Eight of the 10 WCHA teams are involved in league contests this weekend while Alabama-Huntsville heads to Notre Dame and Northern Michigan plays pond hockey during its bye week. Here are the picks. Alaska at Bowling Green Matt: I may have called a split for the Nanooks a week ago — though I had the winners … Read more
The entire WCHA returned to action this week with eight of the 10 teams in league play. Here is what I think I learned after the first weekend of WCHA games in 2014. Ferris State and C.J. Motte are beatable In the first half of the season, a tie against the Ferris State Bulldogs and … Read more
All 10 WCHA teams are back in action now after the holidays, though not every school is in league play yet. Michigan Tech is coming off a shootout win and overtime loss in the Great Lakes Invitational at Comerica Park in Detroit, Bowling Green split at the Three Rivers Classic in Pittsburgh and Alabama-Huntsville was … Read more
Happy holidays and a welcome back to college hockey after a short break. Three WCHA teams are in action this weekend with Michigan Tech hosting the Great Lakes Invitational outdoors at Comerica Park in Detroit and Bowling Green participating in the Three Rivers Classic at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh. Here are Matt and … Read more
Matt and I have done pretty well with the picks so far, which is surprising considering how little we knew about the no-longer new WCHA. This is the last week before break, and I’m enjoying a slim lead on my colleague from the UP. Of course, this is for entertainment purposes only. Onto this week’s … Read more
We have a Wednesday night special this week not only for the WCHA and Big Ten, but for all of college hockey and especially the state of Michigan when No. 3 Michigan hosts No. 4 Ferris State in a battle of old CCHA rivals. The Bulldogs bring the nation’s longest unbeaten streak at 13 games (11-0-2) into … Read more
From the warmth and comfort of my couch this weekend, here’s what I think I learned channel surfing from game to game on WCHA TV while Michigan’s Upper Peninsula was buried in ice and snow. Minnesota State is alive and well After winning just four of their first 11 games of 2013-14, it appeared as … Read more
Shane continues to be the hot hand when it comes to picking games in the WCHA, while I barely finish above .500. We have all 10 teams in league play this weekend, which shouldn’t be an oddity, but it somehow is. Here’s our best guesses. All games are Friday and Saturday. Alabama-Huntsville at Bowling Green … Read more
Happy Thanksgiving weekend. The WCHA doesn’t slow down for the holiday, though, as there are four important series taking place in league play (in addition to some non-conference matchups), meaning eight teams trying to make moves. Will we see some separation in the standings? Or will there be more of a logjam? Here are the … Read more
After a weekend that included all 10 WCHA teams in league action, here’s what I think I learned in the WCHA last week. It’s still too early to take league standings too seriously Bridget Berube Carter, Northern Michigan University’s associate athletic director of compliance and interim sports information director, told me this weekend she isn’t … Read more
For the first time this season, all 10 WCHA teams are in action in WCHA series, and it only took until the second-to-last week in November for this to happen. This strange phenomenon will only happen again Dec. 6-7 and then not again until Jan. 10-11. I’m with Shane that the league needs to find some stability with … Read more
Looking at the WCHA standings, you’d think that this has been an unpredictable start to season. Yet, Matt went 10-1-1 in his picks for the second week in a row last week! Looks predictable to me. My 8-3-1 mark wasn’t bad, but Matt’s starting to pull a way a bit. Bowling Green at Ferris State … Read more
Matt: I was robbed of perfection a week ago by Lake Superior State’s tie with Wisconsin on Friday, plus the Bemidji State’s win over Minnesota State that night as well. Don’t expect a repeat this week, let alone the rest of the season. Shane: Well done, Matt. Let’s go to Vegas! I think if last week’s results … Read more
All right, Matt, it’s for real now. The WCHA schedule began last week with two league series. This weekend there are four conference matchups and a couple of intriguing nonconference series, but I see more sweeps than splits. Alaska Anchorage at Bowling Green Shane: The Seawolves and their new attitude under coach Matt Thomas … Read more
After three weekends of nonconference play in the WCHA, the 2013-14 conference slate begins for Alabama-Huntsville, Bemidji State, Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan. Alaska hosts one more nonconference series while Bowling Green plays Tuesday night. Alaska-Anchorage, Ferris State, Lake Superior State and Minnesota State are all off this weekend, though the Lakers have a Tuesday home exhibition against Laurentian. … Read more
It’s week two, and for six of the WCHA teams, they get to open their home schedule. Should be fun in those barns this weekend. It’s also been fun trying to figure out this new league, getting to know different programs and players. It will take some time, that’s for sure. So with one weekend … Read more
Every team in the WCHA now has two games under its belt after two weekends of hockey, with both games still to be played Tuesday night by Ferris State at Mercyhurst and Bowling Green against Ohio State at the BGSU Ice Arena. Minus those two games, here are three things I think I learned from … Read more
Ferris State kicked off the WCHA’s 2013-14 regular season a week ago by splitting with the ECAC’s Colgate in Hamilton, N.Y. — a 7-4 win Friday and 1-0 loss Saturday — and will take the weekend off before playing another nonconference game on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the other nine conference members are all in action on … Read more
Midwest Regional Final – No. 2 Miami v No. 4 St. Cloud State Matthew: Although six WCHA teams qualified for this year’s NCAA tournament, St. Cloud State finds itself Sunday as the only team from the league still standing and carrying the WCHA flag in this competition. I was very impressed with what the Huskies … Read more
West Regional final – Grand Rapids, Mich. No. 2 North Dakota vs. No. 4 Yale Matthew: North Dakota was the only WCHA team of the four playing in Friday’s opening day of the NCAA tournament to progress to a regional final, and UND was made to work for its success in a 2-1 triumph over … Read more