With first-place Michigan sitting idle this weekend, the Big Ten schedule is setup for some movement heading into the final month of the regular season. Though games in hand for Minnesota and Notre Dame don’t make it a perfect storm, the docket for this weekend could see some shuffling in the standings with three teams … Read more
Minnesota fifth-year goaltender Jack LaFontaine has left the Gophers to sign a one-year contract with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes through the end of the 2021-22 season. “As the reigning Mike Richter Award recipient, Jack has proven he’s ready to take the next steps in his career,” said Carolina GM Don Waddell in a statement. “We … Read more
The game it didn’t play to end the year garnered most of the attention for Michigan last week, but with the defending national champion coming to town this weekend, it’ll be important for the Wolverines to turn the page into the new year quickly. Michigan and the Minutemen will play a Saturday-Sunday series at Yost … Read more
The Michigan and Western Michigan athletic departments announced Monday that the Great Lakes Invitational game scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 30, at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich., has been canceled due to “health and welfare protocols within the Wolverines’ program.” Fans who purchased single-game tickets will receive a full refund. Further information will be … Read more
North Dakota sophomore defenseman Jake Sanderson has been named captain of the 2022 U.S. National Junior Team. In addition, Minnesota sophomore defenseman Brock Faber, Michigan sophomore forward Matty Beniers and Notre Dame sophomore forward Landon Slaggert were named alternate captains of the squad. All four players were members of the gold-medal winning 2021 U.S. National … 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
A 6-4 victory over North Dakota in Nashville put a bow on the early portion of the Penn State’s nonconference schedule and gave the Nittany Lions a 6-1-0 record. The start of the Big Ten schedule hasn’t been as kind to the team from Hockey Valley. A trip to Minneapolis gives Penn State another chance … Read more
There are numerous ways one can describe a hockey team. Jeff Jackson, though, would appreciate it if people stopped using one term to describe Notre Dame. “I really hate when people say we’re a defensive team,” Jackson said Monday night. “We’re a puck-possession team, in my opinion. We really focus on our ability to possess … Read more
Michigan State defeated Michigan in a – let’s just keep things simple and say entertaining – football game last weekend. Spartans’ head coach Danton Cole was asked if his team could possibly feed off that energy and keep things rolling when the two schools meet in a home-and-home series on the ice this weekend. “Well, … Read more
When the coaches poll came out in September, the Big Ten opener between the teams predicted to finish sixth and seventh probably didn’t cause many to bust out the Sharpie. That being said, both Ohio State and Michigan State have, at least to a point, navigated their early-season nonconference schedule successfully and will be looking … Read more
Minnesota hasn’t played an in-state rival for conference points since March of 2013, but in the middle of back-to-back series against St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth, it feels like we’ve been transported back a couple years. The Gophers and Bulldogs will face off in a home-and-home bout this weekend with Friday’s game being played … Read more
Michigan received 45 of 50 first-place votes in this week’s USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll and moves up two spots to sit No. 1 in the rankings. Minnesota State is down one to No. 2 and garnered two first-place votes. St. Cloud State is also down one to No. 3 this week and picked up … Read more
As the sudden cancelation of the 2019-20 season and the general, let’s say, quirkiness of last year gets put in the rearview, everyone is hoping for a more normal Big Ten season this year. Saying more normal instead of 100 percent normal is already necessary as during the process of writing this piece a nonconference … Read more
The Big Ten announced Monday a new COVID-19 regulation for the 2021-22 season. “In collaboration and communication with the Big Ten Conference Athletic Directors, Chancellors and Presidents, the Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases, and the Sports Medicine Committee – effective today – the conference has determined that if one of its member institutions is … Read more
Owen Power, Matty Beniers and Kent Johnson each announced Friday that they will return to Michigan for the 2021-22 season. Power was the No. 1 overall selection in July’s 2021 NHL Draft by Buffalo, while Beniers was selected No. 2 by Seattle and Johnson No. 5 by Columbus. The trio will be joined by three … Read more
Michigan announced Monday the hiring of former Wolverines forward Brandon Naurato as an assistant coach. Naurato spent the last three seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, serving as a player development consultant. In his role, he worked with both the Red Wings and AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins coaching staffs to implement individual skill development into … Read more
The 56th annual Great Lakes Invitational will be played in a showcase format at Yost Ice Arena and Munn Ice Arena, rather than a tournament format in Detroit. Michigan Tech will play at Michigan and Michigan State will host Western Michigan on Wednesday, December 29, and then the teams will flip opponents for Thursday, December … Read more
How many Wolverines does it take to dominate the top 10 spots in an NHL Draft? Four. Perhaps. No joke. Everyone knows that college hockey will be represented well in this year’s draft. What remains to be seen, though, is whether the top overall pick will be from the University of Michigan and how many … Read more
A committee commissioned by the University of Michigan has recommended that the school remove Fielding H. Yost’s name from its hockey arena, citing a history of racial issues involving the former football coach and athletic director who worked at the school from 1901 to 1941. According to published reports, an eight-person panel of university historians … Read more
Michigan announced Friday that junior goaltender Strauss Mann will not return for his senior season, choosing to start his pro hockey career. No team was mentioned in a graphic U of M sent out on social media. Mann is an undrafted free agent from Greenwich, Conn. Strauss Mann announces intentions to embark on professional hockey … Read more