Tyler BuckentineScoring depth was a question mark on St. Cloud State coach Bob Motzko’s mind at the beginning of the season; who would score for the Huskies when guys like Drew LeBlanc, Ben Hanowski and Nic Dowd were not? The answer: freshmen such as Kalle Kossila, Johnny Brodzinski and David Morley. Though SCSU’s three upperclassmen big … Read more
Minnesota State at Nebraska-Omaha Joe: Minnesota State is on a roll, but commenters have a very legitimate concern when they point out the six wins in a row are against bottom-tier teams. That means MSU is good (beating the teams they should) but not that good (only 1-5 against top-tier teams Denver, Minnesota and St. … Read more
Minnesota State at Nebraska-Omaha Joe: Minnesota State is on a roll, but commenters have a very legitimate concern when they point out the six wins in a row are against bottom-tier teams. That means MSU is good (beating the teams they should) but not that good (only 1-5 against top-tier teams Denver, Minnesota and St. … Read more
Alabama-Huntsville at Wisconsin Joe: The Badgers will get their first win in the Kohl Center though both games should be close. Sweep. Tyler: I think the only way Wisconsin loses a game this weekend is if its goaltending doesn’t replicate the great performances it’s had all season and if the offense continues to be a … Read more
Alabama-Huntsville at Wisconsin Joe: The Badgers will get their first win in the Kohl Center though both games should be close. Sweep. Tyler: I think the only way Wisconsin loses a game this weekend is if its goaltending doesn’t replicate the great performances it’s had all season and if the offense continues to be a … Read more
With its sixth win in a row and third league sweep in as many weeks, No. 20 Minnesota State, picked by most to be a bottom-three team in the WCHA, sits in a tie for third place in the league headed into the final weekend before the holiday break. Now, the purple Mavericks (9-5-2, 7-5 … Read more
Senior captain Andrew MacWilliam may not get the headlines of his better-known teammates like Danny Kristo or Rocco Grimaldi, but his contribution to North Dakota’s success is no less important. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound defenseman from Calgary, Alberta, brings a lot of grit and will to win that rubs off on his teammates, as you would … Read more
Michigan Tech at Northern Michigan Joe: Neither team comes into this single-game Tuesday night on a roll with the WCHA’s Huskies losing and tying Minnesota-Duluth over the weekend while the CCHA Wildcats were swept on the road by Western Michigan. Based on recent strength of schedule, I pick NMU to win at home. Tyler: Michigan … Read more
Michigan Tech at Northern Michigan Joe: Neither team comes into this single-game Tuesday night on a roll with the WCHA’s Huskies losing and tying Minnesota-Duluth over the weekend while the CCHA Wildcats were swept on the road by Western Michigan. Based on recent strength of schedule, I pick NMU to win at home. Tyler: Michigan … Read more
Few gave Wisconsin much chance to win this weekend at No. 5 Denver, and they had every reason to think the Pioneers would easily sweep this series after the Badgers lost twice at home to Minnesota State and slipped to 1-7-2 and winless at home. But good teams must put away struggling ones early or … Read more
Few gave Wisconsin much chance to win this weekend at No. 5 Denver, and they had every reason to think the Pioneers would easily sweep this series after the Badgers lost twice at home to Minnesota State and slipped to 1-7-2 and winless at home. But good teams must put away struggling ones early or … Read more
No. 13 Nebraska Omaha at No. 3 Minnesota Joe: Gophers freshman goalie Adam Wilcox, who leads the league’s top scoring defense (1.77 goals) gets a serious test when he faces the Mavs’ WCHA’s second-ranked offense (3.75 goals). Neither team has a clear advantage with Minnesota and Nebraska Omaha at Nos. 1 and 2 respectively in … Read more
No. 13 Nebraska Omaha at No. 3 Minnesota Joe: Gophers freshman goalie Adam Wilcox, who leads the league’s top scoring defense (1.77 goals) gets a serious test when he faces the Mavs’ WCHA’s second-ranked offense (3.75 goals). Neither team has a clear advantage with Minnesota and Nebraska Omaha at Nos. 1 and 2 respectively in … Read more
Minnesota and Nebraska-Omaha bring more combined overall wins into their series this weekend than any other WCHA series, yet neither team has seen a test this tough to this point. The Mavericks (8-3-1, 4-1-1 WCHA) have won six straight games with sweeps at Michigan Tech and at home against Minnesota-Duluth and Alabama-Huntsville. The Gophers (9-2-2, … Read more
Thirty-five days had passed since Minnesota-Duluth won a game. That changed Friday night when the Bulldogs hunkered down on and held the fifth-best scoring team in the nation, St. Cloud State, to one goal in a 2-1 win at AMSOIL Arena. “This is good for the guys to come out with a win,” UMD coach … Read more
No. 7 North Dakota (5-3-2) at No. 6 Notre Dame (8-3) Joe: UND goalie Clarke Saunders has shown he can steal a game even if the Irish barrage him with shots. Notre Dame’s CCHA-leading defense (1.64 goals) should slow down North Dakota’s balanced attack enough to garner one win. Split. Tyler: The Irish defense is … Read more
No. 7 North Dakota (5-3-2) at No. 6 Notre Dame (8-3) Joe: UND goalie Clarke Saunders has shown he can steal a game even if the Irish barrage him with shots. Notre Dame’s CCHA-leading defense (1.64 goals) should slow down North Dakota’s balanced attack enough to garner one win. Split. Tyler: The Irish defense is … Read more
Minnesota is 7-2-2 overall and in second place in the WCHA with just one loss since Oct. 19, yet there’s still plenty of work to be done according to junior defenseman Nate Schmidt. “I think we’re a work in progress right now,” Schmidt said. “We have some pieces in motion that could make us a … Read more
You wouldn’t think it by looking at the outcomes but Minnesota-Duluth and Wisconsin were not only competitive on the road but both had opportunities to escape with the majority of points. UMD had a one-goal lead six minutes into the third period. Until Mark MacMillan scored with 34 seconds left in overtime Saturday in Grand … Read more
You wouldn’t think it by looking at the outcomes but Minnesota-Duluth and Wisconsin were not only competitive on the road but both had opportunities to escape with the majority of points. UMD had a one-goal lead six minutes into the third period. Until Mark MacMillan scored with 34 seconds left in overtime Saturday in Grand … Read more