Charlie Taft keeping tabs on his former team

Just before departing the United States Hockey League Fall Classic, I caught up with Charlie Taft, Muskegon Lumberjacks alumnus and current freshman at Colorado College.

After catching up for a bit, I had to let Charlie go, lest the bus should leave me in Sioux City.

But before he hung up, Charlie had just one request – to tell his old coaches he says “Hi.”

Taft is a busy buy, but when he gets a few minutes, he keeps tabs on his former club, texting his former fellow Jacks, poring over box scores. He reflects on how different things were just a year ago, when he was taking part in the Classic with the Jacks.

“It was kind of crazy seeing all those scouts and there was a lot of pressure to perform,” Charlie says. “It was a great experience and gets players a lot of exposure.”

While his performance at the Classic might have prodded CC’s courtship of Charlie, the Tigers’ staff has had the fleet-footed sniper on its radar since he was in cutting his chops at Edina High School.

Taft’s original plan was to attend college in the fall of 2012, but his exceptional play during his rookie USHL season forced the Tigers to up the ante. Charlie jumped all over their offer and an opportunity to start college this fall.

Because of the change of plan, Charlie says it’s still setting in that he’s a college hockey player. Despite carrying a full slate of classes, rising and shining at or before 8 a.m. every day, enduring a demanding workout regimen and attending late-night captain’s practices nearly every night, reality still hasn’t quite taken hold.

How demanding is that program? Well, aside from the regular routine, the team also takes part in events that are one-part team building and one-part training. This morning, he and his fellow Tigers undertook “The Incline,” which is nearly two miles of nearly vertical stairs.

“It’s probably the worst thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Charlie says. “I’d take running the dunes any day.”

On the subject of flashbacks, Charlie – never one to bask in his personal achievements – hadn’t consciously thought about his history five-point, +5 game against Cedar Rapids on St. Patty’s Day last season until I brought it up in the interview.

“I’ve just been so busy, even though it’s probably the greatest game of my career, it really hasn’t crossed my mind,” Charlie says.

Things are about to get much busier, as coaches will soon be allowed to conduct practices, and the Tigers are mere weeks away from opening up their season.

“I’m very excited. Counting down the days until games begin,” Taft says.

Fall Classic Update

Among many other things, here's just a few things I've learned thus far at the United States Hockey League Fall Classic:

- Ryan Lomberg, the Jacks first-round pick and the sixth overall in the 2011 USHL Entry Draft, is a straight-up beast. OK, so maybe I've known that for awhile, having seen him twice in Muskegon - the Winter Showcase and Tryout Camp. But he's the only Jack with at least four points this exhibition slate, and opposing players don't seem to see his strength coming. Lomberg "displace" other players with ease. Great stuff. Keep an eye out for a feature story on the Richmond Hill, Ontario, native in the very near future.

- Blake Voth is a competitor. His 24-for-25 performance in a 4-1 win over Chicago yesterday certainly resonated with the Jacks' staff. If Kenneth MacLean can answer today/tomorrow, the Jacks will have a great problem on their hands as they pick their second goaltender for the upcoming 2011-12 campaign.

- You cannot, in fact, simply burn out a head cold by eating the jalapeno burger at Chili's. (note to self: next time, include sriracha hot sauce.)

- This Jacks team has a very unique sense of humor about it. And, considering the ferocity he plays with on the ice, Alex Smith couldn't be much different off it - extraordinarily humble and grateful. After every meal the guys have taken in, he's made it a point to thank the staff. Awesome stuff.

- FASTHockey will be a tremendous upgrade this season, and they're working hard to show that right off the bat. A year ago, there were no broadcasts from the IBP Ice Center, just from Tyson Events Center, where the Jacks will face the Dubuque Fighting Saints in a few hours. Be sure to tune in at 5 p.m. (ET) at www.ushl.fasthockey.com. You'll be glad you did. And hopefully you'll see the Jacks improve to 8-2-0 over two seasons of USHL exhibition play.

Alumni Report: Thrush all business in transition to UNH

Let the record show, Casey Thrush wastes no time getting down to business.

Just a shade less than two months ago, the former Muskegon Lumberjacks first-round draft choice made one of the toughest choices of his life, opting to make the leap to life on campus at the University of New Hampshire.

As a guy whose toughest decision today might be whether to show Ricky Bobby or “Nuke” Laloosh’s famous interview clips during Media Training this evening, I can only imagine how difficult Casey’s decision was.

To move up and play for a renowned hockey powerhouse, even if it means battling for every last second you can steal on the ice? Not to mention getting to hit the classroom and enjoy everything college life has to offer?

Or spend one more season developing with the premier staff in junior hockey here in fair Musky? Spend another year with the Ruples, his billet (pronounced second) family? 




Let’s not forget the biggest lure – his teammates, who were most certainly going to adorn him with the most heralded letter in hockey.

A natural overachiever, Thrush opted to head to UNH, and has dove in feet first. He already started taking a full courseload of business classes for a few weeks and is in the thick of Wildcats training camp.

“We’re not going to be able to play hockey forever,” Casey says. “Because of the Muskegon path, I’m going to be able to get my degree in four years.”

The staff keeps its players mighty busy. Casey, who enjoyed becoming a fixture in the Muskegon community, has enjoyed volunteering with the team, having most recently moved furniture during a church yard sale.

The incoming freshmen have been given ample opportunity to get acclimated. Casey has an unfair advantage, as his roomie is local.

“It’s nice to have, especially for a kid from Maryland who doesn’t know what he’s doing,” Casey says.

On the subject of getting down to business, it won’t be long until Casey runs into another Jacks fan favorite in Alexx Privitera, who is busting his hump at Boston University training camp in preparation for the teams’ clash on Saturday, Oct. 8.

Casey will also bump into former Jacks captain John Parker, now of the University of Maine, as well as Mike Conderman and former Jacks assistant captain Micki Mihailovich, who are cutting their teeth at UMass-Lowell.

Leading up to a flurry of reunions, during which there are “no friends on the ice,” Casey would tell you, he does keep up with his homeboys here in Western Michigan. Most specifically, he gets his Jacks updates from Jordan Masters, who recently committed to UNH, and half-man, half-bear Carter Foguth.

“It sounds like they’re off to a great start,” Casey says. “I’m excited to be here, but I miss my billet family, my teammates, I miss a lot of things about Muskegon.”

Casey also keeps frequent tabs on Mike McNicholas, another UNH commit who Casey took under his wing during the postseason push and the Clark Cup Playoff run just a few months ago.

Casey also consistently reaches out to his old head coach, Kevin Patrick, and assistant, Dave Noel-Bernier. In fact, he shot Coach Patrick a text when Masters committed. It read something to the effect of, “What are you doing? Running a UNH factory over there?”

“They’re really the reasons why I’m here now,” Thrush says. “To have such a great mentor-mentee relationship going forward, it’s such a great thing.”

While he’s loving life as the new man on campus, Casey can’t help but reflect on a great problem to have.

“Leaving Muskegon and coming here, it’s tough to tell if it’s a win-win or a lose-lose,” Thrush said. “It was tough to have to turn down either one one of those places.”

Here are some notable dates in the first half of the University of New Hampshire schedule:

• Saturday, Oct. 8 – Casey and Co. will visit fellow Hockey East powerhouse Boston University, which will be the first meeting between Thrush and former Jacks standout Alexx Privitera.
• Saturday, Nov. 5 – The Wildcats will welcome former Jacks captain John Parker and the rest of the University of Maine Black Bears.
• Friday, Nov. 18 – The reunions get a little bigger as UNH hosts UMass-Lowell, which features a pair of former Jacks – winger Mike Conderman and Muskegon assistant captain Micki Mihailovich.
• Tuesday, Nov. 22 – Higher learning will be on the docket when UNH visits Harvard.
• Saturday, Jan. 7 – Thrush and Parker will be part of history when the Wildcats and Black Bears square off at Fenway Park for Frozen Fenway 2012.

Business as usual for Privitera at BU

Alexx Privitera will experience a lot of familiarity during his first season of college hockey at Boston University. But that’s just business as usual for the former Muskegon Lumberjacks defenseman.

The blueliner we affectionately call “Priv” has grown accustomed to squaring off against former teammates over the years, only to oftentimes be reunited with his teammates-turned-rivals once again.

It will take little time for Priv to clash with a fellow former Lumberjack. When his Terriers open the regular season against the University of New Hampshire on Oct. 8, he’ll be facing former Jacks sparkplug Casey Thrush. He’ll also run into Mike Conderman and Micki Mihailovich when BU faces UMass-Lowell and former Jacks captain John Parker during matchups with the University of Maine.

“I know I’ll handle it just fine,” Privitera says. “When I played against Team USA with Muskegon, I was playing against an entire team of guys I used to play with. Once the game is over, we can all be cool. But there’s no friends on the ice.”

Exhibit A for said outlook is one of Privitera’s roomies, Cason Hohmann, whose Cedar Rapids RoughRiders fought the Jacks for their Clark Cup Playoff lives just a few months ago. Privitera and Hohmann have known each other since they were 7 years old and played many seasons of roller hockey together.

What perhaps provides the most deja vu for Priv is the expectations that come with playing for BU, one of the most storied collegiate hockey programs that's netted five national titles and 21 Frozen Four appearances. 



It's just another season at the office for Priv, considering enormous expectations the Jacks had last season.

More familiarity comes with Priv’s new stomping grounds. He’s not too far from his hometown of Old Tappan, N.J. Perhaps that sort of constant proximity to his family is why he was chomping at the bit to get back on campus during a recent two-week break. The main reason? He and his teammates know that, after a summer of rigorous training and testing (and some skating for he and about 10 other Terriers), the ice goes down at Agganis Arena for practice this Sunday. The BU coaching staff won’t get their hands on the players until the following Sunday.

While Jacks Assistant Coach Dave Noel-Bernier’s intense training program was crucial to Priv’s and the rest of the Jacks’ preparation for the next level, it didn’t make the buzzsaw he ran into easy.

“Our trainer pretty much does whatever he feels likes doing to us that day,” Privitera said. “None of it was easy and it was nice to have the day off in between, because we were as sore as can be. Bernie certainly got me ready for this, but it’s a whole new world now.”

Eating, sleeping and breathing hockey is hardly uncommon for guys like Priv. That’s why it comes as little surprise that he’s sticking with general studies for the first two years to get required courses under his belt while focusing on hockey. He’s already taken care of two courses over the summer.

Priv has visited a lot of the city and says it already feels like home. But he can’t help but reflect on the West Michigan city he called home for a year. He’s very proud to know that, when asked who they wanted to hear from next, the Muskegon faithful’s response was very clear – they wanted to hear from the best two-way defenseman in the United States Hockey League last season.

“To know that they wanted to hear from me next is awesome,” Privitera said. “It shows how much they care about me – not just as a hockey player and a piece of meat – they care about who you are as a person. I’ll never forget Muskegon. It was the best year of my life.”

Here are some key dates to watch for early in the Terriers’ season:

·         Saturday, Oct. 8 – the Terriers will host the University of New Hampshire and former Lumberjack Casey Thrush.

·         Saturday, Oct. 15 – BU clashes with a fellow powerhouse in the University of Denver.

·         Saturday, Nov. 5 – Priv will see a pair of fellow former Jacks for the first time when he and the Terriers visit Micki Mihailovich, Mike Conderman at UMass-Lowell.

·         Sunday, Nov. 13 – About three months before the fabled midseason Beanpot tournament, the Terriers will face one of the fellow combatants in that event and their premier rival, Boston College, for the first time on the Eagle’s home sheet of ice at Chestnut Hill, Mass. The teams will come together again in a home-and-home series on Dec. 2 (@BC) and 3 (@BU). The Beanpot Tourney begins on Monday, Feb. 6, and also features Harvard University and Northeastern University.

·         Saturday, Dec. 10 – Powerhouses collide again as Priv and his teammates travel to Orono, Maine to face former Jack captain John Parker and the University of Maine Black Bears.

·         Saturday, Dec. 31 – The Terriers will ring in the New Year against Jacks Head Coach Kevin Patrick’s alma mater, Notre Dame, in South Bend, Ind.

It begins

Lumberjacks Head Coach Kevin Patrick just might have coined the Jacks’ theme for the 2011-12 campaign right before his troops hit the ice.

“What’s our pace? 100 percent. All the time.”

The pace was indeed downright intense Wednesday afternoon during the team’s first on-ice practice at Lakeshore Sports Centre. Well, the players hit the ice on Tuesday afternoon, but Wednesday was the first time the Jacks’ coaching staff got their hands on them.

And the staff threw both barrels at the group.

“Push yourself,” Patrick insisted before practice got under way, as well as about 10 more times throughout.

The practice was not unlike one that Coach Patrick and company would conduct during the season. The players wove between tires in the neutral zone. 



There were plenty of intense drills dedicated to the attacking zone. And, of course, goal-scorer extraordinaire Carter Foguth appears to be in midseason form.

In a word, taking in practice was refreshing. A year ago, I was fumbling to remember players’ names and feeling a bit overwhelmed as I tried to digest each of their strengths and weaknesses. This season, nearly half of the roster is composed of returning players – most of them a bit taller and/or stockier than a year ago. And the newbies are players I’ve seen in Midget Major tournaments, or at least had a chance to pick Coach Patrick’s brain about.

The bottom line? I like this group. A lot. Not only did they waste no time putting the pedal to the metal this afternoon, but the guys immediately seem to enjoy playing together. This should come as little surprise, as Coach Patrick, his assistants and scouts – one of whom, Charlie Link, also took in practice – put a strong emphasis on making sure character is as important as bulk when analyzing players.

I was chatting with Jacks President and local favorite Tim Taylor earlier today, and he couldn’t stop remarking about the character of this incoming bunch. When you put that together with the accomplishments this gang has achieved on the ice? It’s a foregone conclusion that this team will be enormously successful.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Or, as we call it here in Muskegon, hockey season.

Christmas in September for Brendan Woods

DISCLAIMER: The writer of this blog is a Level-5 Wisconsin Badger fanatic and apologizes in advance for any homerism that ensues.

Rest assured, despite the schizophrenic weather that Wisconsin tends to receive, there was no snow on the ground when Brendan Woods rose this morning.

But there might as well have been.

Today is the day that University of Wisconsin hockey players call Christmas. It’s the day on which the players receive their gear for the season. As the Jacks former assistant captain describes it, the mother lode he’ll be given could outfit him for about three weeks.

Jacks fans know the prototypical power forward as Woody or Woodsy or assistant captain. Whatever moniker you prefer for the player who is as affable as he is talented, rest assured that Brendan Woods is acclimating quite well to life on campus in Madison, Wis. And a little yuletide on Sept. 1 can’t hurt.

Woods, the son of Washington Capitals Assistant Coach Bob Woods, recently returned to campus after having been there from June 11 to Aug. 6. During that time, he took part in training, skating twice a week and captain’s practices. He also got a couple of college courses under his belt. After some quality time back home with family and friends, he's back in Mad City and the hockey season is rapidly nearing.

The ice went down in the Kohl Center - one of the most daunting barns in NCAA – just a couple of weeks ago. Despite Jacks Head Coach and former Badgers assistant Kevin Patrick’s best effort to get Woody the inside scoop on life as a Badger, nothing could have prepared him for his first skate on UW’s ice surface.

“It’s sick,” Woods says, “and it’s a little intimidating, especially not knowing exactly where you stand yet.”

Despite being a little overwhelmed with said skate, Woody feels perfectly prepared, thanks to staying in constant contact with Patrick, who served five years behind the bench at UW.

“He’s helped so much,” Woods says. “He knows the expectations and he’s made it very clear to me what I need to do to succeed. Just from talking to him, I already feel like I know Coach (Mike) Eaves.”

For Woods, the bottom line is taking things as seriously as he should. He’s trying to have a blast and savor the experience and not put the proverbial cart in front of the horse.

Patrick expressed to Woody how crucial time management is during college. After juggling an intense workload at Mona Shores High School and his first full United States Hockey League season, Woody feels right at home. Although the best part – albeit the hardest – is yet to come.

Some intriguing dates to keep an eye out for this season:

·         Oct. 21-22: The Badgers host their longtime rival, the powerhouse that is the North Dakota Fighting Sioux.

·         Oct. 28-29: Woody and the gang play host to former Jacks defenseman and current University of Nebraska-Omaha freshman Jaycob Megna and his fellow Mavericks.

·         Nov. 18-19: The Badgers visit another former Jack, Charlie Taft, at Colorado College.

·         Nov. 25-26: Albeit a nonconference series, the Badgers will host the Mercyhurst Lakers, featuring former Jack Ryan Misiak.