The CCHA staff took its first shot at predicting last weekend’s games, and here’s how we did:

Taylor Lewis: 9-6-5 (.575)

Avash Kalra: 9-6-5 (.575)

Sam Obermyer: 9-6-5 (.575)

Caleb Saunders: 6-9-5 (.425)

We release our CCHA Power Rankings yesterday, and those are subject to change based on this weekend’s results. Here are the staff’s picks for this weekend’s slate of games — and we have only one “consensus” pick out of the 10 games this weekend: Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this Post ...

A full slate of league play begins this weekend, and each team in the league has played between three and five non-conference games. It’s a small sample size, but based on the games thus far, here is the first edition of the CCHA Power Rankings. We’re at the stage of the season where these rankings are incredibly dynamic, with each team having the potential to move up (or down) several spots on an almost-daily basis. Also, keep in mind that power rankings represent a different consideration than ranking the “best” teams in the nation (which explains the difference between Michigan’s current national ranking and their power ranking here).

Tomorrow: the CCHA staff writers’ predictions for this weekend’s games.

1. Notre Dame (3-1-0)

The Irish already boast wins over Maine, Nebraska-Omaha, and Minnesota-Duluth, and goaltender Steve Summerhays has provided a steady presence for Notre Dame already. Summerhays and co. will be tested this weekend on the road against Northern Michigan. And… surprise, surprise. T.J. Tynan and Anders Lee (now playing at center instead of on the wing) lead the team in scoring through four games thus far.

2. Miami (3-0-1)

The RedHawks followed up an opening weekend sweep of Colgate with a tie and win against Providence. A pair of road games this weekend at Michigan and another two next weekend at Ferris State will be telling, but for now, underclassmen like Riley Barber are leading the way for Miami. CHN’s Caleb Saunders was reporting from the Miami/Providence series in Oxford last weekend and observed the quick start for the RedHawks’ freshmen goaltenders (haven’t we seen this before?). Here’s more from Caleb:

The freshman Ryan McKay made his second career start for Miami on Friday. His freshman counterpart Jon Gillies got the call for the Friars.  The two netminders are familiar with each other after both of them played in the USHL the last few years before going to their respective schools. McKay played three seasons with the Green Bay Gamblers and Gillies played two seasons with the Indiana Ice.

 “I’ve played against [Jon] Gillies the last few years, I’m friendly with him and he’s a good kid,” said McKay. Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this Post ...

This week in Hockey East is for once a normal weekend in terms of games as there will be five, two game series’ going on throughout the conference. This will become the norm in the last two months of the season, but this one week early will give us an idea of who the strong teams are in the conference. This week Boston College again held the top spot in the CHN Hockey East Power Poll, but New Hampshire is nipping on their heels with a strong 3-0-0 start. This week could be the week where separation and teams begin to stand out. This week also features a new format with an added prediction after each preview. Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this Post ...

Of the teams that have played, the top five are a combined 11-7-3 in non-conference play. Of those 11 wins, 9 of them have come against Hockey East and the CCHA. These wins will increase their chances making the tournament at the end of the season. It is getting to the point that teams will start standing out and this weekend St. Lawrence with their wins at Maine stood out; others have yet to make a big statement but this weekend is another chance to do so.  The Ivies have still yet to play a game, which means that ranking them will again be difficult in this installment. After this weekend, every ECAC team will have played a game and these rankings should take shape even more.

1. Cornell (0-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) – Last week 1

The Big Red have yet to play a game and remain number one in these rankings, but Union is still nipping at their heels for the top spot. We should learn more about Cornell this weekend as they begin their season by hosting Colorado College for a pair at Lynah. Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this Post ...

There is plenty of movement in this week’s rankings, as only four teams remain in the same spot as last week. Among the changes are a new first-place team and a new last-place team.

1. Boston College (2-1-0, 2-1-0 HE) — Last week: 2
The Eagles overcame a 3-0 third-period deficit to beat UMass 5-4 in overtime on Friday, then beat Northeastern 3-0 after raising their national championship banner on Saturday. The top line of Johnny Gaudreau, Pat Mullane and Steven Whitney combined for five goals and six assists on the weekend. After allowing three or more goals in each of his first two starts, Parker Milner earned a 26-save shutout Saturday. One concern for BC is that its third and fourth lines have yet to register a point this season.

2. New Hampshire (3-0-0, 1-0-0 HE) — Last week: 4
The Wildcats continued to roll with a 4-1 win over BU on Saturday. They’ve now scored at least four goals in all three of their games. Saturday featured a balanced attack, as all four lines scored and 10 different players registered a point. UNH scored a power-play goal for the third straight game and killed all five BU power plays. In net, Casey DeSmith stopped 24 of the 25 shots he faced. Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this Post ...

Although no one moves more than one spot this week, everyone came a little closer together. The teams at the top aren’t running away like we thought they might, and the teams at the bottom are certainly holding their own. The best illustration of this tightness is that only one team is under .500 right now.

1. Minnesota (3-1-0, 1-1-0 WCHA) — Last week: 1
The Gophers faced much stiffer competition than the weekend before, losing 5-3 at Michigan Tech on Friday before rebounding with a 3-2 win Saturday. Michael Shibrowski got pulled from net Friday after giving up four goals on 14 shots. Adam Wilcox fared better on the weekend, stopping 27 of the 30 shots he faced. The third line of Nate Condon, Travis Boyd and Seth Ambroz came to life with three goals and five assists on the weekend.

2. Denver (2-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) — Last week: 3
The Pioneers opened their season in impressive fashion, beating Massachusetts-Lowell 5-1 on Friday and Air Force 5-2 on Saturday. Daniel Doremus tallied two goals Friday and Nick Shore recorded a hat trick Saturday, while freshman defenseman Nolan Zajac opened his career with a goal and three assists on the weekend. Sam Brittain stopped 37 of 38 shots Friday and Adam Murray stopped 22 of 24 Saturday. Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this Post ...

Up

Andrew Hamburg, Forward, Colorado College

Hamburg’s four-goal performance on Friday night against Air Force – making him the first Tiger since 2008 to strike four times in a game – is more than enough to warrant a spot on this list, but the feat is even more impressive when you consider the fact that it equaled his goal total from all of last year.

Andrew Walsh, Goalie, Bemidji State

Walsh knew he had to be good coming into the year, especially with the increased role following the departure of Dan Bakala. This weekend, he was great. In a pair of games he saw 64 shots, stopped 63 of them and helped the Beavers get off on the right foot.

Nic Kerdiles, Forward, Wisconsin

This is probably the only time that a player who hasn’t actually played will be featured here, but college hockey fans – no matter their allegiance – have to tip their caps at Kerdiles, who decided to stick it out at Wisconsin rather than bolt for the WHL. It’s a good move for him, it’s a good move for Wisconsin and it’s a good move for college hockey.

Down

Rylan Schwartz, Forward, Colorado College

While Hamburg was lighting it up, Schwartz was quiet in a pair of games this weekend. He did have an assist and five shots, but the Tigers will need him to be at the top of his game all the time to battle their way into the top-half of the WCHA.

Caleb Herbert, Forward, Minnesota Duluth

Herbert took a nasty hit to the head on Thursday night against Notre Dame, which could play into why he didn’t have a great weekend in South Bend, but he must be better. An assist and two shots for UMD’s top returning forward isn’t going to cut it.

Mark Alt, Defenseman, Minnesota

For a guy that had an absolute rock-solid campaign last winter, Alt had high expectations entering this year. Against Michigan Tech, he looked like a rookie. Alt wasn’t sharp all weekend, made some plays that turned into Tech goals and finished a minus-two on the weekend.

Comment on this Post ...

After this past weekend, every team in the WCHA has played at least one game that’s counted in the standings. Most, including an Alaska Gold Rush contest between Alaska-Anchorage and part of North Dakota, have been non-conference yet there was something sweet about the way the conference kicked off the last season as we know it.

The single opening series last weekend was between two teams in Michigan Tech and Minnesota who go back to the original 1951 founding of the league. They have a history that heated up in the 1970s with both teams being national title contenders and with the uncertainty of the future, the Gophers going up to Houghton may be a thing of the past. While the rivalry may have cooled off since, having a series between the home of the MacNaughton Cup and the team currently holding it is a good treat for fans who like tradition. Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this Post ...

It was a rather disappointing weekend for Atlantic Hockey, going 1-8-2 in non-conference games. Holy Cross’ victory over Clarkson prevented the league from having a winless weekend. And so here are this week’s Atlantic Hockey Power Rankings.

1. Holy Cross – The Crusaders are the only unbeaten left in Atlantic Hockey, albeit they’ve only played two games. Paul Pearl’s team scored six goals in their first regular season game and followed it up with a win over ECAC foe Clarkson. Brandon Nunn has four points in the two games while Jake Youso looks primed for a big sophomore season.

2. Niagara – Aside from a 10-2 blowout lose at Colgate, the Purple Eagles have had a chance to win every game so far this season. Unfortunately, they’ve only come out with one win so far. In both games against Michigan State this weekend, the Purple Eagles led 2-0 going into the third period but could only muster one tie.

3. Bentley – Like Holy Cross, the Falcons have only played two games so far this season. They beat Sacred Heart before falling to Michigan. Brett Gensler, fresh off a 50-point season, already has six points in two games. Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this Post ...

BOSTON — Saturday night at Conte Forum, the Boston College Eagles raised their 2012 National Championship banner to the rafters, and then preceded to remind the sold out crowd just how they earned it. After a road loss to Northeastern and a comeback 5-4 win against Massachusetts last night, BC returned to form with a 3-0 win over the Huskies in their home opener.

The Eagles struck early, with junior forward Kevin Hayes drawing first blood with a wrist shot from under the circle just over six minutes in. They wasted no time gaining a comfortable lead, and sophomore standout Johnny Gaudreau capitalized on a breakaway opportunity going five-hole on senior Chris Rawlings. The Northeastern defensemen hadn’t even caught up with Gaudreau by the time he was taking the shot.

Penalties plagued both teams throughout the three periods, but BC was able to outplay the Huskies despite several minutes in the box. When NU rookies freshman Cam Darcy and sophomore Dax Lauwers took penalties within seconds of each other to give the Eagles a 5-on-3 advantage, senior forward Steven Whitney capitalized almost immediately. At the point, he took a feed from Gaudreau and shot past Rawlings’ glove.

Despite renewed energy in the second period, the Huskies were unable to capitalize on any scoring chances and ultimately left Conte shut out by the Eagles.

Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this Post ...