NCAA-I: Bemidji State and Nebraska-Omaha to be part of WCHA

And they said it wouldn't happen.

All the speculation over where the Bemidji State Beavers would land after the CHA bought the farm is now over. Answering the prayers of the Beavers' faithful, Bemidji, along with current CCHA member University of Nebraska-Omaha, will join the WCHA beginning with the 2010-11 season.

OK, the BSU move does not exactly come as a surprise. Its a battle that BSU has fought for years. The UNO Mavericks, on the other hand, is a little unexpected. It was well known that the WCHA liked the balance of its 10-team slate, and if BSU was allowed in, speculation went crazy about who could make a twelfth. Now we know.

The complete release from the BSU perspective can be found here. The UNO perspective can be found here.

At the moment, that leaves only Alabama-Huntsville without a defined home after the upcoming season. Their destiny seems pretty obviously the CCHA, now, doesn't it?

NHL: March of the Penguins

This time of year, penguins of the aviary persuasion make their long march toward their ultimate goal, somewhere near the south pole. At least that's what we learned from Morgan Freeman in the National Geographic movie from a few years ago.

Last night, Penguins of a more northerly kind ended their trek to find their ultimate goal, the Stanley Cup. And it ended as anyone would hope - in a Game 7 against the defending champion whom had defeated them the year before. Maxime Talbot scored both Pens goals as Pittsburgh hung on to fend off a massive third period surge from Detroit to win the game, series and Cup 2-1 last night at Joe Louis Arena.

A couple of weeks ago, the Eastern Division Final really looked to be merely who would get the chance to bow to the Red Wings in the Cup Final. That theory seemed well on its way when Detroit took the first two games against Pittsburgh at the Joe. The Pens defense looked like little more than sticks swatting at pucks. Every time a Pens defenseman played the puck instead of the body - which was often - it seemed the puck bent the twine in the Pittsburgh net. Still, Pittsburgh had managed to come back from a two-games-to-zero deficit against the Washington Capitals in the Eastern Final. Could lightning strike twice?

Well it hadn't happened before for a Cup winner, and the Pens resilience came through again for the following two games at the Igloo in Pittsburgh. Wings veteran goaltender Mark Osgood became human again for Games Three and Four, and the team in front of him appeared to have remained behind in the Motor City. The Penguins capitalized, and left the back-to-back home games with a tied series.

As much as those games put the Pens back in the series, Game Five was nothing short of a disaster - a 5-0 shutout - that appeared to put Pittsburgh away. Osgood was nothing short of a wall between the pipes. At the other end, Marc-Andre Fleury seemed more beatable than at any other time in the playoffs, and was taken out of the game late in the second. Pittsburgh's youthfulness looked more like inexperience, and their frustration was blindingly apparent. The swagger was back with Detroit, and Game Six back in Pittsburgh looked like more of a formality than anything else.

Which, of course, was not the case. The Pens gritted out a 2-1 win on home ice, when they weathered an intense comeback effort from the Red Wings to set up Game 7.

Game 7. Did anyone really think it would come to this? Well it did, and it wasn't what the first six games would lead you to expect. Detroit's backcheck through the first two periods seemed designed to turn the puck over, but Osgood did all he could to stifle the Pens offense. Henrik Zetterberg, who was everywhere in early in the series, all but faded into the boards. For the Pens, Max Talbot had the game of his life. Fleury was outstanding as well, making the save he couldn't make last year in the Finals, and light years away from how he looked in Game 5. Evgeny Malkin, who was the leading scorer in the series with 8 points, took the Conn Smythe trophy.

Detroit's fans were impressive. The entire crowd seemed to stay until just about the time the Pens left the ice with the Cup. Early in the presentations the boo-birds loudly made their presence known. At first it seemed they were classlessly booing the result, but no, it was clearly Commissioner Gary Bettman where they aimed their disdain. OK, I can give them that. The Commish realizes his job is not the result of a popularity contest. I might have done the same.

With the frequency of Stanley Cup Championships seen in Detroit, it might not have been all that surprising if Wings fans left to beat the traffic. Still, they stayed, and that says a lot, especially in a town full of dire news right now.

Now that the Hershey Bears have claimed yet another Calder Cup in the AHL, Hockey Season 2008-09 is now officially over. Damn. But is hockey season ever really over? The NHL Entry Draft is June 26-27 up in Montreal, and the World Junior Championships follow this summer. Shortening the summer, too, will be preparations for the Winter Olympics.

Before you know it, October will be here.

NCAA-I: Off to the Show (Part 3 of ???)

....and we're back. Sometimes vacations are killer on your routine.

In case you missed it (I suppose that's conceivable, anyway):

Viktor Stålberg, Vermont Another Hobey Baker finalist is off to the pros, passing up his senior season. Stålberg signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in April, after leading the Catamounts in points with 46 this season, and was ranked fifth in the country in goals scored. He finished the season with the Toronto Marlies, the Leafs' AHL affiliate. Academically, Stålberg carries a 3.6 grade point average and plans to finish his degree in business administration.

NCAA-I: BU Advances

Back and forth, up and down, end to end. And IN the end the BU Terriers just outlasted the Vermont Catamounts to win the second semi, 5-4. BU will face Miami in the final on Saturday.

In the end, BU is just that good. Vermont played out of their minds for most of the game, but the Terriers cashed in on key mistakes to do them in. The own goal - a rebound that went off the stick of a player who was sliding toward the Vermont net - late in the third to tie it up was the back breaker. Still, you almost got the sense that UVM just ran out of time. The way they played tonight it is hard to believe they finished FOURTH in Hockey East. Great game, even with Barry Melrose in the booth ;-D.

NCAA-I: Semifinal Game 2 - After 2nd

We got ourselves a bahn burnah!

After being down 2-0 after the first, you might've figured Vermont might chuck it in against BU, especially the way they looked in the first 20 minutes. WRONG. The Green Mountain guys score three straight to take a 3-2 lead, before giving up a tying goal in the final minute of the frame. Tied at 3 to start the third period.

NCAA-I: Red Hawks in the Final

Miami finally stopped the Bemidji State improbability bus with a 4-1 win in semifinal this evening.

The Red Hawks certainly looked like the better (and bigger) team on the ice, outshooting Bemidji State 37-25. The Beavers just couldn't find their legs tonight, and Miami carried the play for much of the game. Early in the third BSU seemed to start getting their chances but couldn't find the net. Miami exploded for three goals in the second period, and hammered in the final nail with an empty netter with just over two minutes left to play. Tommy Wingels scored the Red Hawks first and last goals, and added an assist on the game winner for a three-point performance.

Miami plays the winner of the other, all-Hockey East semi between Vermont and Boston University.

AHL: Thanks for the memories

This Friday, the Philadelphia Phantoms and the Spectrum they haunt will host their last regular season game. The Spectrum is scheduled to be razed this summer, and with it, decades of history. The Broad Street Bullies and Dr. J called the place home. Ron Hextall's first goal, the Russians leaving an exhibition game against the Flyers early, and of course the Flyers winning the Cup, all happened there.

The Spectrum opened in 1967. Over forty-two years - and a few corporate renamings - the building has been home to a number of teams. The Philadelphia Flyers and the NBA's 76'ers played there for thirty seasons before moving across the street to the new Wachovia Center in 1996. The Phantoms, the Flyers AHL affiliate, moved into the building the next season and have been there for thirteen seasons.

The Phantoms are in charge of their own destiny for a spot in the Calder Cup playoffs, with a one-point lead over the Binghamton Senators for the last playoff spot in the East Division. The playoffs would only delay what the inevitable. When the last hockey game is played on the south side of Broad Street, whether that happens in April, May or June, the Phantoms will also be no more.

The Flyer's AHL franchise is exploring plans to move the team permanently to a new arena in Allentown PA, but where the team will play next season is still up in the air. Some rumors put the team in Glens Falls NY until the permanent home is found; other locations have also been mentioned.

For right now, though, the Spectrum is looking for one last hurrah. Get 'em while they last.

NCAA-I: Off to the show (Part 2 of ???)

Some more signees from the last few days. OK, so all of these aren't so much "N" as they are "A" - one thing leads to another.

Brad Thiessen, Northeastern A Hobey Baker Hat Trick finalist, Thiessen will skip his senior season minding the net at Northeastern to sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Thiessen notched a 25-12-4 record this season, with a 2.12 goals against average and .931 save percentage. He will play out the rest of the season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL.

Kevin Schmidt, Bowling Green Schmidt, a defenseman, signed with the Syracuse Crunch, the AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets. He appeared in 38 games with Bowling Green this season, tallying four goals, six assists and 51 penalty minutes. Over his four-year career with the Falcons, Schmidt skated in 147 games, recording 12 goals, 40 assists and 171 penalty minutes.

Tim Miller, Michigan Miller also signed with Syracuse last week. The forward appeared in 41 games this season, tallying 10 goals, 11 assists and 59 penalty minutes. Over his career with the Wolverines he appeared in 166 games over the past four seasons, recording 25 goals, 52 assists and 196 penalty minutes.

NCAA-I: Off to the show (Part 1 of ???)

One of those little mini-seasons that happens as the NCAA Tournament takes a breather is what I like to call the college player pro contract signing period. Among the notable ones are:

James van Riemsdyk, New Hampshire If anyone is surprised by this one, they haven't been paying attention. The Philadelphia Flyers drafted him second overall in 2007 and have been salivating ever since. He finished the season in the NCAA Quarterfinals this weekend with 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points in 36 games in 2008-09.

Richard Bachman, Colorado College Bachman leaves the Tigers, who at one point were the #1 team in the country this season, after his sophomore year for the Dallas Stars organization. Over two seasons, he compiled a 39-20-11 record, with a 2.24 goals-against average and .922 saves percentage.

Brian Connelly, Colorado College Connelly leaves Colorado College after his junior season for the Chicago Blackhawks organization, and will finish out the 2008-09 campaign with the AHL's Rockford IceHogs. Connelly notched eight goals and 55 assists for 63 points in 114 games over three seasons. Playing in all of the Tigers 38 games this season, he scored three goals and added 24 assists for 27 points in 2007-08.