By Nate Ewell

Note of the Week

Langlois leads Quinnipiac – Quinnipiac has raced to a 6-0-0 start in ECAC Hockey play, and the Hamden, Conn., school could head into the Christmas break with a perfect conference record if it sweeps a home-and-home with Princeton this weekend (Friday’s game is on NESN). Up front the Bobcats are led by senior Jeremy Langlois, whose eight goals are double the amount of any teammate. The Tempe, Ariz., native is an undrafted free agent who can put the puck in the net – only one player in college hockey has more career goals (see list, below right) – and is described by head coach Rand Pecknold as perhaps the best defensive forward he has coached.

Must Read/See/Hear Material

In Rhodes finalist Rocha, Army has ‘an amazing young man’ – USCHO.com
Blueger Dazzles … Quietly – College Hockey News
Draeger Keeps it Simple – MSUSpartans.com
Gilles ready to soak up world junior experience – Calgary Sun
WMU’s Andy Murray (.mp3) – NHL Network Radio

Five More Notes No One Should Be Without

Kerdiles’s instant impact – Wisconsin freshman Nic Kerdiles was suspended by the NCAA for the first 10 games of the season and had to watch as the Badgers struggled to a 1-7-2 start. Last weekend, with a spark from Kerdiles (2a), terrific goaltending from Joel Rumpel and Landon Peterson (1 GA each) and goals from four players, Wisconsin posted a win and a tie at No. 6 Denver. The Badgers have series with Michigan Tech and Alabama-Huntsville before the holiday break.

Future Flames face off – NHL scouts have been prominent at college rinks all season, but expect a bit more attention from the Calgary Flames at Friday’s Boston College-Providence College game. It’s the first meeting of four Flames prospects, two on each team: Bill Arnold and Johnny Gaudreau of BC and Jon Gilles and Mark Jankowski of PC. All four have been among the top players and/or top freshmen in Hockey East.

Rocha is Army’s leading man – His stats page for Nov. 16-17 simply reads “Did Not Play,” but Army’s Cheyne Rocha probably deserves an elaboration – it’s just that “interviewing for a Rhodes Scholarship” might not fit. As Chris Lerch writes, a locker room of exceptional young men has a tremendous leader in Rocha, who returned to the team last weekend as Army beat Bentley and AIC. Though he ultimately fell short of receiving a Rhodes, he’s enjoying success on the ice – the two wins last weekend gave the Black Knights a 5-2-1 Atlantic Hockey record after they finished 3-19-5 in the conference last year.

Irish on a roll – It may not be making headlines in South Bend given everything else going on, but the Notre Dame hockey team is on a tear entering Friday night’s nationally televised tilt with Michigan State (NBCSN). The Irish are 7-1-0 in the CCHA with four straight conference wins behind a red-hot top line of Anders Lee, Jeff Costello and Bryan Rust. Rust is representative of a team-wide turnaround for ND, rebounding from a rough 2011-12 season thanks to an offseason of hard work.

Collegians go for gold – Tuesday USA Hockey named 15 college players to the preliminary roster for the 2013 National Junior Team, making up the core of the group that will play for the World Junior Championship in December and January. Thirteen colleges are represented among the selections, showing the balance of power – and talent – across the college hockey landscape.