Civic’s revised fleet worthy Car of the Year favorite
The last car I road-tested before the Upper Midwest was hit by its winter coating of snow was a 2006 Honda Civic EX sedan. The first car I road-tested after every square mile from Chicago to Minnesota to the Canadian border was covered with snow was a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid.
That same week, voting was due for the North American Car of the Year, and my ballot listed the Honda Civic as No. 1.
Those two weeks produced more confirmation than surprises to me, and the result was inescapable on my chart. I listed a variety of criteria, such as styling, innovative technology, usefulness, economy, fun to drive, and a couple others, and ranked all 14 vehicles on a scale for each one, and when I compiled all my own criteria, the Civic came out on top.
ThatÂ’s no guarantee the Civic will win the award, when it is announced at the Detroit Auto Show on January 8. The three finalists were named this past week, and the Civic joined the Ford Fusion and the Pontiac Solstice as the three top vote-getters from the 50-person jury of North American auto journalists. All three are worthy, and I gave points to all three, but the winner remains a secret.
In splitting up my 25 voting points, giving from 10 to 1 points to any of 14 final candidates, I ranked them as follows: 1. Civic, 2. Audi A3, 3. BMW 3-Series, 4. Fusion. I had the Dodge Charger and the Mercedes R-Class tied for fifth, followed by a tie between the Solstice and the Hyundai Sonata.
I would like to have awarded more points to fewer cars, but this was clearly the most competitive field in the 13 years the award has been given. An indication of that competitiveness is that all the major car-zealot magazines hold some form of new-car award, and this year, it seems like they all picked different cars. Automobile picked the BMW 3-Series, Road and Track chose the Z06 Corvette — which wasn’t a candidate on our ballot, because it was a revision of a car on our ballot a year ago — and Motor Trend picked the Civic.
Usually, those winners have heavy support of advertising from the winning car company (wink-wink), but the North American Car of the Year has no such threat of influence or reward for any of us.In fact, after we had voted, I talked to a fellow jury member, and it turns out I hadnÂ’t given a single voting point to three of his top four cars, while the Civic was the only one of my top four that he had given any points.
The Civic had a built-in advantage of providing a variety of cars all rolled into one candidate. There is a basic coupe, and a high-performance “Si†version of it, which I had driven only at the vehicle’s launch, in Chicago. It made a stirring impression, with its sleek lines, 197 horsepower RSX 2.0-liter four-cylinder, six-speed stick, and 8,000-RPM redline, with standard traction control to plant all that power firmly under the front-wheel-drive platform.
The Si and coupe havenÂ’t made it to the regional test fleet yet, so it will get its own treatment when it shows up, but it remained fresh in my mind as a bargain sporty coupe for $20,000.
The Civic Hybrid was impressive in the snowy conditions, although I would have to replace the hard Bridgestone tires – slim and aerodynamically efficient for the gas-electric economy sedan – with more winter-friendly tires. Something like the Nokian WR tires with a tread compound aimed at remaining more flexible in the cold would eliminate the car’s skittishness on ice.
In driving around both Minneapolis and Duluth as well as back and forth between the two Minnesota cities, I was able to get about 37.5 miles per gallon combined, and experimenting with different speed ranges on strictly freeway driving, I got 42 miles per gallon at a sustained 70 miles per hour. That is less than the EPA estimates of 49 city and 51 highway, but it still is impressive, slightly better than what I averaged in the most recent week I spent with a Toyota Prius.
Driving the Civic Hybrid is most fun if you play with your driving style to try to coax the gauges into more miles per gallon. If you get up to speed smoothly, then let off and coast whenever you can, the MPG gauge soars, and you are adding regenerative power to the battery pack, which allows the balance of power to swing more toward electric than gas-engine driving force. Same with braking moderately early when you plan to stop, when regenerative brake force helps add to battery storage.
Acceleration is not swift, but it is adequate for most circumstances. Compared to the swift and sporty Si coupe, the Civic Hybrid feels less quick, which further defines the parameters of the Civics. If you have to pull onto fast-moving cross traffic in the Civic Hybrid, you step on it and it moves away, although the continuously variable transmission holds the same audible sensation, which leaves you surprised that youÂ’re still accelerating when the sound doesnÂ’t indicate it.
At just about $23,000, the Civic Hybrid is a bargain as well as a clean-running vehicle, with the 1.3-liter four-cylinder working easily with the imperceptible aid of the Panasonic-designed electric motor.
Otherwise, the Hybrid is no different from the normal Civic sedan in design. Both have the wedge-like front end rising up a steeply sloped hood and a steeply raked windshield.
But surprisingly, with the ultra-economy Hybrid on one hand, and the ultra-sporty Si on the other, it was the basic Civic sedan that was the clincher when I recalculated all my voting criteria. The basic DX starts at about $16,000, with the LX more than that, and the test vehicle, a top of the line EX, listing at $21,110 including destination charges.
The EX comes fully loaded at that price, with nary an option. Standard is a 140-horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine with the i-VTEC Honda style variable valve-timing, and a five-speed automatic transmission with computer control. Front and rear disc brakes have electronic brake-force distribution, revised suspension to coordinate handling on a greatly revised frame that is 35 percent stiffer, and achieves the top-rated crash-test marks in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety offset frontal and side-impact crash simulations.
It was one of only four vehicles to achieve the highest “gold†rating, and the only compact among them. Occupants are protected with standard front and side airbags, plus side-curtain airbags and door beams reinforce the high-strength steel body with its front and rear crumple zones.
The driving experience of the EX sedan is enjoyable, with the automatic transmission geared for quick takeoffs, and features such as navigation with voice recornition, a 160-watt audio system and MP3 input, plus driver seat height adjustment and an air filtration system on the air conditioning added to the standard list. Sixteen-inch alloy wheels with all-season tires also add to handling stability.
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IÂ’ve talked to some people who were uneasy at first testing of the new two-tiered Civic dashboard and instrument layout. Personally, I like it. In most vehicles, you might glance down from the road and see two gauges, and you might have to search for a moment to make sure youÂ’re focusing on the speedometer instead of the tachometer. In the new Civic, you have an easy view of a big, round tachometer through the steering wheel, and at a glance you can spot the upper-tier strip that includes a digital speedometer readout. The upper level also shows the fuel gauge and a switchable temperature gauge that can become an instant fuel-economy readout. Up high like that, positioned just below road-level view, glance down only slightly to see the speedometer number, while the road remains in your peripheral vision.
But along with surprisingly good power and handling, and the roomy interior and trunk capacity of a compact car that has grown in its eighth generation to now stand longer than the 1985 Accord, which was considered roomy for an intermediate sedan, the clinching feature came when I filled up with gas.
True, gas has dropped from the $3-per-gallon level, even if temporarily, but it still costs a jolting amount to fill a tank, so it was with surprise that I achieved 37.5 miles per gallon in combined city-freeway driving, and, on a strictly freeway test between Minneapolis and Chicago the Civic EX sedan hit 42 miles per gallon.
Against an EPA estimate that projects 40 for freeway driving, it is great to find a vehicle that can beat such a lofty number. I really like the Hybrid, but the EX sedan can make the same mileage, while driving it with much less daintiness.
So you can choose your sporty Civic, or your sedan in either Hybrid or normal Honda form, but in whatever model you choose, you more than satisfy your desire for flashy styling, new-tech efficiency, fuel-economy, fun-to-drive capability, family functions, and a new determination for safety. All at a bargain price.
I have no idea which finalist will win Car of the Year, but my vote was unequivocal.
Badger sweep at Minnesota secures No. 1 spot
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The WCHA reached its holiday halftime break, and a quick review of the first half might show that the most significant series was Wisconsin’s sweep at Minnesota, which thrust the Badgers into a commanding lead in the WCHA.
Wisconsin had held off Minnesota 4-3 in the first game, and crushed the Gophers 4-0 in the Saturday night rematch. Somebody actually asked Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves if it might be a problem that the Badgers were winning so much, as if living the cliché of peaking too soon.
ThatÂ’s the kind of first half Wisconsin had. With a 10-0-2 WCHA start and a 13-1-2 overall mark that featured a 14-game unbeaten streak (12-0-2) there had been so few problems that media types were trying to invent some. Is winning so much a problem? Eaves shot a glance that seemed to be incredulous, but for no more than a millisecond, then he answered, thoughtfully.
“ItÂ’s like riding a wave,†Eaves said. “WeÂ’re riding a wave and weÂ’re trying to stay on it as long as we can. And if it goes away, weÂ’ll try to find another one, and ride it some more.Ââ€
Outside Mariucci Arena, the temperature was plunging toward single-digits, which was pretty much duplicated by the chilled silence inside, as over 10,000 Gopher fans each night absorbed the sweep. The No. 1 Badgers had foreseen a serious challenge from the No. 4 ranked Gophers, the preseason coaches favorite to win the WCHA, and besides, it was nearly five years since Wisconsin had last swept at Minnesota.
But here was Eaves, beach-talking about trying to catch a wave.
The wave showed a puncture wound almost immediately, as last-place Michigan Tech went into Madison and surprised the Badgers in their next game, but that loss, the first since a 2-1 second-game loss to St. Lawrence in overtime, barely caused the Badgers to stumble, and then the wave continued.
The rest of the WCHA, instead of trying to catch a wave, can only think about trying to catch the Badgers in the second half.
Minnesota holds second, six behind Wisconsin; Colorado College is third at 15 points, Denver fourth with 14, Minnesota-Duluth fifth with 13, North Dakota sixth with 12. ThatÂ’s a great fight, but right now, itÂ’s for second place, the way the Badgers are surfing.
Wisconsin has established some pretty impressive achievements. The Badgers tied and won at St. Cloud State, swept Alaska-Anchorage, swept at North Dakota, tied and won against Colorado College, swept Minnesota State-Mankato, took a break to tour Michigan and spank both Michigan State and then-No. 1 Michigan at Thanksgiving, before coming back into the league to whip Minnesota. The split with Tech just allows Eaves to bring his Badgers back to reality.
Sweeping at Minnesota was big, but the way the Badgers did it was bigger. The first game was 4-3, but it was 4-1 before Minnesota scored twice in the last 10 minutes to make it close.
“It was 4-1, but we made a couple mistakes and it ended up 4-3 with us under pressure,†said Eaves. “But sometimes youÂ’ve got to learn how to get out of a tough situation. Coming in here, we thought it would be tough like this.Ââ€
Eaves anticipated a one-goal battle, but instead, Minnesota’s spirited finish was the only time the Gophers were fiercely competitive all weekend – one half of one period, out of six periods. At that, Robbie Earl’s opening goal staked the Badgers to a 1-0 lead. When Minnesota tied it 1-1 on Ryan Potulny’s power-play goal at the end of the first period, Joe Pavelski and Ross Carlson scored in the span of 1:14 midway through the second period. Pavelski scored again early in the third for the 4-1 lead.
And then the Badgers seemed complacent on a power play, as if they thought the game was already in hand. That opened the door just a crack, and Gopher goals by P.J. Atherton and Justin Bostrom made it a hectic finish. Obviously, Eaves suggested an adjustment, because there was no letting up the next night. No openings. No comeback.
There has been an evolutionary change in Badger hockey as Eaves coaches into his fourth season. One key difference is that in this “year of the freshman†in the WCHA, the Badgers have four seniors and seven juniors in the lineup. But the biggest difference in the Badgers is at the top – Eaves himself.
When Eaves was selected to replace Jeff Sauer as coach of the Badgers, it was after the decision came down to Eaves and Mark Johnson – former Wisconsin teammates in their glory days under Badger Bob Johnson, Mark’s dad. For whatever reason, the choice of Eaves met with some harsh reaction among some long-standing Badger backers close to the program.
Frankly, with Johnson taking over the Wisconsin womenÂ’s program, both have done fantastic jobs in leading their teams to contention. But EavesÂ’s task was far more daunting. Sauer won three NCAA championships, and is a man well-liked by all, but he ran a comparatively loose ship, by some standards. Eaves, on the other hand, is a firm believer in strictly disciplined play, practice, and off-ice demeanor. There were some repercussions whenever the transition was less than smooth. Some suggested that the Badger program went from country club to boot camp. When a team doesnÂ’t succeed under the whip of such discipline, the easy alternative is for the coach to relax his standards a little. Eaves never considered varying, even if it meant isolating himself and his team as a work in progress.
“These four years have been a learning experience, for me as well as for the players,†said Eaves. “I guess itÂ’s like redoing a house; you may take down a wall, and then find that thereÂ’s a lot more that you have to do to get it the way you want.Ââ€
It was tough for some returning players, who resented going back to square 1 as if they were rookies all over again. Some of the discipline was tough. Some players complained, some left. But the ones who stayed to catch that wave now realize how well they fit the system, and how well the system fits their objectives.
“I canÂ’t say I look back now and realize how difficult it was my first or second year, but I do know that itÂ’s a lot more enjoyable now,†said Eaves. “Having older guys on the team helps a lot, because you can lean on them a little more. ThereÂ’s a cumulative effect from having been with these young men for four years. They become pseudo coaches. When I set up a drill, sometimes they donÂ’t even wait for me to blow the whistle. They know what weÂ’re going to do and they start on their own.Ââ€
As a player, at Wisconsin and later in the NHL, Eaves was a pensive student of the game, always inquisitive, always wanting answers, and applying himself to his own rules, which often were stricter than the teamÂ’s. As a coach, he is a premier teacher, in an era where many prominent college coaches recruit well, line up the players, and turn them loose. The scarcity of teaching coaches is growing, which makes the result of teaching coaches more dramatically noticeable.
“I think teaching players the little things to do in different situations is the most fun part of the job,†said Eaves. “I think it shows that my assistants, Mark Osiecki and Kevin Patrick, also enjoy teaching. We enjoy working on fundamentals, and also on little things that can help players improve. WeÂ’re on the ice from 2:30 to 5 every day, and sometimes the three coaches are the last guys off the ice.Ââ€
Critics say the dedication to defense makes the Badgers boring to watch. It is widely believed that the defensive style compared to the Gophers more wide-open style was a reason that Phil Kessel left the shadows of Kohl Center to become the first Wisconsin kid ever to play for the Gophers.
But a couple Wisconsin lads did stay home. Pavelski, for example, is a sophomore center on the first line who scored the two goals Friday and added another Saturday against Minnesota, while Kessel was, basically, prevented from generating any threats. Adam Burish is a senior from Madison, and broke in to feed Robbie Earl for a goal at 0:27 of the first game, when MinnesotaÂ’s defense turned a 2-on-1 into a 2-on-0. Second-liners Jake Dowell and Jack Skille are Wisconsinites, as are defensemen Kyle Klubertanz, Joe Piskula, Matt Olinger, and Davis Drewiske.
“Joe Pavelski doesn’t have the speed of Phil Kessel, but he has his own attributes,†said Eaves, proudly.
Kessel was being effectively shut down by the Badgers, and may have noticed there was nothing boring about the way the Badgers instinctively made all the right moves defensively, and countered offensively with creative playmaking to shred MinnesotaÂ’s defense. Repeatedly, MinnesotaÂ’s 2-on-1 chances became 2-on-3 by the time they got to the circles, while WisconsinÂ’s 2-on-1 rushes led to several goals and great scoring opportunities.
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Three Minnesotans figured in the sweep as well. Senior Nick Licari set up junior Ross Carlson once each game for spectacular goals by the former Duluth East duo. And senior defenseman Tom Gilbert from Bloomington has developed into one of the elite defensemen in the WCHA. A big factor in the “Border Battle†had nothing to do with the border, and more to do with a kid from Newmarket, Ontario. Junior goaltender Brian Elliott was outstanding, and now has fashioned WCHA-best records of 1.42 goals-against and a .945 save percentage.
Wisconsin went back home and was promptly upset by last-place Michigan Tech, but rebounded for a 7-0 romp and a split. The rest of the league resumed its battle to see who might emerge as contenders, with Minnesota sweeping at North Dakota, and UMD surprising Colorado College with a split, as did Alaska-Anchorage at Denver. It seems uncertain who might rise to challenge the Badgers, and Eaves knows that position well.
“Last year, it was a tough situation,†Eaves said. “We didn’t get it done. But even that helped us learn for this year.
“Sometimes it comes down to individual stuff. People make plays on two sides, and weÂ’ve always played well when we donÂ’t have the puck. But this year, weÂ’re doing things WITH the puck, too.Ââ€
The big wave the Badgers are riding shows no sign of letting up, despite the upset loss to Tech. If itÂ’s still rolling around the end of March, the NCAA Frozen Four will conveniently be held in Milwaukee this year.
Mercedes R350 defies conventional categories
ItÂ’s time to submit North American Car of the Year ballots, and this year has been by far the most difficult year in the dozen years IÂ’ve been voting on the award for the top new cars and trucks in the auto-making world. The only thing more complicated might be for someone trying to decide what to buy.
For any car-buyer who has trouble making a decision, these are complex times. You might want a sedan, or a sporty sedan. You might want an SUV, but you don’t want one of those enormous truck-things. You might realize the flexibility of a minivan would be ideal, but you want nothing to do with the soccer-mom image minivans connote. You might want a roomy station wagon, but, good grief, station wagons have a stodgier image than minivans in the U.S. – never mind that they are the vehicle of choice for much of Europe and the rest of the car-buying world.
Mercedes, it turns out, has come up with the R-Class “sports tourer†for 2006 — a vehicle that is a breakthrough of sorts, because it comes pretty close to satisfying all of the above consumer preferences. And, because I didnÂ’t make it to the R-Class introduction, and my first chance to drive one was the week before Car of the Year voting was due, it made me review and make room among the top contenders on my list.
First of all, the test R350 is stunning to look at. It is long, although it turns out to be even longer than it looks. The statistic that I found most surprising is that it is 5 inches longer than a Cadillac Escalade. ThatÂ’s surprising because it has a sweeping, arching roofline that curves enough to eliminate the minivan or SUV image, while its arch stays high enough to avoid sedan comparisons, and it arches high enough to reach up and over the station-wagon concept.
The 4Matic four-wheel-drive system is new and different from the previous Mercedes sedan system, and it gives the R-Class all the traction of any SUV. It comes in two forms, the R350 and the R500. The test vehicle I drove was an R350, so weÂ’ll deal with that. As it turns out, thatÂ’s the way IÂ’d choose it anyway, because while the R500 has the potent Mercedes 5.0-liter V8, the R350 contains the newest Mercedes engine tricks. In the 3.5-liter V6, Mercedes has veered away from the three-valve-per-cylinder approach, which it found easiest to use to control emissions for the last decade on V6 and V8 engines, and goes to the more-potent four-valve technology, with dual overhead camshafts and aggressive variable valve timing.
The V6 has 268 horsepower and 258 foot-pounds of torque, with its peak torque lasting from 2,500 to 5,000 RPMs. That is not as much as the V8Â’s 302 horsepower, but itÂ’s close. Suffice it to say the new 3.5 V6 has strong acceleration and very satisfying power in all instances, and the new seven-speed automatic transmission used in both models extracts the power from that V6 smoothly and promptly enough to satisfy all normal driving duties.
The R350 base price is $48,775, while the R500 starts at $56,250 – another reason to like the V6.
So much is being done these days with automotive interiors that itÂ’s like opening a Christmas gift to find what awaits you upon opening the door. I was impressed at the restraint Mercedes showed. Instead of swoopy slashes of chrome and brightly colored panels, the R350 was quite austere, with black leather seats, a lot of black on the dashboard, and dark maple wood trim on the dash and console, offset by some discrete brushed silver trim. The whole thing was quite dark, and very classy. This is the kind of interior that looks good at first, and will look nothing but better as time passes.
The front buckets are 34 inches from the second row, which is 30 inches from the third row. The middle row slides six inches, meaning you can increase legroom from generous to as much as you need, middle or rear. The second row tilts and slides forward to allow easy access to the third row, and both the second and third rows fold flat into the floor for maximum hauling.
The front buckets have room between them, because the shift lever is on the stalk. And you only get three selections. Up is reverse, down is drive, and the middle is neutral. Push in on the end of the stalk and neutral becomes park. But fear not. Having a seven-speed automatic and only a “drive†for selection would be a crime against the natural order of things, so Mercedes gives you little toggle switches on the backside of the steering wheel, so you can shift up or down through all seven gears.
Frankly, I would vote to standardize such fingertip-shift devices. I prefer the Audi system, where paddles protrude up so you can see them, and if you pull on the right one it upshifts and on the left it downshifts. On the R350, as on other Mercedes vehicles, you can toggle the outside of the switch to upshift, and the inside to downshift. But you can do both with either hand, which makes me a little unsettled, because I would prefer one side for up and the other for down.
Regardless, it works efficiently. In fact, it works better than that, because the computer governing the transmission is smarter than your basic driver. If youÂ’re driving into a fairly tight corner, the transmission will skip gears if it calculates that you need to downshift more than one gear at a time. It might go from seventh to fifth, or sixth to second, for examples. The best part of that is that even stick-shift zealots, of which I am one, might pick the wrong gear once in a while. You can skip gears for yourself, so you might downshift a six-speed to fourth, only to realize as soon as you get on the power that you should have gone to third. Or, worse, that you are up against the rev-limiter and should have only gone to fifth.
The R350 seven-speed takes care of that for you, never missing a shift, so when you reapply the power to negotiate such a tight curve or corner, you are in the right gear ratio for exactly the power you need. Get this: the transmission will even reduce engine power by retarding the ignition for a couple of milliseconds to ensure a smooth gear change. A race-car driver might double-clutch a stick-shift car to do the same thing the R350 does it by itself.
Naturally, because Mercedes has been in the forefront of sophisticated traction and stability control, the new transmission is integrated with the antilock brake system, and the sensors from the stability control system to read and react to cornering and low-traction situations, then it hesitates or hurries its next shift to assure no ill effect on the stability or traction control systems.
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The all-wheel-drive system represents a major concession by Mercedes. In their constant duel for supremacy, Mercedes and BMW stubbornly stayed with rear-wheel drive on almost all their models, as if reluctant to acknowledge any advantages to new-rival Audi, with its legendary quattro all-wheel-drive system. Previous Mercedes 4Motion systems improved on tradition rear-drive traction, but would only offer a small dose of power to the front. When Mercedes went into the SUV market, of course they had to go after four-wheel drive, and those systems have paid off richly.
The 4Motion system in the R350, which is based on the M-Class crossover luxury SUV concept, starts out with 50-50 traction front and rear, and has front, rear and center differentials, so it can alter the amount of torque it sends to any wheel. In Minnesota blizzard conditions, if youÂ’ve got to make it up an icy hill, sending only a portion of power to the front wheels might not be enough. If three wheels are spinning freely on glare ice, the R350 system can and will send up to 100 percent of its power to the one wheel that has traction, and you make it home, after all.
High-strength steel and various reinforcements make a safe occupant compartment, and airbags augment the crumple-zone structural cage. The second and third rows of seats have the added openness of an enormous sunroof that is actually two sunroofs that gives a 5-foot-7 stretch of sky viewing. When you open it, the front sunroof tilts up and then slides back over the rear plexiglass. A power sunscreen lines the underside of the panoramic glass as well.
Everybody wants to come up with segment-busting vehicles these days, and the R350 does that, incorporating the best of several segments into one composite vehicle that can do it all.
Disciplined UMD leads WCHA non-league reversal
Maybe WCHA men’s teams just needed a big ol’ turkey drumstick to be waved in front of their facemasks, because the Thanksgiving “break†from league rivalries finally seemed to snap them all back to normal.
“Normal†for WCHA teams is to battle each other furiously, but to dominate nonconference opponents, whether in exhibition match-ups, tournament action, or NCAA playoffs. But not this season. The WCHA went 16-20-2 against outside competition right up until Thanksgiving week. But finally – finally – the WCHA broke loose, winning nine games, losing only two and tying two.
Minnesota-Duluth, for example, overcame some unusual difficulties — such as the loss of its first line and its starting goaltender in the first game — but romped 9-1 and 5-1 against the ECACÂ’s Bulldogs. UMD had opened the season with two losses at home in the DECC to Bemidji State, then went to Vermont and lost two more, to carry an 0-4 nonconference slate into the Yale games.
More impressively on paper, two of the WCHAÂ’s most intense rivalries — Wisconsin and Minnesota on one hand, and Denver and Colorado College on the other – are renewed this weekend, but not before all four teams hit the road over Thanksgiving. Wisconsin and Minnesota went to Michigan for the annual College Hockey Showcase, the haughty attempt to reunite four Big Ten teams from the WCHA and CCHA. This one had the impact of Michigan riding in as the nationÂ’s No. 1 team. But Minnesota went into Ann Arbor and clipped the Wolverines 6-3 with a five-goal barrage of power-play goals, led by Ryan PotulnyÂ’s hat trick, while Wisconsin dispatched Michigan State 3-1 just down the road in East Lansing, where they used to make Oldsmobiles. Next night they swapped partners, and while Minnesota sputtered before tying Michigan State 2-2, Wisconsin cruised into Ann Arbor and stunned the Wolverines 3-2.
The obvious and immediate benefit of the weekend is that the Badgers (11-1-2 overall) moved to No. 1 in national rankings, swept upward on the wings of a 12-game unbeaten streak (10-0-2). The Gophers kept alive a six-game unbeaten run (4-0-2), as both return to the WCHA pressure-cooker with Wisconsin at Minnesota this weekend.
Defending co-WCHA champions Denver and Colorado College went east and got the WCHA off to a shaky start in the first two games of the weekend. Defending NCAA champ Denver stayed in the doldrums with a 1-0 loss at Boston University, but goaltender Peter Mannino got them headed upward with a 4-0 shutout at Massachusetts the next night. Colorado College, which was stung 4-3 at U-Mass the first night, bounced back to topple Boston University 6-5 in overtime in the second game. Denver is only 6-6-2 with a withering string of injuries, while CC leads the nation in victories with its 12-3-1 overall ledger. Records mean little when CC and Denver renew their ancient rivalry, at Colorado Springs Friday and Denver Saturday.
Minnesota State-Mankato got the whole week rolling with a 6-3 victory at Nebraska-Omaha earlier last week, while St. Cloud State beat Brown 4-1 before the two tied 4-4 at St. Cloud, to complete the weeklong run at 9-2-2. North Dakota, Alaska-Anchorage and Michigan Tech were idle.
The weekend was a pleasant return to normal for the WCHA, which had gotten pretty comfortable beating up on nonleague foes in recent years. A year ago, WCHA teams went 53-17-14 in nonconference play, which made it reasonable that the Frozen Four consisted of four WCHA teams for the first time ever. Two years ago, the WCHA went 60-20-9 for possibly its best-ever winning percentage of .725. Three years ago, it was 57-27-8, and four years WCHA teams went a combined 56-24-2.
So the shaky 16-20-2 nonconference start this season was a complete departure, and UMD was one of the prime examples, even though the Bulldogs had several much more personal reasons for needing to win than to be concerned with the leagueÂ’s overall starting slump. After a Frozen Four appearance in the spring of 2003, UMD fell out of contention last season, partly by losing its dominance at home. The last sweep UMD had registered at home in the DECC was in October of last season, and the Bulldogs had opened 1-4-1 at home this season, being swept by both Bemidji State and North Dakota.
Curiously enough, when UMD took on Yale, it was with a self-imposed handicap. Senior goaltender Isaac Reichmuth, who had started nine straight games, and the entire first line, center Tim Stapleton, and his wingers, Justin Williams and Mike Curry, were ordered to watch the game in street clothes because of coach Scott Sandelin’s demand for immediate and forthright discipline. Pregame press notes displayed the scoring streak of Stapleton and hot hand of Reichmuth, so quietly had Sandelin operated in suspended those players. Officially it was for violation of team rules, believed to be missing curfew after a 2-0 loss in Anchorage a week earlier.
It was particularly forceful and immediate when compared to the publicity of a month-old hidden-camera expose series by a Twin Cities television station, showing a number of underage Minnesota hockey players drinking in a campus bar. So far, Minnesota officials will only say the incident has been handled “internally,” and the actual disciplinary action would not be disclosed. But none of the underage players who broke the law, such as freshmen Phil Kessel, winger Kris Chucko, and goaltender Jeff Frazee, missed any game time.
The UMD incident was different, having occurred in the seclusion of Alaska, but the players involved were all of legal age, too, and nobody would have known anything happened had Sandelin chosen to have them run laps, or do team laundry. Sandelin said there were five “violations of team rules,†and later added, “I did the room-check myself.†As for the lack of fanfare surrounding his move, Sandelin said, “All I did was tell the players involved they werenÂ’t playing Friday night.Ââ€
The suspensions left the Bulldogs with 10 forwards, six defensemen and goaltender Josh Johnson, who had seemingly been relegated to permanent backup status. The only senior remaining with Reichmuth, Stapleton and Williams out, was defenseman and captain Steve Czech. But if the pressure was on the unheralded underclassmen, they responded well.
Sophomore Matt McKnight moved up to first line, with freshman wingers Mason Raymond and Nick Kemp. McKnight scored two goals and assisted on two more; Raymond also scored two goals; and Kemp assisted on three of UMDÂ’s first four goals in the 9-1 romp. The second line was all freshmen, with MacGregor Sharp centering Andrew Carroll and Michael Gergen, and Gergen scored two goals, Carroll one goal and three assists, while Sharp chipped in two assists in the first game.
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Johnson, meanwhile, gave up a game-opening goal to Jeff Hristovski as Yale opened with a strong attack, then the junior who formerly starred at Cloquet High School slammed the door, stopping all 22 other shots, while UMD rose from a 1-1 first-period standoff to rattle five goals in the second period.
When the game started, Yale fired off three excellent scoring chances in the first two minutes, but they were stopped by Johnson, who shrugged at not having played since opening games against Bemidji and Vermont. “They came out hard, but it was actually good for me to see the puck right away,†Johnson said.
An observer who hadnÂ’t seen the Yale goal asked Johnson what happened on it, and Johnson said: “I didnÂ’t see it either.Ââ€
Touche.
Sandelin returned the top line and Reichmuth for the second game, although Johnson earned the repeat start. He played well again, stopping 17 of YaleÂ’s 18 shots, and blanking the visitors until 7:47 of the third period, when Yale scored a goal that was countered by defenseman Matt NiskanenÂ’s first college goal 18 seconds later for a 4-1 cushion.
The message from the suspension got through, as did the realization that the ‘Dogs had scored nine goals without their top line. Stapleton got a power-play goal at 12:07 of the first period to get UMD started in the rematch, although the young pups kept flying. Gergen, Carroll and Raymond got other goals for UMD, which improved to 5-7-2 overall, and improved its record in the DECC to 3-4-1.
Usually, nonconference games represent a break from WCHA battles, but in this case, they also might have been the boost to send the whole league back into competition on a higher plateau. For UMD, the entire roster snapped to attention at the impressive and immediate call for team discipline, which may prove more important even than the victories.
About the Author
John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
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