Denver 2, North Dakota 0: Might as well start with the game I attended. Denver outplayed the Sioux, but it wasn’t as if the Sioux were terrible in the game. Outside of the first five minutes that is. Freshman Aaron Dell gave up 2 goals on the first 4 shots he saw. Brad Eidsness stopped all 9 shots he saw the rest of the way. Denver’s two goals were scored by Joe Coleborne and Tyler Ruegsegger. Marc Cheverie stopped all 33 Sioux shots. The Sioux also had a goal disallowed due to a penalty by Corban Knight. I didn’t really [...]

After an award winning year doing last year’s bracketology (ok, not a winning year but I did get linked by Puck Daddy a couple times so I’ll call it a win) it’s time for year #2. Before we get started, a couple things to keep in mind:
1. This is a projection of how I think the field will look at the date of its announcement, not how it would look if the season ended today
2. Tournament site hosts must be in the regional they host. This year’s hosts are: Holy Cross, RPI, Notre Dame and Minnesota
3. #1 seeds are ranked [...]

It’s been kind of a hectic day in this little corner of Blogfrica, (or, since this is a hockey blog, Scandinblogvia?) so instead of a huge post, why don’t you take a gander at former Michigan State Spartan goalie Ryan Miller’s mask that he will don at the Olympics.

1. Wisconsin (14-6-4) (10-4-4) Up 3
With 3 points against Denver, Wisconsin takes over the top spot. I debated them and Miami for a long time, but finally settled on Wisconsin because (among other things) the Badgers lead the nation in scoring margin.
2. Miami (16-4-6) (13-1-4) No Change
The RedHawks haven’t lost a conference game in 3 months, 1 day.
3. Denver (14-6-4) (10-4-4) Down 2
By allowing 7 goals this weekend, Marc Cheverie fell to 6th in the country in save percentage (.928)
4. Cornell (10-5-3) (7-2-2) Up 1
Ben Scrivens had probably his best game of the year on Friday, stopping all 28 Sioux [...]

St. Cloud State 4, Minnesota 1: Mike Lee had perhaps his best collegiate game, making 42 saves for the Huskies as they move all the way into a tie for 2nd in the WCHA. Jared Festler had 2 goals. Cade Fairchild had the lone goal for Minnesota. Maybe if they wore maple leafs on their sweaters they would have scored more.
Lake Superior State 1, Notre Dame 1: In a matchup of two of the nation’s top goaltenders, neither disappointed. Notre Dame Frosh Mike Johnson saved 45 of the 46 shots he faced, while Lake State’s Brian Mahoney-Wilson, a Sharks draftee, [...]

Hahhhhhvahd 4, Union 1: Union had a 10 game unbeaten streak this year in ECAC Hockey, and before last night was the only team to have not lost a conference game. Ryan Carroll almost singlehandedly stopped that, stopping 47 of Union’s 48 shots. Jason Walters had the lone Union goal
Cornell 1, North Dakota 0: The Sioux had gone unbeaten in 6 nonconference games this year, but again a herculean effort by a goaltender ended that. Ben Scrivens had 28 saves for the Big Red as he moved into 2nd place on Cornell’s all time shutouts list. Worth noting: although he [...]

A few years ago Islanders GM Garth Snow tore into Minnesota and coach Don Lucia. Now, it’s LA Kings GM Dean Lombardi’s turn. Lombardi said that because Michigan coach Red Berenson gets “all the best players” he never does any coaching, and as a result player’s development is stunted. Lombardi said that he wasn’t criticizing Johnson, but the program, by saying things such as:
At times, he was playing forward at Michigan. You had no idea what position he was playing. But he had always been the star and he always got his numbers. Then he turns pro and for the [...]

One team is second in their conference, just a point back from first, while the other is in 6th, having just lost and tied to the 7th place team, and having played two more games than the 7th place team. Yet that 6th place team (North Dakota) is higher in the Pairwise than the 2nd place team (Cornell). UND currently sits in a tie for 12th in the PWR, while Cornell is tied for 17th, just out of the NCAA tournament field. That’s why this series is so huge. If one team sweeps, they immediately get boosted by the other [...]