Paula C. WestonMost everyone in the WCHA may know Ryan MacMurchy and Jack Skille, but if you’re a college hockey fan who lives east of Milwaukee, chances are that when you think “Badger hockey,” you think “Brian Elliott.” If you’re a diehard college hockey fan, you may even know the play of sophomore Joe Pavelski, junior Robbie … Read more
When the Wisconsin Badgers walked into their locker room for the first time at the start of the 2005-06 season, they were greeted with an assortment of hardware. There was the Pettit Cup from the 2002 Badger Hockey Showdown, representing the last time Wisconsin took its own home tournament, as well as a WCHA playoff … Read more
It was a question for the Fighting Sioux all year: Could a team with such a young defense survive the season? Everyone in Milwaukee knew the answer to that question by the 18:08 mark of the first period in the first semifinal between Boston College and North Dakota. It was at that point that the … Read more
Appearances Can Be Misleading North Dakota is a team of seeming paradoxes. With more freshmen than any other team in the Frozen Four, the Sioux are the only team making a return appearance to try for the national title. And while there are 13 rookies on the Sioux squad, North Dakota faces the youngest team … Read more
Paula C. Weston isn’t quite done with the CCHA, not after last weekend’s league championship.
Nebraska-Omaha’s first-ever NCAA tournament appearance owes much to the Mike Kemp, the only head coach UNO has ever had. Paula C. Weston reports.
Miami’s rise this season has been supported by youth, including the line of Jones-Davis-Musitelli. Paula C. Weston reports on the RedHawk sophs’ contributions.
In their CCHA-record 15th championship-game appearance, the No. 2 seed Michigan State Spartans captured their record 11th title with a 2-1 win over No. 1 seed Miami. The title was the first for head coach Rick Comley since taking the MSU reins in 2001-02 from Ron Mason, the current Michigan State athletic director for whom … Read more
Three unanswered markers in the second period gave the Miami RedHawks what they needed to overcome a two-goal deficit to beat the Northern Michigan Wildcats, 5-2, in the first CCHA semifinal Friday in Detroit. “I thought our guys played hard tonight,” said Miami head coach Enrico Blasi. “One of our goals is to play 60 … Read more
Bye, Bye Season When viewed in a certain light, the new format for the CCHA playoffs is a complete success. All four teams with first-round byes advanced, although each had to work to get to Joe Louis Arena this weekend. “We know these four teams worked very hard during the season to get that bye,” … Read more
In a conversation months and miles in the making, UAF sophomore Kyle Greentree tells Paula C. Weston all about Nanook hockey, Fairbanks, and goalie fashion.
Two and Out, and Two to Go Who knew that we’d all have last Sunday night off? Apparently, the Bulldogs, Broncos, Nanooks, and Mavericks knew. There were two official upsets in the first round of the CCHA playoffs, but only one of them was a genuine surprise. The Western Michigan Broncos beat the Lake Superior … Read more
Awards, Part 2 Last week, I dished out the virtual hardware for a list of categories all of my own making, honoring many a CCHA player who deserved his nanosecond in the spotlight. I received a bit of flack for my pick of Jack Johnson as Rookie of the Year. None of the criticism came … Read more
The Envelope, Please Given the mild January and February many CCHA fans have experienced, it’s hard to believe that winter is two-thirds over. It’s harder still to believe that this is the last weekend of regular-season CCHA play. The season was shortened by a week to accommodate the new playoff format, and I’ve yet to … Read more
After allowing two power-play goals to Ferris State, the battered Buckeyes found themselves in familiar territory, playing catch up midway through another CCHA contest. But Saturday, Ohio State found offense from one of the unlikeliest sources: its 58th-ranked power play. The Buckeyes scored twice with the man advantage in the second period and once more … Read more
With one point separating the Bulldogs and Buckeyes in the CCHA standings, Ferris State and Ohio State exchanged leads and momentum, but when the final buzzer sounded, little had been decided, and each team had to settle for a single point and a 3-3 tie. “Probably a tie was about the right way for the … Read more
Love Those RedHawks Congratulations to the 2006 CCHA regular-season champions, the Miami RedHawks! With a 6-3 home win over Ohio State Tuesday night — Valentine’s Day — Miami captured its first regular-season title since 1992-1993. Enrico Blasi, Miami’s sometimes stoic head coach with a very dry wit, said, “For the last 11 seconds, I actually … Read more
A Happy Medium Finally, after months-long confinement, the ankle bracelet came off and I was allowed to travel outside of the zip code to see hockey somewhere other than Value City Arena. Okay, so it wasn’t a court-imposed hiatus from travel, but it felt just as stifling. And the release it provided was enough to … Read more
It was a 4-3 Michigan State win over Ohio State, but the Spartans took the scenic route to victory. “We don’t always win pretty,” said MSU head coach Rick Comley. “We have to work really hard to win.” On goals by Justin Abdelkader and Tim Kennedy, the Spartans led 2-0 before the game was three … Read more
Well, This Was a Given Dunkirk Dave emerged from his hibernation and saw his shadow, forecasting six more weeks of hockey that will determine the four CCHA teams headed to Detroit. What, you want Punxsutawney Phil from a girl who went to Fredonia State? This week, the nation heard the State of the Union from … Read more