There’s hockey played tonight – so it’s a good time for a supplemental blog to write up what I didn’t have time to write for this week’s column in addition to giving you my picks for the Ferris State-Ohio State series. I was lucky enough last week to see the Friday Western Michigan-Michigan game in … Read more
As the regular season draws to a close, here are 15 seniors whose contributions made the CCHA a more interesting place during the last four years. Most of these are guys who won’t show up on any end-of-season league awards radar, but who will be missed nonetheless. Nanooks defenseman Bryant Molle (Penticton, B.C.) and forward … Read more
The landscape in the CCHA changed only a little over the weekend and with one weekend to go, the regular-season title and last two first-round byes are up for grabs. Ferris State-Notre Dame. For the 10th time in program history, the Fighting Irish have reached 20 wins with a sweep over the Bulldogs, 3-2 and … Read more
First, a thanks and an apology Thank you to my friends and colleagues, Bob Miller and Jeff Svoboda. Bob is USCHO’s arena reporter at Yost, and Jeff covers Buckeye hockey for the Buckeye Sports Bulletin. In yesterday’s column, I used quotes from OSU head coach Mark Osiecki that Bob forwarded to me by email and … Read more
As Valentine’s Day hit us yesterday, I got to thinking about the guys in the CCHA who wear No. 14 and how they may have fared on the ice this past weekend. Alaska sophomore forward Adam Henderson did not play Feb. 11-12. His only goal this season was the third in a 4-1 win over … Read more
Happy Valentine’s Day, CCHA fans! The Universe delivered a Valentine to me with some increasingly rare prescience for this past weekend’s picks. Last week: 8-2-2 (.750) Season to date: 95-62-23 (.592) The Fighting Irish and Wolverines showed themselves a little love, too, with sweeps of visiting opponents, while the two points the RedHawks lost at … Read more
So, I don’t make a habit of simply re-releasing PR pieces by individual teams, but this video from Michigan deserves a bigger audience. Senior Louie Caporusso is hilarious, and according to my esteemed colleague Jeff Arnold, this was done in one take. Caporusso looks so slick and silly at the same time. I don’t know … Read more
We’re getting down to it and the league is becoming less predictable – for me at least, apparently. Last week: 2-7-1 (.250) Season to date: 87-60-21 (.580) With three weekends left in the regular season, every series this week is bound to be hotly contested. Every team plays this weekend; Ferris State welcomes Alabama-Huntsville for … Read more
Streaks and ends of streaks of note: Western Michigan carries a 13-game (8-0-5) unbeaten streak, the best in the nation, four shy of the school record of 17, set in 1973-74. Bronco senior goaltender Jerry Kuhn (8-1-5, 1.94 GAA, .921 SV%) has been the goalie of record during that streak. Kuhn’s win percentage (.750) eclipses … Read more
The landscape looks a little different this morning in the CCHA. Of course, the landscape looks different in this league every Monday morning. The big winner? The Miami RedHawks, who recapture first place in the league, for now – and that’s a commentary on the league rather than Miami – and climb a few precious … Read more
I don’t know what the weather was like this week in your part of the world, but here in Flint, Mich., we got a real winter storm, part of what the meteorologists are calling an “inland hurricane.” When I was growing up in Syracuse, N.Y., we just called it “winter.” I hope you are all … Read more
As I await the Snows of Doom ™ here in Flint, Mich., a few things – some random, some not so – pop out at me from this past weekend’s CCHA action. Worthy efforts in losing games Spartan Drew Palmisano’s 27-save performance in a 2-1 loss to Ferris State Thursday night. Wolverine Shawn Hunwick’s 28-save … Read more
If there’s one thing we’ve learned about the CCHA this season, it’s that league play in any given weekend is unpredictable. This week, no one knows that better than I. Last week: 2-5-2 (.333) Season to date: 85-53-25 (.598) Ouch. I knew the Lakers and Falcons would split, but I thought each team would win … Read more
What a week. Rick Comley announces his retirement at the end of the season, Jim Roque is fined on top of his one-game suspension from last weekend. And I am barely above .500. Last week: 5-3-2 (.600) Season to date: 83-48-23 (.614) Here are my picks for games this week. I did not pick for … Read more
Well, I suppose I knew this was coming. I guess I’m just a little surprised that it’s happening now. Michigan State is 10-12-4 this season. Last year, the Spartans finished second in the CCHA with an overall record of 19-13-6, but their season ended when they were swept in two games at home in the … Read more
Goaltending in the CCHA and college hockey in general fascinates me this year. Twenty-two goaltenders, nationally, enter this weekend’s play with save percentages of .920 or higher. Granted, that number is inflated by three goalies who haven’t seen significant time this season. At the end of then 2009-10 season, however, only nine goalies nationwide had … Read more
This is a season through the looking glass, isn’t it? I’ve been saying all along that Michigan State doesn’t look like a second-to-last place team. It’s hard to argue against parity when the 10th-place team beats the ranked third-place team and the seventh-place team knocks the first-place team out of the top spot, in the … Read more
Another weekend slightly above .500. I should be grateful. Why don’t I feel grateful? Last week: 5-3-2 (.600) Season to date: 78-45-21 (.615) Here are my picks for games this week. There’s a full slate of CCHA play. Bowling Green is the team on the sidelines this weekend. All games are Friday-Saturday. Start times are … Read more
As the second half of the season begins to simmer and the nature of the league’s real parity begins to emerge, I found the reactions to last weekend’s games especially interesting. My favorite quote isn’t from a player or coach, but from an impassioned sports writer at Western Michigan University’s student paper. Here is some … Read more
Given the state of college hockey this season, perhaps I should be grateful for any week I pick that’s over .500. Last week: 5-3-2 Season to date: 78-45-21 No. 8 Notre Dame remains in first place in the CCHA by a point because of a split with No. 20 Alaska and No. 7 Michigan’s sweep … Read more