Jackson, Riley Coach Final Games

A pair of longtime men's college hockey coaching careers came to an end over the weekend.

Jeff Jackson coached his final game in Notre Dame's 1-0 loss at Michigan State on Saturday in the Big Ten semifinal round. An MSU graduate, Jackson finished his storied career with an overall record of 601-343-99. He coached at Lake Superior State from 1990 to 1996, winning two NCAA championships with the Lakers, and then helmed the Irish from 2005 to 2025, guiding UND to four Frozen Fours and two NCAA title games. He was also won a pair of Spencer Penrose Awards as NCAA coach of the year.

Brian Riley concluded his career that same night as Army West Point fell, 3-1, at Holy Cross in the deciding contest of their Atlantic Hockey America best-of-three quarterfinal series. A Brown graduate, Riley finished 258-379-94 in overseeing Army from 2005 to 2025, winning the 2008 Atlantic Hockey regular-season title. His retirement ends a 75-year tenure of Riley head coaches behind the Black Knights bench.

York Now All-Time Winningest College Coach

Boston College men's hockey head coach and alumnus Jerry York earned his 925th career victory today in the Eagles' 5-2 win over Alabama-Huntsville in the first round of the Mariucci Classic in Minneapolis.

The win puts him one victory ahead of Ron Mason, who compiled 924 career wins with Lake Superior, Bowling Green and Michigan State from 1966 to 2002. York, who also coached at Bowling Green and led the Falcons to the 1984 NCAA title, began his coaching career at Clarkson and later returned to his alma mater in 1994. He has since guided BC to four national championships (2001, 2008, 2010, 2012).

York will lead the Eagles, currently ranked No. 1 in the Division I ranks,  against Mariucci host Minnesota on Saturday. The Golden Gophers defeated Air Force, 4-0, on Saturday.

Dropping Like Flies

You know it's the end of the college hockey season this time of year, and not just because we're down to the last four teams at the Frozen Four. No, you know it's the end when players with one, two and sometimes even three years of college eligibility remaining are foregoing it altogether to sign professional contracts.

Rightly or wrongly, it's gotten to be a fact of life for the college game that some players are going to leave before their four years on campus are up. Whether they make it or not to the NHL remains to be seen, but here's some of the players who won't be back for the 2012-13 NCAA campaign, as outlined at USCHO.com:

Scott Arnold, Soph., F, Niagara (Phoenix Coyotes)
Anthony Bitetti, Soph., D, Northeastern (Nashville Predators)
Terry Broadhurst, Jr., F, Nebraska-Omaha (Chicago Blackhawks)
Chris Brown, Jr., F, Michigan (Phoenix Coyotes)
J.T. Brown, Soph., F, Minnesota-Duluth (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Alex Chiasson, Jr., Forward, Boston University (Dallas Stars)
David Eddy., Jr., F, St. Cloud State (Calgary Flames)
Torey Krug, Jr., D, Michigan State (Boston Bruins)
Mike Lee, Jr., G, St. Cloud State (Phoenix Coyotes)
Cole Schneider, Soph., F, Connecticut (Ottawa Senators)
Jaden Schwartz, Soph., F, Colorado College (St. Louis Blues)
Riley Sheahan, Jr., F, Notre Dame (Detroit Red Wings)
Drew Shore, Jr., F, Denver  (Florida Panthers)
Reilly Smith, Jr., F, Miami (Dallas Stars)
Sebastian Stalberg., Jr., F, Vermont (San Jose Sharks)
Matt Tennyson, Jr., D, Western Michigan (San Jose Sharks)
Zach Trotman, Jr., D, Lake Superior State (Boston Bruins)
Jason Zucker, Soph., F, Denver (Minnesota Wild) (pictured)

More to come, obviously ...

Nanooks Win Governors Cup Once More

The annual trophy emblematic of Alaska college hockey supremacy will remain in Fairbanks for another year.

Nic Yaremchuk's deciding goal in a tie-breaking shootout on Saturday night before a sold-out crowd at the Carlson Center lifted Alaska (Fairbanks) to its third consecutive Governors Cup over archrival Alaska Anchorage. The shootout, won by a 3-2 count by UAF, was needed after the two 49th state rivals split back-to-back, home-and-home meetings this weekend.

The Seawolves won at home by a 3-2 score on Friday at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage, before the Nanooks responded with a 3-1 victory on Saturday in Fairbanks that forced the shootout immediately after. Andy Taranto kept the Nanooks alive after they fell behind by a 2-1 margin, and Yaremchuk then put it away to close out a successful Senior Night for UAF's seven seniors, including goaltender Scott Greenham. Two years ago, as a sophomore, Greenham backstopped the Nanooks to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, where they were edged by eventual national champion Boston College.

UAF (sorry, can't just call it Alaska) won the very first Governors Cup back in 1994 at Sullivan Arena, also in a shootout. The Nanooks have now won 11 of the 19 Governors Cups to date, including a record five titles in a row from 2002 to 2006.

This weekend marked the only meetings of the 2011-12 regular season between the Nanooks and Seawolves, although they will face each other far more often beginning in 2013-14 when UAF joins the revamped Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

Both schools now head to their respective conference playoff tournaments next weekend, with UAF visiting Lake Superior State in the first round of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association championship, and UAA heading off to Bemidji State for the first round of the WCHA championship.

10 Teams That Should Contend for the 2012 NCAA Men's Hockey National Title

Only 16 of the 58 schools playing NCAA Division I men's ice hockey will make it to the NCAA Tournament. Here are 10 teams (okay, 11) that could be there when the selections are announced in March, while the 2012 NCAA Frozen Four will be contested in Tampa this April.

In short order, keep your eyes on Minnesota, Boston College, Michigan, Merrimack, Notre Dame, Western Michigan, Colorado College, Minnesota-Duluth, Yale, Ferris State and Lake Superior - plus seven other schools that could surprise. (And it wouldn't be surprising to see both Miami and North Dakota bounce back after slow starts so far this season.)

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/936175-10-college-hockey-teams-that-should-compete-for-the-2012-ncaa-national-title

Only five months until it's all settled in Florida.

Rafalski and Weight Retire from NHL

Hail and farewell to former Wisconsin All-America defenseman Brian Rafalski, who retired on Wednesday after 11 NHL seasons and three Stanley Cup rings between the New Jersey Devils and the Detroit Red Wings. He registered 79 goals and 515 points in 833 regular-season outings, and added another 29-71--100 points in 165 post-season contests that included four trips to the Stanley Cup Final. He also made three appearances for the U.S. in the Olympic Winter Games, earning silver medals in both 2002 and 2010.

So long also to former Lake Superior State star Doug Weight, who hung up his own skates Thursday after 19 NHL campaigns with the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues , Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks and New York Islanders. He posted 278 goals and 1,033 points in 1,238 regular-season games, and collected another 23-49--72 points in 97 playoff contests while claiming a Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006. He also earned an Olympic silver medal with the U.S. in 2002 in Salt Lake City, plus he was a member of America's 1996 World Cup title team.

Rafalski wasn't drafted, and followed up four years at Wisconsin with four seasons in Europe before breaking into the NHL with New Jersey in 1999. Weight was claimed in the second round in 1990 by the Rangers, and made his NHL debut the following spring after two high-scoring NCAA seasons with the Lakers. Both were ultimately undone, at least partially, by injuries; but both also made their mark as American-born, college-trained players who competed - and competed well - at the highest levels of hockey.

Best of luck to them in their retirements, and to today's young guns who can hopefully achieve similar success in their own careers.