Friday morning reading

Since the newest NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement has been signed, early pro signings have increased and the average age of players committing to college programs has decreased.

I think those are the two biggest factors in seeing some of college hockey's tradition powers hit bumpy patches in the road.

That's the main subject of today's story. It is timely because the two teams playing in this weekend's marquee matchup -- UND and Denver -- have both been hit heavy by early signings, but both have managed to stay near the top all the while.

I believe that they have done a better job of managing their recruiting pipelines than many of the other top schools, which have gone through rough patches. That's not to say that UND and DU will be immune to rough spots, but four/five years after the early signing and early recruiting trends picked up, UND and Denver appear to have done the best consistently.

I'll also throw out Michigan as a school that has had major losses but managed to stay near the top. Miami has been consistent, but the RedHawks haven't lost as many players as the other top schools.

Anyways, on to the weekend series...

Injuries are the big talker this weekend. We know that Chay Genoway is not going to play. He stayed back in Grand Forks. As of Thursday morning, Denver coach George Gwozdecky said that neither Marc Cheverie nor Patrick Wiercioch had been cleared to fully practice. They have been skating during the week, though. Once cleared, it is in the coaches' hands. But as of Thursday morning, they had not been cleared.

In the hard copy version of the Herald, there's a short Q&A with Jason Gregoire. He was critical of his production early in the season, saying it's not what he expected. He also said not to be surprised if he's not on Chris VandeVelde's line tonight. Gregoire said that a tiny shakeup could lead to a spark.

In the Denver Post, the Pioneer players say they look at UND as their biggest rival. "We hate them and they hate us," Brandon Vossberg says. The story also details the heated moments recently in the rivalry.

Around the WCHA....

Minnesota's defensive-corps will have a chance to prove itself against a dynamic Duluth team. Here's a series preview. The Strib writes about Brian Schack, who is being called upon with injuries. The Duluth News Tribune outlines Minnesota's struggles and also writes about defenseman Brady Lamb.

St. Cloud State will need to solve its Friday struggles against Wisconsin. The State Journal has a Q&A with Jordy Murray, the younger brother of former Sioux forward Brady Murray.

MSU-Mankato is going to Alaska this weekend to take on the Seawolves. It's a homecoming for Mankato's Eli Zuck, who grew up in Anchorage and later played at Shattuck. Here's a Q&A with Mav beat writer Shane Frederick.

Colorado College is hosting Bob Morris this weekend and the Gazette covers the Tigers' fast start in a year where they weren't supposed to be that good.

Michigan Tech is off this weekend.

Thanks to Chris Dilks coming up with another great quiz for this Friday. Can you name the leading scorer on each WCHA team for the past 10 seasons?

Lastly, I'll be traveling today, so don't be surprised if the comments are not updated for a lengthy period of time. Catch you on the live blog from Magness tonight.

Posted by: Schlossman on Friday, November 20 at 1:40 AM | Comments (7) | Permalink