Mike Scala (1970-2022)

I worked in sports information at Montclair State (NJ) University from Nov. 2000 to Sept. 2005, after three tours of ice hockey publicity duty in Michigan. My supervisor all five of those years was Michael Scala.

Mike taught me much about many different sports that didn't include a small black rubber puck, including baseball, basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, softball and wrestling. I also remember my interview with him in what would be my first office at Montclair State, in a two-story house on Normal Avenue, just off campus. 

I wore a suit. Mike told me I was overdressed. 

I got to know Mike well over the next several years and the myriad fall, winter and spring sports seasons. I was fortunate enough he let me travel to Florida five times during spring break with different Red Hawks teams, four with softball to Orlando/Fort Myers, and once with baseball to Tampa. The only other time I had ever gone on spring break was to Anchorage, Alaska in 1992, and only because I was living 350 miles away in Fairbanks at the time.

I also got to go to San Diego my first year, to the 2001 College Sports Information Directors Association (CoSIDA) annual convention, when Mike could have easily gone to California himself. I remember accompanying him on such MSU basketball trips to places like William Paterson University and Manhattanville College, for statistical support, with me usually keeping the written, spiral-bound NCAA scorebook, including player fouls. I also attended Mike's wedding to his wife, Jamie, early on in my tenure at MSU, when I had been at the university just over a year's time. 

Working in NCAA Division III athletics was a bit different than my experience in Division I (Michigan State) or Division II (Alaska Fairbanks), but the statistics are the same, and the student-athletes do truly play for the love of the game, with no scholarships or financial aid or pro career prospects. I didn't work with ice hockey, which is a club sport at MSU, but I met a lot of good people in Red Hawk varsity athletics. Case in point: Mike and Jamie and other MSU athletics staff were good enough to attend my grandmother's wake just one month after 9/11, even though they had only known me for 10 months or so. I can never repay them for that kindness.

Besides MSU, Mike was a big fan of the New York Giants, the New York Mets, and Bruce Springsteen, among other things—but he was also a hockey fan, particularly of the New York Rangers. Having interned with the NHL in 1993-94, I bequeathed him a copy of the Rangers media guide from that season, in which they won their first Stanley Cup crown in 54 seasons (and their last one to date). One night he even told me that I wouldn't be working an outside, non-MSU basketball game scheduled at MSU's Panzer Gym, because he knew I had New Jersey Devils tickets that evening. I also worked with Mike the sole season of the original XFL in 2001, writing back-up stats for the NY/NJ Hitmen at the now-demolished Giants Stadium.

I left MSU in 2005, wanting to move on from sports information after almost 14 years, and went on to become a journalist. Mike thanked me for my loyalty, and also helped me in my job search as a reference. He remained at MSU, his alma mater, although he also worked for Monmouth University, the New Jersey Athletic Conference, the Pinstripe Bowl, the New York Jets, and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in his storied career, while also helping the MAAC to land the 2003 NCAA Division I Men's Frozen Four in Buffalo. He went on to earn a host of sports information and athletics awards for his ability and longevity, but he just really enjoyed what he did, whether it was scoring games, updating the website, designing yearbooks, and so much more, especially caring for MSU's many, many student-athletes and coaches. 

I saw him sporadically over the years that followed, mostly at MSU, and even once at Nutley High School's graduation ceremony. The last time I remember seeing him was at Kean University in 2018, a year before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the year before he was inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame. He was most definitely a good man, and I figured I'd see Mike at another game again somewhere down the road, after the world more or less got back to normal.

On Thursday, I visited MSU for the last-ever New Jersey Jackals minor-league baseball game at Yogi Berra Stadium, a place where Mike had overseen hundreds of Red Hawk baseball games. I also passed by the Burger King in Cedar Grove where Mike took me for lunch on my first day at MSU, over 20 years ago.

Mike was just 51 years old when his three-year battle with colon cancer ended early this morning. He would have turned 52 in September. He is survived by his wife, Jamie, and their three children, Jenna, Michael and Joelle. I hope people will keep them all in their prayers. Donations to the family can be made at https://bit.ly/3pM2rsi.

Today I tuned the radio to Q104.3 FM just as Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" began to play. I remember how Mike and I would joke about that song in the press box at MSU's Sprague Field, as one of the Red Hawk teams back then used it for their warm-ups. We used to recite the speech made by the villainous Clubber Lang in the film "Rocky III", when he told trainer Mickey Goldmill that he demanded a shot at world heavyweight boxing champion Rocky Balboa ("I want Balboa!"). Those few minutes of music brought back a lot of good memories.

Rest in peace, my friend, and Go Red Hawks.

Faceoff on the Lake Coming Feb. 2023

College hockey will head outdoors again early next year, with a Big Ten battle at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio, home of the NFL's Browns, on Lake Erie.

The University of Michigan will face rival Ohio State University on Feb. 18 in the “Faceoff on the Lake.” It will be the ninth time Michigan will have played outdoors since the inaugural NCAA outdoor contest, the Cold War, on Oct. 6, 2001 at Michigan State University. Ohio State will be appearing outdoors for the fourth time in program history, according to collegehockeyinc.com. A list of all NCAA Division I men's hockey outdoor games to date in the modern era, 40 in all since 2001, can be found here.

It will be the second time the Wolverines and Buckeyes have faced off outdoors, both times in Cleveland. U-M defeated OSU by a 4-1 count on Jan. 15. 2012, before 25,864 on-lookers at the Frozen Diamond Faceoff at Progressive Field, home of the MLB's Guardians. 

Canada Wins 2022 WJC Title in OT

Kent Johnson (Michigan) got the golden goal for Canada. 

Johnson, 19, an assistant captain for Canada, put home own rebound just over three minutes into 3-on-3 play in overtime to lift Canada to a 3-2 victory and the gold medal at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship at Rogers Place in Edmonton. 

Johnson's game-winning goal came shortly after Finland had nearly scored the winner at the other end, but the puck was knocked out of the air and away from the Canadian goal line. Finland had to settle for the silver medal, its first in WJC play since 2001, after last winning gold in 2019. Sweden defeated Czechia, 3-1, earlier in the day to win the bronze medal.

Finland outshot Canada, 30-29, on the evening. It also weathered six Canadian power plays, including five in a row at one point, and scored two third-period goals to tie the contest after trailing, 2-0, after 40 minutes of regulation. 

It was Canada's second WJC title in three years, after it fell to the U.S. in the 2021 gold-medal game, which was also held in Edmonton. Canada added to its record haul with its 19th WJC title overall since the tournament officially began in 1977.

Johnson finished the WJC, which had been postponed and rescheduled from December due to COVID/Omicron concerns, with three goals and six assists for nine points in seven games, while leading all WJC participants with 43 shots on goal. He turned pro earlier this year after completing his second and final season at Michigan, where he helped the Wolverines to the 2022 Big Ten tournament title and a berth in the NCAA Frozen Four. In two seasons in Ann Arbor, he tallied 17-47—64 points, then recorded three assists in his first nine NHL games this spring with Columbus, which drafted him fifth overall in 2021.

Next year's WJC will again be held in Canada, in Halifax and Moncton, starting in late December before carrying over into January.

U.S. Eliminated at 2022 World Juniors

The United States will not repeat as IIHF World Junior champions. 

Following four wins in four preliminary group-play games, Team USA fell to the Czech Republic (Czechia), 4-2, in the quarterfinal round on Wednesday night in Edmonton, and was eliminated from medal contention.

Logan Cooley (Minnesota) and Carter Mazur (Denver) scored for the Americans, but three Czech goals in-between which spanned the first and second period proved to be the difference. The U.S. also had to kill off two five-minute power plays in the third period, while trailing by two goals at the time. 

Czechia finally iced the contest on an empty-net tally with 32 seconds remaining in regulation, after U.S. goaltender Kaidan Mbereko (Colorado College) had been pulled for an extra attacker. Mbereko finished with 20 saves on the night.

Team USA, which had outscored its opposition by a 22-4 margin through its first four games, was seeking to win consecutive WJC gold medals for the first time ever, having claimed gold in 2021 in Edmonton. The Czechs will now play host Canada, a 6-1 winner over Switzerland last night, in the semifinals.

Doug Ross (1951-2022)

Longtime University of Alabama-Huntsville hockey head coach Doug Ross (Bowling Green) passed away today at the age of 70.

Ross mentored UAH from 1985 when it was a club program, until his retirement in 2007, after starting his career at Ohio University and then Kent State University. He coached the Chargers to four NCAA Division II tournament berths and two national titles at that level, along with an NCAA Division I tournament appearance in his final year after UAH won the College Hockey America postseason tournament. He also oversaw eight Chargers teams in all that won 20 or more games in a single season, and finished with a personal overall record of 376-255-42 (.590) at UAH. 

As a player, Ross skated for three years at BGSU at forward, after one season at the NAIA level with Lake Superior State. A Detroit native, he posted two 30-goal campaigns with the Falcons, while helping them to the CCHA playoff tournament crown in 1973. He earned First Team All-CCHA status in 1974-75 after notching 34 goals and 29 assists for 63 points, and finished his career at BGSU with 65-64⁠—129 points in just 74 games in all.

Ross then skated for the 1975-76 U.S. National Team. He recorded 10-23⁠—33 points in 34 outings on the pre-Olympic tour, before adding a goal and two assists in six games at the XII Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria as Team USA finished in fifth place. He was later inducted into the UAH Athletic Hall of Fame is 2020 as part of its inaugural class.

UAH Hockey has been on hiatus since the conclusion of the 2020-21 season, awaiting acceptance into a conference. The program played as an independent from 1985 to 1999, and again from 2010 to 2013. The Chargers went 3-18-1 in their final campaign, as part of the now-dissolved men's component of the WCHA.

Team USA Wins First Two at Rescheduled World Juniors

The United States National Junior Team is off to a solid start at the revamped 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton. Team USA defeated Germany, 5-1, in its opening game, and then pasted Switzerland, 7-1, in its next outing.

Luke Hughes (Michigan) leads all defensemen in the tournament, and is fifth overall among all skaters so far, with five points through two games, on a goal and four assists. Mbereko Kaidan (Colorado College) is 2-0-0 in net for the Americans, with a 1.00 goals-against average and .943 save percentage to date. 

This month's tournament (Aug. 9-20) replaces the original event that was canceled shortly after it began in December, due to COVID-19/Omicron variant concerns. The U.S. won the last World Junior championship that was played to completion in 2020, which was also held in Canada.

The U.S. will now face Switzerland in in its next contest today (2 p.m. ET, NHL Network), before meeting Sweden on Sunday night to close out the preliminary round.

ADDENDUM: After routing the Swiss by a 7-1 count, Team USA held on to defeat Sweden, 3-2, to finish with a 4-0-0 record in group play. Matthew Coronato (Harvard) scored two goals, including the game-winner, for the Americans, who will now face Czechia in a quarterfinal contest on Aug. 17.

Mel Pearson Out as Head Coach at Michigan

The axe has finally fallen in Ann Arbor. Mel Pearson has been relieved of his duties as the head coach of the University of Michigan men's ice hockey program.

Pearson, 63, a former Michigan assistant coach who has helmed the Wolverines since 2017, had been working without a contract since his original five-year deal expired earlier this year. He led Michigan to a 31-10-1 overall record last season, including a Big Ten postseason tournament title, plus a trip to the NCAA Frozen Four in Boston where the Wolverines fell in overtime to eventual national champion Denver in the semifinals. That led to an exodus of underclassmen with NCAA eligibility remaining, led by 2021 first overall NHL draft choice Owen Power.

U-M athletic director Warde Manuel announced Pearson's dismissal on Friday, although he had said prior to the expiration of Pearson's contract in early May that the latter was still the head coach, and according to the Detroit Free Press that, as of June, he expected Pearson to remain in that role. U-M's Board of Regents thought otherwise, though, as it voted 8-0 for Pearson's expulsion as head coach, according to Michigan insider John Bacon. Interim university president Mary Sue Coleman apparently agreed with the board, and perhaps those two entities put Manuel in a situation where he had to show Pearson the proverbial door, or else follow him out it.

Also from Bacon: “The investigators make clear their belief that Pearson lied to them repeatedly on serious issues – in one case denying an important conversation took place, until confronted with the tape recording of that conversation.”

According to a 68-page third-party report conducted by the Washington, D.C. legal firm of WilmerHale that had apparently been completed months ago, but not released until recently following various media leaks, there was toxicity in the culture of the Michigan hockey program.

Former Michigan staffer Rick Bancroft, who suddenly retired in June, had been accused of harassing numerous female employees at Michigan, and Pearson apparently took no action to remedy the situation. Pearson himself was also reported to have verbally berated at least one female member of Michigan's athletic staff during his tenure as head coach.

Pearson was also found to have instructed his players to lie on COVID-19 forms prior to the 2021 NCAA tournament, which Michigan ultimately pulled out of playing in.

Pearson may have also played a role in the ouster of former Michigan goaltender Steve Shields, who had been serving as volunteer goaltending coach/director of player development with the Wolverines, before he was fired last year. It is believed that Shields was the one who originally filed a complaint against Pearson regarding how the hockey program was being conducted.

Starting goaltender/team captain Strauss Mann left Michigan before his senior year in 2021-22 due to friction with Pearson over the team’s culture, coupled with a fear of possible retaliation by Pearson that could have impacted Mann’s professional playing prospects. Mann, who played for the U.S. in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, is now under contract to the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, after playing the majority of last season in Sweden.

Pearson, from Vancouver, B.C., played collegiately at Michigan Tech before becoming an assistant there from 1982 to 1988. He then spent the next 23 years at U-M with the legendary Gordon "Red" Berenson, and helped Michigan to NCAA titles in 1996 and 1998 as an assistant before serving as associate head coach with the Wolverines from 1999 to 2011. He finished 99-65-16 in five years in charge of U-M, following six seasons as the head coach at Michigan Tech. His career record as a college head coach stands at 217-157-45 to date over 11 NCAA campaigns, and includes six NCAA tournament berths.

ADDENDUM: Michigan has named former Wolverines player Brandon Naurato as interim head coach. He rejoined his alma mater last season as an assistant coach, after working for the NHL's Detroit Red Wings.