For Better or Worse...

...here comes the 08-09 campaign.

After a long summer of hibernation in my drone cube at Ford IT of Houghton, pretending I knew how to design complex software, classes have resumed and exhibition hockey is now just over two weeks away.

While there are large question marks on offense, I think we can point back to the 06-07 season to prove that there are going to be players who will step up and fill the void of consistent scorers left behind by the likes of Rouleau and Shelast. The question is, how many of them are going to?

All I ask of this year's team is that they play complete, 60-minute games. Far too many times last year they either skated out unprepared to play or lost focus mid-way through the game. They simply can't do that anymore.

You can expect my 08-09 overview and predictions in the coming days.

Worth a Weekend's Fun?

Yes, the ugly, red-faced mug on the right is me. :D

So the question remains - after spending $40 on tickets to the game, $95 on two nights in a motel, about $125 on gas, and approximately $60 on food and drinks, was my first WCHA road trip worth it?

To examine this scenario, we'll take the categorical approach...

The Games - Royally sucked, from a results standpoint, but in no way can I say that I didn't see it coming - we have failed to extract a victory from the confines of the National Concrete Center since 1998. The no hardware Huskies converted on their chances and in spite of generating opportunities of our own, Tech did not. Weslosky was good all weekend, making some Hasek-like saves and he had a wicked-fast glove on more than one occasion. Unfortunately, even when Tech had a clear shot at an open net, somehow they would find a way to miss it. I knew the sweep was imminent on Saturday when my Huskies dominated the majority of the 1st period, failed to score even once, then watched Nolan give up a soft goal with less than a minute left. Gwilliam's CFB major in the 2nd, followed by another Nolan softy was just the nail in the coffin.

The Arena - The National Hockey Center is actually a decent place to see a game, in spite of the derogatory "Concrete Center" moniker. The small Tech contingent was placed in one of the upper corners, but the sight lines are good in virtually every section, sans maybe the very highest parts of the corners. The atmosphere could be pretty good, considering that the majority of the crowd (young and old) gets into the "Sieve! You Suck!" cheer after SCSU scores and it's loud. Otherwise it's mostly SCSU's student section (The Dog Pound) trying to fill a building which is just a bit too large to hear any sort of cheer or chant they were attempting all the way in the opposite corner of the arena. All the concrete turned out to be good in the end though - it made the perfect surface for tapping out the PK Ditty. :P

Post-Game Entertainment - The Red Carpet and various local watering holes are basically the extent of nightlife in St. Cloud. Friday was spent partially at MC's Dugout and partially at the Martini Lounge inside The Red Carpet. Saturday evening was spent at McRudy's, where the above photo was taken. Of the three, McRudy's was probably my favorite - it's hard for me not to like a place that has big glasses of Newcastle on tap, knows how to make a good whiskey sour, and has $2 Captain & Cokes on special. Of course, there's also nothing quite like MEg pestering you on multiple occasions (this was after 3+ drinks) about writing for THB, watching your entire table drunkenly attempting to sing Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'", bigblue_dl's random black jokes, the humor in seeing CSPAN on TV in a bar, etc.

Other Notes - Val's is a must - it looks like an ordinary greasy spoon, but they have great, made-to-order burgers, fries, and shakes in this dumpy little shack on the east side of the river (take-out only), and it's reasonably priced to boot.

So yes, St. Cloud is indeed worth a weekend's fun for the average college hockey fan. Additionally, all the SCSU fans we met over the weekend were pretty cool.

***************

And so now, with basically any discussion of home ice all but over, Tech looks to position themselves as high as possible to try and earn a trip to a weaker team's barn for the WCHA playoffs.

It's Denver weekend, with the Pioneers hitting Ho-town for two games on senior weekend. I anticipate that Gwoz will probably have his boys on a tight leash after last year's incidents, which they certainly will not be permitted to forget thanks to the Misfits and tSBFitW. With Mannino in the nets, look for a revival of all the "Ice Cream Headache" jokes, don't be surprised to see a few sections of "wall" with holes punched through them, and definitely be on the lookout for some new things too. Perhaps something that might help give Tech a mental boost - we'll see.

***Takes a big gulp of tTech Kool-Aid™, specially prepared by Twitch Boy***

Friday: Motivated by senior weekend and my top-secret "mental booster", the Huskies deliver 50 hits in the first period. Mannino cries for his mommy by the middle of the 2nd after he gives up his 3rd goal and the "Ugly Goalie!" chant is busted out. He is pulled for Chevy who is so shell-shocked by the antics of the Tech fanbase that he fails to notice the play in front of him. Tech wins 5-1.

Saturday: Marc "Like A Rock" Chevy gets the starting nod, and backstops Denver to a 2-0 lead at the end of the second. Twitch Boy, in a fit of rage, grabs a contingent of Pep Band members and invades the Tech locker room, where he delivers a rousing motivational speech which is followed, on cue, by a flawless performance of the fight song. Meanwhile, the bad beef that mysteriously found its way into Chevy's pre-game meal suddenly takes effect at the start of the 3rd, and the distracting symptoms of food poisoning cause him to give up three goals. In a twist of cruel irony, Randy Schmidt has returned to the reffing ranks, and disallows the tying DU goal with 0:00.4 seconds remaining on the clock after deciding he'd rather hit the bar and get wasted with Tech fans than play an overtime period. The Huskies win 3-2.

It's Nothing New

I don't really have a lot to say here...

*The Huskies still don't know how to sweep a series and build momentum - nothing new there.

*Todd Andersen blows - he's a WCHA official, so nothing new there either.

*Tech can't finish/score (insert overused jokes about "The Ratio" and husky women here) with any modicum of regularity - wow, nothing new there either!

I mean c'mon - the Huskies played very well this weekend overall. Saturday's game certainly should have been a W or at least a T in the column, but when you whiff on the majority of your best chances to put up points, you can't expect either.

I've said it before; 3+ goals, consistently - that's what it will take to win games in this league night in, night out. Until the Huskies figure out how to take care of that, they won't finish in the top half of the conference.

Overall bright spot this weekend? I'll hand it to the PP units - the puck movement is getting better and better, and they're even starting to take their chances with passes across the slot; the problem is the speed. Every now and then, you'll see one of our guys take a pass and immediately tap it over to someone else, which is good. That's the kind of movement we need to see more of - it keeps opposing penalty killers on their toes and gets them to make mistakes that take them out of position. Unfortunately, you can't score unless you shoot, and Tech can't make that decision fast enough. We may not have many "sniper" type players with good hands and high accuracy, but if you make faster decisions when you have a clear shot, eventually someone will get it right and the puck will go in.

As for individual bright spots, obviously Rouleau (3-2-5) and Gagne (2-1-3) had big weekends, as did Shelast (1-2-3). Kattelus chipped in two principle assists. Eli also played solid hockey and picked up his first point of the season with an assist on Saturday.

Anyway, we now turn towards next weekend and a series at St. Cloud State. I will be in attendance, and for the money I will spend to be there, I expect that my Michigan Tech Huskies will play two good games, regardless of the outcome. I'd better not be paying to watch two more unforeseen drubbings at the hands of the league's other Huskies, regardless of their sickening record against us in our last twenty meetings (16-2-2).

Other than that, I'm looking forward to spending a brief weekend in the fine state of Minnesota, in spite of the fact that I've never been there. I'm reasonably well-traveled in some parts of the U.S. (The Great Lakes, Dixie, the Mountain West), but nevertheless, there are some regions I just haven't gotten around to visiting (The Plains, New England, coastal California, Desert Southwest).

It's Still An Upside-down M

I don't really even want to discuss this weekend. It's ridiculous that it wasn't at least a split for the Huskies, and it's Winter Carnival - it should've been a friggin' sweep.

What can I say - hardly any of our numerous scoring chances (especially Friday) were finished. Until Tech figures out how to score at least 3 goals a game, consistently (nearly every night), they will not rise out of the bottom half of the WCHA.

Highlights

*Royer - Certainly deserved more than the one goal he got on Friday. Tried hard to get things going and was rewarded for it.

*Kattelus - Worked to setup plays all weekend, too bad no one could finish them. I look forward to watching him in the seasons ahead.

*Kitti - Continues to bring his energy and physical game to the lineup every night, even if he doesn't have a lot of points. Wonder if he might be wearing a C or an A next year.

*Teslak - While Saturday's result was certainly not Nolan's fault, the team has almost always seemed more confident and focused in front of Teslak. I hope that doesn't bite us in the ass next season after he leaves.

On Notice

*Nolan - He'll need to be more consistent if he plans to start the majority of our games next season. Again, tonight was not his fault, and he did make several timely saves, but I felt he was caught out of position a little too much for comfort.

*Kerr - I know he wants to go out there and be the enforcer and all, but the silly little penalties need to stop. He needs to lead by example - making big, clean hits and keeping his head on straight.

*Foote - I've watched him make some very untimely turnovers all season - where was that 20+ pt. breakout season he promised us?

*The Entire Defense - Gave up too many opportunities on Saturday, including two virtually point-blank shots that resulted in BADger goals.

Bench Minors

*The atmosphere in the 3rd period - I know it sucks being down 4-1, and I'm just as guilty of failing to keep things going, but I thought afterwards that we could certainly have done much better than that.

*The Minor Key Fight Song - NO!!! If the band plays this again after ANY loss, I will punch whomever is directing in the face. I don't care if we just lost, you don't fucking trash the fight song by turning it into a funeral march. Ugh.

That's all I got - looks like 7th or 8th place for us this year, at best.

Tigers Contained

A good weekend at home for the Michigan Tech Huskies, taking 3 out of 4 possible points from the conference leading #3 Colorado College Tigers. 2-2 tie Friday, 5-2 victory Saturday.

In my mind there were three big keys to this weekend's results.

#1 - Heart & Hustle: It wins games - period.

#2 - Faceoff Wins: Tech must've spent two weeks working on this, because it really showed. Winning a key faceoff is like a small moral victory, mentally. In terms of the actual game, puck possession is always a good thing, and winning faceoffs is an important way to ensure your team is carrying the puck the majority of the time.

#3 - Tough, Physical Play: You could tell that CC did not want to play the physical game. They are, for the most part, a very fast team who wants to try and skate circles around their opponents, not deliver big, "whoop and holler-worthy" hits.

Friday could have probably been a win for the Huskies were it not for the outstanding play of one Richard Bachman. The Huskies also played the best OT period I've ever personally witnessed them play, keeping up pressure on Bachman and the CC defense, and not permitting the Tigers to get any shots on Teslak. Saturday, Bachman looked significantly more mortal, and perhaps had his first off night of the season. To his credit though, almost all of Tech's goals on Saturday came off of good passes and hard work.

As for Tech goaltending, Teslak looked good on Friday night despite his month off due to injury. Perhaps a few more rebounds than usual, but the defense helped him out when he needed them to. Saturday, Nolan looked fine, making several key saves in spite of perhaps one soft goal.

So now, with three big conference points against the top team in the WCHA, Michigan Tech looks ahead to next weekend and a series up in Anchorage. With all due respect to UAA, a sweep is a must for the Huskies if we want to keep the goal of home ice alive this season. Unfortunately, Anchorage is fresh off of a series with North Dakota in which they, by all accounts, outplayed the Sioux on Saturday and still lost following a potentially huge goal that was ultimately disallowed. So I have to believe they're pretty angry about that, and will be ready to fight for points back in their home barn. Their record is really not indicative of their potential.

Given Tech's tendency to play well against ranked teams and poorly against weaker teams, I'll have to say that this series is likely to end in a split, with UAA taking a Friday victory and Tech salvaging two points on Saturday. The long trip is likely to take its toll on a team that is admittedly tired of flights, buses, restaurants, and hotels after their long, mid-season road schedule.

I sort of wish I was headed up to Anchorage next weekend. Having been there once before (about 7-8 years ago), I can say it's a nice city and would make for a worthwhile "road" trip someday.

Checking in on Future Huskies

Where are they, and how are they doing?

08-09

Forward Bryce Reddick (BCHL - Cowichan Valley) is averaging more than a point per game, posting 15-32-47 in 42 games played this season. Those stats include 10 PPG, 3 GWG, and an even +/- rating. So far, he is the runner up on his team in points.

Forward Brett Olson (USHL - Waterloo) is averaging more than a point per game with 8-15-23 in 19 games, 5 PPG, and an even +/- rating. His point total is good enough for third on his team.

Forward Jake Hauswirth (USHL - Omaha) has registered 9-5-14 in 30 games, 1 PPG, and a +9 +/- rating.

Forward Seth Soley (USHL - Omaha) is 4-4-8 in 23 games and a +3 +/- rating.

Defenseman Ricky Doriott (USHL - Sioux City) is 1-3-4 in 23 games with an impressive +15 +/- rating.

Goalie Corson Cramer (USHL - Ohio) has started 14 games for his struggling squad, registering a .894 SV% and 3.65 GAA.

Forward Anthony Schooley (USHL - Waterloo) remains on injured reserve and appears to be out for the remainder of the season.

Forward Alex MacLeod (AJHL - Camrose Kodiaks) has posted 10-4-14 in 13 games, after being traded from the BCHL's Penticton Vees last month.

09-10

Forward Evan Witt (BCHL - Alberni Valley/Vernon) is 8-16-24 in 42 games (between both teams), including 2 PPG. The BCHL lists him as an 08-09 recruit, while Heisenberg has him down for 09-10. Who is correct?

Forward Jacob Johnstone (USHL - Green Bay) is 1-0-1 in 24 games played, registering a -14 +/- rating.

They Say It's Your Birthday...

In a nutshell, I'd like to thank the Michigan Tech hockey team and staff for one of the best birthday presents I've ever had.

Tonight's Huskies perhaps took a little while to get going, but I was quite happy with their performance overall. I knew as soon as Nolan came up with a huge ass save within the first two minutes of the game that he would be fine. The defense came up pretty big too, with a lot of good blocks, a strong PK, and plenty of successful clearing attempts.

This having been my 21st, I will now commence with some celebratory adult beverages and begin to contemplate tomorrow's title game against a certain school from Ann Arbor. A school that I grew up cheering for. A school that I nearly attended. But that was then, and this is now.

My opinion is that Sparty was due for a rude awakening. They have played a lot of middle-of-the-pack CCHA teams, but have failed to defeat anyone with a record better than .500 at this point in the season. Beating Michigan will be a much taller order for the Huskies, especially since the Wolverines new lines (formed due to the temporary absences of some players to World Juniors) have now had a game to adjust.

{PROVICED played a decent first period against Michigan this afternoon, but the Wolverines eventually found their mojo and Sauer played well. Sure, a lot of shots were simply fired into his chest, but he made some good saves to preserve his shutout. None were as big as the shot that he stoned with a save against the side of his body, after he'd been caught wandering from the net. Bottom line - this is not the Billy Sauer that I saw against North Dakota in last year's NCAAs.

Sleep well Huskies, for tomorrow you must truly play to win.

PS. - Props to the Michigan Alumni Band for only playing "Let's Go Blue!" 8 times this year. In spite of the fact that I kept count, I felt that was reasonable. ;)

Jingle Bells

Two decently-played games, and almost nothing to show for it. We have GOT to score goals, or at least Stewart has got to stop making a career out of playing well against Tech. Although based on his embellishment Friday night, he might have a career in drama!

It was fun invading the BEC on Friday night, and I lost my voice as I intended to do. I may be biased, but I'd say we out-cheered the Puckheads. Oh, and Northern's hockey band does suck. But hey, at least they aren't the Michigan Alumni Band (*Let's Go Blue*...23...23!)

Frankly, in spite of the weekend, I'd rather be a winless Husky than any sort of Wildcat.

With that, it's time for an exam/holiday break here at tSBFitW. I'll be back with some GLI coverage after Christmas. 3rd place or bust!

Rivalry Week

Welcome to Rivalry Week here at tSBFitW.

Following a weekend off which saw SCSU slip into a tie for the rock bottom of the WCHA after a Denver sweep, and Wisconsin continue to languish in the bottom three after a 1-point weekend at Mankato (no tears shed by this blogger), we find ourselves almost at the midway point of the collegiate hockey season. Hell, even Minnesota nearly blew a 4-1 lead to earn a split with the Sioux and they remain in the bottom half of the league.

A look at the standings, however, shows the incredibly amount of parity within the WCHA at this point in the season.

Colorado College -------- 10-2-0 -------- 20 pts.
Denver ------------------ 9-3-0 --------- 18 pts.
Minnesota-Duluth ------- 5-6-3 --------- 13 pts.
North Dakota ------------ 6-6-0 -------- 12 pts.
Michigan Tech ----------- 5-6-1 -------- 11 pts.
Minnesota --------------- 5-7-0 -------- 10 pts.
Minnesota State --------- 3-6-3 -------- 9 pts.
Wisconsin --------------- 4-5-1 --------- 9 pts.
Alaska-Anchorage ------- 2-5-3 -------- 7 pts.
St. Cloud State ----------3-6-1 --------- 7 pts.

A mere four points separate 8th place Wisconsin from 3rd place UMD. That's a single weekend sweep folks, and a surprisingly tough UAA squad is now only another game behind that group following a three-point weekend at Duluth. There's no doubt that SCSU still has the guns necessary to get on a hot streak and improve too, with quite a bit of offensive talent.

At this point, the only thing certain is that CC and DU appear to be running away with the league's top-tier this season, but there's still plenty of time for that to change during the second half of the league schedule.

At any rate, Tech now has six non-conference games to prepare for, the first of which is coming up this weekend. It's the annual slugfest against Not Much Upstairs, eNeMa U, STD U, etc.

There really isn't a lot I can say about this series. As Jamie Russell himself has said, there is essentially no worthwhile pep talk you can give a Tech squad regarding the rivalry - if they aren't totally fired up to play their archrivals, words won't help. I would love nothing more than to pick up two, well-fought wins this weekend, and try to get some momentum going into the MSU game at the GLI. Besides which, we still have that loss from the beginning of the season to avenge, and I don't expect that the team has easily forgotten that either.

Regarding this stretch of non-con games, naturally I'd love to see a 6-0 record and a GLI championship. Realistically, I'd like to see 5-1 or 4-1-1. A win at the GLI, a sweep of Mercyhurst, and at least a win/tie against NMU. We need to use these games as a springboard for a good second half.

Weekend Recap

So it's a little late; deal with it. :P

MTU and UW split a pair of games down in Madison, at the Kohl Center. I was unable to go, though I did listen to Saturday's game (and I even got to watch the third period). I'm glad we came away with a road split, because Tech sounded/looked tired on Saturday. This win Friday/lose Saturday situation had better not become routine.

Looking Ahead

This weekend, we're back in Houghton for some hot, Husky-on-Husky action at the MacInnes, as St. Cloud State comes to town for a two-game series.

I've said this on USCHO and I'll say it again - we need to sweep St. Cloud this weekend. We need it to prove that we can be consistent and sweep a series, and also to gain some momentum going into a stretch of five straight road games. Next weekend we'll face what appears to be a surprisingly decent UMD squad at the DECC, and then we'll be down at the Mariucci at the end of the month (following a weekend off), looking to extend our recent winning record there against the Goofs, who by then will have six more games under their belt and should be ready to play. After that, it's another weekend off before the annual slugfest with eNeMa U, beginning Friday at the Berry in Marquette.

This is it - we're at home for the final time until mid-December, and the team will enjoy the benefit of a friendly crowd. St. Cloud has gotten off to a slow start (though they appear to be slowly gelling), so we need to take advantage of that.

We need a sweep - let's get it.

Ready for the Sioux?

This weekend, the North Dakota Fighting Sioux will travel to Houghton to take on the Michigan Tech Huskies at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena. In fact, it's almost Friday morning - the Sioux have probably arrived already.

I've heard that the media respects the Sioux quite a bit - enough to give them some kind of #1 ranking, I guess. Not that polls matter much before Christmas.

They also say that this Jean-Phillipe Lamoureux guy is playing pretty well - shutting out three different opponents for 8 consecutive periods is certainly impressive, especially given some of the games I watched him play last season.

In the end though, does it really matter? Whomever plays better, more complete hockey this weekend should come away the winner, regardless of rankings. At this point in the season, anything is possible.

Which brings me to my nominee for Cliche Arena Rock Anthem of the Weekend - "Solution" by Tesla

Surprisingly, it's not a cliche mega-hit that seems appropriate this week, but instead a metal song you've probably never heard of unless you are a big fan of Tesla. It's the chorus that fits the most...

If we're gonna make it through tomorrow
The solution is to make a change today

With that in mind, did the Huskies spend this week fixing mistakes? Did they refine their penalty kill and defensive plays to help avoid the opportunities MSU-M got last weekend?

I guess we'll find out tomorrow night, because Tech is going to have to be on top of their game with North Dakota in town.

Since this is a three-event weekend for the pep band, I will be in the top row of Section M on Friday night, happy that I'll finally be able to keep a close eye on the game, rather than hunting for music every 15 seconds. My lips will need the break if I have to play for ~5 hours Saturday.

Mavericks Milked

9 goals on the weekend, and just one allowed. A pretty solid start to WCHA play for the Michigan Tech Huskies.

Of course, Mankato isn't really expected to run away with the league title this season, or even to garner home ice. But still, four points in the league is four points in the league, and a big confidence booster for this team going into this weekend's series with #1 North Dakota.

As for the games, it really all boils down to goaltending and team experience. Overall, Tech played like a veteran team who had already weathered three games, while Mankato definitely looked like a young team that was playing their first games of the season. The Mavs could not finish on many of their opportunities, in part due to the solid goaltending of Teslak and Nolan, and also because many of their shots were simply off target - wide or high.

Some positives for the Huskies to take away from the weekend:

1. The power play. While it still looks weak at times, it is definitely showing improvement, with our ability to capitalize on both of the 5x3s Mankato handed to us, and even a 5x4.

2. The goaltending. Much better performances from both Teslak and Nolan this weekend. Other than a mistake that cost Robbie the shutout on Saturday, these are the goaltenders I know from last season, and they should present a challenge for the Sioux.

3. Shot blocking. I saw several attempted shots get blocked, which is a good sign for the penalty kill. However, that being said...

Some things that need to be worked on...

1. The penalty kill. We got the job done, but I think luck played a role. A lot of times, Mankato would shoot and the puck would be lost in a scrum in the front of the net, then a Tech player would fortunately come away with it and ice it. On a team with a strong penalty kill, pucks should rarely spend that much time hanging out in or in front of the crease, waiting to be buried. The shot is blocked before the puck ever gets there, and if it does get there, a defender is quick to fire it out of the way.

2. Penalties. The best way to kill a penalty is to avoid it in the first place. 15 penalties on the weekend is, in my opinion, too much time spent in the sin bin.

So for now, Tech fans get to be happy with a sweep to start the season, but this is just the beginning of the year and there's still tons of hockey left to be played, so we can't get too excited yet.

Perhaps I'll have a little more on the series with the Sioux later this week.

A Showdown In No Man's Land

Friday - NMU

The power play clicked twice, which was about the only highlight of the game for the Huskies. The kittens came out looking to get chippy, which Tech unfortunately played into, giving Northern too many chances, including a 5x3 that led to the GWG.

Teslak looked uncomfortable in the first period, especially after getting burned on a shortie (not entirely his fault, because someone did turn over the puck), but he did a good job of keeping his head on straight in spite of that, only allowing one goal in the next two periods. Unfortunately, our offense could not support him with any even-strength tallies.

Overall, Tech simply played down to Northern's level, and got stuck with a close loss for it. After so many similar losses last season (Mankato, UAA), this is really getting tiresome.

Sunday - LSSU


Tech came out looking pretty good in the first period, getting out to a 2-0 lead with a PP tally and an even-strength goal. I then experienced a horrible feeling of deja vu, as one of LSSU's players fired a shot from half-ice and scored with one second remaining in the period. Just like Saturday's Winter Carnival game last season, Robbie was faced with a long shot that bounced all over the place, took a weird angle that he misread, and the puck slipped through his legs for a goal.

That seemed to take the wind out of Tech's sails in the second period, as they played very uninspired hockey for the majority of the time. Robbie looked rattled, giving up some nasty rebounds that led to two goals and the lead for LSSU. Finally, with 4-5 minutes remaining, Tech seemed to pick up the slack and caught a break with LSSU's Perkovich off for slashing, making the most of the opportunity to gain some momentum going into the third frame with a PP goal from Jordan Foote.

The third period was mostly dominated by the Huskies, with Jimmy Kerr burying a point-blank opportunity from the slot early on to regain the lead, and good defensive play all around. Tech clearly wanted the win at that point.

We'll probably see the goaltending rotation again next weekend against Mankato, so Robbie will need to prove that he has shaken off the early-season jitters he seemed to experience tonight with a strong performance.

If I had to sum up the weekend, I'd say that overall I'd like to see more of the Huskies I saw in the first and third periods of the LSSU game (with continued improvement of course), and I'd rather not see the team I saw against Northern again.

Moving On...

Next on my set of predictions are the two teams who rounded out the bottom half of the 06-07 WCHA standings - Wisconsin and Michigan Tech. My write-up on MTU is a bit longer, seeing as how I am a Tech fan, and so my knowledge about them is more concrete.

Wisconsin

The Badgers are coming off of a down year, claiming 7^th place in the WCHA just one season after winning the 2006 National Championship.

One thing the Badgers can probably count on is goaltending. Brian Elliott is gone, but Shane Connelly looks ready to start after shutting out 3 opponents in the seven games he played last season.

Offensively, UW lost a fair bit of experience to graduation and an early departure. Senior forwards Andrew Joudrey, Jake Dowell, and Ross Carlson all graduated after 20+ point seasons last year, and sophomore Jack Skille departed for the pros. The good news for the Badger offense is that their incoming class contains the #3 overall pick of the NHL draft in Kyle Turris, as well as Josh Turnbull and Sean Dolan.

On the defensive side of the puck, Wisconsin lost three experienced defensemen, notably junior Joe Piskula who departed early for the pro ranks. The biggest incoming d-man will likely be Ryan McDonagh, although Brendan Smith was also taken in the first round back in June.

Overall, the Badgers are a pretty young team this season, and will probably start off a bit slow. However I would be surprised if they didn’t gather some steam as the year wears on, and by the end of the season I expect that they will be a team nobody wants to face during the league playoffs.

Prediction: Somewhere between 3^rd and 6^th in the league.

Michigan Tech

The Huskies are coming off of a surprising 06-07 campaign which saw them earn their first winning season in 15 years, and their first trip to the WCHA Final Five since 1996.

A strong point for Tech this season will be goaltending. Michael-Lee Teslak and Rob Nolan are both good goalies and they will enjoy a solid defense in front of them. They will be competing for playing time, and with some room at the top after the departures of Schneider, Curry, and Elliott, I wouldn’t be surprised to see at least one of them sitting among the country’s Top 5 netminders for most of the season.

Some people have argued that their season save percentages (91.6% for Teslak, 91.0% for Nolan) are merely average. Keep in mind that Tech suffered a mid-season slump, because if you look at the second half of the season (when Teslak emerged as the starter and Tech made their run), beginning with the Friday game against Bemidji up until the loss to Wisconsin at the Final Five (13 starts), Teslak posted a 93.03% SV. He also posted four shutouts on the season (two in the second half); I don’t consider those average stats. Having watched both of them in action many times, when either one of them is playing well, he is tough to beat.

On offense, MTU needed a shot in the arm, which was painfully obvious after so many one-goal losses and narrow victories last season. Key returning players will be last year’s top two point-getters Peter Rouleau (7-23-30) and Tyler Shelast (15-9-24). Jamie Russell and his crew of assistants seemed to have recruited an excellent class which included third-round draftee Casey Pierro-Zabotel (‘CPZ’ for short). Unfortunately, CPZ was unable to qualify academically on his first try (although Russell reports that he was very, very close), so he will continue to play with Merritt of the BCHL until he can retake his exams in October, and hopefully join the Huskies in December, in time for the series against Northern Michigan.

Until then, MTU can still look forward to Eric Kattelus, who racked up 39 points with Indiana of the USHL last season and was second on his team in PPG (an area in which Tech really needs improvement). There is also Bennett Royer, who led the Calgary Canucks of the AJHL with 76 points (including 18 PPG), and averaged almost 1.5 points per game. Finally, there is Jordan Baker, who was second in scoring for the Olds Grizzlies of the AJHL, with 50 points (including 20 PPG). Jordan sustained a shoulder injury later in the season and missed the team’s last 15 or so games, but should be healed in time for the start of practices at Tech.

Defensively, the Huskies lost senior Lars Helminen to graduation. While Lars was an important part of the team and his leadership will be missed, the rest of the defensive core remains, which will go a long way towards sustaining the performance Tech showed in the second half of last season. The Huskies have just one incoming defenseman, but Deron Cousens is expected to perform well as an offensive d-man after compiling 51 points last season with Penticton of the BCHL, including 9 PPG and 2 shorties. Hopefully, he can help fill Lars’ shoes down the line.

Tech will be looking for home ice this year after narrowly missing it last season, and I anticipate that we will get it by a hair. As for making the NCAA tourney, it’s too early to say for certain whether or not it will happen. How will the defensemen fare without Lars to lead them? How much grit will the team show without Batty to fire them up? Can any upperclassmen step in and fill their shoes this year? Can Teslak and/or Nolan play for a whole season like they did at their peaks last year? The answers to these questions will likely determine how far Tech goes this season.

Prediction: Somewhere between 4^th and 7^th in the league.

John MacInnes to be Inducted into US Hockey Hall of Hame

*Link*

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Legendary Michigan Tech hockey coach John MacInnes, who led the Huskies to three NCAA championships and 555 wins in 26 seasons, will be inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame as announced today by USA Hockey.

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Follow the link to read the full story. This honor is overdue, and I offer a posthumous congratulations to Coach MacInnes, as well as his surviving family.

A Minor Setback...

The Daily Mining Gazette has the *full story*...

The quick version is that prize MTU recruit Casey Pierro-Zabotel will not be playing for the Huskies until the December 15th game against NMU (Saturday night, in Houghton).

According to coach Jamie Russell, his ACT and/or SAT scores are just a few points short of the threshold required for full NCAA eligibility. Therefore, Casey will continue to play junior hockey with the Merritt Centennials of the BCHL and take the tests again in October. Hopefully he will be better prepared on his second try. Most people I know improved the second time they took such tests, so because he was supposedly so close to the necessary threshold, I'm not too concerned. But we could have used him much sooner.

Russell was quick to stress that he contacted Casey, Casey's adviser and the Pittsburgh Penguins (who recently drafted him) as soon as he heard the news, and that all three are in agreement that Michigan Tech is still where he should develop. It would be very easy for him to bolt for a Canadian major junior team, but the consensus seems to be that he should stick to his plans, which is good news for Tech fans.

While it would be easy to panic right now, there is really no reason to do so. Let's examine a few things about this team...

1. We still have Teslak and Nolan, both of whom I expect will have excellent seasons. At least one of them should be among the country's Top 5 goalies, and likely in contention for the top spot all season.

2. We still have our top two point-getters from last season, Peter Rouleau (7-23-30) and Tyler Shelast (15-9-24).

3. Still coming in October are Deron Cousens, Eric Kattelus, Bennett Royer and Jordan Baker, all solid players and good recruits. Cousens will probably try to fill Helminen's shoes as an offensive defensemen, Kattelus should help out our PP numbers, and I expect all of them will put up some points.

4. We still have a solid core of defensemen, all with at least one year's experience under their belts. Our freshmen d-men started to look pretty capable towards the end of last season, blocking shots and being aggressive.

Furthermore, I expect most, if not all of our upperclassmen to take their play up another notch from last season. As I said in a comment on MEg's blog, with plenty of hard work, practice, and smart play, I don't see why this team cannot have a solid winning record by the time Casey arrives. The schedule for the first half looks like this (exhibition games omitted)...

October

12/14 - Northern/LSSU (Superior Cup)
19/20 - MSU-Mankato
26/27 - North Dakota

November

02/03 - @ Wisconsin
09/10 - St. Cloud State
16/17 - @ UM-Duluth
30 - @ Minnesota

December

01 - @ Minnesota
14 - @ Northern
15 - Northern
28 - Michigan State (GLI)
29 - Michigan/Providence (GLI)

So there will be 9 home games, 7 away games and 2 "neutral" games through the end of the December, for a total of 18 contests. The hardest games will probably be home against the Sioux and on the road at the Goofs. Wisconsin will be strong, but they are a very young team that will be prone to mistakes in the first half and while Connelly is pretty good in the net, he's no Elliott. St. Cloud will be a bit softer this season without Goepfert backstopping them, but they still have a lot of scoring punch.

I'm sure the games against Northern will be as hard fought and up for grabs as they normally are, but I think Tech has a bit of an edge in talent, plus two of them will be at home. And as usual, the team must be careful not to overlook even UMD and MSU-M, as just about any WCHA team can take out another on any given night.

Bottom line - I think the team is very capable of being, say, 10-4-1 by the time Casey suits up for his first game as a Husky on December 15th. Panicking is not acceptable yet!

Another Possible Blue Chipper...

Jacob Johnstone has committed to Michigan Tech for the 09-10 campaign and will spend this coming season with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. Johnstone recorded 19 goals and 17 assists for 36 points in 26 games last season with Capital Centre of the MWEHL, including 7 PPG and 2 SHG. Good enough to make him the U18 division scoring leader.

*Link to MWEHL 'U18 Scoring Leaders' page.*

Thanks to 'John Scott Rocks' at USCHO for bringing this to my attention and Heisenberg's recruitment page for confirmation.

This will give Tech fans three recruits to follow in the USHL next season, including Anthony Schooley (Waterloo), Jake Hauswirth (Omaha), and now Jacob Johnstone (Green Bay). There is also Alex MacLeod, who is still up north with Penticton of the BCHL.

Hauswirth to Sign NLI...

The Misfits are reporting that there's a strong chance Jake Hauswirth will be signing a National Letter of Intent to play for Michigan Tech soon, beginning in 08-09.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Jake finished his 06-07 season with Marquette of the NAHL, totaling 21-19-40. He will be playing with the Omaha Lancers of the USHL in 07-08, and has been described as a big, physical player who can make good hits and has a nice shot.

For the Misfits' story, go *here*.

Schooley, Hauswirth to USHL...

08-09 Tech recruit Anthony Schooley will be playing his last year of juniors in the USHL, after he was drafted by Waterloo earlier this week.

Schooley had originally played for Waterloo, but had family issues this year and transferred to Traverse City of the NAHL to be closer to home. With things apparently settled, he will now return to Waterloo for one more season before joining Tech for the 2008-2009 campaign.

Additionally, potential Tech recruit Jake Hauswirth, currently with Marquette of the NAHL, was drafted by Omaha. Hauswirth has not yet given a verbal to any university, but back in April it was mentioned in the MTU thread that Hauswirth had received some interest from MTU (he even took a visit), and would like to play in the WCHA. He had been scouted for 07-08, but he felt he was not developed enough and wanted to play another year of juniors. Hopefully the USHL should give him that edge.

Thanks to Shirtless for digging up the draft info, and USHL.com for confirmation.

Official 2007-2008 Schedule Announced...

The official announcement can be found at the Tech athletic site. (link)

I would expand a bit, but I think MEg's got it covered over at THB. (link)

:)