Tonight on NBCSN: No. 13 Nebraska-Omaha faces No. 16 Wisconsin in WCHA battle

By Joe YerdonMar 1, 2013, 12:24 PM EDT

The Mavericks are up and the Badgers are down in a wild WCHA race to the finish.

No. 13 Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks (18-12-2) vs. No. 16 Wisconsin Badgers (14-11-7) – 7:30 p.m. ET

Things haven’t gone as planned for the Wisconsin Badgers. They had to spend the first part of the season without Nic Kerdiles thanks to a silly NCAA suspension and they started off abysmal going 1-7-2 in their first 10 games. Once the calendar flipped to December, they caught fire going 8-0-3 over their next 11.

Things have slowed down in the second half though and after splitting with No. 2 Minnesota, they split at home with D-I newcomers Penn State. Their overtime loss on Monday dropped them to 26 in the Pairwise. Facing off with WCHA front-runners Nebraska-Omaha and St. Cloud State in the final two weekends isn’t their (or anyone else’s) idea of fun except for maybe Badgers haters.

For Nebraska-Omaha, it’s been a steady roll through the season for them. Ryan Walters’ season has been outstanding and he’ll surely be in the hunt for the Hobey Baker Award. His point scoring abilities have paced the Mavericks all year and the help he’s given his teammates has been huge even with some minor drama in goal.

That said, they’re in a bit of a funk now have lost three of their last five games and sit three points back of SCSU for first in the conference. If they want a better opponent in the first round of the WCHA tournament they’ll have to fight with Minnesota, North Dakota, and Minnesota State as well as St. Cloud to do it.

NHL prospects to watch

If you’ve seen UNO on NBCSN before, you know all about junior forward Ryan Walters. He’s undrafted but second in the country in points with 45, trailing only St. Lawrence’s Greg Carey. The guys Walters is hooking up include sophomore forward Josh Archibald (Pittsburgh) and undrafted junior Matt White. Their top line is dynamic and senior defenseman Bryce Aneloski (Ottawa) can score from the point.

Others: Brent Gwidt (F – SR – Washington), Nick Seeler (D – FR – Minnesota), Tanner Lane (F – FR – Winnipeg), Brent Cooper (D – FR – Anaheim)

Wisconsin doesn’t have the usual bevy of big talent, but who they do have is pretty good. Junior forward Michael Mersch (Los Angeles) leads the team in goals and points with 17-9-26. While freshman Nic Kerdiles (Anaheim – pictured) missed 10 games, he’s produced well with 6-11-17 in 22 games.

Sophomore forward Joe LaBate (Vancouver), sophomore defenseman Jake McCabe (Buffalo), and senior blue liner John Ramage (Calgary) have been solid contributors. McCabe was also key in the Team USA World Junior gold medal win this year.

Others: Brendan Woods (F – SO – Carolina), Brad Navin (F – SO – Buffalo), Joe Faust (D – SR – New Jersey), Eddie Whittchow (D – FR – Florida)

(Photo: WCHA.com)

Tonight on NBCSN: No. 14 Nebraska-Omaha hosts No. 7 North Dakota

By Joe YerdonFeb 8, 2013, 6:45 AM EDT

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Two top coaches have their programs neck-and-neck in the WCHA race.

No. 14 Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks (16-10-2) vs. No. 7 University of North Dakota (14-8-6) — 8:30 p.m. ET

The battle to earn the top spot in the WCHA is raging on and tonight’s game features two teams trying to keep pace with St. Cloud State to earn the crown. For homestanding Nebraska-Omaha, it’s been a good run of late. They’ve won five of their last eight and only have losses to Michigan Tech and Denver in that span.

We’ve seen UNO a couple times this season and we’ve seen all shades of what they can do. From steamrolling the likes of Army and Colorado College, losing a nailbiter to Notre Dame and getting blown away by Denver. They’ve been tough in conference but handling North Dakota presents one huge line of issues for coach Dean Blais’ team to contend with.

For the former Fighting Sioux, they have a dynamic duo of scorers in Danny Kristo and Corban Knight (pictured) for the UNO defense to contend with. They’ve been getting points aplenty over the last couple months, but lately wins have escaped them. In their past eight games, North Dakota is just 2-3-3. On the upside, they’re 1-0-2 in their last three. Hey, a tie is better than a loss… Right? By the way, North Dakota has 14 NHL-drafted players on their roster. Not a bad job of recruiting there by Dave Hakstol.

NHL prospects to watch

UND has a veritable army of players to keep an eye on. The big two are both seniors in Knight (Florida) and Kristo (Montreal). They’re supported by a few others that you may have heard of. Freshman forward and Team USA WJC gold medalist Rocco Grimaldi (Florida) and sophomore forward Mark MacMillan (Montreal) have provided them with a solid secondary attack. There’s a lot to work with here for North Dakota including undrafted guys like senior forward Carter Rowney and junior goalie Clarke Saunders.

Others: Dillon Simpson (JR – D – Edmonton), Joe Gleason (SR – D – Chicago), Derek Forbort (JR – D – Los Angeles), Nick Mattson (SO – D – Chicago), Jordan Schmaltz (FR – D – St. Louis), Michael Parks (SO – F – Philadelphia), Brendan O’Donnell (SO – F – Tampa Bay), Andrew MacWilliam (SR – D – Toronto), Derek Rodwell (JR – F – New Jersey), Zane Gothberg (G – FR – Boston)

UNO’s top players are more or less undrafted players. Senior forward Ryan Walters leads the team in points and is a likely free agent signing after his season is over. Sophomore forward Josh Archibald (Pittsburgh) is Walters’ go-to guy on the attack. Sophomore Dominic Zombo and junior Matt White follow up as other undrafted players leading the charge.

Others: Bryce Aneloski (SR – D – Ottawa), Brent Gwidt (SR – F – Washington), Nick Seeler (FR – D – Minnesota), Tanner Lane (FR – F – Winnipeg), Brian Cooper (FR – D – Anaheim)

(Picture: UND Sports)

Tonight on NBCSN: Doubleheader action with Union-Princeton and Denver-UNO

By Joe YerdonJan 11, 2013, 10:53 AM EDT

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Tonight’s doubleheader features a Team USA World Junior gold medalist playing at a legendary rink in the first game and a WCHA showdown in the second.

Princeton Tigers (5-7-4) vs. No. 17 Union College Dutchmen (9-6-4) – 7:30 p.m. ET

The Dutchmen haven’t had quite the follow-up to their Frozen Four season last year. Union has won just once in their last eight games going 1-4-3 in that stretch. Sophomore Team USA star Shayne Gostisbehere has been part of a steady attack for the team scoring five goals with eight assists this year. If Union is going to snap out of it and start making another run for the NCAA tournament, doing damage in conference against teams like Princeton is the way to do it.

Princeton, meanwhile, are winners of two in a row beating out Ivy League rivals Harvard and Dartmouth. Back on December 1 they earned a 4-4 tie with Union in Schenectady. Now that they’re on a mini-roll and on their home ice at Hobey Baker Rink, they’re hoping to keep the good times going.

NHL prospects to watch: Union has a pair of them in Gostisbehere (Philadelphia) and freshman defenseman Tim Boyle (Ottawa). They also have solid undrafted players like Kyle Bodie, Wayne Simpson, and senior defenseman Greg Coburn, brother of Flyers blue liner Braydon Coburn. Last year’s Hobey Baker finalist Troy Grosenick still leads the way in goal.

Princeton rolls with Ottawa prospect, senior defenseman Michael Sdao. You’ll see their best offensive talent in forwards Andrew Calof, Tyler Maugeri, and Andrew Ammon. Senior goalie Mike Condon has been strong this season.

No. 9 Denver Pioneers (12-6-3) vs. No. 13 Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks (13-8-1) – 10:05 p.m. ET

The last time we saw Denver on NBCSN, I was busy throwing the hex on them as they tied Wisconsin 1-1. That came in the middle of a spell that saw them go winless in eight straight (0-5-3). Since then they’ve won three in a row with a win over Boston University and a sweep of Cornell at home last weekend that didn’t sit too well with Big Red coach Mike Schafer.

Now they’re back into the WCHA schedule facing a Nebraska-Omaha team riding high off their weekend sweep of Colorado College last week. The Mavericks had a bit of bad news this week as Flyers prospect goalie Anthony Stolarz departed for the OHL. On the upside, recently absent goalie Ryan Massa has come back thanks to his departure.

NHL prospects to watch: Denver rolls with Kings prospect Nick Shore as he leads the team in scoring. Oilers prospect defenseman Joey LaLeggia is another guy to keep your eye on. Zac Larraza (F-Phoenix), Scott Mayfield (D-NY Islanders), Josiah Didier (D-Montreal), and Sam Brittain (G-Florida) are other prospects the Pioneers are rolling with.

UNO has Penguins prospect forward Josh Archibald to keep your eyes on. Senior defenseman Bryce Aneloski (Ottawa) is another guy who will see big minutes. Nick Seeler (D-Minnesota), Brent Gwidt (F-Washington), Tanner Lane (F-Winnipeg), and Brian Cooper (D-Anaheim) are the others to keep an eye on. Undrafted forward Ryan Walters is their go-to guy.

Tonight on NBCSN: No. 15 Nebraska-Omaha hosts Colorado College

By Joe YerdonJan 4, 2013, 8:00 AM EDT

When Nebraska-Omaha and Colorado College square off in an all-WCHA affair tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, there’s going to be a lot of big scorers to keep an eye on.

No. 15 Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks (11-8-1) vs. Colorado College Tigers (8-10-2)

Leading the way for UNO is the man who’s tied for the NCAA lead in points, junior forward Ryan Walters (pictured). Walters is tied with St. Cloud’s Drew LeBlanc in points and tied with two others for the national lead in goals with 12. His abilities to find the net have helped the Mavericks climb into the USA Hockey/USA Today poll and give his team the lift they need in conference.

For Colorado College, it’s not just one player doing the damage for them but a host of guys finding the net. Leading the way for the Tigers is senior Rylan Schwartz with 24 points, 10 of those on goals. CC rolls into tonight’s game with two other 10-goal scorers in seniors William Rapuzzi and Stars prospect Scott Winkler. Throw in Alexander Krushelnyski and his 23 points and you’ve got a powerful four-pronged attack coming out of Colorado Springs.

What both teams could stand to have is a little help in goal. Both teams feature goalies whose save percentages are hovering right around .900 and that’s not so hot. With the firepower Colorado College has and the kind of season Walters is having, along with fellow forwards Dominic Zombo and Josh Archibald, a bad night in goal could mean a long night for the rest of the team.

NHL prospects to watch

Nebraska-Omaha: SO-forward Josh Archibald (Pittsburgh), SR-defenseman Bryce Aneloski, FR-defenseman Nick Seeler (Minnesota), SR-forward Brent Gwidt (Nashville), FR-goalie Anthony Stolarz (Philadelphia), FR-defenseman Brian Cooper (Anaheim), FR-forward Tanner Lane (Winnipeg)

Colorado College: SO-forward Scott Winkler (Dallas), FR-forward Hunter Fejes (Phoenix), SO-defenseman Aaron Harstad (Winnipeg), SO-defenseman Peter Stoykewych (Winnipeg)

(Photo: WCHA.com)