CCHA: Miami

Take your pick between Michigan, Notre Dame and Miami. All three teams have reached the Frozen Four in the last five seasons but have yet to take the title home. Don’t be surprised if any of the three will be making travel arrangements to Tampa the final week of March. If I were to pick a team, I would pick the Miami Redhawks. This group of seniors reached the national title game in 2009 and the Frozen Four in 2010. After steamrolling the competition en route to the CCHA tournament title in 2011, they fell flat in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Head coach Enrico Blasi will have some big shoes to fill as 45 percent of their goal production is lost due to the graduation of Andy Miele, Carter Camper, Justin Vaive and Pat Cannone. Miele also won the Hobey Baker Award last season.

Just like they have done over the last few years, they will look to reload with experienced veteran players to make up the lost goal production. There seems to be a different player stepping up every year, and it shouldn’t be any different this year. And you can’t forget they are solid in goal with the tandem of Connor Knapp and Cody Reichard.

Hockey East: Boston College

One thing I can count on is a team with Boston in its name playing for a national title. Last year was the first year since 2005 that Boston College or Boston University failed to appear in the national championship game. In that span, Boston College was 2-2 while Boston University was 1-0. The B.C. Eagles are among the top teams in the nation, as they are currently the top team in the nation in the USA Today and USCHO.com polls.

Last season, the Eagles swept the Hockey East regular season and tournament championships, but were upset in the first round of the NCAA tournament when they lost to Colorado College. Legendary bench boss Jerry York still has high expectations for his squad, but they will have to do it with a new No. 1 between the pipes. Junior Parker Milner is the new guy in goal, having the fill the shoes of the graduated (and two-time national champion) John Muse. Miler did win 13 games in his first two seasons as a backup, so he has the experience and confidence necessary for the role. There are two rookies behind him so it’s all-or-nothing should he succeed or struggle. The Eagles won 30 games last season, and it will be quite the feat should they return to the 30-win plateau this season.

2010 first round pick (14th overall) Jaden Schwartz of Colorado College/St. Louis Blues.

WCHA: Colorado College

Just like the CCHA, the WCHA is stacked deep with talented teams. The standings will become a game of musical chairs and the music won’t stop until the final night of the regular season. I have the feeling that North Dakota, Colorado College, and Minnesota could contend for the national championship. As well as Denver looks on paper, I can’t overlook the fact their top goalie Sam Brittain won’t be back until January due to knee surgery.  Despite North Dakota having one of the best goalies in the nation in 30-game winner Aaron Dell , they have to find a way to replace 128 of 177 goals scored last season. For those keeping score at home, that’s 72 percent. Despite finishing sixth in the conference last season, look for the WCHA champion to come from Colorado Springs.

While everyone but Wisconsin is returning their starting goalie, the most complete team on paper is Colorado College. The Tigers should have a healthy Jaden Schartz, who was putting up Sidney Crosby-type numbers (47 points in 30 games) before suffering an ankle injury while playing for Canada in the World Junior Championships. He missed all of January and returned mid-February. Should the sophomore and St. Louis draftee continue on the same tear, he has to be a contender for the Hobey Baker Award. His linemate and brother Rylan, isn’t too bad himself as he had 10 goals and 28 assists in 41 games.

Looking across the hockey landscape, here’s some interesting things I came across:

Minors:

• Grand Rapids Griffins goalie Daniel Larsson is one step closer to playing for the Detroit Red Wings. The big club called up Larsson today to backup Jimmy Howard as Chris Osgood has missed the last two games with the flu. The Red Wings played Wednesday and Thursday night and the recall happened this morning. This could mean Osgood might be out for a while.
• On February 20, the Syracuse Crunch and Binghamton Senators are playing an outdoor hockey game. It’s the first in the history of the AHL, and a politician is trying to make it an annual event to “bring luster to central New York”. Can we say a P.R. move to gather votes for 2010? Charles Schumer (D-NY) is up for re-election next November.
•  Everybody and their brother has now seen the video of Louisiana Ice Gators head coach Brent Sapergia throw everything in sight on the ice in protest of a call. I think I would he just as angry if I found out I had to coach a hockey team in the Southern Professional Hockey League. I do give him credit, his team was down 5-1 at the time before a rally of goals resulted in a 5-4 loss.
  

College:

• Defending national champion Boston College is 2-5 and 1-4 in conference play this season. That’s not good for the Eagles. Last season, they had six overall and five Hockey East losses all season.
• Miami is showing why they are the no. 1 team in the nation as they swept Michigan last weekend. Wolverines head coach Red Berenson was so disgusted that he said  “I’m embarrassed.” “We played like a bunch of spoiled brats, and we’ve gotta suck it up.” When your team takes 51 penalty minutes in the third period of Saturday’s game, that’s what spoiled beats who need to suck it up play like.
• My alma mater, Ferris State University, is off to its best start since the 2002-03 season. That year, Chris Kunitz was a Hobey Baker finalist when he led the Bulldogs to the CCHA regular reason championship and a first-round win in the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs swept three straight home series for the first time in school history when they swept Bowling Green. The team is 7-3 overall and will play at Miami this weekend. Tonight’s game will be shown on the NHL Network at 7:30.
• The second-largest college in the nation is letting its students in for free because they struggle to fill the seats at its over-sized arena. Ohio State plays in the 17,500 seat Value City Arena. The attendance so far has been averaging 1,604 fans. For those keeping score at home, that’s 9.2 percent. When the NHL franchise in the same town is in competition for the hockey dollar a fringe hockey market, you play second fiddle. Maybe the Buckeyes should play the first month or so on the road, so they will get people to come when football season ends and the Blue Jackets are in last place.

Juniors:

• This year’s World Junior Championships will be held in Saskatoon and Regina, Alberta beginning December 26. For our friends in Saskatchewan, you will be able to enjoya ticket to the United States-Switzerland game December 27 in Saskatoon with purchase of a pre-tournament exhibition game between Switzerland and Austria in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan December 21.
• In an effort to get women to hockey games in Saginaw, Michigan, the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit is hosting a “Ice Hot Girls Night Out” tomorrow night vs London. The event will feature a fashion show, prize packs, and display tables from local salons and spas.
• The PEI Rocket of the QMJHL has to postpone gamesthis weekend vs Baie-Comeau Drakkar and Shawinigan Cataractes because a number of players showed symptoms of the H1N1 virus. Hockey fans might have to get used to this as the season progresses. While players and teams are trying their best to sanitize and keep the players as healthy as possible, once a player or team staff contracts H1N1, it will be a matter of time before it spreads due to the close quarters hockey players are in.
• The holiday season is around the corner. Several junior and minor league teams will hold various charity drives and fundraisers to support the local community. One of my favorites is the Teddy Bear Toss, where when the home teams scores its first goal, fans get to throw a stuffed animal on the ice. The toys are then collected and donated to charity,usually a childrens hospital. Where else can you throw something on the ice during a game and not get kicked out? No where! I’m personally making a note to attend the Plymouth Whalers’ Teddy Bear Toss game vs Sault Ste. Marie on December 5.

Yesterday the “small” three conferences were previewed. Today, the “big” three conferences are previewed.

Hockey East: Terriers Hope to eat Competition Again

Boston University won the National Championship in one of the greatest hockey games you will ever see. With an extra-attacker on the ice and trailing Miami 3-1, the Terriers scored twice in the final minute and took the title 11:47 in the first OT period to win the title for the first time since 1995. In one of the toughest conferences in the nation, the Terriers received six of the 10 first-place votes in the coaches poll. In addition to the Terriers, look for UMass-Lowell and  Boston College attempt to dethrone Boston U with Vermont leading the rest of the teams in the conference.

CCHA: Both Coaches and Media Hail to the Victors in Michigan

Michigan forward Louie Caporusso hopes to lead the Wolverines to the Frozen Four at Ford Field in April.

For the first time in four years, both the coaches and media agree on the same team in the preseason poll. The Wolverines are always a favorite in the conference, as they have qualified for the NCAA Tournament 19 years in a row. That is quite an astonishing streak considering the amount of turnover due to graduations and players turning professional. Like Michigan State in basketball, Michigan hockey has the chance to play for a national title in its own backyard as it’s only 44 miles from Yost Ice Arena to Ford Field. Look for Miami and Notre Dame to challenge Michigan at the top of the standings, with Miami taking the tournament championship.

WCHA: Pioneers are Head of the Class

Denver finished last season with a bad taste in its mouth. One of the top teams in the nation, they lost to #5 seed Minnesota- Duluth in the WCHA Championship game. The following weekend they lost in the first round to eventual runners-up Miami. The Pioneers look to bounce back in what was a down year for the league as only three teams qualified for the tournament. A sharp contrast compared to 2005 when five teams qualified and all Frozen Four participants came from the WCHA. There’s several teams that can challenge the Pioneers, including Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Look for the Badgers to take the conference title this season.

ECAC: Bulldogs are Favored in Both Polls

Last season, Yale won both the regular-season and conference championships. They earned a #2 seed in the East Regional before losing in the first round to Vermont. Both the coaches and media are picking the Bulldogs to repeat. They return virtually all of their offense as each of their top-ten scorers return for this season. While Yale is the favorite, don’t sleep on contenders Cornell and Princeton.

Atlantic Hockey: Air Force Looks to Keep Flying High

Air Force has qualified for the NCAA Tournament each of the last three seasons. Last season, they tied for the regular-season championship with RIT, but it was the Falcons who not only won the Atlantic Hockey Tournament, but upset #4 seed Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Falcons are picked to win the conference again this season, but expect the Tigers and Mercyhurst Lakers to take a shot at knocking down the Falcons.

Bemidji State will have to go through Niagra if they want to achieve the same magic as last season.

College Hockey America: Beavers and Purple Eagles Split Final CHA Preseason Poll

In the final season of College America, Bemidji State and Niagra are head of the class while Robert Morris and Alabama- Huntsville follow behind. With four teams in the conference, it feels like a band going out on tour one last time before disbanding. The Beavers are going to the WCHA next season, while Robert Morris and Niagra are moving to Atlantic Hockey. The Chargers are still looking for a conference after being denied by the CCHA over the summer. The Beavers were the Cinderella team last season, advancing to the Frozen Four in Washington D.C. as a #4 seed. Only one team will come out of this conference, will the Beavers qualify again? Will the Purple Eagles want some of the Cinderella magic the Beavers had this season? Expect Bemidji State to take the conference title again.