Talk about rock bottom. Tuesday: 0-2 (.000) Season to date: 73-51-21 (.576) Oy. This week There are five conference series this weekend. Bowling Green is idle. All series are Friday-Saturday and everything is Eastern Standard Time. Alaska at Michigan. The Nanooks have been off for a month and the Wolverines probably wish they’d been. Alaska’s … Read more
Last weekend was a good weekend for the CCHA, but was a good weekend for me? Of course not. Last week: 3-4-2 (.444) Season to date: 73-49-21 (.584) Slowly approaching season numbers that may not even add up to mediocrity. Tonight There’s a full schedule of CCHA action this weekend, but there are two games … Read more
What a difference a week can make. 1. Upper Peninsula — represent! After a dismal showing in midseason tournaments, the CCHA rebounded with a 6-0-2 record against nonconference opponents last weekend, led by the two league U.P. teams, Northern Michigan and Lake Superior State. The unranked Wildcats and Lakers each dispatched ranked opponents, with NMU … Read more
So good to see my personal second-half slump off to a hearty start. Last week: 3-6-0 (.333) Season to date: 70-45-19 (.593) Thanks, CCHA, for such a strong midseason showing. I didn’t count the Bowling Green game, as my prediction came after the drop of the puck. This week Let’s see if I can get … Read more
Let me say this first, before anything else: Congratulations to the Michigan Tech Huskies on their impressive 2012 Great Lakes Invitational title. I know I should be sad for the CCHA, the league that had three teams in this tournament’s field, but I am delighted that former Michigan assistant Mel Pearson and his staff brought … Read more
How did I miss the Niagara-Bowling Green game tonight? Too much eggnog, I reckon. The game has begun and the Falcons are up 1-0 already. I’d pick them to win regardless, but I’m willing to put this one in the “L” column for my personal picks for the lateness of its arrival. And apologies to … Read more
While in Florida visiting family for the holiday and failing to thwart my mother’s attempts to ruin my diet, I had an interesting conversation with one of my parents’ Christmas dinner guests. “So, Paula, I hear you’re in Flint now,” said the guest, a lovely lady approximately the age of my mother, Dolly Weston. That … Read more
Jim Johannson, USA Hockey’s assistant executive director of hockey operations, who is serving as the general manager of Team USA for the fourth consecutive year, and CBS Sports Network hockey analyst and USCHO.com national columnist Dave Starman will be our guests the next edition of USCHO Live! Dec. 18. Join us for the conversation and information, Tuesday, … Read more
Ten of the league’s 11 teams played at least one conference game this past weekend, a very late, full weekend for the CCHA. Here are three surprising things from this past weekend. Please note the sarcasm. 1. Apparently, Michigan has had a third goaltender all along. For the entire first half of the season until … Read more
Last week? Not so good as the week before … Last week: 4-4-2 (.500) Season to date: 63-35-18 (.621) I am grateful to be above .500 overall nearing the midway point of the season. This week It’s rare in mid-December for nearly everyone to play, but that’s how it is this weekend in the CCHA … Read more
Western Michigan head coach Andy Murray will join us during the next edition of USCHO LIve! Dec. 11. Join us for the conversation and information, Tuesday, Dec. 11, from 8 to 9 p.m. ET at blogtalkradio.com/uscholive. If you can’t listen live, check out the podcast of USCHO Live! available on the player at the right (click through if you’re reading … Read more
As we’ve seen in recent years, one game can be the difference between a regular-season title and second place. This past weekend, that one game could have been played Saturday night. 1. Sweeps are golden. Notre Dame is the CCHA’s new No. 1 team, two points ahead of former first-place Miami because the Fighting Irish … Read more
Well, they say this is the season of miracles. Last week: 8-2-1 (.773) Season to date: 59-31-16 (.630) I counted Tuesday’s pick of the MTU-NMU game. This week There are four CCHA series and one nonconference set. All series are Friday-Saturday and single site except for the Robert Morris-Ohio State series, which is home-and-home. All … Read more
There’s a game tonight between Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan. It’s a Tuesday. As the kids say, WTF — which stands, of course, for “What Tremendous Fun!” Michigan Tech at Northern Michigan. At home last weekend, the Huskies lost to and tied Minnesota-Duluth, 7-3 and 4-4. Late in the third period and down 4-2, MTU … Read more
I was in East Lansing Saturday night when the Buckeyes swept the Spartans. When I was talking to OSU coach Mark Osiecki after that game ended — before all other CCHA games ended because the OSU-MSU game began at 6:05 p.m. — little did I know that the Buckeyes were setting a trend. In four … Read more
I knew last week would be a bit painful. Perhaps I should be grateful for any week in which I at least break even. Last week: 4-3-1 (.562) Season to date: 51-29-15 (.616) Wrong-way splits … sigh. This week It’s a full slate of CCHA action this week, with 10 teams playing and Bowling Green … Read more
I spent the morning thankful for speedy internet connections and the magic of in-home laundry. I hope that your post-Thanksgiving Monday contained at least half as much gratitude. Three things from this weekend, quickly: 1. Michigan is not ready for prime time. With three wins in their last 10 games and a 5-1 loss to … Read more
It’s a light schedule this weekend, but everyone played last week. As I suspected, I didn’t do nearly as well this past weekend with predictions as I did the first three weeks of CCHA play. Last week: 5-6-1 (.458) Season to date: 47-26-14 (.621) The wrong-way split in Fairbanks hurt. The non-splits did, too. I’ll … Read more
There’s a single game tonight between Bowling Green and Michigan in Ann Arbor. I’ll post the rest of my picks for this weekend plus my picks record Friday morning. Bowling Green at No. 19 Michigan In their TMQ column this week, my friends and colleagues, Jim Connelly and Todd D. Milewski, ask, “How much respect … Read more
This was a strange weekend. Three things that strike me as interesting about it: 1. The number of times you shoot the puck may count for something. In Ohio State’s sweep of Northern Michigan, the Buckeyes outshot the Wildcats 77-34 and allowed only 12 shots on goal during Saturday’s 4-2 win. Alabama-Huntsville notched its first … Read more