Happy New Year, everyone! Beginning with the first full weekend of 2018, it will be nearly all Big Ten play from January through the B1G tournament. Before we get there, though, there are a couple of nonconference games and the Great Lakes Invitational Tournament. First, a look at how Drew Claussen and I did with … Read more
As this Big Ten season progresses, the hockey only becomes more and more interesting. There’s a single team apparently running away with the conference title at the top of the standings, five teams separated by a single point each in what we can call the middle, and the team at the bottom of the standings … Read more
This is the last weekend of games that count before a break and the midseason tournaments. Here’s how Drew Claussen and I are shaping up so far. Last week Drew: 4-1-1 (.750) Paula: 2-3-1 (.417) This season Drew: 47-32-9 (.585) Paula: 53-26-9 (.653) Ugh! My first sub-.500 week this season. I was bitten by that … Read more
It’s hard to believe it’s December already. How are Drew Claussen and I doing? Here’s a look. Last week Drew: 4-3-1 (.563) Paula: 4-3-1 (.563) This season Drew: 43-31-8 (.573) Paula: 51-23-8 (.671) Seems about right. This week There are three Big Ten series this weekend and Michigan plays the U.S. Under-18 Team in exhibition … Read more
Happy Thanksgiving to all of our American friends! Let’s talk hockey. First, let’s talk picks. Last week Drew: 7-2-1 (.750) Paula: 6-3-1 (.650) This season Drew: 39-28-7 (.574) Paula: 47-20-7 (.682) Another great week for Drew Claussen! This week There are three B1G and one nonconference series. All times are local. Michigan State at Penn … Read more
Good evening, everyone. Six of the seven Big Ten teams were in action this weekend. Michigan and Wisconsin played a conference series and the rest played nonconference foes. Here’s how the cookie crumbled: Michigan State swept Ferris State in a home-and-home series Minnesota swept Harvard at home Notre Dame swept RPI on the road Penn … Read more
Last week was a good week for your Big Ten writers. Here’s how Drew Claussen and I are doing: Last week Drew: 5-1-2 (.750) Paula: 6-0-2 (.875) This season Drew: 32-26-6 (.547) Paula: 41-17-6 (.688) I think we’ll take it. This week We have one B1G series, four nonconference series, and Ohio State has a … Read more
Our scheduled guests on the Tuesday, November 14, edition of USCHO Live! are Cornell coach Mike Schafer, whose No. 6 Big Red are off to a 6-0 start, and Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson, whose No. 4 Fighting Irish are undefeated thus far in their inaugural Big Ten campaign. Listen live at 8 p.m. EST or after the show on-demand: http://www.uscho.com/uscho-live/2017/11/14/schafer-jackson-to-guest-on-nov-14-uscho-live/
It’s snowing in my corner of Michigan as I’m putting this together and Drew Claussen reports that it’s wintry in his part of Minnesota, too. It may be a little early for this, but with the turn in the weather and three B1G conference series this weekend — two in my corner of Michigan — … Read more
Our scheduled guests on the Tuesday, November 7, edition of USCHO Live! are Western Michigan coach Andy Murray, whose Broncos picked up an important six points in NCHC play with a weekend sweep of then-No. 1 Denver, and Army West Point coach Brian Riley, whose Black Knights sit atop the Atlantic Hockey standing after a pair of weekend road wins over Air Force. Listen live at 8 p.m. EST or after the show on-demand: http://www.uscho.com/uscho-live/2017/11/06/murray-riley-to-join-nov-7-edition-of-uscho-live/
We have Thursday night hockey again, another CCHA-esque match-up as Ferris State travels to Michigan for two. As always, though, we start with how Drew Claussen and I are doing with the picks so far. Last week Drew: 5-7-0 (.417) Paula: 8-4-0 (.667) This season Drew: 23-20-3 (.533) Paula: 30-13-3 (.685) Drew has a knack … Read more
Our scheduled guests on the Tuesday, October 31, edition of USCHO Live! are Providence coach Nate Leaman, whose Friars jumped to No. 6 in this week’s USCHO.com men’s hockey poll after weekend wins over Boston University and Boston College, and Ohio State coach Steve Rohlik, whose No. 16 Buckeyes, fresh off a home-and-home sweep of Robert Morris, return to Big Ten play hosting No. 10 Notre Dame. Listen live at 8 p.m. EDT or after the show on-demand: http://www.uscho.com/uscho-live/2017/10/30/leaman-rohlik-slated-for-halloween-edition-of-uscho-live/
For the Big Ten, the weekend begins Thursday with the series between Nebraska-Omaha and Notre Dame. Here’s how Drew Claussen and I are doing with the picks through the third week of October. Last week Drew: 9-5-0 (.778) Paula: 10-4-0 (.833) This season Drew: 18-13-3 (.574) Paula: 22-9-3 (.691) Both Drew and I were bitten … Read more
Good evening, everybody.There was a full slate of Big Ten teams in action this weekend with some mixed results. Here’s how things ended up: Penn State split its home series with American International by winning on Thursday and losing on Friday. Notre Dame split its home series with Sacred Heart. Ohio State swept UMass on … Read more
There are two B1G schools hosting Thursday-Friday nonconference series and everyone plays this weekend. First, a look at how Drew Claussen and I are doing with our picks so far this season. Last week Drew: 4-3-3 (.550) Paula: 5-2-3 (.650) This season Drew: 9-8-3 (.525) Paula: 12-5-3 (.675) Poor Drew was bitten by that wrong-way … Read more
It’s only mid-October and already there are games on the schedule that could have significant conference implications five months from now. Six of the league’s seven teams play this weekend, including a two-game Penn State-Minnesota series. First, though, a look at how Drew Claussen and I did last week with our first picks of the … Read more
And just like that, it’s a brand new season. While Drew Claussen and I were otherwise engaged in writing our Big Ten season preview last week, Wisconsin was busy beating Michigan Tech, 3-2. We’re not counting that game in our picks blog. Here’s how we finished the regular season last year: Drew: 82-50-15 (.609) Paula: … Read more
Hey! We made it! It’s the Big Ten Tournament! Yippee! I don’t completely understand why, but the Big Ten regular season schedule felt like a slough to me this year. I enjoy the nonconference play in the first half because I enjoy the sheer amount of inter-league play we get to see in the Big … Read more
Finally we come to the last weekend of regular-season play. Drew Claussen and I are still above .500 and still tied with each other.Last weekDrew: 4-2-0 (.667)Paula: 4-2-0 (.667)SeasonDrew: 80-47-14 (.617)Paula: 80-47-14 (.617) This week If Drew and I are correct and Minnesota wins out, the Golden Gophers will capture their fourth consecutive regular-season championship … Read more
Thanks to three splits, the standings going into the last weekend of the regular season look very similar to what they were going into this weekend. Michigan State and Michigan were able to pull off the upset on Friday over Ohio State and Minnesota respectively, but the Gophers and Buckeyes were able to come back … Read more