In advance of Minnesota’s series in Wisconsin last weekend and two wins away from securing the Big Ten regular-season title, Golden Gophers coach Bob Motzko was asked about how his team had handled a break in the schedule the week before. “The best answer would be Saturday night late,” he said. “We’ll tell you.” The … Read more
Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback. Dan: Happy Tuesday, everyone. Well, we’re back for another week, and it’s safe to say that the end of the season is getting wild. Incredibly wild. So wild that I don’t … Read more
With three weeks remaining in the regular season, everything in the Big Ten is a numbers game. Last weekend’s results created the kind of scenario that many sports fans love and coaches hate, the possibility that nothing concrete will be resolved until the last game of the season. Well, maybe not nothing. While results aren’t … Read more
The Hockey Commissioners Association has announced the men’s monthly award winners for January. Player of the month is Michigan freshman forward Adam Fantilli, co-rookies of the month are Boston University defenseman Lane Hutson and Bentley forward Nicholas Niemo, and goaltender of the month is Omaha freshman Simon Latkoczy. Fantill collected five goals and 14 points … Read more
This is a story about Steven Holtz, a player you may not know who nearly lost his life to adenovirus in November. This is also about an interim head coach whose approach exemplifies a new – and welcome – way of defining what it means to be a college coach. It’s also the story of … Read more
Adam Augustine is a pragmatic man. A son of the great state of Wisconsin, the senior director of sports administration for the Big Ten is of course pleased with what he’s seeing from B1G hockey this season, but his Midwestern sensibilities add a dose of slow-your-roll when discussing any bigger picture. “While it’s nice that … Read more
How strange is this season of Big Ten hockey? If the season were to end today, five of the conference’s seven teams would play in the NCAA tournament. Minnesota would be the overall No. 1 seed and Penn State would likely be the top seed in its regional. How strange? Of the five Big Ten … Read more
As Jimmy Connelly and I lamented in the last TMQ of the first half of the season, once upon a time in the college hockey world, there were many significant and highly anticipated holiday tournaments. While the number of these tourneys has dwindled, the impact that any interleague play has on those who participate remains … Read more
With the first half of the season behind us, it’s a good time to reflect on how things have gone so far in the Big Ten. The B1G picture For the Big Ten, the first half was productive in several ways. With a record of 44-13-3, B1G Hockey has the best inter-conference win percentage (.758) … Read more
By every possible measure, the past seven days have been extraordinary for Big Ten hockey. Minnesota swept Michigan at Yost Ice Arena. Michigan State – the team picked by coaches’ preseason to finish last – split a pair of road games against Penn State, and the Spartans sit in second place, one point behind the … Read more
Minnesota’s Bob Motzko has an idea about the 2022-23 Big Ten hockey season: “We’re just going to beat the snot out of each other this year.” Motzko’s Golden Gophers are in third place in B1G conference standings after splitting a home series against Penn State last weekend, losing 4-2 and winning 3-2. The three road … Read more
Michigan’s Adam Fantilli and St. Cloud State’s Dominic Basse have been named the first men’s Hockey Commissioners Association players of the month for the 2022-23 season. Fantilli, the player and rookie of the month, leads the nation in scoring as he begins his freshman campaign at Michigan. In eight games, he has eight goals and … Read more
Michigan interim head coach Brandon Naurato is a teacher by nature, and that teaching approach to coaching is already bearing fruit for a Michigan team with a 12-member rookie class. “I feel like I’m so blessed to have really good people from the freshmen to the other kids around that they want to be the … Read more
With 22 first-place votes this week, Michigan is the new No. 1 team in the DCU/USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll, moving up three spots from last week’s rankings. Denver garnered 15 first-place nods and is No. 2 this week, up from No. 3 a week ago. Former No. 1 Minnesota (five first-place votes) sits third … Read more
Is this B1G Hockey’s big season? Finally? While Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Wisconsin have 23 national championships among them, not one of those titles was captured as a member of the Big Ten. Since its inaugural season in 2013-14, B1G Hockey has sent teams to the Frozen Four seven times, and two B1G teams … Read more
The Big Ten on Wednesday announced its preseason coaches poll as well as two preseason all-Big Ten teams. Coaches also picked the preseason teams. 2022-23 Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll 1. Minnesota 2. Notre Dame 3. Michigan 4. Wisconsin 5. Ohio State 6. Penn State 7. Michigan State 2022-23 Preseason All-Big Ten Hockey Teams FIRST … Read more
Ohio State will welcome Michigan for an outdoor game, the Faceoff on the Lake, at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023. The stadium is home to the NFL’s Cleveland Browns. “Haslam Sports Group is dedicated to creating unique, memorable experiences for fans throughout the year, and we are excited to partner with … Read more
Michigan has announced the hiring of assistant coach Rob Rassey and Topher Scott as the program’s director of hockey operations. Rassey has 11 years of coaching experience, most recently serving as the head coach of the USHL’s Sioux Fall Stampede. He took over as head coach and general manager of the USHL’s Omaha Lancers midseason … Read more
Brandon Naurato will serve as Michigan’s interim men’s hockey head coach for the 2022-23 season, AD Warde Manuel announced on Sunday.
The United States has their captains for the upcoming IIHF World Junior Championship. Minnesota defenseman Brock Faber has been named captain of the 2022 U.S. National Junior Team, while forwards Thomas Bordeleau (Michigan) and Landon Slaggert (Notre Dame) were named alternate captains. Faber and Slaggert were members of the gold medal-winning 2021 U.S. National Junior … Read more