Down the Frozen River

Tag: Jordan Dettrow

  • Down the Frozen River Student Section of the Year (2017-2018)

    NCAA Hockey is a wonderful thing. When you walk into a college rink, you will see speed, grit and passion for the game. A group of guys will be on the ice that are not just playing for themselves, but for their teammates and for their school. Simply put, there is just nothing else like it, even in the professional ranks. There are many things that make college hockey unique, but one particular thing stands out above the rest: the student section.

    The pep band, the screaming fans, the organized cheers, and of course the chirps. A college hockey game provides an atmosphere that cannot be replicated at any other level of the game. Hockey fans are a different breed entirely. What other sport will you find a fan who is willing to risk a criminal proceeding just to throw a catfish on the playing surface? Beyond the “normal” hockey fan, college hockey fans are crazier and know how to make a difference on the outcome of a game. They tear into opposing players, specifically goalies, and do whatever they can to give their team a little boost.

    In the NCAA, there are many different programs, with each student section offering slightly different cheers, chants, and traditions. The million dollar question is, which one does it best? Down the Frozen River is going to give you an answer, which will come from you, the fans! We will run an online competition from October 16th to November 20th, where college hockey student sections will go head-to-head in a single-elimination format. All rounds will begin on Monday at noon and end Sunday at 8:00pm. All opponents will be decided randomly at the beginning of each round. We have chosen 32 teams to participate in our first annual competition.

    In order to vote, simply Re-Tweet and Like the Tweet promoting your school, and you can Follow us for a bonus vote (in other words, one person can vote up to three times). The winners of each round will be based purely on the opinions of our Followers. We want to hear from the fans, so please be sure to vote!

    The winner of the competition will be crowned the DTFR Student Section of the Year and earn a feature article on DownTheFrozenRiver.com, and we will replace our social media photos with their school’s logo for one week. If you have any questions about the competition, please feel free to ask on Twitter at @DTFrozenRiver.

    (more…)

  • Columbus Blue Jackets 2017-2018 Season Preview

    Columbus Blue Jackets Logo

    Columbus Blue Jackets

    50–24–8, 108 Points, 3rd in the Metropolitan Division

    Eliminated in the First Round by Pittsburgh

    Additions: D Andre Benoit, D Cameron Gaunce, F Tyler Motte, F Artemi Panarin, F Jordan Schroeder, D Doyle Somerby

    Subtractions: F David Clarkson (Traded to Vegas), G Oscar Dansk (Signed with Vegas), G Anton Forsberg (Traded to Chicago), F Sam Gagner (Signed with Vancouver), F William Karlsson (Claimed by Vegas in the 2017 Expansion Draft), D Kyle Quincey (Signed with Minnesota), F Brandon Saad (Traded to Chicago), D Ryan Stanton (Signed with Edmonton), F T.J. Tynan (Signed with Vegas)

    Offseason Analysis: As the 2017-2018 season approaches, one club that people are keeping their eyes on are the Columbus Blue Jackets. Although that comes as a surprise to many, Blue Jackets faithful know the quality product that their team can put on the ice. If anything, they certainly have created many high expectations for themselves, with a roster that seems poised to repeat regular season success.  *If you didn’t catch the bold font, please re-read the above sentence and note the specific terminology*

    The Blue Jackets, entering the league as an expansion team in 2000, have now reached the playoffs three times, including two trips in the last four years. Although they did not achieve playoff success, the 2016-2017 season was still the best in franchise history, as they eclipsed the 100-point marker for the first time. The sixteen-game winning streak the team managed looked pretty and filled the seats at Nationwide Arena, but it left many wanting more. They slowed down (basically like a freight train screeching to a halt) and crawled into the playoffs, where they were beaten by the eventual Stanley Cup Champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was seemingly a two-part tale to the season, so which Columbus Blue Jackets team will we see this year?

    The front office wanted to make some noise, but at the same time, not create too much change. They achieved their goal when they acquired young star, Artemi Panarin, which forced them to send a talented Brandon Saad back to Chicago after only a couple years with the Blue Jackets. Forwards Tyler Motte and Jordan Schroeder will also be making moves to the Buckeye State, but they may be searching for homes in Cleveland rather than in Columbus. Both players have NHL and AHL experience, but they will need to compete for a full-time roster spot, not to mention ice time. The remaining three additions, all defensemen, could assist the already well-rounded corps, but it will probably be in the form of call-ups. Although doubtful at this point, one looming deal could still take place as the season nears (COME ON SAKIC, MAKE A DEAL… sorry, impulsive reaction). Other than that, the front office will take their current roster and hope to still be playing hockey in June.

    So where does this leave the Blue Jackets? They will rely heavily on the talents of three award-winners this past season; Head Coach John Tortorella, Captain Nick Foligno, and especially goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. If Bob can remain healthy and put together another Vezina-quality season, the net will be secured. It will also be interesting to watch the production of the ‘Bread Man’ and see his results with a new team and line-mates. Panarin is motivated by critics who say he was simply riding the coat-tails of Kane back in Chicago.

    Lastly, is this defense capable of winning a Presidents’ Trophy or Stanley Cup? They have steadily improved and now have great depth at the position, including talented, puck-moving defensemen like Zach Werenski and Seth Jones.

    Offseason Grade: B-

    Is this the year Columbus can make a big push? Although it seems doubtful, its honestly the closest they have ever been. After some early struggles, they have built their team the right way and are now solid in net and both ends of the ice. They need to act quickly, as contract renewals and the salary cap could hurt them in the near future. Players surely remember getting taken out by their rivals early in the playoffs, who eventually went on to hoist the cup, and have something to prove this season (boy, their first game with the Pens will be fun to watch). They also understand the high expectations from management, coaches, and the fans. The recipe is there, so let’s see if the Jackets can get something cooking.

  • Completely Biased DTFR Awards for Our Egos (Part Two)

    The NHL’s annual awards ceremony is in a week, so to help kick off all of the excitement surrounding the primetime event in Las Vegas, I present to you our annual in-house awards. These things will never gather dust as they don’t even exist to begin with, so nobody has to worry about clogging up shelf space for Down the Frozen River participation trophies.

    We weren’t able to afford Joe Manganiello’s hosting services, but if you’re a fan of said actor, don’t fret, because he is hosting this year’s NHL Awards Ceremony on NBCSN next Wednesday (June 21st) at 8 p.m. ET.

     

    Simply Existed Award— presented by me to all of our members for simply existing– Frank Fanelli, Jordan Dettrow, Connor Keith and Colby Kephart

    All of these people helped make Down the Frozen River exist over the past season.

    Hot Air Award– presented by me to our crew member with the most bold predictions and hot takes this season on the Down the Frozen River Podcast— Colby Kephart

    Colby became the two-time defending recipient of this award for having gone on many rants over the course of the third season of the Down the Frozen River Podcast.

    Content-King Award— presented by me to our crew member with the most content/best quality content on a consistent basis this season– Connor Keith

    For the second year in a row, Connor provided the best content on the site with his continued Game of the Day column. Connor also wrote some great stuff on panthers.com this season for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, if you’re interested.

    The “Technically Can’t Give Yourself an Award” Award— presented by me to myself so I can feel included too– Nick Lanciani

    While I wasn’t always able to provide the most coverage, I managed to stick to a (mostly) routine schedule of hosting the Down the Frozen River Podcast, write a few good things here and there and spent a good portion of the season at TD Garden. Pending career opportunities, I may or may not produce more thoughts on the blog in the near future.

    Thanks to everyone– yes, that includes you, the reader– who made the 2016-2017 NHL season the best one yet! Be sure to tune in to our offseason content and keep in touch for all of our latest news, notes and potential career moves.

  • The End

    The End

    By now I’m sure most of you are aware that everyone’s life has become too busy to keep Down the Frozen River going.

    Down the Frozen River- Smaller Circular Logo

    Colby’s gone on to do things in minor league baseball with the Charlotte Knights,

    Connor’s doin’ work from his couch after wrapping up a season with the Carolina Panthers as a contributor for panthers.com,

    Frank’s got a gig with Student Union Sports,

    Jordan’s been teaching it up in Ohio,

    and I’ve had the most incredible time of my life creating this blog and making things happen for you, the reader, the listener and my favorite audience.

    Our full-time operations are coming to an end, but we may still produce some content around here from time to time. As of now, we plan to bring you some playoff content, but not nearly as in depth as in years past.

    Thank you for your support over the last few years. We had an incredible run.

    Play us out, Fenway Park organist, Josh Kantor! Thank you all.

  • Completely Biased DTFR Awards for Our Egos

    By: Nick Lanciani

    It’s the NHL Award season, so since I’m a nice boss/founder/whatever you want to call me, I figured I’d hand out some awards to our Down the Frozen River crew. These once in a lifetime beauties will probably never be given out again, so enjoy them while they last.

    Newcomer Award– presented by me to our rookie of the year for producing quality content- Frank Fanelli

    Frank joined us this spring and hit the ground running with some quality Philadelphia Flyers hot takes (and serious takes). His dedication made our lives easy when it came time to organize our schedule of playoff recaps and other quick write-ups that we did in preparation for a whole lot more next season. Frankly, I think he did a good job. Thanks Frank!

    Social Media Guru Award– presented by me to our best social media content producer (and stuff)- Jordan Dettrow

    Jordan was another addition to the crew this season— prior to Frank’s arrival— as we expanded our reach and broadened our target audience from just your average NHL fan to all kinds of hockey fans. Though Jordan has been quite busy this offseason, his presence as one of us has been felt all throughout our ramped up coverage of this year’s playoffs. I could have made him a co-recipient of the Newcomer Award, but I felt as though it’s necessary to make him stand out on his own, since without him we wouldn’t have over 750 followers on Twitter (we’d have, like, 700 fewer than that). I’m looking forward to seeing what kinds of new and exciting things will come from him next season. Thanks Jordan!

    Hot Air Award– presented by me to our crew member with the most bold predictions and hot takes this season on the Down the Frozen River Podcast- Colby Kephart

    Colby is… well, Colby. Always willing to talk and offer his thoughts, his bold predictions on our show keep us on edge and in tune with what’s going on around the league. Another DTFR member with a busy offseason, we certainly wish him the best as he does some real world things in the meantime. He’ll need to rest his voice for another season of podcasts coming this September. Thanks Colby!

    Content-King Award– presented by me to our crew member with the most content/best quality content on a consistent basis this season- Connor Keith

    All season long Connor wrote daily Game of the Day matchups (well, with the exception of that time between November and the end of the semester, because college). His dedication to his craft is unlike any other in the nature of his hard work and many late nights spent writing about plenty of teams he’d probably rather never hear about ever again. We all expect more of the same from him this season (and more, muwahaha), but the choice is always his, as he heads into the real world of sports. Thanks Connor!

    Good-For-Nothing Award– presented as a participation award to one of our members when I can’t think of anything else to give- Nick Lanciani (oh, hey look, that’s me)

    I get to take home this awesome award because I created this whole thing in the first place (I meant these awards, not just this site, but you know— I made the site too, so there’s always that). I would’ve also given Kevan Miller partial ownership of this award, but alas, he’s not on our Down the Frozen River team. Maybe next year, Kevan (please don’t hate me).

  • Bolts Win Big in Game 2

    Is it time for Detroit to hit the panic button?  A poor performance in the final fifteen minutes of game two leaves them down 2-0 in the first round series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Lightning on the other hand are set on cruise control as they look to take game three in Hockeytown. Even though the score board reveals a dominant performance from Tampa Bay, both teams seemed to be executing their game plan accordingly during the first two periods of play.

    First Period

    The first half of the opening period was rather unexciting. Each team had a handful of chances, but neither could find the back of the net. That is until Nikita Kucherov scored his third goal of the playoffs. He one-timed a feed from Victor Hedman and put the Bolts up 1-0 on the power play.

    Second Period

    The action picked up a little bit here in the second, as each team was able to kindle some offense. Just 3:30 into the period, Dylan Larkin made a play and scored his first career post-season goal. Larkin picked up a puck that banked off the back boards and beat Ben Bishop five-hole.

    Just a few minutes later, Brian Boyle regained the lead for his club. The Lightning broke out on a 3-on-2 play and Jonathan Drouin was able to feed Boyle in the high slot. A nice wrist shot beat Jimmy Howard as the tie was broken. Detroit was upset with the sequence, as they believed Boyle had committed a penalty earlier in the shift.

    Third Period

    The Redwings battled hard and received a good call in their favor, as Nikita Nesterov was sent to the box for a high stick. Bishop was fighting through a good screen as Brad Richards took a shot that found the net.  Assists on the play went to Mike Green and Tomas Tatar and the game was tied 2-2.

    That goal was the last bit of hope for the Wings, as Tampa Bay went on to score three straight goals and win a pivotal game two with a score of 5-2. Tyler Johnson put two tallies on the board, scoring the game-winner just shortly after the goal from Mike Richards. Alex Killorn put the final nail in the coffin with an empty-net goal late in the period. Johnson assisted on the play to earn his fourth point in what was a monster performance from the forward.

    The referees had themselves a mess to sort out at 19:06 of the final frame. A whopping thirteen penalties were handed out to all ten skaters on the ice. Both teams skated with grit and aggression.

    Ben Bishop was by far the better of the two goalies, as he stopped 30 of 32 shots, while only allowing one even strength goal. Jimmy Howard only turned in a 26 saver performance on 30 total shots.

    Game three will be played on April 17th at 7:00pm in Detroit.

  • Down the Frozen River Podcast #31- Frozen Four and We Love the Checkers (Feat. Will Roberson)

    Down the Frozen River Podcast #31- Frozen Four and We Love the Checkers (Feat. Will Roberson)

    Jordan Dettrow makes his podcasting debut on the Down the Frozen River Podcast as he joins the rest of the crew via Skype to talk about this year’s NCAA Frozen Four and other college hockey headlines.

    This week’s episode also includes the DTFR Podcast’s first official guest (since Jordan and Frank don’t technically count, as they’re part of the team). Will Roberson stopped by to talk about what it’s been like to balance life as a Queens University of Charlotte student athlete and intern with the Charlotte Checkers this year, as well as how awesome the Checkers organization is and some of the hype surrounding their push for the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs.

    Stay tuned for more 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage coming soon and as always, hear what the DTFR Crew has to say about the latest news and notes from the NHL, right here on the Down the Frozen River Podcast.

    Join the conversation, make a suggestion, or ask a question for our next podcast using #AskDownTheFrozenRiver or #DTFRPodcast on Twitter and/or drop us a line on Facebook– your thoughts might make it on our show!