Friday Caterwaul: Panthers GameDay Open Forum

Saturday will see a champion crowned in the final game of the NCAA Frozen Four (7pm, ESPN HD). Michigan defeated North Dakota (Corban Knight, Derrick LaPoint) 2-0 on Thursday to advance. Having dispatched Notre Dame on the same evening, the University of Minnesota-Duluth (Joe Basaraba, 2010 3rd round) will look to play spoiler.

• Panthers forward David Booth has been nominated as the club’s 2011 Masterton Trophy candidate. NHL.com’s Mike Morreale picked our boy as the ultimate recipient of the prize…six weeks ago. Pretty shrewd, though considering the efforts of one of the runners-up, we’ll remain in a holding pattern until everything’s official.

• It’s a happy bunch at the University of Denver, as Florida prospect Drew Shore (2nd round, ’09) has announced his intention to remain with the Pioneers for a third year.

• Pierre LeBrun recently posted up his “Offseason Makeovers” series focusing on the Southeast Division, and snagged a typically-tempting-yet-so-obscure-you’ll-pull-your-hair-out quote from GM Dale Tallon: “It’s going to be a whole new look to our team. We’ll add a couple of our prospects and then add new free agents. We need to address our forward position, we need more depth up front. I like our young defensemen and we’d like to add some veteran leadership back there as well.”

• Presumably the all-purpose phrase “veteran leadership back there” doesn’t include this guy, who is staring down the barrel of another playoff-less spring. Dude had far better numbers in Sunrise than he’s dredging up in a “traditional hockey market“.

• New acquisition Anthony Luciani and his 10 major penalties from a year ago join the Amerks as Rochester closes out its season this weekend. Some might say thankfully.

• More on Luciani: he comes to the defense of his teammates. Would such a style be embraced by Florida’s coaching staff? Doesn’t that kind of present a conflict with the current “go it alone” mentality?

• Auto123.com – “the Canadian Automotive Network” – weighs in quickly on the Lexus Rink at BankAtlantic Center. The Montreal Gazette goes further, speculating (likely correctly) that “broadcasters will be forced to use something like ‘The Lexus Ice-Hockey Rink at BankAtlantic Centre’ every time they mention it.” That’s me in the corner; the one balled up in a breathtakingly fetal position.

• Tonight’s matchup is the final road game of the season for the Cats, and correspondingly the last Watch Party as well; Duffy’s Sports Grill in Plantation, 7:30.