Wayne women fall to Minnesota State

The Wayne State women dropped both their games against the Minnesota State Mavericks this past weekend, losing 3-2 on Friday and 5-1 on Saturday.

The Warriors held the Mavericks even through the first period, but things took a sour turn when the Warriors' near-flawless penalty kill unit was rattled--they gave up their first goal in over a month at 6:02 of the second period. Minnesota State added another even-strength goal late in the second period, and extended their lead to three by 5:11 of the third period.

Refusing to go down quietly, the Warriors executed a late-game surge. Tina Vanderhoeven and Sarah Campbell took advantage of a Wayne State power play to set up Melissa Boal (pictured) for a goal. Goalie Valery Turcotte was pulled with a minute remaining, and Sam Poyton seized the opportunity to net her fifth goal of the season. Jessica Snelgrove and Laura Monk were credited with the assists. However, with only a minute remaining, Wayne State could not gain a third goal and had to settle for the loss.

Turcotte finished Friday's contest with 22 saves.

On Saturday, the Warriors put forth a solid effort as they outshot the Mavericks 32-29. Unfortunately, Minnesota State goalie Britni Kehler had an outstanding night and the Warriors' own defense could not stem the Maverick stampede.

Turcotte allowed four goals on seventeen Maverick shots before the end of the second period, and was replaced by Tiffany Thompson late in the second stanza.

Boal provided the lone bright spot for the Warriors, ending Kehler's shutout bid with an unassisted goal late in the second period.

Thompson stopped 11 of the 12 shots she faced, but the Mavericks snuck in a fifth goal to seal the game's final score.

The Warriors will attempt to rebound when they face Cornell University on the road this weekend.

Rallo and Riedel shine as Ferris sweeps WMU

Ferris State (4-2-4 overall, 3-1-4 CCHA) defeated Western Michigan (2-6-0 overall, 2-4-0 CCHA) twice in this past weekend's home-and-home series. The Bulldogs won 6-0 on Friday and 5-3 on Saturday.

In Big Rapids on Friday night, the Bulldogs got off to a quick start. J.T. Dahlinger and Matt Frank set up Nick Scheible at 4:25 of the first period to put Ferris State on the board. Less than two minutes later, Greg Rallo (pictured) got help from Mark Bomersback and Dan Riedel to notch Ferris's second goal. The Ferris defense, anchored by goalie Mitch O'Keefe, smothered two Western power plays and 12 shots during the first period.

The Rallo-Reidel-Bomersback line struck again at 5:46 of the second period with Bomersback getting the goal and Rallo and Reidel the assists.

The Bulldogs went up by four late in the second. While on the power play, Jim Jorgensen set up Adam Miller for the goal. In case anyone missed it the first time, they put on a repeat performance a few minutes into the third period while on another man-advantage. Not to be outdone, Riedel and Rallo did some power-play magic of their own, setting up Bomersback's second goal of the night at 17:57 of the third period.

O'Keefe finished with 32 saves to earn his first college shutout. Western goalie Daniel Bellissimo, despite allowing six goals, finished with an impressive 38 saves. Both teams had a significant number of shots, but only Ferris was able to convert.

“They capitalized on their scoring chances and we didn’t,” reflected WMU coach Jim Culhane. “I thought we responded well early in the game but couldn’t find the back of the net.”

Back in Kalamazoo on Saturday, the Broncos appeared to be gaining revenge for Friday night, scoring three unanswered goals in the first period.

First up, just over two minutes into the game, was Patrick Galivan, scoring his first of the season with some help from Brett John and Brian Bicek. Six minutes later, Brent Walton and John Lovecchio set up Jason Moul to put the Broncos up by two. Lovecchio closed out the period by getting a goal of his own at 17:49. Walton and Nathan Ansell were credited with the assists.

But penalties would plague the Broncos in the game's second stanza. Ferris had seven extra-man opportunities and capitalized on them to offensively dominate the period. Western managed only two shots. Additionally, Ferris converted on three of their power play chances to tie the game. Rallo set up Riedel, Riedel and Rallo set up Zac Pearson, and Reidel and Matt Verdone set up Rallo.

Western could not regain the momentum in the third and the Bulldogs steamrolled their way to two more goals. Rallo, earning his fourth point of the night, combined with Brendan Connolly to assist on Eric Vesely's goal. Riedel clinched a four-point night of his own by setting up Bomersback for the final goal.

Western's offense could muster only five shots, and Bellissimo had to surrender the net to Ryan Mensing due to dehydration halfway through the period. Bellissimo left the game with 24 saves. Mensing needed to make just one save.

O'Keefe finished Saturday's game with 19 saves.

Western Michigan will face Michigan State in a home-and-home series next weekend and Ferris will welcome Bemidji State for a two-game series.

LSSU's Wheeler suspended four games

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association today announced that freshman defenseman Matt Wheeler of Lake Superior State has been suspended for four games as the result of a spearing incident that occurred in a game at Western Michigan on November 4.

The supplemental disciplinary action was taken by the CCHA after a review of the incident that occurred at 9:32 of the third period and resulted in the player receiving a major penalty for spearing and a disqualification penalty.

Wheeler will be required to serve this suspension during Lake Superior State's next two regularly scheduled series on Nov. 11-12 against Miami and on Nov. 18-19 against Ohio State.

Spartans tie Bulldogs Tuesday night

Michigan State earned a point on the road at Ferris State Tuesday night, tying the Bulldogs, 2-2. The Spartans upped their record to 5-1-2 and remained unbeaten in CCHA play at 2-0-2. Freshman goaltender Jeff Lerg (left) made a career-high 29 saves to earn the decision and improve his personal record to 1-0-1 on the young season.

The Spartans jumped out in front just 1:16 into the game, when forward Jim McKenzie beat Ferris State goaltender Mitch O'Keefe high to the glove side.

The Bulldogs evened the score on their third power-play of the first period with a goal at 14:44. Defenseman Jim Jorgensen fanned on a shot attempt, but the puck slid right to FSU's Adam Miller at the side of the net and Miller buried a shot past a helpless Lerg.

Ferris State finally broke the deadlock on its eighth power-play opportunity of the night, a four-on-three. Sophomore Matt Stefanishion's drive from the point eluded a screened Lerg at 5:47 of the middle period.

The Spartans answered just 1:14 later on a power-play of their own. Tyler Howells collected his own rebound at the side of the net and beat O'Keefe through the five-hole to knot the game at two.

O'Keefe finished with 32 saves on the night.

The Bulldogs are now 2-2-4 overall and 1-1-4 in CCHA play. They play a home-and-home with Western Michigan this weekend with Friday's game at FSU and Saturday's in Kalamazoo.

Michigan State hosts Nebraska-Omaha this weekend. Game time Friday is 7:05 p.m. while Saturday's was bumped to 5:05 p.m. allowing fans to attend both hockey and men's basketball.

CHA and USCHO recognize Turcotte

Wayne State women's goalie Valery Turcotte has been named Defensive Player of the Week by both the CHA and USCHO. Turcotte, a sophomore hailing from Jonquiere, Quebec, has been the anchor of Wayne State's potent defense.

This past weekend, Turcotte was a crucial factor in the team's sweep of Connecticut. She shut out the Husky offense on Friday night, and didn't let in a goal in Saturday's contest until late in the third period. The Connecticut goal--coming only after Turcotte staved off a flurry of shots resulting from several 5-3 Connecticut advantages--ended her shutout streak at 177:36, a new school record.

Turcotte backstops the Warrior penalty kill unit, which leads the nation with a success rate of .978 .

At the season's opening, coach Jim Fetter expressed confidence that Turcotte would have a "breakout season." Thus far, she is meeting that expectation--and it's only November.

Warrior women sweep Connecticut Huskies

After a slow start, the Wayne State women's team (2-5-2) appears to be hitting its stride--after a weekend sweep of the visiting Connecticut Huskies (2-4-0), the Lady Warriors are now on a three game winning streak, largely powered by their potent freshman class. The team blanked Connecticut 1-0 on Friday, and won 3-2 on Saturday.

Though Wayne State offensively dominated Friday's game, but were unable to score until late in the third period. While on a power play, Lindsay DiPietro and Sam Poyton set up Melissa Boal for a wraparound shot that she backhanded in to put the Warriors on the board. All three contributors to the goal were freshman.

Goalie Valery Turcotte (pictured) was also a critical factor in the game; she turned away 23 shots and remaining composed during a 6-4 Connecticut advantage late in the game. The victory was Turcotte's second consecutive shutout.

On Saturday, Boal again led the Warrior charge, knocking in a Poyton rebound to put Wayne State on the board. Poyton increased the lead to 2, and Boal and Sarah Campbell were credited with the assists.

Turcotte and the Warrior defense maintained their penalty kill perfection through the game, stifling several 5-on-3 opportunities for the Huskies.

Poyton earned her second goal of the game at 8:42 of the third period; Boal and DiPietro earned the assists.

The Huskies refused to go down quietly and managed to score two goals before the end of the game--the first an even-strength Jaclyn Hawkins wraparound, and the second coming in the last minutes of the game, when Connecticut pulled their goalie to put six attackers on the ice. However, Turcotte and the defense maintained the lead, and the Warriors won their third straight. Turcotte finished with 17 saves.

The Warriors will face 10th-ranked Minnesota State-Mankato on the road next weekend, Nov. 11-12.

West Side round-up

Both Ferris State and Western Michigan fail to win at home

Ferris State (2-2-3; 1-1-3 CCHA) lost to Alaska-Fairbanks (4-2-2: 2-1-1 CCHA) 5-2 on Friday night. UAF got their first goal on a powere play at the end of the first period, and scored quickly at the start of the second to go up 2-0 on the Bulldogs. Matt Stephanishion (assisted by Greg Rallo) scored a powerplay goal at 12:15 of the second period to put the Bulldogs on the board. UAF then scored three straight goals, and despite an abundance of shots, Ferris could not penetrate their defense, anchored by goalie Chad Johnson. In the last two minutes, Rallo managed a power play goal with some help from Eric Vesely and Dan Reidel, but UAF had done its damage. Mitch O'Keefe finished Friday's game with 34 saves.

Ferris State kept Saturday's 3-3 game close from the beginning. Adam Miller scored at 5:21 of the first period on a power play goal. The Nanooks tied up the game with a power play goal of their own. The second period opened with a Greg Rallo penalty, which resulted in a UAF penalty shot. Jordan Emmerson made good on the opportunity. In the third period, Rallo and Chris Zarb set up Mark Bomersback to tie up the game again. After another UAF goal, Ferris tied the score for the last time--Zac Pearson notched his first goal of the season courtesy of Adam Miller and Matt Verdone. Both teams managed four shots apiece in overtime, but neither goalie budged. O'Keefe finished the game with 30 saves; Johnson with 35.


Western Michigan, coming off a glorious and unexpected sweep of the then-#4 OSU Buckeyes, came tumbling back to Earth with back-to-back losses to Lake Superior State at home. Friday's abyssmal 10-0 loss decimated the Broncos' defense, and goalie Dan Bellissimo (who finished with 27 saves and 6 goals against) was pulled in favor of freshman Ryan Mensing, who let in four more goals before the final buzzer sounded and put the Broncos out of their misery.

The Broncos refused to go down in the same way on Saturday: Jeff Pierce made sure of that, scoring one minute into the second period off a Paul Szczechura assist. The Lakers tied up the game with a power play goal, but Bellissimo and the Broncos defense held steady until the last eight minutes of the game, when Lake Superior State scored two unanswered goals to go up 3-1. Despite pulling Bellissimo and peppering Laker goalie Jeff Jakaitis, the Broncos could not convert.

The Broncos and Bulldogs will face each other in a home-and-home series this weekend.

Photo courtesy of http://www.lssuhockey.blogspot.com/

Warriors getting closer

The Wayne State Warriors (0-5-1, 0-1-1 CHA) went on the road last weekend to Western New York, hoping to grab their first win of the season. Although they didn’t get the “W," they played some of their best hockey of the season and skated away with a conference point that could become very valuable later in the year.

The Warriors started quick on Friday night, getting power-play goals from both Nate Higgins and Mike Forgie to take a 2-1 lead after 20-minutes of play.

The Purps dominated the second period, out shooting the Warriors 12-5 and scoring twice to take a 3-2 lead.

Mark Nebus scored just past the 5-minute mark of the third to tie the game at 3, but Niagara went up a goal again at 13:44 on a marker by Sean Bentivoglio.

The Warriors kept fighting and with goaltender Matt Kelly pulled for the extra attacker, Adam Krug scored with just 39-seconds left to send the game into overtime.

Freshmen Les Reaney finished the game 72-seconds into overtime, beating Kelly for his third marker of the year and sealing a 5-4 Niagara victory.

Kelly finished the night 30 saves. On the other end, Jeff Van Nynatten also steered aside 30 shots.

Blueliner Steve Kovalchik recorded three assists for the Warriors in the loss.

Wayne State came out firing again in Saturday’s game two and was rewarded for their efforts with a 3-3 tie and their first point of the year.

For the second straight game the Warriors got on the board first. Defenseman Taylor Donohoe got things going for the Green and Gold with a 4-on-4 goal at 11:38 of the first.

The Eagles scored the next two and led 2-1 by 1:20 of the second period.

For the second straight game, the Warriors power play notched a pair of goals. This time Higgins and John May scored 32 seconds apart in the second to put Wayne State up 3-2.

The Purps tied it up with an extra-man marker with less than a minute left in the second to close out the scoring.

WSU fired nine shots on goal in the third and four more in the five-minute sudden-death overtime period, but neither team was able to score and grab the win.

Kelly started in net again for the Warriors and stopped 29 of 32 shots. Freshman Juliano Pagliero started his first game for the Eagles and turned away 39 of 42 shots.

Next Up…

The Warriors will return to the Coliseum in Detroit next weekend to open up their home schedule against the CHA benchmark, Bemidji State Beavers (5-1-0, 1-1-0 CHA). The Beavs split a pair on the road last weekend against Air Force, but have already swept WCHA members Minnesota-Duluth and Minnesota State.

The defending CHA champion Beavers took the season series from the Warriors last year with a 3-1 record.

ACHA Wrap Up, 11-7

Lakers Split Weekend
By Chris Moore

The Grand Valley State Lakers played two GLIHA games against rival Robert Morris College-Chicago this past weekend, looking to revenge their championship loss to the Eagles last year.

On Friday, GVSU was missing their star Mike Johnson and came out slow, allowing the first goal of the game to RMC. After a harsh locker-room talk by Coach McLean, the Lakers jumped back on path in the second, scoring two quick goals to take the lead 2-1. Phil Murray scored the first off a beautiful pass from Jeff Tejchma and Nate Morang scored the second. RMC tied it up later in the second with a blast from the point to keep the game in a stalemate 2-2. The third was a tight period, with both goalies playing strong, sending the game into overtime 2-2. In overtime, RMC was able to win a battle in front of the net to put a rebound in to win the game 3-2, much to the chagrin of the Lakers. Shots for the game were even, with both teams ending up with 30. Goaltender Chris Moore ended with 27 saves.

On Saturday, GVSU was determined to get revenge on RMC and came out flying, with Mike Kadzban scoring to tie the game up at 1 early in the first. RMC would fight to a 3-1 lead until Nate Beverwyk scored to make the game 3-2. Inconsistent play hurt the Lakers all night, as goals by Matt Burns and Tim Hillebrand would not be enough. RMC sealed the game on an empty net goal to win 6-4 despite GVSU out shooting RMC 43-22. Kevin Chapman started his first game in net with the Lakers and played solid, making 17 saves.

GVSU opens next weekend against Western Michigan (D1) at home on Saturday and plays a rare Sunday game against Michigan State at Munn.

Spartans and Grizzlies split

The Oakland University Golden Grizzlies looked flat and uninspired Friday as the visiting Michigan State Spartans skated to a 6-3 victory at the Onyx in Rochester, MI.

MSU opened the scoring just 2:04 into the first when Scott Anderson scored the first of his three goals, and the first of three unanswered Spartan goals in the first period. Will McMahon would score a goal with 37 seconds left in the first, but that would be as close as the Grizzlies would get as MSU cruised to a three-goal win.

Saturday the Grizzlies visited the Spartans in East Lansing and again couldn't get anything going in the first two periods, heading into the locker room 4-2 after the second period, with both goals coming from forward Jonah Rogowski.

"I was feeling like it was déjà vu. Last year we headed into the Michigan State game with a 10-0 ACHA record (this year the Grizzlies were 11-0) and the Spartans took it to us. This year it was happening all over again," stated Hogan.

However, Grizzly forward Jordan Ingram would come out to net two in the first half of the third to tie the game. Brent Cooper would finish the Spartans off with less than four minutes remaining and seal a 5-4 win for OU.

Next Up: The Grizzlies will play their first of four straight home games this Friday night as the Ferris State Bulldogs come to the ONYX for a GMHL match up. The Grizzlies beat the bulldogs 9-3 in Big Rapids just over two weeks ago.
Around the ACHA…

D-2
Central Michigan 8, Oakland (D-3) 2

Davenport 8, Ferris St. 1

Michigan 8, Bowling Green 1
Michigan 6, Ferris St. 3

ILLINOIS 8, Eastern Michigan 3
ILLINOIS 8, Eastern Michigan 7

Michigan-Dearborn 7, KENT STATE 5
Michigan-Dearborn 4, KENT STATE 2

OHIO 5, Western Michigan 3
OHIO 3, Western Michigan 1

D-3
Albion 0, Oakland 11

Kalamazoo 0, Calvin 17
Calvin 13, Hope 4

Muskegon CC 4, Hope 9

Lansing CC 5, Northwood 4

Michigan State polishes off NMU

The eighth-ranked Michigan State Spartans completed its first weekend sweep of No. 12 Northern Michigan since 2001 with a 5-0 victory Saturday night at Munn Ice Arena.

Spartan goaltender Dominic Vicari registered his 14th career shutout and first against the Wildcats with a 15-save performance. The triumph bolstered the Green and White's record to 5-1-1 on the season.

"It felt good to get a shutout," said Vicari. "And with the win and the sweep it makes it even better."

Colton Fretter, Zak McClellan (first collegiate goal), Bryan Lerg, captain Drew Miller and Tim Crowder (pictured) all scored for MSU. Fretter, Lerg and Miller all added an assist as well.

"I really don't remeber what I did after the goal, I was so excited," said McClellan. "I just remember all the guys coming together. It's a great feeling and nice reward to see that puck land there."

Wildcats' goalie Bill Zaniboni made 11 saves through 26:45 and was relieved by Derek Janzen after Lerg's goal. Janzen finished with five stops.

"We got out-played tonight, we got out-coached tonight and we got out-goaltended," NMU head coach Walt Kyle said. "They've got a very good team and we knew that coming in. Tonight, to their credit, I thought they took a lot of stuff away from us."

Friday night, Crowder scored 2:30 into overtime to give MSU a 5-4 win. Crowder's overtime goal materialized as Potter fed Ethan Graham in the Michigan State zone. Graham then sprung Crowder on a breakaway and he put the puck in the top corner past Zaniboni.

"He's got that long stick and that long reach," MSU head coach Rick Comley said of Crowder's game-winner. "When he gets in that position he usually scores."

Miller, Jim McKenzie, Chris Lawrence and Corey Potter added goals for the Spartans. Rob Lehtinen, Mike Santorelli, captain Nathan Oystrick and Darin Olver scored for NMU.

Vicari made 18 saves and Zaniboni stopped 17.

Michigan State's next action will come tomorrow versus Ferris State at Ewigleben Ice Arena in Big Rapids. The Wildcats host Michigan this weekend.

Wolverines post sweep over Notre Dame

Michigan played two different games last weekend, but still came away with a sweep of Notre Dame in a home-and-home set.

And though the four points look great in the CCHA standings, Wolverines’ head coach Red Berenson said the weekend wasn’t as easy as it looked.

"I think they are a much improved team,” said Berenson of the Fighting Irish. “They are hard working and they played a good system. They are hard to play against and they had their chances to win this weekend. Even though they were behind most of the time, outside of tonight when they got ahead, but they played hard and they are going to be a team down the stretch. I think they are a good team and it is a good win for us."

Friday night in South Bend, Michigan led 4-2 heading into the third period and 5-3 midway through the final frame. Then U-M and ND combined for five goals in the final 7:29 as the Irish drew as close as 6-5. Freshman Andrew Cogliano (pictured) scored the final two goals of the game to close out the win.

While on the power play in the first period, Chad Kolarik notched his first goal of the season. He later added an assist for his second multi-point game of the season and 12th of his career. Jason Bailey recorded his first career goal and point 5:55 into the second period. Brandon Naurato earned his first career goal at 11:22 of the second period.

Kevin Porter had a goal and an assist and captain Andrew Ebbett added two assists. Travis Turnbull and T.J. Hensick also scored for the Wolverines. Noah Ruden made 26 saves for the win.

Back home in front of 6,814 fans at Yost Ice Arena, Kolarik scored twice to pace Michigan to a 4-2 win. Cogliano and Hensick tallied the others and Billy Sauer stopped 27 shots in getting the victory in net.

"After I scored my goal last night, I made a little joke about getting the monkey off my back,” said Kolarik. “I was pressing way too hard, I was thinking about it all the time. It is definitely a big lift to get those first three goals."

Cogliano extended his point streak to a team season-best six games. He has seven goals and 15 assists and five multi-point efforts during the stretch.

Berenson, though happy with the wins, knows the season is still young.

“Right now, our power play has a lot of confidence and momentum and a lot of depth,” said Berenson. “It is good to see Chad Kolarik score; he has not scored up until this weekend, and he has had three this weekend. It is good to see Cogliano off to such a good start; he is dangerous on the power play. T.J. and Porter are more experienced and so on, so I think we are getting a real semblance of a real good power play. That can sputter from time to time, but right now that is a big part of our game. Obviously, we will have to improve on our five-on-five and other parts of the game."

Michigan travels to Northern Michigan this weekend for a pair.

MTU swept by Denver

Michigan Tech traveled to the two time defending champion Denver Pioneers house this weekend and were unable to come away with any WCHA points. Denver was too much as they swept MTU, 5-2 and 4-3.

The Huskies goals on Friday were from Nick Anderson and Jordan Foote. One in the first period and one in the second. MTU continued to struggle in the third stanza, giving up one goal and not capitalizing on their chances.

Saturday was a closer game and ended up at 2-2 going into the third. The second period may have been the best period of hockey the Huskies played all year, but it did not continue in the third, as MTU gave up two quick goals, and could not come back.

The goals on Saturday were from Brandon Schwartz, Taggart Desmet and Chris Conner. Conner now has a team leading 7 goals and 12 total points.

Next for the Huskies:
Conner and the Huskies now get set to take on an evenly matched opponent in St. Cloud State Friday and Saturday. SCSU comes into this weekend 1-4-1 in the WCHA. MTU needs to get points at home and start climbing in the WCHA.

Other Stats:
Conner comes into this upcoming series with a 4 game point streak. Lars Helminen had his first multi-point effort of the season with a pair of assists.

Wayne women recognized by CHA

For the second straight week, Wayne State freshman Lindsay DiPietro (left) has been named the CHA Offensive Player of the week. DiPietro, a native of Manotick, Ontario, has scored six goals and added an assist to lead the Warriors in both goals and points. She was a key factor in both Colgate games last weekend; she had one goal and one assist in Friday's game, and two goals and one assist in Saturday's victory. DiPietro leads the CHA in goals scored. She also shares the league lead in power-play points (4) and goals (3).

Fellow freshman Sam Poyton (left, bottom) was recognized as the CHA Rookie of the Week. Poyton has three points (2-1) for the season, but her two goals were pivotal for the Warriors last weekend. Her first goal put Wayne State on the board in Friday's contest, and her goal on Saturday gave the Warriors a 2-0 lead. She is originally from Hamilton, Ontario.


Wayne State goalie Valery Turcotte also received a nomination for CHA Defensive Player of the Week.

NMU's Zaniboni named CCHA Player of the Month

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association announced today that sophomore goalie Bill Zaniboni of Northern Michigan University has been named the RBC Financial Group CCHA Player of the Month for October.

The 23-year-old from Plymouth, Mass., who is a perfect 5-0-0 to start the season, backstopped the Wildcats to a Top 15 ranking in both the USA Today/American Hockey Magazine and US College Hockey Online/CSTV polls. He posted a .969 save percentage and 0.80 goals-against average in October, which represent the second-best statistics in the nation in those categories.

Zaniboni opened the season with a shutout, the first of his career, in a 3-0 victory over St. Cloud in the Berry Events Center on October 14. He stretched his career-best shutout streak 115:17, before surrendering a third-period goal to Michigan Tech in a 5-1 Wildcats' win on Oct. 21. The following night he made 31 saves on the road in a 2-1 victory to complete a weekend sweep of the Huskies. During October's final weekend, he defeated Lake Superior State twice in a home-and-home series, making a combined 51 saves, including 27 stops in a Perani Cup first-star performance on Oct. 28.

The sophomore goalie, who has been beaten just once in each of the past four games, ranks first in the CCHA in all three major goaltending categories: wins, goals-against average and save percentage. He appeared in five games during October and in 299:27 of playing time he made 124 saves while giving up just four goals.

Zaniboni is the third NMU player honored in the three-year history of the RBC Financial Group CCHA Player of the Month award, joining goalie Craig Kowalski (Dec. '03) and (then) junior forward Dirk Southern (Feb. '05).

Special mention for RBC Financial Group CCHA Player of the Month honors goes to Miami senior defenseman Andy Greene, Michigan junior forward T.J. Hensick, Michigan State sophomore forward Bryan Lerg, Bowling Green sophomore forward Jonathan Matsumoto, Alaska Fairbanks sophomore goalie Wylie Rogers, Ferris State junior forward Matt Verdone and Western Michigan senior forward Brent Walton.

ACHA Wrap Up, 11-1

Lakers sail to 2 more wins
By Chris Moore

Allendale, MICH--- Minnesota State traveled to Grand Valley this weekend for the first ever meeting of the teams.

On Friday, The Lakers started the night off slow by spotting Mankato a 3-0 lead. GVSU finally found their scoring and broke through in a big way in the third, scoring six unanswered goals to take the game 6-3. Phil Murray recorded a hat trick, with fellow linemate Jeff Tejchma adding another. Mike Johnson and Robb Higgins rounded out the scoring for GVSU. Chris Moore filled in after the goalie swap in the first period and picked up his 7th win in net with 14 saves out of 15 shots.

GVSU was intent on not making the same mistakes on Saturday and quickly took the lead 1-0 on a goal by Mike Johnson. Mankato stormed right back though, tying the game until Matt Burns gave GVSU the lead. GVSU continued the domination throughout the second adding six goals and wouldn't look back, winning 9-1. Nate Beverwyk (pictured) added two goals and three assists, while Phil Murray, Tim Hillebrand, Jeff Stempin, Mike Marquardt and Jeff Tejchma each scored one. Chris Moore started in net, making 16 saves on 17 shots in the first two periods and freshman Kevin Chapman saw his first action in the Lakers uniform, making 3 saves in the final period.

GVSU faces off against league rival Robert Morris Maroon next weekend at home.

Grizzlies sweep past Eagles

Rochester, MICH--- Oakland University swept in state ACHA DI rival Eastern Michigan University 10-4 on Friday night and 4-3 on Saturday.

Friday’s contest was all OU as the Grizzlies would score 4 second period goals en route to putting 10 on the board for the first time against an ACHA DI opponent. OU was lead by Will McMahon (2g 2a) and Brent Cooper (1g 4a). OU goaltender Chris Joswiak turned aside 20 EMU shots.

Saturday’s game was much tougher as Oakland would need two, power-play goals to beat Eastern 4-3. OU was again led by Will McMahon (2g 0a) and Brandon Lipari (2g 0a). Andrew Hansen started in net for the second time this season stopping 20 EMU scoring chances.

“These two wins are big for us heading into next week's showdown with (Michigan) State. The Spartans are the team that spoiled our chance to be two time ACHA champs”, commented OU Head Coach Sean Hogan.

OU will play a home-and-home series next weekend with arch rival Michigan State University. Friday’s game at the Onyx in Rochester will mark the first time Oakland has played MSU since the Spartans beat the Grizzlies in overtime to capture the ACHA D-II National Championship.

Around the ACHA…

D-I
#13 Delaware 6, #7 MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 4
#7 MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 5, #13 Delaware 4 (OT)

ST. CLAIR (ONT) 10, Western Michigan 2
St. Clair (ONT) 10, WESTERN MICHIGAN 1

D-II

Central Michigan 3, Dayton 2
Central Michigan 6, Dayton 2

Davenport 7, Michigan State 4

Indiana 6, Ferris State 2
Indiana 3, Ferris 2

Ohio State 4, Michigan 4
Ohio State 4, Michigan 4

D-III

Calvin 19, Kalamazoo 1
Calvin 6, Oakland 3

Hope 13, Albion 3
Hope 13, Kalamazoo 1

Northwood 9, Muskegon CC 1

Lansing CC 7, Muskegon CC 5
Lansing CC 3, Lawrence Tech 1

Alpena CC 7, Albion 2

WOMEN

Northern Michigan 4, Ohio State 4
Northern Michigan 3, Ohio State 2

Freshmen crucial in Wayne victory over Colgate

The Wayne State women's team seized its first victory of the season; the team defeated Colgate on Saturday with a 4-0 shutout. The win came after the Warriors were defeated by Colgate 3-2 on Friday evening. In both games, freshmen were critical components of the offensive effort.

The Warriors were able to stay in Friday's contest thanks in large part to goalie Valery Turcotte, who stopped ten shots--over half the shots she'd see in the entire game--in the first period. Freshman Sam Poyton notched her first goal of the season, and put Wayne State on the board early in the second period. Senior captain Jessica Snelgrove (pictured) was credited with the assist. Colgate retaliated at the end of the period to tie the score.

Freshman Lindsay DiPietro, reigning CHA Offensive Player of the Week, got some help from Danielle Wilson to put the Warriors in the lead, but Colgate quickly retaliated to tie up the score again. Colgate's Sam Hunt then scored the third goal late in the period, and Wayne State, despite controlling the offensive opportunities for the rest of the game, could not re-tie the score. Once again, the Warriors were close, but had no victory.

On Saturday, the Warriors refused to let the game even be close--the offense was relentless and Turcotte turned away each of the 22 shots she faced.

DiPietro set the example late in the first period; she capitalized on a Warrior power play to score her fifth of the season and the Warriors' first of the night. Melissa Boal and Laura Monk earned assists on DiPietro's goal. Less than two minutes into the second period, Poyton was set up by Snelgrove and Tina Vanderhoeven to put the Warriors up by two.

Boal, assisted by DiPietro and Wilson, notched a power play goal to widen the Warriors' lead, and DiPietro knocked in an unassisted goal to conclude the Wayne State scoring barrage.

Turcotte held steady through the third period to maintain her shutout, and the Warriors were able to tally their first win of the season.

Further, the Warriors' penalty kill unit was flawless all weekend--Colgate was unable to convert on a single one of its extra-woman advantages.

The Warriors will host the Connecticut Huskies this weekend.

Skinner bolts depleted MSU lineup

Sophomore forward Peder Skinner has left Michigan State for the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League.

Skinner, a 5-foot-8, 160-pound native if Isle-aux Morts, Newfoundland, played in three of MSU's five games this year, but saw limited ice. He recorded four assists in 20 games a year ago.

"Peder just wants to play and had become frustrated," Spartans head coach Rick Comley told the Lansing State Journal. "He couldn't work himself into a high enough spot in our lineup that he was going to be content with. Kingston offered him an educational package so his schooling will be taken care of. This is one of those situations where this is probably best for both of us.''

“Peder was not getting the ice time that he was lead to believe he would be receiving,” said Kingston's director of hockey operations Larry Mavety. “After initial contact and discussion, he expressed interest in joining our hockey club. He’s a very skilled forward that put up over 80 points his last year in Junior A with St. Mike’s and will add another dimension to our hockey club."

Skinner's departure reduces the Spartans' roster to 28 players - three goalies, nine defensemen and 16 forwards.

Injuries have sidelined seven players - forwards David Booth, Tim Kennedy, Chris Mueller, Nick Sucharski and Jim McKenzie and defensemen Chris Snavely and Brandon Gentile. Freshman center Justin Abdelkader will miss Friday's series opener against Northern Michigan because of a one-game suspension for a major penalty and disqualification assessed Saturday in MSU's 4-3 win at Cornell.

O'Keefe steady in Ferris win

The anticipated home-and-home series between Ferris State and Bowling Green State University was abbreviated last week, when problems with Bowling Green's ice caused the cancellation of Thursday's game. But Ferris made the most of Saturday's contest in Big Rapids--bolstered by a solid defensive effort led by reigning CCHA Rookie of the week Mitch O'Keefe, the team defeated Bowling Green 2-1.

Ferris State got on the board at the end of the first period, when Matt Stephanishion scored his second goal of the season. Joe Van Culin and Andrew Winnick were credited with the assists.

Winnick also had a hand in Ferris's second goal; he and Jim Jorgenson set up Eric Vesely to beat BGSU goalie Jon Horrell.

BGSU dominated offensively for the rest of the game, outshooting Ferris 21-13 in the last two periods. But the Falcons only managed one goal, courtesy of Mike Falk, in the second period. The rest of the Ferris defense followed O'Keefe's example: BGSU was shut down on every power play opportunity of the game.

Ferris continues CCHA competition this weekend, as the team welcomes Alaska-Fairbanks to Big Rapids for two games.

Western upsets #4 Ohio State

For most college hockey fans, the fact that Western Michigan was playing host to the Ohio State this past weekend likely merited little more than a yawn. WMU, 0-2 coming into the contest, had not shown tremendous power against lesser teams, and Ohio State was a nationally-ranked powerhouse. But the Broncos defied all expectations, sweeping the Buckeyes to the tune of 5-1 and 5-4 victories.

"Tonight's victory was a total team effort," reflected coach Jim Culhane. "Special teams played a big factor. We scored three times on the power play and we were able to keep them off the board in 12 chances on their power play."

Western had few scoring chances in the first stanza, but goalie Daniel Bellissimo held strong and kept the score even at zero. Less than one minute into the second period, a Buckeye player was called for holding the stick, and captain Mike Erickson made the most of the power play, banging in a shot with some help from Paul Szczechura (pictured, right) and Ryan Mahrle. Later in the period, after an unassisted Jeff Pierce goal put the Broncos up by two, Szczechura notched a goal of his own. Erickson returned the set-up favor and claimed an assist on the goal; Brent Walton (pictured, left) was also credited with an assist.

Though the Buckeyes peppered Bellissimo with shots throughout the third period, it was Western that was able to capitalize on its opportunities--Jeff Lovecchio widened the Broncos' lead to 4-0 on a shorthanded goal, assisted by Walton. The Broncos kept rolling as Erickson earned his second power play goal of the game off passes from Walton and Szczechura.

Although the Buckeyes scored with five minutes remaining to snatch Bellissimo's potential shutout, the Broncos refused to relinquish control of the game. Bellissimo finished with 36 saves, and Western had earned its first season win in glorious form.

The Buckeyes were hungry for vengeance on Saturday night, and for the first thirty minutes, redemption seemed within the grasp of the visiting team. Despite a Walton power play goal late in the first (assisted by Szczechura and Dave Krisky), it appeared that OSU would head to the locker room for the second intermission with a 4-1 lead.

But Western made the most of two power play opportunities late in the second period: Szczechura and Walton set up Jeff Pierce for his first goal of the season, and less than a minute later, Lovecchio helped Nathan Ansell earn his first season goal and bring Western within one goal of the Buckeyes. The Broncos had wrestled back the game's momentum and stayed in control throughout the third period.

Western scored two more unanswered goals in the third period: Jason Moul scored an even-strength goal midway through the period to tie the game (Lovecchio and Ansell assisted), and Krisky notched the go-ahead goal with less than three minutes left in the game (Walton and Szczechura just had to be involved again, and were credited with assists on the Krisky goal).

Bellissimo had an exciting repeat performance, stopping 37 shots in Saturday's contest, and Western killed every Ohio State power play opportunity.

Western looks to continue its dominance of CCHA opponents when Lake Superior State visits Lawson this weekend.

'Cats skin the Lakers "Up North"

The Northern Michigan Wildcats (5-1-0, 2-0-0 CCHA) recent dominance of the Lake Superior State Lakers (1-2-3, 0-2-2 CCHA) continued over the weekend with the boys from Marquette sweeping a home-and home U.P. grudge match.

Special teams were the name of the game on Friday night at the Berry Events Center as the ‘Cats pounced to a 3-1 win.

Dirk Southern opened the scoring shorthanded for the Wildcats just: 46 seconds into the game. Josh Sim tied the game for the Lakers at 11:42, but that marked the end of the scoring for LSSU.

Darin Olver scored the eventual game winner with the man-advantage at 4:32 of the second and Jamie Milam notched another power-play marker at 15:54 of the third to give NMU their fourth win in five games.

Bill Zaniboni stopped 27 of 28 in the Wildcat net and Jeff Jakaitis turned aside 20 of 23 for the Lakers.

NMU finished the night 2-11 on the pp while holding LSSU to a 0-7 evening.

Saturday night the series headed east to the Sault, but the result was the same as the Wildcats grabbed a 2-1 victory.

After a scoreless first period, NMU opened up a 2-0 lead in the secone on power-play goals by Andrew Contois and Pat Bateman.

Matt Restoule tallied an even-strength goal LSSU at 14:29, but it wasn’t enough as LSSU fell to the Wildcats for the fifth game in a row.

The same goaltending duo was in net again for the finale. Zaniboni stopped 24 of 25 for NMU and Jakaitis 20 of 22 for LSSU.

NMU went 2-4 on the PP and LSSU went 0-9.

Next up for Northern Michigan is a pair of games at Munn against Michigan State next weekend. Lake Superior will also be on the road at Lawson for two against Western Michigan.

Photo courtesy of http://www.lssuhockey.blogspot.com/

Warriors still looking for a win as road trip rolls on

The bumpy start to the season continued for the Wayne State Warriors (0-4-0) as they were shelled and swept by the Clarkson Golden Knights over the weekend in Potsdam, NY.

Friday’s series opener started well with Mark Nebus scoring his first of the year on the power-play at 4:51 to give the Green and Gold a 1-0 lead.

The Knights scored the next three goals before Derek Bachynski tallied an even strength marker at 6:19 of the second to make it a 3-2 game.

That’s as close as the Warriors would get again as the Knights picked up the next two goals and skated away with an east 5-2 win.

David Cayer led the Knights with a pair of goals and assists and David Leggio made 25 saves.

Will Hooper started in net for the Warriors and surrendered 5 goals on 20 shots.

If Friday night’s win was easy, then Saturday’s victory was a virtual cakewalk for the Knights as they rolled to a 7-1 final at the Cheel Arena.

Last year’s goal scoring leader Jason Bloomingburg (pictured) recorded the Warriors only goal on the power play in the first period, but other than that it was all Clarkson with seven different skaters scoring goals.

Senior center and Kalamazoo native Jeff Genovy had a three-point night, assisting on the Knights last three goals.

Kyle McNulty stopped 25 of 26 in net for the Knights to pick up the win.

Matt Kelly was solid on the other end, but still surrendered 7 goals on 42 shots.

A couple of key facts stand out in the first four games and have led the Warriors to their worst start in the seven years of the program.

The historically strong Warriors have given up 21 goals in four contests. Wayne has also been near stone cold on the power-play, scoring just twice in 33 chances this season.

Wayne State will try to get into the win column as they continue their season-opening six-game road trip and open the conference season with a pair of games at Niagara next weekend.

Last season the Warriors went 1-2-1 against the Purple Eagles.

Spartans get upset split at Cornell

The 10th-ranked Michigan State Spartans scored four second-period goals and freshman Jeff Lerg made 22 saves as the Spartans posted a 4-3 win over second-ranked Cornell last Saturday to gain a split in the two-game series. Tyler Howells had a pair of goals and Bryan Lerg (left) assisted on all four goals to pace the offensive attack for MSU.

"I thought Jeff Lerg was terrific tonight," MSU head coach Rick Comley said. "I was very happy with Jeff's performance, especially when you consider the fact that he's playing in his first college game in this type of atmosphere. It was an important game, and he responded well."

Tim Crowder and Brandon Warner also scored for the Spartans. For the junior Warner, it was his first collegiate goal.

Comley added that though Cornell was ranked No. 2 heading into the weekend, MSU didn't stand around and give them that respect.

"Cornell is a very physical team," added Comley. "They certainly couldn't play in our league because they would get called for too many penalties. Cornell plays a tough, physical game and tonight, our guys battled to match the intensity. This is a big win for us."

Friday night, MSU captain Drew Miller scored both goals in a 4-2 defeat. Dominic Vicari stopped 18 shots.

The Spartans return to Munn Ice Arena for their first home CCHA series this weekend when Northern Michigan comes to East Lansing. Game time both nights is 7:05 p.m.

Michigan splits at Alaska-Fairbanks

Noah Ruden pitches 4-0 shutout Saturday night

Michigan's No. 1 ranking is in jeopardy after they split this past weekend at Alaska-Fairbanks.

Friday night, Wylie Rogers made 34 saves as the Nanooks posted a 4-2 win over the Wolverines. Andrew Cogliano and Travis Turnbull each had a goal and an assist on the night and goalie Billy Sauer made 19 saves.

"There were too many mental breakdowns on our part, just giving the puck away," U-M senior captain Andrew Ebbett said. "We talked about how you need to bury the chances you get to win on the road and we didn't do that."

But Saturday night, Noah Ruden got the call in goal and the Bloomfield Hills senior made 23 saves for a 4-0 win and his first career shutout. All four Michigan goals were scored on the power play.

"You feel a lot better, it's not just the first road win, but it's the fact that we bounced back from last night," Michigan head coach Red Berenson said. "I thought we were better tonight. We bounced back. The team feels good and we didn't give up anything."

Ruden stopped Lucas Burnett's penalty shot late in the first period. Burnett was taken down by Jack Johnson on a breakaway attempt.

"You have to decide how you want to play it," said Ruden. "It was late in the period and the ice was choppy so I knew he wasn't going to deke, that helped. You just have to play them straight up."

Burnett's penalty shot was the first taken against the Wolverines since March 2, 1997, when OSU's J.F. DuFour scored on Gregg Malicke in Columbus.

Johnson, Matt Hunwick and T.J. Hensick all had a goal and two assists while Kevin Porter had a goal and an assist for the Wolverines. Cogliano extended his point streak to four consecutive games with an assist on Hunwick's goal. He has four goals and five assists during that span.

The Wolverines play a home-and-home series against Notre Dame this weekend. Friday night, U-M travels to South Bend for a 7:35 p.m. faceoff and the following night, the Fighting Irish come to Ann Arbor for a 7:35 p.m. puck drop at Yost Ice Arena.

Ferris State-Bowling Green postponed

Thursday's game at BGSU Ice Arena between Bowling Green and visiting Ferris State was suspended after the first period because of problems with the ice. The game will be rescheduled at a date and time mutually agreed upon by the two schools and played in Bowling Green.

The game was scoreless after one period before a line under the ice was hit while a rink attendant was drilling a hole for the net's pegs.

As scheduled, BGSU and Ferris will play in Big Rapids tomorrow night starting at 7:05 p.m.

Wayne women still hungry for first victory

The Wayne State Warriors still could not seize their first win of the season last weekend, enduring a loss and a tie against visiting Clarkson.

In the 2-0 Clarkson win on Friday, the Warriors got behind early, when Christine Bailkowski hammered in a rebound from a Katie Morrison shot. While the Warriors played even with Clarkson for much of the game, they could not convert, and a deflected pass from Clarkson player Andrea Maluta found its way past WSU goalie Val Turcotte. Coach Jim Fetter pulled Turcotte, who finished with 24 saves, with about a minute remaining, but the Warriors could not score.

The Warriors hoped for redemption on Saturday, but the result was a bittersweet 1-1 tie. Lindsey DiPietro scored the game's first goal for Wayne State during a second period power play. Melissa Boal and Peyton Patterson earned assists on the play.

The Warrior defense, anchored by goalie Tiffany Thompson (pictured), held steady until the final three minutes of the game, when Clarkson forward Ashley Shaidle scored unassisted to send the game to overtime. Neither team was able to find the net and the game ended in a tie.

Despite the unsatisfying results, the Warriors' defense had reason to be proud. In addition to Turcotte's solid effort on Friday, Thompson finished with 34 saves on Saturday, and the penalty kill unit was flawless, stifling each of Clarkson's power play opportunities.

Thompson was recognized for her efforts as she was named the CHA Defensive Player of the Week. Additionally, DiPietro earned Offensive Player of the Week honors for her efforts in Saturday's contest.

The Warriors hit the road this weekend and travel to Hamilton, N.Y., to face Colgate University on Friday and Saturday.

Western falls to Niagara

Last Saturday's contest between the Western Michigan Broncos and the Niagara Purple Eagles started with a Niagara goal as Sean Bentivoglio beat Broncos' goalie Daniel Bellissimo just ten seconds into the game. Bentivoglio struck again before the end of the period, and the Broncos were fighting for survival in the quest for their first victory of the season.

Brent Walton answered the call in the second period. His power-play goal, assisted by captain Mike Erickson and Paul Szczechura, put the Broncos within striking distance. Midway through the period, defenseman Ryan Mahrle (pictured) got some help from Matt Clackson and Sean Weaver, and scored to put the Broncos on even ground with the Purple Eagles. But less than a minute later, Reid Yantzi went to the box and Niagara capitalized on the situation. Bentivoglio set up Les Reaney for the Purple Eagles' go-ahead goal.

"To start the third period, the shift our top line had got us going and we were running through our four lines," said NU head coach Dave Burkholder. "That set the tone for the third period. Finally our power play had some good puck moevement. That was a huge goal that Les tipped in. When we played a single game like we did, that’s a big test and we responded. That’s two games in a row that we played really well in the third."

Bellissimo finished with 33 saves.

"I’m pleased with our effort, but disappointed with the outcome," reflected Western coach Jim Culhane.

Western Michigan will return home tomorrow to face fourth-ranked Ohio State in Western's first CCHA faceoff of the season.

"We’re looking forward to getting into league play." Culhane said. "Hosting the Buckeyes will be a tremendous challenge for our young team. They’re coming in as one of the nation’s top-ranked programs. We need the seventh man to support us this weekend at Lawson— a strong contingent of students and community support.”

Photo courtesy of WMU

Ferris and LSSU play back-to-back ties

Ferris State skated to two consecutive ties with Lake Superior State last weekend: a 4-4 decision on Friday and a 1-1 result on Saturday.

Matt Stephanision got things going on Friday night with a power-play goal. Dan Reidel and Greg Rallo were credited with the assists. Matt Verdone, with help from Zac Pearson and Jim Jorgensen, netted his fifth goal of the season to put Ferris ahead by two.

LSSU scored three unanswered goals courtesy of Kory Scoran, Dominick Osman and Alex Dunn to take the the lead going into the third period. Verdone notched his second goal of the game on a power play to tie the score. Jorgensen and Chris Zarb assisted. The Lakers responded with a power-play goal of their own from the stick of Trent Campbell. Zarb and Verdone set-up Brendan Connolly to respond with an even-strength effort, but the Bulldogs could not light the lamp again before the end of the game. Bulldogs' goalie Mitch O'Keefe (pictured above) finished with 24 saves.

Saturday saw another split decision. Corey Couturier and Matt Frank set up Adam Miller for the Ferris goal, but the Lakers responded two minutes later with a Josh Sim goal. O'Keefe had 21 saves in Saturday's effort.

The Bulldogs play a delayed home-and-home series with Bowling Green starting tonight in Ohio and concluding Saturday night in Big Rapids. Lake Superior State plays a home-and-home with Northern Michigan, hosting the Wildcats Saturday night and traveling to NMU tomorrow night.

MSU routs U.S. Under-18 Team, 5-2

Michigan State jumped out to a 4-0 lead after 20 minutes and held on for a 5-2 exhibition win Tuesday night over the U.S. Under-18 Team at Munn Ice Arena.

Dan Sturges (left) and Peder Skinner each had a goal and an assist for the Spartans while Chris Lawrence piled on three assists.

"It is tough to play an exhibition game against a highly-skilled team like them after a very emotional Michigan game," MSU head coach Rick Comley said. "I thought we played great in the first period, so-so in the second, and solid in the third. Overall, I thought we played well."

Jeff Lerg made 25 saves for the Spartans and captain Drew Miller (power-play), Bryan Lerg (power-play) and Chris Mueller also scored in the win.

Chris Summers and Erik Johnson scored for Team USA, who got a 30-save performance from goaltender Joe Palmer.

"Michigan State is very talented," USA head coach John Hynes said. "They played a full game and obviously they gave us all that we could handle and more. They worked hard tonight and you can see why they are a top-team team."

The No. 8 Spartans travel to No. 2 Cornell this weekend.

ACHA Wrap Up

Golden Grizzlies still undefeated in ACHA

Oakland University remained undefeated in ACHA play this past weekend garnering two important league wins over Davenport University and Ferris State.

Friday night, the Grizzlies were lead by Will McMahon with three goals and Brent Cooper with four points (goal, three assists) in a 5-1 win.

"It was a game, despite the score, that could have gone either way," commented OU head coach Sean Hogan. "I thought our goaltender Chris Joswiak played an outstanding game giving us a chance to win."

Joswiak (pictured) turned aside 29 Davenport scoring opportunities in the win.

Saturday's contest was all OU from the start as the visiting Grizzlies would beat Ferris State, 9-3. OU was again lead by McMahon with four goals. Captain Brandon Lipari and Dan Oleksy also chipped in with two goals each. Goaltender Andrew Hansen started his first game in net for the Grizzlies and stopped 24 of 27 shots in securing the win.

Oakland will play EMU in a home-and-home series this weekend. Friday, the Eagles will visit the ONYX at 8:30 p.m.and Saturday the Grizzlies will travel to Ann Arbor for a matinee at 4:00 p.m.

Lakers Ride Out Tough Weekend
By Chris Moore

Grand Valley State University opened this past weekend against #4 University of Michigan. GVSU started strong in the first two periods, going up 3-2 on goals by Mike Kadzban, Phil Murray, and Jeff Stempin.

In the third, a few defensive breakdowns and unlucky bounces that went Michigan's way allowed Michigan to take a 5-3 lead until Murray added his second late in the game. Though the Lakers pounded the goal in the final minute, they couldn't put one in for the tie. Three of Michigan's five goals deflected off of GVSU players in the heartbreaking 5-4 loss. GVSU out-shot Michigan 39-38 in the game.

Saturday, GVSU traveled back to Grand Rapids to play intercity rival Davenport University. Davenport came out on fire and embarrassed the Lakers. GVSU played with no emotion the entire game allowing DU to score 10 seconds into the game and it stayed that way from there on. Mike Johnson and Dean Watkins each added goals, but it wasn't near enough as the Lakers fell 10-2.

Next weekend, GVSU is home to Minnesota State-Mankato for two games.

Around the ACHA…..

Division-1
#1 Illinois 8, Michigan State 0
#1 Illinois 8, Michigan State 2

#7 Michigan-Dearborn 13, John Carroll 3 at ACHA Showcase, Youngstown, OH
#7 Michigan-Dearborn 3, #17 Duquesne 2 at ACHA Showcase, Youngstown, OH
Arizona 8, #7 Michigan-Dearborn 5 at ACHA Showcase, Youngstown, OH

St. Clair (Ont) 9, #11 Eastern Michigan 3
St. Clair (ONT) 10, #11 Eastern Michigan 1

Indiana 7, Western Michigan 2
Western Michigan 4, Indiana 1

Division-2
Illinois 8, Michigan State 0
Illinois 8, Michigan State 2

Division-3
Kalamazoo College 8, Albion 7 (Northwood Tournament)
Calvin 10, Robert Morris 0 (Northwood Tournament)
Calvin 3, Colorado 3 (Northwood Tournament)
Calvin 5, Hope 2 (Northwood Tournament)
Hope 9, Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2 (Northwood Tournament)
Florida Golf Coast 6, Hope 1 (Northwood Tournament)
Oakland 5, Lawrence Tech 4 (Northwood Tournament)
Florida Golf Coast 11, Muskegon Community College 3 (Northwood Tournament)
Muskegon Community College 2, Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2 (Northwood Tournament)
Muskegon Community College 5, Northwood 2 (Northwood Tournament)
Colorado 11, Northwood 4 (Northwood Tournament)

Women
Michigan State (white) 3, Ohio State 3

NMU sweeps MTU, retains Ramada Cup

The battle for this year's Ramada Cup is here and gone. Northern Michigan was able to sweep Michigan Tech this past weekend, 5-1 and 2-1, and retain the Ramada Cup for another year. The series was a home-and-home series with the first in Marquette and the second in Houghton.

Saturday was a penalty-filled game, 59 in total, 41 for the Huskies. NMU controlled the play all game and the only mistake made by netminder Bill Zaniboni came with less than five minutes left in the game on a shorthanded goal by Chris Conner (pictured), his first shorty of the year and 12th of his career at MTU, which is now the all-time school record.

Saturday night was a different story as MTU controlled most of the play, but again had a hard time solving Zaniboni in net. There was not as much specialty time Saturday as there was Friday, but both teams were able to get a power-play goal. MTU's came from Mike Botavanja on a one-timer from the point. Tech had chances to tie in the last seconds, but were unable to get the bounces.

MTU starts WCHA play this weekend when Minnesota-Duluth comes to town. Both teams are young and both struggled a bit in early non-conference play, so it should make for a couple good games by a couple hungry teams.

For a more complex write up on both games, please click here.

Wolverines and Spartans play to 3-3 tie

The Michigan-Michigan State rivalry continued Saturday night in Ann Arbor and nothing was settled as the two teams played to a 3-3 tie in front of 6,784 at Yost Ice Arena.

Tim Kennedy and Andrew Ebbett traded first-period goals with Kennedy’s giving the Spartans an early 1-0 lead 4:17 into the game. Ebbett, U-M's captain, tallied at 13:01.

The goal snapped a 142:52 shutout streak for MSU goalie Dominic Vicari, which extended back to the opening minute of the game against Wayne State in the Lefty McFadden Invitational on Oct. 8.

In the second period, the teams again swapped goals as Brandon Kaleniecki’s power-play goal at 1:03 game U-M a 2-1 lead only to see Tyler Howells tie it back up for the Spartans at 3:22. Andrew Cogliano made it 3-2 Michigan with a power-play goal at 7:14, but a late goal by Tim Crowder at 19:17 gave MSU a 3-3 tie.

Nothing was settled in the final 20 minutes or in overtime. Michigan defenseman Tim Cook did get booted out of the game at the 11:18 mark for a check from behind that also got him a five-minute major.

“It was a hard-fought game and we knew it would be,” Michigan head coach Red Berenson said. “From our standpoint, we didn't get off to a good start. We turned the puck over and it cost us a goal, but our power play got us back out of the first period tied. It was a battle after that. Our power play was a good factor and our penalty kill was as well. I can't tell you that we played that bad, but they played well and we played right into their hands in terms of turnovers. We got stronger as the game moved on but we couldn't score. It was anyone's game.”

“We played well enough to win, but they could have won, too,'” MSU coach Rick Comley said. “It was very intense and very physical.”

Michigan goalie Billy Sauer (pictured) finished with 35 saves while Vicari stopped 20 for the Spartans. Sauer, though, had his first experience in the rivalry and how loud Yost can be.

“I had my first little taste last weekend against Boston College, so I kind of knew what to expect,” Sauer said. “It was still a little nerve-wracking when I first got out there. I thought I was going to be sick the first few minutes to tell you the truth. To look up there and see 6,900 people screaming, it was a great experience.”

Late in the third playing four-on-four, Michigan State nearly picked up the go-ahead goal, when defenseman Ethan Graham's dump-in attempt careened off of Sauer and into the slot. MSU captain Drew Miller picked up the loose puck, but Sauer made his best save of the night, forcing the game into overtime.

“I just knew he wasn't going to score,” said Sauer. “I could see him winding up the whole way and all I had to do was get in front of him. I knew he wasn't going to make any other move, so it wasn't really that hard.”

Michigan State returns to action on Tuesday with an exhibition contest against the U.S. Under-18 Team at 7:05 p.m. and continues regular-season action with a trip to Cornell on Oct. 29 and 30. The Wolverines take to the road for the first time this season next weekend as they make the trek to play Alaska-Fairbanks. U-M faces UAF at 7:05 p.m. Alaska time (11:05 p.m. EDT) each night.

Michigan and Michigan meet again in the regular season Jan. 17 in East Lansing, but could meet at the Great Lakes Invitational on Dec. 30.

NOTEBOOK
Michigan has added three walk-ons: sophomore defenseman Jon Montville (Novi), sophomore forward Chris Fragner (Ann Arbor) and senior forward Morgan Ward. The latter is ineligible for the fall semester as a result of his transfer from Army. Neither Montville nor Fragner played in the MSU game.

The Michigan State game was also Parents’ Night at Yost.

Kennedy and Crowder scored their first collegiate goals for the Spartans.

Lake Superior gets big forward for '06

Nathan Perkovich, a forward with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League, has given a verbal commitment to Lake Superior State University and will join the Lakers for the 2006-07 season.

Perkovich, a Canton native, is a 6-foot-5, 195-pounder in his third season in the USHL. Prior to joining the Steel, Perkovich played for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.

Currently, Perkovich, a New Jersey Devils draft pick, has a goal and an assist for two points in six games as well as 25 penalty minutes.

"Nathan has paid his dues in the USHL," remarked Steel coach-GM Chris Imes. "He plays hard every shift, every day. His leadership is reminiscent of (Detroit Red Wing Steve) Yzerman, he's quiet and lets his play do the talking. Nathan recovered well from his knee injury and has made an immediate impact this season. Perk is a great example of perseverance, discipline and dedication, and he is being rewarded with a scholarship."

Warriors blank Oakland, 4-0

Wayne State recorded a 4-0 exhibition win over Oakland University's club team Wednesday evening at the Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum.

In its final tune-up before resuming regular-season play, the Warriors limited the Golden Grizzlies to 16 shots on goal despite five regulars (Stavros Paskaris, Mike Forgie, Nate Higgins, Steve Kovalchik and co-captain Greg Poupard) being out of the lineup.

WSU scored two even-strength goals in the opening period from Matt Krug and Jason Baclig. The Warriors added two power-play goals in the middle stanza from Dave Perri and Derek Punches to complete the scoring.

Junior netminder Kevin Bonikowski (above right) made 16 saves to earn the shutout. Oakland goalie Chris Joswiak turned aside 34 Warrior shots.

"I thought we played much better this time," OU head coach Sean Hogan said. "The guys weren't as nervous as the first game (back on Oct. 4, an 8-0 WSU win) and it showed out of the gate."

The Warriors play a two-game non-conference series at Clarkson University next Friday and Saturday. Friday's game will air on WDTK Radio (1400 AM) and also on the Internet at wdtkam.com. The pre-game show with announcer Andy Sanzotta begins at 6:45 p.m. Saturday's contest can be heard through Teamline starting at 7:15 p.m. (7:30 p.m. face-off).

Oakland plays Davenport Friday night at home.

Oakland icer Webb signs UHL contract

Oakland University forward Ryan Webb (left) signed a professional hockey training camp agreement with the United Hockey League's Motor City Mechanics earlier this week, effectively ending his brief career with the Golden Grizzlies.

"We are certainly proud that Ryan has the opportunity to move on with his hockey career beyond the college ranks," commented OU head coach Sean Hogan. "We wish him the best of luck with his hockey career."

Webb played two years in the NCAA Division III ranks with Utica College and finished with seven points (goal, six assists) in six games with the Grizzlies. Prior to his college career, Webb, a White Lake native, won a Junior A national championship with the now-defunct Pittsburgh Forge of the NAHL and played one season in the USHL with Cedar Rapids and Sioux Falls.

Ferris falls to UNH, Verdone soars at Stampede

The Ferris State Bulldogs opened their 2005-06 season on the road, where they faced non-conference competitors at the Mutual Omaha Stampede. The Bulldogs fell 4-2 to the University of New Hampshire on Friday night, but earned a 5-2 win over Army on Saturday, courtesy of an offensive effort led by Matt Verdone (pictured).

Friday started strong enough for Ferris. Despite New Hampshire getting on the board early in the game, the Bulldogs quickly retaliated. Less than two minutes after the UNH goal, Eric Vesley tied it up for Ferris. Dan Riedel and Adam Welch assisted. Midway through the first stanza, Ferris took the lead on an Adam Miller power-play goal, assisted by Zac Pearson and Brian Yandle.

However, Ferris couldn't preserve the lead for long. UNH scored three unanswered goals in the second period, with two coming on the power play.

Ferris State goaltender Derek McIntyre finished with 24 saves. Jeff Pietrasiak stopped 21 shots for UNH.

Saturday gave the Bulldogs - and one Bulldog in particular - a chance to shine, as they faced off with the Army Black Knights in the tournament consolation game.

Reidel got things started by notching a power play goal with a little help from Mark Bomersback and Greg Rallo. Then with fifteen seconds left in the first period, with Ferris one man down, Verdone banged in his first goal of the evening. Pearson and Andrew Winnick assisted. Verdone lit the lamp again in the second period off a Brendan Connolly assist to put the Bulldogs up 3-0.

Army got on the board in the third period on a Bryce Hollweg power play goal, but three minutes later, it was back to the Matt Verdone show. He capitalized again on the power play to for his third goal of the night, and Pearson and Chris Zarb were credited with the assists.

But a hat trick wasn't enough for Verdone. He notched one more even-strength goal with help from Pearson and Connolly.

Brady Dolim gave Army its second goal late in the third, but Verdone's efforts clearly had their intended effect and Ferris claimed the 'W.'

In his first start, Ferris freshman goalie Mitch O'Keefe had 11 saves. Brad Roberts had 29 saves for the Black Knights.

The Bulldogs travel to Lake Superior State this weekend for a pair of CCHA games.

Western falls to Robert Morris in season opener

The Western Michigan Broncos lost their season opener by a score of 5-2 to the Robert Morris Colonials last Saturday night at Lawson Ice Arena.

Brent Walton (left) put the Broncos on the board in the first period. Reid Yantzi and Mike Erickson earned the assists on his goal.

Robert Morris retaliated with a pair of goals from Jake Sparks and Brett Hopfe. Western was able to even the score by the end of the second period thanks to a Dave Krisky power-play goal. Ryan Moore and goalie Daniel Bellissimo were credited with the assists.

At the start of the third period, Bellissimo was pulled and Scott Foster took over netminder duties. Bellissimo made eleven saves in the first two periods. Foster faced seven shots, but was only able to stop four as RMU co-captain Kurt Wright, Tom Bicudich, and Sparks lit the lamp for Robert Morris and the Broncos could not respond.

Goalie Christian Boucher had 25 saves for Robert Morris.

The Broncos travel to Niagara this Saturday night for their lone game this week.

ACHA Weekend Round-Up

GVSU's leading scorer Nate Morang

Thursday, October 13
WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON 5, Eastern Michigan 3

Friday, October 14
ILLINOIS 8, Western Michigan 0
MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 9, Saint Louis 2
Eastern Michigan 7, KENT STATE 3
Oakland 8, KENTUCKY 5
Grand Valley State 2, INDIANA 1

Saturday, October 15
ILLINOIS 4, Western Michigan 2
MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 5, Saint Louis 2
Eastern Michigan 4, KENT STATE 2
Oakland 11, KENTUCKY 1
INDIANA 7, Grand Valley State 4

(Home teams in CAPS)

Grand Valley State traveled to Indiana last weekend and split with the top-ranked Hoosiers. Friday, goaltender Chris Moore made 60 saves in a 2-1 win. Phil Murray and Nate Morang scored for the Lakers. Saturday, Mike Marquardt, from center ice, Dean Watkins, Jeff Stempin and Morang scored, but GVSU fell, 7-4. Moore finished with 35 shots and suffered his first loss of the season. Murray added three assists.

The Lakers venture to the University of Michigan this Friday and Davenport on Saturday to continue two Central Division rivalries.

Oakland University played two midnight games last weekend at Kentucky and came away with an 8-5 win Friday and an 11-1 pasting Saturday. Brent Cooper and Will McMahon scored two goals each Friday. Captain Brandon Lipari (two assists), Jarrett Samp (two assists) and Ronnie Teasdale (goal, assist) would each finish the night with two points. Saturday night was all OU as they would score 11 goals on 75 shots. Cooper and McMahon would again lead the Grizzlies with Cooper garnering six points (two goals, four assists) and McMahon netting four goals. Defenseman Scott Elder finished the night with three assists. Chris Joswiak turned away 28 Icecat shots in net.

OU will make the short trip to the Michigan State Fairgrounds Wednesday night to take on Wayne State University. Wayne State last played OU on Oct. 4, beating the Grizzlies 8-0.

Recaps courtesy of Chris Moore (GVSU) and Matt Mackinder (OU).

Lakers tie, beat No. 16 Colgate

Lake Superior State took three of four points last weekend with a tie and win over No. 16 Colgate at the Taffy Abel Arena.

Friday night, Derek R. Smith had a goal and an assist and goaltender Jeff Jakaitis (right) made 20 saves in a 2-2 tie. Troy Schwab added two assists and Trent Campbell scored the other LSSU tally.

The following night, Dominic Osman recorded a goal and an assist to lead the Lakers to a 3-2 victory. Jeff Rainville and Nathan Ward also scored to back Jakaitis' 16-save outing. Freshman Marty Gurnoe notched his first collegiate points with a pair of assists. All three goals were with the man-advantage.

The Lakers will play host to Ferris State on Oct. 21-22 while celebrating Great Lake State Weekend.

Wayne women struggle against St. Lawrence

The St. Lawrence women's team made its first journey to Wayne State this weekend, and the Warriors hoped to capitalize on the home-ice advantage to notch their first win over the top-ranked Saints. However, the offensive energy of the Saints proved to be too much for the Warriors to handle; they lost 3-2 on Friday and 4-0 on Saturday.

Friday's contest started in Wayne State's favor with sophomore Ashley King (pictured) scoring the game's first goal late in the first period. Freshman Melissa Boal was credited with the assist.

St. Lawrence retaliated early in the second period with a Sabrina Herbec goal, and widened their lead with two more goals scored in the span of 38 seconds, courtesy of Crystal Conners and Annie Guay.

Warrior freshman Lindsey DiPietro tried to get Wayne State back in the game, but her goal would be the last one of the night. Boal and fellow freshman Sam Poyton picked up the assists.

The Warriors would fare no better on Saturday. Goalie Valery Turcotte, who had 17 saves on Friday, was rattled early on when Saints forward Carson Duggan lit the lamp just 21 seconds into the game. Duggan beat Turcotte again midway through the first period to put St. Lawrence up 2-0.

The second period started no better for the Warriors, as Duggan once again scored, completing her evening hat trick. Sabrina Herbec assisted on each of Duggan's goals.

Less than a minute later, Crystal Conners put the Saints up 4-0.

Turcotte finished with 21 saves.

A two-skater advantage in the third period gave the Warriors a chance to retaliate, but the team could not convert. The Warriors were 0-for-14 on the power play this weekend. However, their opponents did no better as Wayne State killed all three of St. Lawrence's power play chances.

The Warriors will look to snap their three-game losing streak against Clarkson this weekend at home.

Michigan routs Merrimack, 9-2

Michigan sophomore Kevin Porter

Kevin Porter's first career hat trick and Andrew Cogliano's first two collegiate goals highlighted a seven-goal first period as Michigan cruised to a 9-2 win yesterday afternoon against Merrimack at Yost Ice Arena.

Cogliano added two assists and T.J. Hensick (goal, three assists), captain Andrew Ebbett (goal, two assists) and Jack Johnson (three assists) had notable offensive outputs.

Goaltender Noah Ruden started his first game of the year and made 25 saves while allowing two goals in just under 50 minutes of action. Mike Mayhew played the final 10 minutes.

Freshmen Zac MacVoy and Tyler Swystun each netted their first career goal as well while Mark Mitera tallied his first career point with an assist in the first period.

The Wolverines scored five power-play goals on 12 chances. The last time Michigan scored five power-play tallies was at Notre Dame on Dec. 2, 2004.

"The importance of the start of the game has a lot to do with the direction in which the goals are scored," Michigan head coach Red Berenson said. "I like the fact that we got off to a good start in both games this weekend, tonight in particular. That gets some momentum going and some confidence. We had a lot of players get some quality ice time. If you look at our freshmen, Cogliano scored his first goal, (Travis) Turnbull scored a winner (against Boston College) Friday night and MacVoy scored his first. The point is that everyone's starting to contribute a little more. Hopefully, our team took a step forward from a week ago."

This marks the first time since the 1999-2000 season that the Wolverines have started the season 4-0-0. Berenson's best winning streak to start a season came in 1996-97 when the Wolverines started out 6-0-0.

The Wolverines open the CCHA regular season Saturday against Michigan State at Yost. Faceoff is slated for 7:35 p.m.