Feature stories
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
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature. 1. No. 1 goes down … again Four the third consecutive week, the team atop the USCHO Division I poll suffered a loss. On Friday, Lake Superior State outlasted top-ranked Minnesota State 1-0. The Mavericks’ All-American goaltender … Read more
No. 6 North Dakota jumped to a 3-0 lead and held on for a 3-2 win over No. 11 Minnesota, a solid bounce back from a 5-1 loss for the Fighting Hawks to the Gophers on Friday (photo: Jim Rosvold)
An early goal by Lake Superior was all it took as the Lakers shutout the nation’s No. 1 team, Minnesota State, 1-0 (photo: Lake Superior athletics)
Chad Lopez finished last season tallying at least one point in five consecutive games, scoring six goals during that stretch, and that momentum has carried over into the 2021-22 campaign for the Wisconsin-Superior forward. He has five goals this season and a total of nine points as he continues to play a key role for … Read more
Gambling is a strange beast. Two weeks ago, we had a perfect 5-0 among our staff selections along with three who went 4-1. Last week, no one was better than 3-2 and, for the first time this season, a staffer was perfectly imperfect going 0-5. This week, the return of a significant number of non-league … Read more
Before the season started, outsiders weren’t quite sure what to make of Bowling Green. After all, the Falcons had lost 11 players to either graduation or the transfer portal. It would have understandably been hard to predict how losing so many key contributors would affect a program that has won 20-plus games for seven straight … Read more
When Quinnipiac takes the ices for its next game on Dec. 3, it will have been nearly a month and a half since the Bobcats lost a game. The Bobcats (10-1-3) will end November on a nine-game unbeaten streak after tying Clarkson Friday and rolling over St. Lawrence on Saturday. Quinnipiac’s only loss this season … Read more
A major upheaval is underway in college sports, with a large number of large schools changing conferences in pursuit of more television revenue. Hockey East commissioner Steve Metcalf doesn’t fret that his league will be affected by any aftershocks. “In Hockey East, we’ve been together a long time,” he said. “There’s a lot of familiarity … Read more
When Western Michigan’s players gathered Tuesday to continue a tradition created last year in which they bonded over a Thanksgiving-week team meal they cooked themselves, the Broncos knew they had plenty for which to be thankful. The Broncos had every reason to celebrate, not only for the holiday but also the team’s recent success. WMU … Read more
Niagara is not shying away from stiff competition. The Purple Eagles’ nonconference schedule is shaping up to be the most difficult in Atlantic Hockey: Two games at North Dakota Two games at Penn State Two games at Michigan Two games at Notre Dame American International’s non-league schedule comes close (Quinnipiac, UMass, Providence), but at least … Read more
For Minnesota fans, the next chapter of a popular rivalry is one thing to be thankful for this weekend. The No. 11 Gophers will travel to Ralph Engelstad Arena to play No. 6 North Dakota on Friday and Saturday. “This is probably one of the great rivalries in college hockey, North Dakota and Minnesota,” Gophers … Read more