When Bemidji State emerged from the Midwest Regional after downing Notre Dame and Cornell, the Beavers became instant media darlings and the unofficial new favorite team of everyone whose true love wasn’t playing in D.C. this weekend. The George Mason basketball pep band even adopted them for the Frozen Four when BSU didn’t have the … Read more
When Bemidji State upset Notre Dame and then Cornell in Grand Rapids, many among the Midwest Regional press corps groused about the way the Beavers’ wins would affect the television audiences for the Frozen Four. I have to admit that I expressed some of the same concerns after the Irish lost Saturday night. Given the … Read more
My head is still spinning from the two days in Grand Rapids that changed the history of college hockey. A hearty congratulations to the Bemidji State Beavers, who earned every bit of their trip to the Frozen Four. What a great thing for that program, the incredible people associated with it and for college hockey. … Read more
When talking about the Midwest Regional with Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson, Jackson said that the Saturday-Sunday format was actually better for Notre Dame student fans. Because of the university’s strict attendance policy, students would be unable to leave classes early on a Friday to get to an early game two hours away in … Read more
Last year, the No. 4 team in the CCHA went to the NCAA title match. In 2007, the No. 4 team in the CCHA won the NCAA title match. Today, two No. 4 teams upset the No. 1 seeds in their brackets. And leave it to Michigan – with its rich NCAA tourney history – … Read more
Sitting in the recently renovated, bright and airy lobby of the Marriot Hotel in Detroit’s Renaissance Center – that’s the Ren Cen to the locals – it’s impossible to think about this year’s CCHA Championship Tournament without looking ahead to next year’s Frozen Four, to be played just up the road at Ford Field. It’s … Read more
Like many people who knew Mike Lockert, I’m struggling this week to come to terms with his death. Now I know what the grief counselors mean when they say that the first phase is denial, because I just can’t believe someone as wonderful and full of life as Mike is gone. Mike, the voice of … Read more
As an early Christmas present to ourselves, one of my hockey-loving girlfriends from Mott, Liz, and I made the trip from Flint to Detroit on Monday, Dec. 15, to see the Red Wings take on the Avalanche. It was the first NHL game I would attend as a fan – no press box, no laptop, … Read more
Sunday was the three-month anniversary of my move from Columbus, Ohio, to Flint, Mich. Three short months, and yet I feel as though I’ve been here forever. Perhaps that’s a side effect of moving from one state to another to begin a job immediately. Of course, one glance around my apartment lets any visitor know … Read more
I’m living in Flint, Mich. – and I love it. After years of deliberation, I decided to put myself on the academic job market last January and I’ve landed at Mott Community College in Flint. Sure, I’d seen Roger & Me before I applied for the job. Yes, I know that Flint has lost over … Read more