In their final discussion of the first half, Candace and Arlan look at whether Harvard and Cornell are back to being threats, ponder Minnesota’s shellacking of St. Cloud, and look at which teams are in contention and what games are the ones to watch in the second half.
Candace and Arlan ponder whether newly ranked Bemidji State is an NCAA contender, whether anyone can stop Boston College in Hockey East, and debate the explosive volatility in the ECAC and CHA.
A lot of teams enter this season missing key cogs from previous years, but the top teams, such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Boston College, seem to be off to a great start regardless, while teams in the rung below, such as Vermont and Bemidji State, made some noise in the first weekend of full action. Candace and Arlan take a look in their first Wednesday Women column.
It is a season of change in the WCHA. For the first time since the league’s inaugural season of 1999-2000, it doesn’t have the defending national champion. That doesn’t necessarily indicate that its days as the country’s top league are over, however, as half of the WCHA is ranked in USCHO’s preseason poll, including the … Read more
Minnesota has been chosen to finish atop the WCHA women’s standings with six first-place votes in the league’s preseason coaches’ poll. The Gophers have advanced to the NCAA championship game the past three seasons, winning twice. Wisconsin, which finished second in the poll, garnered the other two first-place votes from the league’s head coaches. In … Read more
New coaches hope to rebuild at St. Cloud, Bemidji
Bemidji State announced Tuesday that James Scanlan has been named the new head coach of the BSU women’s program and the fifth in school history. Scanlan, an 18-year high school educator, coach and administrator, was a two-time All-American goaltender at Bemidji State, leading the Beavers to a pair of NAIA national titles in 1979 and … Read more
Bemidji State has announced the four finalists for the head coach of the Beavers’ women’s program. The candidates are Minnesota State assistant women’s coach Brett Bruininks, current BSU women’s assistant Amber Fryklund, Nebraska-Omaha men’s assistant Troy Jutting and East Grand Forks (N.D.) High School head coach James Scanlan. All four candidates have been invited to … Read more
After eight seasons behind the bench of the Bemidji State women’s program, head coach Steve Sertich is retiring. Sertich, who has led the Beavers to 81 wins, eight postseason appearances and the program’s first stint in the national polls, announced his decision at a press conference Monday afternoon. “I’ve truly enjoyed my time as a … Read more
Here’s our weekly look at big events and big issues around Division I men’s college hockey.
The Ohio State and Bemidji State women’s teams had combined for a innocuous 16 penalty minutes by the time the horn sounded to end their WCHA game Friday night.
After enjoying one of its best seasons two years ago, Bemidji State struggled mightily in 2012-13. The Beavers allowed the most goals in conference play, and only St. Cloud State scored fewer. The top two scorers graduated, so BSU will need to rebuild around younger players like sophomore Kaitlyn Tougas and transfers Kristine Grenier … Read more
This promises to be a transitional year in the WCHA, as players like Brianna Decker, Jocelyne and Monique Lamoureux, and Noora Räty that have formed the identity of the conference have completed their eligibility. Their former schools all bring in strong recruiting classes, so while the personnel losses leave the door open a crack for … Read more
The 2014 women’s WCHA Final Face-off will be held at the Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minn., on March 7-8, 2014. Bemidji will be the seventh city to host the event in the 15-year history of the WCHA playoff championship. The event has been held four of the last five years at the Ridder Arena in … Read more
According to a story in the Bemidji Pioneer, Bemidji State athletic director Rick Goeb will be replaced at the end of the 2012-13 school year. BSU president Richard Hanson sent an email to supporters of school athletics Monday notifying them of this move and said it comes following a comprehensive review of the athletics department. … Read more
No win comes easily for building teams. With a slowing of the action due to the Four Nations Cup, only four games were played in Minnesota last weekend. I was able to catch the front end of a series bringing Maine to Bemidji State, as well as game two of Lindenwood visiting St. Cloud … Read more
Picking the winner of the WCHA this season is a bit like shuffling a deck of cards and then trying to anticipate the order the various suits will appear. Obviously, there are eight teams in the league, not four, but to date, all of the circuit’s championship banners have been hung in Duluth, Minn., Madison, … Read more
Former Bemidji State women’s coach Bruce Olson died Tuesday morning in a Rochester, Minn., hospital where he had been receiving care for the past two weeks in his battle with cancer. He was 55. Olson, who played at Minnesota-Duluth from 1975-79, was named the third head coach in BSU women’s history prior to the 2002-03 … Read more
Reading into the ECAC games during the Four Nations Cup, possible D-III teams going D-I, and whether Bemidji is as good as their current place in the standings indicates.
In this week’s WW, we look at the impact of Minnesota’s sweep of Minnesota-Duluth, BC’s speed, and how young players help and hurt their teams.