Jack Hittinger
It’s that time of year again. I’m not talking about the holidays. I’m talking about the end of the first half of the college hockey season, when my editors generously let me write a thousand or so words where I get to pretend like I’m Nostradamus. And, if you’ve been following the CCHA at all … Read more
It’s a holiday tradition unlike any other: Minnesota State versus Bemidji State in mid-December for a chance at first place in the conference at the break. If this scenario sounds familiar, it’s because it’s happened before. It’s unclear if it’s some kind of grand design or just how the schedule has happened to play out, … Read more
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature. 1. Eagles honor York with wild win Perhaps it was fitting that on the night that Boston College honored coaching legend Jerry York, they beat their archrivals in one of the wildest ways possible. BC and Boston … Read more
There are some things a head coach at every college program knows he’s going to be doing, no matter if he or she are new to the job or have been there for 20 years: Running practice. Recruiting. Meeting donors and season ticket holders. These are all givens. But for Garrett Raboin, the list of … Read more
There comes a point in the life cycle of every college hockey program where something that was once considered a “milestone” stops being significant and simply becomes “routine.” This past weekend St. Thomas did two of those things – both of which head coach Rico Blasi would much prefer are soon just routine things his … Read more
In what their head coach called a “gutsy” effort, Michigan Tech’s victory over St. Thomas on Saturday night was as satisfying as they come. “Gutsy effort by our guys. You like every win, but you like some more than others,” MTU coach Joe Shawhan said in his postgame comments after Tech survived for a 4-3 … Read more
When the NCAA finally started letting Division I teams play against one another for in-season exhibition games last season, it was a big relief to coaches across the country. Now, no longer at the whims of whatever Canadian team was able to cross the border during the first few weeks of the season, coaches have … Read more
The way Northern Michigan has played this season had, until this past weekend at least, baffled Grant Potulny. The Wildcats’ underlying numbers have looked good, even great. They have a top-10 power play, a top-15 offense, one of the best faceoff percentages in the country, a player in AJ Vanderbeck who is among the nation’s … Read more
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature. 1. Another unbeaten falls Coming into the weekend, there were just two undefeated teams remaining in college hockey: No. 13 Penn State and No. 15 Harvard. The former was 8-0-0 going into their matchup with top-ranked Michigan, … Read more
After dropping both games to Penn State two weeks ago, St. Thomas coach Rico Blasi said he wasn’t much for “moral victories.” The Tommies had lost to the Nittany Lions 6-2 in their series opener before rallying in Friday’s finale and losing 3-2 in overtime. Clearly, Blasi is attempting to build the newly-promoted St. Thomas … Read more
Few teams lost quite as many impact players over the offseason as Bemidji State. Aside from the Sillinger brothers (Owen and Lukas) – the team’s joint leading goal scorers with 17 apiece – the Beavers also lost a big chunk of their leadership group. Fifth-year senior captain Ethan Somoza – an older, hard-working veteran who … Read more
Minnesota State did the CCHA double a year ago, winning both the regular season and tournament title. The Mavericks were also 20 minutes away from their first NCAA Division I title. While all three of those are certainly in MSU’s sights this season, there’s another, more unofficial title the Mavericks can win this season: Minnesota … Read more
Bowling Green hasn’t had much time to get settled into a “normal” routine this season. The Falcons have been a little busy picking up conference points and splitting some nonconference home-and-homes. “We tried to stress to our guys that we understand, we have not had a ‘typical’ week since we’ve gotten into our official full … Read more
The first season of the CCHA’s return to competition was nearly perfect. We’ll stress the word “nearly” there. Minnesota State came within a period of winning its first-ever national title, leading Denver 1-0 going into the third period of the NCAA championship game before ultimately losing 5-1. That, of course, wasn’t the way the Mavericks … Read more
Here’s a look at the Mavericks ahead of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four in Boston, where they play Minnesota in the semifinals.
LOVELAND REGIONAL When: Thursday, March 24 & Saturday, March 26 Where: Budweiser Events Center, Loveland, Colo. Matchups: Minnesota Duluth vs. Michigan Tech, March 24, 3 p.m., ESPNU; Denver vs. UMass Lowell, March 24, 9 p.m., ESPNU; championship, March 26, 4 p.m./6:30 p.m., ESPNU 1. DENVER How they got here: At-large bid Overall season record: 27-9-1 … Read more
ALBANY REGIONAL When: Thursday, March 24 & Saturday, March 26 Where: MVP Arena, Albany, N.Y. Matchups: Minnesota State vs. Harvard, March 24, noon, ESPNU; North Dakota vs. Notre Dame, March 24, 6 p.m., ESPNU, championship, March 26, 4 p.m./6:30 p.m., ESPNU 1. MINNESOTA STATE How they got here: Won CCHA tournament championship Overall season record: … Read more
When it is awarded to either Minnesota State or Bemidji State on Saturday night in Mankato, the Mason Cup will be at the end of its long journey back to its rightful place in the hands of the champions of the CCHA tournament. The CCHA’s championship trophy was one of the first things CCHA commissioner … Read more
Three times this season, Northern Michigan has knocked off the No. 1 team in the country. They’ll get a chance to do it for a fourth time on Saturday night when they take on No. 1 seeded Minnesota State, the nation’s top-ranked team. The fifth-seeded Wildcats defeated fourth-seeded Lake Superior State in a tough three-game … Read more
The Mason Cup is back. After a nine-year absence, the CCHA will award the championship trophy once again to the winner of its conference tournament, which begins with quarterfinal action this week. The trophy, named after famed Bowling Green, Lake Superior State and Michigan State coaching legend Ron Mason, was created in 2001. “We were … Read more