Joe Gladziszewski

  (2:29 PM)

Let's talk college hockey! We're back to take your questions following a two-week hiatus due to holidays. We hope everyone enjoyed the last few weeks and made it out to local rinks or caught some holiday tournament action on television. Inside College Hockey writers will be here for the next 30 minutes, so go ahead and send your questions now.

Steiny (NYC)

How impressed have you been with Matt Gilroy thus far this season?

Jeff Howe

  (2:31 PM)

I've always liked Gilroy's game, and it was nice to see him get honored in Denver. He's been an integral part of the Terriers' blue line for four years now and is a two-time All-American. There's a strong possibility that he could make it three based on his performance this year and BU's great season so far.

Steve (Bismarck, ND)

Assuming both Princeton and Cornell are in the NCAA's, what happens with the ECAC if a team like Dartmouth or Quinnipiac wins the conference tourney?

Joe Gladziszewski

  (2:33 PM)

What happens with ECAC Hockey in that case is that it would get three teams in the NCAAs. It looked like a clear two-team race for ECACH honors, but the other two teams you mentioned have come on strong lately.

Dog Pound (Boston, Mass)

Will Northeastern win its first Beanpot since 1988?

Jeff Howe

  (2:34 PM)

I'm going to roll the dice on this one and really go out on a limb. Boston University will win its first Beanpot since 2007.

Eric Ross (Monmouth Beach, NJ)

Why does the Hobey Baker rarely go goalies (twice ever)? Several goalies this year seem to be making very strong cases: Ben Scrivens chief among them.

Joe Gladziszewski

  (2:36 PM)

I can't speak for the voters over the last 30 years or so, but in general I would think it's the same reason you rarely see pitchers in Major League Baseball awarded MVP honors. It's a specialist's position. The two winners as goalies - Robb Stauber and Ryan Miller - had sensational seasons. Recognition in the Hobey top three has been somewhat common for goalies.

Matt, East Main, NJ

Big series coming up for BC and Vermont. Do you see it as a 2 wins for BC? Vermont? or a split?

Jeff Howe

  (2:37 PM)

I really like how Vermont is playing this season, especially lately. The Catamounts answered a heart-breaking loss to St. Lawrence by drubbing the Saints last week. That's a mark of a driven team. With payback on the Catamounts' minds against BC this weekend, I'd be surprised if they didn't at least split, and three or four points is certainly not out of the question.

brian custer mishawaka, indiana

Cornell seems to be attracting some attention lately in the national rankings. I have seem them ranked as high as #1 in some lesser polls than the INCH poll. What do you think would be the outcome of a match between your #1 (Notre Dame) and Cornell?

Joe Gladziszewski

  (2:39 PM)

The first outcome is that it would be a great game. Notre Dame's strength, to me, is their scoring depth and strong defense. Cornell's overall defense could offset Notre Dame's balanced attack, but I think the Irish have just a few too many offensive answers and would win a close, low-scoring game ... 2-1 to the Irish.

Matt, East Main, NJ

Bryan Leitch and David Marshall are quite the tandem for Quinnipiac. Can they lead the Bobcats to the post season?

Joe Gladziszewski

  (2:42 PM)

By postseason I'm sure you mean NCAAs, since all of the teams make the league tournament. After a slow start, Quinnipiac is 9-2-0 in their last 11. If they can stay that hot, they could be able to move into the group of teams considered for an at-large berth because of their record. Making it to the ECACH semifinals (at least) in Albany would also help them, but the surefire way is to win that tournament and get the automatic bid. A tie against Cornell and recent wins over Dartmouth and Air Force show that Quinnipiac is dangerous.

Reggie (Orlando)

Who do ya like this weekend? Minnesota or UND?

William (Atlanta)

Although there has been a lot of great stuff going on lately (world juniors, some great holiday tournament matchups, etc) I am curious to how you guys at INCH view the Sioux Gopher series this weekend. This series has produced some great moments the last few years (Wheeler's spectacular goal, Trupp's Diving Goal and Bina's 180 foot shot), do you foresee any memorable moments coming out of this particular series?

Mike Eidelbes

  (2:44 PM)

This is one of those series that is predictably unpredictable, but I think the Gophers will get a boost by finally getting the whole band back together from injuries (Barriball, Carman) and the WJC (Fairchild, Hoeffel, Schroeder). Even without Don Lucia behind the bench, Minnesota will sweep the Fighting Sioux. NoDak was awful in losses to Michigan State and Michigan Tech at the GLI, and Bemidji State gave them all they could handle.

Matt, East Main, NJ

The Maine v. UNH game last week was a great game to watch despite the massive amount of penalties that were taken by both teams. Two questions: Has UNH finally turned their season around? Is Maine going to continue to struggle to win games?

Joe Gladziszewski

  (2:47 PM)

I agree. Sunday's game was good. I think UNH's experience showed in the third period against Maine's relative inexperience. The Black Bears will be a good team, as most of their best players are freshmen and sophomores. UNH will get a boost from the return of van Riemsdyk and Kessel from WJC (against the loss of Charlebois) and can contend for a top-four spot in Hockey East. I think the other league powers are a step above or on par with UNH. It'll take a big second half to win the regular season title.

Gus (Old Tappan, NJ)

When will we see the guys who played well at the World Juniors leave college and head to the Pros? Schroeder, van Riemsdyk, and Wilson appear to be ready to make the jump

Mike Eidelbes

  (2:48 PM)

JVR is a Philly pick; the Flyers' college prospects seem to be on the two-year plan (see Mike Ratchuk, Adreas Nodl) but they've got a ton of young forwards on that club, it seems. Wilson's return to BU surprised me, because I thought Nashville would sign him last summer. I'd be shocked if he didn't bolt following this season. As for Schroeder, he hasn't been drafted yet. He'll likely be a top-10 pick this June. His future depends a lot on which team takes him.

Brooktondale ny

why has princeton stayed ahead of cornell in the national polls even though cornell beat them,are they waiting for the rematch.

Joe Gladziszewski

  (2:50 PM)

You don't see Princeton ahead of Cornell in the INCH rankings, and based on some of the votes that teams have gotten in the other national polls (Michigan State ???) you can chalk up some of the "logic" to voters not taking the time or considering teams in relative terms. Princeton's win earlier this season over Northeastern, and league title and NCAA appearance last year might still stand out to voters.

Chris (Providence, RI)

Is Tim Army a bust at PC? He has gone downhill each year that he has been there. I never thought of Pooley as a great coach, but now I'm wondering...

Jeff Howe

  (2:51 PM)

That's a bit of a stretch because, well, it's an incorrect statement. Army led the Friars to a fifth-place finish in 2006, eighth in 2007 and fifth again last season. Obviously, this has been a dismal year for Providence, but you can't say Army has actually hurt the program. Considering the Friars haven't reached the Garden since 2001, it would be fair to say he's kept them moving in a lateral direction.

Justin (Denver)

Should Denver be concerned about the second half of the season with Bozak out and a dismal performance at the Denver Cup?

Mike Eidelbes

  (2:53 PM)

As was mentioned in the Hobey Tracker and the INCH Podcast, Bozak is DU's most dynamic player, the guy who made good things happen at important times. The Pioneers are talented, though; you'll see someone like Rakhshani or Ruegsegger step into that role and they'll remain among the country's top 5-6 teams.

Harry (Providence, RI)

The Hobey Race seems as wide open as it's ever been: Who are your top 3?

Mike Eidelbes

  (2:54 PM)

The latest INCH Hobey Tracker has BC's Brock Bradford, Minnesota's Ryan Stoa, and New Hampshire's James van Riemsdyk as the top three. But that's a pretty fluid top tier - you could probably shuffle 10 other guys' names in there and not get an argument. Call it a hunch, but I think BU's Colin Wilson will be a factor before it's all over.

Teddy (Tampa, FL)

With conferences now moving into predominently inter-conference play, can the western teams bust thru the pairwise rankings, or are we looking at the east (ECAC and Hockey East) grabbing the vast majority of the 16 bids to the NCAA field (east holds 10 of top 16 pairwise spots currently).

Joe Gladziszewski

  (2:58 PM)

Here's the simplest answer I can come up with, and that is that the tournament selection criteria is based on this -- win games against good teams. It helps a team's Ratings Percentage Index and also record against other teams that are being considered for the tournament. That middle pack of WCHA teams behind Minnesota and Denver -- Wisconsin, Minnesota State, Minnesota Duluth, even Colorado College, St. Cloud and North Dakota -- will have those opportunities over the next eight weeks. Win, and it takes care of itself.

Andy (Houghton, MI)

Is Russell the answer in Houghton? How can the Huskies turn this season around?

Joe Gladziszewski

  (2:59 PM)

Scotty Bowman might not be the answer in Houghton. A remote locale, rigorous academic standards, older facilities, and lack of recent on-ice success -- all that makes Michigan Tech a tough sell.

Joe Gladziszewski

  (2:59 PM)

Thanks for taking the time to talk college hockey. Check out INCH for a recent podcast, Hobey Tracker, and continuing updates in all of our conference notebooks.