Michigan State’s Chad Alban became just the fourth netminder in collegiate history to tally a goal Saturday night, scoring into an empty net in the Spartans’ 6-3 win over Ferris State. On the play, Alban collected the puck in the corner to the right of Michigan State’s goal and fired a 180-foot shot which bounded … Read more
Goalies There are several rookie goaltenders who have made a difference for their respective teams. The most notable of these is Jeff Maund, Ohio State’s rookie who never–not for one second– played like one. Maund has considerable talent, considerable points–and considerable stats. He’s 14-6-0 in over 1,200 minutes of play; he’s 12-6-0 in league play. … Read more
Michigan State head coach Ron Mason, already the winningest coach in the history of the sport, earned the 800th victory of his career Friday night as the Spartans defeated archrival Michigan, 5-1. Hundreds of enthusiastic fans stormed the ice to honor Mason after the game. “I’ve never had that happen,” Mason said of the fans’ … Read more
Dear Miss Hockey Manners, When spearing, is it more appropriate to use the butt end of the stick, or can I apply the blade? Signed, Player Perfectionist Dear Gentle and Otherwise Reader, Ah! This is not the letter of a mere goon, but rather that of a true artiste! Your stick is your brush, your … Read more
To Hugo Boisvert, central Ohio is more foreign a concept than is “U.S.A.” “It’s different.” The sophomore center from St. Eustache, Quebec, makes a gesture as though he’s running his hand over the top of a table, and he makes a noise — “ppphtt.” He says, by way of summary, “Flat.” “I’ve been to the … Read more
This weekend, the Michigan Wolverines and the Michigan State Spartans renew one of college hockey’s greatest traditional rivalries. Students, parents and alumni of both schools, as well as fans of all stripes, will stream to the games: Friday at Munn Arena in East Lansing, and Saturday at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena. It’s an old rivalry, … Read more
No, it’s not what you’re thinking. With four weeks left in regular-season CCHA play, it’s understandable that your mind would jump to the home stretch of the season. But, come on, CCHA fan. What does mid-February mean to most folks? It may be hard to imagine, given how involved we all are with college hockey … Read more
Michigan Tech announced Friday its intention to remain a member of the WCHA, ending several months of speculation following the departure of in-state rival Northern Michigan to the neighboring CCHA. The decision to remain in the WCHA came along with an endorsement of the proposed Hockey Educational Center, which athletic director Rick Yeo said would … Read more
All this to promote the Columbus Blue Necks, or Blue Flacks or Blue Bugs — or whatever they’re calling the NHL franchise that will ride the millennium into town. Scattered among the hockey faithful and the nouveau riche are several Ohio State hockey fans, wearing — what else? — Blue Somethings gear. "Is Michigan State … Read more
Bowling Green junior forward Dan Price will return to the Falcon lineup for the first time since being suspended on Dec. 23, the school announced. Price was suspended after he pleaded “no contest” on Dec. 16 to charges of aggravated vehicular homicide, a third-degree felony stemming from his involvement in a late-summer automobile accident in … Read more
If you ask CCHA Commissioner Bill Beagan what he plans to do once he retires at the end of this season, you may get a straight answer. And you may not. “I’m going to lie down a lot,” he says. No one who knows the CCHA’s top man of 13 years believes for a second … Read more
Ha. This week, No. 1 Michigan State hosts two games against No. 5 Miami. With the two points gained from their 4-3 win over Lake Superior, the Spartans now have 28 points, just one behind No. 7 Michigan and two ahead of No. 5 Miami in the CCHA standings. The Spartans also have a game … Read more
The mouth-watering main course begins with the first two of three games between No. 4 Michigan and No. 7 Miami. With 29 points, No. 4 Michigan tenaciously holds on to first place, winning at home over Alaska-Fairbanks last weekend, 5-1. The RedHawks, at number four in the CCHA standings, split the weekend, losing to Northern … Read more
It’s January 1996, the first month of the second half of the college hockey season, and the CCHA has settled into its usual “two-tier” system. The usual suspects — Michigan, Michigan State, Lake Superior, Miami — crowd the top, while the rest of the league looks up from below, behind in everything from points to … Read more
But if you take a closer look, you find a league that’s tight and cozy, and no team’s position seems guaranteed. While Michigan has 27 points in first place, Michigan State has 25 points in second place, and Miami has 20 in third. Big deal, you say? Yup, when you consider that the difference between … Read more
It’s January in Ann Arbor, and the University of Michigan Wolverine hockey team sports a 12-2-1 conference record halfway through the CCHA regular season. The Wolverines sit atop the CCHA, in front of the Michigan State University Spartans and the Miami University RedHawks. A Wolverine icer leads the nation in power-play tallies, and is second … Read more
With Michigan’s 4-2 victory Friday night over Bowling Green, Wolverine netminder Marty Turco earned his 112th career win, topping the record of 111 previously held by Steve Shields, Turco’s predecessor at Michigan. Turco, in his senior year with the Wolverines, was honored with a plaque commemorating his achievement after stopping 14 shots on the evening. … Read more
And the most interesting place this weekend is once again the middle of the CCHA pack, where just six points, ambition and a little luck separate the ninth-place team from the fifth-place team. No. 6 Michigan is a team with little to prove. After losing the GLI to Michigan State, the Wolverines swept the weekend … Read more
Michigan senior defenseman Chris Fox was arraigned on a felony assault charge Wednesday in connection with an incident last June in a recreational hockey league. According to reports from the Associated Press and the Ann Arbor (Mich.) News, Fox, 21, allegedly hit a member of an opposing team in the face with his hockey stick … Read more
Since Michigan State received a gift from Santa in the form of more offense for the Great Lakes Invitational, the Spartans should resolve to keep that offense. They’ll need offense if they want to make a run for the national title. All the Miami RedHawks need to resolve to do is to continue playing the … Read more