As the weather begins to get cold, revenge in college hockey continues to heat up en vogue.
Several schools and individuals earned some revenge over the weekend. Chris Bergeron, whose Bowling Green team's season ended in OT to Minnesota Duluth, defeated the Bulldogs with his new Miami team. The RedHawks entered Friday 2-5-2 and being handily swept by North Dakota, who earned a win and tie over a Denver team who ended the Fighting Hawks' 2018-19 season in the same building. Out East, Cornell defeated Clarkson in a battle of top-10 teams and rematch of the 2019 ECAC championship game.
Still, as fun as it can be to discuss teams and individuals earning revenge for what happened last season, the weather changing is a good time to remember how it's becoming more important to get revenge for what's happening this season. Records are being set. Identities are being formed. As the weather begins to get cold, 2019-20 has been heating up as a whole.
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.
Up: Michigan State
Picked to finish seventh of seven teams, the Spartans are getting off on the right foot with bragging rights to boot. Michigan State began Big Ten conference play 3-1 after sweeping in-state rival Michigan for the first time since October 2009. Danton Cole's team has shown flashes but is getting help from its depth that MSU missed.
Perhaps no game shows it better than Saturday's 3-0 win, in which Michigan State's John Lethemon earned his second shutout in as many weekends while the Spartans scored three goals from players not named Patrick Khodorenko or Mitch Lewandowski.
Down: The other Big Ten "M's"
Besides Michigan's follies against the Spartan, Minnesota was swept by Penn State at home. Both schools expected some early struggles. However, it's the way those struggles are happening that are worrying.
For Michigan, the Wolverines are dropping fast from the young team that beat Western Michigan. Mel Pearson's team has 1 Big Ten point in six games. Sure, injuries aren't helping, but it's concerning nonetheless. Four of those games came against the other teams picked to finish near the bottom while looking worse with each passing week.
(Heck, even Canisius is getting in on the Wolverines' style with throwback sweaters that look like the GLI love child of Michigan and Michigan Tech.)
For Minnesota, the Gophers turned a scoreless first period Friday into an 8-2 loss. Saturday's game featured 2-0 and 3-1 leads going away and losing 6-3. (One silver lining: Cullen Munson getting his first collegiate goal...as a junior.) Through six weeks, Minnesota has blown multiple tie games and third-period leads. Young team or not, that's not the identity any group wants yet one the Gophers, unfortunately, can claim.
Showing posts with label Jerry York. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jerry York. Show all posts
Monday, November 18, 2019
Friday, June 28, 2019
College Hockey Stock Report (June 2019)
Another offseason month has come and gone.
October remains several months away, or as a question whose answer is "no." That doesn't stop news from happening, however. With plenty to discuss in June, it's time to go through what is trending up and what is trending down in the world of college hockey.
(7/1 Update: This was published about an hour before seven WCHA teams announced intentions to leave the conference in 2021. I wrote more about that decision and what it means for college hockey here. Obviously, things are trending down for the three blindsided schools not invited to the party.)
Up: Jerry York
No one's stock has been moving up faster after the past week. For good reason. College hockey's winningest coach (1,067 wins) received one of hockey's highest honors when York was announced as one of six Class of 2019 inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The longtime Boston College head coach, who has won five national championships between BC and Bowling Green, will be going in as a "Builder" along with current Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford.
Besides being well deserved, it is truly a big milestone for college hockey. Other NCAA coaches such as Herb Brooks and Bob Johnson are in the Hockey Hall of Fame, but York is the first who got in without coaching in the NHL. His induction may open the door to get other longtime college coaches into the HHOF as builders (or players/builders in the long overdue case of Red Berenson).
If the Hockey Hall of Fame honors was not enough, York's 2019-20 team received honors of its own. Three incoming Boston College freshmen - Matthew Boldy (Minnesota), Spencer Knight (Florida) and Alex Newhook (Colorado) - were selected among the top 16 picks. No other school had more than two first round picks.
Down: NCAA Tournament teams getting first rounders
Boston College's three were among nine players with collegiate were selected in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft. None of them went to teams who made the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
On one hand, it's a far cry from recent drafts. Six years ago, one player with NCAA ties was drafted and he ended up going to the CHL. On the other hand, there's no better way to sum up college hockey in 2019 than the stat of every NCAA team to get a first-round pick went to a big name school who missed the last NCAA Tournament.
October remains several months away, or as a question whose answer is "no." That doesn't stop news from happening, however. With plenty to discuss in June, it's time to go through what is trending up and what is trending down in the world of college hockey.
(7/1 Update: This was published about an hour before seven WCHA teams announced intentions to leave the conference in 2021. I wrote more about that decision and what it means for college hockey here. Obviously, things are trending down for the three blindsided schools not invited to the party.)
Up: Jerry York
No one's stock has been moving up faster after the past week. For good reason. College hockey's winningest coach (1,067 wins) received one of hockey's highest honors when York was announced as one of six Class of 2019 inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The longtime Boston College head coach, who has won five national championships between BC and Bowling Green, will be going in as a "Builder" along with current Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford.
Besides being well deserved, it is truly a big milestone for college hockey. Other NCAA coaches such as Herb Brooks and Bob Johnson are in the Hockey Hall of Fame, but York is the first who got in without coaching in the NHL. His induction may open the door to get other longtime college coaches into the HHOF as builders (or players/builders in the long overdue case of Red Berenson).
If the Hockey Hall of Fame honors was not enough, York's 2019-20 team received honors of its own. Three incoming Boston College freshmen - Matthew Boldy (Minnesota), Spencer Knight (Florida) and Alex Newhook (Colorado) - were selected among the top 16 picks. No other school had more than two first round picks.
Down: NCAA Tournament teams getting first rounders
Boston College's three were among nine players with collegiate were selected in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft. None of them went to teams who made the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
On one hand, it's a far cry from recent drafts. Six years ago, one player with NCAA ties was drafted and he ended up going to the CHL. On the other hand, there's no better way to sum up college hockey in 2019 than the stat of every NCAA team to get a first-round pick went to a big name school who missed the last NCAA Tournament.
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