Hobey Watch Oct 31

Some changes yet again to the Hobey Watch, including a new player at the top position so lets get right to it.

Here is the new Hobey Hat Trick:

Chad Kolarik F Michigan (JR): Kolarik only had one goal this past week, but is still putting up some impressive numbers. Kolarik, a first week sleeper, has stepped up his game from last year. He is already four goals shy of tying his mark from last season. It also helps that fellow linemate T.J. Hensick is helping him out too. Kolarik and Hensick right now are one of the most dangerous one two combos in all of college hockey.

Season Stats: 8 g, 3 a, 11 p

Michel Leveille F Maine (SR): Levielle has scored four goals in his last two games including a two goal performance this past weekend against UMASS-Amherst. Also to mention that seven points in his past three games also helps too. Leveille is a good all-around player and is one of the reasons why Maine is the number one team in the country right now. He will continue to progress throughout the season.

Season Stats 6 g, 5 a, 11 p

Nathan Davis F Miami (JR): Davis got himself a four point weekend against Bowling Green. He is currently third in the country in scoring and is leading the CCHA in scoring. Davis is a solid player but has only scored at least one goal in only three games this season. A key series against Northern Michigan might help his status in the Hobey race.

Season Stats 5 g, 9 a, 14 p

The rest of the top five:

Brian Boyle F Boston College (SR): Although Boyle had only one point this weekend, he was still a key factor in the Eagles sweep over defending champion Wisconsin. With Providence and Vermont on the schedule (both have struggled early on this season), Boyle stats could rise and put him back on the Hat Trick, but for now he is on the outside looking in on the Hobey Hat Trick.

Season Stats 3 g, 3 a, 6 p

Ben Bishop G Maine (SO): Currently Bishop has been playing his best hockey early on in the year. Although he only had 16 saves against UMASS-Amherst, Bishop only let up one goal for the third consecutive game, and has only allowed one goal in five of his six games so far this season. At 6"7, Bishop has quick reactions and uses his body well to make the tough saves. Bishop and the Black Bears have Merrimack and Boston University both on the road this coming week.

Season Stats 6-0-0, 1.40 gaa, .944 save pct.

This weeks Darkhorse:

Chad Johnson G Alaska (SO): The name probably doesn't sound familar with the rest of the country, but so far Johnson has great stats. With one shutout against Air Force, Johnson's game has seemed to go up since that game. He has let up more than one goal only once this season. Johnson clearly should be the number one netminder at Alaska for awhile.

Season Stats 3-0-1, 0.98 gaa, .959 save pct.

Thats all for this weeks Hobey Watch. Still to come this week, the player of the month(s) for each conference, and the weekly preview which will get you ready for this exciting weekend in College Hockey.

Weekly Wrap-Up Eagles soar past Badgers

The Boston College Eagles went on the road this weekend with one thing on their mind, revenge from last years National Championship game. The Eagles got that in the weekend sweep against the defending National Champion, Wisconsin Badgers.

Sophomore Nathan Gerbe got things started with a shorthanded five on three goal 5:48 into the first period giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead. In a scoreless second period, Junior goaltender Cory Schneider made 14 saves in the second period, while BC only mustered five shots on goal. Late in the third BC pulled away with another goal by Nathan Gerbe and Brock Bradford added an empty netter to give the Eagles a 3-0 victory on Friday night.

The second game on Saturday saw much of the same thing, total BC domination. All of the goals came in the second period. BC scored two power play goals back to back to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead as Benn Ferriero and Andrew Orpik added to their goal total. Wisconsin would respond right back on their power play with a goal from Jake Dowell making it 2-1 with less than nine minutes left in the second period. But, the Eagles came right back as Joe Rooney scored on a breakaway to make it 3-1. And to cap off the scoring, Benn Ferriero added another goal with a little over five seconds left in the second to give the Eagles a 4-1 lead. Cory Schneider again was solid with 28 saves, and again stopped 14 Wisconsin shots in the second. His counterpart, Brian Elliott struggled stopping 33 of 39 Boston College shots in both games.

In other action this weekend:

Northeastern went on the road to Michigan and gained a surprising split over the Wolverines.

New Hampshire lost both of their games at home as Yale, and UMASS-Amherst came in and defeated the Wildcats.

Northern Michigan and Ohio State split in a key CCHA series.

Colorado College got swept for the second weekend in a row as the Minnesota Golden Gophers took care of business on their home ice.

And Rensselaer won the Governor's Cup in Albany, NY as the Engineers defeated Union (shootout victory) and ECACHL favorite Colgate in the finals.

This coming weeks games include:

A home and home series between Michigan and Michigan State.

A key Hockey East series between New Hampshire and Northeastern also a home and home series.

Minnesota's biggest rivalry between Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth.

And #1 Maine and Boston University will play each other on Saturday night at Agganis Arena.

All of these games and much more coming up in the weekly preview.

Weekly Preview Championship game rematch promises to be exciting

The long awaited series between Wisconsin and Boston College has finally arrived. This two game series promises to be just as exciting as the National Championship game in 2006.

After a loss to Notre Dame in which the Eagles got trounced 7-1, BC came back the night after and defeated Bowling Green 5-1. Senior captain and one of the early Hobey favorites, Brian Boyle, was held to only one goal last weekend. However, unlike last year, there is more scoring for the Eagles. Boyle is currently third on the team in scoring with three goals and two assists for five points. The leading two scorers for the Eagles are Sophomore Brock Bradford (2 g, 5 a, 7 p), and Senior Joe Rooney (1 g, 5 a, 6 p).

BC goaltender Cory Schneider has already given up 10 goals this season. However, he played a solid game against Bowling Green with his lone goal allowed coming in the first period. Look for Schneider to be a key factor in this series.

For Wisconsin, the injury bug has hit early. Ross Carlson and Kyle Klubertanz are listed as questionable for this weekend's series, while Jack Skille is out until mid-November with a hyperextended elbow.

However, the Badgers still look strong on both ends of the ice. Senior forward Jake Dowell has five goals in the early part of the season. Freshman Michael Davies has notched two for the Badgers making him the second leading goal scorer on the team.

But the main part of Wisconsins game is on defense, and one of the reasons is the play of goaltender Brian Elliott who is picking up right where he left off last year. After all in his first three games, Elliott got two shutouts. This so far will be Elliott's toughest task facing a solid offense in Boston College.

In other action this weekend:

The new number one team in the country, the Maine Black Bears, will face UMASS-Amherst at Alfond Arena.

Colorado College travels to Minnesota in a key WCHA series.

Ohio State faces CCHA foe Northern Michigan.

And a couple of tournaments this weekend as we got the Lightning College Hockey Classic in Tampa, as well as the Governors Cup in Albany, NY.

Come back next week when we wrap up this exciting weekend in college hockey.

Hobey Watch Week 2

Some changes this week in the Hobey watch so lets get right to them.

The top five is a little different this week, with some players from the East checking in fcr the first time. So here is the second week Hobey Watch.

Brian Elliott G, Wisconsin (SR):

Elliott had 56 saves last week in a three point weekend for the Badgers. He let up two goals in both games against Minnesota Duluth, raising his goals against average a little bit, but he still holds the #1 spot in the Hobey watch. If Elliott indeed stays healthy throughout the season, he will be the best goaltender in the country.

Season stats: 3-1-1, 1.37 gaa, .949 save pct. (2 shutouts)

Chad Kolarik F, Michigan (JR):

Last weeks darkhorse, has stepped up his play and has himself a spot in the Hobey hat-trick. Last week, Kolarik scored his second hat trick in two games against Miami on Thursday night, but was shutout in the second game. Four of Kolarik's goals have been unassisted goals this season.

Season stats: 7 g, 3 a, 10 p

Brian Boyle F, Boston College (SR):

Boyle might of slid a little bit to the third spot, but his play has still been solid. Even though right now he is no where near the top of Hockey East in scoring, Boyle's play has still been strong. He uses his size whenever and wherever he needs to. Last week just one goal, but Boyle at 6"7 could be a tough task to handle for the Badgers this weekend.

Season stats: 3 g, 2 a, 5 p

The rest of the top five:

Michel Leveille F, Maine (SR):

In the first three games, Leveille had a goal and three assists. This week he added three goals and two assists to help lead Maine to a sweep of North Dakota. If Leveille remains consistant like that, the Black Bears will be tough to beat this year.

Season stats: 4 g, 5 a, 9 p

Nathan Davis F, Miami (JR):

A hat trick by Davis in the second game of the Michigan series helped Miami to a split over Michigan.

Season stats: 4 g, 6 a, 10 p

This weeks darkhorse: Ben Bishop G, Maine (SO)

Bishop made 48 saves in the weekend sweep over North Dakota. So far he is undefeated, and has only allowed more than one goal just once this season.

Season stats: 5-0-0, 1.49 gaa, .944 save pct.

Thats all for this weeks Hobey watch. With some big games this weekend, who knows if anything will change, but the games should be interesting to watch.

Weekly Wrap-Up Black Bear Necessities help Maine sweep North Dakota

The Maine Black Bears not only swept the North Dakota Fighting Sioux over the weekend, but they swept them on the road at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, ND.

The first game Maine dominated with a 6-2 victory which included a five goal second period. Goaltender Ben Bishop's workload was a light one. He only saw 16 shots and stopped 15 of them in the victory. Michel Leveille had a goal and two assists picking up three points. Freshman Teddy Purcell added a goal and an assist in the victory.

The second night was dominated by the same two players. Teddy Purcell scored the first goal at the 3:20 mark of the first period. Michel Leveille scored two one assisted by Purcell and that was all the Black Bears needed. North Dakota scored late in the third but it was too little too late as Ben Bishop faced all tests stopping 33 of 34 North Dakota shots on goal in the 3-1 victory.

With Boston College losing on Friday Night by Notre Dame 7-1 (who also defeated Providence 6-1 on Saturday night), and Wisconsin not sweeping Minnesota-Duluth, Maine could be the number one team in the country when the polls come out tommorrow. North Dakota could be out of the top 10.

Cross State rival New Hampshire also had a big weekend as they opened up their season with two victories at Colorado College. The Wildcats outscored the Tigers 11-5 in the sweep. Trevor Smith and Mike Radja both scored three goals in the sweep. Junior goaltender Kevin Regan made 61 saves in the two games.

In other action this weekend:

Miami and Michigan split in Ann Arbor. Michigan junior forward Chad Kolarik continues to impress, getting a hat trick on Thursday night as he adds his goal total to seven on the season.

In a big surprise, Michigan Tech went to Vermont and took four points in the sweep over the Cattamounts.

Former Denver assistant and current Rensselaer head coach Seth Appert got a victory over his former team as the Engineers split the Pioneers in Denver.

And Boston University got its milestone as Peter MacArthur scored the Terriers' 10,000th goal in the 4-3 win against Northeastern. The Terriers also defeated Merrimack 4-1 in North Andover, MA.

This weeks upcoming games include:

A national championship rematch between Wisconsin and Boston College at the Kohl Center, in Madison.

A big CCHA series between Northern Michigan and Ohio State.

A big out of conference matchup as Vermont will look to forget about their weekend sweep against Michigan Tech and will look to move on as they travel to Dartmouth.

And a WCHA series at Minnesota as the Gophers will host Colorado College.

Those games and more to be mentioned in the weekly preview.

Weekly Preview Johnson and Wolverines hope for a big weekend at Yost against Miami

This weeks big series comes in the CCHA where the Michigan Wolverines host the Miami Redhawks at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, MI.

Defensemen Jack Johnson (pictured above), was one of many people who had a big two game weekend as the Wolverines easily defeated Alabama-Huntsville 8-1, and defeated UCONN the next night 7-5. Johnson scored two of the 15 goals this weekend, while also tallying two assists. But the big weekend belonged to Junior Forward Chad Kolarik who had four goals and three assists for seven points. And the other big gun for the Wolverines, T.J. Hensick had three goals and two assists for five points. I don't expect the Wolverines to put up as many goals as they did last weekend, however the offense can still click with some firepower, which they were missing last season.

Miami is also coming off a two win weekend as they swept Canisius, outscoring the Griffs 8-2 over the weekend. Nathan Davis and Ryan Jones are picking up right where they left off last season, both have a combined four goals and seven assists for 11 points. The Redhawks however will need some more offense this weekend. You never know one of these teams whether its Michigan or Miami could strike at any point of the game.

In the goaltending matchup I give the edge to Miami. Billy Sauer has plenty of talent don't get me wrong, however, he gave up five goals against UCONN and only has a save percentage of .897. Sauer will improve, however the duo of Miami's Charlie Effinger (2-0, 1.50 gaa) and Jeff Zatkoff (1-1, 2.52 gaa) could be the best 1-2 goalie combonation in the country.

It is hard to predict whether the two games this weekend will be highly offensive (which would favor Michigan), or if it will be defensive (where Miami has the edge). Should be an interesting two game series this weekend.

Not to forget this weekend, there is also Maine and North Dakota. Maine is 3-0 while North Dakota suffered their first loss on Saturday night against Wisconsin where they were shutout 1-0. The series is in Grand Forks. The 3-1 Sioux will face the 3-0 Black Bears in another great matchup this weekend. The winner of this series will stay in the top five, while a split could keep both teams in the top five. Expect a grueling, hard fought series this weekend at the Ralph.

In other college hockey action this weekend:

Wisconsin and Boston College face each other next week, but before that they have some tough competition. BC will host Notre Dame and Bowling Green, while Wisconsin hosts a much improved Minnesota-Duluth team in Madison for two.

Ohio State will host Minnesota this weekend. Everyone will wonder if the fans will come after only a little above 2,000 people came to see both games this weekend against Lake Superior at the Schottenstein Center which holds over 17,000. Will a National power draw more fans at Ohio State?

Alaska hosts Alaska Anchorage this weekend.

And Niagara, Northern Michigan, and UMASS-Lowell will be at the Maverick Stampede with host Nebraska-Omaha.

Find out these results and more in the Weekly wrap-up next week.

Hobey Watch Week 1

The 27th annual Hobey Baker award ceremony will be held on April 6th, 2007, the night before the National Championship game in St. Louis. But its never to early to do a Hobey watch. Here are my canidates starting with the hat trick and then the rest of the top five and the darkhorse.

The Hat-Trick

G Brian Elliott, Wisconsin (SR):

Elliott has two shutouts in three games for the Badgers this season, including a most recent shutout against a high powered offense in North Dakota. In three games, Elliott has stopped 75 of 78 shots on goal. In 181:28 he has allowed only three goals and has a stingy 0.99 goals against average to go along with a .962 save percentage. A good early spot lands Elliott the top spot this week in the Hobey Watch.

F Brian Boyle, Boston College (SR):

One game, that is all Boyle has played so far and he is already third in Hockey East in scoring with four points (2 g, 2 a). He was dominating against Northeastern as he fought for loose pucks, and outmuscled the competition. Boyle also had a highlight reel goal, as he skated down the ice, carrying a Northeastern player on his back, and scored a shorthanded goal when fellow classmate Joe Rooney passed him the puck. If Boyle plays like this all year, he will be a dominating force for the Eagles.

F Jonathan Toews, North Dakota (SO):

Though Toews did not score a point in the series against Wisconsin over the weekend, Toews still had a solid couple of games. In his previous two games Toews had a hat trick in the 4-2 victory in the second game of the Quinnipiac series, and added an assist. Toews had an assist the first game as well. Toews was the third pick of the 2006 NHL draft, but decided to stay to improve his numbers. Toews will be a solid player in the NHL, but has some business he needs to take care of in North Dakota before anything. With Maine coming into town this weekend, this game could give Toews some more national attention with a good two game series.

The rest of the top five

F T.J. Hensick, Michigan (SR) 2006-2007 stats: 3 g, 2a, 5p

F Ryan Dingle, Denver (JR) 2006- 2007 stats: 2g, 2a, 4p

This week's Darkhorse:

Chad Kolarik, Michigan (JR):

Kolarik had four goals and three assists over the weekend including a hat trick against UCONN, who also added an assist to his four point night on Saturday. If he can get back to scoring goals like he did his Freshman year when he had 18 goals, he will be a Hobey finalist come years end.

You will be getting a Hobey watch each and every week, so if you're favorite player didin't make it in, there is still plenty of time, as things will most likely change throughout the season.

Weekly Wrap-Up Wisconsin and North Dakota split

After watching this weekends Wisconsin vs North Dakota series, I can tell you right now that the WCHA will be once again a very competitive league, with the two teams leading the pack along with Minnesota.

On Friday night it was great back and forth action between the two teams. Wisconsin forward Matthew Ford opened up the scoring 5:55 into the second period on a breakaway. Ryan Duncan and Chris Porter would score the next two goals for the Fighting Sioux as North Dakota took a 2-1 lead into the third period. Jack Skille scored his first goal of the year on the power play as the Badgers tied the game at two. The game went into overtime, where North Dakota Freshman Darcy Zajac scored the game winning goal to give the Sioux the 3-2 victory. Brian Elliott made 25 saves in the loss, Phillipe Lamoureux made 20 saves in the victory.

Saturday night Wisconsin had three players out due to injuries as Ross Carlson, Jack Skille, and Kyle Klubertanz. That did not stop Brian Elliott however from having another great game. The only goal of the game came 8:03 into the third as Jake Dowell scored in the 1-0 victory. Brian Elliott made 11 saves in the third period and 27 overall for his second shutout in his three games that he has played this season.

Overall it was a great two game series. These two teams will play again December 8th and 9th at the Ralph Englestad Arena in Grand Forks, ND. By then the teams should start peaking around that time.

Other results from this weekend:

Denver and St. Cloud State split at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.

Miami swept Canisius.

Lake Superior and Ohio State split in a great CCHA series in Columbus.

Maine continues to impress as they scored 13 goals in two games against Bemidji State in Orono.

And Minnesota took out Wayne State, avenging their loss against Maine as they outscored the Warriors 12-2 in the weekend series.

This weeks upcoming games include:

An early important CCHA series as Michigan hosts Miami for two at Yost.

Brian Elliott and the Badgers will face Minnesota-Duluth as the Badgers prepare for another big weekend before their series with Boston College.

Speaking of the Eagles, they host Notre Dame and Bowling Green this weekend at the Heights.

And the top out of conference series includes Colorado College and New Hampshire.

All of this and much more will be featured in the Weekly preview coming up later this week.

Weekly Preview 2 Monsters collide in Madison

Two of the biggest names in college hockey will collide in Madison, WI as the Wisconsin Badgers host the North Dakota Fighting Sioux for two at the Kohl Center.

Tonight will be banner night as the Badgers will hoist their National Championship banner from last season. The Badgers will come in after a win and a tie against Northern Michigan, while the Fighting Sioux have momentum as well as they are coming in sweeping Quinnipiac last week at Grand Forks.

With big names such as Toews and Parise for North Dakota, and Elliott and Dowell for Wisconsin, it might be someone else who comes out with a big series this weekend. Just look at last weeks WCHA rookie of the week Michael Davies. In the first game against Northern Michigan, he scored two goals. Sophomore Tom Gorowsky, and Junior Matthew Ford each had three assists in the series.

When you think of the 2006-2007 North Dakota squad, the two names that come up the most often is Jonathan Toews and T.J. Oshie last years leading Freshman goal scorer. North Dakota has a Freshman of their own in Darcy Zajac who scored two goals against Quinnipiac on opening night. Also watch out for Sophomore Ryan Duncan, he could be a big factor in this series outcome.

In terms of goaltending, it is going to be a good matchup between North Dakota's Phillipe Lamoureux and Wisconsin's Brian Elliott. Elliott, a Hobey Baker finalist last season, started off strong with a shutout on opening night against Northern Michigan as he stopped all 23 Wildcat shots on goal. Lamoureux, who is replacing the departed Jordan Parise, stopped 46 out of 49 Quinnipiac shots on goal over the weekend in the sweep.

I do not know what to expect from these two teams. While they can both put up quite a few goals on the board, these two teams can also play a defensive game. Should be interesting.

Other games this weekend include:

Michigan State opens up this weekend as the Spartans play a home and home with Western Michigan.

Denver is put up with another tough task as they go to St. Cloud for two against St. Cloud State.

Clarkson travels to New England as they go to Providence tonight to face the Friars, and Amherst tommorrow to face UMASS-Amherst.

And Maine will look to keep the momentum going after defeating Minnesota as the Black Bears host the CHA favorite Bemidji State for two in Orono.

Exciting weekend in college hockey, so get ready college hockey fans it should be filled with great early season games.

Opening Week Wrap-Up

Lots of excitement on opening week for the 2006-2007 season and it all started with the Ice Breaker tournament at the new Steve Cady Rink at Goggin Ice Arena.

Vermont came out the first night against Colgate and defeated the pre-season number one team in the ECACHL on Friday 6-0. Vermont Sophomore forward Peter Lenes had two goals both assisted by Dean Strong, who also had a goal, and Senior Ryan Gunderson. Goaltender Joe Fallon (pictured above) earned 23 saves in the shutout.

Miami would defeat Denver in their first round game 5-2. Junior Forward Ryan Jones scored two goals and goaltender Charlie Effinger stopped 28 of 30 Denver shots.

The Finals saw Fallon and the Cattamounts get the upper hand as the Junior goaltender stopped 31 of 32 Miami shots on goal as Vermont captured the Ice Breaker tournament in the 4-1 victory. Sophomore Corey Carlson had two goals in the victory.

The Maine Black Bears also had a victory giving Hockey East an early advantage in the third annual Commisoner's Cup as they defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers 3-1 in the Hall of Fame game at the Xcel Energy Center. 21 seconds into the game Josh Soares scored the first goal of the year for the Black Bears and that gave Maine the immediate momentum. Freshman Teddy Purcell put away the game with an empty netter in the third. Maine goaltender Ben Bishop continued to impress people after bringing the Black Bears to the Frozen Four last season, stopping 29 of 30 Minnesota shots on goal. Senior Forward Michel Leveille had two assists in the victory.

In other college hockey action this weekend:

Wisconsin got a win and a tie against Northern Michigan in Green Bay. Goaltender and one of the early Hobey Baker canidates, Brian Elliott, had 23 saves in his first shutout on the year and 12th career shutout. Sophomore Shane Connelly started on Saturday in the 3-3 tie.

Union swept Ferris State behind great play by Junior goaltender Justin Marzek who made 76 saves and had a shutout in the series.

And Boston College forward Brian Boyle made a statement against Northeastern as he scored twice while adding two assists in the 5-2 victory against the Huskies.

Coming tommorrow: A preview of this coming week. One of the big games include a big WCHA showdown between North Dakota and Wisconsin.

Opening Week Preview: Miami set to open up a new era

The brand new Steve Cady Rink at Goggin Ice Arena will open up as the new era of Miami (Ohio) Ice Hockey begins when they host the annual Ice Breaker tournament in Oxford.

In the first game Vermont takes on Colgate as two Eastern teams collide in the first regular-season game ever played at the new Goggin. Vermont will need to find an offense this year while Colgate has found a solid player in Tyler Burton (hockeynuts second team pre-season All-American). Vermont's leading scorer Torrey Mitchell returns, however he will need to improve on his 12 goal status from a year ago. Both teams have really solid goaltenders. Vermont's Jimmy Fallon had the lowest goals against average in Hockey East last season, while Colgate's Mark Dekanich is an all first team pre-season all ECACHL goaltender. Although Colgate has a solid offense, expect a defensive game tommorrow afternoon.

The second game features two strong teams from the west as Denver takes on Miami. Denver lost a couple of key players to the pros last year, but should still be solid. Goaltender Peter Manino was a key part of the Pioneers second National Championship, but yet only played in 22 games last season, as he split time with Glen Fisher. Miami has the same thing with Charlie Effinger and Jeff Zatkoff had solid seasons last year. Both teams have goal scorers, Denver returns Ryan Dingle who scored 27 goals last season, and Miami might have one of the best one-two punches in Nathan Davis and Ryan Jones, who combined had 42 goals. This could be an offensive game with all the potential goal scorers on both these teams this season. The winner of this game will take on the Vermont/Colgate winner in the Ice Breaker title game.

Also another game of note Minnesota takes on Maine in the Hall of Fame game at the Xcel Energy Center at St. Paul, the same place that held the National Championship game in 2002 which also featured these two teams. Sophomore Jeff Frazee will start in place of Kellen Briggs who earlier this week was suspended for three games for vioalting unspecified team rules. Minnesota has a great Freshman class with the likes of Erik Johnson, the #1 pick in the 2006 NHL Draft, Kyle Okposo another first round pick, David Fischer, a late first round pick, and also players such as Ray Barriball, Mike Carman, and Ryan Flynn just to name a few more.

Maine is coming off a Frozen Four season a year ago, and will look to make it back. Ben Bishop proved he was the number one netminder for the Black Bears as the 6"7 goaltender was a key factor in Maine's run. Michel Leveille will captain the Black Bears this season, he will be Maine's number one threat. Ted Purcell is a Freshman to watch for Maine this year.

Other games this weekend include:

The defending National Champion Wisconsin Badgers facing the Northern Michigan Wildcats in Green Bay, WI.

North Dakota faces an up and coming team as the Sioux will take on the Quinnipiac Bobcats at Grand Forks for two.

And Union takes on Ferris State in an out of conference matchup.

Not to forget that on Tuesday the co-number one team in the country the Boston College Eagles (along with Wisconsin) will open up Hockey East play against Northeastern.

College Hockey season offically begins tommorrow so lets drop the puck and play hockey.

Frozen Four Pre-Season Picks

Yesterday I gave you my regional picks from the bracketology, now its time to pick the Frozen Four.

But first lets recap the teams who won their region.

East: Boston College
Midwest: Minnesota
West: Maine
Northeast: Wisconsin

Here are the Frozen Four matchups (with the overall seeds):

#1 Boston College vs #4 Wisconsin
#2 Minnesota vs #6 Maine

Now lets pick the National Semifinals.

We will start with Minnesota and Maine:

Maine got in with two hard fought victories over Ohio State and North Dakota. Minnesota got in by defeating Sacred Heart and Michigan. This game is a rematch of the 2002 National Championship game in which Minnesota won a thriller in overtime 4-3. The coaches are still there in Don Lucia from Minnesota, and Tim Whitehead from Maine. Both of this years squad should be strong defensively. The goaltending matchup is even, the offense pretty much the same. This will be a really good semi-final. In the end however, the Minnesota Golden Gophers will prevail and move on to the National Championship game.

Final Score: Minnesota 3, Maine 2

Boston College vs Wisconsin:

They play each other twice in the regular season (both at Wisconsin) this month, which should be a great series. The rematch of the 2006 National Championship game which Wisconsin won will be a good one. Boston College is thinking about one thing in this game, revenge. Wisconsin is looking to start a dynasty by winning back to back National Titles. This will be a game of goaltending and defense. Boston College has the better defense, but the edge in goal, a slight one will go to Wisconsin. Schneider is great and so is Elliott and they are two of the best goaltenders in the country. This will come down to an overtime game I think. BC has the better goal scoring, but will not need much as Schneider will outplay Elliott and give BC the victory.

Final Score: Boston College 2, Wisconsin 1 (OT)

The National Championship Boston College vs Minnesota:

Two of the well-known college hockey schools in the country will face each other in the National Championship game. Both teams survived in one goal victories. Minnesota is a good all around team, and BC can say the same thing about themselves. The question for the Gophers is who will stop 6"7 Brian Boyle from picking up the garbage in front of the net? The question for the Eagles is who will step up in this matchup? For Minnesota, they might have to double team Boyle in front of the net creating more scoring oppurtunities. For BC, Boyle and Schneider can not be the only impact players in this game. So therefore who will win the matchups? Minnesota is a young team with a great Freshman class, but BC has the more veteran team. In the end it will be BC with the more experience in this game, therefore I am picking the Eagles to win their third National Championship and their second in seven seasons under head coach Jerry York.

Final score: Boston College 3, Minnesota 2

Well these are my predictions for the upcoming season. The puck drops on Friday, with a number of games. Tommorrow we will preview the upcoming games including Maine vs Minnesota in the US Hockey Hall of Fame game, and the Icebreaker tournament from Oxford, Ohio, where Vermont, Colgate, Denver, and host Miami will look to get off to a fast start.

Bracketology picks

The road to St. Louis begins with the Regionals of the NCAA tournament which this year will be held in Manchester, NH, Rochester, NY, Grand Rapids, MI, and Denver, CO.

Lets review the brackets and what they will look like.

East vs Northeast
Midwest vs West

In the East Region we have Boston College vs Bemidji State and Harvard vs Miami.

Here are my picks for the East regional.

Boston College vs Bemidji State:

Bemidji will make its third straight NCAA apperance, two years ago the Beavers nearly pulled off the upset over eventual National Champion Denver, taking them to overtime. This will be no easy task however, as the Eagles are coming in (at least in this bracket) as the number one overall seed. This year Bemidji State won't pull off anything, and the Eagles will dominate.

Final Score- BC 6, BSU 2

Harvard vs Miami:

The most intriguing matchup in the first round, Harvard and Miami will both go into the tournament in opposite directions. Harvard as mentioned yesterday was picked by me to win the ECACHL, while Miami struggled in the CCHA semifinal and consolation game. Although Miami had 29 wins, the Redhawks are the three seed based on their conference tournament status. Meanwhile Harvard comes in on a roll winning the ECACHL regular season and tournament. This will be a close one, and a defensive struggle but in the end the Crimson prevail giving Ted Donato his first ever NCAA touranment victory.

Final Score- HU 3, Miami 1

Regional Final- Boston College vs Harvard:

They will meet two times in the regular season. Let's add a third game however. Harvard is a gritty team that likes to take out the trash. The Eagles are a strong defensive team with a solid offense this year. This will come down to the goaltenders in which the edge goes to Boston College goalie Cory Schneider who has big game experience. In the end the Eagles will be the first team to go to the Frozen Four.

Final Score- BC 4, HU 1

The Eagles will face the winner of the Northeast Regional who has host New Hampshire and another in state team in Dartmouth as well as top seed Wisconsin and CCHA tournament champion Michigan State.

Here are the picks for the Northeast Regional.

Wisconsin vs Dartmouth:

Dartmouth has the home crowd edge in this one. Wisconsin is the defending National Champion. Dartmouth made the ECACHL final which got them the bid, Wisconsin with a strong core of talent this year will be a number one seed for the second straight year. The game will be a defensive game with two strong goaltenders in Dartmouth's Mike Devine, and Wisconsin's Brian Elliott. The edge will go to Wisconsin again because of big game experience therefore the Badgers will win a tight one.

Final Score: Wisconsin 2, Dartmouth 1

Michigan State vs New Hampshire:

The home-ice advatange will be key in order for UNH to win. After all they are the host school. And not to forget that this is a rematch from last season's NCAA first round regional in which Michigan State won 1-0. Michigan State does have a strong team this year, and will be led by goaltender Jeff Lerg. UNH has a solid offense returning and will be the vital part of their season. Kevin Regan will improve in net this year. In the end I like the Wildcats to pull off the upset over the Spartans.

Final Score: UNH 4, MSU 3 (OT)

Regional Final- Wisconsin vs New Hampshire:

The Wildcats came off an overtime victory over Michigan State at home so this will be the biggest hockey event ever to come from New Hampshire. Wisconsin is the strong defensive team, while UNH has a very good offensive attack. They do say defense wins championships. Wisconsin with the better defense wins in New Hampshire ending the Wildcats' season and thus having the Badgers heading to the Frozen Four.

Final Score: Wisconsin 3, UNH 1

So the first matchup is set with a rematch of the National Championship in the National Semi-Finals as Boston College will face Wisconsin.

So lets go to the next regional the West Regional who has Cornell, Maine, North Dakota, and Ohio State.

Here are the West Regional Picks

North Dakota vs Cornell:

North Dakota might have lost a lot of underclassmen to the NHL, however the Fighting Sioux will reload. With T.J. Oshie and Jonathan Toews coming back, the Sioux will rally around them for the offensive production. Cornell is faced with the same situation as well, losing three underclassmen. Cornell just squeezed in on the last day with a consolation victory over Colgate in the ECACHL tournament. North Dakota with its size and speed will be too much for Cornell to handle.

Final Score: UND 4, Cornell 1

Maine vs Ohio State:

The Buckeyes have the top goaltender who they recruited from the class of 2006 in Joe Palmer. Expect him to make an immediate impact for the Buckeyes. Maine has an experienced team coming back from its Frozen Four season. Michel Leveille is one of the most underrated players in the country and goaltender Ben Bishop is the most underrated goaltender in the country. Therefore I will go with the Black Bears to win a close one.

Final Score: Maine 3, Ohio State 2

Regional Final- North Dakota vs Maine:

Probably the best matchup in the regional final(s). North Dakota might have the edge offensively, but Maine has the edge in experience. Oshie and Toews will have an impact on this game for the Sioux, while Ben Bishop, last years hero from their Frozen Four team in 2005-2006 will play another big game. Bishop with the big game experience has the edge over Phillipe Laramoux. The game will come down to goaltending therefore Bishop and the Black Bears will make the Frozen Four.

Final Score: Maine 3, North Dakota 2

The final regional is the Midwest regional with Boston University, Minnesota, Michigan, and Sacred Heart.

Here are the picks for the Midwest Regional.

Minnesota vs Sacred Heart:

Last year the Gophers were upset by Holy Cross in the biggest cinderella victory in NCAA Hockey Tournament history. This year it won't happen. Minnesota is just too strong and will move on with a big victory.

Final Score: Minnesota 5, Sacred Heart 2

Michigan vs Boston University:

A matchup of two historic teams in NCAA hockey. BU might have the edge in goal with John Curry, but will still need to find a way to stop Michigan's potent offense. T.J. Hensick and the Wolverines will get the victory, therefore knocking out BU and keeping the streak alive for BU's consecutive streak without making the Frozen Four.

Final Score: Michigan 4, Boston University 2

Regional Final- Minnesota vs Michigan:

This has been a frequent thing, Minnesota vs Michigan in the NCAA tournament. They faced each other two times in the Frozen Four, both semi-final games, and both victories for Minnesota who after both those games went on to win the National Championship. I don't see any of that changing this year as the Gophers will make their fourth Frozen Four in six years.

Final Score: Minnesota 5, Michigan 3

So the Frozen Four is set.

Minnesota vs Maine
Boston College vs Wisconsin

Who will win the Frozen Four? Find out tommorrow as hockeynuts will preview the pre-season Frozen Four.

Final Pre-Season Bracketology for 2006-2007

The day has come. This is the final pre-season bracketology for 2006-2007 pre-season. Before I jump into the rankings lets recap yesterday's predictions from the conference tournaments.

We will first start with the automatic bids.

Atlantic Hockey: Sacred Heart
CCHA: Michigan State
CHA: Bemidji State
ECACHL: Harvard
Hockey East: Boston College
WCHA: North Dakota

Now let's take a look at who is in for the at-large bids.

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

Out from last month: St. Cloud State
In from last month: Cornell

Now lets rank the teams, with my predicted records for the season.

#1 Boston College (30-6-2)
#2 Minnesota (28-10-3)
#3 North Dakota (26-10-4)
#4 Wisconsin (27-10-3)
#5 Michigan State (27-8-4)
#6 Maine (26-10-3)
#7 Michigan (28-9-3)
#8 Harvard (25-6-2)
#9 Miami (29-11-3)
#10 Boston University (24-10-3)
#11 Ohio State (23-12-3)
#12 New Hampshire (22-12-4)
#13 Dartmouth (23-8-4)
#14 Cornell (21-12-2)
#15 Sacred Heart (26-9-2)
#16 Bemidji State (20-11-3)

Now that you know the rankings, it is time to place the teams in their regions

The top seed in the tournament is Hockey East champ Boston College, and they will be placed in the East Regional held in Rochester, NY. Joining them will be ECACHL champ Harvard, CHA champ, Bemidji State, Miami.

East Regional:

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

The second seed is Minnesota and they will be placed in the Midwest regional in Grand Rapids, MI. Joining them will be Boston University, Michigan, and Atlantic Hockey Champion Sacred Heart.

Midwest Regional:

#1 Minnesota vs #4 Sacred Heart
#2 Michigan vs #3 Boston University

The third overall seed is WCHA tournament champion North Dakota. They will be placed in the West Regional in Denver, CO with Cornell, Maine, and Ohio State.

West Regional:

#1 North Dakota vs #4 Cornell
#2 Maine vs #3 Ohio State

And finally the last number one seed (foruth overall) is Wisconsin, and they will be placed in the Northeast Regional in Manchester, NH. Joining them will be the host, New Hampshire, another in state team in Dartmouth, and CCHA tournament champion Michigan State.

Northeast Regional:

#1 Wisconsin vs #4 Dartmouth
#2 Michigan State vs #3 New Hampshire

So here is what the bracket would look like come Frozen Four time.

East vs Northeast
Midwest vs West

There are still two more media days, but come Friday, everyones record is 0-0-0. We will have a preview of opening weekend on Thursday here at Hockeynuts. But tommorrow I will give you a Frozen Four prediction from this bracketology.

Conference tournament pre-season picks

Today I will give you my conference tournament predictions before the final bracketology.

First lets start with Atlantic Hockey.

Play-in game (#8 vs #9 seed):

#9 American International over #8 RIT

Quarterfinals:

#1 Sacred Heart over American
#2 Bentley over #7 Army
#3 Connecticut over #6 Air Force
#5 Mercyhurst over #4 Holy Cross

Semifinals (Rochester, NY):

Sacred Heart over Mercyhurst
Connecticut over Bentley

Finals:

Sacred Heart over Connecticut (Sacred Heart gets automatic bid)

CCHA Tournament (First and Second round are best of three)

First Round (On-Campus at higher seed):

#12 Western Michigan over #5 Northern Michigan (2-1)
#6 Nebraska-Omaha over #11 Lake Superior (2-0)
#7 Alaska over #10 Bowling Green (2-1)
#8 Notre Dame over #9 Ferris State (2-1)

Second Round (On-Campus):

#1 Michigan over #12 Western Michigan (2-0)
#2 Michigan State over #8 Notre Dame (2-1)
#3 Miami over #7 Alaska (2-1)
#4 Ohio State over #6 Nebraska-Omaha (2-0)

Semi-Finals (Detroit, MI):

Michigan over Ohio State
Michigan State over Miami

Consolation:

Ohio State over Miami

Championship:

Michigan State over Michigan

CHA Tournament

Play-In:

#4 Robert Morris over #5 Wayne State

Semi-Finals (Des Moines, IA):

#1 Bemidji State over Robert Morris
#3 Alabama-Huntsivlle over #2 Niagara

Finals:

#1 Bemidji State over #3 Alabama Huntsville

ECACHL Tournament (First and Second Round best of three):

First Round (On-Campus):

#5 St. Lawrence over #12 Brown (2-0)
#6 Cornell over #11 Yale (2-0)
#7 Quinnipiac over #10 Union (2-0)
#9 Rensselaer over #8 Princeton (2-1)

Second Round (On-Campus):

#1 Harvard over Rensselaer (2-0)
#2 Dartmouth over Quinnipiac (2-1)
Cornell over #3 Clarkson (2-0)
#4 Colgate over St. Lawrence (2-1)

Semi-Finals (Albany, NY)

Harvard over Colgate
Dartmouth over Cornell

Consolation

Cornell over Colgate

Championship

Harvard over Dartmouth

Hockey East

First Round (On-Campus best of three):

#1 Boston College over #8 UMASS-Lowell (2-0)
#2 Boston University over #7 UMASS-Amherst (2-0)
#3 Maine over #6 Vermont (2-0)
#4 New Hampshire over #5 Providence (2-1)

Semifinals (Boston, MA):

Boston College over New Hampshire
Maine over Boston University

Finals:

Boston College over Maine

WCHA Tournament

First Round (On-Campus best of three):

#1 Minnesota over #10 Alaska-Anchorage (2-0)
#2 Wisconsin over #9 Michigan Tech (2-0)
#3 North Dakota over #8 Minnesota State (2-0)
#7 Minnesota-Duluth over #4 St. Cloud State (2-1)
#5 Colorado College over #6 Denver (2-1)

WCHA Final Five (St. Paul, MN)

Play in game:

Colorado College over Minnesota-Duluth

Semifinals:

Minnesota over Colorado College
North Dakota over Wisconsin

Consolation game:

Wisconsin over Colorado College

Championship game:

North Dakota over Minnesota

Now that you have an idea of what my predictions are, I will have my final pre-season bracketology tommororw. 5 more days till college hockey season begins.