College Hockey   CC Tigers and USAFA Falcons Hockey

Air Force junior goalie Jason Torf was named to the Jewish Sports Review’s Division I All-America team. 

He is joined by  Lake Superior State junior defenseman Zach Sternberg and junior forward Dan Radke;  Princeton junior forward Andrew Calof, Robert Morris freshman forward David Friedmann and senior goaltender Eric Levine,  and Bentley sophomore defenseman Steve Weinstein.

Blues forward and former Tiger Jaden Schwartz had a short stay with Team Canada for the 2013 IIHF World Championships.The Canadians lost in the quarterfinals only a day after Schwartz arrived.

Schwartz previously participated in IIHF competition at the 2011 and 2012 World Junior Championships.

In 45 games this season, Schwartz scored seven goals and six assists for the Blues (13 points). He had a plus/minus rating of -4 and registered four penalty minutes. Schwartz was drafted by the Blues in the first round (14th overall) in the 2010 NHL Draft. The  tournament ends May 19.

Here is a roundup blog post on Minnesota-Duluth captains, team awards and 2013-14 schedule.

Minnesota State renovations include shrinking its ice sheet from Olympic size to a hybrid close to the NHL.

The Maverick fans should be thankful their coach search went so well. The school also announced its 2013-14 schedule.

The lawsuit involving former Alaska-Anchorage coach Dave Shyiak has been ‘exaggerated’ according to the player hit in the incident.

The USHL Sioux City coach is moving on to work for Ohio State.

Sioux City forward Jake Guentzel, younger brother of former Tiger Gabe and a Nebraska-Omaha signee, was named the 2012-13 USHL Rookie of the Year after finishing sixth in league scoring and tying a USHL Tier 1 era (2002-present) record with a 21-game point streak.

Amarillo beat Wenatchee 5-0 in the NAHL Robertson Cup championship game less than a day after losing 7-0 in pool play to the same Wild. You may recall some accusations were flying that the Bulls threw that earlier game. The Wild have since announced they are moving to Hidalgo, Texas to become the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees.

It is the time of year I start compiling the upcoming Air Force season schedule, which is typically released in late July.

Here is what I have stumbled across so far. I have included links to each school’s schedule so you can check out their full slate and see where I got my information.

Air Force opens its 2013-14 season in Anchorage for the Kendall Hockey Classic in Sullivan Arena. The Falcons play Alaska-Fairbanks at 5:05 p.m. Alaska time on Friday, Oct. 11 followed by host Alaska-Anchorage at 7:07 AT on Saturday. NCAA runner-up Quinnipiac is the other team participating.

The Falcons travel to World Arena for a Tuesday, Nov. 19 game against Colorado College,  host Denver Nov. 22 and then travel to Magness Arena for a Nov. 23 game to conclude the two-game series.

AFA likely will host Canadian university New Brunswick for its exhibition game on Friday, Oct. 5, time TBA. UNB plays CC Saturday and Denver Sunday that weekend, so a Monday date is a possibility, though unlikely with a trip to Alaska the following weekend.

Army is the only Atlantic Hockey school to release its schedule. The Black Knights host Air Force Jan. 10-11, 2014 for their only regular-season games.

Nebraska-Omaha released three players and added more depth to its lineup. Leading scorers Ryan Walters and Matt White have said they will return for next season, Mavericks coach Dean Blais, pictured, said.

Incoming North Dakota offensive defenseman Paul LaDue, a Kings draft pick, was named as the USHL Defenseman of the Year.

UND has dropped a defenseman commit from the BCHL.

Wisconsin took the interim tag off assistant coach Matt Walsh‘s job title.

St. Scholastica 6-foot-5 defenseman Brenden Kotyk is the first Division III player to transfer to Minnesota-Duluth, boosting an already strong incoming class.

Former Tiger Chad Rau was called up to the Minnesota Wild practice squad during the team’s short NHL playoff run.

Incoming Tiger forward Luc Gerdes, the Jamestown Ironmen’s leading scorer, was scoreless during his team’s 0-3 showing at the 2013 NAHL Roberston Cup tournament in Texas.

The Colorado Eagles of the ECHL and the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets  announced they will not renew their affiliation agreement for the 2013-14 season. The two clubs, along with the Jets’ American Hockey League affiliate the St. John’s IceCaps had operated as affiliates since the 2011-12 season.

Eagles President & General Manager, Chris Stewart said the Eagles will consider several options for the upcoming ECHL season.

“Eagles fans can rest assured that we have many opportunities to explore for next season,” he said. “We have already had NHL clubs express interest in potentially forming an affiliation with the Colorado Eagles. We will also investigate the possibility of being independent of an NHL affiliation. We will do our due diligence in making the best possible decision moving forward and allow that decision to put us in the best possible position to win a championship.”

Former Tiger Arthur Bidwill played for the Eagles this past season.

Former Alaska-Anchorage coach Dave Shyiak is accused of hitting one of his players during a 2011 practice in a lawsuit.

Accusations abound that  an NAHL Robertson Cup rule quirk prompted Amarillo to throw its pool play game 7-0 in order to advance to the championship game. A one-goal loss to Wenatchee meant another team (Bismarck) advanced. Perhaps a more traditional playoff format is in order?

Former Tiger Brian McMillin is the Central Hockey League playoff MVP after recording 20 points (12 goals) in 19 playoff games for the Allen (Texas) Americans, who won the pro league’s title Saturday night.

Allen defeated the Wichita Thunder, 3-2 in overtime, in Game 7 of the Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup to win series four games to three.

“Obviously this is something special,” McMillin told the Plano Star. “I don’t … I don’t even know if I can really explain it.”

Click here for more from McMillin and details of the game. Allen was backstopped by former North Dakota goalie Aaron Dell.

Hobey Baker Award winner Drew LeBlanc of SCSU is a Sports Illustrated College Athlete of the Year finalist.

Minnesota-Duluth announced its 2013-14 captains.

Humboldt Broncos goalie Matt Hrynkiw, pictured with a national anthem singer, committed to North Dakota earlier this week for this upcoming season, according to the Grand Forks Herald.

The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and Canada junior leagues Goaltender of the Year went 27-11-2 record, including six shutouts for regular-season champs, with a .939 save percentage and 1.83 goals against mark.

St. Cloud State received a verbal commitment from defenseman Clark Kuster, 18, 5-10, 180, who played for Cedar Rapids in USHL last season, according to Times beat writer Mick Hatten.

The deadline to apply to become an official with the National Collegiate Hockey Conference is May 15.

Sioux City defenseman Cliff Watson, a San Jose draft pick, and fellow blue-liner Nolan Valleau, formerly of USHL Des Moines and Chicago, have both de-committed from Ohio State after the coaching change in Columbus.

The Big Ten announced its 2013-14 conference schedule. Here is a look at Minnesota’s slate.

Brush Christiansen is back to help the Alaska-Anchorage hockey program.

Niagara goalie Carsen Chubak has left school and signed a one-year, one-way contract with the Adirondack Phantoms of the American Hockey League, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Hobey Baker finalist went 23-7-5 with a 1.91 goals against average and a .939 save percentage.

The final Western Collegiate Hockey Association meetings this past weekend in Florida were a bittersweet occasion for Colorado College coach Scott Owens.

It served as the transition for the WCHA-founding Tigers as CC enters the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference it helped form last summer.

”It was not awkward but it was a little sad and a little more business-like (than usual),” Owen said. “The league was already meeting with the new members and the NCHC metearlier in the week.”

The transition affects the WCHA as well. Longtime commissioner Bruce McLeod, who has led the league for 20 years, said this coming season will ‘”probably” be his last, multiple sources have reported.

The NCHC met with all eight schools fully presented – athletic directors, coaches, faculty representatives – on hand for the first time and gave an update on the league office’s progress.

“You can’t believe all the things that need to be done to set up a new league,” Owens said.

The officiating program grabbed plenty of attention on a full slate. The deadline to apply to hockey operations head Joe Novak and supervisors of officials Don Adam to become a league official is May 15.  A system that would hold officials accountable and get them better training si expected.

“I think the fans will be pleased with the changes,” CC athletic director Ken Ralph said.

The league bylaws, postseason tournament and the 18-game TV package with CBS Sports Network also drew praise.

“I could not be more pleased with our first meetings in Naples,” NCHC Commissioner Jim Scherr said. “It was great to get everyone in the same place and on the same page as we prepare for our inaugural season. We have some tremendous individuals at each of our institutions that are highly motivated and very professional. We are just a couple of months from dropping the puck on opening weekend and I could not be more excited to get the season underway.”

The American Hockey Coaches Association annual meetings followed with talk of changing the NCAA regionals from neutral sites to the home arena of the regional top seed sites as last done in 1996. Tweaking the Pairwise rankings was discussed with no action made on either topic.

“About 35 to 40 percent of the Western coaches wanted to look at institutional sites but a lot like the neutrality,” Owens said. “We talked about other ways to help attendance, such as lowering ticket prices and student ticket discounts. I would like to see permanent western sites so fans can plan on attending in advance.”

No rule changes were proposed for the NCAA to consider.

Here is a brief summary of the NCHC Board of Directors Officers for the 2013-14 season as announced by the league office:

        Chair of the Board – Representing the University of North Dakota, Brian Faison. Faison is in his fifth year as the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics for the University of North Dakota. In addition to securing membership in the Big Sky Conference for 14 of UND’s sports, Faison played a key leadership role in the formation of the NCHC.

        Vice-Chair of the Board – Representing Western Michigan University, Monty Porter. Porter is the Associate Athletic Director of Business Operations for Western Michigan University. Porter oversees the operation budgets, finances and human resources activities for WMU’s athletic program. In addition, he serves as supervising athletic director for football, hockey, gymnastics, golf, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, ticket office operations and equipment operations.

        Treasurer – Representing Colorado College, Ken Ralph. Ralph is in his sixth year as the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics for Colorado College. Ralph oversees 17 varsity programs and a budget of more than seven million dollars. Under his direction, the construction of the $27 million El Pomar Sports Center is nearly completed. Ralph was instrumental in the formation of the NCHC.

        Secretary – Representing the University of Denver, Ron Grahame. Grahame is in his eighth year as Assistant Vice-Chancellor/Senior Associate Athletics Director. Grahame is responsible for the overall supervision of all varsity sport programs for the University of Denver on a day-to-day basis. He manages all student-athletes and coaches on and off the playing fields while upholding the mission and goals of DU’s Athletic Department and credits the student-athletes and coaches for their dedication and leadership demonstrated in the classroom and in competition.

Other members of the NCHC Board of Directors include: Peg Bradley-Doppes, Director of Athletics, University of Denver; David Sayler, Director of Athletics, Miami University; Josh Fenton, Senior Associate Athletic Director, Miami University; Josh Berlo, Director of Athletics, University of Minnesota Duluth; Trev Alberts, Director of Athletics, University of Nebraska Omaha; Mike Kemp, Associate Athletic Director, University of Nebraska Omaha; Jayson Hajdu, Assistant Athletics Director, University of North Dakota; Heather Weems, Director of Athletics, St. Cloud State University; and, Kathy Beauregard, Director of Athletics, Western Michigan University.

In addition to naming the Board of Directors Officers for the upcoming season, the NCHC also named its College Hockey, Inc., representative (North Dakota Head Coach Dave Hakstol), its American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) representative (Minnesota Duluth Head Coach Scott Sandelin), and the FAR Board of Directors’ advisor (Ralph Bertrand of Colorado College).

All positions are on a rotational basis based on the institution, not the individual, and all shall serve a one-year term.

The NCHC begins conference play on Oct. 18 with Miami vs. North Dakota and Colorado College vs. Minnesota Duluth in a CBS Sports Network doubleheader.

COURTESY Anchorage Daily News

Retirement is suiting 1995-96 Colorado College Hall of Fame hockey team members Ryan Bach and Brian Swanson well.

Bach, 39, is very much involved in hockey, working as the goaltender coach for the ECHL Colorado Eagles. His real estate company is located next door to the Budweiser Events Center allowing him to leave work each afternoon for practice the past nine years. He finished his playing career with the Eagles during the 2003-04 season while Colorado was in the Central Hockey League.

“You can’t beat the commute,” he said before a recent induction banquet. “It (hockey) is definitely a big part of my life and a big role in what I have become.”

Bach went 0-3 for the Los Angeles Kings during the 1998-99 season and spent eight years in the minors.

Swanson, 37, is enjoying retirement after a good NHL career and the chance to finish off his career last season with the ECHL’s Alaska Aces, where he mentored former Tiger Tim Hall and former Air Force player Jacques Lamoureux.

He left Eagle River, Alaska 20 years ago to play junior hockey. He went on to a 70-game NHL career (Atlanta, Edmonton) with 17 points (13 assists) as one of only 13 Alaskans to play in the world’s best league.

“I was happy to play my final two years with a quality organization and do it at home,” he said. “I played outside Anchorage much of my life so it was good to go back home. It was good for the kids.”

He works as a manager at a Play It Again store in Anchorage.

“I am enjoying retirement,” he said. “After my final season, I was ready.”

Former Tiger defenseman Nate Prosser has been a healthy scratch for much of this season for the Minnesota Wild.

The new WCHA web site made its debut today. Commissioner Bruce McLeod said next season is “probably his last.”

Here is an update on Rylan Schwartz and more on other former Tigers in the AHL and NHL.

Tigers in the bigs

Statistics as of Monday afternoon

American Hockey League

Brian Connelly, D – 43 points (37 assists) in 59 games, including playoffs, good for third in points for Wild affiliate Houston.

Joey Crabb, F –16 points (10 goals) in 16 games for Hershey, including playoffs, after being sent down from Capitals (two goals, 26 games).

Kris Fredheim, D – Seven points (six assists) in 70 games for Houston.

Gabe Guentzel, D – Ten assists in 40 games for Norfolk; recorded first pro goal in five games for ECHL Fort Wayne.

Curtis McElhinney, G – Team Most Valuable Player award winner led Springfield into the second round of playoffs against either Hershey or Syracuse with 3-1 record, .943 saves percentage and 1.74 goals against mark; went 29-16-3 with team records in saves (.923) and career shutouts (nine) during regular season; named to AHL all-star second team.

Toby Petersen, F – 24 points (16 assists) in 74 regular-season games for Texas Stars; no points in four AHL playoff games; one NHL appearance.

Richard Petiot, D – Three points (two assists) in 24 games for St. John’s Icecaps; recorded first pro goal since 2009-10 season.

Chad Rau, F – 27 points (16 goals) in 60 regular-season games for Houston; three points (two assists) in five playoff games before elimination.

Rylan Schwartz, F – Four points (three assists) in seven games for Worcester; scored first and only pro goal on April 19.

Brett Sterling, F – 45 points (team-high 24 goals) in 48 games for Chicago, finishing team-best plus-15 for Wolves; second in points.

Bill Sweatt, F – 36 points (21 assists) in 66 games for Chicago was third on Wolves in points; played one NHL game for Canucks.

Mike Testwuide, F – Two goals in 19 games for Adirondack before injury; three points (two goals) in nine games with Abbotsford Heat after trade from Flyers to Flames organization.

NHL

Richard Bachman, G – Stepped in as the Dallas starter to improve to 6-5, with .885 saves percentage and 3.25 goals against mark; went 5-1 in AHL with .920 saves and 2.31 goals.

Jack Hillen, D – Career-high nine points (six assists) in 25 games after suffering opening night injury; since signed two-year, $1.4 million deal with Capitals

Nate Prosser, D – No points in 17 games for Minnesota Wild.

Jaden Schwartz, F – Spent lockout in AHL Peoria (19 points, 33 games) before moving on to Blues (13 points, seven goals, 45 games).

Mark Stuart, D – Four points (two goals) in 42 games for Jets assistant captain; played nine games for ECHL Florida during lockout.