Sure, many teams have four, five, six games under their belts so far this season, but this is truly the first full fledged week of the season as the Ivies come out of their safe little coccoons and join the rest of the world for a little old-fashioned ice hockey.

Cornell gave me a little scare last night as I diligently refreshed my cell phone using the new super-sweet CHN Wireless Scoreboard. Seeing it 2-1 in the 3rd was a bit scary. It either shows Cornell has a lot of rust, or Robert Morris has already come a long way in Division I. Cornell’s next test is an RIT team that has been known to keep up with the rest of D-I as well.

The big news this weekend is really the Wisconsin / BC Championship Rematch. They’re going to go at it on back-to-back nights, and it’s going to be some of the best hockey of the year, in one of the best college hockey towns, and even if you can’t be there, Badger fans have the fortune of seeing the game televised throughout Wisconsin, and also nationally on Fox Sports and CSTV (at least on Friday) Also, if you’re in Madison, have a beer for me, I wish I could be there.

The Lightning College Hockey Classic is happening this weekend, with Army, Air Force, Alabama-Huntsville and Notre Dame participating. I bet when that one was scheduled, no one expected to see THIS Irish squad coming into the tournament.

The first ever, ECAC Governor’s Cup is taking place in Albany at the Pepsi Arena featuring Colgate, Quinnipiac, Union and RPI in non-conference matchups. No one has figured out what happens if Quinnipiac wins. Will the NY fans riot? Will the Bobcats from CT refuse the trophy in disdain? While I’m a big fan of tournament hockey, it’s too bad it’s all ECAC teams. Some of these teams have a hard enough time schedule OOC opponents as is. Not sure if this is a case of the chicken (we made this tournament, we’re going to play), or the egg (no one will play us, so we’ll play each other), but it would’ve been nice to see other NY schools involved (and if we’re including Q, New England as well)

We’ll see a the CCHA and WCHA really begin to go at it this week, as both conference have a bunch of league games scheduled and ready to go.

Enjoy the weekend slate.

I’m a regular joe, just like everyone else. So when I get a chance to go out for the evening, I take it. That being said, getting a chance to go out, doesn’t necessarily mean watching college hockey the entire evening.

So imagine my surprise when I return home to see the insanity that hit college hockey this evening.

So sure, my own Golden Knights look like they got a beatdown 5-1 at the hands of LSSU, but lets be honest, last week’s series at OSU left us all apprehensive of the Lakers, who came out firing Friday with a big win. Who thinks they’ll finish in 10th place now?

“But what else Ron?!” you say?!

Well for starters Nebraska-Omaha issuing a 10-1 final over Niagara shocks me. At least until I saw RPI squeaking out a 2-1 victory over Denver in a game most saw going to the Pioneers. But that’s all fine and dandy until I see Michgian Tech take out Vermont, and Maine take a four goal victory over North Dakota. At this point is it bizzaro world I say? Not so sure until on my way to the cotton candy stand I see that Notre Dame took out Boston College 7-1. What a world college hockey has become. Finally, every game, every night, anyone can be a winner, by a slim margin, or by a blowout.

Chris over at Western College Hockey really digs up some gems, but this one has to be seen to be believed.

It appears that Michigan has a verbal commitment from 14 year old Jon Merill for the 2010 season. Even recruiting guru Chris Heisenberg has it listed on his recruiting page, so I’m assuming it must be true.

While, I understand the need to recruit a little younger, at some point someone is going to get burned here and I suspect the NCAA might step in. Then again, it’s not a true commitment unless it’s in writing.. I think.

In other news, my son should start skating in a year or so. Scouts are welcome to attend the session if they’re looking to get a jump on the 2019 recruiting cycle.

Clarkson University’s student newspaper The Integrator is reporting that Clarkson has been selected to be the test site for Instant Replay this season in the ECAC.

The article didn’t specify whether or not the system is active yet, or which games the test will cover. There was definitely an opportunity during Saturday night’s game in which several Clarkson players appeared to argue that a puck was deflected by a high stick, but the referee did not review the call.

Looks like another big step forward for instant replay, now they just gotta use it!

The CHN Staff has been plenty busy putting together season previews for each conference. Checking out the CHA Preview this evening, I’m reminded that not only does the CHA have by far the coolest logo since the old-school “ECAC Olympic Torch,” but also that even though the conference only has five teams, they’re all not pushovers. In particular Niagara, Bemidji State and Alabama-Huntsville all just feel established enough to be dangerous. Wayne State has been around for awhile and has an tournament berth to its credit, and Robert Morris is just the new kid on the block.

The Hockey East preview doesn’t surprise me much. Over the past few years it’s become choosing between New Hampshire, Maine, BC, and BU. Once in awhile a team looks like it’s going to break into the establishment. Last year Vermont and Providence. In previous years UMass-Amherst and UMass-Lowell. Is this the year it happens?

In the WCHA Preview, I was surprised that Minnesota was picked first despite essentially creating an AHL team this summer. I would’ve swapped them with the Badgers but I’m an east coast guy, so what do I know!

Taking a quick swing around the blogsphere:
Western College Hockey picked Michigan State to win the CCHA and Minnesota to win the WCHA. The man is so far ahead on his previews, you’ll have to check his archives.

Clarkson Hockey Fans picked Clarkson to take the ECAC. It felt like a homer pick.. but it’s legit. Really.

Hockey East Blog has Boston College pegged at #1. Surprise! After this evening’s 5-2 victory over Northeastern to open conference play.. they’re in first place!

The RIT Corner Crew tabbed Mercyhurst to take the Atlantic.

Also, it’s good to see dgoddard’s “All Bad-Boyz Team” is back this season, with the induction of three Yale players to the team. His summary is here. (By the way, they picked DU to go all the way this year in the WCHA using the ultra-scientific “Super Poll.”)

I just returned from Potsdam and Clarkson’s 2000th game which was a 4-2 victory over RIT of Atlantic Hockey. It was great to see some live hockey again.

Some thoughts on the weekend:

RIT had a very competitive weekend against the North Country, and although they didn’t come away with a victory this weekend I was impressed with the way the team made the most of their opportunities. RIT wasn’t ranked very high in the pre-season polls in Atlantic Hockey, but based on what I saw, they should be a tough team to draw in that conference.

What happened to Colgate this weekend? They came into this weekend’s Icebreaker as the top pick in the ECAC, and were fairly well ranked nationally. Then they got flattened by Vermont, and loss the consolation to Denver 3-2 to cap a tough weekend.

And speaking of Vermont they are off to the same start as last season, taking down top opponents and winning a tournament. Is Joe Fallon for real, and if he keeps this up will we see him his Senior year?

Maine scored a big upset in the Hall of Fame game to open up the season… or was it with the number of players Minnesota lost over the off-season?

In Denver, neither goalie was spectacular, but Glenn Fisher played well enough to get the win in the Icebreaker consolation.

A couple of upsets in exhibition play this weekend, the biggest was St. Francis Xavier taking down a nationally ranked New Hampshire squad.

And so much for North Dakota and Quinnipiac being as interesting as I thought it would be.. North Dakota handily defeated the Q on Friday, then swept the series 4-2 in the second game with the Towes-Oshie connection. Regardless, having the opportunity to play a top-tier team like NoDak should be an experience that will benefit the Bobcats throughout the remainder of the season.

Big news! This year’s Commissioner’s Cup schedule is out, and there’s huge implications in this weekend’s action to open up the season. For those who aren’t familiar, the Commissioner’s Cup is a friendly competition between the six conferences to see which is the most dominate in the land. 33 games this season have been designated as part of the series, and the conference with the most points get to put the cup in their swimming pool for the year. Entering its third year, the ECAC has won the previous two series.

On the docket for this weekend, Denver will face Miami, Robert Morris gets Canisus, and Alabama-Huntsville takes on Air Force. Will the Colonials and the Golden Griffins be able handle the additional pressure?

Full Commissioner’s Cup Schedule

Tomorrow marks the official opening of the 2006-2007 NCAA hockey season. I’ll be heading up to my alma mater, Clarkson University, this weekend. I’ll get a chance to watch the Golden Knights take on Niagara on Friday, and then face RIT in Clarkson’s 2000th game all-time, so I’m extremely fortunate to be able to immediately immerse myself in some sweet, sweet college hockey. Plus it’ll be very cool to be the audience for a unique milestone that few programs have reached.

There’s some great hockey going on around the country on opening weekend. The IceBreaker Invitational looks like it it will have it all with Miami, Vermont, Colgate and Denver going at it. In addition Miami will dedicate Steve Cady Arena, which has been receiving great reviews.

In addition, the Hockey Hall of Fame game which will pit Minnesota and Maine against each other. For some reason the Quinnipiac v. North Dakota series is coming across to me as pretty intriguing. Plus we’ll see if RIT can lift a game from St. Lawrence again.

The staff has been busy making sure the television schedule is updated, with five games, including the IceBreaker and Hockey Hall of Fame game, all showing up on nationally available outlets. If you can’t get out to the arena, get comfortable, take over the television or set the Tivo.

For those that watched their teams hit the ice for the first time last weekend, some of you might have forgotten that while it’s an exhibition for our college squads, it’s the big game for other teams.

In the opening game of the season, the U-18 team pounced all over Alaska in the first period, building a 5-0 lead and holding on for a 5-3 victory, probably to the delight of most in Anchorage with the exception of those who traveled down the Richardson.

In Denver’s opening game, the Calgary Dinos held a 2-0 lead through the first half of the game until the Pioneers stormed back and scored six consecutive goals in a 6-3 win. The following night, Calgary took it to Colorado College and skated away with a 4-2 win. Ferris State needed overtime to escape Western Ontario 6-5.

Bottom line, these teams will come in hungry and play hard. Essentially many of these teams are playing at the same level as many teams in Atlantic Hockey and the CHA. Sure it’s exhibition season, and some of these teams have been playing together for much longer than our squads, but over the years it’s obvious that Canadian and developmental teams are only becoming tougher challenges.

On the Women’s side, the signs of parity continue to show as teams like RPI, Robert Morris and Niagara put together spirited games against traditionally tougher competition. The big shocker was Minnesota losing an exhibition to the Minnesota Whitecaps 4-2, but again it was an exhibition. The fans can save the worrying for the regular season.

The puck drops on the 2006-2007 hockey season, albeit unofficially, this evening as the Alaska-We Were Here First Nanooks will face the U-18 Development Team in Anchorage, as eight teams will face exhibition opponents this weekend. In addition, a solid array of Women’s Hockey takes place tonight, if you’re in the area of any of these games, this is a great weekend to check out the sport and whet your appetite for the rest of hockey season.

CHN released their All-American team this year, with commentary from Dave Starman. I have no beef with the selections in general, but I’m hoping Brett will be able to spice it up soon with his All-Cliche team which will hopefully be inspired by about six consecutive viewings of Slap Shot.

The staff also got the New Season Primer up which highlights what has happened over the summer, and what we can expect for the upcoming season both on the ice and on CHN.

It looks like North Dakota might go off and sue the NCAA over the Fighting Sioux name and imagery. Despite that fact that several other college teams have been granted waivers to retain the use of their team names, UND has not received the same waiver. A letter shot off in June to the NCAA appeared to have beat down the NCAA’s argument rom every possible angle, but still no love for UND. I tried really hard not to use any puns this paragraph.

Enjoy the hockey!