Weekend Preview and Other Notes Around the WCHA

Below are a couple of previews to this weekends game against newcomer Bemidji State. Despite Bemidji being new to WCHA hockey, they are a familiar team to St. Cloud State. Read the links below to learn more:

Here is what USCHO.com had to say about this weekends game:

"The Huskies hope this is the weekend to stop the slide that has taken them from fourth to 20th in the USCHO.com poll.

This could be the turn-around weekend for SCSU if the Huskies can draw man advantages and convert against BSU, a unit that has had a tough time killing penalties. The Beavers rank near the bottom of Division I with a 69.6 percent penalty kill. All four goals the Beavers allowed to Minnesota-Duluth last weekend were power-play goals, and BSU came away with only one point.

The Beavers are just thirsting for their first WCHA win."

Check out bsubeavers.com for some great information on the BSU vs. SCSU history during their Div. III years as well as their time as Div. I programs. St. Cloud State has had 10 consecutive wins from 10/3/1999 to 10/27/2007 and are unbeaten in 16 of the last 17 against the Beavers.

Here are a few new posts from Husky Hockey beat writer Mick Hatten:

• Check out, "Reid helps Huskies find the beat" to learn more about Nashville Predator prospect and CIC player of the week Cam Reid. The Reid-LeBlanc-Festler line were great last weekend playing with each other and are expected to play with each other again this weekend. Reid has scored two goals in seven shots this season. Let's hope he begins taking a few more shots at the net.
• Big news coming recently from Husky Productions. Comcast Cable and Husky Productions are collaborating to bring Husky Hockey to the Twin Cities. SCSU home hockey games will be televised live on the Comcast cable systems in the Minneapolis market (channel 23) and the St. Paul market (channel 13). The first two games scheduled to be televised live are this weekends home games Friday and Saturday against Bemidji State. The other dates include Jan. 28-29 vs. Minnesota State, Feb. 19 vs. North Dakota and Feb. 25-26 vs. Wisconsin. Way to go Husky Productions! I hope this partnership continues for many years.
• Here are some statistics on future Husky players.

Around the WCHA

The biggest news around the WCHA this last week has been Denver senior forward Jesse Martin being hit by the Sioux’s Brad Malone (former Husky standout Ryan Malone's little cousin) last weekend. Martin suffered multiple fractures to his C2 vertebrae as a result from the hit. He is being cared for at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, MN. Much of the news surrounding this tragedy has been positive, including a call from Martin to Malone as well as many people from around the WCHA visiting Martin in the hospital. I also have seen several negative comments from many different parties from around the college hockey world so I have thus far stayed silent on the issue. I will continue to refrain from stating my own opinion as to try to keep this blog as clean and as positive as possible, but will leave you with this link to the Western College Hockey Blog that has several valid and interesting points. One quote that Husky Hockey fans might find interesting from this blog post:

"All in all, I'm not going to declare Malone the worst person ever because I think he was honestly trying to throw a legal check, but the bottom line is that he definitely threw an illegal check which seriously injured another player. What type of suspension should that be worth? For those willing to search through internet archives, you could probably find all sorts of creative solutions from North Dakota fans, demanding pounds of flesh from Aaron Marvin last year, not the least of which was former Grand Forks Herald writer Virg Foss, who penned an editorial last year saying players that injure a player with an illegal check should be suspended until the injured player returns to the ice. I doubt the Herald will be reprinting that this week. There's no need to be excessive, but the suspension should definitely be significant."

Brad Malone has been issued a one-game suspension by the WCHA. I wish Jesse Martin a safe and speedy recovery.

Another unfortunate injury that was recently suffered was a moped accident by the Gophers sophomore Zach Budish. He could potentially be sidelined for the rest of the season. Budish is a great player for the Gophers and I also hope that he has speedy recovery.

Listen to This Week in the WCHA for a couple other notes about what is going on around the best hockey league in the nation.