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Welcome to CollegeSports.com and USCHO's "Tuesday At The Rink" series of moderated chats. Every week, we will bring CSTV's on-air experts and USCHO's columnists into the chat room to talk hockey and take questions on any topic.
The series kicks off on Tuesday, January 18th with USCHO National Hockey Columnist Adam Wodon stopping by at 2:00 p.m. ET. He will be followed by CSTV Analyst Dave Starman at 3:00 p.m. ET. Come for one, stay for both - and mark your calendar every week!
Analyst Dave Starman brings a unique coaching perspective to CSTV's coverage of college hockey. As a coach in both the professional and junior ranks, Starman can see behind the surface of the play and identify what makes teams and players tick.
Starman brings insight into the mindset of both coaches and players and provides context and analysis to the actions on the ice.
In previous columns for CSTV, Starman has had an in-depth discussion with Michigan State's Rick Comley, as well as analyzing the early-season controversy at Bowling Green from a coaching viewpoint.
While Dave will not be stopping by until 3:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday January 18, feel free to submit your questions now and we will save them for his arrival!
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| CollegeSports.com Moderator: Hello again, everyone. Dave will be joining us momentarily. |
| CollegeSports.com Moderator: CSTV's Dave Starman is now here to answer your questions. |
| Starman: Hi, everyone. I'm looking forward to chatting with you all. Bring on the questions. |
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| Bob (Middlebury): Who is the best player you have seen this season? |
| Starman: Hands down, Ryan Potulny. He can skate, shoot, score, bang, and is great with and without the puck. His hands are his key, and he can screw a defender into the ground. |
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| Steve (New York): I saw your Montoya comments but as a Ranger fan, I can't help but worry that this is more than just the blahs. Is he really that good? |
| Starman: I think he is. I did a game last season where Michigan played in Fairbanks, and he got run all over the ice, and yet he maintained his focus and composure to win the game. He is skilled, and will consistently get better because he has balance and a very solid stance. |
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| Buck (Chicago): Where do you think Phil Kessel should play college hockey? Why? |
| Starman: I'm not Phil, so I don't know where he should play. However, there are worse places to play then Wisconsin or Minnesota. It comes down to his feeling as to whether he wants a big or small market team. |
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| Dickie from Detroit: Does the slow death of the NHL change the power structure of the game? Will more players stick around with no pro league? |
| Starman: I sure hope so, and that is a great question. Imagine how much stronger the WCHA would be if Zach Parise was still playing. I have talked to many players about this, and with no NHL to shoot for, a lot of these guys are seeing the big picture, which shows that it is much more beneficial to stay in school, graduate, and take the extra years of development at the NCAA level then make $25,000 playing in the ECHL. |
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| icer1980: As you watch games, what is the biggest disappointment this year as a team? as a player? |
| Starman: Right now, I'm a little disapointed with Michigan State. I still think they will have a great second half and be a force to be dealt with, but they just can't seem to score, and they certainly have had the chances to do so. When a team can generate that many scoring opportunities and not bury it, don't count them out. They get their confidence and they will shock somebody.
I can't say any player has disappointed me, except Montoya. |
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| GoRed77: What assistant is most ready for a big job? |
| Starman: Ah, great question, let's give some of the assistants some light. Here are a few that I know of, and I don't know every assistant. Start with Stan Moore at Colgate, who won coach of the year last season as an interim coach. David Quinn is probably ready, based on his years as a bench boss with the U17's. Doc DelCastillo at UNO will be a great head coach one day, he has already been one in the USHL. Ohio State's Casey Jones also comes to mind. |
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| Zubaz42: Which of the Atlantic or CHA schools is most likely to make a move into the upper echelon? Any of them? |
| Starman: Tough for me to say, because a lot of it is financial. Based on who runs their teams, Tom Serratore of Bemidji State could coach with the big boys if the Beavers moved up. |
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| Matt (Pittsburgh): The ECACHL is looking better this year than it has in a longtime...do you think any of teams in the league have a real shot of making a run at the Frozen Four? |
| Starman: Yes....start with Harvard. Vermont has a freshman goalie who the league is raving about, remember Patrick Roy was a rookie when the Habs won the Cup. I like Colgate, they play hard, have great work ethic. |
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| Frank (Milwaukee): Badger fan here! I was wondering if you think any current badger has a shot to play in the NHL? A gifted offensive guy like Robbie Earl, a physical goal-scorer like Ryan Macmurchy, a two-way player like Jake Dowell, a heady defensemen like Tom Gilbert, Bruckler maybe...anyone? Thanks Dave. |
| Starman: Bruckler for sure, he plays a pro style with his ability to play situational goaltending. Keep an eye on Pavelski, he's going to be a great pro. Robbie Earl has proven he can be a two way player, and I think he has been more competitive game in and game out then he was last season. Is there still an NHL? |
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| RICH, MANHATTAN: Who are the top 3 players in college hockey right now.
Why weren't some of the bigger names (A.J. Thelen) on the world junior team? |
| Starman: Top three in college hockey....Potulny, Brett Sterling of CC, and his linemante Marty Sertich. Defensively, I really like Goligoski at Minnesota. Thelan is in a little funk, his skating needs to improve to play at that high a level. |
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| Greg (West Hartford): Since, you are a succesful junior coach, what would you say to your struggling starting goaltender who just can't seem to find his game? |
| Starman: Keep it simple and be aggressive. Goalies who struggle tend to be trying to do too much. Its like a pitcher trying to overthrow his fastball. For a goalie to play well, he must be able to visualize stopping the puck, which takes hours of preparation. Mental prep is the key. |
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| Roger (Worcester, MA): Dave: With is seeming like a rubber stamp that Air Force will join Atlantic Hockey, what do you think will become of College Hockey America? |
| Starman: Good question, but with the rumors that Lindenwood might jump to Division I, which my colleague Adam Wodon mentioned in his chat, that would sure mend the hole if Air Force leaves. Why Air Force would want to play in Atlantic Hockey is beyond me. |
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| Jim (N.J.): Was the broadcast location at RPI in Troy, N.Y. the most unique you've ever worked from? |
| Starman: Ha ha...it ranks at least in the top three. You are right over the players bench. I once dropped a bag of chips onto our backup goalie. |
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| Sean (Chicago): Do you think Vermont will make the NCAA tournament this year? If so, how well will they perform? |
| Starman: Yes I do. Three reason -- they can score, they have solid goaltending, and they have a very good coach who knows how to prepare a team. Kevin has worked wonders with a program on life support a few years ago. That team believes it can score, has a great work ethic, and plays so well without the puck. They just need to get a grip on their composure in big spots. |
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| Ronald Davis: In your last column, you write about coaches that seems to argue for them to be jerks. But the most successful current coaches (Parker, York) all seem to be popular with their players. Why should a coach be held to a different standard? |
| Starman: Good question, and I think I didn't represent myself well in that summation. The point was that you have to be respected before you can be liked. Most coaches who win are very popular with their players, and I'd have loved to play for either of the guys you just mentioned. However, everyone in the dressing room needs to know that the coach is the boss, and his word is the law. I'm sure TJ Hensick sees Red Berenson in a new light after Red benched him earlier in the season for his defensive shortcomings. |
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| Stephen (Brooklyn): Can Cornell win the ECACs and make a run in the tournament? |
| Starman: I have not sen the Big Red that much this season. However, they have a coach in Mike Schaffer that is among the best at teaching what wins down the stretch and in the playoffs, and that is team defense. I talked to Don Vaughn of Colgate a little while ago, and he felt any team can win the ECAC. It always goes down to who is hot at the end. Clarkson almost did it last season. |
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| Tim (Madison): Who wins the WCHA this season? What players need to step up to lead that team to the Frozen Four? |
| Starman: I'm sticking with my darkhorse, and that is Colorado College. The emergence of two goalies who can win big games, and win them on the road, is a huge key. They can score and they can play well on the Olympic sized sheet or the regulation sheet. They are battle tested and confident, and they jump into open holes so well they are hard to defend. Kellen Briggs, if he gets hot again, could make Minnesota tough, and I really like Wisconsin...they might be the most balanced team of the big three. |
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| BILLY, NEW YORK: The Rangers have all these so-called prospects scattered all across the Northeast playing college hockey. Are any of them good? |
| Starman: I like Dwight Helminen, I was sorry to see him leave Michigan. Lee Falardeau is another prospect who jumped to pro. As for the college guys, I like Greg Moore. Big strong winger who can score, hit and skate. Greg has pretty good vision on the ice and that makes him dangerous. Kids who can think the game are usually the one's who succeed at the pro level, or any level. Corey Potter, a defenseman from Michigan State, will remind Ranger fans of Jeff Beukeboom. |
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| John (Dover, NH): Dave, good stuff on CSTV. What are your thoughts on Hockey East? BC seems to be hitting their stride, can anyone catch them? Who do you think will get home ice in Hockey East? |
| Starman: Excellent point. BC has finally figured out who they are and how they need to play. They have been pretty vanilla this season, but it seems to be working. Their goaltending has been good, their depth is scary. I like the fact they compete every night, and can play many types of styles to keep an opponent off balance. I see BC, BU, UNH and Lowell with home ice. |
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| Ben (Baltimore): Does Dartmouth's 9-8 victory over UNH already have "Game of the Year" locked up? And what do coaches tell their teams after a game like that, especially if you score 8 and lose? |
| Starman: 9-8 tends to be remembered, but I really liked BC's 1-0 win over BU last Saturday. That was some game. As far as post game comments after losing that type of game, a shootout style game, guys in the room who lost are usually pretty keyed up because they know they were just part of something rare and more than likely they had a ton of fun in the game. I'd tell them that they should be thrilled to score eight, but not that excited that they had to leave their goalie hung out in the process. |
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| JD (Grand Forks): Thoughts on the Sioux's new head coach? The loss of Parise, Bochenski and Dean Blais. Can they make the F4? |
| Starman: Regarding the new coach, it takes a new head coach at least a half a season to get adjusted to working with his players, his assistants and the new rigours of the job. Dave played for some good coaches and I think he has a good hockey mind. The loss of Parise hurt, he was the most competitive player in the game when he was around the puck. I don't see them in the F4. Bochensky's departure left them without a John LeClair type power forward who can get the big goal on strength and determination. |
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| Qman: What do you think of the UNH Wildcats this year? They are young, but playing well offensivley right now. |
| Starman: I like UNH, and they reason they can skate with anyone is they skate on an Olympic sized sheet, which is the best type of surface to develop your skating skills. Umile is an up tempo guy, and Collins has really risen to the challenge. Their goalie has been great, and Brian Yandle is as good a backliner as there is in Hockey East. |
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| Doug (Cottage Grove): The WCHA is such a tough conference, do you think the reason that a regular season champion hasn't won the NCAA title is because of being worn down by the long haul? It may be better off for a team like the Gophers not to win the regular season and focus on the big picture. |
| Starman: Fair point, except no coach or athlete will ever limit his efforts in pursuit of a conference championship. It goes against the athletes creed. Minnesota in particular has so many weapons in so many places. They have six defensemen who skate and think like forwards, they have Potulny, Irmen, Chucko, Guyer, and I love Hrisch, what a pair of hands that kid has. They could win it all, the conference, the WCHA playoffs, and the F4. |
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| Rich (Gray, ME): Hi Dave,
Where do you see Maine at the end of the season? |
| Starman: They are one of those teams that is no frills, yet is hard to beat. If they can get you into one of their low scoring, tight checking type games, they can beat anyone because of Jimmy Howard in goal. That said, the challenge of slowing down BU or UNH is a tall order, and despite how much I like their program and their staff, they might not have enough bullets in the gun to get out of Hockey East this season. |
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| mike NJ: If ND and Minnesota can't beat CC, who can? |
| Starman: If those two fall, Wisconsin certainly can skate with the Tigers. Out of the conference, I'd like to see CC and BU again, the Tigers got BU on a bad night and obliterated them. BC would be tough with their depth, and Ohio State gave them all they could handle at the Ohio Hockey Classic. |
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| Ryan (Madison): Do you thing the PWR is an effective system for determining the tournament field? For example, Wisconsin sits at 13 but leads the WCHA,is 9 in the RPI and ranked 5th. |
| Starman: I'm not the best guy to talk pair wise with. My colleague Adam Wodon, as I have said on our hockey shows on CSTV, is the PWR guru. I defer all of my questions to him on that. |
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| Matt, Bowling Green: What do you think of BG's chances in the CCHA tournament with powerhouses like Michigan and OSU at the top of the conference? Are they beatable? |
| Starman: Everyone is beatable, and that is why this weekend's matchup in Columbus between Michigan and Ohio State is so big. Michigan is so good on transition, every turnover is a possible tragedy. Ohio State is very balanced and probably the most competitive team in the conference. They just work so hard, and they work smart. They are very well coached. I like BGSU, and what they have had to overcome, but I don't think they match up well against the big two. |
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| Kurt (Ann Arbor, MI): Michigan's power play is really struggling. How can they fix that? |
| Starman: The power play is simple to fix. Stop being fancy and throw the puck on goal. The best power play is one that moves the puck and shoots with traffic in front. Wisconsin runs a nice back door PP with Pavelski and Earl, and MSU has Slater do the same on the RW side. However, if no one shoots, no one scores. |
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| Mark (Boston): Who are your Frozen Four teams and who wins it all? |
| Starman: Colorado College, Wisconsin, Ohio State (would play at home if they make it) and
Boston College. However, you could put the Gophers in and take any of those four out and it wouldn't surprise me. |
| CollegeSports.com Moderator: Dave needs to run, so that is going to be all for today. |
| Starman: Also, many thanks to CSTV and USCHO. These two organizations treat college hockey with great respect, and I'm happy to be a part of such a professional organization. See you at the rink! |
| CollegeSports.com Moderator: Thanks for all the great questions everyone. And don't forget to join us again next week for Tuesday at the Rink, when our guests will be CSTV Analyst Billy Jaffe and USCHO WCHA columnist Todd Milewski. |
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