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December 20, 2010

The best and worst of the WCHA at the midway point

By Shane Frederick Free Press Staff Writer

— For all but two teams the Western Collegiate Hockey Association season is half over. As the teams and players (except those bound for the World Junior Championships) take a break, it’s time to take a look at the first three months of the season.

Last week, we handed out The Free Press’ midseason awards for Minnesota State. So here is the best (and not so best) of the WCHA so far:

Best team: North Dakota. The Sioux are sitting in first place after one of their best first-half starts under coach Dave Hakstol. Traditionally, North Dakota is a strong closer, so WCHA teams better beware in January and February. The Sioux are the deepest team in the conference, if not the country, and are expected to get healthier after the holidays.

Best line: Minnesota Duluth’s law firm of Fontaine, Connolly and Connolly certainly has lived up to expectations this season, combining for 28 goals and 71 points in 18  games. Jack Connolly leads the way with 25 points, while Mike Connolly (no relation) has 11 goals. He and Justin Fontaine each have 23 points.

Best player: When you score 17 goals in 20 games, especially in this era of college hockey, you’re doing something right. North Dakota senior Matt Frattin appears to have turned his life around after getting suspended for the first half of last season and has lifted his game to an MVP level this year. Both of Frattin’s goals against Minnesota State belong on highlight reels.

Best newcomer: The WCHA has some outstanding freshman forwards this season, with Denver’s Jason Zucker scoring 14 goals and Wisconsin’s Mark Zengerle assisting on 22 goals and scoring three more. But Colorado College’s Jaden Schwartz will take MVP votes away from Frattin and the UMD line. He leads the WCHA and is tied for second in the nation with 26 points.

Best coach: I’ll bet Nebraska-Omaha’s Dean Blais gets a lot of votes in this category, considering his Mavericks’ hot start and fourth-place position at the break. But George Gwozdecky has Denver two points out of first with a rookie goalie, Sam Brittain, and a lineup that lost a lot of studs to graduation and professional contracts after last season.

Biggest surprise: What has happened to St. Cloud State? Picked to finish second or third in the league by most league observers, the Huskies have won just one of their last nine games and find themselves in 11th place in the WCHA. Like last-place Michigan Tech, St. Cloud has two game in hand, but they’re just not getting the goaltending or goal scoring most people expected.

Repredicting the league: Here’s a second stab at how the conference standings will play out this season: 1. North Dakota, 2. Minnesota Duluth, 3. Denver, 4. Nebraska-Omaha, 5. Colorado College, 6. Wisconsin, 7. Minnesota, 8. Minnesota State, 9. Bemidji State, 10. St. Cloud State, 11. Alaska-Anchorage, 12. Michigan Tech.



Shane Frederick is a Free Press staff writer. Read his blog at mankatofreepresshockey.blogspot.com.

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