Garrett Suter May be Injured

It's being reported that Garrett Suter has a separated shoulder and was expected to be out for the season, thus the reason he was released by Omaha of the USHL.

Garrett Suter Released by Omaha

The Omaha Lancers of the USHL have released Garrett Suter. Suter had verballed to play for the Badgers two seasons ago, but has been unable to qualify academically. Meanwhile, he has bounced around from the USHL to the BCHL and back, having played for three USHL teams at this point. It is interesting that he was not traded to anyone but rather just released.

Chris Hickey Injured

UW forward recruit Chris Hickey has apparently injured the Posterior Cruciate Ligament in one of his knees, and will be out for 5-7 weeks. He plays for defending Class AA State Champion Cretin-Derham Hall along with UW recruit Ryan McDonagh. Cretin-Derham Hall enters the season ranked #1.

I have mused that the Badgers will bring in Hickey next season rather than 2008 to alleviate the logjam of forwards they have in 2008/2009 as he's the only recruit that will have completed high school by the end of this season. It will be interesting to see when and how well he can return from his injury and if that will play into when he joins UW.

Wisconsin's Lineup

This past Saturday Wisconsin used a strange lineup to help break out of their losing streak. They dressed 11 forwards and 7 defensemen. The "open" forward slot was used primarily to double shift the team's best scorers-Jack Skille, Ross Carlson and Mike Davies. Three forwards were healthy scratches: Zach Bearson, Andy Bohmbach and Tom Gorowsky.

Not dresssing while being beaten out by another player is one thing, but not dressing so that nobody can play in your place? It will be interesting to see how Gorowsky responds during practice the next two weeks and to see if he will suit up against North Dakota.

Saturday USHL Report

Lincoln slips past Omaha 3-2. Scott Gudmandson was not in net for Omaha in the loss.

Sioux City over Sioux Falls 4-1.

Tri-City defeated Des Moines 5-3. Sean Wiles and Kyle Ensign both scored for Tri-City.

Waterloo beat Chicago 4-1. Blake Kessel had a goal, and Josh Turnbull had an emply net goal at the end of the game.

Cedar Rapids needed overtime for a win over Green Bay 4-3. Ryan Little had an assist for Green Bay in the loss.

Indiana pounded Ohio 5-1.

Boys & Girls High School Hockey Linkorama

Boys

Milwaukee Marquette was a 5-2 winner over Neenah.

Arrowhead over Fond du Lac 4 to 3 in overtime.

Stevens Point blanked Madison Memorial 4-0

University School loses to Blake (MN) 3-0

Other scores:

Spooner @ Minnehaha (MN) Academy
Madison West 6 @ Wausau East 2
Cedarburg 0 @ KM/Mukwonago 5
Oregon 4 @ Notre Dame Academy 1
Waunakee 6 @ Waukesha 1
Viroqua 1 @ Holmen/Aquinas 7
Germantown 6 @ Fox Cities 1
FDL Springs 6 @ Grafton 2
Middleton 6 @ Verona 0
Rockford (IL) Icemen 6 @ Janesville 4
Kenosha 4 @ Green Bay United 7
Superior 5 @ Breck (MN) 3
Webster @ TBD
Wauwatosa 4 @ Sheboygan 3 (OT)
Whitefish Bay 1 @ Homestead 11
McFarland 3 @ Hayward 4
Eau Claire Memorial 8 @ Wausau West 4
Catholic Memorial 5 @ Brookfield 4 (OT)


Girls

Fond du Lac/Waupun 4 to 2 over the ECA Stars

Other scores:

Metro Lynx 10 @ Viroqua 1
Arrowhead 0 @ DC Diamonds 9


Some boys scores compliments of Wisconsin Prep Hockey & some girls scores compliments of Wisconsin Girls Hockey.

Badger Men Report

The Badger men gained a measure of consistency on the offensive end of the ice for the first time in a long time last night, but were maddeningly inconsistent on defense, losing to the Michigan Wolverines 4-3. Joe Piskula seemed to struggle the most on defense. Mike Davies, Jack Skille, and Matt Ford all had goals for the Badgers.

The Badgers lead several times in the game, including 2-0 early on, and 3-2 in the third period, but it was not enough.

I thought Ben Grotting's hustly showed up last night, and he managed to stay out of the penalty box. Mike Davies' continued improvement was also evident last night.

Superior Girls Skate Past Fondy/Waupun

The Superior Girls Hockey Team got some payback last night for their defeat in the State Semifinal last season at the hands of Fondy/Waupun. The Spartans downed the Warbirds 6-3, including an empty net goal at then end.

Friday in the USHL

Sioux Falls edged Omaha 4-3. UW recruits Matt Thurber and Garrett Suter both had assists for Omaha in the losing effort. UW recruit Scott Gudmandson did not start in net for Omaha after his poor outing last night, but ended up entering the game in the third period after his counterpart had let in 4 goals on 17 shots. Gudmandson was able to play the last 15 minutes without allowing a goal on 8 shots.

Sioux City downed Tri-City 4-1.

Lincoln put up a touchdown to beat Des Moines 7-4. Patrick Johnson continues to play for Lincoln, and notched a goal in this game. Potential UW recruit Jason Gregiore remains out of the lineup for Lincon, and has only played 4 games this season.

Waterloo let Cedar Rapids know that turnabout is fair play. After losing 3-2 to Cedar Rapids in Waterloo Thursday, Waterloo defeated Cedar Rapids 4-3 at their rink to once again pull away from them for the East Division lead.

Defenseman Derrick LaPoint had an assist and the game-winning overtime goal just 28 seconds into the extra frame as Green Bay got past Chicago 3-2.

Indiana needed overtime to overcome Ohio 4-3.

#8 USM Wins; #6 Homestead Falls

Defending State Champion and #8 ranked University School of Milwaukee started this season out of state at the Bob Nelson tournament, hosted by Blake School in Hopkins, Minnesota. They faced off against Delano last night, and managed to squeak out a 3-2 win.

#6 Homestead was also in action last night against Waukesha Catholic Memorial. Memorial came out on top, 6-4.

There will be lots of boys high school hockey action tonight as most of the top ten get their seasons underway, including the first early season matchup of ranked opponents-#10 Arrowhead at #2 Fond du Lac.

Scores compliments of Wisconsin Prep Hockey.

The Streak is Over

The Badger Women's Hockey Team's 26 game unbeaten streak came to an end yesterday versus the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The Bulldogs shut out the Badgers on their way to a 2-0 victory. The teams will face off again today at 2 PM at the Kohl Center.

Cedar Rapids Edges Waterloo to Tie up East Division

In a big Thanksgiving day matchup, Cedar Rapids edged Waterloo 3-2 to tie Waterloo for the East Division lead. Potential UW recruit Jan Mikael Juutilainen had both goals for Waterloo in the losing effort.

Pre-Thanksgiving USHL Games

There were four USHL games Wednesday night, all of which involved a lot of scoring, and most of which were won by a lopsided score:

Sioux Falls blasted Tri-City 5-1. Patrick Tiesling had a goal for Sioux Falls.

Des Moines topped Lincoln 5-2.

Omaha got past Sioux City 7-5. Brett Bruneteau, who recently spurned UW to commit to North Dakota had a goal and three assists. Garrett Suter had an assist for Omaha. UW recruit Scott Gudmandson played part of the game in net for Omaha, but got pulled after giving up four goals on seventeen shots.

Green Bay blanked Ohio 6-0 behind a goal from Justin Cseter and two assists from Derrick LaPoint.

High School Girls Hockey Linkorama

I found lots of articles on the start of the girls high school hockey season from around the state, which are listed below:

Badger Thunder

ECA Stars

Superior Spartans

Fond du Lac/Waupun

Onalaska Hilltoppers

Appleton United

Badger Men's Updates

Tentative Badger lines for the Showcase with the announced return of Blake Geoffrion-according to Todd Milewski:

Jake Dowell-Andrew Joudrey-Ben Grotting
Ross Carlson-Blake Geoffrion-Jack Skille
Matthew Ford-Ben Street-Mike Davies
John Mitchell-Andy Brandt-Tom Gorowsky

Kyle Klubertanz-Jeff Likens
Davis Drewiske-Jamie McBain
Joe Piskula-Matt Olinger

New Lists at Wisconsin Hockey Division 1 Watch

Over at Wisconsin Hockey Division 1 Watch I have added lists of incoming Badger Men's and Women's recruits, to go along with the list of boys players to watch in Wisconsin, and lists of Wisconsin men's players in the USHL and NAHL.

Badger Women Sign Five Players

The Badger Women recently had the following five players sign National Letters of Intent for 2007:

Defenseman Anne Dronen from the Minnesota Thoroughbreds
Defenseman Olivia Jakiel from California Selects
Malee Windmeier from Coon Rapids High School
Forward Kelly Nash from California Selects
Forward Mallory Deluce from Mississauga Aeros

Forward Hillary Knight from Choate was a player reported to be coming to UW, but did not sign a National Letter of Intent. It sounds like her academic paperwork needs to be cleared before she can sign her NLI, and it is being worked on.

Teams' Fans off to Bad Start This Season

Five police officers were needed to break up a fight between fans of the DePere and Bayport boys high school hockey teams at the Cornerstone Ice Arena in Ashwaubenon last night.

Adam Burish Still Hunting Gophers

Adam Burish was assessed 32 penalty minutes the other night when Norfolk played Binghamton. The first five minutes was for throwing down with ex-Gopher Grant Potulny. It's not clear from the score sheet who he fought next, but he was given 2 minutes for instigating, 5 minutes for fighting, a misconduct penalty and a game misconduct penalty.

UW Men's Notes

Jack Skille will return to the Badger lineup this weekend playing on a line with Ross Carlson and Andrew Joudrey. Blake Geoffrion's status for the weekend is unknown, and Aaron Bendickson is progressing faster than originally thought, but probably won't be available until December 8th & 9th.

Another Shattuck Player Commits to UW

Derek Stepan of Hastings, Minnesota has committed to the Badger's Men Hockey Team. Stepan is currently a Junior at Shattuck St. Mary's, and tied for second in scoring behind Badger recruit Brock Montpetit on the Prep Hockey Team. Stepan indicates he would like to join UW in 2008, but that at this time it is undecided whether that will occur or not.

Boys WIAA Hockey Season Underway

The boys WIAA hockey season is underway, and there was one notable game over the weekend. Brookfield downed Appleton 2-1. I had two guests stop by to comment positively on Appleton after the first rankings came out with no mention of Appleton, so I was a bit surprised to see their season get underway with a loss. The good news is that it is a long season, and there is lots of time for improvement and to improve cohesion among teammates.

Badger Women Sweep Bemidji

The Badger women completed their sweep of Bemidji State with a 4-2 victory on Sunday.

Fond du Lac Girls High School Hockey Kickoff

I did not manage to make it back to Fond du Lac for any of the Saturday girls hockey games as I had planned. From sources I heard that Onalaska looked very good in defeating Superior 6-3, the St. Croix Valley Fusion beat Appleton 2-0, and Fond du Lac/Waupun downed Milwaukee North Shore 7-1.

25 Straight Unbeaten for the Badger Women

The Badger Women's Team blasted Bemidji State 6-2 yesterday to extend their unbeaten streak to 25.

Badger Men Notes

The Badgers got bopped by Minnesota 2-1 last night.

*Brian Elliott played a great game. He can't do any more than what he did last night.

*Mike Eaves singled out Jeff Likens and Kyle Klubertanz for their poor play after the game.

*Blake Geoffrion is believed to have suffered a concussion in the first period.

*Aaron Bendickson injured his leg in the first period and was on crutches after the game.

*Andy Bohmbach and Josh Engel are the two backup players along on the trip. It will be interesting to see what occurs if Bendickson and Geoffrion cannot play. Will Bohmbach and Engel suit up, or will Zach Bearson, the only player not on the trip, make his way to Minneapolis to play along with Bohmbach?

Saturday in the USHL

Tri-City outlasted Omaha 7-5. Scott Gudmandson played 46 minutes of this game giving up 5 goals on 36 shots.

Mike Sislo scored both Green Bay goals as they squeaked past Sioux Falls.

Des Moines took out Sioux City 5-1.

Waterloo got an assist from Blake Kessel as they powered past Indiana. Keegan Meuer played in this game for Waterloo, as he normally does on Saturdays.

Cedar Rapids defeated Ohio 4-1. Floridian and former Madison Capitol Ian Slater had two goals for Cedar Rapids.

Lincoln edged Chicago 4-3. Patrick Johnson was again in the lineup, but held off the scoresheet.

UW Women Recruits for 2007-2008 Season

The UW women continue to get verbal commitments for next season. Hopefully there will be word shortly that all of their recruits for next season signed National Letters of Intent during the signing period that started this week.

Here's a look at players who have reportedly verballed:

Defenseman Anne Dronen from Minnesota Thoroughbreds-Link to her Select 17/18 stats

Defenseman Olivia Jakiel from California Selects-Link to her Select 17/18 stats

Defenseman Malee Windmeier from Coon Rapids High School-The link indicates she has already signed her National Letter of Intent

Forward Kelly Nash from California Selects-Another top performer at the Select 17/18 this year.

Forward Hillary Knight from Choate-One of only three 17 year olds to play for Mark Johnson on the US Select Team. Here's the link to her Select 17/18 stats

Forward Mallory Deluce from Mississauga Aeros-This link is to an article from September, 2005 when a team she played for had an exhibition game against Boston University, which was just starting their college program. Mallory had two goals and two assists in the game!

St. Norbert's vs. UW-Superior

St. Norbert's beat UW-Superior last night by a score of 5-2 last night in a matchup of two of the best Division III programs this season. The Green Knights remain undefeated and are currently ranked #2 in the country.

Friday in the USHL

Tri-City edged Des Moines in an overtime shootout 3-2. Luke Lucyk had a goal for Tri-City.

Sioux City downed Green Bay 4-1, despite Derrick LaPoint putting the Gamblers on the scoreboard first.

Sioux Falls earned the win over Omaha last night by a score of 4-3. David Solway has been hot of late for Sioux Falls and kept up the pace with a goal and assist in this one. Sam Zabkowicz also had an assist for Sioux Falls, while Matt Thurber assisted on the final two Omaha goals. UW recruit Scott Gudmandson stopped 32 of 36 in the losing effort.

Waterloo blew past Indiana 5-2. Potential UW recruit Jan Mikael Juutilainen scored a goal, which was assisted by Wisconsinite and UW recruit Josh Turnbull.

Cedar Rapids outshot Ohio 60 to 14, and only won by a score of 7 to 4.

Lincoln used two third period goals to secure a victory over Chicago. It's not clear yet whether Pat Johnson's addition to Lincoln beginning last weekend is permanent or temporary, but he scored again for the Stars.

UW's Line Combos vs. Minnesota

Here are Wisconsin's tentative line combinations for this weekend, compliments of Todd Milewski:

Jake Dowell-Andrew Joudrey-Mike Davies
Blake Geoffrion-Ben Street-Ross Carlson
Matthew Ford-Tom Gorowsky-Andy Brandt
John Mitchell-Aaron Bendickson-Ben Grotting

Kyle Klubertanz-Jeff Likens
Davis Drewiske-Jamie McBain
Joe Piskula-Matt Olinger

Brian Elliott

Andy Bohmbach and Josh Engel are the backups along for the trip.

Girls High School Games In Fond du Lac

I got a chance to see parts of some of the games in Fond du Lac tonight that kicked off the girls high school hockey season. They had games going in two rinks, so it was impossible to catch all the action.

In the first game, Onalaska handled Appleton 5-1. I missed all of this game, but heard from a coach that was watching that Onalaska didn't even play their best hockey in this one. I've heard some chatter from Appleton about how good they are going to be this season, but personally think Fondy/Waupun, Onalaska and Superior are probably a step above in terms of talent.

Superior faced Milwaukee North Shore in the second game. Last I saw, Superior had broken a 3-3 tie with three quick goals to lead 6-3. I'm assuming they cruised to victory. I learned that Milwaukee North Shore not only has a new Coach for this season, but their goaltender chose not to play hockey this season due to repeated (supposedly 4) concussions last season. As they did not have another goaltender, they have had to convert a skater to goaltender this season, which is likely to have predictably poor results from what I saw (which is certainly not the fill-in goaltender's fault). On top of it, their roster lists 11 players, meaning they only have 10 skaters. Anna Pettingill and Taylor Van Damme both stood out for Superior.

The final game featured State Champ Fondy/Waupun against the St. Croix Valley Fusion. This game was back and forth with a lot of scoring chances that nobody could convert. F/W is pretty talented offensively lead by Amber Cmejla and Amy Knutson, but St. Croix is pretty good defensively led by Amanda Robinson and Megan Murphy. The game ended 0-0 in regulation, but Amy Knutson was able to lead Fondy/Waupun to victory with a great overtime short-handed goal deking out both a defenseman and the goaltender for the win. St. Croix started a Freshman goaltender in net who played pretty well. Samantha Lakin has been a back-up for Fondy/Waupun and is now a Junior. She played a nice game as well, earning the shutout. I was surprised that St. Croix Valley hung in this game so well as they graduated a lot of players, especially forwards, from last year's team.

By the way, this was the first game I've seen with the new rules....and I hate them already! I can see that the way each official calls games is going to have ZERO consistency this season.

I may get a chance to catch some more action tomorrow. Unfortunately, I did not get a schedule with the rosters and am not sure which teams play one another. Oh well, I'll track down whatever info I can tomorrow and post it.

2007 Signed Letters of Intent for UW Men

Goaltender Scott Gudmandson, defenseman Cody Goloubef, defenseman Ryan McDonagh, defenseman Brendan Smith, forward Josh Turnbull and forward Kyle Turris have all signed letters of intent to attend UW next season as anticipated. Garrett Suter is another defensman who may join UW next season. Suter has been ruled academically ineligible the past two seasons, and may take another run at eligibility in 2007.

Wisconsin still needs 2-3 forwards to fill their 2007 class, but it appears as if Mike Eaves is not going to "reach" for a player that's not ready or not of the caliber he wants according to the article today in the Wisconsin State Journal. Jan Mikael Juutilainen, Jason Gregoire and Mike Connelly are all still possibilities at forward for next season. I would think there is also a strong possibility the Badgers would bring in one or more partial scholarship/walkon type players as well.

Bruneteau to North Dakota

Brett Bruneteau has chosen to play for North Dakota in either 2007 or 2008. That's yet another high level forward North Dakota has beaten out Wisconsin for. Evan Trupp and Brad Malone are a couple of others the Sioux have recently gotten verbals from that the Badgers had offered. Throw in the botched recruitment of defenseman Derrick LaPoint and you could honestly say losing recruits to the Sioux seems to be a very distrurbing trend. I hope the Badgers can figure out a way to reverse this trend in the near future, because Dave Hakstol and their staff are eating the Badgers lunch right now...

Girls High School Season Gets Underway Tonight

The Girls High School Hockey Season gets underway tonight, with many of the top-level teams converging on Fond du Lac for games to kick off the season. Appleton, St.Croix Valley, Milwauakee North Shore, Onalaska and defending State Champions Fond du Lac-Waupun will all be in action. I should be able to get reports on some of these teams and/or games over the weekend and will post whatever I can get.

2007 UW Forward Recruits

Todd Milewski has confirmed what I've been saying for months, namely that Josh Turnbull will join the Badgers for the 2007 season. I have also stated that I think Chris Hickey will enter UW next season directly from high school as the Badgers have a definite need for 4 forwards, and a likely need for 5 forwards next season if Skille goes pro (which is likely). Right now, only Turnbull and Turris are known to be coming in at forward next season. Also, Matt Ford is the only forward to graduate in 2007-2008, and the Badgers have a plethora of forward recruits lined up for 2008: Chris Hickey, Matt Thurber, Brock Montpetit and Craig Smith (2008 or 2009). I say bring Hickey in next season to alleviate the logjam in 2008....besides, he'll likely develop more quickly with the Badgers than playing Junior Hockey anyway-just look at John Mitchell.

Turnbull Scores in Shootout for USHL White

At the USA Hockey Jamboree, the USHL had two teams which played two games, with both games being against one another. In the first contest, Team USHL Black was victorious 2-0. In the rematch, the teams ended up tied at the end of regulation, but Team USHL White won in a shootout with two scorers converting to Team Black's one scorer converting. Josh Turnbull was one of the two players to put the biscuit in the basket during the shootout for Team USHL White.

Wisconsinites & UW Recruits USHL Player Pictures

These photos are compliments of JG, and are from the November 4th Green Bay Gamblers game against Waterloo. The Gamblers are wearing the dark Green Bay Bobcat throwback jerseys, so don't let that throw you off!

The top picture is of Ryan Little #16 dark, Derrick LaPoint #3 dark, and goaltender Nick Graves #34 dark trying to fight off three Blackhawk attackers.







This shot features Blake Kessel #20 white on the far left, Josh Turnbull #8 white, Nick Graves #34 dark, Mike Sislo #27 dark and potential UW recruit Jan Mikeal Juutilainen on the right side #27 white.











Nick Graves slides across his crease as the play moves from his left to his right.


Nick Graves is set for the faceoff between Mike Sislo #27 dark and Jan Mikael Juutilainen #27 white.


Nick Graves stays focused for the game as the spotlight shines down.

Badger Men Thoughts

I've had a lot of thoughts about the Badger men rattling around my head....some for just a day or two, and some thoughts have been formed over weeks or months of "internal debate". I'm going to post them in bullet form as they finally stream forth from my conciousness....

*I agree with Mike Eaves that Saturday's game was a step in the right direction for his club. They looked better and seemed to have gotten the "no scoring monkey" off their back.

*One of the reasons that the Badgers are struggling this year, in my opinion, is that there were no high level forward recruits from Wisconsin available to enter school at UW this year. While Eaves managed to bring a bunch of skilled forwards from the USNTDP when he first arrived, he and his staff are not having a lot of luck recruiting high-level forwards from outside Wisconsin. Of the next 6 forwards scheduled to arrive, 4 are from Wisconsin. Defensemen are another story completely. It seems like a who's who of defensemen coming in for the future. Why? I think other teams are using Wisconsin's great defensive system against them when they try to recruit forwards. The flip side of that is UW seems to have their pick of defensemen. You would think that forwards would want to get better defensively to improve themselves, but I can see how that would be a tough sell to a 15/16/17 year old.

*UW's coaching staff has been great at not "overspending" scholarship money. This is another reason that I think in-state recruits are vital to the program. My guess is that many Wisconsin kids play for less scholarship money than they could receive elsewhere. That is due partially to the fact that in-state tuition is less than out of state tuition so both the student and the UW get a bit of a deal. Also, I think kids are just willing to take less scholarship money to play where they grew up dreaming of playing. While this ultimately strengthens the program, I sometimes wonder if this means that Wisconsin kids are being taken advantage of to some extent. As an example I have heard from a very good source that one of the Wisconsin players on the team currently entered on a "books" scholarship. This means he received a 7% scholarship in his first season, which is enough to cover the cost of books. What kind of other offers did this player have? He could have gone on a full scholarship to another WCHA school (one at a lower level than Wisconsin). I realize that full scholarships typically are not 100%, but whatever this school's full offer was, it was certainly more than 7%. Who knows, maybe this player is very happy with his choice, and maybe he has even been able to get more scholarship money than was promised (this often happens when a player leaves or all the scholarship money doesn't get used). Maybe none of the Wisconsin kids ever feel they are being taken advantage of, and I'm just crazy...but it is something that has crossed my mind.

*Ben Street is -10 (the second worst plus/minus on the team is -4). Ben Grotting has 7 penalties for 25 minutes during his limited playing time in 8 games. Blake Geoffrion has 12 minor penalties for 24 minutes in 12 games. Getting these three stats "fixed" might go a long way towards helping the Badgers regain their footing.

*I'm shocked Zach Bearson can't crack the lineup. He's a guy who I believe played 3 years in the USHL, and even played in some international tournaments. He was also a captain for Waterloo and was a lower-round NHL draft pick.

Turris Named MVP of World Junior A Challenge

Kyle Turris was named MVP of the World Junior A Challenge Sunday, as his Team Canada West sprinted ahead of Team Canada East 4-0 early in the game, and finally put them away by a score of 4-3. Turris finished with 5 goals and 6 assists in four games and was the tournament's leading scorer.

Canadian Women Defeat US Women for Gold at Four Nations Cup

The Canadian women downed the American women 5-2 yesterday to claim the gold medal at the Four Nations Cup. Former Badger player and current Undergraduate Assistant for UW, Carla MacLeod, had a goal for Team Canada.

Saturday in the USHL & Patrick Johnson Joins Lincoln

Tri-City was victorious against Omaha by a score of 5-4 in an overtime shoot out. Scott Gudmandson did not play in net, and quite honestly, all the Wisconsin guys & UW potential recruits in this game didn't do too much. Matt Thurber was -1, Garrett Suter -2 and Brett Bruneteau even for Omaha. For Tri-City, Kyle Ensign was -1, Sean Wiles -2 andLuke Lucyk -2. Bruneteau, Thurber and Wiles were all stopped in the shootout as well.

Sioux City took care of Lincoln 5-4. Ross Henry was +1 for Lincoln, and Jason Gregoire was again not in the lineup for Lincoln. Patrick Johnson was in action for just his second game with the Stars after being added to their roster on Friday, November 10th. He excelled in this game scoring two goals and earning the praise of Coach Steve Johnson.

Chicago edged Sioux Falls 6-5. Wisconsinites did not fare very well in this game. Sam Zabkowicz was -1, David Solway was -2, Patrick Tiesling was -1 and Jacob Drewiske was +1 for Sioux Falls. Chicago has released Nathan Lawrence, who is now with the Texas Tornado in the NAHL.

Indiana got past Green Bay by a score of 3-2. Brent Gwidt had an assist for Indiana, which was his second of the weekend. He is starting to show some signs of life on the scoresheets. Mike Sislo continued his stellar weekend with an unassisted goal in this game for Green Bay. Derrick LaPoint was held off the scoresheet, which is a rarity.

Josh Turnbull willed Waterloo back to their winning ways in a 4-2 defeat of Des Moines. Turnbull scored Waterloo's first two goals of the game, and assisted on the last two of the game. Craig Smith had an assist on Turnbull's second goal. As with most Saturday games, Keegan Meuer was in the lineup for Waterloo.

Cedar Rapids took out Ohio 3-1.

Derrick LaPoint is now tied for fifth in scoring for the league, while Josh Turnbull is tied for seventh in the league for scoring.

Badger Bob Book in the Works

Former Badger player Peter Johnson, son of Badger Bob Johnson, dropped me an e-mail to let me know he is working on a book about his father. He and the rest of the staff working on the book are looking for stories about how his father touched people's lives in a lasting way. If you'd like to share a story or stories along those lines, you can contact him via this very appropriate URL: http://www.itsagreatdayforhockey.com/

Mike Connolly Considering UW

Mike Connolly, a forward for the Camrose Kodiaks of the AJHL apparently has narrowed his college choices down to Wisconsin and Boston University. I don't know for sure, but my guess is he is being recruited for next season, as UW already has a log jam of forwards for 2008 and lots of needs for forwards next year.

Thanks to Milzie for the heads up.

Forwards UW may be considering for next season are:

Mike Connolly-Camrose AJHL
Jason Gregoire-Lincoln USHL
Jan-Mikael Juutilainen-Waterloo USHL
Brett Bruneteau-Omaha USHL
Brent Gwidt-Indiana USHL
Brennan Vargas-USNTDP
Ryan Schnell-USNTDP

Kyle Turris and Brendan Smith at the World Junior A Challenge

Kyle Turris and Brendan Smith are currently playing in the World Junior A Challenge. Turris is playing for Team Canada West, while Smith is playing for Team Canada East. Turris has five goals and two assists after two games, while Smith has an assist through two games. Both players' teams have qualified for the Semi-finals. Team Canada East plays Russia at 3 PM today, while Team Canada West plays Slovakia at 8 PM. Both games are being webcast. This link will take you to a page where you will find another button to click on for the webcast.

USA vs. Canada for Gold in Women's Four Nations Cup

Team USA and Team Canada will face off today at 3 PM Central Time in the Gold medal game at the Four Nations Cup. Current Badgers Erika Lawler and Jinelle Zaugg are playing for the United States while Bobbi-Jo Slusar is playing for Canada along with former Badger and current UW undergraduate assistant Carla MacLeod. Mark Johnson is coaching Team USA while UW’s Director of Hockey Operations Paul Hickman will serve as Team USA’s equipment manager.

Team Canada blanked the US 3-0 in the first round of the Four Nations Cup earlier this week.

USHL Friday Report

There were 5 games in the "U" last night. Here's how Wisconsinites and UW recruits and potential recruits fared....

Omaha took out Lincoln 4-1. Garrett Suter had an assist for Omaha, and potential UW recruit Brett Bruneteau scored a goal. Potential UW recruit Jason Gregoire was not in the lineup for Lincoln last night. Scott Gudmandson did not play in net for Omaha. Matt Thurber returned to the ice for Omaha finishing +1 following the tragic death of his mother.

Tri-City downed Sioux City 5-2. Kyle Ensign, Sean Wiles and Luke Lucyk all finished +1 for Tri-City.

Sioux Falls slid past Chicago 4-3. Sam Zabkowicz had an assist for Sioux Falls and finished +2.

Waterloo was beaten by Des Moines 6-4. Josh Turnbull had a goal for Waterloo in the first period. He seems to be a quick starter as he has scored a lot of his goals this season in the first period. UW could definitely use some goal scoring, and early goal scoring is even better! Keegan Meuer was not in the lineup for Waterloo.

Green Bay put up six goals to defeat Indiana 6-4. Mike Sislo had two goals for Green Bay, and Derrick La Point got one as well. Justin Cseter had two assists for Green Bay and LaPoint also had a helper. For Indiana, Brent Gwidt notched an assist.

Nigel Williams Thoughts

I haven't had much time to post my thoughts over the past few days, but have been thinking about Nigel Williams departure from UW to the OHL. My first instinct was to go off on the kid like Hockey Thoughts did. My second thought was about whether he was ready to play.

Western College Hockey indicates it was likely not a good idea to bring Williams in a year early. I have to disagree with the notion that bringing him in early was a mistake. Next year UW has Brendan Smith, Cody Goloubef, Ryan McDonagh (whose arrival has been pushed up a year due to his development) and possibly Garrett Suter coming in at defense. If Williams had not come in this year, the Badgers probably would have needed to bring in another defenseman in case of injuries for this season. That would mean that instead of potentially 10 defenseman next year, UW would potentially have had 11 if nobody left early!

Besides the number of players, it is true that skill development and improvement takes place in practice through repetition. Nigel Williams, in my opinion, would have been better prepared to fight for a spot in the lineup next year by working hard this year with the Badgers in practice and playing in whatever games he got into. For an example of great development in less than a season, look at John Mitchell who grayshirted at forward with the Badgers for the second semester last season. He literally could not crack a USHL lineup and was traded to 3 different USHL teams before being traded to a team in the NAHL. Rather than go to the NAHL he grayshirted with the Badgers for the second semester and is now playing in front of many players that most people (myself included) didn't think he'd play in front of for this season, or even potentially the rest of his college career. Williams has already been drafted by Colorado in the NHL. What he needs to do now is develop his skills through hard work and competition....both of which he would have gotten if he would have stayed at Wisconsin.

Kudos to Mike Eaves for handling the situation with class. He's probably really pissed at the kid for putting the team in a bind, but didn't take even the slightest "dig" at Williams. He basically just indicated that the areas that Nigel needed to improve were puck handling and decision making, and that the Badgers on the whole need as much puck handling ability in the lineup as they can get at this point. Poor overall team play, and some big early series against North Dakota and Boston College probably didn't help Williams' chances of getting on the ice either.

It's too bad Williams wasn't prepared to stay and work for a spot in the lineup this year, and in the future. I can't blame the kid for wanting to be in the lineup, but I can be peaved at the fact that he leaves UW short at defense. I think it's also fair to question his work ethic and debate whether or not he is a quitter. He left himself open to those questions when he broke his commitment to the team.

UW's Unofficial Line Pairings for the Weekend

Here are UW's unofficial line pairings for the weekend, compliments of Todd Milewski. It is still uncertain whether Joe Piskula will be able to play due to a leg injury.

Jake Dowell-Andrew Joudrey-Mike Davies
John Mitchell-Ben Street-Ross Carlson
Matthew Ford-Tom Gorowsky-Andy Brandt
Blake Geoffrion-Aaron Bendickson-Ben Grotting

Kyle Klubertanz-Jeff Likens AND Piskula-Likens
Davis Drewiske-Matt Olinger
Josh Engel-Jamie McBain

Turnbull & Kessel Named to USHL Jamboree Rosters

USA Hockey is putting on the Junior Jamboree November 13 & 14 in Blaine, Minnesota. The Jamboree will consist of teams of players from Junior leagues across the country. The USHL is one of only two leagues that will have two teams in the Jamboree. Blake Kessel has been named to Team USHL Black and Josh Turnbull has been named to Team USHL White. The teams were selected by NCAA and NHL scouts.

Nigel Williams Leaves Badgers for OHL

Defenseman Nigel Williams has left the Wisconsin Badgers to play for the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL, according to Todd Milewski.

It is also mentioned that Joe Piskula was injured in practice Monday and may not play this weekend.

Badgers at the Women's Four Nations Cup

UW is well represented at the Women's Four Nations Cup currently underway in Kitchener, ON Canada. Current Badgers Erika Lawler and Jinelle Zaugg are playing for the United States while Bobbi-Jo Slusar will play for Canada along with former Badger and current UW undergraduate assistant Carla MacLeod. Mark Johnson is coaching Team USA while UW’s Director of Hockey Operations Paul Hickman will serve as Team USA’s equipment manager.

Yesterday Canada blanked the US 3-0. Neither Slusar nor MacLeod suited up for Canada in the win, although they are playing today vs. Sweden.

Carlson Cleared to Play This Weekend

Ross Carlson has been cleared to play for UW this weekend. Jack Skille will likely be back for the College Hockey Showcase, but may be back as soon as the Minnesota series.

Elite League NIT

Both Western College Hockey and Hockey Thoughts have thoughts on Team Wisconsin Major and the Nike/Bauer Elite League NIT Tournament, as both blog writers were able to attend some games. Give them a look.

Wow!!!

I watched Kyle Turris play for Team Canada West vs. Russia in the World Junior A Challenge tonight via webcast. The video feed was not very good, but Turris was, scoring the first four goals for Team Canada West in their 6-2 victory. He has got what the Badgers need...instincts and scoring. I can't wait 'til he laces them up for UW.

Girls Team Wisconsin Major Update

I finally had a chance to get an update on the Girls Team Wisconsin Major. Two weekends ago they played Balmoral Hall, which is a prep school in Winnipeg. Balmoral won all three games by scores of 4-0, 6-2 and 4-1. Team Wisconsin Major didn't feel too bad about the losses though, as Balmoral Hall beat UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stevens Point, while losing to UW-Superior and UW-River Falls on the trip.

This past weekend Girls Team Wisconsin Major faced Shattuck St. Mary's Prep Team in a three game set. Team Wisconsin wound up their season with three lopsided losses to Shattuck. Congratulations to Amber Cmejla who scored the lone goal for Team Wisconsin on the weekend.

Team Wisconsin Minor Win Elite II Tournament

Congratulations to Team Wisconsin Minor, Champions of the Elite II Tournament!

WHSEL U-16 Tournament-Sunday and Final Results

Thanks to my source for this info, I appreciate it being passed along....Here are Sunday's results and Final Standings for the WHSEL U-16 Tournament:

Sunday's results
Region 4 (7) Region 3 (1)
Region 6 (5) Region 2 (4)
Region 4 (10) Region 5 (2)
Region 5 (2) Region 6 (0)
Region 2 (1) Region 3 (3)

Final Standings

Region 4... 3-1 6 points
Region 5...2-1-1 5 points
Region 6...2-2 4 points
Region 2...1-2-1 3 points
Region 3...1-3 2 points

Very competive hockey all weekend Regions 4,5,6,2 advance to the State tier 2 tournament March 9-11 in Middleton.

Wisconsin Prep Hockey Announces Pre-Season Top 10 Rankings

Wisconsin Prep Hockey has announced their pre-season top ten and honorable mention teams:

Wisconsin Prep Hockey Pre-Season Top Ten(November 6, 2006)

1.Stevens Point
2.Fond du Lac
3.Eau Claire North
4.Eau Claire Memorial
5.Madison Edgewood
6.Homestead
7.Superior
8.University School
9.Northland Pines
10.Arrowhead

Honorable Mention:

KM/Mukwonago
River Falls
Sun Prairie
Tomah
Wisconsin Rapids

See Kyle Turris Play for Free via Broadband Starting Tomorrow

2007 UW recruits Kyle Turris and Brendan Smith are both playing in the World Junior A Challenge this week, with Turris on Team Canada West, and Smith on Team Canada East. They've both participated in two exhibition games already, with both teams going 2-0. Turris has scored a goal and two assists, while Smith was held off the scoresheet.

The Pool A games, along with one quarterfinal, both semi-finals and the bronze medal game will be broadcast for free via broadband. Since Turris' Team Canada West is in pool A, there will be at least two opportunities to watch him play. Monday, November 6th at 7:30 PM Central Time Zone, and Wednesday, November 8th at 7:30 PM Central Time Zone. There is also a chance Brendan Smith could play in the televised quarterfinal, a semi-final or the bronze medal game, so hopefully we'll all get a chance to watch him play as well.

Here's the link to Hockey Canada's website where you should be able to get the webcast. Click on the 2006 World Junior A Challenge "banner" near the upper right corner of the page to get the feed.

Sunday USHL Update

There was one game in the USHL today. Omaha had their second game in as many nights vs. Ohio, with the result being identical. Omaha beat Ohio 3-2 in an overtime shootout again today. UW recruit Scott Gudmandson got the start in net and made 21 of 23 saves for the win. Potential UW recruit Brett Bruneteau again scored in the shootout, just like yesterday.

WHSEL U-16 Tournament

Here's the first day results for the U-16 WHSEL Tournament:

Region 3 (0) Region 6 (5)
Region 4 (1) Region 2 (5)-Region 4 finished the regular season in 1st...
Region 3 (2) Region 5 (3)
Region 6 (4) Region 4 (6)
Region 2 (3) Region 5 (3)

The top four teams qualify for the tier 2 state tournament March 9-11 @ Capitol Ice Center.

Wisconsin Players Big Part of SSM's Prep Girls Hockey Team Success

Wisconsin players continue to be a key cog in the success of Shattuck St. Mary's Girls Prep Hockey Team, which is currently 16-1. Despite Wisconsinite Emily Kranz graduating and moving on to the University of Wisconsin on a hockey scholarship, Wisconsin is still supplying plenty of horsepower for this team. Brianna Decker is currently second in scoring with 22 goals-18 assists for 40 points in 17 games. Amanda Kessel is fourth in scoring with 16 goals-15 assists-31 points in 17 games. Barb Bilko, who was a resident of Wisconsin for several years of her development has played in seven games, has a goals against average of 1.0, and a save percentage of .93%.

What could be even more amazing? Bilko is a Junior, Decker is a Sophomore and Kessel a Freshman.

In the USHL Saturday

Omaha got past Ohio 3-2 in an overtime shootout. Scott Gudmandson was on the bench again for Omaha. Brett Bruneteau scored in the shootout for Omaha.

Tri-City smoked Indiana 7-1. Kyle Ensign, Sean Wiles and Luke Lucyk all had goals for Tri-City. Luckyk also had two assists.

Waterloo got back to their winning ways with a 5-1 victory over Green Bay. Craig Smith had a goal for Waterloo. Josh Turnbull, Craig Smith and Blake Kessel all had an assist for Waterloo, and Derrick LaPoint had an assist for Green Bay. Nick Graves played his first game in net for Green Bay, stopping 23 of 27 shots.

Sioux Falls used assists from David Solway and Patrick Tiesling to beat Des M0ines 3-1.

It was Sioux City over Chicago by a score of 5 to 3.

Lincoln downed Cedar Rapids 7 to 5.

UW Women Saturday Report: Ladies Keep Rollin'

The UW women secured a sweep of Minnesota State with a 6-1 victory Saturday afternoon. Jinelle Zaugg had two goals, while four other Badgers scored a goal a piece. The Lady Badgers are off next weekend and Jinelle
Zaugg, Erika Lawler, Bobbi Jo Slusar and head coach Mark Johnson will all be in Kitchener, Ontario to take part in the Four Nations Cup Nov. 7-12.

UW Men Saturday Report: Another Power Outage

The UW men again had a power outage last night, only putting up one goal and losing to Alaska Anchorage 2-1. Mike Eaves had said prior to the weekend that Shane Connelly might play a game, but Brian Elliott played in net for the Badgers again last night.

My Condolences

My condolences to Beaver Dam native and UW recruit Matt Thurber and his family on the unexpected loss of his mother, Cathy. She was just 45 years old.

UW Men & Women Win Friday

The UW men picked up a win over Alaska Anchorage 3-2 in overtime. Going into the game I had the feeling that some of the young guys might be ready to "pick it up" on the offensive end, and that proved to be the case. UW was powered by regulation goals by Blake Geoffrion and Mike Davies, with Matt Ford getting the overtime game winner. Alaska Anchorage was led by Paul Crowder, who should not be a mystery to the UW Coaching Staff. He was a teammate of Kyle Turris' with the BCHL's Burnaby Express last season. Crowder had both goals for the Seawolves.

The big question for the men tonight is whether or not Shane Connelly will get the start.

The UW Women downed Minnesota State 3-1. Angie Keseley, Kyla Sanders and Meaghan Mikkelson all scored for the Badgers who hold sole possession of the WCHA lead and are ranked number one in the country. Their school-record unbeaten streak now stands at 23 games.

Friday Night in the USHL

Des Moines scored a touchdown while Lincoln could only muster a field goal (the final was 7-3). Potential UW recruit Jason Gregoire did not play in this game for Lincoln. He was in the lineup last weekend, but was not in the lineup the previous weekend. He is either visiting a lot of schools, or injured...

Sioux City shut out Chicago 4-0.

Cedar Rapids couldn't put Sioux Falls away until overtime, by a score of 4-3. Defenseman David Solway had a goal for Sioux Falls.

Green Bay got a big win over red hot Waterloo, 5-2. Green Bay has six Wisconsin players on their roster, while Waterloo has five. As such, there were lots of Wisconsinites in on the scoring action. Mike Sislo, Ryan Little and Justin Cseter all scored for Green Bay. Oddly enough, with seven goals scored in this game, there was not a single assist handed out! Josh Turnbull was held off the scoresheet, possibly for the first time all season. Keegan Meuer seems to still be playing every other game for Waterloo as he was not in the lineup last night (he has typically been playing the second game of the weekend).

Indiana squeaked past Tri-City by a score of 4-3. Sean Wiles had a goal and an assist for Tri-City.

WHSEL U-18 Update

Here's an update on the U-18 Wisconsin High School Elite League:

Team Records Wins Losses Ties

Region 2 10-1-1
Region 3 4-8-0
Region 4 6-3-3
Region 5 6-7-1
Region 6 4-7-1


Scoring Leaders (Team #) Goals Assists Total

Zach Kohn (5) 13-9-22
Scott Pavelski (2) 8-11-19
Casey Clark (5) 10-8-18
Kevin Radke (2) 6-11-17
Brody Zebro (2) 8-9-17
Jacob Esch (4) 6-8-14
Mike Gruber (2) 6-8-14
Ricky Wozniak (5) 5-8-13
Braden Zehner (4) 8-4-12
Casey Lutz (4) 7-3-10
Alex Gerke (6) 6-4-10
Ryan Roeming (4) 4-5-9
Darth Denter (6) 2-6-8
Mike Miland (6) 5-3-8
Pat Holtan (4) 4-4-8
Nate Verbracken (6) 4-4-8
Jake Onken (4) 4-4-8


Goaltending Leaders Games Played Goals Against

Will Bishop (4) 7 2.58
Hunter Tessmer (2) 5 2.66
Brady Sands (6) 4 3.40
Alex Koeppen (5) 8 3.70

WHSEL U-16 Update

Here's all the standings, scoring leaders and goaltending leaders for the U16 WHSEL...


WHSEL U16 Fall Standings 11-2-06
Region 4 16-1-4
Region 2 10-5-1
Region 6 9-4-3
Region 3 6-8-2
Region 5 4-10-2


WHSEL U16 Scoring Leaders

Name (Team #) Goals-Assists-Total

Shane McLaughlin (6) 15-8-23
Paul Zweifel (4) 13-9-22
Mitch Borneman (2) 9-9-18
Tyler Lundey (4) 9-8-17
Ezra McPhail (2) 7-10-17
J. Lounsbrough (6) 6-11-17
Greg Gerke (6) 10-6-16
Marc Gruber (2) 8-8-16
Kevin O'Donnell (4) 11-4-15
Matt Strang (4) 3-12-15
Cody Sokolik (3) 6-7-13
Connor Donlan (2) 4-8-12
Alex Tesensky (5) 3-9-12
Austin Lubinsky (6) 8-3-11


Goaltending Leaders (Team) Games Goals Against

Taylor Ludy (4) 10-1.99
Joshua Lehr (3) 10-2.01
Kyle Patterson (2) 9-2.11
Andrew Dzkowich (4) 11-2.27
Conrad Kirsten (6) 5-2.31
Taylor Andrews (5) 7-2.33

Wisconsin USHL Players on NHL Central Scouting's Player to Watch List

Here's the NHL Central Scouting Players to Watch (Fall 2006) List for those players in the USHL. I have put Wisconsinites and UW recruits or potential recruits in bold.

"A" Players
Jack Downing - Omaha
Nick Larson - Omaha
John Lee - Waterloo
Tristin Llewellyn - Tri-City
Vince LoVerde - Waterloo
Brad Malone - Sioux Falls
Max Pacioretty - Sioux City
Aaron Palushaj - Des Moines
Nick Petrecki - Omaha
Ben Ryan - Des Moines
Patrick White - Tri-City

"B" Players
Matt Bartkowski - Lincoln
Matt Bourdeau - Ohio
David Brownschidle - Tri-City
Carter Camper - Lincoln
Bryce Christiansen - Tri-City
Baylor Dieter - Green Bay
Nick Dineen - Sioux Falls
Michael Dorr - Des Moines
Donnie Hallmark - Ohio
Danny Hobbs - Ohio
Brian Hogan - Lincoln
Blake Kessel - Waterloo
Dan Lawson - Chicago
Ryan Lowery - Lincoln
Billy Maday - Waterloo
James Marcou - Waterloo
Travis Oleksuk - Sioux City
Travis Paeth - Des Moines
Kent Patterson - Cedar Rapids
Tyler Pederson - Sioux City
Calle Ridderwall - Tri-City
Corey Toy - Omaha
Corey Tropp - Sioux Falls
Josh Turnbull - Waterloo-UW Recruit
Jordan Willert - Tri-City
Tommy Wingels - Cedar Rapids

"Limited Viewing" Players
Robin Bergman - Cedar Rapids
David Boehm - Cedar Rapids
Mike Dalhuisen - Chicago
Alexei Dostoinov - Sioux Falls
Jason Gregoire - Lincoln-Potential UW Recruit
Anthony Hayes - Green Bay
Ryan Santana - Green Bay
Anthony Schooley - Waterloo
Craig Smith - Waterloo-UW Recruit
Tyler Thompson - Cedar Rapids
Matt Tomassoni - Cedar Rapids

Link for UW-UAA Game Online

This link may just allow you to watch the Badger games online this weekend for free....

UW's Lines for the Weekend

According to Todd Milewski, the Badgers tentative lineup for the weekend is:

John Mitchell-Andrew Joudrey-Jake Dowell
Blake Geoffrion-Ben Street-Andy Brandt
Ben Grotting-Tom Gorowsky-Matthew Ford
Andy Bohmbach-Aaron Bendickson-Mike Davies

Kyle Klubertanz-Jamie McBain
Joe Piskula-Jeff Likens
Davis Drewiske-Matt Olinger

Brian Elliott

Shane Connelly might get to play a game this weekend. Ross Carlson is not expected to play, but did make the trip with the team. Josh Engel also made the trip.