In the pros: Dineen leads Finnish team with video

Former Tiger captain Nick Dineen‘s pro career has taken off in Mestis, the second-tier Finnish league.

He centers his team’s top line with Aatu Hämäläinen and Pasi Salonen and leads KooKoo with 32 points (15 goals) in 43 games after a slow start.

Dineen has clearly adjusted well to the Finnish league even if the language proves more challenging, judging from the team’s YouTube channel.

Looks like Nick is having fun.

In the pros: Dineen receives league’s monthly award

The article is in Finnish but based on what his father Dick Dineen told me and what I could glean from an online translator, former Tigers captain Nick Dineen was named as player of the month for the Mestis League in Finland for the month of November.

He is tied for the KooKoo team lead with 19 points (nine goals) in 26 games, which puts him in 10th in the league.

Here is the article and a recent video interview:

In the pros: Connelly, Dineen, McElhinney

Former Tiger Brian Connelly, pictured making a crossing pass last season,  is fifth among AHL defensemen in scoring with 10 points (two goals) in nine games for Houston.

Former captain Nick Dineen found his scoring touch again for KooKoo of the second-tier Finnish pro league with two goals Friday and another pair on Saturday.

Curtis McElhinney is fifth among AHL goalies with a 1.61 goals against, .945 saves percentage  and a 6-1-1 mark in eight games for Springfield.  No doubt, he should be rated higher because those listed ahead of him have as few as two games.

 

In the pros: Dineen sparks KooKoo to win

Former Tigers captain Nick Dineen scored twice in a 3-1 win by KooKoo in its Finnish pro league. Here is the boxscore.

Thursday reading: Dineen, CC-DU TV, Dimmen, Ryder, Johnson

Former Tiger captain Nick Dineen assisted the opening goal and scored the other in a 3-2 shootout loss for KooKoo of the second-tier Mestis league of Finland against Tulospalvelu (Tuto) in the teams’ season-opener. He also recorded a score during the shootout. The only North American on the team’s roster started as the first-line center.

Here is the DU hockey home game broadcast schedule for ROOT Sports (Thanks to the Let’s Go DU! blog for the info).

2012-13 University of Denver Hockey Telecast Schedule
All times listed are Mountain and subject to change
Sat., Nov. 17 –  Colorado College 7 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 29 – Boston University 7 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 4 – Cornell 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 12 – Nebraska Omaha 7 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 8 –  Colorado College 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 23 – North Dakota 7 p.m.

Here is a longer piece on MSU-Mankato’s commitment to its hockey program.

College Hockey News debuts its recruiting section with a look at the WCHA.

Colorado Springs native and former Maine defenseman Jeff Dimmen has signed with ECHL Florida. The likely NHL lockout means a lot of ECHL players will stay in their league as opposed to trying to move up to the AHL.

This is old news (not sure how it slipped by me) but former Denver defenseman John Ryder, also a Colorado Springs native, signed a deal with AHL Texas.

Here is the press release confirming that former Tiger Tyler Johnson  signed with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays.

2012 ECHL Preseason Schedule

Wednesday, October 3
Stockton at San Francisco 7 p.m. PT

Thursday, October 4
Ontario at Las Vegas 7:05 p.m. PT

Friday, October 5
Reading at Trenton 7 p.m. ET (Flyers Skate Zone in Vorhees, N.J.)
Gwinnett at Greenville 7 p.m. ET
Toledo at Kalamazoo 7:30 p.m. ET
Orlando at Florida 7:30 p.m. ET
Wheeling at Cincinnati 7:35 p.m. ET
Idaho at Utah 7 p.m. MT (Eccles Ice Center in Logan, Utah)
San Francisco at Colorado 7:05 p.m. MT
Stockton at Bakersfield 7 p.m. PT
Las Vegas at Ontario 7 p.m. PT

Saturday, October 6
Orlando at Florida 7 p.m. ET
Trenton at Reading 7:05 p.m. ET
Evansville at Fort Wayne 7:30 p.m. ET
Kalamazoo at Toledo 9 p.m. ET
Utah at Idaho 7:10 p.m. MT
Bakersfield at Stockton 7:30 p.m. PT

Sunday, October 7
Cincinnati at Wheeling 2 p.m. ET
South Carolina at Gwinnett 4 p.m. ET (Duluth Ice Forum in Duluth, Ga.)
Evansville at Fort Wayne 5 p.m. ET

Monday, October 8
Greenville at South Carolina 6 p.m. ET (Carolina Ice Palace in Charleston, S.C.)
Las Vegas at Alaska 7:15 p.m. AKT

Tuesday, October 9
Las Vegas at Alaska 7:15 p.m. AKT

Tuesday reading: Dineen playing in Finland, Lucia, Duluth, Merrimack

Nick Dineen is pictured playing for ECHL Elmira last season.

Former Tigers captain Nick Dineen signed a one-year contract with KooKoo of the 12-team Mestis league in Finland in late July, according to a Facebook message from his father (Thank you). Kouvolan Edustuskiekko (full club name) plays in a 6,000-seat arena in Kouvola, Finland. The club was established in 1965.

Judging from a Facebook post by the club on August 8, Dineen will be centering the third line:

Antti Roppo – Jan-Mikael Juutilainen – Aatu Hämäläinen
Mikko Alikoski – Ville-Matti Koponen – Timo-Pekka Heikkinen
Tomi Tuomisto – Nick Dineen – Olli Julkunen
Niklas Appelgren – Mikko Virtanen – Jere Espo

Miihkali Teppo – Marko Kiprusoff
Jarno Lippojoki – Julius Nyqvist
Markus Västilä – Matt Nickerson

Jaakko Lehtonen   Miro Hämynen (Ville Husso)

Since I cannot read Finnish, this could be a lineup for a preseason scrimmage (season starts on Sept. 14, guessing from web site headline). I hope to get more information in English from the club later via a Facebook message. Regardless, congrats to Nick on the move overseas.

In other news, Notre Dame freshman Mario Lucia suffered a broken leg and left ankle ligament damage during an offseason practice drill. He may miss up to three months.

The Merrimack athletic director who was put under paid administrative leave for a personnel matter has resigned.

AIC’s Steve Mele will be relied on to deliver a big season for the Atlantic Hockey Association school. Three other hockey subjects are profiled by Inside College Hockey as well.

Alaska-Fairbanks hired Gary Gray from Montana State-Billings as its new athletic director.