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And it’s already underway …

Quinnipac 3, No. 9 Nebraska-Omaha 2

The year ended on an unhappy note for the UNO Mavericks who lost to Quinnipiac, 3-2 on Friday afternoon at the TD Bank Sports Center. Joey Martin had a goal and an assist for the Mavericks in the loss.

MADISON, Wis. – The St. Cloud State Huskies launched the second half of their 2010-11 season in strong fashion the past two days, defeating both Cornell and Miami to claim the championship of the Florida College Classic held in Estero, Fla. In the title game vs the RedHawks on Thursday (Dec. 30) evening, the Huskies (7-11-2) rallied behind the line of left winger Nic Dowd (2g, 1a), center Drew LeBlanc (1g, 1a) and right winger Cam Reid (2a) to win 4-3.
At the Great Lakes Invitational in Detroit, Colorado College came up a goal short of the title, falling to Michigan 6-5 in the championship game on Thursday night. CC (12-9-1) defeated Michigan State 5-4 on Dec. 29. Michigan Tech, meanwhile, fell 5-3 to the Spartans in the third place contest.
In other non-conference action involving WCHA teams on Dec. 30, North Dakota (14-5-2) blanked host Minnesota Duluth (12-4-3) by a 5-0 count before a sellout crowd of 6,764 in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame game at the Bulldogs’ new AMSOIL Arena as Brad Malone scored a pair of goals and Danny Kristo had three points (1g, 2a). Host Wisconsin (11-7-3) prevailed 5-1 over Massachusetts as Podge Turnbull scored twice and defenseman Frankie Simonelli had three points (1g, 2a). Out east, visiting Nebraska Omaha (12-6-1) dropped a 4-3 decision at Quinnipiac. Through games of Dec. 30, WCHA-member teams are a combined 32-19-9 (.608) in 60 Div. 1 non-conference games.
Today (Friday, Dec. 31), both Denver and Minnesota return to action with the Pioneers (12-5-3) entertaining CCHA-member Northern Michigan (9-8-3) in the first of a two-game set while Minnesota (9-7-2) hosts the Dodge Holiday Classic with the WCHA’s Bemidji State (5-10-1), CCHA-member Ferris State (9-7-3) and Union College (10-5-3) of ECAC Hockey. Wisconsin will again host Massachusetts and Nebraska Omaha looks for the split at Quinnipiac.
On Saturday and Sunday, Minnesota State (6-8-4) returns to the ice with Boston University, Brown and host Notre Dame in the Shillelagh Tournament at Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill. The Mavericks take on the Irish at 6:05 pm on Jan. 1.

WCHA Holiday Season Schedule

Results of Wednesday, December 29
* Colorado College 5 vs Michigan State 4 (NC)
# St. Cloud State 4 vs Cornell 3 ot (NC)
* Michigan 4 vs Michigan Tech 2 (NC)
* Great Lakes Invitational (Detroit, MI); # Florida College Classic (Estero, FL)

Results of Thursday, December 30
* Michigan State 5 vs Michigan Tech 3 (NC) (3rd place)
# St. Cloud State 4 vs Miami 3 (NC) (championship)
* Colorado College 5 vs Michigan 6 (NC) (championship)
Massachusetts 1 at Wisconsin 5 (NC)
Nebraska Omaha 3 at Quinnipiac 4 (NC)
& North Dakota 5 at Minnesota Duluth 0 (NC)
* Great Lakes Invitational; # Florida College Classic; & U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game/AMSOIL Arena Opening

Games for Friday, December 31
Nebraska Omaha at Quinnipiac (NC), 12:00 pm ET
* Ferris State vs Bemidji State (NC), 3:07 pm CT
Northern Michigan at Denver (NC), 6:07 pm MT
* Union at Minnesota (NC), 6:07 pm CT
Massachusetts at Wisconsin (NC), 7:07 pm CT
* Dodge Holiday Classic (Minneapolis, MN)

Games for Saturday, January 1
* Union vs Bemidji State (NC), 4:07 pm CT
# Minnesota State vs Notre Dame (NC), 6:05 pm CT
* Ferris State at Minnesota (NC), 7:07 pm CT
Northern Michigan at Denver (NC), 7:07 pm MT
* Dodge Holiday Classic; # Shillelagh Tournament (Hoffman Estates, IL)

Games for Sunday, January 2
* Boston Univ/Brown vs Minnesota State (NC), 2:05 pm CT
* Shillelagh Tournament (Hoffman Estates, IL)

Games for Monday, January 3
Minnesota Duluth at Clarkson (NC), 7:00 pm ET

Games for Tuesday, January 4
Minnesota Duluth at Clarkson (NC), 7:00 pm ET

Florida College Hockey Classic

Championship

St. Cloud State 4, No. 6 Miami 3

ESTERO, Fla. — Freshman forward Nic Dowd scored the game-winning goal and added two assists while junior forward Drew LeBlanc had a goal and an assist as St. Cloud State earned the Florida College Classic title with a 4-3 win over Miami on Thursday at Germain Arena.

Great Lakes Invitational

Third-place game

Michigan State 5, Michigan Tech 3

DETROIT — The Michigan Tech hockey team finished fourth at the 46th Great Lakes Invitational after falling to Michigan State 5-3 Thursday. Aaron Pietila scored two goals and Dennis Rix added three assists to lead the Huskies.

Nonconference games

No. 15 Wisconsin 5, UMass 1

MADISON — Senior forward Podge Turnbull scored twice and freshman defenseman Frankie Simonelli had a goal and two assists to lead Wisconsin to Thursday night’s 5-1 win over Massachusetts at Kohl Center.

Quinnipiac 4, No. 9 Nebraska-Omaha 3

HAMDEN, Conn. — The Quinnipiac Bobcats got a late power play goal to stop a rally by the UNO hockey team and held on for a 4-3 win on Thursday night at the TD Bank Sports Center. The Mavericks had erased a 3-0 deficit.

Bigger Michigan causes problems for Tigers

No. 10 Michigan was an older, bigger squad that dressed eight seniors, including goalie Shawn Hunwick, against Colorado College, who played three. The difference in size and strength showed, especially in five-on-five play when UM outscored CC 5-1.

The stronger UM veterans won too many one-on-one battles along the boards.

“A couple of our younger guys really struggled on a small sheet with those bigger, stronger guys,” Tigers coach Scott Owens said.

Guentzel, Schultz named to all-tourney team

Junior defenseman Gabe Guentzel and senior wing Stephen Schultz were named to the GLI all-tournament team along with goalie Hunwick, Most Valuable Player and forward Luke Glendening and Carl Hagelin, both Michigan forwards.

The only surprising omission were CC senior wing Tyler Johnson (five points in two games) and Michigan Tech goalie Josh Robinson, who made 86 saves in two losses.

Etc.

Thursday’s championship was the 97^th all-time meeting between CC and Michigan which included the Tiger’s 13-6 win for the 1957 NCAA championship. Michigan leads the all-time series 58-36-3. … Longtime Michigan Tech supporters Peter and Paul Kerttu were at the first Great Lakes Invitational in 1965. They were proud that Huskies coach John MacInnes, the namesake for the championship’s MacInnes Cup, made every Tech player sign the program. “I think we are the only ones to have been to all of them,” Peter said. … Michigan State defeated Michigan Tech 5-3 to claim third place at the GLI. … Johnson has scored 12 times in the last 13 games for a team-hiugh 14 goals. .. The Tigers are 3-3 all-time at the GLI.  .. Because CC trailed headed into the third, the Tigers remain 11-0-1 when leading entering the final period.

No. 10 Michigan 6, Colorado College 5

Colorado College         2          1          2          –5

Michigan          2          2          2          –6

First period – 1. Michigan, Winnett (Wohlberg, Caporusso) :39; 2. Michigan, Glendening (Hagelin) 10:43 (SH); 3, Colorado College, McDermott (Johnson), 11:17 (PP); 4. Colorado College, Schultz (R. Schwartz, Guentzel) 14:53 (PP). Penalties – CC, Dineen (roughing) 7:00; UM, Rust (interference) 9:52; UM Vaughan (elbowing) 13:12; CC, Skalbeck (slashing) 13:18; UM, Llewellyn (slashing) 13:18; UM, Caporusso (hooking) 14:37; CC, Guentzel (hooking), 18:41.

Second period – 5. Michigan, Caporusso (Wohlberg, Winnett) 10:16; 6. Colorado College, Dineen (Schultz, Guentzel) 12:34 (PP); 7. Michigan, Glendening (Rust, Hagelin) 16:59. Penalties – UM, Llewellyn (slashing) 4:57; CC, Schultz (charging) 4:57; CC. Lowery (checking from behind) 10:16; UM, Rust (slashing) 10:58; CC, Schultz (interference) 14:17.

Third period – 8, Colorado College, Schultz (Guentzel, Marciano) 4:45; 9. Colorado College, Johnson (Eveland, Hamburg) 5:30 (PP); 10. Michigan, Moffie (Hagelin) 14:00 (PP); 11. Michigan, Treais (unassisted) 15:56. Penalties – UM, Llewellyn (cross checking) 4:45; CC, Krushelnyski (hooking) 8:45; CC, Johnson (goalie interference) 12:06.

Power play – Colorado College 4-5, Michigan 1-6. Shots on goal – Colorado College 11-11-8—30. Michigan 17-10-12—39. Saves-minutes – Colorado College, Howe 15-8-10—59:08; Michigan, Hunwick 9-10-6-60:00. Attendance – 14,718. (20,006 capacity)

DETROIT — It was only fitting that a wild end-to-end affair ended with a fluky goal.

Michigan sophomore A.J. Treais’ shot bounced in off Eamonn McDermott’s skate for the winning goal in a 6-5 loss for the Tigers in the Great Lakes Invitational championship.

DETROIT — Colorado College continued to survive on an outstanding performance by its power play, recording three out of four chances to trail 4-3 headed into the third period.

Nick Dineen scored on a redirect to tie the game 3-3 before Michigan’s Luke Glendening scored his second of the game to give the Wolverines the lead again.

CC has never led in the GLI championship game.

When things looked bad for Colorado College, the Tigers power play suddenly clicked, sparking a rally.

Thirty-four seconds after giving up a shorthanded goal off a poor crossing pass, Eamonn McDermott scored a power play goal to cut the lead to 2-1.

Stephen Schultz scored on a 5-on-3 almost four minutes later to tie the game at 2-2 headed into the first intermission.

Colorado College

LW-C-RW

Hall-Dineen-Morin

Eveland-Skalbeck-Hamburg

Schultz-R. Schwartz-Johnson

Krushelnyski-Civitarese-Collett

LD-RD

Lowery-McDermott

Guentzel-Marciano

Behrend-Leaverton

Goalies – Howe-Thorimbert-O’Brien

Michigan

LW-C-RW

Hagelin-Rust-Glendening

Wohlberg-Caporusso-Winnett

Sparks-Treais-Lynch

Vaughan-Rohrkemper-Moffatt

LD-RD

Langlais-Llewellyn

Burlon-Moffie

Pateryn-Clare

Goalies – Hunwick-Janecyk

According to TSN, CC freshman Jaden Schwartz suffered a fractured ankle in Tuesday’s win over the Czech Republic. He will likely miss six weeks.

I will update with reaction from Tigers coach Scott Owens after the game against No. 10 Michigan.