WCHA wants to see even more of its teams in the NCAA tournament in 2014-15
Minnesota State and Ferris State made the field of 16 last season, the first of the league’s new look.
Shane Frederick
Minnesota State needs a better start to meet high expectations
The Mavericks return almost every key player back from a team that won the WCHA playoff championship.
Familiar questions face Ferris State; will the Bulldogs again find the answers?
CJ Motte is one of the country’s best goaltenders, but the Bulldogs need some scorers to emerge.
Depth throughout lineup gives Bowling Green a chance to keep climbing ladder
The Falcons won 18 games and made it to the WCHA Final Five last season; now they want more.
Having fun again, Alaska-Anchorage looks to continue the teaching
The Seawolves won 18 games last season, a 14-win improvement in Matt Thomas’ first season as head coach.
Departed players’ presence tough to replace, but Alaska has talent to succeed
The Nanooks have preseason all-conference picks Tyler Morley and Colton Parayko to build around.
WCHA picks, Oct. 4-5
First things first: Welcome aboard Bemidji’s Jack Hittinger to our WCHA coverage this year, and we bid adieu to Matt Wellens, who did a great job last year and will be missed. I cannot confirm that Matt got out because he lost to me in the picks. We’ll see if Jack can overtake me. But … Read more
WCHA picks, Oct. 4-5
First things first: Welcome aboard Bemidji’s Jack Hittinger to our WCHA coverage this year, and we bid adieu to Matt Wellens, who did a great job last year and will be missed. I cannot confirm that Matt got out because he lost to me in the picks. We’ll see if Jack can overtake me. But … Read more
Minnesota State heads (north) east for NCAAs
Massachusetts-Lowell, Boston College and Johnny McInnis. Who will have the biggest fan base at the Northeast Regional in Worcester, Mass.? McInnis, Minnesota State’s captain and the only Boston-born player for the Mavericks, hopes his friends and family members are there cheering on his team from nearly 1,400 miles away. “We’re going to make it a … Read more
Minnesota State heads (north) east for NCAAs
Massachusetts-Lowell, Boston College and Johnny McInnis. Who will have the biggest fan base at the Northeast Regional in Worcester, Mass.? McInnis, Minnesota State’s captain and the only Boston-born player for the Mavericks, hopes his friends and family members are there cheering on his team from nearly 1,400 miles away. “We’re going to make it a … Read more
WCHA Final Five picks
The WCHA Final Five is upon us with an entirely different look compared to year’s past. In essence, it’s become almost a cross between the CCHA’s old Super 6/championship weekend at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit and the Final Five we all came to love and cherish at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, … Read more
WCHA Final Five picks
The WCHA Final Five is upon us with an entirely different look compared to year’s past. In essence, it’s become almost a cross between the CCHA’s old Super 6/championship weekend at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit and the Final Five we all came to love and cherish at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, … Read more
One last grind in the WCHA season for teams that survived quarterfinals
The WCHA Final Five shifts to Grand Rapids, Mich., after 15 years in the Twin Cities.
WCHA first-round playoff picks
It’s playoff time, and there are some intriguing matchups to kick off the WCHA tournament. The fact that the first round pits former CCHA teams against leftover WCHA teams (following the league’s breakup) adds to the interest. But the tournament is bigger than bragging rights. A trip to the Final Five is on the line, … Read more
WCHA first-round playoff picks
It’s playoff time, and there are some intriguing matchups to kick off the WCHA tournament. The fact that the first round pits former CCHA teams against leftover WCHA teams (following the league’s breakup) adds to the interest. But the tournament is bigger than bragging rights. A trip to the Final Five is on the line, … Read more
New WCHA meets old WCHA in league’s first-round series
The four series all match a team new to the league this season against one that’s been around for a while.
Three thoughts on the end of the regular season
WCHA awards We were disappointed to learn last week that the WCHA scrapped tradition and shut the media out of this year’s vote for league awards. All that research and number crunching down the tubes, right? Wrong! Matt and I put our lists together, shuffled some things around, played some rock-paper-scissors and finally came to … Read more
Three thoughts on the end of the regular season
WCHA awards We were disappointed to learn last week that the WCHA scrapped tradition and shut the media out of this year’s vote for league awards. All that research and number crunching down the tubes, right? Wrong! Matt and I put our lists together, shuffled some things around, played some rock-paper-scissors and finally came to … Read more
WCHA’s roller-coaster regular season comes down to the wire
It’s possible that little will be decided for the WCHA playoffs until Alaska and Alaska-Anchorage wrap up their series — and the league’s regular season schedule — this Saturday night.
Experience tells Ferris State that MacNaughton Cup isn’t the be-all, end-all
The Bulldogs won the CCHA regular season title in 2012, then crashed out of the conference postseason tournament.