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Former Badger Johannson passes away at 53

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Jim Johannson – Photo Courtesy of USA Hockey

Former Wisconsin hockey star and two-time Olympian, Jim Johannson died in his sleep early Sunday morning.

The 53-year-old Rochester, Minnesota native played four seasons at the University of Wisconsin, scoring 63 goals, 67 assists and 130 points in 148 games played from 1982-’86.  He was also a part of Wisconsin’s 1983 NCAA Championship team.

Johannson was the assistant executive director of USA Hockey and the general manager of the 2018 U.S. Olympic men’s ice hockey team.  He began his career at USA Hockey as manager of international activities and U.S. Olympic Committee relations, was promoted to senior director of hockey operations on Aug. 5, 2003, and on June 25, 2007, assumed the position of assistant executive director of hockey operations.  There, Johannson has oversight of all in-sports related initiatives, including USA Hockey’s efforts in fielding teams for international competition.

During Johannson’s time with USA Hockey, the organization captured 64 medals in major international competition, including 34 gold.

Johannson was selected by the Hartford Whalers in the 7th round (130th overall) of the 1982 NHL draft.  He never reached the NHL, but did play 374 games of professional hockey between 1987-’94 in the IHL.  He played for the Milwaukee Admirals from 1992-’94, registering 18 goals and 29 assists in 99 games.

Johannson also twice played for the U.S. in the Olympic Winter Games in 1988 and 1992.  He was also a member of the U.S. Men’s National Team that participated in the 1992 IIHF Men’s World Championship.

 

Wisconsin’s Connelly going behind the bench

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Wisconsin men’s hockey director of hockey operations Shane Connelly is going behind the bench for USA Hockey.

Connelly has been named an assistant coach for the U.S. Under-17 Select Team that will play in the Five Nations Tournament in Ostrava, Czeck Republic Aug. 23-27.

Connelly played goaltender for the Badgers from 2005 to 2009 and rejoined the program in January as interim director of hockey operations.  The Badgers removed that interim tag in May.

Prior to rejoining the Badgers, Connelly was an assistant with the USHL’s Cedar Rapids Roughriders.

The U.S. team will be led by Pat Ferschweiler, who worked with Badgers coach Tony Granato as assistants with the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings.

The tournament field includes the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Slovakia and Germany.  The U.S. won the event in 2016.

 

Six Badgers earn spots on Team USA for World Championships

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Annie Pankowski (Photo by David Stluka)

Annie Pankowski (Photo by David Stluka)

The U.S. roster for the 2016 International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championship has a Wisconsin flair as six Badgers, one current and five former, make up more than one-fourth of the 23-player roster that was announced Wednesday by USA Hockey.

UW sophomore Annie Pankowski will join former players Hilary Knight, Meghan Duggan, Brianna Decker, Jessie Vetter and Alex Rigsby in defending the gold medal won by Team USA last year.

Pankowski was a member of the 2015 gold-medal winning IIHF World Championship team and participated in the 2013 and 2014 Four Nations Cups.  She has skated in two Under-22 Series vs. Canada (2014, 2015) and two U-18 Series vs. Canada (2010, 2011).  Pankowski also won silver with Team USA at the U-18 IIHF World Championships in 2012.

The Laguna Hills, California native leads the Badgers this season with 20 goals and 32 assists for 52 points.  She became the first UW player to score 50 points in a season since Decker in 2012-13.

The tournament runs March 28 to April 4 in Kamloops, British Columbia.  Team USA will play Canada, Finland and Russia in preliminary action.

Three Badgers invited to USA Hockey Women’s National Festival

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MotionW_2ColorWisconsin senior Courtney Burke, junior Jenny Ryan and sophomore Annie Pankowski are among the 83 players invited to the 2015 USA Hockey Women’s National Festival, which takes place Aug. 11-16 in Lake Placid, New York.

In addition, former Wisconsin stars Brianna Decker, Meghan Duggan, Hilary Knight, Alex Rigsby, Karley Sylvester and Jessie Vetter will participate in the six-day camp.

The festival is an annual training session that will also be used to select a U-18 team and U-22 team that will compete in a pair of series against Canada, Aug. 19-23, at Lake Placid Olympic Center.

Burke will serve as the Badgers captain this season and has been named the program’s Defensive Player of the Year in each of her three years at Wisconsin.

Ryan is the 2015 Elite 89 winner for women’s hockey.  She appeared in all 40 games for Wisconsin last year, scoring three goals and adding 19 assists.

Pankowski was named the USCHO Rookie of the Year, leading UW with 21 goals and 43 points during her freshman campaign at Wisconsin.  She represented her country at the 2013 and 2014 Four Nations Cup and helped Team USA win gold at the 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship last April.

 

U-S Hockey Hall of Fame has Wisconsin flavor

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Former Wisconsin men’s hockey coach Jeff Sauer, along with one of his former players, defenseman Brian Rafalski, will be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in December.

USA Hockey made the announcement on Wednesday.  This years class also includes two-time Olympian Karyn Bye Dietz (River Falls native) and longtime coach Lou Vairo.

Sauer spent 31 years as a college coach and won 655 games, seventh most all-time.  He coached the Badgers for 20 years and won NCAA titles in 1983 and 1990.  Most recently, Sauer guided the United States sled hockey team to the Paralympic gold medal.

Rafalski played for the Badgers in the late ’90’s and went on to win three Stanley Cups in the NHL, two with New Jersey and a third with his hometown Detroit Red Wings.  He also played for the United States in three Olympics.

Bye-Dietz is a River Falls native.  She helped the U.S. Olympic team win the gold medal in 1998.  She played collegiately at New Hampshire from 1989-’93, totalling 164 points in 87 games.  She played on the U.S. Olympic teams in 1998 and 2002.

Vairo served as head coach of the 1984 U.S. Olympic team and was an assistant on the 2002 squad.

Induction ceremonies will be held Dec. 4 in Minneapolis.

Olympic Men’s hockey starts strong

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The men’s U.S. Olympic team got off to a strong start, knocking off Slovakia
7-1 in their pool play opener in Sochi, Russia today.

Paul Stastny scored twice to lead the American’s, who got 22-saves in-goal from Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick.

The U.S. should have a shutout.  Slovakia’s only goal came on a play that was offsides but the linesman missed the call.  The Americans shook off that goal scored the next six, all in the second period to round out the scoring.

Goal differential is one of the tie-breakers which gives teams in international competition incentive to run the score up.  But after striking for the 7th goal, the Americans would get no more.

Next up, a date with the Russians on Saturday.

U.S. falls to Canada in women’s hockey preliminary

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The United States and Canada played even hockey through the first two

Jessie Vetter

Jessie Vetter

periods of today’s women’s Olympic preliminary game in Sochi, Russia.  The only difference was former Badger Hilary Knight’s deflection that found the net on a U.S. power play late in the second period.

The third period was nearly all Canada.  They scored three straight goals and the American’s didn’t pick up a shot on goal until they threw one on net from center ice with 3 1/2 minutes to play.  Canada went on to win 3-2. [Read more…]