TMQ: Talking the craziness of the early-season USCHO.com polls, what teams are proving to be the real deal at start of ’21-22

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: Another week, another new No. 1 in the USCHO.com men’s ice hockey poll, with St. Cloud State gaining the top spot after Michigan split with Western Michigan. The Wolverines are … Read more

With vaccinations varying across the college hockey community, most schools, leagues helping make this a normal season while still in a COVID world

Even before the puck dropped on the opening weekend of the 2021-22 season, college hockey felt the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The season-opening series between Alaska and Minnesota scheduled for Oct. 2-3 in Minneapolis was postponed to mid-January because of COVID protocols that involved Tier 1 individuals associated with the Alaska program. Tier … Read more

With Michigan college hockey talent set to be taken early, Wolverines looking to make history at 2021 NHL Draft

How many Wolverines does it take to dominate the top 10 spots in an NHL Draft? Four. Perhaps. No joke. Everyone knows that college hockey will be represented well in this year’s draft. What remains to be seen, though, is whether the top overall pick will be from the University of Michigan and how many … Read more

Pickin’ the Big Ten Tournament: March 14-16

After a shortened season with heightened anxiety, we’ve finally arrived at the Big Ten tournament. First, here’s how Drew Claussen and I finished up with the regular-season picks. Last week Drew: 4-4-0 (.500) Paula: 8-0-0 (1.000) This season Drew: 63-35-4 (.637) Paula: 61-37-4 (.617) A truly stunning comeback by yours truly after a rocky start … Read more

This Week in Big Ten Hockey: With conference tournament looming, teams thankful for season as ‘this pandemic has affected everybody’

Are we there yet?

It’s a valid question, given how long this COVID-compressed season has felt, given how easily the season could have been derailed, given the intensity of competition that’s taken place in mostly empty arenas.

As each team in the Big Ten prepares for the three-day, single-elimination playoff championship tournament that begins March 14, a picture of a unified, almost defiant conference emerges along with snapshots of the unique, specific experiences that define each team in the league.

Pickin’ the Big Ten: Feb. 26-27

It’s the second-to-last week of the regular season. Can you believe it? Picks so far. Last week Drew: 4-1-1 (.750) Paula: 4-1-1 (.750) This season Drew: 55-30-3 (.6342) Paula: 49-36-3 (.574) This week It’s a post-points world, as we know now that there will be an unbalanced schedule in the Big Ten because of COVID-19. … Read more

This Week in Big Ten Hockey: ‘All of the coaches are in support of’ moving up start of postseason tournament to March 14

On Tuesday of this week, Todd Milewski wrote in the Wisconsin State Journal that the Big Ten will likely be moving up the start date of the playoff tournament to Sunday, March 14. That is something that Wisconsin coach Tony Granato let slip, apparently, before anything official had been announced by the league.

Pickin’ the Big Ten: Feb. 12-13

COVID continues to disrupt the Big Ten schedule, with Penn State the latest program to pause. The series between the Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions slated for this weekend has been postponed, and a scheduled series between Arizona State and Penn State scheduled for Feb. 20-21 has been cancelled outright. There is a month left … Read more