Inside College Hockey | INCH Update Desk

INCH UPDATE DESK

October 31, 2005
Skinner Leaves Michigan State

Peder Skinner, a sophomore forward at Michigan State, has left the school to join the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League.

Skinner had played three of the Spartans' first five games in 2005-06, without recording a point. He had four assists in 20 games as a freshman.

Skinner's departure further depletes a Michigan State lineup that has been decimated by injuries and could be without as many as five forwards Friday night against Northern Michigan.

October 31, 2005
Kennesaw State Declines to Add Hockey

Kennesaw State will not be joining the ranks of Division I hockey programs and – most importantly for existing programs – will not become College Hockey America's sixth school, the university has announced.

"The biggest reason is the lack of money. We would have had to charge the students admission fees," Kennesaw State athletic director Dave Waples told the KSU Sentinel. "Hockey is very expensive to operate."

The decision leaves the CHA, which has offered any prospective sixth member a lucrative bonus package, one team shy of the six needed to maintain its NCAA Tournament automatic bid.

October 27, 2005
Bowling Green-Ferris State Game Postponed

Bowling Green and Ferris State skated to a 0-0 tie through one period Thursday night at BGSU Ice Arena before a line was hit while drilling a hole for a net between periods. As coolant continued to come up through the ice the game was called for safety reasons.

The Falcons and Bulldogs each had nine shots in th first period. When a time and date are determined the game will resume, starting in the second period, with Ferris State having 1:47 left on its power play.

As scheduled, BGSU and Ferris will play in Big Rapids, Michigan on Saturday, starting at 7:05 p.m.

October 27, 2005
Bentley Hires White as Assistant Coach

Bentley has named Mark White as an assistant coach effective immediately, head coach Ryan Soderquist announced. White was a four-year member of the hockey program at New Hampshire before playing professionally for three years.

“I’m excited to add Mark to our coaching staff,” said Soderqusit. “He brings a large amount of hockey experience after playing at UNH and as a professional. He has been successful wherever he has been and I feel that he will also be a success as a coach. I had the pleasure of playing with Mark at Arlington Catholic and look forward to working with him again.”

October 26, 2005
BU's Redlihs on Olympic "Long List"

Boston University senior Jekabs Redlihs is one of 20 defensemen named to Latvia's "long list" roster of candidates to participate in the 2006 Olympic Games in February.

Countries submitted "long lists" that included all potential candidates for their Olympic teams this week. Latvia's list, which was made up primarily of players playing in Europe this season, included two NHL defensemen.

Redlihs has played two games for the Terriers this season and 105 games in his career, posting seven goals and 16 assists (23 points).

October 20, 2005
Minnesota's Hirsch to Miss Season

Minnesota forward Tyler Hirsch has decided to apply for a medical hardship waiver for personal reasons for the 2005-06 season. By applying for the waiver, Hirsch hopes to preserve his final season of eligibility. A fourth-year senior this year, Hirsch looks to return for the 2006-07 season.

"This was not an easy decision, but one that I feel was the best decision for both myself and the team," Hirsch said. "I will use this year to concentrate on other aspects of my life, but I plan on returning to the team next season."

Hirsch missed three games toward the end of last season for personal reasons following a bizarre on-ice situation that followed the Gophers' WCHA Final Five loss to Colorado College (see second items from that night and the following night). After missing the WCHA third-place game and the Gophers' first two NCAA Tournament games, Hirsch returned to the ice for the NCAA Frozen Four.

"We're certainly going to miss having Tyler in the lineup this season, but we fully support his decision to take the year off and apply for a medical hardship waiver," head coach Don Lucia said. "We look forward to his return next season."

Hirsch had two assists in two games this season. The forward from Bloomington, Minn., led the team in scoring in 2004-05 with 11 goals and 33 assists for 44 points.

October 18, 2005
Auffrey Leaves Wisconsin

Sophomore forward Matt Auffrey has left Wisconsin to sign with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL, the Rangers announced today.

Auffrey had 3-5-8 in 25 games for the Badgers as a freshman; he had played one of the team's two games thus far in 2005-06. An Evans Mills, N.Y., native, Auffrey played for the U.S. National Team Development Program and was a sixth-round choice of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in 2004.

October 18, 2005
Air Force's Serratore Gets Extension

Air Force head coach Frank Serratore has signed a new five-year contract which will extend him through the 2009-10 season, the school announced today.

Serratore came to Air Force from the Manitoba Moose of the International Hockey League in 1997. He is currently in his ninth season with the Falcons. He has a 120-154-18 record at Air Force and an overall record of 169-246-27 in 13 seasons as a college head coach. In service academy competition, Serratore is 13-4-1 vs. Army overall and 12-4-1 vs. the Black Knights while at Air Force. Since Navy does not have a varsity team, the only competition is against Army. Serratore was the head coach at Denver from 1990-1994 posting a 49-91-9 record.

In his ninth season at the Academy, Serratore holds the school record for Division I wins. Prior to Serratore coming to the Academy in 1997, the Falcons had won 86 Division I games in 29 seasons. Serratore currently has 88 Division I wins in eight seasons. Chuck Delich won 49 Division I games in 11 years, John Matchefts won 17 in 11 years while Vic Heyliger won 20 in six years.