| INCH NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK |
CAMERON BURT
RIT
Sr. | F | Detroit, Mich.

Cameron Burt
His Statistics: 1 GP, 2-3–5, 6 shots, +3 rating
His Impact: Burt was at the center of the action all night long as RIT played its annual early-season game at the downtown Rochester Blue Cross Arena. After a 0-0 tie in the season-opener against Niagara, this game had plenty of scoring. Burt got the Tigers on the board just three and a half minutes into the first period, but his most important contributions came at the end of the game.
RIT trailed 5-4 in the closing seconds of the third period, but Burt assisted on Adam Hartley’s goal with nine seconds left to send the game to overtime. On the first shift of the extra session, Burt was also in on the assists as Adam Mitchell scored at 14 seconds of overtime. RIT got a 6-5 win in front of an enthused hometown crowd of more than 10,000 at Blue Cross Arena.
The game in downtown Rochester has become a tradition for the Tigers and will continue for at least the next two seasons as part of the school’s Brick City Weekend (Homecoming). The next two opponents are Penn State in 2012 and Michigan in 2013.
His Runners-Up: Kyle Jean, Lake Superior State; Jeremy Langlois, Quinnipiac; Josh Robinson, Michigan Tech; Riley Wetmore, UMass Lowell
| STICK SALUTE |
Well before Detroit and Warroad, Minn., staked claim to the moniker, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., the home of Lake Superior State University, was the first U.S. city dubbed Hockeytown. Based on the early-season play of the Lakers and their north-of-the-Mackinac-Bridge brethren Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan, perhaps Hockey Peninsula is a more appropriate nickname.
The three teams have a combined 11-1-0 mark, with the lone loss belonging to NMU; the Wildcats dropped a 3-2 decision at Wisconsin on Oct. 8. We’re not sure how long this run will last—Northern Michigan hosts Michigan this weekend, and Michigan Tech faces Denver and Lake State goes to Miami next weekend—but if we know anything about Yooper hockey fans, they’re enjoying the moment.
| BENCH MINOR |
In our slightly reformatted First Shift for the 2011-12 season, we’ve eschewed a dedicated space for Rankings Outrage and instead will be folding some of those ideas into our other categories. This season has been rife with surprising results in the early going, and that makes ranking teams a little difficult. One thing we can’t seem to reconcile with what we saw in the other national polls is the overall support for a 1-3-0 Minnesota Duluth team, that has played all four of its games on home ice. Sure, it’s no easy task to deal with Notre Dame nor Minnesota, but there wasn’t any room for the Bulldogs in the INCH Power Rankings. In our opinion, they haven’t proved that they belong to be listed among the nation’s top-20 teams.
| SAY WHAT? |
What Happened?: Over the years, we’ve grown accustomed to New Hampshire’s method of restocking its lineup—freshmen and sophomores mature and assume the role as the team’s offensive weapons as upperclassmen. And while it’s worked in the past, the Wildcats are struggling mightily thus far, outscored by 15-1 margin in their first three games.
“It’s frustrating of course,” senior forward Stevie Moses told Al Pike of Foster’s Daily Democrat following UNH’s 5-1 loss to Boston College Saturday. “We expect to win every night. But I think we’ve gotten better each period … If we can finish a few more pucks and maybe tighten up in the D-zone a little bit I think we’re going to be pretty good moving forward.”
What We’re Watching: Our Friday Four-cast is reserved for later in the week, but there are already some interesting decisions to be made about which games matter most this early in the year. One of those series is taking place in Providence, as the undefeated, upstart Friars host the 1-3-0 defending national champions from Minnesota Duluth. Of course it’s only two games, but it’s another chance to gain some knowledge about two teams with eyebrow-raising results thus far.
What the …?: Whoa, whoa, whoa down everyone. Among several coverage stories forecasting end-of-season NCAA brackets, the publication of rankings of NCAA Tournament criteria, and the buzz in some social media circles there’s already thoughts on the end-of-year national showcase. We’re not even into November, people. Relax and enjoy the season. The NCAA Tournament stuff will sort itself out over the next several months. Forecasting and projecting the bracket now is like declaring the horse with the cleanest break to be the Kentucky Derby winner.
| TWEET OF THE WEEK |
@derekschooley Derek Schooley – 15 Oct
We could have had a CHA reunion weekend as Niagara, Robert Morris, Air Force and Bemidji all in Col Springs. #goodleague #cha
• All Robert Morris coach Derek Schooley needed to do to complete the roundup of ex-College Hockey America members was extended an invitation to Alabama-Huntsville and get the Wayne State band back together. That last one might be difficult.



Garrett Roe

JACQUES LAMOUREUX
His Statistics: 3 goals, 2 assists, 5 points, plus-minus rating of +4 in wins against Notre Dame and Brown.
His Statistics: 2 GP, 2 W, 2 Shutouts, 63 saves vs. Ferris State