Wisconsin redshirt senior captain Annie Pankowski is standing outside the Badgers locker room, giving an interview to a handful of reporters, when a she gets distracted for a moment and then pauses her answer to lean down and scratch the head of a dog that’s now happily wagging its tail and sitting at her feet (photo: Rachel Lewis).
In the Frozen Four semifinals, both Nicole and Candace see the WCHA teams prevailing. Follow our coverage all weekend!
Wisconsin is in its sixth straight Frozen Four, but each one has brought heartbreak. The last time Wisconsin faced Clarkson in the NCAA tournament was in the 2017 national championship game, which they lost. They are looking for redemption as they face Clarkson in the semifinals Friday.
Candace and Nicole review the quarterfinal results, including what Princeton’s close loss to Minnesota might mean for the Tigers’ chances next season, discuss the Annie Pankowski’s strong play of late, look ahead to the Frozen Four, and also ponder what a second consecutive year of ECAC versus WCHA teams in the Frozen Four means to the game’s landscape.
Clarkson, Cornell, Minnesota, and Wisconsin won their games to advance to the Frozen Four. Clarkson and Cornell did so in OT.
The WCHA announced Friday that it will launch a national search, beginning immediately, for the next association vice president and women’s commissioner.
The NCAA tournament first-round is here. Candace and Nicole pick the weekend’s games.
Candace and Nicole review the results of the conference tournaments, preview the NCAA quarterfinals, discuss the concept of parity and why many of the same teams are back in the NCAA tournament, and also look at possible contenders for the All-USCHO rookie team.
Syracuse ran the table and advanced to its first-ever NCAA tournament. Wisconsin beat Minnesota in the WCHA tournament to avenge its regular-season title loss. Northeastern beat Boston College in overtime to claim its second-straight Hockey East tournament, and Clarkson beat Cornell for its third-straight ECAC tournament title.
The tournament semis and finals present must-see games. Robert Morris battles Syracuse for the CHA title and NCAA tournament bid. Boston College takes on rival Boston University. Ohio State looks to deny Wisconsin once more. Colgate looks to go three-for-three on the year against Clarkson, which beat the Raiders in the NCAA tournament championship last season. Candace and Nicole pick the weekend’s games.
The women’s WCHA announced Thursday that Wisconsin senior forward Annie Pankowski is the 2018-19 WCHA Player of the Year (photo: David Stluka).
On the final weekend before the NCAA tournament selection, many teams are jockeying for either position, or a possible spot in the NCAA tournament itself. Nicole Haase breaks down the possible scenarios.
Candace and Nicole review the results from the first weekend of playoff action, one where all the higher-seeded teams advanced, look at potential upsets, such as Ohio State beating Wisconsin or Minnesota Duluth beating Minnesota, delve into the volatility of Hockey East, and look at how the final three nominees for the Patty Kazmaier Award did in the first weekend of postseason action.
The WCHA women’s conference announced Monday its 2018-19 individual award winners (photo: Brad Rempel).
Cornell and Colgate faced red-hot goalies and survived their opening-round series in three games, while the rest of the favorites swept to advance to the semifinals of their respective tournaments. Robert Morris swept Syracuse to win the CHA regular-season crown.
The WCHA women’s league announced its three All-WCHA Teams and All-Rookie Team on Thursday (photo: Walt Middleton Photography).
Three conferences start their playoff tournaments this weekend, while the CHA wraps up its regular season. In the playoffs, Candace and Nicole think their might be some third games, but expect the favorites to likely advance.
Ohio State made the Frozen Four last season. Though returning to the NCAA tournament is a tough task for the Buckeyes at this point, they do see a path forward, and led by goaltender Andrea Brändli, the Buckeyes are feeling confident about their chances.
It was a wild final weekend in the ECAC and WCHA, as Princeton fell from first to fourth, Cornell won the ECAC, and Wisconsin was overtaken by Minnesota on the last day of the regular season. Nicole and Arlan review those results, preview the playoffs, and talk about the Patty Kazmaier top ten finalists.
Minnesota captured the WCHA as Wisconsin lost two shootout-decisions to Ohio State, ending the Badgers’ streak of three straight conference championships. Cornell won twice to pass Princeton and capture the ECAC crown.