CSTV Geoffrion Video

The video that CSTV ran during their telecast of the January 12th game against Minnesota featuring Blake Geoffrion is now on You Tube and can be seen here.

Goaltender Garrett Beckwith a Potential UW Target?

According to Chris Heisenberg's University of New Hampshire recruiting site, both UNH and the Badgers have interest in goaltender Garrett Beckwith from Parsipany, NJ. The site indicates UNH is looking at Beckwith for 2008, while you'd have to assume UW is looking toward 2009 since Shane Connelly will have graduated at that point.

National Team Development Program

It doesn't happen very often, so it's worth noting that the United States National Team Development Program has updated the stats for both the U-18 and U-17 teams. For the U-18's, AJ Sturges is a Wisconsin native, while Brennan Vargas is a potential UW recruit. Ryan Schnell had also been linked as a potential recruit for the Badgers. On the U-17 team, Sam Lofquist is from Wisconsin, Nick Pryor has committed to play for the University of Wisconsin, and Vinny Saponari is a potential UW recruit. Colin Moore was also mentioned as a potential UW recruit at one time.

4 years in Madison for Turris?

Yeah I know your probably laughing at the idea that Kyle Turris may actually spend 4 years playing for the Wisconsin Badgers. But I came across this video on the Hockey Future message boards. In the video Turris talks about his decision to go the college route and talks about playing college hockey for 4 years. Now while there's basically no chance at it actually happening, it does give you some hope.

McKeensHockey.com has also done a very nice piece on Turris. It goes into detail about his decision on picking Wisconsin over Minnesota. McKeens has Turris at #2 this month in their NHL Draft Rankings.

And if you haven't gotten your full fix of Kyle Turris...check out this link and have a ball.

Boys & Girls State Tournament Links

Here's a link to the Boys State Tournament rosters and statistics for each team. This link will take you to the Girls State Tournament rosters and statistics for each team. Here is a link that will take you to a preview of both the Boys & Girls State Tournament.

Sunday in the USHL

Green Bay edged Ohio 1-0 with no scoring or +/- for any of the Wisconsin players in the game.

High School State Tournament Linkorama

Boys Hockey

Stevens Point defeats Mosinee 5-4

Tomah edges Wisconsin Rapids 3-2

Fond du Lac beats Appleton 5-0


Girls Hockey

Appleton surprises Fond du Lac 2-1

Northland Pines takes out Superior 5-2....nothing available yet in either team's paper

Badger Men Lose Two; Women Win Two

The Badger Men skidded badly this weekend at Michigan Tech, losing both games. The Badger Women pitched two shutouts against North Dakota and have run their unbeaten streak to 21 games. They now advance to the WCHA Tournament.

Saturday in the USHL

Tri-City vs. Des Moines and Lincoln vs. Waterloo were postponed due to the weather.

Sioux City defeated Cedar Rapids 3-2.

Chicago edged Omaha 5-4 in a shootout. Matt Thurber kept up his recent torrid pace with a goal and an assist. He finished the game +1, although he was not able to convert in the shootout. Justin Johnson assisted on Thurber's goal.

Indiana blanked Ohio 3-0. Brent Gwidt for Indiana and Justin Cseter for Ohio were both held in check in this game.

BCHL & OPJHL Update

Kyle Turris put Burnaby on his back this weekend, but they have only come up winners in one of two games so far, with another to be played tonight. Friday night Turris had a hat trick AND a playmaker with an extra assist left over (3 goals, 4 assists). As you might imagine, he was named First Star of the Game. Burnaby won that game 8-4 over Victoria with Turris having a hand in seven out of the eight goals. Last night Burnaby fell by a score of 3-2 to Vernon with Turris scoring both goals for Burnaby and being named Second Star of the Game. Tonight they will face Powell River.

Scott Gudmandson and the Salmon Arm Silverbacks got two wins this weekend. Salmon Arm downed Merritt on Friday 5-4 in overtime with Gudmandson stopping 34 of 38. Saturday Gudmandson was not nearly as sharp stopping only 13 of 16, but Salmon Arm got the win again 7-3 over Penticton.

Brendan Smith had an assist in St. Michael's 5-4 loss to Markham in the OPJHL Playoffs Friday night.

Cody Goloubef scored a goal in Oakville's 3-2 victory over Hamilton in the OPJHL Playoffs Friday night.

The Final Three Boys State Qualifiers All #1 Seeds

Sectional #3
#1 Stevens Point 5 vs. #3 Mosinee 4

Sectional #4
#1 Tomah 3 vs. #2 Wisconsin Rapids 2

Sectional #5
#1 Fond du Lac 5 vs. #2 Appleton East Coop 0

Superior Girls Upset by Northland Pines

Northland Pines downed Superior 5-2 today and in the process became the final team to qualify for the Girls State Hockey Tournament. Northland Pines will face Chippewa Falls in one Semi-Final while Onalaska will face Appleton in the other Semi-Final.

Here's the brackets for the Girls State Tournament.

Upset in Sectional #4 of the Girls State Playoffs

#2 Appleton upset #1 Fondy/Waupun 2-1 today to advance to the Girls State Tournament. They will face Onalaska in the State Semi-Final.

Hickey and McDonagh don't disapoint in second round

Playing St. Paul Johnson in the State Fair Coliseum for the right to play in the sectional finals is never an easy task. Unless you have Chris Hickey and Ryan McDonagh.

I was able to catch the game last night and didn't leave disappointed. McDonagh was his usual self. No mistakes, always fluid, tape to tape, cannon from the point. But last night I was more impressed with Hickey. It looks like he's really turned his game up since the last time I saw him in the Elite League. Hickey had 2 goals and 4 assists in the game. McDonagh had a goal and an assist. And while the points are nice, it was the goals he didn't score that were more impressive than what shows on the score sheet. I couldn't count the number of times he turned Johnson defenders inside out. The way he gets himself into position to shoot is amazing. The only thing I might have been slightly disappointed in was that he had a couple more opportunities to finish and didn't.

I was skeptical after his injury that he couldn't come back and step in at UW next season like some are expecting. After watching him tonight, if Skille goes pro...which he will, Chris Hickey better be in Madison.

Linkorama

An article on the Homestead-Arrowhead game.

Superior/New Richmond article.

Here's a piece on Madison West and Madison Edgewood.

Here's a blurb about KM/Mukwonago vs. Waukesha Catholic Memorial.

I'll try to link something about Eau Claire Memorial and Hayward later...nothing is up in Hayward's paper on the game and the Eau Claire paper's website is currently not working.

Friday in the USHL

Lincoln outgunned Des Moines 7-4. Wisconsinite Ross Henry had an assist in the game and finished even. Patrick Johnson finished the game -1.

Sioux Falls slid past Sioux City 3-2. Jacob Drewiske and Patrick Tiesling both had assists for Sioux Falls.

Waterloo secured a shootout win against Tri-City by the score of 4-3. Josh Turnbull and Blake Kessel both had goals in the game for Waterloo, and Turnbull scored in the shootout as well. Keegan Meuer was not in the lineup for Waterloo.

Eau Claire North's Justin Johnson has made his way to Omaha to join the Lancers and was active for Friday's game against Chicago. Omaha routed Chicago 9-3. Johnson ended the night -1 with three shots on net. Matt Thurber continued his recent hot streak and notched a goal in this game and finished +1.

The Green Bay Gamblers continued their skid losing 4-1 to Indiana. Wisconsinite Nick Graves got the start in net for the Gamblers and stopped 19 of 23 shots.

Onalaska & Chippewa Falls Girls Advance to the State Tournament

The Chippewa Falls girls are a first-year WIAA program, but did not let that fact get in the way of their advance to the State Tournament by virtue of a 3-0 shutout of second year program St. Croix Valley. They will face the winner of the Superior/Northland Pines game in the State Tournament Semifinal.

The Onalaska Hilltoppers are headed back to the State Tournament for the sixth consecutive year, which is the number of years the tournament has been held. They will square off against the winner of the Fond du Lac/Waupun vs. Appleton game in the State Tournament Semifinal.

Here's a link to the Girls State Tournament bracket.

Five Boys State Qualifiers Decided; Three to Go

Here are Friday's State Sectional Final outcomes:

• In Sectional One, #1 Superior blanks #3 New Richmond 5-0
• Sectional Two featured #1 Eau Claire Memorial shutting out #2 Hayward 6-0
• A huge upset in Sectional Six leaves #5 seed Madison West victorious over #2 Madison Edgewood by a score of 3-2
• Sectional Seven featured #1 KM/Mukwonago squeaking past #3 Catholic Memorial 4-3
• #2 Seed Homestead downed #1 seed Arrowhead by a final of 5-2 in Sectional Eight

The State Tournament brackets are almost complete with Sectionals Three through Five set to be decided tomorrow. Here's a link to the Tournament Bracket

Chuck Schwartz Joins the Hockey In Wisconsin Team

I'm glad to welcome Chuck Schwartz as a Team Member for the Hockey In Wisconsin and Wisconsin Hockey Players Division 1 Watch blogs. Chuck formerly authored the Hockey Thoughts blog and regularly shows up on various hockey message boards with the scoop on one player or another. Together we should be able to increase not only the quantity of posts, but also the quality of posts on both sites.

McDonagh and Hickey start post-season with a bang

Ryan McDonagh and Chris Hickey both of Cretin Derham Hall, and also University of Wisconsin hockey recruits started off the first round of the Minnesota High School hockey playoffs with bang Tuesday night. In Cretin's route of Sibley, McDonagh and Hickey each hit the back of the net 3 times. McDonagh, who obviously wasn't satisfied with a 3 point night, added 2 helpers to finish off with 5 points in the 13-2 route.

So far this season Hickey, a forward has 18 goals, and 11 assists while playing in only 15 games due to injury. McDonagh who runs the blue line for the Raiders has 13 goals and 25 assists in 24 games. McDonagh was also recently named one of the top 10 finalists for Minnesota's Mr. Hockey. Some feel he is the favorite for the award.

McDonagh and Hickey lead Cretin-Derham Hall into action tonight at 6PM at the State Fair Coliseum when they take on St. Paul Johnson in a sectional semi-final.

Potential Badger Women Recruits

Someone with the moniker hcky4life left this post over on Hockey in Wisconsin's "sister blog" Wisconsin Hockey Players Division 1 Watch. Decker and Kessel are both players I've posted about quite a bit and are logical fits for the Badgers, while the non-Wisconsin names are new to me:

2008-09 Recruits:
Verbal from Brooke Ammerman from New Jersey/NAHA

2009-10 Possible Recruits:
Brianna Decker from Wisconsin/SSM
Kelsey Neumann from NAHA
Paige Semenza from Florida/NAHA

20010-11 Possible Recruits:
Amanda Kessel from Wisconsin/SSM

I also wouldn't be surprised if goaltender Barb Bilko from Shattuck St. Mary's is a possibility for 2008-2009.

Blake Geoffrion

Hockey's Future has a piece up on the Nashville Predator's NCAA Prospects including Blake Geoffrion.

Salmon Arm vs. Penticton

Salmon Arm was defeated by Penticton Wednesday night by a score of 2-1. The strangest part of the game is that the two goaltenders were named First and Second Stars of the Game. If you follow the BCHL, you know that doesn't happen very often. Penticton's goaltender Cory Milan was named First Star of the Game by stopping 30 of 31 shots while UW recruit Scott Gudmandson was named Second Star of the Game by stopping 27 of 29 shots in the game.

Thurber Gets Thumped During Lancer Game

Here's a video of Beaver Dam native and future UW forward Matt Thurber getting thumped at the blue line in a recent game.

Gambler's Sislo Scores Breakaway Goal Video

Here's a RealPlayer video of a Mike Sislo breakaway goal.

Girls Sectional Semi-Final Results

Here's the results for the girls Sectional Semi-Finals:

Sectional #1
#4 Hayward 1 vs. #1 Superior 2
#3 Blizzard 1 vs. #2 Northland Pines 3

Sectional #2

#4 Hudson 4 vs. #1 Chippewa Falls 5
#3 ECA Stars 3 vs. St. Croix Valley Fusion 7


Sectional #3
#5 Freeze 2 vs. #1 Onalaska 7
#3 Central Wisconsin Storm 0 vs. #2 Point-Rapids 6

Sectional #4
#3 Milwaukee North Shore 1 vs. #2 Appleton United 2 (2 OT)
#4 Madison 0 vs. #1 Fond du Lac/Waupun 5

While there were no upsets, there were some close games including Appleton against Milwaukee, Hudson against Chippewa Falls and Superior against Hayward. You can see the brackets here.

Boys High School Playoff Scores

Here's the boys high school Sectional Semi-final scores. Upsets are in italics:

Sectional #1
#1 Superior 4 vs. #5 Amery Coop 2
#2 Hudson 1 vs. #3 New Richmond 2

Setional #2
#1 EC Memorial 6 vs. #5 Rice Lake 1
#2 Hayward 3 vs. #3 Chippewa Falls 1

Sectional #3
#1 Stevens Point 6 vs. #5 DC Everest 2
#2 Northland Pines 2 vs. #3 Mosinee 7

Sectional #4
#1 Tomah 6 vs. #5 Onalaska 0
#2 Wisconsin Rapids 8 vs. #3 Baraboo/Reedsburg 1

Sectional #5
#1 Fond du Lac 5 vs. #4 Neenah 0
#2 Appleton East Coop 6 vs. #3 Waupun 5

Sectional #6
#1 Sun Prairie 1 vs. #5 Madison West 3
#2 Madison Edgewood 4 vs. #3 Middleton 3 (OT)

Sectional #7
#1 KM/Mukwonago 3 vs. #5 Janesville Parker/Craig 2
#2 Stoughton 3 vs. #3 Catholic Memorial 4 (OT)

Sectional #8
#1 Arrowhead 3 vs. #4 Marquette 2
#2 Homestead 5 vs. #3 University School 4 (OT)

You can find the updated brackets here.

SSM Future Badgers Keep Rolling

The trio of Shattuck St. Mary's Prep Team forwards that have committed to play for the University of Wisconsin beginning in 2008 or 2o09 just keeps on rolling. Derek Stepan leads the team in goals and points with 32 goals, 31 assists for 63 points. Second in goals and third in points is Somerset, WI native Brock Montpetit with 30 goals and 24 assists for 54 points. Fourth in scoring and tied for second in assists is Jordan Murray with 18 goals and 31 assists for 49 points. All three players have played in all 46 games which have been against Midget AAA teams, Junior A teams, high school teams, college teams and international teams. The overall team record is 32-10-5.

Travis Erstad Commits to Wisconsin

According to Trasher at www.wisconsinprephockey.net, Travis Erstad of Stevens Point has committed to UW for as early as 2008-2009. He was recently ranked #71 in the North American Mid-Term Rankings by the NHL Scouting Service. There has been some conversation regarding his height/weight on various message boards. The NHL Scouting Service lists him as 6' 3.5" and 182 pounds.

Fondy/Waupun Advances to Sectional Final

Girls High School Hockey defending State Champion Fondy/Waupun defeated the Madison Metro Lynx 5-0 tonight to advance to the Sectional final vs. the winner of the Milwaukee North Shore & Appleton game.

USHL Sunday Scores

Omaha downed Green Bay 4-2. Matt Thurber had two assists in the game for Omaha.

Waterloo defeated Ohio 5-3. Josh Turnbull had an assist for Waterloo. Justin Cseter still was not in the lineup for Ohio.

Justin Johnson Joining Omaha in the USHL

Now that Eau Claire North has been bounced from the playoffs, Justin Johnson has left Eau Claire for Omaha where he will play the final 25 games or so of the USHL season with the Lancers.

Badger Updates

The Badger Women extended their unbeaten streak to 19 games with another shutout of Bemidji State, this time by a score of 6-0.

The Badger Men managed a 2-2 tie with St. Cloud State. Andrew Joudrey came up big again last night scoring the tying goal with four minutes left in the game.

Saturday in the BCHL

Kyle Turris and the Burnaby Express downed Cowichan Valley 4-3 in double overtime. Turris finished with an assist in the game.

Scott Gudmandson and the Salmon Arm Silverbacks were off Saturday night.

Saturday Night in the USHL

Sioux City blanked Tri-City 3-0. Sean Wiles and Luke Lucyk both finished -1.

Lincoln took out Green Bay 6-4. Mike Sislo was involved in every goal Green Bay scored with a goal and three assists. Derrick LaPoint had two goals for Green Bay. Ross Henry finished +1 for Lincoln, and Patrick Johnson finished even on the night.

Sioux Falls shut out Indiana 2-0. Sam Zabkowicz and David Solway both had assists for Sioux Falls.

Cedar Rapids edged Omaha 4-3 in a shootout. Matt Thurber had an assist for Omaha.

Des Moines handled Chicago 6-4.

Girls High School Hockey Update

There were a few girls high school playoff games last night, none of which were upsets. You can find the updated brackets here.

Friday in the BCHL

UW super recruit Kyle Turris had two goals and two assists as Burnaby steamrolled the Westside Warriors 6-0. He was quite appropriately named First Star of the Game.

UW recruit Scott Gudmandson, currently a goaltender for Salmon Arm, was extremely busy last night. His team was outshout 53 to 27 by Vernon, but Salmon Arm claimed the victory 6-5. Gudmandson stopped 48 of 53 shots and was named Third Star of the Game.

Badger Women Notch Another Win

Jesse Vetter and the UW Women shut out Bemidji State 2-0 Friday. Sara Bauer and Meaghan Mikkelson had the goals in the game.

Joudrey Powers Badgers Past St. Cloud State

Senior Captain Andrew Joudrey put up his first multi-goal game of the season in leading the Badger Men to a 3-1 victory over St. Cloud State at the Kohl Center last night.

Friday Night in the USHL

Sioux Falls is one of two USHL teams that scored 11 goals last night! They defeated Indiana 11-3. Jacob Drewiske had a goal and two assists, David Solway had a goal and an assist, and both Patrick Tiesling and Sam Zabkowicz had an assist.

Sioux Falls handled Waterloo 6-3. Josh Turnbull, Blake Kessel and Keegan Meuer all finished -1, Brett Olson finished -2, while Craig Smith managed to end up even on the night. Blake Kessel had an assist in the game.

Des Moines doubled up Cedar Rapids 4-2.

Chicago blanked Ohio 11-0. Ohio only dressed 15 skaters. Justin Cseter still has not appeared in the lineup for them since being traded from Green Bay.

Nic Weight Named NAHL North Division Player of the Week

Marquette Ranger forward and Eagle River native Nic Weight was named the NAHL's North Division Player of the Week. He scored six goals and an assist over three games.

Complete Thursday-Friday Boys Scores

Friday scores are in bold:

Sectional #1
#1 Superior 11 vs. #8 Webster Coop 1
#2 Hudson 5 vs. #7 Menomonie 2
#3 New Richmond 8 vs. #6 Somerset/Osceola 2
#4 River Falls 5 vs. #5 Amery Coop 6 (OT)

Setional #2
#1 EC Memorial 10 vs. #9 Medford 0
#2 Hayward 8 vs. #7 Altoona 0
#3 Chippewa Falls 2 vs. #6 Lakeland 1
#4 EC North 1 vs. #5 Rice Lake 2 (OT)

Sectional #3
#1 Stevens Point 13 vs. #8 Tomahawk 0
#2 Northland Pines 4 vs. #7 Wausau East 3
#3 Mosinee 5 vs. #6 Antigo 0
#4 Wausau West 0 vs. #5 DC Everest 3

Sectional #4
#1 Tomah 8 vs. #8 Aquinas Coop 0
#2 Wisconsin Rapids 9 vs. #10 Wisconsin Dells/Mauston 1
#3 Baraboo/Reedsburg 5 vs. #6 Black River Falls/Melrose-Mindoro 4
#4 Sparta 1 vs. #5 Onalaska 2

Sectional #5
#1 Fond du Lac 5 vs. GB SW Coop 0
#2 Appleton East Coop 9 vs. #7 St. Mary's Springs Coop 0
#3 Waupun 8 vs. #6 West DePere/DePere 5
#4 Neenah 3 vs. #5 Sheboygan South Coop 2

Sectional #6
#1 Sun Prairie 6 vs. #8 Madison LaFollette 3
#2 Madison Edgewood 4 vs. #7 Madison Memorial 1
#3 Middleton 6 vs. #11 Sauk Prairie 0
#4 Monona Grove 2 vs. #5 Madison West 5

Sectional #7
#1 KM/Mukwonago 8 vs. #8 Oconomowoc Coop 0
#2 Stoughton 6 vs. #7 Beloit Memorial 3
#3 Catholic Memorial 4 vs. #6 McFarland 1
#4 Oregon 1 vs. Janesville Parker/Craig 2

Sectional #8
#1 Arrowhead 8 vs. #8 Pius 1
#2 Homestead 8 vs. #7 Germantown Coop 2
#3 University School 6 vs. #6 Cedarburg 4
#4 Marquette University 6 vs. #5 Brookfield Central 5 (2 OT)

You can find the updated brackets here.

Mike Dorr Lists UW

Mike Dorr of Roseville, Minnesota is listing UW as well as Minnesota, Minnesota State and Notre Dame as potential college choices.

Thursday & Friday Night Boys Playoff Games

The games in Italics will be played Friday night:

Sectional #1
#1 Superior 11 vs. #8 Webster Coop 1
#2 Hudson 5 vs. #7 Menomonie 2
#3 New Richmond 8 vs. #6 Somerset/Osceola 2
#4 River Falls 5 vs. #5 Amery Coop 6 (OT)

Setional #2
#1 EC Memorial 10 vs. #9 Medford 0
#2 Hayward vs. #7 Altoona
#3 Chippewa Falls 2 vs. #6 Lakeland 1
#4 EC North 1 vs. #5 Rice Lake 2 (OT)

Sectional #3
#1 Stevens Point 13 vs. #8 Tomahawk 0
#2 Northland Pines 4 vs. #7 Wausau East 3
#3 Mosinee 5 vs. #6 Antigo 0
#4 Wausau West 0 vs. #5 DC Everest 3

Sectional #4
#1 Tomah 8 vs. #8 Aquinas Coop 0
#2 Wisconsin Rapids 9 vs. #10 Wisconsin Dells/Mauston 1
#3 Baraboo/Reedsburg 5 vs. #6 Black River Falls/Melrose-Mindoro 4
#4 Sparta 1 vs. #5 Onalaska 2

Sectional #5
#1 Fond du Lac 5 vs. GB SW Coop 0
#2 Appleton East Coop 9 vs. #7 St. Mary's Springs Coop 0
#3 Waupun 8 vs. #6 West DePere/DePere 5
#4 Neenah 3 vs. #5 Sheboygan South Coop 2

Sectional #6
#1 Sun Prairie 6 vs. #8 Madison LaFollette 3
#2 Madison Edgewood 4 vs. #7 Madison Memorial 1
#3 Middleton 6 vs. #11 Sauk Prairie 0
#4 Monona Grove 2 vs. #5 Madison West 5

Sectional #7
#1 KM/Mukwonago 8 vs. #8 Oconomowoc Coop 0
#2 Stoughton 6 vs. #7 Beloit Memorial 3
#3 Catholic Memorial vs. #6 McFarland
#4 Oregon vs. Janesville Parker/Craig

Sectional #8
#1 Arrowhead vs. #8 Pius
#2 Homestead vs. #7 Germantown Coop
#3 University School vs. #6 Cedarburg
#4 Marquette University 6 vs. #5 Brookfield Central 5 (2 OT)

Badgers Lines for Friday

Here's the tentative Badger lines for Friday's game per Todd Milewski:

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

Klubertanz/Josh Engel-Jeff Likens
Davis Drewiske-Jamie McBain
Joe Piskula-Matt Olinger

Klubertanz may or may not play. He will see the Trainer tomorrow for an examination.

Blackhawks Head Scout Comments on Skille

Hockey's Future has a nice piece on the Chicago Blackhawks having a brighter future than they have had in some time. Blackhawks Head Scout Michel Dumas makes some comments on UW's Jack Skille in the article.

McBain Named WCHA Rookie of the Week

Jamie McBain has been named Rookie of the Week by the WCHA.

Gamblers/Cseter Article

The Green Bay Press Gazette had this article on the recent Gamblers woes as well as some quotes from the recently traded Justin Cseter.

Funny Scouting Report on Joe Pavelski

It's interesting to read hockey scouts' thoughts on Joe Pavelski as he was getting ready to enter UW as a Freshman. Here's what Hockey's Future had to say.

It's kind of funny to remember back when his skating was very much in question. Oh what a difference a couple of years make.

Reading reports like that just show you how tough it is to project players to "the next level", regardless of what level it is.

ISS has Turris #7 in Upcoming NHL Draft

International Scouting Services currently has incoming UW forward recruit Kyle Turris ranked #7 for this year's NHL draft in their February rankings. One-time UW recruiting prospect Patrick Kane is randked #4, while one-time UW recruit turned OHL player Sam Gagner is ranked #8.

Hickey/McDonagh Update at Cretin-Derham Hall

Teammates and future UW players Chris Hickey and Ryan McDonagh are both having nice seasons for Cretin-Derham Hall in Minnesota.

Chris Hickey came back from a knee injury on January 4th that had kept him out all season. To date he has played in a dozen games posting 12 goals and 10 assists for 22 total points. Cretin-Derham Hall is 8-2-2 in that span. Hickey plays forward for CDH.

Ryan McDonagh has played in all 21 games for Cretin-Derham Hall and has posted 8 goals and 20 assists for 28 points. McDonagh is a defenseman for CDH.

BCHL Saturday Report

The Burnaby Express kept rolling Saturday beating the Pentiction Vees 5-2. UW recruit Kyle Turris had a goal and an assist.

Salmon Arm barely got past the Westside Warriors winning 5-4 in double overtime. UW recruit Scott Gudmandson picked up the win despite only stopping 23 of 27 shots.

USHL Saturday Scores

Omaha squeaked past Tri-City 5-4 in overtime. Wisconsinite and UW recruit Matt Thurber had an assist in the game as well as the tying goal.

Sioux City unloaded on Lincoln 10-1, scoring 8 goals in the first period. Patrick Johnson managed to finish only -1.

Sioux Falls beat Des Moines 4-2. David Solway and Sam Zabkowicz had assists in the game, while Pat Tiesling scored the game winner for Sioux Falls.

Waterloo doubled up Chicago 6-3. Blake Kessel had two assists, while Josh Turnbull and Keegan Meuer both chipped in one assist in the winning effort.

Cedar Rapids edged Indiana 4-3 in a shootout. Brent Gwidt finished even in the game.

Metro Lynx Defeat Hilltoppers

The Madison Metro Lynx took out the Onalaska Hilltoppers last night by a score of 3-2. Onalaska is the #1 seed in Section #3 while Madison is the fourth seed in Section #4. Those two sections will face off against one another in the Semi-Finals at the State Tournament.

Badger Men and Women Notch Wins

The Badger Men jumped all over Alaska Anchorage and recorded a 4-0 win. It was nice to see Mike Davies get on track. If he could find some consistency with his scoring, he could really be a threat.

The Badger Women gave away an early 2-0 lead to Ohio State, but came roaring back to notch a 5-2 victory.

Friday Night in the BCHL

UW recruit Scott Gudmandson and the Salmon Arm Silverbacks downed the Langley Chiefs 6-1. Gudmandson stopped 19 of 20 shots in the game. He is now third in the league in GAA at 2.77, and number one in the league in save percentage at 92%. Mike Hastings, the Head Coach for Omaha in the USHL where Gudmandson was playing prior to Salmon Arm, has got to be embarrassed by his inability to get this kid on his game. His quick "hook" really screwed up his goaltenders' psyche and it's good to see Gudmandson snap back. Hopefully Hastings doesn't do the same to forwards since UW recruit and Wisconsin native Matt Thurber plays for him, and Eau Claire North's Justin Johnson is on their roster and may join the team after the high school season.

UW recruit Kyle Turris notched an assist as the surging Burnaby Express edged the Powell River Kings in overtime. Turris is currently third in scoring in the BCHL with 52 goals and 41 assists for 93 points in just 43 games. He is tied for first in the league in points per game at 2.2 (when removing a player who played one game and had three points).

Hockey's Future on Zach Bearson

Hockey's Future has an article from a few weeks ago discussing the Florida Panthers' NCAA Prospects including UW's Zach Bearson.

USHL Friday Results

Lincoln doubled up Tri-City 6-3. Patrick Johnson had an assist for Lincoln.

Waterloo blasted Sioux City 6-0. Josh Turnbull had two goals, while Brett Olson had a goal and an assist. Blake Kessel chipped in an assist as well. I'm wondering how Brett Olson could possibly have wound up +1 in a game where he was on the ice for two goals and the opponent did not score, which is what the score sheet for this game indicates...

Green Bay outshot Ohio 32 to 20, but lost 3-2 in a shootout. I noticed Justin Cseter still has not played in a game for Ohio since he was traded 4 days ago, but maybe he was just waiting for a bus ride back to Ohio.

Indiana took out Cedar Rapids 6-3. Brent Gwidt scored an empty net goal for Indiana.

Upsets in Boys Hockey Friday Night

There were a couple of upsets in boys hockey tonight. Marquette beat #7 Appleton 1-0, and Stoughton beat #10 Homestead 4-1.

Badger Women Ready for Another National Title Run

The Badger Women's hockey team has already clinched the WCHA crown this season, and will face off against Ohio State today and on Sunday. The games will be streamed online at uwbadgers.com

Here's a nice update on the women's team.

Badger Men Get Ready for the Weekend

The Badger Men will be without Kyle Klubertanz on Friday and possibly Saturday this weekend against Alaska Anchorage. Here's the projected lines per Todd Milewski:


Ben Street-Andrew Joudrey-Jack Skille
Ross Carlson-Jake Dowell-Mike Davies
Matthew Ford-Aaron Bendickson-Blake Geoffrion
Andy Bohmbach-Andy Brandt-Ben Grotting

Josh Engel-Jeff Likens
Davis Drewiske-Jamie McBain
Joe Piskula-Matt Olinger

Brian Elliott will play Friday, Shane Connelly may play Saturday. At this point in the season I'd like to see Connelly play Saturday as he's played very well and will need all the experience he can get when next season rolls around.

Hockey's Future Talks about Three Badgers

Hockey's Future has a new article up regarding the Chicago Blackhawks NCAA prospects including Jake Dowell, Matt Ford and Jack Skille. They also have an article up on the Senators NCAA prospects including Brian Elliott.

Thursday Boys Hockey Action

#1 Eau Claire Memorial handled Honorable Mention Hudson 6-2
#4 Fond du Lac downed #6 Wisconsin Rapids 2-1
Honorable Mention Northland Pines Tied Lakeland 2-2 in OT
Honorable Mention Madison Edgewood blasted Monona Grove 9-3

Brendan Smith Video

See 2007 UW defensive recruit Brendan Smith score a hat trick for the St. Michael's Buzzers here. Just click on the number one in the lower left corner of the video screen when the page opens. Thanks to Aktick for pointing it out.

High School Boys Finalists for Player of the Year

Here are the eight finalists for boys high school hockey player of the year:

Ian Andrews, Sheboygan
Isaiah Bennis, EC Memorial
Karl Burns, USM
Travis Erstad, SPASH
Justin Johnson, EC North
Zach Kohn, Arrowhead
Dustin LeClaire, KM/M
Josh Nelson, Wis Rapids

Waupun over USchool

I was shocked to see that the Waupun boys downed University School by a score of 5-2 yesterday. The Warriors typically play the Wildcats tough, but I certainly would not have expected a win for Waupun in that game. Maybe that will provide a nice shot in the arm for Waupun heading into the playoffs. They are a #3 seed behind Fond du Lac and Appleton in Section 5. University School on the other hand has only a few weeks left to get back on the right track. They are the #3 seed behind Arrowhead and Homestead in Section 8.

A Flurry of Moves in the USHL Involve Several Wisconsinites

There has been a huge flurry of moves in the USHL as teams get their rosters set up for the playoffs. Monday Justin Johnson was added to the Omaha roster, reportedly for when he completes his high school season (as I mentioned yesterday). Tuesday Travis Erstad was added to the Lincoln roster, and Justin Cseter was traded by Green Bay to Ohio.

Back on January 5th Badger recruit Ryan McDonagh was added to Chicago's roster, so he may make a cameo in the USHL at the end of the season as well.

Catching Up

You can find the girls State Tourney pairings on this page. Just move your cursor over the "Tournament Information" button and then click on "Tournament Bracket" on the drop down menu. Fondy/Waupun, Onalaska and Superior were obvious #1's.

The boys State Tourney pairings can be found here. Just move your cursor over the "Tournament Information" button and then click on "Tournament Bracket" on the drop down menu. Sun Prairie getting the #1 seed in their section over Edgewood caught my attention, as did Fond du Lac getting the nod over Appleton. I think Fondy and Appleton split two games with Appleton having the edge in winning margin for those two games.

Kyle Turris has moved all the way up to #3 in scoring in the BCHL in the past 1-2 weeks. Scott Gudmandson has continued his stellar play in the nets for Salmon Arm and must have cracked the top 10 in most if not all of the goaltender categories by now as he was close two weeks ago.

I'm disappointed UW lost out on Jason Gregoire and Mike Connolly. Since Skille's departure is a foregone conclusion why couldn't they offer up his scholarship money? I'm not sure I buy the argument everyone keeps tossing out that UW didn't have much scholarship money to offer, although the fact that there could be 9 defenseman on the roster next season doesn't help. I continue to believe that the Badgers' defense-first system is killing them when it comes to recruiting forwards, especially in years where there are not a top-end Wisconsin guys to fill the pipeline.

Final Girls Hockey Top 5 for the regular season:
1. Superior (was #1) (12-6-0)
2. Fondy/Waupun (was #2) (13-4-0)
3. Onalaska (was #3) (14-4-0)
4. Chippewa Falls (was HM) (11-2-1)
5. Point/Rapids (was #4) (13-5-2)

Honorable Mention:
Appleton (was #5) (10-5-2)
St. Croix Valley Fusion (was HM) (13-5-0)

I caught the Fox Sports Net replay of the Wisconsin Rapids/SPASH game at KB Willett Arena last night. The part of the game I got to see the most of was the second period where SPASH was rolling. Erstad made some great passes in that period to give SPASH needed breathing room.

Chuck Schwartz has indicated that Justin Johnson from Eau Claire North will play for Omaha of the USHL after his high school season is completed.

Rumors of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

Sorry to have "checked out" for the past week and a half. I managed to keep the site rolling for an entire two week work road trip, but upon my return home the wheels fell off....I just had too many work/family responsibilities to keep up with.

I'll see what I can do to get the site back on track....