Weekend Preview: UND vs. Minnesota

When the Sioux and Gophers met in Grand Forks in January of last season, Minnesota was ranked third nationally, while North Dakota was unranked. The Fighting Sioux routed the Maroon and Gold in two straight games, pulled even with Minnesota in the conference standings, and rode that momentum all the way to the WCHA conference championship and the NCAA tournament. Starting with that weekend, North Dakota went 13-2-3 on their way to the WCHA Final Five, while Minnesota went 7-10-2 the rest of the way and failed to make the national tournament even though they were serving as host of the West Regional.

This season , it’s too early to tell which team should come out on top this weekend. Both teams are searching for line combinations and identity, and it’s almost a shame that these crucial games need to be played this early in the season.

All that being said, this weekend’s games are critical for league points, momentum, and the all-important Sioux-Gopher rivalry.

Minnesota Team Profile
Head Coach: Don Lucia (11th season at Minnesota, 256-126-45, .652)
National Ranking: #8/#9
This Season: 0-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA
Last Season: 17-13-7 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 12-11-5 WCHA (5th)
Key Returning Players (last season‘s statistics): Sophomore F Jordan Schroeder (13-32-45), Senior F Jay Barriball (11-23-34), Junior F Mike Carman (8-9-17), Junior D Cade Fairchild (9-24-33), Junior G Alex Kangas (17-11-6, 2.79 GAA, .901 SV%, 3 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile
Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (6th season at UND, 132-71-19, .637)
National Ranking: #4/#4
This Season: 2-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA
Last Season: 24-15-4 overall (NCAA Northeast Regional semifinalist), 17-7-4 WCHA (1st)
Key Returning Players (last season’s statistics): Senior F Chris VandeVelde (18-17-35), Sophomore F Jason Gregoire (12-17-29), Sophomore F Brett Hextall (12-14-26), Senior D Chay Genoway (3-29-32), Sophomore G Brad Eidsness (24-12-4, 2.56 GAA, .906 SV%, 1 SO)

By The Numbers
Last meeting: January 10, 2009 (Grand Forks). North Dakota routs Minnesota 6-1 to complete the weekend sweep over the visiting Gophers. Coming in to the weekend, Minnesota had lost three games all season (10-3-5).
Most important meeting: March 24, 1979 (Detroit, MI). North Dakota and Minnesota met to decide the national championship, and the Gophers prevailed, 4-3.
All-time: Minnesota leads the all-time series, 130-124-12 (.511), while North Dakota leads in games played in Grand Forks, 66-53-7 (.552).

Game News and Notes
North Dakota has had the better of the play lately, going 9-2-1 in the past three seasons (with both losses coming by one goal). Sioux seniors Chay Genoway and Chris Vandvelde each have six points in ten career games against Minnesota. The last time the two teams met in the conference opener for both schools was in 1999, when visiting North Dakota managed a tie and a win in Don Lucia’s first WCHA games as the new Gophers’ head coach. This weekend is a White Out Weekend at Ralph Engelstad Arena, with Fighting Sioux fans encouraged to wear white to both games. In an effort to minimize traffic and congestion at the arena, Gopher fans are asked to arrive at 10:37 p.m.

The Prediction

Minnesota has only one exhibition contest worth of game experience this season, and the Gophers were off last weekend. The rust will show on Friday, but I expect Saturday’s contest to be much more closely contested. UND 4-1, UM 4-3.

Sioux/Gopher Week

Do you remember….

Thomas Vanek over Zach Parise for WCHA Rookie of the Year

Robbie Bina’s 180 foot goal

Neal Broten’s sprawling goal in the ’79 title game and Blake Wheeler’s Neal Broten impression for the overtime winner at the Final Five

Chris Porter’s overtime winner at the 2007 West Regional

Joe Finley attempting to pull Blake Wheeler out of the handshake line

Evan Trupp’s dramatic mid-air overtime winner at Mariucci

Former coaches Dean Blais and Doug Woog playing bubble hockey to open a series in Grand Forks

The scrums and scraps and cheap shots (both ways), Judy’s and Blarney’s, Dave Hakstol’s favorite finger, and a host of other memories add up to this: two great programs, two great traditions, and two great games coming up this weekend.

I’d like to hear what you remember. What are your favorite memories and traditions from Sioux/Gopher week? Which games stand out to you? Which games would you like to forget? Feel free to add your comments here as we count down the days to Sioux/Gopher hockey.

Check back on Thursday for a complete preview of this weekend’s series.

WCHA 2009-10 Season Preview Part Two: The Middle Of The Pack

In this installment of my WCHA season preview, I will predict how the teams in the middle of the pack will fare this year. The teams in this bunch are very tight, and all four of these programs could finish in the top half of the league.

Here’s a reminder of how the teams finished last season:

WCHA 2008-09 Final Standings

Team Record Points
North Dakota 17-7-4 38
Denver 16-8-4 36
Wisconsin 14-11-3 31
Colorado College 12-9-7 31
Minnesota 12-11-5 29
St. Cloud 13-13-2 28
Minnesota-Duluth 10-11-7 27
MSU-Mankato 11-13-4 26
Alaska-Anchorage 9-14-5 23
Michigan Tech 2-19-7 11

In part one of my preview, I made the following predictions for the bottom of the league standings. For a complete season outlook for these three teams, click here.

#10: Michigan Tech University Huskies
#9: University of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves
#8 Colorado College Tigers

And now, the middle four:

#7 University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs
Last year’s record: 22-13-8 overall, 10-11-7 WCHA (7th)
Last year’s statistics: 2.79 goals scored/game (8th), 2.57 goals allowed/game (2nd)
Key returning players: Junior F Justin Fontaine (15-33-48), Sophomore F Mike Connolly (13-29-42), Sophomore F Jack Connolly (10-19-29)
Early departures: D Evan Oberg (7-20-27), G Alex Stalock (21-13-8, 2.13 GAA, .924 SV%, 5 SO)
Key graduation losses: F MacGregor Sharp (26-24-50), D Josh Meyers (10-18-28)
The question marks: How will goaltender Brady Hjelle (two games of collegiate experience) handle the load for the Bulldogs after Stalock bolted for the pros?
The bottom line: Duluth will score in bunches this season, but their opponents will, too. The WCHA is not kind to freshman defensemen, but Dylan Olsen and Dan DeLisle will have to hold their own for UMD to secure home ice.

#6 Minnesota State University-Mankato Mavericks

Last year’s record: 15-17-6 overall, 11-13-4 WCHA (8th)
Last year’s statistics: 3.14 goals scored/game (4th), 3.21 goals allowed/game (8th)
Key returning players: Senior F Kael Mouillierat (17-13-30), Senior F Geoff Irwin (12-16-28), Junior Rylan Galiardi (8-20-28), Junior D Kurt Davis (6-25-31)
Early departure: F Trevor Breuss (12-5-17)
Key graduation losses: F Mick Berge (7-24-31), G Mike Zacharias (14-14-6, 2.99 GAA, .911 SV%)
The question marks: I could easily copy the question marks and bottom line from the Bulldogs (above), since the two programs will face similar tests this season. But I’ll come up with something else: How does head coach Troy Jutting get a four-year contract extension after only one winning season in his past six?
The bottom line: With a hot goaltender emerging from the mix (sophomore Austin Lee and freshmen Kevin Murdock and Phil Cook), the Mavs could contend for home ice.

#5 St. Cloud State University Huskies
Last year’s record: 18-17-3 overall, 13-13-2 WCHA (6th)
Last year’s statistics: 2.96 goals scored/game (6th), 2.89 goals allowed/game (5th)
Key returning players: Junior F Garrett Roe (17-31-48), Senior F Ryan Lasch (18-24-42), Junior F Aaron Marvin (10-17-27), Senior D Garrett Raboin (10-23-33)
Early departure: G Jase Weslosky (16-13-2, 2.70 GAA, .913 SV%, 2 SO)
Key graduation loss: F John Swanson (9-17-26)
The question marks: Will highly touted freshman goaltender Mike Lee win the job over Dan Dunn? Can the Huskies beat the Gophers this season after losing all six contests last year?
The bottom line: This is a team with talent all over the ice. The Huskies could very well be a top three team at season’s end.

#4 University of Wisconsin Badgers
Last year’s record: 20-16-4 overall, 14-11-3 WCHA (3rd)
Last year’s statistics: 3.29 goals scored/game (3rd), 2.79 goals allowed/game (4th)
Key returning players: Sophomore F Derek Stepan (9-24-33), Senior F Blake Geoffrion (15-13-28), Senior F John Mitchell (15-11-26)
Early departure: D Jamie McBain (7-30-37)
Key graduation losses: F Tom Gorowsky (12-18-30), G Shane Connelly (19-14-4, 2.51 GAA, .913 SV%, 3 SO)
The question marks: Will transfer Brett Bennett (from Boston University) work out between the pipes after sitting out last season?
The bottom line: The Badgers are talented and experienced. As with so many teams in the league, it comes down to goaltending. If Bennett works out or Scott Gudmandson is capable enough, Bucky could be hoisting the MacNaughton Cup in March.

Check back later this week for part three of my WCHA season preview, in which I predict how the top three teams will finish in the WCHA this year. As always, I welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions.

Weekend Preview: UND vs. Merrimack

For the second season in a row, North Dakota plays an unfamiliar opponent on opening weekend.  After losing to Massachusetts 3-2 at the Icebreaker Invitational (Boston, MA) last year, the Fighting Sioux are hoping for better results against the Warriors of Merrimack (North Andover, MA).

The Warriors do not return a 10-goal scorer this season (North Dakota returns three) and will struggle to score this year, at least until highly-touted recruit Stephane Da Costa (fourth in USHL scoring in 2008-09) makes it through the NCAA Clearinghouse and is allowed to play.

Merrimack’s lone NCAA Division I tournament appearance came at the end of the 1987-1988 season.  The Warriors won a Division II hockey championship in 1978.

Merrimack Team Profile

Head Coach: Mark Dennehy (5th season at Merrimack, 30-89-17, .283)
National Ranking: NR
This Season: 0-0-0, 0-0-0 Hockey East
Last Season: 9-21-4, 5-19-3 Hockey East (9th)
Key Returning Players (last season‘s statistics): Junior F Chris Barton (9-14-23), Sophomore F Jesse Todd (7-16-23), Junior F Joe Cucci (7-11-18), Sophomore D Karl Stollery (5-11-16), Sophomore G Joe Cannata (7-11-4, 2.35 GAA, .918 SV%, 2 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile
Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (6th season at UND, 130-71-19, .634)
National Ranking: #6
This Season: 0-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA
Last Season: 24-15-4 overall (NCAA Northeast Regional semifinalist), 17-7-4 WCHA (1st)
Key Returning Players (last season‘s statistics): Senior F Chris VandeVelde (18-17-35), Sophomore F Jason Gregoire (12-17-29), Sophomore F Brett Hextall (12-14-26), Senior D Chay Genoway (3-29-32), Sophomore G Brad Eidsness (24-12-4, 2.56 GAA, .906 SV%, 1 SO)

Game News and Notes

Friday’s contest will mark the first ever meeting between these two teams. Merrimack sophomore goaltender Joe Cannata and North Dakota freshman forward Danny Kristo were teammates on the U.S. Under-18 team.  Before the start of the series, North Dakota will unveil their 2008-09 WCHA Championship banner, the 14th conference championship in the history of the program.

The Prediction

Merrimack lost 14 of 18 one-goal games last season, but this weekend’s games won’t be that close.  All four forward lines should figure in the scoring for the Sioux, and that spells trouble for the Warriors.   UND 4-1, 6-2

WCHA 2009-10 Season Preview Part One: The Bottom Three

For the third year in a row, close to a dozen WCHA players gave up their remaining eligibility for pro contracts or off-field issues. Headlining this list of early departures are Denver’s Tyler Bozak, Wisconsin’s Jamie McBain, Colorado College’s Richard Bachman, Minnesota’s Ryan Stoa, and Minnesota-Duluth’s Alex Stalock.

Before I reveal my first three predictions for this year, let’s take a look at last season….

WCHA 2008-09 Final Standings

Team Record Points
North Dakota 17-7-4 38
Denver 16-8-4 36
Wisconsin 14-11-3 31
Colorado College 12-9-7 31
Minnesota 12-11-5 29
St. Cloud 13-13-2 28
Minnesota-Duluth 10-11-7 27
MSU-Mankato 11-13-4 26
Alaska-Anchorage 9-14-5 23
Michigan Tech 2-19-7 11

And here are three teams that I believe will certainly be on the road for the first round of the WCHA playoffs this season….

#10 Michigan Tech University Huskies
Last year’s record: 6-25-7 overall, 2-19-7 WCHA (10th)
Last year’s WCHA statistics: 1.68 goals scored/game (10th), 3.36 goals allowed/game (10th)
Key returning players: Junior F Jordan Baker (16-11-27), Sophomore F Brett Olson (10-13-23), Senior D Drew Dobson (5-14-19), Senior F Malcolm Gwilliam (2-5-7 in nine games)
Early departures: None
Key graduation losses: F Alex Gagne (5-8-13), D Geoff Kinrade (3-13-16), G Rob Nolan (3.05 GAA, .894 SV%)
The question marks: Can Michigan Tech climb out of the cellar? Can sophomore goaltender Josh Robinson (3.09 GAA, .889 SV%) handle the majority of the minutes in net after appearing in 20 games last season?
The bottom line: It’s going to be rough for the Huskies again this year.  There is no real reason for optimism and no real reason to expect more than four conference victories.

#9 University of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves

Last year’s record: 14-17-5 overall, 9-14-5 WCHA (9th)
Last year’s statistics: 2.46 goals scored/game (9th), 3.32 goals allowed/game (9th)
Key returning players: Senior F Kevin Clark (13-18-31), Junior F Tommy Grant (15-10-25), Senior F Josh Lunden (14-6-20), Senior D Trevor Hunt (4-8-12), Junior G Bryce Christianson (2.60 GAA, .893 SV%)
Early departure: F Paul Crowder (14-19-33)
Key graduation loss: D Mat Robinson (3-12-15)
The question marks: Will the Seawolves build on the momentum from the end of last season (sweeps over Alaska and Duluth, and two one-goal losses at Denver in the first round of the WCHA playoffs)?  Will UAA continue to have road success this year (7-9-1 last season)?
The bottom line: This is a team that could go either way.  The Seawolves could be fighting for home ice or fighting to stay out of the cellar.  I might have them too low here, but I’m not sure where the goals are going to come from.

#8 Colorado College Tigers

Last year’s record: 16-12-10 overall, 12-9-7 WCHA (4th)
Last year’s statistics: 2.82 goals scored/game (7th), 2.93 goals allowed/game (6th)
Key returning players: Senior F Bill Sweatt (12-11-23), Junior F Stephen Schultz (10-4-14), Senior F Mike Testwuide (4-5-9), Sophomore D Gabe Guentzell (3-14-17)
Early departures: D Brian Connelly (3-24-27), G Richard Bachman (2.63 GAA, .914 SV%)
Key graduation losses: C Chad Rau (18-19-37), F Eric Walsky (12-24-36)
The question marks: There are so many areas of concern for this squad: goaltending (Tyler O‘Brien has appeared in only three games over two seasons), scoring (both even strength and on the power play), experience (15 underclassmen on the roster), and coaching (assistant coach Mike Guentzel departed Colorado Springs to become the head coach of the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL).
The bottom line:  After winning 28 games in 07-08, the Tigers won only 16 games last year and may not notch 10 victories this season.  CC has an outside shot at home ice, although head coach Scott Owens has his work cut out for him.

Check back soon for part two of my WCHA season preview, in which I predict which teams will finish in 4th-7th place and battle it out for home ice in the playoffs. Check back later for part three, detailing the top three teams in the conference. As always, I welcome your questions and comments.

Rule Change: Ties in the Frozen Four to be decided by shootout

INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA Ice Hockey Rules Committee has issued a statement which says, in part, that:

“Effective immediately, all NCAA men’s ice hockey tournament games which are tied at the conclusion of a five-minute sudden death overtime period will be decided by a shootout. This rule change will affect the remaining three games of the 2009 tournament.”

Attempts to reach Ty Halpin, NCAA Associate Director for Playing Rules Administration, were unsuccessful.

It is believed that this decision comes in the wake of last weekend’s programming debacle on ESPN2, when a men’s lacrosse match between Virginia and Maryland went into seven overtimes, causing many college hockey fans to miss the first period of the Northeast Regional semifinal between New Hampshire and North Dakota. There seems to be a clear desire from the ESPN family of networks to complete the remaining tournament games in the 2 hour and 30 minute time frame allotted.

Three of the previous twelve 2009 NCAA men’s ice hockey tournament games have gone into overtime, although the aforementioned UNH/UND game would not have been affected by this rule change. The Wildcats scored the game-winner 45 seconds into the first overtime period.

Elsewhere in the tournament, Minnesota-Duluth defeated Princeton on a power play goal more than 13 minutes into overtime, and Vermont toppled Air Force after more than 34 minutes of overtime to advance to the Frozen Four (Washington, DC). Both of those games would have gone to a shootout under this rule change.

The specifics of the shootout rules for the Frozen Four will be announced at a press conference scheduled for 4:01 p.m. EST on ESPNEWS.

NCAA Northeast Regional Preview

Here’s a closer look at the four teams in the NCAA Northeast Regional at the Verizon Wireless Arena (Manchester, New Hampshire):

Game 1: (2) North Dakota vs. (3) New Hampshire (Saturday, March 28, 2:00 p.m. ET)

North Dakota Team Profile

National Rankings: #7/#7
PairWise Ranking: #8
KRACH Strength of Schedule: 17th of 58 teams
Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (5th season at UND, 130-70-19, .637)
This Season: 24-14-4 Overall, 17-7-4 WCHA (1st)
Team Offense: 3.36 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.67 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 17.5% (48 of 275)
Penalty Kill: 84.4% (184 of 218)
Last Season: 28-11-4 Overall (NCAA Frozen Four semifinalist), 18-7-3 WCHA (2nd)
Key Players: Senior F Ryan Duncan (19-19-38), Junior F Chris VandeVelde (16-17-33), Freshman F Jason Gregoire (11-16-27), Freshman F Brett Hextall (12-13-25), Senior D Brad Miller (6-29-35), Junior D Chay Genoway (3-29-32), Freshman G Brad Eidsness (24-11-4, 2.47 GAA, .908 SV%, 1 SO)
NCAA Championships: 7 (most recent, 2000)
NCAA Appearance: 24th (most recent, 2008)

New Hampshire Team Profile

National Rankings: #12/#12
PairWise Ranking: #10
KRACH Strength of Schedule: 10th of 58 teams
Head Coach: Dick Umile (19th season at UNH, 443-219-71, .653)
This Season: 19-12-5 Overall, 15-8-4 Hockey East (3rd)
Team Offense: 3.03 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.92 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 11.5% (22 of 191)
Penalty Kill: 83.1% (152 of 183)
Last Season: 25-10-3 Overall (NCAA West Regional Semifinalist), 19-5-3 Hockey East (1st)
Key Players: Sophomore F James van Riemsdyk (17-22-39), Sophomore F Mike Sislo (18-10-28), Junior F Peter LeBlanc (12-15-27), Junior F Bobby Butler (8-19-27), Senior D Kevin Kapstad (2-22-24), Junior G Brian Foster (18-10-4, 2.63 GAA, .910 SV%, 3 SO)
NCAA Championships: None
NCAA Appearance: 19th (most recent, 2008)

What to watch for: Can North Dakota get the early start (UND is 14-1-2 when leading after one period of play)? Will the Wildcats be able to exploit North Dakota’s suddenly soft penalty kill? Is it better to miss out on conference championship weekend (as New Hampshire did) or drop two games in the postseason tournament (a la North Dakota)? Is it possible for Dave Hakstol to lead UND to its fifth consecutive Frozen Four?

Who will win: No current New Hampshire player has won an NCAA playoff game, while North Dakota’s senior class has advanced to three consecutive Frozen Fours. This game will be tight, but on the smaller rink, the Sioux have the edge. UND 3-2.

Game 2: (1) Boston University vs. (4) Ohio State (Saturday, March 28, 6:30 p.m. ET)

Boston University Team Profile

National Rankings: #1/#1
PairWise Ranking: #1
KRACH Strength of Schedule: 12th of 58 teams
Head Coach: Jack Parker (36th season at BU, 811-413-101, .650)
This Season: 31-6-4 Overall, 18-5-4 Hockey East (1st)
Team Offense: 3.85 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 1.95 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 21.8% (52 of 238)
Penalty Kill: 87.3% (214 of 245)
Last Season: 19-17-4 Overall, 15-9-3 Hockey East (2nd)
Key Players: Sophomore F Colin Wilson (15-35-50), Sophomore F Nick Bonino (16-28-44), Senior F Chris Higgins (12-28-40), Senior F Brandon Yip (19-20-39), Senior D Matt Gilroy (8-24-32), Sophomore D Colby Cohen (7-21-28), Freshman G Kieran Millan (25-2-3, 1.84 GAA, .923 SV%, 3 SO)
NCAA Championships: 4 (most recent, 1995)
NCAA Appearance: 31st (most recent, 2007)

Ohio State Team Profile

National Rankings: #14/-
PairWise Ranking: #15
KRACH Strength of Schedule: 27th of 58 teams
Head Coach: John Markell (15th season at OSU, 265-248-50, .515)
This Season: 23-14-4 Overall, 13-11-4-3 CCHA (5th)
Team Offense: 3.41 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.71 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 13.9% (26 of 187)
Penalty Kill: 81.8% (175 of 214)
Last Season: 12-25-4 Overall, 7-18-3 CCHA (12th)
Key Players: Senior F Corey Elkins (18-22-40), Sophomore F John Albert (11-28-39), Sophomore F Peter Boyd (13-18-31), Sophomore F Hunter Bishop (13-16-29), Sophomore D Shane Sims (7-17-24), Sophomore G Dustin Carlson (21-11-3, 2.40 GAA, .920 SV%, 4 SO)
NCAA Championships: None
NCAA Appearance: 6th (most recent, 2005)

What to watch for: Will BU start a run to the national championship and claim its sixth title of the season (after winning the IceBreaker, Denver Cup, Beanpot, Hockey East regular season, and Hockey East playoff championship)? Can Ohio State shut down the Terriers’ vaunted power play (21.8%)? Is it possible for the Wildcat and Sioux faithful in attendance get behind the Buckeyes and will them to the upset?

Who will win: Boston University has too much across the board for Ohio State, but we could have said the same about Michigan vs. Air Force or Denver vs. Miami (OH). Anything can happen, but I don’t see the Terriers dropping their opening game. BU 4-1.

Thank you for reading. I welcome your comments and suggestions. Check back after the regional semifinal games for more previews, predictions, analysis, and reaction from the NCAA tournament.

A quick look at the other three regionals

Here’s a quick peek at what I see happening in the West, Midwest, and East regionals…

West Regional:

#1 Denver over #4 Miami (OH)
#2 Minnesota-Duluth over #3 Princeton

#2 Minnesota-Duluth over #1 Denver

Midwest Regional:

#2 Northeastern over #3 Cornell
#4 Bemidji State over #1 Notre Dame

#2 Northeastern over #4 Bemidji State

East Regional:

#1 Michigan over #4 Air Force
#3 Vermont over #2 Yale

#1 Michigan over #3 Vermont

So three of my four Frozen Four teams are Michigan, Northeastern, and Minnesota-Duluth. Check back later tonight for a complete look at the Northeast Regional, which includes Boston University, North Dakota, New Hampshire, and Ohio State.

Predicting the Hobey Baker Top Ten

This is my yearly attempt to predict the ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. In the past, my results have been mixed, from a high of seven to a low of five.

As you may remember, my top ten is weighted toward players on teams still alive for the national tournament, although there are a couple of picks outside of the NCAA field.

Skaters (in alphabetical order):

Ryan Duncan, senior forward, North Dakota (18-19-37)

Jacques Lamoureux, junior forward, Air Force (31-20-51)

Bryan Leitch, senior forward, Quinnipiac (12-47-59)

Aaron Palushaj, sophomore forward, Michigan (12-36-48)

Ryan Stoa, junior forward, Minnesota (24-22-46)

Colin Wilson, sophomore forward, Boston University (14-35-49)

Goaltenders (in alphabetical order):

Zane Kalemba, junior, Princeton (22-8-0, 1.69 GAA, .936 SV%, 2 SO)

Jordan Pearce, senior, Notre Dame (28-5-3, 1.62 GAA, .934 SV%, 8 SO)

Ben Scrivens, junior, Cornell (20-8-4, 1.68 GAA, .936 SV%, 7 SO)

Brad Thiessen, junior, Northeastern (25-10-4, 2.07 GAA, .932 SV%, 3 SO)

Duncan is admittedly a homer pick (and Sioux defenseman Chay Genoway had the early Hobey buzz), but no one is hotter than Duncan (22 points over his last 18 games) and UND would not be a top 5 team without their senior captain.

None of the defensemen this year jumped out at me, although Wisconsin’s McBain could crack the top ten.

Feel free to argue, debate, and add your own opinions. Check back after the announcement on Thursday evening to see how I did.

2009 WCHA Final Five Preview

This is a quick preview of the WCHA Final Five tournament in St. Paul. I’ll add more as the weekend progresses. And yes, I know the tournament is reseeded after the first round, but I think it’s more interesting to note where the teams finished in the conference, so I’m leaving them how they are.

In regards to the national picture, it looks like Wisconsin needs to win the Broadmoor Trophy and gain the autobid in order to advance to the NCAAs. Denver and North Dakota are virtual locks to be at-large selections.

The Thursday play-in game is very interesting. It’s not quite as easy as “loser goes home”, as there are some scenarios that would have either team making the tournament despite going 0-1 this weekend. Duluth certainly has more to gain by winning and more to lose by dropping Thursday’s opener.

Thursday night (7:07 p.m): #5 Minnesota vs. #7 Minnesota-Duluth

Both teams thrive on the early lead, so the first goal is tremendously important. The battle of goaltenders features Minnesota’s Alex Kangas (last season’s Final Five MVP) versus Duluth’s Alex Stalock (this season’s WCHA goaltending champion). The smaller ice seems to favor the Bulldogs, but UMD’s penalty killing will be put to the test. I have a feeling that this is a one goal game either way, but the Gophers will be inspired by hearing so many people correctly spell the name of their state. Minnesota 3-2.

Friday afternoon (2:07 p.m.): #2 Denver vs. #3 Wisconsin

If Tyler Ruegsegger and Tyler Bozak were in the lineup for Denver, I would expect the Pioneers to win handily (the Pios swept all four games in the season series with the Badgers). But Gwozdecky will have to shuffle the lines this weekend, and that favors Bucky. In the regular season, Wisconsin posted a record of 6-8-2 against the other four tournament participants, while Denver went 8-3-1. I like Denver in a tight game, but if George walks across the ice, all bets are off. Denver 4-3.

Friday night (7:07 p.m.): #1 North Dakota vs. #5 Minnesota /#7 Minnesota-Duluth

These would both be tough games if the opposing team was rested and ready. But North Dakota will watch and wait on Thursday evening and come out flying on Friday. The Fighting Sioux struggled in Duluth in mid-November, but UND is 15-2-3 in 2009. The Green and White boast greater scoring depth than the rest of the field (ten players averaging a half point per game or better) and will be playing for the championship on Saturday night. North Dakota 5-3 over Minnesota/North Dakota 4-2 over Duluth.

If these results hold, I would expect Minnesota to topple Wisconsin in Saturday’s third-place game in a contest that would mean much more to the Gophers than to the Badgers Minnesota 5-2. And in the championship game, look for North Dakota and Denver to go to overtime and UND’s depth to take over in the final frame. North Dakota 4-3 (OT).