College Hockey Pre-Season All Americans

Here exclusively on hockeynuts are the exclusive pre-season picks for the all-american team.

All American First team

G- Brian Elliott (SR), Wisconsin. Last years Hobey Hat Trick finalist enjoyed one of the best seasons a Wisconsin goaltender has ever had, and could well be the first goaltender since 2001 to win the Hobey this year. Last year Elliott was 27-5-3 with a ncaa low 1.55 goals against average. Those numbers might go up a little bit but non the less expect Elliott to have stellar numbers again.

D- Jack Johnson (SO), Michigan. Last year as a Freshman, Johnson lived up to the hype. He led all defensemen on his team with 32 points last year, and will look to improve on those stats this year. Johnson is a solid two way defensemen and will see his stats improve this year.

D- Alex Goligoski (JR), Minnesota. The leading returning scorer for the Gophers with 39 points. He could lead the young Gophers in scoring this season. Defensively he is solid. The Junior defensemen is an assistant captain this year, and he will be a prime target to go pro this season.

F- T.J. Oshie (SO), North Dakota. Last year Oshie led all Freshman in goals scored with 24 goals and added 21 assists for 45 points total. He and linemate Jonathan Toews will be the focal point of the North Dakota offense. Oshie could be a sleeper pick for the Hobey this season.

F- Scott Parse (SR), Nebraska-Omaha. A prime target this season, Parse decided to stay for his Senior season in Omaha. He is the leading returning scorer in the country from last year with 20 goals and 41 assists for 61 points. Although the Mavericks lost Bill Thomas, the Mavericks still have a loaded offense and Parse will look to lead the team to its second consecutive NCAA tournament apperance. Another early favorite to win the Hobey.

F- Brian Boyle (SR), Boston College. Perhaps the biggest news in the offseason is that 6"7 Brian Boyle decided to stay at BC rather than accept a deal to go to the NHL right after the season. Boyle will be a force to be reckoned with. The Eagles captain has improved his numbers in each of his three seasons at The Heights. He could have huge numbers this season and is another Hobey favorite.

All Amerian Second Team

G- Cory Schneider (JR), Boston College. A great NCAA postseason last year lands Schneider on the second team. He is quick and has quick reactions to the puck. And also to add, he had eight shutouts last season including three in a row during the regular season.

D- Matt Hunwick (SR), Michigan. The captain of the Wolverines will anchor a veteran defense this year. Hunwick has great potential in the NHL and has amazing speed for a defensemen.

D- Kyle Klbuertanz (JR), Wisconsin. Klubertanz had a solid post-season last year and was a big factor for Wisconsins run at the National Title. Talented offensively and will improve on his stats in his Junior season.

F- Jonathan Toews (SO), North Dakota. The #3 pick in the 2006 NHL draft decided to stay in school for at least one more season. Should be able to feed Oshie the puck this year and he will score more goals this season.

F- Tyler Burton (JR), Colgate. The biggest offensive threat for Colgate, Burton and the Raiders are the favorites in the ECACHL media and coaches poll to win the conference.

F- T.J. Hensick (SR), Michigan. Another Wolverine who decided to stay, what a surprise. Hensick should have a solid Senior season and will give everyone something to talk about.

Honorable Mention

G- John Curry (SR), Boston University
G- Bobby Goepfert (SR), St. Cloud State
G- Jeff Lerg (SO), Michigan State
G- Ben Bishop (SO), Maine
D- Mitch Ganzak (JR), Miami
D- Brett Motherwell (SO), Boston College
D- Chris Butler (SO), Denver
D- Brian Lee (SO), North Dakota
F- Ryan Dingle (JR), Denver
F- Michel Leveille (SR), Maine
F- Natahn Davis (JR), Miami
F- Andrew Gordon (JR), St. Cloud State

Two more media days are left, the WCHA and the CHA. Coming soon, final pre-season bracketology.

Atlantic Hockey Media Day

The 2nd of two media days yesterday is covered today as hockeynuts brings you the Atlantic Hockey Media Day results which took place in Rochester, NY.

This years coaches poll has Mercyhurst in the top of Atlantic Hockey. The Lakers recieved 96 points and gained seven first place votes from the coaches. Last season Mercyhurst shared the top spot with Holy Cross in the coaches poll.

Last years surprise team, Sacred Heart came in second place with 88 points, while last seasons regular season and tournament champion Holy Cross came in third with 83 points. Holy Cross pulled off the biggest upset in NCAA tournament history as they defeated the #1 seed in the west and second overall seed in the tournament, Minnesota in overtime. The momentum could continue for the Crusaders this season and should do well early.

Connecticut, who made a trip to the semi-finals of the Atlantic Hockey tournament, was picked fourth by the coaches with 55 points. And one more notice is that Atlantic Hockey newcomer Air Force and Bentley tied for fifth with 51 points.

The bottom of the league consits of Canisius, Army, American International, and the second newcomer to Atlantic Hockey, Rochester Institute of Technology.

Coaches Poll

#1 Mercyhurst (7), 96
#2 Sacred Heart (2), 88
#3 Holy Cross (1), 83
#4 Connecticut, 55
t-5 Air Force, 51
t-5 Bentley, 51
#7 Canisius, 45
#8 RIT, 36
#9 Army, 32
#10 American International, 13

Now that you know the coaches pre-season poll it is time for the hockeynuts Atlantic Hockey poll. There are some surprises in here just to let you know.

1. Sacred Heart
2. Bentley
3. Connecticut
4. Holy Cross
5. Mercyhurst
6. Air Force
7. Army
8. RIT
9. American International
10. Canisius

Since the Atlantic Hockey league did not select its all league team, we will still name one team anyway.

• G- Jason Smith, Sacred Heart
• D- Chase Podsiad, Army
• D- Jon Landry, Holy Cross
• F- James Sixsmith, Holy Cross
• F- Ben Cottreau, Mercyhurst
• F- Pierre Luc-O'Brien, Sacred Heart

Thats all for Atlantic Hockey media day. Still to come are the WCHA and CHA media days. After that there will be a week long preview before the college hockey season begins on October 6 with Bracketology, Hobey Baker Canidates, and much more.

CCHA Media Day

There were two media days today, Atlantic Hockey (which will be featured tommorrow), and the CCHA. Today we will take a look at the CCHA.

For the first time in awhile the coaches and the media did not agree on who they thought would be the top team in the conference.

In the Coaches poll the tally was based on an 11 (for first)-10 (second)- 9 (third) etc. point system, while the media went with the 12-11-10-9 etc. system.

The coaches poll usually looks a little more realistic than the media. With that in mind lets start breaking down the coaches poll.

Last year's CCHA tournament champion, Michigan State, is the favorite in the coaches poll as the recieved seven first place votes and 117 points overall. Michigan only had one first place vote, but they are placed in second in a narrow one point margin. The Miami Redhawks came in third but had more first place votes in the poll than Michigan with four. Ohio State rounds up the top four.

Other teams in the coaches poll in whom they think will get home ice for a first round series in the tournament are Alaska, Nebraska-Omaha, Northern Michigan, and Notre Dame.

Coaches poll

1. Michigan State (7), 117
2. Michigan (1), 108
3. Miami (4), 107
4. Ohio State, 84
5. Nebraska-Omaha, 75
6. Notre Dame, 62
7. Alaska, 60
8. Northern Michigan, 59
9. Ferris State, 55
10. Lake Superior, 30
11. Bowling Green, 18
12. Western Michigan, 17

The Media poll looks a little different. Michigan State still recieved the most first place votes with 38, however, it was Michigan who recieved more votes, thus giving making them the favorites to win the CCHA regular-season title in the media poll. Other changes include Northern Michigan (eighth in the coaches poll), they move up four spots to number four, while Ohio State who was fourth in the coaches poll was picked sixth in the media poll. A lot of flip flopping between teams in this poll

Media Poll

1. Michigan (26), 845
2. Michigan State (38), 844
3. Miami (13), 800
4. Northern Michigan, 570
5. Nebraska-Omaha, 539
6. Ohio State, 514
7. Ferris State, 437
8. Notre Dame, 403
9. Alaska, 390
10. Lake Superior, 379
11. Bowling Green, 158
12. Western Michigan, 127

And to top off CCHA media day, here are the picks for the all CCHA team. The vote values are as followed 1st place = 5, 2nd place = 3, 3rd place = 1. * Indicates a unanimous slection

• G- Jeff Lerg, Michigan State
• D- Jack Johnson, Michigan
• D- Matt Hunwick, Michigan
• F- Nathan Davis, Miami
• F- T.J. Hensick, Michigan
• F- Scott Parse, Nebraska-Omaha*

Now its time for the hockeynuts picks for the upcoming CCHA season.

1. Michigan
2. Michigan State
3. Miami
4. Ohio State
5. Northern Michigan
6. Nebraska-Omaha
7. Alaska
8. Notre Dame
9. Ferris State
10. Bowling Green
11. Lake Superior
12. Western Michigan

Now here is the hockeynuts all CCHA team

• G- Jeff Lerg, Michigan State
• D- Jack Johnson, Michigan
• D- Mitch Ganzak, Miami
• F- Nathan Davis, Miami
• F- T.J. Hensick, Michigan
• F- Scott Parse, Nebraska-Omaha

Well thats it for the CCHA media day. Tommorrow we will take a look at the Atlantic Hockey Media day (which as previously stated was also today), and still to come are the WCHA media day and the CHA media day.

Hockey East Media Day

The 2006 Hockey East Media Day began with a bang.

As expected Boston College (who shared first place on the uscho.com/cstv poll) got the most first place votes as eight out of ten coaches picked the Eagles to win the regular season. The Eagles also recieved 89 points overall in the coaches pre-season poll. There are some surprises, let's begin with second place Boston University. Picked fourth in the country by uscho.com, it would seem like head coach Jack Parker and the Terriers would get some first place votes, instead they got none but did get 78 points. Maine got the other two first place votes, however coach Tim Whitehead and the Black Bears are picked third in the conference. The University of New Hampshire was picked fourth to wind up the elite class of Hockey East.

The most interesting prediction is who will finish fifth or sixth. Vermont wound up in the fifth spot with 57 points Providence sixth by a near five points behind Vermont at 52. This will be a back and fourth battle all year between these two teams. To see who I pick go near the end of the blog.

To no surprise, UMASS-Amherst was picked seventh with 37 points. Spots eight through ten, well they are wide open as well. Northeastern was picked eighth with 35 points. To me that is a surprise. A team with only three wins last year, the Huskies are hungry for victories this year. They will make a close race for the final spot in the Hockey East Playoffs. UMASS-Lowell 32 points, and Merrimack 18 points wind up the final two spots in the coaches poll.

So what is their to expect from the Hockey East teams this year?

Expect Brian Boyle to make his temmates better this year as he should lead the league in assists and points. The captain of the Eagles is undoubtedly an all-american canidate. He will score his share of goals too. Boyle is a good possibility to win the Hobey Baker this year. Also expect a better defense this year from the Eagles, which should help Cory Schneider out.

Expect Boston University's Freshman class to be the most productive. With guys like Brian Strait (captain of the under-18 US Developmental Team last season), Eric Gryba, and Zach Cohen could make an immediate impact for this Terrier class that finished second in recruting according to Insidecollegehockey.com. Also expect another strong year from Senior Goaltender John Curry.

Expect another unsung hero for Maine to help the Black Bears make a run at the Frozen Four? Ben Bishop was that last season. This year it could be Simon Denis-Papin who makes a big difference for the Black Bears.

Expect New Hampshire goaltender Kevin Regan to have a breakthrough season. After a shaky Sophomore season in which he split time with Jeff Petresiak, Regan is the clear number one goaltender in Durham this year.

Other things to expect are the following:

Expect Providence, Vermont, and UNH to fight for home ice for the Hockey East playoffs.

Expect Maine to prove everyone wrong again.

Expect BC to possibly runaway with the regular season before their final home and home games in March against New Hampshire.

And expect the bottom of the league to be fought out between Northeastern, UMASS-Lowell, and Merrimack.

So I gave you the coaches poll now it is time for the hockeynuts Hockey East poll.

1. Boston College
2. Boston University
3. Maine
4. New Hampshire
5. Providence
6. Vermont
7. UMASS-Amherst
8. UMASS-Lowell
9. Northeastern
10. Merrimack

The coaches did not pick an all Hockey East team, but I will give you my picks for the all Hockey East team.

• G- Cory Schnedier, Boston College
• D- Cody Wild, Providence,
• D- Sean Sullivan, Boston Unviersity
• F- Brian Boyle, Boston College
• F- Michel Leveille, Maine
• F- Jacob Micflikier, New Hampshire

Well thats all for Hockey East Media Day, Tommorrow it is the CCHA's turn for their annual media day.

ECACHL Media Day

The ECACHL held its annual Media Day today in Albany, New York. The polls happen to be surprising to me and others as well.

As I have it in bracketology, Harvard and Dartmouth are the two teams in the brackets with Harvard getting the automatic bid. That will not change come Sunday when the final bracketology of the pre-season comes out.

In the coaches poll everything seems confusing. The first place team, Colgate, had only three first place votes. Clarkson had the most first place votes with five first place votes in the coaches poll, however they are tied with Harvard for second with 101 points overall. Colgate with 108 points. And Dartmouth you ask? They are picked tied for fourth with Cornell who both recieved 95 points.

The pre-season All-ECACHL team was not a surprise however. Goaltender Mark Dekanich of Colgate, and Defensemen Reid Cashman of Quinnipiac were the two unanimous selections.

ECACHL Pre-Season Coaches Poll
#1 Colgate, 108 points (3 first-place votes)
t-2 Clarkson, 101 (5)
t-2 Harvard, 101 (4)
t-4 Cornell, 95
t-4 Dartmouth, 95
#6 St. Lawrence, 67
#7 Quinnipiac, 60
#8 Union, 54
#9 Rensselaer, 41
#10 Princeton, 34
t-11 Brown, 18
t-11 Yale, 18

ALL ECACHL Team, Coaches
G- Mark Dekanich, Colgate*
D- Reid Cashman, Quinnipiac*
D- Grant Lewis, Dartmouth
F- Tyler Burton, Colgate
F- David Jones, Dartmouth
F- Nick Dodge, Clarkson

*Unanimous Selection

The media poll has a little more sense to it. Colgate is the clear favorite with 11 first place votes. And the Media poll has basically the same pre-season team except for one, Dylan Reese, Defensemen from Harvard.

ECACHL Pre-Season Media Poll
#1 Colgate, 222 (11)
#2 Harvard, 208 (2)
#3 Dartmouth, 195 (5)
#4 Cornell, 178 (1)
#5 Clarkson, 173 (1)
#6 Quinnipiac, 139
#7 St. Lawrence, 123
#8 Union, 93
#9 Rensselaer, 71
#10 Princeton, 69
#11 Yale, 54
#12 Brown, 35

All-ECACHL team, Media
G- Mark Dekanich, Colgate
D- Reid Cashman, Quinnipiac
D- Dylan Reese, Harvard
F- Tyler Burton, Colgate
F- David Jones, Dartmouth
F- Nick Dodge, Clarkson

Now its my turn to pick the teams in order of finish on the exclusive Hockey Nuts pre-season ECACHL predictions.

#1 Harvard
#2 Dartmouth
#3 Clarkson
#4 Colgate
#5 St. Lawrence
#6 Cornell
#7 Quinnipiac
#8 Princeton
#9 Rensselaer
#10 Union
#11 Yale
#12 Brown

And here are my picks for the All-ECACHL team

G- Mark Dekanich, Colgate
D- Reid Cashman, Quinnipiac
D- Dylan Reese, Harvard
F- Tyler Burton, Colgate
F- David Jones, Dartmouth
F- Nick Dodge, Clarkson

That is all for ECACHL media day coverage. Tommorrow Hockeynuts will have exclusive coverage of the Hockey East Media day in Boston.

59 Teams in 59 Days Yale

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour concludes with a trip to New Haven, Connecticut where one of the most elite Ivy league schools, the Yale Bulldogs are featured.

Gone this year are nine Seniors and their head coach in the previous 29 seasons, Tim Taylor, who was fired immediatley after the season. In for Yale is first year head coach Keith Allain.

So what does this year bring for the new look Yale Bulldogs?

On offense the teams leading goal scorer, Jean-Francois Boucher is back for his Junior season. He was one of two players who scored 10+ goals last season. Look out for some sleepers such as Senior Brad Mills, and Junior Blair Yaworski to make an impact on the team.

Defensively Yale gave up 123 goals last season in 33 games last season. A good sign however is that five defensemen return, so that will help out Sophomore goaltender Alec Richards. The defense might have to keep them in some games. With a questionable offense, the defense will have to improve on its game.

Keith Allain who is entering his first season and it looks like the Bulldogs will be rebuilding the next couple seasons. For now expect them to be in the bottom of the ECACHL the next couple of years.

The predicted ceiling for Yale is ninth in the ECACHL, the gutter is 12th.

Well thats it for the tour but the action doesn't stop there. We are about three weeks away from the college hockey season and as the media days come and go, hockeynuts will have exclusive reports from each conference's media days. And do not forget we do have one more bracketology before the season begins. Stay tuned as we will have reports starting with the ECACHL media day (the 1st media day out of the six major conferences I believe).

59 Teams in 59 Days Wisconsin

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour is on the second to last day of the tour. And what a way to do so with a trip to Madison, Wisconsin where the defending National Champions, the Wisconsin Badgers are featured.

Head Coach Mike Eaves and the Badgers started 18-2-2 in its first 22 games, then goaltender Brian Elliott got injured and the Badgers finished the regular season 5-8-1. After that the Badgers found their identity and won nine out of their last 10, en route to their first National Championship since 1990.

So how will the Badgers do this year? Everyone is wondering if they have enough despite their two huge losses in the offseason in the teams leading scorer Joe Palveski, and the Frozen Four's most outstanding player Robbie Earl. But with Senior goaltender Brian Elliott staying in school, the Badgers should be up there in contention for another National title.

On offense the Badgers lose all of their top five scorers. This means there will be no offense right? Well if you think that way, then youre wrong. The Badgers still have a ton of talent and they will see if players like Sophomore Jack Skille, and Senior Ross Carlson shine this year. Also look out for Sophomore Ben Street who scored 10 goals last season. Also lookout for Freshman Mike Davies. Although he might not have the size, Davies has plenty of speed. Expect him to make an immediate impact on this team.

Defensively the only loss for the Badgers is Tom Gilbert. Kyle Klubertanz, Jeff Likens, Joe Piskula, Davis Drewiske, Josh Engel, and Matt Olinger all who played last year on defense will return this year. Also lookout for Freshmen Nigel Williams another one of the US NTDP players that was picked in the draft. He has got the size at 6"5 to hammer people. Lookout for him in the next few years.

Right now goaltender Brian Elliott could not be any happier. After posting a 27-5-3 record, with eight shutouts, Elliott became a Hobey Baker Finalist. Expect Elliott to be one of the best goaltenders again as the Badgers look to repeat.

Overall, this team is capable of going back to the Frozen Four and possibly winning it. With Minnesota, and North Dakota expected to be up their in the National Rankings from the WCHA this year, the Badgers are looking elsewhere. They will look to be the third consecutive team to repeat, all of them coming from the WCHA the last few years (Minnesota 2002-2003 and Denver 2004-2005).

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

Tommorrow the last team on the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour, the Yale Bulldogs will be featured. After hiring a new coach, the Bulldogs will look to rebuild quickly. Can new head coach Keith Allain get enough out of his talent to improve immediatley? Or will Yale be the laughing stock of the ECACHL again? Find out tommorrow as the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour concludes in New Haven, Connecticut.

59 Teams in 59 Days Western Michigan

The final weekend has approached us on the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour. So lets get right to it as today we make the trip to Kalamazoo, Michigan where the Western Michigan Broncos are featured.

With only one returning scorer with 10+ goals last year in Senior Paul Szczechura, and with an all CCHA performer in Brent Walton gone, head coach Jim Culhane will need to find help on the offense immediatley.

The entire team last year was based on Brent Walton. With him gone the Broncos will need to find someone else to put the puck in the net besides Szczechura. True Szczechura is the go to guy, however, if you told me to name one returning player to score as well, I would tell you there isin't any guy on the roster who has the potential to score. But yet thats why they have sleepers. And the recruting class, well only time will tell on who will be the big shots in a few years.

The defense struggled all year last season. In 40 games the Broncos gave up 160 goals, an average of four per game. The Broncos will need to find an identity on defense or else Junior goaltender Daniel Bellissimo will be shellshocked, again. Maybe Freshman Riley Gill will step up but again expect this team to struggle on defense.

Overall I don't expect Western Michigan to do much this year in the CCHA. The Broncos will probably have a tough time getting through the rest of the league. Expect the Western Michigan to be back in the bottom of the league.

The predicted ceiling for Western Michigan is ninth in the CCHA, while the gutter is 12th.

Tommorrow, we will make the trip to Madison, Wisconsin, where the defending National Champs, the Wisconsin Badgers will be featured. Season tickets have rised to an all time high at the Kohl Center, can they live up to the reputation? Or will the losses of Robbie Earl and Joe Palveski be too much for the Badgers to handle? Find out tommorrow as we hit day number 58 on the tour.

59 Teams in 59 Days Wayne State

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues as we hit day number 56. Today the Wayne State Warriors from Detroit are featured.

After their first apperance in the NCAA's in 2002-2003, the Warriors have not found the same success. In their last three years the Warriors have gone 29-64-13 over that span. Head coach Bill Wilkinson and the team will look to improve as the Wayne State only won six games all of last year.

So where is the strong point of the team. Last year there was none. Only two players scored 10+ goals last season. The defense was not much better as they allowed 138 goals in 38 games. Now granted it was a young team last year, however not much has changed.

And to mention in the offense, only two players scored more than 20 points last season, and one of those players graduated. The other will return for a Junior year in Adam Krug. However, if he wants to step up, he will have to improve on his seven goal campagin last season.

Goaltending wise, last year Will Hooper and Matt Kelly split time each getting 19 games in last season. Hooper will probably be the starting goaltender this year, with Senior Kevin Bonikowski, and incoming Freshmen Brett Bothwell as backups.

Overall this team will struggle this year. Who knows how many wins they'll get and who knows how head coach Bill Wilkinson will find the talent he once had in 2002-2003.

The predicted ceiling for Wayne State is fourth in the CHA, while the gutter is fifth.

Tommorrow we will make a trip to Kalamazoo, Michigan where the Western Michigan Broncos will be featured as we are inching closer to the final day of the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour.

59 Teams in 59 Days Vermont

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with day number 55 on the tour. Today we make a trip to Burlington, Vermont where the Vermont Catamounts are featured.

Head coach Kevin Sneddon and the Catamounts entered their first year in Hockey East after leaving the ECACHL. The Catamounts had an up and down year last season in their first year.

After winning their first seven games, the Catamounts struggled after that going 11-14-6 in their final 31 games, including an 0-4-2 record in their final six. This year, there are some questions that need to be answered.

The good news is that Torrey Mitchell, returns for a Junior season. Last year Mitchell led the Catamounts in scoring with 12 goals and 28 assists for 40 points. Although he will need to improve in the goal production, Mitchell should have a better season. Sophomores Dean Strong and Peter Lenes will help contribute this year, keeping some pressure of Mitchell.

Defensively, the Catamounts allowed very few goals. 78 to be exact. The only player they lose is Jamie Sifers. Five will return on D this year, which should help Junior goaltender Joe Fallon, who has been one of the better goaltenders in the country.

Fallon will probably be the backbone of the team this year. Even though he only won 14 games last season, Fallon had a great year posting six shutouts, and had a great goals against average of 2.02. Fallon is probably one of the most underated players in the country and should be recognized this year as he will prove that he belongs as one of the elite goaltenders in the country.

Overall no one knows what to expect from Vermont this year. While they have a veteran defense, the goal scoring is still a question mark. Someone else other than Torrey Mitchell has to step up. If they can't get any goal scorers expect another up and down year from Vermont, but if they connect on all cylanders, the Catamounts can be mentioned as an NCAA team come March.

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

Tommorrow the Wayne State Warriors will be featured as we make the trip to Detroit as the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour hits day number 56.

59 Teams in 59 Days Union

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour hits day number 54 on its last week of the tour. Today we make a trip to Schenctady, New York where the Union Dutchman are featured.

Head coach Nate Leaman is entering his fourth season at Union. He and the team is coming off an up and down season as the team went 16-16-6 in which Union lost five out of their last six games of the year, including a first round loss on home ice to Yale.

The team had trouble scoring goals as they only came up with 90 goals in 38 games last season. This year might not be any different for the Dutchman.

Eight Seniors are gone from last years team. And with only four Seniors this year, the team will be young. Leaman will have his toughest task yet, and that is replacing goaltender Kris Mayotte. A four year starter in net, Mayotte in his career had 10 shutouts, including five last year. Mayotte started 116 games in his career at Union, this years goaltenders have a combined 26 starts in goal.

The likely replacement for Mayotte will be Junior Justin Mrazek. As a Freshman, Mrazek did start 19 games for the Dutchman, however, with the success of Mayotte last season, Mrazek only started five games last season. Senior Daniel Tatar and Incoming Freshmen Rich Sillery, and Shaun Williams will battle to be Mrazek's backup.

On offense, the leading scorer from last year returns in Senior Olivier Bouchard, however, he only scored 14 goals last year. He will need to improve his stats if Union wants to go anywhere this year. A couple of sleepers to watch out for are Sophomores Augie DiMarzo, and T.J. Fox.

On defense the Dutchman return five, and will be lead by Senior captain Sean Sterich. Last year the Dutchman allowed 103 goals. If the Dutchman have a strong point it is on defense.

Overall expect the Dutchman to struggle a little bit this year. With only four Seniors on the squad, the Dutchman will not bring a whole lot of experience this year. 12 Freshmen are coming in so expect this to be a tough season for the Dutchman.

The predicted ceiling for Union is seventh in the ECACHL, while the gutter is 12th.

Tommorrow we will head to Burlington, Vermont on day number 55 of the tour where the Vermont Catamounts will be featured on the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour.

59 Teams in 59 Days St. Lawrence

The final week of the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour starts with a trip to Canton, New York where the St. Lawrence Saints are featured.

Head Coach Joe Marsh will head into the season this year without their top five leading scorers from last year who all graduated.

On offense, someone needs to step up. Expect Sophomore Kevin DeVergilio to step up this year. DeVergilio, scored 14 goals last year and earned all ECACHL rookie honors. Out of all the returning players from last year, they only scored 51 goals from 10 players.

The defense will be the main focal point of this team this year. The only player they lost is Mike Madill. It will be tough replacing an all ECACHL performer, however, with five returning defensemen from last year, the goalie can rely on a good defense this year. Last season the Saints gave up 118 goals in 40 games, a pretty solid defense. This year however will be a better defense. Senior Drew Bagnall will lead the defense as the only Senior on the squad. Sophomores Zack Miskovic, Matt Generous, Shawn Fensel, and Jared Ross all return. The last spot will be a battle between Junior Paul Wallman (who played in only 10 games last year), and Freshman Derek Keller.

Goaltedning wise, Junior Justin Pesony will be the starter. Pesony, had a solid year last season, winning 20 games while tallying two shutouts. With a year under his belt, and a better defense on the way, Pesony should improve on the 2.90 goals against average from last season. Classmates Ryan Thorpe, and John Hallas will be the backups.

This year, the Saints will be a young team. Eight newcomers come in including Alex Curran and Mike McKenzie, who could make an immediate impact. Expect St. Lawrence to stay in the middle of the ECACHL this year, but in the next few years, they should be back up top in the ECACHL rankings.

The predicted ceiling for St. Lawrence is fifth in the ECACHL, while the gutter is ninth.

Tommorrow we will make a stop at Schenectady, New York, where the Union Dutchman will be featured, as the countdown to the end of the line is at 5 days as the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour hits day number 54.

59 Teams in 59 Days St. Cloud State

A week from today we will have our last team in Yale. But for today the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour hits St. Cloud, Minnesota where the St. Cloud State Huskies are featured.

Last year first year head coach Bob Motzko led the Huskies to a surprise run to the WCHA conference finals, where they lost to eventual champion and Frozen Four particapant North Dakota. The Huskies finished 21-15-4 and Motzko earned WCHA coach of the year honors. This years team looks like it can go a step further and make it back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2003.

The only bad news on this team is that four out of the top five leading scorers graduated. The good news, there is enough talent elsewhere to pick up the pieces. Andrew Gordon was the teams leading scorer with 20 goals and 20 assists for 40 points and he is returning for a Junior season. Also returning are 10+ goal scorers in Senior Dan Kronick, and Junior Matt Hartman. Some potential sleepers include Senior Nate Radnus, and Junior Nate Dey.

The defense should be the strong point of this team this year. All WCHA performer Justin Fletcher will anchor the defense in his Senior season. Classmates Grant Clafton, and Casey Borer will also take a leadership position. Juniors Aaron Brockelhurst, and Matt Stephenson are also returning, leaving one spot open. Junior Chirs Anderson, and incoming Freshmen Jon Ammerman, Craig Gaudet, and Jared Hummel will be on the lookout for that final spot.

Goaltending wise, all WCHA performer Bobby Goepfert will return for a Senior season. Goepfert posted a 20-14-4 record with three shutouts and a 2.20 goals against average to go along with a nifty .924 save percentage. The former Providence Friar transfered to St. Cloud State after the 2003-2004 season. To some Goepfert could be a Hobey Baker canidate. Expect a breakthrough year for the 5"10 170 lb goaltender.

All the pieces are in place for the Huskies. The team has something to prove this year, in that St. Cloud State should be back in the NCAA's. I think now, and the future looks good for Bob Motzko and the St. Cloud State Huskies.

The predicted ceiling for St. Cloud State is third in the WCHA, while the gutter is sixth.

Tommorrow we will make a trip to Canton, New York where the improving St. Lawrence Saints will be featured on the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour as we hit day number 53.

59 Teams in 59 Days Sacred Heart

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to Milford, Connecticut where we visit the Sacred Heart Pioneers on day number 51 on the tour.

Despite losing in the Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinals to Connecticut, the Pioneers still had a solid season with a 21-12-2 record, their best season under head coach Shaun Hannah. This year Hannah and the Pioneers should be one of the pre-season favorites to win the league.

The biggest weapon for Sacred Heart is Senior Pierre-Luc O'Brien. In his career O'Brien has been great scoring 51 goals and adding 61 assists for his career point total of 112. Last year he became more of an assist man as he had a career high 31 assists to go with his 19 goals. Also returning are all rookie performer from last year Bear Trapp, and Alexander Parent, who each averaged over a point a game.

On Defense, the Pioneers lose two, but return a solid core of defensemen. Senior Thomas Spencer will lead the solid core of defensemen, along with classmate Kalen Wright. Also returning from last year are Junior Scott Marchesi, and Sophomore David Grimson.

Goaltending, the Pioneers have one of the best goalies coming back in Atlantic Hockey in Senior Jason Smith. In 30 games last year, Smtih was 18-11-1 with a solid 2.24 goals against average and an great .927 save percentage. Sophomore Stefan Drew, who played in six games last year, will be the backup for one more season. Expect him to start next year.

Overall, the Pioneers have one of the most solid teams in the conference. Shaun Hannah will have a good load of talent in front of him, the question is can the Pioneers win their conference and get to the NCAA's?

The predicted ceiling for Sacred Heart is first in Atlantic Hockey, their gutter is fourth.

Well one more week from tommorrow we will have our last team on the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour. But for day number 52, we will feature the St. Cloud State Huskies, one of the biggest surprises in the WCHA last year. Can the Huskies get back to the NCAA's? Find out tommorrow as we make the trip to St. Cloud, Minnesota.

59 Teams in 59 Days Robert Morris

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to Moon Township, Pennsylvania where the Robert Morris Colonials are featured on day number 50 of the tour.

Last year the Colonials went 12-20-3 and made it to the conference semi-finals where they lost to Niagara. The good news is Robert Morris only lost two Seniors. The bad news is, the Colonials are still a relatively young team.

This year the Colonials will only have three Seniors on the squad. Forwards Doug Conleyn and Aaron Clark, and backup goaltender Joe Tuset are the three Seniors who will look to lead the squad to bigger things this year.

On offense the Colonials return three double digit goal scorers in Sophomore Chris Margott (the teams leading scorer last year), and Juniors Brett Hopfe and Sean Berkstresser. Overall the three combined for 37 goals, the rest of the 18 players only scored 45 goals last year. The Colonials will need more offense if they want to make a run at becoming a threat in the CHA.

Defensively the Colonials return five. The only player they lose is Brian Mills. However, the defense must improve on becoming a unit as they gave up 117 goals last year in 35 games. There are no seniors on the defense, however they have five Juniors. Although they will improve this year, expect the Defense to struggle at times with teams such as Quinnipiac, Cornell, and Miami all of them had solid offenses last season.

Goaltending wise, Junior Christian Boucher is a returning two year starter. In the last six games last season Boucher only gave up 14 goals and the team went 3-3 which included the semi-final game against Niagara. Boucher has put up solid numbers in the past. Expect Boucher to be the backbone of the team this year. He will really need to step it up a little bit if the Colonials want to carry over their momentum from last season.

Third year head coach Derek Schooley had a four win improvement from 2004-2005. This year Schooley will have a lot of work ahead of him on an important season for the Colonials. Can Robert Morris get to the top of the CHA this year? Or will Schooley and the Colonials have to wait another year or two? Expect Robert Morris to jump around from place to place in the standings, but they are not yet ready to be up in the top.

The predicted ceiling for Robert Morris is third in the CHA, while their gutter is fifth.

Tommorrow one of the early favorites to win the Atlantic Hockey conference will be featured as we take a trip to Milford, Connecticut where the Sacred Heart Pioneers will be featured. Sacred Heart was one of the most improved teams in the country last season as they went from sixth in Atlantic Hockey in 2004-2005 to third in 2005-2006, can the Pioneers take the Atlantic Hockey title this year? Find out tommorrow as we hit day number 51 on the tour.

59 Teams in 59 Days RIT

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to Rochester, New York where the newest Division I team, the RIT Tigers are featured.

RIT was an independent team last year. After making the jump from Division III to Division I, they immediatley signed a contract to join the Atlantic Hockey league this season.

Head Coach Wayne Wilson and the rest of the Tigers will have a lot of work ahead of them this year. With out of conference opponents such as St. Lawrence, Clarkson, and Niagara among others, the Tigers will have to at least stay competitive in those games if they have any shot of making an immediate impact in Atlantic Hockey.

Last year as an independent, RIT went 6-22-2, with one of the victories coming against St. Lawrence.

Junior Simon Lambert was the teams leading scorer last year. He averaged over a point per game as he tallied 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points in 28 games last season. Expect him to be their impact player. A sleeper to watch out for is Junior Darrell Draper, the teams second leading scorer from last year.

On defense the Tigers lost two Seniors, in Marc Hyman, and Tony Bifulco. Matt Smith will be the go to guy for the Tigers on D. Smith tallied 19 points last year, and is a good all around defensemen.

Goaltending wise Junior Jocelyn Guimond will probably get the start between the pipes. He started 26 games last year. While only getting four wins, Guimond will have some Division I experience coming into the season. Expect his numbers to improve.

Overall I think it will take RIT a few years to get used to Atlantic Hockey. However, they do have a future, and the move to Division I will improve their status as a school.

The predicted ceiling for RIT is seventh in Atlantic Hockey, while the gutter is 10th.

Tommorrow we will make our way to Moon Township, Pennsylvania where the Robert Morris Colonials are featured on day number 50 of the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour.

59 Teams in 59 Days Rensselaer

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to Troy, New York where we visit one of the finest engeneering institues in the country, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where today the RPI Engeneers are featured.

New head coach Seth Appert is coming in from Denver, where he was an assistant for Denver's two National Championships in 2003-2004, and 2004-2005. He is coming in with a team who finished 14-17-6 last year, and lost in the first round to Quinnipiac.

RPI will have some work to do this year. While leading scorer Kevin Croxton is gone, the Engeneers will have a couple of players who need to step up their game. Senior Oren Eizenman (the teams returning leading scorer), and Junior Jonathan Ornelas should improve their stats from last year. Expect some sleepers such as Sophomore Kurt Colling, and Freshman forward Paul Kerins to make a big impact this year.

Defensively, the Engenners will need to replace four Seniors from last years squad. Seniors Jake Luthi, and Ryan Swanson are the two returning regular players, while Sophomore Reed Kipp should see more ice time. There are three spots on Defense avilable, and it will be fought out by four incoming Freshman. Erik Burgdoefer, Jason Fortino, Christian Jensen, and Peter Merth will look to make an immediate impact on this young RPI defense. Expect RPI to struggle a little bit, but to improve each game.

Goaltending wise Sophomore Mathias Lange will get the start between the pipes. Lange could see his numbers falter a little bit from last year with three new defensemen. Last year Lange was 13-15-6 with two shutouts, and played in 2041 minutes. Lange has the potential to be a real good goaltender, but he might have to wait.

Overall I can't tell you whether or not RPI will be up in the ECACHL rankings, but they will improve each game. With a young team, Seth Appert will have a team for the future, but expect them this year to fight for home ice in the ECACHL playoffs.

The predicted ceiling for RPI is sixth in the ECACHL, while their gutter is ninth.

Tommorrow the RIT Tigers will be featured. RIT is one of two new teams in Atlantic Hockey (the other is Air Force). How will they fare in their first "real" year in Division I hockey? Find out tommorrow as the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour goes to Rochester as we hit day number 49 on the tour.

59 Teams in 59 Days Quinnipiac

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to Hamden, Connecticut where the Quinnipiac Bobcats are featured.

Head Coach Rand Pecknold should be happy with the squads first season last year in the ECACHL as they posted their second consecutive 20 win season. This year he and the Bobcats will look to improve on that as they enter their second year in the ECACHL.

A big plus for Quinnipiac is that all of their top five leading scorers are returning. Two players scored 20 goals last year. Junior Jamie Bates, and Sophomore David Marshall will be two of the main offensive threats again this year. Brian Leitch lead the team in scoring as a Freshman, and earned all ECACHL rookie honors. Ben Nelson winds up the top four forward scorers.

But the main player on this team will be Senior Reid Cashman. Cashman, is one of the favorites to win the ECACHL player of the year. In three seasons he has totaled 20 goals while adding 87 assists, and tallying 107 points. Cashman should be one of the top defensemen again not only in the ECACHL, but in the country. Could Quinnipiac see its first ever Hobey Baker Finalist?

In goal will be Sophomore Bud Fisher. As a Freshman last year, Fisher played in 34 games, going 18-14-1 with a 2.56 goalst against average while adding three shutouts. With a year under his belt, Fisher could be one of the better goalies in the conference.

Quinnipaic might of lost seven seniors, but they still have a lot of experience coming back. Expect Quinnipiac to gain home ice for the first round of the ECACHL tournament, and possibly go to the semi-finals in Albany, New York. This is a solid squad that could raise some eyebrows all over the country.

The predicted ceiling for Quinnipiac is fourth in the ECACHL, while their gutter is ninth.

Tommorrow we will make a trip to one of the finest engenerring institutes in the country in Troy, New York, as the Rensselaer Engineers will be featured as we hit day number 48 on the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour.

59 Teams in 59 Days Providence

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to the capital city of Rhode Island, Providence where today the Providence College Friars are featured.

Last season first year head coach Tim Army and his crew were predicted to finish eighth in Hockey East. He took those expectations and smashed them as the Friars finished fifth in Hockey East.

The leading scorer from last year Torry Gadja, is gone, however, the Friars return four out of their top five scorers from last years team. Junior Jon Rheault, the teams leading goal scorer returns, as well as Senior Chase Watson, the teams leading assist man. Senior Colin McDonald, and Sophomore defensemne Cody Wild wind up the top four leading returning scorers.

The teams captain last year Tony Zancanaro also returns. At 5"6, Zancanro is known for his speed. What you might not know is that he is also known for his defense. Expect him to be a big factor as a defensive forward this year.

Defensively, the Friars only loss is James Pemberton. Five return and one spot is left to fill. Cody Wild, Dinos Stamoulis, Matt Taormina, Mark Bastarche, and Trevor Ludwig, all should have spots on the team, the other defensive spot will be fought out between Mark Mulhern, Austin Miller, and incoming Freshman Dave Cavanagh.

In goal the Friars are set with Tyler Sims who will start between the pipes. As a sophomore last year, Sims was one of the better goaltenders in Hockey East. He went 17-14-2 with a 2.32 goals against average while recording three shutouts. Expect Sims to have another solid season between the pipes as there quest for an NCAA berth is on Sims' shoulder.

Overall Providence should be a very solid team this year. Right now they would be a bubble team, but the Friars can easily become a team back on the rise.

The predicted ceiling for the Friars is third in Hockey East, while their gutter is sixth.

Tommorrow the Quinnipiacf Bobcats will be featured as the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour hits day number 47.

59 Teams in 59 Days Princeton

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to Hobey Baker Rink in Princeton, New Jersey. Today the Princeton Tigers are featured.

Head Coach Guy Gadowsky has improved the Tigers in each of his two seasons at Princeton. From three wins in 2003-2004, to eight in 2004-2005, and 10 in 2005-2006, it seems like Gadowsky has his team heading in the right direction.

The Tigers lose six seniors from last years squad, however, the Tigers' top three scorers return. Senior Grant Goeckner-Zoeller was the leading scorer and could be an all ECACHL performer this year, while fellow classmate Kevin Westgarth will look to improve his stats from a year ago as well as Sophomore Brett Wilson.

On Defense the Tigers lose two. Senior Brett Westgarth will be the leader of the Tiger defense with Daryl Marcoux, Mike Moore, and Max Cousins contrubiting.

The only question on this years squad is who is going to be the goaltender. Senior B.J. Sklapsky looks like the favorite to replace Eric Leroux in net, although look out for Sophomore Thomas Sychterz to be in the hunt for the job.

Overall expect Princeton to improve from last year. Though they are not ready to be up in the elite of the ECACHL, Guy Gadowsky will have his team prepared for anything this year.

The predicted ceiling for Princeton is seventh in the ECACHL, while their gutter is 11th.

Tommorrow one of the surprise teams of Hockey East last year, the Providence Friars will be featured. Can head coach Tim Army get this program back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2001? Find out tommorrow as the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues in Providence.

59 Teams in 59 Days Ohio State

The 59 Teams in 59 Days continues with a trip to the capital city of Ohio, Columbus. Today the Ohio State Buckeyes will be featured.

After high expectations last year, Ohio State ended up in a dissapointment finishing 15-19-5. The defense was pretty good, but the Buckeyes could not put the puck in the net last year. Only two players had 10 or more goals last year, and goaltender Dave Caruso carried the team last year. Don't worry Buckeye fans this year will be different.

The Buckeyes only lose four seniors on a team that was highly defensive last year. This year people have to step up such as Junior Tom Fritsche, and Senior Andrew Schembri, the two leading scorers on the team last year. This year they will only improve their play, as long as they get others to help out. Expect a breakout year for Junior Domenic Maiani, who only played in 26 games last year due to injury.

Defensively the Buckeyes will be fine, the question is who will be the one to replace Dave Caruso? Freshman Joe Palmer was one of the top recruits in the country. Expect him to make a big impact his rookie year. Although Palmer might not start right away, he should get better whether he's the number two goaltender behind Ian Keserich where he can learn, or if he indeed gets the number one position in net. Either way Palmer is the future of the Buckeyes, the question is, is the future now?

Overall expect head coach John Markell and the Buckeyes to bounce back from an off year. This team is talented enough to get to the NCAA's. Expect them to make news come March.

The predicted ceiling for Ohio State if fourth in the CCHA, while their gutter is seventh.

Tommorrow we will take a trip to Hobey Baker Rink home of the Princeton Tigers as we hit day number 45 on the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour.

59 Teams in 59 Days Notre Dame

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to one of the most famous colleges in America. Today we make a trip to South Bend, Indiana where the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are featured.

Head Coach Jeff Jackson had one goal in mind last year, and that was to improve from the previous season where the Irish went 5-27-6 in 2004-2005. In 2005-2006, the Irish went 13-19-4 and finished in eighth place in the CCHA, which got them a home playoff series with Alaska-Fairbainks. Even though the Irish got swept by the Alaska, it was still an improvement from the 2004-2005 campaign. So what does this season bring for the Irish?

Lets start with the Offense, where Notre Dame returns four out of the top five scorers on the team. Erik Condra led the team in points with 6 goals and 28 assists for 34 points. With that perfromance last year, Condra got selected in this years NHL draft in the seventh round. Senior Josh Sciba was the team leading goal scorer with 17, he will captain the Irish this year. Expect a big year from those two players as well as Junior Matt Van Guilder.

The defense could be this years backbone however. With five players returning, the Irish will have experience on D. Wes O'Neill is a two-way threat, as he can score if you need him too, as well as play his position. Noah Babin, Brock Sheahan, Tom Sawatske, and Dan VeNard are the remaining defensemen who return from last years squad. So who will fill that sixth spot on Defense? Three incoming Freshman are coming in to fight for that spot in Brett Blatchford, Stewart Carlin, and Kyle Lawson. Junior Dan VeNard will be the other defensemen who will look for playing time this season.

Goaltending wise the Irish should be set. Davd Brown, who helped lead Notre Dame to their first ever NCAA tournament apperance in the 2003-2004 season, looked like he had got some of that experience back after only playing in 15 games in 2004-2005. Brown was 9-15-4, that was the only stat that was shaky. All of the other stats such as a 2.47 goals against average, and a .915 save percentage. Brown also got two shutouts last year. Brown will be the starter, and Sophomore Jordan Pearce will be the backup.

Overall it looks like second year head coach Jeff Jackson has a pretty solid team this year. Notre Dame is in such a tough conference though. With one through three being Miami, Michigan, and Michigan State, expect the final five "home-ice" spots to be fought out by Notre Dame, Nebraska-Omaha, Ohio State, Alaska-Fairbanks, and Northern Michigan.

The predicted ceiling for Notre Dame is fourth in the CCHA, while the gutter is ninth.

Tommorrow we will travel to Columbus, Ohio where the Ohio State Buckeyes will be featured on the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour as we hit day number 44.

Bracketology 2006-2007 September Edition

There is some moving around from last month's bracket so lets get right to it.

First lets breakdown the conferences and its bids. Automatic bids are in parenthesees.

Atlantic Hockey: 1 (Sacred Heart)
CCHA: 4 (Michigan State)
CHA: 1 (Bemidji State)
ECACHL: 2 (Harvard)
Hockey East: 4 (Boston College)
WCHA: 4 (North Dakota)

The 10 at large teams

Atlantic Hockey: None
CCHA: Miami, Michigan, Ohio State
CHA: None
ECACHL: Dartmouth
Hockey East: Boston University, Maine, New Hampshire
WCHA: Minnesota, St. Cloud State, Wisconsin

Now you know whos in and whos not, so lets do this months power rankings.

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

Now that you know the power rankings, lets place them in their respective regions.

Boston College is the top seed once again in this months bracket, but there is a little change. Instead of going to the Northeast region in Manchester, this month they will go to the East Region in Rochester, NY and joining them will be Bemidji State, Miami, and Wisconsin.

East Regional:

#1 Boston College vs #4 Bemidji State
#2 Miami vs #3 Wisconsin

Minnesota is the second seed in the tournament, and will be placed in the West Region in Denver, CO. In this region Minnesota will be joined by Maine, Ohio State, and Sacred Heart.

West Regional:

#1 Minnesota vs #4 Sacred Heart
#2 Maine vs #3 Ohio State

The third overall seed is Michigan State, and they are placed in the Midwest Region in Grand Rapids, MI with Boston University, Harvard, and St. Cloud State.

Midwest Regional:

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

And finally the last number one seed is Michigan and they will be placed in the Northeast Region in Manchester, NH. The other three teams in this region are Dartmouth, North Dakota, and host New Hampshire.

Northeast Regional:

#1 Michigan vs #4 Dartmouth
#2 North Dakota vs #3 New Hampshire

The projected bracket will look like this:

East vs Northeast
West vs Midwest

Don't forget later today we will continue the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour with Notre Dame. The season is quickly approaching us, on the horizon are conference previews and picks, and one more pre-season bracketology in October. The countdown is on, another month and five days until the regular season starts, so get ready college hockey fans you will be in for what is expected to be a great season in college hockey.