Archive of USCHO’s blog content
Playoff hockey gets underway this weekend in the ECAC, as the fifth through twelfth place teams will meet across four best-of-three series set to begin on Friday night. It’s worth noting that no lower-seeded team has won a first-round playoff series since 2015, when ninth-seeded Rensselaer beat eighth-seeded Clarkson. I’m picking all of the higher-seeded … Read more
It’s playoff hockey time! I’m excited for the new format this year, from the best-of-three series to the campus sites to the single-elimination games that begin next week. Here’s how Drew Claussen and I did with picks during the regular season. Last week Drew: 6-2-0 (.750) Paula: 5-3-1 (.625) This season Drew: 92-51-14 (.631) Paula: … Read more
Amazing. After 22 weeks of the regular season, Dave and I have the exact same record. It’s almost impossible to believe. The postseason will be the deciding factor this year. May the best man win. Jim last week: 5-3-1 Jim to date: 131-81-26 Dave last week: 6-2-1 Dave to date: 131-81-26 Hockey East playoffs – … Read more
It’s here –- championship weekend! The final games of the season that will largely determine the field for the national tournament are upon us, and there are some intriguing stories in every matchup. In my last full weekend of picks, I rallied with a 7-3-0 (.700) record. The season total now stands at 90-47-12 (.644), … Read more
Another regular season in the WCHA meant another season where things were decided on the last weekend of the season! Here’s a quick look at the playoff pairings before I get to my three thoughts: No. 8 Alaska at No. 1 Minnesota State No. 7 Alabama Huntsville at No. 2 Northern Michigan No. 6 Ferris … Read more
After the final weekend of regular-season play, we know who’s playing where next weekend. I’d argue that’s about all we know. As the top team in the conference, Notre Dame gets a bye for the first-round, best-of-three playoffs. That leaves these series for the upcoming weekend: No. 7 Michigan State at No. 2 Ohio State … Read more
It took until the end of the final game on Saturday for the pairings in the Hockey East first round to align, but once they did, there was a commonailty in all three series: rivals. 1. Battle of the Merrimack Valley UMass Lowell beat Merrimack, 5-0, on Saturday to earn split of the weekend series. … Read more
Bethel at Concordia (Minn.) Wendy Roberts had Bethel up 1-0 after the first period, but Concordia responded by scoring three straight, including two in a row from Amanda Flemming. Bethel mounted a stunning comeback, scoring twice in the final seven minutes of the game on goals from Sarah Moy and Bri Stafne to tie it … Read more
The postseason is full of surprises. Just look at the MIAC playoffs. Augsburg and Gustavus, the third and four seeds in the tournament, will play for the MIAC championship next Saturday with a berth in the NCAA tournament on the line. The Auggies aren’t necessarily a huge surprise. At one point, they were 8-0 and … Read more
Yale at No. 2 Clarkson Junior Loren Gabel scored the fastest hat trick in Clarkson University Women’s Hockey history, notching six total points on three goals and three assists in the Golden Knight’s 10-1 win over Yale on Friday. Gabel also set new program records for goals in a season and points in a season. … Read more
Down to the wire The 2017-18 Atlantic Hockey regular season is in the books. It was the closest race in league history, and when the dust had settled, Mercyhurst claimed its second regular season title and first since 2014. Picked to finish eighth by the coaches at the start of the season, the Lakers were … Read more
There were surprises everywhere as No. 1 seeds like Oswego and Salve Regina did not advance to their conference championship games. Trinity, Utica, Norwich, and St. Anselm all moved on to host title games, while Plymouth State will need a win on Tuesday to advance and host. Some No. 2 seeds like Stevenson and Endicott … Read more
St. Cloud clinches second Penrose Cup With a tie and a win over No. 3 Denver this weekend on home ice, the No. 1 St. Cloud State Huskies clinched their second Penrose Cup as NCHC regular season champion. The Huskies first-round playoff match is also set, as St. Cloud will host the Miami RedHawks in … Read more
There was little intrigue entering the final weekend of the regular season in ECAC Hockey. Cornell, Union, Clarkson, and Harvard had all clinched a first-round bye entering the weekend. The Big Red secured their first regular season championship since 2005 with a win over Rensselaer on Friday. The only possibility for movement was in the … Read more
It’s amazing to think that a five-month journey ends tonight. Atlantic Hockey teams wrap up their regular season this evening, ending a long trail lined with blood, sweat and tears. The highest of highs are bookended, truly, by the lowest of lows, with everyone living and dying on every single shift of every single game. … Read more
It’s the last weekend of the regular season. There’s still a MacNaughton Cup championship to be decided, plus three playoff spots and four teams left to claim them. What’s going to happen? Let’s find out! Lake Superior State at Ferris State The Lakers have gotten themselves back into playoff contention thanks to a four-game win … Read more
I extended my lead on Matthew last week thanks to Denver and Duluth, as I went 6-1-1 (.813) while Matthew went 4-3-1 (.563). On the year, I am now 90-52-20 (.617), while Matthew is 86-56-20 (.592). Two weekends are left, so let’s see how it plays out! Friday-Saturday, Feb. 23-24 No. 12 North Dakota at … Read more
Last weekend was a good one for me, as I went 27-5 No. .843, while Nicole went 22-10 No. .687, so I improved my lead on her on the year to 335-121-59 No. .707, while Nicole is 327-129-59 No. .692. The playoffs start for three conferences this weekend, which makes picking series more complicated, so … Read more
The final weekend of regular-season Big Ten hockey is here! My writing partner Drew Claussen’s pick record and mine has nearly converged as the season has progressed, and I’m happy to say that we’re both on track to finish the season above .500. Last week Drew: 3-2-1 (.583) Paula: 3-2-1 (.583) This season Drew: 86-49-14 … Read more
Friday, Feb. 23 Augsburg at Hamline Hamline is having a historic season. They have the two top scorers in the country and can’t seem to do anything wrong. They’ve also got one of the best goalies behind them. Augsburg was unbeaten over the final seven games of the regular season. These teams are about as … Read more