Todd D. MilewskiAttention, those who doubt the power of North Dakota: The Denver Pioneers have a message for you. It would probably involve their game with the Sioux on Saturday. Things looked good for George Gwozdecky’s team early. They managed to stay with Dean Blais’ UND squad through 20 minutes, and even pulled two goals ahead early … Read more
Among all the competition, the struggles in positioning for the upcoming Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs, we finally get to take a little bit of an aside. The University of North Dakota’s Student Senate has proposed legislation that would change the school’s nickname from the "Fighting Sioux." Although the students do not have the power … Read more
It’s just one of those things that always seems to happen in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Last weekend, conference leader North Dakota — also the No. 1 team in the nation — squared off with Minnesota-Duluth, the last-place team in the league. Looks like a sure sweep for the Sioux, right? Maybe in some … Read more
It seems that every week I open with something about North Dakota edging ever closer to the MacNaughton. Dang it, I did it again. Well, let’s put the Sioux aside for a while and look at some teams that don’t really know where they’re going to finish. As it has been for a while now, … Read more
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association may not have as many ranked teams as other leagues, but there’s probably a good reason for that. Other than No. 1 North Dakota, everyone is defeating everyone else. Examples? Here: Ninth-place Minnesota-Duluth earns a split with Denver, and comes darn close to getting four points on the weekend. The … Read more
Does the winner of this weekend’s battle between first-place North Dakota and second-place Colorado College have the MacNaughton Cup in hand? Well, no. But if either team should happen to sweep the series, they will hold the upper hand over the other. And that is especially true for the Sioux. Already with two games in … Read more
Am I the only one to whom it has seemed like a few months since the last Western Collegiate Hockey Association action? Well, on Friday, it will have been 27 days since the teams last took the ice in conference action. While there haven’t been any changes in the conference standings since then, teams have … Read more
A story printed in the Denver Post this week tabbed Colorado College senior forward Brian Swanson as the leading candidate for the Hobey Baker Award. So what else is new? But Hobey doesn’t get awarded until April. It’s December. The temperature is -1 outside and it’s time for the unveiling of the first (and probably … Read more
With only two conference matchups remaining in the 1998 calendar year, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association still features the two top teams in the latest U.S. College Hockey Online Division I Poll. The Fighting Sioux of North Dakota claimed all 30 first-place votes after sweeping Denver on the road last weekend. Despite only splitting at … Read more
As the Western Collegiate Hockey Association schedule enters December, teams start to look at their positioning in the conference — and what they can do about it before the end of the year. With only a couple weeks of play before teams break the conference schedule for the holidays, the WCHA standings are shaking out … Read more
The good name of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association is on the line this weekend as Minnesota and Wisconsin square off with Big Ten rivals Michigan and Michigan State in the College Hockey Showcase. Make a note of this, ladies and gentlemen: For once, Minnesota and Wisconsin and Michigan and Michigan State will not be … Read more
Have the first few weeks of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association schedule just been a little bit of a tease? Some big matchups, but always pointing to this weekend in November when No. 1 North Dakota faces No. 3 Colorado College in a struggle for control of the conference? If so, it sure was worth … Read more
College hockey is at its best when it comes down to rivalries. And the Western Collegiate Hockey Association features two such matchups this weekend as the top-ranked team in the country, North Dakota, travels to Minneapolis to face the Gophers and No. 3 Colorado College plays a home-and-home series with Denver. What makes these rivalries … Read more
WCHA Preview: Nov. 6-7, 1998 by Todd D. Milewski In these days, where the 30-second campaign commercial is the difference between being elected and being left behind, brevity is the key. In honor of the recently-completed election season, this week’s preview will give you just enough information to make your decision. Oh, and with no … Read more
The true opening of the WCHA schedule is finally upon us, as all nine teams see action on the same nights, with a full complement of four conference series. It’s awful early to even look at the standings, considering three of the league’s teams have yet to take the ice in conference play. Denver, North … Read more
In most collegiate sports, teams get a couple non-conference games to get themselves acquainted with each other and get ready for the conference season. Just another reason why college hockey does not fall within the realm of "most collegiate sports." Eight of the nine WCHA teams see action this weekend, and for four of them … Read more
Top-ranked North Dakota was sluggish in its defeat of non-conference Mankato State, while streaking Colorado College failed to put away pesky Denver by more than two goals in either game. Only Wisconsin was a convincing winner, dominating Alaska-Anchorage on consecutive nights. So who’s going to skate out of Milwaukee’s Bradley Center with the Broadmoor Trophy? … Read more
All the playoff posturing, injuries, streaks and statistical battles are irrelevant now. Here’s the bottom line: win four games (five games for some), collect your ticket to the NCAA tournament’s Field of 12. Now that the dust has settled on a wild season in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, let’s take a quick look at … Read more
Except for you, my friends on the World Wide Web, who, instead of being treated to tuxedos and slinky dresses on the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, will be treated to 30-some bloody, battered, bruised dudes — and one guy in a suit — waiting to get their mitts on some USCHO hardware. I think the … Read more
"Figures often beguile me, Scott, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: ‘There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.’" To which I responded: "You’re talking about Duluth’s penalty-kill percentage, right? I’ll bet they’d be … Read more