28 in a Row

The Badger Women defeated Union 11-0 yesterday, extending their unbeaten streak to 28 consecutive games. Two more victories are needed to tie the all-time NCAA record. The Badger Women will face Robert Morris at home next weekend, and will be unveiling their 2006-2007 Championship Banner.

Saturday at the USHL Fall Classic

Tri-City defeated Indiana 5-3. Kyle Ensign finished even for Tri-City while Chris Hickey was +1. Brent Gwidt had four shots but did not dent the score sheet for Indiana.

Omaha blanked Ohio 4-0 in a game featuring 117 minutes of penalties. Matt Thurber scored the first goal on the power play, as well as the second goal even strength. Jake Hauswirth did not play for Omaha. Justin Cseter finished even for Ohio.

Green Bay shut out Des Moines 3-0. Ryan Little was even for the Gamblers.

Lincoln claimed victory in a scorefest with Chicago 7-5. Ross Henry finshed +1 for the Stars while Travis Erstad was -1. Aaron Schmit was +1 for the Steel.

Cedar Rapids squeaked past Sioux Falls 4-3. Jacob Drewiske and Eric Springer were even, while Sam Zabkowicz finished -1 for Sioux Falls. Zabkowicz had two assists in the contest.

Waterloo smoked Sioux City 9-3. Scott Pavelski racked up 2 goals and an assist, Keegan Meuer had two assists, Brock Montpetit scored a goal while Craig Smith and Blake Kessel were held off the scoresheet for Waterloo. Brett Olson and Josh Nelson were not in the lineup for Waterloo. Kyle Lundey finished -2 for Sioux City.

The Al Armour Story

Al Armour played for Hayward High School last season and was named First Team All-State. He also represented Wisconsin at the Chicago Showcase. I did not know his background until I found this story in the Scouting News.

Armour has kept his hockey career alive quite nicely this season by joining the Selkirk Steelers of the Manitoba Jr. A Hockey League. He's off to a 5-0 start with a save percentage of 96% and a goals against average of 1.40. He has already been named the league's Player of the Week (see stories in the middle-top area of the page).

Friday at the USHL Fall Festival

Waterloo outscored Des Moines 6-5. Craig Smith scored a power play goal for Waterloo but finished -1. Keegan Meuer, Blake Kessel and Brock Montpetit finished even for Waterloo. Neither Scott Pavelski or Josh Nelson were active for the Blackhawks.

Green Bay handled Tri-City 3-1. Ryan Little had an assist for Green Bay and finished +1. Wisconsinite Kyle Ensign was +1 for Tri-City while UW recruit Chris Hickey was -1.

Omaha blasted Chicago 5-0. Jake Hauswirth finished even for Omaha while Matt Thurber was +1. For Chicago, Aaron Schmit finished even.

Cedar Rapids outlasted Lincoln 6-4. Ross Henry was -1 for the Stars while teammate Travis Erstad was -3.

Ohio edged Sioux Falls 3-2. Jake Drewiske and teammate Eric Springer were both -1 for Sioux Falls, while Sam Zabkowicz was not in the lineup. Justin Cseter finished even for Ohio, but was assessed a misconduct penalty in the third period.

Sioux City blanked Indiana 2-0. Brent Gwidt was -1 for Indiana, while Kyle Lundey was not active for Sioux City.

Badger Women Start Season With a Win

The Badger Women held Union to just 5 shots on net en route to a 5-0 shutout tonight. Five different players notched goals in the contest. The Badger Women also managed to increase their unbeaten streak to 27 consecutive games.

Wisconsin Credited With #1 Recruiting Class

Inside College Hockey has put out their overall recruiting class rankings for 2007 with Wisconsin finishing #1. Inch also ranked the top 20 forwards with Wisconsin's Kyle Turris being ranked #1. On defense, the top 15 defensemen were ranked with Ryan McDonagh rated #1, Brendan Smith ranked #10 and Cody Goloubef finishing #13. Wisconsinite and North Dakota recruit Derrick LaPoint was ranked #15. Scott Gudmandson did not crack the top 10 goaltender rankings.

USHL Fall Festival (Formerly the Buc Bowl)

The USHL's new & improved Buc Bowl began yesterday. Here's a look at how Wisconsin players and UW recruits fared:

Omaha thrashed Green Bay 6-1. Omaha had 41 shots to Green Bay's 23. Matt Thurber had two assists for the Lancers and finished +1, while teammate Jake Hauswirth also finished +1. Thurber's helpers were on a power play and shorthanded, showing again how valuable he may be to UW on special teams.

Des Moines edged Indiana 2-1. Brent Gwidt was -1 for the Ice.

Ohio got the best of Lincoln by a score of 3-2. Travis Erstad finished even and put four shots on net including an even strength goal. Ross Henry finished even for the Stars as well. On the other bench, Justin Cseter finished +1 for Ohio.

Waterloo outshot Sioux Falls, yet Sioux Falls prevailed 3-1. Wisconsinite Blake Kessel had an assist for Waterloo while fellow Wisconsinite Eric Springer had an assist for Sioux Falls. Keegan Meuer got 7 shots on net in the game but did not manage to score. For Waterloo, Kessel, Brett Olson, Brock Montpetit and Scott Pavelski were even, while Craig Smith and Keegan Meuer were -1. Josh Nelson did not play in the game for Waterloo. Eric Springer and Jake Drewiske finished +1 for Sioux Falls while teammate Sam Zabkowicz finished even.

Tri-City needed a shootout to defeat Chicago 5-4. Defenseman Aaron Schmit finished even for Chicago. Defenseman Kyle Ensign is back playing for Tri-City after sitting out most of last season with an injury. He had an assist in the game, but finished -1. UW recruit Chris Hickey was named First Star of the Game. He had an assist, finished -1, and scored as the fifth and final shooter in the shootout.

Cedar Rapids squeaked past Sioux City 3-2. Forward Kyle Lundey had two shots on net but couldn't dent the scoresheet, and finished even for Sioux City.

Badger Blitz

The Badger TV schedule is out, and as predicted, it's not pretty from a viewer standpoint.

The Badgers are ranked 5th in the WCHA Coaches Poll and Kyle Turris is the WCHA Preseason Player of the Year.

Jack Skille gets some love in this article on espn.com which gushes over Pat Kane & Jonathan Toews and Skille to a lesser degree.

First Full Badger Practice

Milewski reports that today was the first time the Badgers practiced as a full team this season. Here are the line combos seen in practice (in no particular order):

Ben Street-Kyle Turris-Podge Turnbull
Josh Engel-Aaron Bendickson-Mike Davies
John Mitchell-Blake Geoffrion-Matthew Ford
Patrick Johnson-Sean Dolan-Tom Gorowsky
Zach Bearson-Andy Bohmbach-Ben Grotting

Ryan McDonagh-Jamie McBain
Brendan Smith-Kyle Klubertanz
Davis Drewiske-Cody Goloubef
Craig Johnson-Tom Bardis

Note that Engel has been practicing as a forward, and Eaves says he'll use Engel wherever he can. Tom Bardis, a forward who transferred from SLU, is practicing with the team but will of course have to sit out a year before he can play.

An "Old Abe" Gets a Mention

Western College Hockey has reports up on the NAHL Showcase that just ended in Blaine, MN. The one Wisconsinite I noticed he mentioned was Isaiah Bennis, from Eau Claire Memorial. Going into the state tournament last season, Bennis was tied for the point lead for the Old Abes with 18 goals and 35 assists for 53 points. He was listed last season as 6'3" and 210 pounds.

Badger Women's Team Updates

The Badger Women's Hockey Team has been selected to not only finish first in the WCHA, but also begin the season ranked #1 for the third straight season.

In the Cardinal vs. White game for the Badger Women's Team, Freshmen Mallory Deluce notched a goal while fellow Freshman Kelly Nash scored two goals as the Cardinal team won 3-2.

Vinny Saponari to Boston University

According to the Terrier Hockey Fan Blog Vinny Saponari has decided to attend Boston University. The only known remaining forward target for UW in 2008 or 2009 is Derek Lee from Salmon Arm in the BCHL.

Badger Alumni Update

Todd Milewski has a nice rundown of which Badgers are still in training camps and which Badgers have recently been reassigned. (As a side note, I refuse to say "former Badgers", because once a Badger always a Badger, right?)

Saturday in the USHL-Featuring Matt Thurber

The Omaha Lancers dispatched the Lincoln Stars 6-2 in USHL Exhibition Season action last night. Beaver Dam native and UW recruit Matt Thurber notched a goal on the power play and a goal short handed, as well as two even strength assists. He finished the night an impressive +3 as well. 2007 Wisconsin High School Player of the Year Travis Erstad was held off the score sheet for Lincoln, and finished the game -1.

Des Moines defeated Waterloo 4-1. Brett Olson had a goal in the game for the Blackhawks.

UW Unveils Plans for New Athletic Facilities

The UW Athletic Department has unveiled plans for new athletic facilities, including a hockey rink that would serve as home ice for women's games and as a practice facility for the men's team. You can see the plans here. Todd Milewski has more information in his blog and today's TCT, and Andy Baggot also has an article in today's WSJ. It's worth noting that the plans are planning documents rather than final designs.

Friday in the USHL

Waterloo defeated Des Moines 3-1. Wisconsinites Craig Smith (2nd game in a row) and Keegan Meuer were not in the lineup, but Blake Kessel and Brock Montpetit were. There was also a new Wisconsin addition to the Waterloo roster, in the form of Scott Pavelski, Joe Pavelski's younger brother who racked up 54 points last season as a Senior with Stevens Point High School. Blake Kessel scored a goal with an assist going to Brett Olson in the game.

Chicago doubled up Green Bay 6-3. With Ryan Little out due to his Game Disqualification last night, the only Wisconsinite playing was Chicago defenseman Aaron Schmit, who scored a goal in the contest.

Lincoln and Tri-City were to square off as well, but no information on the game is available yet. I'll attempt to get the info and provide an update tomorrow....EDIT: According to the Storm website they defeated Lincoln in a shootout after a 3-3 tie.

Ryan Little is in Midseason Form Already

UW recruit Ryan Little played in his first USHL exhibition game of the season last night, but seems to be in midseason form already. At the 5:13 mark of the third period he apparently fought 6'5", 185 pound Barron Smith. Little himself goes 5'11" and 170 pounds according to Pointstreak, although I'm guessing at least the weight figure is inflated. Little got a game DQ for the effort. Wisconsinite defenseman Aaron Schmit did not record any statistics on the scoresheet. Chicago ended up winning the game 4-3.

Wisconsin Mustangs

The Wisconsin Mustangs of the Minnesota Junior Hockey League kicked off their season this past weekend with a pair of wins. Their roster has many current and past high school hockey players that many will recognize including Bryan Dalbec and Evan Nelson from Superior, Darth Denter from Tomah (what a great name), current Hayward Senior Casey Kirley, Dylan Otto from Menomonie and Jake Calleja from New Richmond. There are several more Wisconsin natives on the roster I was not familiar with as well including Jake Olson from Spooner, Kyle Borgens from Weyauwega and Jeremy Casselberry from Amery.

Ex-Badgers Work Towards the NHL

Todd Milewski has an update on many former Badgers and where they are currently toiling in an effort to make an NHL club.

USHL Preseason

Last night Waterloo played Cedar Rapids in a pre-season tilt, losing 4-3. Wisconsinites Craig Smith, Blake Kessel and Brett Olson appear to have been held out of the game. Wisconsinites Keegan Meuer and Brock Montpetit both played for Waterloo with Meuer picking up an assist and finishing even, while Montpetit finished -1.

Tonight in the USHL, Green Bay and Chicago will face off in an exhibition game. Wisconsinite defenseman Aaron Schmit will likely be suited up for Chicago, while Wisconsinite defenseman and UW recruit Ryan Little may see action for Green Bay. Mark Mazzoleni, Head Coach of the Green Bay Gamblers is expecting a number of returning players to step up this season.

Elite League & Boys Team Wisconsin Major Update

The Boys Team Wisconsin Major went 2-1 over the weekend to improve their overall record to 4-1-1, which is good for a first place tie in the standings.

Nate Condon leads the Elite League in scoring with 8 goals and 5 assists for 13 points. Brady Sand leads all goaltenders with a 1.000 sv. pct. and 0.00 gaa, although he has played only one game. Andrew Martin has played four games and has the fifth best gaa at 3.26 and a save percentage of .898.

UW defensive recruit Jake Gardiner is tied for second in the scoring totals for defenseman. He has 3 goals and 3 assists for 6 points.

Girls Team Wisconsin Major Update

The Girls Team Wisconsin Major defeated the D C Daimonds Friday night in Fond du Lac by a score of 10 to 0. Emily Engel had the shut out facing only 3 shots on goal, all in the first peroid.

Sundays Results TW U-19 vs Madison Capitols:

Game 1 TW U19 0 Capitols 2
Ayla Jacobsen in goal had 29 saves in the loss.

Game 2 TW U19 2 Capitols 5
Emily Engle had 29 saves in the loss
TW goles scored by:Danielle Cleveland from Lily Cranston
Abbey Olejniczak from Hanna Turnbull

The next game for TW U19 will be Friday 9/21 5:00 pm at Ice Hawks Arena in Stevens Point versus Chicago Young America.

Here is a roster for the Girls Team Wisconsin Major that includes which team they play for during the regular season:

Jersey # Name Grade Position Full Year Team
1 Ayla Jacobsen 10 G Badger Thunder Girls
3 Megan Cox 9 F/D New Richmond Girls
4 Keela Patterson 10 D Rapids Girls
5 Abbey Olejniczak12 F Northland Pines Girls
6 Sarah Suchla 12 F Menomonie Girls
7 Amy Knutson 12 F Fondy-Waupan Girls
8 Maxine Blohowiak10 D Bay Port High School Boys
9 Mikayla Hogan 11 F Chippewa Falls Girls
10 Lauren Gamble 12 F Fox City High School Boys
11 Lily Cranston 10 F St. Croix Fusion Girls
12 Joan Schumitsch 11 D Marshfield Blades
14 Hanna Turnbull 11 D Hayward Girls
15 Karlyn Sturtevant11 F St. Croix Fusion Girls
16 Danielle Cleveland12 D/F Cap City Cougars (Sun Prarie co-op)
18 Mallory Andrews 10 F Red Raiders
19 Josie Johnson 9 D Cap City Cougars
20 Abby Maier 11 F One of the Madison Girls Coops
21 Kaleigh Spickerman12 F Ashland 19u
30 Emily Engel 11 G Madison Metro Lynx

UW Game #1 Scouting Report: Notre Dame

Are you wondering what Jeff Jackson has been doing at Notre Dame to move them from losing 27 games three years ago to winning a school-record 32 games, and CCHA regular season and tournament championships last season? Here's a nice article on the "golden domers" which covers not only their personnel, which is pretty impressive, but also their preferred style of play.

Turris Makes Hockey's Future Top Prospects List

Hockey's Future has been releasing their Fall 2007 Top Prospects list in stages, culminating in the release of their Top 10 today. Super-recruit Kyle Turris is ranked #8 on that list.

Monday's News and Notes

Jack Skille is in a battle for a roster spot with the Blackhawks. He has worked very hard and is being noticed after the first few days of Training Camp.

The Alliant Energy Center will remain the site of the Girls and Boys State Hockey Tournament.

Olshansky on Eaves & The Badgers' Style of Play

Elliott Olshansky is apparently just jones'ing for the Badgers. He now has a piece out on Mike Eaves.

Wisconsin Women's Hockey Roster

The Wisconsin Women's Hockey Roster has now been posted at uwbadgers.com. All of the expected incoming Freshmen on scholarship are listed, along with walk on goaltender Krista Tatum.

Preseason USHL Report

There was one USHL preseason game this weekend, between the USNTDP and the Chicago Steel. The USNTDP won by a score of 3-2, with UW defensive recruit Nick Pryor finishing +1 for the USNTDP and potential forward UW recruit Vinny Saponari being held off the scoresheet. For the Steel, Wisconsinite defenseman Aaron Schmit finished the game even.

Olshansky on Turris

Elliott Olshansky from CSTV has followed Kyle Turris throughout the Super Series, mentioning his fantastic play frequently in his blog. Now Olshansky has a piece on Turris including quotes from UW Head Coach Mike Eaves.

It was interesting to note from the article that Eaves indicated both UW Assistant Coaches were in Canada recruiting at the time of the Super Series.

Badger Hockey Broadcasts

Todd Milewski has some information about the television broadcast schedule, including the WPT schedule. In addition to showing 17 men's regular season games, WPT will also be broadcasting 4 women's games.

Andy Baggot indicates that Robbie Andringa will be filling the void left by Tom Sagissor's departure from the television booth. (Sags was named regional director for the Midwest Region by RBC Dain Rauscher. The position is based in Minneapolis.) On the radio, Bill Howard will be the primary color commentator, with Mike Cerniglia filling is as needed.

Hudson Hockey Develops Girls Hockey Talent

The Hudson Star Observer has a piece today on four girls that all were selected over the past two years to participate at various USA Hockey National Development Camps. The girls are Samantha Turner, Rachel Weber, Brittany Carlson and Madison Kolls.

As an interesting side note, Rachel Weber indicates in the article that she is talking the most about a scholarship with Mankato and UW.

Derek Lee Getting Special Teams Time

Potential UW recruit Derek Lee has been named an Assistant Captain of the BCHL's Salmon Arm Silverbacks and is playing on the power play first unit according to the Salmon Arm Observer.

Girls Team Wisconsin U-19 Roster Set

I received some information on the Girls Team Wisconsin U-19 tonight via e-mail. Here's a link to the roster for 2007-2008. This is probably a pretty good "scoop" as it's not yet posted at the WAHA site or the site the team developed last season. I've requested a roster with the players' WIAA teams listed and am trying to find out why there will reportedly not be a Girls Team Wisconsin U-16 team this season.

The Girls Team Wisconsin U-19 will be in action this weekend and next weekend as follows:

September 15 Team Wi vs DC Diamonds 7:00 pm Fond du Lac
September 16 Team Wi vs Madison Capitols 10:10 am Cap Ice
Team Wi vs Madison Capitols 2:50 pm Cap Ice

September 21-23 Tournament at Ice Hawks Arena in Stevens Point

Josh Engel: Defenseman...(& Forward?)

Todd Milewski reports that Josh Engel has been participating in small group practices with both the defensemen and the forwards.

Joudrey & Childhood Friend Reunited with Capitals

The Washington Times has a story today on childhood friends Andrew Joudrey and Andrew Gordon who are now both in the Washington Capitals system.

Tuesday Night Link-o-Rama

Todd Milewski reports that Mike Davies, who has been out with a foot injury, returned to the ice and participated in a captain's practice today.

Andy Baggot reports that Kyle Turris should now be in Madison.

Baggot also reports that Coach Mark Johnson, former player and grad assistant Sharon Cole, former player Phoebe (Monteleone) Turner, and Director of Hockey Operations Paul Hickman all competed in the Ironman Triathlon.

Great Start for Gardiner

Jake Gardiner is off to a pretty good start in the Upper Midwest HS Elite League. After 3 games, he has 3 goals and 3 assists, and that's good enough to tie him for 3rd overall. Thanks to milzie for the heads-up

Monday Linkorama

The Wisconsin Wild Girls U19 and U16 rosters can be found at their new site.

Team Wisconsin U19 has apparently been formed and should be announced shortly. According to a reader, they played two games this weekend and here are the scores as reported:

Game 1 COPD 5 TW U19 3
Game 2 COPD 5 TW U19 1

The reader also indicated that there will not be a Team Wisconsin U16 team this season, but did not leave a reason for that decision.

Stellar Super Series for Turris

thehockeynews.com calls Turris' Super Series performance stellar. Turris notched two goals last night in the Canada Russia Super Series finale. Canada won the game 6-1 and the series 7-0-1. Turris finished the series with seven goals in 8 games, and was named player of the game last night.

Sunday Nightcap Report

As Chuck Schwartz and a reader or two had thought, Wisconsinite and UW recruit Brock Montpetit has indeed not enrolled at Shattuck St. Mary's this season and is on Waterloo's roster.

The Madison Capitols Girls U19 team has put their roster up on their website. Still no sign of an updated roster from the Wisconsin Women's team or Girls Team Wisconsin U19 or U16, but I'm keeping an eye peeled.

HF's Training Camp Previews

Hockey's Future has training camp previews up for several teams, and the previews include some discussion on who's likely to play at which level. Badgers mentioned include Joe Piskula, Jack Skille, Adam Burish, Jake Dowell, and Brian Elliott.

Kings 2007 Training Camp Preview
Blackhawks 2007 Training Camp Preview
Ottawa Senators 2007 Training Camp Preview

Jake Gardiner Video Clip

The WCHA Blog has a video clip of Jake Gardiner in action during the first day of games for the Upper Midwest High School Elite League.

Thurber & Gwidt Score in Friendship Series

Matt Thurber and the Omaha Lancers and Brent Gwidt and the Indiana Ice were in Quebec Friday and Saturday participating in the Friendship Series against the QMJHL. The Lancers went 2-0 with Wisconsinite & UW recruit Thurber being one of the players singled out for playing a good game on Friday, and Thurber scoring an unassisted shorthand goal on Saturday. Indiana went 0-2, with a shootout loss Friday and by giving up 3 goals in the last 3 minutes Saturday. Wisconsinite Brent Gwidt notched a goal in Saturday's game.

Brian Elliott Article

The Ottawa Citizen has a nice article today about Ottawa Senators' prospect and former UW goaltender Brian Elliott.

Russia Ties Canada 4-4

Team Russia finally pushed Team Canada in the seventh game of the Canada Russia Super Series. Team Canada had to come from behind to secure the tie. UW recruit Kyle Turris netted a goal in the game, which is his fifth in the series. The series comes to a close tomorrow in Vancouver.

Team Wisconsin Major Game Report

I swung the DPlaya-mobile down to the Kohl Center this morning to take in Team Wisconsin Major's first game in the Upper Midwest High School Elite League. Team Wisconsin was able to notch their first win of the season by a score of 4-3 over Team Northeast. Scouts in attendance included Scott Sandelin from UMD, St. Cloud State, Air Force and the Green Bay Gamblers.

My one chance to watch Team Wisconsin last season led me to want to rename the Upper Midwest High School Elite League the Upper Midwest High School Penalty Killing League. This year it was a little bit better in terms of fewer penalties called, but there still were enough penalties that by far more of the game was played with someone in the penalty box than without anyone in the penalty box, and there were plenty of 5 on 3's. The "three penalties and you're done for the game rule" claimed Kyle Walbrun from Team Wisconsin with over 15 minutes left in the second period. I bet his parents were thrilled to have driven two hours each way so he could play 25 minutes of hockey, which was almost entirely spent on the bench or in the penalty box.

Team Wisconsin was without Trent Frey and Andy Singerhouse, and I believe Nick Widing was hurt in the first period and did not return. Add in the loss of Walbrun and they were pretty shorthanded up front. The defensive pairs were Smith and Behrend, Drake and Burke, and Donellan and Sorenson.

Here's some player notes for Team Wisconsin:

F-Seth Soley-skates well, quick wrister, can get his shot off with the puck in any position (his wheelhouse is anywhere his stick touches the puck). He is fantastic at catching passes, and played very physical without taking a lot of penalties (he had one penalty that I remember). I think the right word to describe him is explosive. On the negative side his aggressiveness on offense during the penalty kill was overdone at times, although he did assist on a short-handed goal in the game.

F-Nate Condon-Very good shot, backchecked hard throughout, was good with puck along boards in one on one battles. He did have a bad giveaway on a power play and could have been more physical at times. Team Northeast's 3rd goal was entirely his fault as he got "walked" by Team Northeast's center on a faceoff in the Team Wisconsin end. Scored a shorthander for Team Wisconsin on their third goal, with Soley assisting.

F-Jeff Costello-I had never seen him play, and he was a very pleasant surprise. I would label him a playmaker. He is very quick on his skates. He made a phenomenal pass to Matt Millis on the back door for the first goal, and I was impressed with his passing throughout the game. He consistently played on a line with Matt Millis and Cody Strang, and they had great chemistry. He also was credited with an assist on the last goal by Ted Behrend.

F-Matt Millis-Did a nice job on the penalty kill. Missed a golden chance on the back door at one point because he stopped the puck rather than shoot a one-timer. Scored the first goal of the game on a nice pass from Costello.

F-Cody Strang-Had the 2nd assist on the first goal and scored the second goal unassisted. Needs to work on his speed.

F-Nick Widing-I think he was injured in the first period, and never really got to see him play.

F-Kyle Walbrun-After taking a penalty in the first period he left the box and committed another penalty within twenty seconds. He took his third penalty 4:32 into the second period which meant he was done for the game.

F-Charlie Strauss-He wins the best hair award. He had a "flowing mane" of hair out the back of his helmet which made him easy to spot. He worked hard and was good on the backcheck.

F-Kyle Popovics-One of those players that never distinguished themselves with much positive or negative. Did not play a whole lot of shifts.

F-Brett Bower-Did not play a lot of shifts. I tried to "key in" on him when I realized I didn't have anything written about him, but he never gave me anything to write about.

D-Cameron Johnson-He played some shifts at forward and he was obviously uncomfortable and unsure of where he should be. At one point they played him a few shifts at defense in the second period, and he did not look good there either. Eventually they just moved him back to forward. In his defense, he started the game out of position and never seemed to get comfortable.

D-Ted Behrend-Solid defenseman that got the job done. Scored the fourth goal when the puck squirted from the net out toward the blue line which he was able to bury on a one-timer.

D-Jeff Burke-Looked pretty good on the penalty kill. Could use more footspeed. Great size. Did a nice job on several 1 on 1's.

D-David Donnellan-Very good shot blocker. Made some poor decisions at times and had some potentially costly turnovers.

D-Chase Drake-Was solid through most of the game, but a bad turnover on his part allowed Team NE to score their second goal. He got caught playing with the puck at one point and got lit up badly in open ice by Matt Johnson from Stillwater.

D-Tim Smith-Another player I would label "very solid". He didn't jump out at me really in any areas, but I never saw him get beat.

D-Tyler Sorenson-Played a mistake free game.

G-Andrew Martin-Played a great game. He stopped everything he should have, and maybe one or two he wouldn't have been blamed for if they went in. The first goal he allowed was in the second period on a 3-0! All 5 Team Wisconsin skaters changed lines at the same time, leaving him no chance. The second goal was on a turnover by defenseman Chase Drake, and he was completely screened. On the third goal Nate Condon got walked off the faceoff. I think Martin made the initial save but there was a scrum and the puck eventually went in.

With all the penalties and injuries, the only real consistent line was Strang, Millis and Costello. It seemed that Condon and Soley started on separate lines, but then ended up together after the Widing injury and Walbrun's game ending early. Team Wisconsin primarily played two forward lines, and spotted in a third. I would say their quality depth was an issue in this game. Their third line seemed to take a penalty every time they were on the ice. Hopefully with a full roster they can at least have two very good forward lines and two others that can at least hold their own.

Team Wisconsin Goal Recap:

#1-Power Play goal by Millis from Costello and Strang

#2-Strang unassisted

#3-Shorthanded by Condon from Soley

#4-Power Play goal by Behrend assisted by Costello

Badgers Interested in Wiercioch

According to the Lets go DU blog, the Badgers are interested in defenseman Patrick Wiercioch of the Omaha Lancers. Wiercioch played with Kyle Turris last season in the BCHL for the Burnaby Express. He is draft eligible this season and could be a third round pick in the NHL draft. Other teams in the mix for Wiercioch's services include DU, Michigan, Michigan State and New Hampshire.

Davies Has Foot Injury

The Badgers have only two players not working out in small group sessions yet. Unfortunately the offensively-challenged Badgers are without the two players that probably have the most offensive upside. Kyle Turris has not been available as he is competing in the Canada Russia Super Series that ends Sunday, and Mike Davies has a foot injury that has him wearing a walking boot. Davies was hoping to be able to try the foot out in a skating session on Thursday.

Fitness testing

Before the men's hockey team started small group workouts this week, they also did some individual fitness testing. From the Badger Blog:

Individual fitness testing preceded the four-man groups. Eaves identified forwards Aaron Bendickson, Matthew Ford, John Mitchell, Ben Street and Tom Gorowsky and defenseman Kyle Klubertanz as veterans who made significant gains from previous testing sessions.

Eaves added the freshman class as a whole fared extremely well in the testing.

Wednesday Linkorama

The UW Men's Hockey Team has begun their small group workouts.

Tom Gilbert is listed as the #12 prospect in the Edmonton Oilers system which is full of great defensive prospects.

Kyle Klubertanz is the #16 prospect in the Anaheim Ducks system. Hockey's Future feels he may need to have a good comeback season in order to be offered a contract.

A number of recruits have recently been added to UW-Eau Claire's incoming player list. I've been keeping an eye on this to see if the departure of Head Coach Luke Strand really messes up their recruiting, or if they're able to overcome his departure and add some decent talent. In several cases I'm not sure what to make of their recruits, as two different players' most recent stats are from 2004-2005....and I'm not sure where they've been for the past 2+ years!

Canada claimed game 6 of the Canada Russia "not so" Super Series tonight by a score of 4-1. UW recruit Kyle Turris was held off the score sheet. The final two games will be played on Friday and Sunday, at which time Turris will be racing back to Wisconsin for classes and practice.

Alumni Update: #11 Jake Dowell

I can’t figure out how to put captions under pictures, but this photo is courtesy of Neil Ament.

Anyway, I ran into Jake Dowell a couple times this summer at HDSA fundraisers, and he was kind enough to agree to answer some questions for Hockey in Wisconsin regarding his budding professional hockey career. (By the way, The Fore a Cure Golf Outing in Eau Claire raised over $31,000 for the John Dowell Foundation and HDSA, and the HDSA Cocktail Gala in Johnson Creek raised approximately $33,000. To learn more about Huntington’s Disease or to make a donation, click HERE.)

HIW: After the Badger season ended last year, you headed out to Norfolk, where you had a quite respectable professional debut. You averaged over 0.5 points per game, scoring 2 goals and 3 assists in 9 regular season games and 3 assists in 6 Calder Cup Playoff games. Tell us a little more about your experiences with Norfolk. How hard was it to make the transition from college hockey to the professional level? Can you describe your first professional goal?

JD: Having the opportunity to go play in Norfolk was obviously a great way for me to start out my professional career and play in some games and get to know the guys in the system before my first full season professionally. I found the transition to be quite easy so far as I was put in and played right away when I got there and really just kept my game simple. The pace wasn't any different but I found the players to be very smart and poised with the puck as well as just being much stronger than the average college player. My first goal was not a surprise in how I scored it. It came in my third professional game against Philly.I was on a 3 on 2 rush and I passed the puck to my teammate and went to the net. When he shot it at the net I just grabbed the rebound and smashed it in.

HIW: In July you participated in the Blackhawks Prospects Camp, skating with the “pros” as opposed to the “prospects”. Can you tell us a little bit about your experiences at the camp? How different was it to skate with the “pros” as opposed to past camps when you skated with the “prospects”?

JD: The prospect camp is a camp that the Blackhawks hold every summer after the draft around the 4th of July in order to see the progress of their old picks as well as an up close look at their picks from that summer. I had been in the prospects pool for the last 3 summers and since I played in Norfolk at the end of the year, I was put in with the 12 or so guys that were in the pro side. We really just worked out with Dan Jansen off the ice to work on conditioning and our leg strength as well as work on our skating on the ice. It was a great experience because I got to spend more time with the guys that are going to be my teammates as well as work on my skating which has always been the main thing holding me back.

HIW: In August you were in Rockford participating in a conditioning camp run by Dan Jansen. I read an article in the Rockford paper that indicated that this was the last of three progressively tougher conditioning camps, about which Jansen said, “my goal is for us to get to training camp this year and not have to work so hard because we’ve had such a good summer.” Can you tell us a bit more about the camps and how they’re helping to prepare you for the upcoming season?

JD: The camp in Rockford was really just like the previous two camps that we had been doing in Chicago earlier in the summer with Dan Jansen. They were to get us in shape as well as work on our skating, and Dan said that we have all improved drastically already. I really enjoy the camps as it gets me in shape easier with all the guys there as well as gives me a chance to gauge myself against the other guys and see where I am at at that point of the summer.

HIW: What else have you been doing this summer to get ready for the upcoming season? Has the coaching staff given you anything in particular to work on?

JD: This summer I have really just been working on my skating to keep getting faster and quicker and my conditioning to get ready for this season. I just feel that I can always work on my skills and I have been really working on them when I am out on the ice, but I know that if I am not in great shape and I am getting tired easily, then my skills are not going to be as sharp and so I am making sure that I have good base by being well conditioned.

HIW: Training camp starts September 13. What do you expect from the camp?

JD: As far as camp goes, I am not sure what to expect right now. I just know that it is going to be a very demanding camp physically and mentally and so I am just preparing myself and telling myself that I need to make sure that I play very hard and consistent and do something so that they feel that they have to keep me around on the team.

HIW: With Norfolk last season you wore #28, and I see you’ll be wearing #49 with Chicago. Any significance to these numbers?

JD: I just wore number 28 in Norfolk because that is what they gave me. I don't know if I will wear that number this season. I hope to be in Chicago as much as possible and play and get as much experience at that level as I can so that I can become an NHL regular in the near future. I didn't have anything to do with the #49 that they assigned me so far. I don't really care for that number, but I really don't get that worked up about numbers and if I was to get to stay in the NHL for good, then I would switch numbers at that time.

HIW: Congratulations for recently winning the Community Humanitarian Award from the HDSA. I know that the “Fore a Cure” events in Eau Claire over the past 3 years have raised quite a bit of money, and you’ve also raised awareness of HD through newspaper and television interviews, including an interview that aired on national television. What does it mean to you to win this award from the HDSA?

JD: As far as the HDSA award, it was an honor to receive and what it means to me is that I have a lot of good people around me that have helped me to raise awareness to the disease and I am just in a good position with the amount of media that is around that I can use that to my advantage and have stories done locally and nationally to get more people in tune with how horrible HD is and get more and more people donating so that we can find a cure for HD as well as other diseases like Parkinsons Disease. I will keep doing whatever I can to raise awareness and I just hope for the people in my generation who still don't know if they have the HD gene as well as myself, that we can soon not have to worry about it anymore as there will be a cure or at least a treatment. I know that there are a lot of other people that do so much more than me out there and they deserve this award just as much as me and I look at this as a team effort in which many people in the world need to keep coming together in order to save the lives of thousands of others.

Thanks again to Jake for sharing with us. Good luck this season, Jake!

Turris Notches Another Goal

Kyle Turris notched a goal in the fifth game of the Canada Russia Super Series as the Canadians blasted the Russians 8-1. It was the first game played on Canadian soil. Canada now leads the 8-game series 5 games to none. Turris has four goals in the series.

Thurber Notches a Preseason Goal

UW forward recruit Matt Thurber scored a goal today in USHL preseason action as the Omaha Lancers defeated the Indiana Ice 5-2 in Toronto. The teams are in Canada as they will play a "friendship mini-tournament" against two teams from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this weekend.

Hockey's Future: Phoenix and Detroit

Hockey's Future has Top Prospects lists up for Phoenix and Detroit now. Kyle Turris, of course, is listed as the #1 prospect for the Coyotes. (Interestingly, Alex Leavitt is listed as the #20 prospect.) Brendan Smith is listed as the #5 prosect for the Red Wings. He's the second defenseman on their list, behind Jakub Kindl.

Derek Lee Visited UW This Past Weekend

Potential center recruit Derek Lee from the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the BCHL visited UW this weekend. He played youth hockey with Kyle Turris and was a teammate of Scott Gudmandson's last season. Lee hopes to make his college choice for the November early signing period, and has visits planned for Boston University and Michigan. Depending on his development, Lee could elect to join a team for the 2008-2009 season or the 2009-2010 season.

Wisconsin Men's Hockey Record Book

I stumbled onto an online version of the Wisconsin Men's Hockey Record Book tonight. There are a million different ways to see how your favorite Badger and/or favorite Badger team stacked up against the others. It's kind of a timely find as well since 60 min. has been writing about Bert DeHate, and he's listed all over the place in the record book.

More Bert DeHate

This is a picture of the 1961-62 Dollar Bay Midgets, and Bert DeHate is the third player from the left in the front row. The photo was provided by Merv Klemett to Copper Country Hockey History, and Connie Julien of CCHH was kind enough to share with me the photo and the following information:

Bert played on our local tryout "travel" teams for about 2 years, even though he lived about 2 hours away. His father would drive him over here from Stambough with his brother, Phil, and a couple of other boys when they were young teens. I think this was quite unusual for that time period. In all the years my own sons were in hockey here, I only remember just a couple of player's parents bringing their kids here to play on our teams when they lived over an hour away. (we have over 200 inches of snow a year here so traveling on these roads after dark (5pm) for children's winter sports is a real commitment.)

As you know, Bert was inducted into the Wisconsin Badgers Hall of Fame on Friday. My friend nubeetle was fortunate enough to attend and had a chance to talk to Bert, who was quite personable and very happy to chat. When told that I was looking for stories about him, Bert said that there are plenty of stories that could be told. Wish I had been there to get some of those stories! (If anyone has any stories about Bert DeHate, please post them in the comment section or email me at sixtymin@iwon.com.)

While conversing about Badger Hockey, Bert told nubeetle that he followed Badger Hockey quite a bit after graduating and that he attended both the '73 and '77 championship games. For the '73 championship game in Boston, he took a friend's son who had never before been to a hockey game. They didn't have tickets, so they were walking around outside. They passed a broadcast truck, and Badger Bob just-so-happened to be in the truck reviewing tapes. Bob asked Bert what he was doing, and Bert replied that they were going to the game. So Bob asked if they had tickets, and Bert said, “Not yet.” Bob pulled 2 tickets out of his jacket pocket and handed them to Bert. I found the story amusing, because I just can't imagine Robbie Earl showing up to a Frozen Four without tickets and running into Mike Eaves reviewing tapes outside in a broadcast truck, with Eaves carrying around extra tickets in his jacket pocket. (My analogy isn't perfect, but you get the drift.)

Congratulations again to Bert DeHate for his well-deserved induction into the Badgers Hall of Fame.

Sunday Linkorama

Hockey's Future has ranked the top 20 prospects for the Chicago Blackhawks, and they have Jack Skille at #5, down from #3 last season. Adam Burish, Jake Dowell and Matt Ford have not yet cracked the top 20 for Chicago.

The Upper Midwest High School Elite League games kick off next weekend. You can see the entire schedule here. The league's only appearance at the Kohl Center is next weekend, and I'm planning to attend at least one of the games and will file a report on Team Wisconsin when I get back. Here's a link to the rosters. Jake Gardiner is the only future Badger participating in the Elite League, except for the trio of Shattuck recruits that will play some games in the league.

Speaking of the Brock Montpetit, Jordy Murray and Derek Stepan, they all seem locks to be back at Shattuck St. Mary's this year on the Prep Team, although Shattuck has not released their rosters yet. They have released their schedule for the Prep Team though, which you can find here.

Elliott Olshansky from CSTV has been following the Canada Russia Super Series closely and spends some time gushing over Kyle Turris in this article.

Team Canada Sweeps in Russia

Team Canada won game 4 by a 4-2 margin on Saturday to sweep the entire 4-game Russian leg of the Super Series. Kyle Turris was held off of the scoresheet for the first time in this series. Game 5 is Tuesday in Winnipeg.

Here's a link to the game footage (under game archive) and here's a link to video footage of just the goals from the game.

Turris Impresses with Two-Way Play

We know that Turris has been providing some exciting offense for Canada in the Super Series, but his defensive skills and all-around two-way play have also been impressive.

McDonagh is # 2 Prospect for Montreal

Hockey's Future lists Ryan McDonagh as the Habs'#2 overall prospect and top defensive prospect. Sounds like the Habs like McDonagh A LOT. Which is good and bad. Good: They must like him that much for a reason. Bad: Sounds like he might not be sticking around Madison for very long.

Sometime after the draft, I remember watching an interview with McDonagh in which he said he'd reevaluate his situation after the end of the season. That interview, along with HF's take on things, makes me think that he's gone after 1 year unless he has a dismal season. Oh well, let's focus on the positive: McDonagh sounds like a pretty good player, and in 41 days we'll get to see him play!