Paula C. WestonFrom the demeanor of the team and its coaching staff, you would never know that with a 4-2 win over Northern Michigan the Ferris State Bulldogs secured their first appearance in the CCHA title game and hit 30 wins for the first time in school history. “We feel pretty fortunate that we got a couple … Read more
It was, in the words of Northern Michigan head coach Walt Kyle, a wild one. The lead changed hands five times, but that fifth time proved to be the only one that mattered in the end, when No. 5 seed Northern Michigan edged No. 4 seed Michigan State 7-5 in the second Super Six quarterfinal … Read more
Notre Dame outworked and outshot Ohio State through two periods, but the Buckeyes found their feet in the third and got a goal from an improbable source to win the first CCHA quarterfinal game 3-2 and advance to Friday’s late semifinal against No. 2 seed Michigan. “It came down to two bounces, and we got … Read more
With the Super Six approaching, Paula C. Weston previews the CCHA’s best at the most critical time of year.
A game official’s job, it’s said, is to be invisible. But after two decades atop his craft, that’s impossible for referee Matt Shegos.
Goals from Chris Olsgard, R.J. Umberger, and Miguel Lafleche gave they Ohio State Buckeyes all they needed to become the first team in the CCHA to advance to the Super Six. But the 3-1 matinee win over Nebraska-Omaha meant more to this OSU team than just an appearance at ‘The Joe’ next weekend. “This was … Read more
Five minutes into this one, it was all Ohio State. “This was simply, I think, a case of men against boys,” said Nebraska-Omaha head coach Mike Kemp. “They were a dominant team tonight, really out-competed us in every aspect.” Scott May netted two goals, RJ Umberger had a goal and an assist, and Ryan Kesler … Read more
The Road to the Joe begins this weekend as the CCHA rolls out the first round of the playoffs. Paula C. Weston previews the action.
Once again there was a two-goal lead. Once again, the trailing team came back to knot it up. Once again, Michigan and Ohio State skated to a tie, this time with OSU coming from behind to knot it up 3-3 and earn the point necessary to secure third place in the final CCHA standings. In … Read more
With second place on the line and serious postseason implications, Michigan and Ohio State delivered an emotionally charged, end-to-end 4-4 tie in front of nearly 13,000 fans at Value City Arena. Eric Nystrom scored twice for the Wolverines, as did Rod Pelley for the Buckeyes, but the real hero — from Michigan’s perspective — was … Read more
The Buckeye State declares Ohio Hockey Week — and just in time for the OSU-Michigan series; Notre Dame faces off with Northern Michigan with home ice on the line; Alaska’s Division I teams battle for the Governor’s Cup; and Paula C. Weston, like March, comes in like a lion.
With two weeks left in the CCHA season, Paula C. Weston bemoans the possibility of a surprise-free finish — and offers up more lyrical trivia fun.
There were nine goals scored between the Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks and Ohio State Buckeyes, but in the end, only one really mattered. With 20 seconds left in regulation with the score tied 4-4, UAF forward Tom Herman found OSU netminder Mike Betz’s five-hole, giving the Nanooks a 5-4 victory and a two-game weekend road sweep over … Read more
With a will to score and a crash-the-net mentality, the Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks jumped out to a 2-0 lead over the Ohio State Buckeyes less than six minutes into the opening period, and — spurred on by Keith Bartusch’s rock-solid performance in net — held on to upset No. 11 OSU 4-1. The win ended OSU’s … Read more
Spreading the Love Around Last week was Valentine’s Day, and you know I can’t resist a holiday for a column gimmick. Well, I received more email addressing last week’s column than I had cumulatively for the entire season. Thank you, readers, for letting me know that I don’t exist in a vacuum here in Columbus, … Read more
Michigan gets motivated — and just in time to take on scalding-hot archrival Michigan State; CCHA schools go Cup Crazy (no, not Lord Stanley’s) this weekend; and Paula C. Weston salutes St. Valentine himself.
When Vince Bellissimo tied the game for Western Michigan with less than four minutes left in the third, it looked as though the Broncos and Buckeyes would see overtime for the second night in a row — until Miguel Lafleche responded just 14 seconds later to give Ohio State the go-ahead goal and eventual victory. … Read more
It was a game of singular interest. One post hit early in the first. One third-period shot, the go-ahead goal. One shot in overtime. Two points for Ohio State. RJ Umberger scored 31 seconds into overtime to salvage the game for the Buckeyes, giving OSU a 3-2 win over Western Michigan, keeping the Buckeyes in … Read more
Bowling Green shows improvement, even if the numbers don’t agree; UAF struggles in net; Western Michigan visits Ohio State in the Games of the Week; and Paula C. Weston offers up news and notes from around the CCHA.
Slump? Whatever You Do, Don’t Call It That After bolting out of the gate at the start of the season, going 12-3-1 through October and November, the Miami RedHawks were 1-3-0 in December and have been 2-5-1 in January. But it’s not a slump. Just don’t call it a slump. “We’ve been playing all right,” … Read more