Paula C. WestonAwards, 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
One night after suffering a 1-0 shutout at the hands of Ohio State, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish returned the favor, blanking the Buckeyes 1-0 for Notre Dame’s fourth road win of the season. And just as Dave Caruso tied an Ohio State career shutout record Friday, Irish junior David Brown did the same, earning … Read more
Senior Dave Caruso tied his former teammate Mike Betz for the Ohio State season shutout record with five and team all-time shutout record with 11, as the Buckeyes beat visiting Notre Dame, 1-0. Junior Mathieu Beaudoin had the only goal at 14:24 of the second, on which Caruso earned the second assist. Caruso, who made … Read more
Dei Ex Machinis Here are two improbable tales. Scenario One You have shamed a woman and killed her father. She, her lover, and another woman whom you’ve shamed have vowed revenge. You’re walking through a city square and a statue of the man you’ve killed, a local official, warns you that his family will have … Read more
Like that Book by Dostoevsky Two days off since Dec. 28 and 60 student drafts later, and suddenly I find myself on the other side of a mid-January Thursday, installing XP updates to a borrowed computer, brewing tea, and missing Aaron Voros. Voros, as you may remember, was the fiery forward from Alaska-Fairbanks who compiled … Read more
When the Mavericks came back from a two-goal deficit to tie the Buckeyes 2-2, they had more than their hard work to thank. They owed more than a little to a broken piece of glass. “I think one of the major turning points of the game probably occurred – fortunately for us, bad break for … Read more
The Mavericks of Nebraska-Omaha rebounded from a disappointing one-point home weekend against Notre Dame with a 2-0 road victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes, breaking a three-game winless streak in the process. The blanking was the first of the season for UNO and the first ever for freshman goaltender Jerad Kaufmann. Tomas Klempa’s fluky goal … Read more
Good Vibrations This is my favorite quote of the season. “I’ll tell you what. It feels really darn good.” That was head coach Scott Paluch’s reaction, with a little prodding, after Bowling Green edged Ohio State, 3-2, last Friday night. Paluch, one of the nicest guys in college hockey, began his postgame summary with, “I … Read more
The Buckeyes snapped a three-game winless streak in a most improbable way, by delivering the No. 3 Miami RedHawks just their third CCHA loss of the season in the form of a 3-0 shutout. Ohio State’s sophomore class accounted for all three tallies, with John Dingle’s fourth goal of the season at 2:01 in the … Read more
When Derek Whitmore sent home a rebound of John Mazzei’s initial shot at 18:16 in the third period to make the score 3-2 in Bowling Green’s favor, he did more than give the Falcons their first lead of the night. With less than two minutes remaining in regulation, Whitmore’s goal all but assured BGSU head … Read more
Happy New Year! Welcome to 2006, dear CCHA fans, and the second half of the season, when things get more interesting on tangible levels and the first half of the season becomes infinitely more interesting in retrospect. It is the time of year when many of us become reflective and some of us bravely take … Read more
For the second year in a row, the Ohio State Buckeyes faced the No. 2 team in the nation in their own holiday tournament, the Ohio Hockey Classic, and found themselves on the “losing” end of it, having to watch as their opponent – this year, intrastate rival the Miami RedHawks – hoist the hardware … Read more
James Sixsmith scored for the Crusaders when this game was just a minute old and the Engineers never fully recovered as Holy Cross beat Rensselaer, 4-2, in the consolation game of the Ohio Hockey Classic in Nationwide Arena. Sixsmith also had the empty-net goal at 18:12 in the third, and Sixsmith and Dale Reinhardt — … Read more