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Hockey - Men's - Drew Akins Blog

UMD senior center, team captain, WCHA All-Academic Team honoree and all-around good guy Drew Akins will be blogging on everything Bulldog hockey throughout the second half of the 2009-10 season. Akins, a native of Excelsior, Minn., is scheduled to graduate this May with a B.A. degree in communication and a minor in coaching.

April 2, 2010- It’s been nearly two weeks since our last game, after a bit of a waiting game, we learned our season was officially over. It was definitely a very difficult time for all of us -- and still is. I think it’s pretty obvious how skilled our team was this year. If you had told me at Christmas time that we weren’t going to make the playoffs, I probably would have thought you were nuts. The second half of the year, however, was a rollercoaster ride and we lost some key games (most notably the two with Bemidji State University) that eventually resulted in us not qualifying for the NCAA tournament.

The easy part is to look back and speculate on what if we would have done this, or what if we would have done that. But overall, I think we accomplished a lot this year. We had 20-plus wins for the second year in a row, finished in the top five in the WCHA and got home ice for the playoffs, something that was a first for me since becoming a Bulldog. We won our first round playoff series with nationally-ranked Colorado College and advanced to our second straight Final Five. In conference play, we were only swept once all season long while posting four sweeps of our own. Looking at those accomplishments, a return trip to the NCAA tourney seemed to be an automatic. But, with the Final Five loss to North Dakota and a few conference tournament results from some other leagues which didn't go our way, fate had other plans for us. Unfortunately, that’s the way it goes sometimes.

For myself and the other UMD seniors, it’s really tough realizing that your college career has finally come to an end. It seems like just about every senior says it, but its true: the past four years have gone by way too fast. Even though it's sad to think about, you can't help but feel good that you just spent the past four years with some of your best friends and have memories with them that you’ll never forget. I’m sure the things I'll remember most won’t involve any particular games, but rather just coming to the rink everyday and hanging with the guys. It’s always the little things you miss most.

In fact, I’m already starting to miss some of those things. Most notably, ripping on Mike Seidel everyday for simple no apparent reason. Making him untie my skates and put my laundry away. Giving Aaron Crandall a hard time about his enormous ankles. Getting into fights with Trent Palm in practice (while standing in line). Ripping on Travis Oleksuk for his short legs and midget proportions. Most of all, I’ll probably miss rooming with Dan DeLisle, a.k.a “Big Dumb Dan” on the road. He and I have had some good heart-to-hearts and I probably know every one of his secrets by now, so he better not make me mad or else… Next time you see Dan, by the way, ask him the three reasons why he chose to play college hockey.

Looking to the future, I’m really excited to follow the Bulldogs next year. With only two seniors leaving (maybe three depending on what Chase Ryan does), this team will basically have everyone back. Losing Rob Bordson early to the pros is certainly a huge loss, but I think there are guys who can step up next year and make up for his absence. I think the Bulldogs have very promising freshmen class coming in and joining a team which is already loaded with talent. I can't wait to get up here next winter and take in a game at the new DECC. It wasn't easy watching the new arena being built all year knowing you’re never going to play in it, but nevertheless, I am excited because its' going to be great for the city and for the hockey program at UMD.

As for me, I’m currently down in Duluth, Ga., skating with the Gwinnett Gladiators of the East Coast Hockey League. Shortly after our season ended, I told my agent, Shjon Podein (a UMDS hockey alumnus), I wanted to continue playing and so he contacted some ECHL clubs. Eventually, coach Jeff Pyle from Gwinnett said he was looking for a forward and asked to bring me in for the final three games of the season. The Gladiators had been making a push for the ECHL playoffs, but recently were knocked out of the contention. I made my pro hockey debut on Wednesday (March 31) and will hopefully play tonight and Saturday before heading back to UMD on Monday.

For those of you who don’t know how professional hockey works, the ECHL is one of many pro leagues in the U.S. and is two steps down from the National Hockey League (NHL). Every ECHL team has both American Hockey League (AHL) affiliates and NHL affiliates. For example, Gwinnett is affiliated with the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Atlanta Thrashers of the NHL as well as with with the Syracuse Crunch and the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. So, in order to get from the ECHL to the NHL you will usually be called up to one of the AHL teams first. Once you’re in the AHL, the next -- and final-- step is the NHL.

Right now, this is more of a tryout for me than anything. The coach gets to see me play in three games and can then decide whether or not he wants to sign me for next season. So far, I have had a lot of fun adjusting to pro hockey. I was a little nervous to play with guys I’ve never met before, but all of them have been extremely welcoming. In fact, yesterday we had the day off and Dan Sullivan, one of the team captains, took me fishing. The Gladiators also had an end of the year banquet last night that I was invited to. This team really appears to have a great staff, from the equipment managers all the way up to the head coach and owners.

In comparison to college hockey, there are a lot of differences I’m already starting to notice. It really feels a lot more like junior hockey again. You don’t eat team meals together or even warm up together before games. You’re pretty much on your own for everything. I think the coaches assume by now your pretty set in your ways on how you prepare for games. However, in the locker room it’s just like college. Guys are always giving each other a hard time and like to joke around. I think that really helped me coming in because it lightened the mood right away and made me feel more at ease.

As for living arrangements, all the guys live in the same apartment complex together. It’s usually two players to an apartment unless you have a wife, fiancée, or girlfriend. In that case, the team will usually get you a one-bedroom apartment for you. That’s another thing that’s different, a lot of the guys are married or are engaged. I was quite impressed the apartments --they are really nice and all of the furniture is provided -- and I have been sharing one with former Michigan Tech defenseman Drew Dobson. Usually, Drew and I would have been put in a hotel, but luckily two players that lived in our apartment just got called up to the AHL, so we got to stay there.

Overall, I’m having a great time down here and I think this has been a terrific experience thus far. The only negative thing I can say right now is that I got scored on my first shift. The coach started our line in my first game on Wednesday and all but 20 seconds went by before I had my first minus. The level of play is very competitive and it seems like if you make one little mistake it can cost your team a goal. I would say the speed is very similar to college hockey, but you need to play a lot smarter rather than harder. I know I’ve only played one game, but I have already noticed players are a lot more patient and don’t waste energy unless they have to.

I'd better get a pregame nap in before I head to the rink. We had a pregame skate today at 10 o'clock this morning and after that I went and had some pasta for lunch with a few of the guys. Our game is at 7:30 p.m. game tonight so ill probably sleep for about and hour and then out. The team rule is that you must be at the rink at least two hours before game time. I always like to get there a little earlier, anyway, than that so I can get a good warm-up in.

March 17, 2010- Last weekend we beat Colorado College in a best -of-three series to move on to the WCHA Final Five Tournament in St. Paul. The tournament will be held at the Xcel Energy Center and our first game is this Thursday against North Dakota. It wasn’t easy to get there, though. CC played really hard all weekend and it could have gone either way. Their goaltending was stellar the entire series and we had a difficult time getting pucks past Tiger goalie Joe Howe. But, the important thing, is that we won and kept our season alive. Sunday was very nerve racking for all us knowing that if we lost our season would be over.

UND has been playing really well down the stretch and we know we have to play our best hockey if we’re going to come out on top. They beat us three out of four this season, so we’re definitely looking for some pay back. Even though they finished tied for fourth with us in the WCHA standings, I think they’re the toughest team to play against. They’re physical, skilled, and never quit. Unlike them, we have a lot more riding on this game. If UND loses they will still make the NCAA tournament, if we lose we probably won’t.

Like last week, this week's practices have been short. Since we played three games last weekend the coaches gave us Monday off -- but we still came to the rink to stretch and get treatments for some of the guys who were banged up. Yesterday's practice was only about 45 minutes long. We did a few shooting and passing drills and called it a day. Today’s practice was short as well, but we worked on our power play for the last 15 minutes of practice. After practice we packed up our bags on the bus and went to Grandma’s Saloon for a quick meal before heading down St. Paul.

The bus movie is Blood Diamond. Trips to the cities are perfect for watching movies because one movie is about the length of the trip. It definitely makes the time go by really fast. Once we get to St. Paul we’re dropping off our gear at the Excel and heading to our hotel to check in. We’re staying at the Crowne Plaza right near the arena. It works out well because it only about a block from the Xcel so we can walk to our practices and games. Tonight for dinner we’re eating at Bennett’s Chop and Railhouse. I can’t wait! We always eat there when we play in the Twin Ciities. It’s definitely my favorite restaurant we eat at all season.

Tomorrow will be just like any other game day. We have an early breakfast followed by a pre-game skate at 9:15a.m. It’s funny to think we’re already playing tomorrow. Usually we have five full days to prepare for our games. Since we played on Sunday, and play this Thursday, we will only have had three days to prepare. I like the short week, though. Sometimes five straight practices without a game seems to get a little repetitive.

Right now we’re just trying not to think too far ahead. Last year was certainly a blast winning three in a row and taking home the Final Five trophy. But, like always, we have to take it one game at a time. I know we have the team to do it this year and I don’t see any reason why we can’t repeat. Either way, we’re looking forward to tomorrow and are ready to leave it all out there.

March 11, 2010- Playoff time is finally here! As a senior, one of my goals this year was to finally get home-ice for playoffs because we haven’t had it the last three years. Now that we’ve accomplished that goal, it's time to take it a few steps further, starting with a win on Friday. We need to make sure we’re not looking too far ahead, though. Taking it one game at a time (got to love that cliche') is going to be key.

Our opponent: the Colorado College Tigers. We have certainly had some success against the Tigers this year winning three out of four games. However, this doesn’t mean anything to us. I think after the season we’ve had, it’s safe to say that anyone can beat anyone in this league. Take our 2-2 record against Michigan Tech, for instance. Not to compare CC to Michigan Tech, but just because we were 3-1 against them doesn’t mean it's going to be easy. In fact, the Tigers split with their archrival Denver, who is ranked number one, last weekend. CC realizes we’ve had their number the past few years and I know they’re looking for some payback. I expect both teams to turn it up a few notches. But as many of you know, that’s what playoffs is all about.

I think we’re definitely feeling good about playing Colorado College. We usually play better in our own barn due to the small ice surface The Tigers have an Olympic-size sheet and aren’t as used to playing on small ice. Either way, we need to start playing better in our d-zone. Last weekend in Anchorage, we learned our lesson on Friday night that being lazy in your own zone can cost you a game. We certainly played a lot better on Saturday and hopefully we can carry some of that momentum into this Friday night.

With playoff time also comes new haircuts. Last year the theme was Mohawks. This year it's Mohawks and mullets. Prior to yesterday’s practice, only a few guys have yet to get their new haircuts. You guys know who you are (Monty, Bordo, and Palm). These three are some of the guys with longer hair so my guess would be a mullet. But, I heard a rumor Monty and Palm might be going with a perm instead so maybe that’s why they’re holding out. Either way, they better have done something by Friday.

Other than that this week has been pretty light as far as practices goes. After a long day of travel coming back from Alaska on Sunday, most of the guys were a little worn out. Monday’s practice was only about an hour and the coaches gave us Tuesday completely off. I think having the break Tuesday was just what we needed. At this point in the year, it’s all about taking care of your body. We got back to our usually routine yesterday. Wednesday’s practice was relatively short, but we still worked on a lot of different things. We started practice with a few shooting and passing drills followed by some power play, penalty kill, fore-checking, and breakout drills. Today, I would assume we will see some of the same type of drills and a video meeting after practice to talk about some of CC's tendencies.

March 6, 2010- After a disappointing loss to Alaska-Anchorage last night we have no one to blame but ourselves. Last night we dominated the play for the first ten minutes of the game. Once UAA scored their first goal they took the momentum away from us and didn’t stop until the final buzzer.

Our game plan is always to get the first goal. We know we’re a team that plays better with the lead. As of late, we haven’t been scoring the first goal. Since after last nights game, we have been talking a lot about how we can’t get down on ourselves if we get down a goal. We need to play the same whether were down, up, or tied. Last night was a definite wake-up call for us. We’re sick of losing to weaker teams. No matter what team we're playing, we have to bring the same intensity each and every night. Tonight, we’re not only playing to move up in the standings, but also to generate momentum heading into the playoffs.

Today, we didn’t have our usual pre-game skate. Instead, we walked from our hotel to watch the beginning of the Iditarod dogsled race in downtown Anchorage. Usually during our pre-game meal we watch video from the night before. Today we know the things we need to improve on relate more to our attitude than anything else. At this point in the season, we know our systems and we know our role within the team. We can sit around and talk about what we’re going to do all we want, but it means nothing if we don’t go out there and execute.

March 2, 2010 - Last weekend we earned a split with the Minnesota Gophers at the DECC by closing out the series with a big 3-0 victory. Even though our goal going into weekend was to win two, I think as a whole we played very well over the two games and have nothing to be disappointed about. As a team, we always stress that if we work hard for 60 minutes the result will take care of itself. Unfortunately, sometimes it doesn’t work out in your favor. On Friday night, we outshot our opponent, won the special teams, and, I thought, generally controlled the play for most of the game. A loss is always tough on a team, but we felt the Gophers stole one from us and were determined to make up for it Saturday night.

I know for the other seniors and I it was a huge relief to get the win on Saturday and secure home ice for the WCHA playoffs. I was starting to get a little nervous thinking last weekend's games could have been my last at the DECC. We haven’t had home ice for the playoffs since I have been a Bulldog so it was nice to finally accomplish that goal -- especially since we tend to play our best hockey in our own barn.

I think it’s safe to say our team went from an extreme high on Saturday to an extreme low on Sunday, (well, at least for some of us) when Canada won the Olympic gold in an overtime thriller over the U.S. Don’t get my wrong -- going into the tournament I knew Canada was the hands-down favorite to win gold. Either way, we (the U.S. players from UMD) all knew we were going to hear about it come Monday’s practice. As we all expected, the Canadians didn’t disappoint. Fontaine and Mike Connolly both showed up with Canadian flags wrapped around their bodies and took a few victory laps around the locker room. Brady Lamb decided to bring his team Canada jersey and force Hoagie (assistant manager Dale Haagenson) to put it on. Of course, Hoagie, being he diehard U.S. fan, refused. All in all, it was not a fun day for the Americans.

However, one person I haven’t heard much from after Canada winning gold is Dylan Olsen. As you may or may not know, Dylan has dual citizenship and was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dylan likes to think he is from Calgary, Alberta, because he lived there for a good part his life. Even though he has played junior hockey there and landed himself a spot on the national team north of the boarder, we still like to give him a hard time about being born in the U.S. I think I’m started to sound like a broken record to him because I beak him quite a bit about it. Even though he has been criticized on numerous occasions, it still seems to get under his skin every time. I love it!

Next up we’re playing the University of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves on Friday night in Anchorage. This weekend will close out the regular season for us. Since the standings are so tight this year we still don’t know where were going to end up. UAA is in the same position and is only one point ahead of Mankato. By no means is UAA a team we can take lightly. Last year, they beat us three out of four times and prevented us from finishing in the top five and securing home ice for the playoffs by sweeping us at the DECC to end the regular season. They remind me a lot of Mankato in that they play with a lot of grit and are solid defensively. Like the Mavericks, they also tend to take a lot of penalties so we need to make sure we stay disciplined.

UAA is also a very long trip. We are leaving Wednesday morning and don’t get back until late Sunday. From an academic perspective, a lot of us will miss three full days of school. Thankfully, most of the professors and instructors are very good at helping us make up missed assignments and exams. Nevertheless, missing class lectures is something you can’t make up. With a near six-hour flight, the plane ride will be a perfect time to get caught up on schoolwork. With the long travel we also need to make sure we stay healthy. Traveling is an easy way to get sick if you don’t take care of your body. At this point in the year we need everyone at their best.

February 24, 2010- I'm sure a lot of people are thinking it’s time to push the old panic button right about now. However, I don’t think that’s the case. Last weekend against North Dakota was the first time we have been swept in conference play all season long. All around we played less than average and North Dakota was at the top of its game. Our special teams really hurt us all weekend and we didn’t execute on our opportunities. We definitely need to start scoring again. Three goals in two nights isn’t going to win you a lot of hockey games.

It’s time to put last weekend to rest and focus on this weekend. As I’m sure you all know, we’re playing the Gophers, our archrival from UMTC (I love calling them that because I know Gopher fans hate it). Even though a lot of people are saying this is a down year for them, they’re coming off a weekend sweep against Colorado College and are playing really well right now.

I believe if we’re going to have success against them we need to play physical and win battles. With 20 NHL draft picks, I think it's safe to say they have a decent amount of skill. Against a team like the Gophers, you can’t expect to make the pretty plays all the time. We need to focus on the little things and keep the game simple. It’s to our advantage playing in our own barn. The Gophers play on one of the biggest ice sheets in the league and we play on one of the smallest. We can’t wait for Friday and I expect nothing less than a playoff atmosphere.

So far this week, we have been doing a lot of battle drills. Last weekend we lost a lot of one-on-one battles and that’s an area we definitely have to improve on. We know we need to get back to playing hard and outworking our opponents. Skill only goes so far and most of the time it seems to come down to who wants it more. The Gophers are desperately trying to move up in the standings and we still have a chance to finish at the top of the league. We've got to make sure we have a good week of practice so we can carry that momentum into Friday’s game.

I know it sounds cliche, but taking it one game at a time is going to be the key for us. Throughout the last month, I think we were maybe a little too focused on where we were going to finish in the league. Lately, we have been talking a lot about not looking beyond our next game. Friday is the only thing we’re worried about right now. I think I speak for the whole team when I say we’ve been looking forward to this weekend for a long time.

February 17, 2010- This week we have been practicing at the Heritage Center in west Duluth due to the boat show going on at the DECC. Each day we pick up our gear at the DECC, drive to the Heritage Center for practice, and then head back to the DECC to hang up our equipment. Today is our last day of practice there. We are heading to Grand Forks, N.D., Thursday morning and will practice at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in the afternoon.

Having last weekend off was just what we needed at this point in the year. More than anything, it gave us a chance to get some injured guys healthy again. It definitely feels like we haven’t played in a long time, though. I know we’re all ready to beat up on someone other than our own teammates in practice.

We know this weekend is going to be one of our toughest and more physical series of the year. With only six games left and the WCHA standings so tight, every game can have a huge effect on where we end up. North Dakota, which is known for coming on strong down the stretch, is coming off an 8-1 victory at St. Cloud State University last Saturday. They’re a tough team and they tend to step up their game when playing at home.

I think it’s safe to say we have had a pretty rocky last three or four weeks, but there still seems to be a really positive attitude within the team and practices have been going really well lately. At this point in the year, it is safe to assume most teams have had a fair share of their ups and downs. Overall, this has been a great year for us and we know we’re still in a really good position.

On a lighter note, Wade Bergman, one of our eight freshmen, has progressively been getting better as the season has gone on. Even though he is our smallest defenseman, he hasn’t shied away from the physical aspects of the game. Wade has been a really fun guy to be around off the ice as well. In fact, Wade has taken a lot of heat this year due to his strong resemblance to a fictional character. Wade, a.k.a. “Smeagol,” has received a new nickname due to his look-a-like character from the film “Lord of the Rings.”

Can you see the resemblance?

February 9, 2010- After a disappointing loss last Friday against Michigan Tech, we rallied on Saturday from a two-goal deficit to get the win. Although the weekend didn’t go as we had planned, it could have been even worse. We played very well on Saturday and still found ourselves down two. We knew coming into last weekend’s series that the Huskies are a team that doesn’t score a lot, but they also don’t give up a lot. I think our team showed a lot of character throughout Saturday’s game. The bounces weren’t going our way but we stuck with it and never quit.

Since we don’t play this weekend, we had yesterday off. Today was an optional skate intended mainly for the goalies. We officially start practice again tomorrow. I assume we’ll do a lot of up-tempo, flow drills to keep the legs moving. Having three days off doesn’t seem like much, but you definitely notice a difference in your stamina.

The most important part of having a bye week is to get everyone healthy. Some guys may have some minor, but nagging injuries and others may be slightly ill and are trying to get healthy again. Either way, it’s important to take advantage of the week off. In my opinion, we couldn’t pick a better time to have a weekend free. With six games left in conference play against three good teams, it’s certainly nice to get a bit of a mental and physical break before heading down the stretch.

February 4, 2010- We spent the majority of the day on the road today, heading to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The team left Duluth at 9:30 a.m. and arrived in Houghton, Mich. around 3:00 p.m. local time. Our bus movies included "Transformers 2" and "Zombie Land". Once we got into town, we dropped off our gear at the rink and checked into our hotel. We then had an hour to rest and then headed off to practice.

We had a pretty light skate this afternoon. We did a lot of flow drills to get rid of the bus legs, followed by some breakouts and odd-man rushes. We also worked briefly on our power play and penalty kill. The practice wrapped up with a team shootout (like we do every Thursday ) and the last two shooters came down to Mike Seidel and Jack Connolly. Mike ended up winning, somehow.

After practice, we had dinner at a place called The Library located in downtown Houghton. The meal was very good. Most of us had pasta or steak.

Right now, we’re back at the hotel. We're always paired two a room and typically it's a younger player with an older one. My roommate is Dan Delisle. Other than the fact that he snores really loud and keeps me up sometimes, he’s been a really fun guy to room with this season.

It’s usually really low-key on Thursday nights on the road. Since we’re missing two days of school this week, most of us are busy with homework. Tomorrow’s wake up call is 8 a.m. (that's 7 o'clock back in Duluth) so I’m sure we’ll be in bed no later than 11 tonight.

February 2, 2010 - After losing three straight, we finally got a much-needed win on Saturday against the Wisconsin Badgers. We’ve been talking a lot within the team about how we need to be more consistent each night. In my opinion, we went from having one of our worst games of the year on Friday to one of our best on Saturday. It was like we were a completely different team each night.

As a team, we knew Wisconsin was going to be one of our toughest opponents all year. Even though Denver is ranked ahead of them, I think they’re the most complete team we’ve played so far.

Leading up to the Badger series, our team had a great week of practice and the last thing we expected was to get outplayed in our own barn on Friday. With the exception of Kenny Reiter in net, we played very poorly all-around. Wisconsin beat us in every category. Total shots, face-offs, scoring chances, one-on-one battles, and hits -- they all went in the Badgers' favor.

Going into Saturday’s game, we placed our focus on one thing, and that was effort. I remember the coaches telling us we needed to be five percent better. I said to myself, five percent, that doesn’t seem like much, but in hockey that can make all the difference.

One thing Coach Larson always says to us before games is to not worry so much about what the other team is going to do, but to worry more about what we’re going to do. I think on Saturday we were definitely the instigators and controlled the play from the drop of the puck. That needs to be our game plan every night. As my high school coach, Tim Hanus, always said: “Do you want to be the hitty, or the hitter.”

As for practice yesterday, we had more of a skill day involving mostly passing and shooting drills followed by an off-ice workout. I expect today and tomorrow to contain a lot of physical and battle-type drills. We’ve already played Michigan Tech this year and they stole a win from us. We know they’re a team that is very solid defensively. If we’re going to have success against them, we need to tighten up in our defensive zone and capitalize on our opportunities.

January 26, 2010- Where to begin? Last weekend against Bemidji State was a disappointment, to say the least. After a loss like Saturday's (5-4 in overtime, giving up the tying goal with less than two seconds left to play), one of two things can happen: A team is either going to crumble, or come together. The last thing we need to do is to point fingers at each other. Everyone contributes whether we win or lose, that’s the mentality we must have.

As hard as it is to think optimistically right now, I feel a lot of good is going to come from this. Last year we were swept by Alaska Anchorage in our last series of the regular season. Following that weekend we went on a tear winning our next six playoff games. After Saturday’s loss. we were definitely down on ourselves. It was the first time we had been swept this season. The first thing the coaches asked after the game was how are we going to respond?

The most difficult part about losing on a Saturday is having to wait almost a full week before playing again. Losing on a Friday is hard, but at least you have the next night to make up for it. From most of the guys I’ve talked with, Friday couldn’t come soon enough. We know it’s going to be a tough weekend, but we’re definitely ready for it. Wisconsin is coming off a big weekend against Denver and they’re always tough to play against.

Before Monday’s practice we emphasized on how we weren’t going to change much with our systems. Some teams will change up everything just because one bad weekend. We have been pretty successful this season playing our game. However, there are some existing areas that need to improve.

One main problem with our team this year has been our consistency, and that all starts with work ethic. When we are playing our best hockey we’re a tough team to beat. Bemidji State played until the final buzzer and we didn’t, it’s as simple as that. We need to take a page out of their book and play as close to 60 minutes of hockey each night.

Tuesday’s practice went really well. It was a competitive practice involving a lot of endurance and battle drills. We also worked on our power play for a while. In this league, special teams are what's going to win you games. Wisconsin has very good special teams so we need to make sure we’re ready for them.

January 20, 2010 - We have only ten WCHA games left this season and two non-conference games this Friday and Saturday against Bemidji State. We're very happy with the weekend sweep over Mankato. Other than the second period on Friday night, we didn't play that great all weekend and we're probably lucky to get two wins. We know we're going to have to play a lot better if we're going to get the same results this weekend against Bemidji. Bemidji is always a tough team to play against. They have a lot of skill this year and play harder than probably any team in the WCHA. We know we're in for a battle this weekend, but I think the guys are looking forward to it. Since we're up in the national polls now, we know there's a target on our backs and teams are gunning for us. In practice the coaches have been stressing not to look too far ahead and not to focus on the success we have had so far this season. All we need to worry about is who we're playing next.

This week has been a little different with school back in session again. Our first classes started yesterday and the coaches gave us the day off so we could get settled back in with our class schedules. Usually after having a day off we can expect a hard-working, physical practice to follow. We usually seem to base our practice plan on who were playing. Since the Beavers are known as a physical, hard-working team, our practices are likely to include the same traits.

Being on break for the last month has reminded me a lot of when I played junior hockey. No school or work, just hockey. It was a really nice change of pace and I think all of the players were happy to get a break from the classroom and just focus on hockey. Since we had to be back from break much earlier than the rest of the students, there wasn't a whole lot going on in Duluth. Our team is pretty competitive with one another so most days we would fire up the Xbox 360 and play Call of Duty or Halo after practice each day. Other than that, we just hung out at the rink longer than usual. We even put together a ping pong tournament we have yet to finish. It's a doubles tournament and my partner is Dan DeLisle. He told me he's not that great so I'm sure we'll probably get knocked out in the first round. My pick to win it all would be Jack Connolly's doubles team. Jack doesn't look like much, but somehow the kid is a natural in everything he does. You should see him dance!