Falcon Fodder

Hockey season review: Part 4

Now that the winter sports seasons have ended, Falcon Fodder is taking a look at BG’s hockey, women’s basketball and men’s basketball teams as all three prepare for the 2013-14 season. This week the focus is on the hockey program.

In this installment, our focus shifts to the new-look Western Collegiate Hockey Association, BG’s home next season.

Here we go …

TEAM OVERVIEW

ALABAMA-HUNTSVILLE: 3-21-1

THUMBNAIL: The Chargers suffered through a difficult season that saw them play just five home games. The team’s biggest problem came in scoring goals as UAH managed just 36 in 25 contests. While graduation takes away just four players, one of those seniors was goalie John Griggs, who posted a 3.96 goals-against and 89.6 save percentage. The young team, which had eight freshmen and eight sophomores on the roster, will return leading scorers Jeff Vanderlugt (7-3=10) and Kyle Lysaght (5-5=10).

ALASKA-ANCHORAGE: 4-25-7 overall, 2-20-6 WCHA (12th)

THUMBNAIL: The Seawolves finished last for the fifth time in eight years under coach Dave Shyiak, who lost his job after UAA lost its last nine in a row and staggered to a 1-20-3 finish. The team managed just 67 goals in 36 games (1.86 per game), and only Alabama-Huntsville scored fewer. Blake Tatchell led the offense as a freshman (9-16=25), while Scott Allen (12-7=19) topped the team in goals. A pair of juniors split the work in goal as Chris Kamal was 2-14-3 with a 3.31 goals-against and 88.8 save percentage while Rob Gunderson was 2-11-4 with a 3.89 GAA and 87.3 save percentage.

ALASKA (Fairbanks): 17-16-4 overall, 12-13-3-1 CCHA (sixth)

THUMBNAIL: The Nanooks lose seven seniors from this season, including leading scorer Andy Taranto (16-14=30), an All-CCHA second-team pick, and four other forwards. The returnees up front include Cody Kunyk (11-17=28), Colton Beck (11-10=21) and Tyler Morley (10-11=21), with Morley earning a spot on the CCHA’s all-rookie team. The only graduation loss on the blueline is Kaare Odegard, while freshman John Keeney saw the bulk of the action in net (13-11-3, 2.33 goals-against, 90.9 save percentage).

BEMIDJI STATE: 6-22-8, 5-16-7 WCHA (11th)

THUMBNAIL: The Beavers won only once after Dec. 15, although they gave Minnesota fits before losing their first-round WCHA playoff series. Bemidji State loses nine seniors, including its three of its top four leading scorers in Brance Orban (9-14=23), Jordan George (9-10=19) and Aaron McLeod (11-5=16), along with blueliners Brady Wacker (3-6=9) and Jake Areshenko (0-4=4). Andrew Walsh (5-14-6, 2.65 goals-against, 91.6 save percentage) returns after seeing the majority of the work in goal, while Danny Mattson (4-15=19) is expected to lead the offense.

FERRIS STATE: 16-16-5 overall, 13-12-3-1 CCHA (fifth)

THUMBNAIL: The Bulldogs were able to earn a first-round bye in the CCHA playoffs but were knocked off by Ohio State on the road in the second round. FSU will lose leading scorers Kyle Bonis (19-8=27), an honorable mention All-CCHA choice, and Travis Ouellette (11-15=26), but Garrett Thompson (11-15=26) and Cory Kane (9-9=18) return. C.J. Motte was strong in goal in his first season as the starter (15-15-5, 2.19 goals-against, 92.7 save percentage), also earning All-CCHA honorable mention, while Jason Binkley (2-18=20) and Simon Denis (4-14=18) return on the blueline.

LAKE SUPERIOR STATE: 17-21-1 overall, 11-16-1-1 CCHA (eighth)

THUMBNAIL: The Lakers were able to snag the CCHA’s final home bid for the first round of the playoffs but lost that best-of-three series to Bowling Green (after posting a 2-0 shutout in the first game, the Lakers were outscored 13-3 in losing the last two). LSSU also will lose leading scorers Domenic Monardo (20-11=31), an honorable mention All-CCHA pick, and Nick McParland (6-17=23) to graduation. Both goalies -– Kevin Murdock (10-12-0, 2.51 goals-against, 93.0 save percentage) and Kevin Kapalka (7-9-1, 2.86, 91.6) –- are expected to return, as will a large portion of the Lakers’ blueline corps.

MICHIGAN TECH: 13-20-4, 8-16-4 WCHA (tenth)

THUMBNAIL: While the Huskies will lose seven seniors, their up-and-down season was the result of youth throughout the program. Among the returnees are a pair of goalies who will be sophomores in Pheonix Copley (8-15-1, 3.22 goals-against, 90.0 save percentage) and Jamie Phillips (2-2, 2.40, 90.7). The team’s leading scorers -– Alex Petan (15-19=34), a member of the WCHA’s all-rookie team, David Johnstone (10-19=29), Jujhar Khaira (6-19=25), Blake Pietila (14-10=24) and Tanner Kero (11-13=24) -– all should be back, while Riley Sweeney (2-11=13) and Brad Stebner (1-10=11) are the top returnees on the blueline.

MINNESOTA STATE (Mankato): 24-14-3, 16-11-1 WCHA (fourth, tied)

THUMBNAIL: The Mavericks are the only team in this group that qualified for the NCAA tournament, and the team featured just five seniors. The key for MSU is in goal, where Stephon Williams was voted the WCHA’s top goalie and freshman of the year after going 21-12-2 with a 2.00 goals-against and 92.4 save percentage. While Eriah Hayes (20-16=36), a third-team All-WCHA pick, was lost on offense, top scorers Matt Leitner (17-30=47), who also was voted third team All-WCHA,, and Jean-Paul Lafontaine (9-26-=35) return. Several top defensemen also are gone, but the blueline returnees include Zach Palmquist (7-18=25) and Josh Nelson (5-9=14).

NORTHERN MICHIGAN: 15-19-4, 9-15-4-1 CCHA (tenth)

THUMBNAIL: The Wildcats struggled on special teams, giving up a whopping 36 power-play goals and a mind-bending 13 short-handed goals. NMU got solid play in goal from Jared Coreau (15-19-4, 2.70 goals-against, 91.9 save percentage), but he will not return after signing a pro contract after his junior season. Leading scorer Matt Thurber (6-26=32) is one of five seniors lost, as is defenseman Scott Macaulay (5-11=16). Reed Seckel (13-12=25), Erik Higby (9-12=21) and Stephan Vigier (7-14=21) will need to pick up the scoring, while C.J. Ludwig (4-11=15) will be asked to anchor the defense.

LEAGUE OVERVIEW: Based on last season’s results, the league favorites should be Minnesota State, Ferris State and Alaska – probably in that order.  Among the other teams expected to push for the upper echelon should be the Falcons, along with Lake Superior, Northern Michigan, Michigan Tech and Bemidji State. It may take some time before Alaska-Anchorage and Alabama-Huntsville are league title contenders.

COACH CHRIS BERGERON SAID: “Next year we’re going to have legitimate expectations, and I think they are going to be real – and be deserved. We’re going to have to learn how to play with them. We haven’t done that very well. We won’t sneak up on anyone. We’re older, we’re deeper, and we’re going to have to learn to play with [expectations].”

NEXT YEAR’S SCHEDULE: The Falcons’ entire schedule has not been announced, but Bergeron said the non-conference portion of the schedule will include games against Union on the road and Colgate at home (to complete home-and-home contracts with both schools) as well as early season mid-week games against Ohio State. Bowling Green also will compete in the Three Rivers Classic, a tournament typically played between Christmas and New Year’s Day at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh. The competition will feature Boston College, Penn State and the host school, Robert Morris.

The Falcons’ WCHA schedule is a 28-game slate that features four games against five opponents and two games against the other four league members. Bowling Green will play its travel partner, Alabama-Huntsville, home-and-home, and also will play home-and-home series against Alaska-Anchorage, Minnesota State and Lake Superior State. The early season schedule shapes up as difficult as BG plays Minnesota State twice and Ferris State once (on the road) after opening with Alaska-Anchorage at home.

Click here to view BG’s 2013-14 WCHA schedule.

WCHA PLAYOFFS: The WCHA announced changes to its playoff format, which is called the “WCHA Final Five.” The top eight teams in the regular-season standings will advance to the playoffs, which will feature four first round “best-of-three” series hosted by the higher-seeded team. The four winners of those series will advance to the Final Five for one-game semifinals and a championship contest. The site of the Final Five will rotate between Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich., in 2014 (next season) and 2016, while the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., will host the event in 2015 and 2017.

Click here to read Tuesday’s overview of the program. Click here to look at the Falcons’ offense/forward situation. Click here to look at the Falcons’ defense/goalie situation.

Related articles

Hockey season review: Part 1

Hockey season review: Part 3

Hockey season review: Part 3

Now that the winter sports seasons have ended, Falcon Fodder is taking a look at BG’s hockey, women’s basketball and men’s basketball teams as all three prepare for the 2013-14 season. This week the focus is on the hockey program.

In this installment, our focus shifts to the defense/goalies situation. On Friday we will focus on the new-look Western Collegiate Hockey Conference, BG’s home next season.

Here we go …

DEFENSEMEN

OVERVIEW: This group takes a hit with the graduation of Bobby Shea, an All-CCHA second team pick last season, and Ryan Peltoma. But there are good numbers returning, and some of the newcomers will push for time in the top six.

RETURNEES: Senior: Jake Sloat. Juniors: Connor Kucera, Marcus Perrier, Mike Sullivan, Rusty Hafner.  Sophomore: Jose Delgadillo, Ralfs Freibergs.

LOST: Ryan Peltoma (2-1=3, +1, 17 blocked shots), Bobby Shea (4-16=20, +17, 50 blocked shots)

BY THE NUMBERS: Here are the scoring numbers for the Falcons, including where the leaders ranked among CCHA players last season (in parentheses).

• Sullivan … 1 goal, 15 assists (T27, T16 defensemen), 16 points, +14, 69 blocked shots
• Kucera …. 2 goals, 6 assists, 8 points, -1, 25 blocked shots
• Freibergs … 1 goal, 6 assists, 7 points, +3, 2 blocked shots (8 games)
• Hafner … 1 goal, 5 assists, 6 points, +10, 15 blocked shots
• Perrier … 0 goals, 6 assists, 6 points, -10, 47 blocked shots
• Delgadillo … 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 point, -3, 22 blocked shots
• Sloat … DNP, injured

POTENTIAL NEWCOMERS: Mark Friedman played in 62 games for the Waterloo Blackhawks of the United States Hockey League, scoring eight goals and adding 26 assists to rank fifth among league defensemen in scoring. He also was +20. … Sean Walker played in 53 games for the Newmarket Hurricanes of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, scoring four goals and adding 20 assists. … Reed Whiteside split time between the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL and Brookings Blizzard of the North American Hockey League. In 10 games with Sioux Falls, Whiteside had one assist; in seven games with Brookings, he had two assists.

COACH CHRIS BERGERON SAID: “We need more consistent play, especially from the sophomores (Perrier, Kucera and Sullivan). I think Sullivan took a step, I think Kucera took a step. I think Perrier’s year wasn’t what it was hoping it would be –- but he did finish strong.

“We think (Friedman) is going to be a good contributor for us next year. The biggest challenges for him will be the maturity of his game, dealing with college. But the expectations are really high for him.”

GOALIES

OVERVIEW: Entering the 2013-14 season, this is the area that most concerns BG hockey fans. The loss of Andrew Hammond, who was a pillar between the pipes the past two seasons, leaves a hole that must be filled. But there are options, and the job also could be split between several netminders.

RETURNEES: Senior: Scott Zacharias. Sophomore: Tommy Burke.

LOST: Andrew Hammond (10-15-3, 2.47 goals-against, 91.7 save percentage)

BY THE NUMBERS: Here are the numbers for the Falcons, including where the leaders ranked among CCHA players last season (in parentheses).

• Burke … 5-6-2, 2.57 goals-against (11), 88.9 save percentage (15)
• Zacharias … DNP

POTENTIAL NEWCOMERS: Tomas Sholl played in 32 games for the Fresno Monsters of the North American Hockey League. He posted a 10-14-5 record, a 3.14 goals-against average and a 90.8 save percentage. … Chris Nell has played in 25 games for the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League, posting a 7-11-2 record, a 3.46 goals-against average and an 89.4 save percentage. Nell is expected to return to Chicago next season and join the Falcons in 2014-15.

COACH CHRIS BERGERON SAID: ““The only position where we’ll be unproven next year is in goal. And that’s arguable because Tommy Burke has proven he can play. I like where we’re going next year.

“Tomas Sholl is a guy we recruited to replace Hammond. And Tommy Burke got put in more action than we thought he would, which in the big picture is good news. Like any freshman, Tommy was up-and-down. But the ‘ups’ proved he can win games at this level -– and maybe steal games.

“The focus next year is to make sure our goalies don’t lose games for us next year, and there’s no reason to believe that’s going to happen.

“Going in, I don’t think it’s fair that we have one guy who feels he has to carry the mail. We don’t have one guy like Hammond, who is proven.”

FRIDAY: A look at the Falcons’ new league, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

Click here to read Tuesday’s overview of the program. Click here to read Wednesday's look at the Falcons’ forward situation.

Related articles

Hockey season review: Part 2

Hockey season review: Part 1

Hockey season review: Part 2

Now that the winter sports seasons have ended, Falcon Fodder is taking a look at BG’s hockey, women’s basketball and men’s basketball teams as all three prepare for the 2013-14 season. This week the focus is on the hockey program.

On Wednesday’s we are taking a closer look at the offense/forward situation. On Thursday our focus shifts to the defense/goalies situation. On Friday we will focus on the new-look Western Collegiate Hockey Conference, BG’s home next season.

Here we go …

OVERVIEW: Without question this is the deepest position group in the program with nearly all of the team's top scorers returning. With the question marks in goal and with a few replacements needed on the blueline, this group must step forward for the Falcons to be successful in 2012. This group also must take steps to improve BG's power play, which ranked near the bottom of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and national rankings. But if this group continues to develop, those tasks are very do-able.

RETURNEES: Seniors: Brett Mohler, W; Chad Sumsion, W; Andrew Wallace, C; Bryce Williamson, W; Cam Wojtala, C. Juniors: Adam Berkle, W; Ryan Carpenter, C; Dan DeSalvo, C; Ted Pletsch, W.  Sophomore: Mark Cooper, W; Dajon Mingo, W; Ben Murphy, W; Brent Tate, W.

LOST: Marc Rodriguez (3 goals, 0 assists, 40.9% faceoffs won).

BY THE NUMBERS: Here are the scoring numbers for the Falcons, including where the leaders ranked among CCHA players last season (in parentheses).

• Carpenter … 18 goals (4), 15 assists (T27), 33 points (8), 46.3% faceoffs won (371-431), +12
• DeSalvo … 5 goals, 20 assists (T7), 25 points (T25), 39.1% faceoffs won (146-227), +4
• Mingo … 8 goals, 14 assists (T33), 22 points (34), +10
• Berkle … 7 goals, 14 assists (T33), 21 points, +8
• Williamson … 12 goals (T15), 7 assists, 19 points, -4
• Cooper … 9 goals (T39), 7 assists, 16 points, 43.5% faceoffs won (27-35), -4
• Wojtala … 8 goals, 8 assists, 16 points, 48.2% faceoffs won (282-303), -2
• Murphy … 6 goals, 7 assists, 13 points, 0 (plus-minus)
• Tate … 4 goals, 9 assists, 13 points, 57.6% faceoffs won (34-25), +5
• Mohler … 6 goals, 5 assists, 11 points, -2
• Wallace … 3 goals, 5 assists, 8 points, 57.4% faceoffs won (316-235), 0 (plus-minus)
• Sumsion … 0 goals, 3 assists, 3 points, 0 (plus-minus)
• Pletsch … 0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points, 0 (plus-minus)

POTENTIAL NEWCOMERS: LW Kevin Dufour played in 57 games for the Carleton Place Canadians of the Central Canadian Hockey League, scoring 26 goals and added 32 assists. … Brandon Hawkins played in 60 games for the Texas Tornado of the North American Hockey League, scoring 35 goals and adding 23 assists. … Matt Pohlkamp played in 18 games for the Bismarck Bobcats of the NAHL, scoring eight goals and adding six assists.

COACH CHRIS BERGERON SAID: “Our two leaders are in that group in [Cam] Wojtala and [Ryan] Carpenter. I think next year our group of forwards has a chance to be pretty good. If you shut down one, you’ll still have to answer to two or three or four others.

“I know our power play is going to be better, and that’s going to help our offense. I liked what our offense group had become – but I think our guys have more.

“Our feeling is that expectations are higher the older you are. Yes, the jump from freshman to sophomore is a big jump, and the jump from sophomore to junior is a huge jump, as is the jump from junior to senior. If people think they’re just going to do what they did this year, and that’s going to be good enough, that’s not the case.

“I think we’re really going to have some nice options and some depth up there. For the first time, guys are going to have to hold themselves to a high standard on a daily basis – or they won’t play.”

THURSDAY: A look at the Falcons’ defense and goaltending situation.

Click here to read Tuesday’s overview of the program.

Related articles

Hockey season review: Part 1

Hockey season review: Part 1

Now that the winter sports seasons have ended, Falcon Fodder will take a look at BG’s hockey, women’s basketball and men’s basketball teams as all three prepare for the 2013-14 season. This week the focus will be on the hockey program.

On Tuesday we’ll provide an overview of the program, followed by a look at the offense/forward on Wednesday and the defense/goalies on Thursday. Friday we will focus on the new-look Western Collegiate Hockey Conference, BG’s home next season.

Here we go …

OVERVIEW: BG finished the season with a 15-21-5 record, with those 15 wins one better than last season. The Falcons were 10-15-3 in Central Collegiate Hockey Association play, which is five more league wins than the previous season. Bowling Green finished ninth in the 11-team CCHA, which is good and bad news. It’s good in that it’s an improvement over the previous two seasons, but it’s bad in that the expectation was to play at home in the first round of the CCHA tournament, and that didn't happen.

“We were the ninth-place team. That’s the reality and we take ownership of that,” BG coach Chris Bergeron said. “There were some contributing factors to that that we have to clean up. But if we’re a better team than ninth, we have to play better.”

POST SEASON: The Falcons won their first-round CCHA playoff series at Lake Superior, bouncing back from a Friday shutout to outscore the Lakers 13-3. In the second round BG lost a pair of one-goal games at Notre Dame, the eventual tournament champion.

“I want the fact that we had to drive to Lake Superior [for the playoffs] to burn –- even though we won,” Bergeron said. “Taking nothing away from anybody, but we should have been playing at home.

“The last four weeks of the season we weren’t very good. I think we turned it around a little bit the last four games, but I don’t think we finished as strong this year over the last four or five weeks as we did last year.”

BY THE NUMBERS: The Falcons scored 100 goals in 41 games, an average of 2.44 goals per game that ranked sixth in the CCHA. In league play BG scored 65 goals in 28 games, or 2.32 per game to rank seventh.

Defensively, the Falcons allowed 105 goals, or 2.56 per game, and also ranked sixth in that area. In CCHA play Bowling Green gave up 75 goals, or 2.68 per contest, and also ranked seventh.

The area that caused the Falcons the biggest problems were special teams. For the season Bowling Green converted just 23-of-168 power plays (13.7 percent) while killing off just 123-of-161 penalties (76.4 percent). BG ranked 10th in the CCHA on the power play and 11th on penalty kill. The Falcons’ minus-20 net on special teams (allowed 20 more special teams goals than they scored) placed then next-to-last in the league.

In CCHA play the Falcons scored on just 14-of-116 power players (12.1 percent) and killed off just 84-of-113 opponent power plays (74.3 percent) to rank last in the 11-team league in both categories. And BG’s special-teams net of minus-18 tied for the league’s worst mark; to put that number in perspective, only four of the 11 CCHA teams had a negative number. It also meant BG nearly gave up one more special teams goal than it scored in every league game.

 “That cost us hockey games,” Bergeron said of special teams. “They are two areas of concern, and two areas where we need improvement.

“They are two areas where, when you see the games where we play hard but we lose, we’re going to win those games if we are on the positive side of the special teams battle.”

GOOD NEWS: The Falcons graduate all but four seniors from last season. … BG played well, generally, from Thanksgiving until late in the season. … Bowling Green claimed its fourth playoff series win in three seasons, with all four of those victories coming on the road.

BAD NEWS: With a chance to secure a first-round home series for the first time since 2008, the Falcons struggled at the end of the regular season. … While BG showed improvement, the team still finished ninth in an 11-team league. … Bowling Green must improve on special teams. Bergeron has set a modest goal of 15 percent efficiency on the power play (BG would have ranked only seventh in CCHA play had it reached that number last season). An improvement to 80 percent on the penalty kill would have resulted in six fewer goals for BG’s opponents; shooting for 85 percent success (good for sixth in the CCHA) would have meant 12 fewer goals in 28 games -– and almost certainly a few more wins.

WEDNESDAY: A look at the Falcons’ forward situation.

A closer look at NCAA regional hockey attendance and concerns

Notre Dame hockey coach Jeff Jackson was one of the people who brought up concerns about the NCAA hockey tournament's format of playing its tournament at neutral sites.

And while some Toledoans were upset at Jackson's remarks -- which, personally, I think was misplaced anger; he seemed to be more upset at the system than with Toledo in general -- everyone can admit that his thoughts had merit.

Let's take a look at some of the numbers surrounding the NCAA hockey tournament from recent seasons, beginning with this year's attendance numbers for all four regional sites.

2013
Site	Semis	Pct.	Finals	Pct.	Capacity
Huntington Center	2,988	40%	2,460	33%	7,431
Van Andel Arena	2,289	21%	1,918	18%	10,834
Dunkin' Donuts Center	6,253	50%	10,974	89%	12,400
Verizon Wireless	8,049	82%	8,357	85%	9,852

Before we move on, a bit of explanation. The "Semis" and "Finals" numbers are the announced crowds at each site. The "Pct." column lists the percentage of a site's capacity that attendance total is.

Now, a few notes. Yes, the Toledo numbers were terrible. The numbers at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich., were worse because there really wasn't a "draw" at that site. The Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, R.I., benefitted from having Boston College. But the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H., had a true "home" team (New Hampshire), and the attendance numbers reflect that.

All four sites also were hurt by the timing of the regional (Easter weekend). There also were numerous complaints about the ticket prices, which seemed to differ between venues. The cheapest tickets were at Van Andel ($65 all-tournament tickets, $35 single-day tickets), while the other venues were very similiar ($75 all-tournament at Huntington Center, $77 at other two venues; single-day were $45 at all three).

Let's provide a little more perspective with regional attendance figures from the recent past ...

2012
Site	Semis	Pct.	Finals	Pct.	Capacity
Webster Bank Arena	5,090	62%	5,328	65%	8,252
Resch Center	3,465	34%	3,108	30%	10,200
Xcel Energy Center	9,386	52%	10,974	61%	18,064
DCU Center	5,925	48%	4,470	37%	12,239

Notice that, while the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wis., may have had a larger attendance total than the Huntington Center, its percentage of capacity was less. Also, while the Xcel Energy Center numbers were good, the building had been filled to its 18,064 capacity the previous week for the WCHA's Final Five.

2011
Site	Semis	Pct.	Finals	Pct.	Capacity
Webster Bank Arena	7,671	93%	7,816	95%	8,252
Resch Center	4,355	43%	3,956	39%	10,200
Verizon Wireless	7,608	77%	5,906	60%	9,852
Scottrade Center	5,024	26%		0%	19,150

Notice the difference in attendance at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn., this season compared to others. The reason? Yale was there, so there was local fan support. Also, New Hampshire again was home at the Verizon Wireless Arena. Finally, if someone has the attendance figure for the final at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, I'd love to see it. I spent a LOT of time trying to find it, with no success.

2010
Site	Semis	Pct.	Finals	Pct.	Capacity
War Memorial Col.	4,133	51%	3,204	40%	8,103
Times Union Center	4,073	29%	3,737	26%	14,236
DCU Center	6,572	54%	6,054	49%	12,239
Xcel Energy Center	7,231	40%	7,182	40%	18,064

The Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y., was hurt by its size (capacity is 14,236). Notice that while the attendance total at the Xcel Energy Center was good, there was no Minnesota there to make it great (although Wisconsin was there). As a result, the building was more than half-empty.

2009
Site	Semis	Pct.	Finals	Pct.	Capacity
Webster Bank Arena	8,478	99%	8,478	99%	8,525
Verizon Wireless	6,883	70%	7,863	80%	9,852
Mariucci Center	7,187	72%	7,554	76%	10,000
Van Andel Arena	4,052	37%	3,170	29%	10,834

While the Van Andel numbers weren't as bad as this season, they obviously weren't great. Also, Notre Dame was there for the semifinals and lost, causing the decreased attendance in the final. Yale was at Webster Bank Arena (in Bridgeport, Conn.) and New Hampshire was at Verizon Wireless Arena (in Manchester, N.H.) while Minnesota-Duluth was at the Mariucci Center (in Minneapolis).

Here's one other thing to consider: the number of times a venue has hosted the NCAA hockey tournament helps it become better at judging interest and drawing crowds. Toledo is at a bit of a disadvantage in this area because it had never hosted the tournament before (it's also just four years old).

Compare that with the other three venues for 2013: Van Andel Arena and Verizon Wireless Arena each was hosting its fifth regional since 2004 (others for VAA were 2005, 2007 and 2009; others for VWA were 2007, 2009 and 2011), while the Dunkin' Donuts Arena was hosting its first regional since 2003 but had hosted six Frozen Fours, the most-recent coming in 2000.

OK, the floor is open for questions and discussion. I'd love to hear what you think and answer any questions you might have. Click on the "Post A Comment" link at the bottom of this file and let us know what YOU think!

Click here to read the story about BGSU and Huntington Center officials talking about the attendance at the Toledo regional.

Click here to read the original story that includes Jackson's comments about the Toledo regional.

Related articles

NCAA hockey attendance 'adequate'

A few notes from the NCAA tourney

Line charts for Miami v. St. Cloud State at Huntington Center

Here are the line charts for the NCAA Division I Midwest Hockey Regional final between Miami and St. Cloud State at Toledo's Huntington Center ...

MIAMI

FORWARDS (LW-C-RW)

16-Curtis McKenzie ... 7-Austin Czarnik ... 11-Riley Barber

10-Alex Wideman ... 9-Sean Kuraly ... 27-Marc Hagel

14-Cody Murphy ... 25-Blake Coleman ...19-Max Cook

18-John Doherty ... 22-Kevin Morris ... 12-Alex Gacek

DEFENSEMEN

44-Steven Spinell ... 8-Matthew Caito

26-Joe Hartman ... 5-Chris Joyaux

24-Garrett Kennedy ... 2-Taylor Richart

GOALIES

35-Ryan McKay

1-Jay Williams

CHANGES: The RedHawks moved Kevin Morris from fourth-line center to third-line center and Cody Murphy from fourth-line left wing to third-line left wing. John Doherty moved to fourth-line left wing and Kevin Morris is the fourth-line center. ... Jimmy Mullin was injured and is not on line chart; Alex Gacek has taken his spot as the fourth-line right wing.

ST. CLOUD STATE

FORWARDS (LW-C-RW)

10-Ben Hanowski ... 19-Drew LeBlanc ... 11-Kalle Kossila

16-Jim Murray ... 26-Nic Dowd ... 22-Jonny Brodzinski

9-Joey Benik ... 8-Cory Thorson ... 21-Brooks Bertsch

27-Nick Oliver ... 13-David Morley ... 17-Joey Holka

DEFENSEMEN

28-Andrew Prochno ... 14-Nick Jensen

7-Kevin Gravel ... 40-Tim Daly

2-Jarrod Rabey ... 12-Ethan Prow

GOALIES

29-Ryan Faragher

33-Joseph Phillippi

35-Rasmus Reijola

CHANGES: There were no changes for the Huskies.

Notes & links from NCAA hockey regional

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few notes and links to get you ready for Sunday's NCAA Division I Midwest Regional hockey final to be played at the Huntington Center in Toledo ...

The (Toledo) Blade

St. Cloud State took advantage of its good bounces to bounce Notre Dame from the tournament. Click here to read the story.

Miami uses a stifling defense -- and lots of blocked shots -- to shut out Minnesota State in Saturday's second semifinal. Click here to read the story.

Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson was critical of the atmosphere at the Huntington Center. Click here to read the notebook.

Click here to view Andy Morrison's photo gallery of the St. Cloud State-Notre Dame contest. Click here to view his photo gallery of the Miami-Minnesota State contest.

Cincinnati Enquirer

Miami shuts out the top power-play in Division I hockey. Click here to read the story.

Hamilton Journal-News

Miami finds its mojo at the Huntington Center, shuts out Minnesota State. Click here to read the story.

The RedHawks defense, injuries and more. Click here to read the notebook.

Mankato Free Press

Coach Mike Hastings warning that Miami was one of the best defensive teams in the country came through -- and Minnesota State lost to the RedHawks. Click here to read the story.

St. Cloud Times

St. Cloud State used a three-goal second-period barrage -- including a pair from freshman Joey Benik -- to beat Notre Dame. Click here to read the story.

South Bend Tribune

Notre Dame found out the difference between a first seed and a fourth seed in an NCAA regional is small. Click here to read the story.

Blue & Gold Illustrated

The momentum of the Fighting Irish's late-season run came to a screeching halt in its loss to St. Cloud State. Click here to read the story.

Irish Illustrated

The Irish wilted under the weight of expectations in its loss to St. Cloud State. Click here to read the story.

LINE CHARTS

Click here to read the line charts for Miami and St. Cloud State for Sunday's contest.

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Line charts for Miami v. Minnesota State at Huntington Center

Here are the line charts for the second game of the NCAA Division I Midwest Hockey Regional between Miami and Minnesota State at Toledo's Huntington Center ...

MIAMI

FORWARDS (LW-C-RW)

16-Curtis McKenzie ... 7-Austin Czarnik ... 11-Riley Barber

10-Alex Wideman ... 9-Sean Kuraly ... 27-Marc Hagel

18-John Doherty ... 22-Kevin Morris ... 19-Max Cook

14-Cody Murphy ... 25-Blake Coleman ... 20-Jimmy Mullin

DEFENSEMEN

44-Steven Spinell ... 8-Matthew Caito

26-Joe Hartman ... 5-Chris Joyaux

24-Garrett Kennedy ... 2-Taylor Richart

GOALIES

35-Ryan McKay

1-Jay Williams

MINNESOTA STATE

 FORWARDS (LW-C-RW)

21-Chase Grant ... 18-Matt Leitner ... 9-Bryce Gervais

26-Dylan Margonari ... 23-Teddy Blueger ... 25-Erian Hayes

24-Brett Knowles ... 12-Jean-Paul LaFontaine ... 19-Zach Lehrke

22-Johnny McInnis ... 14-Taylor Herndon ... 8-Max Gaede

DEFENSEMEN

16-Tyler Elbrecht ... 17-Evan Mosey

27-Brett Stern ... 7-Zach Palmquist

28-Jon Jutzi ... 2-Josh Nelson

GOALIES

35-Stephon Williams

30-Phil Cook

31-Evan Karambelas

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Line charts for St. Cloud State v. Notre Dame at Huntington Center

Here are the line charts for the first game of the NCAA Division I Midwest Hockey Regional between St. Cloud State and Notre Dame at Toledo's Huntington Center ...

ST. CLOUD STATE

FORWARDS (LW-C-RW)

10-Ben Hanowski ... 19-Drew LeBlanc ... 11-Kalle Kossila

16-Jim Murray ... 26-Nic Dowd ... 22-Jonny Brodzinski

9-Joey Benik ... 8-Cory Thorson ... 21-Brooks Bertsch

27-Nick Oliver ... 13-David Morley ... 17-Joey Holka

DEFENSEMEN

28-Andrew Prochno ... 14-Nick Jensen

7-Kevin Gravel ... 40-Tim Daly

2-Jarrod Rabey ... 12-Ethan Prow

GOALIES

29-Ryan Faragher

33-Joseph Phillippi

35-Rasmus Reijola

NOTRE DAME

 FORWARDS (LW-C-RW)

11-Jeff Costello ... 9-Anders Lee ... 21-Bryan Rust

22-Mario Lucia ... 18-T.J. Tynan ... 27-Austin Wuthrich

17-Nick Larson ... 10-David Gerths ... 16-Mike Voran

14-Thomas DiPauli ... 26-Steven Fogarty ... 15-Peter Schneider

DEFENSEMEN

25-Kevin Lind ... 28-Stephen Johns

23-Eric Johnson ... 5-Robbie Russo

3-Shayne Taker ... 8-Sam Calabrese

GOALIES

1-Steven Summerhays

31-Joe Rogers

32-Mike Johnson

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A few notes, quotes and links from Friday's media sessions at the NCAA Division I hockey tournament to be played at the Huntington Center in Toledo ...

• St. Cloud State coach Bob Motzko was an assistant coach at Miami during the period current BG coach Chris Bergeron played there. He was asked about Bergeron and another of his former players, current Miami coach Enrico Blasi ...
  

"Chris was our captain. And I’ll tell you what … [he was] one of the best captains I’ve been around. There have been a couple guys that I’ve know would be coaches, and Bergeron was it. You just knew that once he was done with the pro thing that he was going to make it. Now Rico, I didn’t think that would happen, but he has made the statement that he is one of the best coaches in college hockey. But, it tells you my age that former players are head coaches and doing a fantastic job.

• Notre Dame forward T.J. Tynan said the fact that the Fighting Irish missed the NCAA tournament last season gave he and his fellow upperclassmen a greater appreciate for making the tournament this year.

"As you get older, [you learn] that you only get so many opportunities to win championships and make it to the tournament. And obviously, last year we didn’t make it. We had a good run our freshman year, but we are really excited to be back and for our game tomorrow."

• Minnesota State's season started turning aroud about the time freshman Stephon Williams became the team's every-day goalie. Mavericks coach Mike Hastings talked about making the move to Williams.

"We were batting about .865/.870 in the post before [the Denver] weekend. Again, all successful teams have a certain catalyst that you have to build around -- in baseball it’s pitching, in football it might be your quarterback. Well, in hockey it’s between the posts. We were really trying to find ourselves, and I thought we were doing a lot of good things even though we were 1-5.

"The one thing we were looking for is someone who would give us an opportunity, when they went out there every night they would stop the ones that they should, and maybe steal a couple they shouldn’t. It was after that that weekend that the young men up here have described that we played Denver, that Monday, and looked at Steff, and said, 'Steff, you’re going to go this weekend.' I usually don’t tell our guys until Thursday or Friday, I looked at Steff and said, 'It’s your opportunity' and he had a great week. Then, when we ended up sweeping Wisconsin, not only did he gain some confidence from that, but I think our guys did too"

• Miami's roster is dominated by underclassmen -- there are 11 freshmen and seven sophomores on the 26-man roster. One of the freshmen, Riley Barber, talked about the adjustment he and his fellow freshman had to make in their first season in the program.

"It’s been a blast, but it’s also been a lot of work. I think my freshman class has really bought into the system here and coach Rico [Blasi’s] ideas. I think sometimes we are a little too young to realize the difference between a big game, and I think we just go out there and play and that really helps us.

"You play less games in college, so I think each game has an emphasis on it. Every play, you can’t take any plays off. You have to be strong in penalty kills and have a real strong sense of the game coming up. And definitely in all areas of the game, just be more focused, I’d say."

Here are a few stories and links from The Blade for those who want to know more about the teams in the Huntington Center this weekend ...

This story talks about the road all four teams took to get to Toledo.

This story features the two Hobey Baker finalists in Toledo, St. Cloud State's Drew LeBlanc and Miami's Austin Czarnik.

This notebook talks about the early reaction to the Huntington Center and includes other notes on the four teams.

This blog posts gets a reaction from all four coaches about the movement of teams and changes in conferences taking place in college hockey.

Click here to look at capsules on all four teams in the tournament.

Click here to view line charts for Saturday's first game between St. Cloud State and Notre Dame.

Here are a few stories and links from other newspapers for those who want to know more about the teams in the Huntington Center this weekend ...

MIAMI

This Hamilton Journal story talks about how the RedHawks need to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Michigan in the CCHA tournament semifinals.

This Journal story features Miami forward Alex Gacek.

This Mankato Free Press story talk about how the Miami program is at a place the Minnesota State program aspires to be.

MINNESOTA STATE

This Hamilton Journal story talks to Mavericks coach Bob Motzko about his time as an assistant coach at Miami.

This Mankato Free Press story talk about the Mavericks getting healthier as the NCAA tournament starts.

This Free Press story talks in greater depth how the team turned its fortunes around following the two losses to Denver dropped its WCHA record to 1-5.

NOTRE DAME

This St. Cloud Times story talks about the Minnesota natives who will take the ice against the Huskies Saturday.

This South Bend Tribune story talks about Stephen Johns adding more than toughness to the Irish.

This Tribune story looks at the things Notre Dame needs to do to be successful in the regional.

ST. CLOUD STATE

This St. Cloud Times story talks about D Taylor Johnson and the changes in his style of play that have made him successful with the Huskies.

This Times story compares the Huskies opponent Saturday, Miami, to fellow WCHA opponent Wisconsin.

 

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