We got the INCH Podcast group together to review the NCAA Regionals and debate which teams were most impressive in the first round and which teams had the best overall weekends. We talk about attendance issues and regional sites, and wrap things up with conversation about George Gwozdecky and Denver. No deterioration needed, and that is no fooling.

INCH Podcast: April 1, 2013 (.mp3)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (22.8MB)

An Inside College Hockey tradition returns. It is the annual Selection Sunday edition of our INCH Podcast where Joe Gladziszewski, Mike Eidelbes, Kevin Zeise and Jess Myers discuss the bracket, the Hobey Baker finalists, conference tournaments and memories of the CCHA.

INCH Podcast – March 24, 2013 (.mp3)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (18.6MB)

Back by popular demand, the INCH Podcast is here to help you kill some time prior to this weekend’s conference tournaments. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so we dive right in and take a look around leagues with an eye on the upcoming NCAA Tournament. With the announcement of the Hobey Baker Award top 10 looming, we discuss potential candidates for that honor. And we’ll give you our early Frozen Four picks as well.

INCH Podcast – March 19, 2013 (.mp3)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (20.3MB)

We got the podcast crew back together to discuss a recent feature by Dave Starman at CBS Sports Network, who is compiling a list of the top 10 college hockey players of the last 10 years. Check out the list and vote here. We’ve got some thoughts on who we liked and other players who could be included.

Also, some other general thoughts about the college hockey season, way-too-early Frozen Four picks and the usual mix of deterioration including some remarks about a remarkable season so far for this women’s basketball team.

INCH Podcast – January 10, 2013 (.mp3)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (19.6MB)

The first INCH Podcast of the INCH Writers era is posted for your listening pleasure. Surprisingly there is more hockey talk than usual. As stated when we made the transition, our current editorial format doesn’t mean that we don’t like college hockey. The staff has lots to say about teams making an early impression.

INCH Podcast – October 30, 2012

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (20.2MB)

THE SKINNY

Some college hockey observers would say that the events of the 2011-12 season were a big step for ECAC Hockey member schools in starting to rebuild some credibility with regard to the league’s national perception. Union made the biggest statement by advancing to the Frozen Four and Cornell was a couple of shifts away from meeting them there. Colgate’s Austin Smith turned in one of the great individual campaigns we’ve seen in college hockey in recent seasons and should have won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. Even better news possibly awaits this year. Many of last year’s strongest teams should maintain their standing among the nation’s elite and others could make an even greater impact on the national scene. Here’s a look at what we expect to see in ECAC Hockey for 2012-13.

BREAKTHROUGH TEAM

We’ll be keeping an eye on Dartmouth this year. More on the main reason for that later, but it’s not just a one-man show. This was a team that dealt with some injuries and inconsistencies last year, but with those tribulations came some important on-the-job training for a young and talented roster. The likes of freshmen Tyler Sikura, Brandon McNally and Eric Neiley posted productive freshman campaigns, and sophomores Eric Robinson and Matt Lindblad tied for third in scoring. People in the program really like the size and potential of incoming goaltenders James Kruger and Charles Grant, who will be in the mix with veteran Cab Morris.

PRESSURE TO PERFORM

Cole Bardreau

Cornell is well-positioned for a big season and got a tremendous boost in last year’s fortunes from a dynamic freshman class. With an additional year of experience and a return to health for Brian Ferlin, this group of Big Red sophomores will be relied upon to take a leap forward and carry a bigger load this year. Joel Lowry, John McCarron and Cole Bardreau are the headliners in that group on offense and Joakim Ryan played a big role on the blue line. Avoiding a sophomore slump will be good news for the Big Red.

PRIMED FOR A FALL

There’s bound to be a fall in Colgate’s fortunes, but we’re not projecting it to be that drastic. When you lose two-thirds of the best line in the league to professional hockey (and it was a reasonable expectation that both Austin Smith and Chris Wagner would get at least a cup of coffee in the show this year, if, you know, the NHL actually existed). The loss of star power at the top of the list will be tough to cope with, but there’s a solid supporting cast returning and we think the Raiders will get a first-round home playoff series, but a top-four spot is a bit of a reach.

TOUGHEST ACT TO FOLLOW

Harvard’s seniors have a tough burden to meet in replacing the role that Alex Killorn played for the Crimson last year. He was the best big-game player in the league, with 20 points in his last 13 games down the stretch to lead Harvard to a top-four finish and berth in the ECAC Hockey championship game.

BEST PLAYER

Dustin Walsh

Let’s call it Austin Smith 2.0. A senior forward is back whose talent has never been a question, but has never really earned a spot as one of the best players in the league. That changes this year, as Dartmouth’s Dustin Walsh is healthy and poised for a big season. He was off to a red-hot start last year before a season-ending injury ruined a promising start. In eight games he had 10 points, after turning down overtures from the Montreal Canadiens the previous summer. This time around, provided he plays a full season, Walsh will be among the top-10 Hobey Baker finalists. Dartmouth was picked seventh by the coaches and 10th by the media in the preseason polls. Those same groups were wrong about Harvard last year (I was not), and we’re projecting Dartmouth to take on that role this year.

IMPACT NEWCOMER

He’s a newcomer to ECAC Hockey but brings a pretty impressive resume from his days in the CCHA. Bowling Green-transfer Jordan Samuels-Thomas led the Falcons in scoring in his first two years with the Falcons. He sat out last year after transferring and is in the fold for the Quinnipiac Bobcats this year. His sophomore year at BG produced nine goals and 21 points, backing up an 11-goal, 25-point effort as a freshman and he is an NHL draft property of the Winnipeg Jets.

UNSUNG PLAYER

It’s hard to recall a player who has consistently played at such a high level and is an all-league performer through an entire career with less notoriety than St. Lawrence’s Kyle Flanagan. Here’s a guy who hit the 100-career-point mark during his junior year, was a co-MVP for the Saints as a sophomore and is a two-year team captain. He’s averaged a point-per-game throughout his career and is incredibly consistent. He’s an All-American and Hobey Baker candidate as a senior, but we projected that prior to his sophomore year.

MARK IT DOWN
Three things you can take to the bank in ECAC Hockey this season

• Not many people will miss Atlantic City as the league’s championship-weekend venue. It was probably worth the experiment, but it didn’t work out. Credit to those people who were thinking outside of the box and tried to make something better, but this wasn’t it. Albany and Lake Placid are better options.

• Union will be just fine. The Dutchmen graduated important seniors Kelly Zajac and Nolan Julseth-White, and leading scorer Jeremy Welsh signed a pro contract following last year’s Frozen Four appearance. But there’s a lot of talent back in Schenectady …

• … continuing that thought, we’ll assert that at least one ECAC Hockey team will make the Frozen Four for the second year in a row. The most likely candidate is Cornell, but the strength of Union and Harvard can’t be overlooked.

THE SKINNY

With all the conference realignments that have taken place in recent years, Atlantic Hockey has been able to maintain its lineup … that is, until the 2014-15 season when Connecticut bolts for Hockey East. It’s been a good, stable run for Atlantic Hockey, with a recent influx of good goaltending making the members just a bit more competitive.

Atlantic Hockey is coming off perhaps the tightest finish in college hockey history (certainly over the last dozen years) with the top five teams separated by only two points and the top seven by just five. Expect more of the same, though some graduation losses will shake down a few teams.

In a continuing sign of the increased level of talent coming into the league, top talents in Cole Schneider (Connecticut) and Scott Arnold (Niagara) left early to sign pro contracts. Likewise, a number of Atlantic Hockey alums continue to join the minor pro ranks.

The playoff format will remain the same this season, which is a nice change from the previous five seasons. The Atlantic Hockey Final Four remains at Rochester’s Blue Cross Arena.

The league has still not secured an adequate television package, especially given the footprint of the circuit, so avid followers must go the subscription route to get a taste of action. Army, with its national brand, has secured the only three national cable appearances, with Air Force and Robert Morris.

PRIMED FOR A FALL

Holy Cross finished in a three-way tie for third place just two points from the top. The Crusaders lost a tough three-game quarterfinal series with Mercyhurst, but the biggest losses came later. Holy Cross graduated eight players, including four defensemen, and more than a third of its potent offense. Paul Pearl has brought in 11 freshmen, four of whom were junior hockey all-stars, so the bottom isn’t likely to drop out but it’s sure going to get harder.

Likewise, Robert Morris lost 10 players, including top two point-getters Trevor Lewis and Cody Crichton and No. 3 goal scorer Nick Chiavetta—that’s almost 40 percent of the Colonials’ offense—and starting goalie Brooks Ostergard (2.43 GAA) is gone, too.

PRESSURE TO PERFORM

Kyle De Laurell led Air Force in scoring with 38 points last season.

Air Force is still the team to beat in Atlantic Hockey despite losing top defensemen Scott Mathis and Tim Kirby. The Falcons lost only four players and return all-star netminder Jason Torf, who bounced back from a severe groin injury last October. Air Force has won all but one of Atlantic Hockey’s playoff tournaments, and coach Frank Serratore believes he has another solid team this season.

TOUGHEST ACT TO FOLLOW

Niagara made a tremendous run for the regular-season title, coming up a point shy of Air Force. The Purple Eagles reached the semifinals only to lose to Rochester Institute of Technology in overtime.

Admittedly, the Purple Eagles may be best situated for another run with the loss of just four players and the return of 12 of its top 13 scorers. However, the one critical loss is goaltender Chris Noonan, who established league records for goals against average (1.61) and save percentage (.944). That leaves the position to juniors Cody Campbell (21 career games) and Carsen Chubak (10 career games) and sophomore Colby Drost (six career games). If one of this trio can even come close to Noonan’s form, then Niagara should remain a contender, but history has proved only teams with top-flight goaltending win championships.

BEST PLAYER

Junior Brett Gensler of Bentley is coming off a breakout 50-point season with 23 goals (20 at even strength) and 27 assists. The Gridiron Club of Boston honored Gensler with its Walter Brown Award as the best American-born college hockey player in New England. Gensler ranks fifth among active Atlantic Hockey players with 74 points (36 goals). He doesn’t have blinding speed, but he gets the job done by playing smart positional hockey.

IMPACT NEWCOMERS

Atlantic Hockey teams have plucked a pair of players from the United States Hockey League: Air Force’s Christian Neumann (Chicago Steel) and Taylor Fleming (Fargo Force). RIT newcomer Anthony Hamburg, a Colgate transfer, was a 2009 pick of the Minnesota Wild.
Connecticut and Holy Cross signed a combined seven division all-stars from the North American Hockey League. The Huskies added forwards Joe Birmingham (St. Louis Bandits) and Joe Kalisz (Bandits), defenseman Joe Schmitz (Alaska Avalanche) and goalie Robert Nichols (Wenatchee Wild). The Crusaders added forwards Castan Sommer (Bismarck Bobcats) and Brett Lubanski (Kenai River Brown Bears) and defenseman Karl Beckman (Amarillo Bulls). Mercyhurst picked up forward Kyle Cook (Springfield Junior Blues).

STEVEN SUMMERHAYS
Notre Dame
Jr. | G | Anchorage, Alaska

Steven Summerhays

His Statistics: A combined 50 saves in the Fighting Irish’s wins over Maine and Nebraska-Omaha at the Ice Breaker Tournament in Kansas City, including 22 stops in Friday’s 1-0 shutout of the Black Bears.

His Impact: As was mentioned in our CCHA season preview, as Notre Dame’s goaltenders go, so go the Irish. Based on Summerhays’ performance in a pair of one-goal wins at the season-opening Ice Breaker, the Fighting Irish appear to be in pretty good shape. He made T.J. Tynan’s third-period goal stand up in the victory over Maine, then made 28 saves in the finale against UNO. In his last seven starts dating back to last March, Summerhays has a 5-2-0 record, a 1.22 goals against average, a .959 save percentage, and three shutouts.

His Runners-Up: Nick Bjugstad, Minnesota; Mat Bodie, Union; Ben Meisner, American International; Kevin Roy, Northeastern

Penn State freshman forward David Glen cemented his name in Nittany Lions athletics lore with his goal 38 seconds into overtime to give his team a 4-3 win—the first varsity hockey victory in PSU history—over American International in front of nearly 5,400 fans at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Saturday. “It was pure excitement,” the Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, native said following the game. “I’m really happy for the opportunity to be part of such a big moment in school history.”

WCHA referee Peter Friesema is in a world of trouble after making an off-handed remark about a bomb to an Alaska Airlines ticket agent at Anchorage’s Ted Stevens International Airport late Saturday night. Friesema, who was in town officiating the Alaska Anchorage Kendall Hockey Classic, was detained by authorities; the airport was evacuated and shut down for three hours. According to the Anchorage Daily News, Friesema pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct, but state and federal officials still could bring felony charges against him.

What Happened: We like round numbers as much as the next person, so congratulations to New Hampshire coach Dick Umile and Colorado College Scott Owens for collecting milestone victories this past weekend. Umile picked up career win no. 500 Friday against St. Cloud State—he’s the sixth active coach to reach that plateau—while Owens earned his 300th career win that same night against Clarkson.

What We’re Watching: Not long after Nebraska-Omaha launched its varsity hockey program in the mid-1990s, the old Civic Auditorium became one of the rowdiest venues in the sport. Then the Mavs moved to the sparkling, new CenturyLink Center in downtown Omaha and the home-ice advantage wore off.

According to Sunday’s Omaha World-Herald, if UNO chancellor John Christensen and athletic director Trev Alberts have their way, the Mavs will soon be on the move again—to a 7,500-seat, on-campus venue that will house the school’s hockey, basketball, and volleyball teams. The two will make their pitch to the University of Nebraska Board of Regents later this month. Alberts says the project, estimated to cost $65-80 million, will be privately funded.

What the …?: This line from the Sunday blog entry of Minneapolis Star Tribune writer Roman Augustovitz, who handles the Gopher hockey beat.

It was not a great Saturday night for WCHA teams. They were 3-4-2 … That won’t help conference teams in the all important PairWise ratings at the end of the season.

Yes, someone referenced the computer rankings before Halloween, before 11 teams have even played a regular-season game. Please hit me in the back of the head with a burlap sack filled with doorknobs.

@DeMike3316: Jared DeMichiel

Crazy I used to sleep in U of Michigan bed sheets when I was little, luckily I went to RIT

@SMadolora: Shane Madolora

tigers eat wolverines for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

Ex-RIT goaltenders DeMichiel and Madolora—two guys familiar with knocking off heralded foes—were quick to sing their praise to their alma mater following the Tigers’ 5-4 overtime win at Michigan Thursday.

THE SKINNY

After years of speculation and planning, it’s finally here—the 42nd and final season of CCHA play.

The league’s 11 teams are headed in different directions after this year—Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State to the Big Ten, Notre Dame to Hockey East, Western Michigan and Miami to the newly-formed NCHC and the rest to the WCHA—but that doesn’t mean that the rivalries in 2012-13 will be any less.

Coming off a season that saw the league put five teams in the NCAA Tournament and one in the national championship game, the CCHA looks poised to boast another solid season that could see the league extend its streak of Frozen Four appearances to seven.

BREAKTHROUGH TEAM

Andrew Hammond and Bowling Green expect a strong showing at the end of 2011-12 to carry over into this season.

After rumors of the program’s demise turned out to be greatly exaggerated, Bowling Green jumped back into relevance for the first time in many years with a playoff run to Joe Louis Arena in March. Heading into this season, the Falcons look poised to prove those playoff series wins at Northern Michigan and Ferris State and their hard-fought, overtime semifinal loss to Michigan weren’t flukes. Coach Chris Bergeron is making great strides with this program, and all that effort should pay off with a solid season led by senior goaltender Andrew Hammond—arguably one of the nation’s best—and a glut of returning scorers that really came on late last year.

PRIMED FOR A FALL

This isn’t saying Ferris State won’t be a solid, competitive team that may find itself in the mix for a return to the NCAA Tournament (and who knows after that, right?) but almost anything might seem like a letdown after a magical March and April last year. The Bulldogs lost some key cogs in Taylor Nelson, Chad Billins, and Jordie Johnston—all three boasted leadership and abilities that will be tough to replace. There are some very promising pieces on coach Bob Daniels’ roster, but repeating a deep tournament run and league regular-season title will be extremely challenging in a very competitive CCHA.

PRESSURE TO PERFORM

If you’re a fan of the INCH podcast, you’ve heard this one a few times—as Mike Johnson and Steven Summerhays go, so goes Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish have a strong team that should be in the mix for a conference title, but they’ll need steady play between the pipes. Johnson and Summerhays combined for a .893 save percentage last year, and a talented squad languished around the .500 mark for most of the season. Both goaltenders have shown flashes of reliability, but the Irish need it night in and night out and could struggle if Johnson and Summerhays don’t make the big saves.

TOUGHEST ACT TO FOLLOW

Diminutive walk-on Shawn Hunwick played his way into the hearts of Michigan fans and the program’s record books during a remarkable career at Yost. Jared Rutledge arrives on campus with a much stronger pedigree than Hunwick did and after Hunwick’s legend grew after two previous recruits bolted for the Ontario Hockey League before arriving on campus in recent years, he’s got physically small but figuratively massive pads to fill. Michigan fans are historically very tough on netminders and expectations are high for Rutledge, the former NTDP goaltender and under-18 world champion, especially after Hunwick raised the bar over the past few seasons.

BEST PLAYER

Western Michigan, led by sophomore goaltender Frank Slubowski, is our choice to win the 2012-13 CCHA regular-season title.

Western Michigan’s Dan Dekeyser is no longer a hidden gem—drawing attention from scouts across the NHL and playing a key role on a team that won the Mason Cup last March and one that should be a contender in the conference and nationally. And after surprising many by returning to Kalamazoo for his junior season, now is the time that he should emerge as the best that the CCHA has to offer. Dekeyser won’t blow you away with his offensive numbers—he posted identical 5-12-17 lines in his first two seasons—but he has shown a knack for the clutch with three of his 10 markers being game-winners and his elite defensive ability has helped him build a career plus-27 rating.

IMPACT NEWCOMER

After being selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft by the Winnipeg Jets, it’s clear Michigan freshman Jacob Trouba has the talent to be one of the best blueliners in all of college hockey. And now that the Wolverines will be without junior star Jon Merrill to start the year, Trouba will be counted on the make the jump to the college game even quicker than anticipated. Trouba will immediately take on a leading role in one of college hockey’s deepest defensive corps and Michigan will still be expected to remain one of the conference’s top teams.

UNSUNG PLAYERS

In recent years, Miami has had some great headlining names manning its blue line that people knew around the country. Players like Chris Wideman and Will Weber were rightfully feared by every opponent and their elite defensive skills helped build Miami’s program to perennial national notoriety. Heading into this season, the RedHawks don’t have big names like that on the blue line and a serious lack of experience outside of veterans Steven Spinell and Joe Hartman. Spinell and Hartman are safe, reliable defenders who can eat up serious time against opponents’ top forward lines and set a great example of how Miami hockey is played.

MARK IT DOWN
Three things you can take to the bank in the CCHA this season:

• Scoring depth will make all the difference in this league. There are a handful of elite forwards sprinkled throughout CCHA rosters, but the number of excellent defenseman and goaltenders is what really stands out. The ability to wear down opponents with relentless scoring threats will be what separates the cream from the middle of the pack in this league.

• Cody Reichard and Connor Knapp have graduated and moved on, but don’t expect a big dropoff in production in goal. Ryan McKay had an excellent USHL career in Green Bay, and coach Enrico Blasi has been very impressed with Jay Williams heading into the season.

• Ferris State lost a few pieces and is unlikely to make another run to the Frozen Four, but the Bulldogs won’t be pushovers. The key to last year’s team was depth, and there will be players rising from secondary and tertiary roles to keep Ferris State competitive, even if they can’t reach the heights they did last season.

THE SKINNY

It’s not the WCHA’s final season. The venerable circuit will live on beyond 2012-13.

But with Minnesota and Wisconsin bolting for the Big Ten and Colorado College, Denver, Minnesota Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota, and St. Cloud State off to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference next season, there is a certain victory-lap feel to the coming campaign. Fitting, perhaps, because WCHA supporters—a vocal bunch—would love to see one of its teams from the league as they now know it take a turn around Pittsburgh’s Consol Energy Center rink with a trophy in tow.

Minnesota enters the year as a favorite to not only return to the Frozen Four, but win its third national title in 12 years. The WCHA’s hopes aren’t bound solely to the Golden Gophers, however. As good as the league has been in the past, it’s not a stretch to envision any of 10 teams finishing in the top half of the conference standings.

BREAKTHROUGH TEAM

After a two-year leave of absence, expect Mark Zengerle and Wisconsin to return to the NCAA Tournament in 2012-13

Hard to believe Wisconsin was playing Boston College in the national championship in 2010. The team’s roster was gutted by underclassmen bolting for the professional ranks shortly thereafter, but after a couple of years of rebuilding, the Badgers have the look of a team ready to re-emerge this season. All but two key contributors from last year’s 17-18-2 squad are back, led by a trio of junior forwards—Mark Zengerle, who quietly scored 50 points last season, Michael Mersch, who led Badger forwards with 14 goals, and Tyler Barnes, who scored eight of his 11 goals against WCHA foes. Sophomore goaltender Joel Rumpel was terrific during the second half of last season, posting a 2.02 goals against average and a .931 save percentage in 15 starts after Jan. 1.

PRIMED FOR A FALL

A fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament in five seasons might be too much to expect from Minnesota Duluth. The Bulldogs only lost seven letterwinners from a year ago, but coach Scott Sandelin has the unenviable task of replacing a trio of forwards—the graduated Jack Connolly and Travis Oleksuk and early departee J.T. Brown—who combined for 65 goals and 160 points last season. Also gone are goaltender Kenny Reiter, who won nearly 65 percent of his starts for the Bulldogs, and two steady defensemen in Brady Lamb and Scott Kishel. With the likes of Caleb Herbert (14 goals) and Mike Seidel (17 goals) returning, the cupboard in Duluth certainly isn’t bare, but plugging Connolly- or Brown-sized holes in the lineup isn’t easy.

PRESSURE TO PERFORM

Hockey fans in the state of Minnesota were overcome with excitement this summer after the NHL’s Wild signed ex-collegians Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to lucrative free-agent deals. But until NHL owners can get the NHLPA to sign off on a collective bargaining agreement protecting the owners from, well, themselves, Parise, Suter, and Co. are on the shelf. For the time being, then, the hockey spotlight shines on the Minnesota Gophers, and the expectations are sky high. Winning the WCHA regular-season and playoff titles one last time would be nice, but following last year’s Frozen Four berth, anything less than a trip to Pittsburgh in April would be considered a disappointment.

TOUGHEST ACT TO FOLLOW

Offensive defensemen with the ability to play in every situation are a rare commodity, and the WCHA bid adieu to a pair of those players at the end of last season. Wisconsin’s Justin Schultz, as expected, bolted for the NHL, using a loophole to spurn the Anaheim Ducks, the team that drafted him in 2008, to sign a free-agent deal with the Edmonton Oilers. He scored 40 goals and 113 points in three seasons as a Badger. Then there’s Bemidji State defenseman Brad Hunt, who scored 112 points in four years with the Beavers and was arguably his team’s most valuable player in each of his four seasons in Bemidji. Hunt, now with the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves, actually registered more career points (112) than penalty minutes (100) at BSU, a rarity for a defenseman.

BEST PLAYER

Minnesota forward Nick Bjugstad spurned the NHL to return to the Gophers for his junior season.

Gopher fans breathed a sigh of relief during the off-season when Nick Bjugstad decided to return to college for his junior season rather than starting his professional career in the Florida Panthers organization. The monster forward, who scored eight goals as a freshman, potted 25 goals last season, second to only North Dakota’s Brock Nelson. Here’s the scary part—as good as Bjugstad was at times last season, consistency was an issue at times. Once he figures out how to bring his A game night in and night out, there’s no stopping him.

IMPACT NEWCOMERS

Lots of candidates to choose from here, but North Dakota’s goaltending tandem of Zane Gothberg and Clarke Saunders holds the most intrigue, especially for a team that’s pretty well stocked at every other position. Gothberg, who hails from Ralph Engelstad’s hometown of Thief River Falls, Minn., arrives in Grand Forks after two superb seasons with the Fargo Force of the United States Hockey League. Saunders, meanwhile, is a transfer from Alabama-Huntsville where, in spite of a 2-23-1 record, he managed to post a .906 save percentage. Neither goalie has to be otherworldly for North Dakota to succeed; in fact, steady should suffice.

UNSUNG PLAYER

St. Cloud State forward Ben Hanowski has steadily increased his scoring output in each of his three seasons with the Huskies, going from nine goals and 19 points as a freshman to 13 goals and 20 points as a sophomore to 23 goals and 43 points as a junior. Even more impressive—of his 23 goals last season, 18 came in conference play. Behind Hanowski, defensemen Nick Jensen and Andrew Prochno, goalie Ryan Faragher, and veteran forward Drew LeBlanc, who returns after missing all but 10 games last season with an injury, St. Cloud State has the look of a WCHA darkhorse.

MARK IT DOWN
Three things you can take to the bank in the WCHA this season

• Denver won’t have three goalies with 12 or more starts this season. Injuries forced coach George Gwozdecky to give the starting nod to Sam Brittain, Adam Murray, and Juha Olkinuora at various points throughout the 2011-12 campaign, but somehow the Pioneers didn’t skip a beat. Gwozdecky says all three will get playing time early, but expect Brittain to emerge as the go-to guy as the season progresses.

• Colorado College will lean on its defense and goaltending until the offense catches up. We’ve grown accustomed to typecasting the Tigers as an explosive offensive attack and while the pieces for scoring a lot of goals are there, it could take some time for younger players to grow comfortable in the roles previously held by Jaden Schwartz, Nick Dineen, and Gabe Guentzel. Until that happens, CC will rely on veteran goaltenders Josh Thorimbert and Joe Howe and a defensive corps that returns six letterwinners from last season to lead the way.

• The last month of the WCHA regular season in its current iteration will be a wild one. At the end of the 2011-12 regular season, 12 points were all that separated Denver, the league’s third-place team, from 10th-place Wisconsin. Expect that margin to be even tighter this time around.