Michigan College Hockey - NCAA Hockey, College Hockey News, Power Poll, Shot of the Week

Bulldogs take a bite out of BGSU

2009-11-08T22:08:00.003-05:00

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

After being swept by Alaska the week before, Ferris State got off their schneid by posting 5-1 and 3-2 victories at home over Bowling Green State.

The Bulldogs received much help from their power-play units on Friday night, as four of their goals came with the man-advantage.

Despite a goal by the Falcons’ Jordan Samuels-Thomas a minute into the second period, Ferris State answered back nearly seven minutes later with a power-play marker from senior Blair Riley.

Just before the mid-point of the stanza, the Bulldogs continued to dominate with the extra attacker, as center Aaron Lewicki and defenseman Brett Wysopal helped set-up freshman Travis Ouellette’s game-winning goal.

Fellow first-year player Matt Kirzinger scored his third of the campaign at 12:04, followed by an even-strength marker by junior Justin Menke to give Ferris State a 4-1 lead after two periods of play.

With charging and tripping calls assessed to Bowling Green early in the third, it didn’t take long for Ferris State to take advantage of the 5-on-3 opportunity, as Riley notched his second lamp-lighter of the contest just 59 seconds in.

Sophomores Chad Billins and Wysopal each finished with two assists apiece.

Goaltender Taylor Nelson finished with 22 saves for the Bulldogs, while the Falcons’ Andrew Hammond and Nick Eno combined for 30.

It was another case of overcoming adversity for Ferris State the following night, as they once again had to rebound from a one-goal deficit.

Following a power-play goal from Bowling Green’s Kai Kantola with 5:20 gone by in the first period, Ouellette was able to score the equalizer just three minutes later.

Ouellette worked his charm again later in the period by finishing off a pass from Scott Wietecha and Lewicki.

Wysopal, a transfer from Colorado College, would score his first goal as a Bulldog in waning moments of the second period in what later proved to be the game-winner.

With a little over three minutes in regulation, Tomas Petruska brought the Falcons within a goal by sneaking the puck past netminder Pat Nagle.

Lewicki garnered an assist on all three scores for Ferris State.

Eno held the edge over Nagle in the saves department by a 36-29 margin.

The Bulldogs (7-3-0 overall, 2-2-0-0 CCHA) will have a real test on their hands this weekend when they travel to Oxford, Ohio to face No. 1 ranked Miami in a two-game set.

Wildcats split with Buckeyes

2009-11-08T21:53:00.003-05:00

By Susannah Nichols/ Northern Michigan Beat Writer

The Northern Michigan Wildcats (2-5-1, 1-3-0-0 CCHA) blanked the Ohio State Buckeyes (3-6-1, 2-3-1-1 CCHA) on Friday night in a 1-0 decision. The team then lost in a 5-4 contest on Saturday evening. Mark Olver scored both nights for the Wildcats and goalie Reid Ellington had a total of 56 saves for the weekend.

Although Olver scored just 22 seconds into Friday's game--off a pass by Phil Fox--Ellington earned his first-star ranking by ensuring that the Wildcats' lead stood for the rest of the night.

The 'Cats and the Buckeyes played neck-and-neck for most of the evening. The Northern players demonstrated their tenacity by winning faceoffs 37-25, and they outshot the home team, but not by much: 13 shots apiece in the first period, OSU edging Northern 12-11 in the second, and Northern outshooting OSU 12-7 in the third.

Northern tried to replicate their performance on Saturday: they struck first again, this time thanks to Tyler Gron, who capitalized on a pass from Andrew Cherniwchan for his first goal of the season. Scott Macaulay was also credited with an assist on Gron's goal.

The 'Cats went up 2-0 late in the first, when Justin Florek and Erik Gustafsson combined to set up Olver for his second goal of the weekend.

The Buckeyes came out swinging in the second period, and despite being outshot 5-7, managed to tie up the game going into the third period.

A Northern power play early in the third gave Billy Smith the advantage he needed to put the 'Cats back on top. Special teams worked in Northern's favor later in the period, when Cherniwchan netted his first of the season (with some help from Gron and Fox) to give Northern a 4-3 lead.

The Buckeyes tied the game at 11:31, and a late period goal by Sergio Somma sealed the victory for Ohio State.

Ellington had 24 saves in Saturday's game.

Northern stays on the road next weekend; they face Notre Dame in South Bend on Saturday at 5 PM and on Sunday at 4 PM.

MSU blanks, ties Nebraska-Omaha

2009-11-08T11:15:00.006-05:00

By Matt Mackinder/Michigan State Beat Writer

Michigan State took four points last weekend from No. 10 Nebraska-Omaha in a rare Thursday-Friday series.

In Thursday's opener, Drew Palmisano made 31 saves and national scoring leader Corey Tropp had a goal and an assist for the 17th-ranked Spartans.

"We started out pretty quick, got a quick goal, which got us the lead," Palmisano told MSUSpartans.com. "It is always easier playing with the lead instead of being down or tied, and it forces them into making offensive plays and we took advantage of it. We had a lot of plays down in there zone and it made my job easier. I was not too busy, and when I was, it was not point-blank shots, it was shots of from the outskirts and shots I had to control my rebounds."

National Rookie of the Month Derek Grant tallied the other goal for the Spartans.

Friday night, the two teams skated to a 3-3 tie after overtime, but MSU lost the ensuing shootout, 2-1, in four shooters.

Mike Merrifield tallied a goal and an assist, while Chris Forfar and co-captain Nick Sucharski also scored in regulation.

Palmisano finished with 29 stops for MSU (7-2-1 overall, 4-1-1-0 CCHA).

"They played better and worked harder," Michigan State head coach Rick Comley said to MSUSpartans.com. "They didn't seem to have their jump last night. That is why I think a Thursday-Friday home series really hurts the home team. We don't get any skates, can't get together and are in classes. The visiting team is just here. I'm not taking anything away from them."

The Spartans have a home-and-home set with Michigan, swept this weekend by No. 1 Miami, next weekend starting Friday night in Ann Arbor and concluding the next night in East Lansing.

Lakers hammer Wayne State

2009-11-08T10:24:00.004-05:00

by Tom Balog / Wayne State Beat Writer

Mercyhurst’s dominance of Wayne State continued over the weekend as the #1 team in the country skated into the City Sports Center and swept the Warriors (3-5-2, 0-2-0 CHA) in rather convincing fashion.

Friday night the Lakers flexed their muscles and rolled to a 3-1 win on Skate for the Cure night.

Lindsey Park was brilliant in goal for the Warriors, but still couldn’t stop the Lakers from going up 3-0 on goals by Jesse Scanzano, Bailey Bram, and Vicki Bendus.

Sophomore blueliner Jill Szandzik roofed her first of the year at 18:21 of the third period to beat Lakers netminder Hillary Pattenden and spoil the shutout.

Park finished the night with 33 saves in the WSU net. Pattenden only needed to make 12 stops for MC.

Things didn’t get any better for the Warriors on Saturday afternoon as the Lakers cruised to a 7-2 win.

Scanzano kept her hot streak going against WSU, notching a hat trick and one assist to lead the Lakers to their ninth win in ten games this season.

Jess Jones and Kelley Stedman also scored a pair of goals each for MC.

Trailing 3-0, former Laker Lauren Ragen (pictured) got the Warriors on the board just 35-seconds into the second period with her second marker of the season.

"I got the puck out of the corner and was looking to pass it," said Ragen. "My linemates were screaming for me to shoot it and I did and it went in. I was so excited and actually tripped after that. I couldn't stop laughing."

Wayne State other bright spot occurred at 8:01 when Katrina Protopapas hammered in a power-play tally to make it a 4-2 game. Protopapas’s goal was her sixth power-play marker of the season which leads the nation.

Park started in net again for the Warriors, but wasn’t as sharp as Friday night. Park made 8 saves on 11 shots and was relieved at the 15:02 mark of the first period.

Delayne Brian finished out the game and stopped 14 of 18 shots.

Pattenden, playing in her tenth straight game for MC, turned away 23 of 25 shots.

Wayne State will return to action next Friday night in Madison, Wisconsin as they begin a two-game set with the currently sixth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers.

Photo courtesy of WSU Athletics

Warriors Skate for the Cure tonight

2009-11-06T00:01:00.000-05:00

Compiled by MiCHO staff

The Wayne State Warriors will welcome the top-ranked Mercyhurst Lakers to the City Sports Center in Detroit for the start of a two-game set this evening.

Tonight’s game will also be Skate for the Cure Night, continuing the CHA’s initiative to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer research and treatment.

It is the fifth annual Skate for the Cure event at the City Sports Center. While it is a positive campaign from a philanthropic standpoint, past Skate for the Cure games have not been kind to the Warriors on the scoreboard - Wayne State is 1-3 when hosting this event.

The Warriors fell to then-No. 6 Mercyhurst, 4-2, in the first Skate for the Cure game on Feb. 10, 2006. Wayne State dropped a 6-1 result to Minnesota State on Nov. 10, 2006, and a 5-3 decision to then fourth-ranked St. Lawrence on Nov. 2, 2007.

Last season the team snapped its losing streak, however, with a 4-3 victory over 10th-ranked Northeastern on Nov. 14.

On Saturday, the Warriors will be sponsoring a canned food drive to help feed those in need through the upcoming holiday season.

Tonight’s conference home opener will face off at 7:00 p.m. Saturday’s game will feature a 2:00 p.m. start for the series finale.

MiCHO Power Poll 11.04.09

2009-11-04T05:59:00.002-05:00

This week's MiCHO Power Poll has the Michigan Wolverines on top where they have been all season long.

Michigan went north last weekend and swept Lake Superior State on the road pretty convincingly.

The No. 2 Michigan State Spartans survived a scare in the first game of the series, but swept Western Michigan in a home-and-home set when all was said and done.

Changes in the poll this week see Northern Michigan drop to No. 7 and last week's cellar-dweller, Michigan Tech, move up to No. 6.

The rest of the poll is below.

1) Michigan (swept Lake Superior State)
2) Michigan State (swept Western Michigan)
3) Western Michigan (swept by Michigan State)
4) Ferris State (swept by Alaska)
5) Lake Superior State (swept by Michigan)

6) Michigan Tech (split with St. Cloud State)
7) Northern Michigan (swept by Miami)

Each week, MichiganCollegeHockey.com staffers will compile the MiCHO Power Poll. The poll will comprise the seven Division I teams in the state of Michigan.

MSU's Grant wins monthly CCHA award

2009-11-03T13:23:00.002-05:00

The CCHA announced today that forward Derek Grant of Michigan State has been named the CCHA Rookie of the Month for October.

Grant is tied for first in the nation in scoring among rookies with 10 points, including four goals and six assists. His scoring line ties him for second place overall in the CCHA behind teammate Corey Tropp. Grant has also been effective on the Spartan power play with a 3-4--7 line, which ranks second in the conference behind Tropp as well. His 1.25 point-per-game average ranks fourth nationally among rookies who have appeared in more than one game. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound forward began the season on a six-game scoring streak to help MSU claim a 6-2-0 record overall.

Grant was named CCHA Rookie of the Week for Oct. 12 after helping the Spartans sweep Clarkson the opening weekend of the season. He tallied a goal and an assist in his first career game on Oct. 9 and finished with the same totals in the second game. The 19-year old forward followed that performance with two assists in MSU’s Oct. 16 road win at Maine , marking his third straight multiple-point game. Grant added a goal in each game of a series split with No. 1-ranked Miami, Oct. 23-24.

Alaska forward Andy Taranto, Lake Superior forward Domenic Mondardo, Miami forward Curtis McKenzie, Michigan forward Chris Brown, Nebraska-Omaha goaltender John Faulkner, Notre Dame goaltender Mike Johnson and Western Michigan forward Trevor Elias earned special mention for CCHA Rookie of the Month for October.

Wolverines sweep Lakers in the Sault

2009-11-02T11:17:00.006-05:00

By Tom Balog/LSSU Beat Writer

The Lake Superior State Lakers (4-4-0, 1-3-0 CCHA) saw their losing streak stretch to three-games as the No. 5-ranked Michigan Wolverines came in to Taffy Abel and won two straight contests.

Friday’s opener wasn’t much of a contest as the Maize and Blue dominated in a 5-1 victory.

Scooter Vaughn, Carl Hagelin, Louie Caporusso, and Matt Rust all scored to give the Wolverines an insurmountable 4-0 lead after 40 minutes of play.

Senior Brad Cooper (pictured) finally got the Lakers on the board at 2:42 of the third period when he pounded in a puck from the side of the goal. Cooper’s 5-on-3 power-play goal was his third of the season.

Luke Glendening added his first of the season late in the third to seal Michigan’s third win in four games.

Brian Mahoney-Wilson stopped 27 shots for LSSU and Bryan Hogan turned away 24 for U of M.

Saturday’s game started much closer before the Wolverines pulled away for a 6-3 win.

"It was a completely different game [from last night], obviously”, said Michigan head coach Red Berenson. “They were all over us the first period and we knew they'd come out hard. They had us on our heels and I thought Hogan kept us in the game in the first period. Fortunately, we got the goals back that they scored and we kept the game on an even keel.”

The two squads traded goals in the first, starting with LSSU’s leading scorer Chad Nehring scoring his fifth goal of the season just 1:52 into the game.

Michigan (4-2-0, 2-0-0 CCHA) countered with a Ben Winnett breakaway goal just 18 seconds later to tie the score at 1.

Fred Cassini posted the Lakers back to a one-goal lead at 5:41 with his second of the campaign.

That was the last lead the Lakers would enjoy as the Wolverines blitzed the Lakers with four straight goals by Chris Brown at 13:38 of the first, Rust at 18:32 of the first, Brown’s second on the power play at 13:42 of the third, and then Tristin Llewellyn's first of the season into an empty net at 17:53 of the third period.

Will Acton cut the Wolverines lead to 5-3 with an unassisted goal with 1:01 left on the clock.

Winnett added his second of the game at 19:50 to cap the win for Michigan.

Mahoney-Wilson stopped 30 shots for LSSU and Hogan turned away a season-best 35 blasts for Michigan.

LSSU will now begin a four-game road trip beginning with a pair of games against the Western Michigan Broncos in Kalamazoo next weekend.

Michigan will return to Yost to begin a showdown with top-ranked Miami on Nov. 6-7.

Photo courtesy of LSSU Athletics

Bulldogs falter twice to Alaska

2009-11-02T10:02:00.007-05:00

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

For some strange reason, traveling to Fairbanks, Alaska been a bit of a challenge for Ferris State. With two losses over the weekend, the mystery of Alaska continues, as the Bulldogs are now 2-12-0 in their last 14 encounters out west.

Friday’s game looked to be different for Ferris State, as forward Blair Riley tipped in the puck from just outside the crease to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead with 14:31 gone by in the opening period.

The Nanooks answered back with a second remaining in the frame, when Joe Sova’s one-timer bounced off the pads of Ferris State goaltender Taylor Nelson and onto the stick of Nik Yaremchuk for the finish.

Alaska’s dominance on the power-play carried over into the second period, where they were able to notch their second goal of the evening with the extra attacker. The goal came at the 15:08 mark, as Carlo Finucci and Dion Knelsen helped set-up Aaron Gens in the slot, where he fired a shot through traffic to notch the game-winner.

In the final minute of the game, Bulldogs’ head coach Bob Daniels looked to generate some offense by pulling Nelson, but his plan backfired. With nine seconds left, Adam Cardwell put the game out of reach by tallying an empty-netter.

Nelson racked-up 27 saves, while counterpart Scott Greenham finished with 25.

It was more of the same for Ferris State the following night, as they lost a 3-2 decision in overtime.

Andy Toronto put the Nanooks on the board first when he lit the lamp for a power-play goal with just under three minutes left in the opening stanza.

The lead would be short-lived, thanks to an equalizer by the Bulldogs’ Aaron Lewicki (pictured left) just two minutes later. Tallying assists on the power-play marker were freshman Travis Ouellette and junior Zach Redmond.

Alaska regained control midway through the first period, thanks to another goal while on the man-advantage. After Taranto fired a shot from the right faceoff dot, the puck trickled off Ferris State defenseman Matt Case, where an opportunistic Sova finished the job.

Junior Mike Embach tied the game at two goals apiece with 18:14 gone by in the period, thanks to a nifty set-up by sophomores Brett Wysopal and Derek Graham.

Following a scoreless third period, it came down to sudden death, where the Nanooks’ Ron Meyer scored with 15.6 seconds remaining in the extra frame.

Netminder Pat Nagle made 31 stops in for the Bulldogs, compared to Greenham’s 22.

The pair of losses drop Ferris State to 5-3-0 overall and 0-2-0-0 in the CCHA.

The Bulldogs return home this weekend, where they will host Bowling Green for a two-game set, beginning Friday at 7:05 pm.

Photo courtesy of Paul McCarthy

Spartans sweep aside Western Michigan

2009-11-02T07:32:00.008-05:00

By Matt Mackinder/Michigan State Beat Writer

Michigan State earned their first sweep in CCHA play in more than a year by taking both ends of a home-and-home set last weekend from Western Michigan.

"I thought we played well tonight, better than we did last night," MSU head coach Rick Comley told MSUSpartans.com after Saturday night's 5-3 win in Kalamazoo. "I'm happy with our results, and it was great to get the fourth line on the board, too. I'd like to see us cut down on the penalties, but they are hard-work penalties, not ones that we're taking out of laziness.

"Our kids are working hard every week, and its nice to see them being rewarded."

Anthony Hayes and Dean Chelios, two-thirds of the freshmen fourth line, scored their first NCAA goals Saturday night with Chelios' early in the second staking MSU to a 2-1 lead. Andrew Rowe, CCHA scoring leader Corey Tropp and Dustin Gazley (empty net) added goals for the Spartans to back Bobby Jarosz's 21-save outing.

Jared Katz scored twice for WMU, while Chris Clackson also tallied. Riley Gill stopped 26 shots in net.

Friday night in East Lansing, Michigan State held on for a 2-1 win when a Max Campbell shot at the final buzzer was ruled to not have fully crossed the goal line before time expired.

Chris Forfar and Gazley tallied to put MSU up, 2-0, before Trevor Elias made it 2-1 late in the third period to extend his scoring streak to six games. That set the stage for the late flurry with Gill on the bench for the extra attacker.

"I had no clue," Palmisano told MSUSpartans.com on what he thought about during the final seconds. "I knew the ref wasn't pointing behind me, and everyone went to check it out and I was just hoping it wasn't a goal. And luckily things went our way tonight."

Palmisano finished with 23 saves, while Gill made 19.

The Spartans (6-2-0 overall, 3-1-0 CCHA), will host Nebraska-Omaha this Thursday and Friday, while Western Michigan (4-2-0 overall, 0-2-0 CCHA) hosts Lake Superior State this weekend for a pair.

The game Saturday night will be Military Appreciation Night at Lawson Ice Arena and the Broncos will pay special tribute to who are currently serving or have served in the United States military.

Wildcats drop both to No. 1 RedHawks

2009-11-02T06:43:00.008-05:00

By Susannah Nichols/Northern Michigan Beat Writer

Despite three goals by Mark Olver, the Northern Michigan University Wildcats (1-4-1, 0-2-0 CCHA) lost twice to the top-ranked Miami RedHawks (6-1-1, 3-1-0 CCHA) last weekend by scores of 4-3 on Friday and 2-1 on Saturday.

On Friday, the teams played evenly in the first period, each recording 12 shots. In the second, Miami started to run away with the game. Justin Vaive scored twice, and the RedHawks added two more goals, one on the power play, to take a 4-0 lead going into the third period.

Reid Ellingson took over in goal for Brian Stewart, and the team made his job a little easier by outshooting the RedHawks, 12-4, in the last period. Less than a minute into the period, Kyle Follmer started the comeback effort. Olver and Justin Florek were credited with assists. Florek and Billy Smith then combined to set up Olver's power-play goal at 7:12. Olver scored again, assisted by Erik Spady, to bring the 'Cats within one. Ellingson left the net for the final minute, but the RedHawks hung on for the victory.

Stewart finished with 25 saves; Ellingson with four.

On Saturday, Northern hoped to even the series, and Olver did his part by getting the 'Cats on the board midway through the first. Erik Gustafsson and Ray Kaunisto earned assists on the play.

In the second period, penalties hurt Northern, as Miami scored two power-play goals to take the lead.

Neither team scored in the final period when Miami outshot Northern by a 10-8 margin.

Ellingson, in net for the 'Cats, recorded 24 saves.

The team hits the road next weekend when they will take on Ohio State in Columbus.

MTU splits with the "other" Huskies

2009-11-01T22:31:00.006-05:00

By Andy Bourdeau/MTU Beat Writer

Michigan Tech (2-4-0, 1-3-0) came into the weekend looking to improve on their penalty kill and looking for their first win in WCHA play.

They earned their first win Friday night, posting a 3-1 win over the visiting St. Cloud State Huskies, who then returned the favor the next night with the same score.

Friday, MTU scored first with a John Kivisto shot from the blue line that somehow found its way in.

The visiting Huskies tied it up late in the second. In the third, MTU sophomore and leading scorer Brett Olson, scored a shorthanded goal, which was the eventual game winner. MTU's Alex Macleod put an empty-net goal in with seven seconds remaining to seal the deal.

Kevin Genoe started his first collegiate game and earned his first win with 26 saves.

"We wanted to win the special teams battle,” said Michigan Tech coach Jamie Russell. “We still have some areas to improve. Every game is close and our guys rose to the occasion tonight."

Saturday night, Genoe got his second start in a row, and the team was unable to stop the power play of SCSU, giving up two power-play goals early in the game.

Malcolm Gwilliam was able to cut the lead in half in the second, but MTU could not get any closer.

Genoe ended with 27 saves.

Russell was a little disappointed in his teams play on Saturday, stating that “discipline got the better of us.”

Michigan Tech will be at home again next weekend, hosting North Dakota for a two-game series.

Warriors split at Bemidji State

2009-10-31T22:10:00.003-04:00

By Tom Balog/ WSU Beat Writer

Wayne State (3-3-2) kept their record at an even .500 with a non-conference split on the road at Bemidji State over the weekend.

The Beavers used three, third-period goals on Friday night to romp to a 3-1 victory over the Warriors.

Wayne State’s lone goal came off the stick of freshman Julie Hebert at 5:19 of the third period. Fellow freshmen Lauren Ragen and Julie Ingratta assisted on Hebert’s third of the season.

Mackenzie Thurston, Erin Johnson, and Frances Dorr scored for BSU.

Delayne Brian stopped 21 shots, but suffered her first loss of the season between the pipes for WSU. Zuzana Tomcikova turned away 31 shots for BSU.

Wayne State rebounded on Saturday afternoon, scoring a spooky season-high six goals, in a 6-1 Halloween drubbing of Bemidji State.

Julie Ingratta started the onslaught with her second goal of the season at 2:09 of the first period.

Dorr tied it up for BSU about four minutes later, but that was the beginning of the end for the Beavers.

Micheline Frappier’s first of the season at 9:15 of the first proved to be the eventual game winner as the Warriors began to pour on the offense.

Katrina Protopapas (pictured) scored on the power play in the second period to give WSU a 3-1 lead.

The Warriors added three more in the third period to run away with the game.

Alyssa Baldin scored on the PP at 5:41, freshman Lauren Ragen notched her first collegiate goal at 12:03, and then Protopapas iced the game with 12-seconds left with her team high fifth power play goal of the season.

Lindsey Park made 31 saves in the WSU net for her first win of the season. Alana McElhinney turned away 18 shots for BSU.

Wayne State finished up their 4-game road trip with a 3-1 mark and will host CHA rival and currently ranked #1 Mercyhurst at the City Sports Center this weekend.

Friday's series opener is also Skate for the Cure Night, continuing the CHA's initiative to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer research.

Photo courtesy of WSU Athletics

Bulldogs get commitment from TC's Huff

2009-10-30T07:49:00.004-04:00

By Lance-Michael Correia
Traverse City North Stars

Traverse City North Stars winger Andy Huff has lit the lamp an astonishing 12 times through 15 contests so far this season, but he bagged his biggest goal of all on Wednesday: committing to play his college hockey at Ferris State University.

“Obviously, it’s something I’m pretty excited about,” said Huff, a Howell product whose tally total has him tied for the top spot in the North American Hockey League. “And to be going in as a true freshman next year is a huge bonus. While my focus right now is on helping this team win hockey games, the next goal will be to go in and try to contribute right away at Ferris.”

With his size (6-2, 210 lbs.), academic acumen (3.1 GPA/23 ACT), and torrid schoresheet pace this season, Huff was unlikely to last long on the radar screens of NCAA Division I hockey programs. However, his profile was enhanced recently when the National Hockey League Central Scouting recognized Huff on their annual draft watchlist, pegging Huff as a potential draft choice in rounds 3-5 of next summer's entry draft.

“Ferris has been tracking him since early on in midgets with the Honeybaked program,” said North Stars head coach-GM Anthony Palumbo. “And they’re very fortunate to get a kid like Andy. He can flat-out score goals. He’s made an impact at this level that you don’t often see from a 17-year old.

“Coming into the season, we were somewhat concerned about where some of our offense would come from with some guys out with injuries, but Andy stepped up, filled a void, and helped bridge the gap for us in a really big way.”

Huff – who had 34 goals and assists on 28 others last season with Honeybaked – scored his first junior goal in the Stars’ first game of the season on Sept. 12, and hasn’t slowed a bit. He has been held off the scoresheet in just four games so far and had a six-game goal streak snapped in the team’s last game on Sunday. He has 16 points through 15 games, owns a +10 plus-minus rating, has logged five power play markers, a pair of game-winners, and has amassed 10 points in the last seven games.

“The goals, the points are a tribute to linemates and teammates,” offered Huff, who plans to study Criminal Justice when he gets to Big Rapids next fall. “I’ve been fortunate to be a part of a winning team here and I’m excited about the potential to be a part of a special season. It’s been pretty exciting so far.”

Huff’s proclivity for offensive production is more attributable to his precision sniping – he’s third among NAHL skaters with at least 40 shots on goal with a 21.8 percent shot accuracy – as his persistence (t-11th with 55 shots). Huff is second on his own team in terms of attempts per outing, trailing Kyle Jean’s otherworldly 6.2 shots-per-game pace.

“You can coach guys on systems, teach them technique, help get them in shape, make sure their academics are being attended to, and a lot of other things,” Palumbo added. “But some guys just know how to score goals, and Andy’s definitely one of those guys who knows what to do with the puck.”

Huff is among more than 30 current and former North Stars who have joined the NCAA ranks in the club's four-plus seasons in the NAHL. Four current players – Jean, Dan Radke, Kelin Ainsworth and Tyler Marble – have signed with Lake Superior State University, and will face Huff and FSU many times in future CCHA seasons. Huff will also team with TC alum Kyle Bonis at Ferris State, as the former Stars captain is presently in his first season with the Bulldogs.

“We want to continue to be a place where college coaches can come and find NCAA-level talent,” Palumbo said. “And they got a good player and good kid in Andy. We knew he was good, that’s why we tendered him. But I’m not sure any of us could have predicted the impact he’d have right away. He’s leading the league in goals at age 17. That alone tells you he’s a special player with a very bright future in this game.”

Despite the attention from collegiate and professional scouts, Huff says he’ll just continue to work hard on and off the ice – and in the classroom – as he hones his skills.

“Of course, the NHL is in the back of the mind, but it’s way back there,” he explained. “That’s every player’s dream. But I certainly won’t be putting all my eggs in that basket, that’s for sure.”

MiCHO Power Poll 10.28.09

2009-10-28T06:47:00.003-04:00

This week's MiCHO Power Poll still has the Michigan Wolverines on top of the pack.

Michigan held on for a 3-2 win in Thursday night's home opener against a talented Niagara squad and then fell to defending national champion Boston University Saturday night.

Coming in at No. 2 once again are the Michigan State Spartans. MSU pulled out an overtime win Saturday night on the road at top-ranked Miami after losing in the final minutes Friday night.

Changes in the poll this week see Western Michigan move up to No. 3, while Lake Superior State falls from the third spot to No. 5.

The rest of the poll is below.

1) Michigan (beat Niagara, lost to Boston University)
2) Michigan State (split with Miami)
3) Western Michigan (swept Alabama-Huntsville)
4) Ferris State (swept Robert Morris)
5) Lake Superior State (split with Ohio State)
6) Northern Michigan (tied, lost to Bemidji State)
7) Michigan Tech (swept by Colorado College)

Each week, MichiganCollegeHockey.com staffers will compile the MiCHO Power Poll. The poll will comprise the seven Division I teams in the state of Michigan.

Broncos take both from game Chargers

2009-10-26T07:51:00.003-04:00

By Karl Henkel/Western Michigan Beat Writer

Western Michigan’s hot start continued over the weekend as the Broncos took two from host Alabama-Huntsville.

Both games went down the final seconds, but WMU, now 4-0-0, eked out back-to-back 2-1 victories.

In the opener, Trevor Elias scored his first collegiate goal. He put home a rebound with 9:42 remaining that gave WMU its first lead of the night.

Earlier in the evening, Cam Watson was awarded a penalty shot. He converted, beating UAH goalie Cameron Talbot for the first penalty-shot goal by a Western Michigan player since Pat Dwyer against Nebraska-Omaha back on Nov. 1, 2002.

Jerry Kuhn made 31 stops in his first start of the season.

In the second game, goals by Elias and Chris Clackson put WMU up 2-0 in the first period, and the Broncos, backed by Riley Gill’s 29 saves, skated away victorious for the second consecutive evening.

Western Michigan next faces Michigan State (4-2-0, 1-1-0-0 CCHA) in a home-and-home that begins at Munn Ice Arena Friday at 7:05 p.m. and concludes at Lawson Ice Arena Saturday at 7:35 p.m. These games will be WMU’s first conference games of the season.

NMU takes one point in Bemidji series

2009-10-26T07:13:00.011-04:00

By Susannah Nichols/Northern Michigan Beat Writer

Northern Michigan skated to a 3-3 tie with Bemidji State on Friday, but was blanked 5-0 the next evening.

Justin Florek and Mark Olver each had two points in the series and goalie Brian Stewart made 39 saves over the weekend.

Northern drew first blood in Friday’s game. Olver set up Billy Smith for his first goal of the season. Bemidji responded quickly and tied up the game within two minutes.

It was similarly back-and-forth the rest of the night. Northern scored on the power play midway through the second period (Ray Kaunisto, with assists by Florek and Kyle Follmer), and Bemidji then capitalized on their own extra-man advantage early in the third.

Northern inched ahead again when Florek banged in the rebound of a shot from Smith. Olver was also credited with an assist. With a minute left, Bemidji pulled their goalie. The move paid off as with ten seconds left in the game, Bemidji scored the tying goal.

Stewart had 23 saves in Friday’s game, and NMU outshot Bemidji, 28-26.

Saturday’s game wasn’t nearly as close.

Bemidji jumped out to an early lead when they used Northern’s power play against them when BSU captain Chris McKelvie scored shorthanded. The Beavers didn’t get another shot until the eleven-minute mark, but they made it count and went up 2-0. They scored three more times over the next two periods, twice even-strength and once on their power play. They also outshot NMU, 26-13.

Stewart had 19 saves and allowed the first four goals before being replaced by Reid Ellingson. Ellington finished with five saves and one goal allowed.

The Wildcats (1-2-1) face Miami, the nation's top-ranked team last week, next weekend at home.

Bulldogs sweep aside RMU

2009-10-26T00:55:00.009-04:00

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

The best things in life come in pairs, and for Ferris State it came in the form of wins, as the Bulldogs improve to 5-1 in the 2009-2010 campaign.

Friday’s game with the Colonials was clouded with uncertainty, as both teams traded control of the scoreboard four times.

Winger Blair Riley put Ferris State ahead early just 37 seconds into the game off an assist from Casey Haines, but Robert Morris would bounce back with a two-goal effort later in the period.

Riley found the back of the net once again, this time with a man down in the second period to tie the game at 2-2. At the 11:42 mark, the Bulldogs regained the lead thanks to defensemen Matt Case and Brett Wysopal helping set-up a power-play marker by senior Aaron Lewicki.

In the third stanza, forward Haines added an insurance goal while on the man-advantage, only to have the Colonials’ Furman South strike back shortly thereafter.

With a little over five minutes remaining in regulation, Chris Kushneriuk of Robert Morris snuck the puck past goaltender Taylor Nelson to force overtime.

Haines (pictured left) earned his third point of the night by scoring the game-winner on Brooks Ostergard with 32 seconds gone by in the extra period. Earning helpers on the play were seniors Cody Chupp and Riley.

Nelson earned his third decision of the season by stopping 24 shots, while Ostergard had 42 saves to his credit.

There was no shortage of point production for Ferris State on Saturday, with the bulk of their goals coming in the second period.

The Bulldogs were first to get on the scoreboard, when junior Todd Pococke fired a wrist shot over the reach of Robert Morris netminder Eric Levine at the 8:22 mark of the period.

The Colonials rebounded a mere 23 seconds afterwards, as Scott Kobialko took advantage of an odd-man rush to tie the game at one goal apiece.

Over the next four minutes, Ferris State would regain their footing thanks to goals by forwards Justin Menke and Matthew Kirzinger.

In a last-ditch effort to get back in the game, Robert Morris pulled Levine with two minutes left in the third period. The Bulldogs took advantage of the empty-net with 22 seconds to go, when juniors Mike Embach and Zach Redmond passed the puck up-ice to Lewicki for the finish.

Goaltender Pat Nagle collected 18 saves for Ferris State, while Levine finished with 48.

The Bulldogs begin CCHA play this weekend when they travel to Alaska for a two-game set. Puck drop for both contests in slated for 11:05 p.m. EST (7:05 p.m. local time).

Photo courtesy Ferris State Athletics

MSU gains split with top-ranked Miami

2009-10-25T21:34:00.007-04:00

By Matt Mackinder/Michigan State Beat Writer

On the road against the nation's top-ranked team, Michigan State found a way to see past the rankings and gain a stunning split with Miami in Oxford, Ohio.

Both games were nail-biters, with Andrew Rowe being the hero last night in scoring the overtime winner as MSU took a 3-2 win.

“I thought we had a pretty good game,” said Michigan State head coach Rick Comley. “We scored a couple of power-play goals early and we had a nice goal in overtime for the win. Our goalie had a great game against a powerful Miami team, and I am pleased with the way we played. Hopefully, we can take some of this momentum into next weekend.”

Derek Grant and Corey Tropp netted the power-play goals for MSU (4-2-0, 1-1-0 CCHA) and Drew Palmisano made 35 saves to earn the win in goal.

Friday evening, MU captain Tommy Wingels tallied the game-winner and second of the game for the RedHawks with 1:58 left in the third period when he batted in a puck out of mid-air past Bobby Jarosz.

"I thought we went toe-to-toe with a very good, experienced, physical team tonight," said Comley. "I thought Bobby was outstanding and we lost on a tough goal. Overall, I think we're getting a feel for how we're going to stack up with some good teams, and we're encouraged - now our next step is to put it all together and win games like this."

Grant scored the Spartans' only goal on a power play at 15:17 of the middle period.

Jarosz finished with 26 stops for MSU, who had a chance to get on the board early in the second period.

Less than a minute into the period, Rowe was awarded a penalty shot after Chris Wideman hooked him on a breakaway. Rowe was then stopped by Miami goalie Cody Reichard.

It was MSU's first penalty shot since March 16, 2007, when Justin Abdelkader had one against Michigan in the CCHA semifinals, only to have Billy Sauer made the save. MSU's last successful penalty shot came on Dec. 9, 2006, when Chris Mueller scored against Western Michigan.

Michigan State has a home-and-home set with WMU next weekend starting Friday night in East Lansing and concluding Saturday night in Kalamazoo.

Michigan's late rally spoiled by BU

2009-10-25T21:21:00.002-04:00

By Matt Mackinder/Michigan Beat Writer

Michigan entered the third period trailing 2-0 last night at Boston University and tied the game before allowing a late goal and losing, 3-2.

Robbie Czarnik and Matt Rust scored four minutes apart in the third period for the Wolverines, now 2-2-0 on the season.

"I thought we skated harder (in the third period)," UM head coach Red Berenson said. "I thought we competed better. We moved the puck better. We played with a little more confidence with the puck. We were playing evened up more -- a lot of four-on-four and five-on-five hockey. It wasn't so much about special teams. I thought we started to carry the play."

Joe Pereira stole the puck from Michigan goalie Bryan Hogan and stuffed home a wraparound at the 17:29 mark of the third period and the defending national champion Terriers held on the rest of the way.

Hogan finished with 19 saves in a game marked by intense physical play.

"When you're playing a game like this, it's always going to be physical," Rust said. "I think from the drop of the puck until the end of the game, when you got the puck, you got ready to get hit. It definitely played a role. Our team needed to do more of it. I think we got out-hit early in the game, the first two periods in particular. In the third period, we tried to play more physical and get the puck lower and we ended up getting more chances. I think that's a learning experience for us and we have to take that into our next series."

Michigan travels to Sault Ste. Marie next weekend to face Lake Superior State in CCHA action. Faceoff for both games is set for 7:05 p.m.

Colorado College handles Michigan Tech

2009-10-25T16:18:00.004-04:00

By Andy Bourdeau/Michigan Tech Beat Writer

Michigan Tech outplayed Colorado College when the two teams were even strength, but could not stop the Tigers on the power play and ended up getting swept on the road, 4-1 and 8-5, this past weekend.

The Huskies were unable to stay out of the box and keep the Tigers from finding the back of the net on the penalty kill. While the defense allowed 12 goals on the weekend, only one of the 12 goals scored were even strength, two were on an empty net, one was shorthanded and eight were power-play goals.

MTU captain Malcolm Gwilliam scored the only goal for the Huskies Friday night and put two more in on Saturday. MTU also received goals from Anthony Schooley, Alex MacLeod and Deron Cousens. Tech had a two-goal lead twice in the second period on Saturday, but could not keep it.

Huskies head coach Jamie Russell summed up the weekend, saying, "Power play sucked, didn't it?"

Michigan Tech (1-3-0, 0-2-0 WCHA) continues WCHA play at home this upcoming weekend against St. Cloud State.

Lakers split CCHA opener with OSU

2009-10-25T11:40:00.002-04:00

By Tom Balog/ Lake Superior Beat Writer

The Lake Superior State Lakers started the CCHA regular-season with a split against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Taffy Abel Arena.

The Lakers extended their winning streak to four-games with a 3-2 win over the Buckeyes in the Sault on Friday night.

Simon Gysbers, Steven Kaunisto, and Rick Schofield scored for LSSU and Brian Mahoney-Wilson made 32 saves.

Sergio Somma and Matt Bartkowski recorded tallies and Dustin Carlson stopped 28 for OSU.

Lake Superior gave up two leads in Saturday's finale and ended up falling by a 4-3 score.

Chad Nehring and Will Acton put LSSU up 2-0 in the first period, but OSU came back to tie the score.

Steven Kaunisto put the Lakers back on top, 3-2, with his second of the season at 3:56 of the second period.

Peter Boyd and Patrick Schafer both scored before the period ended and OSU held on for just their second win of the year.

Pat Inglis started in net for LSSU and was pulled after surrendering four goals on 23 shots. Mahoney-Wilson mopped up with in the third period with 12 saves.

Cal Heeter stopped 25 for the Buckeyes.

Matt Bartkowski and Sergio Somma also scored for Ohio State.

LSSU will conclude their six-game homestand by hosting the Michigan Wolverines in a pair of games next weekend.

Warriors earn sweep at Colgate

2009-10-25T11:19:00.003-04:00

By Tom Balog/Wayne State Beat Writer

The Wayne State Warriors finally cracked the win column with a solid road sweep of the Colgate Raiders over the weekend.

The Warriors (2-2-0) scored four goals in just over 20 minutes in Friday's opener and held on for a 4-3 victory in Hamilton, New York.

Gina Buquet started the scoring with her second of the season in the second period.

Julie Ingratta, Adrianna Pfeffer, and Veronique Laramee-Paquette all recorded their first markers of the season to push WSU to a 4-2 lead, late in the third period.

Colgate pulled their goaltender and scored an extra attacker goal with just 26-seconds remaining, but that was as close as the Raiders would get.

Beth Rotenberg, Amanda Kirwan, and Brittany Phillips scored for the home team.

Delayne Brian (pictured) started between the pipes for the Green and Gold and stopped 22 shots. Kimberly Sass turned away 26 for Colgate.

Wayne State took advantage of a Colgate miscue on Saturday afternoon and notched a stunning 1-0 overtime win at Starr Rink.

Colgate forward Brittany Phillips went to the box for holding at the 19:02 mark of the third period. Then, just 13 seconds into overtime, Veronique Laramee-Paquette rifled in a power-play tally to give the Warriors the win.

The goal was the fastest overtime goal in school history and gave WSU a 11-10-0 lead in the all-time series against Colgate.

Gina Buquet and Jenaya Townsend picked up the assists.

Delayne Brian stopped 22 shots for her second shutout of the season and third of her career.

Lisa Plenderleith took the hard loss after stopping 30 shots for Colgate.

The Wayne State Warriors will conclude their four-game road trip with a pair of games at Bemidji State next weekend.

Photo courtesy of Wayne State Athletics

Wolverines squeak by Niagara Thursday

2009-10-23T07:39:00.002-04:00

By Matt Mackinder/Michigan Beat Writer

It wasn't easy, but Michigan held on for a 3-2 win over a game Niagara squad Thursday night at Yost Ice Arena in the Wolverines' home opener.

Michigan built a 3-0 lead by the 11:38 mark of the first period on power-play goals by A.J. Treais (1:47) and Carl Hagelin (3:28) and then an even-strength tally from Robbie Czarnik. Treais' tally was the freshman's first NCAA goal.

Bryan Hogan made 32 saves for the win and said afterwards that seeing a lot of rubber kept him in the game.

"We haven't played in two weeks," Hogan said. "Every game I might fight it at the beginning, but that happens and these guys bail me out. You just have to play like it's a 0-0 game and not worry about the score."

The Purple Eagles got on the board late in the first period on a goal from captain Ryan Olidis and then Paul Zanette scored in the final minute of the second period, but NU could not find the equalizer in the third.

Adam Avramenko finished with 30 stops for Niagara.

"We knew it would be a tough game even though we got off to what you might call a false start with those two power-play goals," Michigan head coach Red Berenson said. "You knew Niagara wasn't going to go away and they didn't and they stayed in the game. They had pressure on us all night. As a coach, I'm not happy. I think our team has to play better than that. Certainly we knew we might be a little rusty, but we just didn't get better as the game went on."

Michigan (2-1-0) travels to defending NCAA champion Boston University on Saturday night.

"I think we'll play a lot better in our next game, I really do," said Berenson. "I think that this game was a measurement of where we are. We all know we can play better. I think that we needed this game. We can practice so long, but it's so much different and quicker and more physical in a game. I think this will help us in Saturday's game."

Treais photo courtesy UM Photo Services

MiCHO Power Poll 10.21.09

2009-10-21T05:58:00.002-04:00

This week's MiCHO Power Poll has the Michigan Wolverines still holding down the top spot, even after they were off last weekend.

Coming in at No. 2 are the Michigan State Spartans. MSU played well last weekend, but could manage only a split up in Maine.

Changes in the poll this week see Western Michigan move up two spots from No. 7 to No. 5 and Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan flip-flop.

The rest of the poll is below.

1) Michigan (idle)

2) Michigan State (split with Maine)

3) Lake Superior State (swept Canisius)

4) Ferris State (swept Connecticut)

5) Western Michigan (swept Mercyhurst)

6) Michigan Tech (idle)

7) Northern Michigan (idle)

Each week, MichiganCollegeHockey.com staffers will compile the MiCHO Power Poll. The poll will comprise the seven Division I teams in the state of Michigan.