And the summer continues...

With a full-time job, dial-up internet and little to no access to local or national college hockey media, I have not had much to say and have not been posting very regularly.

I did happen, however, to have an interesting phone conversation with NMU hockey coach Walt Kyle last week. Two points that Kyle quickly made were A) that NMU has never announced that ex-OSU goaltender Ian Keserich was going to be a Wildcat and B) that the 'Cats should, in fact, play next season with fewer players than the past year.

This disputes the claims that there was an impending 'logjam' of players at Northern (including what was initially thought to be four netminders) and that there would be fewer roster spots than heads.

Walt also warned against putting too much faith in blogs and message boards.

The coach also talked about the departure of Jacques Lamoureux, who will be attending the Air Force Academy next season. Kyle made it clear that he is personally happy for Jacques and that he wishes him the best, calling the departure a career move more than a hockey move.

While Kyle may be slightly miffed at losing one his younger players, Jaqcues was not an explosive talent. He stepped in during injuries and his role was not likely to change over the next two or three years.

To wrap up, Walt talked about the search for a new assistant coach, after previous NMU assistant John Olver went west. Recruiting ability and strong hockey ties are almost as important as coaching ability in the search, which is expected to wrap up soon. Kyle set the timetable for the new hiring as mid-June.

On a side note, I will be in Marquette putting together the summer issue of the NorthWind. Check it out for the full Walt Kyle interview.