Inside College Hockey | INCH Update Desk

INCH UPDATE DESK

February 15, 2006
Slattengren Ruled Academically Ineligible

The college career of Colorado College's Aaron Slattengren is over. The senior forward has been ruled academically ineligible for the remainder of the season.

In 26 games with the Tigers this season, the Proctor, Minn., native scored 10 goals and added eight assists and posted his best offensive totals in 2003-04, scoring 15-14–29 in 36 games. For his career, the 24-year-old Slattengren scored 43 goals and 45 assists in 144 games.

Colorado College, losers of six of its last eight games, hosts Alaska Anchorage in a WCHA series at World Arena this weekend. The Tigers are fifth in the conference standings with 23 points, two behind fourth-place St. Cloud State and one ahead of sixth-place North Dakota.

February 14, 2006
Finalists Announced For Walter Brown Award

Three players from both Boston College and Boston University are among the 15 finalists for the 2006 Walter Brown Award, presented annually to the top U.S.-born college hockey player in New England.

Twelve of this year's finalists play for Hockey East schools. They are Chris Collins, Peter Harrold and Cory Schneider of Boston College; John Curry, Dan Spang and Brad Zancanaro of Boston University; Vermont's Joe Fallon and Jaime Sifers; Greg Moore of Maine; Massachusetts' Marvin Degon; Brian Yandle of New Hampshire; and Providence's Torry Gajda.

The three remaining finalists are ECACHL products Reid Cashman (Quinnipiac) and Tom Walsh (Harvard), and Tony Quesada, who plays for Atlantic Hockey leader Holy Cross.

February 14, 2006
BC's Collins Commits to Skills Challenge

Boston College senior forward Chris Collins is the first player to commit to participate in the first ever Frozen Four Skills Challenge.

Collins, the leading scorer in Hockey East with 24 goals and 24 assists in 28 games, will be one of 16 members of the East team. Groups representing the East and West will take part in events including fastest skater, hardest shot, puck control relay, rapid fire shooting and penalty shot contest.

Should the Eagles reach the Frozen Four, Collins will be replaced on the East roster for the event, which takes place at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee on Friday, April 7 – the day between the Frozen Four semifinals and final. The complete lineup of participants will be announced next month.

February 6, 2006
Owens Signs Contract Extension

Colorado College coach Scott Owens agreed to a seven-year contract extension that runs through the 2012-13 season. Details of the pact were not disclosed.

“I’m obviously very pleased to know that I¹ll be able to continue to work at such a great institution and lead this program for years to come,” said Owens, who graduated from Colorado College in 1979.

The winningest coach in Colorado College history, Owens enters this weekend’s series at St. Cloud State with a 171-87-19 career record. Under his guidance, the Tigers have won the WCHA regular-season championship on two occasions and made four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the 2005 Frozen Four.

February 6, 2006
Four Ex-Collegians Added to U.S. Olympic Roster

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Bret Hedican, a former St. Cloud State standout, was added to the U.S. Olympic hockey roster, replacing injured Los Angeles Kings rearguard and ex-Vermont skater Aaron Miller.

“We feel bad for Aaron that he’s unable to be part of the team,” said U.S. general manager Don Waddell. “At the same time we’re extremely fortunate to be able to replace Aaron with someone the caliber of Bret Hedican.”

Waddell also announced that three ex-collegians will comprise Team USA’s taxi squad for the tournament in Torino, Italy, which starts next week. Forward Matt Cullen, like Hedican, plays for Carolina and once skated at St. Cloud State. Ex-Minnesota Gopher Paul Martin, now with the New Jersey Devils, is the team’s reserve defenseman while Ryan Miller, the former Michigan State goalie who won the 2001 Hobey Baker Award, is the team’s spare netminder. But because the U.S. team already has three goalies on its roster, Miller won’t go overseas unless one of them is injured.

February 2, 2006
Umile Suspends Seven for Friday's Game at Maine

UNH coach Dick Umile has suspended seven players for the first game of this weekend's crucial Hockey East series against Maine for violating team rules. Forwards Josh Ciocco, Greg Collins, Brett Hemingway, Jerry Pollastrone, Mike Radja, Trevor Smith and Daniel Winnik will miss Friday's game in Orono.

"It makes no difference if we're going to play Maine on Friday night or we're playing a non-league game," Umile told Roger Brown of the Portsmouth Herald. "That's how we've done it, regardless of who we're playing, what it means, whether it's on TV or not."

Each of the suspended players has played in no fewer than 24 of UNH's 26 games this season. Winnik, a junior, is the team's leading scorer with 30 points in 26 games. Hemingway, also a junior, paces the Wildcats with 12 goals.

"We did something wrong and we have to be punished for it," Winnik said in the Herald. "We're just kind of disappointed in ourselves. We're looking forward to getting back to it and repay our team Saturday with a win. I really want to pay my team back for what I did."

The Wildcats, fourth place in the Hockey East standings, lead fifth-place Maine by one point with 10 regular season games remaining. The league's top four teams earn a home-ice berth in the first round of the conference playoffs.