After blowing a chance to pick up an important PWR win on Friday, CC came back and dominated on Satuday night to go 1-0-1 on the weekend. The junior class was at it again, with Scott McCulloch and Jimmy Kilpatrick scoring CC's goals on Friday, and Jack Hillen and Derek Patrosso finding the back of the net on Saturday. Brian Connelly also showcased his offensive talent with three assists on the weekend.
The failure to get a win against Nebraska-Omaha is not the end of the world, but it could come back to haunt the Tigers at tournament selection time if both teams end up being Teams Under Consideration. The last few years, out of conference wins have paid huge dividends to CC at tournament time, and the Tigers will likely need some OOC wins further down the road if they want to play in the postseason this year.
Regardless of the shootout loss on Friday, there are bright spots for the Tigers. Newcomers Brian McMillin, Addison DeBoer, Brian Connelly, Billy Sweatt, and Nate Prosser all had points over the weekend. Drew O'Connell kept up his stellar play in net with an 18-save shutout on Satuday night. And veteran seniors Brandon Polich and Braydon Cox both scored goals on Saturday. CC thus far has demonstrated a much more balanced attack, with most everybody contributing on offense.
The offense is going to have to keep rolling, as the Tigers take on #12 New Hampshire in a two game series this weekend at the World Arena in their first true test of the season.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Tigers Crush Huntsville, Move to 2-0
After the close contest between CC and Air Force on Friday, many Tiger fans were probably feeling a little apprehensive about the upcoming season. Saturday, though gave CC fans reason to be hopeful, as the Tigers dominated all aspects of play and throttled the Chargers 8-1.
Everything seemed to click Saturday as Scott McCulloch took after Jimmy Kilpatrick the night before and stepped up to a new offensive role. His four goals, along with tallies from the Sweatt brothers, Jake Gannon and Scott Thauwald, powered the Tigers, who also received stellar play in net from sophomore goalie Drew O'Connell. Although the results are great for a young Tiger team just a week into the season, CC should get their first true test when they play Nebraska-Omaha this weekend at the Nye Classic in Anchorage.
Here are some of my thoughts from the weekend, and the Alabama-Huntsville game in particular:
* Loved to see Drew O'Connell getting a start on Satuday, and was even happier about the way he played. He seemed confident and poised in net, and probably should have had a shutout.
* The forwards from the junior class had an excellent weekend. Great to see Jimmy Kilpatrick and Scott McCulloch stepping up the production already. Also, all these guys (Kilpatrick, McCulloch, Derek Patrosso, James Brannigan) seemed to be playing physical in the offensive zone and tiring out the Chargers defense. Every junior (including defenseman Jack Hillen) recorded a point on Saturday night. Every one but Brannigan and Patrosso actually had two or more.
* Billy Sweatt - Man, this kid can fly. Great to see him get his first goal as a Tiger - he's going to be the real deal.
* This Tigers defense is solid - Kris Fredheim in particular looks like he's in control out there.
* Saw some freshman mistakes from some of the young guys. Connelly, DeBoer, Testwuide and McMillan all looked solid but still have some adjusting to do to the college game.
* Mike Testwuide and Billy Sweatt bring some needed size to the offense.
* Congrats to Jake Gannon - first college goal.
Everything seemed to click Saturday as Scott McCulloch took after Jimmy Kilpatrick the night before and stepped up to a new offensive role. His four goals, along with tallies from the Sweatt brothers, Jake Gannon and Scott Thauwald, powered the Tigers, who also received stellar play in net from sophomore goalie Drew O'Connell. Although the results are great for a young Tiger team just a week into the season, CC should get their first true test when they play Nebraska-Omaha this weekend at the Nye Classic in Anchorage.
Here are some of my thoughts from the weekend, and the Alabama-Huntsville game in particular:
* Loved to see Drew O'Connell getting a start on Satuday, and was even happier about the way he played. He seemed confident and poised in net, and probably should have had a shutout.
* The forwards from the junior class had an excellent weekend. Great to see Jimmy Kilpatrick and Scott McCulloch stepping up the production already. Also, all these guys (Kilpatrick, McCulloch, Derek Patrosso, James Brannigan) seemed to be playing physical in the offensive zone and tiring out the Chargers defense. Every junior (including defenseman Jack Hillen) recorded a point on Saturday night. Every one but Brannigan and Patrosso actually had two or more.
* Billy Sweatt - Man, this kid can fly. Great to see him get his first goal as a Tiger - he's going to be the real deal.
* This Tigers defense is solid - Kris Fredheim in particular looks like he's in control out there.
* Saw some freshman mistakes from some of the young guys. Connelly, DeBoer, Testwuide and McMillan all looked solid but still have some adjusting to do to the college game.
* Mike Testwuide and Billy Sweatt bring some needed size to the offense.
* Congrats to Jake Gannon - first college goal.
Saturday, October 7, 2006
CC Holds On Against Air Force
If you needed any proof that hockey is a game of inches, take a look at last night. Air Force's last second, tying goal should have resulted in elation for the 3rd largest hockey crowd in AFA school history. The game ended in heartbreak for Falcons fans however, as the goal was waved off due to a high stick, and CC went on to win yet again, 2-1.
Jimmy Kilpatrick stepped up to his new offensive role, scoring two goals for the Tigers, and Chad Rau tallied an assist. Matt Zaba was solid in net, making 25 saves on 26 shots.
The Tigers take on the Chargers of Alabama Huntsville tonight in their home opener at the World Arena.
Jimmy Kilpatrick stepped up to his new offensive role, scoring two goals for the Tigers, and Chad Rau tallied an assist. Matt Zaba was solid in net, making 25 saves on 26 shots.
The Tigers take on the Chargers of Alabama Huntsville tonight in their home opener at the World Arena.
Wednesday, October 4, 2006
Season Preview '06
With just hours until Colorado College faces off against Air Force in their season opener, I thought we should take a look at what to expect this season. The loss of a stellar senior class has generally left CC fans with lower expectations than in the past few years, but the Tigers surely have the talent to surprise this year. For this post I thought I'd take a look at how each aspect of the team might shape up. I'll try to provide some more analysis after the games this weekend.
Offense
The Tigers lost a majority of last season's top notch offensive corps, leaving many questions about how CC will go about replacing the scoring. Three things are obvious to me - if CC is to be strong offensively this year...
1. Chad Rau has to continue getting better and develop into an elite player.
2. Billy Sweatt must make a smooth transition to the college game.
3. The supporting cast, particularly this year's juniors, must step up and get more involved in the scoring.
I'm not particularly worried about #1. Chad Rau is a potential All-WCHA player who I think could score 50+ points this year. Things get murky as we delve deeper though. Billy Sweatt, one of the most highly touted freshmen in the country, will almost certainly become an elite college hockey player - but can he make an impact this season? I'd be satisfied if Sweatt could imitate Rau's freshman year and put up around 30 points. Anything beyond that is gravy, but don't be surprised if you see Billy Sweatt among the top point scorers in the WCHA this season. As for #3... for the past two years CC has had a number of capable offensive players who have been overshadowed by the Sertich and Sterling show. Look in particular at this year's junior class, with Derek Patrosso, Jimmy Kilpatrick, James Brannigan, and Scott McCulloch. Any one of these players has the potential to score 25+ points in a season. Look for Kilpatrick and McCulloch to have an increased role in the offense. Both of these guys should see significant time on the power play.
In addition to these veterans, the Tigers have an extremely talented freshman class that has the potential to put up solid numbers. Billy Sweatt is a given, having been ranked as the #4 incoming forward by Inside College Hockey, and #2 incoming forward by Chris Heisenburg and the Western College Hockey Blog. But don't forget about some of the other new players we'll be seeing this weekend. Dan Quilico (5'9"/170) put up 46 points in 62 games last season for Trail of the BCHL. Matt Overman (5'10"/165) put up gaudy numbers in high school before spending a season on the injured reserve for Sioux Falls of the USHL. Mike Testwuide (6'3"/205), brother of Denver defenseman J.P. Testwuide, scored 31 points last year for Waterloo of the USHL. Also, Addison DeBoer and Brian McMillin, both coming straight from high school, have the potential to put up numbers if they can smoothly transition to the new challenges of the college game.
Also important to note is that the Tigers should get a nice boost from the return of Andreas Vlassopoulos and Scott Thauwald, both of whom spent nearly all of last season injured. If both are fully recovered, they could make a big difference on offense.
Scott Owens loves to tinker with the lines, so I don't want to try and guess what combinations he might use, although once the season gets going I could certainly see some possible line combos emerging. Chad Rau and Billy Sweatt could team up to put up fantastic numbers. Larger players like Mike Testwuide and Scott McCulloch could play together and bring a more physical presence to the offensive zone. Owens should have plenty of options, with enough forwards to roll five lines if desired. One of the more interesting things to watch for will be DeBoer's and McMillin's transition to the college game - if they can make the jump smoothly, CC will be very deep on offense.
Defense
CC's defense this year should be very, very strong. In addition to returning players Lee Sweatt, Jack Hillen, Brandon Straub, Jake Gannon, and Cody Lampl, the Tigers have picked up some top tier defenders in Kris Fredheim, Brian Connelly, and Nate Prosser. Fredheim (6'2"/183) was the most sought after of the bunch; a 2005 NHL draft pick (sixth round), he scored 46 points in 63 games last year for Notre Dame of the SJHL, and was named defenseman of the year. Brian Connelly (5'11"/175) spent last season with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL, scoring 28 points in 59 games. Nate Prosser (6'2"/203), another highly ranked recruit, had 35 points in 72 games last year for Sioux Falls, and was a second team all-star.
I would envision defensive pairings looking something like this:
Sweatt / Fredheim
Hillen / Connelly
Straub / Prosser
Gannon / Lampl
These combinations would at least initially give the new players a chance to play with a veteran blueliner.
Goal
Matt Zaba may be the player most important to CC's hopes this year. If he can reach his potential and become a gamechanging goalie, watch out. If he plays like he did last year - meh. If he goes downhill at all, it's time to give O'Connell some looks. In my opinion, Zaba has all the potential to be an All-WCHA goalie - he just needs to put it all together. You can pretty much count on him to make the saves that he should make, but unlike two years ago with Curtis McElhinney, don't expect Zaba to be stealing games for the Tigers. If CC starts out strong and keeps it going, I'd trust Zaba with the starting job. If the Tigers stumble early and post season aspirations are looking like a longshot, I think Scott Owens should give serious thought to giving Drew O'Connell some playing time. One good situation, if CC's season was looking lost, would be to go with a two man rotation of Zaba and O'Connell. Why, you ask? Because O'Connell is a sophomore this year and our two other goalies (Zaba and Kawano) are on the way out. If this season is a bust, at least get ready for next. In addition, I'd feel like O'Connell would be getting a bum deal if he had to compete for the starting job with top recruit Richard Bachman next year, having played in hardly any games over the past two seasons. Give the kid a chance, I say. I don't want to leave Chris Kawano out of the discussion either. He played quite a bit at the end of last season and had some very impressive games. While I think Kawano would currently be considered #2 in the pecking order after Zaba, since he graduates at the end of the year, I'd rather see O'Connell get the playing time. Nevertheless I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him start a game or two here and there.
Offense
The Tigers lost a majority of last season's top notch offensive corps, leaving many questions about how CC will go about replacing the scoring. Three things are obvious to me - if CC is to be strong offensively this year...
1. Chad Rau has to continue getting better and develop into an elite player.
2. Billy Sweatt must make a smooth transition to the college game.
3. The supporting cast, particularly this year's juniors, must step up and get more involved in the scoring.
I'm not particularly worried about #1. Chad Rau is a potential All-WCHA player who I think could score 50+ points this year. Things get murky as we delve deeper though. Billy Sweatt, one of the most highly touted freshmen in the country, will almost certainly become an elite college hockey player - but can he make an impact this season? I'd be satisfied if Sweatt could imitate Rau's freshman year and put up around 30 points. Anything beyond that is gravy, but don't be surprised if you see Billy Sweatt among the top point scorers in the WCHA this season. As for #3... for the past two years CC has had a number of capable offensive players who have been overshadowed by the Sertich and Sterling show. Look in particular at this year's junior class, with Derek Patrosso, Jimmy Kilpatrick, James Brannigan, and Scott McCulloch. Any one of these players has the potential to score 25+ points in a season. Look for Kilpatrick and McCulloch to have an increased role in the offense. Both of these guys should see significant time on the power play.
In addition to these veterans, the Tigers have an extremely talented freshman class that has the potential to put up solid numbers. Billy Sweatt is a given, having been ranked as the #4 incoming forward by Inside College Hockey, and #2 incoming forward by Chris Heisenburg and the Western College Hockey Blog. But don't forget about some of the other new players we'll be seeing this weekend. Dan Quilico (5'9"/170) put up 46 points in 62 games last season for Trail of the BCHL. Matt Overman (5'10"/165) put up gaudy numbers in high school before spending a season on the injured reserve for Sioux Falls of the USHL. Mike Testwuide (6'3"/205), brother of Denver defenseman J.P. Testwuide, scored 31 points last year for Waterloo of the USHL. Also, Addison DeBoer and Brian McMillin, both coming straight from high school, have the potential to put up numbers if they can smoothly transition to the new challenges of the college game.
Also important to note is that the Tigers should get a nice boost from the return of Andreas Vlassopoulos and Scott Thauwald, both of whom spent nearly all of last season injured. If both are fully recovered, they could make a big difference on offense.
Scott Owens loves to tinker with the lines, so I don't want to try and guess what combinations he might use, although once the season gets going I could certainly see some possible line combos emerging. Chad Rau and Billy Sweatt could team up to put up fantastic numbers. Larger players like Mike Testwuide and Scott McCulloch could play together and bring a more physical presence to the offensive zone. Owens should have plenty of options, with enough forwards to roll five lines if desired. One of the more interesting things to watch for will be DeBoer's and McMillin's transition to the college game - if they can make the jump smoothly, CC will be very deep on offense.
Defense
CC's defense this year should be very, very strong. In addition to returning players Lee Sweatt, Jack Hillen, Brandon Straub, Jake Gannon, and Cody Lampl, the Tigers have picked up some top tier defenders in Kris Fredheim, Brian Connelly, and Nate Prosser. Fredheim (6'2"/183) was the most sought after of the bunch; a 2005 NHL draft pick (sixth round), he scored 46 points in 63 games last year for Notre Dame of the SJHL, and was named defenseman of the year. Brian Connelly (5'11"/175) spent last season with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL, scoring 28 points in 59 games. Nate Prosser (6'2"/203), another highly ranked recruit, had 35 points in 72 games last year for Sioux Falls, and was a second team all-star.
I would envision defensive pairings looking something like this:
Sweatt / Fredheim
Hillen / Connelly
Straub / Prosser
Gannon / Lampl
These combinations would at least initially give the new players a chance to play with a veteran blueliner.
Goal
Matt Zaba may be the player most important to CC's hopes this year. If he can reach his potential and become a gamechanging goalie, watch out. If he plays like he did last year - meh. If he goes downhill at all, it's time to give O'Connell some looks. In my opinion, Zaba has all the potential to be an All-WCHA goalie - he just needs to put it all together. You can pretty much count on him to make the saves that he should make, but unlike two years ago with Curtis McElhinney, don't expect Zaba to be stealing games for the Tigers. If CC starts out strong and keeps it going, I'd trust Zaba with the starting job. If the Tigers stumble early and post season aspirations are looking like a longshot, I think Scott Owens should give serious thought to giving Drew O'Connell some playing time. One good situation, if CC's season was looking lost, would be to go with a two man rotation of Zaba and O'Connell. Why, you ask? Because O'Connell is a sophomore this year and our two other goalies (Zaba and Kawano) are on the way out. If this season is a bust, at least get ready for next. In addition, I'd feel like O'Connell would be getting a bum deal if he had to compete for the starting job with top recruit Richard Bachman next year, having played in hardly any games over the past two seasons. Give the kid a chance, I say. I don't want to leave Chris Kawano out of the discussion either. He played quite a bit at the end of last season and had some very impressive games. While I think Kawano would currently be considered #2 in the pecking order after Zaba, since he graduates at the end of the year, I'd rather see O'Connell get the playing time. Nevertheless I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him start a game or two here and there.
Thursday, September 7, 2006
News and Notes
Well, a busy summer has finally come to an end and it's time to get back into hockey mode.
With less than a month until the puck drops, CC has had another tough personnel loss; this time not due to graduation or defection to the pros. J.P. Brunkhorst, a solid player and hard worker, will forgo his senior season with the Tigers to focus on his studies. Definitely a tough loss for the Tigers, but we all wish J.P. the best and hope he will go on to be successful at medical school.
A few other notes since I've been a bit too busy this summer to get to everything:
* CC games will now be broadcast on 103.9 - The Eagle.
* The Tigers' two home games against the University of Denver will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
* The New York Rangers lost their rights to Joey Crabb, which allowed him to sign a two year deal with the Atlanta Thrashers, joining CC teammate Brett Sterling.
* Trevor Frischmon has signed a contract with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL.
* Weston Tardy and Aaron Slattengren have signed with the Phoenix Roadrunners of the ECHL.
* Marty Sertich signed a two year deal with the Dallas Stars.
* The Western College Hockey Blog picked the Tigers to finish 7th in the WCHA.
* Former CC star Tom Preissing won't be suiting up with DU alum Matt Carle anymore, as he was traded from the San Jose Sharks to the Ottawa Senators.
* Apparenly Andreas Vlassopoulous has started skating again this summer, although it's unclear whether he'll be ready to be playing at the beginning of the season.
With less than a month until the puck drops, CC has had another tough personnel loss; this time not due to graduation or defection to the pros. J.P. Brunkhorst, a solid player and hard worker, will forgo his senior season with the Tigers to focus on his studies. Definitely a tough loss for the Tigers, but we all wish J.P. the best and hope he will go on to be successful at medical school.
A few other notes since I've been a bit too busy this summer to get to everything:
* CC games will now be broadcast on 103.9 - The Eagle.
* The Tigers' two home games against the University of Denver will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
* The New York Rangers lost their rights to Joey Crabb, which allowed him to sign a two year deal with the Atlanta Thrashers, joining CC teammate Brett Sterling.
* Trevor Frischmon has signed a contract with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL.
* Weston Tardy and Aaron Slattengren have signed with the Phoenix Roadrunners of the ECHL.
* Marty Sertich signed a two year deal with the Dallas Stars.
* The Western College Hockey Blog picked the Tigers to finish 7th in the WCHA.
* Former CC star Tom Preissing won't be suiting up with DU alum Matt Carle anymore, as he was traded from the San Jose Sharks to the Ottawa Senators.
* Apparenly Andreas Vlassopoulous has started skating again this summer, although it's unclear whether he'll be ready to be playing at the beginning of the season.
Thursday, August 3, 2006
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Been Awhile
Well it's been awhile since this site has seen any updates, mostly because nt much has been going on. There have been two important news items for CC fans of late though. For one, CC star Marty Sertich is now a Dallas Star. He signed a contract a short time ago as an undrafted free agent, and hopefully we'll get to see him make an impact at the NHL level soon. The other piece of news is that top Alaska-Anchorage forward Eric Walsky is leaving UAA and could be heading for CC. If so, it'd be a nice pickup for our 2007 incoming class, which is looking a bit thin. This article comes from the Anchorage Daily News:
By DOYLE WOODY
Anchorage Daily News
Eric Walsky just returned from a month-long trip to Italy and Switzerland, but he's not done traveling.
Walsky has left the UAA program and intends to transfer to another school in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, the powerful league in which UAA plays.
NCAA transfer rules require the Anchorage native, who was the Seawolves' best forward as last season came to a close, to sit out one season before he is eligible to play for a new team.
Walsky, 21, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining, said he will transfer because he believes UAA coach Dave Shyiak's system is too conservative and won't allow him to flourish. Walsky said he didn't harbor anny animosity toward Shyiak. They just disagreed philosophically, he said.
"Simply, I don't feel I'll develop into the player I deserve to be,'' Walsky said. "I don't have the opportunity to do that here. I butted heads with the coach a little bit, and I didn't see that changing.
"I take this decision very seriously. I take my hockey very seriously, and I want to have a career.''
Shyiak said he gave Walsky his best wishes the last time they talked.
"I told him, 'I wish you the best of luck. You have a future in the game,' '' Shyiak said.
Walsky would not say where he intends to transfer, but it won't be to Minnesota. UAA athletic director Steve Cobb refused to grant Walsky a release to join the Gophers because Minnesota assistant John Hill, the former Seawolves head coach, recruited Walsky to UAA on UAA's dime.
"I'm not going to allow someone who worked for us, and used school resources to develop a relationship with the kid, to benefit from that with another school,'' Cobb said. "I agreed to waive him to 57 (other Division I hockey) schools, so I'm not limiting the kid.
"I don't have any bad feelings toward Eric.''
Cobb said Colorado College was the only school he granted a waiver to pursue Walsky. If Walsky chose to transfer to Colorado College, that waiver would, under NCAA rules, allow him to receive scholarship aid while sitting out his transfer season.
After Cobb refused to grant Walsky a waiver to pursue a transfer to Minnesota, Walsky appealed the decision, as allowed by NCAA rules. A UAA appeals committee upheld Cobb's decision.
"The rules are there to protect the institution, not the student-athlete,'' Walsky said.
Walsky became the second Seawolves forward to transfer in the offseason. Winger Shea Hamilton, who will have two seasons of eligibility remaining after sitting out a transfer season, left the program earlier and signed with North Dakota of the WCHA.
Also, Shyiak said recruit Erik Felde of Anchorage, a forward/defenseman of astonishing speed who tore up the British Columbia Hockey League last season, won't join the Seawolves as planned his fall because he did not meet academic qualifications.
The Tri-City (Wash.) Americans of the Western Hockey League -- a major-junior circuit that produces scores of NHL players -- have Felde, 18, on their list of 50 protected players. That gives them exclusive rights to Felde in the WHL.
Elite young players in North America generally play either major-junior hockey or U.S. college hockey.
Despite those personnel losses, Shyiak said he is looking forward to his second season behind the Seawolves' bench. He has recruited four forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender for 2006-07.
"I'm excited about the guys we have coming in here,'' Shyiak said.
Shyiak, whose team went 6-27-3 last season, also will be joined by two new assistant coaches. Damon Whitten, a former Michigan State skater who previously was an assistant at Division I Wayne (Mich.) State, was hired last month. UAA expects to announce the hiring of the other assistant later this month.
Walsky's numbers last season as a sophomore weren't particularly eye-popping -- three goals, 12 assists and 15 points in 35 games -- but he led the team in assists and tied for the team lead in points.
On a team that produced just 1.89 goals per game, the second fewest in Division I, Walsky was clearly the team's most dangerous player in the postseason, when UAA was swept out of the first round of the WCHA playoffs by Minnesota. Walsky registered two assists in UAA's 7-4 loss in Game 1 and scored one goal in the Seawolves' 6-2 loss in Game 2.
Walsky was UAA's best stick-handler, even after a 2005 surgery that left him with two screws and limited range of motion in his right wrist, and he literally played keep-away with the Gophers in that series.
Walsky, a former state player of the year at East High and a standout with the Alaska All Stars competition program, was a prized recruit when he came to UAA in the fall of 2004.
But a high ankle sprain suffered on the first day of practice caused him to miss the opening 12 games of the season. He later sat out a two-game series at Denver with asthma. And after playing just 16 games, he suffered a broken and dislocated wrist against North Dakota and required surgery.
Between his freshman and sophomore seasons, Walsky underwent surgery to have his tonsils and adenoids removed and his septum straightened. Post-surgery complications caused him to lose 50 of his 195 pounds and landed him in the hospital for two days.
Walsky, who last weekend returned from traveling in Europe, said the physical travails of 2004 and 2005 might actually help him emotionally while sitting out a transfer season.
"I think I'm more prepared with all my injuries,'' he said. "I know what it takes, how depressing it can be. I'm going to force myself to be optimistic.''
Walsky said his decision to transfer involved mixed emotions, but ultimately he thinks it is his best recourse.
"It's tough in some ways, and not in other ways,'' he said. "It's tough to leave my team and my teammates, and I got along with them really well. And it's tough to leave the hockey community, because it's been supportive of me and supportive of this hockey program.
"But I need to do what's best for me and best for my career.''
By DOYLE WOODY
Anchorage Daily News
Eric Walsky just returned from a month-long trip to Italy and Switzerland, but he's not done traveling.
Walsky has left the UAA program and intends to transfer to another school in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, the powerful league in which UAA plays.
NCAA transfer rules require the Anchorage native, who was the Seawolves' best forward as last season came to a close, to sit out one season before he is eligible to play for a new team.
Walsky, 21, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining, said he will transfer because he believes UAA coach Dave Shyiak's system is too conservative and won't allow him to flourish. Walsky said he didn't harbor anny animosity toward Shyiak. They just disagreed philosophically, he said.
"Simply, I don't feel I'll develop into the player I deserve to be,'' Walsky said. "I don't have the opportunity to do that here. I butted heads with the coach a little bit, and I didn't see that changing.
"I take this decision very seriously. I take my hockey very seriously, and I want to have a career.''
Shyiak said he gave Walsky his best wishes the last time they talked.
"I told him, 'I wish you the best of luck. You have a future in the game,' '' Shyiak said.
Walsky would not say where he intends to transfer, but it won't be to Minnesota. UAA athletic director Steve Cobb refused to grant Walsky a release to join the Gophers because Minnesota assistant John Hill, the former Seawolves head coach, recruited Walsky to UAA on UAA's dime.
"I'm not going to allow someone who worked for us, and used school resources to develop a relationship with the kid, to benefit from that with another school,'' Cobb said. "I agreed to waive him to 57 (other Division I hockey) schools, so I'm not limiting the kid.
"I don't have any bad feelings toward Eric.''
Cobb said Colorado College was the only school he granted a waiver to pursue Walsky. If Walsky chose to transfer to Colorado College, that waiver would, under NCAA rules, allow him to receive scholarship aid while sitting out his transfer season.
After Cobb refused to grant Walsky a waiver to pursue a transfer to Minnesota, Walsky appealed the decision, as allowed by NCAA rules. A UAA appeals committee upheld Cobb's decision.
"The rules are there to protect the institution, not the student-athlete,'' Walsky said.
Walsky became the second Seawolves forward to transfer in the offseason. Winger Shea Hamilton, who will have two seasons of eligibility remaining after sitting out a transfer season, left the program earlier and signed with North Dakota of the WCHA.
Also, Shyiak said recruit Erik Felde of Anchorage, a forward/defenseman of astonishing speed who tore up the British Columbia Hockey League last season, won't join the Seawolves as planned his fall because he did not meet academic qualifications.
The Tri-City (Wash.) Americans of the Western Hockey League -- a major-junior circuit that produces scores of NHL players -- have Felde, 18, on their list of 50 protected players. That gives them exclusive rights to Felde in the WHL.
Elite young players in North America generally play either major-junior hockey or U.S. college hockey.
Despite those personnel losses, Shyiak said he is looking forward to his second season behind the Seawolves' bench. He has recruited four forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender for 2006-07.
"I'm excited about the guys we have coming in here,'' Shyiak said.
Shyiak, whose team went 6-27-3 last season, also will be joined by two new assistant coaches. Damon Whitten, a former Michigan State skater who previously was an assistant at Division I Wayne (Mich.) State, was hired last month. UAA expects to announce the hiring of the other assistant later this month.
Walsky's numbers last season as a sophomore weren't particularly eye-popping -- three goals, 12 assists and 15 points in 35 games -- but he led the team in assists and tied for the team lead in points.
On a team that produced just 1.89 goals per game, the second fewest in Division I, Walsky was clearly the team's most dangerous player in the postseason, when UAA was swept out of the first round of the WCHA playoffs by Minnesota. Walsky registered two assists in UAA's 7-4 loss in Game 1 and scored one goal in the Seawolves' 6-2 loss in Game 2.
Walsky was UAA's best stick-handler, even after a 2005 surgery that left him with two screws and limited range of motion in his right wrist, and he literally played keep-away with the Gophers in that series.
Walsky, a former state player of the year at East High and a standout with the Alaska All Stars competition program, was a prized recruit when he came to UAA in the fall of 2004.
But a high ankle sprain suffered on the first day of practice caused him to miss the opening 12 games of the season. He later sat out a two-game series at Denver with asthma. And after playing just 16 games, he suffered a broken and dislocated wrist against North Dakota and required surgery.
Between his freshman and sophomore seasons, Walsky underwent surgery to have his tonsils and adenoids removed and his septum straightened. Post-surgery complications caused him to lose 50 of his 195 pounds and landed him in the hospital for two days.
Walsky, who last weekend returned from traveling in Europe, said the physical travails of 2004 and 2005 might actually help him emotionally while sitting out a transfer season.
"I think I'm more prepared with all my injuries,'' he said. "I know what it takes, how depressing it can be. I'm going to force myself to be optimistic.''
Walsky said his decision to transfer involved mixed emotions, but ultimately he thinks it is his best recourse.
"It's tough in some ways, and not in other ways,'' he said. "It's tough to leave my team and my teammates, and I got along with them really well. And it's tough to leave the hockey community, because it's been supportive of me and supportive of this hockey program.
"But I need to do what's best for me and best for my career.''
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