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<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="http://community.sportsbubbler.com/utility/FeedStylesheets/rss.xsl" media="screen"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"><channel><title>Hockey</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/284.aspx</link><description>Frozen Four? Drop the Puck in here.</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><generator>CommunityServer 2007 (Debug Build: 20423.869)</generator><item><title>Tiresome</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/894891.aspx</link><pubDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:14:46 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:894891</guid><dc:creator>puddyellow</dc:creator><slash:comments>6</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/894891.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=894891</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;I can take a split with the Gophers.&amp;nbsp; That&amp;#39;s not the problem.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But the stellar play one night giving way to sloppy the next is akin to the worst days of Sauer.&amp;nbsp; We may have outshot them and their goalie had an excellent game, but there was no reason for some of the lapses that staked them to their 3-0 lead.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They have it in them to finish the job (last week v. UNH).&amp;nbsp; But they also have it in them to donate games to lesser competition...and the Gophers appear to be just that this year.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;rant over.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Bucky 6 UNH 1 Saturday Night</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/886722.aspx</link><pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:11:14 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:886722</guid><dc:creator>kegman</dc:creator><slash:comments>1</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/886722.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=886722</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;What happened?&amp;nbsp; Two offensive outbursts in one weekend?&amp;nbsp; I know New Hampshire wasn&amp;#39;t ranked but 10-2 over the weekend?&amp;nbsp; Where were just a couple of these goals in weeks past?&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Big Ten Hockey Conference</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/827928.aspx</link><pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:25:15 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:827928</guid><dc:creator>jimmythegreek</dc:creator><slash:comments>7</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/827928.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=827928</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;I pulled this little nugget off of a college hockey blog today.&amp;nbsp; I think this is a bad idea for the future of college pucks, but it looks like the Big Ten Network is pushing for this and it may happen.&amp;nbsp; too much at stake for the smaller D1 programs&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;There was serious talk in college hockey circles that Penn State, a Big Ten member school, would make a decision to field a Division I team in May of this year. Obviously, that didn’t happen — but the talk was loud enough for anyone who knew the situation to hear it, and it’s still a strong possibility. The addition of Penn State would bring to six the number of Big Ten teams playing college hockey, six being the magic number to force the Big Ten member schools to vote on a Big Ten hockey conference.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;There is pressure by the Big Ten Network for the current Big Ten member schools with Division I hockey programs — Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State and Wisconsin — to play each other more regularly, so that the network can show the games and make more money. There’s even talk of having some sort of Big Ten hockey hardware, some sort of trophy for the member teams, which would require that each plays each other, every season.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;In theory, more Big Ten hockey play has some merit; the name recognition of the schools involved could heighten the profile of college hockey. The scheduling, however, is difficult for all of the Big Ten schools involved, given their current conference obligations and the number of teams playing.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;While heightening the profile of the sport through Big Ten Network exposure is something that may help all of college hockey, don’t think for a minute that the Big Ten Network — or the Big Ten, for that matter — gives a fig about anything other than its own bottom line. Go to the Big Ten Network’s Web site and find a press release dated Dec. 20, 2006, the release that talks about the Network’s offices and studios in Chicago. Accompanying the release is a photo of five executives, each holding athletic equipment: a soccer ball, a volleyball, a football, a basketball and a baseball glove. There is no hockey puck, no stick, no mask — natural, perhaps, because there is as yet no Big Ten hockey conference, but so metaphoric in terms of the sport we college hockey fans love.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;There is no Big Ten hockey conference — yet. Make no mistake about how the Big Ten Network plays in this. While college athletics should be about student-athletes, and everyone involved in college athletics knows people — coaches, administrators, faculty — that do their best to make sure that college athletics is about student-athletes, it’s all about money, plain and simple, to the people who can profit from it, and the Big Ten Network would make much more money from a Big Ten hockey conference than it possibly can from two WCHA teams and three CCHA teams whose schools are otherwise affiliated with the Big Ten and who occasionally play each other.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;And were the Big Ten to force its league on two current WCHA and three current CCHA members, the results would be detrimental to all of college hockey, make no mistake about that. For the two leagues where there are already haves and have-nots because of the differences in the make-ups of the schools, think of what would happen if the haves depart. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>FRIDAY NIGHT: BUCKY 4 UNH 1</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/885794.aspx</link><pubDate>Sat, 31 Oct 2009 03:45:41 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:885794</guid><dc:creator>kegman</dc:creator><slash:comments>0</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/885794.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=885794</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;Hopefully somebody finds a way to keep Bucky in the Saturday Night Game.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>BUCKY 6 MN STATE 0 </title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/881383.aspx</link><pubDate>Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:19:33 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:881383</guid><dc:creator>kegman</dc:creator><slash:comments>1</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/881383.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=881383</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;Tourism Federation of Wisconsin, where did that offense come from?&amp;nbsp; Anybody see it?&amp;nbsp; Was it that good?&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>BUCKY v. COLORADO COLLEGE HOCKEY SATURDAY NIGHT</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/876708.aspx</link><pubDate>Sun, 18 Oct 2009 02:04:49 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:876708</guid><dc:creator>kegman</dc:creator><slash:comments>3</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/876708.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=876708</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://all-access.cbssports.com/player.html?code=wis"&gt;http://all-access.cbssports.com/player.html?code=wis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;Bucky Hockey Audio for Saturday against Colorado College is on the above link.&amp;nbsp; Just got on, don&amp;#39;t know the score.&amp;nbsp; Just announced 1-1.&amp;nbsp; 2 minutes.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>BUCKY v. COLORADO COLLEGE GAME DAY</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/876079.aspx</link><pubDate>Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:42:26 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:876079</guid><dc:creator>kegman</dc:creator><slash:comments>6</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/876079.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=876079</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;In the words of my sister:&amp;nbsp; &amp;quot;Woo! Hoo!&amp;quot;&amp;nbsp; It&amp;#39;s hockey season. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Bucky up 1-0 at end of first.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>WCHA Preview</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/871055.aspx</link><pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:08:55 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:871055</guid><dc:creator>jimmythegreek</dc:creator><slash:comments>1</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/871055.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=871055</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;Pivotal season for Eaves.&amp;nbsp; This team has too much talent not to challenge for the league title and make a run at the National Championship&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;2009-10 WCHA Season Preview&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class="byline"&gt;by &lt;b&gt;Theresa Spisak&lt;/b&gt;/WCHA Correspondent &lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Oct. 9&lt;/b&gt; — What do we say about last year’s WCHA season to try to recap it?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Do we talk about the ridiculous parity, and how it came down to the final night of play to determine the standings, only narrowly avoiding using a plethora of tiebreaking procedures that would be enough to make anyone cry?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Do we talk about how North Dakota once again surged to capture its 11th MacNaughton Cup? Or do we talk about Minnesota-Duluth and how it became the first team to win three games at the Final Five to capture the Broadmoor Trophy?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Or maybe, do we mention how last year was the first time in a decade a WCHA team failed to make the Frozen Four, perhaps signaling the end of an era of dominance?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style="WIDTH:302px;" class="boxleft"&gt;&lt;img class="boxjpg" alt="Rhett Rakhshani is an offensive force for Denver, the consensus favorite to win the WCHA (photo: Candace Horgan)." src="http://www.uscho.com/images/colorscans/20082009/du_r_rakhshani.jpg" width="300" height="200" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div class="caption"&gt;Rhett Rakhshani is an offensive force for Denver, the consensus favorite to win the WCHA (photo: Candace Horgan).&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We talk about all of these things, as well as the fact this year will be the last year of the WCHA as we know it, as the league gains two more teams next year — the Bemidji State Beavers and the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This season, however? Look back to point No. 1 above about the parity, as all signs point to more of the same this year. Spots six through nine could be interchangeable and probably will end up being so by the time March rolls around. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Strap in folks, it’s going to be one heck of a ride. &lt;i&gt;Again.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Please click on each team’s name for more detailed analysis.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.uscho.com/m/?team=du&amp;amp;data=season_preview&amp;amp;pseason=20092010"&gt;Denver&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Coach:&lt;/b&gt; George Gwozdecky&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2008-09 record:&lt;/b&gt; 23-12-5, 16-8-4 WCHA (36 points, second of 10 teams)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key returners:&lt;/b&gt; Marc Cheverie, G; Rhett Rakhshani, F; Patrick Wiercioch, D&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key losses:&lt;/b&gt; Tyler Bozak, F; Patrick Mullen, D/F; J.P. Testwuide, D&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2009-10 predicted finish:&lt;/b&gt; Me, 1st. Media, 1st. Coaches, 1st.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bottom line:&lt;/b&gt; The Pioneers have senior depth and no visible question marks except for one — can they survive the pressure of being tabbed No. 1? Remember, CC didn’t seem to have any visible question marks last year, either …&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.uscho.com/m/?team=uw&amp;amp;data=season_preview&amp;amp;pseason=20092010"&gt;Wisconsin&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Coach:&lt;/b&gt; Mike Eaves&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2008-09 record:&lt;/b&gt; 17-15-4, 14-11-3 WCHA (28 points, t-third of 10 teams)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key returners:&lt;/b&gt; Ryan McDonagh, D; Derek Stepan, F; Ben Street, F&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key losses:&lt;/b&gt; Shane Connelly, G; Tom Gorowsky, F; Jamie McBain, D&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2009-10 predicted finish:&lt;/b&gt; Me, 2nd. Media, 3rd. Coaches, 3rd.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bottom line:&lt;/b&gt; The Badgers have a bit of a question as to who’s going to step up in net, but it’s Wisconsin — it’s known for cranking out good goalies. In any case, expect to see them fighting it out for the top spot in the league.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.uscho.com/m/?team=und&amp;amp;data=season_preview&amp;amp;pseason=20092010"&gt;North Dakota&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Coach:&lt;/b&gt; Dave Hakstol&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2008-09 record:&lt;/b&gt; 22-12-4, 17-7-4 WCHA (38 points, first of 10 teams)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key returners:&lt;/b&gt; Brad Eidsness, G; Chay Genoway, D; Chris VandeVelde, F&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key losses:&lt;/b&gt; Ryan Duncan, F; Joe Finley, D; Andrew Kozek, F; Brad Miller, D/F&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2009-10 predicted finish:&lt;/b&gt; Me, 3rd. Media, 2nd. Coaches, 2nd.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bottom line:&lt;/b&gt; It may not look like the Sioux have many question marks, but Hakstol thinks otherwise. Regardless, his team will be in the thick of things come late February like always.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.uscho.com/m/?team=umn&amp;amp;data=season_preview&amp;amp;pseason=20092010"&gt;Minnesota&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Coach:&lt;/b&gt; Don Lucia&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2008-09 record:&lt;/b&gt; 15-12-7, 12-11-5 WCHA (29 points, fifth of 10 teams)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key returners:&lt;/b&gt; Jay Barriball, F; Cade Fairchild, D; Alex Kangas, G; Jordan Schroeder, F&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key losses:&lt;/b&gt; Ryan Stoa, F&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2009-10 predicted finish:&lt;/b&gt; Me, 4th. Media, 4th. Coaches, 4th.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bottom line:&lt;/b&gt; You’d think the Gophers would be higher up given they only really lost one key player and gained a lot by having Schroeder return … and they would be, if it only weren’t for the rest of the league.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.uscho.com/m/?team=scsu&amp;amp;data=season_preview&amp;amp;pseason=20092010"&gt;St. Cloud State&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Coach:&lt;/b&gt; Bob Motzko&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2008-09 record:&lt;/b&gt; 18-15-3, 13-13-2 WCHA (28 points, sixth of 10 teams)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key returners:&lt;/b&gt; Ryan Lasch, F; Garrett Raboin, D; Garrett Roe, F&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key losses:&lt;/b&gt; John Swanson, F; Jase Weslosky, G&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2009-10 predicted finish:&lt;/b&gt; Me, 5th. Media, 5th. Coaches, 5th.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bottom line:&lt;/b&gt; Losing Weslosky will hurt the Huskies unless junior Dan Dunn (or someone else) steps up. What will help the most, however, is finally finding consistency — particularly on the special teams — throughout the entire season.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.uscho.com/m/?team=mnst&amp;amp;data=season_preview&amp;amp;pseason=20092010"&gt;Minnesota State&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Coach:&lt;/b&gt; Troy Jutting&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2008-09 record:&lt;/b&gt; 15-15-6, 11-13-4 WCHA (26 points, eighth of 10 teams)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key returners:&lt;/b&gt; Kurt Davis, D; Geoff Irwin, F; Kael Mouillierat, F&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key losses:&lt;/b&gt; Mick Berge, F; Dan Tormey, G; Mike Zacharias, G&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2009-10 predicted finish:&lt;/b&gt; Me, 6th. Media, 8th. Coaches, 7th.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bottom line:&lt;/b&gt; The Mavericks are returning a lot of upperclassmen which will help them through their growing pains of finding a new goaltender. They might be in the hunt for home ice by the end, though they probably won’t be far out of the muddled middle.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.uscho.com/m/?team=uaa&amp;amp;data=season_preview&amp;amp;pseason=20092010"&gt;Alaska Anchorage&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Coach:&lt;/b&gt; Dave Shyiak&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2008-09 record:&lt;/b&gt; 14-15-5, 9-14-5 WCHA (23 points, ninth of 10 teams)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key returners:&lt;/b&gt; Bryce Christianson, G; Kevin Clark, F; Tommy Grant, F; Jon Olthius, G&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key losses:&lt;/b&gt; Paul Crowder, F; Mat Robinson, D&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2009-10 predicted finish:&lt;/b&gt; Me, 7th. Media, 9th. Coaches, 9th.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bottom line:&lt;/b&gt; Shyiak’s been doing good things with the Seawolves — they were in the thick of things right until the end — and I see no reason why this year shouldn’t be a continuation of the same. If they end up near the bottom again, see my reasoning on why Minnesota isn’t higher.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.uscho.com/m/?team=cc&amp;amp;data=season_preview&amp;amp;pseason=20092010"&gt;Colorado College&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Coach:&lt;/b&gt; Scott Owens&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2008-09 record:&lt;/b&gt; 16-10-10, 12-9-7 WCHA (31 points, t-third of 10 teams)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key returners:&lt;/b&gt; Gabe Guentzel, D; Nate Prosser, D; Bill Sweatt, F; Mike Testwuide, F&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key losses:&lt;/b&gt; Richard Bachman, G; Brian Connelly, D; Jake Gannon, D; Chad Rau, F; Eric Walsky, F&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2009-10 predicted finish:&lt;/b&gt; Me, 8th. Media, 7th. Coaches, 8th.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bottom line:&lt;/b&gt; The Tigers were probably hit the hardest in the summer due to early departures and graduation, dropping everyone’s expectations of them way down low. If Owens can draw on his few bright spots and find a goaltender, he may manage to surprise a few people along the way.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.uscho.com/m/?team=umd&amp;amp;data=season_preview&amp;amp;pseason=20092010"&gt;Minnesota-Duluth&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Coach:&lt;/b&gt; Scott Sandelin&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2008-09 record:&lt;/b&gt; 16-12-8, 10-11-7 WCHA (27 points, seventh of 10 teams)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key returners:&lt;/b&gt; Justin Fontaine, F; Mike Connolly, F; Jack Connolly, F&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key losses:&lt;/b&gt; Josh Meyers, D; MacGregor Sharp, F; Alex Stalock, G&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2009-10 predicted finish:&lt;/b&gt; Me, 9th. Media, 6th. Coaches, 6th.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bottom line:&lt;/b&gt; The Bulldogs do return three of their top five leading scorers, but they also lost a goaltender and a lot of leadership, losing nine total players from their Broadmoor Trophy-winning team. Still, if they can find a goalie to work out and fill their other holes, they could be in the fight for home ice at the end of the year as well.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.uscho.com/m/?team=mtu&amp;amp;data=season_preview&amp;amp;pseason=20092010"&gt;Michigan Tech&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Coach:&lt;/b&gt; Jamie Russell&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2008-09 record:&lt;/b&gt; 6-23-7, 2-19-7 WCHA (11 points, 10th of 10 teams)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key returners:&lt;/b&gt; Jordan Baker, F; Drew Dobson, D; Malcolm Gwilliam, F; Josh Robinson, G&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Key losses:&lt;/b&gt; Alex Gagne, F; Geoff Kinrade, D; Rob Nolan, G&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2009-10 predicted finish:&lt;/b&gt; Me, 10th. Media, 10th. Coaches, 10th.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bottom line:&lt;/b&gt; It’s undoubtedly going to be another long year for the Huskies. Russell seemingly does the best he can, but often times in the WCHA, that’s just not good enough. Avoiding the injury bug might help too, but there’s only so much control one has over that.&lt;img class="bug" alt="--" src="http://www.uscho.com/images/nav/bug.gif" width="8" height="8" /&gt; &lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Eaves Recruiting</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/786330.aspx</link><pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:40:37 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:786330</guid><dc:creator>jimmythegreek</dc:creator><slash:comments>1</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/786330.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=786330</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;I&amp;#39;m starting to worry about the state of Badger hockey.&amp;nbsp; Eaves got a free pass over the couple of years, however the way recruits are fleeing the program makes me scratch my head.&amp;nbsp; Found this bit in the Grand Forks Times.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;li&gt;And lastly, Wisconsin coach &lt;strong&gt;Mike Eaves&lt;/strong&gt; says that &lt;strong&gt;Chris Hickey &lt;/strong&gt;is transferring, &lt;strong&gt;Tom Bardis&lt;/strong&gt; has been cut from the team and recruit &lt;strong&gt;Tyler Barnes &lt;/strong&gt;will be delayed one year. It is not unusual for a team to lose a player or recruit here and there. But Wisconsin&amp;#39;s recent misfortunes are coming at an alarming rate. What&amp;#39;s even more strange is that UW is losing NHL picks, not just role players, who are usually the most likely to go. UW has lost eight players and five NHL picks in the last year, much of which can be attributed to over-recruiting. Here is the timeline of the casualties going back to last summer: &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;p&gt;July 2008 -- Patrick Wiercioch (second-round pick of Ottawa Senator) de-commits from Wisconsin to go to Denver.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;September 2008 -- Travis Erstad (fourth-round pick of St. Louis Blues) de-commits from Wisconsin to go to UW-Stevens Point.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;September 2008 -- Nick Pryor (seventh-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks) de-commits from Wisconsin to go to Maine.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;October 2008 -- Zach Bearson (seventh-round pick of Florida Panthers) is no longer on the Wisconsin roster.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;November 2008 -- Brock Montpetit de-commits from Wisconsin and won&amp;#39;t join his former Shattuck linemates there.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;March 2009 -- Goalie Aaron Crandall de-commits from Wisconsin to go to Minnesota-Duluth.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;July 2009 -- Chris Hickey (seventh-round pick of Minnesota Wild) decides to transfer rom Wisconsin.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;July 2009 -- Tom Bardis, who transferred from St. Lawrence two years earlier, is cut from the team.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>WCHA Expansion</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/785332.aspx</link><pubDate>Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:11:58 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:785332</guid><dc:creator>jimmythegreek</dc:creator><slash:comments>0</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/785332.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=785332</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;This kind of flew under the radar during the holidays, but the WCHA added Bemidji State from the CHA and Nebraska-Omaha from the CCHA.&amp;nbsp; I&amp;#39;m not sure this will have a major impact on Wisconsin outside of the loss of a couple of non-conference games.&amp;nbsp; I do think it was a must for college hockey in order to preserve some of the smaller D1 programs.&amp;nbsp; The disolution of the CHA was inevitible and it&amp;#39;s good to see the WCHA step up and do what is right.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The addition of UNO is really good for the conf.&amp;nbsp; Geographically they are a good fit.&amp;nbsp; A metro market of 1mil plus and they play in the 14K seat qwest arena.&amp;nbsp; Trev Alberts is the AD and former Sue coach Dean Blais was just announced as the head coach.&amp;nbsp; It looks like they are making a serious committment to being competitive.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Badger Hockey in Camp Randall?</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/779767.aspx</link><pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:31:29 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:779767</guid><dc:creator>Jim Ganzer</dc:creator><slash:comments>0</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/779767.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=779767</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;How about the Badgers taking on Michigan in Camp Randall!?!? Awesome &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>2009 Recruiting Class</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/716846.aspx</link><pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2009 06:16:02 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:716846</guid><dc:creator>jimmythegreek</dc:creator><slash:comments>1</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/716846.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=716846</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;This is a very solid group coming in.&amp;nbsp; My father in law follows the BCHL pretty closely and both the canadian players are league mvp type.&amp;nbsp; Having some depth/option along with Gundmanson will help between the pipes.&amp;nbsp; If we can ratchet up the offense in 09/10, the badgers should be able to compete for a championship.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As expected, goaltender Brett Bennett and defenseman John Ramage have signed&amp;nbsp;with the Wisconsin Badgers men&amp;#39;s hockey team for 2009-10.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;Bennett, a 21-year-old transfer from Boston University by way of Indiana of the U.S. Hockey League, is expected to come in and challenge incumbent Scott Gudmandson for&amp;nbsp;the starting role.&amp;nbsp;Bennett, a first-team all-USHL pick, will have two years of eligibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;The 18-year-old Ramage, currently with the U.S. National Team Developmental Program,&amp;nbsp;will&amp;nbsp;bring a stay-at-home mentality and add depth to a veteran&amp;nbsp;blue-line corps.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;Bennett and Ramage give UW seven recruits for next season, joining defenseman Justin Schultz (Westside, British Columbia Hockey League), winger Tyler Barnes (Waterloo, USHL), winger Craig Smith (Waterloo, USHL), center Keegan Meuer (Waterloo, USHL) and center Derek Lee (Victoria, BCHL) who signed last November.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>FROZEN FOUR</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/710725.aspx</link><pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2009 01:13:12 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:710725</guid><dc:creator>kegman</dc:creator><slash:comments>4</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/710725.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=710725</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;OK, Bemidji&amp;#39;s out.&amp;nbsp; Too damn bad.&amp;nbsp; It was a great story.&amp;nbsp; Too bad it couldn&amp;#39;t continue.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>SO DOES WISCONSIN HAVE A CHANCE TO GET INTO THE NCAAS?</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/695049.aspx</link><pubDate>Sat, 21 Mar 2009 21:30:29 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:695049</guid><dc:creator>kegman</dc:creator><slash:comments>14</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/695049.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=695049</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;I know they are frustrating.&amp;nbsp; But when they turn it on their pretty good.&amp;nbsp; If they sneak in, I would not want to play them.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Women's Frozen Four</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/694278.aspx</link><pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2009 22:15:54 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:694278</guid><dc:creator>jimmythegreek</dc:creator><slash:comments>7</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/694278.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=694278</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;FWIW, up 3 - 0 late in the 2nd periond of the semis.&amp;nbsp; Here&amp;#39;s a link&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://all-access.cbssports.com/player.html?code=ncaa&amp;amp;media=110151"&gt;http://all-access.cbssports.com/player.html?code=ncaa&amp;amp;media=110151&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>WCHA final 5</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/691130.aspx</link><pubDate>Mon, 16 Mar 2009 05:38:45 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:691130</guid><dc:creator>jimmythegreek</dc:creator><slash:comments>30</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/691130.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=691130</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;Well, the good news is that we get Denver.&amp;nbsp; Badgers are perfect against DU in the post season, so hopefully this will hold.&amp;nbsp; Any slight chance of bucky getting a back door bid to the NCAA&amp;#39;s pretty much was slammed shut today with N Mich upset over Mia Oh.&amp;nbsp; That pulled NMU back into the TUC, so Bucky needs to win out or they&amp;#39;re done.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>BUCKY WEBCAST AGAIN ON SATURDAY!</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/690325.aspx</link><pubDate>Sun, 15 Mar 2009 00:14:59 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:690325</guid><dc:creator>kegman</dc:creator><slash:comments>3</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/690325.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=690325</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;Same as yesterday:&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://uwbadgers.com/"&gt;http://uwbadgers.com&lt;/a&gt; look to the right.&amp;nbsp; Click on Broadcast and then men&amp;#39;s hockey video.&amp;nbsp; Voila it appears on Windows Media Player&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>BUCKY WEBCAST ON http://uwbadgers.com</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/689819.aspx</link><pubDate>Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:24:16 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:689819</guid><dc:creator>kegman</dc:creator><slash:comments>8</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/689819.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=689819</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;Bucky webcast on on &lt;a href="http://www.uwbadgers.com/"&gt;http://www.uwbadgers.com&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Look to the right of the website.&amp;nbsp; Click on Broadcast and then click on video.&amp;nbsp; It appears on Windows Media Player.&amp;nbsp; It&amp;#39;s pretty good quality.&amp;nbsp; I&amp;#39;m WiFi on only a decent modem.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It&amp;#39;s a bleepin Miracle!!!!!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Why wasn&amp;#39;t this going on all year?!!????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Guts wanted...</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/679907.aspx</link><pubDate>Sat, 28 Feb 2009 04:53:37 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:679907</guid><dc:creator>stix</dc:creator><slash:comments>11</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/679907.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=679907</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;How many late leads can one team blow?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This is the most gutless, heartless Wisconsin hockey team I&amp;#39;ve ever watched. What a joke. Tonight did it. That was the season. I probably won&amp;#39;t watch or listen to another game.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Too frustrating. But I&amp;#39;m sure Eaves will have some positive spin on this one, when he should be kicking his team in the a** like any coach with a pair would.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>TOURNEY TIME!</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/686843.aspx</link><pubDate>Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:00:13 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:686843</guid><dc:creator>kegman</dc:creator><slash:comments>5</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/686843.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=686843</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;Wisconsin ends the season ranked:&amp;nbsp; INCH Power Rankings = 18 (moved up 2); USA Today / USA Hockey Magazing Poll =&amp;nbsp;New Rankings not out yet; &amp;nbsp;USCHO CBS = New Rankings not out yet.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;WCHA # 3 Wisconsin hosts WCHA # 8 Minnesota State for a best of 3 this coming weekend.&amp;nbsp; If Wisconsin wins the best of 3, it is ranked 3rd for the WCHA Final 5 tourney and will get a first round bye.&amp;nbsp; Wisconsin only visited Minnesota State this year.&amp;nbsp; Bucky was beaten in overtime and ended tied in overtime.&amp;nbsp; This should be a close series.&amp;nbsp; Personally, I think Bucky needs to win on Friday, and had better win on Saturday.&amp;nbsp; A Bucky sweep will increase Wisconsin&amp;#39;s stock to the national tournament selectors.&amp;nbsp; However, I still Wisconsin has to make it to the championship game and probably has to win it to ensure entrance into the tourney.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On March 3, 2009, INCH did not project Wisconsin to make the National Tournament.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It is what it is.&amp;nbsp; But the beauty of a tournament is that for the most part, a couple of fat rich bastards drinking champagne (and not the high life kind) with their pinkies stuck out don&amp;#39;t get to choose the national champion.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Go Badgers!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>NORTH DAKOTA - THE LAST WEEKEND - MAKE OR BREAK</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/684099.aspx</link><pubDate>Thu, 05 Mar 2009 23:32:44 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:684099</guid><dc:creator>kegman</dc:creator><slash:comments>2</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/684099.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=684099</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;Wisconsin Hockey Rankings:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;INCH: &amp;nbsp;# 20 dropped 6 places.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;USA Today / USA Hockey Magazine:&amp;nbsp; Not ranked.&amp;nbsp; Didn&amp;#39;t receive a vote.&amp;nbsp; [Rankings only go 1-15.]&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;USCHO / CBS:&amp;nbsp; # 19.&amp;nbsp; Dropped 3 places.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Somehow Wisconsin remains 4th in the WCHA.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;MN is 2pts back in the standings and plays MI Tech.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;St. Cloud State is 2 back and plays MN State.&amp;nbsp; UMD is 2 back and hosts Alaska Anchorage.&amp;nbsp; Nothing is a given, but I expect MN and UMD to sweep and earn 4 points.&amp;nbsp; I think Wisconsin needs to sweep North Dakota to keep 4th place or possibly advance to 3rd place.&amp;nbsp; {Colorado College in 3rd place plays Denver once.&amp;nbsp; If Wisconsin sweeps it will overtake Colorado College.}&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Although, it&amp;#39;s probably already broken, I&amp;#39;m hoping for a convincing sweep this weekend.&amp;nbsp; I think a convincing sweep this weekend would do wonders towards getting Wisconsin into the National Championship Tournament.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If they don&amp;#39;t win Friday, i say start the backup goalie Saturday.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>My thoughts on Wisconsin's Hockey Shortcomings</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/679241.aspx</link><pubDate>Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:11:11 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:679241</guid><dc:creator>kegman</dc:creator><slash:comments>1</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/679241.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=679241</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;I think Bucky&amp;#39;s hockey problems are these:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A SCORING THREAT:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; I readily acknowledge that I haven&amp;#39;t seen every game; however, when I have been lucky enough to watch Wisconsin, I haven&amp;#39;t seen anybody rise to the level of a consistent scoring threat that would require extra efforts by an opponent.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PRESSURE OFFENSE:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; See above.&amp;nbsp; I know Wisconsin has outshot many teams.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; However in the games I have been able to watch, I haven&amp;#39;t seen many high quality scoring opportunities.&amp;nbsp; It seems Wisconsin puts it on net, rushes the net, and tries to pound it in.&amp;nbsp; &amp;quot;Not that there&amp;#39;s anything wrong with that,&amp;quot; but it would be nice to see some pressure offense that leads to open shots from the slot.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;INCONSISTENT PLAY:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; All facets.&amp;nbsp; Again, in most games I&amp;#39;ve watched - not counting the last Denver series - I thought Wisconsin played inspired and good hockey for large portions of games - only to have lapses in all phases that cost Bucky dearly.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;DEFENSIVE LAPSES:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; Even when Wisconsin is on its &amp;quot;A&amp;quot; game, there appear to be huge defensive lapses both in coverage assignments and in clearing the defensive zone.&amp;nbsp; I&amp;#39;ve observed far too many lapses resulting in high quality shots on goal, and unfortunately many have resulted in more than just shots.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;INCONSISTENT GOALTENDING:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; Connelly has had unbelievable games.&amp;nbsp; However, it doesn&amp;#39;t seem like he commands the crease and slot in front or control rebounds as well as his predecessors.&amp;nbsp; It&amp;#39;s too bad Wisconsin&amp;#39;s guru goalie coach retired or left.&amp;nbsp; We could use him now.&amp;nbsp; I know Connelly is getting a lot of heat - and deservedly so, but I think many of his problems stem from 3 &amp;amp; 4 above.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I think #s 1 &amp;amp; 5 could turn around at any time as they deal with individual performances and perhaps slumps.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;However, #s 2 - 4 I don&amp;#39;t think can get corrected this late in the season.&amp;nbsp; Hopefully, I&amp;#39;m wrong.&amp;nbsp; Because if I&amp;#39;m not Bucky&amp;#39;s playoff life will be very short if Bucky gets any life at all.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Totally embarrassed...</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/676205.aspx</link><pubDate>Sun, 22 Feb 2009 03:42:06 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:676205</guid><dc:creator>stix</dc:creator><slash:comments>4</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/676205.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=676205</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;To be a Badger hockey fan.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Mike Eaves has taken this program and reduced it to mediocrity. The national championship is nothing more than a fluke, won only because the Badgers had the best goalie in the country. That&amp;#39;s it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Other than that season, the Badgers have reached 0 Frozen Fours under Eaves. Including that season, they&amp;#39;ve won 0 WCHA regular-season titles, 0 WCHA Tournament titles and have reached 0 Final Five championship games. Consistently, they find themselves in the middle of the pack in the WCHA by this point in the season. Yet they always have a top recruiting class, are always loaded with NHL draft picks. Eaves can kiss my a**. This program should be held to a far higher standard than finishing 4th to 6th in the WCHA EVERY season. This weekend was a total embarrassment and an abomination, and tonight it extended to the Badgers&amp;#39; total lack of sportsmanship as well.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I played hockey for 15 years, and the biggest chickens*** thing you can ever do is start fighting and taking cheap shots when you&amp;#39;re getting your a**es kicked. Under Eaves, the Badgers consistently exhibit this type of behavior. In the blowout Saturday night loss to Minnesota at home earlier this season, they did nothing in the third period but fight and take cheap shots. That&amp;#39;s bulls***. If you want to be aggressive and physical, then do it from the start. Do it while you&amp;#39;re still in the game, not for revenge cause you&amp;#39;re getting buried. If I was Denver, I would&amp;#39;ve refused to shake hands with the Badgers after the game. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As for John Mitchell, I don&amp;#39;t care if he&amp;#39;s the team&amp;#39;s leading goal scorer. His takeout of Rueggseger (or however you spell that guy&amp;#39;s name) was a total hack maneuver. Just classles and despicable. Take a stand Eaves. Mitchell&amp;#39;s done for the year. You don&amp;#39;t do that crap, ever, to anyone. Mitchell&amp;#39;s lucky he got kicked out of the game, or the Pioneers would&amp;#39;ve ripped his head off. And given the fact that he&amp;#39;s a pu**y, just like the rest of his teammates, I&amp;#39;m sure there&amp;#39;s nothing he could&amp;#39;ve done about it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Two more things: Connelly sucks, and McBain should never be mentioned in the Hobey Baker discussion ever again. He&amp;#39;s an atrocious defenseman. His offense isn&amp;#39;t worth the tons of mistakes he makes on defense. He did it last night in OT, just stood there and watched Denver score a goal, and he did it tonight when Rakhshani made that nice move, and McBain just sat there and watched him walk in on Connelly. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This team is done. The season is over. It doesn&amp;#39;t matter what they do from here on out. They have NO chance of getting high enough in the PWR. None. Their only chance is to get the automatic bid by winning the conference tourney, which will never happen. They probably won&amp;#39;t even get home ice in the first round, and even if they do, a Mike Eaves-coached team could never navigate through the Final Five.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It&amp;#39;s all over. I wanna see Mark Johnson coaching this team in 2009-10. Pull the trigger, Alvarez. Eaves sucks, and his players are thugs.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>UW vs DU television</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/674883.aspx</link><pubDate>Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:58:37 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:674883</guid><dc:creator>jimmythegreek</dc:creator><slash:comments>8</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/674883.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=674883</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;Looks like both games versus Denver this weekend will be televised. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Friday night NHL network (Directv 215)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Saturday night Fox Sports Rocky Mountain (Directv 683)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Bookend those games with hoops at IU and MSU and it makes for a pretty good weekend of badger sports viewing.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Weekend Sweep</title><link>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/667455.aspx</link><pubDate>Sun, 08 Feb 2009 03:36:19 GMT</pubDate><guid isPermaLink="false">710e9f71-a715-4db8-b7a1-5cdd760ce611:667455</guid><dc:creator>princeofpower</dc:creator><slash:comments>11</slash:comments><comments>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/thread/667455.aspx</comments><wfw:commentRss>http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/commentrss.aspx?SectionID=284&amp;PostID=667455</wfw:commentRss><description>&lt;p&gt;Nice sweep by UW deffeating Minnesota&lt;/p&gt;</description></item></channel></rss>