Spartans announce three more commitments for '13-14

Michigan State Press Release

Michigan State has announced that three more players will be joining the Spartan hockey program for the fall of 2013.

Forwards Thomas Ebbing (Troy/Chicago Steel), Villiam Haag (Gothenberg, Sweden) and defenseman Chris Knudson (North Barrington, Ill./Wichita Falls Wildcats) will join previously-signed forwards Joe Cox (Chelsea), JT Stenglein (Greece, N.Y.) and Mackenzie MacEachern (Troy) as the newcomers for the 2013-14 season.

"We are very excited about this class," said MSU coach Tom Anastos. "They possess a nice blend of scoring ability, size, speed, toughness and tenacity that will help us continue our evolution into a championship-caliber team."

Five of the six played at least part of the 2012-13 season in the United States Hockey League, while Knudson is a veteran of the North American Hockey League.

A total of 14 returning veterans played in either the USHL or NAHL before joining the Spartan program.

Michigan State graduates four seniors from the 2012-13 team - three forwards (Anthony Hayes, Chris Forfar and Kevin Walrod) and defenseman Matt Grassi.

Knudson photo courtesy NAHL

Bennett tabbed to wear 'C' for Wolverines

Michigan Press Release

Michigan recently announced that senior-to-be defenseman Mac Bennett was selected captain for the 2013-14 Wolverines, while senior-to-be forward Derek DeBlois and sophomore-to-be forward Andrew Copp were named alternate captains by a vote of their teammates.

Bennett, an alternate captain on this past season's U-M team, will be the 84th captain in the history of the Wolverine hockey squad.

 "If you want a player who can move the puck out of your zone quickly, he's the guy," said Michigan coach Red Berenson. "When he first arrived here, he wasn't in the lineup for every game, but he worked hard. He's putting in extra hours watching video and spending time on the ice. He's one of those kids who takes advantage of being able to play college hockey - he gets it."

From his blue line position this past season, Bennett produced 18 points (6g, 12a), good for 10th place on the team, while playing only 32 of 40 games for U-M. In his 140 career games, he has accumulated 51 points (12g, 39a).

A sprained knee against Bowling Green on Jan. 8 sidelined Bennett for one month. He was not able to get back into the lineup until Feb. 8 at Notre Dame. During that weekend series, he recorded one goal and one assist. Upon his return, the Wolverines finished the season with an 8-3-1 record. Bennett was one of four U-M players who received a CCHA weekly honor during the season. He was named CCHA Defenseman of the Week for the week ending Nov. 4 after earning four points in two games at Northern Michigan. He had two points (1g, 1a) on Friday and tallied two points (1g, 1a) again during the Saturday game.

DeBlois was ninth on the team in scoring with 20 points (11g, 9a) and led the team in shorthanded goals with three, while Copp was seventh in scoring with 21 points (11g, 10a) and second in shorthanded goals behind DeBlois with two.

Both DeBlois and Copp ended the season with plus-4 plus-minus ratings, good for a second-place tie in that team category.

Photo/UM Photo Services

PRO SIGNINGS - 2012-13 OFFSEASON

The following is a list we will continue to update over the spring and summer months as players from Michigan colleges sign professional contracts.

FERRIS STATE
Eric Alexander, Sr., F, South Carolina (ECHL)
Kyle Bonis, Sr., F, Norfolk (AHL)
Matthew Kirzinger, Sr., F, St. John's (AHL)

LAKE SUPERIOR STATE
Kellan Lain, Jr., F, Vancouver (NHL) *
Domenic Monardo, Sr., F, Gwinnett (ECHL)
Nick McParland, Sr., F, Orlando (ECHL)
Buddy Robinson, So., F, Ottawa (NHL) *

MICHIGAN
Jon Merrill, Jr., D, New Jersey (NHL) *
Lindsay Sparks, Sr., F, Fort Wayne (ECHL)
Jacob Trouba, Fr., D, Winnipeg (NHL) *

MICHIGAN STATE
Chris Forfar, Sr., F, Evansville (ECHL)
Matt Grassi, Sr., D, Hamilton (AHL)
Anthony Hayes, Sr., F, Florida (ECHL)
Kevin Walrod, Sr., F, Bakersfield (ECHL)

MICHIGAN TECH
Carl Nielsen, Sr., D, Syracuse (AHL)
Steven Seigo, Sr., D, Abbotsford (AHL)

NORTHERN MICHIGAN
Jared Coreau, Jr., G, Detroit (NHL) *
Scott Macaulay, Sr., D, Bakersfield (ECHL)

OAKLAND
Dustin Hopfner, Sr., D, Evansville (ECHL)

WESTERN MICHIGAN
Dan DeKeyser, Jr., D, Detroit (NHL) *
Mike Leone, Sr., F, Kalamazoo (ECHL)
Dane Walters, Sr., F, Worcester (AHL)
Luke Witkowski, Sr., D, Tampa Bay (NHL)

* Signed contract with NCAA eligibility remaining

Michigan natives aplenty in NCAA tournament

No schools from the state of Michigan made the round of 16 for the NCAA tournament that starts this weekend at four sites across the country, but the Mitten State is still well-represented with plenty of players on the rosters of the 16 qualifying teams.

BOSTON COLLEGE
Patrick Brown, Jr., F, Bloomfield Hills

CANISIUS
Doug Beck, So., F, Plymouth

MASSACHUSETTS-LOWELL 
Adam Chapie, Fr., F, Oxford
Connor Hellebuyck, Fr., G, Commerce - pictured
A.J. White, Fr., F, Dearborn

MIAMI 
Riley Barber, Fr., F, Livonia
Austin Czarnik, So., F, Washington
Garrett Kennedy, Sr., D/F, Brighton

MINNESOTA STATE 
Jean-Paul Lafontaine, So., F, Oxford

NIAGARA 
Kevin Albers, So., D, Lake Orion
Ryan Rashid, Jr., F, Farmington Hills

NOTRE DAME 
Joe Rogers, Jr., G, Marysville
Bryan Rust, Jr., F, Novi
Andy Ryan, Fr., D, Brighton
Mike Voran, Jr., F, Livonia

ST. CLOUD STATE 
Kevin Gravel, Jr., D, Kingsford

YALE 
Ryan Obuchowski, Fr., D, West Bloomfield

Bulldogs ousted by Ohio State in CCHA quarterfinals

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

Ferris State's long-standing run within the CCHA came to a bitter end over the weekend, as the Bulldogs lost a best-of-three series to Ohio State in the conference quarterfinals.

Friday's opener favored the visiting Bulldogs, who jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a power-play marker by senior Kyle Bonis from between the faceoff circles with 15:44 elapsed in the first. Earning assists in the process were linemates Travis Ouellette and Justin Buzzeo.

The Buckeyes bounced back to begin the middle frame, notching two goals within the first seven minutes of play. Max McCormick knotted the game up at one goal apiece at the 1:13 mark, after knocking in a rebound on Ferris State goaltender C.J. Motte.

With the Bulldogs down a skater, Ohio State capitalized on that opportunity to grab their first lead of the game at 6:55 on a goal by Tanner Fritz.

Not to be outdone, Ferris State was able to bounce back shortly thereafter on Justin DeMartino's fifth marker of the campaign, which came courtesy of Garrett Thompson and Brandon Anselmini.

DeMartino answered the call once more for the Bulldogs in the early moments of the third, banging in the game-winning goal from close quarters off an Eric Alexander feed at the 1:24 mark.

Ahead by a 3-2 margin, Bonis lit the lamp once more with 24 seconds left on an empty-netter to register his team-high 19th goal of the campaign.

Motte collected 28 saves to pick-up his 15th victory, while counterpart Brady Hjelle had 18 stops.

What Ferris State had hoped would be the close-out game on Saturday, turned out to be the exact opposite, as Ohio State bounced back from one-goal deficit early on to steal a 3-1 decision.

Ouellette placed the Bulldogs in the lead with 3:31 elapsed in the opening stanza on a power-play goal, with helpers being credited to Jason Binkley and Buzzeo.

The Buckeyes evened-up matters 10 minutes later, responding with a goal by Ryan Dzingel on the man-advantage.

Ohio State would light the lamp in each of the remaining two periods to stave off elimination and force a deciding game three.

With both teams looking to keep their respective season alive, there was plenty of action right out of the gates to begin Sunday's clincher, as four of the five scores came in the first period alone.

McCormick tallied his third goal in as many nights to put the Buckeyes ahead at the 1:32 mark, but Ferris State countered at the midway point with scores by juniors Andy Huff and Cory Kane.

Ohio State made it a 2-2 affair with just over a minute remaining in the first, as Curtis Gedig fired a shot over the right shoulder of Motte, which came while on the man-advantage.

Following a scoreless second period, the Buckeyes broke the tie at the 3:33 mark of the third on a goal by Anthony Greco.

Of Ohio State's six assists, three belonged to Dzingel.

Hjelle finished with an astounding 47 saves, 21 of which came in the second period.

Motte had 27 stops in the loss, dropping to 15-15-5 as a starter.

Ferris State ends the 2012-2013 season with an overall ledger of 16-16-5.

CCHA releases 2013 All-Conference Teams

 

CCHA Press Release

Seven teams are represented on the 2013 CCHA All-Conference teams, highlighted by Miami’s pair of First-Team selections and Western Michigan’s three overall honorees. Miami is the only school with two First-Team selections, with sophomore forward Austin Czarnik and freshman forward Riley Barber debuting on the CCHA All-Conference team.

Czarnik, who tied for the most first-place votes with eight, finished the season in fourth place in both conference scoring (8-18-26) and overall scoring (11-22-33), while fellow RedHawks forward Riley Barber led the league in overall scoring as a freshman with 15 goals and 36 points. Rounding out the forwards on the First Team, Notre Dame junior Anders Lee picked up seven first-place votes, the third most among all players. Lee finished with a league-best +18 in conference action while placing second in the goal-scoring race with 14 conference goals and 18 overall tallies.

 

The First Team’s blue line is anchored by Michigan freshman defenseman Jacob Trouba, who tied Czarnik with eight first-place votes. Trouba led all defensemen in scoring in conference play, recording seven goals and 18 points. His defensive partner is Western Michigan junior Dan DeKeyser (pictured), who earned six first-place votes. Backstopping the First Team is Ohio State senior goaltender Brady Hjelle, who also picked up six first-place votes. Hjelle posted a league-best four conference shutouts, while his .937 save percentage and 1.89 goals-against average were second best among CCHA netminders, and tops among goalies playing at least 50 percent of his team’s minutes.

 

Western Michigan senior defenseman Luke Witkowski, who scored two power-play goals among his seven conference points, and Western Michigan sophomore goaltender Frank Slubowski, who started all 28 conference games and paced all goaltenders with 15 conference wins, were named to the Second Team. Ohio State sophomore forward Tanner Fritz leads the forwards on the Second Team after topping the conference in both assists (23) and scoring with 32 points. Bowing Green also has a pair of Second-Team selections in sophomore forward Ryan Carpenter and senior defenseman Bobby Shea. Carpenter led the Falcons in scoring, potting 12 goals and 21 points in conference action, while Shea led all defensemen with 15 assists and a +14 rating. Rounding out the Second Team is Alaska senior forward Andy Taranto, who led the Nanooks in conference scoring with a 7-15-22 scoring line.

 

The teams were selected by a vote of the league’s head coaches and are based on performance in conference games. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.

 

2012-13 CCHA All-Conference Teams
 

First Team

Position	Name, Year, School	First	Totals
Forward	Austin Czarnik, SO, Miami	8	46
Forward	Anders Lee, JR, Notre Dame	7	44
Forward	Riley Barber, FR, Miami	5	40
Defense	Jacob Trouba, FR, Michigan	8	43
Defense	Dan DeKeyser, JR, Western Michigan	6	36
Goaltender	Brady Hjelle, SR, Ohio State	6	39

 

                                              Second Team

Position	Name, Year, School	First	Totals
Forward	Tanner Fritz, SO, Ohio State	2	32
Forward	Ryan Carpenter, SO, Bowling Green	1	22
Forward	Andy Taranto, SR, Alaska	2	20
Defense	Luke Witkowski, SR, Western Michigan	3	26
Defense	Bobby Shea, SR, Bowling Green	2	25
Goaltender	Frank Slubowski, SO, Western Michigan	4	27

 

Vote Values: 1st place = 5, 2nd place = 3, 3rd place = 1

Honorable Mention (next six point totals, regardless of position with first team-votes in parentheses): Ryan Dzingel, SO, F, Ohio State, (2) 17; Domenic Monardo, SR, F, Lake Superior, (2) 16; Kyle Bonis, SR, F, Ferris State, (1) 16; Matthew Caito, FR, D, Miami, (1) 15; CJ Motte, SO, G, Ferris State, 14; Bryan Rust, JR, F, Notre Dame, 11.

 

Others receiving votes: Forwards - T.J. Tynan, JR, Notre Dame, (1) 8; Chase Balisy, JR, Western Michigan, 8; Cody Kunyk, JR, Alaska, (1) 6; Matt Thurber, SR, Northern Michigan, 4; Dane Walters, SR, Western Michigan, 4; Cristoval Nieves, FR, Michigan, 1; Reed Seckel, SO, Northern Michigan, 1; Garrett Thompson, JR, Ferris State, 1. Defensemen - Robbie Russo, SO, Notre Dame, (1) 9; Mac Bennett, JR, Michigan, (1) 8; Colton Parayko, FR, Alaska, 8; Jason Binkley, SO, Ferris State, 6; Simon Denis, SO, Ferris State, 6; Craig Dalrymple, FR, Ohio State, 4; Steven Spinell, SR, Miami, 4; Trevor Campbell, SO, Alaska, 3; Scott Macaulay, SR, Northern Michigan, 3; Curtis Gedig, JR, Ohio State, 1; CJ Ludwig, JR, Northern Michigan, 1. Goaltenders - Andrew Hammond, SR, Bowling Green, 8; Jared Coreau, JR, Northern Michigan, 6.

Photo courtesy of Western Michigan Athletics

CCHA names seven players to All-Rookie Team

CCHA Press Release

Four schools had one student-athlete named to the 2013 CCHA All-Rookie Team, with Miami University boasting three selections. This marks the 25th year that the conference has named an all-rookie team. Thirteen freshmen garnered at least one vote.

Determined by a vote of the conference’s head coaches, the team will be honored at the 2013 CCHA Awards on Friday, March 22, at the Fox Theatre in Detroit. The 2013 CCHA Championship is March 23-24 at Joe Louis Arena. Tickets and more information are available at CCHA.com.
 

2013 CCHA All-Rookie Team

Riley Barber	Forward	Miami University	Livonia, Mich.
Mario Lucia	Forward	University of Notre Dame	Plymouth, Minn.
Tyler Morley	Forward	University of Alaska	Burnaby, B.C.
Jacob Trouba	Defenseman	University of Michigan	Rochester, Mich.
Matthew Caito	Defenseman	Miami University	Coto de Caza, Calif.
Kenney Morrison	Defenseman	Western Michigan University	Lloydminster, Alta.
Ryan McKay	Goaltender	Miami University	Palatine, Ill.

 

	Riley Barber, a 19-year-old forward from Livonia, Mich., and Miami University, was the only unanimous selection to the All-Rookie team. Barber was a four-time CCHA Gongshow Rookie of the Week recipient as well as the league’s October and November Gongshow Rookie of the Month. The Washington Capitals draft pick led the CCHA in overall scoring, tallying 15 goals and 36 points. His 21 assists and 36 points were tops in the nation among all rookies. He finished second in conference scoring with a 12-18-30 scoring line.
	Mario Lucia, a 19-year-old forward from Plymouth, Minn., and the University of Notre Dame, finished third among CCHA rookies in conference scoring, tying Barber for most goals by a freshman with 12. His 21 points tied for second on Notre Dame. The Minnesota Wild draft pick was named CCHA Gongshow Rookie of the Week twice, Postgame Offensive Player of the Week once and earned the Gongshow Rookie of the Month honor in December.
	Tyler Morley, a 21-year-old forward from Burnaby, B.C., and the University of Alaska, finished the regular season with eight goals and 15 points and was the CCHA Gongshow Rookie of the Week once in the 2012-13 campaign. He finished third in scoring on the Nanooks, led all CCHA rookies in short-handed goals with two and scored three game-winning goals, tying him with Barber for the most among CCHA freshmen.
	Jacob Trouba, a 19-year-old defenseman from Rochester, Mich., and the University of Michigan, consistently played in the Wolverines top two defensive pairs. The Winnipeg Jets first-round draft pick led all CCHA defensemen in goals and points, finding the back of the net seven times and potting 18 points. Half of Trouba’s points came with the man advantage, where he scored four times and assisted on five goals.
	Matthew Caito, a 19-year-old defenseman from Coto de Caza, Calif., and Miami University, finished with five goals and 16 points, leading Miami defensemen in all three scoring categories. Playing in one of Miami’s top defensive pairs, Caito finished with a +9 rating and was named the CCHA Gladiator Defenseman of the Week twice.
	Kenney Morrison, a 21-year-old defenseman from Lloydminster, Alta., and Western Michigan University, finished in a second-place tie for overall scoring among defenseman with six goals and 17 points. His five power-play goals and 14 power-play points paced all defensemen in the CCHA. Morrison was named CCHA Gongshow Rookie of the Week once.
	Ryan McKay, a 20-year-old goaltender from Palatine, Ill., and Miami University, bounced back from an early-season injury to post a league best 1.32 goals-against average and .951 save percentage, while earning an 8-3-1 record with two shutouts. In overall play, McKay’s 1.17 goals-against average and .957 save percentage were the best in the country among all goaltenders.

 

Honorable mentions

Forward — Cristoval Nieves, UM; Matt DeBlouw, MSU; Defense — Colton Parayko, UA; Craig Dalrymple, OSU; Goaltender — Jake Hildebrand, MSU; John Keeney, UA.

CCHA releases All-Time Team

CCHA Press Release

Continuing to ‘Celebrate The Legacy’ in its’ 42nd and final season, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) has released the league’s All-Time Team to honor the league’s top performers from the past 42 seasons.

The illustrious group of 12 players, selected by a committee of coaches, administrators and media, joins the league’s All-Decade teams from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s that were selected in 2001, and the All-Decade Team from 2000-13 that was selected earlier this season.
 

All 12 players selected to the CCHA All-Time Team were All-Americans (eight multiple All-Americans) and graduated to professional careers. Ten played in the National Hockey League (NHL), Michigan State goaltender Ryan Miller blossomed into an NHL All-Star and U.S. Olympian, and Bowling Green defenseman Ken Morrow won a Gold medal with the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team. Morrow (N.Y. Islanders) and Lake Superior forward Jim Dowd (New Jersey Devils) each has their name engraved on the Stanley Cup.
 

The CCHA All-Time Team was chosen from the All-Decade First-Team players, Hobey Baker Award winners and All-Americans that played at least three years of college hockey. The selections were made by a committee of coaches, administrators and media that have been involved with the league for the better part of the last three decades.
 

Below is the team in alphabetical order by position with their overall career totals. The All-Time Team includes four Hobey Baker Award winners, including George McPhee, the league’s first winner in 1982, along with Kip Miller (1990), Brendan Morrison (1997) and Ryan Miller (2002). Morrison and Ryan Miller are the league’s only two-time Players of the Year, while Nelson Emerson is the league’s all-time leading scorer and Wayne Gagne is the all-time top scorer among CCHA defensemen.

CCHA All-Time Team

FIRST TEAM

Name, Lettered	Pos.	School	GP	G	A	Pts
George McPhee, 1978-82	F	Bowling Green	153	114	153	267
Kip Miller, 1986-90	F	Michigan State	176	118	143	261
Brendan Morrison, 1993-97	F	Michigan	155	102	182	284
Wayne Gagne, 1983-87	D	Western Michigan	162	42	199	241
Andy Greene, 2002-06	D	Miami	159	27	87	114

 

Name, Lettered	Pos.	School	W-L-T	GAA	SV%
Ryan Miller, 1999-02	G	Michigan State	73-18-12	1.54	.941

 

SECOND TEAM

Name, Lettered	Pos.	School	GP	G	A	Pts
Jim Dowd, 1987-91	F	Lake Superior	181	91	183	274
Nelson Emerson, 1986-90	F	Bowling Green	178	112	182	294
Bill Joyce, 1976-80	F	Northern Michigan	130	112	143	255
John-Michael Liles, 1999-03	D	Michigan State	162	44	94	138
Ken Morrow, 1975-79	D	Bowling Green	154	34	92	126

Name, Lettered	Pos.	School	W-L-T	GAA	SV%
Mike Liut, 1973-77	G	Bowling Green	53-27-1	3.35	.888