Jack Hittinger
Michigan Tech’s sky-high ambitions didn’t quite pan out at the beginning of this hockey season. A year removed from finishing just two points behind eventual champions Minnesota State for the MacNaughton Cup and securing an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, the Huskies were picked to finish first in the CCHA this season thanks to … Read more
With the first half of the season in the books for most of the CCHA, there’s been one overarching question for the league on the ice: Does anyone actually want to win the MacNaughton Cup? Obviously, that’s hyperbole. League titles are league titles, and everyone wants to win some hardware. But in the CCHA this … Read more
When St. Thomas reclassified from Division III to Division I in 2021, it was by necessity, borne out of the fact that their previous conference (the all-Minnesota based MIAC) no longer wanted to play the Tommies. Their athletic programs were too successful, and they were, essentially, kicked out of the league they had helped to … Read more
After all the turmoil that has surrounded the Bowling Green hockey program this season, it was hard to know where to begin when interviewing head coach Ty Eigner earlier this week. Luckily, it was easy: Eigner opened up right away. “First and foremost, the situation we had with our team in our program early in … Read more
On his team’s weekend off, Augustana coach Garrett Raboin was able to do something he’s not usually able to do during the hockey season: Take in a football game. On Saturday, the Augustana football team hosted Minnesota State in a first-round NCAA Division II football playoff game at Augie’s Kirkeby-Over Stadium in Sioux Falls, S.D. … Read more
Northern Michigan proved early this season they could score. Netting 10 goals in a nonconference series will easily bolster that reputation. But as goals giveth, goals can taketh away. In that same series with UMD, the Wildcats let the Bulldogs outscore them 13-10, failing to win either game (they tied 5-5 Friday before losing 8-5 … Read more
It might sound cliche or simple, but it’s hard to overstate just how easily winning can cure even the worst case of the blues. Take Lake Superior State. The Lakers opened their 2023 season with a trip to Michigan State, where they lost both games of the series in front of a packed house at … Read more
Lleyton Roed was the top-scoring freshman in the CCHA last season, notching 31 points (13 goals and 18 assists). It was about as good a debut for any Bemidji State player ever. The last freshman to lead the Beavers in scoring was Matt Read, who scored 27 points in 2007-08 and remains the team’s Division … Read more
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature. 1. B1G statement from Badgers Big Ten opponents, meet Mike Hastings. Wisconsin’s new bench boss has coached at 3M Arena at Mariucci plenty of times, both as a friend (he was a Minnesota assistant in the 2008-09 … Read more
After four close games with nationally-ranked St. Cloud State and Minnesota to open their first two weeks of the season, St. Thomas hosted Lindenwood for a series this past weekend. But just because the Lions don’t have the same kind of star power or high-end skill as the Huskies or Gophers have didn’t mean a … Read more
After all the changes that happened in Mankato during the offseason, one nearly expected to tune in to their game against St. Cloud State on Friday night and see something truly wild. Like maybe the Mavericks ditched purple from their color scheme in favor of teal and moved their home arena from Mankato to Sleepy … Read more
It was an unusually active offseason, at least by CCHA standards. A coaching change at Minnesota State kicked off the summer, with Mike Hastings leaving for Wisconsin and taking four players and most of his coaching staff with him. Then the summer ended with the situation in Bowling Green that saw head coach Ty Eigner … Read more
ALLENTOWN REGIONAL When: Friday, March 24 & Sunday, March 26 Where: PPL Center, Allentown, Penn. Matchups (all times Eastern): Penn State vs. Michigan Tech, March 24, 5 p.m., ESPNU; Michigan vs. Colgate, March 24, 8:30 p.m., ESPNU; championship, March 26, 6:30 p.m., ESPN2 1. MICHIGAN How they got here: Won the Big Ten tournament Overall … Read more
FARGO REGIONAL When: Thursday, March 23 & Saturday, March 25 Where: Scheels Arena, Fargo, N.D. Matchups (all times Eastern): St. Cloud State vs. Minnesota State, March 23, 5 p.m., ESPNU; Minnesota vs. Canisius, March 23, 9 p.m., ESPN2; championship, March 25, 6:30 p.m., ESPNU 1. MINNESOTA How they got here: At-large bid Overall season record: … Read more
MANKATO, Minn. – It wouldn’t be a conference title game in Mankato without some drama. At the end of the regular season, Minnesota State and Michigan Tech played an eventful final five minutes for the MacNaughton Cup that featured a penalty shot and a controversial goal review. Minnesota State won that game 3-2 and took … Read more
Since Grant Potulny’s first season in Marquette in 2017-18, Northern Michigan has twice played in a conference championship game. In 2018, the second-place Wildcats hosted Upper Peninsula archrivals Michigan Tech in the WCHA championship game. A sold-out crowd at the Berry Events Center saw the Huskies shut out the Wildcats 2-0. NMU returned to the … Read more
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature. 1. ‘Cats top ‘Dogs Northern Michigan’s recent record against Upper Peninsula archrivals Michigan Tech has not been great – especially in the playoffs. Since conference realignment, Tech is 3-0 against the Wildcats in both of their postseason … Read more
As tight as the CCHA standings were this season, it is perhaps surprising that there was only one upset in the first round of the Mason Cup quarterfinals. And, even more shocking to this reporter, is that none of the four series needed to go to a decisive third game. You have Ferris State to … Read more
After a CCHA campaign unlike any other came down to, quite literally, the final minute and a half of the regular season, it’s almost hard to believe the playoffs are starting this weekend. Minnesota State ended up winning the MacNaughton Cup – their sixth in a row – with just a tiny bit of drama … Read more
Head-to-head, winner-takes-all matchups between the top two teams in the conference in the regular season’s final weekend don’t happen all the time. But when they do, they should be savored. In the past decade, we’ve seen this happen once before in the race for the MacNaughton Cup. The last time it happened – the 2019-20 … Read more