Lawson, Fraser named WJC alternate captains

Defenseman Taylor Chorney was named captain of the 2007 U.S. National Junior Team today.

Chorney is making his second appearance on a U.S. National Junior Team after having played in all seven games for Team USA at the 2006 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship.

In addition, two Michigan natives in defenseman Kyle Lawson (New Hudson/University of Notre Dame) and forward Jim Fraser (Port Huron/Harvard University) were named as alternate captains.

Both Lawson and Fraser are playing on their first U.S. Junior National Team.

From all of us here at MiCHO...

Michigan Tech duo nab weekly honors

Michigan Tech goalie Rob Nolan (left) and forward Peter Rouleau (below) were named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week and Offensive Player of the Week, respectively.

Both were pivotal in the road sweep of North Dakota this past weekend.

Nolan made 59 saves on 62 shots and got his first back-to-back wins of his collegiate career and now has a 5-4-1 record with a .912 save percentage and 2.13 goals-against average for the year.

Rouleau had the game winning goal Friday night and assisted on two of the three goals the following night. He also ended the weekend with a +2 rating. Rouleau has nine points (5g, 4a) on the year, good for third on the Huskies.

Photos courtesy of MTU Athletics

MiCHO Power Poll 12.19.06

The Michigan Wolverines were idle over the weekend and stay atop to the top the MiCHO Power Poll for the seventh straight week. Lake Superior State is unbeaten in their last four games and hold on to the second spot after losing an exhibition game to the U.S. National Under-18 Team Saturday. Michigan State, also idle, drops to No. 4 after Michigan Tech, fresh off a road sweep at North Dakota, jumps to the third slot. Wayne State moves up from No. 8 to No. 7 after defeating Western Michigan Saturday night at home.

1) Michigan, 12-7-0 (idle, lost four of five)
2) Lake Superior State, 11-5-2 (idle, unbeaten in four)
3) Michigan Tech, 8-8-2 (swept North Dakota)
4) Michigan State, 9-7-1 (idle, won three of four)
5) Western Michigan, 6-8-1 (lost at WSU)
6) Northern Michigan, 7-10-2 (idle, lost five straight)
7) Wayne State, 4-14-0 (beat WMU)
8) Ferris State, 4-11-2 (idle, winless in four)

Each week, MichiganCollegeHockey.com editors Matt Mackinder and Tom Balog will compile the MiCHO Power Poll. The poll will comprise the eight Division I teams in the state of Michigan.

Wayne splits with Niagara in CHA opener

The Wayne State Warriors split last weekend's series with the visiting Niagara Purple Eagles. The Warriors lost Saturday's contest, 6-3, but rallied for a 4-2 win in Sunday's matinee game.

The Warriors' record now stands at 7-11-0 overall and 1-1-0 in the CHA.

The Eagles got out to a 2-0 lead on Saturday before Becky Sonn (pictured right) sneaked in a Melissa Boal rebound to put the Warriors on the board and earn her first collegiate goal.

Niagara struck again midway through the second period to regain a two-goal lead. Sam Poyton took advantage of a Warrior power play to narrow the lead again. Tina Vanderhoeven and Lindsay DiPietro earned assists on Poyton's goal, her ninth of the season.

However, Niagara scored a power-play goal of its own late in the second and added another even-strength goal in the opening minutes of the third period to further extend their lead.

Although Poyton set up Boal for a goal midway through the last period, it was not enough. The Eagles scored again and held on to the 6-3 score through the final buzzer.

Valery Turcotte, who was named last week's CHA Defensive Player of the Week for her play against Princeton, turned in a 30-save performance.

Sunday's game began much like Saturday's. Niagara got out to a 2-0 lead by 12:20 of the first period. But the Warriors struck back with four unanswered power-play goals to wrest the victory away from the Eagles.

First up was freshman Brandi Frakie, who scored late in the first period with some help from Laura Monk and Danielle Wilson. Early in the second, Boal and Vanderhoeven set up Poyton for her second goal of the weekend. Less than two minutes later, Wilson and Tegan Schroeder helped Vanderhoeven give the Warriors the lead.

Wilson (pictured left) earned her third assist of the game in the third period when she and Chelsea Burnett helped Boal light the lamp to put Wayne State up 4-2. The score stood until the end of the game.

Turcotte finished with 29 saves in Sunday's contest, including 17 in the third period.

Wilson's three-point game - a career best for the junior - earned her CHA Defensive Player of the Week honors. Boal's performance garnered her a nomination for Offensive Player of the Week, while Schroeder was nominated for Rookie of the Week.

The Warriors are idle over the holidays. They resume competition on January 5-6, when they welcome Colgate to Detroit. They will play Friday's game at City Sports Arena and Saturday's will be held at the Taylor Sportsplex.

Bailey bolts Michigan for OHL's Ottawa 67's

Jason Bailey has left the University of Michigan to play major junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League with the Ottawa 67's.

The 19-year-old Bailey, a forward, was the 67's second-round pick (40th overall) in the 2003 OHL Priority Selection, but opted to become a Wolverine. He was also a third-round pick (63rd overall) of the Anaheim Ducks in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

"I just didn't feel like I was playing enough games there (at Michigan) and I think the OHL is more my style of hockey," said Bailey to the Ottawa Sun.

Bailey has dual citizenship with Canada and the United States and has gained international experience by representing both countries recently. In 2003, Bailey was a member of the gold medal-winning Team Ontario at the World U-17 Championship. Bailey has also suited up for the U.S. in the Compuware Four Nations Cup with the National U-18 team, as well as in the 2005 IIHF World U-18 Championship in the Czech Republic.

From 2003-2005, Bailey played for the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor.

Last season, the Nepean, Ontario, native (suburb of Ottawa) had five goals and seven points in 27 games and this season hadn't registered a point in 19 games.

Bailey came in a season ago with a class of 11 players and joins classmates Zac MacVoy and Tyler Swystun who left after last season.

"Kids aren't willing to persevere any more,'' U-M head coach Red Berenson said in the Ann Arbor News. "They're not willing to say they're going to come back next year and be better.

"Obviously, he was disappointed in his game and his ice time and his role on the team. We had a good meeting, and the way we left it, he was coming back. But his family intervened and moved him out.''

Ferris State nabs goalie, forward for 2007

The Ferris State Bulldogs continue to stockpile recruits for 2007.

Last week, Ferris State received verbal commitments from goalie Pat Nagle of the NAHL's St. Louis Bandits and forward Mike Embach (pictured) of the USHL's Chicago Steel.

Nagle becomes the fifth Bandit this year to commit to a CCHA school joining Pat Maroon (Ferris State), Trent Vogelhuber (Miami), Todd Pococke (Ferris State) and Scooter Vaughan (Michigan).

"There is generally a learning curve for rookies out of midget hockey making an impact at the Junior A level," said St. Louis coach-GM Jon Cooper. "But not for Pat. He has come in and been an impact player from day one."

Nagle is 12-2-1 with a 1.97 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage.

"I wanted to play in St. Louis because it is a winning organization and they have always put players in college," said the 19-year old rookie Nagle. "My dream was to play in the CCHA and St. Louis helped me get there. I can't thank the organization enough."

Embach, 18, has seven goals and 14 points along with 51 penalty minutes for Chicago this season.

Finlandia men win, FU women swept

Both Finlandia teams were in action last weekend and, in what has become the norm this year, the men won and the women came out on the losing side of things.

Saturday, the FU men (8-3-0, 7-1-0 MCHA) defeated Wisconsin-Superior, 5-3, at home behind Joe Beaudry's two goals and an assist.

Josh Paquette, Joe Welgos and Matt Lindgren also tallied for the Lions and Joe Juntilla stopped 25 shots in goal.

Marc Marcotte chipped in two assists as well.

Finlandia is idle until Jan. 5 when they host St. Scholastica and Jan. 7 as the Lions head to St. Olaf.

**********

On the road at Hamline, the Finlandia women fell 5-4 Saturday and 8-3 Sunday.

Saturday, Hamline scored two third-period goals to escape with the victory.

Brenda Peterson, Emily Conrad, Sara Sleik and Danielle Syrowik recorded goals for the Lions and Annika Danielson made 24 saves in net.

Then yesterday, Sleik had a goal and two assists in the defeat.

Amy Danielson and Jessica Redfield scored the other Finlandia goals.

Katie Markovich took the loss in goal with a 28-save outing.

The Lions (3-9-2, 0-5-1 NCHA) are now off until the weekend of Jan. 12-13 when Augsburg comes to town for a pair.

MTU earns road sweep, upsets North Dakota

Michigan Tech went into North Dakota with a six-game winless streak and came out on a two-game win streak.

MTU earned four much-needed WCHA points and moved into a tie for fifth with Alaska-Anchorage.

Friday night, MTU rode the pads of sophomore netminder Rob Nolan (pictured left). Michigan tech took the lead in the second when Alex Lord netted his first goal as a Husky.

Late in the same period, Peter Rouleau got the game-winner with a 4-on-3 power-play goal.

In the third, Ryan Bunger continued his run when he put home a rebound. The rest was up to Nolan, but he saw his first shutout slip away with just over a minute remaining in the game. ND pulled their goalie and then got the extra-attacker goal.

But that was all they could get as Nolan stood strong for the rest and saved 29 on the night.

MTU head coach Jamie Russell felt Nolan earned the right to play in the Saturday game as well and Nolan did not disappoint.

The first period ended a 0-0 tie, same as the night before. In the second it was ND who took an early lead. Alex Gagne tied it in the 12th minute with third goal of the season. MTU took a 2-1 lead less than a minute later when Jimmy Kerr had the puck unintentionally go off his skate and into the goal. The Fighting Sioux then tied it up and the period ended 2-2.

In the third, MTU got a tip in goal halfway through from Malcolm Gwilliam, which was the game winner.

Nolan once again would not let anything by him and finished with 30 saves.

The sweep at North Dakota was the Huskies' first since 1992.

MTU (8-8-2, 5-7-2 WCHA) will head down to Detroit on the 29th and 30th to play host for the 42nd annual Great Lakes Invitational where they will face Michigan in the semifinals.

LSSU falls to USA in exhibition play

Lake Superior State came out flat and lost, 3-1, Saturday night to the U.S. National Under-18 Team at Taffy Abel Arena in an exhibition game.

Team USA is now 4-6-2 against NCAA Division I teams this year.

LSSU spoiled future Notre Dame goalie Brad Phillips' shutout with 31 seconds remaining in regulation. Stuffed teddy bears rained down on the ice after Troy Schwab's goal and the dozens of bears will be donated to the Chippewa County Department of Children's Services.

Phillips totaled 27 saves.

Lakers' starting goalie Pat Inglis made 21 saves through two periods and Jeff Jakaitis played the third period and stopped all six shots he saw.

The U.S. squad out-shot the Lakers, 30-28 and both teams were 0-for-4 on the power play.

LSSU will enjoy at two-week holiday break and resume play on Dec. 29 at the Badger Classic in Madison, Wis.

Photo by Mike Burrill

WSU rallies to beat Western Michigan

The game last night in Detroit between Wayne State and Western Michigan was tied 2-2 after one period and 5-5 after 40 minutes.

And then something finally went right for the Warriors.

Jason Bloomingburg (pictured) and Derek Punches scored third-period goals to give WSU (4-14-0, 1-5-0 CHA) a big 7-5 win over the visiting Broncos (6-8-1, 5-7-1 CCHA) in front of a season-best 1,018 fans at the Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum.

Will Hooper earned his first win of the season making 24 saves in net.

Kyle Stefan from USCHO has more here.

Photo by Mark Hicks/WestSide Photo