Wayne State women win exhibition

Behind a hat trick from junior Melissa Boal, the Wayne State women's team opened the 2007-08 season in style Friday night in cruising to a 6-1 exhibition win over York University at the Ice Gardens in Toronto.

Boal also added an assist in addition to her three goals.

The Warriors offense hit on all cylinders scoring six goals on 35 shots with 10 assists. Junior Sam Poyton led WSU with four assists while sophomore Katrina Protopapas added two. Sophomores Chelsea Burnett and Brandi Frakie and junior Becky Sonn also added a goal each.

On defense, WSU allowed only one goal with its trio of goalies combining for 26 saves. Senior Valery Turcotte notched 11 saves. Freshman Paige Kerenan added nine saves along with six from senior Tiffany Thompson.

Wayne State plays its first two-game series of the season on the road at Clarkson in Potsdam, N.Y. next weekend. Game one is scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m. with game two Saturday at noon.

Lake Superior State ’07-08 Preview

by Mike Burrill/Lake Superior State Beat Writer

Despite losing two of the programs premiere players last season, Lake Superior State players, coaches, and fans are very optimistic about this season’s Laker squad.

According to head coach Jim Roque, season ticket sales have already doubled from last year.

The Lakers (21-19-3, 11-14-3 CCHA last year) are in one of the toughest clusters in the CCHA this season, matching up against defending national champion Michigan State, Michigan and archrival Northern Michigan.

“Our goal is just to improve on last year,” said Roque, entering his third season as head coach with the Lakers. “I think if we can just continue to build every year to get better and better and better, I think good things will happen.”

The aforementioned key losses to the program are goaltender Jeff Jakaitis and defenseman Derek A. Smith, who gave up his senior season to sign with the Ottawa Senators.

Jakaitis was one of the best netminders to ever don the anchor and set multiple records in his four-year collegiate career. He will spend the 2007-08 season with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.

Smith had a breakthrough year with the Lakers last season, tying for the team lead in points on 10 goals and 20 assists. He also led the team in shots with 131.

Key returnees for the Lakers include juniors Troy Schwab and Josh Sim and sophomore Nathan Perkovich.

Schwab was also tied for the team lead in points, led the team with 24 assists and was third on the team in power-play points with 12. He was named an assistant captain last season and is a good bet to wear the ‘C’ this year.

Sim also had a great sophomore year for Lake State. He tied for the team lead in goals with 15 and led the team in shot percentage.

Perkovich was pleasant surprise as a freshman for the Lakers. He tied Sim for the team lead in goals with 15, led the team in power-play and game-winning goals with nine and four, respectively. His size and speed also helped the Lakers on special teams.

The Lakers will have a young defensive core and will rely heavily on sophomores Simon Gysbers and Steve Kaunisto. Gysbers scored 12 points last season and was second on the Lakers with a +5 rating. Kaunisto, a Sault Ste. Marie native, scored eight points and only took 18 minutes in penalties.

Taking over the reigns of the goaltending department will be sophomore Pat Inglis. Inglis played in 11 games last season, going 5-3-0 with a 2.89 goals-against average. Inglis has good size at over six foot and moves well for a big guy. He will be challenged by freshman and San Jose Sharks draft pick Brian Mahoney-Wilson.

“We've been blessed at Lake State with great goaltending for a lot of years and I expect that to continue,” added Roque.

Incoming players Zac MacVoy, Carter Lee, and Rick Schofield will help out LSSU as well.

MacVoy, a former member of the U.S. National Team Development Program, played with CCHA rival Michigan in 2005-06 scoring a goal and adding three assists in 20 games. He spent last season in the United States Hockey League with the Omaha Lancers and Ohio Junior Blue Jackets scoring 25 points total.

Lee has some D-I experience as well, playing for Northeastern of Hockey East for two seasons. Also drafted by the Sharks, he’s noted for having good speed and a laser-like shot.

Schofield comes to Lake State from Pickering, Ontario. He played last season for his hometown Panthers of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League, scoring 36 goals and 34 assists for 70 points, good for 14th in the league. He was named the South Division’s Most Improved player and was the MVP of the OPJHL All-Star Game.

The Lakers were picked to finish seventh in this years Coach’s Poll and ninth in the Media Poll. Last season they were picked 10th in both polls, but surprised everyone by making it to Joe Louis Arena for the CCHA finals after an eighth-place finish during the regular season.

“We have one senior on scholarship so we're a little young,” Roque noted. “I'm just hoping for some leadership to emerge over the first three weeks and the next couple of months to really solidify our team. I thought a key reason why we had some success at the end last year was our leadership."

A repeat performance in the playoffs is something Laker fans will look forward to.

Michigan '07-08 Season Preview

by Matt Mackinder/MiCHO Editor-In-Chief

T.J. Hensick is gone.

So is Matt Hunwick.

And Jack Johnson.

Andrew Cogliano, too.

David Rohlfs will also be missed.

Not to mention Tim Cook and Jason Dest.

Still, even with 12 freshmen on the roster, Michigan doesn’t see this upcoming campaign as a potentially rebuilding year. Head coach Red Berenson called it “interesting.”

“Certainly the depth of our team should be good, but the experience will be a question mark,” said Berenson, starting his 24th season behind the Wolverines’ bench. “This will be the most interesting season in the recent past for the coaching staff at Michigan and certainly for the players. I like the incoming freshman from what I know of them and what I've seen.

“We've got a long season. We have a tough schedule. We start off against Boston College in the Ice Breaker in Minnesota and that'll give us a bit of a wake-up call as to the level of hockey we'll have to play.”

All six incoming forwards – Max Pacioretty (first round Montreal), Louie Caporusso (Ottawa), Matt Rust (Florida), Ben Winnett (Toronto), Aaron Palushaj (St. Louis) and Carl Hagelin (New York Rangers) – were taken in June’s NHL Entry Draft and all six should make an immediate impact in Ann Arbor.

The remaining half dozen include goalies Bryan Hogan and Shawn Hunwick (Matt's younger brother) and defensemen Tristin Llewellyn, Kevin Quick (Tampa Bay), Chad Langlais and Scooter Vaughan. The four freshmen defenders join returnees Chris Summers (Phoenix first round 2006), Mark Mitera (Anaheim first round 2006) and Steve Kampfer (Anaheim). Summers also played a bit of forward last year.

Incumbent starter Billy Sauer (Colorado) will start the majority of games in goal and Hunwick and Hogan will battle for the No. 2 job. Sauer went 25-14-1 a year ago with a 3.03 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage.

The Wolverines as a team were 26-14-1 a year ago with a 18-9-1 second place CCHA finish.

Cogliano (Edmonton) and Johnson (Los Angeles) left Michigan for the NHL after last season’s disappointing loss in the West Regionals to North Dakota. Hensick (Colorado) and Hunwick (Boston) both graduated and signed NHL deals. Michigan will surely miss Hensick and his 69 points from 2006-2007.

This season, U-M has just two seniors in new captain Kevin Porter (pictured) and Chad Kolarik - two more Phoenix picks. Porter is college hockey's highest returning scorer this season after putting up 24 goals and 58 points a season ago playing on a line with Hensick.

“I'm glad to see Kevin Porter come back for his senior year,” added Berenson.

Also back up front are juniors Travis Turnbull, assistant captain Tim Miller, Brandon Naurato and Danny Fardig and sophomores Brian Lebler and Anthony Ciraulo.

"This will be a big year for Michigan in terms of a challenge,” Berenson noted. “Last year, we sat here and we knew we'd be a good team because of T.J. Hensick and Matt Hunwick and Jack Johnson and Andrew Cogliano and our big senior class, but all those guys are gone.”

Senior forward Chris Fragner and sophomore defenseman Eric Elmblad may fill in when needed. Last year's backup goaltenders - Mike Mayhew (graduated) and Steve Jakiel (transferred to D-III Curry College) - have moved on.

Porter offered his assessment of this year's team.

“We’ll have a very young team, obviously,” said Porter. “But if we come out with a good start and get five or six wins early, I think we should be OK.”

Michigan kicks off their season Sunday, Oct. 7 at home with an exhibition game against Western Ontario and then play national runner-up Boston College five days later.

Photo courtesy U-M Photo Services

Wayne State to eliminate men’s hockey

After years of speculation, numerous sources have confirmed to MichiganCollegeHockey.com that the Wayne State Warriors men’s hockey program will be eliminated at the end of the 2007-2008 season.

“From everyone we’ve spoken to, it’s all financial,” said Warriors head coach Bill Wilkinson when contacted by MiCHO this morning.

Wayne State has put together a 113-143-26 record in eight years, including one regular season CHA title, three tournament championships and an NCAA bid in 2003.

The Warriors women’s team will stay intact.

Wayne State will begin its ninth and final season with the annual Green and Gold game on Sunday, Oct. 7 and an exhibition against ACHA member Eastern Michigan on Monday, Oct. 8. Both games will take place at the Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum in Detroit.

The regular season will start at the Nye Frontier Classic tournament in Anchorage, Alaska on Friday, Oct. 12.

For more please check out, MiCHO Editor in Chief, Matt Mackinder's article on Wayne State's program folding on USCHO.com.

Official WSU release

Detroit Free Press Story

Detroit News Story

InsideCollegeHockey.com story

College Hockey News.com story

CSTV story

Michigan Tech '07-08 Season Preview

by Andy Bourdeau/Michigan Tech Beat Writer

It's September in the far north, the leaves are turning colors and the radio weather man is calling for snow flurries! This can only mean one thing - it's hockey time!

When looking at the top 20 Division I schools this year, one needs to include one of the original college hockey powerhouses, the Michigan Tech Huskies. Head coach Jamie Russell and the Huskies made many people notice the Huskies last year when he and the team ended the season with a winning record, the first time since 1992-1993. This year, the team returns all but three members of the squad and are looking to "raise the bar" from last year.

When asked about the expectations for this year, Russell (pictured) was realistic.

"Expectations are higher and we welcome that challenge," Russell said. "We have taken steps each year and we have been moving forward. Again, we need to take another step as we continue the process to return Tech to the top."

One can be sure that MTU will be ready when the puck drops this year.

Tech will need to replace defenseman Lars Helminen and forwards Mike Batovanja and Tyler Schworchinski - all three captains from last year.

Helminen will be missed on defense as he had been a permanent fixture on the blue line for all four years and a point man on the power play. Batovanja was the heart and soul of the team and his presence on and off the ice will be missed. Schworchinski's leadership and centering will be missed as well.

New to the roster will be forwards Eric Kattelus, Bennett Royer and Jordan Baker and defenseman Deron Cousens. Russell said he thinks the fresman class is very talented and expects good things from this group. Missing from the list is BCHL standout Casey Pierro-Zabotel, but his plans include him joining the team at the semester break.

"We expect to be strong defensively," added Russell when asked about the strengths of the team.

Look for strength from the blue line back to the men between the pipes in Michael Lee Teslak and Rob Nolan. Both will see ice time early in the year and could end up splitting all year as they did last season.

Expectations are high in Houghton and have started to spread. The Huskies should compete for home ice in the WCHA, which says a lot when just three years ago, they were in the basement of one of the top leagues in the country.

The Huskies kick the season off on Oct. 6 when they host the University of Toronto for a preseason game. The regular season will start the week after when archrival Northern Michigan comes to town for the first-ever Superior Cup.

COMING THURSDAY: The University of Michigan

Oakland gets No. 3 preseason ranking

Penn State received 19 of 35 first-place votes to come in as this year's pick for the top spot in the 2007-08 preseason ranking of ACHA teams.

Illinois came in at No. 2, receiving two first-place votes, while defending ACHA Division 1 national champion Oakland received 13 first-place votes and came in at No. 3.

The rankings have expanded this season to include the top 25 teams, up from 20.

The first ranking of the regular season will be released on Friday, Oct. 5.

Other Michigan schools that earned a preseason ranking:

No. 12 - Michigan-Dearborn
No. 17 - Western Michigan
No. 18 - Eastern Michigan

Adrian also received votes.