Todd D. MilewskiFirst 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: • Emotions ran high after Wisconsin’s Adam Burish hit Colorado College’s Scott Thauwald at the horn at the end of last Saturday’s game. It’s too bad, too, because that incident overshadowed a series of skill and tenacity. • On paper, it seems like a different Minnesota State team out there the last … 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
USCHO.com is now providing the most comprehensive web log of women’s college hockey news across the country. Please send article suggestions here (bylined articles within past week only). *www.bugmenot.com can be a valuable resource for those wishing to avoid site registrations. Another weekend split at Ridder Arena By Zach Eisendrath, Minnesota Daily, 11/7/05 UW takes … Read more
USCHO.com is now providing the most comprehensive web log of women’s college hockey news across the country. Please send article suggestions here (bylined articles within past week only). *www.bugmenot.com can be a valuable resource for those wishing to avoid site registrations. Led by senior goalie Gaudiel, women’s hockey looks for sixth straight ECACHL playoff bid … Read more
First things first: • Yes, Colorado College is the deserving No. 1 team in this week’s USCHO.com/CSTV poll. And if they survive this home weekend against St. Cloud State, next week’s trip to Wisconsin should tell us a lot about the Tigers. • The WCHA announced an extension to its deal to play the Final … Read more
First things first: • Welcome to the ranks of college hockey goal-scorers, Phil Kessel. And how’s a penalty shot for a way to score your first collegiate goal? • After some starts and stops over the last few years, instant replay is scheduled to be active at all five arenas that are hosting WCHA series … Read more
First things first: • Weekends like the last one, when WCHA teams combined to go 5-10-1 in non-conference games, are just payback for the Frozen Four last season. • Minnesota’s stunning opening weekend against Alaska-Fairbanks drew memories of the 2003 opening weekend, when the then-No. 1 Gophers were flat in the Maverick Stampede, losing to … Read more
First things first: • After a nice run through Minnesota last weekend, where do you think the University of Alberta would finish in the WCHA standings? A one-goal loss to Minnesota and wins over Minnesota State and St. Cloud State probably puts Alberta in the middle of the pack, if you conveniently neglect the fact … Read more
USCHO.com is now providing the most comprehensive web log of women’s college hockey news across the country. Please send article suggestions here (bylined articles within past week only). *www.bugmenot.com can be a valuable resource for those wishing to avoid site registrations. Pre-Olympic Results Goyette scores 100th for Canada in romp over U.S. By Donna Spencer, … Read more
There’s no way to know for sure how Phil Kessel and the rest of the Minnesota freshman class will fare this season, but if they even come close to matching their potential, the Golden Gophers have a great thing going. And that’s not even mentioning the rest of the scoring punch, a well-stocked defense and … Read more
After a major step in the wrong direction sent 11 seniors out of the Minnesota-Duluth program on a disappointing note, this year’s group of seniors has a different sendoff in mind. A year after going to the Frozen Four, the Bulldogs stumbled to a sixth-place WCHA finish and a 15-17-6 overall record that was a … Read more
Mike Eaves’ fourth Wisconsin team is getting its share of attention because of what it didn’t lose rather than what it did. The Badgers return 98 percent of their scoring from last season and are primed to make their name as a scoring team rather than a defensive one if they can get their offensive … Read more
There are any number of ways to measure progress, but the most readily accessible is wins and losses. In coach Jamie Russell’s first season at Michigan Tech, 2003-04, the Huskies were 8-25-5 overall and 6-19-3 in the WCHA. Last season, Tech was 8-25-4 and 7-19-2 in the league — virtually unchanged. That lack of a … Read more
One could make a case that Minnesota State didn’t have many things going in its favor in an eighth-place campaign a year ago. It did have David Backes and Travis Morin, and one of the best things going into this season is they’re both back to help the Mavericks in their drive to get back … Read more
Numbers can be powerful, but not all-telling. Colorado College returns 91 percent of its goal-scoring from a year ago, most of it in the forms of Hobey Baker Award winner Marty Sertich and award finalist Brett Sterling. It has 21 players returning from the team that tied Denver for the WCHA regular-season championship and made … Read more
Over a span of just five short seasons, St. Cloud State went from its highest highs to its lowest lows. From the viewpoint of the Huskies’ ninth-place WCHA finish of a year ago, memories of the 31-win season of 2001 are awfully fuzzy. That’s about the same view Bob Motzko has about his first team … Read more
Four years ago, Dave Shyiak and John Hill were the finalists for the open head coaching position at Alaska-Anchorage. Hill got the job then, with his tight connections to the city and the school — his alma mater — the big reasons why. The Hill era was tumultuous, with off-ice issues and a one-win season … Read more