The INCH Podcast crew checks in with a wrap-up of the recently completed college hockey season. We share our thoughts on the Frozen Four — both the games and the venue — and discuss our choices for INCH individual awards.

INCH Podcast – April 16, 2012 (.mp3)

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Whenever the topic of freshman players in college hockey comes up with coaches, words like adjustment, transition, and learning are sure to follow. And there’s no position that requires a greater learning curve in college hockey than that faced by defensemen. Denver freshman Joey LaLeggia made that transition successfully, balanced offensive contributions with defensive excellence and is the 2011-12 INCH Freshman of the Year.

Joey LaLeggia

LaLeggia joined the Denver program after playing his junior hockey with the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League. LaLeggia ranked fifth among all defensemen in points per game, and was the leading freshman blueliner in that category. He posted 11 goals and 38 points in 43 games, and held a plus-13 rating. Three of his goals and 15 points came while Denver was on the power play. He was durable, and appeared in all 43 games for the Pioneers.

He really hit his offensive stride in the middle of the season with 15 points over an eight-game scoring streak and a total of 20 points in a 12-game span.

The Burnaby, British Columbia native has a long way to go to match the cult-hero status that another Burnaby native holds in the Denver hockey community (Joe Sakic), but after a great freshman year, LaLeggia is off to a great start.

His Runner-Up: Scott Wilson, UMass Lowell

• INCH’s year-end awards are decided upon with input from the editorial staff of InsideCollegeHockey.com and in consultation with coaches and other college hockey followers from across the country.

Tradition dictates that coaching awards are presented to someone who has engineered the biggest turnaround from one season to the next. It’s not that those people aren’t deserving, but what of the coaches whose teams challenge for conference titles and NCAA titles year in and year out?

Dave Hakstol is one of those coaches. Despite a roster that was gutted by injuries, defections to the major junior ranks, and ineligibility and the controversy over the team’s nickname constantly swirling in the background, Hakstol guided North Dakota to the WCHA playoff championship and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA West Regional. A team that at Thanksgiving had a 4-7-0 overall record and a 2-6-0 mark in conference play hit its stride, going 22-6-2 in its last 30 games, including a 14-5-1 mark against league opponents.

There’s a reason just about everything went right for North Dakota during the last four months of the season. When the team needed timely goaltending from senior Brad Eidsness, it got it. When it needed offensive contributions from someone not named Corban Knight, Danny Kristo, or Brock Nelson, Carter Rowney and Michael Parks stepped to the fore. When players started dropping like flies due to injuries, unheralded players like defenseman-turned-forward Joe Gleason or freshman walk-ons Connor Gaarder and Dan Senkbeil ultimately proved to be more than just stop-gap options.

North Dakota is one of college hockey’s pressure cookers and the fan base, regardless of what has transpired in seasons past, has very little tolerance for mediocrity or even pretty good-ocrity. The folks in Grand Forks expect their hockey team to win; North Dakota did that this past season thanks to a masterful coaching job by Hakstol.

His Runner-Up: Norm Bazin, UMass Lowell

• INCH’s year-end awards are decided upon with input from the editorial staff of InsideCollegeHockey.com and in consultation with coaches and other college hockey followers from across the country.

If you’ve been following the INCH Hobey Tracker all season long, you’ve been keenly aware that our tendency has been to point toward the nation’s leading goal-scorer, Austin Smith of Colgate, as our favorite for the award. Smith didn’t win the Hobey Baker Memorial Award at the end of the 2011-12 season, that went to Minnesota Duluth’s Jack Connolly, but it didn’t change our thinking. Austin Smith is the 2011-12 INCH National Player of the Year.

Austin Smith

The numbers that Smith posted are remarkable. He scored a nation’s best 36 goals on the year and totaled 57 points in 39 games. His 1.461 points per game ranked third nationally, trailing only the other He had six short-handed goals, and seven power-play goals. The rest of his work was done at even-strength, meaning that 29 of his 36 goals came while the Raiders had equal or fewer players on the ice as the opponent. (Half of Connolly’s points came on the power play.) Smith was also remarkably consistent throughout the year. His longest streak without scoring a goal was two games.

“I think his statistics speak volumes about what he did, obviously the goals he put up. He had maybe three or four empty-net goals, a bunch of short-handed goals. These were not secondary assists, and we played some good teams this year. I’ve been at this a long time, and we had somebody who I thought could have arguably won the Hobey Baker in Andy McDonald, back in 2000, and I think Austin Smith has had the kind of year, and maybe in some ways even a little better than Andy McDonald had his senior year in 2000. I think that speaks volumes,” Colgate coach Don Vaughan said.

Smith’s standout senior season also impacted his team’s success. Colgate was just 11-28-3 in the 2010-11 season and finished 12th in ECAC Hockey before a deep run in the conference playoffs. The Raiders improved to 19-17-3 this season and earned a first-round playoff bye before returning to Atlantic City for the ECACH Championship weekend.

His Runner-Up: Jack Connolly, Minnesota Duluth

• INCH’s year-end awards are decided upon with input from the editorial staff of InsideCollegeHockey.com and in consultation with coaches and other college hockey followers from across the country.

That Michigan’s Shawn Hunwick, our choice for 2012 Inside College Hockey Goaltender of the Year, was one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award but wasn’t named to either of the American Hockey Coaches Association West All-American teams or the All-CCHA first team is fitting. The former walk-on is a rarity; a player who can be invaluable and undervalued at the same time.

It’s also fitting that in spite of his unconventional goaltending style—the lunging, the flailing, the diving, the cartwheeling, the desperation—Hunwick became Michigan’s primary asset. A guy who played like an invertebrate was the Wolverines’ backbone.

There were goalies who had better numbers and, let’s be honest, just about every netminder in the nation looked the part better than Hunwick who, at 5-foot-7, was an amalgam of Dominik Hasek’s acrobatics, Billy Smith’s fieriness, and Darren Pang’s build. But what made Hunwick so intriguing (it wasn’t his Horatio Alger-like rise to starter) was how his success and that of his team were so inexplicably intertwined. The Sterling Heights, Mich., native likely doesn’t make as big an impact on any other team; likewise, the Wolverines probably don’t win as many games if someone other than Hunwick is in goal.

And Hunwick won—a lot. In 40 starts, he was 24-12-3 with a 2.00 goals against average and a .932 save percentage. During the last two thirds of the season as the Wolverines pushed their way toward the top of the CCHA standings, earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament along the way, Hunwick was even better, going 17-5-1 with a 1.60 GAA and a .945 save percentage.

“As a coach, it just shows you—we don’t know everything,” Michigan coach Red Berenson told the Michigan Daily in October. “You don’t know everything about your players, you don’t know what’s inside a kid, and you don’t know what the possibilities are.”

His Runner-Up: Troy Grosenick, Union

• INCH’s year-end awards are decided upon with input from the editorial staff of InsideCollegeHockey.com and in consultation with coaches and other college hockey followers from across the country.

There were a number of very qualified candidates to consider when we choose the 2011-12 INCH Defenseman of the Year and each had many admirable traits. In making the selection, a number of factors were considered. Many defensemen put up big offensive numbers, as did this player. Several were standouts in the defensive zone, as was this player. Many assumed huge leadership roles on their teams, and this player certainly did. When all factors were considered, Michigan State’s Torey Krug was selected as the 2011-12 Inside College Hockey Defenseman of the Year.

His offensive production was great. Krug posted 34 points in 38 games, including a seven-game stretch from late January through mid-February in which Krug scored 13 points as Michigan State went 5-2-0 and solidified its place in the CCHA standings. His defensive work was noteworthy, as Krug posted a plus-17 rating and finished the regular season with a plus-21 rating.

Most importantly, Krug was the single most-important reason that Michigan State posted a winning season and made a return to the NCAA Tournament. He was a two-year captain, logged a ton of ice time and came up with big plays in the team’s biggest games. His peers recognized what he meant as Krug was selected as the CCHA Player of the Year and a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award.

Krug’s junior year was his last as a college hockey player, as he signed a professional contract with the Boston Bruins after Michigan State’s season ended and has already made his NHL debut. That’s not to say he didn’t have a complete college career. He was a 2012 AHCA West Region First Team All-American, a two-time First Team All-CCHA pick, and twice named as the CCHA’s Best Offensive Defenseman. Now, he adds INCH Defenseman of the Year honors to his impressive list of accolades.

His Runner-Up: Brian Dumoulin, Boston College

• INCH’s year-end awards are decided upon with input from the editorial staff of InsideCollegeHockey.com and in consultation with coaches and other college hockey followers from across the country.

The NHL’s Central Scouting Service has released its final ranking of the top players eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. The rankings list North American and European players separately, as well as separating goalies from skaters (forwards and defensemen).

The top-ranked player with college ties is U.S. National Team Development Program defenseman and Michigan recruit Jacob Trouba, who is ranked ninth. Others listed among the top 30 include Vermont recruit Zemgus Girgensons, a forward who currently plays for Dubuque of the United States Hockey League (18th); U.S. NTDP defenseman Brady Skjei, a Minnesota recruit (19th); Michigan forward Phil Di Giuseppi (22nd); Kent (Conn.) School forward Cristoval Nieves, a Michigan recruit (27th); U.S. NTDP forward and Wisconsin recruit Nick Kerdiles (29th); and Dubuque defenseman Mike Matheson (30th), who will head to Boston College in the fall.

The North American lists rank 210 skaters and 30 goalies, all of whom play in the U.S. and Canada. In addition to college players, the list features draft-eligible major junior players as well as a number of college-bound high school, prep, and junior players. The NHL Entry Draft takes place June 22-23 in Pittsburgh.

TAMPA, Fla. – Count me among the skeptics.

The trip to Tampa this year’s Frozen Four was a necessary evil. At least that’s what I had decided as the date approached. It’ll be hot and humid, and I’ll be sweaty and miserable. Outside of a few snowbirds and transplants from college hockey hotbeds, no one around here will care about the Frozen, especially with the Rays opening the baseball season with a series against the Yankees on the other side of the bay. And then Ferris State and Union qualify for the first time ever which, while great for the respective schools and college hockey as a whole, won’t generate heat in a non-traditional college hockey market.

Permanent venue? We think it works.

As has been the case more often than not this month (just look back at my NCAA picks), I was wrong.

Sure, there were empty seats for both Thursday’s semifinals and Saturday’s championship game, but the crowds have been enthusiastic. The Frozen Fest in the plaza just outside the Tampa Bay Times Forum was wall-to-wall-to-wall people prior to Saturday’s game. The weather has been great and fans to soak up the sun and enjoy the mild nights while taking in the sights in the area. The local media, especially the two daily newspapers here, have been terrific. There are signs trumpeting the Frozen Four all over the city—not just the Channelside area around the rink, but Ybor City, the airport, and other locales. Most surprising, the locals have embraced the event; sit down at a restaurant, belly up to a bar, go into a store, climb into a cab, or bump into regular folks at a night spot, and you’re likely to be asked if you’re here for the hockey tournament.

Clearly, this area knows how to host big events—Tampa is a frequent landing spot for the Super Bowl and hosts the Outback Bowl; the NCAA Final Four was in St. Petersburg in 1999 and basketball regionals have been held in both Tampa and St. Pete; and both the Stanley Cup and World Series have been here in the past decade.

So why not make Tampa the permanent Frozen Four host?

Scoff if you must, but it wouldn’t be unprecedented. Omaha is the permanent host of the College World Series and Oklahoma City is always the site of the softball’s championship. Turn the Frozen Four into college hockey’s version of a bowl game.

Think about it. Hotel rooms are plentiful and reasonably priced. Most airports across the country offer affordable flights to either Tampa or Orlando, which is a little more than an hour’s drive from here. There’s plenty to do around here—museums, theme parks, the beach. And by all accounts, the teams and fans who made the trip down here this week had a blast. Before long, planning a week-long trip to Tampa in early April becomes a must for college hockey fans.

When I floated this idea Saturday afternoon via Twitter, I was surprised by the blowback (which I assume came from people who aren’t here.)  Some suggested Tampa shouldn’t host if the championship game wasn’t a sellout. With more than 18,000 announced as the Saturday attendance, it wasn’t, but I don’t see that as the host city’s problem. And, hey, a few empty seats didn’t affect the quality of Saturday’s game. Unlike a major league baseball game, the Frozen Four isn’t something you go out and do on a whim. And you’ve known for how long this event was coming to Tampa? Stop complaining and get here!

The odds of something like this coming to fruition are unlikely. College hockey fans like to hang onto traditional sites like Boston (expensive city, iffy spring weather, mediocre rink) and St. Paul (affordable city, iffy spring weather, best rink in America). We assume the Tampa Bay Lightning won’t like the idea of wrapping up the regular season with road games every year, but why not give it a shot? We heartily endorse the idea.

F-Kyle Bonis, Ferris State: He was all over the place in Tampa, scoring a pair of goals in the Bulldogs’ semifinal win against Union and getting a couple good chances against Boston College Saturday.

F-Paul Carey, Boston College: Scored three goals in two games, including the game-winner that caromed off his glove in Saturday’s title game win against Ferris State.

F-Steven Whitney, Boston College: Had a pair of goals in the win against Ferris State to go along with a goal and an assist in Thursday’s semifinal thrashing of Minnesota. Constantly around the net.

D-Chad Billins, Ferris State: Didn’t score in either of the Bulldogs’ two games in Tampa, but fans sure got a good look at the why he was named a second-team All-American. Excellent puck skills and vision.

D-Brian Dumoulin, Boston College: Goal against Minnesota Thursday and an assist on the Eagles’ game-winning goal Saturday. It’s probably the last time you’ll see him in a Boston College uniform.

G-Parker Milner, Boston College (Most Outstanding Player): If you need us to tell you why Milner’s in this spot, you clearly haven’t been paying close enough attention.

Most people were skeptical of whether Ferris State could compete with Boston College. The answer is, obviously, yes, and the result was arguably the best game of this year’s NCAA Tournament. Lots of end-to-end action, great scoring opportunities, very few mistakes, and terrific goaltending from both Milner and Ferris State’s Taylor Nelson made for what was a satisfying end to what was an unpredictable and highly entertaining season.

Surely, Boston College earned a lot of respect from those in town covering the Frozen Four and by winning the title with its 19th consecutive victory to close the season, the team’s top-shelf status was undeniable. However, that front-running storyline probably short-changed the achievements of Ferris State. After being peppered about Boston College in media conferences since winning its semifinal game, including another query in Saturday night’s postgame, Ferris State goaltender Taylor Nelson expressed frustration in hearing about the Eagles once again. He had a right to be frustrated, and we’ll take the opportunity to say way to go Bulldogs. This was a very good team that had a great season.

“I gotta watch that tape again.”

Boston College coach Jerry York, when asked about the dangle-riffic goal scored by Eagles’ freshman Johnny Gaudreau in the third period of his team’s win.

@c_camps11:
When guys commit to Boston College, do they fill out their ring size on their NLI?

Former Miami RedHawk Carter Camper was denied a national championship by Boston University back in 2009, but the current Providence Bruins standout obviously has a pretty good bead on the goings on in Chestnut Hill.

TAMPA, Fla. – Five national championships, three in the past five years, 900-plus wins, 27 regular-season and playoff conference titles, numerous All-Americans and professional players, and an enduring impact on hundreds of hockey lives. Those are the quick and easy talking points about Boston College head coach Jerry York.

In the early days of INCH, we published a ranking of some of the all-time greatest coaches. In our minds, it’s undeniable nine seasons later that Jerry York has moved to the top of the list. Fittingly, York mentioned Bob Johnson as a huge influence in his coaching career after the national championship game, and some advice that York received from Johnson after coaching Bowling Green to the 1984 championship.

“It’s just like Bob Johnson said to me, if you get a blueprint … we’ve always tried to have excellent defensemen, we’ve had that through all these title teams. Our forwards have been explosive and very creative, whether it’s Brian Gionta or Barry Almeida, right through the list,” York said. “They all do share great team bonding, they’re all tight as groups and there are probably more similarities than differences in them based on my observation. All good goaltenders too, we’ve had a string of great goaltenders.”

POSITIVE ATTITUDE

George Roll, former head coach at Clarkson and a four-year player under York at Bowling Green in the early 1980s said that his coaching style emphasizes positivity.

“He’s extremely easy to play for. As long as you compete at a high level he doesn’t get upset about mistakes. He’s just a joy to be around, he’s upbeat and positive. I can barely remember any times in my four years where he was negative with any of the players and that’s his disposition, he’s able to handle things well and that translates to his teams,” Roll said.

Sure, there are great players, and that positive attitude gives them confidence to make things happen on the ice. It’s impossible to see what confidence looks like, but every time you see BC on the ice, you can see that it’s a team that has the proper mindset to make aggressive, creative plays. They have that trait, they have that confidence. Almost 30 years later, his current players echo what Roll experienced back then.

“It’s his positive energy,” BC senior defenseman Edwin Shea said, who wrapped a four-year career that included 139 games played for the Eagles under Jerry York. “Every day he comes to the rink and he’s the happiest guy, the most upbeat guy. He’s more upbeat than any player at the rink every single day. That’s contagious and it just brings a great environment to play in and everyone loves him.”

PEAKING AT THE RIGHT TIME

Confidence and togetherness are one thing, and the team also seems to play its best hockey at the end of the year.

“They obviously get a lot of great players to come to Boston College but what Jerry does so well is get them all aiming in the right direction at the right time of year. They went through some struggles, and I think in the end that kind of builds your team, builds your character, builds your foundation,” Vermont coach Kevin Sneddon said. “Once they all get going in one direction and all the pieces are syncing, they play their best hockey at the best time. To do that consistently every year is really special.”

Former Boston College star Ryan Shannon, currently a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning, saw his alma mater win a national championship in his current workplace. He recalled something he sees on an annual basis from York. The reason for Boston College’s success is that it doesn’t rest on what it has already achieved.

“It’s unbelievable. It’s the culture that he demands,” Shannon said. “He’s built this up for a very long time and it’s always about the next year. He’s going to enjoy this championship for probably a couple weeks, and it’s always been about the next season. I’m really proud to have been an Eagle, and even more proud since I’ve left.”

IMPACT ON COLLEGE HOCKEY

With 40 years in the Division I coaching ranks, including head-coaching positions at Clarkson, Bowling Green and Boston College, York has been a success across different eras and different circumstances. He’s regarded as one of the giants of the game by other current coaches when it comes to dealing with issues in the game at the national coaches convention.

“Quietly, he’s a leader among the coaches. He picks and chooses topics that he wants to get involved in, but when he speaks definitely the room becomes very quiet,” Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold said. “He’s an impressive man and he’s got a presence about him and gets a lot of respect, as he should, and as he deserves to have.”

All of the victories and all of the accolades are hard-earned and well-deserved, but York’s impact reaches far greater than his campus community or conference membership.

“When you look at guys like Jerry York, or Jack Parker, they’re the legends of our game. Ron Mason, they’re what you think about when you talk about college hockey coaches. It’s a source of inspiration for younger coaches, and they’re great ambassadors for the game,” Sneddon said. “They care about the game, not just Boston College, they care about college hockey and all that’s good about college hockey. He’s a legend.”