Here's a few things I've been meaning to post but overlooked when I put up my
Wednesday post, and a few new items:
Former Verona defenseman Joe Fiala
was held off the scoresheet in his first game with the U-17 USNTDP program as they squared off against Lincoln.
Wisconsin native
Garrett Allen, who currently plays with the Fargo Force of the USHL,
has committed to Denver. My only chance to see Allen play was at the Central District Camp last year,
and here's what I wrote (fifth paragraph). You could see he was a stud on offense and had the tools to be good on defense but was giving no effort, which always ticks me off when I'm evaluating players. As I tracked Allen this year I noticed that he was playing on the penalty kill for Fargo, and even scoring short-handed goals, meaning either he figured out he needed to become a two-way player, or someone in Fargo forced him to be better defensively if he wanted to be in the lineup. He is a great pick up for Denver, who apparently landed him over Wisconsin, Colorado College and Minnesota, who was late to recruit Allen.
Check out the goaltender mask Ryan Miller will be wearing in the Olympics. I don't think you want to mess with Uncle Sam based on that mask!
Olympian, Hobey Baker winner and former University School Wildcat Lane McDonald will be speaking at University School on February 18th at 7 PM. Please find further information on his appearance after the "Magic Helmet" video.
Sidenote: When I was a Sophomore, the older players on my high school team had played against Lane McDonald and raved about how good he was. His father Lanny coached University School and was a class act all the way. When I was a Senior, we went to USM with about half of our Varsity roster, and about half of our JV roster because we had so many illnesses and injuries to Varsity players. We somehow squeaked out a one goal victory and I'll never forget Lanny coming into our locker room after the game to say that he knew we had been fighting through a lot of adversity and that he was impressed with our team and our effort that night.
The Magic Helmet video is for all the hockey parents out there, myself included, who need a reminder every once in a while what hockey should be all about. Thanks to a friend of mine and a friend of the blog for sending it to me.
Here's further information on Lane McDonald's visit to University School:
Hockey players, hockey coaches, hockey fans and Olympics enthusiasts
are invited to hear former Olympic hockey player Lane MacDonald speak about
his hockey experiences. MacDonald will talk at University School of
Milwaukee on Thursday, February 18th at 7:00 p.m. Please come hear MacDonald
talk about the ways his early preparation helped him move to the highest
levels of hockey success.
During his visit to University School, Lane MacDonald will skate in a
pick up hockey game with the USM Varsity and JV players during the team's
daily optional Morning Skate time before school. He will then speak at
three assemblies of the students in USM's Lower, Middle, and Upper schools.
After joining the USM teams at practice in the afternoon, MacDonald will
speak to the public in USM's Virginia Henes Theater at 7:00 p.m.
Lane MacDonald played youth hockey at the Milwaukee Winter Club on
University School's ice rink. He played high school hockey at University
School. His father, former NHL player, Lowell MacDonald, was the hockey
coach for USM at the time. USM won two state championships while Lane
MacDonald was on the team.
Thanks to the education he received at University School, Lane
MacDonald went to Harvard University and played hockey for the Crimson. He
led Harvard to its only NCAA national championship in 1989. in the finals
of the Frozen Four, MacDonald scored the winning goal against Minnesota in
Harvard's 4-3 overtime win. Lane MacDonald won the Hobey Baker Award,
college hockey's highest honor, for his play during the 1988-1989 season.
While at Harvard, MacDonald took time off to play for the US Olympic team in
the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, Canada. He was drafted by the NHL's Calgary
Flames.
MacDonald was also a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic hockey team. But
was unable to play in Lugano because of head injuries he had suffered in
high school football and during his hockey career.
Lane MacDonald was elected to the USA Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005.
Lane MacDonald graduated from Harvard with a Bachelor's degree in
Economics. He later attended Stanford Business School. That education led
him to a job as a financial manager for Harvard University in Boston.
If you plan to come hear Lane MacDonald speak, University School is
located at 2100 W. Fairy Chasm Road, River Hills, WI. Telephone:
414-540-3300.