Paula C. Weston
“Now it’s the second season. It’s win or go home. You’ve got to play your best hockey.” That’s how Michigan State coach Adam Nightingale described the Spartans’ task this weekend against Ohio State in Big Ten semifinal action, and it sums up nicely what’s at stake in the coming weeks. Win or go home. Play … Read more
Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback. Paula: Oh, Dan, this is absolutely my favorite time of the hockey season – conference playoffs. When I first started covering college hockey decades ago, Bob Daniels told me that the … Read more
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature. 1. Ohio State knocks out Wisconsin In a stunning upset, last-place Ohio State took down Wisconsin on the road in a best-of-three Big Ten quarterfinal series, beating the Badgers 3-1 to advance to single-elimination semifinal play. It’s … Read more
After a hotly contested regular season, the first round of the Big Ten playoffs begins this week and it’s nearly impossible to predict who will advance to the semifinals. Guess what? That’s exactly how I started this column heading into the Big Ten quarterfinals a year ago. While it’s easy to reclaim that intro, the … Read more
This weekend, history will be made when Michigan State travels to Wisconsin to decide the regular-season Big Ten championship. If the Spartans win, the title will be their first since the Big Ten formed. If the Badgers prevail it will be their second B1G regular-season title, marking the first time that any team other than … Read more
Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback. Dan: Good morning and happy Tuesday, where temperatures are looking a lot like springtime in the great Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I had sunny skies and a 50-degree day on Monday, and … Read more
There are two weeks left before the Big Ten playoffs and there are only two teams contending for the regular-season title: Michigan State and Wisconsin. Last weekend, the Spartans were idle. Last weekend, the Badgers did themselves no favors. Second-place Wisconsin entered the weekend four points behind Michigan State with two games in hand. They … Read more
The Big Ten regular-season title is Michigan State’s to lose. What’s also true is that the Big Ten is Wisconsin’s to win. With three weeks remaining until conference playoffs, the Spartans remain at the top of the standings with 46 points after sweeping Michigan last weekend. The Badgers paced Michigan State with a sweep of … Read more
Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback. Dan: A good Tuesday to all of you out there, and an especially Happy Tuesday to those of us on the East Coast preparing for a battering ram nor’easter. We’re getting … Read more
A marathon with potential for a photo finish, run on a treadmill. That’s what this Big Ten season feels like. With a month to go before conference playoffs begin, the standings seem to be nearly standing still. Michigan State remains at the top, Ohio State at the bottom, and any movement in between seems nearly … Read more
“We need Badger hockey to be good. You do in college hockey, but more importantly, we need Gopher hockey to be better.” That sums up Bob Motzko’s mindset as Minnesota travels to Wisconsin to face the Badgers, a team that swept the Golden Gophers in Minnesota at the end of October. Sharing his take on … Read more
Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback. Paula: Jimmy, the only place to start this week is with Boston College’s sweep of Boston University. In beating the Terriers 4-1 at home in the Conte Forum and 4-3 in … Read more
With six weekends remaining in the Big Ten regular season, it would be foolish to say that the conference title is anyone’s to win. Michigan State tops the league standings with 34 points, Wisconsin is in second place with 30, and no one else is capable of catching the Spartans with a single-series sweep at … Read more
A year can make a big difference in college hockey. Some things change. Some things change a lot more. In the Big Ten, the perception that things have changed dramatically is both accurate and deceiving. A year ago this week – more or less – Minnesota was in the process of running away with the … Read more
Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback. Jim: Hello, Paula, and welcome back to TMQ as we are getting closer and closer to the end of this hockey season. It’s amazing to think that based on your program, … Read more
January begins the big push in Big Ten play, with midseason nonconference matches slowing giving way to nothing-but-B1G league series as students return to campuses by the third week of the month and classes resume. Last week, Wisconsin swept Notre Dame in South Bend to open the second half of the Big Ten season. This … Read more
There’s nothing like December hardware to kick off the second half of the college hockey season. With a pair of 3-0 wins, Wisconsin captured the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off in Milwaukee, extending the Badgers’ current win streak to seven games and bumping Wisconsin up one spot to No. 5 in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s … Read more
Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback. Paula: Happy New Year, Jimmy! Every year when we reach the midway point of the season, I’m always surprised both by how quickly the first half went and by how the … Read more
It’s midseason, and here’s what we know about the Big Ten. Overall, it’s pretty impressive – but that may not matter next March. The league is 36-14-4 against nonconference foes for the best (.704) winning percentage among all leagues in interconference play. More good news: the Big Ten is 4-2-3 against the NCHC (.681) and … Read more
“The one thing you worry about right now is that it’s intense for a lot of our athletes in the classroom.” That, said Wisconsin coach Mike Hastings, is one piece of the focus puzzle as the first half of the season comes to a close. “They’re getting toward finals,” said Hastings. “There’s a lot on … Read more