Sometimes the best-laid plans do not work out.
Before the season began, the entire WCHA women's league scheduled itself to be idle this weekend. The idea was that since many teams would be missing players for the Four Nations Cup,
Turns out, no team was missing players for the Four Nations Cup. The annual tournament ended up canceled by host Sweden after its national team declared its intentions to boycott as part of an ongoing dispute over equal pay and conditions. Instead, only a few players are in Pittsburgh playing in a USA-Canada rivalry series with most of them being on teams playing.
Another team with changing plans was Denver, whose 44-0-0 dream came to an end in Duluth. Kobe Roth and Noah Cates erased a 3-1 third period deficit Friday in a battle of NCHC contenders before the Bulldogs became the other one in Denver's 8-1-1 record.
Each weekend sees ups and downs as players and teams adjust to new situations. That's the fun and joy of the sport and one that bodes well for a handful of new trends on a weekend where not everything went to plan.
As always, here's what is going on throughout the college hockey landscape. This week's stock report recaps who is doing well, who is on their way down, and what trends should be followed.
Showing posts with label Arizona State University. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arizona State University. Show all posts
Monday, November 11, 2019
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
College Hockey Stock Report: October 16, 2019
It's the offseason no more.
Besides the Ivies, the season is now underway. D1 women's hockey is nearing the end of its first month while a large portion of D1 men's hockey teams opened their season last weekend. Ohio State took home the Ice Breaker trophy. Several teams took home surprising results. I'm still not sure what to make of Colorado College's Friday sweaters.
Anyways, it's time for another edition of the college hockey stock report, recapping who is doing well, who is on their way down and what trends should be followed.
Slightly different than previous editions is ending this with who I thought won the week. It can be a team, a player, a coach, or anything that signifies the best in college hockey. Let me know who you think should win the week in the comments.
At the very least, talk of last season is trending downward.
Up: Players scoring first goals and getting first wins
One of the highlights each September and October is seeing players score their first collegiate goal or goaltenders getting their first win. There is something special to witness decades of work coming together into a single moment of celebration. It comes annually. The leaves fall and red lights get lit, but that doesn't make it any less special.
Hold: Any Minnesota Duluth championship hangover storyline
Banner raising night did not go well for the Bulldogs. After losing an exhibition game to Alberta, Minnesota Duluth opened the season with a 3-2 loss to UMass Lowell. The team did follow up the next day with a 2-1 win but lost the No. 1 ranking to Denver.
Sure, this wasn't the best opening stretch for UMD, but you know what else wasn't a great opening stretch? Last season. The Bulldogs tied and lost to Minnesota. Neither game was as bad as the scoreboard made it seem, which can also be said about this past weekend. UMD nearly came back from a 3-0 deficit, however, more importantly, the team outshot the River Hawks by a 2:1 margin. On Saturday, UMass Lowell had nine shots on goal at even strength.
It's not the result wanted, but the Bulldogs continue to give itself opportunities. If that continues, it wouldn't be a surprise to see a repeat of where Minnesota Duluth followed up its opening weekend last season with eight straight wins.
Besides the Ivies, the season is now underway. D1 women's hockey is nearing the end of its first month while a large portion of D1 men's hockey teams opened their season last weekend. Ohio State took home the Ice Breaker trophy. Several teams took home surprising results. I'm still not sure what to make of Colorado College's Friday sweaters.
Anyways, it's time for another edition of the college hockey stock report, recapping who is doing well, who is on their way down and what trends should be followed.
Slightly different than previous editions is ending this with who I thought won the week. It can be a team, a player, a coach, or anything that signifies the best in college hockey. Let me know who you think should win the week in the comments.
At the very least, talk of last season is trending downward.
Up: Players scoring first goals and getting first wins
One of the highlights each September and October is seeing players score their first collegiate goal or goaltenders getting their first win. There is something special to witness decades of work coming together into a single moment of celebration. It comes annually. The leaves fall and red lights get lit, but that doesn't make it any less special.
Couple firsts for the #Gophers last weekend in Colorado...— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) October 15, 2019
Congrats to Jared Moe (First Win) and Matt Staudacher (First Goal)! pic.twitter.com/5BZezNGsDL
Hold: Any Minnesota Duluth championship hangover storyline
Banner raising night did not go well for the Bulldogs. After losing an exhibition game to Alberta, Minnesota Duluth opened the season with a 3-2 loss to UMass Lowell. The team did follow up the next day with a 2-1 win but lost the No. 1 ranking to Denver.
Sure, this wasn't the best opening stretch for UMD, but you know what else wasn't a great opening stretch? Last season. The Bulldogs tied and lost to Minnesota. Neither game was as bad as the scoreboard made it seem, which can also be said about this past weekend. UMD nearly came back from a 3-0 deficit, however, more importantly, the team outshot the River Hawks by a 2:1 margin. On Saturday, UMass Lowell had nine shots on goal at even strength.
It's not the result wanted, but the Bulldogs continue to give itself opportunities. If that continues, it wouldn't be a surprise to see a repeat of where Minnesota Duluth followed up its opening weekend last season with eight straight wins.
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Which teams enter 2019-20 with the biggest chips on their shoulders?
'Tis the season, so let's talk rankings.
Rankings: They're fun, highly debatable, and in college hockey, they don't actually matter. Only a math equation does. That doesn't stop us from analyzing every single ranking. We can't get enough.
Around this time year, it would be easy to make preseason rankings. That's not what I'm going to do, though. Instead, these are rankings where Minnesota Duluth doesn't automatically get placed first.
These are rankings for which teams can claim the biggest chips on their shoulders.
Playing the "proving them wrong" song can be a lifeline in sports, even if it ends up sometimes ringing hollow. College hockey is no exception. Let's be clear. All 60 teams would like to use the Rodney Dangerfield card. No respect!
Several players come to mind as those who used "us versus the world" and a chip on their shoulder as a motivation tactic. Both Denver and St. Cloud State got far with it last season after losing players early and head coaches to the NHL and Minnesota, respectively.
Without further adieu, here are the top 20 college hockey teams with the biggest chips on their shoulders. It's a ranking fitting for a year where the Frozen Four takes place in a city where "Detroit versus Everybody" exists as a mantra and lifestyle.
Rankings: They're fun, highly debatable, and in college hockey, they don't actually matter. Only a math equation does. That doesn't stop us from analyzing every single ranking. We can't get enough.
Around this time year, it would be easy to make preseason rankings. That's not what I'm going to do, though. Instead, these are rankings where Minnesota Duluth doesn't automatically get placed first.
These are rankings for which teams can claim the biggest chips on their shoulders.
Playing the "proving them wrong" song can be a lifeline in sports, even if it ends up sometimes ringing hollow. College hockey is no exception. Let's be clear. All 60 teams would like to use the Rodney Dangerfield card. No respect!
Several players come to mind as those who used "us versus the world" and a chip on their shoulder as a motivation tactic. Both Denver and St. Cloud State got far with it last season after losing players early and head coaches to the NHL and Minnesota, respectively.
Without further adieu, here are the top 20 college hockey teams with the biggest chips on their shoulders. It's a ranking fitting for a year where the Frozen Four takes place in a city where "Detroit versus Everybody" exists as a mantra and lifestyle.
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
60 Days. 60 Teams. 600 Words (or Less): Arizona State
Arizona State
2018-19 Record: 21-13-1
Head Coach: Greg Powers, 5th Year Varsity
Top returning scorer: Johnny Walker (23G-11A)
Top returning goaltender: Evan Debrouwer (So.)
What is left to write about Arizona State? The Sun Devils, in season four of D1 men's hockey, became the fastest program and first independent school since Alaska Anchorage in 1992 to reach the NCAA Tournament.
In a year of surprises, ASU swung heads. If I wrote this series last year, an 8-21-5 Arizona State would be a second-week profile. Instead, it's mid-September, discussing its recipe for success and where the team goes from here.
It'd be expected the Sun Devils, returning 84% of scoring, would slowly do better as the first D1 classes become upperclassmen. Goaltender Joey Daccord improved from a .892% save percentage as a freshman to .909% as a sophomore to .926% and a Mike Richter Award nomination last season. Johnny Walker had a school-record 23 goals (2nd nationally) before getting injured near the end of the season. Defender Brinson Pasichnuk was 5th nationally among blueliners with 13 goals.
What's Old: Still waiting on a new arena and conference.
What's New: Scottsdale native Auston Matthews came around from not having ASU in his college top five and modeled some "throwbacks" to add to the team's thousands of jersey combos.
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) August 22, 2019
Also new? Going to China to play summer hockey.
As an independent, the Sun Devils embraced their inner Johnny Cash by being everywhere. But an 11-day August international trip goes to a new level. Arizona State won the Fu Xing Cup and went to the Great Wall of China.
ASU knocks off another state by playing Harvard in Irvine, California. Not a bad way to spend late December by wanting to see some palm trees, the Harvard of tropical trees.
Daccord, the great wall of Tempe, signed with the Ottawa Senators, becoming the first Sun Devil to play an NHL game. Replacing him are BU graduate transfer Max Prawdzik (Jake Oettinger's backup), sophomore Evan Debrouwer, and freshman Justin Robbins, one of six Arizona State rookies. Eddie Lack's now the goalie coach.
Closing Thoughts: I can't wait to read (or write) the next chapter of Arizona State hockey. A November OT win over Penn State seemed like a changing of the guard. ASU made the most of its opportunity to be one of college hockey's great stories.
But the way Arizona State earned an NCAA Tournament berth is not exactly easy. ASU beat the teams it should, avoiding bad losses for the most part while struggling against top teams, going 2-10-1 against teams in the top 20 of the Pairwise. Even with struggles (and the Sun Devils beat two NCAA teams plus swept BC), that consistency gets rewarded over a long season.
Is it a story Arizona State can repeat? Can ASU fare better against top 20 schools? The Sun Devils schedule features four NCAA Tournament teams (including a Quinnipiac rematch) plus several others looking to be on the upswing. Getting back Walker, who led the nation in shots per game (4.81) on a team outshot on average, and most of the blue line help limit the loss of Daccord.
More than anything, when the tradition continues to be set, it'll be interesting to see which individual(s) adds to the recipe of success like Daccord, Walker, Pasichnuk and the entire Sun Devils did last season.
Recent 60 Days. 60 Teams. 600 Words (or Less) Features
Harvard
Bowling Green
Penn State
Western Michigan
Every Team So Far
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Thursday, August 29, 2019
College Hockey Stock Report (July/August 2019)
One more offseason month to go.
July 1st technically kicks off the season, as it's the date teams officially switch conferences or begin. There was one in Division 1 this year as Long Island University kicks off its inaugural women's hockey program. For the most part, we're still asking #IsItOctoberYet (or #IsItNovemberYet for those who are Ivy League schools). There's still a month (or two) until games begin.
Right now, players are coming back on campus. Classes are underway. Teams are starting up practices or even exhibition games.
With one more offseason month to go, it's time to bring back the stock report and take a measure of what's going on over the past two months. And if this isn't enough, make sure to follow along my "60 Days. 60 Teams. 600 Words (or Less)" series profiling all sixty D1 men's hockey programs.
July 1st technically kicks off the season, as it's the date teams officially switch conferences or begin. There was one in Division 1 this year as Long Island University kicks off its inaugural women's hockey program. For the most part, we're still asking #IsItOctoberYet (or #IsItNovemberYet for those who are Ivy League schools). There's still a month (or two) until games begin.
Right now, players are coming back on campus. Classes are underway. Teams are starting up practices or even exhibition games.
Guys crushed the run test this morning & came back in great shape. First on ice practice tomorrow. No matter how many times you have done it, start of a new season is so exciting #300s #passfail #dayone— Derek Schooley (@derekschooley) August 27, 2019
With one more offseason month to go, it's time to bring back the stock report and take a measure of what's going on over the past two months. And if this isn't enough, make sure to follow along my "60 Days. 60 Teams. 600 Words (or Less)" series profiling all sixty D1 men's hockey programs.
Thursday, August 22, 2019
College Hockey Mailbag: The New AIC, Minnesota Recruiting, Dark Horses, White Claws & More (Vol. 1)
Welcome to the first 2019-20 college hockey mailbag.
I'd like to make these a regular feature whether it's here or at another outlet during the season. (Get at me folks!) Discuss what's going in college hockey, whether it's men's, women's, big picture, the story of the weekend, Gophers, whatever you want.
If this is your first time visiting, I am currently in the midst of a 60 Days, 60 Teams series where each of the 60 men's Division 1 NCAA hockey teams are profiled one-by-one and one day at a time in 600 words or less. The schedule and links to all previous entries can be found here.
Anyways, this week's first volume features questions on most of the Minnesota schools, the new NEWHA Conference, Arizona State's conference future and much, much more.
I'd like to make these a regular feature whether it's here or at another outlet during the season. (Get at me folks!) Discuss what's going in college hockey, whether it's men's, women's, big picture, the story of the weekend, Gophers, whatever you want.
If this is your first time visiting, I am currently in the midst of a 60 Days, 60 Teams series where each of the 60 men's Division 1 NCAA hockey teams are profiled one-by-one and one day at a time in 600 words or less. The schedule and links to all previous entries can be found here.
Anyways, this week's first volume features questions on most of the Minnesota schools, the new NEWHA Conference, Arizona State's conference future and much, much more.
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