MiCHO Week 5 Results

Western Michigan junior Nolan LaPorte tallied three points to lead the Broncos to a 4-2 win over Alaska at Lawson Ice Arena in front of a sold-out crowd of 4,063 Saturday night (GS Photo).

Michigan Tech swept WCHA rival Ferris State in Big Rapids.

Friday - MTU 1, Ferris State 0
Saturday - MTU 2, Ferris State 1


Michigan went on the road and beat Massachusetts-Lowell, before losing to Boston University.

Friday - Michigan 8, UMass Lowell 4
Saturday - Boston University 3, Michigan 2


Northern Michigan took both contests on the road against still-winless Lake Superior State.

Friday - Northern Michigan 4, LSSU 2
Saturday - Northern Michigan 3, LSSU 0


Michigan State also went East, losing to both Boston University and UMass Lowell.

Friday - Boston University 1, Michigan State 0
Saturday - UMass Lowell 2, Michigan State 1


Western Michigan played at home and split with Alaska.

Friday - Alaska 1, Western Michigan 0
Saturday - Western Michigan 4, Alaska 2

MiCHO Week 4 Results

The Michigan State Spartans began the new season with a 5-3 win over UMass in East Lansing.
(photo courtesy of Rey Del Rio/MSU Athletic Communications)

#10 Michigan rallied at Yost for a two-game split with visiting New Hampshire.

Friday recap -  UNH 5, U of M 1
Saturday recap - UNH 1, U of M 2

The Northern Michigan Wildcats opened their season with a bang as they swept the #18 Wisconsin Badgers at the Resch Center in Green Bay.

Friday recap - NMU 2, U of W 0
Saturday recap - NMU 4, U of W 1

Michigan State began the campaign with a split at Munn against Massachusetts.

Friday recap - UMass 3, MSU 5
Saturday recap - UMass 4, MSU 3

There was no joy at the Lawson Arena as the WMU Broncos were swept aside by Nebraska-Omaha.

Friday recap - UNO 5, WMU 2
Saturday recap - UNO 3, WMU 0

#4 Ferris State went on the road and split with St. Lawrence in Canton, NY.

Friday recap - FSU 3, St. Lawrence 2
Saturday recap - FSU 0, St. Lawrence 2

Lake Superior is still searching for their first win of the year as they hammered by Notre Dame in South Bend.

Friday recap - LSSU 3, ND 5
Saturday recap - LSSU 1, ND 5

Shyiak named associate coach at WMU

Former Alaska-Anchorage head coach and Northern Michigan assistant coach Dave Shyiak has been tabbed the new associate head coach at Western Michigan. (Photo/WMU)

Huskies and Wildcats on the air

Photo courtesy Michigan Tech Athletics

All four WCHA battles between the Michigan Tech Huskies and Northern Michigan Wildcats this season will be aired live on Fox UP.

NMU's Walt Kyle nails Ice Bucket Challenge

Northern Michigan head coach Walt Kyle takes the Ice Bucket Challenge to a new level.

Former Wildcat Hiller moves to Red Wings bench

Photo courtesy of Northern Michigan Athletics

Northern Michigan hockey alum and Sports Hall of Famer, Jim Hiller, accepts assistant coaching job with the Detroit Red Wings.

Sawruk moving to Soo

Former Northern Michigan player Alex Sawruk named assistant coach with NAHL's Soo Eagles.

Lehtinen staying in Marquette

Former four-year letterwinner Rob Lehtinen named assistant coach at Northern Michigan.

Baker and Kesti named Wildcat captains

Seniors Jake Baker and Ryan Kesti named Northern Michigan's captains for 2014-15 season.

Wildcats bested by goal-happy Ferris State

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

The No. 5 ranked Ferris State Bulldogs returned to their dominant form this past weekend, securing their first sweep in nearly a month at the expense of Northern Michigan.

The pair of wins keeps the Bulldogs in first place amongst the WCHA standings with 32 points, with Minnesota State hot on their trail after an equally impressive showing against Bemidji State.

Ferris State got on the scoreboard first in Friday's contest, with Kenny Babinski redirecting Jason Binkley's shot past netminder Mathias Nahlstrom at the 11-minute mark while on the power-play.

A mere four minutes later, the Wildcats returned the favor on a one-timer by Erik Higby off Reed Seckel's pass from behind the net.

That would be as close as Northern Michigan would get, as the Bulldogs went on a three-goal binge in the second period, beginning with Matt Robertson's power-play marker at 5:46 that trickled through the legs of a Wildcat defenseman.

Less than two minutes later, senior forward Garrett Thompson made it a 3-1 affair on a breakaway goal, with assists being handed out to Ryan Lowney and Andy Huff.

Huff would register his third helper of the night just before period's end, backhanding a pass from the wing that would find its way onto the stick of linemate Chad McDonald for the short-handed marker.

Following Brandon Anselmini's lamp-lighter with 4:05 in the third, Northern Michigan head coach Walt Kyle yanked Nahlstrom in favor of freshman Derek Dun.

The goaltending switch did little to subdue the red-hot Bulldogs, as Corey Kane and Thompson both found the back of the net to give Ferris State their highest scoring output this season since a 7-4 decision over Colgate in the season opener.

Junior C.J. Motte had 29 saves between the pipes for the Bulldogs, compared to Nahlstrom's 26. Dun saw 15:55 of action, recording three stops on five attempts in relief duty.

Although Ferris State was unable to replicate their high-octane offense in the series finale, they did just enough to walk away with a 2-1 win and secure their sixth sweep of the season.

The Bulldogs once again grabbed the early lead, with freshman Jared VanWormer registering his second goal of the campaign just 3:44 into the game on a one-timer from Dominic Panetta. Also earning an assist on that play was linemate Dakota Klecha.

It wasn't until the third period that Ferris State would strike again, this time with a SportsCenter worthy goal by Kane at the 4:21 mark. The tic-tac-toe play began with a bullet pass from the right faceoff circle by Klecha that was intercepted by VanWormer in front of the crease, who then backhanded the puck to a trailing Kane for the game-winner.

The Wildcats however would not go down quietly, as Darren Norwick snuck the puck past Motte off a feed from Wade Epp with just over seven minutes left in regulation.

Motte had a game-high 29 saves to improve to 20-4-3 as a starter. At the other end of the ice, Nahlstrom (10-13-2) had 21 stops to his credit.

Ferris State  (20-6-3 overall, 15-3-2 WCHA) hits the road this weekend for a two-game slate against Bemidji State, while Northern Michigan (11-15-2, 9-10-1) plays host to Lake Superior State.

Michigan at No. 3 in latest USCHO Poll

The Michigan Wolverines had a light week, but still hold down the third spot in the latest USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll.

Andrew Copp notched the game-winner for the the Maize and Blue (9-2-1) at 3:38 of OT at Yost on Friday night to defeat the Ohio State Buckeyes in their only game action of the week.

The Ferris State Bulldogs (11-2-2) grabbed three of four points over the weekend from the Northern Michigan Wildcats on the road at the Berry Events Center and hold steady in sixth place.

Lake Superior also cracks the top-20 with an overall record of 9-4-1.

The 14th ranked Lakers celebrated Thanksgiving with a pair of 4-3 victories over the Bowling Green Falcons at the Taffy Abel Arena.

In the USCHO.com Division III Men's Poll, the Adrian Bulldogs are ranked third with a perfect 9-0-0 record.

MiCHO Power Poll 10.29.2013

Happy Halloween, loyal readers!

Below is this week's MiCHO Power Poll.

1. Michigan (win over Boston University, loss to UMass Lowell) 
2. Lake Superior State (idle) 
3. Western Michigan (idle) 
4. Ferris State (idle) 
5. Northern Michigan (split with Michigan Tech) 
6. Michigan Tech (split with Northern Michigan) 
7. Michigan State (loss to UMass Lowell, win over Boston University) 

Each week during the regular season, MichiganCollegeHockey.com staffers will compile the MiCHO Power Poll. Contrary to popular belief, there is no coin flip involved. The poll comprises the seven Division I teams in the state of Michigan.

MiCHO Power Poll 10.22.2013

This season's inaugural MiCHO Power Poll is now posted for your viewing pleasure.

1. Michigan (tie, win against New Hampshire) 
2. Lake Superior State (swept Union) 
3. Ferris State (win over Mercyhurst, split with St. Lawrence) 
4. Western Michigan (win over Alaska-Anchorage, tie against Alaska) 
5. Northern Michigan (split with Nebraska-Omaha) 
6. Michigan Tech (swept by Notre Dame) 
7. Michigan State (swept by UMass) 

Each week during the regular season, MichiganCollegeHockey.com staffers will compile the MiCHO Power Poll. Contrary to popular belief, there is no coin flip involved. The poll comprises the seven Division I teams in the state of Michigan.

PRO SIGNINGS - 2012-13 OFFSEASON

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

* Signed contract with NCAA eligibility remaining

CCHA releases 2013 All-Conference Teams

 

CCHA Press Release

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

2012-13 CCHA All-Conference Teams
 

First Team

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

 

                                              Second Team

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

 

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

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

 

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

Photo courtesy of Western Michigan Athletics

CCHA releases All-Time Team

CCHA Press Release

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

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

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

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

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

CCHA All-Time Team

FIRST TEAM

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

 

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

 

SECOND TEAM

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

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

MiCHO Power Poll 03.13.2013

Below is the final MiCHO Power Poll for the 2012-13 season.

1. Western Michigan (idle)
2. Ferris State (idle)
3. Michigan (beat Northern Michigan in CCHA first round)
4. Michigan Tech (split with Colorado College)
5. Michigan State (beat Alaska in CCHA first round)
6. Lake Superior State (lost to Bowling Green in CCHA first round)
7. Northern Michigan (lost to Michigan in CCHA first round)

This weekend, the second round of the CCHA playoffs kick into high gear as Michigan State plays at Miami, Western Michigan hosts Michigan and Ferris State travels to Ohio State.

In the WCHA postseason, Michigan Tech will play on the road at North Dakota.

MiCHO Power Poll 03.06.2013

This week's MiCHO Power Poll is now live:

1. Western Michigan (split with Michigan State)
2. Ferris State (loss, shootout loss against Michigan)
3. Michigan (win, shootout win against Ferris State)
4. Michigan Tech (split with St. Cloud State)
5. Lake Superior State (split with Northern Michigan)
6. Michigan State (split with Western Michigan)
7. Northern Michigan (split with Lake Superior State)

Each week during the regular season, MichiganCollegeHockey.com staffers will compile the MiCHO Power Poll. Contrary to popular belief, there is no coin flip involved. The poll comprises the seven Division I teams in the state of Michigan.

MiCHO Power Poll 02.27.2013

The final MiCHO Power Poll for February is now posted:

1. Western Michigan (shootout win, shootout loss against Notre Dame)
2. Ferris State (idle)
3. Lake Superior State (swept by Miami)
4. Michigan (swept Ohio State)
5. Northern Michigan (split with Bowling Green State)
6. Michigan Tech (idle)
7. Michigan State (split with Alaska)

Each week during the regular season, MichiganCollegeHockey.com staffers will compile the MiCHO Power Poll. Contrary to popular belief, there is no coin flip involved. The poll comprises the seven Division I teams in the state of Michigan.

MiCHO Power Poll 02.20.2013

This week's MiCHO Power Poll is good to go.

1. Western Michigan (overtime win, loss to Ohio State)
2. Lake Superior State (swept Alaska)
3. Ferris State (split with Bowling Green)
4. Northern Michigan (lost to Michigan Tech, split with Michigan State) 
5. Michigan State (split with Northern Michigan)
6. Michigan Tech (beat Northern Michigan, swept by Minnesota State)
7. Michigan (idle)

Each week during the regular season, MichiganCollegeHockey.com staffers will compile the MiCHO Power Poll. Contrary to popular belief, there is no coin flip involved. The poll comprises the seven Division I teams in the state of Michigan.