The Mason Cup is back. After a nine-year absence, the CCHA will award the championship trophy once again to the winner of its conference tournament, which begins with quarterfinal action this week. The trophy, named after famed Bowling Green, Lake Superior State and Michigan State coaching legend Ron Mason, was created in 2001. “We were … Read more
It’s safe to say this season hasn’t gone the way Damon Whitten might have hoped. After finishing a surprise second place in the WCHA last season, winning the conference tournament and making their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1996, the Lake Superior State head coach was hoping this would be the season the Lakers could … Read more
The second annual Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off will return to Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum Dec. 28-29, 2022. The field for the event consists of Clarkson, Lake Superior State, UMass and Wisconsin. Semifinal play will take place on Wednesday, December 28 with the championship game and third-place game on Thursday, December 29. Matchups will be announced at … Read more
It’s already February, which I understand seems strange to everyone (if there’s anything the pandemic has taught us, it’s that time is essentially meaningless). But it’s true. It’s February, which means there’s just one month of CCHA regular season left until the playoffs. And because it’s almost the postseason, it’s about time that we start … Read more
A quick look up and down Bemidji State’s roster would reveal a lot of familiar names: Ethan Somoza. Owen Sillinger. Alex Ierullo. Tyler Kirkup. All have been contributing to the BSU program consistently since their freshmen seasons, and their presence in the lineup this year — a few back for an extra year of eligibility … Read more
Losing isn’t usually the norm for a Bob Daniels-coached team. The Ferris State head coach has been behind the bench for 29 seasons. He’s guided his Bulldogs teams to three conference titles, four NCAA tournament appearances and one Frozen Four in that time frame. The usual expectation for the Bulldogs is to be competitive at … Read more
When members of the media were looking at the teams in the newly-reconstituted CCHA this fall as we started to do our preseason picks and previews, one team made it easiest on everybody. And maybe it wasn’t the team you think. Have your guesses in? It might shock you to know that it was Michigan … Read more
It might have been reasonable to assume at the start of the 2021-22 season that Lake Superior State might have some issues scoring goals this year. After all, the Lakers lost four of their top five scorers (Ashton Calder, Pete Veillette, Hampus Eriksson and Will Reidell) either to graduation or the NCAA transfer portal (in … Read more
After some time away, there’s one thing Rico Blasi noticed about the familiar rinks of the CCHA. “The smell is still the same,” the first-year St. Thomas coach joked in a phone interview Tuesday, reflecting on his team’s recent road trips to Northern Michigan and Lake Superior State. Blasi, who played at Miami in the … Read more
For the casual fan watching on a Friday or Saturday, chances are high that the inaugural season of the new CCHA won’t look much different than the final season of the WCHA. Seven of the eight teams were together in the WCHA, so the matchups, coaches and arenas are largely the same. And the league’s … Read more
Lake Superior State has hired DJ Goldstein as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2021-22 season. Goldstein will be involved in all aspects of the daily operations of the coaching staff while also assisting in hockey operations, and managing organizational film analysis and breakdown. “We are looking forward to DJ joining our staff in this … Read more
Lake Superior State assistant coaches Zack Cisek and Mike York have both been promoted to associate head coach. In addition, Cisek and York have both agreed to terms on multi-year contract extensions. “Mike and Zack have done an outstanding job in all facets of Laker hockey,” said LSSU head coach Damon Whitten in a statement. … Read more
Lake Superior State announced Friday that the university has selected veteran collegiate athletics executive and Michigan native David Diles as its new director of athletics after conducting a national search. He succeeds Dr. David Paitson, who earlier resigned after four years to accept an assistant professor of sport management position at University of Indianapolis. A … Read more
Lake Superior State coach Damon Whitten has agreed to terms on a six-year contract extension to stay with the Lakers through the 2027-28 season. Whitten, who was named the tenth head coach in program history in April 2014, has led the team to six WCHA playoff appearances, including the program’s first WCHA championship in 2021. … Read more
The WCHA announced Monday that conference supervisor of officials Greg Shepherd has been voted unanimously by the league’s 10 teams as the 2021 recipient of the Otto Breitenbach Distinguished Service Award. “The WCHA was and always will be the best league in college hockey and I am truly honored and humbled to receive this award,” … Read more
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — For a man whose team advanced to an NCAA regional championship game with a 5-1 win, UMass coach Greg Carvel gave a frank, negative assessment of the Minutemen’s performance.
Checkout our preview of the Bridgeport Regional, which runs March 26-27 from Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn.
For Lake Superior State, a team that had never won a WCHA playoff title in its history, just getting a chance to play for one meant a lot to the Lakers.
Just 80 seconds in, LSSU jumped on Northern Michigan, getting a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the night en route to a 6-3 victory at the Verizon Center Saturday night.
The WCHA men’s conference will hold its 2021 postseason tournament beginning with its quarterfinal weekend March 12-14, followed by a four-team, one-site championship weekend March 19-20.
Several WCHA league series have been rescheduled from their previous dates.