All-Decade Teams?
by WCHBlog on Mar 9, 2010 11:58 AM PST
2 comments
The ECAC has been having some people vote for an All-Decade team that they'll announce later this year. Hockey East is doing their own All-Decade team. College Hockey News made one for all of college hockey.
I have some ideas about who I would pick for a WCHA and a CCHA All-Decade team, but I figured I'd get a few opinions and suggestions before I posted it. Who would you pick? What criteria would you use? A solid four-year career? A year or two of greatness? Ability to control his bladder? (Sorry T.J. Oshie and Brock Trotter)
Anyway, lots of great possibilities. State your case in the comments.
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Linkorama
by WCHBlog on Mar 9, 2010 10:34 AM PST
0 comments
All-WCHA ballots went out after this past weekend's games, and a few people are posting their ballots. Here are ballots from Bruce Ciskie, Shane Frederick, Brad Schlossman, Andy Baggott, and Roman Augustoviz, who for some reason omitted Blake Geoffrion from his ballot entirely. I'll post who I would have picked later in the week.
There's a new blog that is keeping track of Minnesota State's recruits. Good stuff.
Former Alaska Nanook Jeff Penner got called up to the NHL. Congratulations.
Yoni Brenner wrote the Shouts and Murmurs for this week's New Yorker, which is fantastic as always. Why mention it? One, that little magazine could use the publicity and this is totally the market for it, and two, after growing up being influenced by Brenner and Brian Cook writing at the Every Three Weekly, one would think I would be way better at this than I am. Super sorry.
The NHL can't decide on this head shot thing either. For what it's worth, I thought Matt Cooke's recent hit to the head was worse than Aaron Marvin's. Watching at full speed, Cooke's hit looked more avoidable. Marvin's suspension was still ridiculously excessive.
The Star-Tribune released their All-Metro Team and named Nick Bjugstad their Player of the Year. No argument from me on any of it.
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CCHA All-Rookie Team
by WCHBlog on Mar 8, 2010 9:40 AM PST
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The CCHA announced their All-Rookie Team today, and six different schools were represented on the list. Here's the team:
F-Andy Taranto, Alaska
F-Terry Broadhurst, Nebraska-Omaha
F-Chris Brown, Michigan
D-Torey Krug, Michigan State
D-Joe Hartman, Miami
G-Mike Johnson, Notre Dame
I probably would have chosen Bowling Green's Jordan Samuels-Thomas over Broadhurst, though Broadhurst finished the season on a tear, with 5 multi-point games in his team's last 10 games. Notre Dame's Riley Sheahan was also one of his team's few bright spots.
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Faulty Math
by WCHBlog on Mar 8, 2010 12:06 AM PST
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It's getting down to that time of year where people are going to start paying a lot of attention to the Pairwise Rankings, which are used by the NCAA tournament selection committee.So I figured I'd take this opportunity to point out what a stupid, arbitrary system it is.
In looking over the big grid, you'll notice that Massachusetts is currently winning their comparison over Alaska. That seems a bit strange given that Alaska is 9th in the RPI with an adjusted RPI of .5392 while UMass is 24th in the RPI with an adjusted RPI of .5185.
So how exactly is UMass winning that comparison? For starters, UMass beat RPI earlier this year. Alaska played RPI the following weekend and tied them. That is the only common opponent the two teams shared--UMass didn't play anyone from west of Niagara this year. Anyways, there you go. UMass is 1-0-0 against common opponents while Alaska is 0-0-1. Point UMass. That one game completely cancels out Alaska's significant advantage in the measurement of all 30-some games the two teams played.
Since the two never played head-to-head, that leaves record against Teams Under Consideration as the deciding factor. UMass' record against TUCs is 11-9-0 while Alaska's record is 6-5-6. Slight edge to UMass, which means they win the comparison. Of course, if the tournament committee decided to draw the completely arbitrary TUC line at the top 26 teams, that would introduce UMass' 1-2-0 record against Northeastern into that category, and Alaska would have a slight edge in the category and win the comparison. If they drew the line at 23 or fewer teams, getting closer to what the NCAA used to use when they really only looked at teams actually under consideration for the tournament, and this isn't an issue because UMass isn't even in the picture to begin with.
Obviously this is a fairly extreme example, but it highlights what is wrong with this system. Some people will say the Pairwise shouldn't be looked at until every conference tournament has finished, but it's at least plausible for a situation like this to occur in a couple weeks. UMass and Alaska won't play any more common opponents so that category is impossible to change. Alaska's fate--with respect to that individual comparison right now, but potentially also their NCAA tournament chances should they drop a couple spots--will likely be determined by which order teams 23-27 in the RPI end up in. That doesn't seem like the most logical way to determine who belongs in the NCAA tournament field.
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CCHA Playoffs
by WCHBlog on Mar 7, 2010 11:07 PM PST
0 comments
The CCHA playoffs got underway this past weekend in fairly pedestrian fashion. The higher seed won all four series in two games. In fact, the only game in the first round within two goals was Ohio State's 3-1 win over Notre Dame on Friday night.
With none of the games being all that close, I guess there's not much to say about the first round except: 1.I can't believe Notre Dame's season is already over, and that a team that talented ended up being so bad. 2. Apparently Matt Hunwick's brother was able to keep things together for at least a couple of games. 3. The Jim Culhane Era ended in fairly appropriate fashion.
Onto the match-ups in the second round...
#1 Miami vs. #8 Ohio State
The Buckeyes are 0-3-1 against Miami on the year, though the last game was a hard-fought 0-0 tie in Columbus. This series is a lot more interesting than if Miami was matched up against last place Bowling Green, which is why I like this playoff format better for a 12-team conference, but Miami is going to be really tough to beat at home. I could see Ohio State taking a game to overtime, but I have a tough time believing they'll win a game, let alone two.
#2 Michigan State vs. #7 Michigan
This is bound to be a trivia question somewhere this week: March 4-6 1988 at Western Michigan was the last time Michigan played a CCHA playoff series on the road. Michigan assistant coach Billy Powers was that team's second leading scorer. Only five players on the current Michigan team were alive when that happened. The last time they lost a CCHA playoff series was the following year when Bowling Green beat them in three games at Yost.
As for the stuff that pertains to this year, Michigan State won 3 out of the 4 meetings, including both games at Munn Arena, and Michigan's options in goal are a gimpy at best Bryan Hogan and a 5'7" walk-on goalie. The Spartans have a lot to play for as well. There's way too much math to say definitively, but it looks like two wins keeps them pretty safe for the NCAA tournament, and losing this series puts them in at least a little bit of trouble with regards to the tournament.
#3 Ferris State vs. #6 Nebraska-Omaha
This has all the makings of a great series. Ferris State was one of the hottest teams in the country in the first half of the year, and Nebraska-Omaha has been one of the hottest teams in the country in the second half of the year. Both teams are on the NCAA tournament bubble. Coming into the weekend, Ferris is barely on the right side of the bubble, and UNO is barely on the wrong side, but if UNO wins this series, I'd have to believe that would probably end up getting flipped.
Nebraska-Omaha might be a sexy upset pick because they've been so hot lately while Ferris has struggled in the second half, but both of these teams have amazing home records and are sub-.500 on the road. Thus, I think you've got to give the advantage to the home team this weekend.
#4 Northern Michigan vs. #5 Alaska
Northern Michigan is the home team here, but Alaska is in a more comfortable position with regards to the NCAA tournament, sitting at 8th in the Pairwise. Even though they're a 2 seed in the tournament now, two losses would make for a very uncomfortable week of waiting for the Nanooks.
Meanwhile, Northern Michigan has climbed back into the NCAA tournament picture thanks to teams like Ferris State, Michigan State, Minnesota-Duluth, and Colorado College struggling a bit, and no one behind them making a strong push to take their spots.
I think this is the most likely series to go three games, as these two teams are pretty evenly matched. Northern Michigan always finds a way to play their best at the end of the year, and this could be the year they turn that into an NCAA tournament berth, but Alaska is extremely tough to play against.
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WCHA Playoff Match-Ups
by WCHBlog on Mar 7, 2010 6:03 PM PST
6 comments
#1 Denver vs. #10 Michigan Tech
A tenth seed has never upset a number one seed(EDIT: Since Tech beat CC in 1994. My bad), and it isn't going to happen this year. Tech will fight valiantly and maybe make things more difficult for Denver than some would expect, but there's basically no chance of the Huskies winning two out of three games.
#2 Wisconsin vs. #9 Alaska-Anchorage
Wisconsin is a little bit below, but not by much, and Anchorage is a little above Tech, but not by much. Wisconsin blew out UAA twice at home earlier this year, and I can't see Wisconsin losing two games on their home ice.
#3 St. Cloud State vs. #8 Minnesota State
This is potentially an interesting one. These two teams played this past weekend, and on Saturday night, St. Cloud had the opportunity to win and face Alaska-Anchorage in the first round of the playoffs--and really, an overtime win shouldn't have been too hard given they were playing a team that brought a stellar 0-4-2 overtime record into the game. The Seawolves have literally never won a game at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud in some thirty-odd tries. Instead, they draw Minnesota State, who is 7-1-1 in their last nine games in St. Cloud.
Minnesota State's one win and one tie last weekend in their only series against St. Cloud matched their total of wins and ties against the other five teams in the top 6 of the WCHA combined this season. And they didn't need the other team to take back-to-back five minute majors, or start their back-up goalie, or get attacked by a pterodactyl terrorizing the arena to get that win and tie either. This match-up was definitely their best hope at a competitive series.
#4 North Dakota vs. #7 Minnesota
So many unanswered questions. How many fans will die if this series goes to three games? What color will the Gophers go with on their annual trip to the beauty salon in search of team unity? How is the world disrespecting North Dakota this week?
This is a pretty close match-up, but I think the Sioux sweep the series. They're playing well down the stretch, as they always seem to do, having won 7 straight games, and Minnesota just hasn't shown the toughness it would take to win a tough playoff series, especially against a physical team like North Dakota.
#5 Minnesota-Duluth vs. #6 Colorado College
Somebody has to win this series? Right? Ok. Somebody has to win this series.
A couple months ago, these two teams were at the top of the WCHA and in solid position for an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament, but both have really faded in the second half of the season. Duluth is 4-8-0 in their last 12 games. Colorado College is 6-10-0 in the second half of the season. Colorado College is 21st in the Pairwise, while UMD temporarily played themselves out of NCAA tournament territory with their loss Friday night, before getting back onto the good side of the bubble with a win on Saturday.
As per usual, Duluth is a much stronger team at home than they are on the road, and I have a feeling they'll prevail in this series. Colorado College put together a remarkable first half of the season with smoke and mirrors, but their lack of depth exposed them in the second half of the year.
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Handing Out Some Golden Tickets
by WCHBlog on Mar 4, 2010 11:03 AM PST
0 comments
The first teams started punching their tickets to the State Tournament last night.
The two championship games played at the Target Center last night, Section 2AA and 6AA, were hyped as "being better than the state tournament" with four of the state's top teams in action. But let's hope the games at the state tournament are more exciting, as neither game was particularly close.
Eden Prairie stayed in the first game with Minnetonka, leading 2-1 in the second period, but Eden Prairie played with a very short bench from the start of the game and ran out of gas about midway through the game. Minnetonka scored six unanswered goals for an easy 7-2 win. Minnetonka definitely proved they're the best team in the state.
In the second final, Edina scored three quick goals on Bloomington Jefferson in the second period to cruise to a 4-1 win. Jefferson actually outshot Edina in this game, but Edina had a definite advantage in quality of shots on goal.
Maybe it was because neither game was all that close, but the atmosphere inside the Target Center was pretty dull all night. I'd guess at the peak, there were about 10,000 people there, but there were still large sections of the upper bowl empty. It just had more of the feel of a state tournament game than what you'd normally have at a high school game. I thought the Target Center itself did a nice job hosting though. They had all the concession stands open and did a nice job of directing everyone to their team-specific sections.
I'll be interested to see if they tighten up the boards before Minnesota and Wisconsin play there on Friday night. They were incredibly live for last night's game, and if pucks shot by high schoolers were jumping off the back boards out to the front of the net, I could see it being a big problem with college players shooting.
Elsewhere in the state, Roseau knocked off Moorhead 2-1, and will return to the state tournament. And Virginia beat HIbbing/Chisholm 3-0 to advance to the Class A state tournament.
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Analyzing The Governor's Cup
by WCHBlog on Mar 2, 2010 3:03 PM PST
3 comments
Alaska swept away the Governor's Cup this past weekend. The wins for the Nanooks weren't unexpected. Alaska now sits at 9th in the Pairwise Rankings, and seems to be in a nice spot to make their first ever NCAA tournament appearance. Alaska-Anchorage on the other hand, now has to win their rest of their games up through the national title game in order to avoid their 16th consecutive season with a losing record, which not coincidentally, is every season they've been a part of the WCHA.
Standard argument about the quality of leagues aside--I can't see Alaska being much better than 6th or 7th in the WCHA this year--what is the difference between the two teams? This maybe isn't a popular answer in Fairbanks, but I actually think Doc DelCastillo might deserve a little bit of the credit for this team's success.
I've thrown out the theory before that I don't think Alaska-Anchorage will ever be able to really compete in the WCHA in part because they rely almost exclusively on players from western Canada to fill out their roster, and the weakening of the Tier II Canadian leagues, combined with the strengthening of the USHL puts them at too much of a disadvantage. Alaska was in a similar boat prior to DelCastillo, having a predominantly Canadian coaching staff and relying almost exclusively on BCHL and AJHL players.*
DelCastillo had a different recruiting strategy of trying to pick some diamond's out of the rough from the leagues outside of western Canada. And even though DelCastillo is long gone from Fairbanks, those players are the catalysts for Alaska's success. The team's leading scorer is former USHL forward Andy Taranto(who technically committed well after DelCastillo left, but essentially counts). The team's top defenseman is big Joe Sova, another USHL player born in Illinois. And the team is anchored in goal by Scott Greenham, from Ontario. There's certainly western Canadian players on the roster that deserves lots of credit as well, including the vastly underrated Dion Knelsen, and Dustin Sather, but those couple extra top line guys are a big part of the reason Alaska is looking at an at-large bid instead of being a team on the TUC bubble at the end of the year.
Of course finding players is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to coaching, and DelCastillo was almost a complete failure at every other aspect of coaching the Nanooks. Current head coach Dallas Ferguson deserves a ton of credit for the way he has coached this team the past two years and managed to get the most out of what he has.
It does provide an interesting roadmap for the Alaska schools to be successful though. Dave Shyiak is likely to find himself on the heat seat in Achorage, if not now, then likely in the future. The criticisms are definitely mounting up. On top of the consistent losing, there was the incident last weekend which earned him reprimand, the many nights this year UAA lost in embarrassing fashion, and the lack of local players he's been able to bring in(though that looks to be changing with verbal commitments from Matt Friese and Zach Rall). His success in the Governor's Cup series may have bought him some extra leeway in the past, but the Seawolves lost that this year as well.
If Anchorage does decide they need to make a change. Someone with experience and connections in the USHL--and hopefully with a few people skills, as well--could be what it takes to help turn things around in Anchorage.
*And it should be noted, Alaska did a pretty nice job with that over the Gadowsky/MacMillan era, with 6 kids that have played in the NHL recently: Aaron Voros, Darcy Campbell, Chad Johnson, Tyler Eckford, Jordan Hendry, and Kyle Greentree.
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