Paula C. WestonThe team that scored by committee all season did it again Sunday. Finding offense from unlikely sources, the Michigan Wolverines upended the Colorado College Tigers, 5-3, to secure the final spot for this year’s Frozen Four in Buffalo. CC’s lethal power play and extraordinary forwards gave the Tigers the edge heading into this quarterfinal game, … Read more
If Colorado College fans thought the Tigers had the easy draw at the Midwest Regional, they were misled. Yes, the Tigers beat Wayne State 4-2 to advance to Sunday’s quarterfinal game, where they’ll face the winner of the Michigan-Maine game, but CC had to work to get past a tenacious team from Detroit that had … Read more
Michigan head coach Red Berenson summed up his Wolverines’ 2-1 win over Maine with one phrase. “It [was] goalkeeping and special teams.” After 46 minutes of shutout hockey, Eric Nystrom put Michigan on the board 1-0 at 6:47 in the third. Colin Shields tied it up 10 minutes later. Al Montoya stops Ben Murphy (photo: … Read more
Going into the title game of the CCHA Super Six as underdogs may have been unfamiliar territory for the Michigan Wolverines, but the rest of the scenario was nothing but déjà vu for the defending Mason Cup champions. Senior Jed Ortmeyer netted two goals, fellow senior John Shouneyia had two helpers, Rookie of the Year … Read more
After two days of high-intensity hockey, the CCHA Super Six consolation game was an uninspired letdown. Interrupted repeatedly by minor penalties called against each team, Northern Michigan’s 4-1 win over Ohio State had all the intensity of an ether-filled room, but with half the excitement. In the end, though, it wasn’t the entertainment value that … Read more
Dwight Helminen’s natural hat trick spurred Michigan past Ohio State, 3-0, to advance to Saturday’s CCHA title game against Ferris State. Helminen scored twice in the second and added a shorthanded goal midway through the third for his first career hat trick. Al Montoya made 31 saves in his fourth career shutout. And that was, … Read more
From 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