Archive of USCHO’s blog content
Action heating up All of the teams have returned to the ice in 2013, with the exception of New Hampshire; the Wildcats make their first appearance on Tuesday at Union. The rest of the clubs provided much to discuss, particularly near the top of the rankings, so that’s where we’ll start this week. How the … Read more
Sixteen is sweet; but results sour for QU The Bobcats are still streaking, reeling off games number 15 and 16 without a loss this weekend. That said, their dominance is still in question in some circles: Friday’s 1-1 home result against RPI (1-6-3 in ECAC play) and Saturday’s 3-2 squeaker versus Union were hardly scores … Read more
Remember those Hockey East standings that a few weeks back made it seem like there was a one, maybe two/three horse race, for the Hockey East title. Yeah, that’s all changed. That leads my three things I learned this week: 1. The Hockey East accordion: let’s squeeze it together The results this past weekend were … Read more
Wisconsin’s confidence, home playoff chances continue to grow The league’s No. 2 team defense is finally getting support from the offense with players like John Ramage (eight career goals entering weekend) stepping up with OT goals both nights in the program’s first road sweep at Minnesota State. Wisconsin, now tied for sixth with Minnesota-Duluth after … Read more
In an interesting weekend of conference competition in the CCHA, everyone played except for Bowling Green. Here’s what we learned. 1. It was tough to score, even for the top teams in the league. On Friday night, six of the 10 teams playing were held to one goal or fewer; in Saturday’s action, four teams … Read more
Three things from Atlantic Hockey play this weekend: Points for (almost) everybody Every AHA team played a two game series this weekend, and ten of the 12 teams came away with points. There were three splits (Mercyhurst-Holy Cross, Robert Morris-Connecticut and Rochester Institute of Technology-Bentley), one three-point series (Air Force with a win and tie … Read more
By now, everyone knows that Boston College coach Jerry York set the record for all-time winningest coach with his 925th victory against Alabama-Huntsville on December 29. But what if the Eagles had lost that night? (Yes, I know that BC is 13-3-2 and the Chargers are 3-17-1 so the premise seems far-fetched, but work with … Read more
Last Week: 11-4-1 On the Season: 80-40-20 (.643) This Week’s Picks: Friday, Jan. 11 and Saturday, Jan. 12 Holy Cross at Mercyhurst – This should be an entertaining series between evenly matched squads. The teams are tied for third place but the Lakers have a game in hand. I’m picking a split. Mercyhurst wins Friday; … Read more
Talk about rock bottom. Tuesday: 0-2 (.000) Season to date: 73-51-21 (.576) Oy. This week There are five conference series this weekend. Bowling Green is idle. All series are Friday-Saturday and everything is Eastern Standard Time. Alaska at Michigan. The Nanooks have been off for a month and the Wolverines probably wish they’d been. Alaska’s … Read more
Conference action is back this weekend! And I could not be happier for my pick percentage. Last week, I had an abysmal 1-2-0 (.333) record with nonconference picks. That brings my season record to 34-24-2 (.566). All eight teams are back in conference action this weekend. Lawrence will host Adrian in a weekend series. Concordia … Read more
The SUNYAC weekend slate features another full offering of nonconference games, a handful of which ( Plattsburgh’s tilts against Middlebury and Williams) could have some interesting implications in the national polls. The rest could produce some interesting hockey, which, after all, is why we flock to the rinks. (Last week’s picks: 1-2) Friday, Jan. 11 … Read more
The first picks for 2013 look very promising, as a 6-2-1 (.722) record opened the new calendar year to improve to a 22-10-6 (.658) overall record. The percentage is moving closer to the desired 70 percent success rate, but I am not there yet, so let’s see if I can be accurate two weeks in … Read more
After dominating nonconference opponents last week, NCHA teams return to conference action this weekend. The conference’s hottest team has been Wisconsin-Stevens Point, which has won six of its last seven games. Can the Pointers continue their momentum at St. Scholastica? Definitely. The Saints are 1-7 in the NCHA and 1-5 at home. The Pointers meanwhile, … Read more
Went 4-0 last week, and am 29-5-4 overall (.795) so far this season. Taking on six nonconference contests this weekend, as all ECAC West teams will be in action for the first time in 2013. Friday, Jan. 11 Utica at Cortland The No. 8 Pioneers (11-2-0 overall), winners of six straight, should continue on their … Read more
It’s time for the stretch run of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. This is the time of the year where teams begin to either build momentum for the playoffs or slip away and shift their attention toward next year. There is one nonconference game on the schedule though, as Wisconsin-Eau-Claire will battle St. Olaf on … Read more
It was a great week to open the year, as I notched a 7-1-1 (.833) record. The season still looks very strong at 31-10-5 (.728) but I will need to back up last week with another strong showing if I am to keep my winning percentage over the 70 percent threshold. There are just a … Read more
Johnson and Wales coach Erik Noack is big on team chemistry, and bonding, and formulating one happy ship, moving forward. He was a part of that during his playing days at RIT after all, and it’s what he’s building in Rhode Island with the Wildcats. One way you get to that point is through road … Read more
Thanks to guessing both Northeastern games right, I retook the lead from Arlan in our race for the yearly six pack. Last week, I went 10-3 (.769) to improve to 126-49-19 (.698), while Arl an went 8-5 (.615) to fall to 125-50-19 (.693). We’ve got some very interesting PairWise games this weekend, so let’s pick … Read more
I categorically deny that two weeks ago I allowed Jim to pick up three games on me in a shamelessly sadistic move, knowing full well that I’d gain four this past week. I would never, ever do that to my good buddy. Heh, heh, heh. I will say, however, that I’m enjoying my seven game lead. … Read more
No. 13 Nebraska-Omaha at No. 9 Denver Joe: Two teams with potent offenses and solid defensive corps that also chip in offensively. The difference will be in goal where Denver has the edge with Juho Olkinuora. Pioneers win and tie. Tyler: Olkinuora is the key in this series. In his last 20 games going back … Read more