David Fessenden is the incumbent netminder for University of Alabama Huntsville (UAH) Chargers this season as a sophomore netminder. He is six feet and six inches tall and uses all of his frame in his game to his advantage. He was perfect in two periods to open the Chargers’ season against Robert Morris before leaving with an injury sustained in warmups. The barrage that the Colonials threw at him was impressive, but Fessenden played every shot the right way and worked to limit rebounds, not an easy task for any goalie let alone one playing in a season opener with 13 freshmen on the roster.
With that said, there is more to Fessenden then what fans saw on that sheet of ice in Pennsylvania.
The Parker, Colorado native is an incredibly loyal competitor as Charger fans and Northeast Generals Fans know. This quote from the time he comitted to the Chargers sums up a lot of what we have seen from him las year and this year, along with a hope for the future.
Head Coach and General Manager of the Generals Bryan Erixson had the following to say on Fessenden’s commitment:
“David has been with us almost since the beginning. He had to endure a lot being the goalie on a 4-win team two years ago, but never wavered in his love of the Generals. He bought in 100% on Day 1 and shared the organization’s vision of building towards the future. He is one of the main reasons for our dramatic improvement this past year. This commitment is a testament to all the hard work he has put in on and off the ice. He is a truly amazing young man.”
Like every returner on this team, Fessenden chose to stay and could have pursued their college hockey craft elsewhere given the sudden cutting of the program. Instead, he stayed and cemented himself as part of the legacy of the next chapter of college hockey in the south.
Moving back to the team Fessenden is backstopping this year, he had some interesting notes on the skaters he faces everyday that has somewhat been borne out through on ice performance.
When asked about his teammates who have the most deceptive shot, he noted how good all of the skaters on this team are, but on that specific trait, he noted junior forward Bauer Neudecker who is tied for the team lead for two goals, and freshman Frank Vitucci. He currently leads the Chargers with seven shots on goal in the first two games of their season.
As to what goalie Fessenden models his game after, he noted two goalies for their calm style and ability to stay composed under pressure. Both goalies Robin Lehner, and Andrei Vasilevskiy use their size and positioning to stay calm in net and control the game in their own end. Fessenden wants to do the same thing and harness that ability to stay cool under pressure moving forward. For him, developing includes things like honing the start to his game, among other things.
Why did Fessenden play goalie? Well he was simply drawn to it from the beginning of his time playing hockey. As he said he noted when he was younger “I want to try the guy with the pads.” He also thought the sliding around goalies get to do looked cool when he first decided to play the position. Fessenden has always been well liked throughout his life and has a number
Finally, when asked about what to expect from the Chargers this year, Fessenden said plainly “we are going to prove some people wrong.”
Look for more features on this unique roster as the Chargers persevere through a unique year, and as Fessenden said look to “prove some people wrong.”
Donate: To help us cover more games and tell more stories not found elsewhere about all of college sports, especially under represented athletes everywhere across the college sports landscape, please click the below link and consider donating what you can. If you do, I will list you in every story about we write as a supporter of crowd-funded journalism that can truly be free for all at this link: https://www.paypal.me/oliverfrancies your donation will help expand what content we can offer and how many stories we can tell.
We write this piece on the eve of the Fighting Hawks Men’s Hockey Team making their debut in the NCHC Pod tomorrow afternoon against the RedHawks of Miami of Ohio. This piece is not about that.
This piece is not about Jasper Weatherby, or Jacob Bernard-Docker, both two incredibly talented student athletes, and both of whom are allies, as we wrote about in Jasper’s case, a bit ago. Both student-athletes plan to kneel tomorrow before the Fighting Hawks open their season, in support of the many black lives that have been lost far too soon at the hands of law enforcement, including George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor, among far too many others. We hope this is the beginning of true, authentic, student-athlete lead protests on this campus to draw attention to a number of issues most fans of this team have a literal privilege of not having to confront on a day to day basis.
It is about the lack of response from the athletic department following the removal from the team of former student athlete Mitchell Miller for his horrific crimes and racism displayed towards Isaiah Meyer-Corothers, an African American classmate of his in an Ohio high school. While being incredibly reactionary as an institution, President Andrew Armacost, to his credit, stepped up and did the right thing in absence of leadership from the staff of the team by removing Miller from the team. Being a student-athlete anywhere, and especially at the Division One level is an earned privilege, and taking part in crimes involving saying racist slurs to, and physically bullying a classmate of yours on multiple occasions with developmental disabilities should rightly bar one from ever having that privilege.
Other than the dismissal from the team, which was done at Armacost’s behest, what has the Athletic Department done to take real, verifiable, and public steps to ensure this never happens again, and that no student athlete with anything close to the level of Miller’s crimes is even recruited? They have done nothing in the public eye to engender any bit of conference from anyone in that regard and as we sit here on December 1, 2020, we felt it needed to bring our questions into the public eye for two reasons.
First, UND has responded to a case brought forward by one of its own student athletes. After Jaxson Turner rightly noted his displeasure at using now former student athletes who participated in a racist video in a promotion Athletic Director Bill Chaves said “I support the decision that was made today with UND volleyball. I have listened and will continue to listen to our student-athletes, faculty, staff and community as a whole and I am dedicated to working together to foster a safe, welcoming space for everyone. We value a diverse and inclusive environment and will strive to continually improve in this area through persistent work on the culture of our department.” That said, the two players only left after Turner brought this up. This raises further concerns for the transparency or lack thereof in this department about racist things that happen
To us, based on that statement uttered this summer, and through all of the activism the department is taking in other areas like encouraging its student athletes to vote, and do a lot of other great things in the community, doing things to actively combat racism both on the ice and off it would be a good start. Answering these questions should be the bare minimum for this Athletic Department as it fails to fully seperate its men’s hockey team of the present and future from its past association with a nickname ruled hostile and offensive by the NCAA, and one that took them nearly a decade to change. While that descision to change was not entirely in this department’s hands, their continued willingness to not be proactive about using the Fighting Hawks image in their home rink most certainly is. Other coaches in other sports have shown a strong willingness to move forward and have embraced the change with great gusto. Men’s Hockey as a program has not. The multiple regionals the Fighting Hawks have hosted have had a Fighting Hawk closer to the ice than the home rink of the Fighting Hawks, Ralph Engelstad Arena. This lack of willingness to adress an issue head on and let it fester is not endemic to the nickname.
Below are the questions we sent that never got a response from Head Coach Brad Berry, and as we have been told the department will have no further comment on this issue, feel needed to bring public using our forum. Also, do not hesitate to ask version of these questions of every single team Miller played on after these crimes started, and every league which he was in. The lack of transparency regarding what anyone in the hockey world knew about Miller and when they knew it has been to us, at a minimum quite appalling.
Here are those questions meant for Coach Berry, keep in mind these were sent right after his dismissal, thus the ” past week” phrasing.
1. When did you first learn of Miller’s racist bullying towards Isaiah in the course of recruiting Miller?
2. Did you learn of this before offering him a scholarship?
3. What changed in the past week to dismiss him from the team?
4. Did any professional teams ask you for input on Mitchell during the draft process and if so did you provide any?
5. What fundamental changes will the program put in place to prevent recruiting/having players come to campus who commit these atrocities?
6. Why did it take a story after Miller was drafted to begin this process that lead us to his dismissal from the team?
We write all of this because we see the good going on in this Athletic Department. We see their advocacy with Brenda Tracy every year to help work to end sexual assault in all forms. The student athletes across all sports are routinely near the top of the nation in hours of service. So many people in this department and on this team are doing great work, and we believe that a unified statement from its coaches of their recruiting principles, and documented cases where future Mitchell Millers are turned away, along with transparency in discipline and a clear policy on working to end racism on this campus while punishing documented cases amongst its student-athletes, administrators, contractors, and anyone who works with the athletic department in any form or fashion, while also re-emphasizing its zero tolerance policy for racism amongst fans is a start, but just that. Going forward, we want to continue to see this Athletic Department take steps to right wrongs of its past, especially in the highlighted area of its most popular program, Men’s Hockey.
Coming into tonight’s USHL skirmish between the Fargo Force, and Sioux Falls Stampede, both teams had something to prove. The Force setout to lay claim to their fourth win in six games and grow their Western Conference lead, while the Stampede were aiming to get back to .500 on the season.
While Fargo had the last laugh tonight, things took awhile to get there.
After a first period where the Force controlled everything but the score, generating 14 shots on opposing netminder Trent Burnham to a mere five on Force netminder Brennan Boynton, it looked like the Force would take control of things in the second period. They did not, as Sioux Falls forward Michael Citara would get going towards a hat trick as he would score the next three goals after Jeremy Davidson opened things up on the power play.
The Providence commit looked to be the story of the evening as he was the star of the show. His line dominated play for every time they were on the ice, and in addition to that, the rest of the Stampede looked to bottle the Force’s quick strike offense up.
The plan almost worked
Then, St. Cloud State commit, Mason Salquist, got things rolling with a snipe 13:41 into the the third. Next, a mere 48 seconds later, Kyle Smolen pounced on a loose puck in the Sioux Falls end and fired one home to make it a tie game. Scheels Arena, with its socially distant crowd was rocking.
Owen Gallatin would then provide the game winning goal 15:12 into the final frame. He took a feed from Michael Suda and put the game back into the lead for the Force, and provided the final 4-3 margin.
This game showed a lot about both teams. For Fargo, it showed their continued resilience and ability to battle back through the face of adversity. The Force were really the better team for a five miute stretch to end the game, and in the heavy shot first period. Sioux Falls showed how their veteran side can grind down opponents and what they can do to start up after a slow beginning.
They also showed how they are vulnerable with turnovers and over reactionary play at times leading to bad results. It is only the sixth game of the season for these teams, and the playoffs are a long way away. Both have a lot to like, yet both team’s coaches will scratch their heads at points of this game. Bookmark this rivalry for later as both of these teams will play each other many more times this season.
Donate: To help us cover more games and tell more stories not found elsewhere about all of college sports, and underdogs everywhere, including in junior hockey, especially under represented athletes everywhere across the amateur sports landscape please click the below link and consider donating what you can. If you do, I will list you in every story about we write as a supporter of crowd-funded journalism that can truly be free for all at this link: https://www.paypal.me/oliverfrancies your donation will help expand what content we can offer and how many stories we can tell.
This week, major news regarding the future of Alabama Huntsville’s only Division One offering, Men’s Hockey was announced. It involved getting a fund for this program of 17 million over the next decade to give this team a sound institutional commitment to not only funding the program, but funding it at a level that will allow the Chargers to fight at the highest echelons of the Division One level. That means 1.7 million dollars per year is the base level of support this team will have, a marked increase from previous seasons.
Why does this matter?
Well, for years this program has had to make due with less. Now, with the advisory group formed, lead by alums Sheldon Wolitski and Taso Sofikitis, things are changing. They helped marshal the initial investment needed to get this team on the ice for this year, and are now working to get them a long-term conference home. The two conferences most realistic for UAH to apply to join are Atlantic Hockey, and the CCHA. Both of these conferences require that foundation of institutional backing, which the board has helped secure. The next step for the board and team is to get a new home beyond this year.
Now, what does this donation mean to some of the players on the roster?
Well, as one would expect, quite a lot, but we will let two skaters tell their tales. Keep in mind, these players could have left during the period where the aforementioned alums and those in the hockey world were raising money to reinstate it, but they did not. The Chargers drop the puck one week from today against Robert Morris.
First, we bring you the thoughts of Peyton Francis, a sophomore center who plays a fast, two way game, and hopes to add a lot more to the scoring ledger in his second season in the Rocket City. We reached out to these players and both responded on the day of this momentous announcement, November 11.
Peyton says:
“The news today is phenomenal. It is awesome to know that people are as committed to us and the UAH program as we are to the team and university. It is great to know that we have so much support in growing the game of hockey in south. We have been working hard to lead the program in a new direction and the fact that the staff, alumni and hockey community is working along with us adds that much more fuel to our fire. The team is extremely excited for the season to get started and we look forward to paving the way for the upcoming generation of UAH hockey!”
Next is one of the juniors tasked to help lead this team, Tyr Thompson. He is a pass-first, defense oriented forward that, like Peyton, wants to see his production grow. Tyr plays a truculent game and routinely outworks players on many situations per each event.
Tyr said
“The very generous financial commitment by our alumni and the following commitment by the university is exciting news. Knowing we have people supporting us behind the scenes is going to make me and my teammates put our best foot forward every day. We want this team to be elite for years to come and now we have the framework in place to do that. Being the only Division I team in the southeast we’ve been given a great opportunity to keep growing the greatest game in the world in a non-traditional market. Now it’s up to the guys in the locker room to build on the ice and I can’t wait to tackle this challenge head on.”
Donate: To help us cover more games and tell more stories not found elsewhere about all of college sports, especially under represented athletes everywhere across the college sports landscape, please click the below link and consider donating what you can. If you do, I will list you in every story about we write as a supporter of crowd-funded journalism that can truly be free for all at this link: https://www.paypal.me/oliverfrancies your donation will help expand what content we can offer and how many stories we can tell.
(Photo Credit-Kelsey Lee Violet Turtle Photography)
This season in men’s college hockey will be like no other. Schedules have changed, travel limited, and most teams will be playing only teams in their conference. The opener for the Chargers has them playing a rare true non conference game against the Colonials of Robert Morris. This team competes in the always competitive Atlantic Hockey Association. Like the Chargers, the Colonials have a big group of new players coming in, with nine new additions to their roster. The Chargers, with new Head Coach Lance West, have 13 additions to their roster.
Reading through bios of players West helped recruit in the short time of tumult after the program was saved for this season, there seems to be a theme to the 12 skaters West brought to Huntsville. They are all team first, mostly two way players that will annoy the stuffing out of other teams. Watching some of them, like Yardley Pennsylvania native Frank Vittuci play in the OJHL for the Wellington Dukes, it is more evident that West is looking to this group to be the new tradition for the Chargers. The team has been in talks with Atlantic Hockey about joining after this season, and has a history of hardworking programs combined with unique and elite academics in key areas that make them a worthy candidate to join this conference next year. “Frank was an early target as he is a natural goal scorer,” SUNY Geneseo said on its Twitter account yesterday. “His breakaway speed and hockey IQ make him an instant threat.”Reading through bios of players West helped recruit in the short time of tumult after the program was saved for this season, there seems to be a theme to the 12 skaters West brought to Huntsville. They are all team first, mostly two way players that will annoy the stuffing out of other teams. Watching some of them, like Yardley Pennsylvania native Frank Vittuci play in the OJHL for the Wellington Dukes, it is more evident that West is looking to this group to be the new tradition for the Chargers. The team has been in talks with Atlantic Hockey about joining after this season, and has a history of hardworking programs combined with unique and elite academics in key areas that make them a worthy candidate to join this conference next year.
Back to Vittuci for a minute, he put up 108 points in 105 games with his Dukes and was not given a chance at the Division One Level until West brought him on this summer. The Division Three school that he had comitted to before a Division One look was given, SUNY Geneseo said ““Frank was an early target as he is a natural goal scorer…His breakaway speed and hockey IQ make him an instant threat.”
West has a roster of high character and high talent players that no one seems to have given much of a chance elsewhere at this level to play. Going back to the first series, which will happen on November 20, and 21st, what should you be looking to see from this team?
Well, West seems to want to replace the departed players with similarly tough players that can put up numbers with speed. The Chargers’ roster reads similarly to a school like Lake Superior State. Strong goaltending with David Fessenden, combined with a big bruising defense lead by newcomers like Ayodele Adeniye all go to how this team will play. If West sees what former bench boss, and current Colonials Assistant, Mike Corbett does, that the gap for most college hockey players between Division Three and one, this could be an interesting season for the Chargers. One of their biggest issues last year was staying out of the box, something that this team has to improve on, along with limiting quality shots. While UND beat this team 5-2 both nights last year, a lot of players from that team that provided the grit are still here. UAH was never blown out by a team that could have won a national championship because its structure guides how it plays.
Finally, when you watch this team play, remember, things will change, especially early on this season. 13 newcomers will come in and out of the lineup, and West knows what wining at UAH looks like from his time as a player here, and knows what needs to happen to secure a future for this team, in a town full of devoted fans to its success.
NOTE: We will be writing about UAH Hockey this year as part of the teams we cover, if you are a business or individual and want to help sponsor what we do and get new impressions around Chargers Hockey, click our paypal link here and send us a message about potential sponsorships.
Unlike the NCHC, you will not find as many drafted players here. The WCHA is heading into its final year in its current form before all schools not from Alaska or Alabama resurrect the CCHA with new Division One School, St. Thomas, joining the fray next season. With that said, this league, this year will be fun to watch. It presents a more defensive style across the board, save one or two teams, and gives a lot of undrafted free agents a chance to make a name for themselves. Nonconference play starts on November 20. Most teams will simply play some conference-mates for an extra few games that do not count towards their conference record. With all of this said, we have our predicted order of finish with some players to keep an eye on for each team as we move forward this year.
Minnesota State Mankato
The Mavericks last season achieved a rare feat They were one of only three teams to defeat a Fighting Hawks’ squad stocked with NHL ready talent and did so with the best team in this conference. Like many teams in this conference, they play defense well, but unlike teams further down these rankings, they have scoring up front that should have them competing for a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament whenever this season starts. Dryden McKay is a stalwart netminder that will lead them from the back end, and up front, players like Julian Napravnik look to continue the strong offensive game that alum Marc Michaelis (Vancouver) brought to bear.
Top UDFA
For this team, it has to be Dryden McKay. The reigning WCHA Goaltender of the Year plays bigger than his 5’ 11” frame. His lateral movement and calm positioning make him tough to beat when the squad in front of him is rolling, as they often are. Look for him to get some NHL offers after this season, especially if the Mavericks reach their goal.
Top Drafted Prospect
For a team with this pedigree to have only one drafted prospect speaks to both the market inefficiencies of the NHL draft overlooking players that may need more time to develop, and the strong development pedigree of Head Coach Mike Hastings and his staff. Anyway, the only drafted prospect on this team is Winnipeg Jets’ prospect Nathan Smith. The 6’0” forward had one of his best weekends against the Fighting Hawks, adding four points on the weekend where his team did not lose (tie, win). For Smith to take the next step, he will have to help replace the contribution of Michaelis. He finished his rookie season with 27 points (9G,18A) to his credit, and often sets up as a past first player who can win draws when needed (finished last season with only 52 shots on net).
2. Bemidji State
Zach Driscoll is back in net for the Beavers, if not for McKay slightly overshadowing him, Driscoll would be the best goalie in this league. Like many teams in this league, when they score first they are hard to beat. When they come from behind life gets a bit more tough for them. Head Coach Tom Serratore has a veteran group with only six freshman coming in. This large group of upper classman will be asked to lead the way for the only complete team that can challenge the Mavericks. Defensively, the Beavers play a more trap-style game through the neutral zone and focus on quality shots to win most off their games. This team does not need to dominate possession to win, just frustrate the skilled players they are facing through the neutral zone.
Top UDFA:
Zach Driscoll in net should get some looks at the next level. He plays a relatively calm game and benefits from playing behind a structurally sound defense. Tom Serratore’s system has elevated Driscoll to one of the better netminders in the nation, this year Driscoll will have one more chance to show why he deserves a look at the next level. If Bemidji State goes far on their relatively low amount of goals scored per game, he will have a contract from an NHL team next spring with a team needing a strong third goalie who can step up if needed.
No drafted prospects
3. Michigan Tech
Pictured is transfer goalie, Mark Sinclair who should contend for the starting job with Michigan Tech
The team with one of the best cheering sections in the country, Mitch’s Misfits, should have a lot to cheer about this year. Alabama Huntsville netminder Mark Sinclair transferred to Houghton after the Chargers faced an uncertain fate. Thankfully the program was saved this year and Sinclair should be the starter for a Huskies team that likes to play a bit faster than some of its competitors in this league, but still employs the same annoying defensive structure to earn looks.
Top UDFA
Mark Sinclair, from our time covering multiple Huntsville games last year, like many Huntsville goalies before him, had to face high shot volumes nearly every single night. He shined in the Chargers’ series loss to the Fighting Hawks with his athleticism and ability to remain calm despite facing 74 shots in two games. Sinclair’s ability to stay calm and fight off rebounds should serve him well on a Michigan Tech side that projects to do a little bit better at shot suppression than his former side. For a pro potential projection, he plays a similar style to former Charger, Cam Talbot, calm and steady in net with the ability to perform the high-wire save as needed
Top Drafted Prospect
Carson Bantle (Arizona) taken in the fifth round of this year’s draft is the only drafted prospect on this team. In two years for the Madison Capitals in the USHL, Bantle put up 69 points in 111 games. He is a quick forward with a 6’4” frame and an ability to create his own offense on a dime. That said, how Bantle is used by Head Coach, Joe Shawhan, should be interesting to keep an eye on. In those same two years he was -34. While plus minus is not the holy grail for a forward, we expect Bantle to get a little bit better in his own end playing in Tech’s system.
4. Bowling Green
The Falcons play a style of hockey similar to the Mavericks, lacking some of the Mavericks’ shot suppressing skill in their own end. That said, this team is always interesting to watch. Every year the Falcons utilize arguably a faster lineup than the Mavericks, and do well, yet, recently every year seem to come short of their ultimate goal. Senior Eric Dop will lead the way for this team in net. The senior netminder will start the majority of games for a Falcons squad looking to get back to the NCAA Tournament.
Top UDFA
Eric Dop will determine how far this team goes. The 5’10” netminder came onto the scene strong in his junior season last year. In his first year of full time starting work he went 19-11-3 with a .902 save percentage in his first full year of starting. While those stats could be built on, Dop looks to build on his game. His athleticism is his biggest strength, and having time to develop the mental side of his game for two full years before taking the net should help him out this season. If Dop can improve on his 2019-2020 campaign he could get a look from a team willing to take a chance on a developing goalie. As Dop’s season went on, he grew into the role, and we expect a further progression this season.
Top Drafted Prospect
Brandon Kruse (Vegas) is the player to watch for this team. A senior leader who has put up 108 points in 120 games for the Falcons, Kruse will play a lot of the big minutes for a group looking to get to the next level once again. Kruse is a 5’9” winger who plays in all situations for his head coach, Ty Egner. If Kruse keeps his pace up, either the Golden Knights will sign him, or he will start in the top six in the AHL next season.
5. Lake Superior State
Pictured is Mareks Mitens, senior netminder for the Lakers
The Lakers are a speedy team. Up front they will need to replace the scoring contributions of graduated forward Max Humitz and a big senior class that left the Upper Peninsula. The Lakers are a Jekyll and Hyde squad. When this team is rolling, they are able to minimize high danger chances and clear pucks to their fast forwards to maximize high danger looks. When it is not, well, the other team can and often takes up residence in the Lakers’ own end. For evidence of how up and down this team can be, watch the returning players’ play in their first round loss to Bemidji State. When this team can score first, as they did in their Saturday win, their speed builds and makes it hard for a lot of the defense-first teams in this league to adjust. In their Friday and Sunday loses, they got scored on first and had to catch up. It is a cliché to say that scoring first in hockey makes life easier, but this team under coach Damon Whitten is emblematic of that.
Top UDFAs
Mareks Mitens, Yuki Miura
These two have developed every year and in Mitens’ case has had some looks at the next level with two stints in development camps (Islanders,Blackhawks). Miura has gone from a healthy scratch to a defensive stalwart for the Lakers and has some of the best speed and skating ability in the WCHA. Miura has blossomed into a key contributor in all phases for this team, and should get a look at least in the ECHL, if not the AHL next season. Both can get to the next level with some time in the minors and both are going to be leaders for this team this season. If Miura can add a few more goals to his tally, especially first goals, than Mitens’ job will be easier. For Mitens, if he has to see a few less pucks this year, we expect scouts to take note of his skill moving side to side and stopping more of them. Its’ easier to scout a goalie when they face an average amount of shots per game, compared to the wildly inflated shot totals Mitens has faced in his time with the Lakers so far.
Top drafted prospect
Arvid Henrikson (Montreal)
The Habs’ draft pick has some more work to do on the back end. He will be called on to play a bigger role for the team this year as he will play an important role in the needed shot suppression this team needs to have in order to rise above their station. The 6’5” defender also needs to increase his two points In 37 games to get a look from any NHL squad in any form. Henrikson has to chip in some offense to compliment the physically brusing game he brings in his own end.
6. Northern Michigan
The Wildcats have a lot of unknowns coming into this season. A team that finished third in this conference last year, lead by a lot of senior leaders, has to find replacements for them, and fast. This team has only three seniors, and one of them, Joseph Nardi, has been with the program for four years. The other two are transfers looking for new homes after coming from different schools. Can the Wildcats finish in the top half of this league again? Sure, but they have a lot of leadership to replace to do so.
Top UDFA
If the Wildcats want to do anything of note this year, Griffin Loughran has to continue his success up front for this team. He is a 5’7” forward who plays with a bit of snarl to his game to compliment his offensive skill. In two years, he has 53 points in 72 games played, a respectable number for the West Seneca, New York Native. If he wants to make it to the NHL, he needs to chanel his snarl more productively, as in those same 72 games, he has 163 penalty minutes, which works out to him spending at least four minutes in the box on average for most of those games. A team in need of leaders, cannot have one of them frequenting the penalty box. If Loughran can hem that PIM number in a bit, the Wildcats will get more out of one of their key players.
No drafted prospect
7. Alaska Fairbanks
The Nanooks have an interesting team to watch this year, if you can stay up late enough to see their games. Mitens’ platoon mate at the 2016 IIHF U18 World Championships, Gustavs Grigals is a good goalie in his own rite and the Nanooks seem to have a way with developing players over the years to reach the next level, as Colton Parayko and his development path would indicate. While the Nanooks need to find a new conference situation after this season, this year could set up quite well for them if Grigals can handle the net, and if we see development in the large junior class that they have.
Top UDFA
Grigals needs to take the next step and own the net, similar to what Mitens did for the Lakers in his first year of starting, for the Nanooks to have a chance to succeed. While we expect Mads Emil Gransoe, to get some work this year, the net is Grigals’ to lose heading into this campaign. Grigals is a 6’2” goalie with a flexibility in his game similar to Mitens. Grigals frame allows him to play a more conservative style than some of his peers in this conference, but Grigals confidence in net regardless of score is a big asset. Assuming there are development camps next summer, he will get a chance to show his stuff to a few NHL teams this next summer if he can command the net this season.
No drafted prospect
8. Alabama Huntsville
Pictured is Lucas Bahn, sophomore defender for the Chargers
Like their Alaska breatheren, the Chargers need to find a new conference after this season. With that said, the Chargers have had themselves an offseason with a lot more activity than one would normally want. First, right before Memorial Day, their program was discontinued, before being allowed to raise over 700,000 dollars to reinstate it for this year as they look to find a new conference. In all of this, only one of the original recruits from the class now departed head coach Mike Corbett signed stayed with the program (Ayo Adinye), and new head coach and program alum, Lance West had to sign a vast recruiting class pretty quickly. This team also lost its starting goalie, and a few of its top players to other programs as well. With all of that being said all of those players that West has brought in, combined with returners, have some promise to establish Charger Hockey this fall.
Top UDFA to watch
Connor Wood is a senior leader for this team who will need to step up to provide a bit more offense than he as in previous years. He is defensively the best forward the Chargers have coming into this season and needs to improve offensively. That being said, we expect him to earn a minor league deal to try and work his way up the ladder.
9. Ferris State
The Bulldogs are a young team, like the Chargers, and like Alabama Huntsville, have a lot of questions to answer coming into this season. Roni Salmenkangas leads this team in net, and will have to face a lot of high shot games to have a chance to get the Bulldogs into the postseason.
Top UDFA
Salmenkangas is another good goalie in this league, and could set himself up to earn a development camp look this upcoming summer. While looking at his stats from the past year, keep in mind that like Sinclair and others, he had to face high volume games with regularity and did not have much help in his own end. His style and frame, combined with his high hockey sense make him a developmental prospect to watch if he can help the Bulldogs rise up the standings this year.
No drafted prospect
10. Alaska Anchorage
The Seawolves are currently trying to save their program beyond this season, and facing a similar lack of funding issue that the Chargers did. With that said, the Seawolves finished last in the conference last season, and will have some work to do.
Top UDFA
Joe Sofo will be a key piece for this team. Like Wood with Alabama-Huntsville, Sofo is a defensively sound forward and a senior leader. If the Seawolves want to move up the standings, he will have to chip in more offense than he has in previous seasons for that to have a chance.
NOTE: This interview was conducted before further information about UND Freshman Mitchell Miller and his abhorrent repeated bullying of his African-American classmate in his high school, Isaiah Meyer-Crothers. This bullying included repeated acts of physical violence towards him we chose not to repeat, along with Miller routinely using the N-word and more racial slurs towards him. Miller and his classmate performed 25 hours of community service and wrote a court mandated apology to Isaiah. At the time of writing this article, Miller is still a candidate to represent the United States at the World Junior Championship in Edmonton this winter. We will have more about this story to come, but felt it necessary to note the horrid actions of Miller, and the lack of any form of apparent long term restitution to Isaiah and his family on his part, and the utter lack of transparency given by US Hockey, his HoneyBaked team, the NHL, multiple USHL organizations, the league itself, the Arizona Coyotes, and the University of North Dakota to be more transparent with any discipline Miller has been given. In UND’s statement, not once is Isaiah’s name mentioned. Hopefully that changes soon.
We will write more about this in the days ahead.
With that said here is our piece talking with senior leader Jasper Weatherby on concrete changes and views he wanted to talk to us about.
The piece written by the Grand Forks Herald’s Brad Schlossman on the background of San Jose Sharks’ Draft pick and one of the leaders of the Fighting Hawks’ Men’s Hockey team, Jasper Weatherby seemed to focus on his family background, which is quite important and helped guide some of these questions we asked him. We plan on interviewing administrators, coaches, and others in positions of power in the game of men’s college hockey and beyond to find out the long lasting changes brought about by the never ending quest that events this summer, including the murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, have brought to bear. That is, people of color, especially black people, being killed or having worse interactions with law enforcement for comparably similar issues.
We wanted to ask Jasper these questions because he is in a unique spot as one of the leaders of this team, on this campus, in this state to use his platform to make and inspire change. While we know anyone can use their platform to say how big of an ally they are, too often those same people turn around and make misguided and xenophobic remarks a few days later, and holding people with privaledge and power accountable in this game, and in other avenues, we think, is a better way to provide more transperancy and give all people, especialy Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BiPOC) a better guide of where people stand on doing what we belive to be the right thing.
That is standing up to ensure that we as a country can get a little closer to living up to the ideals that all people are created equal, some of what Jasper touches on in this goes to that end. If you want more of a background on the NCHC Diversity committee Jasper mentions, go read the wonderful work composed by Jashvina Shah on this new committee, and buy the book she is cowriting with Evan Moore that aims to bring light to the inherent inequalities in all levels of hockey, toxicity in hockey culture, and much more about where we go from here.
Jasper is in a leadership role for the Fighting Hawks on these important issues as he notes:
“I’m a member of the SAID (Student Athlete Inclusion and Diversity) group here on campus. I’m also the NCHC player rep for the College Hockey Social Justice Committee. Which is a group put together by college hockey, with members from every league, men and woman’s, across college hockey. We are working on our goals of making not only hockey but our society’s more diverse and inclusive. I’ve also been pushing UND hockey to be 100% behind social justice with the goal to make BlPoC feel at home on this campus.”
In addition, as Jasper notes he is working with student athletes across the department, including leaders like Jaxson Turner on the football team to bring about change. ” I have reached out to some of my friends on the football team here at UND. The biggest message was to encourage all teams, coaches, team managers, players, etc to post about topics relating to social justice on social media. They said It’s time UND joined the fight. I 100% agree with that and have brought that up with the UND athletics department.”
Next, Jasper notes his support for going on record and encouraging UND Men’s Hockey fans to stop uttering phrases that are derogatory like “Sioux Forever.”
“The goal is for every BlPoC to feel safe here in the U.S. and to also have language that makes them feel like they’re not being put down. For me this is not my call, we need to listen to the Sioux tribes/Sioux people. If they are uncomfortable with the word and feel it brings them down than absolutely. I know we have tremendous respect for the entire Sioux and Indian tribes as well as all Indian people.”
In an immediate concern, Jasper noted his support for using the Ralph as a polling place, since this interview was done the Fighting Hawks have gotten a schedule and know a bit more about their season. That being said, his answer here should provide guidance going forward for this athletic department.
” I have brought this up to the athletic department. Unfortunately, I know we are in the middle of trying to figure out where our season will be played, so the timing is not perfect. But in the future, I would love the Ralph to open up as a polling place. So many disadvantaged Americans can’t vote because of limited access to voting. And if the ralph could help this out it would be an amazing accomplishment for the rink. “
Jasper then went on to note support for student-athletes choosing to peaceful protest with actions like kneeling. Keep this answer in mind as the season starts for all UND Sports. What stands out here is his direct rebuttal of the red-herring argument of “disrespect” detractors of peaceful protest often like to use.
” I will absolutely support them [student-athletes] and I believe the coaching staff will support them as well. I’ve encouraged the University of North Dakota Athletics Department to send out a message saying we are behind any student athlete who chooses to partake in a peaceful protest, whether this be kneeling for the anthem, a raised fist, etc. If it’s peaceful, the University should stand behind those athletes. With that being said I think a lot of people think it’s disrespectful to the troops. It is absolutely not. We have so much respect for the troops. What people are kneeling for is what the troops have been fighting for. Freedoms to express yourself, freedom to choose your religion, freedom to walk with a hoodie on or any other freedoms that so many minorities are not free to do. That’s why people are peacefully protesting.”
Weatherby then went on to discuss specific actions he would like to see all on or around the team should be taking to make the Ralph a fundamentally more inclusive place than it currently is for those who are BiPOC.
” Encourage all teams, coaches, team managers, players, etc. to post about topics relating to social justice on social media.
Encourage more people of color to attend hockey games. We need to make sure we do everything we can to make BIPoC feel safe at our events. A minority student reached out to me and said the one thing that really made her feel included on this campus was attending hockey games with everyone else. She said it was a time where she felt like everyone rallied together and it didn’t matter who you were as long as you were cheering for North Dakota. This is powerful, this is something we should be taking advantage of at every opportunity. This is something I have brought up with the Athletic Department.
Another thing: If UND teams play in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, coaches are encouraged to take their players and staff to visit the place George Floyd was murdered. This will be a great opportunity for UND to show its students what is happening around the world. Encourage student athletes to share experience on social media. Encourage teammates to wear patches on their uniforms. Patches or phrases on uniforms might not go very far in terms of eradicating racism, sexism, anti-LGBTQ policies, etc., but they may raise awareness and show fans that student-athletes are fighting for a better world. Even a moment of silence might be helpful.”
Jasper then went on to discuss changes in his own life that he has made and why the Black Lives Matter movement means so much to him.
“I’ve been constantly educating myself, as I said I’ve been working with several groups locally and on a national scale. It’s also very important for us to listen to those people who have been experiencing those hardships for so long and listen to what they think would help.
“It’s important to me because I have a black brother, I’ve seen how he has been racially profiled, and I will continue to fight for his rights until we are seen AND treated as equals in this country.”
After noting the strong support he has from his family and the coaching staff, he ended with noting that, from this point in our history, that, “I think we listen, we educate ourselves and those around us. The only true change is too look inside and see how each of us can help to create change in a positive way.”
The Fargo Force were scheduled to open their USHL preseason against the Sioux Falls Stampede. That did not happen as two people of the Stampede’s traveling party tested positive for Covid-19, and out of an abundance of caution the game against them was canceled.
That did not mean fans did not get to see some action though. The 2020-2021 Fargo Force played a free intrasquad scrimmage where the black team won 5 to 2, scoring the final five markers unanswered.
Some players stood out in this one, and will need to for this team to get far in a tough Western Conference this season. Grant Slukynsky (Northern Michigan) drove play up front for the blue team with his speed, and played with a bit more physical snarl in his game than we saw at the state tournament. He contrinuted an assist on the first goal of the night, a Jake Braccini (Minnesota) wrister from the slot. A few minutes later, Cade Stibbe (Arizona State) found the back of the net as his shot squeaked off Jack Peart’s (St. Cloud State) leg and into the net. The blue team had the better of play for most of the first half.
However, spurred on by some blue team penalties, the Black team answered back with two late period goals to tie things before the second 23 minute half. Huston Karpman and Tristan Broz (Minnesota) would tie things up. Broz’s goal came off a back door feed on a five-on three power play with about 8 seconds left in the first frame.
In the second half, the black team ran the show as Kyle Smolen would contribute the game winner before Mckay Hayes and and Jackson Borst would provide the final margin. This game allowed a lot of players, from key cogs, to affiliates who may see time later on to get their first gameday experience. Every player added some things to their tape for revew, most good, and some moments to improve upon. Such is an intrasquad exhibition. Look for more from this Force team as they work to narrow their roster down to their main players who will carry the way most of the year.
The flashes of brilliance showed by players like Smolen who was all over the ice in a positive manner, along with Sluykynsky show the potential of this team. They have a few more exhibition skirmishes before the regular season 2020-2021 campaign commences.
The Chargers of Alabama Huntsville have had an eventful past month. Their program was cut and then subsequently given four days to raise 750 thousand dollars to keep it going for a year while looking for a new conference home following the 2020-2021 season. After raising well in advance of the needed sum, the Chargers are now lead by acting Head Coach Lance West. He has scoured the continent for more players to fill the gaps caused by multiple transfers and some recruits choosing to go elsewhere when the program was cut before being reinstated one week later. The team and its newly formed Advisory Board are laying down building blocks for a strong pitch to multiple conferences to find a permanent home following the 2020-2021 season.
That leads us to Conor Witherspoon, the Michigan native has had a wonderful junior hockey career culminating in two years being a key piece of the Shreveport Mudbugs in the North American Hockey League (NAHL). The playmaking forward finished his last season in the NAHL with 30 assists and five goals in 52 games.
Witherspoon is a 5’11” defensively sound forward from Metamora, Michigan. One thing to keep an eye on with his development is his propensity to be a leader. In his last two years playing for his Flint Powers Catholic High School side he was an alternate captain, and in his final year with the Mudbugs he earned the honor as well. For the Chargers and West to add to the long-term legacy of UAH Hockey and ensure its success in Division One Men’s College Hockey, he needs a program of leaders to build around. Witherspoon and many in this recruiting class fit that mold.
As to what he wants to study at UAH, Witherspoon is leaning towards a business program of study at UAH, but is not sure what he wants to major in just yet.
Below is some more from Witherspoon on why he chose UAH, and more:
Conor on the support the program got to save it, and why he chose UAH
” I thought it was incredible to see all the alumni, fans, and supporters rally around the team and to me that spoke volumes about what kind of program UAH is. Much to my delight I received a call from Coach West and after discussing the program with him and conducting my own independent research of the University I realized UAH was my perfect fit.”
Conor on the impact that Coach West had on the recruiting process
” Coach West was great. Having never visited Huntsville, he described what a great place it is to play hockey and receive an education. I could tell he has a great deal of passion for the city, and university and it was very convincing to me
Conor describes his favorite player of all time and who he models his game after
” My favorite player of all time is Steve Yzerman, but I would have to say, Matt Barzal is the player I try and model my game after.”
Conor on the nationwide support the program got to be brought back
” Watching the situation unfold from beginning to end was absolutely amazing. It was very impressive to see the amount of support from such a wide range of people, locally and across the country.” Conor on what the impact of playing for Shreveport and Flint Powers have had on him.
” Shreveport is a phenomenal place for hockey and I was very blessed to be apart of that organization and community. Coach Soupy, Coach Rich and General Manager, Scott Muscutt were all very instrumental in preparing me for this next step in my hockey career and I cannot thank them enough for all they done.”
” My time playing in high school for Flint Powers was one of best experiences I had playing hockey. It is an incredible program and I can’t say enough good things about it. Being coached under Travis Perry helped to grow my love and passion for the game. I would not be where I am today .without help of him and the rest of the coaching staff.”
Conor’s thoughts on being selected to be a leader on multiple teams
” I was extremely honored to have been given the responsibility of a captain in both, Shreveport and at Flint Powers. It meant a great deal to me that both of my coaches viewed me as a leader, and someone who was capable of filling that role.”
The 2019 UND Soccer side showcased the best iteration of football this team has played since becoming eligible for the postseason in Division One competition. This team had speed down the wing with freshman Bailey McNitt, strength in net with multiple superb goalkeepers, and strong defense with players like Hannah Olson. This team will have some turnover next year, but thanks to the way that underclassmen were utilized this past season, fans should not see too much of a drop off, and if this team can bang home a few more shots, they can compete for a Summit League Championship.
Head Coach Chris Logan deserves all the credit in the world for taking a program that had gone through multiple coaches in not a lot of time and refining them to compete in the Summit League. As we look ahead to the 2020 campaign (if able to be played), we felt it right to look back at some high points of 2019.
For us, we will look first at UND’s 2-0 road win over Grand Canyon University. While ‘Lopes did not finish the season the way they wanted, going just 4-14-1 on their 2019 campaign, they played the Fighting Hawks tough in the desert. Unlike previous years where Catherine Klein had to make double-digit saves on the evening, she only had to make four on the night.
A couple of things stand out about the 2019 team and the future of the program that became evident that night. First, the game winning goal was scored by Olivia Knox on a header from a soaring Sarah Doran free kick. Knox showed that night that she could not only score, but track back and defend as well. Her development took another step this past year as she not only scored some goals, she played all over the front two thirds of the field. Had she played strictly striker all year, she surely would have potted more than three goals. Knox’s versatility on this night had her all over the field played a key role in limiting Grand Canyon to just four shots on goal.
In addition, that night, we saw a defensive masterpiece from UND’s back line. Throughout the evening they took away quality chances and were arguably lead by a redshirt freshman defender in doing so. Hannah Olson played a superb game in back leading her defenders to keep the Fighting Hawks in the game. In an environment packed with loud fans, the defense of UND had the loudest voice on the evening. Everyone played a part in it, from Mimi Eiden and Bailey McNitt tracking back to provide support, to Olson and others jostling ‘Lopes away from the net. The one bit of blight on the defense that night was Catherine Klein giving a penalty kick foul (on a well interesting call) that she then saved with ease. Had Grand Canyon scored that marker, it could have stolen valuable points from UND as the ‘Lopes were pushing the pace as the game went on.
As we head into the next soccer season, whenever it is (hopefully this fall!), remember this game in UND program history. It wasn’t the most “top-line” win in terms of opponent beaten or the flashiest with one goal scored in the run of play (a Megan Wright Penalty Kick provided the insurance). It was a big road win for the team and showed they could hang in any time of game. One could make the case that without the win against Grand Canyon in the way they did, that their last second heroics against the Coyotes of South Dakota a few weeks later would not have happened. The team had gained valuable close game experience and played with an even keel despite having a penalty scored on them late. That South Dakota win was arguably the difference to this team making the Summit League postseason.
In terms of momentum and program value, the win against Grand Canyon provided top class results for a team and a program that Logan has built into a top-flight contender in the Summit League.
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