The CCHA and WCHA seasons have officially started and it was a weekend full of both exciting home opener wins and a few disappointing lopsided losses. There were some standout performances by Devil prospects while others went without making much of a splash. All but one team began their regular seasons - The University of North Dakota had one last exhibition game and their regular season begins this weekend. Let's take a dive into the first week of regular season college hockey!
CCHA
|
Player |
Position |
Team |
Games Played |
Goals |
Assists |
Points |
PMIN |
|
Jon Merrill |
D |
University of Michigan |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Blake Coleman |
C |
Miami University |
2 |
3 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
|
Curtis Gedig |
D |
Ohio State |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Merrill is out with cracked vertebrae for several weeks. I will keep you updated as news on his injury surfaces. He is expected to miss up to six weeks.
Coleman had a great opening weekend with the Miami University Redhawks. He scored twice in the season opener against Colgate on October 12 and was named the first star of the game. The Redhawks won the game 3-0.
On Saturday, Coleman tallied another goal and an assist in Miami's 5-1 win against Colgate. It was a very impressive start to the season for the sophomore.
Coleman was named the CCHA Offensive Player of the Week after scoring multiple points in consecutive games for the first time in his college career. Hopefully this is just the beginning of an awesome season. John wrote a full report on him yesterday - it's worth a read.
On a side note - Coleman is also featured in this You Can Play video with some of his teammates. It's a pretty cool spot that's worth a watch if you follow the You Can Play Team. You can watch it here.
The Ohio State Buckeyes went 1-1 this weekend. Gedig was kept off the score sheet in both games. On Friday, the Buckeyes lost 6-2 to Minnesota Deluth but they got their revenge on Saturday with a 3-2 win. Gedig is a solid defenseman with a simple game; he isn't known or expected to put up big numbers.
WCHA
|
Player |
Position |
Team |
Games Played |
Goals |
Assists |
Points |
PMIN |
|
Blake Pietila |
LW |
Michigan Tech |
2 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
|
Derek Rodwell |
LW |
University of North Dakota |
1* |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Seth Helgeson |
D |
University of Minnesota |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
Joe Faust |
D |
University of Wisconsin |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
Patrick Daly |
D |
St. Thomas |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
*Exhibition Game
Pietila looked great last weekend. Although the Huskies lost 4-2 to Lake Superior State, Pietila scored his first goal of the season. The following evening Michigan Tech was more successful. They dominated LSSU in an 8-4 win. Blake added another goal and an assist in that game good for three points on the weekend. He is just a sophomore, so it will be exciting to watch him grow as the season progresses.
In his second game back from a season ending injury last year, Rodwell was kept off the score sheet yet again. This was another exhibition game for UND, which they won 6-4 against the US Under-18 team. Their regular season begins this weekend.
The University of Minnesota went undefeated this weekend. They won both matches against Michigan State - 5-1 on Friday and 7-1 on Saturday. Minnesota is ranked #1, so expect to see great things from them. Helgeson wasn't seen much - his most notable production was being sent to the box for roughing. It seemed as though there was a four-man altercation as two men from each team were sent to the box five minutes into the game on Saturday.
Seth is going to have an important senior season with Minnesota, though. Helgeson was named an Alternate Captain of the Gophers for the 2012-2013 season. Head coach Don Lucia had nothing but positive words to say about Seth and the other two captains Zach Budish (Captain) and Nick Bjugstad (Alternate Captain),
"I am excited about all three of our captains. They are not only outstanding students, but they represent Gopher Hockey the right way on the ice and in the community. All three of them will be key players on our team in the upcoming season, and they are also some of the hardest workers we have."
It is exciting to see a prospect that is well respected as a player and person by his teammates and coaches. It shows his strong work ethic and leadership, which is expected in the Devils system.
Joe Faust and the University of Wisconsin went winless last weekend. They were defeated twice by North Michigan. On Friday, the Badgers lost 2-1 in their season opener. Faust was penalized for interference during the first period. The next evening Wisconsin lost again - 4-2 and Faust was kept off the score sheet yet again.
Patrick Daly:
I still have no update on Daly. I have an update on Daly! In Lou We Trust reader Bobby V contacted the Sports Information Director at St. Thomas, Gene McGivern who blogs about the men's hockey team from time to time. According to McGivern, Daly did not go out for the team this year - it seems he has lost interest in playing.
Totals:
|
Player |
Games Played |
Goals |
Assists |
Points |
PMIN |
|
Jon Merrill |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Blake Coleman |
2 |
3 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
|
Curtis Gedig |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Blake Pietila |
2
|
2 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
|
Derek Rodwell |
1* |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Seth Helgeson |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
Joe Faust |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
Patrick Daly |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
*Exhibition Game
The two Blake's - Coleman and Pietila stood out the most to me this week. Both got multiple points on the weekend and scored at least once in both games played. Hopefully a few more guys will make the score sheet this weekend. This coming weekend Blake Pietila and the Michigan Tech Huskies will face Seth Helgeson and the University of Minnesota Gophers. It will be interesting to see how they fare against each other. Who stood out to you the most this week? Is there anyone you are excited to see more of? Feel free to discuss!