Welcome, all, to the first edition of “The Midwest Coast Bias” — the newest and trendiest CCHA blog, at least while the CCHA still exists. Thanks to my colleagues, including Joe Meloni and Scott McLaughlin (Hockey East), Justin Churchill (ECAC) and Dan Myers (WCHA), the new CHN blogs have you covered from coast to coast … and now, in this space, even in between.

Some initial thoughts from the first weekend of play:

The Murray Era Begins

Fresh off their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1996, the Western Michigan Broncos kicked off the 2011-12 campaign by sweeping Alabama-Huntsville in convincing fashion — outscoring the Chargers 11-1 and holding UAH to just 22 shots all weekend. Enjoying the wins the most, perhaps, was “rookie” head coach Andy Murray, who now has a pair of NCAA wins to go along with his 333 as a former head coach in the NHL.

Alabama-Huntsville, meanwhile, has to feel like the kid who always loses in musical chairs. But that’s another story.

Though reading too much into this particular nonconference game is entirely unwise, it’s still worth keeping an eye on WMU sophomore forward Chase Balisy, who scored a goal and added four assists over the weekend. An NHL draft pick of the Nashville Predators and a CCHA All-Rookie Team selection a year ago, the California native helped spark a line that accounted for 13 points over the weekend. Just as impressively, they held the puck for long periods of time, playing ‘keep-away’ so effectively that Murray spoke of “time of possession” after the game — as if he had just won a football game.

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It was about as good a start to the season as Boston University could’ve hoped for. The first two periods were fairly even in terms of play, but the Terriers found the back of the net twice on goals by Wade Megan and Corey Trivino, both of which came on nice setups from Chris Connolly. Matt Nieto scored the backbreaker 1:15 into the third, Alex Chiasson and Kevin Gilroy tacked on insurance markers, and Kieran Millan stopped all 35 shots he faced as the Terriers came away with a 5-0 win over UNH.

What I saw

• BU’s top two lines were dominant. The lines of Chris Connolly-Corey Trivino-Sahir Gill and Matt Nieto-Charlie Coyle-Alex Chiasson seemed to be buzzing around the UNH net all night. Parker moved Gill from center to wing and Coyle from wing to center during the week, and the changes seemed to benefit everyone involved. The Trivino line registered a goal and four assists, while the Coyle line finished with two goals and three assists. Regardless of how Parker arranges up his top two lines going forward, those are six very talented players — four of them are first- or second-round NHL picks — who could give opponents fits all season.
• The Terriers got to the net. This applies to not just the top two lines, but the whole offense. At times last season, BU seemed incapable or unwilling to get to the dirty areas in front of the net and fight for deflections and rebounds. That wasn’t the case Saturday. UNH goalie Matt Di Girolamo rarely had a clear line of vision, and there were Terriers in the vicinity of most of his rebounds. BU wound up with 23 shot attempts from grade-A areas.

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by Joe Meloni

Little went New Hampshire’s way in its season-opening loss to Boston University Saturday night. The Wildcats played even with BU for the first half of the game.

Beginning the period down, 2-0, UNH opened the third looking to start a comeback, but Matt Nieto’s 1:15 in essentially put the game away for the Terriers.There were certainly some growing pains for UNH, but the Wildcats managed to create some offense early. Senior goaltender Matt Di Girolamo was good despite the four goals allowed — the fourth BU score came on empty-net — with 32 saves. On the other end, Kieran Millan frustrated the UNH offense with some spectacular saves, earning the shutout.

What I saw

• UNH’s speed that is always present gave BU some problems in the early stages of the game, leading to a couple power plays in the first period. The UNH man advantage, though, struggled to finds its rhythm as so many do in the first few games of the season.
• Matt Di Girolamo allowed four goals, but the senior goaltender kept New Hampshire even as long as he could. BU created six Grade-A opportunities in the first period, but Di Girolamo stood strong. Poor defending resulted in most of the looks.
• A few tough penalties stymied any comeback chances for UNH, but the penalty kill prevented the Terriers from extending their lead earlier than they did. Di Girolamo played a major role in that. BU didn’t get many shots through, but created quality chances when they did.

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by Joe Meloni

Ultimately, they won’t be satisfied with the point, but the Huskies will take it right now since they were two seconds from beginning the season with a loss. Given the way things are looking at Maine right now — NU trailed the Black Bears, 4-1, in the second when I started writing this — that point Braden Pimm’s shoulder stole from UMass is looking pretty good.

Pimm received credit for the goal, but UMass junior Rocco Carzo’s failed clear with 12 seconds left in regulation gave the Huskies that final chance to best UMass goaltender Kevin Boyle.

What I saw

• Boston University transfer Vinny Saponari’s comfort with his new teammates grew with every shift. While he called Agganis home, Saponari made it clear he was capable of being an impact player in this league. He picked up a pair of assists in the game, including the key play on the sequence that led to Pimm’s game-tying goal with 2 seconds left.

• The Huskies showed some serious potential on offense. The mistakes that plague early-season games where certainly there, but they pieced together some fantastic breakouts and extended possessions.

• On the other end, Northeastern’s defensemen struggled to close down UMass forwards, allowing the Minutemen to make plays in space and along the half-wall. Against teams relying on their speed, giving them too much space is just asking for problems. The sheer size of the Northeastern defensemen will be an asset down low, but the NU blue liners showed little mobility.

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Joe Meloni and his crew of Hockey East writers are all over it. Check back here throughout the season for their thoughts, notes and ramblings.

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… Plus a look at this weekend’s match-ups from around the league.

Remember folks, this is just one writer’s opinion. This week’s rankings reflect my WCHA Media Poll ballot. These are obviously very fluid, and I will post new power rankings on a weekly basis.

Without further delay, here are my Week 0 power rankings:

1 — Colorado College
• With the Schwartz bros. leading a deep group of forwards, the Tigers could be the 2011-12 version of last season’s Minnesota Duluth squad.

2 — North Dakota
• They don’t rebuild, they just reload. Aaron Dell might be the best goalie in the conference and while UND is young, they’ll be dangerous by year’s end.

3 — Denver
• Perhaps the best overall team in the conference talent wise, the Pioneers lack a proven goaltender.

4 — Nebraska-Omaha
• The Mavericks are almost entirely made of Blais guys, and the ones that aren’t, know what to expect now. No team works or hits harder.

5 — Minnesota
• Don Lucia needs to win this season or else he’s in jeopardy of being unemployed. To do that, he’ll need his young forwards to put the puck in the net.

6 — Minnesota Duluth
• There’s still plenty of weapons up front in Duluth, but is there enough talent and depth on the blueline to sustain the defending champs?

7 — Wisconsin
• There’s always top-end talent in Madison and perhaps no team is better coached. Can Wisconsin’s get enough goaltending from their freshmen netminders?

8 — Minnesota State
• Don’t sleep on the Mavericks. Yeah, they lost their top three defensemen, but they also return their top three forwards and both goalies.

9 — St. Cloud State
• Guys that underwhelmed in support roles last season will be counted on to lead this season. Can they do it? Mike Lee will keep this group competitive by himself.

10 — Alaska-Anchorage
• The talent is young in Anchorage but it is undeniable. Can Chris Kamal prove the guy towards the end of last season was the real Chris Kamal?

11 — Bemidji State
• The Beavers return their leading scorer, their best defenseman and their goaltender, but what else is there in Bemidji?

12 — Michigan Tech
• Mel Pearson has the Huskies on the right track but it will probably be a year or two before this team is ready to push for home ice.

That said, here is a look at this weekend’s match-ups from around the league and some random jottings that come to mind about each series:

Minnesota State at RPI
• The Mavericks are tested immediately with a road series against a ranked opponent. MSU head coach Troy Jutting said in a perfect world, his young forwards wouldn’t be so stiffly tested early in the season. On the other hand, he said, it should be good for his team in the long run. If MSU can get a win in Troy, N.Y. this weekend, it would also go a long ways towards helping their Pairwise Ranking.

American International at Michigan Tech
• The Pearson era begins with a couple of very winnable games at MacInnes. Win twice this weekend and the Huskies have half of last year’s win total before conference play even begins.

Bemidji State at Miami
• A tough task for the Beavers to open the season, but if you’re going to win in Oxford, early in the season is the time to do it. At the very least, BSU will get a see how they measure up against one of the nation’s best teams in one of the nation’s toughest arenas to play in.

Notre Dame at Minnesota Duluth
In perhaps the series of the weekend, the defending champs open against this season’s top-ranked team. It’s sure to be an emotional weekend at AMSOIL, as the ‘Dogs will unveil their championship banner before Friday’s game. One would think that should be good for at least one win.

Northern Michigan at Wisconsin
The youthful Badgers will open at home — a fact sure to help a Wisconsin team with 20 underclassmen on the roster. The Kohl Center is as big a home ice advantage as there is in the country, so playing in front of the Cardinal and White should help Wisconsin’s kids get acclimated early.

Sacred Heart at Minnesota
The Golden Gophers must get a couple of wins to help ease the pressure on head coach Don Lucia. In a season where fans expect results or walking papers, losing at home to the Pioneers would not be a good way to start.

Nebraska-Omaha hosts Mutual of Omaha Stampede
The red Mavericks should have no trouble winning twice this weekend. With games against Mercyhurst and either Robert Morris or Colgate, at least that what fans in Omaha should be thinking.

North Dakota hosts the Ice Breaker
The Fighting Sioux open with a game they should win against Air Force before a great second game match-up against either Boston College or Michigan State. UND is inexperienced up front, so scoring early on Dell and/or Eidsness would certainly help the Eagles or Spartans chances of scoring a tournament victory.

Alaska-Anchorage hosts St. Cloud State, Fairbanks, Clarkson at Kendall Classic
UAA opens with Clarkson before hosting conference foe SCSU in a nonconference game. If Anchorage can win twice, it would go a long ways towards giving an already confident team even more confidence. SCSU begins with a bunch of early season road games, and head coach Bob Motzko says its as good a time as any to spend time in Alaska. A couple losses this weekend may change his tune.

As always, be sure to follow me on Twitter (@CHNDanMyers) for the latest news and notes (plus random thoughts and musings) about the WCHA. See you at the rink!

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The much rumored and now confirmed “Super League” is exactly what schools like North Dakota and Denver have wanted since the announcement of the Big Ten Hockey Conference earlier this year.

With the most of the powers of college hockey’s past joining together under one umbrella, with a big money TV deal to boot, the UND’s and DU’s of the world decided the only way to compete was to find other like-minded folks to join together and form the powers of college hockey’s future.

The difference between the BTHC and the new “Super League” is simple however: Money. The BTHC has it. The “Super League” might have it. Whether that one word is enough to throw a potential wrench into the sport is still up in the air.

But one thing is for sure: The game has changed for the little guys of college hockey.

It was once believed that once Penn State started a hockey program, schools around the country might jump on board and start programs of their own. And maybe that may someday by true.

But right now, college hockey fans need to worry about the future of some already existing programs.

What about Bowling Green? Their future already cloudy, now they’re without all of their top draws. For a program that lives and dies by their gate revenue, it’s possible BGSU could fall by the wayside.

What about schools like Alaska and Alaska-Anchorage? Their future is probably tied together in a new combined WCHA-CCHA. But will their fellow conference mates really be able to swallow having two schools from The Last Frontier, and spending more on travel budgets?

What about Alabama-Huntsville? Will a new WCHA-CCHA combined league change its stance in terms of accepting the Chargers?

What about schools like Bemidji State and St. Cloud State, which have spent, or are spending big money on arena upgrades. What’s the point now? The city of Bemidji was told a new arena would secure BSU’s future in the WCHA, which now looks like it no longer exists.

What has made the WCHA so viable over the years has been the league’s playoffs and Final Five — perhaps the most popular college hockey tournament in the country, Frozen Four included. That massive amount of money was shared between all the schools. With Minnesota and Wisconsin leaving, a large chunk of money was already going to be missing. With UND, DU, UMD, UNO and CC leaving, how will these other schools make a tournament profitable?

I think a new league with the Minnesota schools plus the Michigan schools will be able to survive. Both states have a rock-solid hockey base to build upon. But what of these other small schools? What will happen to them? I guess we’re all about to find out.

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Over the last couple of days, I have become very anxious over the future of the sport I love — and cover.

Big Ten Hockey Conference aside, which I think has the chance to ruin the game as we know it, Penn State joining the college hockey fray is a great thing for the game. Had the topic of the BTHC never been broached, Penn State joining fellow Big Ten rivals Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State in the CCHA would have been the best possible outcome for the college game.

But with the formation of the evil empire, Penn State, Jim Delaney and the Big Ten will ruin a growing game that has become more entertaining and exciting over the last 10 years.

That is my fear. Will it become reality? Only time will tell.

But there is growing fear that my worst thoughts may be coming true.

There is no question in my mind the WCHA would survive with the losses of Minnesota and Wisconsin. With flagship programs like North Dakota and Denver as well as Colorado College and reigning national champion Minnesota Duluth, the WCHA would be just fine.

The CCHA would need to adapt without Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State. But growing powers like Notre Dame and Miami would provide the league with two solid anchors to build upon.

Now, reports are circulating that the two leagues may fracture even more, as reported by Kevin Pates of the Duluth News Tribune. According to the report, the buzz at the Frozen Four was around the formation of a new, six-team league featuring DU, UND, Miami, Notre Dame, CC and Nebraska-Omaha.

Full disclosure: I was at the Frozen Four and I never heard a single word about this. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t discussed.

If true, it would ruin college hockey. Division I would become much more regionalized, with programs like Michigan Tech likely joining Ferris State, Bowling Green, Northern Michigan, Lake Superior State and Western Michigan to form a “Great Lakes Conference,” while Minnesota schools like UMD, St. Cloud State, Minnesota State and Bemidji State would form a “10,000 Lakes Conference.” The problem is, with only four teams, there would be no automatic bid. Teams like Alaska-Anchorage, Alaska and Alabama-Huntsville would be left without a logical, geographic home. Could they join the Minnesota teams? Sure. But now there is an unfair financial burden on small state schools already crushed by budget cuts at their institutions.

The fact is, the Big Ten Hockey Conference is a reality and it will happen. But further fracturing the WCHA and CCHA would only put gas on a fire that could ignite the entire college hockey landscape as we know it.

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Winning a national championship is certainly a big thing for a program. Recruiting will improve, meaning the future is brighter.

The problem is, in many cases, the short-term becomes cloudy because your successful underclassmen become targets of professional teams.

As is the case with Minnesota Duluth. Already losing major contributors like Justin Fontaine, Mike Montgomery and Kyle Schmidt because of graduation, team co-captain Mike Connolly announced he had signed a max deal with the San Jose Sharks, bypassing his senior season in Duluth.

It’s likely just the beginning. At minimum, the team is expected to lose Justin Faulk, a blue chip defenseman likely to sign with Carolina any day now.

Freshman winger J.T. Brown could be a target as well after being named the Frozen Four’s Most Valuable Player. On the biggest stage, Brown was far-and-away the best player on the ice. He’s only 5-10, but he has NHL speed with an ability to play physical and score goals. He would likely benefit from at least one more season in Duluth, but the fact is, guys with his ability usually don’t stay four years. He’s undrafted, which will likely drive his price up, meaning it will be much more difficult for him to turn down the pros when the opportunity arises.

Junior Jack Connolly will probably be back when you consider he’s only 5-8, but it only takes one team to be interested. Would a guy like Connolly — who’s also undrafted — turn down an opportunity to move on? He’s won a national championship and just a year ago, wasn’t on many radars.

At 6 feet, 200 lbs, Travis Oleksuk provides good size at the center spot. He could also be a guy that gets a few professional looks.

So while UMD is bringing in a solid recruiting class, including four defensemen, replacing guys like Connolly, Fontaine and Montgomery will be no easy task. Should Connolly, Brown and Oleksuk also get offered, repeating as champs would be even more difficult.

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The news of Todd Richards’ firing as head coach of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild is barely a day old. And while he will likely be able to land on his feet somewhere in the National Hockey League (or as a head coach in the AHL), it seems to me there is one job out there he is suited perfectly for.

Head coach, University of Minnesota.

I know what you’re saying: Yes, the Gophers already have a coach. But in case you haven’t read, or if you live in Minnesota and you’ve been under a rock, Don Lucia’s status isn’t exactly on the firmest of grounds. So if you’re Minnesota A.D. Joel Maturi and the pressure is on to make a move, the news of the last 24 hours should likely give you even more reason to pull the trigger.

This isn’t meant to be a referendum on Lucia. He’s a great coach. But with expectations at their traditional highs and results at a historic low, not to mention the graduation of four of the team’s top 5 scorers (and already one early departure), the time to cut an run might be now, especially with such a qualified candidate cleaning his office just 7 miles down the road.

To me, there isn’t a more perfect candidate anywhere. Consider:

– Richards is a Minnesota native, having starred at Robbinsdale Armstrong High School (Crystal, Minn.). He and his wife, Maryann, currently reside there with his two sons, Zachary (15) and Justin (13).

– He had a successful career as a player at the University of Minnesota and is one of the most prolific defensemen in the history of the Gopher program, scoring 30 goals and adding 158 assists in four years.

– Has head coaching experience with the Wild, going 77-71-16 over the last two seasons. He’s also been both a head coach and an assistant coach in the AHL and an assistant coach in the NHL.

– At just 44 years of age, Richards could be the face of the program for the next 25 years.

– He preaches an up-tempo style of play that is attractive to many recruits. He also has NHL credentials and connections that would be attractive as well.

– He was a high NHL draft pick as a player (second round) but stayed all four years in college, winning two WCHA titles and playing in a national championship game.

Now, I have no idea if Richards would even be interested in the job, but you’d have to think he’d consider it. He just recently returned to Minnesota two years ago, has his children enrolled in school there, playing hockey there and making friends there. The job would pay him in the neighborhood of what an NHL assistant would make and would allow him to keep his home and current lifestyle intact.

Sounds like a win-win to me.

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