Jack Connolly Makes Hobey Hat Trick

For the first time since 2004, a UMD player is in the Hobey Hat Trick.

The award's selection committee has spoken, and a list of ten finalists has been trimmed to three for next Friday's award ceremony in Tampa.


The Hobey Baker Memorial Award Foundation on Thursday announced the three Hobey Hat Trick finalists for the 2012 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, honoring college hockey’s top player. 

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Random Rabble: March 29

The Montreal Canadiens did the expected Thursday morning, firing general manager Pierre Gauthier. This has been a disastrous season for the Canadiens, who are last in the Eastern Conference and have already made waves by firing an assistant coach a couple hours before a game, firing the head coach on a game day, and hiring a non-French speaking coach to finish the season. Gauthier's reign being

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JT Brown Signs With Tampa Bay

You've probably heard, but congratulations to UMD sophomore forward JT Brown, who inked a two-year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning Wednesday.

Here is the official announcement from the club.


The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed forward J.T. Brown to a two-year contract that runs through the 2012-13 season, Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman announced today.“We are pleased to

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Game 41: UMD vs. Boston College (NCAA Northeast Regional Championship)

WORCESTER, Mass. -- Hoping for better technology around me for this game. Fingers crossed.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Basaraba - Connolly - Seidel
Herbert - Oleksuk - BrownFlaherty - Hendrickson - Grun
Crandall (Justin) - Tardy - Krause

Bergman - Lamb
Casto - Smith
Olson - McManus

Reiter - Crandall (Aaron)

BC
Almeida - Arnold - Whitney
Kreider - Hayes - Straight
Gaudreau - Mullane - Carey
Smith -

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Sunday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: UMD Survives, Advances, Must Start Better

WORCESTER, Mass. -- For the ninth time this year, UMD allowed the first goal in a game and won anyway.

In this case, the timing was pretty good.

After falling behind 2-0, UMD used a huge power play goal and a funky bounce to gain momentum, and then never looked back, beating Maine 5-2 in the Northeast Regional semifinals Saturday night.

Maine took a 2-0 lead on a very strange play that I'll

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Game 40: UMD vs. Maine (NCAA Northeast Regional Semifinal)

WORCESTER, Mass. -- You're going to have to bear with us if you're looking for online updates without listening to the broadcast. I'll update at twitter.com/BruceCiskie as much as I can, but the wireless in this building is pretty awful. It will be hard to use TweetDeck as I usually do.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Flaherty - Connolly - Seidel
Herbert - Oleksuk - Brown
Basaraba - Hendrickson - Grun

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Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Now, You See Why I Give Everyone A Shot

WORCESTER, Mass. -- I get crap every year, it seems, for not wanting to make any predictions on the NCAA Tournament.

Now you see why.

16 teams make this tournament. Any damn one of them could hoist the trophy in Tampa, and they all have a shot until someone eliminates them.

It sounds like cliche-ish coach speak, and it might be, but it's also absolutely, positively true. 100 percent true.

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NCAA Northeast Regional: Spencer Abbott a Game Time Decision

WORCESTER, Mass. -- As soon as I heard what happened to Maine senior forward Spencer Abbott -- a Hobey Baker finalist -- I knew this was going to be a story throughout the week.

Abbott sustained a head injury during the Black Bears' 5-3 win over Boston University in last week's Hockey East semifinals in Boston. He has not practiced much this week, but did skate without taking contact during

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NCAA Northeast Regional: Where Experience Could Matter

WORCESTER, Mass. -- I've danced this dance enough to know what the typical refrain is when it comes to the NCAA Tournament and the topic of experience.

Teams that don't have it talk about how it's not that big a deal. Teams that have it talk about how it is absolutely a big deal.

I've always been on the fence. Yeah, it's nice to have NCAA Tournament experience, but it doesn't grow on trees. It

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NCAA Northeast Regional Notes and Quotes: UMD vs Maine

WORCESTER, Mass. -- The practice sessions have wrapped up at DCU Center, as have the press conferences for each team involved in Saturday's Northeast Regional games, which begin at 4pm Eastern time.

UMD battles Maine at 7:30 Eastern in the second game. Here are some thoughts, starting with Maine.

Maine coach Tim Whitehead on the health of senior and Hobey Baker finalist Spencer Abbott:

"We

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NCAA Northeast Regional Notes and Quotes: Boston College vs. Air Force

WORCESTER, Mass. -- Greetings from the underbelly of the DCU Center in Worcester. I like the media working area in the basement, and the rink is wonderfully accessible.

The press box doesn't exist. It's a table set over some chairs, with chairs behind it. If this were a WCHA building, it would be the 12th- or 13th-best press box in the league, possibly ahead of Alaska Anchorage.

Doesn't say

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NCAA Tournament Underway

WORCESTER, Mass. -- Greetings from downtown Worcester, which bears a resemblance to downtown Bridgeport. Very industrial, and not a whole lot going on around our hotel.

UMD arrived via charter flight at around 9 Eastern time Thursday evening. The Bulldogs arrived at the hotel a little after 10, once they dropped their gear off at the DCU Center.

All four teams in the Northeast Regional practice

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UMD Game Will Air on Fox Sports North

For those who haven't heard, UMD's game Saturday in Worcester against Maine will air on Fox Sports North's Plus channel.

Game time is at 6:30pm, and it will air following the conclusion of the Minnesota-Boston University game in the West Regional, which starts at 4pm. The full broadcast will air live on ESPN3.com, regardless of when FSN Plus is able to join the game.

You can find out where you

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Random Rabble: March 19

Where Bruce rambles about topics that interest him but have nothing to do with college hockey.

Haven't done anything like this in a while, so here goes.

The NCAA Tournament is remarkably low on Cinderellas this year. Yeah, there are some double-digit seeds still alive for the round of 16, but it's hard to look at North Carolina State as a Cinderella. They do play in the ACC, after all. Ohio is

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NCAA Tournament Brackets Out; UMD to Worcester Saturday

Here are the pairings for the 2012 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship, which begins with regional play at two sites Friday. UMD has been placed in the Northeast Regional, a Saturday/Sunday regional that includes No. 1 overall seed Boston College.

All times are Central.

EAST REGIONAL (Bridgeport, CT)
Friday
No. 1 Union vs. No. 4 Michigan State, 2pm
No. 2 Miami vs. No. 3 UMass-Lowell, 5:30pm

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Game 39: UMD vs. Denver (WCHA Final Five)

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Here we go from the Mecca of Minnesota hockey. The last time UMD played in this building ...

Well, you know.

Time for an afternoon affair with Denver. UMD seeks a bit of redemption after going one-and-done in this tournament last year.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Flaherty - Connolly - Seidel
Herbert - Oleksuk - Brown
Basaraba - Hendrickson - Grun
Crandall (Justin) - Tardy - Krause

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WCHA Final Five Should Have Crazy Friday

Before I make my way down I-35 for the semifinals of the WCHA Final Five, here are a few quick thoughts on what's happened and what is to come.

Michigan Tech gave Denver all it could handle, largely thanks to goalie Josh Robinson. You might not see a better goaltending performance all weekend. He was in good position, saw the puck well, and was aggressively challenging all afternoon. That Denver

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WCHA Final Five Previews

Instead of writing completely separate previews on all the Final Five teams here, I partnered with my pals at Hockey Wilderness (SB Nation), and I wrote team previews for them.

Here are links to all the pieces, along with one more look at the tournament schedule.

PREVIEWS
1. Minnesota
2. UMD
3. Denver
4. North Dakota
5. St. Cloud State
6. Michigan Tech

SCHEDULE
Thursday
Denver vs. Michigan

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UMD Readies for Final Five Test

Some of what you're seeing here is similar to last year, when UMD made the trek to St. Paul knowing it had an NCAA Tournament bid locked down.

Armed with that knowledge last year, UMD laid a bit of an egg at the Final Five, losing to Bemidji State 3-2 in overtime in the quarterfinals. We all know what happened from there.




And, yes, that was an excuse to embed this video again. Enjoy.

This

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ESPN Announces College Hockey Tournament Coverage Plans

I'll present the ESPN information to you, largely because I know many of you are interested in watching the NCAA Tournament, and because a lot of you won't be traveling to regionals or the Frozen Four, even if UMD is involved.

This came from the Worldwide Leader in Sports Other Than Hockey on Wednesday.


For the eighth consecutive year, ESPN will present every glass-crushing moment of the 2012

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Jason Garrison Makes History

It's been a hell of a year for Florida defenseman and former UMD Bulldog Jason Garrison. He spent much of the season leading NHL defensemen in goals, and he made some history Tuesday night in Sunrise. During Florida's 5-2 win over Toronto, Garrison tallied his 15th goal of the season, tying a Panthers franchise record held by Jay Bouwmeester and Brian McCabe.









The goal comes at around the

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WCHA Final Five Set

Thanks to Denver's 3-2 overtime win over Wisconsin Sunday night, the field of six is finally set for the WCHA Final Five, which starts Thursday in St. Paul.

Luke Salazar's wrap-around at 1:40 of overtime pushed the Pioneers into the field, and likely locked DU into the NCAA Tournament, meaning the WCHA will get four teams -- and maybe five -- into the tournament.

Here is the Final Five schedule

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Game 38: Minnesota State at UMD (WCHA Playoffs Game Two)

Here we go with the second game.

There better not be a third.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Flaherty - Connolly - Seidel
Herbert - Oleksuk - Brown
Basaraba - Hendrickson - Grun
Crandall (Justin) - Tardy - Krause

Bergman - Lamb
Casto - Smith
Olson - Kishel

Reiter - Crandall (Aaron) - Gaffy

MSU
Dorr - Louwerse - Gaede
Lafontaine - Leitner - Hayes
Mueller - Schiller - McInnis
Burkemper - Zuck - Jokinen

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Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Work to Do, But UMD Starts Playoffs Strong

Friday night was a pretty good example of playoff hockey, not only in Duluth but many other WCHA venues.

Games were tight on the scoreboard. Many of the games were "loosely" officiated, meaning the standard for a penalty was blatantly obvious (too many men) or flagrant (foul from behind on a breakaway).

In Duluth, only three minor penalties were served, and a fourth was called that led to a

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Game 37: Minnesota State at UMD (WCHA Playoffs Game One)

Blah.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Flaherty - Connolly - Seidel
Herbert - Oleksuk - Brown
Basaraba - Hendrickson - Grun
Crandall (Justin) - Tardy - Krause

Bergman - Lamb
Casto - Smith
Olson - Kishel

Reiter - Crandall (Aaron) - Gaffy

MSU
Dorr - Louwerse - Gaede
Lafontaine - Leitner - Hayes
Mueller - Schiller - McInnis
Burkemper - Zuck - Jokinen

Elbrecht - Nelson
Palmquist - Stern
Cooper - Mosey

Lee -

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UMD Ready to Crank It Up Again

The ultimate prize has yet to be decided, by any stretch. That doesn't happen until April 7, when two teams will collide in Tampa for the right to spend the year known as the national champions.

However, the drive to Tampa is underway in college hockey, as the five Division I leagues hold their postseason tournaments. On the line? Automatic bids to the NCAAs for tournament champions, but there

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Jack Connolly Named WCHA Player of the Year; Other League Honors

As usual, I present the WCHA press release announcing the league honors without commentary or snark. Just the facts, ma'am/sir.


A pair of seniors have earned two of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s most prestigious individual awards as announced today (March 8), with forward Jack Connolly of the University of Minnesota Duluth being named WCHA Player of the Year for 2011-12 and Brad

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WCHA Road Warriors Seek Upsets

For six WCHA teams, the chance to be at home for the first round of the WCHA playoffs this weekend certainly presents a tremendous opportunity. Of course, that's not to discount road teams.

Road teams have been traditionally competitive, if not successful, in these opening-round series. In fact, in the last six years, only once (2010) have the home teams swept through the first round unscathed.

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Justin Faulk Wins One For Carolina

There was some chatter on Twitter a few weeks ago about former UMD defenseman Justin Faulk being a candidate for the Calder Trophy, given to the NHL's top rookie.

I chuckled a bit, and didn't take it all that seriously.

Now, I am.

Faulk continues to play big minutes, and his contributions are increasing virtually every time I look. Tuesday night, he scored the overtime winner for the

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2012 All-WCHA Ballot

Geez, this is difficult. I mean, there are always hard decisions, but this year seemed more difficult than most.

I tried to flesh out some of the award candidates this week, but in some cases, I made the picture cloudier for myself.

After a couple hours spent Saturday looking at the ballot, moving people around, and complaining about the decisions on Twitter, I've filled out a complete ballot.

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Game 36: UMD at St. Cloud State

ST. CLOUD, Minn. -- Final game of the regular season, and no matter what ends up being on the line for UMD, a win sure as hell would be nice.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Flaherty - Connolly - Seidel
Herbert - Oleksuk - Brown
Basaraba - Hendrickson - Grun
Crandall (Justin) - Tardy - Krause

Bergman - Lamb
Casto - Smith
Olson - McManus

Reiter - Crandall (Aaron)

SCSU
Hanowski - Novak - Rabey
Festler -

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Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: UMD Blows Another Chance

ST. CLOUD, Minn. -- It wasn't long after Friday's game here started before those of us in the press box were well aware of the opportunity presented to UMD.

Wisconsin scored once in the first period, then added three in a stunning second period, on its way to a 4-1 win over Minnesota at Mariucci Arena. That Minnesota loss swung the door wide open for UMD to get in position for the WCHA regular

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Game 35: UMD at St. Cloud State

ST. CLOUD, Minn. -- After an absence of 860 days during which UMD has played at least four games in every other WCHA building, the Bulldogs are finally back in St. Cloud.

It's as we left it, which is a big part of why the school is undertaking a huge project to remake the arena. You'll hear more on that from head coach Bob Motzko during the first intermission of the game broadcast.

For now,

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UMD Heads to Unfamiliar Territory

It's been 860 days.

The last time UMD made a trip to St. Cloud, Trent Palm and Mike Montgomery were the top defensive pairing, Brady Hjelle was the starting goalie, and the programs had a rather healthy rivalry, much of which was left over from the 2007 WCHA playoffs.

(That year, UMD won the opener of a best-of-three series in St. Cloud, then lost consecutive overtime games, including a

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WCHA Awards: First Team Forwards

While a couple individual award races in the WCHA should prove to be interesting, I wanted to take a little bit to focus on what should be a fun little problem for voters, and that's the fact that only three forwards can make the All-WCHA first team.

In all honesty, this could be the toughest decision I've had to make in seven years of calling games. In most years, you have a slam-dunk couple of

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