Bemidji State University Director of Athletics Dr. Rick Goeb today announced that Bruce Olson has stepped aside from his responsibilities as BSU’s head women’s ice hockey coach, effective immediately, to pursue other interests. Assistant coaches Jim Ingman and Sis Paulsen will be named interim co-head coaches for the remainder of the 2005-06 season. “We appreciate … Read more
Midway Madness It’s the holiday season once again and the teams in the West have wrapped up an exciting first half of hockey. After a bumpy start to the season, things have started to smooth out and the perennial powers are sitting on their lofty perch atop the NCHA, MIAC and MCHA. But none of … Read more
The Western Jinx Only one thing is relatively certain in Division III West Region hockey; if I write about a team in one of my columns, odds are they are going to have a terrible weekend. This theory does not apply to the conference previews, but to my first two columns. In the first column, … Read more
Unrest in the West It can arguably be called the most exciting region in Division III college hockey. For the past few weeks, the teams in the West have proven the old adage true-anybody can beat anybody on any given night. In the annual NCHA/MIAC battle, Wisconsin-Superior was upset by Bethel, St. Norbert lost to … Read more
Even in defeat, Bemidji State’s NCAA tournament appearance last season made clear that the Beavers are back on the national stage, Dave Starman says.
Being named the College Hockey America preseason player of the year hasn’t given Bemidji State goalie Matt Climie a big ego. In fact, he’s still doing what he does best: win hockey games for the Beavers. Last Friday, Climie made 25 saves in a 4-1 win at Wayne State, but sat the next night as … Read more
No. 9 Ohio State, perennially a top-four team in the WCHA, faces a challenge in Saturday’s 4 p.m. ET broadcast from visiting Minnesota State’s young forward talent.
You must always know the past, for there is no real Was, there is only Is. — William Faulkner You’re only as good as your last game. Every coach, every player knows this. To end last season, the Ferris State took Ohio State to three games in first-round CCHA playoff action in Columbus, shutting out … Read more
Nothing capable of being memorized is history. — R.G. Collingwood If there is one thing to learn from Bowling Green’s 2004-05 season it’s this: humility. “I didn’t want to keep on saying it was the ‘flu.” That’s the simple explanation that Jordan Sigalet, BGSU’s senior goaltender last season, gave for making public his struggle with … Read more
It takes three facts to make a truth. — Eugene Manlove Rhodes. One. The Northern Michigan Wildcats return one of the toughest defenses in college hockey. Two. The Wildcats were collectively born under a star lucky enough to award Andrew Contois, their 2004-05 leading goal scorer, a fifth year of NCAA eligibility. Three. NMU’s cluster … Read more
History is not melodrama, even if it usually reads like that. — Robert Penn Warren Ah, Frank. Why did you have to go? We hardly knew ye. So it took a few years for CCHA fans to adjust to the unique coaching and public speaking style of Frank Anzalone. It certainly took this writer more … Read more
There are any number of ways to measure progress, but the most readily accessible is wins and losses. In coach Jamie Russell’s first season at Michigan Tech, 2003-04, the Huskies were 8-25-5 overall and 6-19-3 in the WCHA. Last season, Tech was 8-25-4 and 7-19-2 in the league — virtually unchanged. That lack of a … Read more
One could make a case that Minnesota State didn’t have many things going in its favor in an eighth-place campaign a year ago. It did have David Backes and Travis Morin, and one of the best things going into this season is they’re both back to help the Mavericks in their drive to get back … Read more
The defending CHA champions, the Bemidji State Beavers, lost some of their firepower from a year ago, but still should post big numbers and finish near the top of the conference standings. Andrew Murray, last season’s CHA player of the year, graduated and then signed an NHL deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Brendan Cook … Read more
Andrew Contois, whose collegiate eligibility at Northern Michigan had apparently been exhausted earlier this year, has been granted a final year after a review of the school’s appeal by the NCAA. Contois began his collegiate career at Lake Superior State before transferring to NMU during his freshman year. Previously, the NCAA had counted his time … Read more
Wisconsin has hired Kevin Patrick as an assistant coach. Patrick will assume his duties beginning Aug. 23. Patrick leaves Bowling Green and replaces Troy Ward on the Badger staff under Mike Eaves. “It is a great opportunity to work with the University of Wisconsin hockey program and its history and tradition,” said Patrick. “I am … Read more
Jonathan Sigalet agreed to terms on a contract with the Boston Bruins over the weekend, foregoing his final two years of college eligibility at Bowling Green. Jonathan will join his brother Jordan, who was a senior, in the Bruins organization, who signed a contract with Boston back on Aug. 5. Sigalet was selected in the … Read more
John Olver has joined the Northern Michigan Wildcat staff as an assistant coach, replacing Dave Shyiak, who left to be the head coach at Alaska-Anchorage. For the past five years (2000-05), Olver was the vice president of hockey operations and head coach of the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL. His team won the 2004 Kelly … Read more
The Johnstown Chiefs (ECHL) named Frank Anzalone as its new Head Coach. Anzalone becomes the sixth Head Coach in team history. Anzalone, 51, comes to the Chiefs after spending the last four seasons with the Lake Superior Lakers, his second head coaching stint with the school. Anzalone, a Brooklyn N.Y. native, is no stranger to … Read more
Frank Anzalone, recently fired as head coach at Lake Superior State, has begun pursuing action in regards to his termination. Anzalone forwarded to USCHO a statement by his attorney, James P. Lambros, which read as follows: “Head Coach Frank N. Anzalone has been wrongfully terminated pursuant to the terms of his contract with Lake Superior … Read more