Feature stories
I’ve said if before but can only say it again: gambling really can humble you. Last week, the collective record for all 10 writers on the USCHO staff was 20-30, with no one posting better than a 3-2 week. Had we as a group all head to the sportsbooks last Friday, we’d have made a … Read more
For the past few weeks, the top-ranked team in the country has lost at least once. There’s no telling if this is because there’s extra pressure on the team at the top, or if teams playing No. 1 are especially excited at the chance to earn a marquee win, but one thing is certain: Those … Read more
Yes, it’s a battle of longtime cross-town rivals. But a lot more than just a share of intra-city bragging rights will be on the line Friday when Boston College (7-5-2, 5-3-1 Hockey East) takes the short trip down Comm. Ave to Boston University (6-9-2, 5-5-2) for the first of three meetings between the two schools … Read more
While every Ivy League team entered this season with a lot of uncertainty, Yale likely had the most questions of any of the six teams who were resuming play after a year-long layoff. The Bulldogs entered the season with 24 players on their roster, yet only nine of those players had played in a college … Read more
NCHC commissioner Josh Fenton is always busy at this time of year, with the college hockey season nearing its halfway point. Now, though, he has even more on his plate as he transitions from leading a conference with one sport to another with 19. Fenton was announced Friday as the next commissioner of the Summit … Read more
Air Force coach Frank Serratore knows his team is a work in progress. He pointed out at the beginning of his season that the Falcons were one of, if not the youngest team in Division I, with 17 underclassmen on the roster and just one senior. And that’s in a year where most teams are … Read more
Michigan State had improved slightly each season since Danton Cole was hired as head coach in 2017. Until last year, that is. Like many other teams, the 2020-21 season was not kind to the Spartans. There just aren’t many ways to polish a 7-18-2 overall record into anything positive, but with one series remaining in … Read more
Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback. Dan: Well, Paula, we’re reaching the end of the first half of the season, and once again, the No. 1 team in the nation in this week’s national poll is a … Read more
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature. 1. Down goes No. 1 … yet again In what’s becoming a weekly tradition, the top-ranked team in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll lost yet again. This time, the victim was Minnesota Duluth, who was swept … Read more
AJ Vanderbeek notched a goal and an assist as Northern Michigan completed a two-game weekend sweep of No. 1 Minnesota Duluth, 5-2 (Photo: Northern Michigan Athletics)
There were plenty of opportunities to celebrate for No. 11 Minnesota as they scored three first-period goals and cruised to a 5-1 win at No. 3 Michigan (File photo: Jim Rosvold)
Where have all the underdogs gone? Last weekend, nonconference plays created a bunch of heavy underdogs (Maine was +290 and was in a one-goal game into the closing minutes) but not a single one hit. The only dog to win from last weekend’s column was Arizona State (+130) and that was nearly a pick ’em. … Read more
The first half of college hockey’s 2021-22 season brought about the return of familiar surroundings. Fans lost during a year of empty arenas once again filed through turnstiles and ticket booths in order to cheer their teams, and chants dating back decades rang through campuses across the United States. The pageantry of the sport, once … Read more
When the season started, Northern Michigan had something of a defensive crisis. The Wildcats barely had enough healthy bodies to field a full defensive unit. At one point, they had just four regular blueliners. Adding to that, the team’s No. 1 goalie, Rico DiMatteo, wasn’t 100 percent after recovering from surgery. “We played a series … Read more
A lot has gone right for the men’s hockey programs at Providence and Northeastern in the last month. No. 13 Providence (12-5-0, 6-3-0 Hockey East) has won six straight games and 16th-ranked Northeastern (11-4-1, 5-3-1) ran through the November portion of its schedule without a regulation loss. Something has to give this weekend as the … Read more
Offense has been hard to come by for Colgate for several seasons. While the Raiders usually had solid defense and goaltending, their struggle to score put them at a disadvantage. But it’s been a different story so far this year. Colgate enters its final weekend of the first half 25th in Division I in goals … Read more
“Through These Doors,” North Dakota’s in-house digital series chronicling life inside the university’s men’s hockey program, reached a major milestone Thursday when the show’s 200th episode premiered on YouTube. The show, aired weekly during the hockey season, is now in its 10th year. That’s six years on top of what David Folske, one of the … Read more
Thanksgiving marks the unofficial end of the “early” part of the college hockey season, and it’s at this point that we usually look at freshmen who have made a big impact for their teams and the league in general. But this year is unique, at least in terms of rookies. About a dozen players in … Read more
As preseason favorites Michigan and Minnesota meet for the first time this season, we were correct about at least one thing from the preseason. The two teams are in first and second place, Michigan leads Minnesota by a point, but both have also played two more contests than everyone except Wisconsin. “We know what kind … Read more
Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback. Ed: Last weekend was the renewal of one of college hockey’s most storied rivalries, Jim, and that’s Minnesota and North Dakota. Regular foes in the glory days of the WCHA, the … Read more