The days when the NHL ignored American players are over judging from the 100 scouts in Buffalo this week for Saturday’s All-American Prospects Game on Saturday.
Western Michigan players received their CCHA tournament championship rings.
St. Cloud State added two defenseman recruits as did Michigan Tech and Miami.
From Colorado Springs Corp. …
It’s a tradition at the annual Sports Corp College Ice Hockey Face Off Luncheon that the two coaches, Frank Serratore of Air Force and Scott Owens of Colorado College, alternate going first and second with their presentations about the upcoming season.
Serratore will lead off this year at the Thursday, Oct. 4 Noon luncheon at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort, and though he may not reveal everything about his 2012-2013 Falcons, he has a team returning that should be another power to be reckoned with nationally.
Serratore enters his 16th season at Air Force with a 255-250-51 record at the Academy. He has an overall mark of 304-342-60 in 19 seasons as a college head coach.
Not only has Serratore turned the Falcon program around, he has turned it into a legitimate national contender with five conference championships and five NCAA appearances in the last six years.
National Collegiate Hockey Conference Commissioner Jim Scherr will open the program with a look at the new league that opens play in the 2013-2014 season. Scherr and his staff being assembled are in place in their new headquarters offices adjacent to the Sports Corp at the Copper Building on the grounds of El Pomar’s Penrose House.
Both squads open at home right after the lunch with exhibition games against the University of British Columbia. The Tigers face UBC at the Colorado Springs World Arena on Sunday, Oct. 7 at 6:07 p.m. and the Falcons host the Thunderbirds on Monday, Oct. 8 at the Cadet Ice Arena.
The two local foes get to know each other early this year, with Air Force hosting the Tigers on Friday night, October 19 at the Cadet Ice Arena. The teams play only once this season.
Both coaches have a lot to talk about related to tough schedules and their top returning players, mixed in with a few outstanding freshmen who will play.
The Tigers finished 18-16-2 last season (5th in the WCHA), while the Falcons went 21-11-7, won their conference title, then lost to eventual NCAA Champion Boston College, 2-0, in the regional.
It’s the final season for the Tigers in the WCHA, with CC entering the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) in the 2013-2014 season with Nebraska-Omaha, Denver, Miami (O), North Dakota, Minnesota-Duluth, St. Cloud State and Western Michigan.
TICKETS: $25.00 for Sports Corp Members and AFA or CC Booster Club Members with ID. $35.00 for all others.
TABLES (10 Seats): $250.00 for Sports Corp Members or AFA/CC Boosters; $350.00 for all others.
RESERVATIONS: Contact Cara Jorgensen at the Sports Corp (719) 634-7333, ext. 1007, or by e-mail: cara@thesportscorp.org
Former Tiger Tom Preissing, who played for EHCB last season, signed with Biel and went through a tryout with the German league team last weekend. I will update his status when I stumble across it. Thanks to Tim Matthewson for finding this article and to Google translate.
