Jack Hittinger
During this season’s CCHA preseason conference call, Minnesota State coach Mike Hastings was asked about the fact that his team is set to play six consecutive games against top-ranked teams to start the new season. Hastings joked that he wanted to throw former assistant coach Darren Blue under the bus but couldn’t because he also … Read more
For the casual fan watching on a Friday or Saturday, chances are high that the inaugural season of the new CCHA won’t look much different than the final season of the WCHA. Seven of the eight teams were together in the WCHA, so the matchups, coaches and arenas are largely the same. And the league’s … Read more
This is the third of four team previews for the teams that have reached the Frozen Four this week in Pittsburgh. MINNESOTA STATE Season record: 22-4-1 How they got to Pittsburgh: Beat Quinnipiac 4-3 in overtime in the West Regional semifinal, beat Minnesota 4-0 in West Regional final Top players: junior forward Julian Napravnik (10-17-27), … Read more
Bowling Green’s change in fortunes came at the most opportune time.
The WCHA schedule has done nobody any favors this season.
Or maybe, the better way to put it: The COVID-19 pandemic has done the WCHA schedule absolutely no favors this season.
A couple of Tuesday afternoon games on tap here, so we’ve not much time to waste here. To the picks! Lake Superior State at Michigan Tech Jack: The Lakers just Swept Bowling Green. I’d say they keep that momentum going in what should e a a game. Lakers win 4-2 Daver: The Lakers come in with … Read more
Minnesota State made a big statement last weekend against Bowling Green. In the first (and only) regular-season series between the consensus two top teams in the conference, the Mavericks swept the Falcons in fairly convincing fashion. They won 4-1 and 5-0, showing off their depth and their defensive prowess in the process.
We almost got this pick in under the wire, but there’s some Tuesday afternoon hockey happening as we speak in Big Rapids. Here’s what we think: Michigan Tech at Ferris State Jack: The Huskies are on their way back to Houghton from Huntsville and just happen to make a stop in Big Rapids today. I think … Read more
Despite how strange their schedule has been this season, you won’t catch anyone from Bemidji State complaining about their scheduling woes.
College hockey didn’t start back up again until November, and even then, Alabama Huntsville was on the road for its first six games.
So last Friday and Saturday’s games were a cathartic experience for the Chargers: a sweep of Ferris State in their first home games in almost 11 months.
Robert Morris at Bowling Green Jack: We here in the Midwest are still getting used to single midweek games, but this matchup should be good. Bowling Green is looking for the season sweep of RMU. I think they get it. Falcons win 4-2 Daver: Boy Bowling Green has been off to a great start to … Read more
It would be hard to call any team’s experiences this college hockey season “normal.” But if one were to look at Bowling Green’s schedule in a typical year, it would perhaps be the one more than any other in the country that wouldn’t look too out of place. The Falcons, unlike virtually every other team … Read more
We’re still well short of having a full slate of games this weekend, but at least we’re playing! My picks have been awful this season, but I’m using COVID as an excuse. Let’s see what this week brings. Daver this season: 10-2-2 Jack this season: 5-7-2 Ferris State at/vs Bowling Green Daver: The Falcons had … Read more
Even without a global pandemic, the 2020-21 WCHA season was already destined to be a weird one. Seven of the league’s ten members had already announced way back in June of 2019 that they would be leaving the conference to reform the CCHA after the conclusion of this year. It was already going to be … Read more
Unsurprisingly for someone who has coached for 30-plus years at three very different types of programs, Don Lucia has a lot of connections in the college hockey world. Those connections were on display Wednesday when the newly-(re)formed CCHA named Lucia as its first commissioner in advance of its debut season in 2021-22 (photo: Jim Rosvold).
For Bowling Green, the 2019-20 college hockey season ended, not with a goal or a buzzer but, of all places, a mall parking lot (photo: BGSU Athletics).
The WCHA playoffs are finally here, and we’ve actually got a bunch of very good matchups this weekend. The top two seeds, Minnesota State and Bemidji State, both appear to have easier draws than the other two teams with home ice, which is to be expected, but there’s always the chance for an upset in … Read more
Not much separated Alaska and Bowling Green in the regular season. In fact, on paper, these two teams seem almost identical. They finished the regular season with an identical points total (49). They even had the same amount of league wins (14) (photo: Paul McCarthy/Alaska Athletics).
It’s the final weeknend of the regular season and there’s a ton on the oline. Most notably, the MacNaughton Cup will be lifted by either Bemidji State or Minnesota State, who play one another at the Sanford Center. But (nearly) every other WCHA team is also playing for something this weekend. It should be a … Read more
The final series of the regular season is almost always important for every team, but credit the WCHA schedule-makers for unintentionally adding to that drama nearly every season (photo: BSU Photo Services).