Archive of USCHO’s blog content
For the last six years, the Hobey Baker Award has been presented in a ceremony that was part of a larger Friday night event at the Frozen Four host arena. Next week, it’s heading to a smaller, off-site location, and some have asked why. My first thought was that you only had to point to … Read more
The Worldwide Leader in Sports – the self-proclaimed title given to ESPN – has done a lot to help grow the NCAA men’s ice hockey championship over the years. Now, though, it seems like “that network” is doing everything to hurt this tournament when interest in the event is at an all-time high. Back in … Read more
There won’t be any analysis or explanation with these picks. I just figured that if I don’t post something, tens of hockey fans will have one fewer thing to complain about on a Friday. Why would I want to deprive anyone of that pleasure? First, my numbers. They aren’t good. Last week: 1-3 Season to … Read more
Everyone knows hockey players love to watch hockey on television. So it may seem ironic that on a critically important night where outcomes of various other college hockey games – most of them televised – would affect Michigan State’s NCAA future, that many players chose not to watch any hockey. Michigan State was eliminated from … Read more
It took seven tries, but the crowd at Boardwalk Hall finally saw an interesting game. Last year’s games were decided fairly early- and Friday’s opening games lacked any drama, for the most part. But Saturday’s championship was a different story, as Union and Harvard stood scoreless entering the final frame. The Crimson’s top-ranked power play whiffed on … Read more
In no particular order: – After the closest finish on record, with so many teams within just a few points of first place in the final standings, it came down to the two teams that have dominated the postseason for the past six years, and the one team that has won five of those six … Read more
North Dakota boarded its team bus in Bemidji on Nov. 20, following a 1-0 loss to the Beavers, carrying the weight of a tie for 10th in the WCHA standings and the burden of a 4-7-1 overall record with it on its trip home to Grand Forks. Ahead of them lie a date with Colorado … Read more
Yes, Boston College won yet another Hockey East title (third straight!) and Boston University and Maine will be in the tournament. But it is Massachusetts-Lowell that really feels like it is ready for its second life. That leads the three things we learned this weekend. 1. A second life sometimes feels better than the first The … Read more
The 2012 CCHA championship tournament is in the books — and it was fantastic. Congratulations to the Western Michigan Broncos, the 2011-12 CCHA Mason Cup winners! Seriously, this field of teams was amazing and every game was entertaining in its own right. The first two periods of the title game between WMU and Michigan were … Read more
Cornell’s win this afternoon has eliminated Merrimack from NCAA tournament consideration. The Warriors needed Cornell, Harvard, and Air Force to all lose. They were a great story, rising to number one in the country back when they were the only undefeated team 10 games into the season, but it’s all over now. This duplicates what’s been … Read more
Well now, Friday wasn’t quite as competitive as we were expecting, was it? Union and Harvard each put a woodshed whuppin’ to Colgate and Cornell, respectively, and the result is the first Dutchmen-Crimson finale in league history. No. 1 Union vs. No. 3 Harvard The offenses were prolific, the goaltending solid and timely, and we … Read more
I should have gone with my gut and picked St. Norbert. I called both semis wrong, but Russell got Oswego right, so I am 5-3 and Russell is 6-2. Let’s see if I can catch him! St. Norbert vs. Oswego Candace: St. Norbert has been on a roll in the second half. There’s also that … Read more
Well, I correctly picked both semifinal games to raise my postseason record to 28-12 (.700). Just one more game, with me trying to stay over .700 for both the postseason and the regular season. It’s the marquee game that almost everyone has anticipated during the postseason. Minnesota vs. Wisconsin I’ve voted these two teams 1-2 … Read more
No. 9 Denver (24-12-4) vs. No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth (24-8-6) Tyler: UMD is going to reverse its fortune from last season’s early exit in the Final Five. Denver has let a lot of games go down to the wire lately against team’s they should put away and that’s not going to work today. UMD wins. Brian: … Read more
Late with the picks, so you know they’re gonna be good. Right? No. 1 Union vs. No. 4 Colgate Friday’s matinee – 4:30 start time – pits the Cleary Cup champs against the redemption-minded Raiders. The Dutchmen took both games from ‘Gate this year, though it is worth pointing out that those contests were within … Read more
It’s down to four teams. In last week’s picks, I went 3-1 (.750), missing only the BC-St. Lawrence game. I seem to have trouble picking BC games of late. For the postseason, I am now 26-12 (.684). Let’s see how I do on the last three games. I’ll pick the semis first, and will update … Read more
Championship weekend is upon us, so I’m going to make this short and sweet: Any of these teams can certainly win this weekend, but I like Niagara to win the whole thing. No. 3 Rochester Institute of Technology vs. No. 2 Niagara – The Tigers will have the home crowd advantage but I think Niagara … Read more
I maintained my one-game lead last week, which means Dave will need a minor miracle if he wants to win. Man, the driver’s seat feels nice. Jim last week: 7-4-0 Dave last week: 7-4-0 Jim’s record-to-date: 123-75-17 Dave’s record-to-date: 122-76-17 Hockey East Semifinals No. 7 Providence vs. No. 1 Boston College (Fri, 5 p.m., TD Garden) Jim’s … Read more
When I think about my second-round CCHA playoff picks, I hear Patsy Cline singing, “So Wrong,” over and over and over again. Obviously, you can’t take my picks to the bank. Last week: 5-6 Season to date: 131-88-25 (.588) If I’m above .500 after the first weekend in April, I’ll be happy. The bigger picture … Read more
Since I correctly called the Amherst game last weekend, Russell and I are now tied with postseason picks at 5-1 (.833). We are down to the final weekend. First up are the semifinals. Let’s see how we can do!! St. Norbert vs. Norwich Candace: St. Norbert is the defending champion, and tough to pick against, … Read more