Paula C. WestonFor Michigan, winning the CCHA playoff championship isn’t something new. For this Wolverines team, however, doing so after a seventh-place finish in the league — with a junior goaltender making his seventh career start — is something of a novelty. “It’s not where we are now,” said coach Red Berenson, “but how we got here.” … Read more
The teams in the CCHA’s third-place game had bigger hopes coming into the weekend.
They weren’t playing with desperation, said Red Berenson, but they were playing with urgency. With two goals from Kevin Lynch and a smothering defensive effort that limited the Miami offense to 22 shots, the Michigan Wolverines upset No. 2 Miami to play their way into the CCHA championship game — and their only chance to … Read more
The Name of the Game Quick, what’s the bigger surprise? Michigan sweeping Michigan State in Munn last weekend, or ABBA being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before Patsy Cline? Before KISS? Before Heart, for the love of all that’s holy? Let me make this clear: I am not anti-ABBA. In fact, … Read more
They played like they couldn’t lose. Even after they watched their early two-goal lead evaporate at the end of the first, the Wolverines were relentless in this 5-3 win over Michigan State, guaranteeing Michigan’s advancement to the CCHA championship tournament, UM’s only shot at sustaining an NCAA tournament appearance streak that now spans 19 years. … Read more
The Wolverines came into their biggest rival’s rink and made themselves right at home, scoring three statement-making, first period goals en route to a 5-1 win over Michigan State to take the first game of this best-of-three series. “We made some breaks and we put our chances in,” said Michigan head coach Red Berenson. “I … Read more
Round One In my idea of heaven, college hockey generates so much interest that local network affiliates not only run second-round conference playoff games in prime time, but slick teasers to promote the games. I see the four winning coaches from last week’s first round of the CCHA playoffs walking toward the camera side-by-side, the … Read more
The Photo Finish Going into the last weekend of regular-season CCHA play, we knew several things. Miami had taken the regular-season title. Neither Bowling Green nor Western Michigan could move much. There was a lot of real estate, however, that was yet to be claimed. With the regular-season wrapped up and the first round of … Read more
Seniors Jay Sprague and Nick Sucharski scored for the Spartans and classmate Bobby Jarosz finished the night in net as Michigan State beat Bowling Green, 5-2, ensuring a finish no lower than third place in the final CCHA standings for MSU. The Spartans went up 3-0 after the first and never slowed down. Falcon goaltenders … Read more
The End of the Regular Season? It’s hard for me to contemplate the end of the regular 2009-10 season, mostly because so much of what’s transpired in the CCHA since October. If last year’s Michigan State Spartans had shoulders made of glass, then this year’s Notre Dame Fighting Irish have heads of glass — or … Read more
Entering the weekend, the Ferris State Bulldogs and Michigan State Spartans were tied for second place in the CCHA standings. With Michigan State’s 3-2 win to split the home-and-home series, the teams are right back where they started, the result of little difference between the teams, according to each coach. “It wasn’t our best game … Read more
Inevitabilities Congratulations to the Miami RedHawks, the 2009-10 regular-season CCHA champions. As this season progressed, there was never a question about whether the RedHawks would earn this title. It was always a matter of when. Miami clinched its third title with a 3-2 road win over Bowling Green last Friday night. On Saturday, the RedHawks … Read more
Of Gays and Girls Last week, the college hockey world lost a friend and pioneer. His youth — 21 years — doesn’t diminish what he did with one brave act. Brendan Burke, son of Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke and student assistant for the Miami hockey program, died Friday, Feb. 5, in a … Read more
Thank You, Punxsutawney Fraud You’ve been had. We’ve all been had. For reasons clear only to The Weather Channel and the rest of the Media-Greeting Card-Big Pharma complex that controls these United States, Groundhog Day has gained alarming momentum in recent years, spawning a new niche plush toy industry and celebrations that include trademark-infringing Whac-A-Mole … Read more
Early in the third period with Michigan State leading Michigan 3-0, this game looked to be all over but the shouting. Then there was shouting. And shoving. A 10-man dance in the corner. Then two Wolverine power-play goals to make this just what fans expected it to be: emotional, entertaining, close. In the end, the … Read more
Kickin’ It Old School After a few columns of a more somber variety lately, I think that ending January with a more gazette-style offering is a good idea. It’s a chatty one. Grab your coffee. I Love the Buckeyes! That seems to be the subtext that some readers gleaned from last week’s column, when I … Read more
With the score tied and a minute to go in regulation, this one looked to be heading to overtime — but Ohio State’s Patrick Schafer had other plans. Taking the puck from teammate C.J. Severyn behind the Michigan State net and wrapping the puck around to the left post, Schafer forced a goal between the … Read more
Sometimes, one player is the difference-maker in a game. Tonight, it was Luke Glendening, who netted the only two goals scored in a contest where very little real estate was available, as Michigan downed Ferris State 2-0. Both of Glendening’s goals came in the second period, both even strength, both scored in similar fashion — … Read more
Fighting to Death Quick: What’s the roughest neighborhood in the CCHA? If you answered, “Bowling Green,” or, “Big Rapids,” you’d be right — at least as far as last weekend’s action is concerned. In Northern Michigan’s 6-0 win over BG last Friday, the teams combined for 99 penalty minutes, in large part because of a … Read more
It took four games, but the Spartans finally got the better of the Fighting Irish. With Andrew Rowe’s lone shootout goal, Michigan State took the extra point as Notre Dame and MSU skated to a 4-4 tie in their final regular-season meeting this year. For the Irish and the Spartans, tonight’s game was very nearly … Read more