Paula C. Weston

The Gophers kept Michigan from getting an NCAA tournament bid.

DETROIT — Michigan had one strategy in this game, a strategy that wore down archrival Michigan State and solved the Big Ten player of the year, Spartans goaltender Jake Hildebrand: shoot the puck, shoot the puck, shoot the puck. In their 4-1 win Friday, the Wolverines attempted 93 shots and registered 49 shots on Hildebrand, … Read more

With four goals from the line of Zach Hyman, Dylan Larkin and Justin Selman, Michigan beat Wisconsin 5-1 on Thursday to advance to Friday night’s Big Ten semifinal game against second seed Michigan State.

After last weekend’s regular-season photo finish, this weekend’s tournament should prove to be just as exciting. I love both first-round matches and the idea that anyone can win this year’s autobid. First, how Drew Claussen and I finished the regular season in picks. Last week Drew Claussen: 3-2-1 (.500) Paula Weston: 3-2-1 (.500) Season Drew: … Read more

Congratulations to the Golden Gophers on their second consecutive Big Ten regular-season title! The last weekend of regular-season Big Ten play was very exciting and each series revealed quite a bit about the teams involved heading into next week’s championship tournament in Joe Louis Arena. 1. Minnesota took care of business. The end. Heading into … Read more

On the scoreboard, the difference between Michigan State and Michigan tonight was a single goal, but the score of the Spartans’ 2-1 win over the Wolverines tells only a fraction of the story. It was the first win for Michigan State in Yost Ice Arena since Nov. 13, 2009. It was a win that secured … Read more

EAST LANSING, Mich. — With the Big Ten regular-season title for the taking this weekend and these teams a point apart at the top of the standings at the start of the night, Michigan and Michigan State delivered heart-stopping hockey, with the Wolverines prevailing 5-3 to leap ahead of the Spartans by two points in … Read more

The season comes down to this weekend of play. It shouldn’t surprise you that Drew Claussen and I are disagreeing about how it will end — and it won’t surprise you a bit come Sunday if he’s the one who had it right all along. First, our picks so far. Last week Drew Claussen: 3-3-0 … Read more

It’s the penultimate week of the regular season. Yes, I wait all year to be able to use that word. Last week Drew Claussen: 2-4-0 (.333) Paula Weston: 4-2-0 (.666) Season Drew: 71-61-10 (.535) Paula: 63-66-11 (.496) I can still hold out some hope for hitting .500 before the regular season ends. And poor Drew … Read more

Two of my observations this week come from a single post-game press conference. 1. Red Berenson thinks that this Michigan team has potential — as in postseason potential. The Michigan coach never said as much outright, but the way he talked about his squad after the Wolverines completed their sweep of the Badgers Saturday evening … Read more

With JT Compher’s hat trick, two goals from Justin Selman, and 26 saves from Steve Racine, Michigan beat Wisconsin, 5-2, to sweep the Badgers and gain sole possession of the first place in the Big Ten standings with just two weeks of regular-season play to go. “It’s been a work in progress,” said Michigan coach … Read more