For the second time in as many springs, Wisconsin assistant Kevin Patrick was passed over for the same job. Alaska, a Central Collegiate Hockey Association school based in Fairbanks, will hold a press conference at 11:30 a.m. Central Time Thursday to announce Dallas Ferguson as its new coach. Patrick, a UW assistant since 2005, was the other finalist for the job. A year ago, Patrick was a finalist to coach the Nanooks, a job that ultimately went to Doc DelCastillo. "I put my best foot forward,'' Patrick said, adding that he still has a "great situation'' at UW. Fairbanks athletic director Forrest Karr, a former Madison Edgewood High School goaltender, presumably wanted to stay in-house after venturing outside the program to hire DelCastillo last May. Ferguson was a top assistant under DelCastillo, who abruptly resigned after the 2007-08... >>MORE

 Wisconsin coaches are in the process of adding Mendota Heights (Minn.) winger Chris Hickey to the list of signed recruits for next season, but that doesn't mean an opening has materialized. Hickey, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound center, will be the seventh freshman signee and the eighth addition (transfer Tom Bardis) to the roster for 2008-09. Since there are no more unscheduled defections on the horizon --  a la freshman center Kyle Turris, who signed a NHL contract with Phoenix -- the Badgers are projected to open the season with a roster of 29. UW has a roster management policy for all its sports -- the main reason is to maintain Title IX compliance -- but the 28-person ceiling previously maintained by men's hockey is not set in stone. The addition of Hickey, 19, appears to be tied in part to an element of the recently revised NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement. Hickey was taken in the seventh round by Minnesota in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, then played his senior year at Cretin-Derham Hall High School and one season with... >>MORE

 It's always fun, not to mention educational, when Wisconsin coaches from the lesser-heralded sports make appearances at the weekly joint press conference. The final press conference of the 2007-08 school year took place Monday and included relative newbies like men's rowing coach Chris Clark, women's openweight rowing coach Bebe Bryan and women's lightweight rowing coach Erik Miller. Clark has a ready sense of humor and it showed from the moment he sat down at the podium next to Justin Doherty, the UW assistant athletic director for communication. Clark said the nametag in front of his seat served two purposes: identifying him to the media, but also reminding him of who he is. Heading into the prestigious Eastern Sprints in Worcester, Mass., Clark talked about the fact that no team in the nation has been tested like his has. The No. 3 Badgers went to the West Coast in April to outwork No. 4 Stanford and No. 8 California. Then they went to the East Coast last week and won the Cochrane and Jablonic cups in New Hampshire and... >>MORE

 A new face and new duties are part of the expansion of the UW sports communications office. Justin Doherty, the UW assistant athletic director for communications, said interviews are underway to bring in someone to join the full-time staff. Among the duties for the new hire will be to serve as the main contact for men's basketball. Bringing in a sixth full-time employee was precipitated by two developments: 1) Doherty will focus on running the ever-in-demand department, thus relenquishing his duties as the No. 1 contact for football; 2) Tam Flarup, the most veteran member of the staff, will focus strictly on her role as director of website services. Doherty said he will continue to travel with football, but the day-to-day duties will fall to Brian Lucas, who previously handled men's basketball. Diane Nordstrom will continue to handle volleyball, but also will become the No. 1 contact for women's... >>MORE

  By the sounds of things, Wisconsin assistant coach Kevin Patrick made a good impression on the folks in Alaska. One of two finalists for the job as head coach of the Nanooks, a Central Collegiate Hockey Association program located in Fairbanks, Patrick formally interviewed for the post Thursday. As part of that process, Patrick took questions from a group of approximately 70 fans. Patrick talked about the importance of building relationships with his new players and the support staff; about having a specific plan heading into each season and sticking to it; about his goal of competing for championships. Patrick, 39, said that if he was hired -- a decision is expected sometime next week -- he would look to add Dallas Ferguson as his top assistant. Ferguson is the other finalist for the job. A former Nanooks player and assistant under the previous two Alaska coaches -- Tavis MacMillian resigned after the 2006-07 season and Doc Del Castillo stepped down after the 2007-08 season -- Ferguson was interviewed Wednesday. Not a surprise... >>MORE

 Not a lot of definitives came out of the recent American Hockey Coaches Association get-together in Florida, but two separate discussions are worth revisiting. One was behind closed doors: Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez, associate AD Sean Frazier, men's coach Mike Eaves and women's coach Mark Johnson had a private audience with Western Collegiate Hockey Association commissioner Bruce McLeod. The UW entourage asked for the meeting in order to hash out a series of grievances that occurred during the season. On the men's side, controversial losses to Denver and St. Cloud State in which officiating errors took place, as well as a dust-up with North Dakota that Eaves felt was allowed to exceed acceptable boundaries. On the women's side, the apparent use of an ineligible player by eventual WCHA and NCAA champion Minnesota-Duluth, which has yet to yield any sanctions.  "It was a tough year on a lot of fronts,'' Eaves said. "What needed to be put on the table was a little... >>MORE

 Wisconsin assistant coach Kevin Patrick is pouring all his energies into landing the job as head coach of Alaska, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association entry located in Fairbanks. That's why he removed his name from consideration as a candidate for the opening at Green Bay, the Tier I junior program in the U.S. Hockey League. Patrick, a UW assistant since 2005, is one of two finalists for the job of coaching the Nanooks following the abrupt resignation of Doc Del Castillo after the 2007-08 season. Alaska assistant Dallas Ferguson is scheduled to be interviewed Wednesday. Patrick will be interviewed Thursday. The new hire will be announced next week by athletic director Forrest Karr, a former Madison Edgewood High School goaltender who, like Patrick, graduated from Notre Dame after playing for the Fighting... >>MORE

 Wisconsin assistant coach Kevin Patrick confirmed Tuesday that he again has interest in the opening at Alaska. Patrick was one of three finalists for the job of running the program in Fairbanks 10 months ago, but lost out to Nebraska-Omaha assistant Doc DelCastillo. DelCastillo abruptly resigned earlier this month, citing family issues and a desire to move back to the Midwest. Fairbanks athletic director Forrest Karr intends to conduct a similar search process as last year. That involves approximately six interviews over the telephone, with the three finalists coming to Alaska for face-to-face interviews. Karr says he hopes to have a new coach in place by May 10. It appears the situation in Fairbanks has changed significantly since Patrick last interviewed. DelCastillo reportedly has more than a dozen prospects signed or committed for next season and beyond. The next coach would not only have to assess those recruits, but also determine how much scholarship money has been earmarked for those who... >>MORE