Theresa SpisakAided by strong efforts by their freshmen, the Colorado College Tigers beat the Northeastern University Huskies Friday night, 4-2, in the first contest between the two teams since January 1989. “It was a good win, it was a good win opening night,†said CC head coach Scott Owens. “I was very impressed with their speed, … Read more
What do we say about last year’s WCHA season to try to recap it? Do we talk about the ridiculous parity, and how it came down to the final night of play to determine the standings, only narrowly avoiding using a plethora of tiebreaking procedures that would be enough to make anyone cry? Do we … Read more
Except for the last few games of the season, last year seemingly panned out the way the last few have for North Dakota: struggle early, surge in the second half, end up in the top half in the league (maybe or maybe not winning the MacNaughton Cup). The difference is that each first-half struggle is … Read more
Although Alaska-Anchorage remained at the bottom of the league last year, it fought tooth and nail until the end to stay in the mix. Think of it this way: with the way the league ended up, points-wise, UAA was just six points out of fifth place and a home-ice berth, something the team has never … Read more
If there was any team last year that stuck to its preseason expectations last year, it was Michigan Tech. The Huskies were picked to finish in the bottom of the WCHA basement and finish there they did, mustering 11 league points and only two conference wins all season. The bright spots seen from their basement … Read more
Coming into last season, it seemed as if the Colorado College Tigers were on top of the WCHA. They were the defending MacNaughton Cup holders and lost two games at home all season. The Tigers were hosting the West Regional and they wanted to snatch hold of that No. 1 seed to ensure the best … Read more
Over the past few years, St. Cloud State has managed to put together some decent seasons, but nothing spectacular. Each year, there has been a different reason; last year’s was arguably inconsistency. The Huskies would go on either mini-winning streaks or mini-losing streaks with hardly any variation. Just as you’d think they were going to … Read more
Minnesota State has a tendency to be a very confusing club. Two years ago, the outlook for the team was bleak, yet it turned in an impressive performance, finishing fourth in the league and just outside the NCAA tournament bubble. Last year, the Mavericks returned much of the same squad and with that, had expectations … Read more
Coming into this season, coach George Gwozdecky is optimistic about his team’s chances, and with good reason. While several of his peers lost key components of their teams, Gwozdecky didn’t lose all that much, comparatively. His team is stocked and loaded with depth he hasn’t seen in years. “Our seniors will give us the luxury … Read more
After getting into an early 2-0 hole after the puck-control relay, the East squad went on an eight-point run en route to a 16-8 victory over the West during the Skills Challenge portion of Friday Night at the Frozen Four. “We got outcoached,” joked West team and Air Force coach Frank Serratore. “We didn’t gel … Read more
For a Bemidji State fan in the nation’s capital, the sights and sounds must have been awe-inspiring. Said to a fan wearing an Alaska Anchorage jersey and a North Dakota hat: “Hey WCHA! Root for the Beavers!” A sign near the Bemidji State student section: “SIOUX FOR BEAVERS” The George Mason pep band adopted Bemidji … Read more
It finally happened. The University of Denver finally lost a game at the Xcel Energy Center. More importantly, the winner of the play-in game, in this case the University of Minnesota Duluth, finally won the WCHA Final Five. Using the same formula of defensive success that carried them to the championship game, the Bulldogs shut … Read more
Going into Friday afternoon’s game between Denver and Wisconsin, you knew one of two things was going to happen: either the Badgers would lose their first playoff game to the Pioneers, or Denver would lose its first WCHA postseason game at the Xcel Energy Center. Unfortunately for the Badgers, the Pioneers defeated them for the … Read more
Here it is. We’re finally at the culmination of the WCHA season — the Final Five. I’ll try not to ramble on too long as I’m sure you all want to head on out to the Xcel Energy Center … or the bars. I don’t judge. On Brawling, Fighting and General Mischief — Year Two … Read more
Minnesota Duluth is moving on to the WCHA semifinals, in large part thanks to Alex Stalock. Theresa Spisak reports.
Air Force Punches Ticket to Rochester Olson Gets Hat Trick in Victory After Saturday night’s 5-1 loss to the Sacred Heart Pioneers, Air Force coach Frank Serratore told his players to rest up and get ready to play again the next day. Given the Falcons’ 8-1 win over the Pioneers, it was apparent his team … Read more
Aided by two power-play goals and an anemic Air Force power play, the Sacred Heart University Pioneers downed the Air Force Academy Fighting Falcons 4-1 Saturday night at Cadet Ice Arena. The win evened up the best-of-three series, forcing a game three for Sunday night. The win was also the first ever for the Pioneers … Read more
Though the lower seed in this series, the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs proved why they have the fourth best power play in the country, getting two power-play goals to beat the Colorado College Tigers, 4-1, in the first game of the best-of-three series Friday night at World Arena. The Tigers controlled play early, but … Read more
Phew. That could have been so much worse than it ended up. Only third place had to be determined by a tiebreaker, and an easy one at that. In trying to figure out the different situations on Saturday, I didn’t even consider the possibility of a tie in the Minnesota State/St. Cloud State game … … Read more
As we figured, it comes down to the final weekend of play to determine the standings. As we determined last week, a few things are certain, but there’s still a whole lot up in the air. I will say, though, that some part of me feels like all is right with the world again, seeing … Read more