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Boys Hockey | Mayo closing in on Big Nine title

Posted by: Feldman

The 2012-13 Rochester Mayo boys hockey team has a chance to make its mark on the school record book, in a couple of ways, on Thursday night at Graham Arena I against Mankato West.

A Mayo victory would give it at least a share of the Big Nine Conference championship, marking the first time since 2001-02 the Spartans could claim that honor. 

Mayo (12-0-0 Big Nine, 17-4-0 overall) leads West (13-2-0, 17-4-0) by just two points in the conference standings (Mayo has 28 points, West 26), but the Spartans have more points remaining to play for, so a conference title is not lost if they lost to the Scarlets. FYI, Mayo won the first meeting between these teams, 2-1, at Mankato, on Dec. 6.

A Mayo win on Thursday all but guarantees it an outright Big Nine title. The Spartans would only need to tie one of their remaining three games -- against Faribault, Century or Winona -- to win the Big Nine outright. It's a goal the Spartans have had marked on their calendars since the end of last season, when late-season loss to Century gave the Panthers the conference crown by one point over Mayo.

Players such as goalie Case Hansen and forwards Adam Alcott, Ryan Martin and Max Whitney, have all told me at various points this season how big of a goal it is for Mayo to not only win the conference, but to not have to share it.

It's been 11 years since Mayo last won the conference title, which seems crazy, considering some of the talented teams they've had since then.

That 2001-02 title team finished the season with 17 victories. No Mayo team has won more since then. A win on Thursday would give the '12-'13 Spartans 18 victories, the most since 1999-2000, when Mayo went 24-4-0 and placed sixth in the state tournament.

I've had several people ask why Mayo hasn't received any votes or made any waves in the state Class AA rankings. I don't vote on the poll, but, first, any team south of the Twin Cities really has to earn its way into the poll (or even the receiving votes part of the poll). Also, Mayo's four losses came against Eastview, Lakeville North, Hibbing and Virginia. North and Virginia are not ranked; Eastview is No. 18 in Class AA and Hibbing is No. 17 in Class A. 

So, how did the Spartans get to this position? In exactly the way the coaching staff pictured before the season:

* Looking at the team from the goal out, Hansen has been outstanding in net. He has played nearly every minute, posting a 17-4-0 record, an impressive 1.88 goals-against average and a very good .915 save percentage. He has recorded three shutouts and has held five other opponents to just one goal. There have been times when he hasn't had to make a lot of saves. Mayo's defensemen and forwards have been very good about keeping shots to the outside and not allowing quality scoring chances, specificially second or third chances. And Hansen has made some saves that have left opponents shaking their heads. That's a pretty good recipe for success.

* Defensively, Mayo knew what it had in big, physical d-men such as Will Holtan and Tommy Fjelsted. Let's just say, if I was entering the Mayo zone with the puck, I would stop short of trying to skate through or past those two. They've also been good on the offensive end; Fjelsted is the team's fourth-leading scorer, Holtan its fifth-leading scorer. Mayo also converted Justyn Sweet to defense and he has made a difficult transition nicely. James Johnston hasn't shown up on the scoresheet much, but he's been a valuable part of Mayo's blue-line group.

* Offensively, the depth the Mayo coaches thought they could have prior to the season has panned out. The Spartans can skate three quality lines -- the second line, with Nolan Edwards, Matt Rogers and Tommy Hanson doesn't always get as much attention as the other two, but the trio has combined for 44 points and have improved with every game. The top line of Adam Alcott, Ryan Martin and Max Whitney has done its job. They are the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 scorers on the team, combining for 35 goals, 49 assists and 84 points. Mayo's third line -- sophomores Nick Newman, Ethan Moore and Logan Haskins -- has produced 25 points (including nine goals from Haskins), but more importantly, it has give Mayo depth that most teams in the conference can't match. The Spartans can roll three lines, and put any of the three on the ice in just about any situation. That depth creates a lot of matchup problems for opposing teams.

If Mayo does clinch the conference title, outright or shared, it will mark the 19th time in the last 21 seasons that a Rochester team has won or shared the championship. The two years where it didn't happen are recent: 2008 (Mankato West) and 2011 (Albert Lea).

This Week in High School Hockey | Jan. 15

Posted by: Feldman

First, if you weren't at the Mayo-Century game on Saturday night, and you haven't seen the video of Mayo sophomore Logan Haskins' second goal of the game (it's pinged around Twitter for two days), here it is. I highly recommend watching if you haven't yet.

DODGE COUNTY WILDCATS
Last week: 1-0-1; beat New Ulm, 5-3; tied Richfield, 3-3.
Season: 5-10-2 overall.
What happened: The Wildcats lost to New Ulm by four goals on Dec. 27. Last Tuesday, the Wildcats turned it around and beat the Eagles by two. While this New Ulm team isn't as strong as some of its state-tournament teams of recent seasons, this was still a nice 'W' for Dodge County. If nothing else, it should provide some confidence for the young players on the team. In the 3-3 tie against Richfield on Saturday, the 'Cats discovered they have a little depth at goalie, as Joe Biwer made his first varsity start and stopped 36 shots.
This week: Thursday, vs. St. Paul Highland Park (7:30 p.m.).

RED WING WINGERS
Last week: 0-2-0; Lost at Chanhassen, 4-2; lost at Holy Angels, 7-1.
Season: 0-12-1 overall, 0-3-1 Missota Conference.
What happened: The Wingers struggles on both ends of the ice continued as conference play got into full swing. Red Wing has allowed 19 goals, while scoring just five, in its past three games. The Wingers' best shot at a win might come next Tuesday, when it plays host to Shakopee.
This week: Tonight, at New Prague (7:15 p.m.); Thursday, vs. Chaska (7 p.m.).

ROCHESTER CENTURY PANTHERS
Last week: 0-2-0; lost at Albert Lea, 2-1; lost to Rochester Mayo, 7-1.
Season: 2-12-0 overall; 1-6-0 Big Nine Conference.
What happened: While Century was outshot, 34-20, at Albert Lea, it was in the game until the final buzzer. Eric Rohleder made 32 saves to keep the Panthers in the game, as he has done a number of times this season. Century played a solid first 16 minutes against Mayo, but the Spartans scored twice in the final 45 seconds of the first period for a 3-0 lead, then Mayo's depth took over as it controlled the remainder of the game. ... The good news last week for Century was the return of sophomore defenseman Riese Zmolek, who was back in game action nearly three weeks ahead of schedule. Zmolek had missed the entire season to that point after suffering a broken ankle last fall.
This week: Tonight, vs. Owatonna (7:30 p.m., Rec Center); Thursday, at Benilde-St. Margaret's (7 p.m., St. Louis Park Rec Center).

ROCHESTER JM ROCKETS
Last week: 0-3-0; lost at Owatonna, 6-2; lost to Eastview, 3-1; lost to Austin, 3-2.
Season: 3-11-0 overall; 2-5-0 Big Nine.
What happened: JM led Owatonna after one period, 2-1, and trailed 3-2 after two, but the Huskies scored three in the third period to pull away. The Huskies scored all three of their third-period goals in a span of 69 seconds, in the final five minutes of the game. ... JM responded with one of its best games of the season, falling to Eastview in a close game. Eastview won the Kiwanis Festival in Rochester two weeks ago, putting up seven goals on Mayo in the title game. JM goalies Jacob Garvey and Patric Sadecki combined to limit the Lightning to three goals on 41 shots.
This week: Tonight, at Faribault (7:30 p.m.); Thursday, at Albert Lea (7:30 p.m.); Saturday, at Rochester Mayo (7:30 p.m., at Graham Arena I).

No. 7 ROCHESTER LOURDES EAGLES
Last week: 3-0-0; beat Mankato West, 3-2; won at New Ulm, 7-3; beat Delano/Rockford, 6-5, OT.
Season: 10-4-0 overall.
What happened: Lourdes scored a big win -- in terms of seeding for the Section 1A tournament -- when it beat West last Tuesday. The win likely locked up the No. 1 seed in the section playoffs for the Eagles, barring a disastrous stretch to close the regular season. The victory against Delano/Rockford was a big one, mentally. Lourdes hadn't fared so well in its past couple outings against ranked teams, so to beat one -- on a goal in the final 30 seconds of OT -- is a big boost. The Eagles still need to improve in the defensive zone; they've played six games in January and have allowed a total of 24 goals in those games.
This week: Saturday, at Duluth Marshall (3 p.m.).

ROCHESTER MAYO SPARTANS
Last week: 2-0-0; won at South St. Paul, 3-2, OT; won at Rochester Century, 7-1.
Season: 11-4-0 overall; 6-0-0 Big Nine Conference.
What happened: The win at SSP was a big one for the Spartans, who had lost a pair of one-goal games against hot goalies the weekend before (against Hibbing and Virginia). The victory against Century showed off Mayo's depth. They received at least one goal from their top three lines, scored two power-play goals and a short-handed goal. The Spartans have nothing but conference games remaining on their schedule. They control their own destiny in the chase for the Big Nine title, but there are still 10 games remaining.
This week: Tonight, vs. Winona (7:30 p.m., Graham I); Saturday, vs. John Marshall (7:30 p.m., Graham I).

High School Hockey Rewind | Week 1

Posted by: Feldman

The first week-plus of the boys high school hockey season is in the books and it was a mixed bag for Rochester and area teams. Rochester teams Mayo and John Marshall went 1-1, Century went 0-2 and Lourdes went 0-1. As for the area teams, Dodge County is 1-3, Red Wing is 0-3.

That's a combined 3-11 among the six teams in our circulation area, but those records aren't all as bad as they may seem.

ROCHESTER CENTURY
Last week: 0-2-0. Lost to Farmington, 6-0; lost to Tartan, 4-0.
Season: 0-2-0 overall, 0-0-0 Big Nine Conference.
What happened: Yes, Century was outscored 10-0 in two games. Yes, Century was outshot 44-13 and 52-15 in those two losses. Reason to panic? Definitely not. The Panthers have 23 games left in the regular season. This is a team that will get better as the season goes on. They're running a lot of young guys and first-year varsity players out there and they've played two pretty good teams. The loss to Farmington was not nearly as lopsided as the score indicates. Farmington led just 1-0 entering the third, then scored five times in the third, including four times in the last 6:35 (the last three of those on a five-minute major penalty against Century). And one really bright spot: Senior goalie Eric Rohleder is playing well. He made 38 saves in the opener and 48 against Tartan. That's a good start for a guy who had seen minimal varsity experience coming into the season.

ROCHESTER JOHN MARSHALL
Last week: 1-1-0. Lost to Farmington, 4-3. Won at St. Paul Johnson, 6-2.
Season: 1-1-0 overall, 0-0-0 Big Nine Conference.
What happened: I really believe this JM team can challenge for a Big Nine title. Why? It has two quality scoring lines and four veterans on the blue line (two, as has been noted multiple times here and in print, are brand new to the position). The Farmington score was a bit of a surprise, and it could ultimately play a factor in the seedings for the Section 1AA tournament, but keep in mind that JM played its first two games without starting goalie Jacob Garvey. That said, Patric Sadecki played well in his first two varsity starts, making a total of 49 saves. His early-season playing experience will be a benefit as the season goes on. His nerves will be gone. He's played two full varsity games. ... JM doesn't play again until Saturday, when it opens Big Nine play at home against Mayo. The one thing I know coach Jay Ness wants to develop is some consistent scoring from the second line. The Rockets got a little of that against Johnson, but they'll need more than just Gavin Sandwick, Nick Paulson, Jared Bromberg and Sam Broman to score on a regular basis.

No. 8-ranked ROCHESTER LOURDES
Last week: 0-1-0. Lost at No. 1-ranked St. Thomas Academy, 8-1.
Season: 0-1-0 overall.
What happened: What happend is, a Lourdes team that had about six or seven guys with just a few days of practice under their belts, ran into the top-ranked team in the state, and the defending Class A state champ. The Eagles know they have to be patient this year and they'll have some ups and downs early in the season. A half-dozen or so guys just returned to practice last week after making a run to the state football championship game. Thinking back to 2010, when Lourdes won the state football title (and had a handful of players miss the first two-plus weeks of hockey practice), it took until mid-January before they really began clicking on all cylinders. We'll have a better idea of where this team is at right now after the upcoming week, when it goes to New Prague (Tuesday), and plays host to Chanhassen (Thursday) and No. 5-ranked St. Cloud Cathedral (Saturday).

ROCHESTER MAYO
Last week: 1-1-0. Lost to Lakeville North, 3-0. Won at Faribault, 4-2.
Season: 1-1-0 overall, 1-0-0 Big Nine Conference.
What happened: The Spartans are one of the favorites to win the Big Nine and a big reason why is senior goalie Case Hansen. He was sharp last week, stopping 30 shots against North and 18 against Faribault. Mayo managed just 14 shots against North, but I know at least one of the Spartans' top forwards was feeling ill that day, plus they had four or five sophomores playing in their first varsity game. Plus, North is always one of the top teams in Section 1AA and has generally put up six, seven or more goals against the Rochester teams (North beat Mayo 12-1 last season). Mayo's win at Faribault was a bit disjointed without a lot of five-on-five time. Still, the Spartans will want to make more of a statement in their next three games, all against teams expected to be in the top half of the Big Nine: Thursday at Mankato West, Saturday at John Marshall and Dec. 11 against Owatonna.

DODGE COUNTY
Last week: 1-3-0. Lost to Faribault, 3-2; lost at Minnehaha Academy, 5-2; lost to Waseca, 4-3 (OT); won at Austin, 9-7.
Season: 1-3-0 overall.
What happened: The Wildcats are 1-3-0, but could just as easily have two or three wins. They led Faribault entering the third period, but gave up the game-winning goal with just 1:33 to go after taking a penalty 21 seconds earlier. Against Waseca, Dodge County had a 3-2 lead late in the third, after a seemingly momentum-changing short-handed goal by Stefan Rechtzigel with 7:13 to go. Waseca tied it 59 seconds later, then won 50 seconds into OT. The 'Cats offense broke out on Saturday, with seven players scoring at least once. Their defense wasn't as sharp as it had been, though, allowing seven goals and 37 shots on goal. ... Dodge County plays host to Winona on Tuesday in a game that could have a big impact on the seedings for the Section 1AA playoffs.

RED WING
Last week: 0-3-0. Lost at Buffalo, 5-1; lost at Hudson (Wis.), 5-3; lost at South St. Paul, 3-1.
Season: 0-3-0 overall; 0-0-0 Missota Conference.
What happened: No need to panic, Wingers fans. Just think back to two years ago, when Red Wing started 0-9-0. That team made it all the way to the Section 1A semifinals and pushed Rochester Lourdes in a 4-2 loss. So far, it looks like this year's team needs to figure out how to be a third-period team. The Wingers have been tied or trailing by just one goal entering the third period of all three games so far. Eight players have at least one point so far for the Wingers, so they know they don't have to rely on one or two guys to do all the scoring. ... The Wingers play four of their first five games on the road, including games this week at North St. Paul (Thursday) and Fergus Falls (Saturday).

High School Hockey | A trip around the Rochester rinks

Posted by: Feldman

Our annual boys hockey season preview is scheduled to come out in Saturday's paper, but the family Feldman is heading out of town for T'giving, so I made my trip around Rochester today and stopped at practices for all four Rochester teams.

Without getting too much into the info that will appear in Saturday's preview, here are some initial thoughts and notes after visiting with each coach and team. I'll go in the order of the practices I stopped at:

ROCHESTER MAYO

They won't say it, but reading between the lines, I sense a lot of optimism about where this season could lead for the Spartans. They've lost the Big Nine Conference championship by one point each of the last two seasons and they seem determined to not let that happen this season.

It starts with an established goalie — senior Case Hansen — and very good depth up front. Mayo's all-senior top line of Ryan Martin, Adam Alcott and Max Whitney has shown it is capable of scoring, and senior Tommy Hanson could be a big scorer this season, too. Mayo will have three lines — 10 forwards, really — that will rotate and all can provide some scoring.

We can't leave out top returning d-men Will Holtan and Tommy Fjelsted because I don't want to get checked by either of those guys. They'll provide toughness and offensive ability from the blue line. That's a good combination to have.

Watch out for: Mayo's all-sophomore line; it could will a key group for the Spartans by the end of the season.

Opener: Nov. 27, vs. Lakeville North, Graham Arena I

• • •

ROCHESTER LOURDES

Don't be surprised if the Eagles don't hit their stride until after the calendar hits January.

They're missing 10 guys right now, two out with injuries and eight who are on the Eagles' football team that will play for a state championship this Saturday. The good news: A lot of young guys and borderline JV/varsity players are getting a chance to impress the coaches and possibly earn a spot on the varsity roster.

Even if the Eagles had their full roster right now, they would need some time to figure out line combinations. Nothing's set in stone, including who will play on the top line with vets Jason Samuelson and Alex Funk. It could be Ben Weir, could be Griffen Buck, could be one of the three Carstens brothers, could be someone else.

Lourdes will have a good battle for the top goalie job, too, as senior Andrew Ellingson and sophomore Jack Burkel — a transfer from Red Wing — will both get their chance early in the season to seize the job.

Watch out for: Eighth-grader Tucker Chapman, a forward and a transfer from Texas, who could stick on the varsity from the get-go and play significant minutes. ... The Eagles again have a stacked schedule, including games against both defending state champions (St. Thomas Academy and Benilde-St. Margaret's).

Opener: Dec. 1, at St. Thomas Academy, 7:30 p.m.

• • •

ROCHESTER CENTURY

The Panthers are in a different spot than they're accustomed to: They have a lot of young players and will use the regular season to build toward the playoffs. Their goal won't be to come storming out of the gate.

That said, the Panthers still have some skilled guys leading the way, particularly forwards Hayden Ashworth and Dalton Travis. Ashworth excelled as a sophomore last season, while Travis, now a senior, was arguably the team's best forward in the final weeks of the season.

Senior Matt Sturchio is the only defenseman back with a lot of varsity experience. Sophomore Riese Zmolek is in that category, too, but he likely won't be able to start skating until sometime in January after suffering a broken ankle nearly two months ago.

Watch out for: A good battle for the starting goalie job. Senior Eric Rohleder is the only goalie with varsity experience. He'll be pushed by sophomores Max Andrist, Joey Pundt and Carter Downs.

Opener: Nov. 29, vs. Farmington, 7:30 p.m., Rochester Rec Center

• • •

ROCHESTER JOHN MARSHALL

The Rockets lost a lot of exprience, particularly on the blue line. And that's where they'll be looking for help early on. In fact, at least two veteran forwards — Alex Lovett and Jared Bromberg — have volunteered to make the switch to the blue line. That will hurt JM's forward depth, but there's still enough returning talent up front that JM could be in the mix for the Big Nine title deep into the season, as it was a year ago.

Senior Jacob Garvey will be looked to to hold down the fort in goal. Junior Patric Sadecki will also get some chances.

Watch out for: The Rockets' top line of Gavin Sandwick, Nick Paulson and Sam Broman. Those three are together right now and have clicked well in scrimmages and practices. They'll be relied on for a lot of offense as JM looks to develop some other lines behind them.

Opener: Nov. 27, vs. Farmington, 7:30 p.m., Rec Center.

H.S. Hockey | Scrimmages at Graham Arena tonight

Posted by: Feldman

Sorry for the short notice, but if you're interested in getting a first look at Rochester's boys high school hockey teams (at least the three public school teams), tonight's a good chance to do so.

Century, JM and Mayo will once again play a series of varsity and JV scrimmages against one another, and St. Louis Park (coached by former JM and NHL standout Shjon Podein) will join them.

Podein led a rather remarkable turnaround at SLP last season, helping the Orioles go from two wins in 2010-11 to 18 wins last season. However, Podein learned late in the summer that three key players -- senior D Marshall Tema, sophomore F Josh Passolt and freshman F Alec Baer -- are not returning to SLP this year. Tema is playing in the NAHL, while Passolt transferred to Maple Grove and Baer transferred to Benilde-St. Margaret's.

Here's a more complete story on those players leaving the Orioles' program. Passolt and Baer were the team's second- and third-leading scorers last year.

Here's a schedule for tonight's scrimmages (notice the Rochester varsity teams will not scrimmage each other):

GRAHAM I
5:30-6:05: Mayo vs. SLP
6:20-6:55: Mayo vs. SLP
7:10-7:45: JM vs. SLP
8-8:35: SLP JV vs. JM JV
8:45-9:30: Century vs. SLP

GRAHAM IV
5:45-6:20: JM JV vs. Century JV
6:30-7:05: Mayo JV vs. JM JV
7:15-7:50: Mayo JV vs. SLP JV
8:05-8:40: Mayo JV vs. Century JV
8:55-9:30: SLP JV vs. Century JV 

Hockey | NAHL Showcase to feature 129 Minnesotans

Posted by: Feldman

The Austin Bruins begin their 2012-13 North American Hockey League season in just more than 24 hours. All 24 NAHL teams will converge on the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine for the annual junior hockey showcase.

The Bruins open their season at 1:45 p.m. Wednesday against Amarillo (Texas). Here's my Bruins/Showcase preview from today's Austin P-B print edition. By the way, Bruins coach Chris Tok had some nice things to say about former Rochester John Marshall forward Zach Johnson. Tok mentioned Johnson as one of three young forwards who have stuck out in camp so far. Tok said Johnson has done a nice job at center, opening up space for his linemates and setting them up for scoring chances.

Here's a link to the Showcase website, where you can find schedules and Internet broadcast information.

According to Let's Play Hockey, this year's Showcase will feature 129 players from Minnesota, including five from Rochester -- Johnson and Drew Anderson (Century) from the Austin Bruins; goalie Brock Kautz (Century) from the Janesville (Wis.) Jets; defenseman Rory Vesel (Lourdes) from the Bismarck Bobcats; and defenseman Alec Brandrup (Lourdes) from the Coulee Region Chill (Onalaska, Wis.). Another former standout Big Nine Conference/Section 1 forward, Eric Carlson of Albert Lea, will play for Janesville this season.

Janesville will face Austin on Saturday, the final day of the Showcase, at 7 p.m. Vesel and Brandrup both play for Central Division teams, so they'll play in and against Austin often during the regular season.

Here's a link to Let's Play Hockey's list of the 129 Minnesotans who will play in the Showcase.

The Showcase is well-attended by college coaches and scouts, and professional scouts. This year's Showcase will feature far more than just the 24 NAHL teams. There will be 36 teams from the North American Prospects Hockey League competing at the Tier I 18U major midget level and 16U midget minor levels. Eight teams from the Upper Midwest High School Elite League will play this weekend, too, as will all six 18U midget major teams from the Tier I High Performance Hockey League (Compuware, CYA, Honeybaked, Little Caesars, Mission and Team Illinois).

H.S. Hockey | Summer camp report: Century

Posted by: Feldman

High school hockey teams around the state are taking a mandatory break from their summer camps this week for the holiday, so I figured now is a good time to get these summer camp reports posted. Like I said in a previous post, there's not a ton of information we can gain from these camps, other than the coaches like having a few weeks on the ice with their players in the summer, to see who wants to put in the time and effort in the offseason.

We'll start our trip around Rochester with the Century Panthers.

CENTURY PANTHERS

Last season: 18-7-2, Big 9 conference champions; lost to Lakeville North, 6-1, in Section 1AA semifinals.

Key players lost: G Erik Wennberg (17-6-2, 2.39 GAA, .904 save pct., 6 SO); F Nick Jacobs (captain; 13-24--37, 3 GWG; team-best 4 pts. in 2 playoff games); D Brandon Kautz (captain; 15-19--34, 10 PPG); F Blake Heroff (captain; 9-7--16); F Tyler Iverson (8-14--22; 11 pts in last 7 regular season games); F Isaac St. Marie (15-9--24; 3 PPG).

Key players returning (grade listed is the grade they'll be in, this coming school year): Sr. D Matt Sturchio (3-7--10); Sr. F Dalton Travis (15-9--24); Jr. F Hayden Ashworth (12-27--39); So. F Jacob Roth (4-10—14); So. D Riese Zmolek (5-8—13); Sr. D Ki-Jana Humphreys (1-2—3).

Questions for coach Josh Klingfus

• How do you use these summer practices? What do you want to accomplish? "It's all skill work, shoot a lot of pucks, skating, stickhandling, some 1-on-1, 2-on-1 stuff, a lot of station work and breaking down each player individually."

• You lost a lot of senior leadership off last year's team. How do you replace that? "We have to have guys step into those roles. The (seniors-to-be) class will step in and do just fine. We'll need guys like Matt Sturchio to pull a lot of weight, and we'll have some younger leaders, too — Hayden Ashworth, Riese Zmolek, along with the upperclassmen, we'll go as far as those guys push us."

Thoughts on the Panthers: Klingfus said the Panthers have about 35 kids going through summer workouts with the team, which is a nice number. Eric Rohleder is the only returning goalie with varsity experience, so he'll be given every chance to win the job, but will have some young guys pushing him when practice starts in November.

Dalton Travis was a player Century relied upon the entire season to provide offense and give the team a spark. He had 14 of his 24 points in the first eight games of the year, but he had a couple of big games down the stretch (including a hat trick against Albert Lea on Feb. 6) as the Panthers clinched the Big Nine title. They'll need him to continue to score and be a leader. Ashworth led the team in scoring last season as a sophomore, but lost one of his key linemates — center Nick Jacobs — to graduation.

Zmolek is one of the best all-around defensemen in the conference, and displayed a strong two-way game all of last season as a freshman. He had two points in his first varsity game and looked comfortable stepping into such a key role as a young player. As Klingfus said, they'll need Zmolek to be a leader this season, particularly with the loss of three-year blue-liner Brandon Kautz.

Century's schedule will be decent once again. The Panthers have non-conference games scheduled against two teams that made the state tournament last season, Section 1AA champion Lakeville South (Jan. 3, 7:30 p.m., Graham Arena 4) and at defending Class AA state champion Benilde-St. Margaret's (Jan. 17, 7 p.m.).

Hockey | Notes, notes, notes

Posted by: Feldman

Hockey notes in June? Why the heck not?

* High school hockey teams around the state are into their summer practice/scrimmage schedules. I'll try to get out to the Rochester teams practices and post some updates. They can practice the rest of this week, then have a mandatory week off for the Independence Day holiday, then practice again the following week.

* Former Roseau and Warroad high school boys hockey coach Bruce Olson died Tuesday in Rochester after a battle with liver cancer that spread quickly. Olson was just 55 years old. He led Roseau to the Class AA state championship in 1999. He also coached the Bemidji State women's hockey team for three-plus seasons. He played college hockey at Minnesota-Duluth, graduating from the school in 1979. He had 93 points in 137 career games.

* The P-B's Scott Kolb broke the news a couple of weeks ago that Austin has a new boys hockey coach. Erik LaRock, who played college hockey at St. Mary's in Winona and has coached in Austin Youth Hockey for three years, will be the Packers' new head coach. LaRock has also coached the Austin girls golf team the past two seasons. He replaces Tim Peterson, who was the Packers head coach for three seasons.

* Another Big Nine Conference and Section 1A team, Faribault, will also have a new head coach. Dean Weasler will replace Brad Ryan as the boys hockey head man. Weasler was the head JV coach at Farmington the past two seasons. He has also coached at Burnsville, Eastview and with the St. Cloud State women's team.

* The Star Tribune reported today that four standout high school players have decided to leave their teams early to play in the USHL. Among them is center John Wiitala of defending Section 1AA champion Lakeville South. Wiitala, who had been voted a team captain for this coming season, will now play for Waterloo of the USHL. That's good news for the rest of the section; bad news for high school hockey that these guys are leaving. I don't blame these guys for moving on to the USHL, I just hate to see good high school players leave their teams, especially teams that have a shot at getting to the state tournament.

The other three leaving their schools are Maple Grove defenseman Jordan Gross (USNTDP or Green Bay), Hill-Murray forward Jake Guentzel, son of Gophers' assistant Mike Guentzel (Sioux City) and Duluth East forward Connor Valesano (Sioux Falls).

* I'd like to tell you that I was told at the Wild Road Tour on Monday that it's a lock that Zach Parise will sign with our favorite NHL club on Sunday when free agency opens. I'd like to tell you that, but I can't. Like the rest of you, though, I've read/heard that the Wild is going to throw Craig Leipold's checkbook at him at 11:00:01 a.m. Sunday. I wouldn't be shocked if the Wild offer Parise $9-$10 million/year over an 8-to-10-year deal.That's not a huge deal in the NBA, NFL or MLB, but it's as big of annual salary as you'll see in the NHL. Parise may not sign with the Wild, but they won't be outbid. I could see him winding up in Pittsburgh. I could see him winding up in Detroit. New Jersey seems like more of a long shot to me, only because, if he absolutely wanted to stay there, he would've worked it out already.

As for defense, my fellow Faceoff writer, Phersy, is convinced the Wild needs to take the bank to Ryan Suter's 110-plus acre ranch. Personally, where defense is concerned, I'd rather see the Wild make a strong push for someone like Florida's Jason Garrison (now that Washington's Dennis Wideman has had his rights traded to Calgary, and signed a 5-year deal with the Flames). Garrison is a strong two-way player who'll command a big salary, but not in the range of Suter's.

TSN -- Canada's version of ESPN -- has a great free agency tracker that you can check out here.

High School Hockey | Breaking down the Big 9 race

Posted by: Feldman

While the boys hockey regular season is two-thirds complete, most Big Nine Conference teams are only halfway through their conference schedules. Still, to me, it's not too early to break down the race for the conference crown.

I know, teams are ultimately judged on what they do once the Section 1 tournament starts, but let's not discount the significance of the bragging rights, the banner and the great memories that come with winning a conference championship.

Austin and Mankato East are officially eliminated from winning the conference; Winona and Faribault are on the verge of elimination.

Mayo, Owatonna, Century, John Marshall and Albert Lea all still have realistic hopes of winning the Big Nine; Mankato West can still be considered a contender, too, though they'll need a little more help than others to win the conference.

So, here's where the contenders for the Big Nine title stand with about three weeks to go in the regular season:

ROCHESTER MAYO
Currently: 8-1-0 Big Nine, first place, 18 points
Conference loss: John Marshall 
Points remaining to play for: 16
Total possible points: 34
Notes: Mayo has the best-case scenario on its side. The Spartans get to use the cliche, they "control their own destiny." Indeed, if they win out, they win the Big Nine. They're the only one-loss team left, though they still have games left against four of the other five teams with hopes of winning the conference. The Spartans have avenged their only conference loss twice, beating JM at the Kiwanis Festival and again last Saturday.

OWATONNA
Currently: 7-3-1, second place, 17 points
Conference losses: Albert Lea, Century, Mayo.
Conference tie: Century
Points remaining to play for: 12
Total possible points: 29
Notes: The Huskies hold one-goal wins against JM and Mankato West, a tie and a one-goal loss against Century, and a one-goal loss against Mayo. In other words, they're a couple of bounces away from leading the conference right now. ... If the Huskies are going to capture the Big Nine crown, they'll have to be road warriors. They have road games remaining against Albert Lea, Mayo and Mankato West.

JOHN MARSHALL
Currently: 7-4-0, T-3rd place, 16 points
Conference losses: West, Century, Owatonna, Mayo
Points remaining to play for: 12
Total possible points: 28
Notes: JM holds victories against two of the Big Nine teams it lost to -- Mayo and Century. The Rockets can avenge their other two conference losses, with games against West (Thursday) and at Owatonna (Feb. 11) still to come. ... JM plays four of its final six conference games on the road.

ALBERT LEA
Currently: 7-3-0, T-3rd place, 16 points
Conference losses: Mayo, Century, JM
Points remaining to play for: 14
Total possible points: 30
Notes: The Tigers will have to find some consistency if they hope to challenge for the conference title into the final week. They had a five-game winning streak early in the season (Dec. 6-Dec. 20), but have not won two games in a row since then. 

CENTURY
Currently: 7-2-1, 5th place, 15 points
Conference losses: JM, Mayo
Conference tie: Owatonna
Points remaining to play for: 16
Total possible points: 31
Notes: Along with Mayo, Century has the most remaining points to play for. The Panthers have been battling some injury issues, particularly on defense, but it appears as though they may be getting healthy in time for the stretch run and the postseason. They also have two four-point games remaining -- at Austin and at Mankato East. Four of Century's six remaining conference games are on the road.

MANKATO WEST
Currently: 6-5-0, 6th place, 12 points
Conference losses: Albert Lea, Mayo, Century (x2), Owatonna.
Points remaining: 14
Total possible points: 26
Notes: The Scarlets need to win out and get a lot of help; they need Mayo to lose at least three more times, and need the other teams in front of them to lose at least once. West has games remaining against JM, Albert Lea, Mayo and Owatonna. Five of the Scarlets' final eight games are at home, including their last three.

High School Hockey Tonight | Dec. 13, 2011

Posted by: Feldman

Just one boys game tonight for Rochester teams, but it's a goodie (is that a word? Toddler Feldy uses it, so I think it's OK. Of course, she also thinks "hockey" is spelled "h-l-c-r-y-k")

For the first time, Rochester Century will face an intra-city rival with someone other than Bruce Frutiger serving as head coach. And, for that matter, this is the first time that Century and John Marshall will meet with first-year head coaches on each bench. Josh Klingfus has the Panthers playing well, while Jay Ness and the Rockets are coming off a big victory against rival Mayo on Saturday.

I'm hoping to be out at the game tonight, but, as of now, I'm still not sure if I will be. If so, I'll put scoring updates out on Twitter (@PBFeldy), so feel free to follow along.

Let's look at this one a little more in-depth:

JOHN MARSHALL at CENTURY
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Recreation Center
Records: JM 2-2-1 overall, 1-0-0 Big Nine Conference; Century 3-2-0, 2-0-0.
Last game: JM defeated Mayo, 4-3, on Saturday; Century routed Mankato West, 7-1, on Saturday.
Last meeting: JM beat Century, 4-2, on Feb. 15, 2011. Three seniors scored all of JM's goals — two by Eric Mackey, one each by Reed Miller and Ryan Yetzer. Brandon Kautz and Nick Raehsler scored for Century.
Coaches: JM, Jay Ness (first season); Century, Josh Klingfus (first season).
Spotlight players: For JM, it's senior forward Kyle Andrews. He has been a steady contributor for the Rockets this season, with at least one point in four of their five games. In a loss to St. Paul Johnson 10 days ago, he had JM's only goal. He scored on a great "effort" play, when he aggressively forechecked a SPJ player, stole the puck, then spun and scored. He had two points in the win against Mayo on Saturday, including a nice tip-in goal. In the limited chances I've had to see him this season, he sets an example that I think coach Ness would be happy to have all of the other players on the team follow. ... For Century, it's senior defenseman Brandon Kautz. While other players have had bigger games for the Panthers, Kautz has been among the most consistent. He has had at least one point in four of Century's five games, and at least two points in three of the five games. Kautz is one of the team's captains, and deservedly so. He's played a ton of varsity hockey over the past two years and knows what it takes to win in the Big Nine and Section 1. He's a rock on the blue line and rarely makes a mistake. Century will need him to continue to produce at both ends if it's going to go far this season.