Todd D. Milewski

First things first: • In the 25 WCHA first-round playoff series over the last five years, the home team has advanced 23 times. This may be a time of increasing parity in the league in the regular season, but that hasn’t carried over to the playoffs. • Even more stunning than both Minnesota-Duluth and Michigan … Read more

First things first: • Lo and behold, we finally picked a first-place finisher right. We — myself and the WCHA’s coaches — have been notoriously wrong about that subject when polled before the season but a preseason favorite finally came through with Minnesota’s first outright MacNaughton Cup championship since 1992. • Wisconsin was at “rock … Read more

First things first: • If it seems like WCHA teams have been having a harder time than usual defending home ice, it’s not your imagination. Through 122 league games this season, the home team is 55-55-12. Should make for some interesting first-round playoff series two weeks from now. • One second, we’re ready to pencil … Read more

First things first: • Many eyes will be on Minneapolis this weekend as Minnesota and Denver, the top two teams in the WCHA, square off for control with the number of remaining games dwindling. Our thoughts? Enjoy the show. • Brian Elliott will return to the goal for Wisconsin for one game this weekend. Is … Read more

First things first: • While Wisconsin is freezing its you-know-what off at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Denver and Minnesota will have the chance this weekend to do what seemed impossible a short time ago — knock the Badgers out of first place in the WCHA. • The roar of the crowd inside the DECC … Read more

First things first: • Now we’ve really got a race for the MacNaughton Cup. Suddenly, our preseason prediction of a Minnesota-Wisconsin-Denver finish doesn’t sound so improbable. • Phil Kessel said it was just a reaction — probably born out of a weekend full of booing by Wisconsin fans every time he touched the puck — … Read more

First things first: • It seems just about the right time for Colorado College to take a week off and clear its collective heads. There’s no telling how far its slump — presently at a four-game losing streak — could have gone otherwise. • That big lead Wisconsin had last week? Yeah, not so much … Read more

First things first: • Will 4:08 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006, be the time when Wisconsin’s hold on the top spot in the country started sliding away? That’s when goalie Brian Elliott was injured in practice. The junior had to be helped off the ice with a left leg injury and will be out … Read more

First things first: • Wisconsin’s Adam Burish likely will get a rude welcome this weekend in Colorado Springs, after his hit on Scott Thauwald at the end of the last series the Badgers played with Colorado College ended the Tigers forward’s season. But these two teams are too good and playing for too much for … Read more

First things first: • The embarrassment of finishing fourth in your own tournament fades fairly quickly. But for Denver, the problem is the losses to Princeton and Ferris State don’t disappear from their PairWise Rankings figures. The Pioneers finished the nonconference part of their schedule 3-5. • Michigan Tech really deserved better than a fourth-place … Read more

First things first: • Thank you, Michigan Tech, for reminding us why the games still have to be played. • North Dakota’s home losing streak has reached a program-high five games after last weekend’s sweep by Minnesota. With the way that Bemidji State has handled the WCHA this season, there’s no guarantee it’ll end Saturday. … Read more

First things first: • After Wisconsin’s road sweep of Minnesota last weekend, you start to wonder how long the Badgers’ unbeaten streak could go. It’s at 14 now, and they’ll be heavy favorites to make it 16 this weekend with Michigan Tech in town. • Ten players from the WCHA will play for the United … Read more

First things first: • It’s rivalry week in the WCHA, with Colorado College and Denver squaring off while Minnesota hosts Wisconsin. But there are also some pretty important series in terms of points for teams lower in the standings who are looking to make a jump before the holiday break. • In saying that, there’s … Read more

First things first: • Two years ago, Minnesota and Wisconsin completed an unprecedented road sweep of the College Hockey Showcase — unprecedented for the WCHA, that is. With the Gophers and the Badgers back in Michigan this weekend, the bar is raised. • When things go wrong for Michigan Tech, they really go wrong. But … Read more

First things first: • So which is worse, the bad press from Minnesota’s subpar start to the season or the bad press from the shocking — shocking! — reports of underage Gophers players being at a bar and some of them drinking alcohol? I’m guessing that being 3-3-2 doesn’t rank at the top of the … Read more