December 18, 2008
2008-09 CCHA Midseason Review

By James V. Dowd

SURPRISE TEAM

Alaska showed signs of a revival in during the second half of last season under coach Doc DelCastillo, but there were a lot of questions as to how much turbulence would be left in the wake of his sudden departure. The consensus in preseason coaches’ and media polls seemed to indicate Dallas Ferguson would have some trouble helping his team overcome the difficulties of a second coaching change in as many years. But despite the potential bumps, the Nanooks have been absolutely dominant defensively, ranking first in the nation by allowing just 1.25 goals per game.

The downside is that Alaska stands 48th nationally in scoring offense at just 2.12 goals for per game and needs to prove it can hang in there on a night that the defense struggles. If the Nanooks can generate enough offense to bail out goalies Chad Johnson and Scott Greenham on rare off nights, look for them to remain a serious contender for a top-four position in the league standings as the season winds down.

Notre Dame's Christian Hanson ranks third in the CCHA in scoring with 23 points.

SURPRISE INDIVIDUAL

Notre Dame senior forward Christian Hanson played a notable role on last year’s team that advanced to the national championship game, but he has really come into his own as an offensive force this season. Hanson has learned to use his 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame effectively, bulling his way to 13 goals and 10 assists in Notre Dame’s first 19 games — he's currently third in the CCHA scoring race — and playing a particularly key role in recent weeks as the Fighting Irish took over first place in the league standings.

WHAT HAPPENED TO ...

Michigan State has struggled mightily in the opening months of the season. The Spartans haven’t been able to find any rhythm, which explains why they haven’t won a game since Halloween weekend. Most of the blame falls on a hapless offense that has averaged just 1.61 goals per game. Jeff Lerg has been reliable as always between the pipes and freshman netminder Drew Palmisano has been strong in his five appearances, but it often goes to waste as the skaters can’t generate a solid transition or offensive pressure to keep the Spartans in the game. It won’t get easier for the Spartans — just this week, freshman forward Mike Merrifield was sent back to the USHL for the rest of the season, and junior Ryan Turek was dismissed from the team for not meeting “expectations for members of [MSU’s] program.”

BEST NEW FACE

Miami defenseman Chris Wideman stands out among a great class of newcomers that includes Alaska coach Dallas Ferguson and Notre Dame forward Billy Maday, among others. Wideman has been solid at both ends of the ice, notching 15 assists and compiling a plus-minus rating of +8. The knock on Wideman is that he’s just 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, but seeing how effective CCHA alums Duncan Keith and Matt Hunwick were in college and now in the NHL, Wideman’s trusty two-way instincts and top-notch passing abilities will serve him well as he builds muscle in the coming seasons.

BIGGEST UPSET

Michigan traveled to Minnesota to start the College Hockey Showcase having scored a total of one goal in two losses at Miami the previous weekend. The Gophers, meanwhile, were fresh off their first loss after starting the season with an 11-game unbeaten streak. And while it wasn't a shock that the Wolverines won at Mariucci Arena, the manner in which they did was. Michigan scored four goals in the game's first 24 minutes en route to a surprisingly comfortable 6-3 win at Minnesota.

TOUGHEST ROAD OUT

Miami won’t be happy to have lost the CCHA’s top billing to Notre Dame for the time being, but the RedHawks have to be pleased with their first-half success. Minus a few key cogs from last season and breaking in a pair of freshman goalies, Miami has breezed through road sweeps at Notre Dame and Michigan State, and knocked off Michigan on consecutive nights in Oxford. Add in a split with Alaska, and the RedHawks have handled just about everything thrown their way.

TOUGHEST ROAD IN

The CCHA's second-leading scorer, Michigan's Aaron Palushaj also leads the league in assists with 17.

As bad as it's been for Michigan State, the road might get worse from here. After facing North Dakota and then Michigan or Michigan Tech in the Great Lakes Invitational, the Spartans meet Alaska, Miami, and Michigan in succession before traveling to Lake Superior State to close out the month of January. February isn’t much kinder, with Ferris State, Ohio State, and Bowling Green on the slate before the Green and White skate in a home-and-home series with Notre Dame to close out the regular season.

MUST-SEE WEEKENDS

Miami at Michigan, Jan. 9-10: It’ll be hard for the Wolverines to make a run at the conference regular-season title — or even stay in the top four of the league standings, for that matter — if they are swept by the RedHawks as was the case in Oxford in November.

Nebraska-Omaha at Alaska, Jan. 16-17: Another series which will likely go a long way in deciding the league’s top four. The Nanooks-Mavericks matchup in Omaha earlier this month produced just two goals in 130 minutes of hockey, showing just how closely matched these two teams are as they fight for a first-round bye.

BIGGEST QUESTION ANSWERED

Can the Jeffs [Lerg and Petry] put Michigan State on their collective back and keep the Spartans in the league’s top four despite so many important graduations and defections this summer? Put simply, no. No disrespect to either Jeff — both goaltender Lerg and defenseman Petry have performed admirably during the first half of the season, helping to keep games respectable — but without any semblance of offense, asking these two to win games on their own is far too much.

BIGGEST QUESTION REMAINING

Can Miami maintain its current pace, or will the freshman goaltenders wear down as the season progresses? It’s more than just puck luck that has kept the RedHawks in the race thus far — this team is doing everything right. While goaltenders Connor Knapp and Cody Reichard are freshmen, the fact is that they’ve both stayed strong thus far and they’re only counted on to win one game every weekend should help keep these guys in top form. But only time will tell if they're the real deal when it comes to a title chase.