Monday reading: INCH shuts down, PCHS’ Gross scores, 3 Things

Inside College Hockey, one of three national web sites covering college hockey, announced it is ceasing operations.

This is sad news though not surprising. Having three national sites devoted to only college hockey seemed like too much for what remains a niche sport in much of the country.

That said, I will miss it. I enjoyed their humorous approach to the game (I and others often take it far too seriously). Hopefully their writers will stay around the game as they promised and find opportunities to write for USCHO or the College Hockey News when they find the time.

Pine Creek High School graduate Taylor Gross, pictured, scored her first goal of the year for the Penn State women.

Here are Three Things Learned in the WCHA from this weekend.

Updated weekend reading: AHA preview, INCH Preseason Top 10, Schultz reportedly leaves school, Chad Rau, Prosser

New England Hockey Journal takes a look at Holy Cross and the rest of the Atlantic Hockey Association for the upcoming season including Air Force and Hockey East’s latest suitor: Connecticut (pictured).

Inside College Hockey got a jump on things with its preseason Top 10, led by Minnesota, Michigan and North Dakota.

With Cornell, Wisconsin and UMass-Lowell also on the list, Colorado College will play five of this top 10 this coming season, which is more than four months away.

Of course, summer defections to the pro ranks may affect this prediction quite a bit after July 1.

Speaking of which, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported Friday that Wisconsin’s Justin Schultz filed paperwork to leave school, though that remains unconfirmed as of 10 p.m. Mountain. Anaheim still has until July 1 to sign Schultz before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

This blogger put in a good effort trying to figure out which NHL organization may be most interested in the offensive defenseman.

Minnesota finds its No. 3 goalie. Pennsylvania continues to develop into good hockey country with Penn State starting up this fall as a varsity program. Now a NAHL program will likely attract area players.

Hockey East is creating a full-time position to supervise its officials.

Michigan adds another USNTDP recruit.

Defending The Blue Line announced that Chad Rau will join Nate Prosser for its annual NHL charity game on June 20 on the Minnesota campus.

Image borrowed from Let’s Go DU blog, but it could have been a pic from the Dayton to Cleveland leg of my return trip. I am not really joking.

FYI, I am headed into another long weekend away from the blog while I travel back to the land of my birth (Piqua, Ohio) to visit relatives and celebrate my Uncle Dale’s 85th.

No doubt there will be some quality family time at a Bob Evan’s or two or three between now and Wednesday May 30, when I will resume blogging.

In the interim, check USCHO, CCTigers.com, Duluth’s Rink and Run or the University of North Dakota Hockey blogs for any news that may break while I am unavailable.

Monday reading: Zaba, J. Schwartz, Kirby, Dineen, Holmstrom, Testwuide, Prosser, Civitarese, Guentzel, ECHL playoffs, Mankato

Elmira Jackals' Nick Dineen tries to redirect the puck in front of Florida Everblades' goalie John Muse during the first period at First Arena in Elmira on Friday.

Former Tiger Matt Zaba won his second Italia Serie A (top Italian pro league) championship on Friday night as starting goalie for the Bolzano Foxes of northern Italy.

“Our goaltender and first line were the key to our victory,” said the club’s President Dieter Knoll.

Bolzano has now won a record 19 league titles.

Jaden Schwartz was named as a second team All-America forward by Inside College Hockey which has Air Force’s Tim Kirby as a third-team defenseman.

Here is INCH’s freshman All-America first and second teams. Do not expect many of these guys to stay four years after such strong rookie seasons.

Colorado Springs native Ben Holmstrom and Vail’s Mike Testwuide both scored in a costly Friday loss for AHL Adirondack, which fell short of the final playoff berth in the East.

Nate Prosser’s arrival in Houston helped the Aeros secure the West’s No. 8 seed in the AHL playoffs, which begin on Thursday. Hershey (David Civitarese) and Syracuse  (Gabe Guentzel) both qualified for the postseason.

In the ECHL playoffs, Nick Dineen and the Elmira Jackals resume their playoff series (tied 1-1) against Florida at 5:30 Mountain tonight. Stockton, which includes Ryan Lowery, and Alaska (Brian Swanson and Tim Hall) will both try to break their 1-1 series tie on Wednesday.

If Richard Bachman (restricted free agent) re-signs with Dallas, he can expect a stern challenge from Texas Stars starter Jack Campbell, who impressed his coaches with a strong first pro season.

Hobey Baker Award winner Jack Connolly was named as the USCHO Player of the Year.

Here is more on Mike Hastings’ hire at MSU Mankato this Saturday. The purple Mavs also released their home schedule, which is a smart way to build up the fans’ excitement in southern Minnesota.

Air Force freshman Scott Holm was named the Atlantic Hockey Association Rookie of the Month for March/April.

Holm, a forward from Plymouth, Minn., was AFA’s top freshman scorer with three goals and four points in six games as Air Force won its fifth league champion­ship in six years. He scored a goal in all three games versus UConn as the Falcons won the AHA quarterfinal series. Holm finished the season with 10 points (6g, 4a) and was named the team’s most improved player.

Monday reading: Weekend reviews, Pairwise, polls and pros

Former CC captain Mike Testwuide, left, defends during an AHL game against the Albany Devils on Saturday.

Minnesota-Duluth remains No. 1 in the USCHO poll, but Minnesota moved up to No. 2 and gained considerable ground in the rankings. Idle Colorado College moved up from No. 12 to No. 11 while this weekend’s foe, Denver, went from No. 15 to No. 13.

CC dropped from No. 10 to No. 11 in the USA Today/ USA Hockey rankings. Denver went from No. 15 to No. 13 while the Gophers are the new No. 1 just ahead of Duluth.

The Tigers remained at No. 11 in the Inside College Hockey power rankings while Denver moved up to No. 9. Duluth is No. 1 and Minnesota second.

More importantly, the Tigers are No. 17 in the latest Pairwise rankings, meaning they would fall two spots shy of the making the NCAAs (No. 16 goes to Atlantic playoff champ).

Suddenly No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth is a bit more anxious about heading to face Alaska Anchorage, which has lost seven in a row since a road win at CC in December.

Here’s a look back at Minnesota’s home-and-home sweep of St. Cloud State.

Former Bemidji State standout Matt Read, a rookie of the year candidate, and Colorado Springs native Ben Holmstrom have ties dating back to childhood with the Colorado Springs Amateur Hockey Association and now with the Flyers.

Former Tiger Joey Crabb gets some love from his hometown newspaper.

Here’s why Brian Connelly was traded by Chicago to the Calgary organization. His chances of making his NHL debut look much improved.

MSU Mankato goalie Phil Cook has a .945 saves percentage in his last six starts. The purple Mavs could be a tough out by playoff time if he stays hot.

Future NCHC rivals Miami and Western Michigan are tied for second in the CCHA behind surprising Ferris State.