The Ice House

Alaska is set to announce Dallas Ferguson as its head coach at a news conference in Fairbanks this morning, meaning Wisconsin assistant coach Kevin Patrick has been passed over for the job two years in a row. Patrick, 39, was seeking his first head coaching position after serving as an assistant coach with five teams since 1993. He also was up for the top spot with Green Bay of the USHL, but he pulled his name from consideration when he learned he was one of two finalists in Alaska. Last season, Patrick was a finalist for the Fairbanks job that went to Doc DelCastillo. The former St. Cloud State and Nebraska-Omaha coach resigned after less than a full year on the job. Patrick said the Alaska and Green Bay jobs were the ones he was interested in, and that he won't be pursuing other opportunities this offseason... READ MORE

A pair of Wisconsin recruits were involved in the USHL draft Wednesday, for different reasons. The Green Bay Gamblers traded goaltender Aaron Crandall to the Des Moines Buccaneers as part of a package deal at the top of the draft. Forward Tyler Lapic of New Prague High School in Minnesota went to the Tri-City storm with the third pick of the 14th round. Last I heard, Lapic was planning on playing his senior year at New Prague... READ MORE

It appears Wisconsin's incoming freshman class does not include only the six players announced by the Badgers last month as having signed a National Letter of Intent. I just got off the phone with Chris Hickey, who said he's in the process of signing and returning an NLI to join the team this fall. Hickey, a forward from Mendota Heighs, Minn., gave Badgers a verbal commitment a little more than two years ago, and it was believed at the time that he would join the Badgers in the fall of 2008. He spent last season with Tri-City of the USHL, posting 31 points in 55 games. But it appeared that Wisconsin coaches wanted him to spend another year in the USHL next season. That changed after Hickey and UW coaches talked about the situation, the 19-year-old said. He said he never got to the point of thinking about decommitting and looking at other schools. So... READ MORE

Wisconsin recruits Matt Thurber and Patrick Wiercioch assisted on the overtime goal that gave Omaha the USHL's Clark Cup on Saturday. Thurber passed to Barry Almeida, who gave Omaha a 4-3 victory in the deciding Game 5 of the series. Wiercioch put Omaha ahead briefly in the third period with his second playoff goal, and he was the game's third star. Badgers recruits Brock Montpetit and Craig Smith played for Waterloo. Wiercioch led all UW recruits with 11 playoff points. Click here for the season stats summary for Wisconsin's 18 committed recruits. Meanwhile, there are three former UW players in the NHL's Western Conference... READ MORE

On Wednesday, Mosinee defenseman Chase Drake was in Madison on a visit with the Wisconsin hockey team. On Thursday, he called to offer a verbal commitment to play for the Badgers, likely after two seasons with Green Bay of the USHL. Drake, 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds, was one of eight finalists for the state prep player of the year award this season and is ranked 136th among North American skaters for the NHL draft by the league's Central Scouting Service. More to come over on the main site... READ MORE

Wisconsin assistant coach Kevin Patrick will head to Fairbanks, Alaska, on Wednesday to interview for the Alaska head coaching position, and that now is the only job he's up for. Patrick said he has withdrawn his name from consideration for the Green Bay Gamblers' head coaching position. It had been speculated that Patrick, St. Louis Bandits (NAHL) coach Jon Cooper and Houston Aeros (AHL) assistant coach Luke Strand were the top three choices in Green Bay, with Cooper heading the list. Asked whether dropping out of the Green Bay search was connected to his upcoming interview in Alaska, he said: "That's the job I want." Patrick is one of two finalists for the job in Fairbanks, where DeForest native Forrest Karr is the athletic director. The other finalist is Nanooks interim coach Dallas Ferguson. Ferguson has an interview and public forum scheduled... READ MORE

A few random thoughts on Wisconsin's 2008-09 schedule, which was released today: ** That's a tough start. At Boston College and New Hampshire, at Denver, home vs. Minnesota and at North Dakota? Playing five of the first seven series on the road? There's a challenge. ** The tough start may stand out first, but there's a more important element here: The Badgers don't play a conference game during the World Junior Championship. They host the Badger Hockey Showdown on Dec. 27 and 28, then host Northern Michigan in a nonconference series Jan. 2 and 3. The WJC -- you'd imagine that the Badgers could lose at least two defensemen, right? -- runs Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Ottawa. Making sure they didn't have a WCHA series during that second weekend is a big... READ MORE

To close the book on one lingering question in the Wisconsin men's hockey offseason, defenseman Jamie McBain said he'll return for his junior season with the Badgers. McBain was a second-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. He'll take part in prospects camps with the NHL team for the first time this summer, but he'll be in Madison in fall to lead a group of young UW defensemen. I'll have more on this on the main site later today. (And yes, it does seem strange to write that instead of writing that I'll have more in tomorrow's paper... READ MORE

There's no shortage of local ties to the USHL Clark Cup championship series that started Sunday night. Wisconsin recruits Craig Smith and Brock Montpetit are playing for Waterloo, which won Game 1 on the road, 4-3 in overtime. UW recruits Patrick Wiercioch and Matt Thurber are playing for Omaha. Verona's ... READ MORE

Mike Eaves and Mark Johnson have another year to work with on their contracts. The Wisconsin men's and women's hockey coaches both had their contracts extended to June 2013 by the UW Athletic Board at its meeting Friday. It's usually only something to note when a coach doesn't have his or her contract extended following the season, but there hasn't been much on the blog lately, so here you go... READ MORE

Wisconsin assistant coach Kevin Patrick confirmed today that he has applied for the head coaching positions at Alaska of the CCHA and Green Bay of the USHL. Patrick was a finalist for the Alaska job last year, and I had people tell me he was at one point considered a favorite. But the job went to former St. Cloud State and Nebraska-Omaha assistant Doc Delcastillo. Delcastillo, however, resigned earlier this month after less than a full year on the job. He said he was leaving to pursue "other opportunities." The Gamblers, meanwhile, are looking for a full-time replacement for Mark Mazzoleni, who was fired in February. Patrick spent one season as an assistant to current UW... READ MORE

Wisconsin has 10 players listed in the final draft rankings released today by NHL's Central Scouting Service, including four players in the top 58 of the North American skaters list. The group includes one current player, three who have signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Badgers in the fall and six who have given UW coaches a verbal commitment. Four players made big moves up the draft board since the midterm rankings, but none was as great as the improvement made by committed recruit Patrick Wiercioch. The defenseman moved up 42 spots, to 77th. Current UW defenseman Cody Goloubef moved up 14 spots to 34th; defensive recruit Justin Schultz improved 18 spots to 38th; and center Derek Stepan advanced 14 spots to 58th. Defenseman Jake Gardiner, who has signed to join the Badgers next season, fell one spot but is still the top UW recruit on the list at... READ MORE

Former Wisconsin captain Adam Burish will represent the United States for the first time in the upcoming World Championship. Burish, a member of the Chicago Blackhawks, will join former UW teammate Tom Gilbert on the team. The tournament runs May 2-18 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Quebec City... READ MORE

Six players have signed letters of intent to play for Wisconsin starting in the 2008-09 season. Forwards Derek Stepan, Jordy Murray and Matt Thurber and defensemen Jake Gardiner, Ryan Little and Eric Springer will be freshmen in the fall. Thurber (Beaver Dam), Little (Fond du Lac) and Springer (Wrightstown) are Wisconsin natives. The Badgers delayed signing their recruits until the spring because of a Big Ten Conference rule that says a team has to show how much scholarship money is available when offering a letter of intent. Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves talked about the recruits in a news release: On Stepan: "Derek is a very gifted forward with a lot of offensive skill. He's been a member of Shattuck and its last two national midget championships so he comes... READ MORE

Davis Drewiske was named the winner of the Spike Carlson MVP award at Wisconsin's season-ending banquet tonight at the Edgewater Hotel. Drewiske, the senior captain who led the youngest UW team in 21 years, also earned the W Club Community Service Award. Meanwhile, coach Mike Eaves announced that next year's leadership will consist of co-captains Ben Street and Blake Geoffrion and no assistant captains. Here's the list of award winners: Spike Carlson MVP: Davis Drewiske W Club Community Service: Drewiske Ivan B. Williamson Scholastic: Matthew Ford Otto Breitenbach Most Improved Player: John Mitchell Fenton Kelsey Jr. Most Competitive Player: Blake Geoffrion Dr. Joseph Coyne Most Consistent Player: Jamie McBain Jim Santulli 7th Man: Josh Engel Mel Ross Distinguished Service: Art Schultz ... READ MORE

Big surprise. The conversation when former Wisconsin captain Adam Burish got into the WGN broadcast booth after joining three teammates to sign "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" at today's Cubs-Pirates game centered around fighting. I guess that's what happens when you have 214 penalty minutes. "I know at the United Center, whenever I do drop the gloves and fight, that place goes nuts and everybody gets excited, everybody gets into the game," Burish told WGN broadcasters Len Kasper and Bob Brenly. "It's more than than just two thugs going out there and punching each other. There's a purpose for it and a reason." The crew showed a Burish highlights montage, including two fights and a goal against the Red Wings. "That didn't happen too much this year," Burish said of the April 2 goal, his third of four this season.... READ MORE

Here's hoping Adam Burish has good vocal cords. The former Wisconsin captain will join with Chicago Blackhawks teammate James Wisniewski to sing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" at Friday's Chicago Cubs-Pittsburgh Pirates game at Wrigley Field. Burish can become an unrestricted free agent, so maybe we'll see how much the Chicago fans appreciate him and show the Blackhawks that they want him back... READ MORE

If you watched Saturday's NCAA championship game, you probably were like many of us for the rest of the night -- thinking about the video replay that may have changed the course of the game. Notre Dame appeared to score to cut Boston College's lead to 3-2 early in the third period. Instead, that goal was waved off after a lengthy review by WCHA supervisor of officials Greg Shepherd (the play was ruled a goal on the ice by WCHA referee Todd Anderson). Nate Lawson was ruled to have kicked the puck into the net. Shepherd issued a statement through the NCAA Frozen Four media personnel: "The puck was kicked in the net by the Notre Dame player's right skate. The skate was moving toward the goal line. There were sticks in the crease, and we needed to make sure there wasn't a deflection off the sticks or the defender's skates after it... READ MORE

The battle to get the best of the best to play college hockey picked up last week when the Hockey Commissioners Association unveiled a Web site to promote the NCAA hockey track. The HCA doesn't mention it specifically in its release announcing the site, but playcollegehockey.com has to be perceived as an effort to counter those from Canadian major juniors. Both are trying to be viewed as the top producer of NHL-ready talent. The new site features answers to questions about recruiting and eligibility and links to stories about former college players in the big leagues. The Ontario Hockey League, one of the leagues that makes up Canada's major junior system, has a similar Web site, ... READ MORE

Well, that's it. Boston College is the NCAA champion. Nathan Gerbe is a well-deserving Frozen Four most outstanding player. And the season's over. It started back in September with captain's practices and the like, and it's done tonight in Denver. Gerbe stole the show. With two goals tonight, he had five for the weekend. And it wasn't that he scored as many as he did, it's how he scored them. On his second goal tonight, he dived to poke the puck home at the right post after it rebounded off the back boards. Those kind of sacrifices -- he said afterward that he had to do it, without fear of injury -- are what gets a team to the top, and BC is up there now. I'll have blogs periodically throughout the offseason, so keep checking back... READ MORE

I just ran into former Wisconsin forward Pete Talafous downstairs here at the Pepsi Center. His company, Total Hockey, is doing the dirty work for the Frozen Four Skills Challenge tonight, setting up the events. He said he and his father, Dean, run the company out of Hudson, developing hockey skills with on-ice and off-ice workouts. They have a bunch of locations around the country. Their Web site is at www.totalhockeyhudson.com... READ MORE

Have to get this out of the way first: Tom Bardis, if you're looking for your sweater, it's hanging from the ceiling just outside the media room at the Pepsi Center. They have jerseys from all of the NCAA hockey teams hanging around the lower level here, which is a nice touch to make a pro building a little more welcoming to the college folks. During the third period of Thursday night's Michigan-Notre Dame game, I stood at the top of the Notre Dame cheering section, gathering observations for a story I was writing for USCHO.com about Fighting Irish fans watching their team's first Frozen Four game. I spend a lot of time in the press box during the Frozen Four, but it's a completely different experience being in the middle of the cheering action. And I was surprised by the Notre Dame fans. Many of the ones I talked to were more Notre Dame fans than Notre Dame... READ MORE

Former Wisconsin defenseman Tom Gilbert is one of the first 17 players named to the United States team for the World Championship next month in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Quebec City. Gilbert will be making his World Championship debut in the tournament, which runs May 2-18. He tied for seventh among NHL defensemen this season with 13 goals for the Edmonton Oilers. He added 20 assists for 33 points. Here's the USA Hockey release... READ MORE

Denver just likes to toy with you sometimes. It's a great day here now, but I've heard people talking about 7 inches of snow sometime today into tonight. We're not here for the weather, but it's nice when Mother Nature cooperates. There are a few connections to Wisconsin with the Frozen Four that starts Thursday at the Pepsi Center: ** North Dakota freshman defenseman Derrick LaPoint is from Eau Claire and was the 2006 state prep player of the year. ** Notre Dame junior defenseman Luke Lucyk is from Fox Point. He has played only sparingly for the Irish this season. ** Denver director of media relations Erich Bacher, who's in charge of a lot of the media room here, is from Stevens Point. Any others I missed? Let me know... READ MORE

Tyler Lapic seems to be a good multi-tasker. During his lunch period today at New Prague High School in Minnesota, Lapic called Wisconsin coaches to offer a verbal commitment. It's expected that he'll start at UW in the fall of 2010, making him the first player known to have committed to the Badgers for 2010 or beyond. Lapic, 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, said he has three older brothers who are 6-foot-4 so that gives you a little bit of an idea of how big he'll be when he plays for Wisconsin down the road. The current plan is for Lapic to play his senior season at New Prague and then play a year in the USHL. More in Wednesday's TCT... READ MORE

Four players who skated for Wisconsin this season have made their pro debuts in the week since the Badgers' season ended. Kyle Turris recorded his first NHL point in a 3-2 shootout loss to Anaheim tonight. He assisted on the first of two goals by Daniel Carcillo. Turris played in the Coyotes' final three games of the regular season; they didn't qualify for the playoffs. Davis Drewiske, who signed with the Los Angeles Kings, has played in three games for their AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs (the same team former UW defensemen Jeff Likens and Joe Piskula play for). He hasn't recorded a point, but he was plus-2 in his debut against Lowell and plus-1 a night later against Worcester. Kyle Klubertanz played two games for the AHL's Portland Pirates, going minus-1 on back-to-back nights. Josh Engel had an assist and was plus-2 in one game for... READ MORE

This is about as good as when, during the Stan Van Gundy basketball coaching era at Wisconsin, I heard him called "Sam Van Dundy" on SportsCenter. This, from the Los Angeles Kings' Web site: "KINGS SIGN DAVID DREWISKI" Close. Try again... READ MORE

Mike Eaves met with the media today in the wake of Kyle Turris signing Monday with the Phoenix Coyotes. He also fielded questions about the season. Here's a sampling of what he said: On Turris' progression: "He's a better hockey player now than he was at the beginning of the season. He was a pretty good player then. The question is, how effective will he be at the next level? And only time will tell us. If you take a look at some of his colleagues at the same age, Sam Gagner and Patrick Kane, they've had some pretty good success. Will he be able to have that same kind of success? Only time will tell here." On the end of the season: "As disappointed, as much as it stung on Sunday night, the one thing that we told the boys is we stayed together through a lot of storms and we ended up playing our best hockey at the end... READ MORE

I just got off the phone with Kyle Turris, who was on an airplane waiting on the tarmac in Chicago, about to leave for Phoenix. Here's what he had to say before that announcement came over the airplane loudspeaker to turn off all portable electronic devices: "From the very start, I had told Phoenix that when they thought I was ready and when they wanted me to come, that I would go. They showed a lot of interest and wanted me to come for the last couple of games to get experience for next year. "I signed earlier today, but it was a tough decision because I love Wisconsin. I wouldn't have traded this year in for the world. It was incredible, the college atmosphere, the lessons I learned. I couldn't have had a better coach than coach (Mike) Eaves. He taught me so much. I have to thank him so much. "But I was lucky to play with some great players and... READ MORE

Well, that didn't take long. Kyle Turris signed a contract with the Phoenix Coyotes today, one day after ending his freshman season with Wisconsin as the team's leading scorer. The Coyotes have three games remaining in their season and are out of the race for a playoff spot, but general manager Don Maloney said on the team's Web site that they wanted to get him into Phoenix to start getting used to the pro atmosphere before what will be an important summer in terms of the 18-year-old's physical conditioning. In an interview earlier this month, Maloney said physical strength was the only thing keeping Turris from being in the NHL. Obviously, the team is convinced that Turris can make the necessary gains over the summer. More on this in Tuesday's TCT... READ MORE

If you follow the gameday posts, you know that after every game, I pick three stars, continuing a great hockey tradition. It's something that I wish was more official in buildings across the WCHA. The CCHA has a great idea with this: In that league, the three stars in each game count toward an overall season award. With that in mind, I tallied the three stars for Wisconsin over the course of the season, not counting the series at Alaska Anchorage that I didn't see. A player earned three points for being the No. 1 star, two points for being the No. 2 star and one point for being the No. 3 star. (I considered a 5-3-1 system like the CCHA uses, but thought that it was a little too top-heavy.) Here are the results, with each player's number of No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 star selections and total points: Shane Connelly 2-6-5 -- 23 Michael Davies 3-1-1 --... READ MORE

POSTSCRIPT You had to think Wisconsin was in a pretty good spot after two periods, leading North Dakota 2-0 at the Kohl Center, with all the momentum on its side. Nope. Not even close. Not against a seasoned tournament team like North Dakota, which got a goal from its captain and a goal from its Hobey Baker Award winner to quickly tie the game in the third. From there, it was all new, with the Sioux now in control. They didn't win it in regulation, but they turned the game decidedly in their favor in less than a minute's time of the third. That set them up to win it in overtime on Andrew Kozek's follow of a blocked shot. It was a tough way to end for the Badgers -- it always is when the season ends in overtime, but this one was double tough to accept because of the way they played in building the 2-0 lead. So now it's watch... READ MORE

POSTSCRIPT Wisconsin sure picked a good time to have its best offensive period of the season. The four goals the Badgers scored in the third period tonight was better than any other 20 minutes this season, and only the second time Denver allowed more than two goals this year. The other? When Wisconsin scored three times in the first period of a 7-2 win on Jan. 12. UW advanced to the Midwest Regional final against North Dakota with a 6-2 victory that was punctuated by the Badgers' play in the third. Add that to a solid effort from Shane Connelly and a good start, and it gave all those who didn't think the Badgers should be in the NCAA tournament something to think about. Just the way UW players wanted it. THREE STARS No. 3 -- Shane Connelly, UW (30 saves): He was big in the first, making 12 saves... READ MORE

POSTSCRIPT North Dakota, outshot 39-18 by Princeton and on the short end of play for long stretches today, is through to the Midwest Regional final. How? The Sioux capitalized on their chances. Ryan Duncan scored three times, and Jean-Philippe Lamoureux kept the Tigers at bay with 38 saves. *** PREAMBLE Well, there has already been one big upset in the NCAA tournament -- No. 4 seed Notre Dame beating No. 1 seed New Hampshire out in the West Regional Friday night. Can another fourth seed do it when Princeton (21-13) plays North Dakota (26-10-4) in the Midwest Regional opener today? If the Tigers have any success, it likely will be because of a speed advantage on the big ice. That's not to say North Dakota doesn't have speed; just that you normally associate the Sioux with an aggressive style of play.... READ MORE

If you're a Wisconsin fan, one of the signs from Friday's NCAA regional games looks good. The other, not so much. Third seeds won both games Friday, with Clarkson beating St. Cloud State 2-1 and Michigan State knocking off Colorado College 3-1. The Badgers are the third seed in the Midwest Regional at the Kohl Center. The third seed, in fact, has won five of the last six 2-vs.-3 first-round games. The sign that isn't so good for the Badgers is that home ice didn't mean much to Colorado College. Michigan State earned a victory at the World Arena, where CC was 18-2 this season entering the NCAAs. Overall top seed Michigan thumped Niagara 5-1 behind four goals by Kevin Porter (can we give him the Hobey now?), while Notre Dame, the fourth seed in the West Regional, upset No. 1 seed New Hampshire 7-3... READ MORE