolly who has seven goals and 11 assists with wingers Cody Danberg (3A) and Mike Connolly (5G, 8A). Drew Akins (2G, 5A) centered the third line with Jordan Fulton (2A) and Mike Seidel (4A) on the wings.

UMD has been able to split up some of its top forwards without production dropping off and this has allowed the Bulldogs to have one of the deeper teams in the WCHA at forward. The Bulldogs are averaging 3.5 goals per game compared to the Gophers 2.5 goals per game. UMD has been better at home than on the road, but even on the road the Bulldogs managed to split with first place Colorado College and took one point from St. Cloud State.

Defensively the Bulldogs are led by Dylan Olsen (6A), Mike Montgomery (1G, 3A) and Brady Lamb (5G, 3A). Olsen is a 6'3", 220 pound freshman from Alberta who was only the third ever UMD Bulldog to be drafted in the first round of the NHL Early Entry Draft this past summer when he was selected 28th overall by Chicago. Montgomery is a transformed defenseman after playing all of his career at forward. Montgomery was a first line forward on Centennial's 2004 State Championship team and scored the only goal in the 1-0 win over Moorhead in the state championship as a junior.

In goal Brady Hjelle has established himself as the top goalie, but that hasn't stopped Kenny Reiter from getting playing time. Both goalies are sophomores. Hjelle has a 5-2-1 record with a .903 save percentage and 2.97 GAA. Reiter is 2-2 with a .907 save percentage and 2.33 GAA. Reiter played in the loss Friday night against Michigan Tech and Reiter got the win Saturday night.

6 Minnesotans making strong push for Olympics

This article NHL.com suggests that Team USA would include three Minnesota defensemen: Erik Johnson, Paul Martin and Alex Goligoski. Not surprisingly forwards Jamie Langenbrunner and Zach Parise are also in the mix. Dustin Byfuglien is also one of the biggest presences around the net that also includes a soft scoring touch.

Outside looking in would be Keith Ballard, Jordan Leopold, Matt Niskanen and Tom Gilbert.

Forwards who are not quite in the mix but certainly could have been with better starts or a few more years in the league are Kyle Okposo, Peter Mueller and Blake Wheeler.

Paul Martin, New Jersey -- A busted forearm was not in Martin's plans as he prepared for the Olympics, but he should be back by mid-December and the injury should have little effect on his game, which is predicated on his skating ability and positioning.

Erik Johnson, St. Louis -- Apparently he has shaken off any rust from last season's catastrophic knee injury and once again is a dominant player for the Blues. But can he do enough to make this team? He'll have to be better in certain areas as his power-play chops aren't in demand on a roster loaded with potential man-advantage quarterbacks.

Alex Goligoski, Pittsburgh -- This team is going to struggle for offense and Goligoski -- who was not invited to orientation camp -- can provide it from the back end, both with the man advantage and at even strength. But Goligoski is not a one-trick pony; look at the numbers. He kills penalties for the Penguins and is not afraid to block a shot.

Dustin Byfuglien, Chicago -- The choice to carry seven defensemen instead of eight opens a spot for Byfuglien, a power forward that is more than conversant with the skill set necessary to play defense. He could play on the blue line during an injury crunch or he can serve as a body-banging power forward. That's a nice luxury to have.

Jamie Langenbrunner, New Jersey -- A defensively reliable left wing that kills penalties but still has some offensive instincts. Like Drury, he might be the prototypical third-liner in a tournament like this because of his diverse skill set.

Zach Parise, New Jersey -- Perhaps the most consistent goal scorer among American forwards. Parise on the left and Kane on the right side on the same line will be a handful for even the best defensemen in the world.

Also Certainly a pick is former Gopher Phil Kessel.

Phil Kessel, Toronto -- We all know how much Burke loves Kessel; look at the package of assets he gave the Bruins this fall for his rights. A slow start is to be expected as Kessel comes back from offseason shoulder surgery, but unless he completely flames out, Kessel not only will be on the team, but play a key role.

Read Full Article HERE

Wild Prospects Report

From the minnesotawild.com

HOUSTON AEROS (9-9-0-0, 3rd in West Division) – The Aeros split a weekend series with the Lake Erie Monsters, before falling to the Chicago Wolves on Sunday in Houston, going 1-2 during three consecutive days of play. Houston started the road trip in Ohio on a positive note defeating Lake Erie, 6-0, Friday night. RW Danny Irmen and D Max Noreau each tallied a goal and an assist, while G Anton Khudobin made 17 saves in the shutout. The Aeros saw their three-game win streak come to an end Saturday with a 3-1 loss to the Monsters. D Ryan Gunderson scored the lone goal for the Aeros and G Wade Dubielewicz stopped 20 of 22 shots in the loss. The Aeros returned to Houston Sunday for a tilt with Chicago, but came up short in a 2-1 loss. C Nathan Smith scored for Houston and Khudobin made 21 saves in the loss. The Aeros will enjoy home ice this week, facing Peoria in Houston Wednesday, before hosting Milwaukee Friday and Sunday.

Click here to view all Houston Aeros statistics.

Future Wild Update

Canadian Hockey Leagues

D Tyler Cuma - Ottawa (OHL): First round pick (23rd overall) in 2008 Draft has four assists in 15 games. He registered a shootout game-winner as Ottawa won both of its games last week.

LW Kris Foucault - Calgary (WHL): In three games last week, the fourth round pick (103rd overall) in 2009 Draft posted a goal and an assist, and also scored a shootout game-winner.

D Marco Scandella - Val-D'Or (QMJHL): Second round pick (55th overall) in 2008 Draft posted five points on a goal and four assists in three games last week. With five goals, 14 assists and a +8 rating, Scandella ranks second among team defensemen in all three categories.

College/USHL

C Anthony Hamburg - Omaha (USHL): Seventh round pick (193rd overall) in 2009 Draft, and Colgate University recruit, has two goals and four assists in 14 games with Omaha, which has the best record (13-2-0) in the USHL.

LW Erik Haula - Omaha (USHL): The University of Minnesota recruit racked up five assists in two games last week. He is tied for third in the USHL in points (8-12=20).

D Nick Leddy - Minnesota (WCHA): First round pick (16th overall) was suffered a broken jaw October 30 and is expected to miss six weeks.

D Sean Lorenz - Notre Dame (CCHA): Fourth round pick (115th overall) has one assist in 12 games for the 5-5-2 Irish.

D Kyle Medvec - Vermont (HE): Fourth round pick in 2006 (102nd overall) has two goals and two assists in nine games, and is a +3. He picked up a goal and an assist in two games last week.

Goaltenders

Matt Hackett - Plymouth (OHL): The third round draft pick (77th overall) in last year's draft now ranks second in the OHL with a .928 save percentage, tied for third with 11 wins and seventh with a 2.65 goals against average.

Darcy Kuemper - Red Deer (WHL): The sixth round pick (161st overall) in last year's draft is 6-11-0-0 in 18 games with a 3.78 goals against average and a .882 save percentage.

Derek Forbort gets top ranking CSS prelim list USHL

Derek Forbort left Duluth East a year early to join the US National Development Team and so far it has paid off in terms of scouts noticing him. Not that he wasn't known by all the professional scouts last year as a tall and gifted defenseman who helped lead Duluth East to the state tournament. Forbort has committed to play his college hockey at The University of North Dakota.

Forbort who is 6'4", 195 pounds has the long reach that NHL scouts are fond of and is as good of a skater out there. He's also great with the puck with the exception that he has the puck on his stick so often and tries to make so many great plays that he does have a tendency to turn the puck over.

NHL.com has article on scouting list...

Derek Forbort, a defenseman with U.S. National Team Development Program's Under-18 team -- which for the first time this season is playing in the USHL -- is the top-rated U.S. junior skater. The tall (6-4-1/2) defenseman has 8 assists and 12 penalty minutes in 18 games against a mix of college and USHL competition.

"Derek Forbort has good top-end ability at both ends," Central Scouting's Jack Barzee told NHL.com. "He's smart and skates so well, he's almost 6-5 and he's got everything there in front of him. It's just a matter of filling out and getting more experience and playing. He's probably a top-two defenseman in the NHL if he reaches his potential."

USNTDP defensemen take four of the top five USHL spots. After Forbort, Stephen Johns is ranked No. 3, Justin Faulk is No. 4, and Jarred Tinordi is No. 5. Tinordi is the son of former NHL player Mark Tinordi.

The top-rated non-USNTDP skater is Tri-City's Jaden Schwartz, ranked No. 2. The 5-10, 180-pound center is tied for third in the USHL with 20 points in 14 games.

Read Full article HERE
See CSS Prelim Scouting List HERE

NHL Notes from Last weekend

• Former Moorhead defenseman Brian Lee got his second goal of the year for the Ottawa Senators. On the play Lee was the trailer on a nice rush up the ice and buried a quick shot from the slot. It was the only goal in regulation for Ottawa as they lost in a shootout to the New York Rangers.
  Watch Game Highlights HERE
• Zach Parise was the first star and Jamie Langenbrunner was the second as the New Jersey Devils beat Washington 5-2 Saturday night. Langenbrunner's goal tied the game at 2-2. While on the power play he found his way to the left point and blasted a one-time slapshot past the goalie. Parise got the game-winner after Washington turned the puck over at the Devils blueline and a long pass ahead gave Parise a breakaway in which he fired five-hole. It was the 10th goal of the season for Parise and the first game-winner. That goal and his goal last night against the Flyers have put him on a five-game goal scoring streak.
  Watch Game Highlights HERE
• Blake Wheeler scored his fifth goal of the season on Saturday in a 6-5 OT loss to Pittsburgh. It was the first goal of the game for the Bruins and tied the game at 1-1. Wheeler has been steady with five goals and five assists in 20 games, but the Bruins do expect him to eventually be a top line player contributing at a slightly higher clip. I think many Gophers fans are surprised by his smooth transition to the NHL and how well he has done.
  Watch Game Highlights HERE
• From NHL.com
  Kyle Okposo, who missed Wednesday's game with the H1N1 virus and wasn't supposed to make the trip to Carolina, scored the game-winning goal with 14.4 seconds left in overtime to give the Islanders a 4-3 victory over Carolina, handing the Hurricanes their 14th consecutive loss.
  
  "I feel pretty good," said Okposo, who didn't make the trip to Washington for the opener of the Isles' seven-game trip. "It felt good to contribute again. It's tough watching."
  
  Okposo, a late addition to the lineup, picked off a bad pass by rookie defenseman Brian Rodney just inside the Carolina blue line, broke into the left circle and whipped a wrist shot past Manny Legace -- spoiling a big comeback by the Hurricanes.
  
  "I looked up and felt something on my stick," Okposo said. "I just tried to shoot something quick. Fortunately, it got over his pad."
  It was the fourth goal of the year for Okposo and his second game-winner. Okposo also assisted on a power play goal to begin the scoring for the Islanders in this game.
  Watch Game Highlights HERE
• While Okposo was playing the hero on the road in North Carolina another former Gopher Phil Kessel was trying to do the same on the road in Chicago. With the Blackhawks up 3-0 in the second period Kessel did everything in his power to pull the team back, but the Maple Leafs fell short. Kessel did have a second period goal and a third period goal. The two goals are similar in that they were both great individual efforts by Kessel and came when he was possessing the puck just inside Chicago's blue line and skating across the ice on his forehand. These goals are worth checking out. They are his third and fourth on the year.
  Watch Game Highlights HERE
  

Wild blow lead, Lose in shoot out

The game was not nearly as dreary as the headline suggests, but it is true. The Wild jumped on the Lightning late in the first period and then controlled play through the second period, but only mounted a 3-1 lead to show for it. Right when it looked like they could add to that lead they turned the puck over on a 3-on-2 and the lead was cut to one. That was the major turning point. Toughts and links below....

• The first comment has to be about Owen Nolan's incredible goal where he took the puck deep in his own defensive zone and beat his defenseman and scored on a beautiful rush up ice.
  
• The first goal of the game was nearly as pretty as James Sheppard split the two defensemen for Tampa Bay and then drew the goalie and defenders to him and slipped a pass over to Benoit Puliot who back-handed it in. It was the first point of the season for Sheppard. Sheppard and Puliot were great all night last night and was the most positive sign for Minnesota.
  
• Kim Johnnson scored the other goal for the Wild on the power play and it wasn't a typical Wild power play goal in that he slid down deep into the zone to receive the pass from Andrew Brunette. Johnnson's shot was perfect; upper corner above the goalie's shoulder. Johnnson was sorely missed and it's really showing. He plays with a fire that is great to see and communicates better than anyone on the ice. He's a great mix of defense and offense from the blue line.
  
• The goals allowed by the Wild were frustrating and here is my general synopsis:
  Tampa Goal 1:This was a terrible play Shane Hnidy. He should have just wrapped the puck around the boards and the wild would have had a rush up ice because the Lightning had both penalty killers down low. I will say that the coaches are to blame for having him out there on the PP. He in now way deserves that ice time and I'd like them to make a move at this 6th defenseman spot.
  Tampa Goal 2: It's in the story. Brodziak took his eyes off the puck and lost it on what was going to be a great Wild scoring chance. Kobasew backchecked hard but didn't finish the play and tie up.
  Tampa Goal 3: For some unexplained reason, when Stamkos gets the puck in the corner Shultz agressively skates to him leaving the front of the net open before his partner returned from the other corner. That's Pee Wee hockey stuff not to mention that with that much time left there is no reason to go hard after a guy in the corner. That's where you want the puck .
• Marty Havlat....He's averaging just over two shots per game. This is not good. Everyone wants more of him and again last night he was looking to pass too often. It seems like he'd be a perfect player to pair with a "shoot-first"/nasty shot forward. Someone like Brian Rolston. We don't have anyone really like that on this team, but now that Owen Nolan is skating with him, maybe he can try to be that guy. The other thing I'd like to see is him with paired up with a better forechecker who can help the Wild get the puck. It seems like Havlat's line just doesn't get enough puck possession. I think Cal Clutterbuck can be the shoot-first and forechecking forward Havlat needs to play with. I also think that when Eric Belanger is Havlat's center you end up getting a very passive line. Belanger doesn't have a killer instinct and seems to play some nights only to go through the motions. This may seem like a crazy line combo, but Puliot is a skilled passer like Havlat and I think those two would be nice together. I'd like to see Puliot center a line with Havlat and Clutterbuck. This means that either Shepard, Belanger or Brodziak would have to move to wing, and I am fine with that.

Watch Game Highlights HERE
Read AP Game Story HERE
Read Michael Russo-Star Tribune Game Story HERE
Read Michael Russo-Star Tribune Game Blog HERE
Read Bruce Brothers-Pioneer Press Game Story HERE

Des Moines Buccaneers MN Pulse Check

The Des Moines Buccaneers are not off to a stellar start and have lost three of their last four games, but they do have games coming up against the two teams in their division below them in the standings followed by a game against Fargo which is just two points ahead in the standings. The Bucs have four Minnesotans on the roster including two big headline forwards who left high school hockey after their sophomore seasons.

Ryan Walters left St. Thomas Academy after winning a championship in his sophomore season. He had committed to the University of Minnesota during his sophomore season and was a dominant force in Class A hockey. Walters had 36 goals and 39 assists his sophomore season. During the state tournament he opened up with a hat trick in a win over Little Falls, had two goals and two assists in the semifinals against St. Cloud Cathedral and finished with a goal and an assist in the state championship game where STA beat Duluth Marshall 5-1. He joined Des Moines for 16 games after the state tournament and had three assists for the Buccaneers.

While in the USHL Walters has been a steady scorer but not nearly as dominant as he was in high school. He scored 18 goals and had 26 assists in 60 games last year. A bit of a concern has to be his -30 rating, but Des Moines has taken its lumps. This season he has five goals and four assists in 13 games with a -6 rating.

Walters turned 18 in July so he was eligible for this year's NHL Entry draft but went unselected. From seeing him play his sophomore year in high school it seems as if he would have progressed the way it was looking that he would have been a player NHL teams would want to lock up. So this year is a big year for Walters because more than likely he will get drafted next year and is expected to contribute immediately to the Gophers once he steps on campus.

Mike Fink was also a young heralded player during his short high school career, but unlike Walters Fink played in AA hockey and in one of the state's best conferences for Hopkins in the Classic Lake Conference. Fink scored 31 goals and added 23 assists for a team that wasn't all that good and didn't score a lot of goals. The team's second leading scorer had 13 goals.

Fink started his USHL career with Waterloo, but was traded last year after 25 games and having three goals and six assists. He finished the season playing 24 games with Des Moines scoring seven goals and three assists. So far this season Fink has one goal and five assists in the first 13 games.

Fink will play his college hockey at the University of North Dakota. At one point this year was going to be the year he joined the Fighting Sioux, but he is now in his third year in the USHL.



Taylor Wolfe is a rookie in the USHL after playing a huge part of last season's Eden Prairie state championship. Wolfe was second on the team with points (20 goals, 21 assists). He scored a goal and an assist in the Eagles section championship against Minnetonka. At the time Taylor Wolfe doesn't have a college commitment. Wolfe has the size at 6'3", 200 pounds that coaches drool over so I'm sure we'll hear soon where he is headed. He has two goals and two assists in 13 games this year so far.






Chris Stafne, a Duluth native, joined Des Moines late but didn't miss a game after locking up his college commitment for the hometown UMD Bulldogs. Stafne has a goal and an assist in 13 games this year after playing for both Fargo and Indiana last season. He finished the season with Fargo and played his best hockey late scoring two goals in the playoffs. Stafne is a former standout for Duluth Denfeld. Because Stafne is already 20 years old he will be joining UMD next season and doesn't have the option of returning to juniors.

Thoughts on Sam Lofquist Departure

It's no longer breaking news and I've been chewing on it for a while, but ultimately I am not surprised by this move and Don Lucia really shouldn't be either. You got the sense last season and especially Saturday when Lofquist was replaced by Brian Schack in the lineup that Lucia is just simply not a Sam Lofquist fan. Gophers fans never got a true opportunity or a full season to evaluate the play of Lofquist but by all accounts he played hard and physical but had his limitations handling the puck and at times seemed to take too many penalties. So for the clear reason that Lucia seemed to be more critical of Lofquist than other players I am not surprised by his decision to leave the university.

As much as I would hope that a kid would stick it out and earn the coach's trust over time I know that quite simply that's just not the way it works. It happens in any sport, but I think it's a little more evident in hockey if not only because Minnesota has more D1 and professional players than any other sport by far so we see it more here locally. Players who end up at the U are typically some of the nation's best and therefore have professional hockey aspirations and are very focused on their own personal goals. The right combination would be for athletes to come to the school for the great opportunity to wear the "M" and try to win championships with an opportunity to play professionally when it's all done. That's not the case now with players more than often concentrating on personal goals while playing for the Gophers. That may seem like a negative opinion of the kids and the program, but I'd argue that it's just a realistic observation shared by many.

Most of the kids who end up playing for Don Lucia left a high school program early and have bounced around to several teams hoping to play at the highest level possible. None of them have ever been in the situation to fight for playing time. Recruiting for the Gophers may be easy in the sense that it doesn't take much to get the region's top players interested in the program. The challenge is that the top players are looking to move on as quickly as possible and the ones fighting for playing time are more likely to look for the playing time elsewhere than exercise patience and put in the work to earn the ice time. Graduation is only one of a few reasons players careers come to an end for the Gophers and thus Lucia has to be on the top of his game in managing all of this.

There is so much to think and talk about regarding the Gophers program that this will probably be an open dialogue for quite some time...

Wild start road trip with win

Fox Sports Net chose the wrong game to take off as the Minnesota Wild played in Toronto and played a very entertaining game full of effort and scoring chances. Thoughts and Links below...

• The Wild's first power play opportunity of the game yielded several shots and good scoring chances and Toronto was lucky to not go down by a goal. The second power play was not so good, but resulted in a late goal. A short-handed rush by Toronto actually led to a rush by Minnesota back the other way. Marty Havlat had the puck just inside the blue line of the Maple Leafs when he patiently waited and dropped the puck to Shane Hnidy and then went to the net and the puck found its way to his stick and his wrap around attempt would have failed but it bounced of the goalie and in. Havlat deserved this break because he easily could have had two more goals had the puck sat down from him a couple of times.
• Kim Johnnson returned tonight and was rusty in the first period but excellent the other two.
• Marek Zidlicky is currently Minnesota's top defenseman. He scored a goal on a rocket of a one-time slapshot on the 5-on-3 power play. He alo set up Greg Zanon's goal by a beautifully timed and executed pinch. He got the puck and kept the wild on the offense and instead of just dumping it in, he found Koivu who was about to cover for him with a nice drop pass. Zanon took the pass from Koivu and snapped it on goal.
• With about four minutes left in the second period The Wild strung together several great shifts in a row that wore the Maple Leafs down and and for once Minnesota capitalized scoring two goals during that time giving Toronto a defeating feeling going into the second intermission.
• Nicholas Backstrom was brilliant all game long but especially late when Toronto was pressing and we had two skaters in the penalty box and they had the extra attacker on . He saw shots he had no business seeing and didn't give up any rebounds. Brilliant.
• Derek Boogaard has in my mind finally earned his playing time. Before he was just a hired goon who Lemaire liked to sit on the road but play at home because it rowdied up the crowd. He drew a penalty that could have easily been matched if Boogaard hadn't had such a good head and knowledge of what opponents try to do to him. Also, he does a great job of possessing the puck in the offensive zone and protecting the puck while finding the open point and making good passes. My thoughts in the past were that he just simply didn't have the skill when he got the puck on his stick and nobody was stupid enough to fight him so it was pointless for him to be in the lineup. That's no longer the case. I'm still an advocate for playing Colton Gillies and letting him develop since the Wild aren't competing for the Cup, but that's for another day.

Watch Game Highlights HERE

Read AP game story HERE
Read Rachel Blount-Star Tribune Game Story HERE
Read Michael Russo-Star Tribune Game Blog HERE
Read Bruce Brothers-Pioneer Press Game Story HERE

NHL MN Pulse Last Week Goal Review

It was a big week last week for players with the MN ties. Normally, I just link you directly to the goal, but NHL.com has changed how they post the goals for each game with each goal not having a unique link, so I know will direct you to the game highlights. They are a nice way to follow the league though, so I do encourage you to check them out. All of the goals and most of the good scoring chances and big hits are typically included. You can also just see individual scores by going to the box score and click on the goal to just see the goal. People will have to let me know if they'd rather be linked to the full game highlights or box score.

• Edmonton got a big Division win over Colorado in Denver Sunday. It was a big night for former Gopher Ryan Potulny who had just been called up from the minors the day before. The Grand Forks, ND native scored the Oilers fourth goal of the game on the power play. It was his third game-winning goal of his career. The other two came in 2005-2006 when Potulny scored seven goals and five assists in 35 games for Philadelphia.
  Bloomington's Tom Gilbert assisted on the goal and scored one of his own earlier in the game in the first period giving Edmonton a 2-1 lead at the time. It was Gilbert's first goal of the year. Gilbert has one goal and three assists and is a -2 in 17 games this season.
  Watch Game Highlights HERE
  
• Former Gopher Phil Kessel made his triumphant first week in a Toronto Maple Leafs uniform official Saturday with his first goal as a Maple Leaf. Kessel scored the team's second goal in a 5-1 route of Detroit. In just three games Kessel has 16 shots and a goal and an assist. Jeff Finger, a Houghton, MI native and former member of the St. Cloud State Huskies, had a good start to his career in Colorado and in Saturday's win over Detroit scored his first goal of the year for Toronto. It was only the sixth game of the year for Finger.
  Watch Game Highlights HERE
• Zach Parise was voted first star of the game in a 3-2 win over the Senators. He scored the first goal for the Devils cutting an early Ottawa 2-0 lead in half. It was only his second power play goal of his seven on the year and broke a four game scoreless streak. Parise also assisted on the game-winner scored by Andy Greene in the third period on the power play. Former Moorhead Spud and fellow UND alum Brian Lee scored his first goal of the year for the Senators. It was the second point of the year for Lee in only his fourth game.
  Watch Game Highlights HERE
• T.J. Oshie scored his second goal of the season and the lone goal for the Blues as St. Louis fell in a shootout to Philadelphia 2-1. Oshie is playing well right now and the points will come now that he is healthy.
  Watch Game Highlights HERE
• Nobody benefited more this past week from the arrival of Phil Kessel more than Jason Blake as the Fighting Sioux trend continues. Blake was the first star of the game Friday night as he scored the game-winning goal giving the Maple Leafs a 3-2 win over Carolina. Blake scored on the power play for the second time this year and it was his first game-winner of the season. Blake has 24 game-winners in his 11 NHL seasons. He added an assist in the win and had eight shots.
  Watch Game Highlights HERE
• Do you think it felt good for Peter Mueller to score his first goal of the season Friday night? "It's like someone took a weight vest off of me," Mueller said following his team's 3-1 win over Chicago. Mueller has seen his ice time slightly decrease because of his drought but got the Coyote's second goal of the game giving Phoenix a 2-0 lead meaning his goal was the game-winner. Eight of his career 32 goals are game-winners.
  Watch Game Highlights HERE
• Dustin Byfuglien scored his sixth goal of the season Thursday in a 4-3 loss to Colorado. Byfuglien is on pace to have his best year in the NHL yet. His career best came two years ago when he had 19 goals and 17 assists in 67 games.
  Watch Game Highlights HERE
• Thomas Vanek scored a goal and added an assist inWednesday's 3-0 shutout win for Buffalo over the New York Islanders. Vanek has five goals and two assists on the year.
  Watch Game Highlights HERE
  
• Way back on Tuesday before Pittsburgh dropped a couple of games in a row on the road the Penguins won at Anaheim. Alex Goligoski continued the hot streak scoring his sixth goal of the year on a slap shot from the point. Goligoski has now tied his total of six goals last year which he had in 45 games. This year in 17 games the Grand Rapids, MN native has all but one of the goals while not being on the power play.
  Watch Game Highlights HERE
  

Former Cloquet star gets big duties from Lemaire

Jamie Langenbrunner left Cloquet after his junior season to play in the OHL and passed up the opportunity to play college hockey so many people from Minnesota aren't always that familiar with his career. But the gritty forward won a Stanley Cup with Dallas and is the captain of the New Jersey Devils. Jaque Lemaire calls on his line to play big minutes and shut opponents down.

Read the NJ.com Article HERE on Langenbrunner.

UMD's greatest inducted to Hall of Fame Monday

Brett Hull was a magic man who lit up the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center and I can tell you as a young kid who grew up in Duluth watching him he is the pride of the city when it comes to hockey even if he came from Canada. The fact that for most of his career he spent summers in the Twin Ports golfing and hanging with friends made him all the more loveable.

Congrats Brett!

Read Dallas Morning News Article HERE
Read Duluth News Tribune Article HERE

From the WCHA

From WCHA.com a rundown of last weekend. The MN Pulse from college college hockey will come out later this week...

MADISON, Wis. – Defending Western Collegiate Hockey Association champion North Dakota is back at the top of the league standings this week after the visiting Sioux won twice at Michigan Tech over the weekend to create a three-way tie for first place. North Dakota compiled 4-2 and 4-1 wins in Houghton to gain four points.
Elsewhere around the WCHA on Saturday, host Alaska Anchorage exploded for seven goals en route to a 7-3 victory over Denver and a split of their series, Minnesota bounced back to down host Wisconsin, 5-2, and host Colorado College gained a split of their two-game set with Minnesota Duluth after a 6-2 triumph.
As a result of those three conference series, and through games of Nov. 8, just four points separate the top seven teams in the WCHA. Colorado College (5-2-1, 4-1-1 WCHA), Denver (6-3-1, 4-1-1 WCHA) and North Dakota (6-1-1, 4-1-1 WCHA) share the top spot with nine points apiece, Minnesota Duluth (6-3-1, 3-2-1 WCHA) and Minnesota (3-4-1, 3-4-1 WCHA) are tied for fourth place with seven points each, idle St. Cloud State (3-3-2, 2-1-1 WCHA) and Wisconsin (4-3-1, 2-3-1 WCHA) share sixth with five points apiece, Alaska Anchorage (4-6-0, 2-4-0 WCHA) is in eighth with four points, idle Minnesota State, Mankato (3-4-1, 1-4-1 WCHA) is ninth with three points, and Michigan Tech (2-6-0, 1-5-0 WCHA) is 10th with two.
Looking ahead to next weekend – Nov. 13-15 – there are four WCHA series on the docket as Alaska Anchorage visits Wisconsin (Fri/Sat), Minnesota Duluth entertains Michigan Tech (Fri/Sat), Minnesota State, Mankato hosts Colorado College (Fri/Sat), and North Dakota hosts St. Cloud State (Fri/Sat). In non-conference play, Minnesota takes on visiting Bemidji State of College Hockey America on Saturday and Sunday.
At John MacInnes Student Ice Arena in Houghton on Nov. 7, visiting North Dakota received a pair of goals from left winger Evan Trupp, including the game-winner on a power-play at 12:54 of the second period, to prevail over Michigan Tech, 4-1, before 1,977. The Sioux also had a goal and an assist from right winger David Toews, two assists from center Brad Malone, and 22 stops from goaltender Brad Eidsness. For the Huskies, left winger Jordan Baker scored the game’s first goal on a power-play at 8:07 of period one.
At Sullivan Arena in Anchorage on Saturday night, the host UAA Seawolves scored three times in both the second and third periods, to power past Denver, 7-3, before 3,038 and earn a split of their WCHA series. Ten different players had points for Alaska Anchorage, led by right winger Sean Wiles (2g), defenseman Lee Baldwin (1g, 2a), center Daniel Naslund (1g,1a), right winger Kevin Clark (1g,1a) and left winger Tommy Grant (2a). Notching the game-winner was center Curtis Leinweber at 12:15 of the second. For the Pioneers, center Tyler Ruegsegger and defenseman Patrick Wiercioch each had a goal and an assist.
At the Kohl Center in Madison, Alex Kangas stopped 45 of 47 shots on goal and wingers Zach Budish (2g,1a) and Tony Lucia (1g,2a) each had three points to lift visiting Minnesota to a 5-2 win over Wisconsin before 14,063. Scoring the winner for the Gophers was center Patrick White at 15:38 of the second. The Badgers, who outshot UM by a 47-28 margin, had third period goals from defensemen Jake Gardiner and Ryan McDonagh.
And at Colorado Springs World Arena on Saturday, host Colorado College hit on 4-of-7 power-play attempts and had three-point efforts from winger Bill Sweatt (2g,1), center Rylan Schwartz (1g,2a) and defenseman Gabe Guentzel (3a) in a 6-2 conference win over Minnesota Duluth before 7,051 that created a series split. Getting the winner for CC was winger William Rapuzzi at 8:19 of period two while goaltender Joe Howe had 34 saves. For UMD, wingers Mike Seidel and Kyle Schmidt scored goals.

This Week in the WCHA
Results of Friday, November 6: Denver 3 at Alaska Anchorage 2 (WCHA); North Dakota 4 at Michigan Tech 2 (WCHA); Minnesota 2 at Wisconsin 4 (WCHA); Minnesota Duluth 4 at Colorado College 3 (WCHA).
Results of Saturday, November 7: Denver 3 at Alaska Anchorage 7 (WCHA); Minnesota Duluth 2 at Colorado College 6 (WCHA), 7:07 pm MT; Minnesota 5 at Wisconsin 2 (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; *North Dakota 4 at Michigan Tech 1 (WCHA), 7:37 pm ET. * Hall of Fame Game

Next Week in the WCHA
Games for Friday, November 13: Alaska Anchorage at Wisconsin (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; Michigan Tech at Minnesota Duluth (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; Colorado College at Minnesota State (WCHA), 7:37 pm CT; St. Cloud State at North Dakota (WCHA), 7:37 pm CT.
Games for Saturday, November 14: Alaska Anchorage at Wisconsin (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; Colorado College at Minnesota State (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; Michigan Tech at Minnesota Duluth (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; St. Cloud State at North Dakota (WCHA), 7:07 pm CT; Bemidji State at Minnesota (nc), 7:37 pm CT.
Games for Sunday, November 15: Bemidji State at Minnesota (nc), 6:07 pm CT.

Wild win at home over Dallas

Wild fans who made the trip to the X Saturday night were met with a pleasant surprise Saturday night: The Wild came to play in the first period! It helped that Dallas was called for two early penalties and Minnesota was able to set the tempo with the man advantage. This was an entertaining hockey game that had a lot of positives. Thoughts and links below...

• The first comment is an obvious one that was made all night long. Marty Havlat shot the puck the most he has all season long and still managed to make a few brilliant passes. I think he may have picked up the local papers or read the blogs and comments over the weekend because that seemed to be a common gripe.
• Cal Clutterbuck scored with a perfect shot and decision on a two-on-one. His great hustle set up the short handed goal and then as the defenseman went down he snapped it home. He also fired a a number of good shots when the Wild enjoyed a 4-on-3 man advantage. After this display I wonder if they may use him more on a top power play unit and put him in the slot with either Koivu or Havlat looking to feed him the puck in the slot.
• M Zidlicky continues to be the Wild's best defenseman. He picks his spots pinching better than any other member of the team and has been sound defensively all year. On Koivu's goal he pinched in and made a great pass to set up Koivu in front of the net. Koivu's initial shot didn't get in but he got some help from Zidlicky and scored from a funky angle.
• Nicholas Backstrom, John Scott and Shane Hnidy all rebouned nice from bad nights Thursday.
• Benoit Puliot played instead of James Shepard and played well. He is so much more dangerous than Shepard when he has the puck and is playing harder and surprisingly just as good in the nuetral zone and defensive zone.
• Todd Richards likes the line of Kyle Brodziak, Chuck Kobasew and Cal Clutterbuck because they all bring the intensity and make things happen. It would be nice to take one of those guys and their ability to forecheck and put it with some skilled players. I'd like to see Havlat stay with Belanger and add Kobasew to that line. Kobasew can get dirty and try to get the puck for those guys and has shown in his career the ability to finish which is important when playing with a passer like Havlat. Then I think if you put Petr Sykora with Brodziak and Clutterbuck you can add a great passer like Sykora to a line of hard workers and I also believe this would raise the offensive game of Clutterbuck. Clutterbuck might be a 20 goal scorer if he played with more skilled players.

Watch Game Highlights HERE
Read AP Game Story HERE
Read Michael Russo-Star Tribune Game Story HERE
Read Glen Andreson wild.com Game Story HERE
Read Bruce Brothers- Pioneer Press Game Story HERE

Read Michael Russo notes featuring Havlat HERE
Read Bruce Brothers notes featuring Mike Modano HERE
Read Bruce Brothers Article on owner Craig Leipold HERE
Read Michael Russo Article on James Shepard HERE

Wild stink it up against banged up Canucks

The Wild was terrible in last night's 5-2 defeat against Vancouver. Thoughts and links below...

• The first goal of the game is largely being blamed on James Sheppard but Shane Hnidy passed the puck right into the skates of Derek Boogaard and Boogey did nothing to try to handle the pass. It showed up on Sheppard's stick and yes he should have immediately flipped the puck to center, but instead he used his backhand to try to pass back to Hnidy which was intercepted and turned into a goal. To me, Shepard hold some responsibility, but Hnidy deserves the bulk for a brutal break out pass.
  
• Which brings me to the next rant and that is that Hnidy and John Scott were not good at all last night. I just don't think they are so strong defensively that they are worth having back there and adding nothing to the breakout or offensive side.
  
• Guys who usually don't disappoint, did last night. Nicholas Backstrom was not up to par. Mikko Koivu's effort was lacking defensivley a few times. On Vancouver's fourth goal, it was from a terrible angle and shouldn't have gone in, but that was Koiuvu's man in the defensive zone who shot the puck and Mikko was roaming around at the end of a shift.
  
• Eric Belanger was injured and this is not good since he was one of the few consistent players this year. This may give Benoit Puliot a chance to get back into the lineup and for the record I don't think he has played nearly as bad as other media and apparently the coaches did.
  
• Kyle Brodziak scored two goals and was the first Wild player to do that all year!
  
• Cal Clutterbuck gets sometimes too much praise from the Wild announcers, but on Minnesota's first goal he did what more players need to do. The goalie had the angle on him and he had really no chance of trying to pick a corner. So he shot it low and hard and hit the net forcing the goalie to actually make a save. The rebound bounced right to Brodziak. BRILLIANT!
• Todd Richards is noticeably frustrated with Marty Havlat and Petr Sykora judging from playing time. But he still needs to give them the minutes that is required for them to turn this thing around. And part of his frustration with them is the level that they are capable of, but that doesn't mean that other players are that do receive their ice time are playing any better.
  
• The sarcasm is strong here and amongst Wild fans and the negativity level is high. But these first 15 games from an effort standpoint is something Wild fans have NEVER had to deal with.

Watch Game Highlights HERE
Read Michael Russo-Star Tribune Game Story HERE
Read Michael Russo's Blog about the Game HERE
Read Bruce Brothers-Pioneer Press Game Story HERE
Read Tom Powers-Pioneer Press Identity Crisis Column HERE
Read Jim Souhan-Star Tribune New GM Scott Fleter Column HERE
ReadWild.com Game Story HERE

Bad news for Gophers

Jay Bariball's season is over and will have season-ending knee surgery tomorrow.

From Gophersports.com

Minnesota senior Jay Barriball will undergo season-ending surgery on Friday to repair a knee injury suffered in practice on Tuesday.

Barriball has played in five of the Gophers' six games this season, making him eligible for a medical redshirt and the opportunity to return to the team for the 2010-11 season.

The Prior Lake, Minn. native and Academy of Holy Angels graduate scored his 100th career point in the Gophers' victory over Alaska Anchorage on Friday. He has two goals and two assists this season and 39 goals and 63 assists in 124 career games. Barriball has 43 more career points than any other current player on the Gophers' roster.

Barriball will have his surgery on Friday morning and the Gophers will take the ice that night at Wisconsin for a 7 p.m. faceoff.

See Don Lucia Interview HERE

MN Around the Web Pulse Check

• The St. Louis Blues are struggling defensively but they love what the get from Erik Johnson each night. Read Sporting News Article HERE
• The Wild know the feelings that Gaborik put them through each year with on ice heroics and a constant struggle to stay on the ice. After missing two games he was the hero scoring the lone goal in a win yesterday. Read Rangers Relief Article HERE
• Don Lucia wasn't pleased about what he saw on the tape of Nick Leddy's broken jaw hit Friday night and has contacted the WCHA league office. Read Star Tribune Goal Gophers Blog HERE
• More Don Lucia quotes here including Jordan Schroeder's start. Read Star Tribune Goal Gophers Blog HERE
• T.J. Oshie had surgery and could return Thursday. Read St. Louis Dispatch Article HERE
• Peter Mueller is on the radar in Phoenix as he has yet to get a goal. Sometimes he has shown great effort, but not always. Read AZcentral.com Article HERE
• Tom Gilbert is off to a slow start in Edmonton with only two assists. The Oilers have gotten good play from Taylor Chorney who got called up and it might make Gilbert eventual trade bait. Read The Bleacher Report Article HERE
• Jason Blake's next door neighbor, a young 13-year old boy, died recently of H1N1 and it has impacted Blake who had a strong relationship with the boy. Read The Globe and Mail Article HERE.
• Phil Kessel may make his return tomorrow night and was skating on the team's first line at practice. Read Sportsnet.ca Article HERE
  

NHL Weekend MN Pulse Check

• Friday night Kyle Okposo and the New York Islanders were facing Alexander Ovechkin's Washington Capitals and the Islanders got the improbable victory. Okposo had an Ovechkin like goal in the first period tying the game at 1-1. Okposo took a neutral zone turnover and did a one-man transition bringing the puck into the Capitals zone at full speed before snanpping one home.
  Watch Goal HERE.
• Also on Friday Alex Goligoski remained hot scoring a huge goal with just more than two minutes left tying the game and eventually allowing the Penguins to win in a shootout. He took a pass from Syndey Crosby at the point and he put a low hard wrist shot through traffic for his fifth goal of the year.
  Watch Goal HERE
• Another former Gopher found the scoring column Friday night as Jordan Leopold scored his first goal of the year in a 6-5 overtime win over Dallas. At the time his goal gave Florida a 4-2 lead in the second period. Leopold jumped into the play on the rush and was streaking down the left side when he took a pass from Steven Reinprecht and one-timed a snapshot by the goalie. Reinprecht had already had a natural hat trick to start the scoring and give Florida an early 3-0 lead in the first period. Former Gopher Keith Ballard assisted on one goal in this game and former UMD Bulldog Matt Niskanen assisted on a goal for Dallas.
  Watch Leopold Goal HERE
• Saturday Blake Wheeler got what stood as the game-winner in the second period as Boston shut out Edmonton 2-0. Wheeler got a quick feed from the the corner and was able to one-time it past the goalie while being covered and being in very tight to the goalie. It was the fourth goal of the year for Wheeler and already his second game-winner. He had three game-winning goals last year.
  Watch Goal HERE