Todd D. Milewski

The great split Finally, with just four weekends remaining in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular season, we are seeing some separation in the conference standings. The contenders have not exactly broken away from the pretenders yet, but we’re getting there. As it stands this week, there is a definite bottom three, a middle pack … Read more

The final countdown This shouldn’t be such a shock every year, but sometimes it seems like it. With five weeks remaining in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s regular season, every spot — from No. 1 to No. 10 — is up for grabs. Sure, some teams are locked into finishing in a certain area (Michigan … Read more

The big comeback? Is this in fact the great resurgence of the University of Minnesota? Maybe that’s a little too dramatic. But then again, it’s been a while since the Gophers have been golden at Engelstad Arena. Time and time again they would go into Grand Forks, come close to beating North Dakota but still … Read more

This hasn’t happened in a while This is a weird situation. Not many times in the last few years have we been forced to give credit to North Dakota for a great effort … in a losing cause. Most of the time, when the Sioux give that kind of performance, they win. But as hard … Read more

It’s the end of the world as we know it … or is it? Dean Blais isn’t mincing his words this week. Flat-out, undeniably, he knows exactly what this weekend means. "This," Blais said, "is the MacNaughton Cup." When presented with Blais’ remarks, Wisconsin coach Jeff Sauer was a bit more diplomatic about the situation. … Read more

When is a tie and a loss … better than a win and a loss? When historians look back at the 1999-2000 Denver Cup, they will see the hosts came away with a tie and a loss and finished ahead of a team with a win and a loss. As improbable as it seems, Denver … Read more

On this hallowed ground Milwaukee’s Bradley Center is just a building. Seats nearly 18,000 for hockey, pretty nice-looking from the outside, has received a facelift on the inside. But, oh, the memories. Like that one weekend back in 1997 when North Dakota breezed past Colorado College and held off Boston University to win the national … Read more

Breaking news Before we get to this week’s column, here’s an update on some news — some surprising, some not-so-surprising. St. Cloud State senior forward Matt Noga has decided to leave the team for personal reasons, according to the St. Cloud Times. Minnesota freshman forward Shawn Roed, who was on suspension because he was behind … Read more

Sleepless in Grand Forks? Dean Blais can usually sense a problem before it happens. Not that he’s one of those Tarot readers on the 1-900 lines. Rather, he seems to be able to sense problems in the dressing room before his North Dakota team takes the ice. When they’re not mentally prepared, he knows it. … Read more

Assessing the freshmen It may still be early in the season, but it’s a good time to look at the impact the Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s crop of freshmen has made on the teams. There may be little question as to whom the dominant rookie has been so far this season, but as a team, … Read more

Climbing the ladder When Wisconsin beat Michigan Tech at home, it could have been called expected. When it split with Minnesota-Duluth at home, it could have been called a setback. When the Badgers swept non-conference foe Northeastern, it was — interesting. But with a 5-1 record through six games, the question of the Badgers’ opponent … Read more

We don’t want to gloat, but… With all due respect to my colleagues from the East, for those of us who, in the past, have been accused of the so-called Western bias in college hockey, this weekend is going to remain in memory for quite a while. Minnesota knocks off No. 1 Boston College, despite … Read more

Sertich day-to-day And we all thought the health concerns at Minnesota-Duluth were for goaltender Brant Nicklin and forward Jeff Scissons. Those pale in comparison to what coach Mike Sertich has been going through. Sertich missed both games at Wisconsin last weekend with pneumonia. Sertich made the trip to Madison for the series but got very … Read more

Coaches trying to fit in Little things always make the biggest difference. For some, it’s a different practice time. For others, it’s a difference in scheduling. And then there’s getting used to the team on the ice. A coach coming into a new situation has a lot to learn. Quickly. And in the Western Collegiate … Read more

Denver’s Dream Home Opens You can tell the athletics department at the University of Denver has been looking forward to this weekend for quite some time. On the cover of last season’s hockey media guide, where the school most often showcases its premier player or group of players, Denver had a picture of construction workers … Read more

But then again, how many of you thought, "No way!" almost immediately thereafter? Somehow you knew North Dakota wasn’t going to go out like that. Still, it was interesting to see the Fighting Sioux taken to the limit by Mankato, and proves the Mavericks should be more-than-ready to enter the Western Collegiate Hockey Association next … Read more

This is just about the time of year when people in college hockey start wondering "What if?" What if we win our last four games and team X loses its last four games? What if we split our games and team Y wins three? It’s commonly called scoreboard-watching. Coaches hate talking about it because they … Read more