Was there any chance anyone could pry the national championship trophy out of Peter Armbrust’s grasp? “No, not a chance in hell,” Armbrust said. “This thing is staying right here.” The University of North Dakota senior is one of a select few players who can say his last collegiate memory will be piling on the … Read more
Like most youngsters with any hockey ability, Lee Goren had dreams of the National Hockey League. And, for a Winnipeg native, the standard route to the NHL is normally thought to be through the Canadian major junior system. So Goren, like so many of his friends, went off to the WHL and the Saskatoon Blades. … Read more
Jeff Panzer is not a picky man. He’ll take another 2-0 final in the national championship game Saturday night. Just as long as North Dakota has the 2. Panzer and the Fighting Sioux could only find the back of the net twice in their national semifinal against Maine on Thursday, though that was enough to … Read more
North Dakota coach Dean Blais didn’t have to say much to sum up his team’s 2-0 national semifinal victory over Maine Thursday. His goaltender, Karl Goehring, did most of the talking with his play on the ice. Goehring, who missed the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Final Five and the quarterfinal round of the NCAA tournament … Read more
After a highly successful sophomore season in which he was named to the all-WCHA First Team, St. Cloud State defenseman Mike Pudlick signed a contract with the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. Pudlick became the second WCHA player to sign with the Kings in two days. On Friday, WCHA player of the year Steve Reinprecht, … Read more
Scott Sandelin finally got the head coaching job he’s been looking for. Sandelin, who for the last three seasons has been an associate head coach under Dean Blais at North Dakota, was named the new coach at the University of Minnesota-Duluth on Friday. He will replace Mike Sertich, who resigned after 18 years with the … Read more
Don Brose wanted Troy Jutting to follow in his footsteps. On Monday, Brose got his wish. Jutting, an assistant under Brose at Minnesota State University for the last 10 years, was named the school’s head hockey coach. He will replace Brose, who resigned after 30 years as coach of the Mavericks. “I’m extremely excited and … Read more
“We got caught up in the hoopla…. [BU is] supposed to come here. This is their destination just about every year.” — St. Cloud senior captain Geno Parrish “There’s a lot of pressure on us, not just from our own fans in Boston, but the college hockey world. They expect that BU is going to … Read more
The University of Minnesota-Duluth has identified five finalists for its vacant head coaching position, the school announced Tuesday. The list, compiled by the university’s search committee, includes two current collegiate head coaches and two current assistants. All are expected to make visits to the Duluth campus during the next two weeks, with a successor to … Read more
Regular-season champion Wisconsin claimed three of the WCHA’s top individual awards Thursday, leading all member schools. From the Badgers, the nation’s scoring leader, forward Steve Reinprecht, was named the WCHA Player of the Year, while teammates Dany Heatley and Jeff Dessner took home the Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively. … Read more
No ballot, no vote? No way Obviously due to some bureaucratic oversight, U.S. College Hockey Online did not receive a ballot for the all-Western Collegiate Hockey Association teams this season. But that won’t stop me from picking the team that I would put on the ice if the WCHA was squaring off against a similar … Read more
Getting there is half the fun (?) In the last month of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular season, it’s been about positioning for the playoffs. Starting now, it’s all about survival. It’s about the opportunity to advance. It’s about the dream of winning a WCHA championship, or even further, a national championship. For some, … Read more
The last weekend Well, ladies and gentlemen, it’s come down to this. With two games to play in the WCHA regular season (for all but two teams), three home-ice spots remain, and vying for them are four Western Collegiate Hockey Association teams. It’s almost like a game of musical chairs. One of you will not … Read more
Losing a legend, part two How could Duluth, Minn., ever forget the joy Mike Sertich brought? If there was some way to block out the last two years of his tenure as coach at Minnesota-Duluth, there would be nothing but exemplaries to be said about the man who took the Bulldogs agonizingly close to a … Read more
At a press conference Tuesday at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Bulldog head hockey coach Mike Sertich resigned effective at the end of the 1999-2000 season. Sertich, who will continue to coach the team until then, has been the Bulldogs’ head man for 18 years and is one of only two individuals to be named Western … Read more
If success is measured by the respect one has earned from one’s peers, Don Brose is on top of the world right now. The Minnesota State coach announced this week that, after 30 years at the helm of the Mavericks, he’s ready to step down. Reaction around college hockey was a mix of surprise, and … Read more
‘One of the most dedicated guys I’ve ever met’ One of the best things about Don Brose’s retirement, a number of college hockey coaches said this week, is that he’s going out on his terms. No one is shoving him out the door and there’s no group of fans on a certain message board calling … Read more
Don Brose has seen a lot at Minnesota State, Mankato. Over 35 years with the school, including 30 as the hockey team’s head coach, he’s been a part of a national championship, the building of an arena, the ascent to Division I, a name change at the school and entry into the WCHA. On Monday, … Read more
The great split Finally, with just four weekends remaining in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular season, we are seeing some separation in the conference standings. The contenders have not exactly broken away from the pretenders yet, but we’re getting there. As it stands this week, there is a definite bottom three, a middle pack … Read more
The final countdown This shouldn’t be such a shock every year, but sometimes it seems like it. With five weeks remaining in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association’s regular season, every spot — from No. 1 to No. 10 — is up for grabs. Sure, some teams are locked into finishing in a certain area (Michigan … Read more