Chatter Is the sky falling? Can the center hold? For the first time in living memory — okay, so perhaps not that long, but you know what I mean — the top three spots in the USCHO.com/CSTV Division I Men’s Poll belong to the CCHA. Honestly, on the heels of the second Red Sox World … Read more
Another World The CCHA and Buckeye football are conspiring to ruin my life. The two-week on-site playoff system forces weeknight games, while Ohio State avoids playing on Saturdays when the pigskin boys are home, giving us Thursday night contests and Sunday afternoon games when the Buffalo Bills are actually on local television because they’re playing … Read more
It’s Alive! It’s Aliiiiiive! Collectively, they are The Thing that Wouldn’t Die. Tales of the Michigan Wolverines’ demise this season — or at least their descent to the realm of the mere mortals — seem a bit exaggerated. Picked in both the CCHA media and coaches preseason polls to finish fourth, the Wolverines are ranked … Read more
The CCHA announced that sophomore forward Kai Kantola of Bowling Green has been suspended for three games as the result of a checking-from-behind incident that occurred in a game at BGSU Ice Arena on October 23 against Notre Dame. The supplemental disciplinary action was taken by the CCHA after a review of the incident that … Read more
It’s in the Stars, Again An escaped prisoner is captured 28 years later. A woman receives her wedding photos 27 years after her big day, when the photographer surprises her at her place of work after cleaning house and finding the pics. An 80-year-old Japanese man receives a postcard sent 64 years earlier. The Red … Read more
We Are the Champions “It’s kind of the worst nightmare,” said Michigan State head coach Rick Comley after Saturday’s loss to North Dakota. “It’s what you fear after six months of people patting you on the back and then you come in here and play a team of that caliber.” It was not the way … Read more
There are two ways to define the 2007-08 Northern Michigan Wildcats: 1. Young. This is a roster that includes 17 sophomores and freshmen. 2. Really young. Not only will the Wildcats play as many as 15 underclassmen per game, but the average age of the NMU team is just over 20 years. Five of the … Read more
What can anyone say about the Miami RedHawks? Two things, for sure: 1. They’re loaded and experienced in every position. In 2006-07, Miami finished second in the CCHA with an offense that scored more than three per game, two of the most consistent goaltenders in the league, and name-brand players everywhere on the ice — … Read more
What can you say about a team that emerged from relative obscurity to capture both the regular and postseason 2006-07 CCHA championships? Two things: 1. How can Notre Dame survive without goaltender David Brown? Brown had the best goals-against average (1.58),second-best save percentage (.931) and top win percentage (.808) in the nation last year. 2. … Read more
What is the measure of a good program? The Mavericks have two answers to that question. 1. You produce coaches that other people want. Nebraska-Omaha said goodbye to assistant Doc DelCastillo, who is the new head coach for Alaska. Also, UNO welcomes back Nick Fohr, whom the Mavericks had already sent out into the world … Read more
If statistics can be trusted, two things are true of last year’s Alaska Nanooks: 1. The Nanooks didn’t shoot the puck enough. Alaska’s shot percentage was just .089 last season, the Nanooks were tied for eighth in goals per game in league play, and their power play was eighth in conversions. 2. The Nanooks didn’t … Read more
When you think of the 2006-07 Bowling Green Falcons, two things come to mind immediately: 1. Jonathan Matsumoto was a superstar. With 11 goals and 22 assists, the Falcons junior led the team in scoring. He also had six power-play goals. 2. In every possible way, BGSU was a last-place team. Last year’s Falcons were … Read more
There are two hard-fast rules when it comes to Michigan hockey: 1. Don’t get too comfortable with your favorite player. Andrew Cogliano and Jack Johnson are gone, fleeing for the greener pastures of professional hockey rather than sticking around to graduate. 2. Never underestimate Red Berenson. Even as Notre Dame ran away with the CCHA … Read more
In 2006-07, there were two words to describe the Ohio State Buckeyes: 1. Average. The Buckeyes finished seventh in the CCHA with a record of 12-12-4, were a hair below .500 overall, had team stats that ranged anywhere from third to eighth in conference play, and scored as many goals as they allowed overall (120). … Read more
What two things immediately come to mind when you think of the Ferris State Bulldogs? 1. They play a rather, um, tough brand of hockey. Ferris State was the third most-penalized team in CCHA play last season with 18.71 minutes per game, and the 13th most-penalized team in the NCAA. 2. The Bulldogs don’t really … Read more
If the 2006-07 Lake Superior State Lakers could be defined by just two things, they would be these: 1. Jeff Jakaitis. The senior goaltender finished the season with the 19th-best goals-against average in the NCAA (2.31), but the second-best save percentage (.931). 2. Injuries. The Lakers were so beaten up by the end of the … Read more
There are two things about the Western Michigan Broncos that don’t immediately come to mind, but should: 1. The Broncos are smart. The team’s grade-point average for last year was 3.30. 2. The Broncos had a good season. Western Michigan had 10 wins in the second half of the season, including splits with Miami and … Read more
While every team in the league taught us something during the 2006-07 season, Michigan State showed us two universal truths: 1. Rick Comley is psychic. “I think in our locker room, we believe in what’s there. We believe that we have the opportunity to be a good team, we believe that if we go through … Read more
The 2007-2008 CCHA: The Kids Are All Right Our fourth-place team can beat your anyplace team. So there. Phthhhhht! Thanks to the sweet, improbable postseason juggernaut that was the 2006-07 Michigan State Spartans, CCHA fans can now in all good conscience make that claim, loudly and often … at least for another 185 or so … Read more
For the second straight year, the coaches and media disagree over who should hold down the No. 1 position in the CCHA’s annual preseason polls. The conference’s 12 head coaches ranked Miami first while the media voted for defending NCAA champion Michigan State. Defending regular-season and playoff champion Notre Dame placed third in each category. … Read more