College Hockey   CC Tigers and USAFA Falcons Hockey

Former Tiger Curtis McElhinney has found a home in Ottawa.

Brett Sterling recorded two power-play goals against Norfolk Wednesday night.

Alaska-Anchorage coach Dave Shyiak announced his four captains for the 2011-12 slate. Shyiak, who will be entering his seventh year with UAA, has selected seniors Brad Gorham and Jade Portwood and juniors Chris Crowell and Scott Warner to assume the Seawolves’ leadership positions come September.

According to Chris Heisenberg’s recruits list, Courtney Lockwood, a 6-1, 185-pound goalie from Breckenridge, has committed to play at Colorado College starting with the 2011-12 season. That leaves one spot open on the team’s 2011-12 roster.

He went 19-13-2 for the Eastern Junior Hockey League’s Springfield Pics with a 3.44 goals against average and a .902 saves percentage. He went 3-2 before the team was eliminated in the second round of the league playoffs. He played well in the playoffs, allowing 1.57 goals and a .939 saves percentage.

For details:

http://daveramseysez.freedomblogging.com/

You got to love social media.

The Hobey Hat Trick, the top three finalists for the annual Hobey Baker award, which recognizes the best college hockey player, was announced a day early after one of the finalists, Boston College’s Cam Atkinson tweeted Wednesday morning that he had made the cut.  According to the awards website, the honorees were to be announced on Thursday.

Here’s an edited version of the WCHA’s press release …  
The Hobey Baker Memorial Award Foundation on Wednesday announced the three Hobey Hat Trick finalists for the 2011 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, honoring college hockey’s top player.  Alphabetically, they are: Cam Atkinson, Boston College junior forward;  Matt Frattin, North Dakota senior forward; and Andy Miele, senior forward from Miami.
 
The three finalists were selected from the initial list of Top Ten candidates by the 23-member Selection Committee and an additional round of online fan balloting to determine this year’s winner.  Criteria for the award includes: strength of character on and off the ice, displaying outstanding skills in all phases of the game, sportsmanship and scholastic achievements.
 
This year’s Hobey Baker Award winner will be announced Friday, April 8 from the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn. during the Frozen Four.  The 31st annual announcement will be aired live on ESPNU at 5 p.m. Mountain.

Cam Atkinson – Boston College, Junior, Forward, Greenwich, Connecticut
The Boston College Eagles were led in scoring for the second straight year by Cam Atkinson. The Hockey East firts tema honoree finished second in conference scoring with 38 points in 27 games and led with 24 goals.

He ranks second in the nation in goals and has tallied 61 in the past two seasons.  The communications major recently signed a pro contract with Columbus.   
Matt Frattin – University of North Dakota, Senior, Forward, Edmonton, Alberta
Suspended by his team for the first half of last season, Matt Frattin earned an opportunity to rejoin the squad for the second half, then passed up pro hockey to return for his senior season.  It has paid off.

The WCHA Player of the Year and a first team honoree helped No. 1 North Dakota and the WCHA regular season and playoff titles and a berth in next week’s NCAA Frozen Four.  He led the conference with 22 goals and 40 points in 28 league games. Entering the Frozen Four, his 36 goals and 24 assists for 60 points, places him first in the nation in goals by a lofty 5-goal margin and second in points.  The Recreation and Tourism Studies major is a two-time all-academic honoree and is a draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
 
Andy Miele – Miami University of Ohio, Senior, Forward, Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan
He not only tops the nation with 71 points in 39 games, and has an 11-point cushion over Frattin.  He won the CCHA conference scoring title with 16 goals and 40 assists for 56 points in 28 games, the most points in 19 years in conference play.  His 40 assists were more than the second place player had points, a first in league history.  

The CCHA Player of the Year and firts etam honoree has 24 goals and 47 assists for 71 points.  His 47 assists also top the nation.  The assistant captain for the RedHawks is an American studies major with a coaching minor and a future pro free agent.

Jaden Schwartz fell short of the College Hockey News Rookie of the Year award.  Here’s a season wrapup story on the Tigers that contains some stats that may have been relevant to that decision.

The US U-18 team for the world championships was announced and there are a few who are not committed to a college.

Former Tiger Richard Bachman is a contender for AHL rookie and goalie honors.

Here’s some Frozen 4 material. St. Cloud is looking for a backup goalie.

DU sophomore defenseman Matt Donovan has signed with the Islanders organization.

Here’s the DU press release: Denver sophomore defenseman Matt Donovan (Edmond, Okla.) has decided to forgo his final two years of eligibility after signing a professional contract with the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League, Islanders General Manager Garth Snow announced today. Terms of Donovan’s entry level contract were not disclosed.                     

Donovan will report to the Islanders’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, to play out the remainder of the 2010-11 season on an Amateur Tryout Contract (ATO). His entry-level contract will commence in the upcoming 2011-12 season.

Alaska-Anchorage announced its schedule, which includes both the Anchorage and Fairbanks tournament schedules. Judging from those, Colorado College will not be taking the long plane flight up north.

Instead, UAA will travel to Colorado Springs for a conference series Dec. 9-10.

Former Tiger Curtis McElhinney, left, has a chance at a 3-0 record against Tampa Bay when he plays for Ottawa tonight.

Goalie Michael Shibrowski’s success this season in the Junior A United States Hockey League has prompted “a mutual decision”by the Edina, Minn. netminder and Colorado College to part ways, Tigers coach Scott Owens confirmed on Tuesday.

“He wants to pursue something different,” Owens said.

Shibrowski, who was a 2009-10 midseason replacement from the North American Hockey League, has a 20-14-5 record (2.65 goals against) in the USHL. That success and the likelihood he would come back to CC in the No. 3 goalie spot behind sophomore Joe Howe, who finished this past season playing well, and freshman Josh Thorimbert, who performed well in a relief role, prompted the break.

From the WCHA ….

Eight coaches who have enjoyed on-ice success in 2010-11 have been named finalists for the Spencer Penrose Award, given annually to the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Coach of the Year.

The nominees represent any coach who won or shared Coach of the Year honors in his conference this past season, along with coaches whose teams have advanced to the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey semifinals.

Of this year’s finalists, five were past recipients and one, Jeff Jackson of Notre Dame, is both an NCAA semifinalists and a conference Coach of the Year (CCHA) this season.

The Spencer Penrose Award is named in memory of the Colorado Springs benefactor who built the Broadmoor Hotel Complex, site of the first ten NCAA championship hockey tournaments. It will be presented at the AHCA Coach of the Year Banquet in Naples, Florida, on Saturday evening, April 30. The winner will be announced following the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship scheduled for April 7 and 9 in St. Paul, MN.

2010-11 AHCA Men’s Ice Hockey Spencer Penrose Award (Division 1 Coach of the Year) Finalists

Red Berenson, Michigan— NCAA Semifinalist*
Dean Blais, Nebraska Omaha—WCHA Coach of the Year*
Dave Hakstol, North Dakota— NCAA Semifinalist
Jeff Jackson, Notre Dame—CCHA Coach of the Year and NCAA Semifinalist*
Nate Leaman, Union—ECAC Coach of the Year
Paul Pearl, Holy Cross—AHA Coach of the Year
Scott Sandelin, Minnesota-Duluth— NCAA Semifinalist*
Jerry York, Boston College—HE Coach of the Year*
* Past Spencer Penrose Award Winner

Past Winners of the Spencer Penrose Award Division 1 Coach of the Year

1951 Edward Jeremiah, Dartmouth
1952 Cheddy Thompson, Colorado College
1953 John Mariucci, Minnesota
1954 Vic Heyliger, Michigan
1955 Ralph “Cooney” Weiland, Harvard
1956 William Harrison, Clarkson
1957 Jack Riley, Army
1958 Harry Cleverly, Boston University
1959 John “Snooks” Kelley, Boston College
1960 Jack Riley, Army
1961 Murray Armstrong, Denver
1962 Jack Kelley, Colby
1963 Tony Frasca, Colorado College
1964 Tom Eccleston, Providence
1965 Jim Fullerton, Brown
1966 Amo Bessone, Michigan State
1967 Edward Jeremiah, Dartmouth
1968 Ned Harkness, Cornell
1969 Charlie Holt, New Hampshire
1970 John MacInnes, Michigan Tech
1971 Ralph “Cooney” Weiland, Harvard
1972 John “Snooks” Kelley, Boston College
1973 Len Ceglarski, Boston College
1974 Charlie Holt, New Hampshire
1975 Jack Parker, Boston University
1976 John MacInnes, Michigan Tech
1977 Jerry York, Clarkson
1978 Jack Parker, Boston University
1979 Charlie Holt, New Hampshire
1980 Rick Comley, Northern Michigan
1981 Bill O’Flaherty, Clarkson
1982 Ferny Flaman, Northeastern
1983 Bill Cleary, Harvard
1984 Mike Sertich, Minnesota-Duluth
1985 Len Ceglarski, Boston College
1986 Ralph Backstrom, Denver
1987 John “Gino” Gasparini, North Dakota
1988 Frank Anzalone, Lake Superior
1989 Joe Marsh, St. Lawrence
1990 Terry Slater, Colgate
1991 Rick Comley, Northern Michigan
1992 Ron Mason, Michigan State
1993 George Gwozdecky, Miami
1994 Don Lucia, Colorado College
1995 Shawn Walsh, Maine
1996 Bruce Crowder, UMass-Lowell
1997 Dean Blais, North Dakota
1998 Tim Taylor, Yale
1999 Richard Umile, New Hampshire
2000 Joe Marsh, St. Lawrence
2001 Dean Blais, North Dakota
2002 Tim Whitehead, Maine
2003 Bob Daniels, Ferris State
2004 Scott Sandelin, Minnesota Duluth
2005 George Gwozdecky, Denver
2006 Enrico Blasi, Miami
2007 Jeff Jackson, Notre Dame
2008 Red Berenson, Michigan
2009 Jack Parker, Boston University
2010 Wayne Wilson, RIT

Anchorage’s Tommy Grant, who signed with the Rangers organization on Saturday, recorded two assists in his AHL debut with the Connecticut Whale on Sunday.

Former Tiger Richard Bachman keeps adding to his Texas Stars wins record.

Joey Crabb, who has been a solid contributor to the Leafs, is an unrestricted free agent after this season.

Signees Jordan DiGiando and Scott Wamsganz have been developing some chemistry in their time in Dubuque.

USHL goalie breaks former Tiger Jeff Sanger’s old record.

Brian Swanson is on a eight-game points streak in the ECHL.

College Hockey News shares some great Frank Serratore quotes — the Human Quote Machine, indeed — and makes excuses for the ECAC.