59 Teams in 59 Days Northern Michigan

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour has hit day number 42 and today we make a trip to Marquette, Michigan where the Northern Michigan Wildcats are featured.

Going into last year no one knew what to expect from this Northern Michigan club. Some picked them in the middle of the CCHA, some picked them to be an NCAA team, and some picked them near the bottom of the conference. The Wildcats wound up to do alright as they made it to the Joe Louis Arena, only to lose the CCHA semi-final and consolation game which cost them an NCAA tournament bid.

So what does this years squad look like. Again it is tough to call. The Wildcats lose eight seniors from last years squad, three defensemen and five forwards. However three of the top five leading scorers return.

Darin Olver, Mike Santorelli, and Pat Bateman are the leading returning scorers on a team that only scored 118 goals in 40 games. Other players will have to step up if Northern Michigan wants to get back to the NCAA tournament.

The good news is that Junior goaltender Bill Zaniboni is returning. After posting an 18-12-2 record, and with other good numbers such as a 2.31 goals against average and three shutouts, Zaniboni was one of the better goaltenders in the CCHA. This year might be a tough with losing three defensemen. But the good news is that the Wildcats have size on defense coming in, with Alan Dorich (6"2), T.J. Miller (6"4), and a goaltender with size who is also 6"4 in Brian Stewart.

Overall expect the Wildcats to be in the middle of the pack in the CCHA. With Miami, Michigan, and Michigan State in the elite this year, Northern Michigan will eventually look to go back up their in the elite. It might not be now, but Northern Michigan fans will have plenty to cheer about with a solid recruting class and a good head coach in Walt Kyle who has led the Wildcats to 20+ wins in each of his first four seasons.

The predicted ceiling for Northern Michigan is fourth in the CCHA, while their gutter is eighth.

Tommorrow we will make a trip to one of the most famous institutions in America in Notre Dame. Head Coach Jeff Jackson will look to improve in his second year at Notre Dame, the question is how long will it take for Notre Dame to be back in the NCAA's? How will they fare this year? Find out tommorrow as we make a trip to South Bend on the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour.

59 Teams in 59 Days Northeastern

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to Boston, where the Northeastern Huskies are featured.

Entering the season last year many people did not have high expectations for new head coach Greg Cronin and the Huskies. In fact they were expected to be in the gutter of Hockey East. Guess what, many people were right as the Huskies only tallied three wins all year. What does this years squad bring to us? Probably the same thing, but hey they will probably fight for a position in the Hockey East tournament.

On offense, well there wasan't much offense for the Huskies last year. Only one player scored 10 or more goals and that was Ryan Ginand. No one had over 20 points last year. Expect the scoring to change a little bit. Joe Vitale and Jimmy Russo, who were in the top three on the team in scoring last year, both need to step up this year if Northeastern wants to be competitive.

Defensively, not much better. The Huskies do return five defensemen, a defense that allowed an average of 3.6 goals per game. Senior Goaltender Adam Gearagosian will be the starter, but he will need some help. Expect Northeastern to struggle on both sides.

Greg Cronin will eventually get the Huskies out of the gutter. But for at least one more season expect the Huskies to be competitive in some games, but at the same time expect them to breakdown at some point during the game(s).

The predicted ceiling for Northeastern is eighth in Hockey East, while the gutter is 10th.

Tommorrow we will make a trip to Marquette, Michigan where the Northern Michigan Wildcats will be featured as we hit day number 42 on the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour.

59 Teams in 59 Days North Dakota

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to Grand Forks, North Dakota, where the North Dakota Fighting Sioux are featured.

Head Coach Dave Hakstol has done a great job his first two years. Replacing Dean Blais in 2004-2005 seemed like a hard task, but Hakstol took the Sioux to the National Championship game where they lost to Denver. Last year Hakstol took the Sioux back to the Frozen Four making it two for two. This year might seem difficult. While only losing two seniors from last years squad, the Sioux lost five underclassmen including Goaltender Jordan Parise, and Captain from last years team in Drew Stafford. But Sioux fans don't worry, there is enough talent coming back, and there is great talent coming in.

North Dakota was relived that the third draft pick in this years NHL Draft, Jonathan Toews announced that he will be returning for a Sophomore season. Also returning is the teams co-leader in goals scored in 2005-2006 in T.J. Oshie. Oshie and Toews could be on one line this year along with Sophomore Ryan Duncan. Combined the three scored 62 goals.

On defense the Sioux return five out of the six defensemen. The only player they lose is 6"5 Matt Smaby. However, there is still a lot of size returning on D, with the biggest one being 6"7 Joe Finley. Surprise to you? Not to many in the country as the Sioux have been known to have a ton of size on defense in its history.

Goaltending wise expect Junior Philippe Lamoureux should be the starter. Though he does not have a winning record in his career, Lamoureux has still impressed people. Sophomore Aaron Walski, and Freshman Anthony Grieco will be fighting for the backup job.

Overall coach Hakstol has an important year this year as they will be tested in many ways. Can he lead the team back to their third consecutive Frozen Four? Or will losing five underclassmen be too much for Hakstol to handle. I think the team should be alright and expect them to be in the hunt for the Frozen Four again.

The predicted ceiling for North Dakota is first in the WCHA, while the gutter is fourth.

Tommorrow the Northeastern Huskies will be featured on day number 41 as the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues in Boston. Northeastern only had three wins last year, can they improve from last years tough season? Find out tommorrow.

59 Teams in 59 Days Niagara

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to Niagara Falls, where the Niagara Purple Eagles are featured.

Head Coach Dave Burkholder could have the most talented team returning in the CHA. Four out of the five leading scorers on the team return, and five players who had double figures in goals return. In fact Niagara only lost five Seniors from last years team, who made it to the CHA tournament finals.

The out of conference schedule however is brutal. With opponents such as Denver (2), Clarkson, St. Lawrence, and Nebraska-Omaha among the opponents on the out of conference schedule, the Purple Eagles will have a tough task ahead of them.

The Purple Eagles should be a good solid offensive team, with improvements on the defense. With goaltender Jeff Van Nynatten graduating, the position will be up in the air between Junior Scott Mollison, Sophomores Juliano Pagliero and Allen Barton. Whoever the goaltender is will have tough shoes to fill.

Overall expect Niagara to be very competitive this year, maybe pull an upset over one of the tougher opponents, and also be right up their in the CHA standings.

The predicted ceiling for Niagara is first in the CHA, while their gutter is third.

Tommorrow we stop in Grand Forks, North Dakota where the North Dakota Fighting Sioux will be featured. Also we hit day number 40 on the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour, which means there are only 19 more days on the tour. How will the Sioux fare with losing five underclassmen? Find out tommorrow as the tour continues.

59 Teams in 59 Days New Hampshire

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues as we hit day number 38 on the tour. Today we make a trip to Durham, New Hampshire where the UNH Wildcats are featured.

In the past few years New Hampshire has been an offensive team. They would usually win games 5-4, 6-5, in that nature. This year the offense is their but what about their defense?

Dick Umile is only losing four seniors from last years squad, however, the Wildcats also lost Daniel Winnik who made the jump to the NHL. Winnik was tied for second on the team in scoring with Brett Hemmingway, who both recorded 41 points. Jacob McFlikier was the teams leading scorer with 42 points, and he is returning for a Senior season. Some players to watch out for this year are Sophomore Trevor Smith, Senior Josh Ciocco, and Junior Mike Radja, each of them will be more than contributors this year. In fact one of them could play on the McFlikier, Hemmingway line.

On defense the Wildcats return six players who saw playing time. They do lose Brian Yandle, an all Hockey East performer, however, the experience will be there for the Wildcats.

Goaltending wise, Kevin Regan should be the clear number one netminder. After a solid Freshman year, Regan's numbers went downhill going only 8-8-5 with a 2.63 goals against average, compared to his Freshman year where he went 15-4-2 with a 2.35 goals against average. This will be a tough task for Regan, if he struggles early expect Freshman Brian Foster to attempt to take over the net.

Overall the Wildcats should be in the top four again in Hockey East this year. There is the potential to be a three or four team race to the top in Hockey East, and with only four Seniors gone, UNH will have plenty of experience and talent. I don't expect them to be the top team in Hockey East this year, but they certianly will be back up to the top in another year or two.

The predicted ceiling for UNH is second in Hockey East, while their gutter is sixth.

Tommorrow the Niagara Purple Eagles will be featured as we hit day number 39 on the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour.

59 Teams in 59 Days Nebraska-Omaha

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to Omaha, Nebraska, where the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks are featured.

Head coach Mike Kemp and the Mavericks are coming off their first ever NCAA tournament apperance. With the talent coming back this year, I won't be surprised if they make the NCAA's again. However, they are in a very tough CCHA conference which could see five teams fighting for home ice in the first round. Nebraska-Omaha is one of them as well as Northern Michigan, Ferris State, Ohio State, Alaska, and Notre Dame. It will be an intresting battle this season.

Bill Thomas, the teams leading goal scorer last year, left for the NHL. However, the teams leading scorer will probably be returning in Scott Parse, who could be a Hobey Baker finalist this year. Along with Parse, some key scorers returning are Bryan Marshall, Tomas Klempa, Alex Nikiforuk, and Brandon Scero. That is the five out of the six leading scorers on the team that are returning. So on offense there is no problem.

Defensively it was an up and down year for the Mavericks in 2005-2006. However five defensemen return from last years squad, which will help out goaltender Jared Kaufmann who had a goals against average of exactly 3.00. Expect his goals against average to improve.

Overall Head Coach Mike Kemp has a solid club this year. The Mavericks could have the top offense in the country, and with the defense improving, this team could sneak up on some teams again come tournament time. Expect Nebraska-Omaha to be talked about come March as a team on the outside looking in. Of course there could be many teams in the country looking at that scenerio for now.

The predicted ceiling for Nebraska-Omaha is fourth in the CCHA, while their gutter is eighth.

Tommorrow we will make a trip to Durahm, New Hampshire where the New Hampshire Wildcats will be featured as we hit day number 38 in the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour.

59 Teams in 59 Days Minnesota State

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to Mankato, Minnesota where the Minnesota State Mavericks are featured.

Minnesota State had a tough off-season starting with the departure of top players David Backes and Ryan Carter, and continued with some controversy on campus. Now that it is solved the Mavericks look to prepare for the season.

The good news for the Mavericks is that Co-leading scorer Travis Morin returns for his Senior season. Morin tallied 20 goals and added 22 assists for a total of 42 points. The bad news, he is the only returning player who had recorded double digits in the goal department. Head Coach Troy Jutting will have his work cut out for him as he will try to find not only a leader, but another scorer.

Defensively the Mavericks were pretty strong last year. Four defensemen return from last years team. This will help goaltender Dan Tormey who had a pretty solid Freshman year. That is what Minnesota States strength will be this year. Expect the Mavericks to win their games on defense.

Overall the Mavericks have some issues to adress. If they want to be a strong team this year they need to forget what happened during the sexual assult case in the early off-season. I think the Mavericks will be focused now that, that is behind them and will look forward to this season.

The predicted ceiling for Minnesota State is sixth in the WCHA, while their gutter is ninth.

Tommorrow we will make a trip to Omaha, Nebraska, where the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks will be featured as the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour hits day number 37.

59 Teams in 59 Days Minnesota-Duluth

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to Duluth, Minnesota where the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs are featured

Head Coach Scott Sandelin, who signed a three year deal in July, was considered to be on the hot seat this year. However, with the Bulldogs pulling off a first round upset against Denver in the WCHA tournament, Sandelin got the three year deal and is considered to be off the hotseat for now.

This years squad will be looking to continue the momentum that they got from last year. With only four seniors gone from last years squad, Sandelin will have a veteran team to work with. True there are only four seniors on this years squad, but the recruting has been pretty good lately. Seven are coming for the class of 2010 and some of them will look to make a big impact.

On offense the Bulldogs return four out of their top five leading scorers from last year. Sophomores Mason Raymond, Andrew Carroll, and Michael Gergen combined to score 38 goals. Junior Matt McKnight will look to be an impact player this year. He is the second returning scorer coming back.

Defensively, the Bulldogs were young last year with only one Senior leading the defense, and Sandelin played up to four Freshman Defensemen in 2005-2006. Two Seniors will lead this years defense and those four Freshman Defensemen will have one year under their belt.

Goaltending wise the Bulldogs struggled all of last year. The once reliable Issac Reichmuth, only had six wins all of last year. And the other goaltenders not that much better. However, the Bulldogs are getting a goaltender who was drafted in the fifth round of the 2005 NHL draft in Alex Stalock. Expect him to be the number one netminder going into the season.

Overall the Bulldogs have a lot of potential in them. Scott Sandelin knows how to recruit talent, the question is can those Freshman make an immediate impact? Expect the Bulldogs to improve from last year, and possibly make a run at the NCAA's come March.

The Predicted ceiling for Minnesota-Duluth is fourth in the WCHA, while their gutter is seventh.

Tommorrow we will continue with another Minnesota team, the Minnesota State Mavericks. A lot of controversy with the Mavericks in the off-season, the question is can they forget about it and move on? Find out tommorrow as we continue the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour in Mankato, Minnesota.

59 Teams in 59 Days Minnesota

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a three day trip to one of the best hockey states in the country in Minnesota. Day one of this trip is in Minneapolis, where the Minnesota Golden Gophers are featured.

After suffering from the biggest upset in NCAA tournament history last year, head coach Don Lucia and the Gophers will be ready for this years version.

The bad news for the Gophers is they lost four underclassmen to the pros. Leading scorer Ryan Poltuny, the top Freshman scorer in the country Phil Kessel, Danny Irmen, and Kris Chucko all left to sign with their teams. Between them they combined to score 76 goals and 79 assists for 155 points.

The good news, more talent is coming. Minnesota who is known for having one of the best recruting classes in the country. And this year, they might have the top class in the NCAA. Eight newcomers are coming this year including the number one pick from this years draft in Defensmen Erik Johnson. Also coming from the first round are Kyle Okposo (picked seventh), and another first rounder David Fischer (picked 20th).

On offense the leading scorer returning is a defensemen Junior Alex Goligoski (11 goals, 28 assists, 39 points). Also returning are forwards Alex Gordon (12 g, 17 a, 29 p) Ryan Sota (10 g, 15 a, 25 p), Former first round pick Blake Wheeler (9 g, 14 a, 23 p) and Mike Howe (13 g, 6 a, 19 p). Expect all of those players to improve this year to pick up where the Kessel's, the Irmen's and Chucko's left off.

Defensively the Gophers return four. The defense was a little shaky at the end of the year. In the last three games they gave up 16 goals including eight in a WCHA semi-final game against St. Cloud State. But with Johnson coming the defense will improve over time. Kellen Briggs should be the number one goaltender, however Junior Jeff Frazee will challenge for that spot. But expect Briggs to hold the fort for his Senior year, and expect Frazee to start more in 2007-2008.

Overall this could be Don Lucia's best recruting class in his eight years at Minnesota. The question is which upperclassmen will step up this year? Only time will tell between now and April if the Gophers indeed get back to the Frozen Four in hope to make their fourth Frozen Four in six years.

The predicted ceiling for Minnesota is first in the WCHA, while their gutter is third.

Tommorrow we will continue with our three day tour of Minnesota as the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs will be featured in the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour.

59 Teams in 59 Days Michigan Tech

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to Houghton, Michigan where the Michigan Tech Huskies are featured.

The Huskies were once known as one of the powers in college hockey. Now they have become a laughing stock in the country.

This years version looks like a laughing stock. Jamie Russel's record at Tech is 23-75-15 in three years. I say he is certianly looking for anyone to step up this year to help him out.

The top two leading scorers are gone for Tech in Chris Conner and Brian Schwartz, the only two players who had 10+ goals and 20+ points on the team. Right now I don't think anyone on the team can replace that. Senior defensemen Lars Helminen, Senior forward Taggart Desmet, and Junior forward Tyler Shelast are the top three leading returning scorers. Combined they only scored 18 goals and had 36 assists for 54 points.

Defensivley the Huskies were young last year, so therefore they should improve slightly. Helminen will lead the defense, with Geoff Kinrade, Mark Malekoff, Jake Wilkens, and John Schwarz helping him out. Then the last defensive spot will be fought out between Sophomore Mike VanWagner, and incoming Freshman Drew Dobson. Expect the Huskies to be a little better defesivley.

Sophomore Michael-Lee Teslak will be the number one goaltender again this year. If the Huskies defense improve than his numbers will certianly be better than last year. There is a lot of potential in him the question is can he live up to it the next few years?

Overall look for Michigan Tech to struggle on offense. The defense will be their main focus as well it should be.

The predicted ceiling for Michigan Tech is eighth in the WCHA, while the gutter is 10th.

Tommorrow the Minnesota Golden Gophers will be featured. Many people think this is the best team out west and also the best Freshman class in the country led by the number one draft pick in this years draft in Erik Johnson. Can the Gophers rebound from that upset loss to Holy Cross in last year's tournament? Find out tommorrow as the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour in Minneapolis.

59 Teams in 59 Days Michigan State

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues as we hit day number 32. Today we go to East Lansing, Michigan where the Michigan State Spartans are featured.

Last year the Spartans captured the CCHA tournament title which led them to a number one seed in the East Regional in Albany. However the Spartans who had won 11 of 13 going 11-1-1 in that span, lost to Maine in the regional final.

Drew Miller the team's leading scorer and the captain of the Spartans last year left for the NHL. However, six out of the top nine scorers on the team return. True the Spartans will miss Miller. He had 18 goals and 25 assists for 43 points. And true they will miss his leadership, however, the Spartans have a veteran team coming back and will look to make a run for their first Frozen Four apperance since 2001.

Defensively The Spartans look strong. Senior Tyler Howells will play both forward and defense like he did last year. His classmates Seniors Ethan Graham, Chris Snavely, and Brandon Warner all return on a veteran team. Goaltender Jeff Lerg will be the number one goaltender. The 5"6 Sophomore goaltender went 17-6-6 and was a key factor in the Spartans run late in the year. Senior Dominic Vicari will back up Lerg. He is one of the top backup goaltenders in the country and could start for a lot of other teams in the country. When you put it all together, this leads to a conclusion that the Spartans are going to be one of the best defensive teams in the country.

Head Coach Rick Comley has not been to a Frozen Four since 1991 with Northern Michigan where he won his only National Championship in his coaching career. Comley is approaching win number 700 (needs 12 more to get there) and is curently third among active coaches in wins. He is only behind Jack Parker of BU, and Jerry York of BC, who both have 700 wins. Comley will have a lot of talent in front of him, can he lead the Spartans back to the Frozen Four?

The predicted ceiling for Michigan State is first in the CCHA, while their gutter is third.

Tommorrow the Michigan Tech Huskies will be featured as we hit day number 33 on the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour.

59 Teams in 59 Days Michigan

After a week off, the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour resumes with a trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where the Michigan Wolverines are featured.

Last year was an up and down year for the Wolverines as the Wolverines started off 9-1-1 in their first 11 games. After that it went downhill as Michigan finished 12-14-4 in their final 30 games of the year. It was a young team last year however, and with most of the players coming back such as Sophomore Defensmen Jack Johnson, and Senior forward T.J. Hensick, the Wolverines look like a really solid team.

Head Coach Red Berenson signed a three year contract extension. This pretty much guarntees that Berenson will be spending the rest of his coaching career in Michigan.

With a reasonable schedule this year, the Wolverines will be prepared for anything thats coming their way. Some tough opponents such as Wisconsin, and Minnesota will test the club to see if they belong back in the elite. And with four out of their eight out of conference games at home [Alabama-Huntsville, Connecticut, and Northeastern (2)] Michigan should have a good early start.

While the out of conference schedule seems resonable for Michigan, the conference schedule looks like it could be tough. They only have to face defending CCHA regular-season champ Miami twice, both which will be on campus which is the good news. The bad news is, the Wolverines will face Michigan State four times and only one of those games at home. However mark down Febuary 10 on the calender because those two will face each other in a showdown at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

Overall look for the Wolverines to be back, and better than last year. Billy Sauer will be the clear number one goaltender and that will be a huge relief for Red Berenson who had Sauer and Noah Ruden split time. Expect Sauer's numbers to improve.

With five out of the top six leading scorers returning, expect Michigan to be there offensively, and defensively they have already improved. Will this be the year for their 10th National Championship?

The ceiling for Michigan is first in the CCHA, while their gutter is fourth.

Tommorrow the tour hits day number 32 with a stop to East Lansing, Michigan, where the Michigan State Spartans will be featured.

59 Teams in 59 Days Miami

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with day number 30 as we head to Oxford, Ohio where the Miami Redhawks are featured.

Head Coach Enrico Blasi, last years National coach of the year, took the Redhawks from a middle of the pack CCHA team in 2004-2005, to a CCHA regular season championship in 2005-2006. This year the Redhawks will look to stay up their in the elite class with Michigan and Michigan State.

Miami only lost five Seniors from last year, which means they have a veteran team coming back. Ryan Jones, one of the assistant captains as a Sophomore last year, and will probably be the teams captain this year. Jones scored 22 goals last year after just eight in 2004-2005. He and linemate Nathan Jones (the teams leading scorer from last year) who also had 20 goals is one of the best one-two scoring duos in the country. Also look out for Defensmen Mitch Ganzak who lead the team in assists last year. He could be one of the sleepers to watch out for.

Defensively Miami looks strong. They return five players who saw varsity action last year including Ganzak, and classmate Brad Robbins, along with Sophomores, Raymond Eichenlaub, Alec Martinez, and Kevin Roeder.

Goaltending wise expect Junior Charlie Effinger, and Sophomore Jeff Zatkoff to split time once again. Combined the two went 28-9-4 and also combined for four shutouts (three for Zatkoff and one for Effinger). This is arguably the best one-two goaltending duos in the country.

Overall Miami not only looks like a CCHA championship competitor, but also could be a Frozen Four competitor come NCAA tournament time. This is probably the best team Blasi has had in his eighth season at Miami.

The predicted ceiling for the Redhawks is first in the CCHA, while their gutter is third.

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour will continue a week from this coming Sunday. Why so? It's because I will be on vacation and the place im staying at is not wireless. But when we return with the tour, we will pick up with one of the most historic universities in college hockey and that is Michigan. Will this year be the year that Michigan gets their tenth National Title? Find out next Sunday as we make a stop to Ann Arbor on the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour as we hit day number 31.

59 Teams in 59 Days Merrimack

The 59 Teams in 59 days tour continues with a trip to North Andover, Massachusetts where the Merrimack Warriors are featured.

Last year first year head coach Mark Dennehy and the Warriors matched there win total from 2004-2005 with only six wins. This year could be different.

Merrimack had a young team last year, but were very competitive. Sophomore Rob Ricci was the teams leading scorer with 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points. The only other player last year with 10+ goals was Matt Johnson. In all Merrimack totaled 64 goals in 34 games averaging less than two goals per game. With a year under his belt, Ricci could become a pretty good goal scorer, he will need some help however. Expect a sleeper to emerge for the Warriors this year.

The defense was not that much better giving up 114 goals in 34 games. Three Seniors leave from that team, so expect the defense to be youthful this year. Whoever the goalie might be whether its Sophomore Patrick Watson, or Senior Jim Healy, the Warriors will have a lot of work to do if they want to be better on Defense.

Overall I think Merrimack could disturb the Hockey East race this year. Also with an out of conference schedule that can favor the Warriors. With opponents such as Alaska-Anchorage, Brown, and Robert Morris (twice), there could be a boost of confidence if the Warriors indeed go 4-0 in those games. Expect the Warriors to fight for the eighth and final playoff spot in Hockey East along with UMASS-Lowell, and Northeastern.

The predicted ceiling for Merrimack is eighth in Hockey East, while the gutter is 10th.

Tommorrow we will make a trip to Oxford, Ohio where the Miami Redhawks will be featured. National Coach of the year Enrico Blasi helped guide the Redhawks to their first regular-season CCHA title since 1993, now he is back for even better things. Can the Redhawks go from a middle of the road team to a Frozen Four competitor? Find out Tommorrow as we hit day 30 on the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour.

59 Teams in 59 Days Mercyhurst

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to Erie, Pennsylvania where the Mercyhurst Lakers are featured.

In 2004-2005 the Lakers nearly stunned the number one team in the country in the Boston College Eagles in the NCAA tournament. Last year expectations were high but they could not exceed those expectations of making a second straight NCAA tournament apperance. So what does this year bring?

The Lakers lose Defensmen Jamie Hunt, who left for the Washington Capitals, and Last years leading scorer Dave Borrelli. So for this year who will pick up the pieces for the Lakers?

Mercyhurst does return Junior Ben Cottreau, and Senior Scott Champagne who were the second and third leading scorers on the team. In addition to that the Lakers also return key players such as Chris Trafford, Ryan Toomey, and Kyle Gourgon. But what about a sleeper? Well lets just go with Junior Matt Warren for now, he could be due for a big year.

Defensively the Lakers return four, which should help goaltender Tyler Small who had a solid Freshman season last year.

Overall head coach Rick Gotkin has a strong team despite losing a good amount of players. Expect Mercyhurst to be very competitive this year while they look for their second NCAA apperance in three years.

The Ceiling for Mercyhurst is first in Atlantic Hockey, while their gutter is fifth.

Tommorrow the Merrimack Warriors will be featured as the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues. Will this be a step up year for the Warriors? Find out tommorrow as day we hit day number 28.

59 Teams in 59 Days UMASS-Lowell

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to the original industrial city Lowell, Massachusetts. Today the UMASS-Lowell Riverhawks will be featured.

Last year head coach Blaise MacDonald and the Riverhawks looked like a team on the rise after a solid 2004-2005 season. However with Ben Walter leaving early and 2004-2005 Hockey East Rookie of the year goaltender Peter Vetri not playing up to his potential, the Riverhawks stumbled going 14-20-2 in 2005-2006, and finished in seventh place in Hockey East.

This years version does not seem to be promising. With Vetri leaving school, there is a big question mark in goal. Four of the Riverhawks' leading scorers are gone, and the defense which gave up 132 goals in 36 games does not look like it will improve.

So the first question for the Riverhawks is who will start in net? Sophomore Vinny Monaco only played in three games last year is the favorite to replace Vetri.

The next question is who will be the main offensive threat for Lowell? Seniors Jason Tejchma and Jeremy Hall are the teams leading returning scorers so look for them to lead the offense for the Riverhawks.

And the final question is will Blaise MacDonald be on the hot seat? I would say right now yes. It was rumored that he was interested in the Niagara Athletic Director position. However, if MacDonald exceeds expectations by some people this year (which is basically to stay out of the bottom of Hockey East) than he might be kept for another season. Otherwise come April look for UMASS-Lowell to look for another coach.

Overall Lowell is going to be a little inexperienced. Expect Lowell to be fighting for a Hockey East playoff spot this season with Merrimack and Northeastern.

The predicted ceiling for UMASS-Lowell is eighth in Hockey East, while the gutter is 10th.

Tommorrow the Mercyhurst Lakers will be featured as the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues on day number 28 as we travel to Erie, Pennsylvania.

Bracketology August Edition 2006-2007

With some major changes in this months bracketology, we should get right to work.

First let's breakdown the conferences and its projected bids:

CCHA: 4
Hockey East: 4
WCHA: 4
ECACHL: 2
Atlantic Hockey: 1
CHA: 1

Now that you know the conference bids lets do this month's power rankings.

#1 Boston College=
#2 Minnesota=
#3 Michigan+
#4 Harvard+
#5 Boston University-
#6 Maine=
#7 Michigan State+
#8 North Dakota+
#9 New Hampshire=
#10 Wisconsin-
#11 Miami+
#12 St. Cloud State-
#13 Ohio State+
#14 Dartmouth-
#15 Sacred Heart=
#16 Bemidji State+

Out from last month: Denver, Northern Michigan, Niagara.

Now that the rankings are done lets place them in their regions.

The Boston College Eagles are the number one seed in this months brackets, and they will be placed in the Northeast Regional in Manchester, New Hampshire. Joining them will be the host team the New Hampshire Wildcats, North Dakota, and Bemidji State.

Northeast Regional (Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, NH):

#1 Boston College vs #4 Bemidji State
#2 North Dakota vs #3 New Hampshire

The second overall seed and a number one seed in the West Regional is Minnesota, and joining them will be Michigan State, Sacred Heart, and Wisconsin.

West Regional (Pepsi Center, Denver, CO):

#1 Minnesota vs #4 Sacred Heart
#2 Michigan State vs #3 Wisconsin

The third overall seed and the number one seed in the Midwest Regional are the Michigan Wolverines. Their region has Dartmouth, Maine, and Miami.

Midwest Regional (Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan)

#1 Michigan vs #4 Dartmouth
#2 Maine vs #3 Miami

And the final number one seed and fourth overall seed are the Harvard Crimson, and they will be placed in the East Regional with Boston University, Ohio State, and St. Cloud State.

East Regional (Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, NY)

#1 Harvard vs #4 Ohio State
#2 Boston University vs #3 St. Cloud State

The brackets would look like this

Northeast vs East
Midwest vs West

Well next month will be the last preseason bracketology. As we get closer to the season don't forget about the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour as it hits day number 26 tommorrow, also don't forget about conference previews, picks, and preseason all americans.

59 Teams in 59 Days UMASS

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to Amherst, Massachusetts where the UMASS Minutemen are featured.

Last year the head coach Don Cahoon and the Minutemen started off real slow at the begginning of the year going 1-7 in their first eight games. Although they finished 13-21-2, the Minutemen can take a lot of what they learned last year into this year.

There might of only been two 10+ goal scorers last year in Seniors Marvin Degon and Stephen Werner, and they might not be back this year, but expect UMASS to score more this year. With the potential of this team which includes Sophomore Chris Davis and Junior P.J. Fenton who should both see their numbers go up, the Minutemen could be better in the scoring department. Also look out for Cory Quirk.

Defensively the Minuteman return five players. This could help Sophomore goaltender Jon Quick improve from last year. Even though Quick went 4-10-1, he had a huge win in Febuary against Boston College their biggest win of the year. Quick made 47 saves in the victory.

UMASS welcomes eight incoming Freshmen this year all of them could step up immediatley. Five of the eight recruits came from the USHL. Overall look for those players to come up and make an impact.

Overall UMASS is going to keep improving every year. Expect them to sneak up on some teams in Hockey East.

The predicted ceiling for the Minutemen is fourth in Hockey East, while the gutter is seventh.

Tommorrow we will take a trip to Lowell, and we will feature the third consecutive Hockey East team the UMASS-Lowell Riverhawks as the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues.

59 Teams in 59 Days Maine

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues as we are on day number 25. This time we make a trip to Orono, Maine where the Maine Black Bears are featured.

Last year head coach Tim Whitehead led the Black Bears to their fourth Frozen Four in Seven years, and three in his first five seasons at Maine. So what does this year bring? Well there is a lot of talent on this team and they prove time and time again that people should not underestimate them.

Last year the Black Bears were picked fourth in Hockey East. However with the emergince of a 6"7 goaltender in Ben Bishop, and a goal scorer in Greg Moore, the Black Bears finished second in Hockey East. After their loss to Boston College, many people thought if BC won the Hockey East Tournament than Maine would be out. BU won Maine was a #3 seed in Albany, and they defeated two very tough teams in Harvard, and Michigan State as they made the trip to the Frozen Four.

This year again do not underestimate the Black Bears. Two 40+ point players in Josh Soares, and Michel Leveille both return for their Senior seasons. While losing Moore and Derek Damon are big, expect Junior Billy Ryan to come up big this year.

Defensively Maine lost two in Travis Wright and Steve Mullin. However they do return four and one of the biggest returnies will be Simon Denis-Pepin. Pepin is another 6"7 guy who loves to hit. So good that the Chicago Blackhawks drafted him in the second round of this years draft making him the second Hockey East player selected (the first was incoming Freshman Carl Sneep of BC who was drafted with the second pick of the second round). Also returning is classmate of Pepin, Matt Duffy, Senior Mike Lundin, and Juniors Bret Tyler and Travis Ramsey. The final two spots on D will be fought out between Sophomores Christopher Hahn, and Bryan Plaszcz, and incoming Freshman Brett Carriere. Overall Ben Bishop has a lot of support in front of him.

Although the Defense will be the focal point on the team, the Offense looks pretty solid as well. Look for this team to make another run at the Frozen Four this year.

The predicted Ceiling for Maine is first in Hockey East, while their gutter is fourth.

Tommorrow the UMASS Minuteman will be featured as the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues in Amherst, Massachusetts.

59 Teams in 59 Days Lake Superior

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan where the Lake Superior Lakers are featured.

Last year was an up and down year for first year head coach Jim Rogue and the Lakers, but the Lakers lost six out of their last seven games, which included being swept in the CCHA tournament in the first round as eleventh seed Western Michigan upset the Lakers.

The defense was solid for the Lakers last year as they gave up 84 goals. However, the offense struggled for much of the season, as they scored only 93 goals. Trent Campbell was the teams leading scorer as he was the only Laker to score 10+ goals. How Lake Superior survived I don't know but they managed to be on the NCAA tournament watch for some of the year.

This years version looks very different from last years squad. Lake Superior graduated 11 Seniors this past season. That is alot of Seniors to lose in one year. So who will step up this year for the Lakers?

Other than Seniors Trent Campbell, and Goaltender Jeff Jakaitis, there might not be much support for them all year. Someone has to step up and score goals. It didin't happen last year and I dont see it happening this year. However, the defense will still be alright. Its just a matter of who will step up and score the goals.

This team is unpredictable. The Lakers have a ton of potential, but people will have to step up this year. I don't see that happening this year, but in a couple of years the Lakers might be back up in the elite of the CCHA.

The predicted ceiling for Lake Superior is ninth in the CCHA, while the gutter is 12th.

Tommorrow we will make a trip to Oreno, Maine where the tour hits its 25th day as we pay a visit to the University of Maine. The Black Bears made their third Frozen Four in five seasons under head coach Tim Whitehead, can the Black Bears make it four in six? Find out tommorrow as the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues.

59 Teams in 59 Days Holy Cross

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to Worcester, Massachusetts where the Holy Cross Crusaders are featured.

Earlier this off-season head coach Paul Pearl got himself a contract extension. Some of that was due to Holy Cross' amazing upset over the top seed in the region (and the number two team in the NCAA tournament) Minnesota. Even though the Crusaders lost to North Dakota in the regional finals, Pearl and his team made headlines throughout the college hockey world.

This years team will look to repeat their performance from last year. However, the Crusaders will have to do it without some key players from last year including the conferences leading scorer in Tyler McGregor, The leading assist man on the team in Pierre Napert-Frenette, and all Atlantic Hockey goaltender Tony Quesada.

So who will replace these all league performers? James Sixsmith was the third leading scorer on the team last year, so expect another solid season from him.

Replacing Quesada will be tough. But whoever the goalie may be, whether its Sophomore Charlie Lockwood, or whether it will be an upcoming Freshman this year such as Tyler Chestnut and Ian Dams, they will have five returning defensemen from last years squad.

Overall the Crusaders look solid and might be able to make another apperance in the NCAA's as they should be one of the favorites to win Atlantic Hockey.

The ceiling for Holy Cross is first in Atlantic Hockey, while the gutter is fourth.

Tommorrow we will travel to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan where the Lake Superior Lakers will be featured as the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour will hit day number 24.

59 Teams in 59 Days Harvard

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to the elite Ivy League school in Cambridge, Massachusetts where the Harvard Crimson are featured.

Head Coach Ted Donato has done a great job with the Crimson in his first two years capturing an ECACHL tournament title this past year, and has also led the Crimson to the NCAA's in both seasons. In fact the last time Harvard missed the NCAA tournament was the 2000-2001 season.

Harvard has had all ECACHL goaltenders the previous two seasons in Dov Grumet-Morris, and John Daigneau. Another year and another question in goal, but there is some talent in net. Right now Senior Justin Tobe looks like the favorite to replace Daigneau, but there will be some competition between Sophomore Mike Coskren, and Freshmen Kyle Richter and John Riley. Four players fighting for the #1 spot in net, should be interesting to see who will be in net when Harvard's season begins.

Harvard did not have a whole lot of scoring last year, in fact in 35 games the Crimson scored 111 goals, a little more than three goals a game. Kevin Du was the teams leading scorer and he will return for a Senior season. Some might say he is due for a breakout year, well if he is due than it will have to be this year. Other players to look out for are Junior Forward Jon Peele, and Sophomore forward Charlie Johnson.

Defensively the Crimson lose two big Seniors including Peter Hafner, and Tom Walsh. But the Crimson return six players who will get roster spots including Senior Dylan Reese, Juniors Dave MacDonald, J.D. McCabe, and Dave Watters and Sophomores Brian McCafferty, and Jake Christian.

Overall this Crimson team usually improves each year. This year will be no different as Ted Donato and the Crimson will be up there in the ECACHL, and could surprise some people come NCAA tournament time.

The predicted ceiling for Harvard is first in the ECACHL, while the gutter is fourth.

Tommorrow the Holy Cross Crusaders of Atlantic Hockey will be featured. Can the Crusaders raise eyebrows with another performance in their surprise NCAA run. Find out tommorrow as the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour will continue as we move to Worcester, Massachusetts.

59 Teams in 59 Days Ferris State

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to Big Rapids, Michigan where the Ferris State Bulldogs are featured.

Head Coach Bob Daniels is heading into his 15th season at Ferris State and has won a CCHA regular season crown in 2002-2003 and made the NCAA's that year. Coming off a 17-15-8 season last year, Daniels and the Bulldogs will look to improve on last season as they will look to make their second NCAA apperance in five years.

Gone from last years squad is leading scorer Greg Rallo, however the Bulldogs return nine out of the team's top ten scorers from last year. Mark Bomersback is the leading scorer returning. After scoring 15 goals his first two years, Bomersback scored 16 last season. Bomersback will probably be the focal point of the offense. Other players to watch out for are Sophomore forward and all CCHA rookie performer from last year Dan Riedel, Junior Adam Miller, and Senior Matt Verdone.

On Defense the Bulldogs lose two in Andrew Winnik and Jeremy Scherlinck. Four Defensemen return on this veteran team this year including Juniors Adam Welch, Jim Jorgensen, and Alex Spezia, as well as Sophomore Chris Zarb.

Goaltending wise the Bulldogs have a Sophomore Goaltender who came off a solid season in Mitch O'Keefe. O'Keefe posted a 14-12-7 season with a 2.68 goals against average and a .904 save percentage while recording two shutouts. Look for him to improve on those numbers this season.

Overall this could be a Ferris State team where come March they could be dangerous. The Bulldogs have a veteran team and are hungry and are looking up to this season as they try to become one of the top teams in the very competitive CCHA.

The predicted ceiling for Ferris State is fourth in the CCHA, while their gutter is eighth.

Tommorrow we will make a trip to the elite Ivy League school as the Harvard Crimson will be featured in the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour.

59 Teams in 59 Days Denver

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to Denver, Colorado where the Denver Pioneers are featured.

After capturing the National Championship the previous two seasons, Head Coach George Gwozdecky had a lot of talent coming back in 2005-2006. However Denver started off the season 5-7-2 and even though they rebounded for a second place finish in the WCHA, the Pioneers hopes of making a third consecutive National Championship got wrapped up when they lost to the ninth place team in the WCHA in Minnesota-Duluth.

This years squad might have some question marks. With Hobey Baker winner Matt Carle, and all WCHA peformer and former WCHA rookie of the year Paul Stastny left college early to go pro. So who will pick up the pieces for Denver?

To start off on who will pick up the pieces for Denver, the Pioneers will return leading goal scorer Ryan Dingle. After a six goal performance in 2004-2005, Dingle scored more than four times the goals he scored in 2004-2005 as he scored 27 goals in 2005-2006. So who else will step up this year? There is a lot of potential on this team including Sophomore Chris Butler, who will most likely be the #1 defensmen on the team this year. Patrick Mullen also has a lot of potential and look for him to have a breakout year this year.

The goaltending situation was not solved last year. After Peter Mannino helped lead his team to the National Championship his Freshman year in 2004-2005, Mannino's numbers went down in 2005-2006. Glenn Fisher also saw a lot of playing time but could not deliver in crunch time last year. There is a huge question mark on who will start this year in net. If none of them have the potential of being the number one netminder, then the team is in trouble. However I think the goaltedning situation will be solved and their will be a clear number one netminder for the 2006-2007 season.

Overall the Pioneers have a lot of potential. With only four Freshmen coming in for the 2006-2007 season, the Pioneers will have nine Seniors on this years team. And that veteran leadership could help this years team as this team has the potential of coming back off a dissapointing season last year. After all those nine Seniors have won two National Championships. So if you think Denver is done after Stastny, Carle, and Gabe Gauthier are no longer, then watch out as there could be some surprises this year.

The predicted ceiling for Denver is second in the WCHA, while their gutter is sixth.

Tommorrow the Ferris State Bulldogs will be featured as the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues in Big Rapids, Michigan.