2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

[beaverhockeyfan]

Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

2016-17 WCHA Non-Conference Schedule

The WCHA has 69 non-conference games this year, not including the one game between Alaska and Alaska-Anchorage.

27 Possible NCHC Games (0-4-0)
25 Possible Big10 Games (1-3-0)
8 Possible Hockey East Games (0-2-0)
8 Possible Atlantic Hockey Games (0-0-0)
7 Possible ECAC Games (0-0-0)
TOTAL: 1-9-0

ALABAMA-HUNTSVILLE (0-2-0)
-2 at Connecticut L 6-0, L 4-0
-2 at St. Cloud State
-vs. Massachusetts (Minneapolis, MN)
-vs. Minnesota/Mercyhurst (Minneapolis, MN)

ALASKA (1-1-0)
-at Alaska-Anchorage W 4-1
-vs. Minnesota (Anchorage, AK) L 6-3
-Canisius
-Nebraska-Omaha
-2 at Notre Dame

ALASKA-ANCHORAGE (0-2-0)
-Minnesota L 6-0
-Alaska L 4-1
-vs. Nebraska-Omaha (Fairbanks, AK)
-vs. Canisius (Fairbanks, AK)
-2 at Penn State

BEMIDJI STATE (0-0-0)
-2 at North Dakota
-2 with Princeton
-at Minnesota-Duluth
-Minnesota Duluth
-vs. St. Cloud State (St. Paul, MN)
-vs. Minnesota/Minnesota-Duluth (St. Paul, MN)

BOWLING GREEN (0-0-0)
-Western Michigan
-at Western Michigan
-Ohio State
-at Ohio State
-2 at Miami
-vs. RIT (Toledo, OH)
-with Mercyhurst

FERRIS STATE (0-2-0)
-Western Michigan L 5-3, L 2-1
-at Western Michigan
-Michigan
-at Michigan State
-Michigan State
-vs. Robert Morris (Pittsburgh, PA)
-vs. Boston College/Quinnipiac (Pittsburgh, PA)

LAKE SUPERIOR STATE (0-0-0)
-2 with Michigan State
-2 at Michigan
-2 at Nebraska-Omaha

MICHIGAN TECH (0-2-0)
-2 at Minnesota Duluth L 6-0, L 4-3
-2 at Michigan
-2 at Michigan State
-vs. Michigan (Detroit, MI)
-vs. Western Michigan/Michigan State (Detroit, MI)
-2 at Notre Dame

MINNESOTA STATE (0-0-0)
-2 with St. Cloud State
-Minnesota
-at Minnesota
-2 at Princeton

NORTHERN MICHIGAN (0-2-0)
-2 vs. Wisconsin (at Green Bay) W 3-2, L 6-5
-2 at Wisconsin
-2 with Nebraska-Omaha
-vs. Colorado College/Cornell/Mercyhurst (Estero, FL)
-vs. Colorado College/Cornell/Mercyhurst (Estero, FL)

[purpleinnebraska]

Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

Penalty update - Last year, teams averaged about 10.6 penalty minutes per game (And no, that's not an exact figure. Tech was #30 in penalties last year at 10.62, and Merrimack was #31 at 10.54, so lacking any other numbers, I'm calling 10.58 the average.). This year, of the 48 teams that have played official games, 43 are above that 10.58 average. So, good thing or bad thing?

There were a couple of real ticky-tack calls in the MSU-Tech series, but overall I thought the calls were fair and generally accurate. It's clear if you're waiving a stick into a guy's midsection, you'll likely get called, and a couple of the "holding the guy against the boards" were called. I even saw an interference call when a player chipped the puck along the wall and was skating around the defender, who then rode him towards center ice. I admit, the lack of a call on that particular play really started irritating me last year, so I was glad to see it called.

But with all these calls, the games largely lacked flow. As teams adjust to the officiating, I hope this will change. I want to see games where there's a premium on skating, but I also want to see them end in under 2:25.

Thoughts?

[Bale]

Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

Penalty update - Last year, teams averaged about 10.6 penalty minutes per game (And no, that's not an exact figure. Tech was #30 in penalties last year at 10.62, and Merrimack was #31 at 10.54, so lacking any other numbers, I'm calling 10.58 the average.). This year, of the 48 teams that have played official games, 43 are above that 10.58 average. So, good thing or bad thing?

There were a couple of real ticky-tack calls in the MSU-Tech series, but overall I thought the calls were fair and generally accurate. It's clear if you're waiving a stick into a guy's midsection, you'll likely get called, and a couple of the "holding the guy against the boards" were called. I even saw an interference call when a player chipped the puck along the wall and was skating around the defender, who then rode him towards center ice. I admit, the lack of a call on that particular play really started irritating me last year, so I was glad to see it called.

But with all these calls, the games largely lacked flow. As teams adjust to the officiating, I hope this will change. I want to see games where there's a premium on skating, but I also want to see them end in under 2:25.

Thoughts?

I personally am extremely happy about the way they were calling it. Admittedly, MSU will be positively affected, but, frankly, clutching and grabbing is not fun hockey for me to watch. I don't need offensive, 10 goal games. I do like some flow to it though. The flow of this weekend's games are no worse than games that turn into a "football game on ice" as Shane Frederick calls it. I'd rather they bear down on it now (just like they did with CFB a couple of years ago) and end up with a better product in the long run because of it.

[purpleinnebraska]

Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

I personally am extremely happy about the way they were calling it. Admittedly, MSU will be positively affected, but, frankly, clutching and grabbing is not fun hockey for me to watch. I don't need offensive, 10 goal games. I do like some flow to it though. The flow of this weekend's games are no worse than games that turn into a "football game on ice" as Shane Frederick calls it. I'd rather they bear down on it now (just like they did with CFB a couple of years ago) and end up with a better product in the long run because of it.

You make a good point on the CFB. I think there's a general feeling right now that, "Ahh, they'll stop this penalty calling in a couple weeks, and we'll revert back to normal," but they stayed vigilant on the CFB, and you almost never see it anymore, called or uncalled. If the refs stick to their guns on this, it will make for a better game, but we'll have to slog through a stretch to get there.

[aparch]

Well the out of Conf record is going to bite us again if things don't change and fast.
Congrats to NMU getting a split but a tie the second game would have won the comparison. ...

If I remember the PWR math correctly, we still have two more cracks at Wisconsin to help out the comparison.

[Bale]

Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

You make a good point on the CFB. I think there's a general feeling right now that, "Ahh, they'll stop this penalty calling in a couple weeks, and we'll revert back to normal," but they stayed vigilant on the CFB, and you almost never see it anymore, called or uncalled. If the refs stick to their guns on this, it will make for a better game, but we'll have to slog through a stretch to get there.

Hopefully the coaches don't go ballistic on the league in the next couple of weeks. That will be what turns the tide if anything does.

Don't get me wrong on this, there is a valid strategy to slowing the game down. If you want to ice the puck 20 times a game to slow it down, more power to you. You want to possess the puck by passing it around by the blue line, go for it. You want to pack it in deep in front of your net, prepare to take a beating from pucks hitting you, but that's your prerogative. Just don't hold and cut down on the stick work. To me it's just a matter of doing it within the rules.

[manurespreader]

Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

Hopefully the coaches don't go ballistic on the league in the next couple of weeks. That will be what turns the tide if anything does.

Don't get me wrong on this, there is a valid strategy to slowing the game down. If you want to ice the puck 20 times a game to slow it down, more power to you. You want to possess the puck by passing it around by the blue line, go for it. You want to pack it in deep in front of your net, prepare to take a beating from pucks hitting you, but that's your prerogative. Just don't hold and cut down on the stick work. To me it's just a matter of doing it within the rules.

I have no problem with calling it tighter, but I also think that standard has to be applied to both teams equally and I thought MSU got the benefit of the doubt too often this last weekend. For instance on one of the goals during a delayed penalty, two guys going for the loose puck, one get's hooked, as a result can't control the puck, no call and right after that a goal is scored by the other team. Also in the Minnesota/ Alaska game, it was called differently and I thought, better.
I think the players will adjust and I'm in favor of the changes generally but I think what you can do and can't do needs to be more clear.

[Bale]

I have no problem with calling it tighter, but I also think that standard has to be applied to both teams equally and I thought MSU got the benefit of the doubt too often this last weekend. For instance on one of the goals during a delayed penalty, two guys going for the loose puck, one get's hooked, as a result can't control the puck, no call and right after that a goal is scored by the other team. Also in the Minnesota/ Alaska game, it was called differently and I thought, better.
I think the players will adjust and I'm in favor of the changes generally but I think what you can do and can't do needs to be more clear.

Agreed it does need to be called evenly and for the most part this weekend it was. Honestly, the biggest gripe that Mel P had this weekend was on the Too Many Men penalty. it wasn't on anything else.

I'm not sure I agree msu got the benefit.of the doubt that often, but that's natural considering my allegience. I thought it was a breath of fresh air to see it called close...albeit a bit tedious for this series.

[gfmorris]

Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

It's October. Let's revisit the penalty discussion in December.

GFM

[beaverhockeyfan]

Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

It's October. Let's revisit the penalty discussion in December.

GFM

I agree with you. I think there will be some "growing pains" early on with the new rules, but in the end, hopefully the game will be better for it.

I thought the refs did a pretty decent job in Bemidji last weekend. There were 10 penalties on Friday night and 17 penalties on Saturday. According to the new emphasis, it seemed that the calls were legit. I would have liked to have saw them call the center ice interference a little more where the D-man cuts a guy off after a dump/chip in, but hopefully in time, that will go away as well.

[gfmorris]

Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

I would have liked to have saw them call the center ice interference a little more where the D-man cuts a guy off after a dump/chip in, but hopefully in time, that will go away as well.

These kinds of infractions are as frustrating to me as the (highly dangerous and need to be out of the game) checking from behind calls, which UAH took in each game in Connecticut. The latter change games and lives, but the former completely blows up the way that the game is played, and that makes me frustrated and sad. For all we know, we have some top-level offensive talent in this league, but we're not often given the chance to see it.

GFM

[Bale]

Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

These kinds of infractions are as frustrating to me as the (highly dangerous and need to be out of the game) checking from behind calls, which UAH took in each game in Connecticut. The latter change games and lives, but the former completely blows up the way that the game is played, and that makes me frustrated and sad. For all we know, we have some top-level offensive talent in this league, but we're not often given the chance to see it.

GFM

EXACTLY!!

I know people wrote it off last year due to bitterness, but I think it spoke volumes when Kreiger transferred from UAF to UMD and talked about the style of play in the conference. I'm sure you have to take some of it with a grain of salt, but that seemed too specific to just blow off. If the conference has a reputation (fair or not) for that style of play, it can have affects for a long time. Deal with it now, so you don't have to deal with it later.

[JohnsonsJerseys]

Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

Dirty play happens in every conference / league at every level of play. That's just a former player trying to justify their decision. The league didn't change their style of play in the last two years. So when UAF offered him a roster spot he was ok with it. Now when UMD offers him a chance to get off the UAF roster suddenly style of play is unacceptable for him. Saying the style of play is an issue for you (assuming it hasn't changed recently) means you didn't have any idea what you were getting into when you agreed to play for UAF and never watched a WCHA game before you committed to play for the team/conference. Right.....
Ryan J

[Bale]

Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

Dirty play happens in every conference / league at every level of play. That's just a former player trying to justify their decision. The league didn't change their style of play in the last two years. So when UAF offered him a roster spot he was ok with it. Now when UMD offers him a chance to get off the UAF roster suddenly style of play is unacceptable for him. Saying the style of play is an issue for you (assuming it hasn't changed recently) means you didn't have any idea what you were getting into when you agreed to play for UAF and never watched a WCHA game before you committed to play for the team/conference. Right.....
Ryan J

I disagree. There was a distinct change in style of play over the last 2 years. He wasn't the only one saying it. People/writers all over the place were and are saying the same thing.

I agree that you have to take some of what he says with a grain of salt, but it's not fair to discount what he says completely. That being said, if that is a perception that is starting to make it's way through the players, it's a problem. Perception is reality when it comes to opinions. If highly skilled players have the perception that the league as a whole is going to allow clutching and grabbing and it hampers open play that allows them to showcase their skills, that's a BIG problem. It's better to address the problem on the front end than it is to wait and see the repercussions.

[beaverhockeyfan]

Re: 2016-2017 WCHA Season Thread

BSU was named College Hockey News' Team of the Week

http://www.collegehockeynews.com/new...ek_bemidji.php