Todd D. MilewskiThis season, the freshman class is making its mark on the WCHA — Todd D. Milewski asks around the league to try to learn why. Also: goaltending surprises at Colorado College and North Dakota, hockey fans get a lesson from Eastern Europe, and good news for CC assistant coach Norm Bazin.
Wisconsin (unbeaten in 10 straight) and Minnesota (just now turning it on) give the WCHA bragging rights at the College Hockey Showcase; Alaska-Anchorage head coach John Hill starts to recover from last season’s crash; and Todd D. Milewski looks into Santa’s bag of goodies for the league’s coaches.
Colorado College battles through tough times, including assistant coach Norm Bazin’s automobile accident; St. Cloud State runs into trouble out East; Minnesota gets its defensive sparkplug back; and WCHA’ers grace the NHL’s draft rankings. Todd D. Milewski reports.
Minnesota’s baffling slide continues; injury-riddled CC manages to lose players even during its off week; at Wisconsin, Adam Burish’s comeback is complete; and Denver’s Gabe Gauthier turns heads. Todd D. Milewski rounds up the WCHA.
You gotta have heart — and Minnesota’s players are questioning theirs just a bit after a 2-6 start; surprising St. Cloud State tests itself against North Dakota; the injury bug continues to bite Colorado College; and much more from Todd D. Milewski on an eventful week in the WCHA.
The battle for the Gold Pan kicks off between one-loss Denver and unbeaten Colorado College; North Dakota tries to bring last week’s offensive burst into its series against depleted Minnesota; and St. Cloud State head coach Craig Dahl refuses to get worked up about his team’s hot start — even though the Huskies take on Minnesota-Duluth for the WCHA lead this weekend. Todd D. Milewski reports.
After a stunning sweep, UMD head coach Scott Sandelin tries to avoid a letdown; Wisconsin takes aim at penalties; Denver rebuilds its goaltending tandem; and Minnesota looks for the fire inside. Todd D. Milewski covers the WCHA.
New-look Alaska-Anchorage gets some firepower from an unexpected source; it’s Husky vs. Husky as two surprising teams square off this weekend; Wisconsin shows Quinnipiac some respect; and Denver’s Kevin Ulanski, NCAA scoring leader? Todd D. Milewski rounds up the WCHA.
Minnesota rebounds after a tough loss, and now Alaska-Anchorage must do the same; Minnesota State and Wisconsin bring out the rookies; and Zach Parise might test his knee in action Friday night after all. Todd D. Milewski rounds up the WCHA.
A former Badger takes program officials to court; Minnesota-Duluth and North Dakota play old-tyme hockey; an NCAA rebuff on instant replay; and exhibitions, exhibitions, exhibitions. Todd D. Milewski opens the season in the WCHA.
The promising start North Dakota put together a year ago ended up amounting only to an appearance at the WCHA Final Five and an appearance in the NCAA tournament, not the victories in each of those competitions that seemed plausible. Things like that happen. Often, there’s a scapegoat — for the Sioux last season, it … Read more
The NCAA legislation on the table that could strip Colorado College and other Division III schools playing at the Division I level of the ability to award scholarships served as something of a wake-up call, a notice that life sometimes drops changes on unsuspecting parties. The lesson, then: Enjoy success while you have it. The … Read more
In the moments before each game, Don Lucia is “scared to death” wondering whether his team will win. But the Minnesota coach will counter claims that his team has to be feeling extraordinary pressure as the first two-time defending national champion in 31 years. “I think winning it doesn’t put any extra pressure on our … Read more
Did Mike Eaves and the rest of the Wisconsin coaching staff know what they were getting themselves into last season? No, Eaves said. “In so many different ways.” It may not have been a reflection of the coaching staff, but the Badgers proved they were in over their heads most nights, winding up with the … Read more
George Gwozdecky looked into the eyes of his players and saw shock and disbelief. Looking back six months later, he’s glad he did. The Denver players never suspected their 2002-03 season would end the way it did — with them falling short of their goals. So when the Pioneers were ousted from the first round … Read more
The refrain is familiar: How is Minnesota State going to deal with losing two big-name scorers? A year ago, it was Tim Jackman and Jerry Cunningham. The Mavericks got along just fine, thank you. Went 17 games without a loss. Tied for second in the WCHA. Made the school’s first trip to the NCAA Division … Read more
The risk a team runs after a successful season is the misguided notion that the next season’s success will be easy to come by. Offseason conditioning and preseason training usually are fueled more by bad memories than good ones. So Minnesota-Duluth coach Scott Sandelin, fresh off the Bulldogs’ first trip to the WCHA Final Five … Read more
Amid the ruin that was the 2002-03 season for Alaska-Anchorage, John Hill offered a bit of perspective. The second-year coach mentioned last year that he thinks the 2004-05 season is when the Seawolves finally will be able to pull it all together. It might have been hard to see that through the destruction of a … Read more
The cyclical nature of mid-major college hockey programs might be coming around to disrupt St. Cloud State’s standing as one of the recent fixtures in the NCAA tournament. Only Michigan and Maine have longer current streaks in the NCAA field, but the Huskies’ four-year run is in danger unless they can: Reverse the downward trend … Read more
Two-time defending national champion Minnesota might come from the WCHA, but winning the league title is a whole different matter, it seems. Todd D. Milewski previews the conference’s 52nd session.