Todd D. MilewskiDon Lucia has trouble coming up with high points from a season in which his Minnesota Golden Gophers are 30-8-4, got a first-round bye in the NCAA tournament and have advanced to the Frozen Four. But that’s just fine to the Minnesota coach. He hasn’t found any low points, either. One of the things Lucia … Read more
Minnesota’s seniors have come a long way since a sub-.500 freshman season, as Todd D. Milewski notes.
Denver’s magical season came to a sudden end, but there were no second-guesses.
St. Cloud State went from a season of huge promise, to one of lingering questions.
The kings of the WCHA Final Five third-place game added to their resume Saturday afteroon. Its legs tired but its desire to claim a spot in the 12-team NCAA tournament field strong, Colorado College managed a 2-1 victory over St. Cloud State at the Xcel Energy Center. Tigers goaltender Jeff Sanger withstood a St. Cloud … Read more
So what if accomplishing objective No. 2 actually came before No. 1? The Denver Pioneers have both, a pair of trophies and a bit of history on their side in their quest for No. 3. The Pioneers got superb goaltending from WCHA Final Five MVP Wade Dubielewicz and a goal from each of the four … Read more
We’d call this the Wade Dubielewicz show, but that would be a bit of a misnomer. Yes, Dubielewicz was the star in Denver’s 3-0 victory over Colorado College in the semifinals of the WCHA Final Five on Friday afternoon. It was no show, however; just the same solid goaltending that’s come to be expected from … Read more
Minnesota and Denver are set for a showdown, for the WCHA tournament championship and NCAA implications as well.
Peter Sejna did it to Wisconsin for the second year in a row. This one, though, did more than put Colorado College into the semifinals of the WCHA Final Five, knocking the Badgers out in the process; it ended a legend’s career. Sejna scored 53 seconds into overtime Thursday night, giving the Tigers a 3-2 … Read more
Mark Hartigan admitted he was a little nervous when addressing the audience after receiving the WCHA’s player of the year award. At least now he knows how his opponents feel. SCSU’s Mark Hartigan earned WCHA POTY honors. Hartigan, a St. Cloud State junior who leads the nation in scoring, was named the league’s top player … Read more
The WCHA Final Five opens Thursday in St. Paul, with top seed Denver and streaking Minnesota leading the field. 2001 champion St. Cloud heads to the Xcel Center in need of a turnaround, and Colorado College looks to seal an NCAA bid. Finally, darkhorse Wisconsin will be gunning for a flourish to end Jeff Sauer’s WCHA career. Todd D. Milewski reports.
The WCHA turns to “playoff mode” this weekend, and coaches debate whether they want to see a different mind-set from their players. Also, previews of the five first-round series — and what was Todd D. Milewski thinking with some of his preseason picks?
Denver and St. Cloud don’t settle much; individual awards on the line in the last weekend; Alaska-Anchorage fires up, much to the detriment of Colorado College’s NCAA hopes; tiebreaking scenarios; and the “Woody” Wilson update. Todd D. Milewski warms up for the playoffs.
It’s number one against number two when Denver and St. Cloud square off this weekend. Todd D. Milewski suggests that — thanks to SCSU goalie Dean Weasler — the series could be about more than just a great offense vs. a great defense. Also: CC and the Pairwise; a fond farewell at Michigan Tech; and Don Lucia puts his faith in his senior netminder.
The WCHA has been at the top of the polls most of the season, but what about the rest of the league? Todd D. Milewski peeks at the PairWise Rankings. Also: home ice sorts out, the Curse of Fourth, and an Olympic idea gains favor with officials.
Cross George Gwozdecky off the list of candidates for the prime college hockey job openings this season. He’s staying at Denver, with an extension on his already lengthy contract. The school announced Tuesday that Gwozdecky, coach of the top-ranked Pioneers, signed a long-term contract with Denver. Gwozdecky “We have done everything in our power to … Read more
The WCHA heaves brickbats at Wisconsin and Alaska-Anchorage; Minnesota visits North Dakota in a battle of teams stuck in second gear; Duluth loses a top recruit for another year; and Todd D. Milewski offers answers — sort of — to common questions about the playoff hunt.
T.J. Caig, a Minnesota-Duluth freshman, has been ruled ineligible by the NCAA for this season because he played in a Canadian Tier I (major junior) exhibition game. Caig, who hasn’t played while awaiting word on his NCAA fate, must sit out a year, and will lose one year and one game of eligibility. He will … Read more
Does anyone want the MacNaughton Cup? Maybe not. It’s Denver’s to lose, but it has higher goals.
Minnesota-Duluth waits for help … and waits … and waits; Alaska-Anchorage again shows its last-second panache; Wisconsin hits a key stretch with a question about goaltending; and Todd D. Milewski lines up the Minnesota-Denver weekend series.