Tyler BuckentineMichigan Tech (9-8-1, 6-7-1 WCHA) at Northern Michigan (8-7-3, 5-6-3-2 CCHA) Tyler: Both teams are better in this year’s matchup than when the teams met last season. The Wildcats are in the PairWise Rankings top 16 (where teams typically need to be to make the regional tournaments). The Huskies are in a week-in, week-out fight to … Read more
No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth (11-3-2, 9-2-1 WCHA) at Wisconsin (7-8-1, 4-7-1 WCHA) Tyler: The Bulldogs can cash in on the power play, facing one of the nation’s worst penalty kills (73.5 percent) but the Badgers have played well in their own building this season with a 7-3 home record. Wisconsin is rested and desperate for a WCHA win; … Read more
No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth (11-3-2, 9-2-1 WCHA) at Wisconsin (7-8-1, 4-7-1 WCHA) Tyler: The Bulldogs can cash in on the power play, facing one of the nation’s worst penalty kills (73.5 percent) but the Badgers have played well in their own building this season with a 7-3 home record. Wisconsin is rested and desperate for a WCHA win; … Read more
After the kind of night Dan Bakala had Friday, one might’ve thought the Bemidji State goaltender’s confidence would’ve taken a blow right away Saturday against St. Cloud State. Just a little over three minutes into Saturday’s game, Bakala had had a save percentage of .600 after 10 shots for the weekend. SCSU’s first shot of … Read more
The only thing more explosive than the fireworks that followed each North Dakota goal Friday night at Ralph Engelstad Arena, was the scoring itself. The Fighting Sioux and No. 4 Colorado College combined for 13 goals in a 7-6 Sioux win. “We knew Colorado College is a tough team, so we had to come out … Read more
Princeton (2-6-1, 2-5-0 ECAC) at No. 10 Denver (5-3-3, 4-2-3 WCHA) Tyler: The Pioneers are unbeaten in five of their past six games but they need to start finishing games. The Pioneers lost third-period leads in two of those ties. Denver has scored only one goal in third periods in the six-game stretch dating back to Oct. … Read more
Princeton (2-6-1, 2-5-0 ECAC) at No. 10 Denver (5-3-3, 4-2-3 WCHA) Tyler: The Pioneers are unbeaten in five of their past six games but they need to start finishing games. The Pioneers lost third-period leads in two of those ties. Denver has scored only one goal in third periods in the six-game stretch dating back to Oct. … Read more
If Ben Hanowski wasn’t asked to step up and multiply his role for St. Cloud State in the past few weeks, it was probably implied anyway. Hanowski — the last SCSU captain standing after injuries shelved Drew LeBlanc and Mike Lee indefinitely — put the Huskies on the board and added a pair of assists … Read more
David Eddy didn’t have to play past the fifth minute of the third period to have one of St. Cloud State’s best offensive games of the season. Eddy scored two goals to spark SCSU’s highest scoring output of the season in a 7-2 win at the National Hockey Center. Ben Hanowski also had a pair … Read more
The NBC Sports Group announced Wednesday it will air 16 live college hockey games this season on NBC Sports Network this season. The Saturday, Dec. 31 game between Boston University and Notre Dame will debut the network’s college hockey coverage at 6 p.m. (CST) on Versus. Two days later on Jan. 2, 2012, Versus will … Read more
The NBC Sports Group announced Wednesday it will air 16 live college hockey games this season on NBC Sports Network this season. The Saturday, Dec. 31 game between Boston University and Notre Dame will debut the network’s college hockey coverage at 6 p.m. (CST) on Versus. Two days later on Jan. 2, 2012, Versus will … Read more
It was exactly what St. Cloud State needed: a quick start and a turnaround performance by a power play that struggled through the first four games. The Huskies scored four goals on five power play opportunities in an offense-friendly 7-5 win against nonconference opponent New Hampshire Friday at the National Hockey Center. “Special teams needed … Read more
No. 14 Minnesota (2-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) at No. 9 Minnesota-Duluth (1-1-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) Tyler: This one is a battle of youth and Minnesota’s freshman class is more talented. Six of the seven freshmen who played against Sacred Heart last weekend scored at least a point. Mind you, that was a bad Sacred Heart squad. Both … Read more
No. 14 Minnesota (2-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) at No. 9 Minnesota-Duluth (1-1-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) Tyler: This one is a battle of youth and Minnesota’s freshman class is more talented. Six of the seven freshmen who played against Sacred Heart last weekend scored at least a point. Mind you, that was a bad Sacred Heart squad. Both … Read more
Dave Hakstol said it best when he stated the morning before the season opener, that North Dakota “isn’t a top-2 team in the WCHA right now,” Hakstol said. “…right now.” The UND coach made that statement before the Sioux had to rally to beat Air Force, Friday, and before it fell hard to No. 5 Boston … Read more
Dave Hakstol said it best when he stated the morning before the season opener, that North Dakota “isn’t a top-2 team in the WCHA right now,” Hakstol said. “…right now.” The UND coach made that statement before the Sioux had to rally to beat Air Force, Friday, and before it fell hard to No. 5 Boston … Read more
Last season was a big step for Alaska-Anchorage, which made just its second appearance in the WCHA Final Five in program history. In order for UAA to make a return trip to St. Paul, Minn., and improve on last season by earning an NCAA tournament bid, the Seawolves will have to find other sources for … Read more
The identity of Nebraska-Omaha is high-flying action and heavy offense. The Mavericks lost a lot of players in the offseason who contributed to that style, but there’s plenty of youth ready to not only fill in, but expand upon their roles. “Up front, we lost three of our top six scorers but we have a … Read more
Bemidji State enjoyed all the excitement of its entrance into the WCHA and the inauguration of a brand new arena in 2010. But when the season started, the Beavers had to endure an extremely difficult schedule to open the season, and after a 0-4-1 start, it didn’t look promising. But thanks to a goalie like … Read more
The fan base in Grand Forks always holds expectations high for North Dakota. But no one sets the bar higher than the Fighting Sioux themselves. “We set our own expectations,” said UND coach Dave Hakstol. “We have the great opportunity to be part of a great atmosphere in North Dakota where everyone is excited about … Read more