RIT and Air Force open up their Atlantic Hockey season along with the rest of the now 10 team league.  Highlighted by the early season matchup between perennial league front runners Mercyhurst and Holy Cross.

In the ECAC the Ivy league schools open up with their annual exhibitions against Canadian schools, while the other six schools face off in some quality non-conference games.  Getting the most press is RPI head coach Seth Appert’s return to Denver for a pair of games.  Clarkson returns to Cheel to face LSSU in Jim Roque’s first return to Potsdam since 2000.

In the CCHA, Michigan looks to sweep Miami at Yost after defeating the Hawks last night 6-3.  This series was moved from Friday-Saturday to Thursday-Friday due to the Michigan football game.

In Hockey East Boston Universtiy splits a pair between Northeastern and Merrimack, and in the WCHA St. Cloud travels to Minnesota State, and Duluth travels to Madison. 

In non-conference play the best matchup is New Hampshire at Colorado College, but according to some the best rivalry takes place this weekend as Alaska and Alaska Anchorage square off for the Governers Cup.  The Maverick Stampede is also the weekend and features UNO, Niagara, Lowell and Northern Michigan.  Finally Ohio State travels to Minnesota in what will feature the return of Kellen Briggs from suspension.

We’re on to you USNTDP-U18 Team. You thought you could fool us, you thought could outsmart us, the American Public. Well we’ve caught on to your rouse, and frankly, we’re a little surprised. Until you get your act together, you’re on notice.

After sweeping through September defeating teams like the Texas Tornado and the North Iowa Blizzard, racking up a 6-0-0 record and a +26 goal differential, you had the swagger. Travelling to Fairbanks and defeating Alaska 5-3 showed you had the confidence. However the 9-2 beating you took at Anchorage just left us shocked.

After leaving us in a deep depression for a week you come back and take Michigan to overtime. Five days later, it’s the top ranked Boston College Eagles, and it was another overtime thriller. The USA was back. While we weren’t happy with the losses, we knew that you had regained your cocky American stride. We could salute you for your effort and look forward to the season ahead.

Then you lost 7-1 to New Hampshire.

Which team is it USA? Do you only show up for big games? Is UNH not considered a big game anymore? We, the American Public, are concerned. Is it drugs? You’re not on drugs, are you? Is it girls? Look we were all Under 18 once in our lives, we know it’s an awkward time, but to lose to UNH 7-1 like that just gets us worried. The Russians, and Canadians aren’t going to care that you got dumped this week, or that you’re not the right fit for the Thrashers. This is international competition. This is the show, or at least one version of it. We need you. We need that gold medal. We need to live vicariously through you. Please USNTDP, we’ve got nothing left.

The World Juniors are a mere 6 months away. You have plenty of time to get into International shape. You have games against 13 D-1 schools left. Please treat them as big games. Sure you can beat up on Traverse City, but doesn’t that feel hollow? Wouldn’t you rather take on North Dakota in Grand Forks and show them what’s for? Can beating the stuffing out Canisus make up for a overtime loss to Michigan State? I think we all know the answer to this.

The WCHA opens it’s regular season with two big series as North Dakota travels to Wisconsin and Denver heads to Saint Cloud.  St. Cloud has to most to gain from the weekend as a strong showing will move the Huskies up in the polls and give all the other teams in the west something to stew over.  North Dakota and Wisconsin lost their entire rosters to the NHL so it should be fun watching the freshmen skate all over each other.

The Nye Frontier Classic opens with what will be the best game of the tournament as Colorado College and UNO face off in the first game.  UNO get’s to show off Hobey Baker finalist Scott Parse while Colorado College looks to find replacements for their big guns who left in the offseason.  The second game of the Classic features host Alasksa-Anchorage and Merrimack.  One team has to win, common sense says Alaska-Anchorage.  But that’s why they play the games.

The CCHA opens up with Western traveling to State and LSSU travelling to Columbus.  The LSSU, Ohio State match-up will be the better of the weekend as both teams are trying to establish an identity in the league and neither team has a high calibur scoring threat.  Call it a hunch but I think LSSU will take both on the road here.

In out of conference action this weekend has a first week of NCAA football feel to it as Alabama-Huntsville travels to Ann Arbor, Canisus heads to Oxford to take on Miami, and Wayne State heads to Minneapolis to take on the Gophers.  While these games aren’t too exciting to preview, an upset early can have major reprocussions later on.

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.

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!

With hockey season just a few days away, it’s apparent that officiating is not just on the minds of bitter fans who felt they were robbed last season, but also on the minds of coaches who must constantly adjust to not only the new rule changes, but also the way that the referees will interpret them.

I spoke with St. Lawrence head coach Joe Marsh last week who is entering his 21st season being the Saints bench about the upcoming season. One of the factors he named regarding how well his team will do this year is how well the coaching staff and his players can adjust to the way the game is called. Anyone that is familiar enough with college hockey, knows if it’s on someone like Coach Marsh’s mind, it’s probably on every coach’s mind.

While the only major rule change this year involves the nullification of icing on a playable pass, Coaches and players are still struggling with the referee’s interpretations of hitting from behind and obstruction-interference rules added over the past season. One game’s obstruction interference is the next game’s great defensive play.

This year, the hitting from behind penalty has been clarified, only allowing a minor to be given if the infraction is in “open ice.” It remains a major penalty along with a DQ or misconduct otherwise. The rules involving obstruction remain the same, meant to get rid of the “clutch and grab” of old, while moving hockey towards a fast and flowing style of game, reminscent of the “New NHL.”

We’ll likely be shaking our heads when our favorite player is sent off when a player turns his back at the last second, or a slight push on the back is embellished, but hopefully this will be less so if the officials call these penalties on a consistent basis.

In many cases last year a prat-fall near the boards or a forward raising his hand around a defenseman with one hand on his stick meant a trip to the box. Calling these penalties has effectively discouraged dangerous actions such as boarding, but has also increased the level of dramatic performances on the ice to an extent that De Niro would be proud.

The Rules Committee took note on this increase in embellishment and is requesting officials to penalize more often for tactics such as diving, and we’re starting to see more being called. But until referees can really get to the bottom of diving and nail people (how many diving penalties have you seen in the past two years?) this will remain a game of cat and mouse with the refs. The problem is, referees must err on the side of caution, and that always means erring on the side of the player that appeared to get hit. Until the refs can get a hold of the diving issue or are provided with stronger tools such as suspensions to deter it after the fact (see the “New NHL”) we’ll be seeing a lot of frustration and a lot of adjusting throughout the season.

How do you think the officials will pan out this season in your conference and how well do you think your team will be able to adjust to way officials call the game?

Mark your calendars and set your TiVo’s for the most intriguing match ups of the first half of the 2006-2007 season.

October 6th – Maine vs. Minnesota – “Hall of Fame Game”
The first game in the post-Kessel era, Minnesota will face a tough test from Ben Bishop and the sting Maine defense.

October 6th – Denver vs. Miami – “Ice Breaker”
Denver looks to get back into the NCAA tournament, Miami looks to repeat a stellar 2005-2006 season. This game will have repercussions come March.

October 13th – North Dakota @ Wisconsin
In the WCHA opener two powerhouses look to recover from off season departures.

October 13th – Nebraska-Omaha vs. Colorado College – “Nye Frontier Classic”
Colorado is looking to prove that they should remain in the class of WCHA elite. UNO is on the cusp of becoming a power in the CCHA a win here for the Mavericks would go a long way come selection time.

October 20th & 21st – RPI @ Denver
Seth Appert comes home and will see where his RPI team stands against the best of the college hockey world.

October 20th – Bentley @ Air Force
No this is not a joke, Air Force begins it’s Atlantic Hockey season at home against a Bentley team that almost spoiled many teams off season last year.

October 27th – Boston College @ Wisconsin
A rematch of last year’s national championship game. This game has been circled on Chestnut Hill for a long time.

November 17th – Clarkson @ St. Cloud State
Both teams are projected to climb out of recent slumps this season and this match up will provide a good barometer to where each team stands heading into the second half of the season.

November 25th – Michigan @ Minnesota – “College Hockey Showcase”
After the turkey and the football, tune into what could be a preview of the Midwest Regional final, and what always is a great match up.

December 1st – Boston University @ Boston College
Last season these teams met an unprecedented six times, this is the first of three scheduled meetings this year.

December 29th – Michigan State vs. Harvard – “Great Lakes Invitational”
Harvard is looking to reach the NCAA for a sixth straight year, Michigan State is looking to rebound in the CCHA. Another match up which will weigh heavy during selection time.