Theresa SpisakAfter Friday night’s game between Colorado College and North Dakota, Sioux coach Dave Hakstol said his team could come back the next night and play a better game. Though Hakstol didn’t believe his team actually performed as well as he hoped they would, his Sioux managed to beat the Tigers anyway, 3-2, completing the Sioux’s … Read more
Much of Friday’s game between Colorado College and North Dakota played out like one would expect between two teams with identical league records, with both teams pressuring and both goaltenders playing outstanding. The game even went into overtime, but in the end, it was the Sioux who came out on top, 3-2. “We had a … Read more
I hate February. February is, in many ways, the Monday of months. The one good thing about February is that it’s a short month and thankfully, it has flown by this year. I took a look at the schedule and realized we only have two weekends left in the regular season and there’s only a … Read more
In a game featuring the first and last place teams in the WCHA, one would expect the first place team to win. In Friday night’s game, the first place University of Denver did win, beating Michigan Tech, 5-2. However, it was a harder-earned win for the Pioneers than one might initially think. “These guys really … Read more
From all outward appearances, it looks as though things are becoming clearer in terms of the league picture. However, one has to keep in mind that four teams were off last week, kind of screwing with the numbers. In any case, things have started to spread out as much as they’ve bunched up. The gap … Read more
Sometimes, it takes a while for teams to warm up and a game to get going. For the University of Denver, it took two periods, but 20 minutes was enough to beat the University of Minnesota, 3-1, Friday night at Magness Arena. The Pioneers had the first early chance about a minute in when they … Read more
Thanks to some late-season bye weeks and non-conference match-ups, we saw a bit of a shake-up in the league standings last weekend. The gap has grown significantly between first and last (21 points) and even between first and sixth (10 points). Still, things remain close in some ways. Minnesota-Duluth and St. Cloud State now share … Read more
Despite being the more dominating team for the majority of the game, the Air Force Academy Falcons fell, 2-1 in overtime, to the No. 2 University of Denver Saturday night. The Pioneers’ Kyle Ostrow broke the tie and won the game with 57.8 seconds remaining in overtime when his attempted centering pass on a two-on-one … Read more
In their first home game in a month, the No. 2 University of Denver looked happy to be back in familiar territory. The Pioneers dismantled non-conference opponent Mercyhurst College, 4-1, Friday night at Magness Arena. “We knew coming in that Denver was a great hockey team and they certainly didn’t disappoint us,” said Lakers’ coach … Read more
Like last week, the playoff picture is getting a little clearer. We’ve probably got our five teams that will get home ice, though the order is still anyone’s guess as we still have three points separating everyone. Which, of course, is a point better than last week, but still. Spots six through eight are the … Read more
It was a cat and mouse game; or, if you prefer, a Tiger and Husky game, as Colorado College and St. Cloud State played a back-and-forth game Friday night, with the Huskies coming out on top, 5-4. “There was some really good play out there tonight, and some really sloppy times and it seemed like … Read more
With just over a month left in the season, the gap between first place and fifth place is two points. You read that right. Two. League-leading Minnesota-Duluth has 25 points, followed by St. Cloud State and Denver with 24 and Wisconsin and Colorado College with 23. North Dakota isn’t quite out of the hunt for … Read more
The gap is expanding. 21 points separate first (Minnesota-Duluth, 25 points, by virtue of Denver’s bye week) and last (still Michigan Tech, still with four points). The gap is still close. Six points separate first from sixth place. Eighth place is six points down from that (for clarity’s sake, eighth-place Alaska-Anchorage is 10 points behind … Read more
In a game between two of the top teams in the WCHA, the sold-out crowd at the Colorado Springs World Arena certainly got their money’s worth. The fans in attendance were treated to a wild, back-and-forth game which the Colorado College Tigers won, 6-5, over the visiting University of Wisconsin Badgers. “I thought we came … Read more
The league race is getting clearer at the same time it’s getting even more muddled. The gap between first and last (Denver, 23 points and Michigan Tech, four points) is as large as ever. However, the race for home ice is as tight as ever. Behold: Denver, 23 points Minnesota-Duluth, 21 points St. Cloud State, … Read more
In retrospect, given the circumstances, a tie makes sense. With the No. 2 University of Denver Pioneers coming off the Denver Cup and the University of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves playing their first game in a month, the two teams combined for a 1-1 tie Friday night at Magness Arena. The teams exchanged goals in the first … Read more
Welcome back after the break to the second half of the WCHA season. We’ve got a mere two and a half months until we convene in St. Paul, Minn., for the Final Five with a lot of hockey left to be played. However, the league standings are starting to become marginally clearer. We now have … Read more
For a while, it appeared as if the University of Denver Pioneers were in store for another poor Saturday night effort in the final game of the Wells Fargo Denver Cup. Instead, the No. 2 Pioneers, buoyed by the leadership of tournament most valuable player Rhett Rakhshani and a four-goal third period, came from behind … Read more
In a preview of what will be a regular season WCHA match-up next season, the No. 2 University of Denver Pioneers shut out the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks, 7-0, in the first night of Wells Fargo Denver Cup action Friday night at Magness Arena. The Pioneers got on the board early and never looked back. … Read more
As we hit what is basically the midpoint of the season (at least in terms of this column), the league picture is starting to get a little clearer. The point spread between first and last is separating oh-so-slightly (14 now; first-place Denver has 18 points while last-place Michigan Tech has four) each and every week. … Read more