The Blue Devils surprised the league last season by knocking off Wis.-River Falls in the first round of the NCHA playoffs. Though they dropped their semifinal game at St. Norbert, there is still plenty of optimism surrounding this year’s club. With the return of sophomore Matt Koenig and junior Mike Stone in goal, head coach … Read more
At the end of every season, college hockey fans across the country say goodbye to seniors they’ve known for four years, young men whose careers and lives they’ve followed into the early stages of adulthood. Among college hockey fans, there is a certain snobbery regarding “our” players, the arguable assertion that guys who play hockey … Read more
Women’s hockey should receive a big boost in the state of Wisconsin following the school’s matching NCAA titles.
It was Oct. 11, 2002, and Rensselaer had just beaten Wisconsin, 5-1, in the opening game of that year’s Ice Breaker Invitational, hosted by the Badgers in Madison. “They capitalized on every opportunity,” UW head coach Mike Eaves told USCHO’s Jayson Moy after the game. “Every chance they had, they took advantage.” That was what … Read more
With three goals and an assist on the weekend, everybody in the state of Wisconsin knew that junior forward Robbie Earl would be the Frozen Four’s Most Outstanding Player. Everyone, it seems, except Earl. “I didn’t even know until we got the locker room when coach told me. It’s a great honor. But there’s so … Read more
On the road, scoring the first goal can often make or break the evening’s performance. Home teams usually have an adrenaline surge off the opening face-off with the crowd buoying their efforts. Getting that initial tally accomplishes the dual purposes of taking the lead and deflating those energies. Since 1999, the team that has scored … Read more
This marks USCHO’s tenth year at Frozen Fours, beginning in Milwaukee and coming back full circle. Since yours truly has been part of all of them, here are some favorite memories with a few notable downers mixed in. Bear in mind that it comes from a point of view in which the other five leagues … Read more
Going into its NCAA semifinal contest against Wisconsin, Maine’s last worry was special teams. Many factors may have conspired to keep Black Bears coach Tim Whitehead awake at night, but neither the power play nor the penalty kill was among them. The penalty kill ranked first in the nation with an 89.1 percent success rate; … Read more
The Boston College Eagles, just four weeks ago, were talking more about bubbles than rings. After a near-deadly skid that ended the regular season, BC knew not only did it need to advance to the Hockey East final four, but in doing so needed to sweep its best two-of-three quarterfinal series with Vermont in order … Read more
Most everyone in the WCHA may know Ryan MacMurchy and Jack Skille, but if you’re a college hockey fan who lives east of Milwaukee, chances are that when you think “Badger hockey,” you think “Brian Elliott.” If you’re a diehard college hockey fan, you may even know the play of sophomore Joe Pavelski, junior Robbie … Read more
When the Wisconsin Badgers walked into their locker room for the first time at the start of the 2005-06 season, they were greeted with an assortment of hardware. There was the Pettit Cup from the 2002 Badger Hockey Showdown, representing the last time Wisconsin took its own home tournament, as well as a WCHA playoff … Read more
Chess matches happen all the time in hockey. Bench bosses Jerry York of Boston College and Dave Hakstol of North Dakota waged one during their NCAA semifinal on Thursday at the Bradley Center. In the end, BC won 6-5. Two pawns in this match were 6′-5″, 220-pound defenseman Matt Smaby of NoDak, and 6′-7″ 240-pound … Read more
It was a question for the Fighting Sioux all year: Could a team with such a young defense survive the season? Everyone in Milwaukee knew the answer to that question by the 18:08 mark of the first period in the first semifinal between Boston College and North Dakota. It was at that point that the … Read more
Although the Hobey Baker Memorial Award voting is already a done deal, Boston College’s Chris Collins staked himself to the “Hat Trick” with a semifinal hat trick of his own. Chris Collins shakes hands with Jordan Parise after Thursday’s semifinal. (photo: Melissa Wade) The announcement of the three final contestants for the Hobey raised eyebrows … Read more
All year long, the refrain about Boston College has been its ability to survive its four freshman defensemen. Conventional hockey wisdom says that blueliners have the toughest time making the transition to the next level; an abundance of rookies at the position is a recipe for disaster. For Boston College, its youth on the blue … Read more
Hockey is alive and well in the state of Maine. Despite the loss by the Black Bears to Wisconsin, the state of Maine is on the upswing. You can thank Derek Damon and Greg Moore for that. These two Maine natives have raised the bar for hockey in the state by their play in Orono. … Read more
The Bradley Center is a long way from the red carpet. Joan Rivers might faint attempting to comment on the apparel of the Milwaukee faithful. Imagine it, “This Badgers fan is in some fabulous vintage Levi’s. 1957 was a great year for denim.” Still, the Frozen Four is a chance for people to don their … Read more
It’s typical that the day before the Frozen Four starts, most of the players and coaches are still pretty loose, pretty relaxed, having a lot of fun. Mike Eaves oversees the Badgers’ Wednesday skate at the Bradley Center (photo: Melissa Wade). According to Wisconsin captain Adam Burish, that enjoyment is something that was part of … Read more
No one in the Maine camp is unaware of the task that lies ahead as the Black Bears face off against Wisconsin on what will feel like enemy ice. Maine, though, is no stranger to playing big games as a “road” team on allegedly “neutral” ice. In fact, this is the fifth year in a … Read more
Appearances Can Be Misleading North Dakota is a team of seeming paradoxes. With more freshmen than any other team in the Frozen Four, the Sioux are the only team making a return appearance to try for the national title. And while there are 13 rookies on the Sioux squad, North Dakota faces the youngest team … Read more