Offense still a challenge at St. Cloud

St. Cloud State Huskies USCHO prediction: Seventh Coaches’ prediction: Seventh Last season: Seventh (8-28-1, 5-22-1-1 WCHA) The names His first season at St. Cloud State was a learning experience for both coach Eric Rud and his players. “Last year was just a year where we knew we would struggle with wins and losses and tried … Read more

Defense a strength to build on at Ohio State

Ohio State Buckeyes USCHO prediction: Sixth Coaches’ prediction: Sixth Last season: Sixth (17-6-3, 12-13-3-1 WCHA) The names In March, Bemidji State became the sixth different WCHA team to play in the league’s championship game. Ohio State has been there — back in the conference’s second year of competition. That was so long ago that the … Read more

Bemidji looks to build on first WCHA championship game appearance

Bemidji State Beavers USCHO prediction: Fifth Coaches’ prediction: Fourth Last season: Fifth (21-17-1, 13-4-1-1 WCHA) The names Bemidji State wasn’t exactly a Cinderella team in coach Jim Scanlan’s first season, but it was as close to being one as the league had to offer. After setting a new benchmark for the program in wins with … Read more

New coach ushers in new era at Minnesota-Duluth

Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs USCHO prediction: Fourth Coaches’ prediction: Fifth Last season: Fourth (20-12-5, 14-10-4-2 WCHA) The names Maura Crowell makes the transition from being Katey Stone’s top assistant at Harvard to the second coach in Minnesota-Duluth history. “Being a head coach in the WCHA is an unbelievable opportunity,” Crowell said. “Hands down, that was the number … Read more

North Dakota a solid third in WCHA

North Dakota USCHO prediction: Third Coaches’ prediction: Third Last season: Third (22-12-3, 16-9-3 WCHA) The names “We’ve kind of been on the PairWise bubble for two years; it’s no fun,” coach Brian Idalski said. “The real challenge is when we started, it was a Big Three. Now, it’s become a Big Two. The challenge for … Read more

Badgers still struggle against Gophers

Wisconsin Badgers USCHO prediction: Second Coaches’ prediction: Second Last season: Second (29-7-4, 19-6-3-1 WCHA) The names After a drought of three years without a tournament crown, Wisconsin was able to claim a trophy at the WCHA Final Face-Off in March. “It was definitely an exciting time for us,” coach Mark Johnson said. “As any coach … Read more

Minnesota loaded for another run

Minnesota Golden Gophers USCHO prediction: First Coaches’ prediction: First Last season: First (34-3-4, 22-2-4-2 WCHA) The names Coach Brad Frost has the Minnesota roster in such good shape that last season it was able to shake off the disappointment of the NCAA title game defeat in 2014 and the loss of star Amanda Kessel to … Read more

Ousted Minnesota-Duluth women’s coach Miller suing school for discrimination

Former Minnesota-Duluth women’s hockey coach Shannon Miller is one of three ex-coaches at the school that are suing UMD for discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, age and national origin, according to a published report Monday in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The suit against the school’s Board of Regents was filed Monday in U.S. District … Read more

WCHA women’s coaches tab Minnesota as 2015-16 preseason favorite

With six first-place votes, Minnesota has been picked to finish atop the WCHA women’s standings this season in a vote of all eight league coaches. Wisconsin garnered the other two first-place nods and finished second in the poll. In addition, Minnesota senior forward Hannah Brandt was chosen preseason Player of the Year and Minnesota’s Sarah … Read more

Minnesota AD Teague resigns after sexual harassment allegations

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Minnesota athletic director Norwood Teague resigned Friday after reportedly sexually harassing two female university employees at a recent university-sponsored event. On Friday, Teague acknowledged his actions and admitted substance abuse issues in a text message to members of the media. “At a recent university event, I had entirely too … Read more

North Dakota committee takes away option for school to continue to play with no nickname

The North Dakota Nickname Committee has decided to remove the option of the school’s men’s and women’s hockey teams continuing to play without a nickname has frustrated the school’s hockey community, according to the Grand Forks Herald. Five nicknames are reportedly under consideration for UND – Sundogs, Roughriders, Nodaks, Fighting Hawks and North Stars. The … Read more

First NWHL draft stocked with talent

The first draft of the newly formed National Women’s Hockey League will have five rounds, and is stocked with the best players in the NCAA, many of whom have Olympic or other experience. Nicole Haase reports in a special to USCHO.