Archive for the 'Hockey' Category
01-15-2008
Magness-Gate
So, DU played Wisconsin this past weekend in Denver, and the series turned into a fiasco. No one could have possibly predicted the drama that would unfold, but it ended with very strange officiating from referee Paul Smith and his crew.
First, it never should have gotten to the point that it did. Denver jumped out a 3-0 lead early in the second period and completely dominated in all aspects of the game. However, Wisconsin slowly chipped back. If DU clears the puck late in the second period when they had an opportunity, Wisconsin never scores, and the game probably never gets crazy. Instead, a Denver player overskates the puck, Wisconsin grabs it and scores. Moments into the third, Wisconsin scores again, and it’s 3-2.
Even with that, Denver still should have held on. Chris Butler has the puck, but instead of holding onto it, or gently chipping it to center ice, he ices it, setting a faceoff with 3.7 seconds left. Freshman Tyler Bozak should have tried to win the faceoff, but tried to tie up Kyle Turris, who got it back to Matt Ford, who scores.
Schmidt goes to the replay, just asks for where the puck is at 0 seconds, and waives off what appears to be the tying score. Video replay on TV shows it IS a tying goal, and the next day, 2 hours before faceoff, the WCHA admits that Schmidt goofs.
With all that said, what kind of league sends out a press release admitting the referee made a mistake two hours before the same referee is going to referee a game between the same two teams? What a complete boondoggle! Schmidt clearly tried to atone for his gaff, awarding Wisconsin a goal when he had already blown the whistle, then tried to atone for that mistake later by awarding DU a goal that was scored on a high stick.
All this and more, when the circus comes to town!
Posted by Candace in Hockey | No Comments »
11-25-2007
DU-CC
Well, what a game last night. Very physical, tight defensively, and lots of speed. Much more impressive than what I’d seen beforehand at Air Force-Holy Cross. The WCHA is so deep and so good; clearly the best conference in the country, something I don’t like to admit as an east coast transplant who likes Hockey East. Can’t wait to see the Sioux come to town this weekend.
Posted by Candace in Hockey | No Comments »
09-25-2007
College hockey 07-08
The new season is almost here. I love winter. The NHL has been playing exhibition games, and college teams will be playing soon enough. This year, the Frozen Four will be here in Denver, and with a little luck, I’ll be covering it as press. Last year, I got to cover the West Regional at Pepsi Center and had a great time, in addition to seeing 3 spectacular games. Who knows what the season will bring? DU lost a few key players to graduation and the minors, as Corbin and Fisher graduated and Paukovich, Dingle and Seabrook bolted. However, their top scorers from last year, Trotter, Rakhshani and Ruegsegger are all back, as is standout goalie Peter Mannino, so they should be OK. Looking at some of the DU players who’ve gone pro early, you could only imagine how good the team would be if players like Carle, Stastny, Dingle etc., had stuck around for all four years. The WCHA could be wide open this year. Hockey East will have its normal top tier of BC, BU, UNH and Maine, with teams like UVM and Providence knocking on the door. How will BC fare after losing in the finals for the second straight year? The CCHA has defending champion MSU, and they could be strong again as well.
This should be a fantastic season!
Posted by Candace in Hockey | No Comments »
03-19-2007
Let’s skate!!!!
So, this weekend I’ll be at the Pepsi Center here in Denver with US College Hockey Online, covering the West regional. Denver, unfortunately, missed the playoffs for the second straight year. It came down to a dismal record down the stretch, and even that almost wasn’t enough to keep them out, but Wisconsin beat St. Cloud in the third place game of the WCHA Final Five and St. Lawrence beat Dartmouth.
So, there are some interesting matchups in the first round this year. Here in Denver, Minnesota plays Air Force and North Dakota plays Michigan. Like last year, I think the Sioux will knock off the Wolverines. They are one of the strongest teams in the country right now, and their sophomore line of Ryan Duncan, T.J. Oshie and Jonathan Toews is, in the words of Pioneers’ coach George Gwozdecky, “an NHL caliber line.” I’ll take the Gophers over Air Force in the other matchup; I don’t see Minnesota getting upset again like last year by Holy Cross.
In the other regionals, I figure Notre Dame will beat up on Huntsville. Michigan State-BU is tough to call, so I’ll pass. The Terries have one of the best goalies in the country in Curry, but the Spartans have a solid offensive attack; it should be interesting. Out in Rochester, Clarkson gets UMass, a streaky team down the stretch, and St. Cloud gets Maine, who folded down the stretch. If Maine can regain their early season form, they could come out of that region, but otherwise St. Cloud will probably play Clarkson. And in Manchester, BC gets St. Lawrence and UNH gets Miami. Those two game should be barnbarners.
Can’t wait to see who advances to St. Louis and the Frozen Four. There should be some multiple OT games this weekend somewhere.
Posted by Candace in Hockey | No Comments »
03-05-2007
Denver vs. Wisconsin
Well, the Pioneers ended their season on a down note, losing at home 3-0 to their archrivals CC, then just managing a tie with them on the road the next night, scoring 2 goals in 36 seconds.
The Pioneers finished 4th in the WCHA, but drew defending national champs Wisconsin in the first round of the WCHA playoffs. They get to play at home, which should help, but unless they rediscover their power play and start to play tighter defense, I fear that the Badgers might knock them down. The two losses to CC really hurt DU in the Pairwise, and might end their chances at the postseason, which would suck, since DU hosts the first round of the Western regional this year at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
Posted by Candace in Hockey | No Comments »
02-27-2007
Does college hockey make sense this year?
This year, I have had the pleasure and privilege of covering the Denver Pioneers for US College Hockey Online. I’ve always had fun following the college hockey games; I remember staying up to watch Harvard beat Minnesota in quadruple overtime in 1989. Two things remain from that game; the thrill of Harvard winning, and the very strange clear boards that were used by the rink.
I am of the opinion that college hockey has more going for it than pros do. The players are just a slight notch below the NHL, but they often seem more enthusiastic. What truly sets college hockey apart are the student fans; the cheers they come up with, and the way they get into the game, really add a new dimension to hockey in a way they don’t seem to with football or basketball, despite those two sports’ rabid college followings. Between the bowl games and March Madness, those two sports are practically institutions. Not so college hockey, which, like its bigger brother, the NHL, has contented itself with toiling in obscurity behind its cousins.
That’s a shame, because college hockey is a blast to watch. It really should have more of a following (so should the NHL, but that’s another item).
Having watched the scoreboards almost every day this year, I have to wonder at what is going on in college hockey this year. No team has been consistent week in and week in. Almost every team to this point has lost games it should have. Last year’s two finalists, Wisconsin and Boston College, have had troubles. Wisconsin faces the prospect of winning the WCHA tournament in Minnesota or not having a chance to defend its title. BC is in better shape, and should make the tournament, but they have been so maddeningly inconsistent that I forsee trouble in them advancing to the Frozen Four in St. Louis.
Some of the other traditional powerhouses have had equal difficulty. Minnesota was rolling along, but then came the sweep by North Dakota, complete with Robby Bina’s 198 foot goal (check it out here), and Minnesota has since struggled, most recently being swept by St. Cloud. In the east, Boston University again won the Beanpot, and has at times looked very strong, but still struggles to score goals. Maine had a hot streak at the beginning of the year, but has been mediocre since January, and UNH, while strong, just got crushed by Providence and traditionally melts away come playoff time. Notre Dame had been cruising in the Central, till losing to Ferris.
I hate to say the dreaded P word, but college hockey sure has a distrressing level of parity this year. It’s made for some great games, and real excitement watching the season progress, but it’s impossible to predict.
And, in a way, that brings me back to me earlier point about college hockey; it’s brilliant and exciting and gripping. Too bad so many people are missing it.
Posted by Candace in Hockey | No Comments »
10-17-2006
I miss the Avs
OK, so last night, I went to see an Avalanche game for the first time in 5 years, since the year the team won the Stanley Cup, when I saw two games. We won’t go into how expensive tickets in even the cheap seats are, but just address the performance of the team itself.
And oh, how I long for the days of yore. Walking into the Pepsi Center last night, it was hard not to notice all the jerseys of former Avs players that people were wearing, with names from the glory days like Drury, Roy, Foote, Deadmarsh, and even recently gone players like Blake and Tanguay. My husband was wearing a Bourque jersey, and I had on one from Forsberg, who I tearfully miss every time I see the Avs come out on the ice. Some of those names are gone due to the new economics of the NHL, but some are due to poor trades by the front office, especially the trade that sent Drury to Calgary.
Last night’s game was against the Blackhawks. Our seats were way up high, about 6 rows from the top, and behind the goal. Being at a game is still great, even though the view from up high isn’t as good as the one on TV. Given the choice however, I’d probably still prefer going to the game than watching it on TV.
The first thing that popped into mind watching the game was that the Avs look slow compared to the younger Blackhawks. That slowness translated into many penalties. The Avs had 6 penalties in the first period alone. Despite the penalties, they looked like the would escape the first period with a scoreless tie, but in the last 2 minutes the Blackhawks struck twice for quick power play goals.
After watching the mighty mites play between periods, I went out and grabbed some popcorn and a pop, plus a beer for my husband. By the time I got back to my seat, 3 minutes had elapsed in the second period and they were down another goal 3-0. It was looking bad, but later in the period the Avs showed some signs of life, and Joe Sakic scored on a laser of a wrist shot on a 5-3. Suddenly the team was bopping around, swarming Blackhawks goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, and former Hawk Tyler Arnason got a late goal that promised to make the third period interesting.
Early in the third, nightmare defenseman Patrice Brisebois tied the game on another power play goal. And yet, after working so hard to tie the score, the Avs went back to sleep, and Chicago outshot them 7-3 over the next 8 minutes, and Martin Lapointe scored from a bad angle shot that Avs goalie Jose Theodore should have stopped. Chicago added an empty net goal at the end of the game to win 5-3.
It became apparent that the Avs are looking at a long season, and I think they may not make the playoffs. Last night was the first home game the Avs didn’t sell out since 1996, further sign that the new economics have hurt the team.
What has further damaged the Avs are the rule changes and enforcement. During their glory days, the Avs often traded for veteran talent late in the season for help during the Cup runs. That strategy helped win the team 2 Cups in 1996 and 2001. However, the new NHL emphasizes speed, and the Avs are sorely lacking in that department. Brisebois came to the Avs from Montreal, where he had become a perennial boo-attracter, tiring the Canadiens fans with his often lackluster play. Despite his goal last night, Brisebois was a danger to the Avs any time he was on the ice, making several awful turnovers and lacking the speed to keep up with Chicago’s forwards. None of Colorado’s 4th line forwards look like they can skate, and their D is the classic big and slow paradigm from the late 90s, when clutch/grab hockey and the neutral zone trap threatened to bore the fans to death. The Avs would do well to let go of 2/3rds of their D and start rebuilding, bringing up younger players from the minors.
There is hope for the future. Rookies Paul Stastny and Wojtek Wolski both look quick, and Marak Svatos is a threat to score every time he carries the puck. He needs to shoot more and stop looking for the pretty pass, but that will come with time. Still, this will be a rebuilding year for the Avs, and they need to realize this isn’t 1999 anymore, and learn to develop young players instead of sign past their prime veterans.
Posted by Candace in Hockey | No Comments »