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.

GREG WOLFE
Michigan State
Jr. | F | Canton, Mich.

Greg Wolfe

Key Statistics: Wolfe finished the 2011-12 campaign with 26 points, fourth-highest on his team and a nice jump from his 11-point output as a freshman the season before.

What He Does: While the numbers (11-15—26) don’t jump off the page at you, Wolfe had a knack for picking up points in major moments last season, notching three power-play goals and five multi-point games. There’s no doubt Torey Krug led the Spartan offense last year, but you didn’t have to watch closely to see what an asset Wolfe was to his linemates when he was on the ice, no matter the situation.

The Bigger Picture: Heading into the 2012-13 season, Krug and Brett Perlini have departed East Lansing, leaving Wolfe second among returning scorers. Although goaltender Will Yanakeff will provide a solid foundation for the Spartans defensively, a relatively young defensive corps will take some time to adjust to the college game and/or their added roles, putting pressure on Wolfe and the forwards to pick up the slack offensively if the Spartans hope to return to the NCAA Tournament in a very competitive CCHA.

Michigan State Coach Tom Anastos on Wolfe: “Greg represents everything you want in a college student-athlete.  He strives every day to be an elite performer in the classroom, in the community, and on the ice.  Based on his progress to date, I expect that he will soon emerge into one of the elite players in our league.”

A.J. TREAIS
Michigan
Sr. | F | Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

A.J. Treais

Key Statistics: Treais built on his point total for the second year in a row, tying for second on Michigan’s team with a 15-17—32 line. The senior also showed massive improvement in his all-around game, as his plus-minus rating jumped from a plus-1 during his rookie year to plus-4 in his second campaign to plus-24 as a junior.

What He Does: The Wolverines’ captain had a team-high 134 shots last year, showing a hunger and killer instinct that could make him one of the most dangerous forwards in the league this season. The key will be consistency, as Treais went through times where he looked like an All-American and other times where he was hard to spot on the ice. Building on a rock-solid second half of last season from the get-go is a must for Treais and his team to succeed.

The Bigger Picture: Michigan heads into the season as a favorite to win the CCHA title and earn a trip to the Frozen Four. With a deep defensive corps, a touted recruit slated to start in goal, and some depth up front, it’s easy to see why there’s a lot of positive energy emanating from recently renovated Yost Ice Arena. Treais will be a key player if this team is going to contend for championships this year and, as captain, all eyes will be on him to get Michigan off to a strong start.

MATT THURBER
Northern Michigan
Sr. | F | Beaver Dam, Wis.

Matt Thurber

Key Statistics: Having redshirted during the 2010-11 season when transferring to Northern Michigan after two years at Wisconsin, Thurber played a key role at both ends of the ice for the Wildcats, notching 30 points—tops amongst returning scorers—on 11 goals and 19 assists and also led the team with a plus-minus rating of plus-9.

What He Does: Thurber isn’t particularly large in stature, standing at 5-foot-9 and 192 pounds, but the senior is strong on his skates and can be a dominant force in the offensive zone. Once he carves a space to get open, he has shown solid hands and a nice scoring touch the Wildcats will need in what promises to be a very competitive final season in the CCHA.

The Bigger Picture: Thurber started last season with a goal against his former Wisconsin teammates on Oct. 7, but really got into a groove after Jan 1. He notched a hat trick against Alaska and scored nine of his 11 goals after the calendar flipped to 2012. Heading into his senior season with last year’s leading scorers Tyler Gron and Justin Florek graduated, consistency will the key for Thurber as the Wildcats try to re-engineer their scoring lines and build depth at forward.

With the onset of the 2012-13 college hockey season upon us, the prognostication is in full swing as conferences release their preseason coaches and media polls. Here are the results.

Atlantic Hockey Preseason Coaches Poll
Place, team (first-place votes), total points
1. Air Force (8), 112
2. Niagara (3), 101
3. Mercyhurst, 89
4 (tie). Bentley, 87
4 (tie). RIT, 87
6. Holy Cross, 74
7. Connecticut, 65
8. Robert Morris (1), 61
9. Canisius, 38
10. Army, 30
11. American International, 20
12. Sacred Heart, 19

CCHA Preseason Coaches Poll
Place, team (first-place votes), total points

1. Notre Dame (7), 105
2. Michigan (2), 100
3. Western Michigan (2), 97
4. Miami, 78
5. Ferris State, 67
6. Ohio State, 66
7. Michigan State, 56
8 (tie). Bowling Green, 43
8 (tie). Northern Michigan, 43
10. Alaska, 31
11. Lake Superior State, 29

CCHA Preseason Media Poll
Place, team (first-place votes), total points

1. Michigan (50), 903
2. Western Michigan (25), 825
3. Notre Dame (9), 765
4. Ferris State (3), 626
5. Miami, 622
6. Michigan State, 528
7. Ohio State, 438
8. Northern Michigan, 389
9. Bowling Green, 264
10. Lake Superior State, 232
11. Alaska, 150

ECAC Hockey Preseason Coaches Poll
Place, team (first-place votes), total points

1. Union (8), 118
2. Cornell (3), 110
3. Harvard (1), 98
4. Quinnipiac, 93
5. Yale, 77
6. St. Lawrence, 61
7. Dartmouth, 58
8. Rensselaer, 46
9. Colgate, 45
10. Clarkson, 41
11. Princeton, 25
12. Brown, 20

ECAC Hockey Preseason Media Poll
Place, team (first-place votes), total points

1. Union (18), 343
2. Cornell (11), 330
3. Harvard, 293
4. Quinnipiac, 246
5. Yale (1), 236
6. St. Lawrence, 159
7. Clarkson, 155
8. Colgate, 148
9. Rensselaer, 144
10. Dartmouth, 140
11. Princeton, 108
12. Brown, 41

Hockey East Preseason Coaches Poll
Place, team (first-place votes), total points
1. Boston College (9), 90
2. UMass Lowell, 74
3. Boston University, 73
4. New Hampshire (1), 63
5. Maine, 56
6 (tie). Northeastern, 44
6 (tie). Providence, 44
8. Merrimack, 38
9. Massachusetts, 35
10. Vermont, 23

Grand Forks Herald WCHA Preseason Coaches Poll
Place, team (first-place votes)
1. Minnesota (11), 121
2. North Dakota (1), 110
3. Denver, 91
4. St. Cloud State, 90
5. Wisconsin, 70
6. Minnesota Duluth, 69
7. Colorado College, 56
8 (tie). Nebraska Omaha, 51
8 (tie). Michigan Tech, 51
10. Minnesota State, 37
11. Bemidji State, 31
12. Alaska Anchorage, 15

94X WCHA Preseason Media Poll
Place, team (first-place votes)
1. Minnesota (24)
2. North Dakota (1)
3. Denver
4. Wisconsin
5. Minnesota Duluth
6. St. Cloud State
7. Colorado College
8. Nebraska Omaha
9. Michigan Tech
10. Minnesota State
11. Bemidji State
12. Alaska Anchorage

Steven Spinell

STEVEN SPINELL
Miami
Sr. | D | Vernon Hills, Ill.

Key Statistics: Spinell put up solid offensive numbers during his junior season, notching a career-high 12 points on one goal and 11 assists. But it was the defensive numbers that told the real story for the 6-foot-2, 216-pound blueliner. Spinell led his team with 70 blocked shots and posted a plus-minus rating of plus-17 on the year.

What He Does: The numbers above tell Spinell’s story. He’s a solid, reliable, physical defenseman who fits in well with Miami’s fluid offensive system and he will be a defensive leader for the RedHawks. The senior knows how to use his size and physicality effectively and he will provide stability for a young defensive corps that lost Chris Wideman and Cameron Schilling (among others) to graduation. For some perspective on Miami’s relative inexperience on the back end, consider this: Spinell has 109 career games under his belt and fellow senior Joe Hartman has 122. The other six defenders on Miami’s roster — four of them freshmen — have totaled just 61 career games.

The Bigger Picture: As noted above, Spinell will be counted on to eat up important minutes this year as some of his less-seasoned teammates adjust to increased playing time or college hockey. Clearly, coach Enrico Blasi has faith Spinell will deliver both on and off the ice; he named Spinell the team’s captain, an honor not taken lightly at Miami. With freshmen Ryan McKay and Jay Williams taking over in goal after both Cody Reichard and Connor Knapp graduated, that stability becomes even more important. The captain has already shown the ability to meet all of these requirements. Blasi believes the key to Spinell’s success this year will be in his ability to maintain his high standard of play and ability to lead by example without trying to extend himself beyond his skills and role in Miami’s system.

Miami coach Enrico Blasi on Spinell: “Steven a guy who just has the respect of everyone both on and off the ice. The way he plays and works hard on the ice made him a great candidate to be named captain … (Spinell and Hartman) can’t read your column and think they’re expected to do everything for our team. You need to play your game and be who you are, not trying to be someone that you’re not — that’s the trap that you fall into.”

ROBBIE RUSSO
Notre Dame
So. | D | Westmont, Ill.

Robbie Russo

Key Statistics: A member of the CCHA All-Rookie Team, Russo showed his offensive ability, finishing last year with a 4-11—15 line. All four of his goals came on the power play, and he notched a game-winning goal Nov. 25 against Lake Superior State.

What He Does: Russo offers a solid offensive game, demonstrating great poise with the puck, solid hockey sense, and a nice shot that made him a key member of Notre Dame’s power play last year. Improving defensively as the year went on, Russo—a right-handed shot—also demonstrated the ability to play on his off side. That versatility will be an asset for the Irish defensive corps; five of the eight blueliners on the roster shoot right-handed.

The Bigger Picture: The Irish stormed out of the gate last year, going 10-3-3 through Thanksgiving. After that point, however, the young team sputtered, struggling in December and throughout the second half to finish 19-18-3. Since Notre Dame made the Frozen Four in 2008 and again in 2011, the standards for success have risen and the expectation is the Irish will again fight their way to the top of the CCHA standings and reach the NCAA Tournament after last year’s absence. Russo will play a key role on a team whose major players have another year of experience under their belts.

Notre Dame Coach Jeff Jackson on Russo: “He came in as a freshman last year and certainly made an immediate impact on our team. I think the best part about his game is just his poise with the puck, and he has good instincts and a good shot that gave us depth on the power play at the point. As the season progressed, he got a lot better without the puck and defensively. The biggest thing he needs to work on is consistency—like any young player, he needs to learn to play the same every shift of every game.”

C.J. MOTTE
Ferris State
G | So. | St. Clair, Mich.

C.J. Motte

Key Statistics: In 12 appearances during his freshman season, Motte put up a modest 5-5-2 record for the national runners-up. It was his other metrics that have the Bulldogs optimistic that he’ll have no problem stepping into a starting role this year; Motte posted a 1.98 goals against average and a .925 save percentage.

What He Does: Featured as INCH’s No.1 incoming freshman goaltender heading into last season, Motte displayed a night-in, night-out consistency similar to that he showed with the United States Hockey League’s Waterloo Blackhawks in 2010-11. In limited action as a rookie—most of which came in the first half of last season before Taylor Nelson emerged as an every-night starter—Motte showed he can be cool and calm in high-pressure spots and displayed an excellent glove hand, particularly in shutout wins against Rensselaer and Miami on consecutive Saturdays in mid-October.

The Bigger Picture: Motte has not one, but two huge pairs of goaltenders’ pads to fill as Ferris State tries to follow up the greatest season in program history with another strong year. Last year’s primary starter, Taylor Nelson, and Pat Nagle, who started the three prior years, left their marks on the Bulldog record books while stepping up as team leaders. As shown by his key statistics from last year, the sophomore has a great deal of promise but this season will test his mental toughness and resilience. Bouncing back mentally after tough losses could be challenging—especially when the unavoidable comparison to last year come up. The Bulldogs do, however, have a great deal of talent returning and if Motte can maintain the consistency he showed last year and show up to the rink every day with the grit and determination Nelson showed down the stretch last year, the Bulldogs could be a player in the race for a second consecutive CCHA regular-season title.

Ferris State coach Bob Daniels after the national championship game on Motte and the Bulldogs responding to last season’s success: “I’d like to see how we respond now. I hate to wish away last year by already talking about next year, but I’m really interested to see how we respond to this and whether there’s going to be some kind of hangover or whether we can keep pressing forward. I think that’s a challenge for the players and coaches, but it’s one we want to try. I think in terms of talent level, there’s an ability level to have a very good year. Now we just need to do all the little things that this team was willing to do.”

MAX McCORMICK
Ohio State
So. | F | De Pere, Wis.

Max McCormick

Key Statistics: McCormick was one of three Ohio State forwards to crack the 10 goal mark last season, notching a 10-12—22 line on the season. With 20 of those 22 points (10-10—20) coming during conference play, it’s clear the sophomore picked up his game as the year went on. On top of his valuable five-on-five contributions, McCormick helped his team by staying out of the penalty box (just 14 PIMs in 22 conference games) and making opponents pay when they were a man down, as he tied for the team lead with six goals and 12 points on the power play.

What He Does: The sophomore plays a well-rounded game, and knows how to put the puck in the back of the net and distribute it to teammates in the offensive zone. As he prepares for the upcoming campaign hoping to take a personal jump and see the program sustain success in a way it couldn’t once 2011 turned to 2012 last season, McCormick might look to take more shots on goal—his 10 goals last year came on just 46 shots, a total that didn’t even put him in the top 10 amongst his teammates.

The Bigger Picture: In the final season of CCHA play before Ohio State joins what promises to be a highly competitive Big Ten, the Buckeyes will look to make some noise in the race for the conference title. After starting the year 14-4-1 last season, the Bucks fell off dramatically in the second half of the year, finishing with a 15-15-5 mark. With a team that boasted no more than a handful of upperclassmen among its top contributors, the drop-off was likely a product of inconsistency and tired legs rather than lack of skill. Look for McCormick to help lead the way this year, leaning on his well-rounded game and a nose for the net to sustain the Buckeyes’ success in 2012-13.