Matthew Semisch
The longer a hockey season goes on, the less that coaches of teams in the bottom halves of their leagues look for perfection on game day. If something’s working, pretty or not, let it work. Such was the case Saturday for Colorado College in its shootout win at No. 16 Omaha, following a 2-2 tie … Read more
Hockey players keep their heads on a swivel while out on the ice, and not just before their own benefit. On Jan. 30, Omaha junior forward Matt Miller wasn’t just looking out for his own safety, but for that of around 50 five- and six-year-olds. Since last summer, Miller has been involved with hockey training … Read more
Last Friday’s Gold Pan rivalry game between Denver and Colorado College at Ball Arena, home of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, didn’t mark the first time that Denver had played there. But there was a huge difference between the in-state rivals’ latest meeting and DU’s last game downtown, back in 2012. On Oct. 7 of that … Read more
When describing on Tuesday the elevator pitch for how he likes his St. Cloud State team to play, coach Brett Larson pointed to a pair of wins from last weekend that helped the Huskies become the new No. 1 human-polled team in the country. A home sweep of third-ranked Denver saw SCSU jump three spaces … Read more
It’s usually before Christmas, not after, when you hear about missing front teeth. Don’t tell Colorado College freshman goaltender Kaidan Mbereko about that, though, or Tigers coach and former Union and professional goalie Kris Mayotte. They’ve now both lost teeth during games, after getting hit in just the right spots on their masks. Mbereko and … Read more
It’s been a mixed bag of a season so far for Omaha, but entering the second half, coach Mike Gabinet is taking a glass-half-full approach. Half the NCHC had last week off, including Omaha (9-9-2), and that might’ve been a good thing for the Mavs following a tough home series Dec. 30-31 against nonconference foe … Read more
The Great Lakes Invitational, a Michigan college hockey institution since 1965, had always been associated before this season with Detroit. Whether the tournament was held at Olympia Stadium, Joe Louis Arena, Comerica Park or Little Caesars Arena, the Motor City was perennially the four participating teams’ destination. However, when Michigan Tech announced that this year’s … Read more
On multiple occasions, Miami hockey sports information director Tim Cary has tweeted about wanting to appear on “Wheel of Fortune,” thinking he could win serious money there. Promise made, promise delivered, and doesn’t the long-running show’s host know it. After Cary won $25,420 in cash and prizes during an episode taped in November and aired … Read more
As much as we focus during the holidays on the giving and receiving of gifts, it’s important to make room for gratitude, too. I’ve been reminded of that lately in my personal life. On Oct. 22, I broke the top of my arm in three places in an accident on my day job, and my … Read more
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature. 1. Bemidji takes two on road in Mankato Bemidji State last week earned its first sweep over in-state rival Minnesota State since 2006, taking both games of a CCHA series on No. 16 MSU’s home ice. Mankato … Read more
It’s hard to argue with the case made in this week’s Tuesday Morning Quarterback column that this college hockey season is reminding us to expect the unexpected. That has been particularly true with several NCHC teams, including North Dakota. As three-time defending regular-season league champions, the Fighting Hawks (7-8-4 overall, 3-5-2 NCHC) sit outside the … Read more
It’s less and less surprising these days when college coaches peek through the NCAA transfer portal. There isn’t necessarily anything wrong with just looking, either, as second-year Colorado College coach Kris Mayotte can attest. But he refrained in the last offseason from signing anyone through those means, and that’s helping a Tigers team (6-9-1 overall, … Read more
Their teams don’t compete at the same level of college hockey, but with regards to scheduling games, there’s a lot to the shaded area of the Venn diagram for Alaska Anchorage coach Matt Shasby and UNLV’s Anthony Vignieri-Greener. Shasby, an Anchorage native and former UAA player, was introduced in Oct. 2021 as the Seawolves’ seventh … Read more
One reason unranked Omaha pulled off last weekend’s biggest upset victory, on Friday at top-ranked Denver, is a junior Mavericks forward who’s now on a four-game goal streak. Matt Miller posted a point in eight of his first 11 games this season, and the United States National Team Development Program product scored twice in UNO’s … Read more
Former North Dakota goaltender and 2011 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Ed Belfour got a chance last week to strap on the pads and don the colors of one of his old teams. And not for the first time. In 2017, Belfour participated in a “One Last Shift” pregame ceremony with the Chicago Blackhawks, the … Read more
Since Ralph Engelstad Arena opened in 2001, no North Dakota home series has ever been rescheduled due to weather. Late last week, there was a threat of that changing. Denver was originally scheduled to fly into Fargo, N.D., on Thursday afternoon, then take an 80-mile bus ride up to Grand Forks. Most of the state … Read more
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature. 1. Penn State beats No. 1 for second consecutive week Eighth-ranked Penn State loves a challenge. A week after the Nittany Lions took a win and overtime loss at home against then-No. 1 Michigan, Penn State knocked … Read more
Three years and a bit into his collegiate career, there’s little about the way Western Michigan forward Jason Polin operates that surprises the Broncos’ coach. Pat Ferschweiler has been in Kalamazoo that whole time, starting in 2019 when he became Western’s associate head coach. Polin was fresh off a 35-goal campaign in his last of … Read more
Many things come to mind when North Dakota fans think about their hockey team’s unique selling points. There are the eight national championships, but more recently, the Fighting Hawks have also become known for their destination games. The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game, exempt from teams’ 34-game regular-season limit, is a tradition that has … Read more
As he recalls it, on the day he learned current St. Cloud State forward Grant Cruikshank entered the transfer portal ahead of his fifth season of eligibility, Huskies coach Brett Larson met Cruikshank for lunch. Larson had been close to securing Cruikshank’s commitment before, but SCSU came up second to Minnesota after Cruikshank finished a … Read more