Paula C. WestonIt’s easy to call any tied game “hard-fought,” but the 4-4 decision Saturday between Notre Dame and Ohio State looked more like hard scrabble, as neither team played well defensively, neither goaltender found much help in front of the net, and neither team sustained any kind of momentum. But each team managed some offense, and … Read more
With the CCHA’s move to a 12- (read: “all 12”) team postseason format, two more of the league’s member schools gain a second chance at success — and the conference gains some extra ticket sales. Also, Western Michigan confronts Michigan in the Game(s) of the Week after a disappointing start. Paula C. Weston reports.
In her opening CCHA column of the season, Paula C. Weston previews the loaded Maverick Stampede, salutes lightly-regarded Alaska-Fairbanks, and makes a plea re:September 11, 2001.
In the game which set a world record for hockey attendance, top-ranked Michigan State and No. 5 Michigan fittingly skated to a 3-3 tie Saturday evening at Spartan Stadium. Mike Cammalleri scored twice for Michigan, but Jim Slater scored six-on-five in the final minute for MSU to force the draw.
I Among ten stationary players,The only moving thingWas the eye of the Ryan Miller. You’ve heard the noise. Ryan Miller didn’t deserve the Hobey because of the defense in front of him. Michigan State doesn’t score enough goals. The Spartans play boring hockey. Blah, blah, blah. Sure, they’re ranked No. 1, but Michigan State — … Read more
VII O speculative fans of the CCHA,Why do you imagine a last-place finish?Do you not see how the NanooksPersevere among the playersIn the rink where you worship? The Nanooks were picked last by the media in the CCHA preseason poll — by everyone but me, that is. The third of the league’s teams that fielded … Read more
V I do not know which to prefer,The beauty of inflectionsOr the beauty of innuendoes,Jason Deskins scoringOr just after. The RedHawks finished the 2000-01 season with a second-half record of 10-6-0, and still managed a slice of second place in the regular-season final standings. After securing home ice in the first round of the playoffs, … Read more
XII The season is beginning.The Bulldogs must be barking. Ferris State finished eighth last season, taking three of four games from cluster-mate Alaska-Fairbanks late in the campaign, but struggling down the stretch with Notre Dame, Lake Superior, and Bowling Green. The Bulldogs ended their season with two first-round playoff losses in Yost Arena. I Know … Read more
VIII I know noble accentsAnd lucid, inescapable rhythms;And I know, too,That the falcon is involvedIn what I know. Ice hockey is a game of irresistible beauty, combining the athletic with the aesthetic, power with form, brown with orange. Ay, Ziggy Zoomba. As one of the CCHA’s two resident enigmas, the Bowling Green Falcons have yet … Read more
II. I was of three minds,Like a rinkIn which there are three Mavericks. Two consecutive trips to the CCHA championship tourney in their first two years of league membership — do you think anyone is underestimating these Mavericks now? While UNO graduated a large senior class that included the last of the “original Mavericks,” the … Read more
IV The blade and the puckAre one.The blade and the puck and R.J. UmbergerAre one. The Buckeyes finished the 2000-01 season with a gritty, three-game, first-round CCHA playoff series against Nebraska-Omaha, losing by the width of two pucks in the very hostile Omaha Civic Center. The memory of those losses — games many Buckeye players … Read more
Saturday’s record-shattering contest between Michigan and Michigan State has been long in the making. “The Outdoor Game,” nee “The Cold War,” opens the CCHA season in a unique way. Paula C. Weston previews the battle.
XI They rode from South BendIn their custom coach.Once, a fear pierced them,In that they mistookThe shadow of their equipageFor the foreshadowing of potential victory. Do the Notre Dame Fighting Irish fear success? How else can you explain a team that looks so darned good on paper never living up to its potential? This second … Read more
Some things change (the conference playoffs, for instance), while others remain the same — such as defending CCHA champion Michigan State, Paula C. Weston’s pick to top the conference again. But don’t count out ever-renewing Michigan, or no-longer-surprising upstart Nebraska-Omaha.
III Mike Cammalleri flew threw the autumn night.He was a large part of the pantomime. How do the Wolverines do it? Back in 1998, one year after graduating the fabled Michigan Nine, Michigan was a rookie-heavy team with an experienced goaltender, expected to have a respectable rebuilding season. Instead, Michigan won the NCAA championship in … Read more
VI Icicles filled the long windowWith barbaric glass.The shadow of the WildcatCrossed it, to and fro.The moodTraced in the shadowAn unpredictable cause. Rick Comley has commented in the past about his recruiting disadvantages. As the most remote team within the state of Michigan, Comley knows that he’s not likely to lure someone away from Michigan … Read more
IX When the Bronco skated into the box,He marked the edgeOf one of many circles. What to say about a team that flew out of the gate last season, only to stumble through January and limp through February and March? When 2001 began, the Broncos were 14-3-2, and seemed to be riding the hot sticks … Read more
X At the sight of LakersFlying across their home ice,Would the bawds of euphonyCry out sharply? Too esoteric for you? Try this: Who will fear the Lakers? The Scott Borek era is over, and so returns to Sault Ste. Marie the legendary Frank Anzalone, who will attempt to resurrect the Laker days of old. Here’s … Read more
The dismissal of senior-to-be Nick Ganga from the Ohio State program sent shockwaves through the CCHA, and touched off some heated rhetoric. OSU athletic director Andy Geiger has now spoken out in defense of his head coach, John Markell, who made the decision.
The Curse of 1949 ended Saturday with Krys Kolanos’ game-winning goal in the national championship game, giving Boston College its first NCAA title in over half a century. Chuck Kobasew was named tourney MOP, and Scott Clemmensen made 34 saves to backstop the Eagles’ title win.