Paula C. Weston
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. First-place Minnesota gets a first-round bye. The quarterfinal best-of-three series has No. 7 Wisconsin at No. 2 Michigan, No. 6 Penn State at No. 3 Ohio … Read more
Heading into the final weekend of regular-season Big Ten play, we know two things for sure about conference playoff seedings: Minnesota has the first-round bye and Wisconsin travels for that first week of playoff action. Where the Badgers are going, though, remains a mystery for a few days more. First things first. Congratulations to 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. Dan: Hey everyone, and Happy Tuesday! Well, Paula, we finally made it. The last week of the regular season (well, for some leagues). A season that started in October with hopes … Read more
In advance of Minnesota’s series in Wisconsin last weekend and two wins away from securing the Big Ten regular-season title, Golden Gophers coach Bob Motzko was asked about how his team had handled a break in the schedule the week before. “The best answer would be Saturday night late,” he said. “We’ll tell you.” The … Read more
With three weeks remaining in the regular season, everything in the Big Ten is a numbers game. Last weekend’s results created the kind of scenario that many sports fans love and coaches hate, the possibility that nothing concrete will be resolved until the last game of the season. Well, maybe not nothing. While results aren’t … 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. Ed: Before we jump into some of what’s happening on the ice, Paula, this season is marking sort of a change in eras for the D-I men’s hockey conferences as Bob … Read more
This is a story about Steven Holtz, a player you may not know who nearly lost his life to adenovirus in November. This is also about an interim head coach whose approach exemplifies a new – and welcome – way of defining what it means to be a college coach. It’s also the story of … Read more
Adam Augustine is a pragmatic man. A son of the great state of Wisconsin, the senior director of sports administration for the Big Ten is of course pleased with what he’s seeing from B1G hockey this season, but his Midwestern sensibilities add a dose of slow-your-roll when discussing any bigger picture. “While it’s nice that … 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: Ed, I hardly know where to begin this week after what feels like a dramatic weekend for the top 10 teams in the USCHO poll, resulting in St. Cloud climbing … Read more
How strange is this season of Big Ten hockey? If the season were to end today, five of the conference’s seven teams would play in the NCAA tournament. Minnesota would be the overall No. 1 seed and Penn State would likely be the top seed in its regional. How strange? Of the five Big Ten … Read more
With all eyes on the IIHF World Junior Championship tournament last week and the young Big Ten talent that was on display there, it’s easy to see why Minnesota is the top team in the conference and why Michigan looks very much like it will be in the NCAA tournament mix yet again. Both 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. Dan: Greetings to all of our readers, and a special Happy New Year to you all…and especially Happy New Year to my cohost for the week. It’s been a wild couple … Read more
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature. 1. Another No. 1 falls as Alaska beats Denver The Nanooks scored two power-play goals in the first half of the second period Friday – one by Jonny Sorenson, one by Brady Risk, both assisted by T.J. … Read more
As Jimmy Connelly and I lamented in the last TMQ of the first half of the season, once upon a time in the college hockey world, there were many significant and highly anticipated holiday tournaments. While the number of these tourneys has dwindled, the impact that any interleague play has on those who participate remains … Read more
With the first half of the season behind us, it’s a good time to reflect on how things have gone so far in the Big Ten. The B1G picture For the Big Ten, the first half was productive in several ways. With a record of 44-13-3, B1G Hockey has the best inter-conference win percentage (.758) … 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: Well, Jimmy, we’ve finished a very interesting first half of the season and a much-needed break for everyone involved. The schedule was light over the weekend, and no one plays … Read more
Sometimes when you’re down, every setback seems to add another rung to the ladder you’re climbing. In situations like these, even the littlest things get amplified. Sometimes when you’re down, though, something that looks small to outsiders really is bigger than it appears. It’s only diminished to others because you appear diminished to others. The … Read more
As the first half of the season begins to wind down, the Fighting Irish aren’t where they’d like to be. With a record of 7-7-2, Notre Dame is 15 points out of first place in the Big Ten standings and is lowish – for Notre Dame, anyway – in the very early PairWise Rankings. None … Read more
Raise your hand if you knew at the start of the season that Minnesota and Michigan State would be battling early for the top spot in Big Ten conference hockey. Come on, now. Don’t lie. This weekend, the “original six” of the Big Ten take the ice – everyone but Notre Dame – in three … 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. Ed: Last week, Paula, you and Jim ended this column highlighting teams that had turned standings upside down in their conferences. So I thought maybe it would be good to dive … Read more