Minnesota’s sixth straight win a costly one

Though they may no longer be division rivals, bad blood runs deep, and tonight certainly had that old rivalry feel to it as the Wild topped the Canucks, 5-3, for their sixth win in a row.

It was a hard-hitting, chirp-filled affair and while the Wild walked away with the win — and made up some ground in the playoff picture — the Canucks left a crucial mark as both Ryan Carter and Jason Zucker left the game early due to injury. Wild head coach Mike Yeo noted after the game that both sustained upper-body injuries and will not return to the lineup in the near future.

Playing with only ten forwards, guys stepped up as needed, including Nino Niederreiter who saw a significant up-tick in ice time and made the most of it. Niederreiter gave the Wild a 3-1 lead in the first, firing home a Mikko Koivu centering pass in the slot on his first shift with the jumbled lines.

“When that happens you need guys to step up,” Yeo said. “We had a number of guys step up tonight.”

While Nino stepped up when called upon, Jordan Schroeder made an impression early against his former team. The Canucks were buzzing from the drop of the puck, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in shots on goal. But it was Schroeder who scored first at the 5:05 mark, registering the Wild’s first shot on goal, and swinging momentum heavily in Minnesota’s favor. The goal was the first the former Golden Gopher netted in a Wild sweater and he finished the night plus-2 with three shots on goal and 12:30 TOI.

“It was great,” Schroeder said. “I was really excited, especially to pop one early against them.

“I saw (Charlie Coyle) down the middle and I knew I had a lane to the net. I yelled at him to give me the puck. It was a great play, a great pass, and I was fortunate enough to finish it.”

Overall the win allowed the Wild to keep climbing the ladder in the playoff picture, sitting in ninth in the Western Conference with 58 points, just three behind Calgary in eighth. The Wild get right back at it tomorrow night against the Jets, who currently hold that top wild card spot with 64 points.

“That’s a huge game,” Yeo said. “Now we get to look forward to another huge one tomorrow.”

The post Shorthanded Wild top Canucks appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Lake Superior State rookie goalie riding a wave of unanticipated success

Seemingly, not a day goes by that Gordy Defiel doesn’t get teased about his high school mascot.

The former Stillwater Pony deals with the taunts in the locker room about his incredibly non-threatening mascot, but when the netminder steps onto the ice, it’s all business.

After a pit stop in the Superior International Junior Hockey League and the British Columbia Hockey League each, Defiel is in the midst of his freshman campaign at Lake Superior State University and is already making a splash for the Lakers.

On two occasions, the netminder has picked up Western Collegiate Hockey Association Defensive Player of the Week honors — the first after stopping 67 of 68 shots against Cornell and Notre Dame in the Florida College Classic in December and the second in January following a 76-save weekend as the Lakers swept Bemidji State. Defiel made a career-high 44 saves in the series opener and picked up a 1-0 win for his third shutout of the season.

“It’s a little easier to go into a game after getting a WCHA Defensive Player of the Week honor,” the freshman said. “It just feels good to get rewarded for success and all the hard work that we put in.

“It feels good to get individual honors but in all reality, our team has been playing great lately.”

Lake Superior State Head Coach Damon Whitten, who is in his first year with the Lakers, was quick to note that Defiel’s play this season has set a standard going forward. Only a freshman now, he’s expected to step up his game in the coming seasons.

“He’s set a very high bar for himself,” Whitten said. “We have a few weeks left here where we want to finish on that note, but the expectation is certainly that he improves off what he’s already built. There’s probably a good, healthy pressure on him to have a great summer after this season — to come in at an even higher level, ready to elevate the position even more.”

Even having the chance to set that bar high was something Defiel wasn’t completely expecting. Coming into the year, he hoped to get some decent playing time, to get into a few games and show what he could do. But as only a freshman, he did not anticipate earning the starting role between the pipes.

Whitten even noted that the coaching staff didn’t know what to expect from the young goaltender. When they hit the ice at the beginning of the season, they knew he had a championship on his resume, but his work ethic and readiness to play made him stand out from the rest.

“One thing that really struck us about Gordy is that he’s taken a couple teams very far in the playoffs and won some championships,” Whitten said. “We like the way he fought and improved and has gotten his team to a championship level. We didn’t have a ton of knowledge or expectations but certainly have been pleased since he’s gotten here; he’s done an unbelievable job and really solidified the position for us.

Whitten added that Defiel, who was also named WCHA Rookie of the Week in November, has been good since day one and given the young Lakers team a chance in most of their games.

Prior to LSSU, Defiel spent the 2013-14 season with the Coquitlam Express of the BCHL. After putting up a 20-21-1 regular season with a 3.69 goals-against average and a .887 save percentage, the Stillwater native led the Express to the league championship with a 14-5 run in which he put together a 2.69 GAA and .922 SV%.

Now at the collegiate level, the 6-foot, 197-pound youngster has played at consistent level all year long, according to Whitten. While he’s improved as the season has progressed, the Bench Boss noted he’s gotten more dialed in and sharper in some areas of his game. In 26 starts and 27 games played, Defiel has put together a 3.15 GAA and a .913 SV% with a 7-19-1-3 record.

Defiel admitted he’d like to have more wins on the season, but simply getting the chance to play every night has surpassed his expectations.

“I just wanted to come in and work really hard,” Defiel said. “I just wanted to get in some games and play well. I wasn’t expecting to play as much as I am. But I’m pretty thankful I’ve gotten the opportunity to play this much, that’s for sure.”

The post Raising expectations appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Eriksson’s overtime goal lifts Boston over Minnesota

SAINT PAUL — If there was a single word that could describe the Wild’s effort tonight, it would be “response.”

Coming off a disappointing 5-3 loss in Chicago, Minnesota’s response to each situation throughout the 60-plus minute night defined their game. Though the Wild forced overtime, they fell 3-2 on Loui Eriksson’s goal 2:30 into the extra session, earning a point on the night.

“A disappointing end to an otherwise pretty strong game,” Wild head coach Mike Yeo said, succinctly summing up the night.

Looking to rebound from Tuesday night’s loss, adversity seeped in quickly. Just over five minutes into the first, the Bruins took a 1-0 lead as Carl Soderberg netted a rebound from the slot as Wild netminder Niklas Backstrom was stuck outside the far post.

But the Wild quickly responded as Kyle Brodziak scored his fourth of the season 29 seconds later on a drag-and-snipe goal, beating Bruins goaltender Niklas Svedberg. Though the Wild drew even, the Bruins took a 2-1 lead into intermission as Patrice Bergeron netted a knuckle puck blocker side from above the circle, near the boards.

Whatever was said in that intermission lit a fire within the Wild. Though they didn’t score in the second, they put together one of their strongest middle frames in recent weeks, outshooting the Bruins 20-5.

The equalizer did come — a period later — on one of the luckiest bounces to go Minnesota’s way in quite some time. Ryan Suter, playing in his 700th career game, threw the puck on net, which eventually banked off Jason Pominville, also playing in his 700th career game, and in.

The Wild remained tenacious throughout the game, forcing overtime and earning a crucial point, but once again, how they respond to the outcome will be key.

“It’s a fine line between trying to find positives and trying to build your game, to build our confidence and to build that winning attitude,” Yeo said. “And between, not being satisfied, not accepting losing and not getting the result that we want. So we have to try to walk that line.”

This narrative isn’t entirely new. The Wild has been alternating wins and losses for several weeks now. In fact, the last time Minnesota won back-to-back games was Nov. 24 with a 4-1 win against Florida that capped a three-game win-streak.

Pominville noted that the issue comes down to confidence.

“Sometimes when guys are going through a tougher stretch, you tend to cheat a little more. That leads to us getting caught and giving up more chances than we usually would,” Pominville said. “But tonight I thought we were pretty solid. It has been tough. When you’re in those tight games you battle back, it’s just finding ways to lose instead of finding ways to win. Good teams right now find ways to win. We’re struggling to find ways to win.”

The post Wild respond but Bruins have last word appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Wild players take shooting skills off the ice, into the field

It was the first bird they saw that day. The small, energetic yellow lab, Izzy, flushed it out of a row of corn and with an ear-ringing blast, Nate Olson fired and hit his mark.

He looked over at Wild defenseman Keith Ballard and quipped, “you want the next shot?”

It was a day that could succinctly be summed up as fun. Four Minnesota Wild fans and their guests got to spend an afternoon pheasant hunting with a Wild player on Saturday afternoon at Wild Wings at Oneka Hunt Club in Hugo, Minnesota.

Olson was one of four winners in the Gander Mountain “Hunt with the Wild” sweepstakes. He brought along his father, Steve, as the two have hunted together ever since Nate was a young boy in Hancock, Minnesota where Steve lives. While they were paired with Ballard, forwards Ryan Cater, Kyle Brodziak and Justin Fontaine also took part in the experience.

Each winner received a guided pheasant hunt with a member of the Wild, along with a catered lunch and dinner, an autograph signing session and gifts from Gander Mountain. Hunters were also outfitted with field wear from Browning, boots from Irish Setter and shotguns from Benelli.

Ballard, who enjoys hunting when he can, noted that the day was a nice break from hockey and an interesting way to interact with fans.

“That’s what’s fun about it; it’s away from hockey and away from the rink,” Ballard said. “And it’s something that they’re interested in and it’s something that I enjoy doing.

“It’s nice to get away from hockey a little bit. It’s a long season. And it’s only half a day but to get your mind off it and do something else or think about something else — which is very important. You can drive yourself crazy sometimes if you don’t.”

Saturday marked the second installment of the hunt. Last year was the first, which the defenseman also participated in, along with former Wild defenseman Clayton Stoner.

Olson, a Golden Valley native, wasn’t aware of last year’s hunt, but heard about this year’s event through Facebook and figured he would sign up.

“I was surprised when I got a call; I thought they were trying to sell me something, to be honest,” Olson joked. “They were like ‘want to hunting next weekend?’ And well, I was like ‘Yeah, I’ll go hunting.’”

While the exchange was simple and understated, Olson enjoyed to opportunity to get to know a player from one of his favorite teams and share the experience with his dad. While it was his first time at Wild Wings, Olson would recommend the experience to anyone interested in the future.

“They’ve been great hosts and we got all sorts of great gear,” Olson said. “It’s been awesome.”

While Ballard likes to hunt, the last time he was able to spend an extended amount of time hunting was during the lockout two years ago. Being from Minnesota, it’s a lifestyle he’s grown up with and truly enjoys. It’s made even better now that he’s back in his home state.

After a long day in the field, all the groups shared a nice meal of pheasant potpie and got the chance to talk about their experiences — and of course brag about how they fared.

As a veteran of the event, Ballard was quick to note that the end of the day meal was one of the best parts.

“The hunting is a lot of fun, the pheasant potpie is outstanding.”

The post Players, fans find wild game outdoors appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

UMD wins fourth straight to topple top-ranked Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS – The two had met 224 times previously. Minnesota strongly held the edge with a 134-73-17 all time record before Friday night. But when it came time for the puck to drop on the 225th meeting between No. 1 Minnesota and No. 13 Minnesota-Duluth, it was all Bulldogs as they captured a 3-0 victory.

UMD set the tone early, using its first power play of the night to take a 1-0 lead. It was all they really needed. At the 2:07 mark of the first, with the game still in its infancy, UMD forward Austin Farley tapped home a loose puck in the crease off an Andy Welinski point shot that Gophers’ goaltender Adam Wilcox couldn’t fully reel in.

The goal set the tone for the rest of the period and game. UMD limited Minnesota’s chances and maintained possession in their offensive zone. The effort brought an abrupt end to the Gophers 17-game unbeaten streak on home ice.

Encapsulating the meaning of tonight, as the clock wound down to zero, Farley skated up to freshman netminder Kasimir Kaskisuo and gave him a giant hug, as the rest of the Bulldogs skated in to celebrate. Kaskisuo made 17 saves en route his first career shutout.

“We got a good lead and made it pay off,” UMD coach Scott Sandelin said. “That’s what you need against this team. You can’t let your guard down and I thought our guys did a good job the whole night for the 60 minute game that we needed to play.”

Sandelin did admit his surprise at how the night started — mainly because of how strongly the Gophers normally start. He did add that getting a fast start was something he focused on all week.

Gophers coach Don Lucia wasn’t certain what led to the Gophers slow start, but he noted the early penalty that directly led to Farley’s goal caused things to “go downhill” in the opening ten minutes. As a result the frustration was palpable on Minnesota’s bench, leading to some undisciplined and embarrassing penalties, according to Lucia.

“We couldn’t get anything going all night long. … It wasn’t our night tonight,” Lucia said. “They played very well and deserved to win.”

On the other side of the puck, the Bulldogs used those undisciplined penalties to their advantage, netting two power play goals on the night. While Farley’s counted as the first, forward Dominc Toninato picked up the second man advantage goal, banging home a Farley feed backdoor for the resulting 3-0 score.

Meanwhile, UMD gave up only one power play, which Sandelin credited to moving their feet.

The Bulldogs second goal of the night came off a snipe from defenseman Dan Molenaar, who sent it top shelf through Wilcox. The goal was the first of the sophomore’s career, and it was extra special coming at Mariucci for the Eden Prairie native.

“I’ve played quite a few games here over the years,” Molenaar said. “Now that I actually get to score my first college goal here, it was pretty sweet. I had a lot of family and friends up there. It’s awesome.”

The series shifts to Duluth for Saturday night’s 7 p.m. rematch at Amsoil Arena.

The post Bulldogs Blank Gophers appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Burden of firsts simultaneously lifted from Vanek, Minnesota’s beleaguered PP

With the turn of the calendar, the Wild seemingly took the date to heart, checking off a few firsts of the season on Nov. 1.

In its 4-1 win against the Stars, three of the four goal scorers netted their first of the season. But wait, there’s more. Two of Minnesota’s four goals on the night were power play goals.

After going 0-for-28 on the power play, the Wild finally capitalized on its 29th man advantage as Thomas Vanek netted his first of the season from the doorstep of Stars netminder Kari Lehtonen. It was the proverbial monkey-off-his-back moment for Vanek who has been known for his scoring touch his entire career. His relief was visible from the press box.

“First of all, I’m not that much of a celebrator, unless it’s a really big goal,” Vanek said. “It’s just more of a relief than anything I guess. Even better that it was on the power play, as you guys know, we’ve struggled on the power play. It was nice to break my streak and break our team’s streak at the same time.”

“Even though it didn’t look like much, it felt great.”

Minnesota’s Nino Niederreiter, defended here by Jamie Oleksiak of the Dallas Stars, scored the Wild’s second power-play goal of the season and his third of the year ovrall on November 1, 2014 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images)

So far this season the winger has displayed his playmaking abilities time and again, leading the team with seven assists on the season. To get his first of the season gift wrapped as a power play goal provided some relief for the whole bench. In fact, the Wild didn’t waste any time tallying its second power play goal of the season, as it capitalized the following opportunity, off of Nino Niederreiter’s stick.

“We were due,” Wild coach Mike Yeo laughed.

“I had a feeling when we got one, that game, we would get more than one, the way it was going. It relieves a burden, that’s for sure.”

While Vanek’s score gave the Wild a 3-1 lead at the time, it was Mikael Granlund who got things started. He put Minnesota on the board with his first of the year as he picked off a Stars pass in the offensive zone and sent the puck high glove side.

Defenseman Matt Dumba got the trend going, firing home his first of the season to give the Wild a 2-0 lead — though it only lasted eight seconds as Vernon Fiddler scored Dallas’ lone goal. The eight-second gap between goals by both teams sets a new franchise home record previously set at 0:10 by Mark Parrish (MIN) and Jonathan Cheechoo (SJ) on Dec. 31, 2007 (15:22 & 15:32 of the third) in a 3-2 loss to the Sharks.

Dumba’s goal marks the second year in a row he tallied his first of the year against the Stars as he netted his first career goal last season against Dallas on Oct. 12.

Darcy Kuemper made 19 saves to raise his record to 6-2-0 this season with a 1.62 GAA, a .930 SV% and an NHL high three shutouts while Lehtonen made 26 saves in a losing cause.

The Wild will play its final contest of a three-game homestand against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday at 7 p.m. CT on FOX Sports North and KFAN 100.3 FM.

The post Win Brings Wild Sighs of Relief appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Is the NHL capable of replicating Becky Hammon’s barrier-breaking hire?

Becky Hammon coaching a San Antonio practice in Berlin where the Spurs participated in the NBA Global Games. (Photo – NBA.com/Spurs)

August 5, 2014 was a historic day. For the first time in the “big four” of professional sports, a woman was hired as a full-time assistant coach when Gregg Popovich, head coach of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, added Becky Hammon to his staff.

At the time Hammon was in her final playing days for San Antonio’s WNBA team, the Stars, after a 13-year playing career. Facing retirement, Hammon was given the opportunity to stay within her beloved sport and turn her focus to coaching some of the world’s most elite basketball players.

As the only woman in the male-dominated field, Hammon will certainly garner a lot of attention, but the move also sets a precedent: Will other teams and sports ever consider matching the Spurs’ progressive hire?

The answer is complicated, especially in the hockey world. The first step involves a not-so-simple attitude change.

“It’s a natural assumption that if a man is asked about hockey, he knows what he’s talking about,” University of Minnesota-Duluth Head Coach Shannon Miller said. “Whether it’s him skating out onto the ice and commanding respect at practice, it’s like he’s instantly given that respect because he’s a man, and same thing in an interview process.

“We just assume because he played hockey and he’s a guy that he must know more than a woman. That’s a very, very common mistake; I’ve been watching it go on for years.”

Overcoming Perceptions

While the fundamentals of the game between men and women are the same, there are differences in the men’s game that do come into play.

As one current National Hockey League assistant coach who spoke on the condition of anonymity noted, many NHL coaches are former players. They’ve played through the grind of a pro season and know firsthand what it takes to put their best effort out on the ice every single night.

“They’ve been through the war, so to speak, and know how physical it is,” said the former player and lone NHL source we contacted willing to discuss the topic. “I think that would be the hardest adjustment with a woman being a coach.

“The battle is a little bit different when you have hard checking and guys getting cut and there’s fighting involved, I think that just would be a hard adjustment for a lot of people.”

This is not to say women don’t get it — because women’s hockey is growing to new heights — but the NHL, like any professional league, is a different sort of monster. As a result, any chance of bringing a woman onto a staff would most likely be best pursued as a gradual process. The NHL coach we spoke to recognized that it may be best if it’s a move that starts in high school, to see how it works and move from there.

“If a woman were to be a coach, I think the players, in my opinion, initially would have a hard time grasping it but I think over time and if you prove yourself, I think the players would get used to it,” he said. “On the other hand, people might find it hard to adjust.”

Natalie Darwitz served as an assistant coach for Minnesota in 2008-09 and 2010-11, while taking the 2009-10 season to compete in her third-straight Olympics in 2010. (Photo / University of Minnesota Athletics)

Change, though a constant in life, is something that is always hard to deal with no matter its size. As the NHL assistant pointed out, there are people who are still traditionalists — people who believe hockey is truly a man’s game. These people exist in all levels of hockey, including its fan base.

This sexist attitude partly stems from the physical differences between men and women. As Natalie Darwitz — a standout at the University of Minnesota and U.S. National Team member in the 2002, 2006 and 2010 Olympics — recalled, at a certain point in her storied playing career the guys got bigger and stronger and there was nothing she could do about it.

“That might be a stigma for any female going into the NHL world. Why should a player listen to a female when he can shoot harder and skate harder just because he physically can and she can’t,” said Darwitz, currently the head coach of the Lakeville South Girl’s hockey team after spending two seasons as an assistant for the Gophers. “There’s just a secret ingredient in men called testosterone that women don’t have.”

Further Considerations

As Miller points out, rather than looking at a female coach as, well, a woman, she hopes she would be seen as a human being who is competent at her job and is deserving of the respect that comes with the title.

“I think men are given the nod and the automatic ‘oh he must know what he’s talking about,’ and sometimes that’s by women too,” Miller said. “As women, we have to prove ourselves over and over and over and quite frankly it never seems to be enough.”

Harvard coach Katey Stone led Team USA to silver in Sochi, Russia earlier this year as the first female to coach the U.S. women in the Olympics. (Photo -Tom Szczerbowski/USA TODAY Sports

In fact, female head coaches are in the minority in their own sport. Harvard head coach Katey Stone was the first woman to coach the USA’s women’s team in the Olympics as the leader in Sochi. She and Miller are also two of six female bench bosses out of the 35 teams in Division I college hockey. Furthermore, Stone and Miller oversee two of just three programs with an all-female coaching staff. Notably, of those 35 programs, three have no female on staff, while the other 32 have at least one female assistant.

Both Stone and Miller expressed their extreme disappointment upon hearing those numbers and believe there are plenty of women out there capable of coaching.

“There are a lot of women out there that can coach if given the opportunity,” Miller said. “Athletic Directors continue to hire men to coach on the women’s side and I think it’s a grave mistake. I’m disappointed and I hope that one day the pendulum will swing back, sooner rather than later.”

Stone did acknowledge that there is no way those statistics can be changed quickly in one sweeping motion, while Darwitz explained that in being a coach, there are plenty of lifestyle considerations, such as having a family. Regardless, in Darwitz’s own words, the statistic remains pretty staggering.

But the women in those positions are content to stay there to a degree. Miller noted that, as a coach in what she believes is currently the best league in the world for women hockey players, she is coaching at the highest level on a day-to-day basis. Stone also acknowledged that many women are happy to stay within women’s hockey.

“It’s a little bit of a double edged sword: you need the backing of those (NHL) organizations, but you also need the willingness of women willing to put themselves in that arena,” Stone said. “Some women are very, very content in an extremely positive way, coaching women. They love it. They feel like they’re giving back a tremendous amount.”

That being said, Darwitz, Stone and Miller all believe there are competent women willing and deserving to make that historic move into the NHL.

Hoping For Change

Shannon Miller is beginning her 16th season behind the Bulldogs’ bench after leading Team Canada to a silver medal in the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan. (Photo / WCHA.com)

While Miller is outspoken on the subject, she did raise the point that simply asking when a female coach will break into the NHL suggests that men’s hockey is superior to women’s hockey; that the game played by one gender is more important than that same game played by the other gender. Even with that in mind, she believes it’s past time women were given more opportunities to lead, both within women’s hockey and men’s hockey.

“If men can cross over and coach in the women’s game, why can’t women cross over and coach in the men’s game,” Miller said. “I know that you have to be a high-level coach and have proven yourself and worked your way up and proven to be successful through the grind, but there are women who have done that and there’s no question in my mind that there are women that can coach at the NHL level.”

Though some are ready for such a change, it is something that will take some time; it most likely won’t happen in the near future and it could never happen. When and if it does happen, it will undoubtedly be a significant day in hockey history.

“Any time something’s new or it’s the first time, it makes a big splash; when it’s not new anymore, it has a very small ripple effect,” Stone said. “It’s about competency and respect. If the people that you’re working with respect your judgment, your knowledge, how you go about your work, then it’s not difficult to gain their trust.”

The post Spurring Debate appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Beavers to draw on experience to move up in the WCHA.

Another year older, another year wiser — or at least that’s what Bemidji Sate is hoping for. Last season is one the Beavers are ready to put behind them, but they know they have a few holes to improve upon. In the WCHA coaches teleconference Sept. 29, BSU coach Tom Serratore specifically noted needing to strengthen the power play and work on tipping the scales on their goal differential.

While some work does need to be done, BSU returns mostly intact from last season, losing only four players and adding eight freshmen. The Beavers return their top four scorers, notably junior forward Cory Ward who led the team with 29 points last season and 18 goals. His fellow junior forward Markus Gerbrandt trailed Ward’s effort with 25 points and 15 goals. Senior defenseman Matt Prapavessis will anchor a veteran defensive corps that returns in full, while both Andrew Walsh and Jesse Wilkins return between the pipes.

Based on what he’s seen in practice so far, Serratore has been impressed by his large freshmen class. He noted that the youngsters — in his words, a “skilled group” — will get ice time, it’s simply a matter of when opportunities arise. While he’s pleased with what he’s seen in practice, he is also realistic about the learning curve that takes place in games.

Overall, Serratore is confident the Beavers experience last year is a solid foundation for their growth this season.

“We feel we can build on the backline, in the net and we feel we have some players who can generate offense,” Serratore said. “We’re also a year older. We were very young last year and we’re experienced this year.

“We really like what we have. We’re a year older, a year better.”

2013-14 Final Ranking: N/A (USCHO) / N/A (USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine)

2013-14 overall record: 10-21-7

2013-14 WCHA record: 10-14-4

2013-14 Conference Finish: Eighth

2013-14 Postseason Finish: Lost in WCHA first round to Ferris St.

2014-15 predicted finish: Eighth in conference

Tough Skates to Fill: F Illo Radoslav, F Danny Mattson (both accounted for 17 points last season, Radoslav had 10 goals, Mattson 3)

Impact Returnees: F Cory Ward, F Markus Gerbrandt, D Matt Prapavessis

Key Additions: G Mike Bitzer, D Brett Beauvais, F Gerry Fitzgerald, F Leo Fitzgerald, F Myles Fitzgerald, F Jordan Heller, F Kyle Bauman

Why the Beavers will exceed expectations: While they’re still on the younger side, the Beavers return their core group of skaters at each position from a year ago. While their top four scorers will lead the way, they will also have a veteran presence on the blue line and in net.

Why the Beavers will fall short of expectations: They’re young and they have a tough schedule. With a large freshman class and 16 total underclassmen, they’ll be tested early and often as they play 13 games against teams from last year’s NCAA tournament. As Serratore put it: Friday and Saturday night are a lot different from practice.

The post DI Men’s Preview: Bemidji State appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Matt Dumba makes a strong case to stay in Wild’s preseason finale.

SAINT PAUL — After Saturday’s morning skate, it appeared Matt Dumba would be a healthy scratch for the Wild’s final preseason game as it hosted the St. Louis Blues. He was told to come to the rink and prepare as normal, just in case.

At 5:20, he got word; He was in the lineup. It was his final chance to try and earn a spot on the opening night roster, and he made the most of it.

Dumba put up a two-point night, which included a goal on an absolute rocket of a shot in the third — accounting for one of the Wild’s goals in the 5-4 overtime win — and 23:28 TOI. He was also effective on the power play, moving the puck and jumping in on offense.

“I knew this was kind of the last hurrah before everything got said and done,” Dumba said. “I wanted to go out with a bang I guess and I thought I played a pretty good game; I was pretty happy with it.”

If Matt Dumba is destined for Iowa, he did not go down without a fight in the Wild’s 5-4 win over the Blues on Saturday night. (MHM Photo / Jeff Wegge)

Wild coach Mike Yeo noted that come Opening Night, Minnesota will have to come up with some pretty creative reasons to keep the young defenseman out of the lineup.

“[His game] is not perfect, there’s some areas defensively that we know he can still improve. Sometimes he has a tendency to go for a home run when that’s not there, when you have to maybe just hit a single,” Yeo said. “But he does some things that are special. We’ve talked about how we’ve wanted to increase our offense. We’ve talked about how we’ve wanted to increase our offense from the back end and he’s showing us that he can probably help in that regard.

With final roster cuts looming in the next few days, Dumba felt he had a strong camp overall — a notion with which Yeo agrees. The 20-year-old defenseman also echoed Yeo, noting there are still parts of his game he needs to improve, but he feels a lot better coming out of camp this season as compared to last season.

But Dumba is one of a few young defensemen catching the coaches’ attention. Christian Folin, who was signed as a free agent out of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell last season, has also put together a solid showing in camp.

“Both those guys have had very strong camps,” Yeo said. “It’s hard for me to sit there and say that they’ve had a bad game, let alone a bad period. We’re already discussing some things right now and that’s what you want; Those guys have made things difficult on us.”

While they’ve each made their case to the coaches, Dumba noted that it’s been a stressful time waiting to find out if he made the cut for Opening Night. In the meantime he’s tried to focus on his game, getting better each day, doing the little things, and keep his head out of the media.

A More Powerful Power Play

When the Wild and Blues met Thursday night in St. Louis, the two racked up a combined 92 penalty minutes. Things didn’t get as out of hand Saturday night as the Wild was pegged for 23 PIM to the Blues’ 31. But, where Minnesota failed to convert on the power play Thursday night with a young roster on the ice, Saturday night it netted a pair of goals from Mikael Granlund and Thomas Vanek on the man advantage.

The power play, which operated at an NHL mid-range 17.9 percent last season, has seen a boost so far this preseason as it’s accounted for seven goals on 26 opportunities. While it’s only the preseason, that’s a 26.9 percent clip. Though, Yeo is quick to note that those power play units have looked different night in and out.

“Seven preseason goals with seven different units I think,” Yeo said. “We were mixing it up a lot today. It’s not one group getting it … we’ve got two very dangerous units right now and we need that; we’ve got to stay on top of it.”

With the regular season just days away, Mikko Koivu — who netted the overtime winner — noted that already having that power play working well is an important key to take into the regular season.

“That’s why we play these games, to prepare for the regular season,” Koivu said. “There’s still a lot of things to work on, but I’m sure every team has the same thing going into the season. But we’ve got a couple more practices and make sure we’re ready to go for the opener.”

The post Closing Arguments appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Newest Wild star launches new youth programs at Stillwater’s LumberYard

STILLWATER—Fresh off the ice, a line of ten and 11 year olds snaked through the lounge at The LumberYard. They each held an item or two they had stowed away in their hockey bags, lying in wait for Thomas Vanek’s signature.

One boy in a Vanek Wild shirt showed off his new ink to his friend, who gaped at the autograph he was mere minutes away from getting.

“Dad, can I get a Wild jersey? Please?” The waiting boy pleaded with his father just steps away.

Thomas Vanek poses with a young fan. (Photo courtesy of The LumberYard)

It was the final session of the night, four hours into debuting a pair of new youth development programs at The LumberYard in Stillwater, where Vanek is part owner. After four, 45-minute sessions on the ice, each followed with 15 minutes of meet-and-greet, the fatigue of the day was clearly wearing on the newest member of the Minnesota Wild.

With about 30 kids in each on-ice session, Vanek interacted with each kid and provided individual feedback throughout the entire night. But as each young skater presented their items and posed for a picture, Vanek never missed a smile. This was all for the kids.

It was only the beginning. Monday night Vanek and The LumberYard launched their new youth programs focused on skill development: Vanek’s Mite Advantage and Vanek Buzzsaw AAA Elite. The Mite Advantage is a supplemental development program to mite hockey associations throughout the season, while the Buzzsaw AAA Elite is an off-season program that will welcome all interested players.

The forward is far more involved in the programs than simply by name; he’ll be writing the curriculum for each and be on the ice with the kids as much as he is able.

“It’s just giving back,” Vanek said. “I’m at the stage in my career where I have three boys myself and I’m getting more involved in youth hockey. Just being part of this is just another step of giving back again and giving youngsters the way I was taught.”

Vanek has a player’s full attention as he demonstrates a drill. (MHM Photo / Jeff Wegge)

Within that curriculum, the main emphasis is teaching youth players the right fundamental skills early and correcting mistakes immediately. If a skater is doing something wrong, the coaches stop them and fix the mistake, setting them up early for success.

According to General Manager and Hockey Director at The LumberYard, Lee Erickson, that philosophy is a direct result of the type of player and person Vanek is.

“It’s important…in what his beliefs are, in teaching the fundamentals when you’re super young and being very diligent about that,” Erickson said. “Stopping them if they do it wrong and making sure they get off to a good start.”

For Vanek, that instruction largely came from his dad Zdenek, who played professional hockey in Austria. His father taught him the same way he hopes to teach the youth players in his longtime hometown, Stillwater — something he considers to be extra special.

While the youth players will certainly reap the benefits of the program, Vanek knows he’ll earn his own rewards from the experience.

“It’s fun, especially if you do it over a period of time,” Vanek said. “As long as they’re all having fun that’s the point of it. At the end of it, when kids go out there and enjoy themselves and get better, I think that at the end of the year that’s what makes it worth it for any coach, to see the progress.”

The idea for the programs first came up about a year ago and when Vanek agreed to a contract with the Wild this offseason, talks about the program took a serious turn. Erickson said he wasn’t sure who came up with the initial idea, but what truly matters is that it is now a reality.

Vanek supervising a drill. (MHM Photo / Jeff Wegge)

“I just loved the idea of the small rink, skill development,” Vanek said. “It’s exactly how I feel, especially at a young age, kids should be starting hockey. It should be fun. It should be skill development. It shouldn’t be screaming, yelling and skating all the time. I just like the product of it.”

One day in, the impact is already noticeable.

“Just look at the excitement around the building and kids’ faces,” Erickson said. “If I’m telling a kid something or Thomas tells the kid something, we might be saying the exact same thing but the kid is for sure more excited to hear it from Thomas.

“Stillwater is pretty lucky. They have the biggest name in Minnesota sports and he wants to help their kids.”

The post Vanek Gives Back appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.